Chapter 11 Part 4
Parmeo was attempting to open the sealed gate to the demon world. This meant only one thing:
“He wants to reclaim his body.”
The body of Apikus, sealed in the demon world, was preserved there. Parmeo’s goal was to retrieve this body and turn the world into a second demon realm. If this were to happen, the world would become a living hell.
“But his plan is impossible unless the Black Hound swallows the sun.”
This was why Parmeo had invested so much time and effort in the Duke of Tartan and Aksion. However, Aksion had sworn allegiance to Elia.
Did this mean they were safe from Parmeo’s schemes? As Elia ran her hand along the cave wall, Aksion was the first to notice something strange.
“Elia, something’s wrong.”
At his words, Elia turned her head. The dark cave appeared unchanged, yet the air around them felt inexplicably foreign.
“We need to go outside.”
Elia’s words prompted Aksion to nod. The two left the cave, leaving the mural behind. Yet, as they reached the entrance, there was no sunlight.
“It seems the sun is diminishing.”
“What…?”
How could this be? Elia hurried outside. The forest was shrouded in deep shadows.
“Lady Elia!”
It was Risha’s voice. The servants, alarmed by the unusual weather, rushed to find their master. It was midday, with no clouds, yet it was dark. Everyone’s eyes instinctively turned to the sky.
“What is that?”
A colossal beast was blocking the sky. A red-furred hound was devouring the sun.
* * *
“It’s not my fault!”
Sharon vehemently denied her culpability before the old man in robes. He always communicated through black mist, but this was the first time he came to her in person.
“Can’t you even safeguard one thing? I shouldn’t have trusted someone of your lowly status.”
The old man trembled with rage, his dry fists shaking. Sharon, on the verge of tears, protested.
“I just found out it was stolen! It must have been the Duke of Tartan who switched it!”
They were in the underground temple. The Sun Sword, a sacred relic, was stored here. It looked identical to the original, but when the old man drew the sword, everything was revealed.
“How foolish to trust a puppet with broken strings!”
Sharon swallowed her frustration. She had trusted the Duke of Tartan. Even though he was no longer controlled, he had still served her diligently.
‘He must have fallen for me. That’s why he sought me out even after the control was lifted.’
Her beauty and status as a saintess had led her to believe she could enchant him. But she realized too late how naive she had been.
‘I trusted him!’
Instead, Sharon found herself deceived. The Duke of Tartan had already left the temple. His report stated he was leaving to deal with the re-emerging monsters beyond the border, but in reality, he had fled to avoid being caught for switching the Sun Sword.
The old man clicked his tongue, his disdain for Sharon evident.
“You were picked up to be useful.”
“Give me one more chance!”
Sharon clung to the old man’s feet, begging for another opportunity. Her pitiful plea was unbefitting of a saintess, revealing her as a false one who had abandoned her true destiny. The old man coldly kicked her away.
“Ah!”
“It’s too late.”
Sharon curled up on the ground. The old man pulled back his hood, revealing his face.
“A monster!”
Sharon pointed at Parmeo. His face was half that of an old man and half a young handsome man, with violet eyes from each side laughing at her terror.
“Do not fear. You will soon become like me.”
“Stay away!”
The sight of the old man’s face was horrifying. Sharon backed away, trembling. As she tried to escape, black magic coiled around her ankle like a snake.
“Let go!”
Her white legs flailed, but the black magic tightened, eventually swallowing her up to her neck.
No, this can’t be happening.
Her last scream was swallowed by the darkness. The black magic twisted and transformed, turning red.
It was pure blood. A new vision opened. Its eyes were as black as night. Parmeo watched with satisfaction.
“My hound, fetch the sun for your master.”
The red creature grew larger, transforming into a giant red hound. The ground trembled under its weight. The hound leaped toward the sky, causing the ancient temple to collapse.
“What is this?”
“The pillars are falling! Everyone, evacuate!”
Priests, unaware of the events underground, scattered in panic. Amidst the collapsing temple, the massive red hound soared into the sky.
A brilliant blue sky. The clear sky, devoid of clouds, was now overshadowed by the hound.
“Oh my god.”
A priest covered his mouth. The monster, in the shape of a red hound, was swallowing the sun.
Gulp, gulp.
The hound struggled to consume the sun, but as it did, darkness spread over the land. When the hound finally swallowed the sun, the world was plunged into night.
“Now my world shall begin.”
Parmeo hunched his back. Enormous bat wings emerged from his back. The demon world’s energy radiated from underground, rejuvenating Parmeo.
For a long time, the empire was protected by the sun during the day and its remnants at night, along with the moon. Without the sun, the moon couldn’t rise either. There was nothing left to protect the empire from monsters.
“I can’t see anything!”
“Bring lights!”
People, startled by the sudden darkness, scrambled for light. But before they could adjust to the darkness, disaster struck.
Crack. Crack.
The sound of the ground splitting. From the cracks, black shapes emerged, attacking the people.
Creatures with night vision had the upper hand. Parmeo watched with satisfaction and commanded the monsters.
“Hunt down the royal family.”
The monsters immediately headed towards the palace. Although the palace was already being infiltrated by monsters, it wasn’t enough.
‘The complications arose because of that one.’
The stars of destiny were influenced by every event. Although the reason the intended sacrifice had taken an unexpected path was unclear, Parmeo decided that everything around her was the problem.
Parmeo checked his crystal ball. The palace appeared within it. Varlan led the knights to fend off the monsters, while the emperor and empress fled in terror.
“Let’s see how far they can run.”
The humans’ desperate struggle amused Parmeo. All that remained was to return to the demon world and reclaim his body. Yet, there was still an unresolved issue.
“Destiny is still lacking.”
While the Black Hound could be replaced, Elia was the only suitable key to open the gate. Sealing the sun was merely a temporary measure.
A sacrifice was needed to permanently extinguish the sun.
Parmeo squinted at the crystal ball, seeing Elia and Aksion heading towards the palace.
* * *
“The sun has been swallowed.”
This indicated that the gate to the demon world had been cracked open. By the time Elia and Aksion arrived, the capital was already in chaos.
“Aksion, can you see it?”
Elia used magic to illuminate their surroundings, and Aksion, also affected by the spell, frowned.
“The palace…”
The beautiful palace had turned into red crystal. The people who couldn’t escape in time were also crystallized where they stood.
Ahead of them stood a handsome man in robes, with unusual violet eyes and long gray hair. It was undoubtedly Parmeo.
“This is all because of you.”
Parmeo chuckled, accusing Elia. In that instant, a red stream grabbed Aksion’s ankle.
