Though it bore a vaguely humanoid shape, there was something deeply unsettling about it—something that would instinctively terrify humans.
It had twin horns, a grotesque face, and a beak-like mouth filled with jagged, irregular fangs.
Its limbs were elongated, ending in sickle-like claws, while its body was covered in reptilian scales.
And behind it—bat-like wings and a tail, unmistakable proof of its identity.
This was the demon Brunhilde saw.
It was this invisible demon that had been torturing the adjutant.
The reason others couldn't see it was likely due to an invisibility spell cast upon it.
Yes, this demon had been granted invisibility—because lower-ranking demons typically lacked such abilities.
So, had King Solomon bestowed this power upon it?
When Brunhilde turned her gaze back to King Solomon, she couldn't help but inhale sharply.
From the beginning, she had noticed a lion and a large dog lying beside him.
She had thought nothing of them at first, but now, having glimpsed the truth through the Akashic System, she realized they were no ordinary animals.
They exuded an ominous aura, and even the demon regarded them with fear.
Their identities became clear to her.
Malphas—the Fifth of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, a Hellish General commanding thirty-six legions, with the power to unveil the truth.
No hidden treasure or secret could escape his sight, nor could he be deceived. He was also versed in healing arts and mechanical technology, capable of granting his summoner the power of transformation.
His usual form was that of a lion.
Thus, in front of Malphas, any lie from the deputy governor would be instantly exposed.
The identity of the giant dog should be Glasya-Labolas, ranked twenty-fifth among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods—a winged, monstrous hound who possesses knowledge of science, understands past and present, distinguishes friend from foe, and has the ability to render people invisible.
That demon could turn invisible, so it must have been its doing.
Two of the mighty Seventy-Two Demon Gods had actually submitted at the feet of King Solomon.
Meanwhile, Göll, who could now see the demons, sensed an even more terrifying aura. She turned to look.
"Sister Brunhilde, th-that lion and big dog… they feel so terrifying, like they're radiating dark energy. Are they magical beasts?"
"That's Malphas and Glasya-Labolas."
"Malphas and Glasya-Labolas?"
The names of magical beasts?
No—weren't those the names of two demons from the Seventy-Two Demon Gods?
Come to think of it, some demons took the form of animals in their usual appearances.
Realizing this, Göll's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Two demon gods bowing before a human?
No way… this was aligning too closely with the historical records she'd seen in the visions.
Was Solomon truly just a human? Not some illegitimate child of that god?
If he were the god's illegitimate child, then this situation might make sense.
If not illegitimate, then perhaps an adopted son.
Either way, Göll found it too absurd—a human commanding the seventy-two demon gods? Impossible.
So, she leaned toward the idea that it was the chief god's command that forced the demons to obey King Solomon.
"How on earth were they subdued?"
Brunhilde murmured, equally unable to fathom it.
To dominate the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, one would first need the approval of a certain individual—the King of Hell himself.
But what right did a mere human have to make the King of Hell lend out the seventy-two demon gods?
Who did he think he was?
If he were the son of a god, then perhaps.
Could he really be that god's son?
In fact, during this [Ragnarök], Brunhilde had already locked onto one candidate—a human also connected to that god, in a sense, his son.
That human was Adam, created by the god in his own image.
As a being fashioned after the god's likeness, Adam naturally possessed some divine abilities. Yet, due to certain circumstances, he had turned against the gods and even slain one.
Of course, the god he killed wasn't his creator, but a lesser serpent deity.
Though not particularly powerful, it was still a god—and he had effortlessly obliterated it.
Such a feat was only natural, given that he was modeled after that god.
In a way, Adam could be called a god wearing the guise of a human.
In any case, King Solomon's ability to command the seventy-two demon gods must have stemmed from some connection to that god.
And so, Brunhilde kept watching, until the sun set that day.
As the light at the horizon vanished and darkness swallowed the sky, an abrupt mutation caused Brunhilde's expression to change drastically.
The sky was covered in magic circles, forming an enormous hemispherical barrier that enveloped the entire nation.
A spell of such magnitude was not something a single Demon God could accomplish.
At the same time as this sudden anomaly, seventy-two beams of light erupted from the ground.
Seventy-two beams—meaning all Seventy-Two Demon Gods had descended upon the mortal world!
"B-Brunhilde, look—look at that!"
Göll's trembling voice drew Brunhilde's attention to the streets below, where the crowds were behaving strangely.
Strangely, the humans showed no signs of panic at this transformation. Instead, most continued with their daily routines as if nothing had happened, while the rest... left Brunhilde stunned.
The remaining people formed orderly lines, marching toward a stone wall.
A door had appeared on the wall—like a gateway to hell—and as it swung open, the crowd stepped inside.
And this wasn't the only one. Four such doors had appeared, one in each cardinal direction of the capital.
This was far too abnormal, far too eerie!
Brunhilde soared into the sky, breaking past the barrier of magic circles to look down upon the city.
"This—!"
What greeted her was an entirely different sight—a peaceful capital bathed in the glow of night, completely ordinary.
After a moment of shock, she understood: the magic circles were concealing the truth.
Then she would have to step through one of those doors herself and see what lay beyond.
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