Chapter 177 The Demon Lord's Death: Aftermath!

When the Demon Lord Pazuzu met his end at the hands of Ares, the world went through an abrupt change.

The very fabric of reality seemed to warp and twist as if the universe itself was recoiling from the death of such a powerful being.

As Pazuzu fell, the sky above the surrounding kingdoms turned a deep shade of red, as if the blood of countless demons had stained the heavens.

The temperature became unstable, and the very ground itself shook with violent tremors.

The most severe damage was done to the Abandoned Kingdom, which was known to house Pazuzu's dungeon.

The ground shook so violently that a massive wave swept through the kingdom, wiping out the entire demon race that resided there.

The gates that were used to keep the demons contained ceased to exist, and the kingdom was left a barren wasteland with not even the bones of dead monsters visible.

The destruction was so complete that it was as if the land had been cursed, and no one would ever be able to live there again.

And the Great Wall that acted as the border between Kaldor and the Abandoned Kingdom, which had been built to protect nearby kingdoms from the demons, was destroyed, leaving the entire Kingdom of Kaldore in a state of shock.

The impact of the destruction was felt for miles, as nearby structures shook and crumbled under the force of the earthquakes.

As the red sky persisted, even at night, the people of the surrounding kingdoms were left in a state of awe and disbelief.

Many believed it was a sign of the end of the world, while others believed it was the beginning of a new era.

The suddenness of the destruction left the populace stunned, unable to comprehend the true extent of the devastation.

The followers of Pazuzu, who had been hiding in the shadows, all died at once with their entire bodies blasted into pieces, their souls ripped from their bodies, and dragged down into the depths of the underworld.

The people who did not know who they were or their affiliation was confused by their sudden death.

The public looked on in horror at the devastation. Some wept for the loss of life, while others were struck with fear at the power that had been unleashed.

The skies above remained a deep, foreboding shade of red, and the air was thick with the stench of death and decay.

Regardless of the interpretation, the event was one that would be remembered for generations to come.

***

Before The Fall Of Pazuzu At Hero Association Building ~

In a Hero's Association meeting room, Jessica sat at a round table with other high-ranking officials and heroes.

She had received a piece of information from an unknown source and determined to root out the demon colonies hidden across the continent.

SLAM—

"I will be leading this operation myself, so I don't need any of you geezers' permission to pass this bill," Jessica slammed the table, announcing her decision.

However, one of the high-ranking individuals, wearing a black suit, protested. "Gathering this many heroes and entering the kingdoms, no kingdom will appreciate this behavior. They will think the Hero Association is declaring war against them."

Jessica dismissed his concern. "I will speak with them myself. MINA, organize a meeting and send letters to all the kingdoms inviting the monarchs to attend. Those who fail to attend will be seen as opposing the Hero Association."

Mina, Jessica's secretary, bowed and left the conference room, wondering about the content of the letter that made Jessica so riled up, and the identity of the person who sent it.

"Are you serious about this, Jessica? Why don't you at least tell us the name of the informant who provided you with this information?" A woman, one of the high-ranking heroes in the room, asked.

"I can't reveal their identity," Jessica replied, as even she didn't know who the person sent her that information was.

"I just want to know if the information is reliable," Tania asked. "I'm already busy investigating the peculiar lights that emerged after clearing that mysterious black gate," she added.

Jessica replied, "Do you think I will just act on impulse? I confirmed the authenticity of the information myself."

Hearing that Jessica had confirmed the authenticity of the information herself, no one in the room had any more objections, and there was a brief silence.

!?

SWOOSH—

However, just then, with a swoosh, an invisible wave passed through the building, and suddenly, some of the high-ranking officials and heroes were blasted into pieces. Blood splattered and rained, dying the whole table and ground red.

SPLATTER— SPLATTER—

"W-What is going on here?" Tania exclaimed, hurriedly standing from her chair, terrified. The remaining people stumbled backward in horror.

However, Jessica remained seated on her chair, drops of blood splattered on her face. Her eyes were still wide as if she was processing the situation.

Creak—

Jessica's secretary hastily pushed open the door and entered the conference room. "M-Ma'am, you have to see this," she shouted.

However, her shouting halted when she witnessed that the conference room was in the same situation.

Jessica slowly turned toward the see-through window in the conference room and noticed the deep red sky as if it would rain blood anytime now.

Her patched eye began to glow golden, and a magic circle appeared in front of it as she muttered in a low voice.

"...Someone has managed to kill a demon lord?"

!?

Everyone in the room present was a high-ranking individual and had obviously heard her muttering.

"W-What?" they all exclaimed at the same time.

Jessica hurriedly got up from her seat and took her coat, which was hanging on the seat.

"Yeah, you heard it right. Someone managed to kill a demon lord, and these bastards that blasted just now seem to be that demon lord's followers," Jessica explained as she wore her coat and wiped the blood from her face.

No one questioned her any further as they knew what Jessica was capable of, and wouldn't dare to doubt her words.

There was a reason why she was the president of the massive Hero Association.

"...."

"...So what Ares said was true. There were indeed demon lord followers in the Hero Association's higher-ups," Tania said in a low voice.

Jessica was about to exit the room, but when she heard Tania, she halted in her steps.

She began to remember Ares's interview from that time. However, even after hearing his warning, she disregarded it and made many negative remarks about him.

She didn't think much of what Ares stated at the time and found his criticism of the Hero Association to be unwarranted and immature, causing her pride to be wounded.

Jessica regretted her past dismissal of Ares's concerns and felt guilty for her previous harsh remarks.

"I am ...such an idiot," Jessica muttered with a grim expression, her head lowered.

"If the people who just died were followers of one demon lord, then there might be many others who follow other demon lords, but we are still unaware of them, how can we trust each other in this kind of situation?" one of the heroes exclaimed.

Jessica came out of her daze and replied, "Don't worry, there is a person who might be able to help us in this situation," she said and left the room.

"So, are we still holding a meeting?" Jessica's secretary asked as she began following her.

"Yes, and search for the person responsible for killing that demon lord. I want to know if that person is still alive. Give orders to our spies that they are free to use any means necessary," Jessica said.

"Understood!" Her secretary Mina replied.

As she pondered the situation, Jessica couldn't help but wonder, "Could this demon lord who perished be indeed Belphagor or perhaps another that we were previously unaware of?"

"Things will get dangerous from now on," Jessica said, shaking her head.

***

The situation in other kingdoms was similar to that in the Hero Association.

Many important figures died abruptly, including some princes and princesses, leaving the whole continent in horror.

Some people who recognized the phenomenon ordered their people to search for the person responsible for killing the demon lord for their own reasons, among which was the current Elven Empress.

---

The Elven Empress sat on her throne, listening to reports of the sudden deaths of many influential individuals across the land.

The news was grim, and she knew it was only a matter of time before panic would set in among her people.

"Your Majesty," one of her advisers said, bowing low. "We have been informed that these deaths may be related to the recent defeat of a demon lord."

The Empress frowned, deep in thought. "What do we know about this demon lord and their followers?" she asked.

"Among the people who died, many were incredibly powerful and influential," another adviser chimed in. "But with the demon lord's defeat, we have heard rumors of a sudden and violent death for the demon lord's followers, as if they were blasted into nothingness."

The Empress gasped. "Could it be that this phenomenon occurs every time a demon lord is defeated? That their followers are tied to them in such a way that they too perish when their leader falls?"

"It's possible," the adviser replied. "We have heard reports of similar events happening in other kingdoms as well. It seems to be a universal phenomenon."

The Empress nodded grimly. "We must find out everything we can about this Marz and the demon lord he supposedly defeated.

If he is as powerful as they say, then he may be a valuable ally.

I want our scouts to gather information about him and report back to me immediately," She ordered.