It was not unusual for demons to betray one another to further their own interest.
Malcorth planned to do the same with Skarnyx, who was genuinely here to kill the Dark Knight. In that case, it was not unusual for another demon to take advantage of the schemes of Malcroth to get what they want.
Golden light flashed as the god’s eyes were activated. Everything that happened inside the vault, starting from the past to the present, became clear to him, and at that moment, the [Celestial Harmony] also stopped buzzing.
Finally, Reinhardt had the complete picture of what was going on. And just like he thought, there were multiple demons; no Heavenly kings were involved in this matter.
The schemes had multiple layers and were thought out long before even Skarnyx planned this holy war and corrupted the holy places.
Everything was just like how it went down in Solaris. Although they managed to defeat the demons and gain victory, the price they paid was immense.
One of the Seven Supreme Treasures, the thing said to be the final hope of humanity and what was stopping the Forces of Darkness from completely taking over the human world, was stolen.
And now, if he included the one Aetherion had, two of the Supreme Divine Treasures were gone. It did not even need to be mentioned how big of a matter this was and how heavy a blow it was for humanity.
That said, it was not over yet.
"Not while I’m here." Reinhardt snorted; his tense expression changed into a determined one.
If there was one thing that was different from the events of Solaris, then it would be that the Divine Paladin they were fighting this time was not your same one.
He was the man who had stepped into the realm of the divine. If the demons thought they could just get away with it right under his nose, then they are about to be proven wrong.
Space distorted, and Reinhardt disappeared from the underground vault.
.
The demons who had lost all of their leaders were no longer a threat. With Vaerion and most high ranking knights becoming free, the situation quickly turned in their favor, and before long, all the demons that invaded Aetherion were brought down.
By the time everything was cleaned up, it was already the morning of the next day.
An unprecedented attack occurred in Aetherion; their borders, their capital, and many of their cities were attacked. However, thanks to the efforts of the valiant knight who fought all through the night, the damage was kept to a minimum.
Nonetheless, the nation still suffered a devastating blow with a lot of civilian and knight casualties.
Inside the now half ruined royal palace, an urgent meeting was hurriedly called forth. The King, having recovered from his previous grief stricken state, now addressed his officials to come up with a solution to this massive problem they have on top of their heads.
While the plan of the demons who invaded their kingdom was thwarted by the knights, it was true that they let it happen and were too late to realize the clutches of the demons that had extended so deeply inside their kingdom.
What’s more, the ones involved in this matter were not the holy institutions that hold a lot of influence in the kingdom, but also the First Prince. It had to be addressed as soon as possible.
"The matter is how do we appease the masses? They will not be pacified unless we give a reasonable expression. I believe we need to execute all those who were involved".
At those words, the eyes of all the officials turned towards the king. By now, it was no secret that the First Prince was involved in the attack on the capital and the sudden outbreak of demons all around the kingdom.
After being defeated by the knights, the First Prince Cedric was captured and thrown into prison. The latter had turned into a shell of his previous self after being used by the demons.
"Hmph, what is there to discuss? Isn’t this situation created because the First Prince and those high ranking members of the holy institutions fell to the temptations of the demons? Hmph, and they still call themselves the sacred ground of the gods? I say, we use this chance to curb all the influence of their, bringing the kingdom under the complete control of the crown".
Some of the radical minded officials argued.
There were differing opinions on how to handle the situation. Just when things seemed like it was going nowhere, a messenger burst into the hall.
"Your majesty, I bring news. Sir Vaerion Duskclaw is back after clearing the other cities near the capital of demons".
As soon as his voice sounded out, a man wearing dark obsidian armor entered the hall. His armor, his skin, his sword, everything was dripping with the blood of the demons he had just slain.
Looking at his blood soaked appearance, everyone wondered how many demons did the man kill to look like this.
Vaerion bowed in front of the throne and presented what looked like the remains of a severed head.
"This is?!"
The King, Queen, and everyone in the hall had the same question. The severed head looked severely disfigured, as if something had scarred its face and brain out with sharp attacks. Nevertheless, even if the face wasn’t recognizable, from the six horns the head possessed, it was clear that it was a very high ranking demon.
"Your Majesties, I present before you the head of the Twelfth Heavenly King, the Lord of Manaics— Skarnyx".
The moment those words left Vaerion’s mouth, the entire hall that had been buzzing just until a moment ago became eerily silent. Next, as if a bomb had gone off, the place became rowdy again.
Some cowards ducked into their seats, afraid that the Heavenly King would come alive and slaughter them all. Others wanted to see the face of the legendary demon that lorded over other demons.