The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 370

Darkhan, the leader of the dark elves, felt completely lost and confused.

According to legends passed down for generations, there was only one time a doppelganger destroyed itself.

‘Could it be that it couldn’t handle Roman Dmitry’s power?’

He was horrified.

This was impossible.

Even though Roman Dmitry was famous, Darkhan knew doppelgangers were different from anything in this world.

Doppelgangers were not like normal creatures.

The dark elves had records about doppelgangers. Long ago, they captured a creature from the Demon Realm. This creature had fallen into their world through a crack in space – a dimensional rift. This creature was a doppelganger.

A creature of the Demon Realm.

A demon.

The problem was that this demon had a lot of power, even in the Demon Realm.

‘Doppelgangers were forced out of the Demon Realm. Their greed almost destroyed them.’

Long ago.

The doppelgangers made a mistake they should never have made.

In the Demon Realm, demons were just weak beings. But then, a doppelganger absorbed the power of a ‘demonkin’ – a kind of powerful demon.

It learned to think for itself. It gained great power.

Starting with the first doppelganger, they absorbed the power of the demonkin one by one, trying to become more than just demons.

As a result, they were almost wiped out.

To be exact, some of them escaped through a dimensional rift, only to end up in the land of the dark elves and become their slaves.

This was the truth about doppelgangers, which the people of this world didn’t know.

So, Darkhan’s shock was even stronger than those who were merely surprised.

‘A doppelganger that even took the power of a demonkin couldn’t stand against the power of a human, Roman Dmitry, and broke down.’

It was clear.

This was what happened when a doppelganger broke down.

The dark elves had done many experiments with captured doppelgangers. They had seen them break down when they took in power they couldn’t handle.

What did that mean?

It meant that a doppelganger that had even taken the power of a demonkin couldn’t stand against the power of Roman Dmitry, just a human.

He was completely stunned. He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He knew that Roman Dmitry was special, blessed by the World Tree – a source of great power. But he had never imagined that such a human could exist.

It was shocking. Darkhan stared blankly at Roman Dmitry, and when their eyes met, he quickly lowered his head.

Darkhan bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly. “S-Savior,” he began, “the… the creature… it could not stand against your might. It destroyed itself. The trial… you have passed. No one can argue with this.”

The dark elves opened the way.

The trial of the mirror.

It was proof that he had passed fairly.

Roman Dmitry turned his head and looked at the warriors of Valhalla, who still hadn’t understood what was happening.

“I will now enter the Tomb of the South. If anyone has any doubts about this result, step forward now.”

No one stepped forward.

They had all seen it clearly.

Roman Dmitry had defeated many challengers with amazing strength. Even the final trial of the mirror had ended with the shocking self-destruction of his opponent.

“Good.” Roman Dmitry said, nodding slightly.

The dark elves didn’t need to explain.

Just by looking at the situation, Roman Dmitry had proven he deserved to learn the truth of Valhalla.

He turned his head.

The competition didn’t matter anymore.

Roman Dmitry walked inside.

As Roman Dmitry and his soldiers passed, the dark elves blocked the way, so no one else could enter.

The Tomb of the South was under the stage of the trial.

Darkhan was guiding them.

When they reached a certain area, Darkhan spoke to the soldiers who had followed Roman Dmitry.

“Only those who are qualified may enter from here.”

“Wait here.”

His soldiers accepted the order.

This trip to Valhalla was with Chris and Kevin, and only a few private soldiers.

They didn’t react to Darkhan’s orders, but when Roman Dmitry spoke, they formed ranks and guarded the area.

He continued walking.

Finally, he arrived at his destination.

Looking at the space filled with darkness, Darkhan said.

“I hope the Savior gets what he wants.”

“Thank you for your help.”

He stepped inside.

Immediately, he felt a magical energy scanning his body.

Roman Dmitry tried to raise his mana to stop it, but he quickly realized it was the Tomb of the South’s way of checking him.

The Tomb of the South wasn’t in a hidden place.

Anyone could enter if they wanted to, so the Valhalla ancestors had made careful plans to stop anyone from entering.

The warrior’s test was a fair way to enter.

The magic that had just checked Roman Dmitry was deciding whether to stop him from entering, or let him pass.

The result was, of course, a pass.

As the mana disappeared, Roman Dmitry walked deeper inside.

The passage went far underground.

Only after walking for a long time did he find a huge door blocking the path and massive statues standing guard around it.

The statues looked intimidating.

They seemed to be about 7 or 8 meters tall – taller than a house! They had strong, bulging muscles like powerful fighters, and they were holding giant weapons that matched their size.

The first gate used magic to check people.

But this place was different. It showed that the Valhalla Empire wanted only strong people to enter. This test was about physical strength.

Creak, creak.

The statues turned their heads.

The statues’ eyes suddenly glowed red, like hot coals in the darkness. The red light fixed on Roman Dmitry, piercing and intense.

“[…Bad people… cannot pass here.]”

The voice echoed around the chamber, deep and booming.

The energy rising from them carefully checked Roman Dmitry.

“[…You are allowed to pass… We will open the door.]”

Thud… thud…

The stone giants moved. Dust puffed from their ancient forms as they stirred.

Their massive hands, like carved rock, grabbed the door handles. With a heavy grunt that echoed in the silence, they pulled.

Rumble! The sound vibrated through the floor.

Slowly, the heavy doors swung open, groaning on rusty hinges.

Finally.

Roman Dmitry stepped forward. This was it. The truth of Valhalla. A truth hidden for so long. He felt a knot of anticipation in his stomach.

He went inside. The room was smaller and plainer than he had pictured. It was a cavern, dug deep under the earth. It felt cold and damp. The space was split into two parts. To his left, he saw rows of stone tombs – the resting place of Valhalla’s emperors. To his right, a smaller room held shelves filled with old documents – the archives.

Roman Dmitry had no reason to stay in the tomb area.

He went straight to the archives. It was a surprisingly small room. Documents were on shelves. They were organized and easy to find. These were probably written by the emperors.

Among them.

Roman Dmitry chose one document.

[Canellas Valhalla]

The first record.

He was, after all,

the very man who had made Valhalla into an empire, the one who built the Southern Tomb.

The Southern Tomb.

It wasn’t built for any holy reason.

Canellas Valhalla’s record clearly stated its purpose from the start.

[I needed a place to leave the truth of Valhalla for future generations. The Southern Tomb was created for that reason. Only those born of the royal family can enter. The only exception is those who pass the trial. They will be considered worthy as warriors of Valhalla to see the truth. We will share with them the truth we have learned through the ages.]

Truth.

Just like Carlos had said.

He had said that the history of Valhalla, the ugly truth of Valhalla, was inside these walls.

[Valhalla became known as a real empire when they fought the Hector Kingdom. Hector was a strong country at that time. When Valhalla beat Hector, people thought Valhalla was as strong as the Cronos Empire. I agreed. We lived in the tough Southern Jungle. We had been holding back our true power. I thought no country in Salamander Continent could beat us. But I was wrong very soon.]

Something was wrong.

The writing showed the writer’s feelings. Canellas Valhalla seemed strangely afraid.

[One day, messengers came from the Cronos Empire. They showed us just a little of their power. Right away, I knew Valhalla was not as strong as them. But strangely, the Cronos Empire didn’t want to destroy Valhalla. They wanted us to live together as the two strongest powers. They wanted a secret partnership. I had to accept their offer. If I said no, Valhalla would be destroyed. So, while people cheered for the Valhalla Empire, we secretly agreed to work with the Cronos Empire, even though it felt wrong.]

It was a shocking truth.

The emperor of Valhalla, now dead.

People had guessed that the previous emperor was connected to the Cronos Empire. But according to Canellas Valhalla’s records, they had been working together for a very long time.

If this became known, everything would fall apart.

It was forced on us. But the truth was clear. The Valhalla Empire, which everyone thought was one of the two strongest, was actually bowing down to the Cronos Empire.

This was just the start.

He had only seen a little bit, but he understood why Carlos had called it an ugly truth.

However.

The most shocking truth was just the beginning.

[Valhalla needed time. Time to become strong enough to stand against the Cronos Empire, to protect ourselves from their threats. Soon after the agreement, the Cronos Empire had another idea. They said to Valhalla, ‘Let’s make a system to get rid of all empires except ours and yours.’ They needed Valhalla’s help because it fit with Valhalla’s old ways.]

Continuing.

[That’s how the Ranking started.]

The truth was different from what people thought.

The world believed the Ranking came from Valhalla’s tradition of competition and record-keeping. But the truth was that the Cronos Empire’s idea created a real system.

In fact, Roman Dmitry had wondered about this before.

Most people just accepted the Ranking system. But if you looked closely, you would start to wonder where it really came from.

It was simple.

Think about this.

Which country gained the most from the Ranking?

The Valhalla Empire, of course.

By managing the Ranking through the temples, the Valhalla Empire had the chance to get talented people first.

Roman Dmitry had even received an offer from the Valhalla Empire.

The problem was that the Cronos Empire knew this, but they still allowed the Ranking to exist.

They supported it.

By using the Ranking system themselves, they ranked their empire’s strongest warriors and showed them to the world.

[The Cronos Empire said the empire would get two benefits from the Ranking system. First, it would indirectly show the empire’s power, controlling the kingdoms of the continent. Second, it would help them find talented people from all over the continent. We accepted their idea, created the Ranking using Valhalla’s tradition as a cover, and the Ranking quickly became Valhalla’s pride.]

Information from the Ranking.

It was shared with Cronos.

This meant that the Cronos Empire, not just Valhalla, was benefiting from the Ranking system.

[Valhalla’s future generations will be disappointed by this record. They will be angry and sad that Valhalla really came from a weak beginning. But I am leaving this record because we can only stand against the Cronos Empire’s plan if we know the truth. The Cronos Empire, which threatened Valhalla at that time, already had the power to take over the continent. But they didn’t show their true strength, and I think there is a reason for that. Future generations of Valhalla, even though I bowed down to the power of Cronos, I hope you will lead Valhalla in the right direction.]

With that,

Canellas Valhalla’s record ended.

It was a complicated truth.

The fact that Cronos had interfered in Valhalla’s history.

And the truth that Canellas Valhalla had built this Southern Tomb because he was worried about Valhalla’s future.

The problem was.

These facts alone didn’t answer all the questions.

Roman Dmitry had come here to find out why the previous Valhalla Emperor had died so uselessly in a rebellion.

‘It’s possible that the Cronos Empire completely controlled the Valhalla Imperial Family after Canellas Valhalla’s death. His records suggest that’s possible, but that alone doesn’t explain the death of the previous emperor.’

The death of the previous emperor.

Neither Valhalla’s ancestors nor the Cronos Empire.

No one gained from it.

If they wanted Valhalla to become strong again, they wouldn’t have let the last emperor become king in the first place. And even if the Cronos Empire wanted him dead, there was no reason to kill him.

The Valhalla Emperor was clearly against Roman Dmitry.

If they abandoned him and put Duke Vieto on the throne, the Cronos Empire might face the Valhalla-Dmitry alliance in the future.

Was there really a need to do that?

If they had controlled the Valhalla Emperor like a puppet, it would have been much easier for them to get what they wanted.

There were many questions.

Who put the 14th son on the throne?

And why did they abandon him after making him emperor?

There was definitely someone behind it all.

The only way to explain what happened to the last emperor is if someone was secretly controlling things.

Thump.

He picked something up.

It was.