The Demon King's First General
Chapter 197: First Gate

Chapter 197: First Gate

Inside the Garden of Dreams, in a place hidden behind the thick canopy of trees, there was a path leading to a waterfall. The noise coming from the raging water reverberated across the place.

Two individuals, two women to be exact, strode towards this path. On one of their hands was a piece of paper containing a drawing of a map.

"Djaleryse, are you sure we’re in the right place?" Asked a woman whose hair had an ash-like color with traces of bluish strands.

She looked around, her cyan-blue eyes gleaming as they reflected the light coming from the sun.

"I’m pretty sure we’re on the right track," her companion answered and dragged her towards the waterfall’s direction.

"This way!" She added, laughing.

The body of water came into their view, and Celestine couldn’t help but gulp in amazement.

"It’s beautiful," she stated, her mouth partially opened while she admired the scenery.

Meanwhile, Djaleryse picked up a piece of stone and threw it on the stream of water, making it bounce on its surface several times.

"Ohh! That’s a three!" She exclaimed with excitement.

Then, she picked another one and extended her hand to Celestine. She looked at her while the homunculus glanced at the pebble.

"Here! Take it! Beat my record!" Djaleryse stated.

Celestine gave her a questioning glare and shook her head.

"Too childish!" She stated and moved her attention back to the map.

"You’re no fun!" Djaleryse exclaimed and threw the stone towards the water.

This time it hopped six times, and the woman jumped in joy and hugged the enchantress from behind.

"Did you see that? That’s a six!" She added.

Meanwhile, Celestine freed herself from her embrace and pushed her to the side.

"We’re not here to play! The High Venerable is waiting for the good news," Celestine said and gave the woman a glare.

Djaleryse let out a smile and refrained from teasing her companion.

At first glance, the two of them were like ordinary, innocent people, enjoying life through seeking the thrill of adventures in a dangerous forest, but they were not.

They were out on a mission to search for one of the gates leading to the underworld located in the Garden of Dreams, and based on their map, it was near the waterfall, but having no idea what its actual structure and appearance were, they found themselves stuck in an endless loop of searching.

"This task started to annoy me. Where is that gate, for real?" Celestine complained while roaming her eyes.

Aside from the body of water, all that she could see were bushes and trees, and not a single one had a resemblance to a gate.

"Djaleryse, if you’re going to hide something forever, where would you put it in this place?" The enchantress asked out of nowhere, her gaze back on the red dot on the map.

Her companion crossed her arms while her fingers grazed on her lips, thinking for an answer.

"To hide something in this place," she repeated, still contemplating.

Then, she glanced at the waterfall, and a smile flashed on her lips.

"Simple, behind that curtain of water..." Djaleryse voiced out her answer but paused for a second and pointed at the stream before continuing. "Or deep underneath the riverbed."

Upon hearing her answer, Celestine opened up her palm, and a ball of blue flames materialized on it, and her lips curled upward, forming a wide, satisfied smile.

After her awakening several days ago, she could now grasp the extent of her power. Though she was nowhere near the Demon King when it came to control, still, she could now conjure the blue flames at her will.

Celestine channeled a portion of her energy towards the ball of fire, making it several times larger than its original size, and then she tossed it towards the waterfall, and a massive explosion occurred.

The water evaporated while the terrain was destroyed, and the moment the steam of vapor disappeared into the area, a black totem came into their sight.

"Is that what we’re looking for?" Celestine asked, staring at the statue.

"Hmnn, why don’t we take a better look at it?" Djaleryse suggested upon hearing her question.

And without delaying it any further, they leaped into the crater and examined the totem. It was divided into three parts; the first one had wings similar to a bird, while the middle one had a fish-like structure due to its fins, and the bottom part resembled a lion.

"If it’s the gate, where should I put this?" Celestine asked after pulling a black-colored necklace from her dress pocket.

"Seriously! These things are making me sick! A key in the form of a necklace—how does it even work?" She grumbled, knitting her brows in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Djaleryse’s laughter echoed throughout the area the moment she heard the enchantress’ complaints. Then, she took the ornament from Celestine’s hands and placed it above the totem. They waited for a reaction to occur, but their expectations betrayed them, as a minute had already passed and nothing happened.

"Now, I’m getting irritated as well," Djaleryse said and picked up the necklace.

She wrapped it around the totem’s body, but like earlier, not a single reaction occurred.

"Maybe it’s not the thing we’re looking for," Djaleryse sighed before clicking her tongue in disappointment.

Already convinced that it was not the gate, Celestine took the necklace up, but due to Djaleryse’s sudden nagging from her side, her hand accidentally slipped and touched the totem. It began to emit crimson brilliance that caught the pair’s attention.

"Heh, it looks like it finally shows some reaction!" Djaleryse exclaimed as she moved around the totem. Meanwhile, Celestine was still puzzled by the sudden radiance. She tried pulling her hand away from the object, and the moment she did, the light vanished as if nothing happened.

Given this fact, she looked at her palm and noticed a black crest fading bit by bit. From what she had seen, it looked like a crescent moon with a key penetrating from its side.

Curiosity got the enchantress good; thus, she touched the totem one more time, and as soon as her palm settled on its top, it radiated with a crimson brilliance. Still amazed by the strange light, Djaleryse took the necklace wrapped around it and put it on Celestine’s neck instead.

Her action left the enchantress puzzled, though she still let her do so, and both of them were speechless the next second.

The small black pendant emitted light as well, though it had a bluish hue. Celestine knitted her brows the moment she noticed that the totem along with the pendant were sucking away her energy at an incredible speed.

"Djaleryse," she uttered, calling out her companion.

When the blue-haired woman glanced at her, she added. "Protect me."

And without waiting for her reply, she channeled her energy towards the totem and the pendant. Afterward, the eyes of the three beasts lit up with a blue light, with the same glow as the pendant, and the surroundings trembled while streaks of lightning slithered across the sky.

The sudden change in the atmosphere made Djaleryse excited; her smile turned wider, reaching her ears, though she kept her silence to not interrupt the enchantress.

Seconds later, the crimson radiance coming from the totem disappeared as it was replaced by blue brilliance that shot towards the sky, creating a massive pillar of light piercing the clouds.

Celestine looked at Djaleryse and smiled.

"I did it," she whispered with pride.

Then her body swayed as she felt her head spinning from the sudden loss of strength due to the totem emptying almost all of her reserved energy. Upon seeing her current state, Djaleryse put her hand around her back to prevent her from falling.

"Thank you," Celestine uttered and glanced for one last time at the pillar of light before her eyes dozed off.

And with this particular scene, the race against time started as the first gate of the underworld was unsealed.

. . . . .

Several kilometers away from the pillar of light, Zeno opened his eyes and stared at the unusual occurrence. Even Blackwell, who was busy roasting a giant boar, looked at it before giving the soul devourer a glance.

"General, do you know what that is?" He asked, hoping that the demon could satisfy his curiosity.

Zeno remained silent for a few seconds, all of his attention focused on the pillar.

"It’s starting; your ex-comrades couldn’t even wait; they really want this world to witness chaos and destruction," he stated.

Afterward, he stood up, and the red dice dangling on his ear spun, and then the name Eliana, written in red color, appeared on his wrist.

"Hmnn, they’re still there. I think I should give them a visit," he blurted out and glanced at his companion.

Without waiting for his orders, Blackwell let go of the boar and shifted into his dragon form. Then, seconds later, a black silhouette soared above the sky.

. . . . .