My Goblin System : Levelling up with my SSS Class Devouring skill-Chapter 279

The spatial compression accelerated, and suddenly TheReaper was being pulled into the cube itself, his form compressing and distorting as reality folded around him.

"You should have taken this seriously from the start!" Pope Gregorius shouted, his voice triumphant despite the exhaustion from channeling so much power. "Should have killed us all immediately instead of playing with your opponents! Your arrogance has finally defeated you!"

TheReaper’s expression shifted one final time—from anger to something like regret mixed with dark amusement.

"You’re right," he said, his voice strained from fighting the seal but still carrying clearly. "I got cocky. Forgot that even I can be caught off guard if I’m careless enough."

The sealing accelerated. His form was being pulled into the cube, compressed into a space too small to contain a human body, frozen in temporal stasis, bound by divine magic.

"But before I go," TheReaper said, his eyes gleaming with dangerous intent, "I’m sending a message. Because you’re all making a huge mistake."

His hand moved in a gesture that seemed simple but carried three hundred years of power and skill behind it.

Magic condensed into a form that gleamed like liquid light—a message spell, but enhanced far beyond normal capabilities. It contained not just words but intent, emotion, warning, all compressed into a single package.

"Satou!" TheReaper called out, his voice resonating with power that made the spell glow brighter. "They’re coming for you! The humans are mobilizing! Three thousand troops, siege weapons, hero party, commander who’s killed demon-class entities!"

The spell pulsed, recording everything.

"You’ve got maybe a month before they reach your settlement! Maybe less if they mobilize quickly! Prepare! Fortify! Get stronger!"

He poured more power into it despite the seal pulling at him, his legendary level allowing him to perform magic that should be impossible while being sealed.

"And when we finally fight properly, I want it to be at your full power! Not cut down early by these fools! So survive! Get stronger! Become the opponent I know you can be!"

The spell reached critical mass, gleaming like a miniature star.

"This is my warning to you! Don’t waste it!"

Then he released the spell, and it shot away faster than anyone could intercept—a streak of light that punched through the throne room walls like they were paper, carrying its message toward the southern territories where Satou’s settlement lay.

"STOP IT!" Pope Gregorius shrieked, but it was already gone, moving at magical speeds that would cover hundreds of miles in minutes.

TheReaper smiled as the seal finally pulled him completely into the cube. "Too late. The message is sent. Your surprise attack is compromised. And Satou now knows you’re coming."

His form compressed further, distorting as divine magic and temporal stasis took hold.

"We’ll see if your heroes can actually defeat him. I’m betting they can’t."

The last thing visible was his smile, triumphant and dark and absolutely certain.

Then he was gone, sealed completely within the cube. The artifact’s light dimmed, runes settling into a stable pattern that indicated successful containment.

Silence fell over the throne room.

[AFTERMATH]

Pope Gregorius stood there breathing heavily, his robes soaked with sweat from the magical exertion. His face was pale, his hands shaking, but his eyes blazed with vindictive satisfaction.

"It’s done," he said quietly. "TheReaper is sealed. The legendary hero who served us for years... contained like a common criminal."

King Ferdinand looked at the cube, his expression complex—relief, regret, anger, and fear all mixing together. "The cost of this... the political ramifications alone..."

"Are irrelevant," the Pope snapped. "He chose to betray his duty. To protect a demon lord over humanity. The consequences are his own fault."

He turned to look at the damage—sixty unconscious guards, one knocked-out commander, destroyed furniture, cracked walls and floor, scorch marks from deflected magic.

"Curse him," the Pope muttered. "Curse TheReaper for forcing this. For making us seal our greatest hero. For destroying our throne room and leaving such a mess."

Commander Elric was beginning to stir, groaning as consciousness returned. The guards would take hours or even days to fully recover from their injuries.

The four heroes stood in a cluster, looking shell-shocked. They’d just fought a legendary hero and been completely outclassed despite their overpowered abilities. Gattychan’s sword was shattered. Mika’s confidence in her zones was broken. Rin had nearly been killed by her own reflected attack. Only Seraphelle had managed to maintain her role, healing everyone repeatedly, but even she looked exhausted.

"Your Holiness," Gattychan said hesitantly, his voice shaking slightly. "Was that... was that what we’ll be facing against demon lords?"

Pope Gregorius looked at him, his expression calculating.and then He said. "Well, you’ll have time to grow stronger before facing them."

"But now we have a more immediate problem," King Ferdinand said grimly. "TheReaper sent a warning to Satou. Our surprise attack is compromised. The demon lord will have time to prepare."

"How long?" Commander Elric asked, sitting up and rubbing his head where TheReaper had struck him. "How long until we can mobilize?"

The King consulted with his advisors mentally, calculating logistics. "The full legion will need supplies, organization, equipment checks. The three mana-cannons need to be transported from storage and calibrated. The hundred-mage support unit needs to be assembled from various postings."

He sighed. "A month. Maybe five weeks if we’re very efficient. We can’t rush this—a disorganized assault against a fortified demon lord settlement would be disaster."

"Then Satou has a month to prepare," Pope Gregorius said, his voice hard. "A month to fortify his position, strengthen his forces, possibly even call in allies from other demon lords."

He looked at the cube containing TheReaper, his expression bitter. "And it’s all because our greatest hero decided a good fight was more important than his duty."

"What do we do with him?" one of the church advisors asked, gesturing to the sealed cube.

"Lock it in the deepest vault," the Pope ordered. "Post guards. Maintain the seal with continuous magical reinforcement. He stays contained until... well, probably forever. I don’t think we can risk ever releasing him."