Cerberus moved with lightning speed, forcefully wrenching himself from Saruto grasp and backing away with a furious growl. Saruto grinned mockingly. "Looks like you still have some strength left, you dog."
Cerberus three heads opened their mouths simultaneously, and a hellish energy began to gather within them, condensing into a vortex of black flames. In an instant, the dog unleashed a devastating beam that hurtled directly at Saruto. "He can't possibly survive this attack!" cried a demon from atop the walls.
But suddenly, a massive aura of dark energy erupted from Saruto body, sweeping across the area like a cosmic storm. "He's using dark energy!" cried a demon anxiously. "Summon the troops immediately!"
Cerberus attack nearly hit its target, but Saruto formed one of his two Dark Swords in his hand and, with a single decisive strike, cleaved the attack in two, deflecting it from its path. A stunned silence fell over the demons. "Well… it seems the game is over," Saruto said coldly.
He snapped his fingers, and small, dark gates appeared beside Cerberus. Thick black chains shot out, wrapping tightly around his body.
At the same time, the kingdom gate opened, and a vast number of demons emerged, surrounding Saruto on all sides. One of them spoke in a stern, official voice: "You are accused of attempting to invade the demon kingdom of Goetia and using the energy of darkness within our territory. The penalty for these crimes… is death."
Saruto raised his hand confidently and said with a calm smile, "Come then."
The demons surged toward him simultaneously, launching attack after attack from every direction, but Saruto deflected them all with astonishing ease, wielding his swords with overwhelming skill. Then, in a swift motion, he vanished from among them, reappearing behind them all in an instant.
He turned to face them calmly and disengaged his sword formation. One of the demons seized the opportunity and attacked, but in the next instant, all their weapons shattered at once. "How did he destroy all our weapons... without us even noticing?" one of them thought to himself in astonishment.
Then, Saruto unleashed his dark aura with a powerful force, sweeping through the demons and knocking them all to the ground. At that moment, a demon who hadn't been part of the group appeared and shouted, "Stop, all of you!"
He strode forward, then bowed deeply before Saruto and said, "We apologize, Lord Saruto, for disturbing you... we didn't know who you were."
Saruto lowered his aura and said coldly, "And how did you know who I was?"
The demon replied respectfully, "The king ordered you to be brought here. He will explain everything to you."
Saruto thought to himself, "The king wants me... that's good. It will make things much easier."
He silently agreed. He nullified their auras, and the demons rose from the ground and escorted Saruto into the realm of the seventy-two demons. Before he could cross the gate, Saruto stopped abruptly and said, "I almost forgot something."
He snapped his fingers, and the black chains binding Cerberus vanished. He looked at him and said with a faint smile, "We'll meet again, dog."
Then he entered the realm. Saruto began to examine his surroundings and noticed that the demons lived in a strange order and peace, contrary to what he had expected. One of the demons accompanying him said, "You seem amazed by our world."
"Yes," Saruto replied. "I've never seen a world like this before."
He continued, "Why is there a giant palace in the center of the realm? I know it's the king's palace, but what about the smaller palaces scattered around it?"
The demon smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. Yes, the giant palace belongs to the king, while the smaller palaces belong to the marquises, chieftains, and princes of the demon world. There are seventy-one of them."
"So that's where the name 'The Seventy-Two Demon World' comes from," Saruto concluded. The demon nodded. "Exactly… and this number also represents the number of rulers who govern this world."
Then he pointed ahead and said, "We have arrived, Lord Saruto… This is the King's Palace."
Saruto raised his head and gazed at the palace in profound amazement, overwhelmed by its grandeur and size. The demon said, "My task ends here. I am not permitted to go any further."
"Then who will escort me inside?" Saruto asked.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him and felt an immense energy emanating from the rear. He turned quickly to see a demon standing behind him, surrounded by a terrifying presence that surpassed all others. The demon immediately bowed in respect. "Who is this…?" Saruto thought to himself.
The demon stepped forward, saying in a deep voice, "I will guide you, Lord Saruto… Follow me."