I'm sure there are many Imperial soldiers fighting us right now. I can tell that the others are busy defending themselves and protecting me at the same time. I can hear various spells, loud moans of pain. I can hear chants to strengthen us all. Words thrown to boost morale. Still, my main concern right now is

"Aren't you supposed to be dead, killed by my ancestor Aru" [Diana]?

(I am, but that damned THE THING had another plan) [Devil King].

"THE THING! So you're affected by it, too" [Diana]

(MIND YOUR WORD, ARU HEIR! I WILL NOT LET THE THING CONTROL ME!) [Devil King]

Trembling all over the Devil King's Castle, with the miasma suddenly bursting, flame from the remnant of the Devil King's power suddenly burst even hotter. A black flame that can be felt even from afar. Luckily, the miasma doesn't hurt us as I quickly strengthen my barrier. 

"Scary... Are you with the empire, Devil King?" [Diana]

(I don't care about human affairs... You can kill each other, slaughter your brothers, rape their corpses, I don't care. Alas, I am grateful, even if that damned THING tried to control me through them, I will rise, I will use this opportunity to resurrect once again!) [Devil King]

"Rise... Wait, what do you mean by resurrect!" [Diana]

Devil King Resurrection. That's scary. I'm not sure how powerful a Devil King is, but it's enough to instill fear just by name. A disaster that should never rise again. Just hearing the name is enough to inspire fear. Ancient elves tremble at it. Dark memories of ancient dwarves enslaved to build this glorious castle. Giants work day and night to build the castle. Humans, beastmen, become food fodder for the devil king's army. There are many stories of their cruelty

Still, why did the Devil King suddenly say something about resurrection? Could it be that the Empire is trying to resurrect the Devil King through THE THING? That's dangerous... That's the only thing I can think of, otherwise they wouldn't choose this place as their base of operations. Still, is it really the Empire using THE THING to resurrect the Devil King, or is THE THING trying to resurrect the Devil King through the hand of the Empire, either way

"So... you let THE THING control you!" [Diana]

(ONCE AGAIN, MIND YOUR WORD!) [Diana]

"Diana, what's happening? Why is the miasma becoming aggressive again?" [Khamisah]

"But it's true! I don't know what your relationship is with THE THING, but judging by the situation, you are definitely being used by it. The people of the Empire, the false Hydra, inflicted THE THING into you and once again, you become THE THING puppet!" [Diana]

(Silence!) [Fel King]

The Devil King flame. The black flame came upon us. It devoured all our enemies as it approached us. Monsters, animals, even the imperial soldier, terrifying as they couldn't even scream. Their painful expressions, it's as if their own souls were being tormented by the Devil King's flame.

"HAAAAAA!!!!!" [Nar, Sas]

"Meow!" [Fie]

The three of them quickly unleashed their best spells to dispel the flame that was approaching us. Nar used a powerful slice from his sword to create a powerful windstream, Sas used a high-level water spell through his own miasma, and Fie used sandstorm magic. 

"It suddenly becomes silent... The curse and the black flame suddenly vanish!"

"Diana, is what you're saying the truth? The Devil King's resurrection?" [Dana]

"I don't know... Suddenly, the Devil King didn't speak to me. The moment the curse and the flame were lifted, I suddenly can't hear his voice" [Diana].

I tried my best to talk to the devil king again, but to no avail. Those with me were all injured by the sudden eruption of strong miasma and black flame. Their eyes are bleeding. The flame almost burns them alive. Cough. Cough. Coughing. They can't help but cough up the Devil King's miasma. I feel sorry for them. It's my fault for accidentally provoking the Devil King. I tried to cast a basic healing spell on them, but they refused, saying that it's better for me to conserve my mana for the upcoming battle.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't provoke the Devil King..." [Diana]

"It's okay..."

"Either way, this had to happen"

"We should rest for a moment. Quickly, tend to the wounded" [Head Knight]

"Are you sure you don't need my help..." [Diana]

"It's fine. You're the most important person in this group. Just conserve your mana" [Head Knight]

"As the captain said."

 None of them have any malice towards me. I feel bad. I really feel bad. However, I can only do what I said. It will be even worse if the miasma or the false Hydra suddenly get into them

"The miasma is getting thinner and thinner" [Sas].

"What exactly happened?" [Nar]

"Diana, care to explain? I heard you mention the resurrection of the Devil King" [Khamisah]

"Well..." [Diana]

I tell them about my conversation with the Devil King, omitting the part about THE THING. It sounds like a lie. A threat from the ancient past suddenly wanted to be awakened. I even tell them my theory about the Empire trying to resurrect the Devil King. I'm sure they wanted to tell me that I'm lying, but surprisingly, they all believe me. 

"Of course they will. You wouldn't lie. Besides, the sudden eruption of the black flame and the curse, it clearly came from something as evil as the Devil King.

"This will be even more serious than I imagined. If everyone is ready, we should hurry!" [Head Knight]