Chapter 50 : Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Demon King (2)

The demons revered Adjak.

That demon was certain I had inherited Adjak’s legacy.

In this world, only someone like Hike had faintly sensed my connection to Adjak.

But the demons were different.

They believed, through their prophecies, that I had succeeded Adjak.

There was much I wanted to ask.

Starting with why, if they revered the progenitor, they had lied to me…

“First, I offer my apologies. I spoke falsely to test whether Polarin-nim was worthy of succeeding Adjak-nim.”

There was no need for me to ask.

Derix bowed his head with sincerity, spilling everything.

“Even if I lied, I wondered if you’d see through it. But it was an unnecessary step. The moment you unleashed your aura, it reminded me of Adjak-nim’s divine presence from long ago. That figure I couldn’t help but be utterly captivated by!”

- Hmm…

Arandir let out a groan, as if dumbfounded.

If I let him go on, it seemed he’d talk until dawn, so I cut him off.

“Let me ask again. Are you not a traitor to the Adjak family?”

“I swear, I am not. I revere Adjak-nim!”

His words carried fervent emotion, but I couldn’t trust a demon based on words alone.

“From now on, answer all my questions truthfully.”

“I will. Would you believe me if I bound myself with a vow?”

I nodded.

Derix drew a magic circle with the blood dripping from his neck and began chanting a spell.

Soon, the magic circle glowed, and a goat’s skull rose from it.

It was the avatar of Marabel, the demon god who presides over lies.

Derix dripped a few more drops of his blood onto the goat’s skull and shouted, “From now on, I betray you. Before this one, I will always betray you.”

Grgrgrgr.

An ominous sound emanated from the goat’s skull.

The vibrations grew stronger until, with a crack, the skull shattered.

Derix picked up the fragments of the broken skull and swallowed them.

“Is this enough?”

“Yes.”

I had seen this ritual in Tune World.

There is no demon god who presides over truth.

Thus, demons swear their oaths by vowing to betray Marabel, the god of lies.

Derix had placed a leash on himself to prove his loyalty to Adjak and his family.

The heat in Derix’s eyes gradually subsided.

I asked the question I had wanted to ask from the beginning.

“Was the prophecy issued by a demon inside the Dome?”

“No. Since the Dome appeared, we’ve lost contact with the demons inside.”

“Then who?”

“There are quite a few demons who didn’t fight the expedition. It’s likely the prophecy came from one of the stronger ones among them.”

“Must be the strongest among the fugitives. Stronger than you?”

“In terms of rank, probably. A being capable of speaking to all demons at once is rare.”

It was as I suspected, but not exactly good news.

“You don’t know anything about that demon either?”

“No. If I learn anything, I’ll tell you. I swear.”

I doubted I could face a demon stronger than Derix right now.

But if I followed in Adjak’s footsteps and grew even a little stronger, perhaps I could stand a chance.

“You don’t know about the demon who issued the prophecy or anything about the Dome. You’re not very useful, are you?”

I spoke sharply, but Derix didn’t seem fazed.

To gauge how much he truly knew, I probed further.

“If you’re cut off from the Dome, you probably can’t receive power from the Demon King either.”

“Even without the Dome, demons like me can’t receive power from the Demon King.”

My trust in Derix was dwindling.

The Demon King’s head had already been severed by Adjak.

It seemed Derix didn’t even know that.

He was just a demon who had survived long enough to boast about his connection to the Adjak family.

Disappointment reaching its peak, I decided to tell Derix the truth before turning away.

“The Demon King is already dead. His head fell to the sword of the Adjak-nim you so revere.”

“Do you think I didn’t know that?”

Derix asked in a low voice.

“The Demon King who gave me power is dead. But a new Demon King has been born.”

“…A new Demon King? The Demon King was supposed to be a singular entity from the beginning.”

In the opening of Tune World Season 1, during the Mythic Era when only gods inhabited the world, the Demon King appeared.

The oldest god, the deity of all demons, the Demon King.

After the Mythic Era ended, the gods left the world.

But the Demon King, still filled with ambition, remained, attempting to dominate the world.

The goal of Season 1 was to sever the Demon King’s head.

And Adjak achieved that feat.

He was the only one who accomplished what was thought impossible, becoming a part of this world’s official history.

But Tune World entered Season 2 with the Dome surrounding Myeolji.

You are a descendant who inherited a portion of Adjak’s legacy. Follow your ancestor’s will and conquer Myeolji.

The message I saw before reincarnating into this world was still vivid in my memory.

I had believed my purpose in coming to this world was to eliminate the remnants of the Demon King, even though he was gone.

But a new Demon King had been born?

“It seems you didn’t know. After the Demon King died, a new Demon King was born from the blood he spilled.”

Derix went on to explain what he knew, slowly and deliberately.

“I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly what happened. All I know is that a new Demon King was born, one different from the demons of the past.”

Derix stopped speaking.

Since only the truth could come from his mouth now, he must have shared all he knew.

I recalled the moment when Adjak had severed the Demon King’s head.

I was thrilled to have achieved the feat I’d longed for, but I had focused intently, trying to capture every scene displayed on the screen.

As far as I knew, there was no being born from the Demon King’s spilled blood capable of becoming a new Demon King.

There were demons like Derix who fled, but those who remained in Myeolji and faced Adjak were loyal to the Demon King.

They sacrificed their lives to protect the Demon King from Adjak’s expedition.

Before killing the Demon King, all his followers had been slain.

Who could have received the Demon King’s blood and become the new Demon King?

The Demon King’s blood was highly toxic, draining the character’s health whenever it splashed.

After the Demon King’s head fell, the flowing blood melted and oxidized the very ground of Myeolji.

No being capable of receiving that blood and becoming a new Demon King came to mind.

Even Derix didn’t know who or how the new Demon King came to be, so I had no leads.

…But one thing I had to do became clear.

I must sever the head of this newly born Demon King. I must conquer Myeolji completely so that no one else can become a new Demon King.

As I steeled my resolve, Derix spoke to me.

“Adjak-nim was a man who surpassed even the Demon King in a single moment.”

“He did. But did Adjak-nim perish in defeat to this new Demon King?”

“I don’t know that… But can you kill the new Demon King?”

“Why do you wish for that?”

“The new Demon King doesn’t tolerate old-era demons like us. He doesn’t grant us power; we’re lucky if he doesn’t kill us.”

“So, you want me to take revenge for you?”

“Think what you will. If your goal is to kill the Demon King, I only wish to cooperate.”

Joining hands with a demon still felt uncomfortable.

So I didn’t respond easily to Derix’s words, but he didn’t stop speaking.

“My reverence for Adjak-nim is undeniable. He was the only one who could surpass demonic energy.”

“Surpass demonic energy?”

“You can kill a demon by burning or beheading them, but the Demon King is different. To kill the Demon King, you need exceptionally pure mana.”

“What does ‘pure mana’ mean?”

“Density. In human terms, it’s the density of mana. Dense mana can push out lesser mana, can’t it? Only someone with mana dense enough to push out the Demon King’s demonic energy can slay him.”

Dense mana can push out less dense mana.

That’s considered common knowledge in this world.

But the mana humans possess is roughly the same, with no significant difference in density.

Except for one person—Adjak, who possessed the heart of a dragon.

“Adjak-nim’s mana pushed out even demonic energy. That’s why only he could kill the Demon King.”

Derix’s eyes gleamed. His voice was filled with strength.

“Since you’ve inherited Adjak-nim’s legacy, only you can slay the new Demon King. Only you can push out his demonic energy.”

Having inherited Adjak’s legacy, possessing the same heart as him, could I surpass demonic energy like Adjak did?

According to Derix, my mana would need to be able to push out demonic energy to kill the Demon King.

I wanted to test my potential.

“You said I inherited Adjak’s legacy.”

“Yes.”

I activated my Dragon Heart further, filling the air with my mana.

Derix examined my aura, sniffing and reaching out as if to touch the white light radiating from me.

Looking at him, I said,

“May I test it?”

“Test what?”

“Whether my mana can overcome demonic energy.”

Derix quickly grasped the intent behind my words.

“You mean to inject your mana into me?”

“Exactly.”

Though it would be a far smaller amount compared to the Demon King’s avatar, Derix’s body still contained demonic energy.

The demonic energy that forms the essence of demons—if my mana could contend with that sinister force, what would happen?

If I could overcome the demonic energy within Derix’s body, what would become of him?

“Very well. Test it through me. And then, believe me. Believe that I trust you.”

I recalled a passing comment Derix had made earlier.

Despite 300 years of loyalty to Adjak, he was still treated as an outsider.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

My influence as a representative of the Adjak family is still limited.

But if Derix risked himself to accept my mana, helping me gauge the Demon King’s power, I wouldn’t treat him as an outsider.

“Haha, that’s enough for me.”

Derix gave a faint smile and knelt before me.

“Begin.”

I didn’t know how to make my mana contend with the demonic energy within him.

I thought of Pinnon, the Bigfoot of the 3rd Autonomous Region.

The experience of drawing back the mana I had once injected into him.

Perhaps with Derix, I could do the opposite.

He knelt with his eyes closed.

Demonic energy still seeped thickly from his mouth.

Despite his calm words, he was trembling.

Tap.

I placed my palm on his forehead.

I could feel his trembling clearly.

Without hesitation, I began releasing mana.

The mana held within my Dragon Heart surged into Derix.

Shhhhh.

A bright light poured onto Derix’s face.

His coppery skin, which had seemed human-like, turned purple.

His face contorted in pain, then broke into a smile.

I could feel my mana gradually pushing out the demonic energy filling Derix’s body, stacking within him.

Gritting his teeth, Derix spoke.

“The demonic energy you’re pushing out now isn’t from the Demon King. It’s the demonic energy I’ve accumulated over my life.”

I didn’t respond and continued to pour mana into him.

“…Urgh.”

Unlike Derix, who didn’t resist, his demonic energy did.

I was confident in the amount of mana I possessed, but Derix, having lived long as a demon, harbored an immense amount of demonic energy.

It writhed, struggling to hold its ground against my invading mana.

His forehead and my hand grew scorching hot.

But I didn’t stop injecting mana. Instead, I increased the flow.

As the friction between the two energies intensified, sweat mixed with blood trickled from Derix’s forehead.

Derix’s groans, the sound of burning flesh, and the heartbeat pounding in my ears swirled through the clearing.

The pot cooking stew couldn’t withstand the impact and toppled over, and the hut collapsed.

But I had to focus.

The end was near.

The remaining demonic energy was now just a fist-sized mass near his heart.

My Dragon Heart ached.

The strain was on a different level from the times I’d deliberately depleted my mana for training.

…What?

The moment my mana touched the demonic energy pooled in Derix’s heart, it was repelled.

“…That’s the demonic energy implanted by the previous Demon King.”

Derix squeezed out the words.

It wasn’t a large amount compared to the demonic energy I’d pushed out so far, but it carried a majestic presence I’d never felt before.

No matter how much mana I poured in, the Demon King’s demonic energy refused to budge.

I focused all my senses on my heart.

My Dragon Heart felt like it would shatter.

Still, I didn’t stop.

My heart pounded, warning me of the danger.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t stop.

And just as my mana was about to run dry—

The Demon King’s demonic energy, which had been immovable, suddenly surged and flooded into me through my palm.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.