75. Regime Change (4)
“Whoa... You said you made a guild... Did you take over the whole city?”
After bringing Hwang Dooman, the first thing Jeonghyeon did was fetch the Wakin sisters.
“Even for the Wakin sisters, we’ve gotta give ‘em this kinda scale.”
It wasn’t just polite talk. From here on out, no one would be more important than those two.
Jeonghyeon, who had prepared the widest and best space for them, guided them to the open lot that would serve as their workshop and spoke up.
“You can use this whole lot however you want. Expand underground or on the surface if you like.”
“Kya. Perfect for research.”
Adel Wakin, the younger sister, seemed pretty pleased with the setup as she paced around the lot, pondering where to place what.
The Wakin sisters' loyalty has slightly increased.
Watching their loyalty tick up bit by bit, Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but grin.
“Alright then, have at it, my master artisans.”
Leaving the Wakin sisters to chat freely, Jeonghyeon headed off elsewhere.
Toward the hunters training under Hwang Dooman’s command.
***
“A hunter’s basics are combat. Combat against non-humans,other races. But those other races are rooted in animals or plants too! So their traits...”
Hwang Dooman had the hunters lined up and was lecturing like a professor.
That bald head makes him look just like a math prof who’s aces at his subject.
Did bald guys just sound more expert no matter what they said?
For some reason, Hwang Dooman’s words carried real weight.
“Ahem. You lot aren’t talking shit behind my back, are ya?”
His instincts were sharp too, the bastard.
Better slip into the guild building before that quick-witted baldy spotted him.
Jeonghyeon entered the guild building.
The Jo family’s guild headquarters, top floor.
He’d taken up residence in this central building as is.
The building’s innocent, after all.
And he’d turned that top floor into his personal space.
Not that he needed much space, really—just once would do.
Malekith’s Arrangement forcibly initiated.
Scenario: Malekith’s Arrangement
In an empty place, open the Demon King’s Eye and shout ‘Arrangement’.
This scenario. To meet the ‘empty place’ condition.
Alright... Let’s see what kinda arrangement that fucker Malekith left behind.
Jeonghyeon slumped into Jo Hwi’s old chair, leaned back, and—with a mix of anticipation and dread—stared into space and shouted.
“Arrangement!”
Bzzz—
His words triggered the Demon King’s mana.
“!!”
A searing pain like his eyes were burning hit him, and the Demon King’s mana leaked from his pupils, coalescing in front of him into a form.
“Demon King... It’s the Demon King...!”
Nus, hiding in Jeonghyeon’s inventory, sensed the ‘real Demon King’s’ power and stretched its face out long.
“Kuh...!”
The black-red mist from both of Jeonghyeon’s eyes soon shaped Malekith in midair.
“Long time no see? Faster than I thought.”
The mana-formed Malekith gave Jeonghyeon a sleazy greeting.
“Long time my ass. Fuck off, you bastard.”
Jeonghyeon no longer lunged with fists at the sight of him.
He just ground his teeth and sneered.
“I know it’s all implanted imagery anyway. Spit it out and get lost.”
At Jeonghyeon’s snap, Malekith plopped onto the desk in his signature sleazy pose.
“What’re you on about? Implanted image? I’m the me inside you.”
“...?”
An unexpected response.
Wasn’t he supposed to just spit out pre-scripted lines and vanish?
“Th-that possible?”
“Well, technically, the ‘current me’ to you is the ‘past life me’?”
“Past life?!”
Nus freaked out at Malekith’s words, stretching its body long and babbling.
“Then you’re the Great Demon King Malekith I know?! Do you remember me?!”
Nus going this low was a first.
This prick who called me Demon King before.
“Oh. You!”
Malekith reached out to Nus with a delighted look.
At his reaction, Nus trembled like it’d met something holy.
“Ooo... Demon King... Ooo...”
“Who’re you again? Sorry, I’m not the present-life Demon King...”
“Pardon?”
Jeonghyeon nearly burst out laughing.
Whew, close call.
He barely stifled his laughter, turned away, and stared out the window.
“Uh... Sorry.”
“The Demon King... doesn’t recognize me...”
Deeply hurt, Nus crawled back into the inventory and sealed the entrance tight.
“Aw, it’s sulking. What now? How’d you even snag that familiar?”
“Oh, that guy’s your familiar? My bad.”
“Whatever. Just say why you showed up. Looking at your ugly mug raises my blood pressure.”
“Oof, harsh.”
Malekith exuded his usual everything’s-a-joke vibe and spread his arms.
“I’m so looking forward to fighting you again. And seeing you now, yeah, worth the hype.”
“Fucking psycho.”
“Anyway, you’re gonna face the greatest danger yet. You got my ‘revelation,’ so I gotta help, right?”
“What bullshit is this?”
Jeonghyeon scoffed and eyed the Demon King mockingly, but Malekith didn’t dodge—instead, he leaned in close.
His black-red eyes gleamed ominously.
“There are six swords that can kill dragons.”
Malekith’s voice wormed into Jeonghyeon’s ear and brain, making him black out for a moment.
***
“...?!”
Jeonghyeon opened his eyes in the Demon King’s Castle. The grand temple where Malekith had been.
At the center stood a mana crystal orb overlooking all of Afraksas.
Thud.
Malekith placed a hand on it, and massive rune letters rose around them.
“What the...!”
“Those six swords can fully destroy not just dragons, but even me, the Demon King.”
Malekith continued flatly, swiping a finger through the air. Jeonghyeon’s Blood Dissector from his inventory floated out between them on its own.
“Yeah. The strongest one, for carving out hearts, is yours.”
Malekith touched the blade, and it cracked like shedding skin.
Craaaack—.
The bared blade bore five engraved runes.
“My favorite sword, specially for you. You know how hard it was twisting causality?”
What the hell’s this bastard babbling about, damn it...!
He hated to admit it, but Jeonghyeon was getting overwhelmed by the rising Demon King mana.
Breath growing short.
“So what’re you trying to say...!”
“Sheesh, impatient.”
Malekith floated up, arms spread.
The runes shifted into metaphysical patterns, forming five shapes.
“The rest are in the hands of the ‘five Demon Kings,’ including the ‘me of this world.’”
“What...?”
Five Demon Kings? What the hell?
Malekith wasn’t the end?
And he’d suffered thinking Malekith was it?
Jeonghyeon’s head throbbed.
“You wouldn’t know. Takes 15 more years to reach me. Demon King turf wars never stopped. I won in the end.”
Confusing words piled on. So while hunters thought the Tower was everything and cleared minor dungeons, leaving West Seoul to rot, Malekith was warring with other Demon Kings?
Too much info for Jeonghyeon’s brain.
“But this life, your Demon King ass broke the balance.”
“W-wait.”
“So one Demon King, centered on you, will invade the present world.”
“Wait. A Demon King invading the present world? Now?”
“Yup!”
Malekith nodded brightly, incongruous with the mood, then unleashed unfamiliar pressure with a cold, low voice.
“Whether you can walk the Demon King path. I’ll watch. Please, this life, give me some fun.”
Malekith spouted nonsense, then faded from the toes up into smoke.
The temple dissolved into massive smoke too.
As the form nearly vanished, Jeonghyeon staggered toward him, eyes bloodshot. Even a form-only Demon King—he wanted to grab the collar.
“Hey. What’s your real game? Just wanna fight me?”
Jeonghyeon pressed the blade to Malekith’s form-neck.
“Who knows. Ask this life’s me...”
Malekith scattered into vast red smoke.
“Not time to fight me yet. Open your eyes to the real world.”
Leaving cryptic words to the end, he dispersed.
Malekith’s Arrangement activated.
For the next 24 hours, you can wield the Demon King’s true power.
With the unknown status window, Jeonghyeon’s eyes snapped open.
***
“Hah!!”
Jeonghyeon awoke drenched in cold sweat, like after a long nightmare.
“Damn... What the hell just...!”
His body should’ve been drained...
But thanks to the Arrangement activating—the Demon King’s true power—strength overflowed uncontrollably.
Thud—!
“Jeonghyeon-nim!!”
Before he could assess, the office door burst open.
“It’s dangerous...!”
There stood Philip, covered in wounds.
His armor shredded, coughing blood, his face etched with unprecedented terror.
Am I dreaming?
“A ‘Demon King’ appeared. He’s slaughtering everyone in sight!”
“...What?”
Malekith was right.
“Hurry!”
Jeonghyeon rushed out with Philip.
“What the...”
Outside, the sky was dyed deep purple.
“Finally showing yourself, lowly Demon King, wielder of the Blood Dissector.”
A figure with a black wolf’s head, three pairs of wings, and gold-embroidered heavenly robes greeted him.
“I am Horakti.”
The man calling himself Horakti gripped a long spear double-edged on both sides, standing on air.
Horakti...?
The name rang faintly familiar.
Island Radiance Dragon Horakti.
He was a dragon too.
A dragon manifested in Afraksas. Like Solgaleh or Uldran, a pseudo-dragon denied the dragons’ true world.
“I imagine my non-dragon form surprises you.”
“Cut the crap. Why’d you cross from Afraksas to here personally?”
Jeonghyeon drew the Blood Dissector from his inventory.
As in the vision, it bore engraved runes.
And Horakti, hawk-faced? No—wolf-headed—smiled pleased.
“What else? To take your Blood Dissector and become Afraksas’s ruler.”
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