Chapter 78. The Power of the Demon King (3)
“Territory. I want territory.”
The demand from Horakti was surprisingly unexpected.
“Territory...?”
Horakti responded to Jeonghyeon's words.
“Indeed. I am the representative of the beastkin. I have a duty to ensure my people live safely and peacefully.”
Horakti gestured toward the soldiers who had followed him and continued.
“These are, in fact, the last remnants of the beastkin. I want a space where they can live securely.”
“If that's the case, couldn't you just use your own power?”
At Jeonghyeon's words, Horakti paused for a moment.
“If we were originally nomads, that might work. But the beastkin are not a nomadic people. We are a race with defined territories.”
There was a faint lament of a weakened ruler in Horakti's words.
“But I admit it. I am weak. Because of that, my people have become wanderers instead of nomads.”
One could sense a sliver of the pent-up frustration from years past in his earnest words and the refined yet restrained tone.
“So give me this territory. In return, I will provide you with strategic aid. My eyes can see anywhere in the world.”
This was starting to feel less like a casual alliance proposal and more like a full-on pitch.
For him to lay it all out so smoothly like this, there had to be a reason.
Either he was scheming to easily devour the Blood Dissector by exploiting the advantage of another dimension's territory, or...
Or he's genuinely desperate enough to grasp at even a straw like me...
In his previous life, Jeonghyeon had never rejected monsters who reached out to him first.
He had received their help, given aid in return, and prepared to fight the Demon King together.
Which made a being capable of 'dimensional travel' an even more valuable potential ally.
As long as he didn't betray him.
“Hey, birdbrain.”
“...”
Jeonghyeon seemed to have made up his mind and drew the Blood Dissector.
Rumble—
Then, fully unleashing the mana granted by the Demon King's arrangement, he brazenly radiated the Demon King's power around him.
Rumble rumble—
Just the emission of mana dyed the surrounding earth in dark crimson hues, spreading an oppressive pressure that even made those who had become his subordinates feel fear.
That hostility would have felt even stronger to Horakti and his followers, who weren't part of his own faction.
Jeonghyeon fixed his pitch-black eyes straight ahead and aimed the Blood Dissector at Horakti.
“Sorry, but I can't give you my territory. Instead...”
“Instead...?”
***
“An alliance...?”
What Jeonghyeon demanded was none other than an alliance.
Horakti, who had already lowered his weapon, asked again as if to confirm.
“Yes. An alliance. Once I cross into Afraksas, the first thing I'll do is secure territory for you to settle.”
“...”
He had heard that most beastkin were specialized for desert terrain... There was one place that immediately came to mind.
It was the location that had boosted his swordsmanship level the most in his previous life and had served as humanity's base camp when forming the great anti-Demon King army.
Of course, it was teeming with monsters that had visuals of shock and terror, but that could be dealt with.
“Then, what must I do for you?”
“No joke—tell me how to actually use the real Demon King's power.”
“I told you, I don't know either? How would I know your power?”
“Come on! We're allies, and you can't even tell me that?”
Just a minute ago, it had been a dignified conversation between two Demon Kings, but in an instant, it devolved into childish bickering.
“Come on, just tell me! How do you use yours?!”
“I just use it!! It's my power! Do you explain how you breathe when you breathe!?”
Against the backdrop of the two Demon Kings yelling at each other, Philip and one of the beastkin soldiers—now surprisingly friendly—exchanged awkward smiles.
“Does your Demon King... do that too?”
At Philip's question, the leopard-faced beastkin nodded.
“Yeah. He puts on airs of dignity, but... inside, he's pretty much at a toddler level.”
“Same here.”
“Totally.”
As they watched, the two Demon Kings had already been squabbling for several minutes.
“Argh, I don't know! I really don't!”
“Damn it!”
Once I ally with this guy, the Demon King's power will vanish...!
The arrangement was about to end soon.
He had to do something before sealing the alliance.
“Um, Jeonghyeon-ssi. Let's wrap this up first.”
Unlike Philip, who was used to Jeonghyeon's energy and just watching amusedly, Jeonghu stepped in, judging that mediation was needed.
“Fine, then in exchange, I'll open a direct pathway for you to Afraksas.”
With Jeonghu's intervention, Horakti also laid out his condition.
A pretty tempting one, at that.
“...How?”
Jeonghyeon showed interest.
“I can't keep it open every hour of every day... but for a set duration, there's no strain no matter how much you use it.”
Being able to freely travel to and from Afraksas without climbing the Tower.
It was a great condition.
Especially for someone like Jeonghyeon, who couldn't climb the Tower on his own.
And if even the Wakin sisters could cross over to Afraksas, the efficiency would multiply several times.
Yeah. This was satisfying enough.
He could figure out the Demon King's power anytime, right?
Better to be content with what he could gain right now than drag it out.
...Fuck.
It might have been the perfect chance to uncover the root of the Demon King's power, only to fumble the arrangement like this.
Opportunity really does come to the prepared, huh.
Jeonghyeon let out a deep sigh of resignation.
“Ha... Jeonghu-ya.”
“Yes?”
“Hit me once.”
“S-suddenly?”
What kind of random order was this?
“Yeah. I'm pissed off.”
But Jeonghyeon's face was dead serious.
It was a goal he could achieve anyway. He needed a little self-admonition for getting hung up on one thing and dragging his feet.
That was Jeonghyeon's thinking when he asked to be hit.
It was also a way to test if Jeonghu would follow any order... and...
Getting hit by Philip would be scary.
Philip, whom he'd invested so many stats into raising, would probably say something like, 'As expected of Jeonghyeon-ssi!! I'll awaken you myself!!' and hit with full power for real.
Ugh, no way.
“Hit me quick, just once.”
Get a good solid hit, then start over.
“A-alright, then. Just once.”
“Yeah.”
Jeonghyeon nodded.
“Quite the man. To achieve his greater cause...”
Horakti nodded in apparent satisfaction.
But for some reason...
“Huh?”
“Storm Dragon Fist...!”
Jeonghu's movements were anything but ordinary.
Rumble—!
Mana surging to the point where Jeonghyeon thought, Did he have this kind of power hidden?
Just gathering his energy warped the surrounding buildings, and the ground began to shake violently.
“Hey, wait a sec...”
“One Strike!!”
Before Jeonghyeon could even stop him, Jeonghu's fist sliced through the air.
“!!!”
Sensing the crisis, Horakti instantly teleported his own army—along with Jeonghyeon's allied forces—to safety.
It was that terrifying a power; it had to be done.
A force that couldn't even be called a mere One Strike.
Jeonghyeon instinctively poured all his mana into leaping behind Jeonghu's back.
Whoosh—
BOOM!!
A massive explosion echoed, with destructive force stretching from the ground all the way to the horizon.
The buildings turned entirely to dust, scattering into the air.
In that moment, Jeonghyeon realized it instinctively.
Not betrayal at hiding such power, nor the crisis of nearly turning to dust at his subordinate's hand before even facing the Demon King.
This is it...!
The hot, tingling energy in his eyes.
The power surging through his entire body.
“Oh ho. So you possessed this kind of power? Now I see why you hadn't realized it.”
As Horakti marveled, this was precisely the Demon King's power.
Not him growing stronger himself, but making others stronger.
The power that granted overwhelming authority to the commanded subjects under his dominion.
Demon King EXP has increased.
Demon King's Authority level rises explosively.
Demon King's Authority Lv.1 → Lv.5
And even the rising status window confirmed that this was the power Jeonghyeon possessed.
“This is it...! So this was it!!”
The arrangement hadn't vanished yet.
Jeonghyeon decided to test more in this gap.
“Philip! Slam two consecutive strikes toward the ground!”
“Pardon?”
-Right now! With maximum destructive power!
Jeonghyeon issued the command to Philip, even using True Word.
In that instant, Philip's eyes glowed red, and he raised his mace toward the sky as if losing his reason.
“Yes... Understood.”
The savage strike plunged straight toward the ground.
BOOM! Rumble—!
If he hadn't scooped up Jeonghu and leaped into the sky the moment the attack descended, Jeonghyeon would have been completely pulverized too.
All the surrounding buildings collapsed, leaving a flat expanse.
“This...! This is the Demon King's power! So this was it!!”
He finally understood.
The true power of the Demon King.
Jeonghyeon shouted ecstatically toward the sky.
“Uwaaa!! So this was the power!! Now I get it, you fucking Malekith!!”
As Jeonghyeon landed on the ground, pumped up and flipping off the sky while yelling...
“But Jeonghyeon-ssi.”
“Yeah! What?!”
“But... what about all the buildings?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Ah. Right.
“Hey, Nus. Can't you reconstruct with mana or something?”
“Of course.”
“Phew! As expected of Nus! A true Demon King's servant!”
He'd nearly fucked up big time.
As Jeonghyeon sighed in relief, Horakti's hand reached out from behind.
Thud.
Horakti's hand rested on his shoulder.
“Impressive. Let's get along well from now on. Al—”
“Wait, hold on...!”
“—ly.”
Despite Jeonghyeon's attempt to stop him, the word “alliance” slipped from Horakti's mouth.
Achievement – Demon King's Alliance achieved.
You can now command Horakti's army as allied forces.
Killing the Demon King or forming an alliance ends the arrangement.
Power returns to normal.
“Argh, fuck youuuu!!”
Jeonghyeon once again flipped off the sky.
Though, this time, it meant something entirely different.