I Am Your New King
The Demon King who ruled the entirety of the Demon World was only one in number. Yet beneath that single Demon King, countless demon races of various species lived and thrived within the Demon World. Vampires, dark elves, incubi, succubi, fallen angels, balrogs, dark dragons, pureblood demons— these were the diverse species that lived under the name of demons in the Demon World.
And at the very center of the Demon World lay a grand castle. It was larger and more majestic than the imperial capital of the Habsburg Empire on the surface, yet it was nothing more than a vast, ordinary castle adorned with various sculptures, unlike the image of a castle shaped like the face of a demon that people often imagined. This was none other than the Demon King's Castle.
It was the true Demon King's Castle, distinct from the temporary one created in the Intermediate World. Only the Demon King could be the master of this place. And until just a moment ago, the Demon King of this castle, Laylana, had been defeated and killed by the hero summoned from another world, and her death could be felt by anyone in the Demon King's Castle... or rather, by any demon near the Demon King's Castle. It was because a black flash had erupted into the sky, signifying that the Demon King's Castle had welcomed a new master.
Since an event signifying the birth of a new Demon King had occurred, it was impossible not to know that the previous Demon King had died and a new one had appeared.
'New Demon King!'
Adrammelech, the temporary manager who had been managing the Demon King's Castle in place of Laylana, who had invaded the Intermediate World, was a demon who appeared as a young blond-haired young man with a body that seemed weak like a woman. He was wearing glasses and sitting in the position of temporary manager of the Demon King's Castle, and he too had felt that Laylana, who had entrusted him with the management of the Demon King's Castle, had died. And he could also sense that a new Demon King had been born. At that, he let out a sigh.
"Huu, I hope this new Demon King is a bit better."
The Demon World was a world of survival of the fittest, where the weak died and the strong survived. Expecting a benevolent ruler from the Demon King, who held the highest position ruling all beings in the Demon World, was as unrealistic as expecting dogs and cats in the Intermediate World to create civilization, make amazing progress, and instead enslave humans. However, the previous Demon King, Laylana, had been relatively better. She had the appearance of a beautiful peerless beauty, and although she had been ruthless, she had at least been decisive in rewards and punishments. She had no concept of being attached to her subordinates, nor was she compassionate, but at least she was decisive in rewards and punishments. Thanks to her ambition to conquer the Intermediate World and her enjoyment of combat, the Demon World under her rule had not been particularly interesting to Adrammelech, who felt that the Demon World during her era had been peaceful.
Even if the Demon King didn't care much about the Demon World, the existence of the absolute deterrent of the Demon King meant that numerous great powers in the Demon World couldn't muster the courage to fight. If they fought over territories, thinking they were thieves without knowing who the true owner of the Demon World was, the Demon King would appear and sweep them away in one go, as had happened in the history of the Demon World. Therefore, the act of the Demon King not committing tyranny in the Demon World and not taking much interest in it was truly an ideal state for Adrammelech and countless other demons. And he hoped that this new Demon King would take a great interest in the Intermediate World.
'But it won't be easy to descend into the Intermediate World. Huu, that worries me too.'
He didn't know what kind of disposition this new Demon King would have, what purpose he would have, or even whether he was male or female, but Adrammelech hoped that this ambitious Demon King would be one overflowing with conquest lust. The more ambitious the Demon King was, the more peaceful the Demon World would be. Since going to the Intermediate World was difficult anyway, any Demon King would be in a difficult position, but Adrammelech hoped that an ambitious Demon King who would aim for the Intermediate World more than the Demon World under his command would come. He sensed something.
"Hmm?"
Although he wore glasses and had a weak-looking appearance, making him seem like a kind old man, Adrammelech was by no means weak. After all, as the manager of the Demon King's Castle at the center of the Demon World, he couldn't be weak. Thanks to his abilities, he had been able to manage the Demon King's Castle without any problems until now. As such, he could sense the beings coming to this Demon King's Castle. The ground was shaking. No, even without that, he couldn't not feel the presence of beings spewing out vast demonic energies. Those were beings of considerable strength.
'Demon Beast Legion?'
Adrammelech sensed that it was the movement of the Demon Beast Legion. And he felt that several large Demon Beasts were among them. Demon Beasts were the beasts of the Demon World, but they couldn't be underestimated. Among the Demon Beasts, there were those with terrifying strength that even high-ranking demons couldn't easily touch. Among the Demon Beasts, the strongest was Behemoth, who was also a terrifying being that even he couldn't easily face in battle. And among those Demon Beast Legions, Behemoth was included!
'How is this possible?'
Even though they were just beasts, Demon Beasts were essentially subordinates to the Demon King who governed everything in the Demon World. In other words, they were the Demon King's subordinates. Yet the fact that the strongest Behemoth had come here led to two conclusions. One was that Behemoth had finally gone mad and was invading the Demon King's Castle, and the other was...
'The new Demon King is bringing Behemoth with him!'
It meant that the new Demon King was coming.
* * *
Although the Demon King's Castle was firmly located at the center of the Demon World, there was naturally a circular wall surrounding it. It was the boundary line that distinguished the area of the Demon King's Castle from the area outside it. After all, in the Demon World, numerous demon races and Demon Beasts had such immense power that they didn't even consider the wall an obstacle, so the wall was nothing more than something to jump over or break through. Therefore, the wall had no defensive meaning. After all, walls had meaning in wars between humans, but since demons weren't fools either, they didn't think the wall had defensive meaning for them. Of course, it wasn't completely useless, but it was clearly meaningless. And the wall surrounding the Demon King's Castle was naturally equipped with various magical defenses, so it was sturdy, but ultimately, its existence was just for show. It was placed on the ground as a line to mark the area of the Demon King's Castle, but to make it look cool, they had put up a wall. And around the walls, various demons were standing guard. They were demons belonging to the Demon King's Castle, watching and protecting the perimeter of the wall. The Demon World also had various species living in it, and since they were intelligent beings, they naturally formed their own forces among themselves. And lone demons were easy to attack by other demons, so most demons wanted to belong to a force wherever they were. And these were demons belonging to the Demon King's Castle. Since challenging the demons belonging to the Demon King's Castle was challenging the Demon King, as long as they didn't make the Demon King angry, it was the safest job.
'Oh, they're coming!'
'Demon Beast Legion!'
But today, the demons of the Demon King's Castle thought they had the worst luck. Why did Demon Beast Legions appear exactly when they were there? The presence of the Demon Beast Legion that appeared in this place was tremendous. Above, various bird-shaped Demon Beasts, including wyverns, filled the sky with at least a thousand or more. On the ground, countless Demon Beasts of all shapes and sizes, regardless of species, stood in groups. And at the end was the strongest Demon Beast, whose terrifying size made even the wall look small. The gigantic Demon Beast Behemoth, so huge it looked like a mountain, had the appearance of a four-legged beast. With four thick legs that looked like they would burst with veins, lifting a long tail and walking, Behemoth was the very embodiment of a walking disaster that created a tremendous storm just by breathing, strong enough to blow humans away easily.
Kung- kung-
As Behemoth walked forward, the Demon Beasts immediately retreated to the sides, opening the path. Many Demon Beasts bowed their heads and knelt, and Behemoth walked while receiving their greetings. No, it looked like that. The Demon Beasts all feared Behemoth, but the object of their reverence now was not Behemoth, the strongest Demon Beast. It was because Behemoth was so huge that they hadn't noticed it. The respectful greetings of the Demon Beasts were directed at the black-haired boy standing on Behemoth's head. And because of his enormous size, Behemoth, who had walked straight to the front of the wall in an instant, stopped. The black-haired boy standing on Behemoth's head jumped down to the ground. Behemoth's size now was not his original size. Since Behemoth could adjust his own size, his original size was so large that he could trample giant buildings on Earth with his feet. He had reduced his size to roughly a little over 100 meters in height and a little over 400 meters in length. But even so, Behemoth's height was now 100 meters. But the black-haired boy jumped down from that height without any problem, and amazingly, when he landed on the ground, there was not even a sound. It was an unbelievably soft landing from 100 meters high.
The boy with black hair and red eyes was dressed in a black suit, and although his eye color had changed, his appearance was all too familiar to the demons of the Demon World. How could they not know? If they were demons of the Demon World, everyone knew of the hero Kim Jae-hyun, the enemy of Demon King Laylana. The hero summoned from another world to defeat the Demon King Laylana had been watched by not only the demons who had invaded the Intermediate World but also those who had stayed in the Demon World without going there. Especially, not only black mages but also numerous high-ranking demons had died at his hands. They had lost their lives before the Holy Sword he wielded and the magic power he used. Also, demons belonging to the Demon King's Castle, the holy place of the Demon King, had no choice but to pay special attention to information about the hero Kim Jae-hyun. So they immediately recognized the boy in front of them as that hero.
"Yo, Hero!"
"You bastard! How did you get here!"
One brave demon among the demons pointed a weapon at Jae-hyun and said. He knew that Demon King Laylana had died, but he couldn't understand how the hero, who was a hero, had appeared in this Demon World. However, that was the greatest mistake of that demon.
"...You bastard?"
Jae-hyun muttered in a cold tone and slightly drew his index finger in the air.
Puhwaaak!
The demon who had called him "you bastard" towards Jae-hyun spurted blood and fell.
"How dare you call the king 'that bastard'."
Kugugugu-
As a warning, Jae-hyun killed one demon, and after that, he began to spew out a tremendous momentum and demonic energy openly. The demons finally realized why the Demon Beasts were submitting to him. It was realizing the facts they hadn't noticed because of the fact that he was a hero. The boy in front of them, the boy who had been a hero in the past, was now their new king. The new ruler of the Demon World, the Demon King! And the former hero who had become the new Demon King was looking at the demons with an indescribably arrogant gaze without saying a word to them, as if he was saying with his eyes.
I am your new king.
The demons, forgetting that Jae-hyun had been a hero in the past, accepted him as the new king under the pressure, and without knowing it, they all knelt. When the demons knelt, Jae-hyun jumped again and climbed back onto Behemoth's head. Standing with arms crossed on Behemoth's head, Jae-hyun commanded.
"Behemoth, head to the Demon King's Castle."
Kuooooo!
In response to the Demon King's command, the strongest Demon Beast that had become his personal mount moved.