The Demon King Returns to the Intermediate World
Ten years had passed since the Demon King Reira crossed over from another world and was defeated by the summoned Hero, Kim Jae-hyun, only to perish.
But the Hero who slew the Demon King had been betrayed by the humans, reborn as the new Demon King, and now ruled the Demon World.
Ten years later, the Demon World still carried a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Unrelated to this, within the Demon King's castle, Kim Jae-hyun sat upon his throne as the Demon King, his appearance unchanged from that of a handsome young man in his late teens.
As the Demon King, he was now an immortal being who could not be killed so long as he wished it. If he so desired, he could maintain this youthful form forever.
Sitting upon the throne, Jae-hyun wore a pleasant smile.
*Hoo hoo hoo, the time is almost here.*
For ten years, his soul waves had repeatedly connected the Intermediate World and the Demon World. Soon, he would descend upon the Intermediate World.
He was not a native of the Demon World or the Intermediate World, but of the other world called Earth. Yet his soul felt far closer to the Intermediate World than the Demon World. Because he had crossed from the Intermediate World using the power of the Holy Sword, he still felt its pull.
*'He won't kill me the moment I appear, but... Hoo hoo hoo, I'll make the dead envy me instead.'*
Crown Prince Ferdinand von Habsburg.
Archmage Jason Light.
Grand Sage Griffith Ricardo.
Gale Sword Emperor William Rodriguez.
Force Sword Emperor Karl Tenant.
Saintess Lucretia.
The six greatest enemies of his life flashed before his eyes. He would erase the remaining seven nations that still existed upon the surface of the Earth as well, and give the other betrayers a fitting end.
Thanks to the previous Demon King, Reira, half of the Intermediate World had been reduced to ashes. Ten years had passed, and while ten years could supposedly turn a river into a mountain, the damage Reira had inflicted on the Intermediate World was not so easily undone.
Of course, the Demon World had also suffered terrible losses.
The monsters and beasts that had invaded the Intermediate World had been nearly wiped out.
More than half of those who perished were those Jae-hyun himself had slain as the Hero.
Yet despite the weakened military power of the Demon World, Jae-hyun had not neglected to restore it. He knew his strength was now such that no one in the Intermediate World could stand against him, and that he was an unprecedented existence who wielded both the Holy Sword and the Demonic Sword. He had no fear of defeat.
As Demon King, however, he recognized the need for outstanding subordinates.
He had gathered the loyalty of vampires, dark elves, incubi, succubi, fallen angels, balrogs, dark dragons, and pureblood demons. He had trained them.
Having inherited all the knowledge of the previous Demon Kings, and possessing skills and magical arts of his own, he distributed that knowledge appropriately.
And he himself had practiced the twin-sword style he had unearthed from the Demon Kings' secrets.
Originally, he had used only the Holy Sword, so he had learned single-sword techniques. Now that he wielded two swords—the Holy Sword and the Demonic Sword—he felt the need to master twin-sword style as well.
Over the ten years, his swordsmanship had grown far sharper, and his magical abilities had likewise reached new heights. His magical power had always surpassed that of the dragons; now it was even greater.
Filled only with thoughts of revenge, Jae-hyun had lived the past ten years with full effort.
*"Uuu, ten years feels even longer than a single day. Hehehe!"*
Thinking of the pain the betrayers would suffer and the sweet revenge to come, Jae-hyun laughed with intense excitement.
His eyes, wide with madness that no one who had once known the former Hero could believe, radiated a chilling gleam that clashed with the smile on his lips.
Today, the day he would finally step into the Intermediate World, his composure was strained.
He had not forgotten.
The betrayal, the hatred, the rage, the vengeful fire of ten years ago!
Unlike the previous Demon Kings, who had simply invaded, Jae-hyun had prepared solely for revenge. The Intermediate World would now face the strongest Demon King and the strongest Demon King army in history.
The Holy Sword would no longer stand with them. No longer could anyone hope for a Hero wielding the Holy Sword to protect them against the Demon King.
*"Selina, Lucien, Baros, Lillian, Mastema, Ungkor, Serphius, Adrammelech."*
Jae-hyun called the names of the eight subordinates he had chosen over the ten years in the Demon World. The moment his summons ended, eight demons materialized before the throne.
Vampire Queen Selina.
Dark Elf Queen Lucien.
Incubus King Baros.
Succubus Queen Lillian.
Leader of the fallen angels, Mastema.
Balrog Lord Ungkor.
Dark Dragon Lord Serphius.
Butler of the Demon King's castle, Adrammelech.
Each was a being who commanded immense power in the Demon World.
The moment they received his summons, they knelt before him and prostrated their heads, shouting,
*"Lord has called! Your Majesty!"*
Their powerful voices made Jae-hyun nod slightly as he rose from his seat.
*"I summoned you to remind you of something before tomorrow's invasion of the Intermediate World."*
The eight demons looked puzzled, but since they were the Demon King's words, they could not interrupt and listened intently.
Jae-hyun then revealed the reason he had summoned them, his smile now chilling with madness and hatred to a degree that even the demons present found unsettling.
*"What I desire is a clean revenge. Useless mercy will be thrown into the gutter. A clean, perfect revenge. Simply killing is not enough. I will turn the Intermediate World into a place where parents kill their children, children kill their parents, sons rape their mothers, and fathers rape their daughters.*
*I'll burn all the royal palaces of the Intermediate World and turn the royal families into undeads. The princesses with their beautiful figures will be made to mate with monsters and give birth to monster children.*
*And to the betrayers who betrayed me, I'll make them watch as their precious ones are slowly skinned alive before their eyes and force them to eat. I'll shatter everything they cherish.*
*Therefore, my loyal subordinates who follow me. As Demon King, I command you. Let's turn the Intermediate World... into hell with me."*
The eight demons immediately prostrated themselves on the ground and answered in unison,
*"We will follow Your Majesty to the end!"*
Jae-hyun chuckled.
This inner chamber of the Demon King's castle contained only the eight demon lords. Outside, one million dark soldiers waited to deploy into the Intermediate World.
The eight demons present, upon seeing the new Demon King, felt awe at his immense power and the unprecedented ability to wield both the Holy Sword and Demonic Sword. They also sneered at the humans.
The Demon King before them was one created by humans—a Demon King to destroy them.
* * *
Finally, the next day arrived.
Now, as Demon King, Jae-hyun could return to the Intermediate World with pride.
*'It was long.'*
Jae-hyun had finally returned to the Intermediate World, yet he felt no sense of "time flies." Instead, the ten years had felt far too long.
But the vengeful fire of ten years ago had not diminished in the slightest, and the betrayal and pain of that day remained vividly etched in his memory.
If he had not become Demon King back then, he would have been as good as dead after being driven to the brink of death in mere minutes.
Among the humans who claimed to have built their own power in the Intermediate World, there would be those who asserted that "forgiveness is true revenge."
Jae-hyun hoped such fools existed.
Then, before them, he could kill every member of their family and declare, *"Forgiveness is true revenge—now forgive me."*
Jae-hyun gazed at the sky of the Demon World.
The Demon World's sky was always dark and cloudy. It was not completely night-like, but perpetual hazy weather prevailed.
Rain occasionally fell, yet there were never any days to see sunlight.
*'Now I'll see sunlight again.'*
Jae-hyun smiled, imagining he would finally gaze upon the bright sky of the Intermediate World instead of this dark Demon World.
Imagining bloody revenge unfolding beneath a clear sky.
Of course, the one million dark soldiers would also enter the Intermediate World, but Jae-hyun could not answer their expectations today.
It was because he had no intention of repeating the fatal mistakes of the previous Demon Kings.
Every previous Demon King had summoned one million dark soldiers upon arrival and razed the Intermediate World to ash, giving the humans time to unite. That was why the world had been divided into humans versus the Demon King army.
Although humanity was weak now, other races—elves, dwarves, and others—were also lending their strength. Dragons would do the same. He could not underestimate the Intermediate World's power.
His goal was not conquest of the Intermediate World, but revenge and annihilation. For ten years, he had pondered endlessly how to make his revenge satisfying.
*'First, descend quietly and gather the surviving black mages. Then, learn the situation on the continent.'*
Jae-hyun hated the humans who had betrayed him, yet he mocked their foolishness. If they had not betrayed him and tried to kill him, he would have quietly served as a guardian in the shadows of the continent for fifty years before returning to Earth and never coming back.
But because they betrayed him and tried to kill him, they had created the strongest Demon King in history.
*"Selina, Lucien."*
Jae-hyun called out to Vampire Queen Selina and Dark Elf Queen Lucien, who had prostrated themselves behind him among the eight subordinates.
*"Yes, Your Majesty."*
Selina and Lucien lifted their heads at Jae-hyun's words.
*"We depart. Follow me."*
*"Yes."*
Selina and Lucien immediately stood behind Jae-hyun.
The three of them could be considered a vanguard.
Jae-hyun needed to handle matters in the Intermediate World first so that the dark army could fight properly. Selina and Lucien accompanied him to assist in those preparations.
*Swish—*
The moment Jae-hyun stretched his hand toward the void, a dimensional rift tore open, revealing a passageway. On the other side appeared the sight of the Intermediate World.
Jae-hyun, with his cold red eyes burning with fury, walked forward. Selina and Lucien followed silently behind him.
Crossing the passageway, the three found themselves in the Intermediate World once again.
*Zing—Zing—*
Where Jae-hyun stood was a clearing deep within some forest. He did not know the exact location, but he was certain of one thing: he was now in the Intermediate World.
Selina and Lucien stood quietly behind Jae-hyun, yet their expressions betrayed that this was their first time in the Intermediate World. They could not hide their amazement.
Even in the forest, the sunlight that penetrated the trees and illuminated the clear sky made Jae-hyun smile.
*"I'm back."*
Finally, he had returned. The man who had fled the Demon World with his dying body in misery was now returning as the proud Demon King.
*'Wait. You betrayers. And Saintess Lucretia! I'll destroy you first.'*
The first target of his revenge would be Saintess Lucretia and the Astraea Church. His revenge would begin by making them pay.
*Ku ku ku... khehehe... khehehe!!!*
The Demon King, consumed by madness for revenge, laughed joyfully.
*Shuuu—*
At that moment, the portal connecting the Demon World closed. Since it had been opened not by the Demon King summoning array but simply through the Intermediate World's summons, no one on the continent had noticed the arrival of the Demon King.