Incomplete Demon King
In the Demon King's Castle.
Demon King Vine, with the body of a black camel and the head of a lion, sat upon his throne.
In one hand, he clutched a venomous serpent; in the other, he wound iron chains. With every movement of his body, the snake's hissing tongue and the rattle of the chains echoed through the air.
Ching-ching-ching.
Flanking the throne were rotting heads impaled like decorations—severed from other demonkin slain by Vine himself.
Vine gazed down from his seat with bored eyes.
"Kyaaaah!"
"S-spare me!"
In the vast space below, slaves captured by Vine's minions dangled, roasting to a golden crisp.
The only difference from ordinary fare? They cooked alive.
Even that failed to amuse Vine.
Boring.
So boring.
Vine sighed, and his minions stoked the flames higher, cracking whips.
Snap!
"Gaaahhh!"
Amid the slaves' screams, a young demonkin flapped in urgently on wings.
"M-my lord Demon King! Disaster!"
"What is it?"
"An intruder!"
Has another demon clan come to attack?
Vine's eyes sparkled for a moment.
But the follow-up crushed him with disappointment.
"...I-it's a human."
"A human?"
Vine's pupils chilled.
Demons pestered by a mere human? Pathetic.
He waved a hand dismissively—begone.
But the demon bowed low and shouted.
"A h-human, yes, but!
He's slaughtering hundreds of monsters because of him!"
"He?"
Just one?
Vine's curiosity stirred toward this human.
Bold enough to invade his desert hell alone. Impressive.
"Citri."
"Yes.
My Demon King."
From among the slaves emerged a demon with a leopard's head, thick wings, and a white mustache.
"Fetch that insolent human for me."
Citri bowed deeply and retreated.
A human-sized warp tore open in the air—a gate-like rift.
Citri plunged in without hesitation. Once he vanished fully, the distortion faded without trace.
Vine resumed his bored stare at the slaves, as if nothing had happened.
―
"Whew.
Nice!"
Like Demon King Vine with his monsters, Jae-jun sat atop a pile of corpses, overlooking the scene.
Gutting each for magical cores himself was tedious, so he'd pulled back his familiars.
With 50 stone golems plus Arthur, The Big, and the rest, progress sped up.
Grwek and The Big rummaged through monster corpses competitively.
Merlin tsked from behind.
He skipped cores, hunting freshly dead or still-living monsters, decapitating them.
Threading heads onto his necklace of the dead, he grinned.
She definitely found it gross at first...
Since becoming the Incomplete Demon King, his familiars' personalities had sharpened.
The one unchanged? Maybe Arthur.
We haven't checked here!
Hurry up!
Arthur swung his sword like a baton, bossing stone golems like workers.
A subtle hierarchy had formed among the familiars.
The original five showed little difference, but stone golems obeyed them faithfully.
Like an army.
The golems had gained some intelligence upon familiarization, grasping complex orders.
Grooooar—
Hestia chomped a signed magical core happily, roaring in delight.
The five familiars and golems feared her especially.
Even a small growl made them flinch away.
Come to think of it, Hestia wasn't a familiar.
'Familiar Window'
Still growing.
She wasn't small now—what size at full maturity?
Her core consumption had spiked.
Hestia commanded a stone golem.
Except with Jae-jun, she always spoke low and dignified.
Watching Jae-jun and his familiars from afar was Demon Citri.
He'd come to slay humans and lesser demons with his own minions, but the overwhelming aura halted him.
A dragon?
All the Demon Kings killed them off, didn't they?
Citri's face twisted.
Not fully grown, but dragons were beyond him.
Moreover.
The familiars around the human looked mighty too.
They resembled ogres or trolls outwardly, but somehow human-like, with immense mana.
No human commands such familiars.
Citri focused on the central human.
Human appearance, no doubt.
Aaah...!
Citri staggered.
He'd peeked into the human's mind—but the rebounding mental force nearly shattered his own.
Not human!
At least upper demonkin!
No—Demon King level!
Citri hurried.
A new Demon King invading to slay Vine and claim castle and rank!
Reason for the human guise unknown, but he had to report to Vine fast.
Citri turned to flee to the Demon King's Castle—but something blocked him.
"Who are you?
What were you just trying on me?"
"Eek!"
Jae-jun, moments ago distant.
Up close, it was clearer.
Demon King!
Citri trembled wordlessly. Jae-jun asked again.
"Mute?
I asked what you tried on me.
Should I just kill you?"
"N-no!
Demon King!
This lowly Citri dares not offend you!"
Citri was sly and quick-witted, degree-less loyalty to Vine.
He groveled, gauging Jae-jun.
"I-I beheld your exalted form and couldn't resist peering! A deathly sin!"
Shivering, Citri cried out. Jae-jun lowered his raised hand.
Any delay, and he'd have crushed the skull.
Moments ago, relaxing—
Demon Citri attempts mental interference.
User resists with overwhelming mana and authority.
Trauma from nearly losing his body to Lucifer made Jae-jun hypersensitive to mental attacks.
Which bastard?
His eyes scanned. A demonkin afar.
'Shadow Step!'
Shadow Step
Jae-jun erupted from Citri's shadow instantly.
The demon was oddly deferential.
"Where is this place?"
"...This lowly servant of the Demon King, Citri, fails to grasp my Demon King's query."
"...Tell me everything you know about this place and the Demon Kings."
"..."
Citri hesitated, then explained basics.
As Jae-jun suspected: the demon world.
A ruthless pyramid of power.
Apex: the Seven Great Demon Kings.
Below: affiliated lesser kings and demonkin.
To rise: kill superiors for rank, or contract under a higher king for borrowed power.
Most chose the latter; at high ranks, only killing sufficed.
Thus Citri assumed Jae-jun invaded for Vine's castle and rank.
I see.
Jae-jun nodded inwardly.
"Tell me of this place's Demon King."
Citri flinched first time, panicking.
But Jae-jun raised his hand again; Citri squeezed eyes shut, weeping, and spoke.
"Demon King V-Vine of the Sands was originally a demon under Lucifer."
"Lucifer?"
"...Yes.
A battle-loving demon who betrayed Lucifer for Baal, gaining new power.
A venomous serpent whose gaze kills. Always coiled on his arm."
"I see."
Valuable intel.
Jae-jun pondered Citri.
What to do? Easiest to kill...
Killing intent filled his eyes; Citri shuddered, bowing lower.
"P-please..!"
"Guide me to the Demon King's Castle.
Your fate—death or familiar—depends on what follows."
"Th-thank you!
Great and wise my Demon King!"
Ignorant of demon world; handy guide. Seems sharp.
"Hestia!"
Jae-jun mounted her back.
"Guide straight to the Demon King's Castle!"
Terrified by Hestia, Citri nodded frantically.
Wings flapping, Hestia soared over demon world with Citri toward the castle.
Soon, a sky-piercing fortress loomed.
That it? Bigger than expected.
Around it, demonkin—not prior monsters—glared hostilely at Hestia and Jae-jun.
Hundreds at least.
Aggressive auras provoked Jae-jun.
No time for one-by-one.
First sword draw since demon world: Incomplete Demon King's blade.
Drawing it, demons charged from all sides.
Vision blackened with numbers.
Disgustingly many.
"Hiiiik!"
Flying Citri beside shrieked in terror.
Atop Hestia, Jae-jun swung toward them.
Woooong—
'Raging Storm!'
Raging Storm
SS-rank AoE: Raging Storm.
Mana vortex swirled around blade, black demonic energy surging.
Kuuuung—
Blade erupted razor demonic blades in explosion.
Storm shredded all in path, slashing wildly.
Kwagagagak!
Citri wobbled, wings nearly snapping.
Eyes couldn't stay open amid power.
W-what is this!
When eyes opened: carnage remained.
No standing demons.
"Let's go."