EP8. The Incomplete Demon King

BOOM!

All the demons inside Demon King's Castle heard that sound.

No, even before hearing it, they had already shuddered at the enormous surge of mana that vibrated through the air.

'That's no ordinary demon!'

Mana of this magnitude was unmistakably Demon King-level.

The demons knew they couldn't possibly stand against it. They flinched and glanced nervously at Demon King Bine.

"D-Demon King!"

It was the demon who had just reported the intruder's approach ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Bine.

Even amid this tremendous mana fluctuation, Bine's expression barely changed.

His eyes merely gleamed with a hint of interest.

"I wonder if you'll be able to entertain me."

Bine curled the corner of his lips slightly upward.

"Everyone, prepare to welcome our guest!"

With that command to his demons, Bine stepped down from his throne.

From the moment he sensed that mana, he knew no number of lowly demons could stop the intruder.

Bine waited for Jae-jun with eager anticipation.

'I've been so bored. This is perfect.'

His expression turned faintly wistful for a moment, only to shift back to boredom as he felt the mana surging from beyond the door.

BOOM!

The massive golden door shattered into pieces.

And through the wreckage stepped a figure.

"Is that bastard Bine?"

"...Yes."

"That's him."

Jae-jun stood face-to-face with Bine.

"I'm hungry, so let's make this quick."

Jae-jun said, rolling his shoulders.

—

The first strike came from Jae-jun.

Flames erupted from his casually extended hand.

'Inferno Grasp!'

The flames exploded outward, forming a long spear that shot toward Bine.

"GRRROOAR!"

Bine, with his lion's head, roared forward, and the flames veered off course.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

An invisible barrier surrounded Bine's body.

Crackle!

Bine charged at Jae-jun with terrifying speed on all fours, thrusting out a fist.

Thud!

Jae-jun met it head-on with his own punch.

The result was Jae-jun's overwhelming victory.

Bine flew backward even faster than he'd charged, slamming into the wall.

Bang!

He crashed neck-first into the wall, then tumbled across the floor several times before staggering to his feet.

His right fist, which had clashed with Jae-jun's, was already a bloody mess.

Jae-jun frowned.

'Is this guy weak, or am I just that strong?'

Maybe both.

Jae-jun strolled leisurely toward Bine.

As Bine rose unsteadily, the iron chain coiled around his left hand began to uncoil into the air.

Hummm!

The chain exuded white frost, and the surrounding air plummeted in temperature.

Whoosh!

The chain whipped toward Jae-jun like lightning.

He twisted aside, but it pursued him like a living creature.

Slither!

Finally, it wrapped around Jae-jun's left hand with crushing pressure.

If Jae-jun were an ordinary demon, that arm would have shattered like ice and scattered across the floor.

'Hup!'

'Inferno Grasp!'

Jae-jun poured maximum mana into his left hand where the chain gripped him.

The chain's chill clashed with Jae-jun's inferno, producing thick white steam.

But the frigid air gradually heated up.

Soon, the entire room flickered with flames.

Drip.

Drip.

The chain around Jae-jun's left hand melted into molten metal and fell to the floor.

Sizzle.

"That all you got?"

Jae-jun wiped the iron residue from his hand and walked toward Bine.

"You're strong."

"Which Demon King do you serve?"

"Satan, judging by that destructive nature?"

"Satan?"

Jae-jun had never given it much thought.

But if he had to pick...

"Maybe Lucifer?"

In truth, all the fragments of Lucifer's soul in Jae-jun's body had been absorbed and vanished.

But Jae-jun didn't know that yet.

Bine's face turned ice-cold.

"What?"

"Lord Lucifer is dead."

"Think what you want."

'Time to end this.'

Jae-jun pulled the Incomplete Demon King's Sword from his inventory.

But...

Bine's reaction was strange.

He suddenly disrupted all his energy, staring blankly at Jae-jun's sword.

"L-Lord Lucifer's sword?"

"How do you have it?"

"I got it from him."

"Is Lord Lucifer... alive?"

"Well."

"Still is, I guess?"

"Where is he? Tell me!"

Wait, wasn't this guy one of Lucifer's traitors?

Why act loyal now?

"Why should I?"

'Space Slash!'

Ignoring whatever the bastard was saying, Jae-jun charged and swung his sword.

Bine hastily thrust out his right hand.

The green snake coiled around his wrist bared its fangs at Jae-jun.

The venomous serpent said to bring death on a bite?

'Then get sliced in half!'

As Space Slash activated, both Bine and the snake froze mid-motion.

Vrrrrm!

Space itself began to warp.

Bine's body twisted like a world viewed through shattered glass.

"...Wh-what...?"

With those final words, Bine's body tore apart, reduced to a pulp of flesh and blood.

The power of Space Slash.

'Impressive.'

So that's why it ignores defenses.

Because it distorts space itself?

'Hestia!'

Before starting the growth, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jae-jun summoned Hestia first.

Like last time, once growth began, he wouldn't see her for a while, so he planned to feed her mana stones to her heart's content beforehand.

Hestia looked around the unfamiliar place, then rubbed her face against Jae-jun.

"Want some mana stones?"

Jae-jun pulled high-grade mana stones from his inventory and fed them to her.

Munch munch!

After petting her contentedly eating for a while, he finally initiated Hestia's growth.

Last time it was barely 7 hours, but this time it's 7 days.

Still, once this phase ends, she'll gain the red dragon's innate ability: dimensional travel.

'Sigh. What am I gonna do for 7 days?'

Jae-jun walked over and slumped into the throne nearby.

But then, demons poured in through the broken door.

"...We pay respects to the new Demon King!"

And they all bowed their heads to Jae-jun.

'What the...?'

—

"This Demon King is a bit unusual."

"Yeah."

"Just the fact that he looks like a primitive human..."

"But think about how he took down Demon King Bine. He's seriously strong."

"Not just strong—he commands a dragon too."

Jae-jun could clearly hear the demons talking from a distance away.

'Haa.'

But Jae-jun didn't care what the demons said or did.

He kept sighing in bewilderment at the Demon King's Castle window floating before him.

'I gotta figure out how this works.'

'Hoo.'

Jae-jun's eyes kept drifting to that final system window.

If he didn't find a way within 3 days, not only the demons but he himself would lose power and be exiled.

'What now?'

The reward was a whopping 1 million gold, but the failure penalty drew his eye more.

Losing the Incomplete Demon King's powers on failure?

'Steward Citri?'

Jae-jun recalled the cat-headed demon with wings.

"Citri!"

Even his casual call made the door fly open as Citri rushed in.

He must have been waiting right outside.

"You're the steward?"

Citri bowed even deeper.

"Yes."

"That's correct."

"Any order you give, I shall carry it out."

"Demon King."

"Not an order."

"How do we solve the drought and food shortage here?"

Jae-jun asked straight to the point.

Citri looked up at Jae-jun in shock, then hurriedly bowed again.

'This Demon King...!'

Citri's face twitched as he fought back tears.

'He cares about us residents! What a kind soul!'

"No time!"

"Tell me quick!"

Jae-jun pressed urgently, but Citri's eyes welled up even more, deeply moved by the Demon King's benevolence toward his people.