The Heavenly Demon Returns

I set foot in Zone 5,146 — the Scorpion Desert.

An endless expanse of golden sand stretched out to greet me.

I looked straight ahead. At the heart of Zone 5,146, the great city of the Scorpion Desert glittered and shone. Reltia possessed an oasis.

That oasis was the engine of Reltia's growth. In this bone-dry desert, Reltia was the one place where water could be obtained with any reliability.

As I walked forward, I glanced back over my shoulder. Kasha, Amar, Yonggil Gongju, Okjeong, and Ersia were trailing behind me.

Each of them wore a different expression, carried a different air.

Kasha wore a cool little smile. Murderous intent curled at the corners of her mouth.

Amar's face was set hard. He was drowning in guilt for having failed to keep the desert under control while I was gone.

Yonggil Gongju's face was pure irritation. I had dragged her out of her pyramid against her will.

Okjeong was tense. She was sharp — she already had a fair idea of what was about to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happen.

Ersia's eyes sparkled. She almost never left the pyramid, and on the rare occasions she did, she only ever went somewhere safe with Kasha. A great city was entirely new to her.

"Kasha. Didn't you say the Heavenly Demon Cult was on the verge of falling into rebel hands?"

"This is Reltia. It's not the Heavenly Demon Cult."

"…"

She wasn't wrong, so I had nothing to say. The Heavenly Demon Cult was the name of an organization, not a city.

"Most of the rebels are outside Reltia. They're gathering strength where we can't see them. Honestly, until two months ago we had no idea what they were even doing."

"I am sorry, Heavenly Demon. The fault is mine for being inadequate."

"Ah, come on, brother. It couldn't be helped. Even we can't watch over this entire godforsaken desert."

"…There were signs before that. If I had paid closer attention… I could have crushed them early."

"I'm telling you again — it's not your fault. Karok! That bastard was just that thorough!"

I cut in between the siblings.

"Enough. Just explain the situation in Reltia. Who knows it better?"

"I have been ranging outside Reltia, primarily tracking Karok. The one who knows the city's internal situation well is Kasha."

Kasha glared at Reltia for a moment, then opened her mouth.

"It's a mess. The second you vanished and Karok betrayed my brother and raised a rebellion, every lowlife under the sun started running wild like they'd been waiting for it. Especially the rich ones. Those bastards have their eyes on the oasis and they're pulling every dirty trick they can think of."

"Dirty tricks?"

"They stirred up the citizens. The Heavenly Demon abandoned Reltia. The Heavenly Demon is dead. The Heavenly Demon is never coming back. Reltia needs a new leader — and the man fit for that role is… Rumors like that started circulating through the city. The rebels used that agitation too."

"The agitation seems to have worked. For all that, Reltia still looks intact."

"The Heavenly Demon Cult's military strength is still holding up, more or less. We've managed to keep the palace and the oasis, at least. We've been handing out oasis water to soothe the citizens, but even that was hitting its limit. The rich men who'd been holding hands started splitting apart. Tribal feuds and the greed of the wealthy ended up tripping up the rebels. That was lucky for us."

"And the internal situation now?"

"On a knife's edge. One spark away from blowing. If the armed rebels come pouring in, the city falls. Well — that was the story while you were gone."

I nodded.

I didn't fully understand every detail, but what I had to do never changed. Anyone I didn't like. Anyone who dared defy me. Kill them all.

When I saw the entrance to Reltia, my eyes narrowed.

"Kasha. What are those?"

Four men stood at the gate with swords at their hips. Soldiers.

As far as I knew, every soldier in Reltia belonged to the Heavenly Demon Cult. But those men didn't look like Cult members. Heavenly Demon Cultists wore black as a rule.

Kasha's face twisted.

"Vigilantes."

"Vigilantes? Where did the Cultists go, and why are those bastards guarding the gate?"

"A lot of Cult members died in the last rebellion. Combat strength is short. There's also a unit out tracking Karok, so… there aren't enough people left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to hold Reltia. The citizens used that as an excuse to form a vigilante corps."

"Looking at the state of Reltia, those aren't citizens who volunteered out of the goodness of their hearts. Someone's behind them."

"I'm guessing rebels and the rich."

"Guessing?"

"We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠haven't secured any proof yet. More accurately, we don't have the manpower for it."

"Why didn't you just wipe them out?"

"They claim they picked up swords of their own free will to protect the city and fight the rebels… There's no justification for stopping the vigilantes."

"Ah. Justification."

"You need to keep your temper in check too, honey. Touch the vigilantes and the citizens will rise. The public mood is already ugly enough — no need to set it on fire."

"Kasha. I am the Heavenly Demon."

"Uh, yeah. You're the Heavenly Demon."

"And the Heavenly Demon does not bother with justifications."

I walked toward the gate. A vigilante soldier stepped forward. The moment they saw me, their faces went white with shock.

"Th-the Heavenly Demon!"

Their hands flew reflexively toward the swords at their hips — but they didn't draw. Instead they split to either side and cleared the path.

"Y-you've returned, Heavenly Demon! We welcome your return—"

"Ghk—?!"

I seized the throat of the soldier who had dared open his mouth without permission. In a panic, he drew his blade on pure reflex.

Black sword-qi erupted from my fingernails and severed the soldier's arms and legs. Blood poured from the stumps.

"I am the Heavenly Demon. When you see me, you drop to your knees and drive your head into the dirt. Filthy swine like you do not dare open your mouths. Do not look me in the eye. Do not even step on my shadow."

I loosened my grip on his throat. The man's body hit the ground and writhed.

"Spare— spare me! Heavenly Demon!"

"No capacity for learning? I just told you not to run your mouth."

I set my foot on the wailing bastard's face.

"Worship me in death."

Crunch.

His head burst. Fragments of skull and brain sprayed in every direction.

I turned my gaze to the side. The remaining vigilante soldiers had gone deathly pale, dropped to their knees, and buried their foreheads in the dirt.

I stirred my Heavenly Demon Qi. Pitch-black energy gathered at the tips of my nails.

"Vigilantes? I never authorized any vigilantes."

Sword-qi flew and split the bowing vigilante soldiers apart. A timely wind rose and carried the stench of blood in every direction.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

Screams erupted from inside the gate.

My eyes turned inward. Dozens of people were screaming in panic, scattering in every direction in total chaos.

"Not remotely prepared to greet their returning master."

I flung both arms wide. Black energy gathered on all ten nails.

Sword-qi swept in every direction, carving through people. As the numbers thinned, the area gradually grew quiet. I focused on killing the ones who screamed and the ones who ran. After maybe seventy dead, no one was screaming anymore. The quick-witted ones had thrown themselves full-prostrate on the ground. I left alone anyone who kept their mouth shut and stayed down.

"…"

And then everything went silent.

The survivors were all face-down in the dirt with their mouths sealed. Even the children were no exception. This was the moment when terror overpowered instinct.

I lifted my head and looked straight ahead. A main avenue ran all the way to the palace at the city's center. Not a single person dared move on that road. Along both sides, people lay prostrate, waiting for me to pass.

"My beloved citizens."

I brushed the blood from my hands and spoke to them. As this city's ruler, it would have been a shame to simply walk past.

"I have returned."

"…"

Silence.

Even the sound of sand shifting was gone.

I chuckled under my breath and started walking down the avenue. Behind me, my companions followed with stiff faces. I glanced sideways to check on Ersia. She was staggering along behind Okjeong as if in shock, her eyes unfocused and empty.

A bit much for her, I suppose.

I had no intention of making allowances for Ersia.

This Atlantis was not a peaceful place. The weak either died or got exploited. That was all.

I was walking the silent avenue when armed soldiers came charging from up ahead. Vigilantes again. They must have scraped together every vigilante in the area — there looked to be well over two hundred of them.

"Heavenly Demon! We are the vigilante corps of Reltia! We shall serve you!"

Not worth a second of thought.

I clenched my fist and drew Heavenly Demon Qi into it.

The Heavenly Demon Qi that shot straight ahead became a dragon and swept through the vigilante soldiers. Blood and entrails, chunks of flesh and shattered bone went flying in every direction. The clean road was stained red. The citizens prostrated nearby wet themselves and trembled violently. Mothers with children desperately clamped their hands over their little ones' mouths.

I was walking forward along the blood-slick road when one of the prostrate citizens caught my eye. He was twice the size of anyone around him, dressed in lavish clothes, jewels hanging from his neck and arms.

"So this is the pig who stirred up my citizens. Step forward, pig."

The pig rose. He couldn't refuse. His body was soaked through with cold sweat.

"Heavenly Demon. There must be some misunderstanding. I have never stirred anyone up. I pay my taxes on time. From now on I will support the Heavenly Demon Cult even more actively."

"Kasha. Am I misunderstanding?"

"He's the one who went around saying the Heavenly Demon was dead."

"Ah, no! Heavenly Demon! Do not believe Lady Kasha's words! I never said any such thing! This is a frame-up! There is no evidence!"

Kasha let out a sigh.

"…Frustrating as it is, we don't have evidence."

"I believe my woman."

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

I swept my Heavenly Demon Qi-charged hand sideways. Sword-qi flew and cut the pig clean through the waist. His body hit the ground, blood and entrails spilling from the severed half. I pressed a vital point on what was left of him.

"You're an example. So stay alive for about ten minutes."

I grabbed the pig by the hair and started walking down the avenue. He didn't last ten minutes before he died.

And then I arrived at the plaza in front of the palace.

More than five thousand citizens filled the square, screaming their lungs out toward the palace.