Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 403
Chapter Title: Demon World Revolution (4)
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‘What the...?’
The Demon Dragon Duke, Cruschair, twitched all six of his eyes unconsciously as he prepared his finishing strike against his opponent.
Thanks to his extraordinarily keen perception that far surpassed ordinary senses, he could tell.
‘The flow...’
Just moments ago.
The air in the entire area had shifted in an instant for some inexplicable reason.
The waters that had strayed from the course he had meticulously set were no longer just leaking—they were now surging recklessly into unknown territory!
[Ha! Your final struggle, eh? But it’s too late for thrashing about now!]
Yet he ignored it and doubled down on his task.
His foe had permitted ‘Instant Death’—something even he couldn’t use lightly—and suffered catastrophic damage.
No matter how much they minimized the harm with their lofty status, there was no way they could properly counter the attack that followed.
Gooooo—
Jet-black energy writhed inside the Demon Dragon Duke’s maw.
At the same time, countless magic circles spanning several kilometers in the sky began to emerge across his entire domain.
His unique spell formula linked to his breath attack.
It was a strategic weapon that unleashed breath-level bombardment over the entire designated area.
‘This will end it! Let’s see you block this one too!’
The surrounding mana churned violently, sucked in like a vortex.
At that ominous current, the demons locked in fierce battle on the ground couldn’t help but look up at the sky.
A destructive torrent that covered every possible range Hela might take, inescapable and unavoidable due to the converging space and twisting phases.
In the face of that overwhelming essence of violence, she wiped the blood from her mouth amid her internal injuries and...
“Pfft! Gotta give credit where it’s due. You’re certainly impressive, huh?”
...let out a relaxed laugh as always.
Even facing head-on the flow of destructive energy about to pour down on her, not a shred of anxiety showed in her demeanor.
Wuuuung—
Amid it all, the grand magic circle blanketing the area—its components fitting together with extreme precision like intricate gears—edged ever closer to completion.
At this point, trying to disrupt the mana structure would be futile.
That colossal magic circle, practically alive, would simply adapt and complete a new pattern even if part of it was disturbed.
“Heh, but compared to you—who’s just venting after failing so many times—I still seem greater. Sorry about that?”
Of course, even such a precise spell formula wasn’t without weaknesses.
It was just that, in the current situation, exploiting them was next to impossible.
“I’ll gladly accept your gift. So now—enough.”
Hela’s crimson demonic eyes rippled.
Her pupils shifted from red through blue, yellow, and blinding white before settling on black, matching the sclera.
Her eyes turned into indistinguishable black orbs and fixed straight ahead.
The core and most vital nucleus of the changes unfolding around them—the fatal weakness as well—
“[How about you die?]”
—turned toward Demon Dragon Duke Cruschair.
[What?! Gah! Cough! Hack! No way... it can’t be...!]
Blood gushed from the Demon Dragon’s massive body.
Spuurt—! Drip drip!
The power of ‘Instant Death’ burrowed into his flesh and mind.
The breath compressed in his maw scattered into nothingness.
As the now-uncontrolled energy ravaged his insides, the perfectly meshed colossal magic circle began to creak and crumble bit by bit.
‘How in the world...!’
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
No—in this case, it was giving back with interest.
The Demon Dragon glared at his foe with his six bleeding eyes, having taken far greater damage than he’d inflicted.
‘Instant Death in the Demonic Eye? The eye evolved? Domination, and now Instant Death?’
His mind plunged into chaos.
A Demonic Eye clansman possessed only one innate Demonic Eye for life.
Acquiring a new one later was unheard of.
Nor could she have received one from another clansman.
Because he had personally eradicated every last one of the surviving Demonic Eye clan!
‘And yet... how...!’
A past he thought buried forever was resurrecting to block his path once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Demon Dragon Duke Cruschair.
He was rightfully called the strongest being in the current Demon World, but naturally, he hadn’t started out that powerful.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the countless brushes with death he faced on his path to this position forged who he was today.
As Hela had pointed out, he was a fugitive who had violated draconic laws and fled to the Demon World.
Long ago, during his Juvenile stage—dragon adolescence.
He suddenly realized how unfair his treatment was compared to other dragons.
‘Why must we, the greatest beings in the world, live so hidden and subdued? Those pathetic bugs build their civilizations, bask in the worship of inferiors, and live as they please. Why can’t I, far superior to them, move freely?’
Dragons were beings incomparable to lesser races.
Even newborns could crush most foes with innate might, and simply aging endlessly amplified their mana and physique.
The transcendent gate that lesser races staked their lives on with scant success was merely a rite of passage for them.
But they had one fatal flaw offsetting all those advantages.
Their immense power came shackled by countless restrictions, preventing free use.
Cruschair resented not only those stifling laws but his stodgy kin who obeyed them unquestioningly.
‘We—we alone—are the true rulers of the world! So why? Why?!’
...He knew the reason, of course.
Maintaining harmony, balance, and the world’s equilibrium.
All their abilities existed solely for that purpose—that was dragons’ origin and raison d’être.
The instinct was etched into his mind from birth; how could he not know?
‘Destiny as dragons? Fated path? What nonsense!’
But with a mindset fundamentally different from other dragons, he couldn’t accept it.
It wasn’t a matter of intelligence.
“Born that way, so obey”—unthinkable!
Even now, not yet a millennium old, it suffocated him.
He couldn’t bear enduring this draconic life for thousands more years.
Thus, suppressing dark emotions within, time passed.
Soon, he became a full adult dragon and gained independence.
Unhindered at last, he immediately enacted his long-planned scheme.
[Breaking the restraints binding existence and transcending limits. Ordinary methods won’t do.]
Master of all worldly magic, he knew the perfect mystic art for it.
Defying heaven, twisting fate, forcing demons to obey.
—Black Magic.
‘I have plenty of time anyway. Proceed cautiously, step by step... I’ll surely reach the end someday.’
Unlike complacent dragons, his human-like tenacity drove him to mobilize all abilities meticulously.
Sacrificing entire villages or cities, inciting human wars for negative energy, even forming continental terror groups to shake the world from shadows.
Always staying one step back to evade suspicion.
About a millennium later?
[...What are you? How did you find this place?]
“No need for such wariness. I’ve come to help you. Or more precisely, our interests align.”
[Hah! Arrogant worm. Fine. I’ll rip out your brain alive!]
“Oh dear, looks like introductions can wait.”
Their rocky first meeting aside, the sudden ‘Apostle’ proved immensely helpful in his endeavors.
He even successfully hunted kin dragons secretly, offering their souls and bodies as sacrifices.
‘Complacent pigs wallowing in comfort! Be grateful you’re of use to me like this.’
But a long tail gets stepped on.
No matter the caution, perfection eluded even millennia.
Another millennium later, his deeds caught up; dragons hunted him down.
[Cruschair, you fiend! You’ve finally touched the taboo!]
[Countless violations over time... How long did you hide and disrupt order? Atone with death!]
Empowered beyond his age by Black Magic and sacrifices, he could only flee when the entire dragon species mobilized against him.
‘Freedom forsaken, slaves to gods—filth! I’ll return and devour you alive!’
With the Apostle’s aid, he escaped to the Demon World, healing while adapting his body to the environment.
Past research transcending draconic limits eased the process.
Infusing demonic energy and corrupting his flesh with devoured demons, he gradually became a demon.
‘Yes—this is an opportunity! Shed draconic limits here, ascend higher! Mere Ancient Dragon... not even Dragon Lord...!’
His sole goal: claim the throne of the Demon World’s apex, the Demon King.
Then, as Demon King—not dragon—he’d return, conquer the world!
Facing high demons and armies hunting him, sheer will to become Demon King sustained him.
Over a millennium of ceaseless strife rapidly elevated him.
Absorbing foes’ foundations, stealing knowledge, devouring power essences.
Yet—
‘Why...!’
Growing stronger, yet the goal remained distant.
During the 12th Demon King selection as a mere marquis-rank, he hadn’t even hoped.
Aware of his inadequacy, he joined the top candidate’s forces, biding time under the victorious king.
But after the 12th’s failed invasion and mortal wounds,
he stepped forward prominently.
Culminating as duke-rank Demon Dragon Cruschair, he confidently entered the 13th selection and...
‘Damn it, so close! Who’d have thought so many fell to that sly bastard’s Domination Demonic Eye? Nothing goes as planned!’
Dominating till the throne was in sight,
he yielded victory by a hair to his Demonic Eye rival.
‘...Hoo, hoo. No helping it. It’s fine. Next time, it’s mine for sure.’
Though bitter, he quickly refocused, honing for the next.
His accumulated discipline let him move on swiftly.
But time passed again.
In the 14th selection...
[Graaaah! Lleraye—! You mongrel again!]
Losing by another razor-thin margin shattered his composure.
Especially to the 13th’s daughter, not even centuries old at prior selection—mere child then.
Excuses aplenty: his faction strong from Demon King prep, but couldn’t surpass old king loyalists, Demonic Eye clan, and Succubus Queen’s Dreamwalker alliance.
Lleraye’s inherited grating Demonic Eye ensnared neutrals and foes alike—unremarkable outcome.
‘Domination Demonic Eye! Again because of that!’
Few Demonic Eye clansmen remained, but their potent innate eyes were legendary.
‘Domination’ ranked top among historic eyes—
[......]
A seething emotion blackened his gut.
The wicked Demon Dragon felt no need to suppress it.
One day.
“Pfft, hello there? Heard loads about you from your predecessor, hehe. Let’s get along.”
A mysterious god’s Apostle—giggling incessantly, inexplicably in the Demon World—approached him.
“...Seems you’ve got troubles? Cackle cackle! I might help?”
He seized the offer without hesitation.
As capable and useful as the prior Apostle.
With such aid, even this deadlock could break.
Leveraging it, he plotted Demon World revolution.
Schemes succeeded.
Exploiting looming invasion, he stoked dukes’ fears, opposed Lleraye.
Actively sabotaged the invasion, then zealously purged remnants post-failure.
‘Other dukes interfered sensing trouble, so couldn’t fully crush Dreamwalkers...’
They aimed to check his risen power.
Fortunately, priority target Demonic Eye clan was eradicated.
Weakened by invasion support, fatally so.
‘Gained plenty from it.’
Through relentless experiments on captives, Cruschair unraveled the Demonic Eyes’ mechanisms.
Selecting his six favorites, he successfully transplanted them.
Seeing the ‘Instant Death’ owner—then a child—he realized:
Had he not acted, merely prepping for next selection as before,
the next throne wouldn’t be his.
Revolution was the right call.
‘And yet.’
The child’s Instant Death hadn’t affected him.
Amid dying kin, that insolent brat stared defiantly, then despaired and perished as power failed.
“Hmm, feels like this? Takes time to get used to.”
But now.
A half-demon exuding an aura eerily like vanished Lleraye
wielded the power he thought uprooted and stolen.
Like that brat then.
Staring straight at him.
“Well, practice makes perfect? Might as well try the others now.”
No—perhaps that despair was illusion.
No child with Instant Death could surpass this inscrutable being, grown or not.
‘Not just Instant Death. Don’t tell me... all my Demonic Eyes...!’
Hela’s eyes shimmered with colors anew.
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