The Demon King's Castle
How long had I been asleep? One thing was certain: it had been an incredibly long time.
I. We. Had become one.
Greed. What a sweet word. This beautiful term, whispering in my ear, confirmed my very existence. Barbatos, the Demon King of Greed. The power granted to me, a primordial demon, was a desire stronger than anyone else's. Because of this desire, I moved with absolute certainty, my goals unwavering. Yes, I wanted everything that laid within my sight.
Humans are truly fascinating, absurd creatures. They hate us demons more than anything, yet they harbor the exact same desires. They call themselves good, but from my perspective, those who slaughter us are the true evil. That made it all the sweeter. I used their desires to corrupt them, strip them bare, and manipulate them. As a result, I used my enemies' desires to achieve everything I wanted. But...
"...That is a thing of the past."
I could never dream of it before, for he always sat upon the highest throne. But he, Beelzebub, the King of Demons, was no more. Sealed? No. Many believed he was sealed, but he was dead. As a primordial demon, I could feel it. He had been slain by the Saintess.
"Pfft. What a hilarious sight that was."
The pathetic sight of him provoking his enemy until his head was split open still brought a smile to my face. Now that Beelzebub was gone, the throne sat empty. None of the other Demon Kings dared to touch it. So, I would graciously take the seat myself.
Our physical bodies had been sealed away by that bastard Leandri. Forget manifesting; if we were slain like this, hundreds or thousands of years might pass before we could awaken again. We lacked a suitable vessel. There wasn't even anyone we could use to resurrect ourselves.
But then, I found him. Someone similar to me—no, someone who simply hadn't realized it yet, but possessed a desire far more wicked than my own!
Cain Valenos. For a descendant of the damned Valenos family to fall... now that was a spectacle. So I approached him. Without a single moment of hesitation. This was an opportunity—a chance to obtain a new body. I bound him to a contract with sweet, honeyed whispers. No matter how corrupted he became, he was still just a dark elf. His death would come eventually. Until then, I would nurture his power, and when his soul was spent, I would claim his body.
What a flawless plan! To hell with hesitation. And what was his answer, you ask? You already know. Of course, he agreed.
"Isn't that right, Cain?"
"What the hell are you blathering about all of a sudden?"
"Hehe. Oh, nothing."
In the Crimson Castle, it was Cain who sat upon the throne, with the soul of Barbatos hovering beside him. He licked his lips, surrounded by a horde of succubi whom he toyed with at his leisure.
"Well? Aren't they far better than those whores back in Snowfall?"
"There's no comparison. Pfft."
Right then, the connection to one of the six Demon Kings severed. To think they had returned to their eternal slumber so soon after waking... It was utterly absurd, but at the same time, it made him wonder what kind of monster had beaten them to death.
"What are you doing?"
"One of the Demon Kings is gone."
"I know. That's why I'm asking."
"I have to fight the bastard who killed Leviathan."
They say a fool with power is the most terrifying thing of all. Cain smirked, savoring the authority of Greed as he laughed.
The path to the Demon King of Greed's castle had been anything but smooth. Humans transformed into white spiders, hordes of lesser demons brandishing Demonic Blades, and golems whose eyes flared with light upon detecting our presence had all stood in our way. However, that was all in the past. Now, we stood right before the gates of the Demon King's castle.
Uba held his axe with a grim expression. Mio hoped to find her disciples, and Rowen looked forward to finally seeing Cain's face.
"Why is everyone so tense? Let's go in."
"Lian, something is wrong."
"Wrong, my ass. We killed Beelzebub a thousand years ago. That's more than enough."
"...That is not what I mean. I mean his power feels weak."
Uba's words were enough to spark numerous hypotheses. Among them, the most plausible was obvious.
"He must have surrendered his body to Cain."
"We're too late after all..."
Lucius gritted his teeth. His anger was entirely understandable; he had let Cain slip through his fingers right when he was within reach. Sira Yunseul felt the same. If only she had been able to kill Cain that day—if only Lucrezia hadn't interfered—this disaster would never have happened.
"This is all my fault."
"Yes, Yunseul. It is entirely your fault."
Was this what they called fanning the flames? Arahan's blunt remark was enough to make Sira Yunseul's brow twitch, while simultaneously weighing her down with a heavy sense of responsibility.
"Which is why we must kill that bastard—pardon me, Young Master Cain—right now."
Arahan knew it all too well. His current existence posed a massive threat to humanity. The greatest weakness of humanity was desire. Every action had a purpose, and every purpose was directly linked to desire. If the Demon King of Greed had chosen Cain as his vessel for resurrection, they had to stop him at all costs.
"...I have no excuse."
Sira Yunseul looked pitiful. Everyone had their own worries, and Rowen was no exception. Ultimately, if Cain died, no corpse would remain. As a demon-corrupted being, his soul and body would be dragged down into the clutches of hell. Miyabi did not want Cain to die. If only they could at least recover his body...
But if Rowen had the power to make such things happen at will, he wouldn't be standing here today. That was the authority of a god. Rowen was neither a god nor an angel. He could not tamper with the laws of cause and effect, bound as he was to walk a preordained path of repetition. Thus, witnessing their reactions only made Rowen's own heart grow heavier.
"No. Not at all," Rowen replied in his mind.
"I agree."
His mind was so tangled it felt on the verge of shattering. Cain had certainly been a wretched child who bullied Rowen in their youth. When Rowen grew up, Cain became a troublemaker who dragged their family name through the mud. And now, he had become an enemy of humanity. But... he was still family.
Much like the massacre unleashed by Judas, who had been shunned as an illegitimate child, Cain had surrendered himself to his own desires, falling prey to the whispers of the Demon King of Greed. To kill his own brother with his own hands... If he did, who would be left by his side? Even if the bastard was a piece of trash, a brother was still a brother. Rowen was on the verge of slaughtering a second brother by his own hand.
It was Karlena.
"I suppose so, right?"
"Just like my father did."
The memory was still vivid. The sight of his father's blood being torn away by Beelzebub's demonic sword and claws. The crimson bloodstains on the pure white carpet, forming footprints that led out the door. The image of the demon—the Demon King—remained crystal clear!
"Don't worry, Karlena. I am not weak."
"If things get dangerous, I can just use my grandmother's power to run away."
Karlena was momentarily stunned by Rowen's response, but she eventually let out a soft laugh. It was a very Rowen-like answer. Though the time they had spent together was short, they had shared many emotions through their soul synchronization. Memories, experiences. Bridging the gap of time, they had forged a bond as family and as master and subordinate. Thus, Rowen's response was truly characteristic of him.
"Well, you did die at a young age."
"But if you've lived as a spirit for over a thousand years, that makes you a grandmother. Simple as that."
Rowen chuckled. Hearing this, Valenos burst into a loud, boisterous laugh. It was a vulgar laugh, completely unbefitting of the God of the North or a Spirit King. Well, if anything, that vulgarity was exactly what made Valenos who he was.
It was time to clear his head. In the end, the fact that he had to kill Cain remained unchanged. No matter how complicated his feelings were, he had to suppress them and move forward. Everyone present surely understood this. If everyone standing here survived, some would once again be hailed as Heroes, while others would earn the title for the very first time. The great Heroes. Standing right before the Demon King's castle, everyone steeled their resolve.
Uba and Sira Yunseul channeled their Yin-Yang energy. As the black-and-white Taiji manifested upon their bodies, they focused their holy power. Arahan poured sword qi into Rosbriel, preparing her golden chains.
Mio was still trembling. Was it because she had heard Lea's story? She was likely terrified of failing to lead her disciples out of the darkness. Because she cherished human bonds so deeply, this situation must have been incredibly frightening for her.
"Mio, are you scared?"
"W-Who's scared? I'm not scared at all! Rowen, it's just that your stupid question made me feel a bit off for a second."
"Sure, sure."
"Hey! Are you mocking me right now?!"
Though she snapped back, a faint smile played on her lips. This was enough to ease her stiffened nerves.
"Are you a bit calmer now?"
"...Hmph."
With Mio sorted out, Rowen scanned his surroundings. No one else seemed to be having any issues. That left Uba. Well, Uba hated demons with a passion, and even more so if they were Demon Kings. As long as that muscle-brain idiot didn't just charge in blindly, they would be fine. Of course, his strength would be helpful, but when he got this worked up, things tended to get a bit out of hand.
"Hey, dumbass."
"I am not a dumbass!"
"I wasn't calling you."
"...Is that so?"
"No, I lied."
Pfft. He was always fun to tease.
"Calm down a bit."
"I am serious right now."
"Yeah, seriously worked up."
"...Understood."
He had always been remarkably obedient to my words. We worked well together. My values had changed quite a bit since my reincarnation. The old me, who would charge forward the moment I laid eyes on a demon, had learned a bit of restraint. ...Probably.
At any rate, there was no time to waste. Even at this very moment, Cain's power was likely growing exponentially. With greed multiplying upon greed, his strength would have doubled.
Rumble! Thunder of demonic energy crackled. A deafening roar echoed as black lightning struck down.
"We still have a long way to go."
Even excluding Greed, four Demon Kings remained. Now that the King of the Sea and the other demon were dead, if Greed fell as well, the seven Demon Kings would truly be reduced to just four.
"Let's finish this quickly and go back to the North."
Brother Kael's voice echoed in his ears. The ghost of the past whispered like a shadow.
"Protect the North."
"You are Valenos."
The resurrection of the King of Frost was not far off. So, let us return quickly. Let us break this tedious cycle of fate. The massive gates of the Demon King's castle loomed before them.
"Valenos. Synchronize all the souls."
At that moment, Rowen summoned his armor of ice. Crack. He infused his entire body with the frost attribute, forging an unbreakable armor of absolute cold. The pure white fur of a frost wolf fluttered. Countless ice weapons hovered around him. In his left hand, he held an ice shield; in his right, the Holy Sword.
Though he had not yet reached the heights of his past life, he now possessed magic. Spells he couldn't use freely in his previous life, spells he had never been able to deploy in actual combat—he could use them to his heart's content here. He could shatter everything in his path without having to worry about anyone else.
"Arahan."
It was time to begin.
"Break down the gates."
"Understood."
The war—