Demon Realm Without a Demon King

Dimensions exist throughout the universe, and some among them share organic connections, influencing each other in their existence.

Others exist entirely unlinked.

So, what dimensions were connected to Earth?

Excluding the faint link to the divine realm that had persisted for eons, there had been no connections to any other dimensions.

And that made sense. The solar system Earth belonged to was barely over 13 billion years old since its creation, and a newborn dimension received a newbie protection bonus, shielding it from attacks by other dimensions until it could grow strong enough to defend itself.

In other words, it should have been able to develop safely for at least another 10 billion years.

But one day, an unforeseen variable shattered the dimensional walls, stripping away Earth's protective barrier. Invaders from other dimensions poured in.

Those invaders were the demonic beasts from the demon realm, surging through dungeons and gates.

That was a fact that never changed across all 999 regressions.

Thus,

I had assumed until now that only the demon realm and the divine realm were connected to Earth.

The divine realm of Gaon of Light, who had granted me the hero class as the tower's master, and the demon realm I ruled as the Demon King—those two alone.

But that wasn't the case.

The Nether Realm.

A third dimension, beyond the divine and demon realms, had connected without my knowledge—even after 998 regressions!

And it was the force behind my awakening as the Demon King, no less.

All I knew about the Nether Realm was that it was the dimension where souls of humans and other lifeforms went upon death.

The goddess of that unfamiliar realm was the Dark Queen I'd seen in the Mirror Tower—the very entity who had given Balpador the Corrupted Demonic World Tree to awaken me as the Demon King.

Puzzle pieces I'd never been able to find were finally falling into place, one by one. But for now, it only left me confused.

No wonder she acted like she knew me from the start.

I gritted my teeth at the loathsome Irkalla, who blocked my holy sword with her entire body while wearing an expression of wronged innocence.

"It was you."

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

"What was?"

"Did you give that bastard Balpador the Corrupted World Tree?"

"Corrupted... what? What's that supposed to be?"

"You gonna play dumb? Even your loyal Balpador's testifying to it."

"Balpa... Who the hell is that?"

I pointed to Balpador behind me, writhing as he merged with the Demonic World Tree.

"You blind or something? Take a good look. He was your loyal servant."

"That?"

At my sharp words, Irkalla glanced at the squirming Balpador.

"...? No clue. That guy's claiming to be my servant?"

"He even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠told me your name. And you're saying you don't know him?"

"He told you my name?"

Irkalla, looking utterly incredulous at my words, leaped forward to stand before Balpador.

"Do you know me?"

"See? He doesn't know me."

"Hm?"

I stood beside Irkalla in front of Balpador and asked.

"That's not what you said earlier. You claimed Irkalla was your master."

Irkalla nodded as if she understood Balpador's words.

"I get it now. This guy's met the other queen—not me. I've never seen this... squirming tree thing."

"What? You really know me?"

At that moment, tendrils from the Demonic World Tree extended toward Irkalla once more.

They bent low before her, as if kneeling.

"Uh... yeah. Looks like he definitely knows my other half. How'd you end up here if you fell to the Nether Realm?"

"I did? Why... Oh, I get it! Probably..."

I wanted to hear more of their conversation, but the situation didn't allow for leisure.

Ruuuumble...

Whoooosh. Boom! Kaboom!

The Demonic World Tree, shaking the Demon King Castle so violently it seemed ready to collapse, had finally extended its tendrils beyond the grand hall.

The demon soldiers confronting the writhing vines launched their attacks, but they couldn't even scratch the tree, which had fully absorbed Balpador's magic power and integrated with it.

"Block it! Hold the line!"

"Raaaargh!"

Thud! Crash!

Shhhh!

The powerful magic source the Demonic World Tree had zeroed in on was Irkalla.

Balpador, now one with the tree, resisted, but it was futile—his magic and body were under the tree's control.

The Demonic World Tree's tendril shot toward Irkalla at blinding speed.

I stepped in front of her before she could slice it apart.

"Not her. You'll hurt her."

As I tried to soothe the ravenous Demonic World Tree, Baldr and the 3rd and 4th Legion Commanders arrived at the Demon King Castle.

"Demon King! Where are you?!"

"My lord! Are you safe?!"

In the distance, I could see Baldr and the commanders desperately searching for me.

Baldr made sense, but why were the 3rd and 4th Legion Commanders calling for me?

Ruuuumble!

Kabooooom!

Finally, the Demonic World Tree's main body burst through the castle roof, revealing its colossal form.

Above the pitch-black skies of the demon realm—where day and night were indistinguishable—the dark red Demon King Castle boiled with unextinguished lava flows.

Atop it, the grotesquely grown Demonic World Tree let out a roar.

Hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers, along with the 3rd and 4th Legion Commanders—everyone except Baldr—were ensnared by the tree's tendrils, unable to move.

Baldr resisted with his immense power, but the stronger the magic, the more obsessively the tree latched on. Soon, even he would be caught.

What's the difference between this and that ghoulma?

Gazing at the Demonic World Tree whining about hunger since birth, I recalled the ghoulma that devoured anything in sight.

Of course, the tree sustained the demon realm without letting it collapse, while the ghoulma would swallow the realm itself—but left unchecked, it was poised to devour the soldiers, Baldr, and the commanders too.

Protecting the demon realm by letting all the demons get eaten? That defeated the purpose.

I wanted the demon realm's inhabitants to simply live well in this crimson-black world as they were.

"Enough! I'll give you my magic power, so stop absorbing the soldiers. It's not even a snack for you."

What the hell is this pig tree saying?

The divine power mixed in my magic might not suit the Demonic World Tree.

But to sustain the demon realm and compensate for the loss of dark energy, handing over the Demon King's magic power was the only answer.

That's why I'd planted the Demonic World Tree here from the start.

The demon realm was sustained by the Demon King's magic, and the realm, king, and soldiers were like one organism.

Thus, passing my magic to the tree and leaving would prevent any future Demon King from ascending the throne and invading Earth out of greed.

A demon realm sustained by the tree, leaderless, wouldn't dare invade other dimensions.

The remaining issue was Earth's connection to the demon realm.

I'd seal the direct pathway myself, and dungeon gates could be handled by reactivating the dimensional barrier.

For these reasons,

I planned to force-feed my magic to the Demonic World Tree and return to Earth.

"Devour me. Take only the magic you need from me. That's the only way you won't starve."

I hurled myself toward the red gate that had opened in the tree's trunk.

"My Kiiiing!"

At the anguished cry, I glanced back to see Baldr desperately reaching for me as he flew over, his hand outstretched.

He was simply too slow dodging the tree's persistent tendrils.

The loyal lava ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dragon couldn't even strike the tree, merely evading it, which slowed him down.

Now, as I left the demon realm, this would be my last memory of him.

"Farewell, Baldr. It was a pain serving with you. Let's never meet again."

"My king! You can't!"

Baldr's expression mirrored the time I'd leaped into the ghoulma's maw—shock, rage, sorrow...

Whether he did or not, I leaped lightheartedly into the Demonic World Tree.

Once I transferred my magic, I'd head underground to the dimensional gate, and my business in the demon realm would be done.

With my dark energy gone, there was no need to collect skills from past loops here anymore.

But,

Before the tree could close the gate after swallowing me, Irkalla darted in after me.

In that split second before the lava-like crimson tree sap engulfed us, our eyes met.

Irkalla smiled slyly.

"Not letting you go alone this time."

"??"

The tree sap swallowed us both in an instant.

Baldr stared blankly once more as his king vanished before his eyes.

This time, I swore I'd protect him!

A single streak of red tear flowed from the lava dragon's eyes.

When the king said he'd plant the Demonic World Tree, using Balpador as fertilizer,

Baldr had simply assumed that's how it had to be.

If he'd known the tree required so much magic power...

No, even then, could I have opposed it?

Baldr's lava tears flowed endlessly.

In the crumbling demon realm, how could a mere subordinate like him block the Demon King's duty to protect it?

Before long, the tree—having devoured the king's magic—stopped rampaging and settled quietly.

It merely coiled around the Demon King Castle, supporting its massive body while emitting a faint lava glow of the demon realm.

"Whoa. The vines stopped."

"My magic's back. Keruk."

The demon soldiers were released one by one, regaining their magic.

Having obtained enough from the Demon King's power to sustain the realm, the tree no longer drained them.

Baldr stroked the Demonic World Tree that had swallowed his king with trembling hands, finally breaking into sobs for his lord.

"Your Majesty the Demon Kiiiiing! Sob... waaah!"

The era of a demon realm without a Demon King was about to begin.