The Demon King's Command
My heart was pounding so violently it felt like it might explode. Anyone suddenly thrust into a situation like this would be overwhelmed by confusion, shock, and outright panic. I had only meant to play a game….
All I had wanted was to reinstall and replay a title I’d enjoyed in the past. That was it.
Thud!
A massive figure dropped to one knee and bowed its head.
“My Demon King, we have finally arrived in Middle Earth. We must swiftly exterminate the humans and establish our foothold here.”
The being before me had pitch-black skin, a muscular body with two arms and two legs like a human, yet its face belonged to something else entirely. A… Minotaur?
It possessed a face rarely seen in reality: the head of a bull crowned with enormous horns, nostrils billowing hot steam. If that had been all, I might have simply been startled.
Beyond the overwhelming monster, countless silhouettes I couldn’t even begin to number knelt on one knee, offering me their reverence. Demons?
The sight of those familiar demons—especially the overwhelming legion led by the Four Heavenly Kings from Axion World—sent an icy shiver racing down my spine.
W-what is this?
I was certain I had only clicked “New Game.”
The legion standing before me and the weapons clutched in their hands could only inspire terror. The moment I regained my senses, this nightmarish scene had unfolded before me.
Have I gone insane? Or is this some kind of hallucination?
Whatever the case, every inch of my body screamed that the sight filling my eyes and the texture of the throne beneath me were no illusion. The scene before me was brutally, vividly real.
And it was a reality that should never have existed.
“Demon King! Our master! Please give us your command!”
“Slaughter the arrogant gods and their apostles, the humans!”
“Seize this land and fulfill our long-cherished desire!”
The demons’ roars left me drowning in confusion.
I… I’m not the Demon King.
How on earth was I supposed to explain that to them?
No… if they learned I wasn’t the Demon King, would they even let me live?
First, I had to survive this moment. So I…
I gave the order. Never dreaming what the consequences would be.
The instant my command rang out, a ferocious heat surged from the demon legion.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Exterminate the humans!”
“Wipe out the human race!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
As the fervent cheers erupted and I stared at them with a rigid expression, the Minotaur rose and turned around.
“1st Legion! Follow me! Let us deliver death and terror to the humans! About face!”
At the Minotaur’s command, the legion began to move, marching forward.
What the hell is going on?
Once the departure ceremony ended, I entered the Demon King’s castle. Relying on memories from my previous playthrough, I made my way to the Demon King’s chambers and locked the door behind me.
Clack.
The heavy sound of the lock echoed. I collapsed onto the bed, buried my face in both hands.
How did this happen? Why did this happen?
I couldn’t understand why any of this was occurring. But at the very least, I seemed to understand that this place was Axion World.
The Minotaur legion commander I had just seen, along with the high-ranking demons who had greeted me on my way to this room—they were all high-ranking demons from Axion World.
“Damn it… Status window.”
I called out just in case, but nothing changed.
“Fuck… what the hell is this situation?”
I calmly—desperately—thought and thought about what had happened to me.
Have I possessed the Demon King?
I stood up and examined the room. A large full-length mirror caught my eye. I walked over and stared at my reflection.
Skin white as jade, long black hair, dark purple eyes, and a face I recognized all too well…
It was the appearance of Kai-rak, the Demon King from Axion World.
This is… really possession?
With trembling hands I touched my face. The undeniable sensation beneath my fingertips made my skin crawl.
I’m screwed.
A week had passed since I’d been transported into this world.
Enough time had gone by that I could no longer deny the fact that I had become Kai-rak, the Demon King.
There was no choice now… I had to see this game’s ending as the Demon King. Otherwise, the Hero would kill me.
The main story of Axion World began with the confrontation between the Hero and the Demon King. Players chose the Hero, subjugated the Demon King, and completed their own narrative. Despite being an older title, it continued to receive steady love thanks to its numerous characters, vast world-building, and overwhelming number of sub-quests.
But I wasn’t the Hero. I was the Demon King—the one fated to die first.
I absolutely could not allow myself to die…
Although I didn’t wish for the destruction of humanity, I definitely didn’t want to die. As the Demon King, I set my goal: grow stronger, defeat the Hero, and survive in this place.
The one silver lining was that I could use the Demon King’s power perfectly. I had only learned that fact recently.
“Demon King… I challenge your throne!”
The demon standing before me was hideous. A massive belly, skin rotting like a corpse, horns on his head, and a giant kitchen knife in his hand—he was repulsive in every way. He looked incredibly strong, but if he didn’t exist in my memory, he must have been defeated by the Demon King in the original story.
As time passed after becoming the Demon King, I had gradually begun to read Kai-rak’s memories.
To the demons, the Demon King was the strongest being. Therefore, the Demon King had to accept challengers and prove himself. It was a cruel yet inevitable demonic ritual to protect the throne.
I could not refuse it. Refusal meant losing the qualification of Demon King—and having to fight every demon in existence.
Even though I had not yet fully absorbed Kai-rak’s memories or obtained his complete power.
“Ragged Duke, very well. Come at me.”
Recalling Kai-rak’s memories, I looked down at the Ragged Duke with cold eyes.
“Follow me.”
I asked the Ragged Duke who trailed behind me.
“Do you truly believe you’ve become strong enough to defeat me?”
“No. But it seems you’ve lost your former self.”
I recalled him through Kai-rak’s past memories. Unlike me, the former Demon King had been cruel. Kai-rak had known no mercy and had ruled over the demons with overwhelming power.
In contrast, I had only recently become the Demon King and still retained my full humanity.
Of course, my mind knew I would win. According to Kai-rak’s memories, even using only a fraction of his power would allow me to crush the Ragged Duke effortlessly.
The problem was whether I could wield Kai-rak’s power perfectly.
Before long, the Ragged Duke and I stood outside the Demon King’s castle. He faced me, gripping his enormous kitchen knife, his red eyes glaring.
“Uaaaaaaaagh!”
His speed was unnatural for such a massive body. He fought using the power and tremendous vitality that came from his huge frame. Since I couldn’t yet use Kai-rak’s full strength, what I could do was…
Hell Fire
Whoosh—!
The moment I finished the incantation, black flames erupted from the ground. The inferno engulfed the Ragged Duke’s body.
After testing it based on Kai-rak’s memories, I had confirmed there was no problem using magic.
“Kraaaaaagh! Damn it!”
Even as the massive black flames swallowed him, the Ragged Duke swung his giant kitchen knife and charged at me. As if killing me was more important than the agony of his burning flesh.
“Too slow.”
It was strange. His sword moved with almost boring slowness.
Is this… the power of the Demon King?
I might not be able to become Kai-rak himself, but it seemed there was no hindrance in using his power.
Swoosh!
When I lightly stepped back, his blade sliced through empty air. I could feel the aura of death from the purple sword energy, yet at the same time, I felt certain I could win.
The intense magi flowing through my body. For some reason, I could control it.
I gathered the magi that moved according to my will into my fist and swung it at the Ragged Duke’s repulsive face.
Crunch!
The moment the black aura wrapped around my fist grazed his face, the Ragged Duke’s head exploded instantly. Flesh and blood scattered in every direction.
Is this… the power of the Demon King?
Thus, the Ragged Duke’s challenge ended in futility.
After that, I focused on mastering the Demon King’s power in earnest and began making plans to defeat the Hero.
The fortunate part was that I had possessed this body three years before the original story began. In other words, three years before the Hero would appear.
That meant I could eliminate the Hero before she even emerged—and ultimately change the Demon King’s fated destiny.
No matter how much power I wielded as the Demon King, the Hero remained a terrifying existence.
I had no intention of proceeding as weakly as the Axion World storyline. Instead, I would crush her with overwhelming force before she even had a chance to grow.
I ordered the Minotaur to make the elimination of the Hero the highest priority. I also commanded the Four Heavenly Kings to gather information on the Hero, kill Scarlet—the one destined to become the Hero—and burn her entire village to the ground.
And a few days later, a gift arrived at the Demon King’s castle.
It was the severed head of a beautiful woman with flowing blue hair—the same one I had seen so often in the game.
Scarlet…
It was unmistakably the Hero’s head. A brutal trophy proving that my plan had succeeded perfectly.
With this, I thought I wouldn’t die. I thought I could escape this place.
But that was a mistake.
On the fifth year after the Hero’s death…
I had been living a boring, hedonistic life. I waged moderate war against the humans so they wouldn’t be completely annihilated, ate delicious food, and indulged in every luxury and pleasure.
Days spent freely satisfying honest human desires.
“Urk—!”
Suddenly, the magi overflowing within my body began to run wild.
I gradually lost consciousness. In the tearing agony that felt as if my heart were being ripped apart, the last sight I saw was the blood-red sky collapsing, the entire world returning to nothingness.