The Prince Lost in Delusion
"Intruders have broken into his own castle, yet the so-called master is lost in hallucinations, turning his back on reality. Is that guy even right in the head?"
Adel looked at Rasan as he spoke.
"……."
But Rasan said nothing more, simply swinging his spear.
"The Blue Flame Clan are demons with exceptional martial prowess even among their kind. Unlike the typical demonic dark power, they're peculiar ones who excel in physical combat."
"Looking at you now, none of you are ordinary demons."
Bil, born into a high-ranking demon family but discarded; Rasan, who wielded no dark power—the hallmark of demons—but relied on martial tools; and even the deranged demon prince Jin.
"Now I see this place is just a den of irredeemable trash that's hard to recycle."
"Shut your mouth!!"
Whoooosh---!!!
Rasan's spear sliced past Adel's face, cutting through his taunt. The stinging heat at the tip of his nose made Adel steady his stance.
Boom---!!!
Kr-boom!!
Quang--!!
The distance between them closed in an instant. The sword strikes didn't end with one; Rasan's spear pursued Adel relentlessly, alive with fury.
"Try blabbering again. Your sword's as light as your tongue."
Each time Adel blocked the spear, Nazas veered off to the side. Rasan sneered coldly at the staggering Adel.
"Light?"
But the pushed-back Adel merely brushed off his clothes and shot back.
"Your spearwork couldn't even scratch a mere human like me. Seems it's not as heavy as I thought."
"……."
"Come on, show me more. Let's see what a 5th hierarchy demon can do."
Twitch.
As Adel crooked a finger toward himself in provocation, Rasan's face hardened.
Whoooosh……!!!
With the spear's immense weight, Rasan targeted Adel's vital points.
Clang……!!
Kang!!
Adel retreated, twisting the spear's trajectory bit by bit with Nazas to parry.
Thud-
He deflected every attack with perfect precision, but before long, Adel's back touched the hall's wall. With no room left to retreat, Rasan seized the momentary opening.
"Tahat!!"
The spearhead whipped toward Adel's blind spot like a lash.
"Kuh!"
With no time to block with his sword, Adel grabbed the spear barehanded as it aimed for his nape.
Clang!!
Kagagang---!!!
The blade spun wildly, as if alive. Shards from Adel's gauntlet tore free from the recoil.
"Curious about demonic power? Then I'll show you—and make sure you remember it forever by killing you right here!!"
Shiiiing---!!
The spiraling blade pierced Adel's shoulder with razor sharpness.
"Kuh……!!"
Incredibly, Rasan's spear had breached Kalderet's blessing and wounded him.
"Where do you think you're……!!"
But in that instant, flames from Garon surged along the spear shaft impaling Adel's shoulder.
"……?!"
Rasan recoiled in shock, hastily pulling back.
"Using two divine powers?"
Kwaang--!!!
The moment the gap opened, Adel closed in on Rasan instead.
Chajajang……!!!
Spear! Clangchang---!!!!
Sparks flew with every clash. The hall echoed dozens of times with crossing strikes. Rasan's face stiffened, but regaining his composure, he sought an opening in Adel's guard.
Thwack--!!!
But then, purgatory light burst from Rundel's Gauntlets, smashing into Rasan's face once more.
"Kuhk!!"
His face sizzled and burned as if branded by the fist. As Rasan staggered back, Adel drove Nazas into his instep.
Hwaaaak……!!
Wind from the blade gripped his leg, halting his reeling body.
Thud! Thwack-!!!
Adel unleashed a barrage of punches from low to high, side to side. With no escape, Rasan's head snapped back with each blow.
"Ra, Lord Rasan!"
Watching, Bil cried out with a pale face.
But lost in Adel's onslaught, Rasan had no breath to spare for Bil's shout.
"Ku…… Aaaah!!!"
Rasan knocked the sword from his instep with his spear. The roughly yanked blade flew free, slicing flesh that sprayed everywhere.
Yet ignoring the pain, he swung his spear again.
"Tough bastard, despite his looks."
Kalderet clicked his tongue at the mad resilience.
"Yeah. The Blue Flame Clan I remember weren't like that."
Hwaaaak---!!
In that moment, dark power welled up, and demonic wings unfurled from Rasan's back. But they were formless, flickering like an emanation of qi—appearing only to vanish.
"See that, Kalderet?"
Garon narrowed his eyes at the sight.
"Yeah. Wings without form…… A heretic."
"Demonic wings are reserved for pureblood demons. Whose blood is mixed in there? As Adel said, this place is full of interesting freaks."
"Become Lord Jin's sacrifice……!!!"
Ignoring the gods' exchange, Rasan swung at Adel. Black wing-smoke from his back enveloped him.
Kwaaaang---!!!!
The floor where Adel had stood shattered as Rasan smashed down.
"The castle will collapse at this rate!"
Bil shouted, seeing not just the floor but the wall pillars cracking from single blows.
"Kekeke, what entertainment."
But the hallucination-drunk demon prince merely chuckled weakly, as if what unfolded in his castle were a dream.
"Anyway, I'm the only sane one here."
Bil grumbled, glancing at Jin sprawled on the bed. He kicked off the clinging succubi and hurriedly tried to flee the hall.
Or so he thought.
Shuk-!
Kang!!
An arrow suddenly embedded at the doorway he aimed for.
"……."
Bil turned, staring at the arrow quivering beside him, still humming with power.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"……Crazy."
Adel—who'd been fighting Rasan moments ago—now addressed him, making Bil swallow dryly.
'Where the hell did that come from?'
Bil doubted his eyes. The dark-power wings erupting from Rasan's back rivaled 4th hierarchy might.
'Did he dodge Rasan's spear even after the Blue Wings emerged?'
But it didn't end there.
Kang-!!
A metallic snap rang out. As the frenzied flames around Rasan died down, dust cleared to reveal his spear snapped in two on the floor.
"My spear…… broken. Made of crimson dragonstone, huh."
"Right. A mineral only crimson dragonkin can wield. Dragons truly earn their title as demons' nemeses. Great matchup. That pebble infused with their mana outperforms even the spirit king's sword."
Rasan tossed the broken shaft aside.
"Come to think of it, those gauntlets are crimson dragonkin make too. What's your connection to them?"
"Nothing special. Not yet, anyway. But maybe I'll build some goodwill through you lot."
"Use us? What nonsense?"
Adel toyed with the arrow Crul had crafted as he eyed Rasan.
"My original business was just grabbing the gnome who came to investigate and leaving. But I heard some fun stories from the locals here."
"……."
"As far as I know, the demon realm's only accessible via the dimensional gate in the desert's Forbidden Zone. Naturally, I figured that was your stronghold. But the demon king is holed up in this backwater?"
"So what? Demon kings reside in the other two Forbidden Zones anyway."
"Exactly. So why's the demon race's leader camped out like some border guard on the outskirts?"
"That's……."
Rasan faltered.
"From what I've seen, three possibilities. First, demons made the North Sea's demon castle their new base, abandoning this one."
Rasan listened quietly.
"Second, something above even the demon king rules the demon realm. On its orders, the kings became guardians of the Forbidden Zones."
"……."
"Or third, both. The demon king is no longer master of the demon realm. And by his command—or against it—one of the two kings was exiled."
Adel pointed his arrowhead at Jin, leaning on Bil.
"That discarded one's him. How's that? One of my guesses hit? Or how far?"
"……All of them."
Rasan bit his lip.
"What?"
"……All correct."
He grimaced, as if dragging out a hated shame.
"Everything went wrong after the God of Cessation came to the demon realm. This is how we ended up—because his followers emerged among demons."
"Followers…… Right. A god's contractor appeared. Yeah?"
Rasan nodded.
"Yes. Rune'r's contractor became the demon realm's leader and chose the North Sea demon king. That single decision flipped the demon realm's balance."
"I figured demons were too willful to heed a god. Surprisingly obedient. Since when did you lot become such proper devotees?"
"After the previous demon king's death."
Twitch.
Jin's shoulder, leaning on Bil, trembled faintly.
"Enough chatter, Rasan. Spear broken make your tongue loose too?"
Until moments ago lost in hallucination, Jin now exuded sharp menace, like a different man.
"Hiiik……?!"
Supporting him, Bil instinctively crumpled—like a lesser before a superior.
"After the previous demon king's death, you say…… Got the gist. When the God of Cessation fled to the demon realm after losing to the ghost spirits, your father rejected the god. Right, Jin?"
"……."
"He was killed for it. Demons turned their backs…… Now I see—you're not a deposed king, but the king's son. So you're no king at all?"
"What?"
"Right? Speak properly. The demon king was your father. What have you done? Your father defied the god and stuck to his guns."
Step- step- step-
Adel approached Jin slowly.
"But after he died, you're just hiding in the boonies, escaping reality? You think trash like that deserves the demon king title?"
"……Shut up."
"Pathetic scum who toys with the weak using stigma power but can't even look up at the strong."
"I said shut up!!!"
Roarrrr---!!!
Jet-black wings sprouted from Jin's back—vivid, substantial, sleek. Unlike Rasan's.
"L-Lord Jin……."
Bil murmured in rapture at the sight.
"I'd sooner chuck that demon king throne."
"……What?"
"No guts to defy the god?"
Standing before the flapping black wings, Adel met his eyes boldly.
Grip-
"……!!!"
"……!!!"
Grabbing Jin's collar and yanking him down, Adel left Rasan and Bil aghast.
"Even a human like me does it—what's your excuse?"
Their faces inches apart, Adel told him.
"Don't chicken out, Jin Raknael."