110. Spring in the Demon Realm
The demon who used to be the former North Demon King was named Galoham, a yellow-skinned demon with seven horns.
Even though he was a former demon king, Galoham wasn't a gatekeeper. Instead, he served as the guardian of a massive bridge in place of a gateway. And when we suddenly brought up talk of revolution, he responded with a cynical sneer.
"Don't talk nonsense. Have you forgotten how powerful the Gray Demon King is?" He even vividly recounted the agony of having his Essence of Power stolen away.
The more I listened, the more I regretted that fighting the Gray Demon King seemed impossible. Magic and hand-to-hand combat both perfect in their own right, plus a special ability to steal others' power—truly invincible, or so it sounded. And since he could possess someone else's body in soul form alone and still boss the 48th floor, it probably wasn't exaggeration.
Anyway, we told Galoham that the Gray Demon King's soul had flown off somewhere else, leaving his body powerless. Galoham admitted that if it was true, it piqued his interest—but without proof, he refused again.
"You've fallen far, Roturang. To blindly follow the words of a mere human like this."
Well, the green demon Roturang hadn't exactly believed me because of some solid evidence either. He'd just caved to my passionate persuasion.
"Fine, no helping it then."
I pulled out an excellent conversation tool in place of proof and dove straight into battle with Galoham.
As the former strongest in the Northern Demon Realm, Galoham was about as strong as the other gatekeepers. His specialty was rare among demons: pure weapon arts. He wielded a pair of axes infused with elemental attributes, one in each hand—a warrior type, the closest match to my own style among demons.
Like all demons, his mana reserves were insane, making those attribute-infused axes hit like trucks.
But even so, it was nothing compared to my Lightning Charge.
My Lightning Charge, which had started at mild static shock levels, had grown massively after acquiring Mana Control. The skill was currently a whopping level 23—higher than any of my others by far. Add in the effects of Lightning Spirit's Blessing, plus the synergy from its added active option, Conduction.
Lightning Charge (Lv.23) + Conduction
-Crackle!
"Guh!"
Every time his axe clashed with my sword, crackling lightning arced out, dealing indirect damage.
The Conduction skill's effect transferred lightning-attribute mana to anything it touched. Combined with Lightning Charge wrapping my weapons in lightning, I could now coat my entire body and blades in electricity. I could unleash lightning-charged slashes or just numb foes with a simple punch. Like with Roturang, a mere palm press delivered an electric steam bath.
In terms of attribute-infused weapons, or even the range and depth of pure weapon arts, I was Galoham's perfect superior.
"Gaaah! Fine, I'll believe it! I'll join the revolution—aaargh!!"
No need to explain the outcome of that brief fight and persuasion, right?
* * *
With Roturang and Galoham, two former demon kings recruited, our ragtag revolutionary army(?) gained massive momentum.
A ton of demons wanted in on the rebellion sworn by two ex-demon kings, and the result was an enormous horde.
Of course, it didn't happen overnight. We spent nearly three full days just recruiting.
And today was the day of reckoning. The day our assembled revolutionaries stormed the Demon King's Castle.
The gathered demons numbered six at former demon king level, eleven who were second- or third-in-commands of their realms, over forty upper-class demons beyond that, and around two hundred mid- to low-tier ones.
Roughly 160 demons in total. If you tallied up their combined mana...
Maybe even more than the World Tree?
"Now this is a sight."
I munched on the cheese donkatsu bento I'd stocked up on before hitting the 14th floor, watching the horde psych itself up.
The ex-demon kings gave booming speeches one by one, and over two hundred demons roared back in response, chanting slogans.
"Make the original colors great again! Make the Demon Realm great again!"
"You have nothing to lose but your chains—you'll gain it all!"
"Demons of the realm, unite!"
A few slogans had a suspiciously red tint to them, but whatever ideology spread in the Demon Realm wasn't my business. That's why I could just sit here enjoying my cheese donkatsu bento.
After the 9th floor, I stopped surviving solely on white rolls for meals. Sure, efficiency-wise, white rolls were still my staple, but I'd treat myself to specials like this now and then.
Back when I was stuck on the 1st floor, I just thought it was pretty good. But after endless white rolls, eating it hit different. I finally got why the community treated cheese donkatsu bentos like challengers' soul food.
It was universally appealing with no strong likes or dislikes, and the perfect opposite of white rolls. Crispy fried batter versus soft bread, salty nutty cheese versus sweet cream. Warm even after time passed, unlike cold white rolls. Meaty, with rice for fullness and calories—a total winner.
The downside? Pricey. Which made it perfect for special occasions among challengers—big loot drops, level-ups, boss kills. Something to celebrate.
Same for me. I had gold to burn, enough to eat chi-don every meal if I wanted. But I decided to save it for special days.
Like today.
"Buncha shady bastards anyway."
I'd just learned that the cheering demons over there harbored other thoughts behind the scenes.
Today was gonna be one hell of a special day.
* * *
The Gray Demon King's body was powerless, but he had no shortage of demons sworn to his loyalty.
Our revolutionaries under the rebel flag were no slouches, but the high-class demons empowered by the Gray Demon King were heavy hitters too. Storming the Demon King's Castle to reclaim the Essences of Power meant full-on war with those elites.
Normally, 14th-floor challengers bypassed the main castle, tackling the left tower's labyrinth instead. The floor's final boss, the demon count, was canonically that tower's lord. The main castle was just a challenge element, home to beings on par with him.
-Rooooar!!
The mid-tier cannon fodder demons charged the main keep en masse. The thunder of two hundred fiends' footsteps.
Guard spells activated across the castle, but upper demons dismantled them one by one.
With the Gray Demon King himself absent, breaching the main castle was a cakewalk. Even as a challenge, it was tuned for challenger parties or raids.
When this many powerhouses hit it together, breakthrough was inevitable. Even demon count-level foes were no issue.
"Insolent wretches, halt at once or—gaaah!"
Count-level? Whatever. We had two ex-demon kings plus a bunch more on that tier. They dropped like flies.
I didn't even need to lift a finger. Not that I was holding back on purpose or anything.
"Kuhahaha! Looks like the story was true after all—too easy!"
The high-class demons who'd doubted my tale of the king's impotence laughed maniacally. Eyes already glazed over.
The infiltrators ransacked the now-empty castle, looting at will. Treasures, powerful weapons, spellbooks, items—all theirs for the taking.
Stuff I should've swept up myself, but I let 'em have it.
Those items wouldn't vanish just 'cause they pocketed them. They were like my bags. Kill 'em, gut 'em, and the loot comes spilling back out, right?
More like pets that auto-loot for you, in that sense.
"Alright, we're heading that way."
Using intel from the community phantoms' investigations, I zeroed in on where the essences might be. Got a bit lost midway, but found them quick enough.
Location: the demon king's bedroom. Near his soulless, sprawled body, a few glowing gem-like orbs floated lazily.
"Ahh, at last! I've found it—my power!"
The demon king-level escorts with me zipped over, snatched their essences, and shoved them down their throats.
-Zzt.
My Super Sense pinged a faint warning. Their power had amplified several times over. Mana totals unchanged, but their aura—that presence—had shifted dramatically.
"Kekeke... I owe you one, human."
The now aura-restored demons turned to me.
I grinned.
"Yeah, you do."
After all the electric baths and beatdowns I'd given 'em, it'd be rude not to hold a grudge. Time to kill 'em all.
All but one.