Chapter 272
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Lesson 53. Equivalent Exchange - 4
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"It was a gateway you absolutely had to pass through to become a true powerhouse. It was also the bare minimum the Demon King demanded of me as heir to the Demon King's Castle... And I cleared it thanks to you."
Back aboard the spaceship, Shati explained the magical power she'd gained while speaking those words.
The Demon King. The Demon King's Castle. Heir.
Ban Yu-won felt a classic fantasy vibe utterly unlike anything he'd experienced before, but he still shot back at her.
"So, does that mean the Demon King's Castle is crawling with people wielding magic like yours, senior?"
"No, not at all. The fact that I acquired Extinction magical power was only possible thanks to a miraculous pile-up of factors, all because of our Yu-won..."
"Our Yu-won? Forbidden."
Shati smirked at Mira, who shot her a blade-like glare while issuing her name ban, then continued.
"Extinction magical power... I'm biased since I have it, but it's what they call one of the supreme magical powers."
"Supreme magical power, huh."
"A bit of self-praise, maybe."
It was no self-praise at all.
Cellon, who knew more about magical power than anyone present, had just said the same thing moments ago.
"Extinction magical power is the stuff of legends, handed down as the power wielded by the first Demon King. No one in Diabolo can handle it anymore. That's why I was so shocked when I first saw the Vice-Chancellor using it at the Academy. Who could've guessed that a variant Evil One like me, with help from an outsider like the Planning Department Head, would restore that legend?"
It really was the same power as Xenon's.
Extinction magical power... A force that erases the very concepts inherent in all things— in a way, the polar opposite of his own Authority.
He etched the name firmly into his memory and asked her.
"Anyway, if that's not the condition, then what is?"
"I told you all Evil Ones wield Blood magical power, right? It's an evil force, sure, but still a superior magical power far stronger than plain old magic. The Demon King told me—a half-breed who couldn't wield Blood magical power from birth—to acquire something just as potent to make up for it."
"Ah, so a superior magical power."
The spaceship hurtled through the silent void of space, rapidly approaching Diabolo now that everything had vanished into stillness.
The Demon King must have been watching this too, but whether waiting for their arrival or not, no further activity stirred on the planet.
The Human Empire... perhaps spooked by the elite fleet that had been obliterated in an instant, had gone equally quiet.
Gazing at the ever-closer red star, Shati murmured softly.
"Honestly, I couldn't care less about the Demon King or the Demon King's Castle. I just wanted to live free, so I answered Union's call. He didn't like that either."
"That pattern sounds familiar..."
"Kyahat, plenty of dimensions don't trust Union. The more isolated they are or the more they've suffered from outsiders, the stronger that tendency."
No need to guess which Diabolo was.
High-dimensional rank yet backward civilization, military might that could crush any ordinary dimension pirate, and internal factions too busy clashing viciously to unite.
The Demon King, ruler of over half of Diabolo, must harbor a visceral aversion to any ties with outside dimensions.
"But somehow, I ended up friends with Mira and helping her out. Then came a point where I needed collective firepower. And right on cue, I gained the power to throw my weight around against that jerk... I've never asked him for anything in my life, but this time, I'm claiming my rights as heir."
"Is this for my sake, by any chance?"
"Kyahahahat! Touched? Right?!"
"Ugh, such a pain."
Ban Yu-won glanced sideways at Shati glomming onto Mira again, then blankly mulled over her words.
"So the condition for becoming a powerhouse is superior magical power..."
It sounded pretty plausible.
Whether superior martial arts or magic, wielding them required fitting magical power (inner energy), which was incredibly hard to acquire if you weren't born with it.
Cellon's holy light magic, which bent laws through magical power itself, was the prime example.
Holy light was innate to her alone, and Yumina could wield it only through her contract.
Even the Academy Chancellor, who seemed nigh-omnipotent, couldn't handle holy light himself and instead tried to use Cellon and Yumina—proof of superior magical power's ironclad uniqueness.
'I knew it all along, but as more facts come to light, I realize just how absurd the Manifestation Technique that Yeon taught me really is.'
And rightly so, since the Manifestation Technique's goal was to transform your body through training and generate matching magical power.
Maybe the Demon King had just been nitpicking his disappointing daughter, but claiming superior magical power was needed to become a powerhouse wasn't entirely wrong. Yet the Manifestation Technique—a mere basic art—pierced right through that mindset.
Ban Yu-won turned to Dokgo Yeon and burst into tears.
"A master's grace knows no bounds..."
"Again? You're up to your weird nonsense again, aren't you? Don't look at me like that! Stop fake-crying!"
How could she not know that her adorable head-turn in disgust only made him want to tease her more?
No, her obliviousness was what made it cuter.
That said... even after all this, Ban Yu-won's very existence directly negated the uniqueness of such superior magical powers.
The primal energy he'd completed via Manifestation Technique could become anything, after all.
He'd acquired holy light without contracting Cellon, mastered photon magic requiring both light and dark magical power simultaneously.
The crimson flame he now handled maturely was, above all, a unique magical power permitted only to Prominence. And there was the divine wind he'd stolen from the constellation before.
The power to conceptualize all things, interpret and assimilate them through language, and manifest them.
Not bending himself to the world, but bending the world to himself.
What else could you call that but divine?
With the red star now looming right before them, Ban Yu-won thought of the Tower once more.
Why had his ancestor built it?
Was it... truly to reach godhood?
"Master...?"
He turned at the voice to find Lucelle eyeing him with worry.
Ban Yu-won took her hand and shook his head.
"It's nothing, Lucelle."
"But just now, Master—"
[Entering the atmosphere!]
Lilith's voice, noticeably hyped at atmosphere entry versus breakthrough, drowned out Lucelle's concern.
[Heading straight to the Demon King's Castle?]
"He's probably waiting. He won't ignore Extinction magical power."
The spaceship pierced Diabolo's skies in a flash and followed Shati's directions toward the demon realm, drawing wary, hateful, curious gazes from all over the surface below.
That alone gave a solid sense of this world's power.
"You grew up unscathed in a demon realm like this, Shati senior? Impressive."
"That's why I'm this big. Kyahat..."
Perhaps due to the impending Demon King meeting, Shati's face was stiff.
Mira sighed and poked her cheek.
"Negotiations haven't even started. Loosen up."
"It's not negotiation, it's a demand. No talking with that jerk."
"If you planned to wrap it up with one word, you wouldn't have brought Rebellion."
Stung, Shati pouted.
"I was just saying... Feeling guilty for using my boyfriend? If you're that torn up, how about I hash out proper compensation alone with the Planning Department Head, intimately...?"
"Shati, you really wanna die?"
As Mira reached for her weapon, the battleship slicing through the air jolted to a halt midair, as if caught on something.
Lilith tinkered briefly before giving up with a mutter.
[Tch, a barrier, huh.]
"Guess we're walking from here. Land us."
They'd long entered the Demon King's demon realm domain.
The massive Demon King's Castle barely peeked into view at the horizon, and already a barrier—truly underscoring this dimension's might.
After landing and stowing the spaceship in his Inventory, Ban Yu-won shuddered at the sticky air, realizing this space was woven from Blood magical power.
"None of the dimensions we've hit on special activities had anything like this."
"Truth is, those places were the abnormal ones. Starting activities at palaces or royal courts with no aerial barriers? They were so desperate for survival they skipped basic defenses."
Asha gave a wry smile beside him as Dokgo Yeon went wide-eyed.
Apparently, the martial world lacked such barriers.
And she wasn't one to swallow humiliation quietly.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"
"Not knowing why is exactly why you're getting hit."
"This is unfair, too much...!"
Ban Yu-won subtly edged away from Asha and eyed the distant Demon King's Castle.
He recalled Shati bragging about half-destroying it—astonishingly, traces remained.
A massive tower on the west side—watchtower or bell tower?—was snapped midway, black flames still rising from it.
One might mistake it for an ongoing attack, but no.
Ban Yu-won faintly sensed Shati's presence there.
"Is that the power of the ancient demon?"
"After he unsummoned it, the Demon King scoured the demon realm himself to reclaim it but came up empty. Now it's prime evidence that an S-rank dimension has a demon realm."
Shati added it was also why that thing hadn't fully given up on her.
He couldn't control it, but the talent to summon a monster no other Evil One could? Even the Demon King would hesitate.
"Anyway, let's go. They might try to assert dominance at first sight, but I'm handling the Demon King head-on, so no need to freak out."
Shati declared gravely and took the lead.
Curiously, the barrier still pressing the group even after disembarking seemed to weaken as she guided them forward.
—Thud, thud.
Ban Yu-won read the countless gazes scrutinizing their movements from beyond visual range.
Long free of Human Empire territory, yet the stares brimmed with clear murderous intent—proof even the Demon King's daughter hadn't had it easy.
"Ah."
Shati suddenly sighed.
Following her gaze, Ban Yu-won spotted a pretty boy approaching slowly—and his body went rigid.
No need for his all-seeing eyes; the horrific pressure he exuded just by appearing revealed his identity.
'What the hell? He's insanely strong. No way that's the Demon King...!'
Yeah, he'd figured it was about time for the big entrance.
In manga, delicate girls or boys who look harmless often turn out to be top-tier powerhouses!
As if reading his thoughts, the boy gave Ban Yu-won a cold glance before turning to Shati... and beaming brightly.
"Sis! Long time no see!"
Eh?
Not him?
Building that atmosphere just to act his apparent age—what's wrong with his head?
"Cron."
Shati's expression was complicated, but calling his name confirmed he really was her brother.
As Ban Yu-won watched the sibling reunion like he'd been punched, the boy called Cron closed the distance step by step, then knelt on one knee before her.
"His Majesty recognizes you as the Empire's rightful heir and bestows the royal scepter."
With those words, he presented a pitch-black staff on upturned palms, topped by a gem striped vertically like a lizard's eye.
The royal scepter, a regalia symbolizing kingship.
But Ban Yu-won knew it wasn't mere symbol.
All that dread pressure from the boy stemmed from it.
It was absurd.
In A-rank dimensions, did a single artifact symbolizing the ruler evoke this much threat?
He'd wondered why such a treasure was in a D-rank dimension when Asha first gripped the holy sword—but no.
Compared to true higher-dimensional treasures, the early holy sword was child's play.
"Hah, had to do it this way? That jerk wouldn't just hand it over."
"Of course, sis. The humans, spooked by your majestic display of magical power, have mobilized border legions. His Majesty says wipe them out without reinforcements, and he'll formally grant the scepter along with command of the Black Demon Knights."
"Kyahat! Still casually reading me like a book. So, clean up my mess myself, huh. You're the overseer? Bonus mission: scout how I got Extinction magical power."
"Please forgive this foolish little brother who can't defy His Majesty's orders."
"Hah."
Shati snorted and took the scepter.
Astonishingly, the eye in the orb at its tip snapped open, emitting ashen, eerie magical power.
The local pressure spiked—then Shati absorbed it all.
Far more overwhelming than when it pressed on the boy called Cron.
Plenty humiliating, yet he just sparkled with excitement and clapped.
"As expected... Sis! I never doubted you'd bring Diabolo's rebirth!"
"Shut it and follow quietly."
Shati turned brusquely, scanned the group, then flashed a kyahat grin.
"So, that's how it went."
"Way better than I expected. Thought we'd have to throw down with the Demon King."
Mira replied cynically, glancing at Ban Yu-won. Guessing her intent, he nodded without hesitation.
"Let's head out right away."