Temple of the Demon Realm (2)
Tanuin, the fifteenth Demon King, had fallen from a great monarch who reigned at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm to a mere curse.
He had been sealed within this unidentified temple for a truly long time.
Just before he was about to be helplessly taken—
Thanks to the desperate move he had made, which was no different from self-destruction, he had avoided being used by that bastard for the time being. But unless his opponent gave up, he had only bought himself some time; he could never say he had completely escaped.
After all, the Demon Dragon Duke Krushaire was a being once called the greatest in the world in black magic and all the magical arts.
But even as that bastard steadily carried out his plan, there was nothing the already-fallen former Demon King could do.
All he could do was endlessly chew over his grudge and nurture his venom, forcibly clinging to his fading self-awareness as he watched powerlessly.
“Urgh… Wh-where on earth is this…?”
But should this be called fate?
One day, when he felt he was finally reaching his limit, an utterly unexpected opportunity came to him.
He realized that one of the humans brought in to be used as a sacrifice, as usual, possessed a very peculiar ability. ‘That is neither magic nor sorcery. It is a power so alien that even the laws of the world are rendered meaningless. …If anything, that makes the possibility even higher.’ An ability to separate one’s consciousness and bestow it elsewhere.
It was a supernatural ability that even he, a former Demon King, had only barely noticed because he had become a curse—the crystallization of malice.
The Demon Dragon Duke, busy as he was, seemed not to have sensed even a hint of it, and the temple, which appeared incomplete in some way, also showed no particular reaction to that power. ‘This is my final chance. Though merely attempting it will consume all the strength I have left, it is more than worth the risk.’ And so the fifteenth Demon King Tanuin… no, the lingering remnant of the being who had been Tanuin, made a gamble.
He scraped together what little self-awareness he had left down to the very bottom and mixed his curse into the human’s consciousness as it stretched outward.
Perhaps because they were in similar circumstances, the process was not as difficult as he had expected.
As a result, it was not a bad thing for Ken, the owner of the ability, either.
Thanks to that, the “Thought Transference” that should originally have wandered aimlessly and naturally vanished instead gained direction and advanced onward. At the end of it, he even obtained a supreme body: “a portion of the Demon King’s remains” that the Demon Dragon Duke had failed to retrieve.
“Ugh, my head… Where is this? What the hell am I…? Ah? Aah! Those devil-worshiping bastards!”
He had to endure a slight side effect as the price, but that could not be helped.
Thus newly born with a body fashioned from the Demon King’s remains, he headed toward Dark Nest’s headquarters, guided by instinct.
Even though his memories were incomplete, the desire he had held when he first attempted “Thought Transference”—the desire to save his main body—still remained in his heart. …Of course, the influence of the curse that had intervened also played a part.
In truth, what the Demon King’s curse desired was similar.
The only difference was that it intended to swallow Ken whole once he returned to the temple.
If that happened, it would not only recover a portion of its lost body, but also use his ego as fuel to revive its depleted self-awareness. And by deliberately mixing the impurity called “Ken” into itself, it could even shake the temple’s seal, which targeted “Tanuin.”
Of course, no matter how far he had fallen, he had once been the Demon King. From the very beginning, he never worried that his own will might be swallowed in reverse during that process.
[————!]
And now, more than twenty years since that day.
Though a little late, that scheme was now falling perfectly into place. ‘Back into one. Devour. If we become a complete one!’ Shortly after Ken, unknowingly influenced by the Demon King’s curse, entered this temple.
Thanks to the confusion that arose in the seal restraining the curse, the bastard was finally able to escape from the depths underground.
It was not yet enough for him to leave the temple completely, but if he could absorb Ken, that problem would soon be solved as well. ‘At last, again. Revenge! Demon Dragon, kill! Resurrection. Demon King!’ The thoughts of the curse, now completely fragmented, writhed and mingled as it rushed frantically to seize the final key that would free it.
Because it instinctively knew that if it wasted time and the Demon Dragon Duke returned, everything could be ruined, there was not the slightest hesitation in its movements.
For the sake of complete resurrection!
For the sake of bloody revenge against those who had reduced it to this state!
“Mm, I thought it’d be rough, but this is way beyond what I expected…!”
Wooooong—
Woooong!
Fwoosh—! …Of course, it could not be helped that it encountered such an unexpected variable in the process.
A heavy mechanical sound accompanied by a human voice that seemed to be grumbling.
The Demon King’s curse, which had been advancing like a tidal wave, turned its gaze toward the mosquito that had been buzzing around for some time, sucking away its curse.
At first, it had intended to ignore whatever lay in its path, like an insect it happened to step on while passing by. But “that” did not seem like something it could simply ignore and move past.
At this rate, if left alone, would it not cling to him like a leech forever and keep sucking away his curse?
Of course, the amount of power stolen that way was not particularly great, but the very existence of that thing could not help but grate on his nerves.
In the end, the Demon King’s curse decided that, even if it was somewhat troublesome, it would deal with that thing first.
The fact that, for some unknown reason, he felt an ominous sensation from that tiny life-form also had no small influence on that judgment.
But just as much as the other party found Hesperon irritating, Hesperon was in an equally difficult situation.
“Ahaha… This was a blind spot. Well, when the difference in rank and the density of existence is this great, it makes no sense to think I could instantly suck away all that power just because I have a few skills with the perfect compatibility.”
Hesperon, who had been busily flying around using Titan while controlling the Black Flame Dragon, gave a bitter smile.
To put it simply, the idea itself had not been wrong. The problem was that the difference in weight class between them was far too great.
No matter how a leech could suck up several times its own body weight in blood, it made no sense to say that a single leech could cause a hippopotamus to die of excessive bleeding.
And if the blood did not even draw in easily, as though he were trying to suck up viscous honey through a straw, then there was nothing more to say. ‘For now, it’s theoretically possible… but if I do it that way, it’ll take an absurd amount of time, won’t it? There’s no way Ken can hold out until then. Should I look for another method instead?’ He had thought he might use this opportunity to offer the bastard as a sacrifice and power up a bit.
In truth, because his opponent’s level was so high, even the gains he had made so far were not bad. But the important thing right now was to neutralize the bastard as quickly as possible.
He had thought Hesperon was the right person for this job, but now that things had turned out this way, he could not help but fall into deep thought.
[————!]
But perhaps he had let his guard down too much because he believed he held the advantage in compatibility.
The rapidly changing situation did not even give him a moment to be lost in other thoughts.
“Tch?”
In the blink of an eye.
The pitch-black smoke that had swelled up in an instant covered the area and wrapped around Hesperon’s entire body as he flew in Titan.
And ignoring even the suit that covered his whole body except for his right arm, a certain will that had formed the foundation of the Demon King brazenly shot into the body of the one who had dared to annoy him.
—Die.
A single, exceedingly brief word, ill-matched with the dreadful power contained within it—
Something closer to intent than language.
Dark emotion, too primitive in form to be called a curse, became boundless, bottomless malice and burrowed into Hesperon. ‘I can’t block this at my level. Still…!’ Death raced through his body.
At that, “Right Arm of Craving” and “Curse Predator” devoured every bit of the curse that had invaded his body as if they had been waiting.
“Clear Mirror, Still Water,” which stabilized the mind, protected his body and spirit, and various skills that supported his physical body, such as “Robustness” and “Super Regeneration,” manifested one after another.
Because he had already anticipated and prepared for all of it, the bastard’s curse could not inflict any damage on him.
“Curses don’t work on me… Urgh, what is this?” …Yes, if that attack had been a pure “curse.”
No matter how he had now fallen into a mere aggregate of curses, the bastard had, in name and reality, once risen to the position of Demon King.
The attack of such a being proved fatal to Hesperon, who had let his guard down by relying solely on compatibility. 《The individual has received damage leading to death. “Instant Death Immunity” has activated and nullified the death sentence.》 《For the next day, “Instant Death Immunity” will be sealed.》 “Cough!”
Bright red blood flowed down from the corner of his mouth.***
“Urgh! Haa.”
With a dry cough, blood burst from his throat.
A throbbing headache and pain throughout his entire body, as though he had been beaten black and blue.
Hesperon barely steadied his staggering body and grimaced.
“Ugh, this is troublesome…”
He lightly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and let out a groan as he glanced aside.
Every single one of them warned of danger, but at this point, such things no longer held much meaning.
If he were hit by the same attack even once more, this time it would truly be the end. ‘…Is it a word-spirit-type ability? Ridiculous. He’s become a curse and hundreds of years have passed, so only instinct should be left by now. And yet he still has the mind to use such an advanced technique?’ Frowning, he shook his head.
He, too, had calculated everything he needed to before dispatching Hesperon.
As a result, he had thought that the combination of “Right Arm of Craving” and “Curse Predator” had enough of a chance. But it seemed he had underestimated the power of a “Demon King-class curse” far too much. ‘If I hadn’t been wearing Titan, curse immunity or whatever, I might have been turned to mush long ago. Well, a Demon King-class being is someone who had reached the level of a demigod before falling. Maybe it was greedy of me to try to do something about that with a body that hasn’t even reached Transcendence.’ In any case, this had made him understand reality clearly.
No matter how much of an advantage compatibility gave him, it meant little before a difference in rank.
He had stepped forward with confidence, only to end up like this; it was unbearably embarrassing.
“Tch, I came to the wrong place… This wasn’t somewhere I could butt in.”
Hesperon looked at the Black Flame Dragon coiling around his body and raising black flames, then smacked his lips.
It was regrettable, but now that he had grasped reality, his part was over.
With no insurance left, the best course was to quickly get out of here before he lingered awkwardly and truly died this time. ‘Phew, I feel bad for this guy too. It’s like I brought him all the way to a top-class buffet, only to feed him a single plate of dessert and call it a day, isn’t it?’ The Black Flame Dragon and Hesperon, connected through “Chain of Covenant,” shared each other’s growth.
If he had reached Transcendence… no, even if he had merely reached a proper pinnacle level, he would have gained far more than he had now.
Now that things had turned out like this, he could not help but feel regret—
Clink—
At that moment.
A gentle sound of chains flowed through his mind. ‘No, wait. …“Chain of Covenant”?’ Something began to tickle at his thoughts.
At the same time, a sense of déjà vu strongly stimulated his intuition.
Rumble—
Kwaaang!
The mist of curses went on another rampage and charged at him, but for the moment, he had no attention to spare for that side.
He raised Titan’s boosters to maximum output, avoided the fight as much as possible, and struggled desperately to grasp the thing tickling at his mind.
Calmly analyzing what exactly he had missed. ‘“Chain of Covenant” is reacting. Why now? Because of what?’ It was a skill that connected subject and object, regardless of whether they were people, objects, or energy in general.
Among people, there was Crown Princess Riley; among objects, there were Titan and the sealing sphere; and among energy, there was the Black Flame Dragon of “Right Arm of Craving.”
That should have been all there was to it, so what had he missed—.‘No, wait. The one using this skill is definitely Hesperon. But while I have multiple bodies, my soul is clearly one. Then when I make a contract with another body, what becomes the standard?’Clank.
— Clang.
—His fully developed intuition screamed sharply.
That the method to resolve this situation easily was right here.
That he simply had not realized it yet.
As his thoughts accelerated, the world slowly began to slow.‘Contract, soul, subject, avatar···.’In time that had come infinitely close to a standstill, Hesperon’s eyes sank deep.
Along with that, things he had never been able to see before began to appear faintly.‘Right. There was no need to think so hard about it. From the beginning, the true me was only “Han Seonghyeon.”’Then why, of all times, had 「Chains of Oath」 reacted now?
If he thought about it, it was a very simple matter.‘Miyamoto Ken and that mass of curses have, for all intents and purposes, become one and the same.’And Ken had sworn loyalty to Hella.
With all manner of skills and dominion woven together, so that he could never again think otherwise.
In fact, the only reason he had managed to hold out without being taken over until now was entirely because of those complex and exceedingly meticulous restraints.
He had not anticipated something like this, but in effect, Ken was in a situation no different from having mortgaged his soul to him.‘But Hella and Hesperon are the same person···?’Naturally, a master-servant relationship between Ken and Hesperon was established.
And on top of that, that thing making such a fuss to become completely one with Ken was also···.‘If you get down to it, it’s basically my underling!’It was practically a stretch.
But if such cause and effect had actually formed, what was he supposed to do about it?
And in “mystery,” cause and effect was sometimes a power that possessed a binding force stronger than anything else.
Hesperon, who had been fleeing at full speed, stopped.
The black mist that had been fiercely pursuing him from behind rapidly closed the distance, but he paid it no more mind.
Clank.
— Clank.
—The sound of chains echoed in his head.
The sound of a bond that only he could hear.
According to Hesperon’s perception, chains of causality connected them to each other.
Rank (格) was not something that was always and unconditionally absolute.
At times, depending on the bond, rank could be divided even within relationships that were endlessly relative.
Right now.
Despite the vast difference in rank, an unshakable hierarchy of master and servant was established.
And so long as that causality remained clear—.
Rattle—The moment he used 「Chains of Oath」, he naturally felt it.
That the leash of that dreadful monster was in his hand.
Of course, this alone was not enough to completely subjugate and command that Demon King-class curse.
No matter that cause and effect determining superior and subordinate had been established for the moment, the difference in rank between them was still vast.
But even now, there were plenty of other things he could do.
“Yeah, now I think I can finally eat properly.”
The corners of Hesperon’s mouth curled up in a grin.
The black flame dragon that poked its head out behind his back also smiled sinisterly.———!
Immediately after.
A super leech capable of swallowing even a hippopotamus whole violently swept across the space ahead.