Demon Realm Shrine (2)
The 15th Demon King, Tanuin, who ruled at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, has now fallen to a mere curse.
He had been sealed within this mysterious shrine for what seemed like an eternity.
Just before being entirely taken, thanks to a desperate gambit akin to self-destruction, he managed to avoid being used by that fiend, but he was by no means completely free; it was merely a temporary reprieve until the foe chose to give up.
Crushair, the Duke of Dragons, was touted as the world’s best in magic, including black magic.
However, even as that fiend steadily executed his plans, the fallen former Demon King could do nothing but helplessly stew in his bitter resentment, clinging to the fading remnants of his consciousness.
“Ugh… W-where is this place…?”
Yet, calling it fate might not be far off.
On a day when he finally felt his limits, an unexpected opportunity arose.
He learned that a human captured as a sacrifice had an extraordinarily unique power.
‘That’s neither magic nor a ritual. It’s such an alien force that the laws of the world [the way things are] seem meaningless. …In fact, that makes it even more promising.’
The ability to separate one’s consciousness and bestow it elsewhere.
Even the Demon King, now a twisted embodiment of malice, barely recognized this capability.
The busy Duke of Dragons seemed completely unaware, and even the somewhat imperfect shrine showed no particular reaction to that power.
‘This is my last chance. Even though just attempting it will drain all my remaining energy, it’s worth taking that risk.’
Thus, the remnants of the 15th Demon King, Tanuin—no, the being that once was Tanuin—decided to take a gamble.
Gathering the little consciousness left to him, he infused his curse into the human’s consciousness that reached outward.
For some reason, it was surprisingly easy, likely due to a sense of kinship in their similar predicaments.
In the end, it proved to be quite beneficial for Ken, the very subject of that ability.
Thanks to this, the “accident” that should have naturally faded away while wandering without purpose now had direction, and at its end, he could even acquire the supreme body that was ‘fragments of the Demon King’ that Crushair failed to gather.
“Ugh, my head… Where am I? What in the world… Ah! Those demon followers!”
Though he had to tolerate some minor side effects in return, that was unavoidable.
Thus, reborn with a body crafted from the remnants of the Demon King, he instinctively headed towards the Dark Nest.
Even with hazy memories, the desire to reclaim what he once had remained vividly in his heart.
…Of course, the curse’s influence likely played a part in that.
In fact, the desire of the Demon King’s curse was somewhat similar.
The difference was that while Tanuin only aimed to engulf Ken whole, reclaiming the flesh he had lost, he also intended to use that self to revive his withered consciousness, shaking the shrine’s seal aimed at Tanuin by intentionally mixing in the ‘impurity’ known as ‘Ken.’
Despite being reduced to a mere shell, Tanuin was still recognized as a once-powerful Demon King; thus, he had no worries about being consumed in the process.
[————!]
And in this moment, over twenty years since that day.
Although a bit late, that plan was now firmly on track.
‘Once more, I shall become one. I consume, and if I become a complete whole!’
Unbeknownst to himself, Ken was influenced by the Demon King’s curse the moment he stepped inside the shrine.
Thanks to confusion in the seal binding the curse, he was finally freed from the depths below.
He wasn’t completely out of the shrine yet, but if he could absorb Ken, that issue would soon be solved.
‘Finally, again. Revenge! I will kill the Dragon Duke! Resurrection! Demon King!’
The demon fragmented feelings of the curse twisted together, as he rushed to seize the last key to his liberation.
Instinctively aware that lingering too long might see the Dragon Duke return and ruin everything, he moved without any hesitation.
Only for the sake of perfect revival!
To take revenge in blood upon those who put him in this state!
“Ugh, I thought it would be rough, but this is way more than I expected…!”
Wuuuu— Wuuung!
Fwoosh—!
Of course, encountering such unexpected variables in the process was also inevitable.
Amidst a grumbling human voice, a heavy mechanical sound echoed.
The Demon King’s curse surged forth like a tidal wave, diverting its gaze to a mosquito buzzing around, eagerly sucking away the curses.
Initially, he intended to crush it like an annoying bug on his path, but ‘that’ seemed impossible to ignore any longer.
If left alone, it would likely stick around like a leech, trying to lap up his curse!
Admittedly, the amount of power lost wouldn’t be significant, but the very existence of that creature was irksome.
In the end, even if it was a nuisance, the Demon King decided to deal with it first and foremost.
The ominous feeling he received from that little life form weighed heavily in his decision.
Yet, on the other hand, Hesperon found himself in a predicament that exceeded the annoyance of whatever was bothering him.
“Ahaha… This was a blind spot. But with such a disparity in tiers and presence, it’s absurd to think I can drain all its powers in an instant just because I have some ultimate skills.”
Hesperon, who had been diligently flying around with Titan while commanding the black flame dragon, smirked.
To put it simply, while his idea wasn’t wrong, the massive gap in their tiers was the real issue.
No matter how capable a leech might be at draining multiple times its weight in blood, it’s nonsensical to think a single one could cause a hippo to bleed out.
Moreover, if the blood doesn’t cooperate, it becomes just like drinking thick honey through a straw.
‘It’s theoretically possible, but are you kidding me? That would take an eternity! And Ken won’t last that long, so I need to find another way.’
Despite wanting to use it as a vessel for a power-up this time, the disparity in strength was making him rethink.
He had given this task to Hesperon, thinking him the right man for the job, but seeing how things had turned out, it was all the more frustrating.
[————!]
But was it perhaps that his overconfidence in being at an advantage made him stumble in the changing circumstances?
In the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a thick black mist engulfed Hesperon, who was flying around in Titan.
And without sparing even the suit covering his body, a will centered on the Demon King audaciously shot into the internal space of the annoying foe.
-Die.
A surprisingly short—more of an instinct than a language—command packed with dreadful power.
Rather than a curse, it took on a primitive form, a dark emotion becoming a relentless malice surging into Hesperon.
‘I can’t block that with my current level. Still…!’
Death raced through his body.
The abilities “Right Arm of Desire” and “Curse Devourer” dove into his body, gobbling up the invading curse.
The “State of Perfect Clarity” steadied his mind, while various support skills like “Sturdiness” and “Super Recovery” activated in succession.
Having anticipated everything and prepared accordingly, the Demon King’s curse posed no harm to him.
“A curse is useless to me… Ugh, what is this?”
…Yes, if that attack had been a pure ‘curse.’
No matter how diminished he may have become, he had once risen to the throne of the Demon King!
Thus, that attack struck Hesperon, who had become complacent, dangerously.
《The entity has suffered damage that leads to death. The “Instant Death Immunity” activates to nullify the death sentence.》
《After this, “Instant Death Immunity” will be sealed for one day.》
“Cough!”
Red blood spilled from his lips.
*
“Ugh! Hah.”
With a dry cough, blood erupted from his throat.
A pounding headache and the pain of his whole body as if he had been thoroughly beaten up.
Hesperon, wobbling as he barely regained his balance, grimaced.
“Ugh, this is problematic…”
Wiping the blood from his lips, he cast a casual glance around.
[High Energy Exposure Alert!]
[Energy Overload Alert!]
[Titan Component Damage Rate 18%]
[Some Systems Down. Energy Efficiency Decreased.]
[Stored Anti-Magic Energy is rapidly decreasing.]
[Crisis Detection Protocol Activated.]
<.........>
‘One hit and I face instant death while Titan suffers this much damage?’
A flurry of alert boxes cluttered his peripheral vision.
Each one warning of an impending danger, but such news held little meaning now.
If he took another attack like that, it would truly be the end.
‘…Is it a curse-related ability? That’s absurd. After becoming a curse and spending hundreds of years, he’s left with little more than instinct, yet he can still wield this high-level technique?’
He furrowed his brows and shook his head.
He had sent Hesperon with more than enough calculation.
He thought the combination of “Right Arm of Desire” and “Curse Devourer” would yield sufficient potential, yet he seemed to have underestimated the power of ‘Demon King-level curses.’
‘If I hadn’t been wearing Titan, that Curse Immunity wouldn’t have saved me; I would have been done for. Well, I had expected something along those lines, given the Demon King was a being of semi-divine caliber before his fall—it might’ve been too ambitious to think I could handle it now.’
Still, this brought home an important realization.
No matter how much one might have an advantageous match-up, it meant nothing against a difference in tier.
Feeling a bit embarrassed for charging in with excessive confidence, he said, “Tsk, wrong place to be… This isn’t where I should hang around.”
Hesperon looked longingly at the black flame dragon, which was engulfing his body in black fire.
Regretful as it was, now that he grasped reality, his role had come to an end here.
Without any backup, the best course of action was to make a speedy exit before he really died.
‘Phew, I feel bad for that guy. It seems I’ve served him a plate of dessert only at this high-class buffet.’
The black flame dragon and Hesperon, linked through “Chain of Pact,” shared their growth levels.
Had he at least reached a transcendental state… or even just a proper extreme, he would have gained much more right now.
But seeing how things had unfolded, disappointment gnawed at him.
Clatter—
At that moment.
A whispering sound of delicate chains flowed through his mind.
‘Wait a second… …The “Chain of Pact”?’
Something began to tickle his mind.
At the same time, a déjà vu strongly stimulated his instincts.
Boom— Crash!
The curse mist rampaged once more, but for now, he had no mental space to allocate to it.
He cranked Titan’s boosters to maximum output, doing his best to avoid the ensuing battle while straining to grasp the flicker igniting in his mind.
What had he missed was something he needed to analyze calmly.
‘The “Chain of Pact” is reacting. Why now? What for?’
It was a skill that connected subjects and objects, transcending people, items, and energy.
Among those were Princess Riley, Titan, the seal sphere, and those energies linked to the “Right Arm of Desire” dragon.
That should be all, but what was he missing…?
‘Wait a second. While I’m the one using this skill, it’s clearly Hesperon. But I have multiple bodies, yet my soul remains one. How does that play out when it contracts with other bodies?’
Clatter— Clatter—
His highly developed instincts cried out sharply.
Right here lay the easy solution to the current dilemma.
Yet, he simply hadn’t realized it.
As thoughts raced, the world began to slow down.
‘Contract, soul, subject, avatar…’
In the almost motionless moment, Hesperon’s eyes deeply hollowed.
Along with that, things he had never seen before started to come into faint view.
‘Right, there’s no need to think hard. I’ve always been ‘Han Seong-hyun’ and nothing else.’
But why was it that the “Chain of Pact” responded at this moment?
Looking back, it was a simple matter indeed.
‘Miyamoto Ken and that cursed mass have essentially become one with each other.’
And Ken had sworn fealty to Hela.
All the while bonding his various skills and dominances so tightly that he was unable to think of anything else.
In fact, Ken now holding on this long had a lot to do with that complex and meticulous curse.
While he hadn’t anticipated this, it effectively meant he was in a situation where his soul had been pawned.
‘Yet, there’s no doubt Hela and Hesperon are the same individual…?’
This naturally established a master-servant relationship between Ken and Hesperon.
What was more, that troublesome entity stirring up ruckus to fully unite with Ken was also…
‘When you break it down, it means he’s essentially my subordinate!’
Ridiculous, yet how could he deny the connection that had transpired?
And in ‘mystical’ realms, causation could hold a power more compelling than anything else.
Hesperon, once sprinting for his life, came to an abrupt halt.
The dark mist charging after him drew nearer, yet he ceased to care.
Clatter— Clatter—
A sound of chains reverberated in his head.
Only he could hear the sound of destiny.
In Hesperon’s recognition, the chain of causation intertwined between them.
Tiers wasn’t necessarily absolute.
Sometimes, it could be a relative relationship split by connection.
Right now, amidst profound dissimilarity, a solid master-servant hierarchy was being established.
And as long as the connection remained clear—.
Clatter—
The instant Hesperon activated “Chain of Pact,” he naturally felt it.
He had grasped a tight leash on that horrendous monster.
Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough to completely dominate or control that Demon King-level curse.
Even if a principal relationship had been established, the gap between the two remained vast.
However, he could still accomplish other things.
“Okay, now I finally feel like I can eat properly!”
Hesperon’s lips curled into a smirk.
The dragon behind him also revealed a devious smile.
—!
In an instant.
A super leech capable of even swallowing a hippo whole stirred the air violently.
