Chapter 61

◈ Chapter 61. The Self-Proclaimed Demon King (2)

An item to be used as an offering in the exorcism ritual.

I had bought it in advance.

It wasn't difficult to obtain.

After all, the reconstruction of the Yusra Kingdom was progressing at an unimaginable speed.

Auction houses had opened alongside basic shops.

And these were operated by the Arcana system.

Moreover, this was an exorcism ritual prepared for the Demon King.

‘It’s fortunate I saved up diligently.’

A few demonic items.

They wouldn’t even make a dent in my bank balance.

I realized anew.

Whether Granfel knows it or not, I am definitely a slave to capitalism.

I then took out the demonic items.

The more offerings, the stronger the ritual's effect.

[‘Lady’s Jewel Box’ has been selected as an offering.]

[‘Strangling Tie’ has been selected as an offering.]

I added those items as offerings for the exorcism ritual.

Thus began the exorcism ritual.

I immediately manifested magic.

Sssss─

Exploring the ash floating in the air.

Interfering using the [Aesthetics] stat.

I manifested flames infused with an aesthetic sense.

Whoosh─!

“Shut that hideous mouth of yours, self-proclaimed Demon King.”

With his exceptional aesthetic sense,

Granfel could not help but detest hideous appearances.

In that sense, Decarabia would be hard to tolerate.

His appearance was something one might see in a horror movie, particularly a gory one.

However, I did not avert my eyes.

‘The opponent is a Demon King.’

Considering the level of a Demon Legion Commander,

His level was at least 600.

He might even surpass the Great Sin of Greed.

After all, the Great Sin of Greed was not in a normal state.

It was only natural that I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Moreover,

Whoosh─!

There were Frost residents who had been swallowed by the creature.

The flames, enhanced with an aesthetic sense, burned fiercely.

They were inside the burning flesh.

Their final moments.

I could not turn a blind eye to this.

Decarabia writhed and screamed in the flames.

“...Wait, a path has opened?”

I cleared the way for those preparing to attack.

“...How dare you!”

I sealed Decarabia’s movements, preventing even a finger from moving.

“Wow! Amazing!”

Even Jesse, known as the disciple of the High Mage, naturally marveled, lifting his wizard’s hat.

But it was too early to be amazed.

My struggle had just begun.

Sssss─

I continuously drew upon my magic power.

‘I’m not Jesse, I can’t just spam such spells.’

This time, it wasn’t ordinary magic power, but ‘suitable magic power.’

Not a stat,

But the suitable magic power rooted in the life and past of the one manifesting it.

‘...Whatever it is, the best is the best.’

Whether the source of that suitable magic power was middle school syndrome or not,

I had not let the talent in black magic, recognized by the founder of black magic, Mathis, go to waste.

I manifested an intermediate black magic, [Black Shackles].

Its effect was to deprive the enemy of their senses.

“...!”

The first sense I deprived was his mouth.

[Silence has occurred to the Demon King, Decarabia.]

But the mouth was just the beginning.

Since black magic is still magic,

[Black Shackles] had a continuous effect.

Yes, precisely when the creature was shaken by fear.

His senses would be lost one by one,

Vanishing into the deep, deep darkness.

I looked at the frozen Decarabia and spoke.

“Self-proclaimed Demon King.”

I returned the words he had spouted.

“How does it feel to have your arrogance crushed?”

*

...Demon Hunter!

Now I understand.

The reason why I, a mere human, could be so arrogant.

Decarabia was not shaken.

“...I see. I have entered the ‘ritual.’”

Demon Hunter?

Hadn’t he killed countless ones in the Holy War?

Though it was a long time ago, they were truly moth-like beings.

‘The most foolish among humans.’

To dare call a Demon King into one’s own ritual.

In that instant,

Decarabia made a decision.

‘Arrogant self aside, it’s an excellent body.’

Inside the exorcism ritual.

After overpowering the mental strength in the ritual,

He would take over Ho Yeol’s body.

Why? Because there were many things he could do with that body.

‘There’s no need to rush.’

Most importantly, even he found fighting multiple opponents burdensome.

It wasn’t a cowardly retreat.

Just like when he conquered Frost,

He would wait for the right moment.

“...I will play along.”

But his plan was in vain.

‘What is this?’

He had clearly entered the human’s ritual.

The Demon King, a being that alone could instill fear,

By merely entering the ritual,

Most Demon Hunters would have gone mad.

But Ho Yeol was fine.

No, he was overwhelming him.

Whoosh─!

“!”

Rising flames.

A whirlwind of fire connected to the sky.

Decarabia urged himself.

‘This is not reality.’

It was just an exaggeration created by the human.

Even realizing this, it was natural to have doubts.

A mere human,

How could he overpower a Demon King in mental strength?

‘Dare he tell me to know my place...?’

Decarabia did not submit.

The flames could be blocked by transforming minerals.

Frost, this city, had plenty of minerals.

Just as he thought this,

“...!”

His tongue wouldn’t move.

His voice wouldn’t come out.

He instinctively knew.

The human was up to something!

‘Is it magic? No, it’s not just simple magic...’

But even knowing this,

He couldn’t understand the current situation.

In that moment,

Something flew through the burning flames.

Swoosh!

It was an arrow.

Thud!

Decarabia was enraged by the arrows embedded in his flesh.

‘...How dare a mere human!!’

If not for the firestorm blocking his vision...

But the arrow barrage was just the beginning.

This time, spells and daggers flew from all directions.

Among them were fatal blows.

Decarabia couldn’t hide his confusion.

‘Me...?’

With countless offerings, it was a perfect descent.

But why,

Am I so powerless...?

No.

Not yet.

Decarabia strained to make a sound.

“...!”

Demon Army, Demon Legion Commanders, what are you doing!

Your king is under attack!

Give your lives for me!

But then he realized.

“...!”

The Demon Legion Commanders, the Demon Army, were no more.

The survivors had been swallowed as offerings.

Ho Yeol’s cold voice echoed in his mind.

- Self-proclaimed Demon King.

That’s right.

There was no one left to call him king.

Then,

Beep─

His ears went deaf.

...No sound could be heard.

Muffled, even his own screams.

Decarabia glared at Ho Yeol.

‘...This can’t be the end.’

He knew the danger of Demon Hunters.

The moment he died at their hands,

He would never be able to resurrect.

Flash─

Thousands of eyes sprouted from Decarabia’s flesh.

He needed to find a way to break free.

More offerings.

More blood and flesh were needed.

Decarabia targeted easier prey.

‘Did you think I wouldn’t know you were hiding?’

The Frost residents hiding in buildings.

The reason he kept them alive was simple.

The fear of the living was his power.

But now it was over.

‘Become blood and flesh quietly.’

Decarabia’s pentagram began to rotate.

The buildings of Frost, made of minerals.

Collapsing buildings was a simple task for him, who had comprehended all minerals.

Look.

Right now.

The collapse couldn’t be heard due to the loss of hearing.

But it was clearly visible.

Buildings collapsing, dust rising.

But...

‘Why not this time?’

The blood and flesh he needed were not there.

Something tapped his flesh.

Tiny stones flew at him.

Through the burning flames, a shape could be seen.

It was the Frost residents.

“?!!”

Weak humans and their young.

Those who should have been hiding in the shadows.

Were throwing stones at him.

Decarabia’s eyes focused on their faces.

‘...How?’

From those weak, weak humans,

He no longer felt fear.

Those eyes, the ones who held onto their weapons even as they died.

Yes, just like the Frost soldiers.

Decarabia’s flesh rippled.

He couldn’t understand.

Not just Ho Yeol, but humans in general.

Decarabia cursed.

He had killed them all!

He had killed the mothers trying to protect their children!

He had killed the children in front of their mothers!

Yet they didn’t submit.

They didn’t understand fear.

Do humans, in their foolishness, not even know fear?

Confused, Decarabia.

He stopped moving completely in the flames.

In the end, his final struggle was in vain.

There was nothing he could do.

The flames began to burn his flesh.

In the burning vision,

Decarabia looked at Ho Yeol.

‘Even if others can’t hear, you can, right?’

This was the human’s ritual.

Decarabia asked.

‘Why? Why don’t humans submit?’

What is the reason they get up even when they fall?

Why do they jump into fear, knowing they can’t handle it?

There was no more dignity as a Demon King in his question.

Decarabia screamed.

‘...Please! I beg you! I’ll beg! Tell me!!’

But there was no answer.

Ho Yeol’s mouth was firmly closed.

As if he wouldn’t engage in unnecessary conversation with prey.

‘Please!! Pleaseeeeee!!’

.

.

.

“Die with your doubts. That is your punishment.”

Rise and fall, then the end.

That simple fact.

Decarabia could never understand.

I looked at the burning flames.

As if they would never go out.

The intense flames.

Thud─

The survivors of Frost fell to the ground.

“...It’s over.”

“Huhuhu.”

“Father, Mother... Huhu.”

And they began to weep.

As if mourning those they had lost.

The flames burned Decarabia.

Those he had swallowed.

They burned nobly, leaving not a trace.

The cremation ended, and the flames began to subside.

Soon, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]...

Endless level-up messages.

[Conditions met.]

[Rewards granted.]

[Frost has been reclaimed.]

[You have entered the northern city, ‘Frost.’]...

And other messages that were hard to see at a glance.

Amid the chaotic messages,

White something began to scatter.

Harkon spoke softly.

“Sir, do you know? In Frost, snow is called a gift from the sky. There’s a superstition that refusing the sky’s gift brings divine punishment. Since it snows so much in the north, they created a plausible story to make people clear the snow.”

He continued wistfully.

“But today, I want to see this snow as a gift from the sky.”

I also looked up at the sky.

Snow from the North Sea was falling on Frost.

*

[Conditions met.]

[Reclamation of Frost] quest completed.

Without a word,

The players checked their contributions.

─Current contribution: 3,210p

─Current contribution: 2,940p

─Current contribution: 1,570p...

“...Hey, what’s your contribution?”

“Let’s see yours first.”

“Nimsun, over two thousand?”

More than expected or less than expected.

But at this moment,

Most players would think the same.

Indeed, how much contribution did Ho Yeol earn?

What rewards would he receive based on that contribution?

The players’ gazes turned to Ho Yeol.

“Roughly ten thousand, right...?”

“What? Ten thousand is just a start.”

“But why does he look like that? Is it lower than he thought? Or is it less than ten thousand?!”

But even looking at his face,

“Still, Ho Yeol always has that expression.”

It was impossible to guess.

.

.

.

I checked my contribution.