N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 674
Silkret's legs shook as if his joints were dislocated.
'This can't be happening….'
The young blond human standing before him was no demon.
Normally, humans were considered less than bugs in the devildom, but for some reason, the moment he heard that young human’s voice, his soul seemed to surrender, and all the strength left his body.
Thud.
He wanted to resist, but his knees hit the ground before he realized it. Fear deeper than humiliation took control of his body.
"Uu…uuurgh!"
Silkret trembled and raised his gaze. Blue energy of wrath swirled in the red eyes of the young human.
'Wrath...'
The ruler of the northern devildom and the Monarch of Wrath. It was Wrath's emotion.
A demon king's emotion, incomparable to mere demonic energy, made every hair on his body stand on end.
But it wasn't just wrath emanating from the young human.
'Why are sloth and envy present too?'
The emotions of Sloth and Envy coexisted within the soul of the young human.
'This doesn't make sense...'
Wrath, the Monarch of Wrath, occasionally extended a helping hand to humans in his own eccentric ways, though it was rare.
But Monarch of Sloth, and Monarch of Envy, were different.
Sloth had no interest in anything other than sleeping, and Envy despised humans, rarely bestowing her power upon them.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out how this human had acquired the emotions of the three demon kings.
"Are you Silkret?"
The young human's voice, laced with emotion, made Silkret feel as though his soul was being crushed.
"Y-yes, that's right."
Silkret quickly bowed his head, as if he were truly facing a demon king.
'I can't resist...'
No matter how much he told himself that this wasn't the king he served, it was impossible to defy someone who possessed the emotions of Wrath, Sloth, and Envy.
"Which faction are you from?"
"I-I am..."
"No need to say it. The stench of filthy money reeks all the way over here."
The young human furrowed his brows slightly.
"Greed. You must be one of that scum's subordinates."
"Gulp…."
Silkret swallowed dryly, still bowing.
'Who on earth is he...?'
Even the kings of devildom maintained a certain level of respect for each other.
To speak informally to Greed, even calling him scum, it was truly like seeing Wrath, the monarch of Wrath, in person.
"Who, who are you?"
Unable to contain his curiosity, Silkret raised his eyes again.
"Do you think you can handle the answer?"
The young human's wicked smile made Silkret feel like his heart was about to burst.
"Uuugh..."
At those words, Silkret shut his mouth and lowered his head.
'I can't resist.'
It didn't matter who this young human was or how he had obtained the demon king's emotions.
As long as he emanated the emotions of wrath, sloth, and envy, Silkret couldn't move, like a mouse before a cat.
Silkret put both hands on the ground, bent his waist, and took a submissive posture.
* * *
Raon smiled as he watched Silkret, who had prostrated himself with his head, hands, and stomach flat on the ground.
'It works well.'
Meeting a real demon for the first time, he had drawn not only Wrath’s emotion but also Sloth and Envy's emotions. It might have been too much because Silkret was trembling all over like a puppy in the rain.
He decided he could be more moderate when dealing with other demons.
Hey, you! What are you!
Wrath jumped up from Raon's shoulder, eyes wide open.
Since when have you been able to use those three powers at the same time!
Seeing Raon freely manipulating not only wrath energy but also sloth and envy left Wrath speechless.
Raon lightly shook his head as he looked at his left chest, where his heart was.
'It must be thanks to the Ring of Fire.'
Drawing out wrath, envy, and sloth simultaneously was undoubtedly burdensome.
His stamina, mental strength, and aura drained like a broken jar, and severe pain surged in his abdomen.
But the eight Rings of Fire resonated, soothing all the pain. Although he couldn't endure it for long, it was enough to deal with Silkret.
Of all the martial arts he had learned so far, the Ring of Fire seemed to be the best.
And how did you know that guy is one of Greed's subordinates?
Wrath pointed to the fully submissive Silkret, grinding his teeth.
'Isn't it obvious?'
Raon lightly shook his finger.
'The only demon kings you would call scum are Greed and Pride.'
Wrath ignored all the other kings except for Greed and Pride, and oddly feared Lust.
The moment Silkret showed himself and his greed for this kingdom, Raon knew he was one of Greed's subordinates.
As always, you're annoyingly perceptive!
Wrath trembled with frustration.
'Thank you.'
That wasn't a compliment!
He shook his head, saying he was angry.
"Hmm..."
After a long silence, Silkret raised his eyes, filled with questions.
However, his pale complexion from fear remained the same. It was a completely different face from when he killed Baurun, Piren, and Danieff.
'Definitely...'
Raon twisted his lips as he looked at Silkret's trembling eyes.
'Those three deserved to die.'
Hopen seemed to want to keep king Baurun, high priest Piren, and commander Danieff alive as a form of lifelong punishment, forcing them to serve the kingdom. However, Raon disagreed.
He believed that killing those three would best console the souls massacred here.
This wasn't house Zieghart but the Holy Kingdom of Schper, so he had kept quiet until now.
But even if they were to die, he didn't want them to die like this, their bodies and souls devoured by a demon.
He wanted king Baurun to confess his sins and be judged by the betrayed citizens, thus his heart was filled with burning rage.
Raon grasped the Blade of Requiem in reverse and struck down on Silkret's right arm.
Thud!
The blade, burning with ghastly energy and wrath, easily pierced through Silkret's demonic energy and tore his shoulder.
"Aaaargh!"
Silkret screamed as he saw his severed arm. His shoulder didn't regenerate, only spilling black blood, likely due to the ghastly energy and wrath energy.
"Shut up."
"Guuuhh..."
Silkret bit his lips with white teeth, consumed by fear rather than pain.
"What was your contract with Baurun?"
Raon flicked the black blood off the Blade of Requiem and tilted his head.
"I-I granted him transcender power to protect this kingdom. I taught him a ritual to convert holy power into demonic energy so he could consume all the holy power in this kingdom."
"That's not all, is it?"
"If-if Baurun dies or voluntarily gives up the demonic energy, I would take their bodies and souls..."
Silkret trembled as he revealed the contract with Baurun. Raon now understood why Baurun, Piren, and Danieff had died as soon as Silkret appeared.
"I-it was a fair contract! As per the agreement, I gave Baurun demonic energy that surpassed transcendence…"
"Bullshit."
Raon sneered at Silkret.
"He gained demonic energy beyond transcendence, but in reality, he couldn't defeat a Transcender or protect the kingdom. It's a crude wordplay."
As he had told Baurun, merely enhancing demonic energy and the body was meaningless.
If one possessed a mind (soul) that hadn't reached a higher realm, it would only disrupt the balance of body, energy, and mind.
King Baurun, who had been shouting about protecting the Holy Kingdom of Schper and avenging his son, was completely deceived by Silkret's trickery.
His heart ached as if it had been scraped with sandpaper.
'Hey.'
Huh?
‘You said demons wouldn't lie in their contracts. You said it was a fair contract, but what's this?’
Well, that guy is one of Greed's subordinates. They've been conning people for a long time...
Wrath shook his hand, saying they were notorious for their scams.
'Even the great Monarch of Wrath's guarantee doesn't seem to be worth much.'
Raon scoffed.
Grr...
Wrath hung his head, unable to refute.
Peeeerrrck!
Filled with irritation, Raon stabbed Silkret's chest with the Blade of Requiem.
"Cough..."
Silkret fell backward and trembled all over, as if feeling excruciating pain.
"P-please, forgive me..."
"I told you to shut up."
Raon twisted the Blade of Requiem with a chilling glare.
“Arghhh!”
Silkret screamed as if he were being torn apart, with a horrifying amount of blood gushing from his chest.
Whirr!
The Blade of Requiem seemed to burn with intense ghastly energy, absorbing as much of Silkret's demonic energy as possible.
“W-What the hell is this...”
Saintess Olga swallowed dryly, still kneeling with her knees up.
“That’s a real demon, isn’t it?”
Unlike the demon that the Light Wind swordsmen had fought, this Silkret was the real deal. It was hard to comprehend how such a monster with overwhelming demonic energy couldn't even budge in front of Raon.
“I-I told you, just go along with it.”
Rimmer shook his head as he slumped to the ground.
“You can't think about that guy with common sense.”
“You're right.”
Burren nodded in agreement with Rimmer’s words.
“Though I didn’t expect him to subdue a demon like this...”
“That’s not subduing, it’s like having a well-trained dog.”
Martha sneered at Silkret.
“If he asked for his paw, he’d probably give it to him.”
Runaan also nodded in agreement.
“P-Please spare me...”
Silkret rolled his eyes and raised a trembling hand towards Raon.
“Do you think you deserve to say that?”
Raon sneered and prepared to drive the blade even deeper.
Step back!
At Wrath’s urgent shout, Raon instinctively stepped back.
Thud!
In that moment, a giant mouth appeared above Silkret's head. It was a bizarre mouth with white lips and crimson teeth.
“No, it can't be!”
Silkret screamed and kicked off the ground as soon as he saw the white lips.
Psshkk!
But the grotesque mouth closed slowly, indifferent to how fast Silkret moved.
“Ugh...”
Silkret, who had fled far into the air, was now trapped between the crimson teeth.
“P-Please...”
Before Silkret could finish his plea, the white lips closed. Sounds of flesh tearing and bones shattering echoed from within the mouth.
Whirr!
The lips, smiling as if having enjoyed enough, disappeared, revealing a small figure like a child.
Unkempt white hair flowed down to the waist, and the eyes shone eerily like red jewels.
Unlike Silkret, this figure didn't exude even a trace of demonic energy, yet its mere presence seemed to distort the world.
“Ahh...”
“Gasp...”
The people, already exhausted from Silkret's demonic energy, gasped for air at the mere presence of this entity. Not only the priests and knights, but even the saintess and the Light Wind swordsmen rolled their eyes back and slammed their heads to the ground.
Raon bit his lip as he watched the white-haired entity draw closer.
Even he, who could wield the emotions of three demon kings, found it hard to breathe. Without the Ring of Fire, he might have collapsed like the others.
‘To encounter another one again...’
There was only one kind of entity with such a presence.
‘Demon King.’
It was certainly a king of the devildom like Wrath. But it wasn’t Greed, Silkret’s master. The white hair, jade-like skin, small stature, and vivid red eyes reminded him of one of the Demon Kings Wrath had mentioned.
‘Gluttony.’
Yes, it's Gluttony.
Wrath frowned at Gluttony.
‘Why is he here?’ (I'm not sure what Gluttony's gender is, so I will assume Gluttony is a male for now.)
As the King of Essence said before, this place temporarily mimics the environment of the devildom. To him, it might feel like a buffet.
As if to prove his point, Gluttony licked his lips, seemingly satisfied with the taste of Silkret.
Give me your body.
Wrath wiggled his fingers, urging Raon to act quickly.
His appetite knows no bounds. If you don't decide quickly, you'll all be devoured!
He grinned slyly, saying the only way was to surrender his body to him.
‘Stay out of it.’
Using The Demon King’s Descent would severely damage both his body and soul. It was an option he couldn't consider unless absolutely necessary.
But as Wrath had said, Gluttony began to look around as if searching for his next meal.
‘How do I handle this... Ah!’
Raon’s face twisted before he clapped his hands lightly. He had thought it was a pity that Silkret was dead, but it wasn't. This was a chance to make the Monarch of Gluttony owe him a favor.
"R-Retreat!"
Just as he was quickly formulating a plan and about to move, Rimmer grabbed him by the neck from behind and pulled him away.
“We can’t win this! We need to get out of here immediately!”
Rimmer stood in front of the Demon King with trembling legs, biting his lip.
Just standing against Gluttony seemed to push him to his limits, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Vice leader?”
Raon widened his eyes at the sight of the trembling Rimmer’s back.
‘What is this?’
Even though Rimmer was a Grandmaster, he was physically and mentally exhausted. It didn't make sense that he could withstand facing a Demon King without collapsing, especially without any preparation.
Eh?
Even Wrath seemed surprised, his eyes widening.
How can that shitty ears...
“I can't hold on much longer.”
Rimmer urged him to use the wind to take the Light Wind swordsmen away, raising his sword. His willpower had reached its peak. He never expected to see him like this.
"Raon. At least take the kids… Ah."
Raon silently approached Rimmer from behind and struck him on the neck. Rimmer hadn’t expected to be attacked from behind and immediately fainted, collapsing.
“That one looks tasty.”
Gluttony licked his lips at the sight of Rimmer. The air distorted, and the white lips that had swallowed Silkret reappeared.
“You scum.”
Raon threw Rimmer behind him and narrowed his eyes.
“To touch my prey, do you need your tongue ripped out to come to your senses?”
He Rotated the Ring of Fire to the extreme, and unleashed all of the wrath energy from his soul, the white mouth that had been opening in front of Gluttony stopped.
“Wrath?”
Gluttony squinted his eyes and placed a finger on his lips.
“...”
Raon didn’t respond, glaring fiercely at Gluttony.
‘You called him a glutton rabbit, didn’t you?’
Wrath had called Gluttony a glutton rabbit, obsessed only with eating. True to his words, there was something dull about Gluttony.
T-this crazy bastard!
Wrath yelled, dumbfounded.
Back then, you faked being my vessel, and now you're completely impersonating me!
He grabbed Raon by the collar, saying he was truly insane.
And why is he falling for it? The King of Essence isn't this ugly! The energy he possesses is completely different!
Wrath waved his hand in front of Gluttony, begging him not to fall for it.
“You... You’re not Wrath.”
Gluttony shook his head confidently.
Woooong!
The white lips floating above his head began to open, revealing crimson teeth.
“Why do you think so?”
Raon suppressed his wildly beating heart and asked.
“Your hair and eyes are different. And... You’re weak.”
Gluttony muttered that he wasn’t Wrath, pointing out the differences in appearance and aura.
Pwehehehehe!
Wrath pointed at Raon and laughed, holding his belly.
Gluttony may be simple, but he’s not as dumb as Sloth! Of course he won’t fall for it!
‘Hmm...’
Raon frowned. He had tried to deceive him based on Silkret's reaction, but it seemed too early to impersonate Wrath with his current level of wrath energy.
Now you have no choice!
Wrath chuckled and raised his chin.
If you get swallowed by that mouth, even the King of Essence can't save you, so quickly give that body to me.
‘...’
Raon didn’t respond, lowering his eyes slightly.
No, if you just surrender your body, the King of Essence will go on a rampage and might harm the kids too. Use that sword field to summon me!
Even in this situation, Wrath worried about the Light Wind swordsmen, urging Raon to use the sword field, The Demon King’s Descent. He was indeed a unique Demon King.
It seemed there was no other way but to use it now.
However, using The Demon King’s Descent would be extremely costly, so he wanted to avoid it.
‘Appearance, appearance...’
Maybe that could work.
Raon opened his eyes calmly, not panicking.
Goooo!
The white lips summoned by Gluttony had already approached right in front of him.
“You look delicious.”
“You’re annoying.”
The moment the white mouth was about to close, Raon thrust the Blade of Requiem into the center of his chest.
Splat!
Blood gushed out, staining his uniform red, along with the pain of the blade piercing his skin.
“Huh?”
The white lips paused, perhaps because the prey he thought would be delicious suddenly seemed to commit suicide.
Raon glanced at Gluttony and muttered softly.
Sword Field Creation: The Demon King’s Descent.
At last!
Wrath licked his lips eagerly.
You’ve made the right decision! The King of Essence will take care of everything.
‘Ugh...’
Ignoring Wrath's words, Raon drew a formation with the flowing blood.
Wrath, who had been floating in the air, was sucked into Raon’s soul, and his body began to transform.
Blue hair fluttered, and flawless white skin emerged. An overwhelming, noble aura appeared on Raon’s transformed body and soul, surpassing Gluttony.
“Ah...”
Gluttony’s jaw trembled as he saw the waving blue hair and the ice wings rising behind.
“...Wrath?”
“You scum.”
The blue-haired Demon King who descended to the mortal world frowned at Gluttony.
“To think I, the King of Essence, had to do something like this.”
“I, I...”
Gluttony trembled, stepping back.
"As I said at the beginning, I’ll have to tear out that tongue of yours."
As the noble demon king exuded an eerie aura, the real demon king’s voice echoed from within him.
What, what the hell! Why did only the King of Essence’s body go over there!
Wrath trembled his lips, trapped within his own body.
How did this happen!
‘How did it happen? You just handed over your body.’
Raon smirked, wrapped in the skin of the blue demon king.
What do you mean, how!
’The Demon King’s Descent is a forceful summoning that occurs when my body and soul are on the brink of separation, accepting you in the process. And the essential part of that is….’
Raon chuckled softly and waved his hand.
‘I have to be close to death. Right now, my soul and body are just slightly apart, so I only have your aura and appearance, but the control of the body is still mine.’
Ah...
Wrath’s lips quivered, now understanding.
Of course, I only have control over the body and cannot use Wrath's powers.
All I could do was reveal his aura. In short, it was just a bluff.
However, that bluff was now the most powerful weapon.
“You didn’t just steal the King of Essence’s prey, you even tried to consume him….”
Raon wiggled his fingers at the trembling Gluttony.
“How should I make you pay for that?”
“Ugh...”
Gluttony now seemed to regret it, rolling his eyes downward.
N-No!
Wrath screamed in vain at Gluttony.
This one's fake! The King of Essence is right here! Come on!
