Chapter 217: Demon King (7)
The Demon King's Army was encamped in a place where the massive wall that had blocked them for so long was clearly visible.
With the news that the Demon King had personally set out to lead the great battle to bring down the wall, a long-cherished desire of the demons, the morale of the entire army had soared high enough to pierce the sky.
Everyone here knew the Demon King's strength.
He was the undisputed strongest among the demons, having never lost a single battle until now.
So if he led them, they had no doubt that that massive wall would collapse in no time.
Therefore, they were preparing to serve him, who received the respect of all of them, with the utmost courtesy.
However, the one who soon appeared in the snowfield was not the one they had been waiting for.
Nor was it the Royal Guard, the object of respect and fear, who always protected the Demon King by his side.
Only a single person.
That single person, with long red hair fluttering, was making his way through the snowstorm-swept snowfield.
With a majestic gait, as if leading a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.
“……!”
Seeing that figure, everyone swallowed their breath.
They had no choice but to.
As the figure, initially just a silhouette hidden by the blizzard, got closer and closer, it became even more clearly apparent that this person was not the Demon King they had been waiting for.
For one, he had an appearance far too different from the Demon King.
Compared to the Demon King's body possessing a magnificent physique and overwhelming muscles, that person's body would certainly not be strange to be called frail.
That person didn't even possess the horns and wings overflowing with intimidation that all demons envied.
But, despite that, that person possessed an unusual presence.
He was emitting demonic energy that overwhelmed all demons.
Because of that, no one dared to rashly step forward to stop the person approaching closer and closer towards them.
Although it wasn't the Demon King they were waiting for, they could recognize at once that he was an extraordinary existence just by looking at him.
Because of that, everyone just stared, losing their minds for a moment.
“W-Who are you!”
Until a soldier, who came to his senses belatedly but at the same time the earliest, shouted.
However, instead of answering that shout, that person just walked in with long strides.
Like that, he approached the front of the camp, passing the soldiers who unconsciously stepped back and opened the way, heading gradually towards the center of the camp.
“D-Drag that guy out!”
A commander, unable to watch this any longer, shouted.
Even so, the soldiers didn't dare to rush at that person, and just stood stiffly, extremely tense.
“W-What are you doing! I said drag him out!”
Eventually, the commander, unable to watch any longer, said he would set an example himself and rushed in, drawing his sword.
Seeing his appearance proving the bravery befitting a vanguard heading for the wall, the soldiers also showed signs of trying to follow one by one.
“U-Uaaah!”
But after seeing the sight of the rushing commander flying far away with a single hand gesture lightly swung by that person as if swatting away a bug, they flinched in surprise and froze in place again.
“The spirit is worth seeing, but you must follow tradition.”
Thanks to that, that person, who eventually walked to the center of the camp without receiving any interference and received everyone's gaze at once, shouted.
“──Behold!”
Everyone who heard that spirited shout ringing out loudly with the momentum to tear the sky instinctively flinched and trembled.
“I am Yubin! The First Devil, the Master of All Demons, and the Primordial Demon King──!!”
“──!”
And just as everyone was unable to hide their astonishment at the shocking declaration that followed.
──Fwoosh!
Pitch-black fierce flames that suddenly soared up drew a large circle with Bin in the center.
As if it were a dueling ground.
Ever since the ‘Primordial Demon King’ first ascended to the throne of the Demon King, demons have kept a certain tradition.
And that tradition was exactly that a Demon King wishing to ascend anew must first prove themselves to everyone watching their strength on a dueling ground built of 「Hellfire」.
So everyone here could realize at once what those flames meant.
“──Who will stand against me!!”
That the completely unexpected ‘visitor’ standing right now in the middle of those flames was trying to become the King of all of them.
And that if there was an objection to that, they had to walk into that 「Hellfire」 themselves and stand against that person.
“Who here will stand against this body and become King!!”
But no one dared to step into the flames.
They were overwhelmed.
Even for those to whom the biting cold until now was nothing, Bin's intimidation shouting from within the 「Hellfire」, hotter than anything else, was something that naturally froze the nerves of their entire bodies.
But there was one person, the only one who walked into the flames.
“You, how dare you……”
Demon King's Army 1st Corps Commander Gor.
“A mere human without horns or wings…!”
Demon King's Army 1st Corps Commander Gor.
If one were to pick the highest ranking, most brave, and strongest existence among the Demon King Army currently in this camp, it would undoubtedly be him.
“Not only impersonating the Demon King, but committing the impiety of calling yourself our ancestor…! You deserve to die a hundred times!!”
At Gor's furious shout, the soldiers dragged back to reality began to agree one by one, albeit belatedly.
Then, instead of answering those words with words, Yubin.
“Hmph.”
Smiled slightly.
And then.
──Fwoooosh!
As if no more words were needed, he wrapped his own body in the black flames he had kindled in his hand.
“…!”
Everyone flinched at that action akin to self-harm, but the flames didn't burn Bin's body in the slightest.
Bin, who started to flutter the 「Hellfire」 around him like a cloak.
“Come.”
Lightly beckoned with one hand.
Saying he would accept his challenge.
“Damn bastard…!”
At that provocation overflowing with composure, Gor, who completely lost his composure, kicked off the ground abruptly.
Kwaaang!
A shockwave followed.
Most people didn't realize what had happened in that instant.
Only a few could accurately, no, at least pretend to have realized.
With just a single strike of his extended fist, Bin shattered the sword wielded by the rushing Gor into pieces.
And not stopping there, he kindled black flames as if exploding them and blew Gor away.
But those flames were not ordinary 「Hellfire」.
It was the source, and the spark, of the 「Hellfire」 that was now like a symbol of all demons.
「Hellfire of Karma」.
It was no different to say that all 「Hellfire」 came from that 「Hellfire of Karma」.
Gor, who had been blown away, barely regained his posture before being swept up in the wall of 「Hellfire」, but he couldn't bring himself to move in that state.
‘Impossible…!’
Since he was also one of the few people who at least recognized this fact.
Frozen in place, he had no choice but to desperately deny the sight he had just seen right before his eyes.
“Is this the end?”
After all, if he admitted that that was 「Hellfire of Karma」, everything would be overturned.
Truly everything would be flipped.
The only one who could kindle 「Hellfire of Karma」 was the First Devil.
“It is a lamentable situation.”
That meant the story that Bin, currently in front of his eyes, was really the Primordial Demon King.
One qualified to become the Master of All Demons, no, one who rightfully should be.
And the fact that such an existence existed in the first place meant that the current Demon King, who called himself the King of Devils, was merely a pretender.
They themselves, who were encamped here following him, were just a rebel army following that pretender.
“Previous challengers knew honor much better and had spirit.”
In short, he himself would become nothing more than one of the traitors leading that rebel army.
Therefore.
“Bul…lshit…!”
Gor eventually chose the path of denial to the end.
Thinking that if he knelt now, everything he had committed to come this far would become meaningless.
“I don't know what kind of trick you used, but I alone will not be deceived…!”
He couldn't bring himself to admit it.
“──Ha.”
Seeing that last struggle, Bin smiled slightly once again.
Then, he beckoned with his fingertips this time too.
Saying come if you want to come.
Kwaaang──!
A huge shockwave burst out from the two people who clashed again like that.
As the wall of 「Hellfire」 flickered for a moment due to the strong wind that arose, the crowd watching the duel of the two people beyond it stirred.
The victory and defeat were already decided.
“Kuhuk…!”
Because the fist wrapped in 「Hellfire of Karma」 that Bin thrust out was stuck in the middle of Gor's chest.
However, that fist didn't pierce through the chest in the end.
“If it were like the past, I would have pulled out your heart just like this, but the current me has become much more generous.”
Despite the fact that, as he said, he could have dug in and reached the heart anytime if he had put his mind to it.
“However, if you don't know your place and attack again, there will be no next time.”
Instead, with a stern warning as the end, Bin soon withdrew his fist.
Before long, Gor, who coughed up blood, collapsed on the spot as if crumbling down.
1st Corps Commander Gor was clearly the strongest demon here.
Bin, who perfectly subdued such a Gor in just two exchanges, had proven the fact that he was undisputedly the strongest demon among the demons here.
Therefore, no one dared to step forward towards the flames anymore.
But just because of that, serving the existence in the middle of those flames as King right away was a different story.
Since the majority were those who still hadn't realized the fact that the flames in front of their eyes were 「Hellfire of Karma」.
Even if he possessed the qualifications of a Demon King── overwhelming strength, as long as the current Demon King, who hadn't appeared here yet, still existed, they couldn't rashly acknowledge the existence in front of their eyes as King.
“──Listen, everyone!!”
Since Bin knew this well too, he shouted loudly again as soon as he withdrew the flames.
“The pretender you followed── the current Demon King, has met his death!”
“──!”
Once again, the crowd stirred.
That Demon King who had never lost a single battle until now, who seemed like he could break even death?
Just that alone was already a fact not easily acceptable, but.
“I saw with my own eyes the master of the Underworld, the ‘God of Death’, appear and take his life personally!”
“……!”
The words that followed were even more unbelievable.
They might have rather acknowledged it if he said Bin killed him.
Anyway, didn't they see directly how he easily defeated one of the Seven Devils, a Corps Commander?
Perhaps they could have imagined the Demon King's ‘defeat’, which they had never even imagined until now.
But, a ‘God of Death’ out of nowhere?
There should be a limit to absurdity.
“And that damned Death guy is now trying to kill us all!”
Furthermore, not only the King alone, but he's going to kill all of us too?
Everyone looked like they wanted to shout that it was nonsense.
But since they witnessed the scene of him beating down Gor just a moment ago, no one dared to open their mouth rashly, and only a stir arose.
Then, when everyone was in confusion like that.
“──His Majesty's words are all true.”
From somewhere, a calm voice was heard.