The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 29: The Demon King of Greed (5)

The closer we got to the center, the more the trees disappeared, opening up our field of vision. A vast island was situated in an area that spread out like a grassland.

“Walking like this reminds me of when I went to defeat the previous Demon King of Lust.”

I reminisced as Quel and I headed toward the castle. Quel, while slashing an incoming demon, nodded.

“Yes, but back then there were others with us as well.”

Indeed, unlike that time, it’s just Quel and me now. Once this situation is over, I’ll be able to summon another Legion Commander, but there’s still a long way to go.

“Excuse my boldness, but I prefer being alone with you, my lord.”

Quel’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

…Come to think of it, back then not just me but all of my subjects mobilized, and ‘Asmodeus’ died without being able to use any of his power.

“The exploits of that day are still passed down in the ‘Tale of Great Demons.’ I particularly like the phrase ‘When the Demon King stomped the ground, the earth shook; when the Demon King swung his fist, the sky trembled.'”

‘Tale of Great Demons,’ huh… I am technically human, after all.

It was then that I heard an unpleasant voice.

“It looks like it was a mistake to let them handle it themselves. Or perhaps, it might have been possible if you weren’t here.”

When I shifted my gaze, a demon who looked like a Count was babbling at me.

“But I won’t let you go any further. This is Lord Beelzebub’s territory, and I will expel the intruders immediately.”

Around 30 demons, led by the Count, and including Viscounts and Barons, were a mixed bunch.

To human eyes, it might look like a crimson tide, but to me, they were just insignificant rats.

Quel frowned slightly.

“…They don’t know their place. Your Majesty, let me take care of this.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

I went ahead of Quel.

Then I spoke softly.

“Quel, did you say you liked that particular phrase the most?”

“…Yes?”

Quel looked puzzled.

I gripped my sword softly and approached the demons.

“From now on, you’re going to have a new favorite phrase.”

The demons hesitated as they felt the surging Magi.

“Witness it with your eyes and spread it to others in the future.”

I calmly lowered my stance while facing them.

“If I were to express it in a sentence, this would be it.”

Swoosh-!

A massive surge of Magi wrapped around my sword. The once-white blade turned black and roared like a wild beast.

I gripped the blade with both hands, showing my white teeth.

“When I swing my sword, heaven and earth are torn apart.”

Whoosh-!

An incredibly clear black line surged toward the demons.

Based on that, ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’ were separated.

Naturally, the upper and lower bodies of the demons were split, as if heaven and hell had neatly divided.

Of course, those who obstructed my path fell to hell.

“…….”

Numerous demons were crushed under the blade of the Demon King.

A quiet desolation softly descended upon that gruesome hell.

“So, how about it, Quel?”

I relaxed my stance and turned around.

Even her, whose facial expressions rarely change, had her mouth wide open this time.

“Has your favorite phrase changed?”

Quel nodded quietly.

But clearly, she nodded.

***

“So, I can’t see the people who came with me us, huh….”

“That’s what it seems…”

Kim Jin-woo and Park Sang-cheol had luckily landed close to each other and quickly regrouped, but they couldn’t find the other Korean hunters.

The only people with them were two men and one woman, all S-rank hunters.

The Australian woman asked them, “So what do you think those guys in robes were all about? Attacking us even though we’re on the same side.”

“Exactly. During such an important operation, there shouldn’t be anyone killing each other over loot,” responded the Indian man.

They had just been ambushed by people in robes. Luckily, their attackers were not very strong. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that their own strength was superior.

This time, the British man spoke, “Thanks to Mr. Park Sang-cheol, we got through it without any major problems. It would have been a big issue if we had encountered them separately.”

“When did you get so strong? You weren’t like this when I last saw you.”

Kim Jin-woo looked at Park Sang-cheol, as if puzzled.

Park Sang-cheol, an S-rank hunter, had been known as Korea’s best hunter before Lee Seo-jun appeared. However, his performance in the recent battle was such that he could have easily been called SS-rank.

In response to the question, Park Sang-cheol answered simply,

“Well, there hasn’t been a need to go all out. Though, I’m still nowhere close to Lee Seo-jun.”

“Lee Seo-jun? The handsome SS-rank hunter? Is he also participating?”

Upon the woman’s excited reaction, Park Sang-cheol nodded his head.

“Yes, he’s probably somewhere around here by now.”

“Wow! I became a huge fan after that S-rank gate incident! I really want to meet him!”

“To do that, surviving comes first.”

“…Oh, right.”

The woman regained her focus upon seeing the exotic scenery. At that moment, the British man revisited the previous topic.

“But about the people who ambushed us, didn’t it feel like we were fighting demon?”

“Yes, I felt the same. It’s widely known that demon uses a different kind of power than humans, so it felt strange.”

The Indian man agreed with that guess.

As the silence lingered, Kim Jin-woo turned to look at Park Sang-cheol.

“But doesn’t Lee Seo-jun also seem to use a different kind of power than us? It feels different even from regular demon…”

“… Lee Seo-jun?”

“Definitely. The power I saw during the live broadcast felt different.”

“I felt the same.”

The other people responded to the question, while Park Sang-cheol walked in silence.

Not long after, Park Sang-cheol finally opened his mouth.

“Guild Master Kim Jin-woo.”

“…Yes?”

Taken aback by the sudden call, Kim Jin-woo flinched.

Park Sang-cheol stopped, and the others naturally halted their steps as well.

“Many people may think you’ve had an easy path, but I know you’ve overcome various hardships. You’re probably wiser than most older people.”

“…”

“But as someone who’s walked that path before, let me advise you.”

Park Sang-cheol’s serious gaze met Kim Jin-woo’s eyes.

“Don’t dig too deep into it. That goes for all of you.”

In the heavy silence that followed, everyone remained quiet.

Park Sang-cheol then looked at Kim Jin-woo again.

“Sometimes it’s better not to know.”

Naturally, Park Sang-cheol was ‘somewhat’ aware that the entity known as Lee Seo-jun was different from them.

A distant, incomparable power, and an indescribable aura.

But he refrained from probing too deeply, fearing he might offend Lee Seo-jun.

“Recently, I’ve been having nightmares. Nightmares where that ‘person’ becomes an enemy of humanity.”

“…”

“The nightmares have intensified after the press conference. I wanted to kill your sister right then and there for touching something that shouldn’t be touched.”

Both Park Sang-cheol and Kim Jin-woo recalled that moment.

A breathtaking aura that seemed to crush space itself.

“And I’m certain.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“If Lee Seo-jun becomes an enemy of mankind—”

Kim Jin-woo looked intently at Park Sang-cheol as he continued to speak.

The fear etched on Park Sang-cheol’s face.

“We humans would be annihilated.”

It was an indisputable fact. His might was immeasurable.

Park Sang-cheol let out a deep sigh.

“The fortunate thing is that he does not yet see mankind as an enemy. No, rather, it seems like he’s making an effort to get along with us.”

“…Yes.”

“He is still clearly human. He has a mixture of gentleness and rationality, and like any human, he moves based on gain.”

Park Sang-cheol, as if warning, pointed his index finger.

“So be cautious. We humans must be a benefit to him. But if someone betrays that—”

The look Park Sang-cheol gave Kim Jin-woo carried a subtle hint of threat.

“I might just kill that someone. So please, be careful.”

Kim Jin-woo saw the other side of humanity in him. He repressed his chills as he replied,

“…Don’t worry. I have no such intentions. Rather, as a businessman, I want to maintain this mutually beneficial relationship with Mr. Lee Seo-jun. My sister feels the same.”

“That’s truly fortunate.”

Park Sang-cheol straightened his back and politely smiled.

He then looked away without saying a word.

“I will be cautious!”

“…I’ll keep it in mind.”

“I have no such intentions either.”

They all replied as if they were slightly pricked. Everyone could instinctively feel that there was nothing to gain from getting on his bad side.

Park Sang-cheol responded with a warm smile.

“Then let’s focus on surviving here for now. Dying here would render all these concerns meaningless.”

Park Sang-cheol walked towards the center, and they quietly followed.

Kim Jin-woo regarded Park Sang-cheol.

The same dependable and gentle appearance. However, an inevitable darkness also existed within him.

Until now, it had never surfaced, but a single entity had exposed it.

Lee Seo-jun, he was such an entity.

Koo-goo-goo-goo—-

The next moment, an ominous vibration cascaded down, and the black wall surrounding the central area began to disappear.

And when the curtain was completely gone,

“….!!!”

A tumultuous and majestic energy wrapped around them.

Cold sweat ran down their bodies, and the muscles in their faces tensed.

“What is this…?”

They instinctively sensed the savage energy.

Ahead lies a boundary that mankind should never cross.

“…”

And in the middle of what lay beyond,

A surging momentum of death.

It was clearly the energy of someone called ‘Beelzebub’.

“What happens if something like that falls on Korea?”

The answer was simple.

“Annihilation… not just Korea, but the survival of humanity would be at risk.”

The society they had barely reconstructed would collapse.

They were sure that this was not something they could confront.

While they stood there, frozen like statues,

Whoosh!!

Something enormous rapidly closed the distance.

Kim Jin-woo instinctively activated his ability.

‘Relative Perception.’

In a world that had slowed down, only a colossal iron mallet moved at its normal pace. It was coming up from below, ready to crush them. Kim Jin-woo saw people at the edge of his right vision—Park Sang-cheol with wide-open eyes and a paralyzed Indian hunter. If left as is, they would surely be struck by the iron mallet.

“I can’t save everyone.”

The decision of who to save was already made.

Thunk!

Instinctively kicking Park Sang-cheol to the side, Kim Jin-woo himself leapt sideways.

Whoosh!

The world returned to its original pace, and a massive gust of wind poured between them. Simultaneously,

Pop!

A creepy sound, like a balloon bursting, echoed. Kim Jin-woo quickly got up and looked around.

Green grass was strewn with ownerless clothes. The only proof that the Indian man had been there was the vivid red blood.

“Damn it.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned, and so did the others. But someone’s death was an expected outcome, so they quickly gathered to focus on the attacker.

Roar!

A tremendous roar that shook the ground.

“Is that a Behemoth?”

“But it’s quite different…”

While the creature looked like a Behemoth, its size was double and it walked on two legs instead of four. It was essentially an S-class boss-level Behemoth.

“Let’s go!”

The Behemoth charged without giving them a chance to think. Park Sang-cheol swung his greatsword, striking the descending iron mallet.

Clang!

An intense splitting sound radiated in all directions. If it were an ordinary Behemoth, it could’ve been pushed back.

“Ugh…!”

Park Sang-cheol’s feet were lifted off the ground as he was pushed back. Fortunately, his innate physical abilities prevented him from losing balance.

“Are you okay?” Kim Jin-woo asked.

“Yeah, for now.”

“It seems the real demons are coming out now.”

“We can manage one, at least with the four of us. It would’ve been better with five, but…”

It was true. With an Australian woman who had healing abilities and a British man with buff abilities, they could take down this monster.

However, that was only if there was just one.

Roar!

The roar was loud enough to scatter the grass in the meadow. As they gazed at it, their faces grew pale, and the tips of their swords touched the ground in despair.

“Ah…”

Two more mutant Behemoths appeared, blocking their path.

There was more than just despair.

—–!!

An unpleasant sound came from the side. They looked over to see countless demons approaching, a red wave ready to engulf them. In the face of this overwhelming disaster, they could only wait silently for the impending doom.

“Get out of the way!”

However, the demons ignored them as if they were irrelevant. They brushed past, barely scratching them.

“……?”

They watched the calamity pass by in confusion. For some reason, they were not in those sharp eyes.

“He’s coming!”

“He’s stronger than we heard!”

Pure terror pervaded the area. Even the demon species, which knew no fear, were fleeing from ‘something’.

Splat—!!

Blood spurted into the air, severed bodies flew irregularly, and agonizing screams followed. Someone was mercilessly slaughtering the demons as they approached.

The terrifying trajectories stopped as they reached them.

“…So, you both managed to survive.”

With black hair soaked in fresh blood and calm eyes, there was only one person on Earth who could blend brutal and noble attributes so naturally.

“…Lee Seo-jun?”

“Stay here for a while.”

They were rather surprised by the lowered posture of Lee Seo-jun.

“I’ll go kill those guys and come back.”

Because in this catastrophe, he was smiling.

(To be continued in the next episode)