Silcret's legs wobbled as if his joints had come loose.
'This doesn't make sense...'
The golden-haired child standing before him is not a demon.
Though he usually considered humans more worthless than insects in Devildom, for some reason, the moment he heard that guy's voice, his soul seemed to submit and all strength left his body.
Thud.
He wanted to resist, but his knees hit the ground before he knew it. A fear deeper than humiliation dominated his body.
"Ugh!"
Silcret raised his gaze with trembling lips. Blue wrath swirled within the young human's red eyes.
'Wrath...'
The king who rules the northern Devildom, and the Monarch of Wrath. It's Wrath's emotion.
An transcendent aura incomparable to mere demonic energy transmitted, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.
But the aura emanating from that human wasn't just wrath.
'Why are sloth and envy present too?'
Within the young human's soul, the auras of sloth and envy coexisted.
'This doesn't make sense...'
It's somewhat understandable since Wrath, the Monarch of Wrath, occasionally commits the eccentricity of lending a helping hand to humans.
But Sloth, the Monarch of Sloth, and Envy, the Monarch of Envy, are different.
Sloth is interested in nothing but sleeping, and Envy barely passes on her power because she views humans themselves as insignificant.
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out how that human obtained the qualities of three demon kings.
"Are you Silcret?"
As a dignified voice flowed from the young human's lips, Silcret felt a pressure as if his soul was tightly gripped in the other's hand.
"Y-Yes, I am."
Silcret quickly bowed his head as if he were truly facing a demon king.
'I can't resist...'
Even if it wasn't the monarch he served, it was impossible to defy a being possessing the auras of Wrath, Sloth, and Envy.
"Your affiliation?"
"I, I am..."
"No, there's no need to say. I can smell the stench of filthy money from here."
The young human continued, slightly furrowing his brow.
"Greed. You must be that scum's underling."
"Ugh..."
Silcret swallowed hard, his chin lowered.
'Just who the hell are you...'
Even the monarchs of Devildom maintain a certain level of courtesy among themselves.
To speak informally to Greed, even calling him scum, it really felt like he was facing Wrath, the Monarch of Wrath.
"W-Who are you?"
Unable to contain his curiosity, Silcret raised his eyes again.
"Do you think someone like you can handle it?"
As the young human gave a sardonic smile, Silcret felt a pain as if his heart would burst.
"Urk..."
At those words, Silcret tightly closed his mouth and lowered his head.
'I can't defy him.'
It doesn't matter who that young human is or how he obtained the emotions of demon kings.
As long as he can sense wrath, sloth, and envy from him, Silcret is as helpless as a mouse before a cat.
Silcret placed both hands on the ground and bent his waist in a posture of submission.
* * *
Raon curled up the corners of his mouth as he watched Silcret pressing his head, hands, and stomach to the floor.
'It's working well.'
It was his first time meeting a true demon, so he brought not only Wrath's wrath but also Sloth's sloth and Envy's envy. It seemed overkill, as Silcret was trembling like a puppy in the rain.
It seemed he could take it easier when meeting other demons.
-Hey, what are you!
Wrath jumped up from his shoulder, eyes wide open.
-Since when could you use those three auras simultaneously!
He gaped at the sight of not just wrath, but also freely handling sloth and envy.
Raon shook his head lightly while looking at his left chest where his heart was.
'It must be thanks to the Ring of Fire.'
Drawing out wrath, envy, and sloth all at once is certainly taxing.
His physical strength, mental power, and aura were draining like water from a bottomless pot, and he even felt severe pain in his abdomen.
However, the eight Rings of Fire resonated, alleviating all that pain. Even if he couldn't endure for long, he could hold out until he dealt with Silcret.
Though he had mastered numerous martial arts, it seemed the Ring of Fire was still the best.
-Urgh, then how did you know that guy was Greed's underling!
Wrath gritted his teeth, pointing at the completely subdued Silcret.
'It's obvious.'
Raon lightly waved his finger.
'Because the only demon kings you'd call distasteful scum are Greed and Pride.'
Wrath ignored all the other monarchs except Greed and Pride, and strangely, he somewhat feared Lust.
As soon as Silcret revealed his true form and showed his greed for this kingdom, it was immediately clear that he was Greed's underling.
-Anyway, your perception is disgustingly quick!
Wrath trembled his lips as if frustrated.
'Thanks.'
-That wasn't a compliment!
He shook his head, saying it was meant as anger.
"Umm..."
After a long silence, Silcret raised his questioning eyes.
However, his pale complexion remained unchanged, as if still terrified. It was a completely different face from when he killed Bauren, Piron, and Danief.
'Certainly...'
Raon twisted his lips as he looked at Silcret's wavering eyes.
'Those three deserve to die.'
Hoppen seemed to have thought about keeping King Bauren, Priest Piron, and Royal Guard Captain Danief alive to serve for life, but my thoughts were different.
I believed that killing those three for certain was the only way to comfort the souls massacred here.
I had remained still only because this land was the Suphren Kingdom, not Zieghart.
But he didn't want them to die being devoured by demons.
I hoped for King Bauren to confess his sins and meet his end at the hands of the betrayed citizens, so a fiery rage welled up inside me.
Raon gripped the Blade of Requiem in reverse and struck down on Silcret's right arm.
Shlunk!
The blade, burning with demonic energy and wrath, easily pierced through Silcret's demonic energy and tore his shoulder.
"Aaaaargh!"
Silcret screamed as he looked at his severed arm lying on the ground. Perhaps due to the wrath and demonic energy, his shoulder didn't regenerate and only sprayed black blood.
"Shut your mouth."
"Urk..."
Silcret bit his lip with white teeth, seemingly more consumed by fear than pain.
"What was your contract with Bauren?"
Raon flicked off the black bloodstains on the Blade of Requiem and tilted his head.
"I-I promised to give him transcendent power to protect this kingdom. I taught him a technique to convert holy power into demonic energy, allowing him to consume the holy power of all humans in this kingdom."
"That's not all, is it?"
"I-If Bauren dies or voluntarily gives up his demonic energy, I would take possession of their bodies and souls..."
Silcret, his chin trembling, revealed the contract he had made with Bauren. It became clear why Bauren, Piron, and Danief died as soon as he appeared.
"I-It was a fair contract! As per the agreement, I gave Bauren demonic energy surpassing transcendence..."
"Bullshit."
Raon looked down at Silcret with a sardonic smile.
"He may have gained demonic energy surpassing transcendence, but he can't actually defeat a Transcendent Warrior, nor can he protect the kingdom. It's a crude play on words."
As I told Bauren, strengthening only demonic energy and the body is meaningless.
If one's mind hasn't reached a higher realm, it only disrupts the balance of spirit, energy, and mind.
Bauren, who had been crying out to protect the Suphren Kingdom and avenge his son, had completely fallen for Silcret's trickery.
My chest ached as if scratched by sandpaper.
'Hey.'
-Hmm?
Wrath rolled his eyes with a disgruntled expression.
'You said demons wouldn't deceive. You called it a legitimate contract, so what is this?'
-T-That guy is Greed's underling, isn't he? They've always been known for their scams...
He trembled his hand, saying they were the kind of guys who'd cut your nose off right in front of you.
'Even the grandiose boasts of the Monarch of Wrath are nothing special.'
Raon snorted mockingly.
-Urgh...
Wrath hung his head, seemingly at a loss for words.
Sluuurp!
Raon thrust the Blade of Requiem into Silcret's chest, filled with irritation.
"Gah..."
Silcret fell backward, his whole body trembling as if in excruciating pain.
"P-Please, forgive me..."
"I told you to shut your mouth."
Raon twisted the Blade of Requiem with a chilling gaze.
"Aaaaargh!"
Silcret let out a tearing scream, and an eerie amount of blood gushed from his chest.
Woooong!
The Blade of Requiem, as if truly enraged, burned with intense demonic energy and absorbed as much of Silcret's demonic energy as possible.
"W-What on earth..."
Saintess Olga swallowed hard, her knees raised.
"That's a real demon, isn't it?"
Unlike the demon fallen to the Light Wind division, this demon called Silcret is real. (E/N: tbh, not sure why the other one is 'fake' and this one 'real')
She couldn't understand how a monster with demonic energy that would be hard to resist even in peak condition was helpless before Raon.
"I told you, didn't I? Just accept it as it is."
Rimmer shook his head as he slumped to the floor.
"You shouldn't think about him with common sense."
"That's right."
Burren nodded in agreement with Rimmer's words.
"Of course, I didn't know he could subdue a demon like that either..."
"It's not just subduing, it's more like a well-trained dog, isn't it?"
Martha snorted as she looked at Silcret.
"I bet if he asked for a paw, he'd give it."
Runaan also nodded in agreement.
"P-Please spare me..."
Silcret raised a trembling hand towards Raon, his eyes rolling.
"Do you think you have the right to say that?"
Just as Raon was about to drive the blade deeper with a sneer.
-Step back!
At Wrath's urgent cry, I unconsciously stepped back.
Woosh!
At that moment, a large mouth appeared above Silcret's head. It was a grotesque mouth with bright red teeth set in snow-white lips. (E/N: interesting colors indeed)
"N-No!"
As soon as Silcret saw the snow-white lips, he screamed and kicked the ground.
Sluuurp!
But the eerie mouth slowly closed as if it didn't matter how fast Silcret moved.
"Uh..."
Silcret, who had fled far into the air, was suddenly trapped between the red teeth.
"P-Plea..."
Before Silcret could cry out "please," the snow-white lips closed. From inside the mouth came sounds of flesh tearing and bones being crushed.
Grooooowl!
Behind the disappearing lips, which seemed to smile as if satisfied, a small figure resembling a child appeared.
The messy white hair reached down to the waist, and the eyes shone ominously like embedded red jewels.
Unlike Silcret, this being didn't emit even a tiny bit of demonic energy, yet its mere presence seemed to warp the world around it.
"Ah..."
"Guh..."
The people who were exhausted by Silcret's demonic energy had their breath cut short just by the presence of this monster. Not just the priests and holy knights, but even the saintess and the Light Wind division rolled their eyes back and slammed their heads to the ground.
Raon bit his lip as he watched the white-haired girl approach.
Even he, who was wielding the auras of three demon kings, felt like his breath was about to stop. If not for the Ring of Fire, he might have collapsed like the others.
'To meet again like this...'
There was only one kind of being with such a presence.
'A demon king.' (E/N: wrath appear = dragon lord rush in 2 minutes later. Any other demon king appear = dragon lord sleeping. Demon literally destroy a kingdom followed by dragon king = dragon lord currently out of office)
It was clearly a monarch of Devildom, like Wrath.
But it wasn't Greed, Silcret's master. The white hair, jade-like skin, small stature, and vivid red eyes. That appearance reminded him of one of the demon kings Wrath had mentioned.
'Gluttony.'
-Yes. It's Gluttony.
Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked at Gluttony.
'Why did that guy come here?'
-As I said at first, this space has temporarily become an environment similar to Devildom. It might feel like a buffet to that guy.
As if to confirm those words, Gluttony licked her lips slightly. It seemed she was somewhat satisfied with Silcret's taste.
-Hand over your body to me.
Wrath wiggled his finger as if urging quick action.
-That freak's appetite is endless. If you don't decide quickly, you'll all be eaten!
He subtly smiled, saying that handing over the body was the only way.
'Stay out of it.'
Using the Descent of the Demon King would cause great damage to either body or mind. It couldn't be used unless the situation was truly critical.
But as Wrath said, Gluttony started looking around as if searching for her next meal.
'How should I deal with that glutton... Ah!'
Raon frowned, then clapped his hands lightly.
He had thought it was a shame Silcret died, but that wasn't the case. It was an opportunity to create a debt with the Monarch of Gluttony.
"S-Step back!"
Just as he quickly formed a plan and was about to move, Rimmer grabbed the back of his neck from behind and pulled him back.
"That's not something we can defeat! We need to leave this place immediately!"
Rimmer stood before the demon king on trembling legs, biting his lip.
Just from standing in opposition, he seemed to have reached his limit as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Vice Leader?"
Raon widened his eyes as he looked at Rimmer's wavering back.
'What's this?'
Even though Rimmer was a Grandmaster, he was in a state of extreme physical and mental exhaustion.
It didn't make sense that he could face a demon king without any preparation and still stand his ground without collapsing.
-Hmm?
Even Wrath seemed surprised, his eyes wide open.
-How is that pointy ear...
"I can't hold out for long."
Rimmer raised his sword, telling Raon to use the wind to take the Light Wind division away. Willpower pushed to its limits. Raon never expected to see him like this.
"Raon. Even if it's just one of the kids... Ah."
Raon silently approached Rimmer from behind and struck his neck. He collapsed immediately, apparently not imagining he would be attacked from behind.
"That looks tasty."
Gluttony licked her lips as he looked at Rimmer. The space warped, and the snow-white lips that had devoured Silcret appeared.
"Scum."
Raon threw Rimmer behind him and lowered his eyebrows.
"Touching my prey, shall I rip out that tongue of yours to bring you to your senses?"
As he drew up all the power of the Ring of Fire and the wrath he currently possessed, the white mouth that had been rising before Gluttony stopped mid-opening.
"Wrath?"
Gluttony narrowed her eyes and placed a finger on her lips.
'...'
Raon didn't answer, just glared at Gluttony with fierce eyes.
'You said he...or rather, she... was like a rabbit.' (E/N: I think gender might not really matter to demon kings, and possibly demons in general, but I dunno. A line above clearly refer to Gluttony as currently looking like a girl, so I will use female pronoun)
Wrath had said Gluttony was like a simple rabbit only interested in eating. As he said, Gluttony did seem to have a certain dullness about her.
-Y-You crazy bastard!
Wrath screamed as if dumbfounded.
-First you claimed to be my priest, my vessel, and now you're outright impersonating me!
He grabbed Raon's collar, asking if he had really gone mad.
-And why is that idiot falling for it! I'm not this ugly, am I! The aura itself is different!
Wrath waved his hands at Gluttony, begging her to understand.
"You... you're not Wrath."
Gluttony shook her head as if certain.
Woooong!
The white lips floating above her head opened, revealing red teeth.
"Why do you think I'm not?"
Raon asked, forcibly suppressing his pounding heart.
"Your hair color is different, your eyes are different. And... you're weak."
Gluttony muttered that he wasn't Wrath, saying the appearance and aura were different.
-Puhehehehe!
Wrath held his stomach, pointing at Raon.
-Gluttony may be simple, but she's not as stupid as Sloth! Of course she wouldn't be fooled!
"Umm..."
Raon frowned. He had tried acting based on Silcret's reaction, but it seems it was too early to impersonate Wrath with his current level of wrath.
-Now you have no choice!
Wrath chuckled, raising his chin.
-If you get eaten by that mouth, even I won't be able to save you, so quickly hand over your body to me!
'...'
Raon didn't answer, slightly lowering his eyes.
-No, if you just hand over your body, I might go berserk and kill the kids too. Summon me with that Sword Domain!
Even in this situation, he seemed to worry about the Light Wind division, urging Raon to use the Sword Domain Descent of the Demon King. He truly was a unique demon king.
It seemed that, as he said, there was no other option now but the Descent of the Demon King.
However, using the Descent would cause severe damage, so Raon didn't want to use it.
'Appearance, appearance...'
That might work.
Raon calmly opened his eyes without panicking.
Grooooowl!
The white lips summoned by Gluttony had already approached right before his eyes.
"You look tasty."
"You're being a nuisance."
Just as Gluttony was about to close the mouth, Raon thrust the Blade of Requiem into the center of his own chest.
Shlunk!
With the pain of the blade digging into his skin, blood gushed out, staining his uniform red.
"Huh?"
Perhaps because the human she thought was prey suddenly tried to commit suicide, Gluttony's mouth stopped.
Raon muttered softly as he looked at Gluttony.
Sword Domain Descent of the Demon King.
-Finally!
Wrath licked his lips with anticipation.
-Well thought! I'll take care of everything.
'Urgh...'
Ignoring Wrath's words, Raon drew a sword formation with the flowing blood.
As Wrath, who had been floating in the air, was sucked into Raon's soul, his body rapidly transformed.
Blue hair fluttered, and flawless white skin emerged. Over Raon's transforming body and soul, a noble aura that overwhelmed Gluttony appeared.
"Ah..."
Gluttony's jaw trembled as she saw the flowing blue hair and the frost wings rising behind it.
"...Wrath?"
"Scum."
The blue-haired demon king who descended to the mortal realm frowned as he looked at Gluttony.
"To think I'd have to go this far."
"I, I..."
Gluttony stepped back, her lips trembling.
"As I said at first, I'll have to rip out that tongue of yours."
As the noble demon king exuded a chilling aura, the cry of the real demon king echoed from within him.
-W-What! Why did only my body go over there!
Wrath trembled his lips, unable to move from within his own body.
-How did this happen!
'How? You only handed over your body.'
Raon, wrapped in the skin of the blue demon king, smirked.
-But how!
'The Descent of the Demon King is a forced summoning technique that accepts you at the moment when the connection between my body and soul is about to be severed. And the essential part is...'
Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand.
'I need to be close to death. Right now, my soul and body are only slightly separated. So I only borrowed your aura and appearance, while the control of the body is still mine.'
-Ah...
Wrath trembled his pale lips as if he finally understood.
Of course, I only have control over the body and can't use Wrath's power.
All I could do was display his aura. In other words, it was mere bluffing.
However, that bluff had become the most powerful weapon at this moment.
"Not content with snatching my prey, you even tried to eat me..."
Raon wiggled his finger as he looked at the trembling Gluttony.
"How should I make you pay for this?"
"Umm..."
Gluttony rolled her eyes downward as if regretting her actions now.
-N-No!
Wrath screamed as he looked at Gluttony.
-This guy's a fake! I'm right here! Ah, come on! (E/N: first you pretend to be my priest, then my vessel, then me, then you simply snatch my body and be a better actor...Is there any reason to continue leaving...? Wait, ice cream?)