episode_0011

The appearance of the Demon King is not set.

He could be a child, an old man, or a monster tens of meters tall and hundreds of tons in weight. It is also possible to cross gender and race lines.

It’s not changing. That’s really what happens.

For him who has transcended the limitations of his body, his outer appearance is nothing more than a shell to make himself visible to others. This is something that ordinary creatures who live their entire lives confined to their bodies cannot even imagine.

The shell I chose this time seems to be a handsome guy with a cute personality.

Jeopuk-.

The sound of heavy and majestic footsteps fills Tartarus. A tense silence fell between us.

As I have the title of Joker, I really hate this suffocating atmosphere. You only live once; you have to live it with a smile.

“Ahaha.”

I burst out laughing lightly in an atmosphere where it seemed like not a single breath could escape.

The pupil of the Celt who was watching dilated like crazy, but what was important to me was the Demon King’s reaction. He just looked down at me solemnly with his burning red eyes even in the darkness.

“Hahahahaha!”

So, even though I intentionally burst out laughing louder, the Demon King didn’t say anything. Celt’s face turned pale.

Suddenly, I was curious about what kind of face the sainted woman was making, so I turned my head and saw…

“… Am I the only one smiling?”

The saintess had a hard face that was not like her. It didn’t seem like he was scared or anything.

“Ha, everyone has no sense of humor! Would you live in this harsh world, Won!”

“Still the same, Joker.”

The Demon King, who had kept his mouth shut the whole time, spoke for the first time. The atmosphere became even more frozen like ice.

The arsenic did not leave my mouth.

“What, are you hoping for me to change?”

“Aren’t you afraid? There are less than 48 hours left to live.”

“There are 48 hours left? Wow, the rope is getting dirty once again.”

“… .”

As I was chained and lying on the stone floor, I had no choice but to look up at the devil. I pursed my lips as I stared into the red eyes of the Demon King’s sunglasses.

“Do you think we were friends though? Before I die, I come to visit everyone.”

“The lack of manners is still the same.”

“Are you telling me to be polite to the death row inmate who is about to die?”

“Aren’t death row inmates demons? Demon World Statute Chapter 3, All demons must be courteous to the demon king.”

I usually take good care of him, but why is this devil bastard acting so stubborn?

Of course, I have no intention of following along. Do I have any good feelings towards the devil who betrayed me and threw me off?

“Oh my! Demon King! You must have been disappointed because I didn’t use polite language until now!”

The Demon King’s expression turns gloomy. Celts are almost on the verge of exhaustion.

The more they do this, the more I intensify my teasing. I’m bored, so let’s touch the devil’s heart.

“I always respect you! Demon King! So please get out of my sight now! How happy are we!”

“… .”

“Can’t you see our precious Celtic jailer is shaking! Chief Hades is probably crawling by now upon hearing that the Demon King has walked! Please show your great mercy and consider their well-being!”

Celt’s face becomes contemplative, like an undead who has just come back to life. Feeling like someone would die from a heart attack if it continued any longer, I grinned and sarcastically spat it out.

“Is this what you wanted?”

The Demon King thought hard and sighed. At first glance, it seemed like he was shaking his head.

“Begging for your life isn’t enough, so you’re just playing around until the end.”

“If you pray, will you save my life?”

“… Even if I save you, you are not a demon who will kneel down.”

“Kick, you are my friend after all. You know me better than anyone else.”

“That arrogant playfulness is what trapped you. Joker.”

The Demon King’s expression, which had always been tense, softened. When he came to the front of the iron bars, he took a step without hesitation.

The iron bars made of adamantium could not stop the Demon King. The devil did not break or bend the iron bars.

Slurp-.

“Kya. I guess selective control is now possible?”

Surprisingly, the moment the Demon King’s body touched the adamantium, it turned into a spirit body and passed through easily. It is adamantium that even ghosts, souls, and spirits cannot pass through, and it was proof that the Demon King not only transcended the body but also the limitations of space.

Jeopuk-.

With sword-like steps, the Demon King came right in front of me. Then he folded his long knees like sticks.

His face, which was about 2 meters above me, came down to near me. Dark black sunglasses stare at me. The Demon King squatting in front of me opens his mouth in a different tone than before.

“Joker. No, my old friend.”

It’s a voice I know, having seen him for a long time. It was a voice only made in private settings.

“Why, Kanos.”

I, too, responded by calling him by his name. In fact, the fact that I call him ‘the devil’ is itself a form of courtesy. They say no one can understand me.

“I am no longer just a monarch of the demon world.”

“Really? Then what is it?”

“The only emperor of the entire continent and the emperor of a new era. He is the master of seven countries and the ruler of the Su tribe.”

“You really are a great person.”

“Drank? He is no longer on me. If he is the god of demons, then I am the god of gods. No matter what god comes, they must bow before me, and no matter what hero, anyone who is not under my command will not be hanged.”

“So what is the gist of what you want to say? If I keep pausing, I might get so bored that I’ll fall asleep?”

The Demon King hardened his expression again and spoke in the same voice as before.

… If that’s the case, why did you change it? Just trying to set the mood?

“It means that I can no longer play along with your clowning.”

“When was the last time we got together? You lived as you did, and I lived as I did, each for our own purposes. We just rode together on a ship called the Demon King.”

“I must now reign with absolute dignity. A being whose name no one dares mention, and whom everyone reveres with fear and worships with faith. That’s me from now on.”

“Although the demon world itself was a dictatorship. Are you planning to carry this out on the continent? Well, nothing is impossible.”

Ah, I feel bad after hearing this.

What I’m after is chaos. It is full of madness and chaos, complete chaos where traditions and rules are shattered in front of it. That is my lifelong ideal.

However, look at the results I have achieved through terrorism, war, plots, schemes, etc.

The Demon King is trying to create his own continent. A continent where those who rebel will be ruled by death, and who will become stricter and more like a sword.

It’s almost the complete opposite of my ideal.

“Ha.”

“You are so cocky. No matter how much you are a second-class contributor to victory in war, you must not challenge the majesty of the Demon King.”

“That’s why you abandoned me.”

“Thank you for your hard work so far. Since you’ve been branded a rebel, we can’t restore your honor, but considering your merits, you can at least give yourself a grave.”

“This is absurd. How could you do this to me?”

I, the demon king I knew, was not this type of demon.

It was a romantic evil that only pursued pure evil and only fought against the strong.

That’s why we held hands. So I boarded the same boat.

“We are no longer children. joker. Childhood play is over.”

“Who told me that the world is just a playground?”

“Our grown bodies are not suitable for the playground. See the bigger world.”

“Kick, you’re the one who can’t see the world, the devil. Because I was so crazy about the greed for power and superiority that I lost my original intention. Your world has not become wider, but narrower.”

“Speak freely. Because that doesn’t change reality.”

Since when was the Demon King a demon who talks about reality like that?

He was a demon who looked up at the sky of the demon world filled with dark red clouds and looked forward to one day going to the continent and competing against those who were said to be the strongest warriors.

The fact is that before you know it, you have become corrupted instead of corrupted, and have become a boring and typical demon.

For me, it’s so sad. I feel annoyed and betrayed. Even more than when the devil sentenced me to death.

“You’ve changed.”

“I am normal. You are a special species.”

“Okay, go. Don’t come when I’m beheaded. Because I don’t want to see your unlucky face anymore.”

“… .”

The Demon King stood up, bending his knees. The tall, slender body stood erect.

When he took a step back, I spoke softly.

“You called me arrogant.”

“… .”

“Demon King, you are ugly. After all, wouldn’t arrogance be better than ugliness?”

Stand tall.

The Demon King, who was about to leave the cage, stopped. Celt was about to sigh in relief at the thought that it was finally over, but tension appeared again on his face.

“Ugly? Me?”

“Yes, if there is a mirror, I want to show it to you.”

“Bullshit. How can I be ugly when I have accomplished such a great task that no one has ever accomplished?”

“Demon Lord The appearance you are taking seems in my eyes to be nothing more than a struggle to hide its ugliness. I wanted to look dignified somehow, so I dressed up in a black coat… Tsk.”

Papdeuk-.

For the first time since coming here, the Demon King shows signs of anger. An unusual joint sound came from his tightly clenched fist.

“I am God. He is the god of gods and the god of gods. I will soon be the one that all the denominations in the world praise, and my words will soon become the absolute truth.”

“God? Maybe so. But, you are no longer evil. How can chasing money, fame, and power be evil? That’s a common desire for all living things, right?”

“Do not define great and solemn evil in your own way.”

“No, don’t try to reduce evil to your level. Because you are now just an ordinary power-hungry greedy person. From the moment you started wanting power, you locked yourself away.”

As if he had nothing to say, the Demon King closed his mouth. He closed his eyes and agonized for a moment, then opened his mouth as if asking a question.

“Then what about it?”

“What?”

“Whether it is evil or not, or something else, it does not change the fact that I have accomplished the great feat of unifying the continent. It is a clear fact that we have achieved a feat that deserves to be known throughout the universe, spread widely, and celebrated for a long time. That’s enough for me.”

After spitting out those words, the Demon King took a step back, as if putting an end to the conversation. The Demon King arbitrarily blocked the rest of the conversation and moved on.

You are truly a self-centered demon who draws your own conclusions. Did that become even more so when you started pursuing power?

“… A great achievement?”

At that moment, the saint who had remained silent until now joined the conversation that had ended.

“United the divided continent and brought all the powerful to their knees. Since we have achieved an achievement that will never be repeated in the history of the world, how can it not be great?”

The Demon King responded as if it was natural, using a tone he did not use towards me.

With a single vein appearing on her forehead, the saint refuted his words. He reacted as if he had heard something nonsense.

“May I tell you the story of a man I know.”

“I’m curious because it’s the story of a saint who is said to be the wisest on the continent. It will be acceptable.”

“It is said that a man lived on the western outskirts of a now-vanished empire.”

What are you trying to say, not to anyone else but to the Demon King? Unlike when he was a hero, if he gets angry properly, he won’t be able to resist even for a second.

“The man was very selfish. I was also arrogant and greedy.”

“Is that so.”

“One day, the man killed all his neighbors for absurd reasons. They plundered livestock and property, and did not hesitate to do dirty things.”

“… .”

“What was even more absurd was that they went around bragging about it. It is said that he was proud of his murder, plunder, and rape, and went around spreading his shameful acts to the world as a great achievement.”

“… .”

Like a horse with a gag in its mouth, the Demon King was completely speechless.

The saintess concluded as if driving a wedge.

It was a completely different conclusion from the Demon King’s conclusion. It was a difference in perspectives, opinions, and perspectives.

“Would the Demon King call this man great?”

“Umm… .”

“After winning the war, he was unable to truly subjugate and unite all people. He used someone else’s crisis as an opportunity to attack, and He did not turn the continent into a land of abundance. Who on this continent would truly respect you?”

“It is… ,”

“What on earth are you so proud of? Are you proud to have everyone at your feet and feel superior? Is bullying someone weaker than you a great achievement? Do you feel pride in making the innocent weak suffer and listening to their voices of resentment? If so, if you really think so, please say it out loud.”

“… .”

Like a dumb fool, the Demon King was unable to refute anything.

I’m getting confused now. Is that logical saint really a fool?

As if all his shameful details had been revealed, the Demon King lowered his head helplessly.

I was told that it was not evil, and to a saint, I was told that it was not something great. It’s not worth it. Your beliefs were denied right in front of your eyes, so there would be nothing to refute.

“You are right, saint. Every word is correct.”

Eventually, the Demon King raised his head. There was a hollow smile on his lips as he drew an arc.

Indescribable emptiness seeped out of his voice.

“People who speak the right words are not needed on my continent, so the reason to kill them has become more solid.”

“Kick, no matter what you say, the ending was decided.”

“Take care of the remaining two days, both of you. There really isn’t much left now.”

After leaving his words to the end, the Demon King walked out of Tartarus with a leisurely step.

Celt, whose legs were weakened, flopped down and sat down on the stone floor.