Ch.171Demon God – 2

“How can a mere human… I… was destined to become the Demon Lord…”

“Your nonsense is getting old.”

Yeongwon beheaded him as she passed by. The headless body collapsed lifelessly. Blood gushed from the severed area, creating a red pool almost as large as the body itself.

She checked her surroundings. Corpses were everywhere. Among the demon folk who had invaded from this direction, there were no survivors. Normally, they would have slipped away after about half of them had been killed.

“How’s the situation on your end, Elysier?”

“I cannot say it’s good, even as a courtesy.”

A somber voice came from the necklace.

“I’ve always known that vermin coveted the Demon Lord’s position, but I never realized their greed was this immense. It’s beyond disregarding their own lives—they’re practically throwing themselves at death.”

“It’s the same here. Even the last one kept charging at me stubbornly. They seem completely deranged. Is everyone alright? Any injuries?”

“Have you forgotten who we are? Except for Rozaria, none of us would be injured by such lowly demons. Everyone is safe without even a scratch, so put your worries aside. What about you? Are you alright?”

“Have you forgotten who I am?”

“I know. I was merely asking.”

After briefly exchanging greetings with the other three, she removed the necklace. Everyone was holding up well, except for Rozaria, who had suddenly become humanity’s last hope.

Rozaria was pouting, wondering why such incidents only happened when she was playing the role of a saint.

“I’m back, Master.”

Nika landed with perfect timing. Her wings, which had been fluttering near her waist, folded, and her breasts—larger than her head—bounced dramatically from the impact of landing.

“How was it?”

“We’re fine. Our species has obedience to the Queen ingrained in our instincts, so as long as I obey you, Master, we won’t covet the Demon Lord’s position. But the other demon folk don’t seem to be doing well. I sent out scouts, and they reported that everyone is desperate to kill even one more human. They’re swarming from the edges of the demon realm.”

The result was enough to make her sigh. In some ways, this situation was far worse than when the undead had surged due to the Elder Lich. Unlike then, she now had to contribute her strength directly.

Above all, the fact that the Sword Saint was out of commission was a huge blow.

Since hearing the announcement of the Demon Lord’s death, he had shown no signs of frenzy and had simply been lying quietly, refusing to eat or drink. If the Sword Saint were here, things would be much easier.

In his place, Karna and the Royal Guard were running themselves ragged, but even all of the Royal Guard combined with Karna couldn’t match the Sword Saint alone.

‘This can’t continue.’

As time passes, we’ll only be at a greater disadvantage. I needed to find a way to overcome the current situation.

Meeting the owner of the voice that echoed in the demons’ minds—at least for now, that was the only option.

“Nika. Go back to your territory just in case. Try to eliminate some demons without provoking them too much. If you feel you can’t handle it, ask for help. I’ll come.”

“Yes. Be careful, Master.”

Nika, who had received energy up to her limit in case of emergency, disappeared while stroking the mark of submission on her lower abdomen. After confirming she was completely gone, I looked up at the empty air.

“I know you’re nearby, so come out quietly. I won’t ask twice.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a black silhouette rippled right in front of me. The rippling silhouette soon transformed into a human shape.

It was the form of the Evil God’s avatar—wearing a robe pulled up to the top of the head, face covered in unnatural shadows, and body shape indiscernible due to the loose robe.

“How did you know? I thought I was hiding really well.”

I didn’t know. Until she revealed herself, just like the first time she appeared, I had no idea she was there. I just threw it out there, thinking there was no way this one wouldn’t be watching me.

It wasn’t a completely baseless guess, but it wasn’t a certain one either.

“I figured you wouldn’t not be monitoring me after causing all this.”

“Hmm, I see. You know me too well. We really do have a lot in common, don’t we?”

“What exactly are you doing?”

“What?”

Ignoring the nonsense about us having things in common, I snapped at her. She still responded in that slick voice.

“You shouldn’t pretend not to know. Are you saying you don’t understand what I’m talking about? You, the Evil God?”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

A giggling laugh came from within the shadows covering her face.

“Since you asked what I’m doing, I’ll answer. I’m helping you make a decision. I’ve waited long enough, haven’t I? I did say the offer would be valid until either you or the Hero cut off my main body’s neck, but waiting indefinitely just isn’t my style. This has gone on for too long. I want to hear your answer now.”

“Helping me make a decision? By doing this?”

“Of course. After all, if you become the Demon Lord, all problems will be solved.”

Her arms spread wide on both sides.

“Wonder why all the demon folk have gone crazy? It’s to become the Demon Lord. Since the Demon Lord died, I said I’d bestow the demon sword on the strongest demon, as has always been the tradition. But the way to prove themselves isn’t by fighting each other—it’s by killing humans. With the Demon Lord’s position at stake, did you think this could end halfway? Not at all. This has become a fight that will only end when either humans or demons are dead.”

A demon sword appeared in her right hand. It looked exactly like the one Elysier had been carrying.

“You don’t like that, do you? You can’t let demons kill humans, but killing demons in return would cause too much damage in the meantime. You’re caught in a dilemma. But look, if you grasp this, you can become the new Demon Lord. Become the new Demon Lord and order all demons to stop invading the human world.”

The demon sword glowed red.

“Then it’s over. No one else needs to die, and you don’t need to kill any more demons. The two worlds will be peaceful again. What do you think? Isn’t it a good plan?”

“I told you I have no interest in the Demon Lord’s position. And you call this a good plan? Are you seriously asking?”

“Of course. It’s not like you have much choice anyway, right? With even the Goddess dead, what can you possibly do?”

The shadow-covered face seemed to be giggling. For a moment, my mind went blank. How does she know what happened in the celestial realm? Surely the divine power should have returned?

“That expression asks how I know. Fine. I don’t mind telling you. Because I like you. Think about it. I’m the Evil God and she’s the Goddess. How could we not know about each other?”

‘How could they not know about each other?’

How much of that statement could I trust?

If they truly couldn’t not know about each other, then she would have known that the Goddess was bloodied and bound in chains, and that what had been active outside was merely an avatar.

‘…Avatar?’

Suddenly, another possibility occurred to me. Didn’t the woman before me introduce herself as the Evil God’s avatar?

If so, the Evil God might be in a similar situation as the Goddess.

The reason the Goddess’s avatar was emotional was because it took on all emotions to allow the main body to make rational judgments. And this avatar before me also had far too much emotion for an Evil God.

‘It might not be such a far-fetched idea after all.’

“Here, your hand.”

Whether aware of my thoughts or not, she innocently extended her hand—the one not holding the demon sword. I stared at it, wondering what she meant. Reading the question in my expression, the avatar added an explanation.

“It means we’re becoming allies, so there’s no need for such a questioning look. I told you, I won’t do anything to you. You just need to grasp the demon sword, become the Demon Lord, and send the demons back. Then it’s over! After that, you’re free to do whatever you want. The other humans will never notice whether you’ve become the Demon Lord or not. Even the Hero. I guarantee it.”

“…”

“The longer you delay, the greater the sacrifice will be. It’s ultimately your loss, you know? Come on, take my hand. And become the new Demon Lord, and tada! Resolve the situation with just one word.”

I stared at the extended hand for a while, then reached out.

*Slash!*

The severed arm flew through the air. In my outstretched hand was Yeongwon, which had appeared there somehow.

The avatar, alternately looking at the arm rolling on the ground and the place where it had been cut off, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“What are you doing? This is too extreme for a joke. If I weren’t an avatar, I’d be writhing in pain on the ground right now.”

“What gives you such confidence? What made you think I would accept that offer?”

From the start, the claim that she would do nothing to me after I became the Demon Lord was unbelievable.

Whether she truly would do nothing, or if it was a blatant lie, or if she might change her mind along the way—it all depended entirely on her. How could I trust that?

“…Hmm. So that’s your answer. I understand.”

She withdrew her hand. A new arm grew where the old one had been cut off. The severed arm on the ground scattered like dust and disappeared.

“It’s okay. I thought you might respond this way. That’s what makes you the man I’ve got my eye on. I would have been terribly disappointed if you had accepted. Though I still would have given you the demon sword.”

A giggling laugh flowed from within the shadow covering her face. Offering the deal herself but saying she would have been disappointed if I’d accepted—she really couldn’t be trusted.

“Alright. I’ll back off this time too. But I’m the one who’s disappointed, so feel free to tell me if you change your mind. Though next time, you’ll have to come find me, not the other way around.”

Something dropped from her hand.

“To use that to find you?”

“See, this is why I like perceptive people. That’s right. I’ll be waiting in my domain. You’re always welcome, whether you’re coming to accept my offer or to kill my main body. If that’s even possible.”

“You’re quite confident.”

“Because I know you can’t do it?”

“The way you’re inviting me seems suspicious. Have you set some kind of trap?”

“Hehe, I don’t do such petty things. If you don’t believe me, why not come and see? You’ll find out right away.”

She turned around. As the silhouette was about to vanish, I casually threw out a question.

“If you wanted to persuade me, you should have at least shown the sincerity to come in person. Instead of making excuses about not wanting to destroy the surroundings. Or is your main body imprisoned somewhere?”

“…”

At those words, the gradually dispersing silhouette solidified again. Her head creaked as it turned to face me. From her mouth came a sound completely different from before, as if squeezed from the depths of an abyss.

“What… did you just say?”

With a hissing sound, the ground around us began to turn black.