Ch.25First Strike (2)

The entire demon realm was focused on the next heir to the throne. Several nobles already had their preferred candidates in mind. Most notably, Serphin Del Istria—the Grand Duke’s daughter and the talent Durin was paying the most attention to. The regent, who had been ready to charge her with treason, suddenly changed his attitude and began taking care of the young demon.

Many were puzzled by this shift but dared not openly question it. As a powerful demon, he had set the direction for the castle, and others simply followed. With the Grand Sorcerer Ludmila and Chief Justice Mateus by his side, no one dared to doubt him.

But there are always those who remain steadfast in their principles.

THUD- THUD- THUD-

Powerful footsteps echoed through the corridor. Nobles who had just finished their meeting shrank back, hurrying to avoid the intimidating presence. The massive armored figure repeatedly struck the marble floor, sending an ominous aura spreading toward the great hall.

“Quickly, get out of the way. This looks like trouble.”

“Indeed. When that monster is this angry, none of us will be safe.”

Even high-ranking demons fled in haste.

At the far end of the corridor, marching directly toward the great hall, was the Captain of the Royal Guard. After the king’s disappearance, they had lost their duties of pursuing the hero and conducting warfare to Durin.

“Still, I endured, thinking it was my duty to protect.”

As the most senior Durahani in the castle and the strongest undead warrior, he had his pride. It was the only driving force that could overcome his guilt for failing in his duties.

“But this is unacceptable, Your Excellency. How has the demon realm we knew come to this? There is no longer any desire for strength.”

He stood proudly before Durin. Tension began to fill the air. Even Verdia, who was standing guard, unconsciously tightened his grip on his sword.

“Have you already become a politician? Like those shabby old men in the Senate over there.”

“This is disrespectful. You must not behave this way before the Regent.”

“No! I have not come to be disrespectful, but to correct what is wrong. This is my honest counsel and loyal advice!”

Even Spranches was powerless, overwhelmed by the presence of the highest Durahani. All those surrounding the regent stepped back. In the suffocating atmosphere, Durin found himself face to face with the Captain of the Royal Guard.

“Your Excellency, please recover your former memories. What is happening now? Selection of a successor? That’s what they do in the heavenly realm or among humans, not what we should be doing!”

“……”

“The law? Yes. If it’s written in the law, then it’s legitimate. But in a state of emergency like this, it’s unacceptable! Since when have we demons stopped following strength and started judging based on power and justification? Isn’t the Demon King someone who demonstrates their power through their own strength, not through their subordinates?”

The headless Durahani’s cry echoed throughout the hall. Though his eyes couldn’t be seen, he was clearly glaring at someone. Sensing this, Serphin quietly hid behind Durin.

This action only fueled the Captain’s anger.

“Ha! I cannot accept this. No! I will not! Even if Your Excellency supports a new king, neither I nor the Royal Guard will accept it. We will absolutely not follow!”

“Captain.”

“Yes. Speak, Your Excellency. Even if you execute me here, I will not withdraw my words.”

“No, I understand your thoughts. You must feel frustrated and confused.”

“You understand, yet you act this way?”

“I will give you an answer. Follow me.”

Durin replied briefly. As if there was no need for further words, he immediately began walking. His entourage, who had been waiting awkwardly, hurriedly followed.

“……”

The Captain of the Royal Guard didn’t move immediately. Instead, he clenched his fist even tighter.

“If I don’t like your answer, I will draw my sword.”

That was the conviction of one who served the Demon King.

In the demon realm where the strong ruled supreme, what was the reason he had been welcomed?

“Please, bring back those memories from that time.”

More desperately than anyone, he prayed in his heart for the return of the regent who had been worshipped during the southern conquest.

#

Durin headed to the observatory—a place where sorcerers gazed into the future. The night sky that revealed the castle’s fate covered the ceiling. There were no twinkling stars there. It was desolate. A thick fog made the world opaque, impossible to see through.

“Your Excellency, what brings you here…?”

The sorcerers on duty were startled and bowed deeply. Durin looked down at them and said:

“I will discuss the future of the castle. Leave us for a moment.”

“As you command.”

At his order, the sorcerers hurriedly left the observatory. The rest of the entourage looked at Durin as they watched the two depart. The regent immediately responded:

“Only the castle’s command and the Captain of the Royal Guard shall remain. The rest of you, guard the entrance.”

“Oh? You’re including us too? That makes me happy.”

While Ludmila chuckled, the lower demons gathered in small groups and followed the sorcerers. They moved with heavy steps, clearly still concerned about the Captain’s earlier words. But lesser beings had no choice in the matter.

THUD!

The massive stone door closed, leaving Durin and the castle’s command under the night sky.

With the atmosphere now conducive to conversation, the regent stepped forward first.

“The Captain spoke correctly. The law of the strong ruling supreme.”

“That is correct, Your Excellency. The demon realm is such a land, the homeland of warriors.”

“But for a very long time, we have forgotten about the Demon King’s army led by the strong.”

“Don’t you remember the Celestial War 100 years ago? Under an incompetent woman, we spilled countless blood to protect our land. We held our positions, driven only by the instinct to protect at all costs.”

“It was painful. It was difficult. We could only fight desperately to hold out against the angels.”

The memories flashed through their minds like a panorama. The wounds left by broken swords wielded against the holy power that had overwhelmed them still ached.

“Yet why do you proceed this way? Have you truly changed after tasting power? Where is the regent who told us to fulfill our duty for the castle?”

“I haven’t forgotten. The demon realm has always been a land for the strong.”

“Your Excellency! Please answer me!”

The Durahani’s power intensified. He could no longer contain his anger. Ludmila was about to use her power in case of emergency, but Mateus pressed her wrist. The Chief Justice shook his head slightly, signaling her not to intervene.

It was then that Durin began to speak in a low voice.

“I too will speak of memories from long ago. Do you remember 500 years ago?”

“500 years ago? Wasn’t that the era ruled by a powerful Demon King?”

“Yes. I live on the nourishment of those memories. I, a mere gladiator by origin, continuously defeated stronger opponents and eventually served as a warrior of the castle.”

“A warrior of the castle… you mean the Black Army?”

“Yes. The powerful legion that once symbolized the Demon King’s castle. Unlike the Royal Guard or the Golden Guardians, they were demons organized solely for the Demon King.”

Durin’s head tilted up toward the night sky, as if reminiscing about that time.

“It was the last time the Demon King’s power was truly mighty. Did warlords dare to act recklessly as they do now?”

“That would have been unthinkable. When the Black Army and Royal Guard moved, an entire continent would be scorched, so everyone knew to behave.”

“Yes. Such a time existed. An era of power when the king’s strength pierced the heavens and warlords bowed their heads of their own accord.”

“That is the demon realm I envision, Your Excellency. Please, even now, find your wisdom and restore the glory of that past era.”

The Durahani knelt down. It was not anger but desperation. Finally, he was pleading.

“The past era… No, it’s a glory we cannot return to.”

But Durin’s voice carried a strong sense of resignation. Was it surrender?

The Durahani was afraid. What had shaken his resolve like this? Or was he always such a demon?

Was it greed for power that made him this way?

Just as he thought this…

“That’s why I intend to move forward.”

The regent’s voice was filled with determination. It wasn’t the same feeling as before.

No, the Durahani had thought the previous emotion was resignation. That wasn’t it.

“Time always brings rise and fall. When that Demon King died in the war against the heavens, what happened to us?”

“…We were powerless.”

Memories the Durahani wished to forget began to creep back.

“The strong met glorious deaths, but there was no successor. There were only high-ranking demons who couldn’t even control a single lower demon because they couldn’t demonstrate the power of dominance.”

“It happened because all potential heirs to the throne were killed. The Demon King’s castle living on her power alone. The choice made to preserve the throne brought great calamity.”

“But those of us who were with the king at that time welcomed it, didn’t we? The illusion brought by long life. Entranced by the eternity that promised the demon realm’s golden age would last a thousand years and beyond, we buried all the red-horned bloodlines.”

“Only the green-horned ones who survived by luck and demons from other continents could barely escape to their homeland. Having lost everything.”

“But when it was our turn to lose, the situation reversed. The warlords who had been suppressed under her mighty power repeatedly rebelled to regain their authority, and treason never ceased. While our Royal Guard stopped them, the Black Army had to defend against the heavenly realm’s waves of attacks that recognized our civil war.”

It was a situation similar to the present. When there was no obvious candidate to immediately place on the empty throne, great chaos engulfed the entire continent. Demons jumped into the struggle to survive.

“It was a war that lasted 87 years. Endless battles fought not for glory but for survival. What did we gain at the end? Hope?”

“It was death. The Black Army that fought against the angels met its end, and the Royal Guard and Golden Guardians had to endure the wear brought by fierce rebellions.”

“That is the present era. Glory maintained by relying on one person’s power does not last long. Those who barely survived must forcibly shoulder the duty for future generations. I do not believe this is right.”

Durin turned around. Looking down at the kneeling Durahani, he declared:

“I have vowed to move forward. To make this demon realm not a land that endures centered around a king, but a world that can be protected by legions.”

“Your Excellency. Please tell me more. What are you looking toward?”

“A strong military force that can overcome anything—whether the king dies, angels invade, or heroes burn our castle. A legion that can overcome adversity bestowed by gods, united without relying on one person’s power. That is the strength I desire.”

*Click*

The regent stepped closer.

“The Demon King will merely be one pillar of power that forms the demon realm. A being who can draw out our strength against the angels. A great demon who will be the focal point.”

“Serphin. Do you intend to make that child into such a being?”

“The magic of dominance has been discovered. Currently, that child is the only one. There’s a possibility other talents might be discovered through this Demon King selection, but it won’t be easy. The talented bloodlines were all annihilated back then. We are only now nurturing the spark.”

“The selection of a successor will provide justification, and you plan to suppress dissent with force. But who will suppress them? Our Royal Guard? Or those southern warriors you’ve been training?”

“All will be mobilized. The time when the angels approach is not far off, Captain.”

A red sword appeared in his hand from thin air.

“The owner of the throne must be determined by then. We need someone who can at least match the archangel to boost our troops’ morale.”

“Your Excellency.”

“So hold out until the king grows and the army is properly formed. You will stand with me to block the coming storm. Until the world I’ve envisioned as regent is complete.”

“……”

“This Demon King selection is the beginning. I will appoint you as the central selector. Find those who align with our vision and bring them to me. Those who cannot will all be purged as targets for elimination.”

The regent bestowed the sword. The Durahani carefully accepted his gesture.

“Do it. This is an order.”

“Is someone like me worthy of looking toward the heavens?”

“Demons with loyalty like yours barely exist in this world, Captain.”

The regent spoke with conviction.

Yet the gauntlet gripping the handle lacked strength.

It felt like waving a hand through intangible fog. He asked Durin once more:

“I’m not sure if someone from the old era like me can accomplish this. The headless ones are those who live holding onto nostalgia for the Demon King.”

“Nevertheless, a new era will come.”

The answer was simple. And then, Durin smiled. It was the first emotion he had shown.

Relief. He had laid everything bare.

“For we shall be the last of the era where the strength of the powerful dominates the world.”