Chapter 229: Demon Gods Don’t Respond to Threats

Episode 229

Kim Jinsung’s words were practically a threat.

In short, he was saying, “Do as I say if you don’t want to die.”

[What did you just say?!]

[How dare a human threaten a Demon God…!]

[I don’t need to hear anymore! I’ll personally behead you!]

Naturally, some of the Demon Gods were enraged.

The Demon Realm was ruled by the law of the jungle, and the Demon Gods were at the top of the food chain.

They were arguably the most hot-headed beings in all dimensions.

[Wait!!]

If Dantalian hadn’t intervened, a massive bloodbath would have ensued.

[Stop acting on impulse and think for a moment! I can’t even tell who’s who in this darkness!]

[What?! Are you saying I’m weaker than Omurga?!]

[Yes! You, Glacielavoloth, you butcher! Have you not learned to control your single-celled brain that only knows how to kill?!]

[You senile old geezer…!]

[He’s Omurga!!]

Dantalian shouted, his voice louder than ever.

[Have you forgotten what happened to the Demon Realm when we fought Omurga last time?!]

Glacielavoloth flinched, stopping in his tracks.

He remembered the devastating battle against Omurga.

Omurga.

‘The One Who Absorbs All’. A monster who devoured every living being in sight.

And the problem was that he could absorb the abilities of the beings he devoured.

With this overpowered ability, he had quickly devastated the Demon Realm.

He had started by preying on microorganisms, but within days, he had devoured Demon Lords and even started targeting Demon Gods.

As more and more Demon Gods fell victim to him, Baal had to gather all the Demon Gods and launch a full-scale attack, surrounding and overwhelming him.

They had barely managed to destroy him, but the damage was immense.

Nearly 20 Demon Gods were on the verge of destruction, over a quarter of the Demon Realm’s population was wiped out, and over 30% of their territory was turned into a wasteland.

It was the most devastating event in the Demon Realm’s history since the ‘Great War of Heaven and Demon’.

And Omurga had become the undisputed number one most powerful monster in the Demon Realm.

[You, Glacielavoloth, were almost devoured and destroyed by Omurga!]

[Shut up! Don’t ever mention that again!]

[I have to say it to stop you from charging at him! Remember how you were bedridden for over 500 years after almost being destroyed?!]

[That stubborn old geezer…!]

Glacielavoloth trembled with rage,

but he had regained his composure, no longer making any threatening gestures towards Kim Jinsung.

Of course, his voice was still filled with murderous intent.

[So what are you trying to say? Are you telling us to just sit here and listen to that arrogant brat’s threats?!]

[We can negotiate! Negotiate!]

Dantalian shouted back.

[We have a peaceful solution called negotiation! Why are you so eager to fight? Do you want to see the Demon Realm turned upside down again, like last time?]

[I refuse.]

This time, the answer didn’t come from Glacielavoloth.

It was Baal, the leader of the Demon Gods.

[We are Demon Gods. We earned our positions as rulers of the Demon Realm through strength. We don’t need to listen to someone who’s trying to force us into a negotiation with threats.]

His gaze hardened, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

[We respond to force with force. That’s the way of the Demon Gods.]

The other Demon Gods nodded in agreement,

and started emanating a faint murderous aura.

Their combined aura was strong enough to push back the energy that Omurga, in Kim Jinsung’s form, had unleashed.

But Dantalian remained calm.

[Tsk tsk… You’re all so short-sighted…]

He clicked his tongue, looking at them with disappointment.

[You’re overlooking one thing.]

He turned to Baal and asked,

[Have you considered why I brought Kim Jinsung here?]

Baal’s eyes flickered, caught off guard by the question.

[Why do you think I brought him to the edge of the Demon Realm, knowing his true identity is Omurga?

Do you think I wouldn’t have anticipated this situation?]

He looked at all the Demon Gods and continued,

[You don’t think I betrayed you and sided with Kim Jinsung, do you?]

“Wait, you didn’t?”

[This is not the time for jokes!!]

“Good to know.”

Kim Jinsung’s voice was serious, devoid of any humor.

He had come all the way to the final floor of the demon world dungeon, trusting only Dantalian.

If Dantalian was on the opposite side of the Demon Gods, he would be in trouble.

But judging by Dantalian’s passionate defense, he seemed to have a plan.

[Let’s go back to the beginning. Why were we so interested in that kid’s potential?]

He asked Glacielavoloth directly.

Glacielavoloth still looked angry, but he seemed to be trying to recall the past.

[…Because he was a Middle Realm creature who could freely use Demonic Energy, which was a rare sight…]

[Then why were we interested in a Middle Realm creature who was good with Demonic Energy?]

[That’s…]

He hesitated, unable to answer.

He knew the answer, but he couldn’t recall it at the moment.

What was the ‘fundamental reason’ why the Demon Gods had been so interested in Kim Jinsung?

[…I see.]

Baal answered,

[Because he was someone who could freely enter the Heavenly Realm.]

[Ah…!]

Glacielavoloth exclaimed in realization.

The other Demon Gods, who had also forgotten the reason, also had a change in expression.

[Do you all remember now?]

Dantalian asked, seeing their reactions.

[We, the Demon Gods, made a ‘Soul Oath’ after the Great War of Heaven and Demon to never invade each other’s territories. We can’t directly influence other dimensions, except for the Demon Realm. The same goes for those hypocrites in the Heavenly Realm.

But Middle Realm creatures are different. They’re free to travel between dimensions, despite their weak bodies.

That’s why we’ve always been searching for a Middle Realm creature who’s compatible with Demonic Energy. We wanted to use them to eliminate those hypocrites in the Heavenly Realm.

But none of them met our standards. They were all lacking in some way.

And then, this kid appeared!]

He pointed at Kim Jinsung and shouted,

[He might be arrogant, insolent, and annoying, but!]

“…Hey.”

[He’s the first one who meets our standards! And his goal isn’t that different from ours.

Peace in the Middle Realm. A world without Demon World Dungeons and Trial Towers. You all heard him say it yourself.]

He turned to Baal and said,

[You said that you respond to force with force.

You’re right. A Demon God shouldn’t submit to threats.

But isn’t it different if we’re negotiating with the same goal of eliminating the hypocrites in the Heavenly Realm?]

Baal remained silent, staring at him.

“Wait a minute.”

It was Kim Jinsung who spoke this time.

“I only said I wanted to destroy the Trial Towers. I never said I wanted to kill the gods of the Heavenly Realm.”

[It’s the same thing.]

“…?”

He looked at him, confused, and Dantalian continued,

[To destroy the Trial Towers, you’ll have to go to the Heavenly Realm and fight them yourself. There’s no other way.]

“…Explain it in detail.”

[Before that.]

Dantalian raised a hand.

[You need to make a ‘Soul Oath’.]

“What’s that?”

[It’s a life-or-death contract. If you break the contract or betray us, your soul will be destroyed.]

“You’re not asking me to be the only one making the oath, are you?”

[Of course not.]

He shook his head.

[If we reach an agreement, we, the Demon Gods, will also make a Soul Oath. All 72 of us.]

“All 72 of you?”

[We need to do that for you to trust us and make the oath, don’t we?]

Kim Jinsung looked at the other Demon Gods.

They didn’t seem to object to Dantalian’s suggestion.

[Of course, this is all under the premise that we reach an agreement.]

“What’s the agreement?”

[You must swear to uphold these two conditions.]

He raised a finger.

[First, you will not attack us, the Demon Gods, or any other major demons without our consent.

It’s a necessary precaution to prevent another catastrophe like the last time.]

“…Then whose abilities am I supposed to absorb?”

[Don’t worry. We’ll exclude those who you’ll be satisfied with from the contract.

The second condition is more important.]

He raised another finger.

[You will find those who created the ‘Trial Towers’ and punish them. At the very least, you must defeat them. And it would be even better if you could destroy their souls.]

“The Trial Towers?”

He repeated the words, recalling what Dantalian had said earlier, and asked,

“Are you trying to say that the Trial Towers are the root cause of the chaos in the Middle Realm 500 years ago?”

Dantalian’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

[Hahaha! See, I told you! This kid is sharp!]

He laughed, looking at Baal, who was still silent, and then answered Kim Jinsung’s question.

“You’re absolutely right. The cause of the current state of the Earth isn’t the Demon Realm, but the Heavenly Realm.”

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