Demon Subjugation

A few days later, Darkness was unusually excited.

“Waa! It’s a picnic! A picnic!”

Swishing the hem of her newly received gorgeous dress, she packed a few magic tomes and snacks into a small bag, looking every bit like a child going on a picnic.

“Haru-nim, what about the lunch box? What do the Oni like?”

“Demon King-nim, this isn’t a picnic.”

“It’s okay, Elise! Haru-nim will take care of everything!”

Elise, standing next to me, restrained Darkness in a stiff voice. Her gaze was still as sharp as a blade, directed at me.

“What the hell are you thinking, driving the Demon King-nim to the front lines!”

“Who’s going to submit to a Demon King who doesn’t even show their face and just stays cooped up at home? But don’t worry too much, I’ll protect the Demon King-nim. First target is the Oni tribe in the eastern mountain range.”

“The Oni tribe? They are barbaric people who worship strength. Negotiations won’t work.”

“That’s why we’re going. Since they only understand strength, things will go very quickly.”

I shrugged my shoulders as I answered.

“The Oni are not easy opponents. Even the previous Demon King-nim couldn’t completely subjugate them. It was just a relationship of alliance.”

“T-Then, isn’t it dangerous?”

Darkness hugged the snack bag and became anxious.

“Still, starting with the simplest guys is the standard. We’ll deal with the ones who use their heads later.”

The first target was the Oni tribe that dominated the eastern mountain range, their king, ‘Red Oni King Akaoni.’

***

The entrance to the eastern mountain range, the territory of the Oni.

Sharp rocks pierced the sky, and the air was mixed with a faint metallic smell and the scent of sweat.

How long had we walked? Two giant shadows blocked our path.

“Hey, stop right there!”

Not long after we stepped into their territory, hulking Oni warriors stood in our way.

Their muscular bodies were easily twice the size of a human, and they held huge iron clubs in their hands.

“We have come to meet Red Oni King Akaoni, serving the Demon King-peha.”

Elise stepped forward and spoke with dignity.

The Oni glanced at Elise for a moment, then scoffed at Darkness, who was trembling behind her.

“Puhaha! Are you kidding me? That brat is the Demon King? He’s not even worth our chieftain-nim’s toenail!”

“Hieeek!”

With a scream, Darkness quickly hid behind my back and grabbed my clothes tightly.

“Shut up and lead the way. I have business with your king.”

“What, what did you say? You human bastard!”

As the Oni raised their clubs, Elise stepped forward and drew her black sword. The murderous aura emanating from her sword made the Oni hesitate for a moment.

“This is before the Demon King-peha. Do not be rude.”

In the end, the Oni grumbled but guided us to the village.

The Oni village was a complete mess. The smell of grilling meat and sour alcohol permeated the air, and the Oni were shirtless, arm-wrestling, drinking, and shouting at the top of their lungs.

Our appearance was definitely noticeable even amidst their commotion.

All the Oni’s gazes were fixed on us.

The great banquet hall of the Oni tribe seemed to be carved out of a huge cave. Giant torches blazed on the ceiling, and the bones of beasts were hung on the walls as decorations.

And in the center, on a crude throne carved from a huge rock, sat a red-haired Oni.

“Kuhahaha! Who is this!”

It was an overwhelming presence. She was easily the height of two people combined, and her entire body was covered in scarred, solid muscles. Long, red hair fluttered, and thick, sharp horns protruded from her head.

She casually slung a giant iron club over her shoulder with one hand.

“Who do we have here! If it isn’t the Hero-naseori I’ve only heard rumors about!”

Red Oni King Akaoni.

Akaoni’s gaze was fixed on me from the beginning. As if Darkness didn’t even exist.

“Could it be you’ve come to fight me? It’s been a while since my heart has raced like this! Finally, I can have a proper fight!”

Her eyes gleamed with the thrill of battle.

The surrounding Oni also seemed excited, banging their iron clubs on the floor and shouting.

“Woah! Woah! Chieftain-nim! Smash that bastard!”

“Hero meat! Hero meat!”

Good. The atmosphere is perfectly ripe.

“Fight? Of course, we have to. But you’re not my opponent.”

“What?”

Tuk-

I smiled and pushed Darkness, who was trembling behind me, on the back.

“Go, Darkness. Show them the dignity of the Demon King.”

“Hoeeee?! M-Me?! Me!?”

Darkness’s face turned pale white.

Everyone in the banquet hall was bewildered by this sudden action.

“Huh? What, Hero. Are you sending out a little kid first? Are you messing with me?”

Akaoni asked with a puzzled expression.

“Haru! You bastard! How dare you put the Demon King-nim in such danger…!”

Elise exclaimed in shock and drew her sword, but I stopped her with a gesture.

“Hey, Hero. Are you kidding me? You’re going to make that crybaby fight me?”

“The Demon King’s power must be proven by the Demon King themselves. Right? Subjugate that one. Then all the Oni in this mountain range will follow you.”

“But! But I can’t do it! I’m scared! How can I fight a monster like that! I’m going to die! Hwaaaeng!”

Darkness whimpered and pleaded.

“Kuhahaha! Interesting! Good, little Demon King! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Akaoni stood up from the throne. The entire cave reverberated with each step she took.

She approached Darkness and slammed her giant iron club down on the floor.

“Come on, try me! Let’s see how great the power of the Demon King is!”

The battle began so absurdly.

“Uwaaaah! Don’t come near me! I’m scared!”

Darkness screamed and started running around the banquet hall. Akaoni burst into laughter at the sight of Darkness.

“Khaha! Like a cute little rat! Stand still!”

Kung! Kwang!

Akaoni’s attacks grazed Darkness’s clothes or smashed the ground where she had been just a moment ago.

Of course, it didn’t seem like she was attacking seriously. Like a cat playing with a mouse before catching it, she slowly drove Darkness into a corner, waving her iron club around.

“Kyaaak!”

Darkness continued her desperate escape, hiding behind the pillars of the banquet hall and crawling under the tables, terrified.

“Demon King-nim!”

Elise was about to rush out, but I blocked her way.

“Wait. Not yet.”

“But!”

“Trust me. In that kid’s potential.”

Eventually, Darkness was cornered with her back against the wall in the corner of the banquet hall. A giant shadow completely covered her.

“Now, there’s nowhere left to run, little one.”

Akaoni slowly raised her iron club with a satisfied smile.

“Hwaeng… I don’t want to die… Mommy…”

Darkness squeezed her eyes shut. She was just shedding tears as if she had resigned herself.

It was then.

Swaeeeeek-!

The flow of air changed.

A massive amount of magic began to erupt from Darkness’s small body.

She didn’t chant a spell, nor did she draw a magic circle. It was just the fear of facing death that forcibly dragged out the power that had been dormant within her.

Purple magic swirled like a storm, shaking the entire banquet hall.

“Huh…?”

Akaoni looked down at Darkness with a bewildered expression.

And the next moment.

Kwaaaaaang-!

With an ear-splitting explosion, a lump of purple magic directly struck Akaoni’s abdomen.

“Keuheok-?!”

Akaoni flew away as lightly as a piece of paper.

Kung-!!

She only stopped after crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the banquet hall.

Silence flowed through the banquet hall for a moment. All the Oni widened their eyes and tried to figure out what had happened.

Darkness herself didn’t seem to know what she had done, and she stared blankly at her own hands.

“Keu… Keukeu…”

Then, a low chuckle leaked out from within the pile of rubble.

“Keuha… Keuhahahahahahaha!”

Akaoni pushed through the pile of rubble and stood up. Blood was flowing from the corners of her mouth, but the emotion in her eyes was not anger.

Rather… it was filled with extreme joy and madness.

“This is it… this is what it was! Yeah, this is what a Demon King should be!”

With her shout, the muscles all over her body swelled up.

“The real fight starts now!”

Ududeuk, Udeudeuk.

The gruesome sound of muscles twisting and rearranging echoed throughout the cave.

Her skin turned red hot, even taking on a dark crimson hue, and her hair blazed like flames. Her height increased to the point where she almost touched the ceiling.

A complete battle form.

“Kuaaaaaaaa!”

An overwhelming sense of pressure. The air itself felt heavy and crushing.

“Hoe…”

Darkness, who had been blankly watching the scene next to me, rolled her eyes.

“Kkwaekkodak.”

And she collapsed weakly to the side. She had fainted.

Kung!

Akaoni took a step. Towards the spot where Darkness had fallen.

“That’s enough.”

I lightly lifted the fainted Darkness and tossed her to Elise.

“Not bad for Darkness.”

“Demon King-nim!”

Elise hurriedly caught Darkness.

I slowly walked forward.

“Now, it’s time for the adults.”

Swiiik-

Jet-black aura bloomed from my left hand, and the magic sword ‘Twilight’ revealed its form. It was a ridiculously small sword compared to Akaoni’s size.

But the energy flowing from the sword was different.

[Yahoo! Master! Let’s slice up some blood and flesh!]

‘Shut up, focus. I’m going to end it in one shot.’

Jet-black darkness enveloped the sword. That darkness was not just simple magic. It was the power to cut through space itself, learned from the boundaries of dimensions.

The surrounding Oni instinctively stepped back from the hideous energy emanating from the sword.

“Kuaaaa! Die, Hero!”

I just swung it.

Sueuk-

No sound was made.

Only a black line appeared and disappeared.

“……?”

Akaoni’s movements stopped abruptly.

Seogeok-

The iron club she was holding was split exactly in half.

“What… is it?”

Pusyuuuk-

Blood spurted out, and her gigantic body shrank like a deflating balloon.

Kung.

Soon, Akaoni, who had returned to her original size, collapsed to the floor.

I slung the magic sword over my shoulder and looked around.

“Now, does everyone know who the master of this mountain range is?”