< Demon King’s Descent (1) >
Kwaaang—!
“Kill them!”
“How dare these rat bastards, who have been running away all this time, come here!”
“For Hela!”
The loud noise erupted from all around.
Along with it, the unique scent of the battlefield, bubbling and vibrating.
In the area where the fight broke out, struggles, resolutions, and madness blended together, blooming a magnificent flower of death.
Normally, Sipar would have indulged in the flow and thrown a wild party, but—
[…What the hell are you?]
Right now, that was impossible.
The pressure radiating from the beings right in front of him was far from ordinary.
“Kahahaha—!”
With a mocking cry, a bizarre four-legged beast revealed itself.
A pair of long fangs, like those of a saber-tooth tiger, and countless sharp teeth flashed menacingly.
Its serpent-like tongue flicked in the middle.
‘What the hell is that?’
Three meters tall and about five meters long.
A creature wrap in thick muscles and armor-like skin, sporting a rich dark red mane, it looked like a combination of all beasts and monsters in existence.
As the Duke of Beasts, even he couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
However, just because it was smaller didn’t mean it was to be underestimated.
From earlier, Sipar’s instincts had been ringing alarm bells fiercely.
Of course, anyone would think so when seeing those eyes filled with gluttony and madness, dripping with drool.
That beast saw him as prey.
And perhaps… if he let his guard down, he might truly be devoured.
[How dare you! How dare you look at this Duke of Beasts like that! I’ll chew you up whole!]
Naturally, Sipar did not accept that easily.
His wildly contorted face erupted with rage.
But the problem was not just the bizarre creature.
[Grrah— could that be the 14th Demon King?]
[No, it can’t be. That woman is surely dead. Already a thousand years ago!]
[But even if it’s incomplete, that’s definitely a Demon King’s… ]
[So a new Demon King? The 16th Demon King? Now, out of the blue like this?!]
[…If that’s true, what happens to us? What we’ve been fighting for all this time…!]
A silhouette comfortably sitting on the back of the strange beast.
Sipar, towering nearly ten meters tall, looked diminutive beside her. She smiled subtly.
Looking up at the three confused heads above her, she spoke.
“Hehe~ So this is a Duke-level demon?”
With a light chuckle, her beautiful voice flowed like a song through her red lips.
“Certainly impressive, but…”
Her black and red eyes sparkled.
Hela examined the massive Cerberus with a peculiar gaze, as if appraising it.
The result wouldn’t take long to arrive.
“Well, this is nothing… I could have handled this alone without much trouble.”
For Sipar, it was an outrageous criticism.
“Duke of Beasts, are you perhaps a bit lacking compared to other Dukes? Or have you been unusually lucky…?”
Kakakakaka!
“Or maybe I’ve overestimated the standards of the Demon Realm?”
With a charming voice and lively tone, she unleashed critiques that felt like a storm against her opponent.
Accompanied by an eerie laughter resonating in agreement.
There was no consideration for the listener here.
[……….]
[……….]
The three heads of Sipar, who had been chattering among themselves, suddenly stopped.
The once fiercely enraged heads remained quiet.
He was a Duke among the current pinnacle of the Demon Realm.
Surely, he wouldn’t sway with such cheap taunts.
Without any need for debate—
[I’ll kill you!]
Kurh’urgh—!
It was simple enough to dispose of what displeased him!
Kwaang!
With a single moment, Sipar crouched and then leaped like a spring.
Simultaneously, his overwhelming form ignored all physical phenomena, tearing everything in a straight line apart.
Kurulul—!
The aftermath of the shockwave sent the followers from both sides flying, spitting blood like pebbles.
Having sensed the tension and retreated once the leaders began to confront one another, that distance was now useless against such overwhelming destruction.
As if not caring about his territory or anything else, the path that his massive form passed through was instantly turned to ruin.
“…With such a bad temper. Raising something like that would leave no furniture left in the house.”
Kahat!
But in reality, that ambush didn’t deal any substantial damage to its target.
The beauty and beast were already far from the attack path, complaining.
Sipar crouched again for a follow-up attack.
“Indeed, some adjustments are necessary.”
Just then.
The world flipped upside down.
[…?!]
The noise from the battlefield disappeared.
The well-maintained view of the Abnormal Headquarters was erased, revealing a vast wasteland.
In an instant, the barren wilderness enveloped the surroundings.
「Demon King’s World」
The Demon King’s world, activated solely targeting Sipar, was superimposed onto the Demon Realm.
And this desolate landscape, void of anything, was something that even Sipar, who had lived for a long time, had experienced several times before.
[…Abandoned land?]
Rurreieee—!
[As expected! You! What relation do you have with the 14th Demon King?! How did you do it?!]
The three heads erupted in shouts while the snake-headed tail hissed repeatedly.
From its massive body, an overwhelming demonic power burst forth, causing earthquakes and storms.
The aftermath caused the ‘Demon King’s World’ to slightly creak as it began to buckle.
Ugh, really, rampaging like a beast. What would have happened if I hadn’t prepared this in advance?
Clicking her tongue, Hela poured her magical energy into stabilizing it once again.
After finishing off the Duke of Beasts, she intended to devour the entirety of Abnormal.
To her, enemies and allies were all potential prey.
As such, seeing Sipar wreaking havoc without a care for his allies’ damage was naturally seen as displeasing.
“Looks like you have a lot of questions, huh?”
Hela, who had been sitting on the beast, leaped down.
Then, she patted its sturdy side and opened her mouth.
“Well, if you win against our little one, I’ll tell you everything you’re curious about.”
As she smiled brightly, the wicked thorny whip in her hand added an ominous feeling to that cheerful air.
“Though I’m not sure you’ll manage. Our cutie here is a specialist in this field.”
—Like hunting such a huge monster.
As Hela trailed off with a chuckle, she slammed the whip into the ground.
Chwaaaah—!
With a fierce crack, the earth splintered.
“I’ve got a lot to do, so let’s wrap it up quickly.”
She pointed at Sipar, who stood like a mountain in front of her, shouting.
“Go! Davidson! Attack!”
“Kakakakakat—!”
In response to that order, the Mercenary King Harley… no, summoned by Hela, the Power of Consumption monster Davidson let out a fierce roar and charged forward.
Duduk— Pooddududuk—!
In that split second, he expanded his body several times.
Instantly, Davidson matched Sipar’s size and opened wide.
[Okay, I’ll tear you apart!]
[Now it doesn’t matter about the Demon King or anything; I’ll just gobble you up right here!]
Kwaaang—!
Thus, the colossal monster clash began.
*
Kaboooom!
Davidson didn’t utter a single word, maintaining the appearance of a thoroughly beastly quadruped.
[You’re regenerating after being torn apart?! What kind of creature is this?!]
[Kraaak! Get away, you bug!]
Kahahaha!
[Kurrr— You resist even against my poison?]
Now the Mercenary King, who had become the King of the Fighters, had become quite a famous figure in Auterica, which meant he needed to be meticulous from such small details.
No matter how much he was a mercenary who would do anything for payment, it wasn’t feasible for him to openly come to the Demon Realm to aid a Demon King while being hailed as a hero.
Siana would know about Harley too. I need to be extra careful since anything might leak out.
Being a mutant in his very existence, it wasn’t difficult for Harley to disguise himself if he intended to.
He could simply replace the human aspects he had maintained with the traits of the many monsters he had collected over time.
Thus, what was born was the Power of Consumption monster—Davidson.
Still, fighting like this while limiting his potential and sealing skills is a bit tough.
His opponent was a Duke-level demon, standing at the pinnacle of their shared realm.
Especially since being in the Demon Realm enhanced even further.
It was somewhat challenging to dominate relying solely on physical strength.
Sshhh—
Just then, the snake at the end of Sipar’s tail darted like lightning, sinking its venomous fangs into him.
A deadly toxin that melted even the soul spread throughout his body in an instant.
Davidson’s body quickly adapted and resisted, but there was no helping the brief moment of hesitation.
Crack! Kwaduk!
Not missing that momentary gap, Sipar’s left and right heads began to gnaw at his shoulders.
With tremendous bite force, the armor and muscle that wrapped around him were pierced instantly, blood spewed forth.
[Persistent bastard! I’ll rip you apart so you can’t regenerate!]
The central head, with a lush mane and a scar by one eye, opened wide.
Even while fighting, it had seemingly prepared intensely, making the concentrated, horrific magic within its throat roar ominously.
If struck directly, even Davidson would lose half his body.
Spllaaaash—!
Just as that mouth was about to spew magical energy.
A sharp crack sliced through the air.
Wowaaaaah!
Then, a torrent of blood burst forth like a waterfall, violently scattering the accumulated magic.
Kergh! You bastard…!
The massive Cerberus’s central head, which had lost two-thirds of its mass, glared angrily upwards.
Toward Hela, who was hovering in the air with her wings fluttering.
Although he had taken significant damage, losing one eye and part of his brain due to the weakened barrier from the attack, he still seemed unshakeable, as demons often were.
“Hehe, I didn’t say we would fight one-on-one!”
That gaze, brimming with perceived grievance, was met by a wink from Hela.
She shrugged her shoulders lightly, as if it was an unimportant matter.
She had intentionally summoned mercenaries to wrap things up quickly, so it was foolish to expect her to stay idle until a one-on-one concluded!
’I was just judging the capabilities, but…’
This was her first time facing a Duke-level demon; it was necessary for her to clearly grasp that power.
While the Duke of Darkness was likely stronger than this Cerberus, she needed some groundwork.
’Now that I have a rough idea, this is enough.’
As Hela flew higher and spread her wings, enormous magic circles appeared on either side.
Through the qualities of the 「Demon King」 and 「Magic Control」, an ultra-fast accumulation of magic.
Then, with a cascade of brilliant flashes, a volley of whip strikes from the indistinct whip forcefully struck the gigantic figure below.
Shhhussh! Sshhh—! Kwaang!
The barriers, stacked tirelessly one after the other, were hopelessly shattered, and wounds started accumulating steadily.
The situation was complicated, as Davidson clung tightly, making evasions difficult.
’This is good! I feel like I’m getting into the groove!’
Naturally, the whip Hela was using was also a prized possession from Horus’s 「Golden Report」.
It was presumably the weapon of the Succubus Queen.
Ignoring distances, the long whip sliced through the air, leaving lethal wounds.
[The hell! How shameless! Just like that frugal bloodline!]
“Well, let’s face it, you have four heads, right? You’re actually double the quantity!”
[What nonsense…!]
“Nonsense? Self-deprecation isn’t good, you know? No matter how much you pretend to be a wolf, you can’t hide your essence.”
[%@#@$#]
While Davidson restrained its movements, mocking its opponent, the destruction caused was nothing light.
“Kuuu— the regeneration…!”
[The power of the 13th! That seed surely inherited that strength!]
Hela’s characteristic 「Devastator」 crushed all defensive measures such as thick magical barriers and vitality until regeneration was utterly suppressed.
Every attack she made, whether with the whip or magic, held the power of barrier penetration and regeneration suppression.
As a result, the heads that would normally restore nearly to immortality were sluggish in regaining their form.
That was most effective against high-ranking demons, who could at least possess 「Enhanced Regeneration」.
‘Let’s add one more.’
In the chaos, Davidson’s eyes sparkled.
Then, his body began to writhe noisily.
Grugug— Grugug—!
He mimicked the traits of his opponent while fighting, transforming his body’s properties in real-time, applying only the best traits for improvement.
Selective evolution by only taking his opponent’s strengths.
’So this is a Duke-level demon, huh? Even without absorbing the essence, it’s far superior to inferior demons. Some aspects are even better than a Dragon.’
The pinnacle of this transformation sprouted something from his shoulders.
It began to gradually take shape, revealing a completely new head identical to the central one.
Just like the Cerberus before him.
[…Huh?!]
[…What the hell is that…?]
[Huh? Aah? What is that? How did you do it?!]
Surprised, Sipar’s eyes were flooded with confusion as his attention momentarily turned to Hela.
Being a true Cerberus, he realized instantly upon seeing that it was not just a simple mimicry of appearance, but rather shared the same fundamental essence.
Kahahaha!
Kakakakak!
“Kuhakak!”
As if taunting the startled Sipar, the three heads burst into simultaneous laughter.
With their razor-sharp teeth exposed, they bared their fangs.
A chill ran down Sipar’s spine as he looked at their intertwining forms.
‘This is bad.’
It was a primal instinct.
This was different from before.
He had been threatening until now, but this possessed something far more lethal.
He had to dodge at all costs…
But already surrounded by frenzied assault, there was no escape route remaining for him.
[Whaaaaat! What is this! Ahhhh!]
[Don’t bite! That’s… Guh!]
[Get away! GET AWAY!!]
The 「Food Spirit」 and 「Power of Consumption」, which had been lurking until now, began to make their presence known.
Before them, no defense nor regeneration would suffice.
The synergy of those two abilities meant anything ingested, whether real or just a concept, would be devoured indiscriminately.
Through the two mouths—now three.
“Ah! Now it’s four against four, huh?”
Hela placed a hand on her cheek, beaming with a smile.
With her other hand, she continued to lash her whip.
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