Chapter 1: The Demon King has risen.
“I don’t accept this!”
With a loud smack, Zeke quickly stood up from the rickety bed.
“Eh!”
“How am I not dead?”
Zeke hurriedly ran to the mirror, seeing his black eyes, black hair, thin body, and an unremarkable appearance.
“Eh, I’ve turned back into a human?!”
Zeke couldn’t believe it as he touched his own body and couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s real, it’s really real, hahaha!”
In his previous life, after he turned into a Shadow Demon, his physical body had exploded and transformed into an illusory cloud of black shadow.
While his form could change at will, he had no physical body, which meant he couldn’t experience many physical pleasures.
Ah, thinking back to the painful experiences of the last life is simply sad.
Clearly, as the Demon King, he was still a virgin.
Clearly, with a heart of a lecher, those succubi flaunting themselves in front of him could only be watched, without any weapons to punish them.
And when he consumed others’ souls, he accidentally glimpsed those bastards making beautiful women scream in ecstasy.
Damn, he was really envious.
What fine delicacies, the pleasures of meat, a harem of three thousand, wives and concubines by the bunch, toiling day and night.
Without a body, all of this was just empty talk.
Zeke was excited as he touched his own flesh like a pervert.
The current situation was already very clear; he was reborn.
Though he didn’t know how it had happened, he had indeed returned to many years ago, to the time when he was still human and a slave of the Demon Tribe.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
Suddenly, a huge uproar came from downstairs.
Zeke froze for a moment, then as if remembering something, he rushed downstairs.
When he got down, several demons were violently beating an old woman dressed in rags, but she didn’t cry out; she tightly held onto a bundle in her arms.
“Get out of the way, let me handle this.”
A robust Minotaur extended his massive hand and effortlessly lifted the old woman like a child. He tore open her bundle, and in an instant, countless copper coins scattered across the floor.
“Don’t!” the old woman screamed.
But the Minotaur didn’t care; he casually threw her a few meters away, slamming her onto the ground.
At that moment, a low-tier demon emerged from behind the Minotaur: “A mere human dares to resist the Demon Tribe?”
As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly, and the scattered copper coins floated up, all flying into his hand.
The low-tier demon’s eyes darted around, quickly counting the coins, and he couldn’t help but mutter, “Not bad, old lady, you’ve managed to save over one thousand eight hundred copper coins.”
“Thud.”
The old woman immediately knelt on the ground, looking up at the demon before her, trembling as she said, “Lord Florian, I saved that money for forty years, please, give it back, I’m counting on it to redeem my son Zeke.”
“Redeem?” Florian laughed heartily: “Hahaha, I knew it! That’s why you saved up so much money, thinking about that.”
“Well, you better keep at it. I remember the redemption price is two thousand copper coins. Let me think about how much you’re still short… You still need two thousand copper coins, hahaha!”
Florian took the copper coins, laughing as he turned to leave with his companions.
But at that moment, the old woman suddenly rushed forward, hugging Florian’s leg and crying, “I beg you, Lord Florian, this is my life’s savings, please, don’t take it away.”
“Bang!”
Florian kicked the old woman, instantly sending her flying.
“Filthy human, don’t touch me,” Florian said with disgust.
But just then.
“Florian!”
Zeke shouted angrily, grabbing a large wooden stick and leaping down the stairs, aiming for Florian’s head.
However.
Florian scoffed and snapped his fingers: “Barrier.”
A transparent shield instantly appeared, directly deflecting Zeke, stick and all, flying out.
“Zeke, I didn’t see you had such courage,” Florian laughed. “Normally you pretend to be the most cowardly in the crowd; why aren’t you pretending today?”
Zeke got up, helplessly smiling: “Maybe I’ve been a king for too long and forgot who I really am.”
“A king?”
“Hahaha!” The demons laughed in unison.
“You’re just a slave with a bit of prestige among the slaves; how can you think of yourself as a king? Hahahaha! You’re killing me with laughter,” Florian said, holding his belly in laughter.
However, Zeke ignored them and turned to help the old woman up.
“Joy, how many times have I told you, if you have money, just spend it, don’t save it. Saving it is pointless.” Zeke said with a sense of reproach.
“But how can I redeem you without saving?” Joy trembled as she stood up and said, “The lord said that as long as you save enough two thousand copper coins, you can bring someone back to the human world.”
“That’s a lie.” Zeke sighed helplessly. “All those who saved enough money to leave Slerwick have died; the Demon Tribe won’t let them return safely to the human world.”
“How can that be? We worked our whole lives; how can they not keep their promises?”
“Without offering a shred of hope, how would humans be able to work properly?” Zeke smiled: “Besides, they are demons; they have never kept promises to humans.”
“You’re quite insightful, Zeke.” Florian sneered. “But have you ever heard the saying, the more you know, the quicker you die?”
“Zeke, do you know that if a slave attacks a demon, I have the right to execute you on the spot?” Florian said viciously.
Upon hearing this, Joy’s legs went weak, and she knelt down: “Lord Florian, Zeke acted on impulse; he meant no harm.”
“Oh, right, and about that money, if you like it, take it all, but please don’t harm Zeke.” The old woman begged repeatedly, bowing her head.
Zeke watched the old woman desperately protecting him and felt a surge of emotion.
To speak of it, her greatest wish in life was to return to her hometown.
However, as she grew older, she entrusted this wish to her adopted son, hoping that he could return to her hometown and take a look.
For this, she worked relentlessly for over forty years, and the youthful girl in her twenties now turned into a woman in her sixties, yet she only managed to save a little over one thousand eight hundred copper coins, and in the end, it was all taken away by others.
What a foolish and humble woman.
Yet, such a woman was worthy of Zeke giving everything he had.
With that thought, Zeke clenched his fists tightly, making a firm resolution—this time, he would definitely not repeat the mistakes of the last life.
He stepped forward to help Joy up.
But Joy seemed possessed as she continued to bow her head fervently, not getting up at all.
Zeke sighed helplessly and said, “Joy, stop bowing. Don’t you know that what these demons love to see the most is the despair on humans’ faces when they plead for mercy yet still die?”
“The more you bow, the quicker I die.”
“Huh?” The old woman’s body went rigid, her sunken eyes filled with bloodshot tears: “What should I do then?”
“It’s okay, just get up; leave it to me,” Zeke smiled.
“Okay, okay,” the old woman quickly got up.
Zeke lightly nodded and slowly walked towards Florian.
Florian, seeing this, sneered disdainfully.
“Oh, coming at me directly? Not running away but actively approaching me, Lord Florian?”
“If I don’t approach you, how can I beat you up properly?”
“Oh, you dare to speak to me like that? Do you know…”
“Euler!” Without waiting for Florian to finish, Zeke shouted and swung his fist at the demon in front of him.
“Hmph, foolish.”
“Clang!”
A flash of white light, one arm flew into the air, and Zeke fell to the ground with a thud, blood gushing out.
It was the tail of a demon transformed into a blade; it had severed Zeke’s arm in an instant.
“Stop!”
The old woman screamed, trying to rush over, but several demons beside Florian quickly stepped up and pinned her down.
“Old lady, just watch how Zeke dies peacefully, hahahaha!”
Zeke endured the intense pain, turned his head slightly, and weakly said to the old woman pinned to the ground, “Ah, Joy, I’ve told you so many times—not to get too agitated in front of the Demon Tribe. The more despair you show, the more thrilled they become.”
But the old woman seemed not to hear Zeke’s words, only crying out, “Zeke, run! Run away!”
At that moment, Florian pressed his tail against Zeke’s chest, laughing, “It’s already this time, and you’re still concerned about someone else.”
“Yeah, after all, Joy’s head is pretty thick, and many things just can’t get through.” Zeke sighed helplessly. “But it’s okay; at least she still has her adoptive son with her.”
The next moment.
“Thwack!”
Zeke suddenly leaped forward, the sharp demon tail instantly piercing through his chest.
“W-what are you doing?!” Florian exclaimed.
Zeke spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, revealing a strange smile: “Lord Florian, I’ve realized a truth in my brief life.”
“Humans have limits, and if you want to transcend humanity as a human, there’s only one way.” Zeke laughed loudly: “That’s to stop being human, hahaha!”
“Madman!” Florian cursed, swinging his tail to instantly slice through Zeke’s heart, blood spurting out heralding the end of Zeke’s life.
“Thud.”
Zeke’s body fell heavily to the ground.
“Ah!” Somehow, the old woman gathered strength and managed to break free from the grip of a few demons, rushing straight towards Zeke’s corpse.
“Boom!”
The Minotaur kicked out, instantly sending the old woman flying several meters and crashing against the wall, leaving her unconscious.
“Hmph, despicable humans.” Florian spat on Zeke’s corpse and turned to leave.
But then.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
A strange voice suddenly echoed.
“Who?!” Florian quickly turned around, shouting.
In the next moment, Zeke’s corpse suddenly exploded, a cloud of pitch-black mist slowly rising.
At the same time, a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire room, making the demons present tremble in fear.
Passive skill, [Demon King Descends].
Gradually, the black mist transformed into a devil-like form.
With a hideous face, a terrifying figure, and huge claws, just staring at him was enough to make one forget to breathe.
He was bloodless and fleshless, completely illusory, with countless black wisps swirling around him, making rustling sounds like the wails of countless tormented souls.
The Shadow Demon King, Gideon.
Descends.
TS making me die of cringe🥀