Chapter 94: Prelude to the Demon King (2)

One cannot challenge the Demon King who has appeared in the modern era.

However, if it is a Trial of the Tower, the story is different.

As mentioned before, all difficulty levels in a dungeon are forced to be set at a level that the challenger can pass.

Therefore, the Demon King in the dungeon is not an existence capable of exerting power beyond my limits.

That is why I can boldly execute the challenge against the Demon King that I could not do in the modern world.

Of course, it is not easy; it is a path of thorns.

No matter how much his power is scaled to my limits, the Demon King is still the Demon King.

What is my strength?

It is the karma accumulated over a period of more than 1,000 years.

That desire for improvement is something that transcends human greed.

Because of that, I was able to reach a realm that surpasses the gods who live eternal, immortal lives.

But what about the Demon King?

1,000 years?

He is an existence who has repeated a life of reincarnation for over 10,000 years.

Furthermore, he was born with a perfect body and power from birth, and unlike the gods, he is not lazy.

Perhaps he has accumulated karma over a long time through a desire for improvement even greater than mine.

Ability.

Experience.

In every aspect, he can be superior to me—in a way, he could be called a superior version of myself.

Even if two people possess the same power of 10, the difference between an expert and a novice is stark.

This means that even if we can exert the same power, the Demon King is stronger than I am.

However, I am heading toward the deepest part of the Demon King’s Castle through the opened door.

“Creak”

Just like that.

“Creak, creeeak!”

I passed through a total of six doors.

And finally, the sight was revealed.

It was a massive hall surrounded entirely by pitch-black darkness.

“Step, step.”

The only thing echoing in that vast space was the sound of my footsteps.

I walk along the red carpet laid on the floor and look around.

In between, I could see the massive pillars supporting this space.

I continued forward for some time.

“Thud.”

I stopped walking and lifted my gaze, which had been directed toward the floor, and looked slightly upward.

“So, it is you.”

A throne made by weaving hundreds, thousands of swords together.

It was the Throne of Swords, created by collecting the weapons of humans worthy of being called heroes whom the Demon King had disposed of until now.

Creating a throne out of the swords of those called Knights—weapons that individually could be called priceless treasures—was like a symbol of the Demon King’s strength.

“What business do you have here?”

Originally, that voice is indifferent but  what dwelt in the Demon King’s voice now was intense curiosity.

Even though he is an existence created as a Trial of the Tower, his personality is similar to the Ingram I saw in the past.

That tone and atmosphere, as if teasing while pretending not to know even though he knows everything, is simply familiar.

‘Ingram.’

An existence that fills the eyes.

Generally, when people think of a Demon King, they think of something rugged and terrifying just to look at.

But the Demon King of the Gritia Continent was completely different.

Red hair and black eyes that seemed to contain the abyss.

Not armor and a sword, but a black dress that seemed to be shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

That was the appearance of Demon King Ingram, one of the powerful beings on the Gritia Continent.

“…I presume you already know the reason.”

I play along with the role-play created by the dungeon.

If I were to act too out of line (such as using informal speech), I might receive unexpected penalties.

For now, I remained faithful to the act.

“The reason. If an existence endowed with the token for advancement comes to visit, there can be only one reason.”

He brought a hand to cover his mouth.

To hide his laughter.

However, it was not difficult to read his current emotions through those eyes that curved like half-moons.

“But to think, to think you would actually challenge me.”

The Demon King is the apex of the Demon Clan.

No, it would not be an exaggeration to call him the apex of the Gritia Continent.

He was not an opponent, a mere traitor who abandoned humanity should dare to challenge.

And that challenge…

[You have chosen the Path of the Incomprehensible.]

[The difficulty increases significantly and changes to the Path of the Blood Sea.]

[The rewards increase explosively due to the immeasurable difficulty.]

Just like last time, it changed to the Blood Sea Difficulty.

However, it is different from before.

Even if I challenged a Legion Commander, the Blood Sea Difficulty would have been applied.

But challenging the Demon King—if the Blood Sea Difficulty were divided into high, middle, and low, this would belong to the very top.

Literally incomprehensible.

Something no one can solve.

It was a difficulty where death was inevitable.

“I believe I told you clearly. That challenges must be made with caution. That your arrogant challenge could soon lead to death.”

I remember Ingram had warned me while giving me the token necessary for the advancement match.

‘I am saying this because I cherish you quite a bit. I hope you do not make a reckless challenge out of greed for status. Because there is no one here, including myself, who will indulge your selfishness.’

In the past, I did not let that warning go in one ear and out the other.

In the first place, this was the Demon King’s Legion, a world belonging to the Demon Clan.

Unlike common clichés, this was not a place that bestowed mercy, sparing someone because their courage was commendable.

The price for a challenge is death.

Because the act of challenging itself implies that one has been looked down upon.

Therefore, he tears apart and kills the challenger who dared to challenge his status.

That is a warning to the next challenger and the natural price for challenging him.

He does not consider a challenge that invites death as courage.

Arrogance and foolishness.

In the world of the Demon Clan, where the law of the jungle reigns, a challenge had to be something that fit one’s station.

But now, I have challenged the Demon King.

Therefore, the Demon King bared his threatening fangs toward the foolish challenger who dared to oppose him.

Slowly and steadily the Demon King’s energy densely shrouded the entire audience chamber.

The domain of his existence is so magnificent that it fills this massive space to the brink.

“You shall pay dearly for your foolish challenge.”

His mouth is smiling, but his eyes are not.

His sharp gaze shines like a predator that has captured its prey.

“Phew~” I exhaled at that distant gaze.

I know the limits are the same.
However, the karma accumulated by the Demon King—its weight was not easy for the current me to handle.

‘As expected, he is different.’

Even though he merely released his momentum, my body is trembling.

Even if I were in a state where I had recovered all the power from my prime, it would not be much different.

Because the Demon King’s presence is not the kind of thing a human can withstand.

And that……soon led to a decrease in physical ability.

[You have been exposed to the Demon King’s Dread Sovereign’s Aura.]

[All stats decrease by 50%.]

A loss of physical ability is markedly different even at just 10%.

But the Demon King’s Dread Sovereign’s Aura reached 50%, which is five times that.

“Do you know why only the Hero is my opponent? It is because the only existence capable of withstanding my Dread Sovereign’s Aura is the Hero. No, to be precise, it would be correct to say that one cannot resist it unless it is the light through the three sacred treasures.”

The Demon King is an existence crafted from a fragment of the soul of the Order of Darkness.

To put it simply, he is an existence no different from a god.

Gods are existences that created humans and are clearly superior.

Therefore, the momentum they emit exerts an effect different from ordinary things.

That was the stat reduction.

And it was not a mere 10–20%, but a shocking figure of 50%.

Just by being exposed to his momentum, my physical body felt as heavy as cotton soaked in water.

Moreover, that was not the end.

“Humans are weak against the darkness.”

-Swooooosh.

Along with the Dread Sovereign’s Aura, darkness blankets all directions.

[‘Absolute Barrier: Pitch-Black Scripture’ is activated.]

[Vision is blurred, making it impossible to distinguish anything properly.]

[Sound cannot be heard due to interference from sharp frequencies.]

The Dread Sovereign’s Aura and the Pitch-Black Scripture.

Those are the unique powers that the Demon King boasts.

They are not skills.

A skill is something that must be used with a certain amount of concentration, but the two powers used just now were the kind that could be unfolded as naturally as breathing.

Simply put, every existence facing the Demon King must contend with these two powers.

The problem is that those powers are nearly impossible to break through unless it is the light possessed by the Hero and the power of the three sacred treasures.

“How is it? Have you come to realize your foolishness with this?”

The Demon King’s voice, hidden within the darkness, echoes from all directions.

He cannot be seen and he cannot be detected through sound.

In a state where basic information from sight and hearing cannot be utilized, the Demon King has secured a complete advantage.

There is already a vast difference in accumulated karma and experience.

But now, the gap caused by physical ability and the barrier has widened significantly.

And right now, for me there is no way to escape it.

“It is a pity. It has been a long time since I found a human I liked. But it cannot be helped. It is never strange for a reckless fellow who does not know his place to die by his own thread…”

‘Slide.’

My intuition tells me that he, the Demon King, is approaching but I cannot tell where he is or how close he has gotten.

If the Demon King launches an attack in this situation, I will have no choice but to allow that attack like a blind man.

“…I admit it. It is nonsensical for a human to compete with you, the Demon King.”

The current me cannot face the Demon King either.

First of all, the Demon King himself is a specialist designed to dispose of humans.

It has to be that way because the Order of Darkness openly designed and combined him to snipe at humanity.

No matter how much the power levels are matched, as long as the Demon King possesses these powers, I cannot face him unless I am handed special power and weapons like a Hero.

“Ohohohoho!”

He bursts into laughter at my admission.

Of course, that does not imply a good atmosphere.

“To say such weak words after coming all this way. It is truly disappointing.”

Subsequentially, he spits out sharp criticism.

Within those words dwell emotions that criticize my foolishness and insult a coward.

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

The Demon King likely thought I had given up.

“I merely said it was impossible for a human to fight you.”

“…Are you trying to say that you are not human?”

“Of course, I am human right now. But I can reach that realm above, the stage that everyone desires, at any time.”

To be clear, a human cannot be the Demon King’s opponent.

But what if one gets their hands on an existence above that, the status of a god?

There are more instances of this than one might think.

Ascension.

Enlightenment.

An existence that has surpassed the human body and reached the status of a god beyond it.

And in the past, I was an existence who held that status—and specifically, the unique Status of Victory.

Of course, I cannot reach the complete realm of a god like in the past, but…

“Could you possibly be…?” The Demon King expresses doubt.

And for such a fellow, I release the power I have kept hidden until now.

“I am…”

The God of Falsehood acted as the God of Victory.

Because of that, people who worshiped the Status of Victory appeared in the world, and that faith transmitted power to me, who was the real God of Victory.

-Flash!

A brilliant light.

Through the power gathered in that way, I momentarily transform from a human into an existence possessing a status.

“…I am the God of Victory.”

The status of invincibility that has never been defeated once.

And I am the sole existence who brought about the twilight of the gods and caused their downfall.