Faith through rewards.
Naturally, I expected that if any opportunity was given, the number of defectors would increase.
It could not be helped.
I knew that sincere faith, like in the past, carried less risk of conversion or betrayal, but such faith had to be built over a long period of time.
I was always in a position of being chased by time.
Therefore, I provided rewards that could gain faith the fastest, and I had seen the full effect of that until now.
And now, the drawback of that was bound to be clearly revealed.
The believers, faced with a terror that surpassed any reward, began to defect in large numbers.
It was inevitable.
The True Demon Prison summoned by the Demon King, and the sight of that destruction, was an act of annihilation that made even me tremble.
In particular, the Demon King was currently the head of the Demon Clan, which ruled over 70% of the world.
Refusing him was no different from a suicidal act.
If his act of destruction had been weaker than the play the God of Victory had staged last time, it might have been different, but to the eyes, it was even more intense than then.
Because of that, the believers were able to leave the Order of Victory without any lingering attachment.
The number of defectors was higher than expected, and thanks to that, Falsehood, who had barely managed to obtain the status of a high-ranking divinity, returned to the status of a regular divinity.
“We must stop him, stop the Demon King.”
“…I suppose so.”
“Then, right now……”
“Impossible.”
Normally, I would have gone to kill the Demon King immediately.
However, now was not the time.
“Why is that?”
Falsehood, who had watched my actions until now, expressed doubt.
“Because the Demon King is not an opponent the current me can touch.”
The answer was simple.
It was because the Demon King was far stronger than the current me.
Unlike the Hero and other heroes, the Demon King was a being completed from birth.
That was inevitable because his origin was the Order of Darkness.
Unlike the Goddess of Light, the Order of Darkness transplanted a part of his own soul into the Demon King to gain a superior advantage.
It was not anything else, but a part of a God.
The Demon King born through that was able to obtain strength that was out of the question.
If it hadn’t been for the curse of love cast by the Goddess of Light, something like the Hero winning against the Demon King would never have happened.
That Demon King was now enraged.
The rage of that man, who had lost his beloved Velator, was more than enough to swallow the world.
And the source of that rage was me and the Order of Victory.
The reason I could not step forward despite hearing those arrogant words was because there was a significant gap in skill.
To challenge the Demon King now, when I had only recovered a mere 50% of my power, was the same as committing suicide.
“T-That can’t be….”
Falsehood was surprised by the fact that I, who even overwhelmed the high-ranking Demigod, the God of War, could not defeat the Demon King.
“It seems you’ve had no contact with the Demon King, but he is different. Though created by a God, he is the only creation with the power of god-slaying, capable of killing even a God. A monster that surpasses his creator.”
The Order of Darkness had created a masterpiece.
A creature that could kill even a God; that was a monster that went against the natural order.
Furthermore.
‘His unique drive for improvement and the karma accumulated within the eternal cycle of reincarnation.’
A God is an eternal, immortal being.
Eternity creates one major flaw.
The greatest flaw of all: laziness.
Because they are eternal, they lack the sense of urgency or the drive for improvement that they cannot feel.
However, the Demon King, who is within the shackles of eternal reincarnation, does not have this lack.
Even though he possesses power similar to a God, he does not neglect his training and pursues a drive for improvement to rise even higher.
That accumulated and accumulated, and accumulated again, until now he has reached an absolute realm that distantly transcends even the Gods.
He is not a God, but he can kill a God, and he possessed the conditions to ascend to the pinnacle of divinity whenever he wished.
It was only natural that I, with only 50% of my prime power, could not handle such a being.
‘In order to face him, I need at least 70% or more of my power.’
Therefore, the only thing I could do was.
“I’ll have to keep a low profile for a while.”
It was a silence intended to avoid the calamity known as the Demon King.
“J-Just how great is the difference in that power?”
Flustered by my uncharacteristic behavior, Falsehood asked a question once more.
I stared at him quietly.
‘Opportunistic fellow.’
Falsehood was currently weighing his options.
Whether it was okay to continue holding hands with me.
Normally, I would have made him pay the price for that rudeness immediately.
But right now, a plan centered around him was in progress.
I had no choice but to overlook a bit of cockiness and rudeness.
“Significant. To the point where the current me is no match.”
“…..”
At those shocking words, he was unable to continue speaking.
“Then, doesn’t that mean the current plan is as good as failed?”
I always feel this, but the race of Gods is simple.
Seeing how they commit habitual rudeness as if everything has failed at the slightest crisis.
“I believe I told you. I said ‘for now’.”
“That…”
He was about to ask what the difference was, but then, feeling something.
“But there won’t be much time?”
The Demon King was in a hurry.
Although he had given some leeway, his will was to crush me and the Order of Victory right this moment.
It was not enough time to narrow a significant gap in military strength.
“No, it’s fully possible. As long as the Tower exists.”
The Tower.
Since I didn’t know what Salmora was plotting, I hadn’t thought about climbing it with all my might until now.
I was only climbing it briefly when necessary to increase my strength, but if the Demon King had appeared, the story was different.
‘No matter what he’s plotting, if I can’t overcome the crisis of the calamity called the Demon King right now, everything will be for naught.’
***
Salmora’s scheme to make me climb the Tower?
At this point, that’s none of my business.
To protect myself from a powerful enemy like the Demon King, there was no other way.
To pass through the Tower and acquire the pieces of myself hidden there to increase my strength.
That was the only way to overcome the pressing crisis of the moment.
[Challenging the 41st floor of the Tower in South Korea.]
This time, there was no need to use the Tower of another country.
Now that the Hero was dead, there was no one else but me who could climb the Tower on Very Hard difficulty.
Of course, I didn’t know what kind of card that fellow Salmora would pull out next, but for now, I used the South Korea Tower, which was the most convenient.
The moment I entered the Tower like that.
[You are a human, but you are a traitor who turned your back on humanity and joined the Demon King’s Legion.]
The same message as when I entered the 40th floor last time rang out.
[Through your activities last time, Demon King Ingram, the Legion Commanders, and all the Demon Clan have accepted the traitor into the Demon King’s Legion.]
[The traitor, who has faithfully carried out his assigned duties, now stands on the stage of trial. A test to see if you are worthy of being a Legion Commander.]
Only then did something come to mind.
Attacking the village was a test to accept a human into the Demon King’s Legion.
And afterward, I solidified my position by winning numerous missions and wars.
But I was still nothing more than a traitorous human attached to the Demon King’s Legion.
Therefore, the Demon King, who had been watching me, gave an order.
[Demon King Ingram has ordered the traitor. Whoever it may be, face and defeat the one whose status you wish to take. An order that, no matter who the opponent is, you will be able to have his status and honor.]
The Demon Clan and the Demon King’s Legion were a world where the strong devoured the weak.
The strong trampled the weak and enjoyed all the status and honor that the weak possessed.
To put it simply, even a common soldier of the Demon King’s Legion could aim for the position of an officer or even a Legion Commander as long as they had the ability.
Of course, that couldn’t be easy.
This was because birth also existed for the Demon Clan.
For example, the Demon King—he was a perfect being from birth.
And the Legion Commanders—they were composed of those who possessed innate authority even among the Demon Clan.
As an example, the Magic Dragon Legion Commander was from one of the great families that had stood by the Demon King’s side for a long time.
Of course, there were exceptional beings like Salmora, but for the most part, status was decided through family and birth.
[The traitor must choose. Whether to take the risk and choose a strong person, or choose the safety of defeating a relatively weak opponent.]
With that message as the last.
-Zzzzzzz!
The pitch-black surroundings finally began to show a completed sight.
That place was.
‘The Demon King’s Castle.’
It was the Demon King’s Castle.
Of course, it was not the aerial fortress that had appeared in the modern era, but a giant castle rooted in the ground.
One of the former Demon King’s Castles completed after advancing to the Gritia Continent.
The place, completed by the Shadow Dwarf belonging to the Demon Clan with all their heart and soul, was creating an atmosphere where magnificence could be felt.
“…”
I looked around.
-Whoosh!
Gargoyles flying around the Demon King’s Castle, and Minotauros and Ogres moving in formation.
An absolute castle where these high-ranking demons were barely standing guard.
What I had to do here was.
‘Finding an opponent to take status and honor from.’
The organization of the Demon King’s Legion had already been completed.
There was no room here for a human who had betrayed his own kind.
Therefore, as was the custom, I proposed a promotion match for the advancement of status.
That promotion match, conducted under the approval of the Demon King, could be fought by anyone as long as they belonged to the Demon King’s Legion.
Even if that happened to be a Legion Commander.
‘In the past, I went through several promotion matches.’
This was the first time.
The first challenge given in the past.
Because I knew the limits of my skills, I had killed a demon who was at most a company commander and took his place.
Afterward, three more challenges were made, and finally, I was able to reach the honorable status of Legion Commander.
Now was that first challenge.
Naturally, the difficulty and rewards would vary depending on the status challenged.
I contemplated for a brief moment and then I moved my feet.
“Step.”
The place I was originally in was a corner of the outer castle.
As with most castles, the further one entered the inner castle, the higher-ranking officers were stationed.
Of course, access to the inner castle was restricted.
“Clack.”
Through the token issued by the Demon King, I could roam freely without any restraint.
Like that.
“Step—” I continued forward.
Passing through the company, battalion, regiment, brigade, and division.
“….”
Finally, I was able to arrive at the command post where the Legion Commanders stayed.
Six paths branched off from the central road.
Those were the paths toward the rulers who governed the six legions of the Demon King’s Legion.
In order: the Plague Legion Commander, the Magic Beast Legion Commander, the Magic Legion Commander, the Demon Spirit Legion Commander, the Undead Legion Commander, and the Magic Dragon Legion Commander.
Of course, those Legion Commanders created by the Trial of the Tower would not be as strong as the Legion Commanders I knew in the past.
But it was certain that they were formidable enemies.
Opponents that even the current me would find difficult to challenge easily.
“Step—”
I even passed the command post guarded by those six Legion Commanders.
Where I wanted to go now was not a Legion Commander.
Right in front of the central road, the giant iron door where a geometric Crest symbolizing the Demon King was drawn.
“Creeeeeak!”
It was to challenge the Demon King himself.