Chapter 262 – For the Hero (1)

“How dare this lowly creature.”

Ten Demon Kings were gathered here, Agares among them.

-You have been chosen by the Crown of Sins.

-You have been designated as ‘Baal’.

The Hero, and the Demon King.

Beings born from the fervent wishes of those who yearn for a savior.

Im Jae-joon, too, was baffled.

Why had he been chosen as Baal?

But now, he understood.

Im Jae-joon had risen for the sake of the demons.

But the Demon Kings of this age were different.

They reveled in slaughter and lusted for war.

Demons fundamentally operate on the logic of power. The law of the strong—to take and be taken from—is their only truth.

But was that their true nature?

Some things are forged by the environment one is born into.

The demons of the Demon Realm, living in such an environment, are naturally accustomed to preying upon others.

Then why was such an environment created?

It was because of the Demon Kings.

Im Jae-joon had believed that Demon Kings were meant to be the antithesis of humans, beings who watched over the demons.

But the other Demon Kings needed countless warriors to expand their own power and dominate other dimensions.

When nations wage war over land, does the victor grow rich while the vanquished falls to ruin?

No.

When war breaks out, it is only the common people who suffer.

It only ever serves to fill the coffers of those in power.

Is that right?

Is it right to oppress the weak and crush them like insects, simply because one is strong and holds power?

In the end, Im Jae-joon accepted that he was different from the other Demon Kings.

Perhaps it was something only he, who had lived as both demon and human, could understand.

“Don’t come any closer!”

If I am the one who can save the demons, not some other high-ranking Demon King, then I will accept it.

“…!”

Im Jae-joon lightly dodged the claws of the Demon King rushing at him and thrust his sword.

Dodging and thrusting.

The actions occurred simultaneously, with perfect fluidity.

“Devour.”

The stabbed Demon King began to thrash about.

Im Jae-joon’s sword erupted in a dark red flame that began to spread into his opponent’s heart.

Crack. Crunch!

The sound of breaking bones echoed, followed by the gruesome noise of flesh being torn and blood splattering.

Im Jae-joon ignored the Demon King being devoured and walked forward.

The contrast between the gruesome scene and Im Jae-joon’s nonchalant expression made the sight all the more terrifying.

“Wh-what have you done…!”

“To devour your own kind…!”

Im Jae-joon licked his lips with his red tongue.

He digitized the Demon King and absorbed him.

Survival of the fittest. The fundamental law unfolded before their very eyes.

“Who’s next?”

At Im Jae-joon’s words, the Demon Kings were silent.

“You lot, cut off the Hero’s limbs.”

At that moment, Agares stepped forward, his body already regenerated.

“I’ll take care of this braggart.”

Agares was smiling, baring his teeth.

Im Jae-joon clicked his tongue inwardly.

He had hoped the other Demon Kings would attack first.

He had become Baal, but it hadn’t been long since he inherited this system. His power was still lacking.

That’s why he intended to absorb other Demon Kings and make their power his own.

But with Agares stepping forward himself, that was now out of the question.

‘So this is what he fought so overwhelmingly against.’

Im Jae-joon once again felt the terrifying might of the Hero.

Agares was the sole Demon King to have survived for thousands of years.

The power he had amassed over millennia could not compare to that of a mere human.

The same, of course, went for a Demon King.

The Hero’s stamina was severely depleted from being attacked all at once.

Above all, having used the power of Phase 3, it was a miracle he was even standing.

Even in that state, the Hero was preparing for battle.

Having already consumed a significant amount of mana, the Holy Sword no longer emitted light.

“I believe I told you.”

At that moment, the Demon Kings who were moving to kill the Hero stopped in their tracks.

“Kneel.”

The eyes of the Demon Kings who heard those words began to waver.

An irresistible authority echoed in their ears. No, the moment they heard the command, the world before them dissolved into a sea of 0s and 1s.

It was something they couldn’t comprehend.

They were kneeling without even realizing it.

‘An ocular art?’

Marbas remembered hearing that Dantalian’s specialty was ocular arts.

But he had no memory of being caught in a technique. No, he wasn’t weak enough to be caught by such a trick in the first place.

‘I can’t move.’

Cold sweat trickled down Marbas’s face. It was incomprehensible.

The situation was the same for the other Demon Kings.

“Hnngh…”

Just then, one Demon King moved. It was, of course, Agares.

“So, you are Baal.”

Agares faced Im Jae-joon.

“Interesting.”

Agares’s fist flew.

Im Jae-joon dodged his fist by taking half a step to the side.

But Agares brutally shifted his momentum and swung his fist in a wide arc.

CRACK!

Im Jae-joon raised his sword to block the fist. He blocked with his sword, but it was Im Jae-joon who was sent flying back.

“A thing like you is Baal?”

Agares sneered coldly.

“Even I couldn’t become Baal for thousands of years. But you, a mongrel Demon King who just reincarnated as a human, you’re Baal?”

Agares was utterly furious. Even when he was being pushed back by the Hero, he hadn’t been this angry.

He felt as if everything he had strived for was being denied.

The other Demon Kings hadn’t noticed yet, but Agares could tell.

Right now, Dantalian—no, Baal—had suppressed the Demon Kings through the power of the Crown.

The king’s command is absolute. That is why the demons cannot move.

Of course, the duration would differ depending on the power gap.

“That’s right.”

Im Jae-joon found the sight of Agares’s contorting face delightful.

“I am Baal.”

“The name of a Demon King is passed on to another anyway.”

Agares extended his hand.

“I hope your Demon King name is passed on to someone more worthy!”

Guillotine.

Agares’s veil-like skill crashed down upon Im Jae-joon.

BOOM!

Im Jae-joon dodged the attack. In that brief moment, he saw a flood of red beams pouring down.

FWOOSH, FWOOSH!

The barrage of crimson threads flew at Im Jae-joon like homing missiles.

A wave of blistering heat erupted in all directions.

Im Jae-joon dodged the attack and raised his red sword.

Over there, among the kneeling Demon Kings, was the Hero.

But the critically injured Hero was so weak he couldn’t even activate his Holy Sword.

No, his entire body was covered in blood, to the point it was a miracle he wasn’t dead already.

‘If I can’t stop Agares.’

There wasn’t enough time.

Im Jae-joon released a large amount of mana to buy time.

His opponent was the strongest Demon King in the dimension, Agares. An existence on whom even the authority of Baal had no effect.

His synchronization rate with the power of Baal was not yet high. Therefore, the range of who he could subjugate was small, and he could not make Agares submit.

“I’ll show that system of yours what a mistake it made choosing you as Baal. I’ll prove that your choice was wrong, denying me the authority I sought for thousands of years!”

Agares raised his hand with a crazed look in his eyes.

Everywhere his hand pointed, the ground split and exploded.

“Run around like an insect! If you are Baal, I will kill Baal and take the name for myself!”

Im Jae-joon continuously dodged the overwhelming power and firepower.

As explosions erupted from the ground, splashing magma set fire to the hem of his designer suit.

It was just a suit he could easily replace, so Im Jae-joon took off his jacket, wrapped it around his right hand, and raised his red sword.

“Kneel now. Then I will at least grant you a painless end.”

To his words, which seemed to guarantee victory, Im Jae-joon spoke calmly.

“I can see why you weren’t chosen as Baal.”

“What…?”

“A king must understand his people. Your path of supremacy is flawed.”

At Im Jae-joon’s words, Agares laughed in disbelief.

“This world operates on the law of the jungle. It is truth that the weak become prey for the strong. I made my warriors strong.”

“Wrong. That is why you were not chosen as Baal.”

Im Jae-joon sneered coldly.

“Can you claim your thoughts are everyone’s? Do you think the happiness of a commoner who only wishes for a peaceful tomorrow aligns with you? What you do is nothing but self-righteousness and self-satisfaction.”

“You sound like a champion for the weak.”

Agares laughed as he slowly walked towards Im Jae-joon.

“Even so, you’re just Baal in name only. It’s obvious you can’t beat me.”

No matter how powerful the Baal system was, a newly acquired throne could not defeat a monster that had lived for thousands of years.

“It seems you were running your mouth to buy time, but even so, the Hero won’t be getting up.”

Agares had already seen through Im Jae-joon’s intentions and sneered.

“Anyone who saw this would think you actually defeated the Hero.”

“I am the one standing, and the Hero is the one collapsed over there.”

“That’s not something the one who brought a horde of underlings to escape a crisis should say.”

At Im Jae-joon’s words, a vein popped on Agares’s forehead.

Just as he said, he had been greatly threatened for a moment. It was the first crisis he had experienced in thousands of years.

He hadn’t requested his subordinates’ help. But his subordinates saw his crisis and came to his aid.

It meant he had been pushed back by the Hero so much that his subordinates, who knew his thoughts well, did something they shouldn’t have.

That was humiliating.

That was why he didn’t take the Hero’s head himself.

“The Hero has fallen, and the soldiers you brought are collapsing before my legion.”

Just as Agares said, a fierce battle was raging between the Demon King’s army and the human army.

With Barbatos dead, the situation was better than it could have been, but the Demon King’s army commanders were not to be taken lightly.

No matter how many firearms they had, coated with mana bullets, there was a clear limit.

Hearing about the crisis at the fortress, other Demon armies were rapidly arriving through gates to provide support.

Because of this, the human army was gradually being pushed back and was now surrounded.

“A tyrant loves slaughter and wages only wars without cause. But a true king, no, a hero…”

Im Jae-joon said, raising his red sword.

“Draws people to him naturally.”

At that moment, a massive rift began to form in the sky.

Crackle, sizzle!

Lightning struck the ground like the tongue of a living snake.

Seeing the suddenly formed massive gate, the faces of the Earth Federation’s hunters turned pale.

“Don’t tell me, again…!”

Baek Hyun-joo bit her lip hard.

At first, they were dominating the battle, but gates had opened on all sides, and the Demon King’s reinforcements had appeared.

Any more than this would be dangerous.

“Shit, again?”

Kim Tae-yang spat on the ground and sent a charging demon soldier’s jaw flying with an uppercut.

His brother was up ahead.

He had come to help in style, but he couldn’t break through to the front. The number of enemies was steadily increasing.

Because of this, Kim Tae-yang was growing more and more anxious.

“No.”

Kim In-ho, standing back-to-back with Kim Tae-yang, spoke.

His thoughts were a little different.

“That’s not an enemy.”

Crackle!

From within the massive rift, someone emerged.

It was a beautiful woman with white hair, wearing a red suit.

The moment she emerged from the gate created a dreamlike atmosphere.

Seeing her sudden appearance, Kim Tae-yang blinked.

Her aura was a bit different, but she was a familiar face.

“That is the difference between him and you.”

Im Jae-joon said to Agares.

At the same time, numerous streaks of light began to pour down from the gate.

Tens, hundreds. Beyond that, thousands of streaks of light poured down, forming human silhouettes.

What suddenly appeared on the battlefield were knights clad in armor.

“How dare they…!”

The Demon King’s army commander hissed.

The army of tens of thousands that suddenly appeared began to raise its banners.

The flags symbolizing each house, and the flag of the unified kingdom, rose the highest.

“Shield bearers, forward! Defend the flank!”

At the commander’s shout, demon soldiers holding shields urgently began to move.

The queen of the kingdom, Diana Ludwig Felt, raised her sword.

“For the Hero!”

“For the Hero!”

“Descendants of the Hero.”

The queen of the unified kingdom spoke.

“We who were once the Hero’s burdens, saved from destruction.”

They had received the Hero’s help countless times.

“Our history has known a Hero.”

The queen’s rousing speech, imbued with mana, settled upon every soldier.

“Now, we will be in the Hero’s history.”

The disciple of Hero Hyunbin.

The girl who had regained her throne thanks to him stood here, now a leader.

“The time we’ve waited for has come. A blade of vengeance for the Demon Kings, and repayment for the Hero.”

“For the Hero!”

“For the Hero!”

The queen’s call was followed by the knights’ response.

“All troops!”

The soldiers, their morale at its peak, demanded to fight in this very moment.

Not a single one feared for their life.

“Advance!”

The trumpets heralding battle sounded, and at last, the knights raised their great lances and began to charge toward the Demon King’s army.