NOVPUB
Chapter 102
The Mad Blood Tyrant let out a piercing, anguished scream that echoed through the air. “Are you bastards crazy?!” Witnessing the wave of demons pouring down toward him, the Tyrant couldn’t believe the situation he found himself in.
The demon realm, having lost not only its Monarch but also its nobles, was a world truly on the brink of destruction. The demons that had held onto their lives up until this point were nothing but worthless scum. They were creatures whose only hope was to die after a lifetime of slavery and harsh labor. Yet these pitiful and insignificant beings were daring to revolt against him. No, they were rushing at him, drooling with the intent to devour him.
Enraged, the Mad Blood Tyrant conjured up blue flames. “How dare these barbaric worms bare their teeth at me!”
Swoosh!
Starfire. The flame of life was always burning within the followers of the gods of the distant outer universes. That blue flame spread rapidly throughout the coliseum, engulfing the demons that swarmed from all directions.
“Aieeee!” In that blue flame, the demons burned to death helplessly, exactly like moths drawn too closely to a flame. But already maddened to the extreme, they continued to attack the Mad Blood Tyrant. As they burned, they used the corpses of their fallen comrades as shields.
“Just one bite!”
“Please, just a taste!”
“Even one mouthful will make me stronger...”
“Aghhh!”
Demons. This place was hell itself.
“Y-you lunatics...!” The Mad Blood Tyrant was appalled. Are these filthy creatures really the same placid slaves I ruled over?
As a follower of Itarim, his mission was to conquer and dominate this world. But what is this...? It’s almost as if... I’ve become their prey! A surge of humiliation surged within him. He couldn’t accept that what he was feeling was “fear.”
“I’ll kill you all! Burn to ashes and become my fuel!” he shrieked.
Flames burst forth as if intent on incinerating the world. Above them, the demons continuously poured down, rushing headlong into the blue fire. Their bodies turned to ash and scattered in all directions.
At the center of it all, the Mad Blood Tyrant burst into a maniacal laugh. “My power is returning! My Starfire will burn eternally in exchange for the precious slaves I’ve lost!”
With that, his gaze scanned the ground for the man who had caused this chaos. Though the Tyrant had suffered some losses, the demon realm was not confined to this place alone. Once his power was replenished, he would find and dominate another fragment of the realm as it drifted through the dimensional rift.
But he overlooked one thing. While he had slayed countless demons to refill his drained power, their souls were being absorbed somewhere else.
“Is that... Could it be...?!” The Mad Blood Tyrant’s eyes widened in shock as he glimpsed something from afar.
“Just what I needed.” Above the chaos, Suho stood with a thoroughly satisfied smile. He lifted Vulcan’s Horn high above him.
[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
The ravenous sword was greedily devouring the souls of the slaughtered demons.
“Yes, eat your fill,” Suho said. “Until you’re ready to burst.”
[Devoured Demon Souls: 83 -> 97 -> 113]
It was like he had hit a jackpot. With every second that passed, the number of consumed souls continued to rise.
Ding!
[Vulcan’s Horn feels sated.]
Finally, the seemingly endless hunger of Vulcan was fully satiated.
[Item: Vulcan’s Horn]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Sword
Attack Power +40
It’s a sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Vulcan.
Vulcan’s power imbues it with the ability to inflict greater damage.
Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [300%]
Effect “Demon Devourer”: As it feeds on demon souls, Vulcan’s power grows stronger.]
[Devoured Demon Souls: Satiated State]
It was a success. The physical damage had increased by 300 percent. Ultimately, Suho had managed to bring Vulcan’s Horn to its full potential.
“Incredible! To think there was such a strategy...” Esil couldn’t help but be amazed. While the Mad Blood Tyrant was recharging his weakened power, Suho had fully exploited the souls left behind to maximize his own attack.
But he wasn’t done. “Satisfied now?” Suho smirked as he raised the sword. “Now, hand it over, Vulcan.”
As if in response to his words...
Ding.
A message arrived.
[Emergency Quest: “Vulcan’s Greed” has been completed.
A completion reward has arrived.
Would you like to accept the rewards? (Y/N)]
Suho already knew what the reward would be. He extended his empty hand with a smirk.
Whoosh!
A second Vulcan’s Horn appeared.
[Item: Vulcan’s Horn]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Sword
Attack Power +40
It’s a sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Vulcan.
Vulcan’s power imbues it with the ability to inflict greater damage.
Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [300%]]
Because the first one was completely sated, the amplification power of the second sword was already at 300 percent.
As he confirmed this fact, Suho lifted both Vulcan’s Horns in his hands and smirked. “I guess I won’t need Rakan’s Fang anymore. Maybe I’ll sell it to contribute to the guild funds.” Wielding twin swords would be better for balance, wouldn’t it?
However, one entity was horrified by this idea.
[Rakan wakes up with a start from his sleep.]
[Rakan requests a conversation, insisting he has a better idea.]
[Rakan stamps his feet, urging not to be ignored.]
But Suho ignored his message. He charged toward the Mad Blood Tyrant at incredible speed and fluidly swung his swords as the Tyrant’s eyes widened in shock. Chuckling, he said, “You’ve taken care of most of my work for me.”
[Skill: “Iron Body Technique” has activated.]
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
Boom!
“Argh...!” An attack of an unprecedented magnitude crashed down upon the Tyrant’s body. The blazing blue flames emanating from his body were sliced into hundreds, if not thousands of fragments by Suho’s twin swords.
“This can’t be happening... Have I really been defeated by the likes of such...” As the ominous flames died down, a shrinking voice of defeat escaped his lips. “Oh, Itarim...”
Wham.
[Mad Blood Tyrant has been defeated.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
The surviving demons were plunged into shock at the death of their former master. Their previous frenzy to devour him suddenly seemed trivial.
“I-is he dead?”
“The Tyrant King... Did he...?”
“Was it so easy?”
They couldn’t believe the horrific sight before them. The tyrannical king who had enslaved them had vanished before their eyes, leaving not even a body behind. Even the guards who had effectively enforced their slavery had all turned to ash.
The demons were left with only one thought: What becomes of us? They were so accustomed to slavery that they couldn’t even voice this question out loud.
“Esil.” Amid the silence, Suho called out to her. “It’s your turn to step forward.”
There was only one way to neatly sort out this chaotic vacuum caused by the loss of a ruler. I can’t keep pretending to be Vulcan’s son, he thought.
The demon realm, as he had observed up to this point, was a thoroughly hierarchical society where only the strong survived. Those demons with power preyed upon and ruled over those weaker than themselves. But the moment the Demon Monarch and nobles vanished, the entire system collapsed. That was what allowed a follower of Itarim to appear, seize this land, and enslave its inhabitants. There was no demon of “pure blood” to govern them. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
“Come out, Esil. You must rule.” If she didn’t, who knew when another follower might suddenly appear and engulf this world?
“I understand.”
Whoosh!
Upon Suho’s words, Esil emerged from Vulcan’s Horn.
The remaining demons’ eyes focused solely on her. The moment they saw her, they instinctively realized who she was. All of their previous misconceptions about Suho being a demon noble or a hidden son of Vulcan vanished in an instant. The aura emanating from Esil was indeed that of a pure-blooded demon noble.
“A n-noble...”
“A real noble, in the flesh...”
Had the situation been different, the demons might not have had such a reaction. After all, these were the creatures who had dared to attack even the fearsome Mad Blood Tyrant. But things had changed.
“Kneel.”
At a single command from Esil, they could do nothing but bow before her.
“I am Esil, the eldest daughter of the Radiru Clan and the only remaining demon noble in this world.” She looked around slowly, her gaze utterly arrogant as she surveyed the creatures submitting before her.
Long ago, when the demon realm was flourishing, this coliseum served as the stage for moments precisely like this one. Demon nobles conducted duels in a competition for honor. When the match was decided and a hierarchy was established, the victor always proclaimed their rights in such a manner.
Following that ancient tradition, Esil boldly asserted her presence in front of the crowd. “I proclaim that from now on, this land shall be the territory of the Radiru Clan.”
A majestic chorus of cheers erupted. Its resonance was entirely different from the malicious jeering of the spectators who had once watched executions in the coliseum.
But her proclamation was not yet over. “And I, Esil Radiru, the last remaining demon noble, decree...” Suddenly, her gaze shifted toward Suho beside her. “Our realm will enter into an all-out war with the Itarim. We will not be dominated by the likes of the Mad Blood Tyrant again.”
Esil, the sole remaining demon noble, was the only one who could possibly become the new Demon Monarch. Knowing this, her subjects ignited their magical energy.
“We must fight,” she shouted.
The crowd erupted in a thunderous roar of support.
