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Chapter 227: The Third Trial (15)

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of chewing echoed.

Vulcan was in the middle of a feast.

On the corpses of the great demon lords, including Baal.

"Is it that delicious?"

—You wouldn\'t know unless you tried it. Want a bite? There\'s still some leg left.

The guy, who was tearing at Baal\'s squid-like leg, offered a piece.

"...You eat it all."

—You\'re giving up this deliciousness? Well, suits me.

"So, you said you need the consent of the lords?"

—That\'s right. But, this time it\'s special. The number one spot is vacant.

"If it\'s vacant, doesn\'t the next one in line move up?"

—No. Number one is different.

The guy shook his head and said.

—The most exalted and supreme position. The ruler of the Demon Realm. To ascend to such a position, one needs the consent of all the lords.

His eyes gleamed with ambition.

\'The number one spot.\'

He\'s been held back by the rotten waters of the Demon Realm, so he must want to completely overturn the board. If he ascends to Baal\'s position, he might be able to upend the order of the Demon Realm.

So, reaching the number one spot is probably one of Vulcan\'s bucket list items.

—I\'ve already sent letters to all the lords. A meeting will happen soon. My promotion will also take place then.

"I guess no one will object?"

—If they don\'t want to die, they\'ll agree. Heh heh...

Vulcan laughed darkly.

The Vulcan he first met and the Vulcan now were completely different.

From number one to number seven.

He ate the corpses of all the Demon Realm lords.

He heard the Demon God\'s Stone resonated with the corpses.

Maybe that\'s why he\'s getting stronger in real-time.

His confidence seems to be overflowing too.

With more leeway, he decided to ask the questions he\'d been curious about.

"Speaking of which, you said there are Necromancers in the Middle World too, right?"

—Yeah, there are.

"Do they also summon undead and stuff? Like me?"

—As far as I remember, yes. But, why are you asking? Isn\'t that something you already know?

Vulcan probably thinks he was some human who got dragged into this place from the Middle World by luck, so he\'s saying that...

"I don\'t really know? I didn\'t come from the Middle World."

—If not, where did you come from?

"From another world."

—... ?

Vulcan tilted his head in confusion.

Well, satisfying his curiosity wasn\'t his immediate priority.

\'Resolving my own questions is more important.\'

This place was in the distant past.

Even further in the future, when Merhen was attending the academy, there were no Necromancers.

But now there are, he says.

"They have the worst reputation, right?"

—Necromancers? They\'re not well-regarded. Vagrants, lowlifes. That\'s the general impression.

"Why?"

—Hmm... because they summon and control undead, which are natural enemies and considered evil to humans?

"Then there could be subjugations or something, right?"

—It\'s not impossible. I\'ve heard the atmosphere in the Middle World is uneasy. I heard a great war might break out soon.

Kim Minwoo recalled the story he heard from Paimon not too long ago.

The story about the Frail Kingdom launching a \'war of conquest\'.

\'The pieces seem to be falling into place.\'

Vulcan\'s past.

Merhen\'s future.

And the information he confirmed from the Terra Mountain Necromancers he saw at the conference.

\'So, to summarize...\'

The Frail Kingdom\'s war of conquest breaks out -> For some unknown reason, knowledge of necromancy disappears -> The Death Lord appears in the future -> The Death Cult is established -> A great war between the undead and humans -> They gain splendid power but fall due to an invasion by external forces.

Something like that.

"Have you ever heard of the Death Lord?"

—What\'s that?

"...Or, any stories about a powerful Necromancer in the Middle World?"

—A powerful Necromancer?

"Yeah. I was wondering if such a being exists."

—There is one name that comes to mind.

"What is it?"

—The King of the Dead.

"...The King of the Dead?"

That sounds plausible.

Death Lord.

In other words, the Emperor of the Dead.

If you say King of the Dead, doesn\'t it have a very similar feel?

Kim Minwoo\'s eyes sparkled.

"Is he human, by any chance?"

—He is human. He has an unusual background.

"An unusual background?"

—I heard he\'s one of the orphans taken in by the Saintess of the Holy Empire. A cripple with a face full of burns, or something like that. But seeing as he\'s called the grand title of King of the Dead, he\'s probably a pretty powerful Necromancer.

The King of the Dead.

Since he\'s human, maybe he\'s the Death Lord before he became a Lich.

Of course, the probability isn\'t 100%.

He could be a completely unrelated third party.

\'Still, I\'d like to meet him...\'

Once the trials are finalized, the way to come back to this time will become distant.

He looked at Vulcan.

"Is there a way to go to the Middle World now?"

—First, a passage has to open. Usually, it opens when they perform a demon summoning ritual in the Middle World, or it opens randomly.

"You\'re powerful. Can\'t you open a passage directly or something?"

—Impossible. Even Baal probably couldn\'t do that. We can\'t open passages artificially.

No, it\'s not impossible.

In the second trial, the Death Lord opened it just fine. The sight of him opening the passage and Vulcan popping out was still vivid in his memory.

\'Tsk.\'

Anyway.

It seemed like finding the King of the Dead right away would be difficult. He decided to keep the information in mind for now.

***

The newly acquired army of 200,000.

Plus the reputation of having killed all seven great demon lords.

There were no more demon lords bold enough to refuse Vulcan\'s \'invitation\'.

The space was once called Baal\'s castle. A new owner entered the space where the previous owner had disappeared.

A new owner named Vulcan.

All the demon lords of the Demon Realm were gathered in the grand banquet hall of the castle.

—The new ruler of the castle, Lord Vulcan, and his companion, Mr. Kim Minwoo will now enter!

The banquet hall fell silent at once. A gigantic Balrog emitting an overwhelming aura. And beside him, a human of a comparatively petite size.

A combination that seemed completely mismatched was entering the banquet hall.

Thump.

Thump.

Vulcan approached Baal\'s throne with large strides and sat down.

It was a kind of statement.

This seat is now mine.

Interestingly, there was another throne next to Baal\'s throne, a very small one.

A human sat there.

It was truly exceptional treatment.

Even the founding contributors don\'t get to sit with the king. But sitting right next to him?

\'The rumors were true.\'

\'It was that human who elevated Vulcan.\'

\'Was his name Kim Minwoo?\'

Kim Minwoo.

A human whose reputation was as high as, or even higher than, Vulcan\'s, who was currently shaking up the Demon Realm.

The seven great demon lords joined forces and formed a subjugation army.

Of course, they thought Vulcan would die.

It was this human who turned that around. Rumors say he\'s even stronger than Vulcan.

Especially, the \'explosion\' he showed to the great demon lords, including Baal...

\'They said it contained the energy of holy blood.\'

\'A power Vulcan can\'t handle.\'

\'Then, that means this human is the key...\'

The demon lords\' eyes gleamed with greed. Vulcan was strong, but not strong enough to defeat seven great demon lords.

This human\'s help must have been decisive. That\'s why they even prepared a new throne right next to the throne for him.

\'If only I could persuade this human?\'

What if he promised more benefits than Vulcan and showered him with all sorts of gold and treasures? Maybe he could be the one sitting in Baal\'s seat right now.

\'Or else...\'

Since ancient times, they say power isn\'t meant to be shared. That was the same for both humans and demons.

\'What if we separate those two?\'

While the eyes of some demon lords sparkled.

Vulcan gestured with his hand.

—Everyone, please be seated.

The demon lords took their seats at the designated places.

—The reason I gathered everyone here is simple. Baal\'s position is vacant. We need to elect the leader of the Demon Realm as soon as possible.

—...That\'s right.

—So, I intend to elect one. I swear in this place. I will forget all the complicated past. I will only act for the prosperity of the Demon Realm.

Vulcan declared.

He would forget his grudge against the Demon Lords.

It was then.

One of the lords with a crow\'s head raised his hand.

The 60th-ranked demon lord, Malphas, whose rank jumped seven steps due to the aftermath of the great demon lords being wiped out.

—Caw! Lord Vulcan\'s words are correct. The leader\'s position cannot be left vacant for even a moment. I, Malphas, believe that Lord Vulcan, who showed amazing wisdom and dignity in this subjugation, should be appointed as the leader of the Demon Realm.

Mr. Mal, throwing flattery as sweet as honey at the corner of his mouth.

Vulcan\'s face naturally became pleased.

At that moment.

Malphas\'s eyes narrowed slyly.

—Caw! However, I also have this concern. Although Lord Vulcan is great, isn\'t it too sudden for the residents of the Demon Realm to accept him as their leader? It\'s not like... the rumors about Balrogs have been good so far.

—...So?

—How about appointing him as a \'temporary\' leader first to minimize backlash, and then holding another vote later to clearly secure the leadership position...?

Malphas\'s intention was simple.

To buy time.

He couldn\'t bear to see a lowly Balrog ascend to the top of the Demon Realm.

If they gave him the real leadership position here, it would be difficult to reverse. All the demon lords would have to agree, and how could they overturn that later?

He couldn\'t openly oppose it either, so he was thinking of giving him some meaningless title and buying time.

Following his words, other lords also started to participate in the conversation one by one.

—That\'s right. I\'m confident that the Demon Realm will prosper under Lord Vulcan\'s rule. However, too sudden a change can cause confusion...

—In the position of a leader, not only strength but also the role of a wise advisor is important. I heard Mr. Kim Minwoo is so great...

—Also, a leader needs capable subordinates. Many positions will be needed...

Some were praising Vulcan while subtly trying to offer him a meaningless title, hoping to delay his true ascension to power

Others were praising Kim Minwoo, aiming to create discord between the two and potentially exploit the situation for their own gain.

And even the demon lord who wants a meaningless title in the midst of all this.

All sorts of politics were rampant.

\'Naive.\'

Vulcan\'s inability to respond properly was evident. His usual sharp demeanor had definitely diminished.

Vulcan, who basically maintained a solitary life. He was not only ignorant of politics.

Perhaps because of his life as an oppressed Balrog, he was particularly weak to praise.

He was clearly being swayed by the honeyed words of the lords.

Vulcan\'s characteristic~

Extremely weak to flattery.

He added new knowledge to his mind.

"You."

He pointed at the cawing Malphas.

—Caw? Are you talking to m...?

Malphas tilted his head in confusion.

Among them, the most...

"Talkative."

[\'Suffocating Dignity\' is activated!]

The terrifying aura inherent in the Death Lord\'s helmet engulfed Malphas. The storm-like pressure momentarily choked Malphas\'s breath.

Merhen and Cedric were summoned.

[\'Legion\'s Aura\' is applied!]

[Legion Commanders\' stats increase by 20%!]

[\'Emperor\'s Authority\' is used!]

[Legion Commanders\' stats increase by 200%!]

[Has a one-month cooldown!]

Malphas\'s flinching body was tightly bound by Merhen\'s magic.

Cedric\'s spear, which approached in an instant, deeply pierced Malphas\'s neck.

A 50% increase from the Death Lord title.

Plus the Legion\'s Aura and the Emperor\'s Authority.

The stats of the two summons already far exceeded 3,000, even when converted to levels. It was too overwhelming for a mere low-ranking demon lord to withstand the assault.

It really happened in the blink of an eye.

Kim Minwoo called out.

Malphas tilted his head.

Before he could even utter a response.

[You have hunted the demon lord \'Malphas\'!]

[Level increases by 3!]

—H-he\'s dead?

—What just happened...?

The demon lords were shocked.

The higher-ranking demon lords, close to the great demon lords, were no different.

The immense aura emanating from Kim Minwoo.

The skill to kill a lord in an instant.

Gulp.

Everyone swallowed hard.

"I\'m a human, so I don\'t know about other things. But one thing I know for sure. Isn\'t the Demon Realm a place where the strong rule? Who else besides Vulcan can become the leader?"

Thud.

He sat back down and said.

"Vulcan."

—Uh, yeah.

"I\'m not your subordinate yet, so it\'s okay to kill them, right?"

—Of course. It doesn\'t matter.

It was more detrimental to say anything to Kim Minwoo about killing one demon lord. Besides, wasn\'t he doing this to help him right now?

He understood that simple logic.

"Start the vote quickly."

—A, alright.

The vote was instantaneous.

—L-lord Vulcan has ascended to the new leader of the Demon Realm!

Vulcan, the outcast and mercenary leader of the Demon Realm.

He had achieved a meteoric rise.

Number one in the Demon Realm hierarchy.

...since he had inherited Baal\'s position.

After the vote, Vulcan rose from his seat.

—Lords of the Demon Realm. I promise you, we will usher in a new era!

Vulcan\'s voice was filled with power as he gave his speech. It seemed the saying that position makes the man wasn\'t just empty words.

Kim Minwoo felt a different kind of dignity from him than before.

The expressions of the lords varied.

They looked at Vulcan with a mix of fear, awe, and hidden ambition.

\'Well, that\'s none of my business.\'

Just by elevating Vulcan, he had done his job.

He approached him and whispered softly.

"Good job. Now go your own way."

—...Human. No, Kim Minwoo. I won\'t forget your help. So, please continue to help me in the future.

"That might be a bit difficult."

—No, why?

[Perfect escape conditions!]

[Vulcan ascends to the Demon Realm lord, rank 1!]

[The glory of the Balrogs is revived once again!]

[Vulcan unlocks his potential!]

[Now Vulcan can challenge for the position of Demon Realm lord anytime!]

[You have gained the heart of the one called the Death Lord\'s Legion Commander and the King of Balrogs!]

[Vulcan will now fight for you!]

[Death Lord\'s Authority, Summon Vulcan(SSS) is granted!]

[You have acquired the title, \'Owner of the Balrog King\'!]

[You have acquired the title, \'Conqueror of the Demon Realm\'!]

[A new entry has been added to the title, \'The Beginning of a Legend - Part 2\'...]

[Escaping from the past!]

Because the clear message popped up.

Before giving his final answer.

Along with numerous messages, the surrounding scenery blurred.

Now, it was time to leave the Demon Realm of the past.