Demon King

“I can see it now.”

[Those who covet, who pick up my vessel without knowing it. Those who reach out and grab hold of what they cannot take.]

Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and even Lucifer were made up of Heaven. There was no doubt about that. But what I faced now was a body with a distinct personality. However, there was no emotion in the mighty power that existed before me: no need to act, no collision, nor resistance. Work finished? Continue working. Doing just what you needed to do, that was all. Angels called it Heaven, and the warriors called it God. But, after encountering it, I only had one thought.

“You are just a machine.” I mumbled as I saw the huge mass of energy before me. Even after evolving into Satan, I could barely capture it in my field of view. It felt almost pathetic that we had been trembling in fear of it. God? Heaven? It wasn’t even funny.

[The one who surpasses Heaven and spews injustice will be removed.]

“What if I die? What about the other demons?”

[Anyone who comes into contact with injustice is unclean. We will erase everything unclean. The underground and Earth.]

I forgot how busy I had been, but I still had Earthlings under my control. At first, I thought they were only interested in me and the underground, but they had a taste for more destruction than I thought.

“Fate…!”

“It’s more than I can imagine…!” None of my companions could keep their knees from shaking. At least Amimon and Belphegor were still standing up, albeit barely, before this celestial being they could not recognize.

“I’m scared. It’s scary…!”

“Fate, do what you need to do! It’s the moment we’ve prepared for!” I turned my head forward to face it. It was so ridiculously large to look at; its size and the energy it contained. Looking at it, I quietly repeated Lilith’s words.

“What I need to do.” That was true. If I didn’t confront Heaven, everything I tried to protect would disappear. But what was the most intense emotion I was feeling right now? Was it a sense of duty or responsibility? No, it was Greed, Gluttony, and soaring Wrath. Since when did my position move me? I just wanted to eat this delicious looking food in front of me.

[Remove.]

As the energy writhed inside of me, immense mana poured down onto me. Mana unlike any I had experienced before, quickly covered my body, trying to deny my very existence. It was the source of the power Heaven used to mess with Earth and the underground.

“Kuh…” My teeth were clenched. I had evolved to prepare for this power; now, all I had to do was keep myself from being destroyed. What was fortunate was that the bombardment of power was solely directed at me. Maybe it was planning to get rid of the others after it killed me. It was a truly programmed foolish act.

“But I…!,” I stepped forward while clashing against Heaven’s power. With each step forward, I wielded Annihilation to extinguish the mana and used Predation to the fullest. However, no matter how far I went, I couldn’t get close. It was making fun of me.

[You can never reach the source.]

It talked as if it knew everything and was declaring a simple truth. It wasn’t even funny. It knew it had to let go of its shortcomings like Lucifer, and it had to create angels to use that energy.

“Fate! No, Fate!”

“Don’t go forward!” Creation? Source? What was all that?! Nothing is decided from the beginning. Fury welled up inside of my heart. Yes, the only thing Heaven didn’t consider when dealing with me. My evolution after swallowing the black moon. The power that decimated angels and humans. The name of Satan that accompanied my newest and strongest power: the mana of Wrath covering my body. With Reaper, I forged a new sword out of Annihilation to increase its length. Halpas screamed out in joy as he accepted the power flowing through him. Heaven may have sensed something was off, but it was already too late. My Wrath couldn’t be stopped.

“Go away!” I poured out the dark and intense fury that I had accumulated throughout my life.

[…!]

“Kuhhh!” My vision blurred as a shock that threatened to destroy the world rang out. But my body was still there, and so was my enemy. However, it felt blurry and incomplete compared to before. My blow had left a mark on it.

“I reached it…” I laughed, but no response came. Instead, it reacted by creating countless angels.

“Ahh.”

“The angels are back, stand up! We must fulfill our role!”

[The target is bound.]

[Suppress their mana.]

Unlike Michael and Gabriel, these angels were emotionless machines who were created just to fight us. Hundreds of them were formed into existence from the almost infinite celestial energy.

“Angels…!”

“Fulfill the king’s commands!” They rushed towards me in unison, intending to protect Heaven. My comrades, who were barely moving under the overwhelming power of Heaven, began to move forward with their jaws clenched.

“I can’t die like this.”

[I have to repay the captain.]

[Don’t look down on the demons!]

Mana exploded out. To overcome the momentum of Heaven, everyone around me raised their mana with everything they had. I wondered if this was what it was like when the humans invaded the Rookie’s Battlefield, driven by their will to live. If so, I could never laugh at their drive. Thanks to the celestial beings concentrated on me, they were able to move forward and exert their power again successfully. Even though I couldn’t empower them any longer, their strong will had manifested.

[They touched the unclean and became unclean in turn. Those who deny the truth and desire illusion must be erased.]

I withstood the pressure and proceeded. The aura of Predation contained intense Greed in it, that desire I had for Heaven since long past.

[Those who covet what is beyond them! Those who avert their eyes!]

It now perceived my power as a threat, so it was tried to overrun me with angels. But they couldn’t reach me.

Lee Chan-yu, who raised the mana of all entities under his command. Cain, who stood regally in front of him. Katsuragi was behind them, afraid of dying but pushing on. My young sister was with him. There was Mireina, who denied Heaven who wanted to invade her soul, and Belphegor, floating in the air and exuding power. Lilith, who was infecting the angels with her emotions, and Amimon, who protected her. Gremory, who was smiling leisurely, and Ose, who was covered in blood. Orobas was filled with the desire to protect me. Finally, there was Batsago, who believed in me more than anyone else.

Everyone who arrived in Heaven with me was radiating brilliant mana. Each one’s will and feelings clashed with Heaven and forced them away.

“You didn’t understand us from the start.”

[Remove…]

We moved forward with the strength of our emotions. We lost strength because of them before and constantly pursued them while making silly mistakes. But they are what made us strong. It would ever understand, having cast Lucifer out due to its inability to accept his Pride. The angels approaching me were slowed by Lilith. Amimon moved in to clear them out as I moved forward, aiding me the best he could. The pressure continued to bear down on me as I trudged forward, holding the sword on Annihilation in my hand. I had put my all into it.

The power of Predation I had since opening my eyes as a goblin, the power of Greed entrusted to me by Amimon, the power of Jealousy I received from Lucifer, who couldn’t accept his own feelings, the power of Wrath, obtained when I gained the name of Satan.

[Remove all unclean things!]

I threw myself forward towards the irrational violence before me.

“Fate!”

“No…Fate!”

The world went white. I felt everything that held me up shatter. I could barely grasp the fact that I was being torn down into thousands of pieces.

‘If I die like this?’ Everything was over. I couldn’t see Lilith again, or hug my sister. I couldn’t pat Mireina’s head or share a glass with Belphegor. I couldn’t fight Amimon or see Gremory’s smile. No more joking with Lee Chan-yu, sitting on Cain’s shoulder, or educating Katsuragi…

‘No.’ Wasn’t there one thing I truly regretted? If I died, I couldn’t eat anything.

Only

‘I can’t.’ I opened my eyes. My body was shattered into thousands of pieces, but that was fine. It would be hard to eat this world with a small mouth, anyway. I couldn’t understand the thoughts racing through my mind, but all I knew I had to do was eat. I opened my mouth, pouring out the energy of Gluttony.

“Everything.” I ran toward the meal in front of me. The will of Heaven continued to tear me apart, but the more it did, the more my mouth expanded. It wouldn’t give up, and I didn’t either.

“That is the power of Satan…!”

“Come on, before you get eaten!”

I didn’t care about the voices around me. I was too busy eating.

“At last.” Only one simple thought ran through my mind, which had already been shattered.

At last.

Delicious.