Demon King

The Birth of the Legion – 1

Perhaps it was because of the time they took in becoming a higher entity that the change Lee Chan-yu and Mireina met was dramatic.

“Oh, yes. It’s finally happening.” I assumed Lee Chan-yu’s arm had swollen up during the fight because of the mana gathering inside him, but that was only half right. He didn’t have the confidence to control mana by himself, so he used the monsters under his command. They aided him in controlling it, so his arm was in the process of using their powers.

“It’s great.” He was now testing how many powers from those monsters he could summon at once. He had officially entered the higher system and acquired a powerful ability as a result. I wasn’t confident in controlling a large number of monsters myself, so there was no way I could help him.

“Captain, you pushed that mana too hard, but it worked out, I suppose.”

“Don’t worry. I was confident I’d live.”

“Oh yeah?!” Lee Chan-yu let out a laugh as he continued to adjust to his strength. Focusing it into his arms- just his claws, expanding it all over his body. I watched him repeatedly test it while adjusting the number of monsters he was controlling.

“If you could concentrate the power of all the monsters under your control at once, that would be great.”

“Isn’t that like the ability of a protagonist? After all this time, I was the main character…!”

“Why would you say that?”

“Mister, that’s stupid.” Mireina spoke up to him on my behalf, thankfully. Lee Chan-yu suddenly stretched his shoulders out, looking at Mireina.

“If I’m the main character, shouldn’t an elf girl be sticking to my arm? Isn’t it weird, captain?”

“Isn’t it because you talk like that you can’t be the main character?”

“Don’t tell me. I’m aware of it.”

“Just survive the Devil’s Night. You can always look for a pretty wolf girl.”

“I don’t need that!” Lee Chan-yu became rather gloomy. I let out a sigh and turned my attention to Mireina.

“… It’s really surprising.”

“Why? Did I become prettier?”

“Saying you became prettier implies you were pretty from the start.”

“That’s unfair!” Of course, I was joking. Mireina was certainly pretty, and now that she had evolved, she had somehow become only more beautiful. Not that I would admit it. Her skin shone brightly under the influence of her soul, and her eyes looked like an aurora of colors. While she still had the similarly youthful features in her face, her body certainly embodied the ideal of all creatures. In strength, she wouldn’t win against Marcocias, but aesthetically she would win an undeniable victory. She was even closer to L’s level now.

But perhaps that was due to the nature of her abilities. It was an amazing defensive ability, but even when using to attack, it was probably one of the most powerful weapons on Earth right now. It was natural, considering how powerful the Demon’s Claw was; weapons that could attack the very soul were hard to beat.

“If you look closer, your thoughts will change!” I gave up on pulling her off of me.

“If I acquired this ability on the Rookie’s Battlefield, I would’ve been able to clear up all of the Chaos Souls alone.”

“But that would mean that I wouldn’t have met you! I hate that!”

“Are all elves like this?”

“You’re saying strange things. I’m here because I met you.” That was true, at least partially. It was mostly because of her personality that walked straight forwards without looking back. There was no point in considering what could have been; you had no choice but to go on as it was.

“The more you sharpen that ability, the stronger it will become. So make sure to practice. Thus, you’ll be fighting in real battles.”

“Oh, we’re fighting more monsters?”

“Yeah.” Both of their abilities had limitations in magnitude, but the way they were expressed surprised me. Just like Predation, they were highly efficient abilities. Just like L and I, they could become an overwhelming force. As their master, it was easy to see that they had the mana of Jinma now. Which objectively meant…

“You’ve become demons.” Demons possessing unique abilities that could someday rival my own. Cain had his overwhelming combat power, and Katsuragi had vast stores of mana, but neither of them had awakened their unique abilities yet.

“Ah, Captain? I’m no longer a werewolf.”

“You can’t transform into a wolf?”

“I can, but if I borrow the power of my subordinates I can transform into a crocodile or an elephant too.” It was like he was freed from the bonds of his power; they had expanded to allow him more versatility. On the other hand, Mireina’s case was a bit strange. She was different from the elven race now, but she could still create a gate to the Battlefield.

“Both demonic and elvish…considering Marcocias, that’s dangerous…”

“It’s okay! I like it because it feels like I’m more connected with you.”

“I didn’t ask about your feelings.” Her ability allowed her to maintain a pure soul. Somehow, she was harmonizing these different powers inside of her. It was a power based on the elves, but it was completed by the power of Jinma. No doubt, Marcocias would’ve been astonished to see it, as well as the head of the Elakatra.

“Quickly get used to that ability, we’re running out of time.”

“Okay.” I made sure the others were alright after checking out the two who had evolved, but everyone was alright. I left them to get used to their power.

[Is it really okay to leave your sister on Earth?]

There were monsters bigger than Cain in my realm. But with his overwhelming magical power, none of them could compare. He was like a massive moving landmark.

“It’s better to leave her on Earth for her own safety. This’ll be a difficult fight, she would be trapped in the castle even if I did bring her.”

[For us, it’s a Spartan-style regiment that pushes us past our limits, but you’re soft on her.]

Only

That was natural; she was my precious family. Of course, you’d want your family to be safe. No…in fact, I might have been relieved that I was hoping for her to be safe. My desire to protect my family, which was no more than a pretense of being a human, proved to me that I was once human. I almost wanted to laugh at myself for still trying to pretend.

“If the Elakatra appears near my sister, she’ll be summoned to my side. Let’s hope not, though.” As if to expel my own doubts, I decided to reveal the precautions I had taken. Cain nodded and remained quiet.

“Fate.” Rain quietly approached me on the innermost wall that protected the fortress. A and L were located in the same structure they had been during the previous Devil’s Night.

“All preparations are over. The Devil’s Night will begin soon.” As if to prove his words, the moon hanging above us began to emit an ominous black light. While the monsters near us began to scream as the mana affected them, L closed her eyes tightly and spread her power in all directions to try and uplift them. A, too, spread his power to create a shield over the fortress. In the meantime, Rain lightly grasped the swaying chain on his forearm and looked at me.

“Fate, you promised victory to us all.” Was he acknowledging my strength? I didn’t know, but it didn’t feel bad. I raised the power of Predation and spread it in all directions.

“Devour them all and become stronger! Those who survive will gain strength!” I shouted out to encourage my troops. It was childish, but the response was fierce. Beyond them, the space surrounding my realm began to distort. I raised a silent hand as I took in the breathtaking sight. I waited for everyone to calm down before my hand descended like a guillotine.

“Go!”

It was the beginning of a battle that would bring about a huge change to both the underground and Earth.