167. The Demon King’s End
“……”
“Kuhaha! What are you doing! How foolish of you to stand there blankly.”
Jamon attacked in a very smart way.
He attacked by moving incredibly fast.
I wasn’t able to read his movements.
That was because the Demon King was moving at a speed which my eyes could not keep up with, even as an Awakened.
I didn’t even know what kind of attacks he was performing.
However, since I was receiving no damage, it was true that I wasn’t minding it at all.
“Kuhat. Go ahead and swallow more! No matter how much you have left, I shall make you use them all up!”
“I think I already told you that they’ll be for my descendants to play with?” 1
“If you can endure this without swallowing them all, go ahead. If you can catch me, go ahead and do so! That is, if you’re able to catch up to my speed….. What!”
-crack!
“Ugh! There’s no way that a hex like this can affect me! Kuahh!”
“I wasn’t able to see you. But it seems that I didn’t need to see you to catch you, so stop taunting me and just die already.”
The Demon King’s movements that split apart the air and moved at incredible speeds had been halted.
The ability that stopped his movements completely was Bind.
It was only an A ranking support skill, which caused a stone golem’s hand to rise up from the ground and grab a hold of the opponents feet.
It was one of the skills that I hadn’t used even once since I’ve obtained it.
That was because if the opponent had any decent resistance stats, it would be incredibly difficult to bind them down.
However, the Bind that I just cast ignored all resistances.
Not only that, but the skill that used to target a single opponent had turned into a ma.s.sive area of effect skill instead.
With just one cast, a countless amount of hands had popped out on the ground around me.
It didn’t matter that I didn’t know where the Demon King was.
I just poured in a bit of the infinite mana I had, along with a little bit of magical energy.
It wasn’t a perfect dish made by a skilled cook, but a college student’s meal that he made by just throwing in as much seasoning as he pleased.
Jamon, with his feet bound and unable to move, continued to struggle.
However, it was a pointless effort.
It was because the Bind’s hand tightened its grasp further and further, enough to leave marks on his smooth body.
I walked towards him.
I could smash a Meteor on him, but if I did so, the Bind would come undone.
If he gets free and begins to flee?
A hide and seek where the it has been swapped would continue for awhile.
When it comes to escaping, he would be better suited than I would be.
“Ugh! You little!”
“Just thinking about all the canned food we had to eat all this time…. Whew.”
“Will you keep struggling till the end?”
“Kuwah!”
Meeting the sword slashes while bound, the Demon King did not hesitate for a second before breaking his own horn.
It was probably because he saw Ladin perish without being able to do anything.
Rather than that, he would unleash his last resort without hesitation.
The moment that he broke his horn, a ma.s.sive amount of magical energy flowed out.
After I was able to use magical energy, I was able to see the flow of it clearly.
Almost as if a pipe burst open, an insane amount of magical energy flowed out and covered Jamon’s body.
Even after seeing this spectacle, I did not react much.
I just calmly swallowed another King’s Marble instead.
Despite how much magical energy he let out, my attacks would still connect, and even if he counter attacked, none of it would work against me.
With him near me, I used the Formless Sword Aura that was empowered with newfound strength.
Wild Beast, which only activated if a vast amount of cuts were made, activated instantly as soon as I cast the skill.
A darkish red smoke rose from my body, and I could sense a power I could not contain fill every part of my body.
A calm smile appeared on my face.
This would finally set me free from the tiresome life in the demonic realm after all.
At the same time that I started my attack, the Demon King that had exuded all of his magical energy began to burn viciously.
“I am not one who will be defeated by the likes of a human!”
“Bulls.h.i.t. See ya, Demon King!”
The sword aura that was akin to a hurricane had finished its due course penetrating Jamon’s body.
Until the immortality buff had 10 seconds left on it, the merciless attack continued.
My body that had been moving busily as if dancing stopped, and I looked at the Demon King.
He did not stir in the slightest. No part of his body was without injury.
I moved one of my fingers and moved it towards his forehead.
Then.
The mana that I focused on the tip of my finger suddenly exploded, fracturing his body with a very small cut.
This wasn’t a skill that I had obtained.
I had merely controlled my magical energy to cause a powerful explosion.
Almost as if blowing off dust, the Demon King’s body that had been ripped apart due to the Formless Sword Aura scattered into the air.
Just as with Ladin, I absorbed the Demon King’s magical energy.
Thus, the Demon King Jamon lost his life, completely disappearing from existence.
With this, everything ended.
The main reason of coming over, the Demon King Jamon, had been defeated, and I had absorbed over 90% of the magical energy in the demonic realm.
The only one with enough magical energy to be cla.s.sified at the level of a demon tribe leader was Belkoseu.
No matter how much capacity for magical energy a monster had, they wouldn’t be able to surpa.s.s my level, and with this, we would no longer be harmed by monsters.
However, something felt off.
I was able to return to the home that I so desperately wanted to, and would be able to meet mother again.
The realm that I was in, Earth, was completely safe, and would no longer suffer chaos from the monsters.
It was a situation where I should be feeling elated from a ma.s.sive feeling of accomplishment and relief, celebrating with happiness as if I could fly away at any given moment.
However, the reality wasn’t so.
Instead of happiness, there was a hollow emptiness instead.
Would there be a time where I would need to use my incredible power that I possessed?
What was the goal that I should be looking towards next?
What should I be doing next?
I wasn’t able to come up with clear answers to any of the questions I had raised.
Right now, I was…. I was just a wanderer without a goal and an outlaw with reins over him.
It didn’t take long for Jong Ho, Karin, and Belkoseu to arrive.
Jong Ho teased me with a bright expression.
“Demon King! We must head to Earth and destroy humankind!”
“Pfft. What are you on about. I should leave you here and go. Anyways, I guess it really is over?”
“Of course. Everything is as it should be now. You finished what we didn’t know would end. You did well.”
“But…… For some reason, it feels hollow and a letdown.”
“I guess so. For this, we had charged in with everything on the line, but now it has ended. I can at least somewhat understand what you’re saying.”
“For adults….. Is this emotion something that you feel often?”
“It’s different for everyone. There are those who’d never feel this feeling their entire lives, while others feel this way every single day.”
“I think I can understand it in my head….. But I still can’t get a clear picture. I’m not sure what to do.”
While I was at a loss on what to do with this new feeling that I’ve never felt before, Jong Ho came to me and patted my back.
In all our time together, this was a moment when he seemed the most mature, and I felt a desire to rely on him.
All the emotions that I held back came flooding out like a dam breaking.
Karin danced with enjoyment, unaware of how I was feeling.
He continued to do so, humming a bizarre song I could not understand.
“Kerukeru. Kel Kel. Keruuut. Keruutuut!”
“Are you happy?”
“Kerut!”
“You worked hard, Karin.”
“Kel kel. I didn’t do anything. It was you who went through a lot, Min-Cheol.”
“Whew…. That’s true. So, what will you do from now on?”
“Keru?”
“Will you stay here? Or do you want to come with us to Earth?”
“Keruru. I guess it’s a habit of yours to ask questions that you know the answers to?”
“Heh. Right, I get it.”
“Kel. Hurry up and try using the Demon King’s Authority!”
“Right. To get back home, I’ll first have to open the dimensional door leading back to Earth, right?”
“So we’re finally going. I was dying to see her again.”
“Tell me the truth. Is it mother? Or is it your girl?”
“Huh? Uh…. It’s everyone, of course. I’m saying that I want to see the place where everyone is.”
“That’s why they say that you shouldn’t raise a child that’s not your own…..”
“Pfft. Either way, I’m happy.”
“But how do I use this Authority?”
“I shall teach you, Demon King.”
“Ah….. Belkoseu. Addressing me respectfully is good, but please don’t call me Demon King. It’s rather uncomfortable…..”
“Ahem. I understand. D….. Mighty Human.”
“So how do I use this Authority?”
Belkoseu was also someone from the demonic race with quite the large capacity for magical energy.
He had many Authorities, and learned to use them more efficiently than anyone else after using them for countless years.
Sadly, due to them not being Authorities that allowed him to grow quickly, he wasn’t able to rise to the t.i.tle of demonic tribe leader.
As instructed by Belkoseu, I closed my eyes.
After that, I thought of the Authority I wanted to use in my mind.
He informed me that not even those who had risen to the t.i.tle of Demon King knew just how many Authorities they could use.
It wasn’t as if there was some detailed instruction manual or someone instructed you on it.
Firstly, we started our travels to another dimension.
It did cost a lot of magical energy, but it didn’t matter to me.
It was the equivalent of taking a shovel’s worth of sand from the desert.
Focusing on Earth, the place I wanted to return to, I used my Authority.
As I did so, a small Gate formed in front of me.
“This is amazing, you know?”
“It’s a dimensional door that only allows one lifeform to travel.”
“Hm. Then I shall be going. Hyung-nim, it’s been fun.”
“Hey, you! Are you telling me to live as a lonely old man?”
“Pfft. Hurry up and go through. It should be connected to home.”
“Right. Whew…..”
Jong Ho let out a long sigh and looked around.
He too was probably feeling a mix of emotions as well.
It was to be expected, since he was not selected, but rather convinced by me to risk his life fighting in the demonic realm.
“See you at home.”
“Yes.”
“Now, next is Karin.”
“Kel kel! Quickly! Send me quick!”
“But for you to go there with your current appearance is…..”
“Kehel….. I guess it’s too much for a monster such as myself to live on Earth?”
His disappointed look stung my heart.
“Hm…. You’ll become the most famous goblin in both the demonic realm and Earth. But instead of doing that, why not let the guide goblin Barun take the position and live a normal life instead?”
“Kehel?”
Finishing my words, I changed Karin’s ugly appearance into a human’s.
How did I know that this would be possible?
I would have to give credit to the Piece of Time and s.p.a.ce.
One of the effects said that I would be able to use all of the power that I possessed.
After creating the dimensional door with the help of Belkoseu, I was able to use all of the Authorities that a Demon King possessed, which was never done before by anyone.
After learning the first step, I was able to master the whole thing and make it my own.
“Ket! Min…. Min-Cheol. My body!”
“Go ahead. Make sure to explain to hyung-nim clearly, okay?”
“Kerururu! Finally, I feel like I’ve become an actual part of the family. I understand. Hurry up and follow!”
“Gotcha.”
“Now, I should get going as well……”
1. Guseulchigi is a game you play with marbles, knocking your opponents with yours without having yours fall off the table.