Chapter 45. Our True Demon King (3)

"...An excellent example' my ass. Who said you could touch my No. 1 lightning rod without permission?"

A voice came from somewhere.

A voice dyed with a killing intent.

Which is why it was shocking—and chilling.

So, this was...

'Credos?'

Second Star Master, Planus, widened his eyes.

And in the next moment, he doubted his own ears.

"....."

He heard a voice that should not have been heard.

A voice that had no reason to exist anymore.

Could it be his ears had gone bad?

Was it a hallucination?

'No way.'

Credos, of all people?

There's no way that bastard came back alive.

He couldn't have survived that situation.

The Second Star Master cast a wary glance around, filled with suspicion.

But he couldn't see anything.

The lower-ranking demons who had claimed to be farming corps were still suppressed by his roots. The rampaging Four Heavenly Kings were all down, and Asurat was hoisted up by his stems.

No one else was in sight.

'.......'

Had he misheard?

The Four Heavenly Kings' Asurat, now in shambles, thought to himself.

That for a brief moment, he'd been glad.

That for a moment, he thought he saw hope.

But it must've all been a delusion. That's why one shouldn't let false hope fester.

'Of course...'

From his lowered head, Asurat gave a bitter smile.

Come to think of it, there's no way Credos would return. Obviously. The Second Star Master had grown this powerful and seized the throne. He would've already been smashed to pieces by such a foe.

'Even if, by some insane luck, he had barely survived… he'd just end up getting killed by the Second Star Master for real. There's no way he'd come back here, right? He's not an idiot.'

Anyone with a working brain—

Even a hint of intelligence—

If he miraculously survived, he'd disappear far away. That would be the rational thing. If he were Credos, he would've done the same.

So then...

'I guess I still had some attachment to life.'

That's why he clung to false hope.

He was foolishly wishing for a miracle, even a sliver of one.

But such a wish—was ultimately meaningless.

And so, in the end, I'll meet my end here today.

"…Tbong?"

Just as Asurat's bitter smile was morphing into resigned despair.

From below, somewhere, the voice of a baby dragon rang out. In the chaos that had erupted earlier, he'd thankfully remained safe, though clearly bewildered—Tyrannus's voice.

As if he had discovered something.

As if the one he'd found was his dad.

With that kind of voice.

"Tbobong? Tbong? Tbooong!"

Tododot!

He ran off.

Toward the swirling dust that hadn't yet settled.

Bounding over the crumbled ground in tight little leaps.

Kicking away and smashing through blocking rubble.

"Tbong!"

He leapt into the dust with all his might.

And from within that dust, two arms reached out and warmly embraced Tbong. Only then did the dust clear. The chest, shoulders, and face of the one holding Tbong slowly came into view.

"Our Tbong, you're safe, huh?"

"Tbong!"

Tyrannus looked up at Kim Jangcheol with tearful eyes.

And he thought.

Wow. I always thought my dad had this brutally ugly and scary face… but I guess, depending on the situation, he can kind of look a little cool(?) like now.

"Tbobong! Tbong!"

"Haha. Yeah. I'm happy to see you too."

"Tbong! Tbobobobong!"

"Yeah, yeah. Geez, rolling around so energetically, aren't you, Tbong? But let's save the butt-pats for later, okay?"

"Tbobobobobong!"

"Ugh, okay, sorry. Let's do it now. Pat pat. Pat pat pat?"

"Tbong! Tbobong!"

Tbong was very satisfied(?).

Kim Jangcheol held Tbong in his arms and lifted his gaze.

And he met the stunned, disbelieving eyes of the Second Star Master.

"......."

The Second Star Master felt all the vascular bundles inside his trunk shrivel up. Honestly, he was genuinely shocked.

'Credos…..'

It really was Credos.

It seemed like a lie.

Unbelievable.

But no matter how many times he looked—he was real.

"How in the world…?"

How had he survived that collapse and burial? Even seeing it with his own eyes felt absurd. Ridiculous, even.

Kim Jangcheol felt the same.

"How? Well… I'm not exactly sure myself."

He shrugged.

And then, faint fragments started returning.

That moment of suffocating darkness, the living burial. Flailing around, losing consciousness. Did he see hope? Or was that just a mirage born of the desperation to survive?

He had died, back then.

His breath stopped, his heart ceased to beat.

Honestly, he remembered nothing after that.

It was all like a hazy dream.

It felt like he kept moving somehow.

Like he kept resisting, over and over.

And in that time, there was one thought he never let go of.

That he was like a seed buried deep underground.

So he wouldn't die here.

He would never give up.

He would sprout.

Maybe he had clung to that single belief, subconsciously resisting with everything he had.

When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself lying in something like a single-room underground. The collapsed remains of the Demon King's Castle had tangled together, creating a pocket of air, a space not filled with dirt.

"....."

When he opened his eyes, he was wrecked. His entire body ached. But the pain made it real. He was alive. At least, not dead yet.

He rested there a while, recovering his strength.

While doing so, he checked the backlog of messages.

Thanks to that, he could guess what had happened while he was unconscious.

'Mana seed…'

A seed of mana formed in his chest.

He'd never seen or heard of such a system while playing the game. Neither the Demon King Credos nor the Hero Aged Kimchi, nor any other character had anything like it.

And yet it appeared within him.

He didn't know the exact reason.

He could only guess it was born from his desperate will to survive.

Whatever the case, that mana seed saved him.

So he made use of it.

At first, it was clumsy.

But he gradually got the hang of it.

The Bloodshot Eyes skill also helped.

He stared into the surrounding ground, analyzing it. Which direction, how far away were the other air pockets? Once he grasped that, he moved.

Digging through the dirt, recovering his energy with the mana seed, then digging again—he pressed forward. Using the scattered air pockets beneath the collapsed Demon King's Castle as stepping stones.

Slowly.

Step by step.

He climbed toward the surface.

And finally, now, after several days, he bathed in sunlight again.

"....."

Honestly, he was still wrecked.

How many days had he gone without food?

How long had he been unable to rest?

The hands, worn raw from digging through dirt, were completely shredded. There wasn't a single unscabbed spot left.

But still…

'This isn't so bad.'

Kim Jangcheol closed his eyes as he inhaled the fresh air. As if to welcome him, cheers erupted from all directions.

"It, it's Lord Credos! It's really Lord Credos!"

"Our Demon King has returned!"

"Commander of the Farming Corps! We missed you!"

"We don't care what happens to us, please just save the potato fields!"

"Please! I promised my daughter we'd have a dinner full of potatoes next month!"

The cries of the farming corps.

Desperate in their honesty.

Which made them impossible to ignore.

Their words piled on Kim Jangcheol's shoulders, one after another.

Feeling that weight, he opened his eyes.

"…Credos."

The face of the Second Star Master, carved into the massive tree trunk, twisted. But the previous flustered expression had disappeared. In fact, the Second Star Master was rather pleased with the situation now.

"Thank you, Credos. For miraculously surviving, and even showing up before me on your own two feet."

"......."

"I was just getting fed up with these worms refusing to accept my rightful authority. Clinging to some stupid potato fields or whatever. Still stuck on that pathetic kindness you apparently showed them."

"......"

"Isn't it hilarious? Worms living on abandoned land. Insects that survive by constantly gnawing on each other. Yet even when faced with the most powerful being, they can't readily accept the order that power brings."

"......"

"But then, you showed up, Credos."

"......."

"You get what I'm saying, right? You know why I'm thanking you?"

"....."

Of course he did.

He meant to officially kill him in front of everyone, to solidify his own authority. That's why he was 'grateful' that he had conveniently shown up to die.

'Ha.'

Kim Jangcheol couldn't believe it.

Still, he didn't bother responding. Instead of wasting time on a pointless power play, he chose to act on what mattered more right now.

Step, step.

He walked slowly.

Stepping over the broken ground.

Passing through the scattering dust.

Approaching the fallen Four Heavenly Kings.

"Thank goodness, none of you are dead."

"......"

The collapsed Hartok cracked his eyes open. Kneeling on one knee, the Demon King Credos looked over his condition. The Demon King's gaze that met his own. The emotion laced within it—worry.

"S…s…save…"

He wanted to say "Run."

If he stayed here like this, he would die.

Even someone like him couldn't handle the now-massive Second Star Master.

He wanted to say it.

To shout it.

But his voice wouldn't come out. He started to panic. His heart pounded.

Frustration.

Anxiety.

Fear.

Because he couldn't believe this was really happening. Because he never thought this day would come. But despite that, he was scared, and worried.

He wanted to scream.

Sirgi and Baal were the same.

"Ghh… Idi…ot… get out… now…"

"Demon King! Run…!"

The three devastated Four Heavenly Kings struggled to force out their voices. Asurat, suspended in the air, and even Zephyros and the farming corps wrapped in the Second Star Master's roots, felt the same way.

Everyone finally understood.

This was the place where the Demon King, Credos, would die.

Today would be the Demon King Credos's final hour.

'No, this can't be…'

'Just run, please!'

At first, they had been happy.

That the Demon King was alive.

That he had come back.

They were glad, shocked, filled with hope.

But after just a little while, hearing the Second Star Master's self-satisfied rambling, they realized this wasn't right.

This was… definitely not a good situation! It was a dangerous situation! If the Demon King were to be killed here by the Second Star Master in front of everyone, with no way to deny it…

'We… we'd be forced to accept that Second Star Master as the real Demon King!'

'And you… you were the first one who didn't treat us low-ranking demons harshly.'

'We don't want to see you suffer!'

'So please.'

'Run. Now!'

'I'm begging you!'

'Even if it looks cowardly, even if you seem scared!'

'Just save your own life, please!'

Everyone cried out in unison. Even if they lacked the strength to speak, even if they were so tightly wrapped in roots they couldn't even move their lips, even if not a single shout could escape their mouths—

The cries in their hearts were the same.

Their desperately pleading gazes were the same.

But reality was cold, and merciless.

"Then now, it's time for you to die by my hand, Credos."

…Fwoooosh!

A massive tree branch came crashing down toward Kim Jangcheol.

He had no time to dodge beneath it.

THWAAAM—!

"...!"

The ground quaked.

The earth howled.

Explosive clouds of dust erupted.

Asurat's, the farming corps', and Zephyros's eyes trembled.

They all thought the same thing.

He didn't dodge.

He must be dead.

Along with the Three Heavenly Kings standing there, he must've met a terrible end.

'Got him.'

A cruel smile crept into the Second Star Master's eyes.

He was certain.

The tree branch that struck down Credos—

He felt it.

A definite sensation at the impact point.

Something small being crushed.

So small it wasn't just flattened—it was obliterated by the massive force.

Wasn't there a word for this sensation? "The hand-feel," or something?

"Ha… haha… khahahaha…!"

The Second Star Master was finally certain.

He had killed Credos.

With this, the death of the previous Demon King was officially confirmed. From now on, he alone would be the true ruler of the abandoned land!

…Or so he thought.

"Ah, fuck. Cough cough. This shit's gonna kill me, seriously."

From within the exploding cloud of dust, a coughing voice rang out. Muttering followed.

Right after that—

The Second Star Master felt a faint sensation of something tiny grabbing the underside of his massive branch. Then, the sensation of the branch being lifted—and violently shoved aside!

THUD!

'Huh?'

Impossible.

His branch, weighing hundreds of tons?

Being pushed aside like a twig?

'How…?'

Just as he had that thought—

Fwaaash…!

Something small shot upward through the dust. Right toward his face. Rising to the same height. Glaring with a savage light in its eyes.

"Hey."

It was Kim Jangcheol.

"You know I spent all of grad school researching how to grow and care for plants, right? Do you get what that means?"

"What…?"

Was he trying to talk? And why the hell was that bastard holding up such a ridiculously massive boulder?

"If you flip that logic, it also means I'm a certified expert in how to wreck and annihilate plants."

"That's…"

There was no chance to protest that absurd claim. Because before he could, Kim Jangcheol shouted:

"So clench your damn teeth, you ungrateful bundle of firewood bastard!"

CRACK!

"...!"

For the first time, the mana seed roared.

A full-power strike, carrying all its force—slammed into the Second Star Master's weak spot: right between the eyebrows, like a grinding stone.

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