Chapter 180: Meeting The True King

As I opened my eyes, curiousity filled my brain. Am I... being dragged somewhere? Bubbles were floating everywhere and my skin is being torn apart by... fire? I don't know. As I tried to turn around, I saw Rize's face. So she's here. It seems that me and Neco are being dragged by the two of them.

The manticore is mouthing out words but it seems that I can't hear it. He jumped!? Damn it!

I'm trying to gather mana through my fingertips to at least knock it away but I can't talk at all. Damn it... Work! WORK! PLEASE! WORK! But nothing. Nothing came out of my fingertips. I could only spectate as I see all of us die at the same time.

"G...al P..h!" I faintly heard a voice and the manticore was knocked back to the temple. The whole structure crumbled on him. Even though I'm pretty angry that I lost and the temple destroyed, I have to be grateful that I'm lucky and that I'm still alive somehow.

But for that spell to knock back the manticore, it must've been a pretty strong mage. Zeta? No, that's impossible. He's away right now fighting all those serpent union members. But whoever it is. I'm grateful that they saved us.

Crap... I'm losing consciousness... As I took another look at my status, heh. I doubt I'll even live.

...

...

...

I woke up somewhere. I guess? Is this even a place? It's just neverending darkness everywhere. It has no form. No shape. It's just... Stretches out to infinity. There's literally nothing here. At all.

A gigantic foor then appeared of nowhere. It looked like an armor for the feet. As it stomped, I felt like the whole area quaked. Even though there was no ground or anything. Was it nervousness? Or was it the overbearing power this giant is showing me?

But it soon disappeared like it was nothing.

As I looked at the distance from where the giant came from, I could see something glowing. Was it the demon themselves? Or was it other than that?

There was a giant body chained into thousands of chains. But I could only see his outline. For there was a light behind them. One by one, tattoos from his body lit up. A circle appeared on his chest. Was it a circle? No. It was not. It was a dragon as if it's eating its tail. And in the middle of that dragon eating its own tail was a letter. A capital letter Y upside down. But with an extra line in the middle.

It was menacing. I fely my throat clenching as I tried to speak or utter any noise. But nothing simply came out. Their pressure put on me was far heavier than anything I've felt. I thought the legendary mage and swordsman were strong enough. But this being infront of me. Was something... else. Something. Out of this world.

Then, as if cracks appeared on its body. A bright red light like neon liningappeared on their body and they were all connecting to the dragon eating its own tail.

As they breath, a giant mist of cloud appeared and then disappeared. They opened their eyes and a red colored aura came out as it flickered from their eyes.and soon disappeared. It was mystical and interesting.

They tried to raise their hands but the chains stopped them. "Zieglind Reysh..."

"You know me?" I couldn't help but be shocked that he can talk.

"The man who dares to go against the gods. The man who decided to defeat his own creator."

"They forced me to do this. They made humanity as their playthings. I'm not letting that go."

"Then... let me ask you this."

"W- what is it?" I tried to put up a brave front but I still couldn't hold back this unrelenting fear coursing through my whole body.

"Why did you lose to such an insignificant being? A manticore and a retired player. How laughable."

"We were fighting in a secluded space. I couldn't afford destroying the whole temple down."

"Excuses."

"What!?"

"It has been long since you've last used it."

"What is?"

"Domain of the Bloodfallen."

"...Ah..."

"You could've prevented your friend's demise. And you could've cleaned up that manticore with ease in that space of yours. You've grown weak despite being strong. That's a shame."

"Argh... Anyway, we're not here to discuss my shortcomings. Who the hell are you?"

"Me? HAHA! You don't know me? That's a shame. I'm of course... THE DEMON KING."

"Wha-"

"HAHAHA! Seeing you get flustered so easily with me being the demon king makes killing humans more... 'enjoyable' than others."

"If you're the demon king, then does that mean that you dragged me somewhere?"

"Somewhere? No, no. You dragged me in here. This... this is your own consciousness."

"This abyss? This place that stretches out to infinity? You're saying that this is something that I created? My consciousness?"

"Exactly."

"But the only things that are in my consciousness are the souls of the bloodlust?"

"I devoured them all. You were having a hard time controlling them right?"

"I see... Thanks for that. But why is the demon king in my consciousness?"

"I told you. You dragged me in here. Out of the million people the gods have sent here, you're the one who piqued my interest. You are near to be a perfect warrior. High intellect and knowledge about the history of this world, the monsters. Absolute strength facing a whole continent against you. Has the knowledge of past players of the legendary swordsman and mage. Able to control yourself over absolute power of the bloodlust that was created by a god. YOU! You are the one that I've been looking for."

"But I told you, why?"

"If I could explain this in simpler terms... According to your world, everything here. Is simply a GAME."

"I already know that. That's why I'm seeking for the gods to repent or their deaths."

"If you have played games in your previous world, what do you think happens to the NPCs in the first game when you play the second game?"

"They will either change, disappear or will be kept."

"Exactly. And I am an NPC. A demon king whose only objective is to be defeated by the so called heroes. That's why I'm the demon king. Of the previous battle royale. And I have died. But not yet completely. A portion of me remains. My soul. And I have some amount of time until I can pass on my soul to another person. That's why I chose you."

"This game is sick..."

"That's exactly WHY I ENJOY IT! AHAHAHA! BUT! As a part of a proud species named demons, I won't abide by their rules. I WILL DESTROY EVERY SINGLE THING THE GODS HAVE CREATED AND WILL CREATE. So Zieglind Reysh, won't you join it? My conquest for revenge?"

"Then promise me something. You are not to attack anyone or cause destruction without my permission. But you can do it without my permission if its something urgent or important."

"...Alright. I accept. Even though it's in the nature of demons to cause havoc, I will accept this condition."

"Then how will you prove to me that you'll accept it?"

"SOUL FOR SOUL CONTRACT!"

"Soul for Soul?"

"I will give you my own soul and you'll give me yours. We'll accept each other's rules and if one of us disobeys with one of us their souls will be destroyed. My only rule is HELP ME. HELP ME FROM GETTING MY REVENGE!"

"Alright then. I ACCEPT!"

"THEN, AS THE DEMON KING!" He then pointed his fingers at me. My armor, Devil's Advocate and the two bloodlust weapons suddenly appeared. "ZIEGLIND REYSH. YOU ARE NO LONGER THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE! YOU ARE THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"

My armor lit up in flames and disappeared into nothingness. Same with my weapon. "What's... happening..?"

"YOU HAVE BECOME A TRUE DEMON!" He then pointed his fingers at the ground and summoned up a sword planted on some kind of rocks that I've never seen before. "Now... DEMON! Pull it out! If the Holy Sword of Arranca can only be pulled out by true heroes, then the Demon Sword of Acabar can only be pulled out by a TRUE DEMON!"

As I grasped the sword, it felt like this was just second nature to me. With ease, I pulled out the sword from the stone and raised it up for the Demon King to see. "This... is the Demon Sword of Acabar?" I looked at the sword and it felt like I was looking at the depths of hell itself.

"NOW, I PASS ON TO YOU THE TITLE OF DEMON KING. NOW ZIEGLIND REYSH, RELEASE ME FROM THESE CHAINS! I WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE IN EXCHANGE FOR REVENGE!"

I grasped the Demon Sword of Acabar tightly. It felt like it was weightless. Its appearance mimicked the size of a greatsword. Cracks were in the middle of the weapon but it was filled with fires of hell. It has no guard or hilt. It felt like I was holding a giant lump of metal with sharp edges. But as I hold it, power were coursing through my whole body.

I raised up my arms and swung in an overhead attack and broke all the chains of the demon king.

"MUAHAHAHA! I'M FREE! Now..." The demon king looked at me. "I bow before the Demon King."