The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 22: Hell (4)

“One.”

Where did it all go wrong?

“Just once…!”

“Two.”

Was it when I showed interest in Lee Seo-jun? When I tried to kidnap his sister?

“The horn, two pieces…!”

“Three.”

Yes, it was wrong from the start. From the moment I caught his eye, my death was guaranteed.

“You f***ing…!”

“Four.”

Bodies capable of trampling humans like ants are severed by a more powerful being.

I could do nothing.

I could only moan like an insect.

“Aaaah!”

“Five.”

My balance disappeared as my ankle was severed.

I naturally fell backward, my gaze plummeting to the ground.

“Ugh..!”

This is an insect’s eye level. I’ve simply returned to my original place.

Lee Seo-jun’s distant gaze met mine.

“But come to think of it, why am I counting?”

“What?”

“Start counting again from the beginning.”

“You, you’re talking nonsense…!”

“Follow along. One.”

One of my arms was completely gone, but I shut my mouth.

If I follow even this, I will truly become an insect.

So, I silenced myself with a groan.

“Ugh…!”

“The longer you struggle, the longer your hell will be. Start again with one.”

My remaining ankle was also severed. I could no longer stand on my own.

Like an overturned beetle.

But I still kept my mouth shut.

I tried to, but…

“One!”

The instinct that had been squirming inside me burst out.

“Good, you’re finally listening.”

A wicked smile appeared on Lee Seo-jun’s face, who held the sword.

That innocent expression was like that of a child dissecting a dragonfly.

“From now on, we’ll go a bit faster. If you can’t count properly, we start over, so focus.”

“You, you f***ing!”

In front of him, everyone could only become insects.

***

[Eliminate the Root] (Completed)

Description: Remove the Greed Horde, one of the factors consuming the Earth. However, they will not stop at just this. Their influence, spreading around the world, will continue to grow, putting Earth at grave risk. Your mission remains unchanged. Prevent the imminent calamity.

Reward: 60 Worldview Causality Points.

The meadow was stained with blood.

Large chunks were scattered around, and the full moon was reflected in puddles of blood.

The scene of the execution was desolate.

The breath of everyone who had just been alive was cut off, and only the executor quietly exhaled.

I dipped the tip of my sword into a puddle of blood, creating a small ripple.

[Your magi increases by 41]

The magi flowing up the sword, including all the things killed today, it was 167.

About 10 for the cultists and about 101 for the Demon Marquis.

I’ve gotten stronger.

Power surged within me. I wanted to unleash this exhilaration right away, but there was nowhere to release it.

I simply exhaled a breath mixed with that desire.

Rooooooooar—!!!

The next moment, an overwhelming sense of pressure struck. Gravity pressed down, and the world distorted.

A darkness deeper than the night sky flooded in, altering the space.

Blue fields, red blood, golden moonlight—everything lost its color and was painted black.

It was a vast universe.

[‘The Will of Adoniya’ recognizes you.]

A monumental presence entered the cosmos, one that matched my own dignity.

I raised my head, piercing through the overwhelming pressure.

In the pitch-black universe, two red eyes loomed like Jupiter.

I sensed it.

You are that damned Will of Adoniya.

I raised my sword towards it.

“Prepare your throat.”

A single declaration. My intent was conveyed.

What seemed to be a mouth below the glowing eyes moved.

[…So, it was you.]

“Someday, I will come for you.”

Two lofty gazes met and entangled in the void. The universe shuddered at this mere interaction.

[Irina blocks ‘The Will of Adoniya’!]

Zzzzsss—!!

Irina intervened in the tension that felt as if the world would crumble.

Swoooosh—!

The universe shaken.

Like a black hole had appeared, the red eyes were sucked into a single point. Soon, the ominous realm on the event horizon began to fade away.

In that fleeting gap, its last words stretched out.

[Do you really trust that guy?]

With that, the Will of Adoniya that had descended upon Earth vanished. The cosmos that enveloped the sky dispersed like mist, and the Earth’s scenery returned.

I looked around. Collapsed buildings and bodies scattered here and there.

I’ve left too significant a trace.

I activated [Solomon’s Window].

[Solomon’s Demon Summoning List] Current Worldview Causality Points: 140 W.C

Minister ‘Roberto’: 200 W.C

Femme Fatale ‘Lezie’: 200 W.C

Great Sage ‘Alter’: 200 W.C

1st Legion Commander ‘Zeratus’: 100 W.C

2nd Legion Commander ‘Shayen’: 100 W.C

3rd Legion Commander ‘Ophelia’: 100 W.C

4th Legion Commander ‘Quel’: 100 W.C

..….

….

I just completed a quest, accumulating 140 in World Causality.

I already decided who the first legion commander to summon would be.

Someone who can cover my weakness.

“Consume 100 Worldview Causality.”

[‘Solomon’s Demon King, Seo Joon’ distorts ‘100’ units of the worldview.]

“Appear, 4th Legion Commander ‘Quel’.”

[‘4th Legion Commander Quel’ responds to the ‘Solomon’s Demon King’s’ summon.]

Grrrrrr—

A colossal crack appeared in the sky, as if swallowing all the stars.

Shwoooop—!

The being that emerged from that crack soared grandly across the heavens.

Red pupils floated in the darkness and large wings flapped, circulating the small world.

Kyeeeeeeek—!!

A roar that seemed to rip apart the heavens and Earth.

Dragon-man, 4th Legion Commander Quel. She was now summoned to Earth.

After taking a quick loop to feel the new sky, Quel descended to where I stood.

Flap! Flap!

As Quel fluttered her wings cautiously to land, leaves flew about and a pool of blood rippled.

Quel, who landed in front of me, closed her eyes and bowed.

[4th Legion Commander Quel greets her exalted Demon King.]

A voice flowed directly into my mind.

I looked at Quel closely.

Scales like the Seven Wonders, ferocious claws digging into the ground, and horns reaching for the skies.

I smiled faintly at the familiar sight, stroking Quel’s head.

“Quel, have you been well?”

[How could I be well when my king is not by my side? I merely mitigated my emptiness. It’s an honor that you’ve called upon me.]

“Good. Now lift your head.”

[I thank you for your mercy.]

Quel bowed his head once more and then raised it. Beneath the dimly shining stars, he stretched out his long neck, looking endlessly beautiful.

“Quel, this is sudden, but there’s something you must do right away.”

[Yes, please go ahead.]

I pointed to the area entangled with blood and corpses.

“Burn those things in this world without a trace. That will be my punishment for them.”

[Punishment, you say…?]

“They dared to harm my sister and even tried to consume me. So, obliterate them so completely that not even the peace of their souls remains.”

Hearing my words, Quel’s pupils flared up.

[How dare they challenge Your Majesty! I am regretful that I was only summoned now!]

Quel’s rage resonated in my mind.

She spread her large wings and took off.

[Your Majesty, I will stake my life to carry out your orders. Please step back for a moment.]

“Alright.”

I leapt back and climbed onto a huge tree.

Swoooosh!

A vacuum state formed around Quel. Her scale-covered throat inflated massively.

Quel opened her mouth and unleashed disaster.

Roaaarrrrr—!

The night sky turned red as flames rained down.

When the breath subsided, the buildings and corpses were completely incinerated. Those who were born as humans but had become ‘nothingness’ instead of returning to dust.

“Quel, well done.”

I jumped from the tree branch and landed on Quel’s back.

Caught off guard by my sudden action, Quel was startled.

[Wh-What, Your Majesty?!]

“It’s been a while since we flew, hasn’t it?”

My weakness. The sky.

No matter how high I could jump, I couldn’t fly, making aerial combat difficult. But things were different with Quel.

“Let’s bend the world together.”

[It is an honor, Your Majesty.]

Quel composed his expression, and I nodded.

Shreeeeeek—!

The next moment, the world stretched out.

The wind was sharp, scattering my hair as everything on the ground began to shrink.

Soon, we broke through the clouds, and before long, we were near the moon.

But I was not satisfied.

“Higher.”

[Yes.]

My ears felt blocked. Cold rushed in, and the light faded as the sky grew darker.

The pressure trying to escape my body was suppressed by my magi.

Then, at some point, it abruptly stopped.

[I apologize, Your Majesty. My abilities can’t take us any higher…]

We had exceeded the altitude Quel could handle. It was a shame, we were so close to the stars.

Only then did I look down.

The Earth, shrouded in a rounded atmosphere.

The sun peeked over the smooth horizon, and in the dark hemisphere, the city lights twinkled.

[It’s beautiful.]

“Yes. As beautiful as it is futile.”

I grabbed onto Quel.

“Let’s go back down.”

[Yes.]

A black asteroid fell to Earth.

***

NASA, the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

‘Alex Sky Observation Center.’

Their main job is to observe flying life forms, which are, of course, referred to as ‘monsters’.

They observed these sky-floating monsters through ‘Skynet’.

Beep——

‘Skynet’, a system that detects biological responses appearing at altitudes higher than 2km.

And there, a new biological reaction appeared.

“Uh…?”

A drowsy employee glanced at the system with bleary eyes.

The world map displayed on the screen was marked with white grid lines, and yellow dots were scattered here and there.

Each dot represented a magical creature, and the ripple-like waves spreading from them represented the aura of these creatures.

But then…

“Director Alex! Look at the dot that appeared over South Korea!”

“… Eh, what?”

Alex, who was also dozing off, raised his head at the employee’s shout.

Then he was shocked.

“What is this…?”

A yellow dot had suddenly appeared over South Korea.

Its size was identical to all the other yellow dots.

“Is this, is this a glitch…?”

But its ripple effect was expanding globally, like dropping a large rock into a still lake…

“3km… 4km… 5km… 6km… It’s rising at a terrifying speed…”

The employee mumbled, astonished at the incredible speed.

Then, it disappeared.

While they were in a daze, the dot had vanished entirely.

“Was it, was it just a bug after all?”

“It’s difficult to say it’s just a bug… Let’s inform Korea about this situation first.”

That day, an ‘Unidentified Flying Object (UFO)’ blinked in the sky over South Korea.

(To be continued in the next episode)