"B-Balzac…"
A trembling voice came out of Echidna.
KangWoo turned his head toward her.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes. He's a strong lich that lives on the northern end of the continent. A place that's called the land of death. The people from the continent… call him ‘Demon King’."
Echidna looked at Balzac with worry in her eyes.
"Hmm."
His eyes shone. He turned his head and saw a skeleton wearing a black robe.
'Demon King, huh?'
To be honest, it wasn't important whether he called himself a Demon King or not.
The important thing was if he would be helpful as a summoned monster.
'But is he really a Demon King?'
KangWoo could feel a strong demonic energy. He was definitely stronger than Echidna.
But if you asked him if it was strong enough to be called a Demon King, he couldn't help but tilt his head.
'He doesn't seem to be that much stronger than Anton.'
He wasn't sure exactly how strong he was, but he seemed similar to or a bit stronger than Anton.
[I'm going to ask again… what is this place?] Balzac said in a dreadful voice. Demonic energy swirled around his body.
KangWoo smirked.
"I summoned you."
[You summoned me?]
"Yes, I needed more summoned monsters."
[…]
There was silence.
A yellow light came out from Balzac’s eye sockets.
[A summoned monster… Don't tell me you're planning to use me, Demon King Balzac, as a familiar spirit?]
"Well, yes. It’s more or less like that."
He nodded.
[Haha.]
Balzac laughed in disbelief.
[HAHAHA! How fun! Very fun!]
Clack. Clack.
The sound of the skeleton's mouth moving and bones clacking could be heard.
A strong killing intent came out from Balzac.
His eyes sockets shone with a ferocious yellow light while looking at KangWoo.
[How dare a human try to use me as a familiar spirit.]
"No, I'm not exactly a human… Ugh, this is kind of hard to explain."
KangWoo scratched the back of his head.
"Anyway, it's true that I'm trying to use you as a familiar spirit, but if you give me your loyalty, I'll reward you properly for it."
That was a rule he'd followed since Hell.
Although he'd sometimes felt annoyed by Balrog's extreme loyalty.
He'd also screamed quite a few times after seeing Lilith infiltrating his bedroom.
But still, he gave proper rewards and trust to answer their loyalty.
'That's the role of a ruler.'
A ruler who didn't care about his underlings was just a dumb tyrant.
The way to rule over a group was to repay loyalty with trust and rebellion with severe punishment.
[HAHAHA! You're a human with no fear!]
Balzac laughed and slowly raised his hand.
[A human who has lost fear should be punished.]
He moved his finger. It seemed like he was casting.
KangWoo sighed after feeling the thick killing intent coming out from him.
'So it isn't going to be like with Echidna?'
Ting-
[The summoned monster is showing hostility toward its master! The effect of the contract is getting weaker!]
[The bond with the summoned monster is weak, so you cannot give orders!]
Blue message windows appeared as if they were answering his question.
The demonic energy that came out of Balzac's hands entered the floor around them.
Clack- Clack-
Hundreds of skeletons rose from the ground. They weren't simple skeletons—they were wearing armor that resembled what knights used to wear in the middle ages.
Balzac opened both arms and shouted.
[Look! Feel! Tremble in Fear! This is my, Demon King Balzac's—]
Tap. KangWoo flicked his finger.
Crack-
The Authority of Waves expanded and swept away the skeletons.
The armor they were wearing distorted, and the skeletons shattered away.
[Huh?]
A confused voice came out of Balzac.
He looked around in disbelief.
[You're quite strong for a human!]
He began shouting with his eyes shining.
He put both hands in front of his chest, and a body of demonic energy appeared in both hands.
[But will you be able to win against death knights?]
The spheres in both hands started to grow. Just like demons emerged from the fissures, skeleton knights appeared from the sphere that had grown to three meters.
"Woah."
KangWoo's eyes shone.
Certainly, he could feel a pressure he wasn't able to feel from skeletons.
'Are there about twelve?'
Balzac gave an order to the death knights.
[Go! Knights of the Round Table! Kill the human that has dared to mock Balzac!]
The ghost horses that the death knights were mounted on let out snorts.
"KangWoo!"
Echidna blocked KangWoo.
KangWoo, who was about to create a weapon with the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea, stopped.
"Hmm…"
He stroked his chin.
"Well, this is a good opportunity, so maybe I should leave things to Echidna."
He thought it would be good to leave things to her.
'Getting real battle experience is good for her, after all.'
KangWoo crossed his arms and backed off a step.
"Echidna, I'm going to leave things to you this time."
"Yes! I'll fight them!"
Echidna clenched both fists.
It was her time to shine.
* * *
'I'm going to be praised by KangWoo!'
Intense conviction burned in her eyes. Her body was surrounded by blue light.
Stomp-!
Echidna turned into a giant dragon that was over 20 meters large.
Balzac's eyes shone after seeing her.
[A demon dragon? So he wasn't an idiot who didn't know his place.]
A human that controlled a demon dragon?
He'd never heard about that, even on the Ernor continent.
[How interesting.]
Balzac let out a creepy laugh and turned his head to KangWoo.
[He might be better than Reinald.]
Arnan Empire's prince. The hero who had awakened as a Guardian after being chosen by the gods.
Balzac had targeted and tried to turn him into the strongest death knight quite a few times.
Every time that happened, he failed because a god interrupted him, but he couldn't feel that type of energy from the human in front of him.
He would be good to use instead of Reinald.
[She's just a hatchling! Kill her!]
Balzac realized she was just a hatchling after seeing her full size, so he shouted.
The 12 death knights picked up their weapons and charged toward Echidna.
[Then…]
Balzac turned around. There was one thing he had to do while the death knights fought the demon dragon.
[Fufufu. I'm sorry for you, human. To make me, Balzac, take action… I'm going to make you feel desp—]
"Okay. Let's fix that way of speaking first."
KangWoo clapped.
He thought of the first thing he had to do.
[What are you talking about…?]
"You saying your own name all the time… It sounds too dumb."
He shook his head while making a tired expression.
"Satan really annoyed me because of that. I cannot let my summoned monster be like that."
[Who's your summoned monster?!] Balzac angrily shouted.
Strong demonic energy gathered in his hands.
[It seems like talking won't work.]
"I agree."
He created Gae Bolg with the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.
If they weren't going to be able to solve the situation by talking, then there was no other way than to overwhelm the other party with strength.
'But the Demon King of the Ernor Continent, huh?'
KangWoo remembered that Balzac had called himself the Demon King.
To be honest, he knew almost nothing about the Ernor Continent. He had heard some information from Echidna, but he only considered it a place resembling a fantasy novel.
'But if this guy is the strongest being of the Ernor Continent…'
If Balzac was indeed the 'Demon King' like he said…
'I don't think I'll have to worry about the Ernor Continent.'
Slam-!
He stomped on the ground.
He used the Authority of Speed, and his body shot forward like light. Gae Bolg stabbed Balzac's body.
[Hmph!]
A wall of demonic energy was created.
He didn't stop and stabbed using the spear.
The wall was destroyed.
Balzac quickly twisted its body and waved his hand; a black sword was created and targeted KangWoo.
Clang-!
He blocked the sword with Gae Bolg.
[Ugh!]
Balzac's fighting style was using summoned monsters to fight for him in the front and him attacking from a long distance.
He was a necromancer-type caster that you often saw in video games.
Whish-!
Gae Bolg was swung at an incredible speed.
KangWoo didn't give him something like a time to cast.
It was an attacking style that was close to a counter.
Balzac's yellow eyes trembled.
[H-how could a human…?]
He couldn't understand his strength. Even if a caster was weak in close-range combat, it was the first time he'd been pushed so much.
[I guess I have no other choice.]
If things went on like that, he would surely lose.
Balzac ripped off the bracelet he had on his arm, and the black jewel on his bracelet fell to the ground.
Since things had turned out like that, he had no choice but to use his trump card.
'I never imagined I'd have to use this here.'
The Blood of an Evil God…
It had the ability to temporarily summon a being from Hell that appeared in ancient myths and legends.
It was an item he kept for use in case he encountered a situation he couldn’t handle.
Boom-!
The surface shook, and there was a huge storm of demonic energy.
A stronger demonic energy than Balzac's colored the surrounding areas.
'Hmm?'
KangWoo's eyes shone.
It was the first technique of Balzac’s he found menacing.
He could feel a thrill in his skin. His body trembled in excitement at the thought of battle. No, it was energy so strong that it even made him feel a bit scared.
'It's dangerous.'
He became nervous. It was going to be an opponent that was on another level compared to Balzac.
[Come! Being that lives on the deepest part of the Abyss, longing for eternity!]
WHOM-!
A giant fissure appeared.
The air cracked as if a window was shattering, and…
[Who has dared to call me.]
It had goat horns, a purple body, and a giant body that was over five meters tall.
The demon that appeared from the fissure stomped on the ground.
[I'm the one who protects destruction. A demon from the 9th hell, Doomguard.]
"…"
KangWoo's mouth fell open.
It wasn't because Balzac had summoned a demon from the 9th hell.
[Ah. Great being from Hell. Please listen to the words of the lowly mortal that has summoned you.]
[You may speak,] Doomguard replied in a low voice tone.
Balzac pointed his finger at KangWoo.
[Please, bring death to that person!]
[Hmm, a fight?]
Doomguard turned his head.
His eyes meet KangWoo's.
[Huh?]
Doomguard's eyes widened.
[No way. Demon King, long time no see!!] He shouted while waving his giant arms.
That overwhelming presence he'd just shown crumbled almost instantly.
"Long time no see…"
KangWoo sighed as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
Doomguard, the one who protects destruction…
It was the name of the demon that was in charge of the 3rd Squadron of KangWoo's Demon King army.
[Huh…?]
Balzac was surprised at the meeting of the two demons.
[What's going on?]
Demon King Balzac, the one who had terrorized the Ernor Continent, looked around in confusion.
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