Why I Quit Being the Demon King

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Chapter 1

Which of the following does not fit with the Demon King?

ㄱ) Destruction

ㄴ) Chaos

ㄷ) Hell

ㄹ) Escape

Good and evil.

Light and darkness.

Even if it felt like a cliche, they were destined to clash in the end.

Light despised darkness, and evil envied goodness.

They tried to seize each other’s lands, to destroy the other.

Hatred was inevitable. That was the reason they were born differently.

The Demon King’s castle bustled with preparations to welcome a new Demon King after 80 years.

Countless curses and magic had spread throughout his body in the 80 years since his birth.

The demonic realm, home to millions of creatures, poured all its energy into one individual.

If he were to be born!

The new Demon King would surely be able to slaughter the hordes of warriors.

He would crush the vile insects of the despicable surface world with a flick of his finger.

But it took only a day for the dreamlike aspirations of the demonic realm to turn into despair…

“Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!”

The rushing figure was a beholder, a high-ranking demon with a single large eye and dozens of tentacles.

He was a being that served Demiourgos 666th closely.

The beholder knelt flat on the ground, four tentacles outstretched.

“When Demiourgos 666th awoke from the Awakening Egg, he left the Demon King’s castle immediately!”

The empty armor replied with a low resonating sound.

“Already attacking humans, is he? But it’s too soon. He’s not ready yet.”

“No, that’s not it. He left a letter, a letter! 666th says he’s quitting as the Demon King.”

The anger of the former Demon King shook the armor.

“Chase him! We cannot allow this! We cannot allow this!”

The demonic realm, eagerly awaiting the birth of a new Demon King, plunged into chaos in an instant.

Demiourgos 666th discarded his name as soon as he left the demonic realm.

He couldn’t introduce himself as ‘I am Demiourgos 666th’ to anyone.

That was the name of the Demon King. Uttering it sparked hatred from everyone, cursed as he was.

The human world was mundane.

In the underground, where sunlight never reached, it was incomparable to the demonic realm, where only volcanic lava provided illumination.

Sitting comfortably with legs spread on the back seat of a multi-passenger carriage, basking in the sun..

‘Who cares about a Demon King anyway?’

The middle-aged man sitting next to him struck up a conversation.

“Young man, are you heading to the capital?”

“…”

Glancing at him disdainfully, he muttered to him.

“Looks like a country bumpkin. You’ll be entering the kingdom’s capital soon, so be careful. The laws are strict.”

“Laws? What do I care? I am the law now.”

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He spoke and flicked his finger.

The man next to him immediately looked outside with a blank face.

As if he had just forgotten the fact that they were having a conversation a moment ago.

It was annoying.

The reason Demiourgos 666th retired as the Demon King was not to engage in petty conversations with insignificant humans.

The carriage, which had been traveling quietly, came to a stop at Arkoma Castle.

Arkoma Castle was the capital of the Verde Kingdom.

This kingdom was the most powerful in the human world.

With a force of 30,000 Dragon Knights defending the capital like an impregnable fortress, no country dared to defy Verde’s will.

Verde Kingdom governed eight vassal states, and the Prosperity Bureau, which managed the world’s warriors.

He raised his head in front of the Arkoma Royal Castle.

The spire sparkled dazzlingly.

A holy cross adorned with numerous jewels was visible.

A cross! A cursed object symbolizing the opposite of the heavens and the counterpart of the demonic realm.

Just looking at it made his body itch. He felt nauseous.

At that moment, the knights guarding the entrance of the castle approached.

“Who are you?”

Suddenly, he glared and stomped the ground grandly.

Ignoring the other person, Demiourgos 666th continued to gaze at the cross on the spire.

“This bumpkin!”

Once again treated as a country bumpkin.

He lowered his gaze to inspect himself.

“Is it because of my clothes? My face is definitely not rustic.”

No, to be clear, he was undeniably handsome. To the extent that people would surely attach the title “super” to it.

While stroking his face, a hint of dissatisfaction crept in.

The face he had chosen a hundred years ago might have gone out of style now…

“Country bumpkin! What are you lingering for? You, yeah, you. Tell me your name!”

The guards spoke harshly, threatening him as if they were about to strike him with their spears.

“I’ve decided. Just a few letters, call me Deus.”

“What kind of crazy guy is this…”

The guard suddenly let out a startled cry and suddenly wore a blank expression, then abruptly prostrated himself on the ground.

“I present to His Majesty, the new King of Verde.”

The guard trembled and bowed towards Deus, the 666th Demon King.

The commotion at the main gate of the royal castle couldn’t have been the usual chatter of retired old folks. The duty officers of the royal guard were at the level of Counts, and the crucial responsibility of the royal guard fell under the command of a count.

The duty officer suddenly knelt on the ground, making a strange sound of surprise. It was so beyond awkward that it crossed into bewildering.

The head of the royal guard immediately left his post, taking along all ten members who were on duty with him.

“This bastard drank in broad daylight. No wonder his face is so red.”

He kicked the kneeling subordinate on the ground. The subordinate rolled away like a piece of wood.

The duty officer was a genuine aristocrat. His title was a Count, and the name of his territory was Brewer, making him Count Brewer.

“Who are you?”

“Deus.”

“Fanatically invoking the name of an ancient god. Have you forgotten that this is the capital of the Verde Kingdom? I’ll forgive your ignorance if it was unintentional. Get lost right away.”

Despite Count Brewer’s stern warning, Deus remained defiant, with a sullen gaze.

“Is the Verde Kingdom strong?”

“It is the strongest on the Horsa continent!”

“If I become the king, it wouldn’t be bad.”

Count Brewer, fuming with anger, drew his sword.

“This guy wants to die! Reveal your identity. Daring to insult the royal family. If you don’t have a valid reason, you’ll die here.”

“Me? Or you?”

He chuckled slowly.

Shwak!

Count Brewer’s head rolled down to the ground.

What happened, how it happened, no one saw it with their own eyes.

He raised a spearhead with a chaotic pattern, intending to stab him, but the spear transformed into a snake and bit the neck of the fallen man.

“Pathetic.”

Tossing the words casually, he elegantly crossed the bridge leading to the castle.

The heavy castle gate folded itself like bat wings.

Every element of the ground submitted willingly as he stepped on it.

The Advent of the Demon King!

Exactly as the word implied, it unfolded in the capital of the Verde Kingdom.

The name of the royal knight order was the Azure Dragon Knights.

All members of the Azure Dragon Knights, excluding those on vacation, gathered in the royal garden.

An unprecedented enemy had appeared.

They received no news from the Prosperity Bureau.

The enemy appeared out of nowhere, suddenly aiming a sword at the heart of the kingdom.

The leader of the Azure Dragon Knights was Count Yuku.

In the Verde Kingdom, there were only fifty counts, and among them, the leader of the Azure Dragon Knights was a true powerhouse.

The closer one was to the king, the more influential the noble was. It was self-evident that the Azure Dragon Knights, who always stayed in the royal castle, protecting the king, were the cream of the crop.

Count Yuku stood with the sacred cross-shaped sword placed on the ground, facing Deus.

“Who are you?”

“Deus.”

“Invoking the name of our ancient god…”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“You’re audacious.”

“Would you be more surprised if you heard my real name?”

“Your real name?”

Count Yuku narrowed his eyes.

What could it be? Count Brewer was known for his swordsmanship within the royal palace.

Though not [Blood], but to receive such a pathetic death without even sending a warning to the Prosperity Bureau!

It was clear that he was concealing his true identity, but what that identity remained a mystery.

“What’s your real name?”

“I don’t want to reveal it to a character who’ll be forgotten in the next chapter. Just die.”

He flicked his finger.

Count Yuku and the thousand knights behind him.

A black curtain enveloped them. The eerie darkness infiltrated the weakest points of human vulnerability.

Regret.

Indiscretions committed in youth, escapades one couldn’t confess to others.

Mistakes made just a few days ago after drinking.

The weak aspects of each individual were magnified when confronted with the black curtain.

One knight raised his sword upside down and stabbed it into his own throat. It wasn’t just one knight.

In an instant, about a hundred knights took their own lives.

Trembling, they prayed and cried out their mothers’ names.

Fear spread, gnawing at everyone’s hearts.

An adversary who could single-handedly lead a knight order of a thousand people to their deaths.

Half of the knights were dead. It was annihilation.

Count Yuku, witnessing a dying subordinate clawing at his own face with his nails, placed a sorrowful hand on his chest.

Gripping the small silver cross, Rosary, in his hand, Count Yuku shouted towards the sky.

“Oh, god!”

The Count’s body shone brightly.

“Oh, God! Bestow strength upon this lamb!”

Count Yuku’s body was enveloped in the sacred magic power. He swung his sword vigorously, slashing towards the enemy.

Deus raised two fingers to parry Count Yuku’s sword.

His eyes narrowed.

“Blood, perhaps?”

“Not pure blood!”

Count Yuku’s sword struck fiercely.

A storm-like sword energy tore through the ground.

Initially, Deus did not engage in countering Count Yuku. However, he seemed deep in thought, which led him to casually evade Count Yuku’s attacks without launching a counterattack.

It appeared as if Count Yuku had the upper hand due to Deus’ contemplation.

The darkness that had captured and crushed the hearts of the fallen knights dissipated. Gaining courage, they once again gripped their swords.

“For the Verde Kingdom!”

“For the One and Only God!”

The darkness that Deus had planted in the hearts of the knights vanished.

Annoyance flickered in his eyes.

“Annoying.”

Deus flicked his palm.

And then there was nothing.

Count Yuku’s body rolled on the ground, leaving only his lower half.

The knights who had gained courage from the count’s radiance were nowhere to be seen. Instead, only dust remained.

Deus walked forward again.

“Light… accursed light.”

The central gate transformed into bats, and he continued his slow stride into the inner sanctum.

With the Azure Dragon Knights annihilated, the only force that could be called a military unit in the royal castle was the Guard Knights.

However, the Guard Knights were merely an honor guard.

Their rank was higher than that of the Azure Dragon Knights, but their swordsmanship did not match up.

The Guard Knights surrounded the king.

The Royal Audience Room, which was originally a place to establish the authority of the royal family, now had no such authority.

The king looked at the man before him with gloomy eyes.

“Who are you?”

“It seems asking that is all you people can do,” Deus sighed.

“Fine. Since I’ve come this far, let’s have a conversation, bro.”

The leader of the Guard Knights shouted with narrowed eyes.

“Address him as Your Majesty!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Guard Knights leader was torn into seven pieces, scattering across the Audience Room.

The splattering blood and fragments of entrails filled the air with a pungent smell.

The Guard Knights groaned.

Witnessing such a gruesome sight in Verde, the most powerful country on the vast Horsa continent, was beyond imagination!

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