The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 150

Chapter 150
## Chapter 150: Foresight

‘Affiliation?’

The term suggested a formal connection or a subordinate status.

The spire had successfully been linked to the stronghold of Berge.

But why?

Was it a direct consequence of Vivian Blunt, the master of that spire, being bound as a servant to Berge Dayas?

‘Absorption?’

One structure was currently consuming another?

He questioned if such a phenomenon was even within the realm of possibility.

Lost in a daze, Berge gave a slight nod. The internal logic of the spire interpreted this movement as a command of confirmation.

Immediately following that:

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
By the decree of the primary being -Berge Dayas-, the spire belonging to -Vivian Blunt- is being consumed by the spire of -Berge Dayas-, serving as its new subsidiary.
A transformation began.

─────!

The foundation started to quiver.

“W-What is happening?! Berge, what have you done?!”

The magnitude of this tremor surpassed anything felt previously. It was so violent it seemed as though the walls might buckle and collapse. Vivian fought to maintain her balance.

All throughout the levels of the spire, inhabitants were being thrown to the floor.

“…Right. What have I done?”

Berge spoke in a hollow tone. In stark contrast to the surrounding turmoil, both Berge and the seat he occupied remained perfectly still. He sat in the center of the chaos, untouched by the rattling and the force, watching the steady updates of the spire’s status.

[2%] [33%] [57%]
As the percentages surged, the vibrations within the spire reached a terrifying peak.

“Tell me! What did you do?!”

“I am not certain.”

“I can feel it… my command over the spire is fading away!”

“Ah, so that is the sensation on your end.”

‘If one spire is swallowed by another, what becomes of the original space?’

The thought crossed his mind only for a second.

[100%]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Absorption finalized.] The spire of -Vivian Blunt- has been integrated into the spire of -Berge Dayas-. The status of Spire Master held by -Vivian Blunt- is hereby terminated.
“My Sovereign! What is the meaning of this?!”

“Gordon?”

This location.

It could no longer be called the Spire of Lust.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Subjugating the Lust Demon King as a servant.”

Berge had disclosed the entirety of the situation to his second-in-command.

Upon the initial revelation, Gordon found the claim impossible to process. However, he knew Berge was not a man given to pointless deception.

‘The Lust Demon King is currently backed into a corner.’

He was aware she had been falsely accused of the abduction of the dwarves, a crime that had ignited a massive scandal.

‘Even considering that…’

For a Demon King to discard every ounce of dignity to serve as the thrall of another was shocking. He grasped the logic—survival was a universal instinct. Yet, Gordon believed a Demon King ought to meet their end with a certain level of stoic grace.

That was his personal vision of such a being.

A supreme monarch who stared down legions of humans attempting to siege the spire, meeting them with cold certainty and total slaughter.

‘My liege has already strayed far from that archetype.’

This Demon King would personally fill the role of his own subordinates, greeting human invaders with a barrage of hundreds of magical cannons.

Furthermore, he was currently drafting plans to construct legs for the spire specifically to avoid a direct confrontation.

‘I have been altered by this as well.’

Had this occurred shortly after his arrival, he might have seized the Demon King by his garments and protested such absurdity. Yet, in the span of a single year, he had become acclimated to this reality.

He was used to this forsaken realm of Aren and to Berge, a Demon King who treated the sacred Standard of the Demon King with utter irreverence.

While the Demon King was away, Gordon conducted inspections of the spire. The ground level demanded the most scrutiny.

It was the staging ground where the components for the spire’s legs were being gathered, now teeming with dwarven prisoners.

“Listen to me, everyone, use your heads!”

In that area, a champion named Roger was in the middle of a heated attempt to win over his fellow dwarves.

He had secured a massive technical drawing he had authored himself onto a wall. Beside it, a glowing orb projected the schematics as a three-dimensional light display.

The dwarves, recently thawed from their frozen states, huddled together to listen.

“Recall the scale of the automatons you crafted in the Berft Kingdom. 15 meters? 13? No. A pathetic 10 meters!”

But observe this design!

“The Flame Sovereign is not being stingy. A full 22 meters. Each individual limb is 22 meters in length. And there are eight of them!”

“The power source will be the spire’s own internal core. If we link them and ensure total synchronization, the spire’s innate energy will circulate more effectively.”

“We are capable of this. We can construct it—a colossal automaton beyond any legend or sight! We can be the ones to see it walking through the frozen peaks!”

“If your pulse doesn’t quicken at this, you don’t deserve the title of dwarven artisan!”

Roger let out a sharp breath. A majority of the builders nodded, moved by his words.

They had been seized, brought to a dark spire, and commanded to build a machine—it was a jarring transition. Yet, at their core, they were creators obsessed with their craft.

The more revolutionary and massive the project, the better.

“The scale is undeniable.”

“A mobile spire-golem with eight 22-meter limbs. My fingers are itching to start.”

“But can it actually work?”

“If the spire itself serves as the engine, why wouldn’t it? Honestly, with our current knowledge, we could push for 50 meters. We only stop at 10 because we lack a battery strong enough to move it.”

“That’s the truth. If the power issue is handled…”

“To be fair, I’d give anything to take apart the spire that acts as the engine.”

“I feel the same.”

The craftsmen whispered among themselves. None could deny the thrill provided by the blueprints and Roger’s grand speech.

However, a significant obstacle persisted.

“Even so, to labor for a Demon King…”

“Are we not proud children of the mountain? How can we craft machines for such a monster?”

“The desire to build is there, but I refuse to be known as a collaborator.”

“The thought of these machines crushing our homes and families…”

The inherent disgust of assisting a Demon King.

The dread that their own handiwork would eventually destroy their kingdom and kin.

“You don’t need to stress over that.”

“What are you implying?”

“To start, my liege has no interest in initiating an assault on the Berft Kingdom.”

This was a calculated line intended to sway the stubborn artisans.

“Wait a moment. ‘Initiating’ implies you’ll strike if provoked?”

A dwarf spoke up in protest. That single word held a lot of weight.

“If they attack first and you do nothing, are you a weakling or a Demon King?”

“…That is a fair point.”

“‘Fair point’? You think we can just ignore the risk?”

“My liege offered one more solemn vow. He will not set foot in the Berft Kingdom until the human world is entirely conquered. He swore this on the Founding Demon Emperor and the Standard. That is a bond you can trust. If required, I will even put my champion’s interference authority on the line.”

“Mmm. If he goes that far…”

The dwarves, understanding the religious weight of the Founding Demon Emperor and the Standard to demonic kind, and the sacrifice involved in staking interference power, began to relent.

“Secondly, you are ‘captives’ being ‘coerced’ into this. No one can blame a prisoner for doing what is necessary to survive.”

“That won’t hold up. Eventually, those crushed by these machines will hate us and want us dead.”

“What if a witness of high standing confirms it was truly forced? Someone of immense authority whom everyone respects.”

“Does such a person even exist here?”

“She is standing right before you.”

“The Princess…?”

The craftsmen found themselves nodding once more.

The testimony of Louise Berft carried immense weight, rooted in the deep affection of the king and the crown prince.

“And there is one final detail.”

“One more?”

“This is more of a warning, but my liege stated that those who refuse to help will be cast into the deepest pit. Never to see the sun again.”

Think about it.

Roger dropped his volume, heightening the tension.

“If you decline and are locked away, but the project is finished anyway—what then? What if the spire simply leaves the Empire and the Hilderan Kingdom behind?”

“…A terrifying thought.”

“If the spire is the core, it is mobile enough. It makes sense.”

“To rot in a cell for eternity?”

“Precisely. You would spend the rest of your days doing absolutely nothing!”

“…By the ancestors!”

Gordon observed the interaction as if watching a theater production and felt confident.

It appeared the Demon King’s objectives would be met exactly as planned.

That was the moment it struck.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
The spire of the subordinate entity -Vivian Blunt- has been linked to the spire of the primary entity -Berge Dayas-.
As the vice officer and acting warden of the spire while the Demon King was away, Gordon had access to the system logs.

‘The spire has been linked?’

The contents of the alert were nearly impossible to fathom.

He had never encountered such a concept. Was it possible for one spire to simply join another?

But the strangeness did not stop there.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Absorption.] The primary entity -Berge Dayas- is consuming the linked spire of the subordinate entity -Vivian Blunt-.
‘Consuming a spire?’

[7%.] [25%] [33%]
The foundation began to shudder.

Unfamiliar coordinates and data filled his sight.

Groooan!

What is happening!

The floor is shaking!

Cries of alarm spread through the levels. Gordon braced himself against the vibrating walls and dashed toward the fifth floor.

The second he attempted to take the throne to stabilize the spire, he was pushed back by an invisible force.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[The spires are coalescing.] [Non-masters are barred from the seat until the process is complete.]
“What…?”

In that heartbeat.

“…!”

A sickening feeling of weightlessness took over, as if his physical form was being squeezed tight.

[100%]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Absorption finalized.] The spire of -Vivian Blunt- is now a constituent part of the spire of -Berge Dayas-. [Command authority has been boosted.]
“…Eh?”

Gordon panted heavily, squeezing his hand into a fist.

His energy flooded back. More specifically, the crushing weight of the interference had partially dissolved.

It was a significant change.

It felt similar to the time Berge had spent millions of magi points to ease the interference—a comparable sense of relief.

‘What has happened?’

Then, a figure materialized on the previously vacant throne.

The source of the entire event: Berge Dayas.

“My Sovereign! What on earth is going on?!”

“Gordon?”

“What is this location?”

“…Lust Demon King?”

Berge was not the only one to appear on the fifth floor. In fact, it wasn’t even the fifth floor anymore.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Berge’s first priority was checking the spire’s new parameters.

The elevation, which had been a mere five levels, had doubled to ten, and Vivian had been transported along with her subordinates into Berge’s domain.

‘The structures fused. Everyone from Vivian’s spire has been moved here.’

This meant Vivian’s original spire had been entirely integrated and had ceased to exist.

‘There is more.’

The most profound shift was in the interference. The pressure weighing on them had lessened. No extra magi had been expended to achieve this.

The system was simply operating at higher efficiency. It had nearly doubled.

‘Incredible.’

He thought back to the alert: Command authority has been boosted. The capabilities of two separate spires had been forged into one, resulting in superior performance.

“…I understand. When the Lust Demon King accepted the role of your servant, the two spires merged into a single entity.”

“Correct.”

“I never would have guessed the spire possessed such a function…”

“It was a surprise to me as well.”

“Regardless, this is a massive advantage for our side.”

The unified spire was both more powerful and more streamlined.

It was the perfect vessel for the plan to transform it into a mobile automaton using magi points.

“But what is the status of the Lust Demon King’s previous spire?”

“It has vanished.”

“…Won’t the humans find that highly suspicious?”

A massive landmark disappearing in a single night.

“…I have a plan for that.”

“A plan?”

“We will circulate a story. A rumor that a champion operating in shadows managed to slay the Lust Demon King.”

“Who would believe such a thing? There were no official missions or raiding parties sent out…”

“They won’t be entirely convinced, but it will be the most logical conclusion they can reach.”

“How so?”

“I left Vivian’s severed horn behind in her magic spire.”

Even if he hadn’t planned for this specific outcome.

“With the spire gone and the remains of the Demon King left behind, it becomes much harder to argue that she is still alive.”

“…Excuse me?”