The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 39

Chapter 39
Magi.

The most unadulterated, profound magi. A grade of the absolute highest order.

Drakson, perched upon his throne at the peak while awaiting dispatches, struck his massive thighs in surprise.

“Is it possible you deployed another demon?”

Casey was certain that hadn’t happened, yet the question felt necessary.

The signature was easily the level of a high-ranking demon.

“Hardly!”

The energy was entirely alien. As the Beast Demon King, Drakson considered every demon and creature in his vicinity part of his own lineage.

Their specific magi could never bypass his perception. This particular power hadn’t just evaded his notice—it had manifested out of thin air.

“An intruder, then…”

“Who would dare?!”

Trespassing into the domain of a fellow Demon King without a prior pact was a grave violation. For demons, who were fiercely independent, a breach of territory was synonymous with an opening move in a war.

Drakson bolted down toward the ground floor, with Casey trailing in his wake.

“It has to be one of the other two Demon Kings, if we leave out Ugar Demon King and Berge Demon King.”

“And why would we count out that damn Berge?”

If anything, he seemed the most suspicious.

“When he made his descent, no demons accompanied him save for his second-in-command, Gordon. Even the beasts and perks typically reserved for the top tier were stripped away. To say nothing of the magi points he accumulated…”

“He simply lacks the soldiers to send, even if the desire was there.”

Despite Berge being Drakson’s most vocal adversary, he was removed from the list of suspects.

“If a different Demon King really did dispatch demons, my coin is on Jason Demon King.”

“I agree. That dreamer Reina doesn’t have the stomach for a move this deceptive…”

Suddenly, the crystal orb began to vibrate with urgency.

It was Quail.

『Sire, we have a disaster!』

“I already picked up on the high-ranking demon. I’m en route myself, so—”

『That isn’t the primary concern! The dwarf princess has slain the prince of Ormus! The furious Ormus soldiers are charging in to execute the princess!』

Drakson’s features twisted into a hideous mask.

“…What in the world…”

His thoughts stalled at the sheer absurdity of the report. However, he managed to regain his focus quickly.

“Prevent it! No matter the cost, the princess must survive! If she is a corpse by the time I reach you, you will pay for it with your own life.”

『Understood! I will defend her even if it costs me everything!』

—

As the Ormus combatants closed in and pressured the dwarves, a wave of monsters struck them from the rear.

It was a total ambush they failed to anticipate, given their total fixation on the dwarves.

The result was a brutal, one-sided massacre.

Kieeeek—

Watch your back! Intercept the beasts!

Cries of agony erupted as the circle of containment fell apart.

“Princess, this is our opening!”

Volvof rallied the warriors. The dwarves, who had been pushed apart by the heavy pressure, reformed a tight, impenetrable line around their royal leader.

“Step aside. I will be the one to clear the path.”

“That is too perilous.”

“If I intended to just whimper from the back, I never would have joined this fight.”

Before any of them could restrain her reckless advance, Louise hoisted her battle axe and charged to the front.

Kwaang—

Blade and axe collided. The sheer impact forced the Ormus soldier back several paces. He was unable to fully absorb the shock, and the axe didn’t overlook the vulnerability.

Kwajik—

Louise shoved aside the body with its neck ripped open. She pivoted her axe to parry a strike coming from a blind spot, where a foe was using a fallen ally as a shield.

Volvof’s blade found the mark in the enemy’s chest.

“Are you unharmed?”

“Don’t fall behind. I’m just getting started.”

She gave a sharp snort.

—

“We have cleared a route for the princess and her dwarves to flee.”

“Good work.”

The conflict was already spiraling toward its conclusion. The dwarves, led by Louise, had mostly managed to withdraw, while the majority of the Ormus troops had been slaughtered by the monsters.

“Let the survivors go. Let them leave.”

“Is that a wise choice?”

“They are needed as witnesses. To tell the tale of how the dwarf princess crushed their prince’s skull.”

Drakson had been stunned by the news of the second prince of Ormus falling. But on second thought, it wasn’t a terrible development.

The culprit was the princess herself, and there were plenty of eyes to see it.

‘The high-ranking demon that supposedly trapped the prince is a complication, but it wasn’t the killer. Those surviving Ormus dogs will provide the testimony I need.’

This could lead to a massive war at the worst, or a bloody feud at the least. Conflict and slaughter were always a grand show. And the magi points harvested from their spite, bloodlust, and terror? That would be quite a windfall.

But that wasn’t the main concern right now.

“Where is the demon?”

Drakson scanned the terrain with a predatory gaze. But the entity that had provoked him into moving his massive frame was nowhere to be found.

That high-grade magi belonged to a demon of at least the upper ranks. Yet Drakson hadn’t authorized anyone but Quail to be present.

“My apologies. By the time we felt the magi and made it here, the presence had evaporated.”

“You found no scent, no trail?”

Quail dipped his head in shame.

‘What kind of person is this…!’

Beastkin possessed naturally sharp instincts that only sharpened with their rank. A high-ranking beastkin demon rarely missed a thing. Their senses were peerless.

‘This is my own land, for heaven’s sake. To trick Quail here would require…’

Either a fellow Demon King or a high-ranking demon with a mastery of concealment.

“Where did the signature first appear?”

“In this direction.”

The earth was torn asunder, with rubble scattered everywhere.

The marks of a violent struggle. And the lingering scent of magi remained.

‘High quality.’

And it didn’t feel entirely foreign.

‘Naturally, it wouldn’t.’

Whatever plot was unfolding, it was certainly the work of another Demon King—one of those who had ascended to the top alongside him. One of their own.

‘It isn’t Berge or Ugar.’

Berge lacked high-ranking subordinates, and Ugar was too loyal to turn.

And as Casey had pointed out, it was unlikely to be Reina Sordain. She wasn’t built for clandestine schemes.

Her mind was filled with foolish dreams and idealism.

That left only one.

‘Jason Kokmun.’

The Demon King of Deceit. A man who always grinned behind a mask of politeness while preparing to stab you in the back. They had been trading secrets lately and keeping up appearances, but Drakson never placed an ounce of trust in him.

If someone had sneaked in an upper-rank demon, it was undoubtedly Jason.

‘But to what end?’

He wouldn’t incite chaos without a profit in mind.

‘Is it a setup for me?’

To kill both the princess and the prince to frame him for a double tragedy? But Jason gained nothing from that.

‘And the accounts say the princess wasn’t even targeted. Killing her would have far worse consequences than some minor Ormus prince…’

So that wasn’t the objective.

Drakson began to slowly trace the remnants of the magi. However, the trail vanished without warning. Even as a Demon King, he found it difficult to track something so subtle.

“Preposterous.”

Drakson pushed his senses to their absolute limit. He tasted the air and felt the vibrations of the wind.

And then.

He caught a whisper of a trail leading toward Mercon Mountain.

A realization struck him like lightning.

‘It can’t be…?’

He had been so careful, keeping it hidden. But nothing was ever truly foolproof.

Jason might have discovered a way to find it. If he was targeting the Phoenix remains he had interred and was trying to steal them?

“You miserable bastard!”

The Phoenix remains were worth the price of a total fallout with the other Demon Kings.

The fact that the Demon Kings of Aren were cooperating at all was the anomaly, not the standard for their kind.

Drakson abandoned everything else and sprinted toward Mercon Mountain. Trees splintered and boulders shattered as he tore through the landscape.

At that very moment—

Kwaaaaaang—

In the distance, the volcano erupted with a roar.

Pure, searing mana geysered into the atmosphere.

He was a moment too late.

“Jason, you absolute son of a bitch!”

Drakson bellowed.

The magi of the Demon King erupted.

It was a power so massive and violent that every hero in Tartar could feel it trembling in the air.

—

“Huff, huff…!”

Karchin, an Ormus warrior, gripped his mangled shoulder as he sprinted. A crimson path followed his footsteps.

His vision was swimming. But he clamped his jaw shut.

‘I must survive.’

He had to deliver the news to the King.

That treacherous dwarf princess had assassinated the prince! They had to rip her apart in retaliation!

Fueled by nothing but the thirst for revenge, he pushed onward.

He knew he would likely collapse the moment he spoke the truth to the King, but that didn’t matter.

As long as the prince was avenged, as long as his spirit found peace.

Swaek—

Thud—

A sharp whistle was followed by a heavy thud.

A short bolt. The ground rushed up to meet his face. No—his legs had given out.

“Kwaaaagh!”

His leg was screaming in pain. The arrow lodged in it had pulverized the bone.

A shadow stretched over him. Karchin looked up with eyes full of terror.

The figure didn’t block out the sun entirely. A small stature. A dwarf.

“Y-You monsters…!”

The thick smell of iron filled the air. He had assumed it was his own blood until this moment.

Because he had only been looking forward. Now he saw the carnage he had bypassed.

The soil was drenched in red. Limbs of the fallen poked out from the undergrowth.

“Ahh…!”

They were all Ormus soldiers like him. His brothers who had protected the second prince until just minutes ago.

“Don’t take it personally. You were the ones who tried to end us first.”

He understood what they intended. So he shrieked.

“You filthy dwarf filth! You think this hides the truth? Do you not fear the judgment of the heavens?!”

“At least you aren’t the one delivering it.”

‘Why…’

He looked around frantically for help. But the area was deserted.

Usually, heroes and sellswords hunting monsters would be everywhere.

Why was it empty today of all days?

The unfairness of it all brought tears of blood to his eyes.

Swaeeek—

A dark arrow tore through the air.

Splat—

Karchin’s world went dark.

—

The dwarf warrior hauled Karchin’s body into the thicket and tossed it aside. He wiped away the signs of the struggle and settled in for the next target.

A while later, twelve more Ormus soldiers arrived—and were turned into ghosts.

“It seems no more are coming.”

“That’s my assessment as well.”

Louise wiped the gore from her battle axe.

“Keep your mouths locked. The second prince was assassinated by a demon. One that fought to assist us before being destroyed.”

“Understood. The area is saturated with monster footprints—it’s an easy story to sell.”

“Incinerate the remains and pull back.”

“Yes.”

The dwarves burned the bodies and interred the ashes.

“We were fortunate no one passed by.”

“True. Usually, heroes and mercenaries are crawling all over the place. A bit of good fortune.”

Louise remarked as she drew a blade across her own forearm.

“Princess!”

“Does this look realistic enough for a near-annihilation?”

“……”

The dwarf warriors silently began to aggravate their own injuries. They smeared themselves with blood and rubbed dirt into their wounds.

“Let’s move.”

Only after they were perfectly staged did they make their return to Tartar.

“The Demon King has shattered our truce with this reckless move! Call for the heroes immediately and prepare for open war!”

She understood then that everything before this had been completely meaningless.