The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 40

Chapter 40
## Chapter 40: A Total Misunderstanding

The phoenix, a legendary creature that plunges into molten rock to emerge from the heat renewed, was a celestial being.

Such a divine entity was far more spirit than flesh.

Consequently, the remains of the phoenix functioned as a spiritual vessel.

It was a concentrated core of incredibly refined, searing energy.

To any observer, it was equivalent to a monumental spiritual catalyst.

However, mana represented a fundamentally different power source, completely incompatible with the nature of magi.

This was precisely why Berge intended to transport the remains back to his fortress. Much like how his spire corrupted and consumed the artifacts within its vaults, he planned to gradually poison this source with his own dark energy until it was fully assimilated.

He felt no need to rush. After all, no legendary warriors were currently hunting him down.

Yet, that was Berge’s critical oversight.

*Whoosh—*

The instant his skin made contact, the mana surged violently. An intense heat permeated every fiber of Berge’s being.

*Boom—*

A deluge of energy erupted.

‘What is happening…!’

The mana forced its entry, while his innate magi violently repelled the foreign presence.

The two opposing forces engaged in a savage struggle for dominance.

They collided and tore at one another with predatory ferocity.

The theater of this war was Berge’s own body. His musculature shredded, and his circulatory system began to liquefy. A bone-shattering agony took hold of him.

Berge desperately attempted to harmonize the two warring tides.

It felt like an eternity had passed, though perhaps it was only a heartbeat.

The mana eventually overpowered the magi, battering against the gates of his primary life force.

*Thump-thump—*

Dark, corrupted blood sprayed from his lips.

His heart remained a closed fortress, refusing entry.

Every ounce of his magi rose in defiance, ignoring the lingering weaknesses caused by dimensional shifting.

With no path forward into the primary vessel, the mana drifted aimlessly through his form before finding a new anchor point.

‘……?’

Berge was paralyzed with shock.

He possessed two hearts.

One was dominant, the other a secondary reserve.

Both were typically saturated with magi—one as the main source, the other as a backup.

Now, the invasive mana had shattered the defenses of his secondary heart.

This auxiliary shield was naturally less robust, and under the current strain, it could not withstand the overwhelming flood of the phoenix’s essence.

His chest burned with a localized sun. The sensation radiated through him like a physical detonation.

His consciousness began to slip away.

Through a hazy vision, he saw a mountain exploding—and himself caught in the center of the eruption.

Berge’s physical form was cast away by the force of the volcanic burst.

—

He regained consciousness feeling a damp sensation on his skin, realizing he was sprawled across an unfamiliar grassy slope.

His garments had been reduced to ash, leaving him completely exposed.

“…Get lost.”

A deer, which had been curiously tasting his cheek, collapsed in terror at the sudden release of his lethal intent. It scrambled away into the brush.

Observing the fleeing animal, a realization struck him.

‘A wild beast approached me? And licked me?’

Despite any concealment, he was a Demon King—a predator from a different realm.

Creatures of nature should instinctively sense the chasm between their existences and flee in terror.

Only then did he take stock of his internal state. He inspected his spiritual condition.

‘The phoenix’s remains… they were absorbed automatically.’

After the struggle with his magi, the energy had bypassed his primary heart to claim the secondary one.

His first heart was currently thrumming with an excess of magi, swollen to a dangerous degree—a troubling development.

All the magi that had been displaced during the struggle had surged back into the primary vessel. Meanwhile, in the auxiliary heart that should have been dormant, a massive power had established itself.

It was scorching, vibrant, and pulsing with life.

Yet, inexplicably, the earlier sensation of internal war had vanished.

‘How is this possible?’

It remained pure mana, while the rest of his frame was saturated with magi.

Nevertheless, the two energies occupied the same body without further conflict.

The reason soon became clear.

‘It has barricaded itself inside.’

The intrusive force was isolating itself, sealing the secondary heart completely to avoid any further blending or friction.

Any attempt to probe it with his magi resulted in the energy being instantly vaporized.

His ego burned. Gripping his aching chest, Berge ground his teeth in frustration.

“You clearly don’t realize whose vessel you are inhabiting.”

I am the illustrious Demon King, Berge Dayas.

He channeled his entire reserve of magi toward the secondary heart, hammering at the reinforced gates of that inner chamber.

It was an act of self-mutilation, stabbing at his own vitals with his power.

But his wounded pride was far more painful than the physical trauma. He was fueled by a cold fury at the thought of being dictated to by the essence of a mere beast.

Eventually…

The barrier gave way. The torrential fire of the mana stored within the heart spilled out like a broken dam.

“……?”

Berge’s expression twisted as the energy defied his commands, retreating back into its sanctuary.

But as he witnessed the transformations beginning to take hold of his physical form…

“…!”

He stood there, utterly speechless.

—

The massive release of magi Berge triggered during the volcanic event.

And the dark energy boiling over from Drakson’s rage.

Every champion within Tartta felt the resonance of both.

They reported the magnitude of the event to the ruler of Tartta, and the intelligence was immediately relayed to the Hero Guild.

The metropolis fell into a state of panic, and the news swept toward the seat of the empire.

In the midst of this turmoil, the wounded princess of the dwarves arrived.

“We were ambushed by demons and horrors. The second prince of Ormus sacrificed himself to save us, falling in battle against a high-ranking demon. I tried to recover him, but…”

The warriors of Tartta were incensed by Louise’s sobbing testimony.

“Vengeance for the prince!”
“Let the heavens strike down the arrogant Demon King!”

The entire Kingdom of Ormus was in a state of fury.

“We will claim that Demon King’s life to honor the fallen prince!”

The monarch was livid, and the royal court followed suit.

Numerous couriers were dispatched to every hero and organization across the lands.

A call to arms brought fighters in massive numbers.

The populace understood: a storm was coming.

—

‘What in the world is happening?’

Granada was currently residing in Hortonwork. Functioning as the leader of the Red Hawk Mercenary Corps, he was drilling his soldiers while monitoring intelligence from the Golden Moon Merchant Group.

The Demon King’s latest directives involved procuring elven captives and transporting them to the spire—and he was reviewing the data for that task.

Lists of human trafficking hubs and dates for elven auctions were laid out before him.

He felt a bittersweet mix of relief at rescuing his people and guilt at handing them over to the Demon King, though Granada convinced himself they would eventually understand.

It was a better fate to serve the Demon King, take revenge on humanity, and eventually gain autonomy than to rot in chains.

But the continental unrest was making it impossible to stay focused.

“Why would the Beast Demon King act so recklessly…?”

Demon Kings were formidable, but they weren’t untouchable.

They were aware of this, which is why a tense peace had lasted for centuries.

‘The Beast Demon King was always careful not to overstep, as far as I knew.’

That was Granada’s impression. If the Demon King had been a loose cannon, he would have been executed long ago, just like the Lust Demon King.

But the scale of this event was too large to be ignored as mere gossip.

Particularly when the second princess of Berft had been in mortal peril and every hero in the vicinity had sensed such overwhelming dark energy.

“A high demon led a battalion of monsters in a coordinated strike. Prince Max of Ormus died protecting the retreat. We are the only survivors.”

Princess Louise, who regained consciousness after two days, told a story that seemed flawed under close inspection.

The primary inconsistency was the isolated Drakson suddenly murdering royalty. And the idea of the greedy, power-hungry second prince of Ormus playing the martyr? It was absurd.

Granada had never met Max personally, but the rumors were consistent: he was a cold opportunist aiming for the crown.

He wasn’t the only one with doubts. However, the undeniable presence of magi and the genuine trauma of Louise and the dwarves made it difficult to argue.

Driven by fury, the King of Ormus ordered a total mobilization, hiring every available mercenary and commissioning the Hero Guild.

Adventurers seeking fame and fortune began to swarm Ormus.

The truth of Drakson’s involvement was becoming irrelevant.

‘Should I join the fray?’

He was supposed to be gathering elves, but he also had an obligation to assist Hillun in the march against the glacial spire.

But what now?

Do they proceed to the tower?

Or does the focus shift to this new crusade?

Would Hillun remain in command?

Or would a different hero take the lead?

The uncertainties multiplied.

Suddenly, his communication device chimed.

『Can you contact the Demon King?』

“I haven’t attempted to, so I don’t know.”

『Your lack of respect is consistent, at least.』

“Just tell me what you want.”

『If you get a signal, inform me. The march on the glacial tower is aborted. Focus on your primary task for now.』

“Aborted?”

『It was mostly theatrical anyway. There’s no point in running two campaigns when a more popular cause has emerged. It’s annoying to lose the leadership role, though.』

“…That is unfortunate.”

Granada didn’t like the arrogant hero, but that sentiment was honest. He knew the Demon King had been looking forward to that confrontation.

『It doesn’t matter. There will be other opportunities. The backer covered the overhead expenses anyway.』

The way the hero spoke about the Demon King with such disregard was typical for his kind.

‘The backer… so there was political maneuvering involved.’

Granada, well-versed in the darker side of hero politics, shook his head. You couldn’t be a hero without a massive budget.

the line went silent.

“I suppose I’ll stick to finding the elves.”

But no communication at all?

He attempted to channel power into the direct link to Berge.

There was no answer.

—

“Make it make sense!”

*Crash!* A hand struck the surface of the desk, causing the thick wood to snap.

“I killed the prince? I slaughtered them? Then where did the survivors I let go disappear to?!”

“…It’s possible Louise and the dwarven survivors eliminated them to frame you.”

“You incompetent fool!”

A nearby wolf-kin subordinate took the brunt of the anger. His ribs shattered, and he collapsed, gasping for air.

“I should have ensured every single one of them was dead!”

He had been distracted by the interlopers, and that lapse in judgment was proving disastrous.

“Master, please, compose yourself.”

“I lost the phoenix essence, and now I’m being blamed for the death of a royal!”

The remains of the phoenix had been lost in the volcanic eruption. The massive release of energy had vaporized the local predators and wiped away any evidence of the third party.

“If that proof still existed, I wouldn’t be in this position!”

Curse it all. Drakson growled.

In reality, the prince’s demise was a far greater problem than the lost phoenix.

With a dwarven royal pointing the finger at him, the rest was a foregone conclusion.

Demon Kings might provoke kingdoms, and heroes might look the other way for the sake of the status quo.

But there was an invisible boundary.

Assassinating a direct heir to the throne.

Violating the core interests of a kingdom—the same mistake the Lust Demon King made when he targeted the royalty of Akkan, only to be erased by Thuras Hindler.

“The champions will mobilize. A crusade will be formed.”

This wasn’t just any royal; it was one of the primary heirs of Ormus. He was as good as dead.

“I will not end up like Thuras. I refuse.”

He couldn’t be certain of his survival.

Technically, Drakson was powerful. He was a top-tier demon and a graduate of the elite academy.

In this realm, he couldn’t exercise his full might, but he had been diligently strengthening his position and reducing the dimensional interference.

The constraints of this world annoyed him, but the isolation had forced him to sharpen his skills.

Drakson’s gaze turned predatory.

“Get me a roster of every high-ranking hero likely to join this campaign.”

“Track them. I want to know where they are meeting, their numbers, and their tactics. Everything comes to me.”

“Keep an eye on the capital of Ormus and the Guild as well.”

Casey gave a silent nod and exited at his command.

Drakson slowly produced a communication crystal.

“Dammit… a Demon King reduced to such desperate measures…”

Still, if there was a path to salvation, he would take it.

He ground his teeth, pouring his energy into the device. Much later, a connection was established.

“This is all a massive misunderstanding. I had absolutely nothing to do with the death of the Prince of Ormus.”