A world of pure white.
He just blinked once, and Suho's body was already standing here.
Now, Suho was also familiar with this situation.
The moment when 'Baran's Horn' appeared as a quest reward.
The moment he held that horn in his hand.
He expected this to happen, of course.
'Priest for Dead Monarchs'
Although there are exceptions, most of the dead monarchs Suho has encountered so far have bestowed upon him the title
of priest.
There was only one thing they wanted from Suho.
Ancestral rites.
Passing on their power to a suitable successor.
Suho was chosen to host that important event.
But why is that?
Why is he a guardian?
Why on earth could they have been forced to entrust that important priestly role to the son of the Shadow Monarch who had killed them?
-Well, I have no choice.
Recently, the dragon Antares provided an answer to this guardian's question.
Since Antares was always by Suho's side, unlike other monarchs, he had many opportunities to chat about various things.
-Now there's no one but you. I don't know how it came to this.
The Dragon Emperor told Suho the story of the monarchs with a bitter expression.
-Originally, when a monarch dies, the next monarch's succession ceremony is held under the supervision of the priest of that race. However, sometimes, power is inherited on its own without the priest. That's the 'natural order'.
Who decided that 'natural order'? It was, of course, the 'Absolute Being' who is now dead.
In the beginning... ... the Absolute Being divided the great power of darkness and created eight kings, and those were the monarchs called the 'Primeval Darkness'.
-So when we die, the 'primordial darkness' we were carrying will naturally pass on to the next successor.
But now, in this universe, that absolute being was dead.
That's why the laws he created also seemed to be severely broken.
-...It's so broken that someone like you, a nobody, can reawaken our souls that have returned to nothing.
[Keeeeeek! How dare you say something so outrageous!]
Although Beru was furious at the dragon's words, the dragon did not intend to disparage Suho.
Rather, I was curious as to how Suho came to have this ability.
He accepted Beru's anger and continued to explain.
- Of course, your father is one of the eight primordial lights created by the Absolute Being, one of the eight fragments of brilliance, and the ninth monarch. A shadow that contains both light and darkness in one body. That is your father. However, even such a shadow monarch could not do as he pleased with the spirits of the monarchs of the same rank.
If that were possible, monarchs would have been reduced to shadow soldiers long ago.
Knowing this fact, the Dragon Emperor was extremely wary of the identity of the power that Suho possessed.
-You'd better be careful about that 'Unknown' skill. No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like that power was passed down to you by your father.
The dragon repeatedly warned that it was even more dangerous because it was a passive skill that activated automatically.
Suho also listened to his advice, but no matter how much he prepared, it was useless.
It was a skill whose name I didn't even know in the first place.
Knowing that fact as well, the Dragon Emperor made Suho keep one last thing in mind.
-Just keep one thing in mind. Not all Monarchs will be kind to you. Just like I was. Especially the Demon King Baran.
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, is watching you.]
'...That's what you wanted.'
Suho raised his eyes and looked at the edge of the pure white land.
There stood a demon wearing luxurious armor that only royalty would wear.
A demon with a blue glow.
There was a blatant glint of hatred in his glaring eyes.
In fact, Suho was also familiar with this situation.
Looking back, it was the same when I met not only the dragon but also the king of bugs, Queresha.
It wasn't that I couldn't understand it.
'Revenge towards my father.'
Isn't that a natural thing?
As long as he doesn't have the desire to pass power on to his successor like he did in the time of the Dragon Emperor, he can freely express his desire for revenge on the son of the person who killed him.
But Suho already knew the story about Baran from Antares.
Strictly speaking, Baran was not killed by his father, Sung Jin-woo.
The being who killed him was none other than the previous Shadow Monarch Ashborn.
To begin with, the 'Baran' that Sung Jin-woo killed in the Demon Castle when he was young was not the real one, but a clone, and the real Demon King Baran was a monarch who betrayed Ashborn a long time ago and was executed by him.
What that means is that, in the end, Baran here has never even met 'Sung Jin-woo' in the first place.
'And yet, to show this much hatred is ultimately...'
Suho gritted his teeth.
Krrrr! Krrrr!
Lightning strikes the dry sky.
This is Baran's anger and an expression of hatred.
Kkwarrung! Kkwarrung! Boom bang!
The thunderbolts that fell from the sky were rapidly expanding their area centered around Baran.
With the momentum to fill this pure white world.
Suho had seen this sight only once.
None other than his own mother, Cha Hae-in.
When Cha Hae-in killed the apostle of Itarim with the 'Demon King's Sword'.
But then, a much more terrifying thunderclap energy was emanating from Baran's body.
And in the midst of that catastrophe...
Baran was glaring at Suho with bloodshot eyes.
Especially... Suho's chest area.
To gauge the true nature of the power hidden within it.
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, discovers the 'Heart of the Dragon Emperor' in you.]
'shit.'
Is this how it ends up?
Suho sighed softly and cursed Antares inwardly.
[Inferior human, I have one question for you.]
Finally, Baran opened his mouth.
But this wasn't a question that was asked with the intention of getting an answer in the first place.
[Are you a descendant of Ashborn, or a descendant of Antares?]
Because he was already sure.
[Why do I feel those two energies inside you at the same time?]
'Didn't you say you would only ask one question? And if you look closely, you will feel the protection of other monarchs.'
[That's a long story.]
'... ... .'
In fact, Suho knew too.
In the first place, conversation in this spiritual world is a waste of time.
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, has noticed that you are the successor to Dragon Emperor Antares.]
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, recalls the atrocities of Antares.]
Because, very kindly, the system message was telling Suho everything about Baran's true feelings.
[I remember that the one who incited the Demon King, the Monarch of White Flame, to betray Ashborn was none other than the King of the Crazed Dragons, the Monarch of Destruction, Antares.]
For Demon King Baran, there are two targets of revenge.
It was the Shadow Monarch Asborn and the Dragon Monarch Antares, and the one who inherited their powers was none other than Suho.
So instead of answering, Suho raised his magical power to its maximum.
Since he couldn't summon shadow soldiers in this world, he had to fight Baran alone.
Hurrruk!
The dragon's heart boils.
Suho's entire body is wrapped in black flames that resemble a dragon.
That appearance was the perfect answer to Baran.
Baran's eyes widened.
[As expected! Fwooom!]
That moment.
――――――!
'...?!'
He turned into a bolt of lightning and shot out at Suho.
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, uses 'Skill: White Flame.']
'What the?!'
There was no time to panic.
Boom-!
A speed that was so fast that I couldn't even react, even though I had prepared in advance.
Suho's body was thrown in the opposite direction by a single beam of light extending in a straight line.
This was just the beginning.
[Kuaa-!]
Baran's mouth opened wide as he rushed towards Suho, and inside, vicious shark-like teeth chewed and swallowed Suho's
head whole.
Crunch!
Suho barely managed to turn his head to avoid the attack, but was forced to give in with his shoulder.
A moment that barely lasted a second.
In that short time, Suho was hit by him and had his shoulder bitten.
Kwajijijijijik-!
'Kkeuggeuggeuk... ...!'
A field of vision that blinks countless times.
A massive thunderclap passed through Suho's body through his shoulder.
I literally felt like I was going to lose my mind from the pain of being struck by lightning.
[Die! Die! Die! Die!]
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Baran was like a devil, biting Suho without mercy.
As if he were going to chew and devour his flesh and bones.
'Kkaaaak... ...!'
Suho gritted his teeth and endured all the pain, attempting to counterattack.
[Use 'Skill: Rigid Body Technique'.]
[Use 'Skill: Giant's Armor'.]
[Use 'Skill: Storm of Black Flame']
Kuwaaaaang!
I used all my skills to fight against Baran.
But Baran took all the attacks with his body without even thinking about avoiding them.
And yet he chuckled.
[Kuhhhhh! Good, good! Your taste is delicious!]
'... ... !'
Suho's eyes widened at the sight of that maddening sight.
It's not that it doesn't hurt!
It is only by feeling pain that he can find pleasure.
[The devil's life is a struggle!]
Yes.
He wished.
One who has reached the pinnacle of demons.
If the devil is a race that discovers the value of life only in the midst of a brutal struggle where blood and flesh are shed, then among them, Baran was a true predator who ate more demons than anyone else.
Kkwarreung!
Boom boom!
The fierce clash between Suho and Baran turned the pure white world into madness.
Gaaaaaaaaaaah!
The white flame flashing from Baran's mouth became even more intense.
Suho also expanded his stamina to the maximum and launched a fierce attack.
'Uneasy.'
During the battle with the dragon, I realized how much my father's illusions helped me.
I knew from the start that it would be a tough fight, but the reality was even worse.
After countless attempts, Baran chewed and swallowed Suho's flesh.
And then he looked at Suho with a big smile on his face, realizing something.
[Hahaha! Now I understand! How did such a lowly human become so strong!]
He finally realized the source of the power engraved on Suho's body.
[This is the taste of the magic used by the Demon Tribe! Did the Demon Tribe's magician imitate our Demon Tribe's growth
method in a human body? I have a feeling that someone has ripped off my spirit body!]
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of the White Flame, realizes the principles of creating a level-up system.]
'what?'
This time, even Suho couldn't help but be surprised.
For some reason, today the system message seemed unusually detailed and in-depth.
Could the material of that system be... ...?
[Kuhaha. There is only one person in the chaos world who studies such sorcery. The great sorcerer Candiaru! He was always
anxious to surpass Yogumunt and become the ruler of the chaos world!]
Through his battle with Suho, Baran couldn't help but notice more information than he had expected.
Somehow, from the moment he opened his eyes in the world of nothingness, there was an unidentified wound on his spirit
body.
As if someone had forcibly ripped his spirit body away from him.
But only after he tasted Suho's flesh and blood, did he become convinced.
The only one who would want to study the spirit of a dead monarch while doing such a thing was Candiaru, the eternal second-in-command of the chaos world.
[Yes, that damn sorcery could easily do it! But how much more greedy could that bastard be, who at best would have ripped
off my spirit body and made a clone of me? Applying the entire growth method of the demon race to a lowly human?]
When Baran realized the hidden truth, he was truly dumbfounded.
Yogumunt, the king of demonic spectres and Monarch of the Transfiguration.
Just below him is the great sorcerer Candiaru, who has always been eyeing Yogumunt's place.
Even at the moment when the outcome of the war was at stake, he made every effort to raise his own status.
[The result is you?]
Baran looked at Suho again with a new look.
More precisely, the 'level-up system', the method of growth for demons engraved within the guardian.
No.
This is born of the growth system of the 'residents of the gap' who kill living things, suck their soul nutrients, and grow infinitely.
Hehe.
Upon realizing that fact, Baran looked at Suho and smacked his lips viciously.
[I wonder. What would happen if I ate all the nutrients you've consumed so far?]
Dismissed!
An electric current ran through his teeth where saliva had collected.