Xaren pondered his Gravity Magic's increase as he and the demon beast—a humanoid leopard-like creature with long, razor-sharp claws—dashed forward and slashed at one of the angels, forcing it to retreat.
Xaren hurled the sphere of black flames at another, and the flames licked at the angel's pristine wings, causing it to cry out in pain.
The angels retaliated, their weapons glowing with holy energy, but Xaren's gravity manipulation gave him an edge.
He shifted his weight, dodging a strike, and then intensified the gravity around his sword, adding extra force to his next swing. The blade cleaved through an angel's defences, sending it crashing to the ground.
[Level Up] x2
'He died from just that? Must have been the kinds with low durability.'
Xaren reacted with mild surprise as his level hit 60, and just then, an extra notification appeared in his field of vision, informing him of an ability of his skill which he could now use.
'Is this how Unique skills work?'
He thought this as he used his demonic energy to activate the Child of Gravity skill and reached out with his left hand, focusing on this newfound power.
One of the angels attempted to strike the demon beast from behind, but Xaren's dark red aura enveloped the holy light blade and pulled it towards him.
'Makes sense. Even if you throw something up, it always comes down because of gravity. This is me controlling the force that attracts it to the ground.'
He understood this as he attacked the weapon-less angel with his black flaming sword, decapitating them in a single strike.
The demon beast finished off the last angel with a ferocious swipe of its claws, and together, they stood victorious.
***BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive explosion reverberated from above, shaking the ground and sending shockwaves through the air.
Xaren's head, along with everyone else's, snapped up to the sky.
There, they saw it—a scene of terrifying grandeur.
The clouds parted, and giant cracks spiderwebbed across the sky itself. A barrier shimmered under the immense pressure of some unknown force, struggling to hold back whatever lay beyond.
**BOOM!!
Another thunderous explosion echoed, and the cracks in the sky widened. The faces of the angels turned pale, and even the Mid-Rank demons gazed upward in shock and disbelief.
*KABOOOMM!!!
A third, deafening sound rang out, and the sky shattered like glass. The atmosphere itself parted, revealing the sea of stars above, vast and infinite.
Xaren's heart raced as he felt the overwhelming, immense and terrifying presence that the world itself was trying to keep out, begin to seep through.
[Your Excellency!?]
The voice of the High-Rank demon from earlier cut through the tension, just barely reaching Xaren's ears.
'F-Floch and the others mentioned something about "Their Excellencies" earlier. Is this guy... one of them?'
Xaren's thoughts stumbled over themselves, his mind struggling to grasp the reality of what was happening.
Then, the overwhelming presence descended upon them all. It was as if the very air was drenched in demonic energy, thick and suffocating.
The sky darkened, and black lightning began to rain down from above, each bolt striking down Mid-Ranked angels with deadly precision.
[Hail the 'Demon King of Truth'!!!!!!]
The High-Rank demon's voice rang out in exultation, shaking Xaren to his core. The Low and Mid-Rank demons snapped out of their shock and began cheering wildly, their voices rising in a chaotic chorus.
"The Demon King of Truth has arrived!"
"Hail Demon King Gazer!"
"Glory to Demon King Gazer!"
"Demon King!!!"
Their cries echoed across the battlefield, a roar of triumph and reverence that seemed to shake the very earth.
The man in the sky appeared almost human, floating with a commanding presence.
But there was no mistaking what he truly was—his five pairs of bat-like wings extended from his back, three dark, twisted horns jutted from his head, giving him a fearsome appearance, while a long, serpentine tail coiled and uncoiled slowly from his lower back.
His arms were crossed, and as if to magnify his already terrifying presence, a third eye opened on his forehead, glowing with an eerie light.
This eye seemed to pierce through everything below, scanning the entire battlefield with a gaze that held both immense power and unnerving coldness.
Xaren's emotions churned within him, a turbulent mix of awe, fear, and something else he couldn't quite name.
The sight of this being—this Demon King—struck him to his core, making his blood run cold and his heart pound in his chest.
Before this Demon King, the energy he once believed to be god-like, that of a Transcendent High-Rank Demon, now felt insignificant in comparison.
All his life, Xaren had known High-Rank demons to be the pinnacle of demonkind. Their levels ranged from 900 to 1000—the highest levels he believed possible and this understanding had always reinforced the idea that they were the apex of power.
'But to think there was something even fiercer!'
He could barely comprehend what his senses were telling him. This boundless energy had no end, an abyss that threatened to devour him if he tried to probe any deeper.
Xaren felt fear, but beneath that fear, there was endless admiration. Such power...
'…It's beyond anything I could have ever imagined.'
And then, there was desire—an insatiable hunger for that strength.
'If I had such power, nothing could threaten my survival... I'd never have to fear anything again!'
In this second life, Xaren had set one simple goal for himself—to survive, no matter what. And now, he couldn't help but crave the overwhelming power he sensed before him.
Suddenly, the Demon King of Truth, 'Gazer', turned his gaze and scanned Xaren's area of the battlefield with his third eye.
And then—
"?!"
—he locked eyes with Xaren.
The Demon King's lips curled up ever so slightly, and he spoke words only Xaren heard in his soul.
|So that's where you were…Singularity. |
'…w-wahat?'
Xaren was confused. What was going on here? What the hell was a Singularity? Was this because he had reincarnated? Did the Demon King somehow sense that?
Whatever questions he had, Xaren received no answers as the Demon King just laughed and turned his gaze towards the distance where beams of light streaked across the sky.
High-ranked angels had appeared, and when they took in the sight of the Demon King, their faces turned as white as their wings.
"How?!"
"The World's repulsion force shouldn't let a 'Deity' enter here!"
"He destroyed the World's repulsion!"
"Stay calm! A Demon King cannot wield his full power in a Lower World like this without risking its destruction—and the death of every demon on it!"
The angels tried to calm themselves, but the Demon King merely laughed, raising his hand with a chilling confidence.
Dark lightning crackled at his fingertips, sweeping across the High-Ranked Angels and reducing them to charred remnants in an instant.
"Uooooo!"
"Demon King!!"
"His Excellency!!!"
The demons erupted into wild cheers. Xaren's heartbeat quickened. The lightning didn't just annihilate the High-Ranked Angels—it vaporized hundreds of lower-ranked ones as well.
And it didn't stop there. The bolt struck the ground, triggering an explosion that shook the earth like a violent earthquake.
The cheers of the demons grew louder and the Demon King continued to watch in silence as they fought.
Xaren continued to fight as well since he was attacked by frenzied unranked angels who felt the world was ending and he continued to kill, using his gravity magic for weighted impacts with his blade.
Amid the chaos, a sudden notification flickered in his vision.
[The 'Demon King of Truth' gazes at you with intrigue.]
A shiver ran through Xaren's body at the unexpected message that appeared in his field of view.
|I see, so that's your nature. I wonder what 'Grade' you'd turn out to be. |
Once again, Gazer's voice rang in his head and when Xaren turned to the sky, he saw the Demon King's third eyelid close, its bright demonic light ceasing.
|Do your best to survive, Singularity. Then, we shall meet again. |
With that, Gazer turned his eyes to the fractured atmosphere and soared into space, leaving behind a trail of lightning that ignited cheers among the demons.
Xaren stood silently, absorbing the overwhelming sensation of power he had just witnessed.
The term: 'Their Excellencies', mentioned by Floch and his friends suggested that Gazer wasn't the only Demon King out there.
The power Xaren had seen was awe-inspiring. If all Demon Kings possessed such might, what could possibly challenge their supremacy?
The high-ranked angels he had previously deemed god-like were insignificant in comparison.
At that moment, Xaren's resolve hardened. He yearned for that incredible power. Determined to reach such heights, he vowed to himself.
'I'm Gonna Be a Demon King!!!'