First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 109

* * *

“Grandfather, aren’t you tired?”

Deront, dressed in pajamas, held a teddy bear in his arms and yawned widely.

The Dark Cathedral.

Nicolaus was offering prayers without sleeping even into the deep hours of dawn.

“I’m worried about the Emperor and the children in that distant land, so I can’t fall asleep.”

“Oh my, Grandfather worries about so many things. The other three are strong too, but especially Cael is far more amazing than you think, Grandfather.”

“Hehe, of course I know that. But I can’t help worrying.”

“If you’re really that concerned, shall I show you a glimpse of the future?”

Nicolaus waved his hands dismissively.

“I know that seeing the future once puts a great burden on your body. You don’t need to overdo it. Pluton will hear my prayers.”

“Hmm… Yes.”

For Deront, who knew the truth, his heart felt like it was being pricked by thorns every time Nicolaus mentioned Pluton.

Pluton was dead.

The reincarnated Cael had lost most of his divine powers.

Lending strength or answering prayers was beyond his capabilities.

Nicolaus, who knew nothing, sat in the same spot every day repeating meaningless prayers.

That fact made him feel like he was going crazy with pity.

‘Should I just… tell him everything?’

The fact that Pluton had died and been reincarnated, and that his identity was Cael.

Of course, if he actually said it, he had no idea how to handle the aftermath.

Deront had that much common sense.

‘I wonder what Cael is doing right now.’

It was obvious without even looking.

He was probably ruthlessly slaughtering those so-called emerging criminal organization members.

Poor bastards…

What sins had they committed in their past lives to get entangled with Cael?

“Gasp!”

Nicolaus suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

Deront was so startled he threw down his teddy bear and rushed over.

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

However, Nicolaus didn’t say a word.

As if savoring the moment’s afterglow, he simply clasped his hands together quietly with a single tear.

“Ah, Pluton…”

A face where relief and ecstasy coexisted.

It was the most overwhelmed and moved expression Deront had seen from Nicolaus in four years.

“Thank you. Really… thank you.”

Deront, who had been puzzled by this sudden behavior, soon understood the reason.

Dark energy slowly rising around Nicolaus.

That was unmistakably demonic power.

‘Demonic power? The fact that Grandfather can now handle demonic power means…’

Deront unconsciously looked toward the west.

Beyond the stained glass, thinking of the only being who could make this possible.

“Cael?”

* * *

Lucifer’s brow twitched slightly.

[An agent of Pluton, you say?]

He snorted as if he’d heard ridiculous nonsense.

[Keep your boasting within reason. Do you know what happened to Pluton right now?]

Of course, I knew better than anyone.

“I don’t know.”

Lucifer extended his index finger and pointed at me.

[I don’t know where a bastard like you crawled out from. A human who wields the exact same demonic energy as Pluton.]

He aimed Crenil at me.

[I’ll spare you for now. I need to deal with the other bastards first, then have a leisurely chat with you.]

“Who said I’d let you do that?”

Perhaps because my aura had reached 7-star level.

Techniques I couldn’t use before due to insufficient demonic energy were now mostly available to me.

One of them.

The ability that once symbolized me in the Demon Realm.

Pluton-style demonic energy application.

Tribulation Flame Annihilation.

Kwarrrrrrk-!

Dark red flames blazed fiercely and rushed toward Lucifer.

In the battle with Zagan’s agent, Ordo Pereira, I had barely managed to manifest it through makeshift methods.

But the perfected tribulation flame at this moment was in no way inferior to its form from my previous life.

[…!]

Panic crossed Lucifer’s face for the first time.

He spun Crenil rapidly, defending against the tribulation flame with wind pressure.

When a small spark touched his cheek, the tribulation flame grew in size and began devouring Lucifer’s face.

[…Tch!]

In the end, Lucifer had no choice but to slice away his own skin with his spear blade.

[This annoying technique… It’s definitely Pluton’s ability.]

He looked at me as if viewing some mysterious unknown creature.

[You bastard, what are you? How can you use Pluton’s abilities?]

“I told you. I’m Pluton’s agent.”

[…Mock me one more time and I won’t let it slide!]

“Honestly, if you won’t believe me when I tell you, why did you ask?”

Everyone listening to my conversation with Lucifer had dumbfounded expressions.

“What… what exactly is this situation?”

“Prince Asel was Pluton’s agent?”

“Pluton, you mean the Eighth Seat of the Demon Realm…”

Genta and the other beastman knights seemed unable to believe this lie-like reality.

The benefactor who had saved their lord was actually an agent of a Demon Lord.

And now they were being saved by that Demon Lord’s agent.

This would be completely incomprehensible by their common sense.

And the same was true for the Emperor.

“…Well now. Is this why you asked if I could keep a secret?”

Contrary to expectations, the Emperor’s expression was calmer than expected.

Genta approached the Emperor and asked a question.

“Did Your Majesty know?”

“Of course I didn’t! I thought he was an extraordinary young man, but I never imagined he was an agent of a Demon Lord…”

“What will you do? Please give us your orders.”

The Emperor glanced at me as I faced off against Lucifer.

“Whatever Asel’s identity may be, it’s a fact that he’s fighting for us and that he saved Muramad. And it’s also a fact that he’s made great contributions to eliminating the Demon Subjugation Society and Lucifer Sect, our nation’s enemies.”

“…”

“Let’s watch for now. All judgments can wait until after the battle ends.”

“What I’m worried about is what if he suddenly turns and sides with the Demon Lord to attack us.”

“That’s a needless worry.”

The Emperor patted the confused Genta’s shoulder.

“Trust my judgment. That won’t happen.”

“…Understood.”

Genta seemed doubtful, but agreed to the Emperor’s words for now.

I didn’t expect the Emperor to actively take my side like that either.

[How noisy and bothersome.]

Lucifer raised his arms toward the sky.

A rain of spears made of demonic energy poured down from the black storm clouds.

[Die.]

Hundreds, thousands of black spears.

I’m well-versed in dealing with this type of attack.

‘Star Creation.’

Whooooo-

A black sphere floated up gently.

Like meteors swept up by a star’s gravity, the black sphere floating in the sky sucked in all of Lucifer’s spears.

[Insolent!]

Lucifer’s next attack followed.

It was a crude attack that slammed vast demonic energy as pure mass.

Like divine punishment, demonic energy swollen like Mount Tai came crashing down to the surface.

‘I’ll play along.’

I also expanded the size of my demonic energy and made it collide with Lucifer’s.

Craaack-!

The two different demonic energies clashed in midair like they were arm wrestling.

My demonic energy at only 7-star level is still lacking in every aspect compared to Lucifer’s.

Even so, the reason I can maintain balance in an even match is due to the difference in control ability when handling demonic energy.

After ascending to the Pantheon, my soul’s rank increased and my demonic energy amount grew tremendously.

But when I was just a demon tribe member, I suffered from chronic demonic energy shortage.

Originally, demon tribes are born with less demonic energy than demons.

Surviving in the brutal Demon Realm with meager demonic energy naturally forced my control ability to grow.

That small difference.

Was turning what should have been my defeat into an even match.

‘But that’s all.’

While Lucifer couldn’t deal me a fatal blow either.

I also couldn’t deliver a finishing strike to Lucifer – it was the same situation.

Moreover, that bastard.

At some point he had connected to me through resonance, and my strength was continuously draining in real time.

At this rate, the tide of battle would turn in an instant.

At that moment.

“Your Majesty!”

Merry’s cry pierced my ears.

Merry, armed with blue aura all over her body, rushed into the battlefield.

However, the energy burning from Merry’s sword wasn’t just aura alone.

“!!”

I was so shocked I forgot how to speak.

“You, that’s…”

I wasn’t seeing things wrong.

The black energy rippling from Merry’s sword was Pluton’s demonic power.

There’s no way I’d mistake my own power.

Moreover, Merry wasn’t the only one.

“Kheup! Hyaaaaaaaa-!”

Diago swung his spear wrapped in black energy like a madman and shouted.

“You’ve returned! You’ve returned!”

Waterfall-like tears that you’d never expect to see from Diago scattered everywhere, reflecting the moonlight.

“Our deity has returned!”

Whoooosh-!

Kise loaded his flame magic.

The magic enhanced with demonic power contained energy that far surpassed its original destructive force.

“Well, not bad.”

Kise shrugged his shoulders.

Though he was trying not to go wild like Diago, he couldn’t hide his overwhelming expression.

“We’ll help you!”

Merry fired sword energy.

Sword energy of a blue-black color mixed with aura’s blue light and demonic power’s black.

Even Lucifer couldn’t simply ignore a Demon Lord’s Holy Knight who had reached 8-star level.

[Kugh!]

Lucifer swung Krenil from top to bottom.

A brief gap created while blocking Merry’s sword energy.

Flickering lightning pierced through the gap and shot straight forward.

Pluton-style demonic energy application.

Thunderbolt.

Crackle-!

Lucifer’s body trembled with electric shock.

[These insolent insects!]

Lucifer’s gaze fell on Merry.

Is he trying to use his authority!

If she doesn’t know how to resist resonance, she might die helplessly like when Adora burst the beastfolk’s heads.

“Think I’ll let you use your authority!”

A cheeky, youthful voice.

It was Kise.

“Eat this and get lost!”

7th Circle explosive magic.

Atomic Flare.

Boom boom boom boom boom-!

Explosions burst out consecutively around Lucifer’s eyes.

Knowing that his skill level would make it hard to deal significant damage, it was magic aimed at blocking vision.

“I’m here too!”

Swoosh swoosh!

Diago also kept firing aura from a distance.

Even if fatal wounds were impossible, it would at least sting and be distracting.

[These damn vermin…]

You could see Lucifer’s rage meter filling up more and more.

Unlike at first, he was gradually losing his composure.

‘Now if there’s just one decisive blow…’

At first I thought it would be success just to survive without dying.

With the situation escalating this far, I became greedy.

If only I could eliminate Lucifer here…

Thump!

I felt my heart beating.

My pulse raced violently.

‘What is this?’

The energy that had been stolen through resonance was returning.

No, power was surging beyond even that.

I turned my head.

“…”

The beastfolk stared blankly at us as we opposed the Demon Lord with mortal bodies.

I could feel faith toward Pluton emanating from them.

It didn’t mean the beastfolk had suddenly turned into Demon Lord worshippers.

It was simply gratitude toward us for fighting on their behalf.

And reverence.

These emotions seemed to be transmitted in the form of faint faith.

For me right now, even that small amount of faith was enough.

Kugugugu-

Black demonic energy enveloped the space.

The scenery vanished and pitch-black darkness took its place.

Faith is the source of a deity’s power.

‘Thank you.’

Thanks to the beastfolk’s faith, I was able to use this technique.

Pluton-style demonic energy application.

Authority manifestation – Mugan

The moment had come for the strongest authority that had once turned Baal’s priest Lipton into minced meat to reveal its majesty once again.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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