I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 150

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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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Chapter 150

 

The already chaotic battle situation could now be considered the very end of chaos.

 

It was a melee.

 

Though I felt a bit sorry for the people who suddenly found themselves fighting each other, thanks to that I could catch my breath.

 

I watched as two Heroes, two assassins, one Mage, and one Monster tangled together in battle. It was close to a natural disaster… No, it could be considered a natural disaster itself, with only the surrounding Soldiers being pitifully caught up in it.

 

The numbers that had once reached hundreds of thousands had long since dropped to the tens of thousands. Even that seemed to be decreasing in real time before my eyes.

 

Should I consider it fortunate that even this many were still alive? It must be thanks to the Life Force supplied by the World Tree Roots.

 

However, even that seemed to have reached its limit now.

 

No matter how much the World Tree showed miracles with its endless Life Force, it couldn’t bring the dead back to life.

 

Due to the battle of mythical beings, this place was transforming into a space where Humans couldn’t survive even for a single moment. Even I found it difficult to breathe, so there was no need to mention the Soldiers.

 

What I could do for them was…

 

Nothing.

 

All I could do was guide this battle to end as quickly as possible. Their lives had left my hands.

 

-In this gap…

 

The Demon Lord spoke up.

 

-How about continuing what we were doing earlier?

 

His voice was so serious that I almost failed to understand the Demon Lord’s words for a moment.

 

“What we were doing?”

 

-Well…

 

Wasn’t he the type who couldn’t help but laugh in situations like this?

 

-Soul Absorption, I mean.

 

I swallowed once and nodded.

 

Many people had died in a short time. If I hesitated needlessly and their souls scattered, the loss would be enormous. Since I knew souls were essential for growing the power of Divinity, there was no reason to hesitate.

 

I attempted disruption so the Hero and others wouldn’t notice, secretly preparing a Magic Circle.

 

I added Mana to Shtidy’s Magic, causing him to fail in controlling its power, erased the presence of the two assassins, and made the Hero’s body appear as multiple figures. I hid the Spirits’ attacks and showed new ones.

 

Tricks that normally wouldn’t work at all were incredibly effective in this melee.

 

The enraged ones would want to find and kill me, but they knew that the moment they diverted even a little attention, they wouldn’t be able to handle another’s Attack.

 

Still, since they were exceptional individuals, they would adapt quickly.

 

The Magic Circle was completed.

 

Endless Chains spread out like smoke, bringing the screaming souls to me.

 

Though I felt burdened by the tremendous number, it would be fine. Probably.

 

The moment I opened my mouth, countless souls entered in compressed form. A dazed and confused feeling seemed to come over me briefly, but it quickly disappeared. How many times would I need to repeat this to absorb all those souls completely?

 

It didn’t feel overwhelming.

 

Even though I had absorbed a number of souls that would have been unthinkable before, the burden I felt was light. This was also something absolutely necessary to survive here.

 

I shook my head and cast Magic again.

 

Shtidy, who had been trying to regain his composure in the confusion, fired Magic wildly at the Emperor. The effect of absorbing souls was visible. The power of Divinity that had been contained in Deception grew stronger.

 

If I repeated this a few more times, defeating that Emperor wouldn’t be impossible.

 

But…

 

Even if I could defeat the Emperor and the others, how could I become able to beat the Hero?

 

A being protected by the laws of this World. A fate where defeat was forced no matter what methods were used. How could I twist that?

 

‘Perhaps.’

 

A Mage is a being who uses Mana to interpret and recreate the laws that compose the World. Dark Mages are different.

 

They twist the laws to forcibly seize what they desire. In that process, all sorts of side effects occur, and sometimes even the Dark Mage themselves cannot properly control it.

 

Still, if it was that. The Demon Lord had tried to twist fate with his Dark Magic. If it was me, possessing the same nature as him, it might not be entirely impossible.

 

Absorb souls, and based on that, twist the laws of the World.

 

Completely rewrite the law of my defeat to the Hero.

 

-Think it’ll work?

 

The Demon Lord sneered.

 

-It’s not a completely impossible idea. Deceiving the World, twisting fate and such. For a Demon Lord, it’s naturally possible.

 

It was possible.

 

The pinnacle of all Dark Magic, the King of evil. For an absolute being who laughs at fate, it was naturally possible.

 

-But that doesn’t mean you can do everything.

 

But it’s an impossible task.

 

It may feel somewhat paradoxical, but that’s the truth. If it were such an easy thing to begin with, then a thousand years ago, the Demon Lord wouldn’t have been defeated by the Hero either.

 

-That’s a fate designated directly by the Goddess, aimed precisely at the Demon Lord alone. To avoid it requires that much preparation. Or else….

 

Creating a Hero is one massive ritual. You could call it magic. There are various ways to amplify the power of magic, but the easiest among them is imposing restrictions.

 

Records of miracles that couldn’t normally be achieved by limiting targets and sacrificing the caster aren’t that difficult to find.

 

-You surpassing the Goddess in rank would be another method.

 

That couldn’t be considered a complete method either.

 

If it was aimed only at the Demon Lord, and even the Goddess herself accepted great sacrifice, then how powerful must this forced fate be? Powerful enough that even the Demon Lord at his peak couldn’t avoid it. Powerful enough to spend over a thousand years devising countermeasures.

 

Even if I reached a rank equal to the Goddess, it wouldn’t be something I could break. It would only be barely possible if I could overwhelm the Goddess.

 

“Then what exactly am I supposed to do?”

 

-First. How about continuing what you were doing earlier?

 

I felt uneasy.

 

While listening to the Demon Lord’s explanation, quite some time had already passed. I had gathered most of the souls of the dead, and what remained had clearly diminished. Those fighting over there seemed to sense something too, gradually reducing their movements while surveying their surroundings.

 

And….

 

-Can’t you see them?

 

“What….”

 

-They’re scattered everywhere.

 

My gaze trembled.

 

There were troops barely clinging to life, relying on the life force distributed by the World Tree.

 

They were those about to die. Even now, their numbers were gradually decreasing. However, what the Demon Lord was saying didn’t seem to mean waiting until they all died.

 

-The World Tree is favorable toward you.

 

The Demon Lord said with a laugh.

 

Favorable.

 

Could such a word really express it all? After reviving the World Tree, it had protected and helped me like an Ice Spirit bound by contract. It followed whatever I instructed. It was under my control.

 

-If you just say one word….

 

If I just told it to stop supplying life force to them, most would die.

 

“Such a….”

 

Would it be right to do such a thing?

 

Perhaps, since hundreds of thousands had already died, there might be no need to worry about it now.

 

Most of them had no connection to me whatsoever, so their deaths wouldn’t particularly sadden me.

 

But that would be….

 

No different from me killing them, wouldn’t it?

 

Simply watching death happen and directly killing are different things. It’s not like I’d never harmed anyone before. Rather, I’d taken many lives. I’d absorbed their souls too.

 

I had certainly done things that some would call the very embodiment of a cruel Dark Mage. However.

 

I hadn’t killed anyone meaninglessly.

 

If I hadn’t killed them, my life would have been in danger. Or it was a choice made to save someone else.

 

-Is that really so?

 

The Demon Lord asked with a laugh.

 

Of course that’s….

 

-I know well enough that you have a tender disposition.

 

“Tender?”

 

-Is it because you’re young? You were only fifteen when we first met. Even now you’re only eighteen. That fool of a Master’s influence isn’t small either.

 

What struck me anew was that three whole years had already passed since meeting the Demon Lord.

 

It was probably because I’d spent such long periods when facing the Dragon and Great Demon, and when I was defeated by the Demon Lord.

 

-But. Can you be certain you’ve never committed meaningless murder?

 

It was a sudden topic. A fresh topic.

 

As a Dark Mage, I had never done anything that would shame my Master….

 

-The Lord of Belive.

 

I hadn’t.

 

-An evil man who made deals with the Religious Order to massacre the poor people of his territory. You, who discovered the secret, brought down the Guard Unit and Knight Order.

 

It had been a painful matter.

 

I had to strike down with my own hands those who had treated me warmly. It was sufficiently painful. It was truly something that deserved to be called a trial.

 

-You could have turned back there.

 

“…What?”

 

-You who went out of your way to visit the Lord’s Castle, you struck down the Mage who was protecting the Lord. In the end, you killed the Lord.

 

It was unavoidable. As long as the Lord lived, the massacre in the territory would have continued. Besides, that was a trial.

 

The Demon Lord had said so. If you run from a trial, a greater trial will come. Therefore, it was unavoidable. I couldn’t know what kind of disaster might come….

 

-There would have been other methods too. For example…. Yes. Like secretly freeing only those imprisoned.

 

Sophistry. It’s sophistry.

 

However, I couldn’t think of it as completely wrong. Unlike then, now I’m in a state where I know most of the research about Heroes.

 

There isn’t just one way to pass a trial. What’s important is the method of reaching the destination. If there are no major flaws in the process, the method isn’t that important.

 

-Let’s see.

 

If I hadn’t killed the Lord, quite a difficult situation would have continued. Both the Poor People I had saved and I would have had a hard time being chased by the Lord. But it wouldn’t have mattered much to the trial.

 

-If you had found evidence and submitted it to the Kingdom, what would have happened? The Religious Order would have cut off dealings, and the Lord would have been punished. Though it’s hard to guarantee the Poor People would have received adequate compensation. They might have been recognized for residence.

 

If I hadn’t killed the Knights, if I hadn’t killed the Guards. It would have been more physically demanding, but the result would have been the same.

 

Rather, it would have been a more Hero-like ending. If only I hadn’t been discovered to be a Dark Mage in the process, there might have been no need to hide around. There would have been no reason to impersonate Johnny’s name either.

 

-Didn’t I tell you?

 

The Demon Lord said, mocking me as I stood frozen.

 

-Good and evil are meaningless things. If you insist on finding meaning, think about what would be more beneficial to you. If you still want to seek that petty satisfaction.

 

My hand moved.

 

-Yes, if you can prevent a greater disaster by sacrificing their lives. That too could be considered good, couldn’t it?

 

My mouth opened.

 

“Stop.”

 

That wasn’t directed at the Demon Lord.

 

The World Tree stopped supplying Life Force. It wasn’t my will. What was moving my body now was the Demon Lord.

 

“You should have endured just a little longer.”

 

The Demon Lord taking over my body consumes causality.

 

I intercepted that midway. In other words, it means the Demon Lord still has enough strength left to say a few more words.

 

It clenched its fist.

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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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