The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 239

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 239
239. Demon Archduke
‘What on earth is happening?’
It was Ryu Min, who had been sneering at Simple Mukbang just moments before.
But now, not a trace of laughter remained on his face.
Crimson skin, bat wings, pupils slit like a cat’s, and a sleek tail.
A creature that looked unmistakably demonic now stood where a player had been.
“Who… who is that person?”
“The orb suddenly grew larger, and then someone emerged from inside it.”
“They look exactly like a demon…”
Hearing the murmurs, Ryu Min let out a bitter laugh.
‘Not just looking like a demon—it IS a demon.’
From Round 18 onward, players receive Quests to wage war against demons.
Back then, Ryu Min and seven other players had survived to complete that Quest.
‘I’ve killed them countless times, so I know exactly what demons look like.’
Normally, demons shouldn’t appear until Round 18.
But for one to suddenly devour people and emerge in Round 14—Ryu Min couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘It seems to be because of that book the Archangel gave…’
The moment Simple Mukbang uttered the incantation, the Messiah members were consumed and the orb expanded.
Then the orb shattered, and this demon appeared.
‘It’s as if it hatched from an egg, using players as sacrificial offerings.’
Either way, caution was warranted.
Just because a demon was hostile to Angels didn’t mean it would be favorable toward humans.
‘Though it would certainly be favorable toward me.’
Recently, after capturing Uriel and Raguel, his reputation with the Demon Faction had risen to ‘Eternal Ally.’
In other words, this demon would never attack Ryu Min.
‘But the other players are a different story.’
He couldn’t let the people he’d barely managed to save die at a demon’s hands.
‘Of course, I need to understand its intentions first… but strangely, I can’t read its true thoughts.’
The rune of inner thoughts that had worked even on Angels.
Naturally, since demons were beings too, their thoughts should be readable.
But this demon before him was completely unreadable.
Like a soulless puppet.
[This air, this environment—it’s unmistakably like the Human World, yet something feels distinctly different.]
The demon, inhaling the air, soon noticed the players.
[Humans? No, wait—their spiritual and physical forms feel different. Are they players? Then this must be a place mimicking the Human World.]
The disappointed expression lasted only briefly.
The demon’s mouth split into a wide grin.
[Well, it doesn’t matter? Vermin are vermin, regardless of their shell.]
In that instant, malice flashed in the demon’s eyes.
[Parasitic vermin clinging to the day-flies. While I’m at it, I’ll slaughter every last one of them and have some fun tormenting that angel brat too. Kekeke.]
The Demon was grinning wickedly at the players when a voice echoed from above.
[Huh? Ah, a Demon?]
The Demon lifted his head at the voice from the sky.
[Who is this? Oh, how convenient—that day-fly of an angel has shown up?]
[How did a Demon get here…? Wait, it’s only been 14 rounds?]
Confusion flickered across Millen’s face.
She had descended to the Other World to compile the round results, only to encounter an unexpected Demon.
[If you’re a guide, you must be a 9th-rank angel? Hmph, after all this time, the angel I meet turns out to be a low-grade angel inferior even to humans. How disappointing.]
Millen couldn’t muster any pride against the Demon’s mockery.
The overwhelming strength radiating from him made it clear she was no match for him.
[The way you’re trembling, knowing full well how outmatched you are—it’s pathetically amusing.]
[W-who are you, exactly?]
[If I tell you, would a worthless wretch like you even comprehend it?]
[….]
[Well, you might as well know. Have you heard of the Demon Archduke?]
[Gasp! C-could it be the Demon Archduke Phlunikthos…?]
The angel’s mouth fell open wide as a basin.
For the watching players, it was a rare spectacle.
It was uncommon to see an angel display such shock.
[So you do know of me? Well, I suppose even a pathetic angel like you would have heard of my name, given the reputation I’ve built. I’ve stacked the heads of tens of thousands of day-flies, after all. Kekeke.]
[….]
Millen couldn’t bring herself to laugh.
She knew all too well that “day-fly” was a derogatory slur for angels.
[Now that you know who I am, why don’t you come down? How much longer do you plan to hover above my head?]
[Ah….]
At those words, Millen, who had been descending without thinking, suddenly froze mid-motion.
‘W-wait. Why should I obey a Demon when the Archangel isn’t even here?’
The angels’ true enemy was, without question, the Demon Faction.
No matter how high-ranking, only a fool would obey the words of an enemy commander.
[Why did you stop descending? Come down at once!]
The Demon let out an exasperated laugh as the angel slowly drifted further away.
[Unbelievable. A mere 9th-rank angel dares to defy me?]
[If I come down… you won’t kill me, will you?]
[I won’t kill you. I merely wish to converse.]
Yet Millen remained motionless.
She had been taught that Demons were a race that lied as naturally as breathing.
She had also been taught they were masters at exploiting the moment an enemy let their guard down.
So her body continued to drift upward.
[I-I would prefer to speak from a distance, if you don’t mind….]
[“I’ll tear that angel bitch to shreds. She’s really making me curse.”]
The Demon’s killing intent was directed entirely at Millen.
[“Do you think I’m struggling because I can’t kill a mere gnat like you? Do you really believe you can escape from my grasp?”]
[“….]
[“I gave you a chance to live, yet you can’t even read the room and have the audacity to show no respect whatsoever. Fine then, as you wish, I’ll drag you down with my own hands, twist all your wings, and tear your limbs apart like an insect….]
In that instant, the Demon fell silent.
A human had suddenly stepped before him.
[“What is this, a…human?”]
The Demon’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he identified his visitor.
[“You are… Black Scythe?”]
His reputation was indeed high enough that even at first meeting, the Demon recognized him readily.
Though it was possible he’d seen the nickname floating above my head.
[“I’ve heard the rumors, Black Scythe.”]
The Demon’s eyes narrowed into crescents as if delighted, and he whispered in a voice only I could hear.
[“You personally crushed the skulls of the Archangels, didn’t you? Truly magnificent. Truly well done. How did you acquire such power….]
“Did you hear the rumors? Or did the system tell you?”
[“….]
His expression seemed somewhat displeased, but the Demon soon laughed coolly.
[“I despise humans who interrupt my speech so much that I tremble, but since our stalwart ally Black Scythe acted unknowingly, I shall graciously extend my mercy….]
“No need for long speeches. What’s your purpose here?”
Ryu Min had no intention of listening to whatever this creature had to say.
Angels and Demons were the same—they both viewed humans as insects.
[“Sigh, to answer your question first, I didn’t come here because I wanted to.”]
“Then?”
[“Someone used a Demon Resurrection Scroll. I descended here after consuming five sacrifices.”]
“Descended? What are you?”
[“Demon Archduke Phlunikthos. Haven’t you heard of me?”]
“I’ve never heard that name before.”
[“Never… heard of me?”]
The Demon’s eyebrows twitched, his pride wounded.
[“I suppose a player might not know. I’ll concede that much….]
“Stop wasting time. State your purpose.”
[“How presumptuous…. No matter that we’re allies, you’ve been far too disrespectful from the start. Just like that gnat, not a shred of courtesy.”]
“There’s no courtesy owed to a Demon who won’t even reveal his purpose.”
[“Is that so? Then I suppose I need to teach you some manners.”]
A whip materialized in the Demon’s hand.
But before he could act, my hand moved first.
Thud—
The Demon’s eyes darted downward.
His severed forearm, still gripping the whip, fell away.
[This human….]
“I told you to state your purpose.”
[What if I refuse?]
No answer came to the question.
Thud— roll—
Before he could even respond, the Demon’s head rolled across the floor.

* * *
‘Have I ever seen anything so absurd?’
Demon Archduke Phlunikthos could only stare in disbelief.
It was shocking enough that the Demon’s resurrection tome—lost during the battle with Cheon Ma—had been used, but what was even more absurd was this.
‘He simply killed my avatar because it wouldn’t state its purpose.’
Black Scythe, whom I thought was an ally, had destroyed my avatar.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Of course, since it was merely an avatar, Phlunikthos suffered no actual damage.
What had just died was nothing more than a puppet containing only one-hundredth of my true power.
Yet because Phlunikthos had been observing the world through that avatar and conversing via it until moments ago, I couldn’t help but feel displeased.
Killing my avatar was tantamount to challenging me directly.
‘Does this human not understand how exalted the position of Demon Archduke truly is? He’s nothing but an arrogant fool.’
Then again, I hadn’t fully demonstrated my power, so perhaps his audacity was understandable.
[Tch. Humans truly are vermin unworthy of association.]
Phlunikthos, seated upon the Flame Throne in the Demon King’s Castle, clicked his tongue sharply.
From interrupting my speech to killing my avatar—nothing but disrespectful conduct.
No matter how much Black Scythe had accomplished by slaying the Archangels, I could not view such behavior favorably.
‘I was planning to slaughter that gnat of a guide and those worm-like players, yet they’re already dead….’
Had he somehow sensed my intentions beforehand?
I hadn’t even had a chance to act before it was done.
‘How dare he kill my avatar. I needed a pretext for discord anyway, and this works perfectly. This is the opportunity to hold that cursed Michael accountable. He’ll pay the price for using the Demon’s resurrection tome without permission.’
Beside Phlunikthos, five souls that had been abducted using the Demon’s resurrection tome were bound by chains around their necks.
[Baal.]
Baal, ranked first among the 72 Demons, emerged from the darkness.
[You called for me?]
[These human sacrifices are of little consequence. Cast them into the hellfire to be used as materials.]
[Understood.]
Clank—
As Baal seized the chains, Simple Mukbang and the other Messiah members wept and pleaded.
“Please save us, teacher. Please let me go.”
“I’ll live righteously. Please spare us….”
As Baal’s hand swept through the air, their voices ceased.
Their mouths moved silently like gasping goldfish.
[Let’s go, you maggots.]
After Baal departed with the souls, Phlunikthos found himself seized by a peculiar thought.
‘That’s strange. How did my avatar die without even managing to evade?’
Though it was merely one-hundredth of his power, the avatar possessed strength rivaling that of an Archangel.
It was inconceivable that it would perish without mounting any defense.
‘Hmm… Could this player called Black Scythe truly be that formidable?’
The fact that he had already slain four Archangels was proof enough, but perhaps he was even stronger than that.
Phlunikthos, resting his chin in his hand as he pondered, soon reached a decision.
‘I suppose I’ll have to bring Black Scythe to the Demon King’s Castle.’

* * *
The red-skinned demon vanished, scattering sulfurous powder in his wake.
‘An avatar of Phlunikthos, you say?’
Though I had feigned ignorance moments before to provoke him, I had known all along.
Just how malevolent Demon Archduke Phlunikthos truly was.
‘I’d overheard the NPCs of the Other World mention it in passing. That Phlunikthos is the true number one who governs the Demon Realm.’
The Demon Realm has a Demon King, certainly, but he is merely a figurehead.
It is Demon Archduke Phlunikthos who truly controls the Demon Realm.
I had even glimpsed him from a distance in Round 18, battling against an Angel.
‘That creature swept away both humans and angels alike. Even as an ally, he cannot be trusted.’
By reputation alone he may be an ally, but that beast is decidedly not on humanity’s side.
Knowing this well, the moment he drew his weapon, I severed his arm and took his head.
‘So it seems he was able to manifest in the Other World using a Demon Resurrection Scroll.’
In that process, Simple Mukbang and my Messiah slaves vanished as sacrifices, but I cared little for that.
They were merely pawns I intended to discard anyway.
‘Still…’
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment as I gazed at the message that materialized before me.
[The Demon Faction’s reputation toward Black Scythe has decreased from ‘Eternal Ally’ to ‘Very Favorable’.]
‘A rank drop just for killing one avatar?’
Since it was Phlunikthos’s avatar no less, it seems I’ve earned considerable displeasure.
‘No matter. Had I not killed it, his avatar would have swept away every angel, human, and person here.’
Though my reputation had fallen, there was also a gratifying message.
[You have defeated Phlunikthos’s avatar.]
[You are confirmed to be the first player to slay a Demon Archduke-rank demon.]
[You have acquired the title ‘One Who Stands Against Evil’.]
‘My first title. I’ve never killed a Demon Archduke before.’
Strictly speaking, I had merely slain an avatar, yet it seems the system counts it as a kill regardless.
Curious, I immediately opened the title’s information.

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