The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 146

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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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#146. Contract

Xalthor.
A Demon King born in an age so distant that none could fathom it—a time before even the primordial dragons wielded the magic of mana itself.
While Sung-jun’s successive Teachers had bestowed upon themselves the title of “Demon King” to mean “King of Mages,” Xalthor claimed the same name to signify “King of Demons.”
Though their meanings differed, when two beings who both claimed the title of Demon King met face to face, Sung-jun sought to prove that the weight of his inherited name was no lesser than that of his opponent’s.

“Since I’ve also been granted the title of Demon King, calling you by that same name feels a bit awkward. The previous Demon King I know of is my Teacher.”
“How presumptuous for a mortal. That name is originally mine. Before you mortals arrogantly stole and mastered the methods of wielding mana’s power, the title of Demon King belonged solely to me.”

The matter of titles was significant.
Whoever maintained the title of Demon King would symbolically seize the initiative in this clash of wills, and moreover, Xalthor refused to yield out of pride, while Sung-jun refused to yield because he had to protect the title his Teacher had entrusted to him.
The problem was that both of them were the type to normally extract concessions through forceful negotiations backed by violence, yet neither could employ magic against the other.
After all, Sung-jun’s Inner Mental World where they now met was a completely isolated subdimension where not only could mana not be detected, but magical activation itself was impossible.
Thus, confined to persuasion through dialogue alone, the two began a logical battle to maintain their respective titles and seize the upper hand.

“As King of Mages, the title of Demon King belongs to me. You should take ‘Demon Monarch’ instead.”
“Your narrow-minded assumption that all beings of the demonic nature are inherently evil is pathetically contemptible. Just as not all humans are virtuous, not all demons are wicked. The majority are magnificent beings who trust in contracts above their own existence and take pride in their own strength.”
“Then change it to Horse Clan King.”
“I refuse. Why should I, who possessed the title first, be the one to change it? Furthermore, it is not I who stands in the position of making requests—it is you. If you wish to make a request, conduct yourself with the dignity befitting one who makes it.”
“You’re mistaken. I’m proposing a contract between equals, not begging you for anything.”
“Equals!? Did you just say equals!? You wretched creature, lower than the insects that crawl through the Demon Realm! Had we been in the Demon Realm, you would have suffered eternal torment under my single blow, never even granted the mercy of death!!!”
“If you were on Earth, you’d be dead from my magic.”
“Ridiculous. You lack the power for such a feat.”
“No, the moment you cross the boundary between worlds, your power drops to one-hundredth. This is my world. Surely you don’t think you’re over a hundred times stronger than me?”
“Even if my power is reduced to one-hundredth, do you truly believe I would lose to the likes of you?”
“You’re always the strongest in every world you visit, running your mouth until some hero beats you senseless. My Teacher told me everything—how you begged to be sent home after he sealed your return ability and thrashed you like a dog.”
“That is a lie!!!”

Upon hearing Sung-jun’s words, Xalthor’s form emanated a thick, hellish killing intent that poured forth relentlessly.
Yet Sung-jun, well aware that this was not genuine killing intent but merely a manifestation born from the mind, continued speaking with unruffled composure, not even a flicker of concern crossing his brow.

“No. My Teacher never lies. Besides, the very reason I can speak to you now is because of the contract magic my Teacher created—magic to be used later if needed. If such an event had never occurred, this magic wouldn’t exist either.”

Xalthor fell silent upon hearing Sung-jun’s words.
Though pride made him reluctant to admit it, everything Sung-jun said was grounded in fact.
Traversing countless Parallel Universes scattered across the world and tormenting the dominant species of each was one of Xalthor’s primary duties.
However, the Corrosion Entities that had invaded Earth and Xalthor differed in their invasion objectives—while the Corrosion Entities sought to slaughter ninety percent of the dominant species and gather the strong to open a Gate to the next world, the Demon King Xalthor’s purpose was simply to collect souls.
In the Demon Realm where he dwelt, new souls could not be born, so to replenish the number of souls that perished, he had no choice but to take souls born in other worlds.
Sung-jun, well aware of this, was proposing a contract to Xalthor.
He would hand over the “souls of Corrosion Entities” he had accumulated through mass slaughter, in exchange for Xalthor’s aid in fighting the Corrosion Entities.
However, Xalthor, who had come to the Reality Universe in response to Sung-jun’s summons, was experiencing a powerful temptation not toward the souls of Corrosion Entities that Sung-jun had prepared, but toward the souls of humanity dwelling on Earth.

‘The quality of these souls is exceptional. Is it because this species has such a short lifespan? The intensity of their souls is incomparably dense compared to their years lived. If I were to take the souls of this human species, I could create upper-tier demons in mere moments.’

The problem was that Sung-jun had absolutely no intention of surrendering human souls to Xalthor.
Sung-jun, who had planned to compensate for inferior quality with sheer quantity, was now compressing hundreds of millions of Corrosion Entity souls into spherical form, dangling them before Xalthor as if tempting him.

‘Hmm… the quantity is quite respectable… but still, if possible, I’d prefer human ones….’

After a moment of deliberation, Xalthor spoke to Sung-jun.
He was considering whether Sung-jun’s obsession with titles might become a negotiating card to obtain what he desired.

“Very well. How about this? I shall yield the title of Demon King to you, limited to this universe where you reside. In return, along with the souls of Corrosion Entities, you will also surrender the souls of humanity—the dominant species of this universe.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Why not? It’s hardly a disadvantageous condition for you, is it? Ah, are you perhaps worried that the contract will cause your own soul to be dragged into the Demon Realm? If so, there’s no need to worry at all. I shall ensure that your soul and those of your acquaintances will not be pulled into the Demon Realm even upon death.”
“Like I said before, it’s not happening. I’ve already prepared more than enough Corrosion Entity souls for the contract. Cover the quality gap with quantity. And if you add the souls of Corrosion Entities I’ll hunt going forward, I’m actually giving you more than enough, aren’t I?”
“Tch… Certainly the numbers are substantial, but most of the souls you’ve prepared are from low-tier creatures with inferior intellect. With those, I can only create demons that crawl about the Demon Realm!”
“Then create demons. Besides, high-grade Corrosion Entity souls have such concentrated essence that they can even create upper-tier demons. No matter how generously I interpret it, your words seem like nothing but a scheme to obtain human souls.”
“Upper-tier demons cannot be created with mere killing intent alone. A soul that is appropriately cunning, excessively greedy, and devoted to desire—that is the seed for a superior demon. The souls of humanity, the dominant species of this universe, possess the finest potential to become upper-tier demons.”

Xalthor’s words were not without merit.
The humans he had observed were a species that, without any exceptional physical abilities, had achieved power equal to or far surpassing other species across the Parallel Universes who possessed innate abilities through mere “knowledge” and “greed.”
Xalthor believed that if he took these human souls and granted them “power” as well, they would become demons far superior to those created from the souls of other universes.

“Anyway, it won’t work. And if you don’t like ‘Demon King’ or ‘King of Demons,’ then your title shall be ‘Demon God.’ Let’s conclude our negotiations over your title with that.”
“Demon God? Demon God, you say… That’s not bad… But wouldn’t there be a risk that the title ‘God’ might make it appear as though I’m beneath you, when you yourself claim the title of King?”
“I don’t particularly care about the rank or prestige of a title, whether it’s King or God. If my only goal were to appear strong, I would have chosen a more imposing title like ‘Demon Emperor’ or ‘Demon Sovereign.’ The reason I’m so attached to the title ‘Demon King’ is solely because it’s the name my Teacher bestowed upon me.”
“Demon God, Demon God… Kahahaha! Excellent! Then my title in this universe shall be ‘Demon God.’ Demon God Xalthor. That is the name by which I shall be called in this universe.”
“Good. Now, regarding the matter of human souls, I’m willing to make a concession myself in hopes of your active cooperation.”
“Your words only pique my interest further. Very well. If your conditions prove favorable, I shall not only lend myself but also mobilize my subordinates from the Demon Realm to aid you. After all, even if some demon souls are lost in the process, I can replenish them with newly created demons.”
“Good. The condition I propose to you is this: ‘I will send them if they consent.’ Among the souls of the dead, if there are those who reject remaining in the Reality Universe and accept rebirth in the Demon Realm under your dominion, I will permit you to take those souls with you.”
“Kahahaha! There could be no better condition! All races in the world are drawn to greater power!”
“I’m sorry, but humans aren’t. They’ve never possessed power to begin with, so their obsession with it isn’t particularly strong.”
“What… What did you say!?”

To ease Xalthor’s confusion, I shared the general knowledge I possessed about humans.
Mostly about the recent trend of otherworldly reincarnation stories.
Upon hearing my explanation, Xalthor regarded me with an expression of incomprehension.

“So you’re saying that for humans, power is not an end in itself but a means? A means to obtain money, authority, or romantic interest?”
“Well, there are exceptions, but most humans are like that. If you asked them to choose between ‘becoming a Sword Master and dying’ versus ‘just living,’ most would choose to just live, wouldn’t they?”
“A choice no one intoxicated by the allure of power would ever make.”
“As you well know, humans aren’t born strong. And they’re not a race that can wield sword energy simply by learning to handle mana or swing a blade during training. While their strength does increase through effort, that’s only within the limits inherent to their species. For other races, eternal life is an attractive condition that allows endless growth in power, but not for humans. With a human body, whether you train for a thousand years or ten thousand years, you cannot exceed the physical limits of muscle. That’s the ceiling.”
“But isn’t ‘knowledge,’ the power humans possess, also an ability to grow endlessly? If they obtained eternal life and devoted themselves solely to knowledge, couldn’t they eventually wield power comparable to a Demon King?”
“Well, there are exceptions, but the vast majority of humans find the process of accumulating knowledge painful.”
“But if they became demons, they could transcend the limitations of the human body and grow endlessly stronger. If you appeal to that aspect….”

I exhaled deeply as I listened to Xalthor’s words.
Then I looked at him and spoke.

“Hey. Have you ever eaten chocolate?”
“What is that?”
“It’s delicious. Humans who like it really love it.”
“Since I’ve never eaten it, it’s difficult to answer. But if you offered it, I wouldn’t refuse….”
“I’m telling you it’s delicious and good. Most humans who’ve tried it like it.”
“Isn’t that judging by human standards?”
“Exactly. The ‘power’ you mentioned is, in the end, like a delicious food humans have never tasted. Since they’ve never experienced it, they can’t know how delicious it is.”
“Is that how it is!?”

The expression on Xalthor’s face, which had been gleaming with hope that he could bring favorable human souls to the Demon Realm, instantly became dejected.
Watching a being who had just moments before insisted on being called Demon God now wear the expression of an abandoned puppy, I exhaled deeply.
Then I offered him a piece of advice.

“Fine. If you truly desire human souls, then I’ll offer you some counsel.”
“Is that valid advice?”
“Using this method, quite a few will fall into your grasp. Even if the Demon Realm where you dwell is as hellish as humans describe it to be.”

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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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