Demon King's Castle
On the northwestern border of the Central Great Forest, Higashino Makoto stood on a mountain ridge, gazing at the distant plain shrouded in twilight.
The Demon King's Castle stands in the center of the plain. The black stone walls gleam with a dark red luster in the setting sun, and several tall towers pierce the sky, with deep purple flags fluttering atop them, embroidered with the emblem of the demon race.
A skull with curved horns on its head and green flames burning in its eye sockets.
Alice Kuonji stood behind him, her hands clasped gracefully at her lower abdomen, her dark pupils gazing at the city.
"Higashino, are you really going to become the Demon King?"
"Go take a look, you might not necessarily become one."
"So, why did you change your race?"
"If we don't change our race, we'll be discovered, so this will save us trouble."
Alice Kuonji remained silent for a moment, sizing up Higashino Makoto.
He still had the same silver hair and golden eyes, unchanged.
"It looks almost exactly the same as it originally. Is it really okay? It doesn't look like a demon."
"What does it matter? According to intelligence, the demons in this world distinguish their own kind by their magical aura; their appearance is irrelevant."
Higashino Makoto chuckled softly.
Let's go.
The two walked down the ridge and into the plain.
The grass was yellowish-green, somewhat withered, and made a faint crunching sound when stepped on.
The wind carried the scents of earth and distant cooking smoke, along with a faint, almost imperceptible odor of blood.
The Demon King's Castle has no gates.
Below the city wall is a huge arched entrance, about twenty meters high and ten meters wide.
Higashino Makoto stepped into the arched entrance, his footsteps echoing through the Wall of Stone. Then he was stopped.
Two demons stood on either side of the entrance; they were not in human form, but rather seemed to be a hybrid of some kind of creature.
It has the head of a wild boar, the body of a human, and wields a huge battle axe.
Another one had the head of an eagle, the same human body, and held a spear in its hand.
They looked at Higashino Makoto, their red eyes filled with wariness.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
"Higashino Makoto, come see the Demon King."
"The Demon King isn't someone anyone can see. Have you informed him?"
"No."
"Then let's go back and report before coming back. The Demon King isn't someone anyone can just see whenever they want."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't want to report it."
The boar-headed demon gripped his battle axe tightly.
"Are you here to cause trouble?"
"I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to be the Demon King."
The boar's head and the eagle's head exchanged a glance, then laughed simultaneously.
"Haha, hahaha--Become the Demon King? You? Are you crazy?"
"No."
The boar-headed creature raised its battle axe.
"Get out, or else—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
Higashino Makoto reached out, pinched the axe blade between two fingers, and twisted it gently. The handle broke off, and the axe head fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The boar-headed man stared wide-eyed at the broken handle in his hand.
"You--"
"Get out of the way."
The wild boar's head didn't give way.
Higashino Makoto grabbed his arm and twisted it—the sound of breaking bones echoed down the corridor.
He released his grip, and the wild boar's head fell to the ground, clutching his arm. It didn't scream, but the veins on its forehead bulged, and its teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
Eagle Head attempted to attack, thrusting his spear towards Higashino Makoto's chest. Higashino Makoto dodged to the side, grabbed the spear, snatched it from Eagle Head's hand, broke it in half, threw it on the ground, grabbed Eagle Head's arm, twisted it, and tossed him aside.
"Get out of the way."
No demons stopped him anymore.
Higashino Makoto continued walking forward, with Alice Kuonji following behind.
The corridor was long, with a magic lamp every few steps on both sides, its green flames dancing inside the lampshade.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, growing deeper and farther away.
Demons occasionally rushed out.
Some rushed out from the doors on both sides of the corridor, some jumped down from the ceiling, and some crawled out from the hidden compartments in the floor.
Higashino Makoto didn't stop; he simply grabbed every demon that approached him, twisted their limbs, and threw them aside.
No killing was necessary.
Demons have a strong regenerative ability; severed hands and feet can grow back in a few days, but the pain is real.
"Higashino, why didn't you kill him?"
"How can I become the Demon King after killing him? I'll have to find someone else. It's quite troublesome."
"Isn't it troublesome not to kill them?"
"They won't hold a grudge if I don't kill them. Demons value strength above all else; a loss is a loss. To be honest, I like this tradition. After all... I am the strongest."
Alice Kuonji remained silent for a moment.
"... You've thought this through very well."
"I'm just too lazy to deal with the aftermath."
A few minutes later, at the end of the corridor was a huge stone door.
The door is carved with reliefs, depicting the Demon King sitting on a throne, surrounded by various demons kneeling around him.
The Demon King's image is the same as the flags outside: a skull, curved horns, and green flames burning in his eye sockets.
Higashino Makoto pushed open the door.
The hall was large, with a soaring dome and Wall of Stone covered with ancient runes.
Demons stood on both sides, stronger and larger than those outside, and their decorations were more ornate.
They looked at Higashino Makoto with eyes full of wariness and hostility.
At the deepest part of the hall was a throne.
It was a deep purple chair, cast from some unknown metal, with the emblem of the demon race engraved on the back.
A person sat on the throne.
Her long green hair was adorned with three roses: one on the top of her head and two on either side of her ears.
Golden eyes, a full and healthy figure, wearing a gothic-style dress with a low neckline that reveals her fair collarbone and chest.
It has a pair of curved black horns on its head, which gleam with a cold light under the illumination of the magic lamp.
Behind it was a long, thin black tail, with an arrowhead-shaped end, which was swaying gently.
Demon King.
She looked at Higashino Makoto with curiosity in her eyes.
Who are you? What are you doing here?
"To be the Demon King."
There was a moment of silence in the hall, then laughter erupted.
The demons on both sides laughed so hard they were doubled over, some pounding the walls, others slapping their thighs.
The Demon King didn't laugh; he just looked at him.
"You? I can't even detect any magic power in you. How dare you, so weak, aspire to be the Demon King?"
Higashino Makoto paused for a moment.
They then realized that Huginn had concealed his magical aura, and they hadn't even noticed the magic emanating from him.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter."
Higashino Makoto looked around.
"Anyway, none of your men can stop me."
The Demon King's lips curled into a slight smile.
"According to the tradition of the demon race, as long as I defeat you, I will become the Demon King, right?"
"That's right."
The Demon King stood up and stepped down from his throne.
She was taller than Higashino Makoto had imagined, a head shorter than him, but with excellent proportions.
Its tail swayed gently behind it, its fingers tightened slightly at its sides, and its golden eyes watched him with great interest.