The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 54: The Demon King of Pride (5)

– W-Wait a second…!

Wham!

A voice seemingly pleading for survival. But I didn’t hesitate to drive my fist in.

Psych was flung around in all directions by my attack, unable to even properly aim his body. It was like I was wielding a giant whip.

Grrr!!

Uoooooh!!

The imprisoned inmates cheered as they watched the guard being mercilessly tossed about.

It was a natural reaction, seeing the guard who always tormented them being ravaged before their eyes.

“Have you considered taking my hand now?”

– You bastard…!!

As I stepped on the head of the sprawled creature, flames ignited in Psych’s eyes.

“…You still haven’t come to your senses, I see.”

I pierced through the creature’s skin with my hand to create a grip. As my hand imbued with magi dug into its flesh, it let out a sharp scream.

“Come to think of it, you don’t have hands to take mine, do you?”

I threw the creature straight towards the opposite wall.

A thunderous sound erupted as the wall crumbled. Psych raised his head painfully from amidst the stone debris.

I stepped on Psych’s head again and muttered.

“I was inconsiderate. Let me rephrase the question. Are you willing to guide me to the exit?”

– No! Absolutely not!!

“By the way, if you refuse this, you die.”

– Either way, I’m going to die anyway! So I’d rather die maintaining my pride!

Pride, for a mere snake…

I made one last attempt at persuasion.

“Lucifer is likely to be considerably weakened due to the restrictions. In other words, the chances of me losing to him are even lower. Does this not change your mind?”

– No! You absolutely cannot defeat that one! Now that I’ve seen you, I’m even more certain! As I said earlier, that one is su─

Once again, Psych’s tongue was cut off.

Is it because I haven’t shown my full strength that he’s not convinced? No, judging by what he’s saying, it seems to be the opposite…

I sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

‘Do I have to resort to the last method after all?’

There was still a way to get out up there. The simple and crude method of breaking through that ceiling by force.

But that would not only cause this place to collapse, it would also unnecessarily deplete my strength before fighting Lucifer, so it was a method I didn’t want to use.

‘But I guess there’s no choice now.’

Just as I was about to draw my sword to end Psych’s life, Jeong Ye-rin approached.

“Um… Mr. Seo-jun. I’m not sure what’s going on, but do we need to make this snake listen to us?”

“Do you have some kind of method?”

I asked, firmly closing Psych’s mouth with my foot.

Jeong Ye-rin scratched her cheek as she explained.

“Actually… since I was young, snakes have always listened to me well. So I thought maybe this one would too…”

And here I thought she had figured something out.

I pressed Jeong Ye-rin.

“You might be mistaken because this creature is being overpowered by me, but this is no ordinary snake. It may not be as strong as a Demon King… I mean, a Duke, but this creature alone has enough power to threaten the entire world.”

As always, this creature only appears weak due to a difference in perspective. If it were to get out, it could destroy a country in a day.

“So step back, it’s dangerous. Besides, there are other ways─”

Whoosh!

A massive tail plunging towards us cut off my words. I quickly embraced Jeong Ye-rin and retreated.

Psych had suddenly raised its head high.

“See? This is a creature that bares its fangs the moment you let your guard down. How impudent.”

Jeong Ye-rin swallowed hard at the intense killing intent emanating from Psych.

It was an intimidating presence that would make an ordinary S-rank hunter retch, but Jeong Ye-rin was able to withstand it thanks to her exceptional magic power.

– Insolent human. No matter how deep in hell I’ve been thrown, my pride remains intact. Don’t you dare compare me to such insignificant creatures.

Psych’s frosty gaze targeted Jeong Ye-rin.

– You, at least, I’ve come to want to kill no matter what.

The inmates trembled at the oppressive aura spreading in all directions.

Watching the saliva flowing inside Psych’s mouth, I drew my sword. Now there was a definite reason to kill it.

It was then that Jeong Ye-rin raised her finger and shouted at Psych.

“Lie down!”

Boom!

A heavy noise and gust of wind rushed in. As my fluttering bangs settled, silence fell.

I slowly turned my gaze to where the thunderous sound had come from.

Psych, with its enormous head bowed, eyes filled with bewilderment.

– ?

“?”

I was equally perplexed.

…What’s going on?

Jeong Ye-rin had shouted for it to lie down, and Psych had prostrated itself on the ground. As if it had become her slave.

In response to my puzzled gaze, Jeong Ye-rin puffed out her chest triumphantly.

“See?! I told you snakes have always listened to me since I was young!”

I shifted my gaze from Jeong Ye-rin and asked Psych.

“…What are you doing?”

– I-I’m the one who wants to ask! Why am I obeying the words of such a…

Jeong Ye-rin clearly doesn’t have the ability to control other living beings.

Even if Jeong Ye-rin had such an ability, it shouldn’t work on a high-ranking being like Psych. So why on earth is it behaving like this?

As I was lost in thought, Jeong Ye-rin shouted again.

“Roll over!”

– Uuuuugh.

Thud thud thud─

Without a chance to resist, Psych rolled through the large corridor.

“Jump!”

– Kuh!

Boom!

As if that wasn’t enough, Psych leaped once and landed.

After that, Jeong Ye-rin continued to give orders, and Psych kept rolling around. It looked just like a dog trainer working with their pet.

‘…What on earth is this?’

This couldn’t possibly be normal. Therefore, I concluded that there must be some reason for this phenomenon.

Descendant of Eve. The fruit of knowledge. Snake.

…The moment those words came to mind, the puzzle pieces in my head fell into place.

Psych, pathetically drooling and rolling on the floor.

“Don’t tell me… you’re the ‘Serpent of Eden’?”

– How did you know thaaaaa─

Psych’s words trailed off as its body continued to move involuntarily.

…The Serpent of Eden. In human stories, it’s known as the snake that tempted Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge, referred to as the enemy of mankind.

‘But the reality is different.’

According to Robert’s story, Eve ate the fruit of knowledge of her own accord for some reason, and the ‘Serpent of Eden’ was a subordinate bound to Eve.

I had asked Robert about the reason why Eve ate the fruit of knowledge, but perhaps because I had hit him once, he just replied coldly, ‘I don’t know either.’

Of course, I hit him once more and grabbed him by the collar to ask again, but Robert firmly replied, ‘The truth is, I’m not allowed to tell you.’

“What? You want to kill me at least? Roll faster!”

– Uuuuugh.

Anyway, this ‘Serpent of Eden’ Psych cannot disobey the words of Jeong Ye-rin, a ‘descendant of Eve’.

This problem has been resolved in a way I never expected.

I spoke to Jeong Ye-rin, who was excitedly waving her finger.

“Now, let’s stop it slowly.”

“Okay. Stop!”

Only then did Psych stop rolling and slowly raise its head.

Psych was panting, perhaps due to mental shock.

– How dare… How dare you toy with me like this… I’ll never forgive you….

“Sit!”

– Kuh! I’ll definitely kill─

“Shh!”

I let out a frustrated sigh at Psych, who was tightly shutting its mouth.

Jeong Ye-rin, removing her index finger from her lips, turned to look at me.

“But… I didn’t know this would really work. Is this also related to me being a descendant of Eve?”

I nodded and gave her a brief explanation.

After hearing the story, Jeong Ye-rin nodded in understanding.

“I see…. So, regardless of how it happened, it means I’m pretty amazing, right?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for not believing you earlier.”

“It’s okay! To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it would work either.”

“I see.”

In response to her cheerfulness, I replied with a faint smile.

Now, just by handling Psych, Jeong Ye-rin could become one of the strongest hunters. No, with Kim Eun-ha here now as well, who knows?

I was an anomaly to begin with.

“Well then….”

I shifted my gaze to Psych, who was diligently keeping its mouth shut while rolling its eyes.

“Shall we head out now?”

===

**

===

I decided to deal with the prisoners later and headed towards the exit. They seemed reluctant to leave the prison anyway, probably due to fear.

– Turn right here.

Following Psych’s continuous guidance, we quickly approached the exit.

– Tch, to think descendants of Eve still exist. And here I thought I was finally free from that woman….

Psych, now shrunk to the size of a twig, was held in Jeong Ye-rin’s hand.

Jeong Ye-rin looked down at Psych’s sharp retina with round eyes.

– W-What are you looking at!

“…Seo-jun. If this creature is so extraordinary, wouldn’t it be valuable as a medicinal ingredient?”

– W-What! I taste terrible!

“Oh really? Usually, the healthier something is, the worse it tastes.”

– S-Solomon’s Demon King! Help me out here! This one’s eyes! There’s something wrong with her eyes!

Psych turned its thinned body to look at me.

Ignoring the pleading look in its eyes, I spoke.

“Both of you, stop chattering. We won’t have the luxury for that from now on.”

I fixed my gaze on one spot, and they followed my line of sight.

A horde of demons heading towards the exit.

“…Psych? Don’t tell me you’ve betrayed Lord Lucifer?”

“How on earth did these humans get in here?”

The demons expressed their confusion in an incomprehensible language. Of course, I could understand them.

Sensing danger, Jeong Ye-rin shrank back and hid behind me. However, I pulled her out and pushed her to the front.

“…Seo-jun?”

“Fight them.”

“…What? Do you mean I should command Psych?”

“No, I mean use your own abilities.”

Seeming to understand my meaning, Jeong Ye-rin asked with a grave expression.

“…Do you think I can do it?”

Even though the strongest demon here was only at the baron level, I couldn’t be certain since I didn’t know the full extent of her abilities.

However, I can’t keep protecting her under my shadow forever. Jeong Ye-rin needs to develop the ability to protect herself.

“You can do it.”

I’m just here to give her a push. After all, with me here, there’s no way she’ll die even if she makes a mistake.

I used [Demon King’s Gluttony] to give Jeong Ye-rin a high-quality magic stone.

“…Alright.”

While the demons hesitated in the face of Psych’s aura, Jeong Ye-rin closed her eyes and placed her hand on the nearby wall.

Magic power, spreading gently from her heart, became entangled at her fingertips.

“Pandora.”

Boom─

In an instant, the vast magic power caused the wall to crumble and begin constructing something.

The brightly shining blue magic stone became the heart, and the collapsed wall took on the form of a robust human figure.

Grooooar──!

The majestic roar of the creatures that had become golems echoed through the cave.

The natural movements from their intricate joints were evidence of her craftsmanship.

“Fight!”

It was the moment when life blossomed from those cursed hands.

===

**

===

“Die, you demons!!”

The golems that rushed out began to brutally crush the demons. Moreover, with Psych returning to its original size and joining in, there was no need for me to step in.

At this rate, Jeong Ye-rin could be considered a force of the Twilight Magic Kingdom from now on.

As soon as the demons were dealt with, Jeong Ye-rin approached me.

“Um… was that okay?”

“It was excellent.”

Jeong Ye-rin just smiled broadly without saying a word, still holding the shrunken Psych in her hand.

“Then let’s keep going.”

“Yes.”

More time had passed than I thought. It was obvious what was happening up above without even looking.

– The exit is through this passage.

Psych’s eyeball pointed to a passage glowing like a gate. Rather than saying there was an exit beyond this, it was more like we would be transported upwards if we entered there.

As I inserted my body into it, a cool breeze along with an ominous bloody scent rushed in.

“Ah….”

Jeong Ye-rin let out a sigh at the drastically changed scenery.

Under the dark red clouds where a large full moon was barely visible, I took in the sight of what used to be a city.

Collapsed ancient buildings. A clock tower with stopped hands. Broken cars on the streets spewing black smoke.

“London, England.”

Where demons had passed, corpses lay strewn about.

Grooooar──!!

The earth shook at something’s roar. As I turned my head, a dark red mountain had risen between the buildings.

A demon about 50 meters in size. This natural disaster was crushing human buildings like toys.

The demon’s footsteps mercilessly trampled the helpless screams of humans.

“You two, don’t come to the center.”

Amidst that horrific calamity, I proudly drew my sword.

“I’ll go there alone.”

The only human who could fight there was me alone.

(To be continued in the next part)