Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 255: Demon Realm (4)

Taesan approached with anticipation.

The Demon King’s castle.

The place where the Demon King resided.

An immortal? Or a transcendent being? Perhaps an endlessly powerful mortal.

Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be weak, so he looked forward to it.

“Sir Taesan. From here on, I will handle it. I’m sorry, but no matter what happens from here on, please don’t move.”

Anetsha bowed her head with a regretful look. Taesan nodded as he had no intention of moving first.

The carriage stopped in front of the guards.

The guards pointed their spears.

“Who goes there?”

Anetsha and Quaned stepped out of the carriage. The guard’s face twisted momentarily upon seeing Anetsha’s face.

Taesan frowned.

The guard’s face showed discomfort as he looked at Anetsha.

“Princess of the destroyed Vekveta… What business do you have here?”

“I came to see the Demon King.”

“The Demon King? Why?”

The guard questioned Anetsha, his attitude like that of an interrogating officer.

Anetsha continued, accustomed to such an attitude.

“I came by the order of the Demon God.”

“The Demon God?”

The guard’s face wavered.

Anetsha gave Taesan a subtle signal. Taesan revealed himself.

“…Human!”

Kakakang!

The spear moved.

The guards looked at Taesan with wary eyes. Anetsha calmed them down.

“He came here by the order of the Demon God. He is not our enemy.”

“…Wait. I will call someone to make a decision.”

One of the guards ran inside.

The remaining guards kept their guard up, glaring at Taesan and Anetsha.

They didn’t treat her like a princess, at least.

Soon, the guard returned with what seemed to be knights.

Dressed in black armor, they were strong.

Compared to the outside world, they were of great caliber. Similar to Quaned at this point.

“Anetsha. You said you came by the order of the Demon God.”

“Yes. I have a request for the Demon King.”

Anetsha spoke calmly. The knight in armor clicked his tongue.

“Really troublesome. Follow me.”

The knight turned roughly, showing no courtesy or hospitality.

Anetsha smiled faintly.

“Now. This way, Sir Taesan.”

Taesan followed, staring at the knights.

Walking inside the Demon King’s castle, he saw quite a few attendants and maids were working. They bowed when they saw the knight and then looked at Anetsha with contempt.

After greeting, they whispered. Their voices were very low, but Taesan’s hearing could catch sounds from kilometers away.

“Really. Came again to seek favor from the Demon King?”

“Abandoned those she should protect and came here without shame.”

At least, the words weren’t favorable towards Anetsha.

The knight moving forward spat out.

“Should quietly guard the old people’s village. Using the Demon God’s name to cause trouble.”

“Hey.”

Quaned smiled at the corner of his mouth.

“Do you want to die? I’m holding back because of the situation, but even that has its limits.”

Suddenly, an aura burst out.

The knights responded by exuding their own aura.

“Indeed, a lowly bloodline. How dare you reveal your aura inside the Demon King’s castle? What do you think you’re doing?”

“That’s my line. I understand you dislike the princess, but this is too much, isn’t it?”

Quaned gritted his teeth.

“If I hadn’t lost my strength, you all would be dead.”

“Talking nonsense. A failure who couldn’t descend the labyrinth.”

The knight sneered at Quaned.

“She is not a demon of the Demon World, but a demon from another world. Originally, she should have been exiled and made a slave. We let her be peacefully because of the Demon God’s grace, but to use the Demon God’s name and keep approaching the Demon King’s castle. Be grateful you’re not in prison.”

The knight spoke harshly.

“You too, Quaned. Be content with the Demon God’s grace. Be thankful you’re here despite your lowly bloodline.”

“Haha. These bastards, really.”

Quaned let out a hollow laugh. The knight’s gaze turned to Taesan.

“You too, human.”

His fierce black eyes glared at Taesan.

“I won’t touch you since you came by the order of the Demon God, but if you cause trouble, I won’t forgive you.”

Taesan quietly met his eyes.

Eyes devoid of emotion.

The knight got goosebumps for a moment. He suppressed the instinct to draw his sword and guided the way.

They were led to an office. The knight left, saying he would inform the Demon King.

Quaned grumbled as he sat on the sofa.

“Princess, you could be more assertive. Since it’s the Demon God’s order, they have to follow it unconditionally, so why are you so submissive?”

“I can’t help it. What they say is true.”

Anetsha said bitterly.

“Unlike you, I’m not a demon of the Demon World. I’m a foreigner here.”

“Princess…”

Taesan fiddled with a teacup.

It was adorned with all sorts of jewels. Even Taesan, who didn’t know much about value, could tell it wasn’t an ordinary item.

It was an unnecessarily luxurious item, even for the Demon King’s castle.

“You don’t seem to be treated very well.”

“Right?”

Quaned nodded with a disgruntled face.

“Demons of the Demon World value status. They despise demons from other worlds and look down on those who haven’t inherited noble blood.”

“Not much different from humans.”

“It’s a trait of those who claim to have intelligence. And the princess is in a peculiar situation.”

Quaned clicked his tongue.

“The princess has noble blood. But being a demon from another world, the demons of the Demon World look down on her. No, it’s rather severe. They believe that even such noble blood is inferior to them because they are from the Demon World.”

Taesan listened to Quaned’s story calmly.

“Moreover, she was directly chosen and summoned to the Demon World by the Demon God. Many are jealous because she was chosen by the Demon God.”

They valued bloodlines and disdained those from other regions.

Just like humans.

Taesan’s face turned cold.

“Not very interesting.”

“I’m sorry, Sir Taesan.”

Anetsha bowed her head deeply, her face filled with regret.

“Since you are not a demon, if we try to do something, they might interfere. That’s why I asked you to stay quiet.”

“It’s not your fault.”

They waited.

But even after an hour, no one appeared. Quaned laughed lightly.

“Really, how shameless. Aren’t they embarrassed?”

“Um… Sir Taesan, Quaned.”

Anetsha stood up with a flushed face.

“Um, may I leave for a moment?”

“Ah.”

Understanding her intention, Taesan nodded.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes.”

Anetsha left the room.

Only Taesan and Quaned remained. Quaned spoke.

“Still, it’s a relief.”

“What is?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen the princess so cheerful.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know about before I met her, but since I met the princess, she always had a shadow on her face. She smiled in front of other demons, but she looked depressed when she was alone. Honestly, I was a bit worried. But since you came, she’s always seemed cheerful.”

Taesan, who was quietly listening to Quaned, asked.

“Doesn’t the Demon God intervene?”

The Demon God. Lucifer personally summoned Anetsha here.

Given that she gave Taesan trials, she seemed to care for her a lot.

But it didn’t feel like she looked after her afterward. Quaned spoke as if it were obvious.

“The Demon God is a transcendent being. We are all her children. Such a being wouldn’t take sides with one existence, right? Unless there’s a physical threat, she won’t directly intervene.”

It was understandable. The Demon God was literally their god. Even the demons who disliked Anetsha still showed respect for the Demon God.

In such a situation, the Demon God wouldn’t favor Anetsha just because she was persecuted. She wouldn’t intervene unless there was a direct threat.

Directly, that is.

‘What does she want from me?’

The Demon God would know that Taesan wouldn’t give up.

Yet, to show him this. It was hard to figure out what she wanted from him.

Soon, Anetsha returned.

Taesan looked at her.

In the world she originally lived in, she lost everything due to her god.

Family, acquaintances, everyone she knew died. In the end, she was even betrayed by those she trusted.

And then she was summoned to the Demon World.

Falling here alone, without knowing anyone.

And here too, she was despised. For surviving alone, for not protecting those she was supposed to protect.

How must she feel?

Noticing Taesan’s gaze, Anetsha smiled faintly.

“I’m okay.”

Her eyes, looking at Taesan, were full of trust.

“Because Sir Taesan is here.”

He had expectations of the Demon King’s castle. But what he expected was power and strength.

These political issues were not his concern.

The door opened. The knight appeared.

“Come. The Demon King is calling you.”

“Enter here.”

A huge door greeted them. The knight who guided them warned.

“The one here is the Demon King. If you do anything foolish, you will be punished. Be careful.”

Creak.

The door opened.

At the end of the long hallway, the Demon King sat on the throne.

A man with black curly hair down to his neck looked at Taesan with a displeased face.

Dozens of knights surrounded him.

They weren’t weak.

All of them were at least on the 20th floor level. In the labyrinth, being at the 20th floor level meant having power close to the best in the world outside.

There were dozens of such individuals.

And the Demon King was far stronger than them.

‘Even Quaned at his peak wouldn’t be able to win.’

He had power surpassing the 50th floor level.

But that was all.

Taesan’s eyes grew even colder.

The Demon King looked at Anetsha and spoke.

“You came here by the order of the Demon God.”

“Yes.”

Anetsha affirmed. The Demon King spoke again.

“You’re going to the Forsaken Land. You know what kind of place it is, right?”

“I know well enough.”

“Many demons left to destroy the filthy beings who believed in the old Demon God, but none of them returned. How can I believe you won’t be the same?”

The Demon King’s face showed annoyance.

“The Demon God took special care of you. Even though it’s the Demon God’s order, I can’t let you die in vain.”

The Demon King’s lips twisted.

“Perhaps she felt sorry for someone like you and sent someone down personally to take care of you.”

There was jealousy on his face.

It was unpleasant that the Demon God, whom he believed in, cared for a mere demon from another world.

Taesan’s face grew even colder.

Everything he expected fell short. Anetsha spoke with a calm face.

“So, what do you want from us?”

“Prove your strength.”

Thud!

The knights simultaneously struck their swords down.

Their combined power pressed against Anetsha, Quaned, and Taesan.

The Demon King clenched his fist. The Demon King’s power began to cover them. Anetsha’s face hardened, and Quaned let out a hollow laugh.

“Is this the reason it took so long? To create such a barrier?”

A barrier that amplified their power by harmonizing with each other.

The combined power of dozens of knights and the Demon King pressed down on Taesan’s group. Anetsha’s face hardened, and Quaned’s body was also being pressed down.

“If you can’t withstand this, I’ll tell the Demon God that you will die there. I’ll ask her to have mercy on you.”

The Demon King laughed.

He disliked Anetsha.

She was a demon from another world but was equal to the Demon King’s bloodline. She was a threat to his legitimacy and succession.

And she was favored by the Demon God more than the Demon King himself.

The Demon King couldn’t tolerate that.

He believed he was the foremost servant of the Demon God. He was the most favored mortal of the Demon God and believed the Demon God prioritized him over the apostles.

In such a situation, for the Demon God to personally save and bring a demon of the Demon King’s bloodline from another world.

The Demon King hated that.

He wanted to make Anetsha earn the Demon God’s dislike somehow.

There was no way Anetsha could withstand his power, and the same was true for Quaned beside her. He didn’t know the extent of the human’s power who had come by the Demon God’s order, but he believed it couldn’t be stronger than the Demon King himself.

He planned to crush them.

Then he would tell the Demon God.

He believed the Demon God couldn’t ignore the words of the Demon King of the Demon World. He intended to make Anetsha earn the Demon God’s disappointment somehow.

While crafting his plan and feeling pleased, he noticed Taesan.

‘Hmm?’

The Demon King’s face hardened slightly.

In the midst of the pressure of power, Taesan was quietly looking at him.

His face looked as if he didn’t feel any burden.

The Demon King increased his power and directed it towards Taesan.

The power amplified within the barrier was strong enough to be felt as a burden even by the Demon King himself.

But Taesan’s expression didn’t change.

The Demon King’s face wavered.

Taesan muttered.

“Everything is below my expectations.”

It wasn’t interesting.

The demons were no different from humans, and the Demon King was not stronger than his expectations.

The ghost spoke.

[The Demon King who destroyed my world was abnormally strong. Even at that level, it's not bad.]

To be honest, he wasn’t wrong. Being at the level of the 50th floor in the labyrinth was equivalent to being the absolute ruler of a world.

[You just had too high expectations.]

“Is that so?”

Taesan looked at the bewildered Demon King.

“You said to show my strength, right? I’ll show you.”

Since he could handle demonic energy properly now, there was something he could do.

Taesan drew up his demonic energy.

The demonic energy he drew up began to mix with his aura.

[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Myriad Souls].]

[You have activated Raum's Emotional Disturbance.]

“What!”

The Demon King widened his eyes.

The barrier shattered like glass, and Taesan’s aura spread out in waves.