Prologue – King of Madness
When visiting that place, the thing one feels first is dizziness.
A sense of loss of reality, as soon as the foot steps into the teleportation magic circle. Next, the blinding light that rains down and rattles the brain.
“Lord Berganda, how are things?”
“Slow. But we manage…”
A short hobgoblin stood next to him. Comos was both an officer and confidant. He fixed his robes and then started to walk on ahead.
“Even now, I cannot get used to teleportation.”
“Yes, but also…look at this scenery.”
The bull-like face sighed.
He had a muscular body that surpassed two meters, and wore simple armor of iron. A dark blue cape rippled behind the Minotaur. With a pleasant voice, he pointed around them.
“A world that we Minotaurs could never have imagined in our entire lives. It would be strange if I didn’t feel dizzy from it.”
What spread out above him was a blue sky without a single cloud. Dark specks passed through the sky. Flying demons that were cautious.
And in front of him was the great marble palace. There was a garden with fields of green, and a fountain in the center. It looked like the kind of place that a human king would live.
And then, behind the teleportation circle.
Beyond the platform…was nothing.
The ground just stopped, as if it had been dug out from some place.
But if one looked down, they would see vast lands of green. Mountains and forests. Rich lands where humans dwelt.
“A castle in the sky.”
As the Minotaur watched, a cluster of clouds covered the sight below. A moment later, the castle was surrounded by clouds.
“A Demon King could not ask for a better castle to rule from.”
“Our kind live in rocky mountains and gather in palace labyrinths. This place could not be more uncomfortable… Why would anyone want to build their castle here?”
“…Let’s go. The king will kill us if we are late.”
That was enough complaining. He swore to himself and started to walk.
The Demon King of this generation was mad.
Well, such things were often said in the demon world.
No one knew where he came from, or how he acquired such power.
‘In the games of gods and demons, the demons must be victorious.’
The games had already been played over a hundred times.
However, surprisingly…the demons had won very little.
At first, both sides did not understand each other well. And so they were evenly matched, with both experiencing victory and defeat. However, things changed drastically after one move by the gods.
The Heroes from other worlds.
By using the system of levels that were set for the games, they created bizarre blessings, and with strategies that surpassed the courage of demons, the gods began to win more often.
Had this only been about pure strength, the demons would have the advantage. Even with blessings, humans were still just humans.
However, these Heroes. They could turn the tide with techniques and tricks.
Even when the most powerful Demon Kings stood in their way, in the end, they were defeated by the Heroes.
If one brought victory for demons, they were given great glory and honor.
And yet, few candidates came forth for the position of Demon King. The Heroes were the very reason.
And yet this Demon King had actively sought out that role. Demons were supposed to love the darkness. And yet this king had chosen a castle in the sky.
Indeed, he must be mad.
‘Demon General Berganda has arrived!’
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the giant wooden doors.
While deep in thought, he had advanced to a point where there was no hope of retreat.
A hallway with a thick purple carpet. Candles in the dim hall. It felt like a space to meditate.
A meditating Minotaur. He chuckled to himself as he went through the door.
“You’re late. The nerve of these beasts.”
There was a giant chandelier near the ceiling. Aside from that, there was no light at all in the hall. The angry voice rang from the round table in the center.
The man sat facing Berganda. Pale skin and long, shining golden hair. A human with sharpened fangs. He laughed coldly.
“Surely you should have arrived first, when the king calls. You swine.”
“My apologies, Immortal Lord.”
“What use is your apology to me? Well, perhaps you bulls are too foolish to understand.”
“…My apologies for being late. My lord.”
The Minotaur’s eyes went not to the table, but to the wall in the back. The figure there waved its hand tolerantly to silently show that there was no problem.
“Hurry up and sit, young one! Don’t just stand there by the door with your stench!”
Said the figure sitting to the right of the Immortal Lord. Several times larger than the thin, young man. Even while sitting, its face was at the same level as Berganda’s.
“I suppose you were late due to training your weak underlings. Really, you should have just not come altogether.”
The monster folded its hundred arms as it glared at the Minotaur.
“Sorry, Battle Demon Lord. But it is my duty to attend gatherings when called. Even if I am delayed, I must come.”
“So you say. But how will you act? Perhaps we should fight a duel for the king. In order to make up for your insolence.”
“That would be a waste of time. There is no point in a battle where the outcome is obvious.”
An old withered man stood on a chair, opposite of the Hekatoncheir. He held a staff in his hand and laughed with dried, cracked lips.
“Now, my lord. It seems that we are all gathered here now. Shall we begin? My old hide finds these chairs to be rather painful.”
“…Very well.”
The person who stood in the shadows did not go to the table, but sat on the throne against the wall.
In the dimness, there was a young man in black. He could be human or elf. He was thin, with long fingers and a pointed jaw.
The blue hair and silver eyes were not unusual in the demon world.
However…
“From here, we shall commence the war council.”
There was a strength in his voice.
In order to accomplish his goal, he had unwavering determination.
Without thinking, Berganda rose from his chair and kneeled.
As did the giant with a hundred hands, the withered elder, and the smiling immortal. They bent the knee and bowed their heads.
“Enough. Take your seats and tell me what you have achieved.”
Said the Demon King. They returned to themselves then, and then looked at each other. As if wondering who would speak first.
“Immortal Lord Coctus, I shall make the report to the king.”
Said an office with dark skin. She wore tight leather armor as she walked out from behind the throne.
She had folden reptilian eyes and silver hair, and a shapely figure.
No one even knew what her race was, but she was always here, in order to deliver their words to the king.
“I’m sorry. I did not hear you.”
“…Lord Coctus.”
“Please do not mistake me. I am only here as a cooperator. While the Demon King may say what he wishes, I shall not be insulted by speaking to you instead.”
Said the Immortal Lord as his eyes flashed red. He was a high-ranking noble within the Demon World. And she was nothing in comparison.
In spite of this great insult, not a single line appeared on her beautiful face.
“From the throne draped in the darkest night, bathed in the bright radiance of a silver moon, the one who has endured through eternal ages, guided by the unceasing rhythm of time’s own breath. O revered one, truly noble, descendant of ancient darkness, one who hunts all life—noble being of the old blood.”
“Though it’s respectful, let me correct you. I am of the Third Rank bloodline, and so it should be phrased ‘purified by the old blood.’”
Ridiculous.
Berganda sighed.
A charade that occurred during each meeting.
It was clear that he thought that he was the one who should sit on the throne instead of the Demon King. And he never bothered to hide it.
He did not seem to realize that these actions just proved how much vampires had fallen in the Demon World.
It had all started when their ‘true ancestor’ had been defeated during a game.
It was not just defeat.
But it had happened at an unprecedented speed. In a mere three months.
The Heroes had not feared him. If anything, they were overjoyed when they found out about him.
Because for them, vampires were monsters with obvious weaknesses.
The pact for their immortality. Wanting the soiled ground they were born on, being bound to a true name, cursed and hurt by symbols of god, not being able to cross running water, only being able to drink blood… Every attack was used.
The Demon King’s castle was surrounded and cut off by a river whose current had been changed. And once it was cut off, a fortress was set up to monitor it. His minions were purified or killed, while the majority of his force were destroyed by the blessings of the gods.
On top of that, the Heroes were able to completely nullify the True Ancestor’s power.
At the very end, dozens of them surrounded the helpless king and put an end to him.
The castle was torn down until there was not a shred of it that was unexposed to the sun. The sullied land was cleaned. And his true name was translated to various languages and spread through texts and speech.
After that, vampires returned for revenge several times. But the results were the same.
And so they stopped being directly involved in the games.