Chapter 516: Highly Regarded

Rumble...

A tremendous blaze seemed to transform the surroundings into hell, engulfing everything in flames. Although Davey had only made a single swipe of his sword, by the time he regained his composure, the flames had spread so extensively that hardly any place remained untouched by fire.

[Madman! Lavatein's flames spread endlessly! If you unleash its power without proper control...]

As the desperate cry of the fire spirit, Ifrit, reached him, Davey swung his sword dismissively. "Quiet. Who says I can't handle it?"

Davey's irritation had not subsided. Observing the succubi fleeing in panic and some attempting to continue their fight, Davey menacingly took a step forward. Yes, there was nothing quite like a wide-area stunning technique. An old saying came to mind: the one with the loudest voice would win.

[Shaolin Arts]

[Roaring Lion Technique]

"Stop!"

Boom!

A thunderous voice, so ear-piercing it seemed beyond human capability, reverberated throughout the entire gorge. It was said that one could not master the Shaolin Arts if they had already attained mastery in magic, but for Davey, who had achieved proficiency in controlling both devil and holy mana, he wasn't overly selective about his martial techniques.

"Ugh..." Illyna, her hands clamped tightly over her ears, winced and struggled, as did Liline Orlouge, who was bleeding from the ears. Nevertheless, they appeared to be faring better than the others.

Some succubi, seemingly unaware that they could be vulnerable to sound-based attacks, bled profusely from their ears, thrown into utter chaos. This was quite understandable. Sound techniques might seem inferior at first glance, but effective wide-area techniques like this were exceedingly rare. Davey had learned the Lion's Roar while studying Taoist magic under Woochi, his master in both magic and shamanic arts.

[Hahaha! This is the Roaring Lion Technique, acquired after a victorious drinking contest with those Shaolin monks!]

It was peculiar that Davey drank with monks renowned for their asceticism, despite their indulgence in the seven deadly sins. Davey vividly remembered how Dokgo Jun, with his thunderous voice, had resonated through the mountains, effortlessly shattering Davey's jujitsu with mere shouts.

[That damned drunkard, causing trouble wherever he goes! Hey, you lunatic! You were supposed to help with my training, not scream like a slaughtered pig!]

Seeing Davey passed out from the Roaring Lion Technique, Woochi had to heal him while grumbling about having invited the laziest but physically strongest among them, Dokgo Jun, to assist with Taoist Art training.

[Davey, don't engage with that madman. Understand? Don't even look at him. Avoid his gaze.]

[...]

[Hey, don't avoid my gaze! Why are you cutting me off first, you asshole?]

After that, Davey became fixated on the Roaring Lion Technique. For five years, he endured Dokgo Jun's beatings and mastered one of the Shaolin martial techniques, the Lion's Roar. The memory remained vivid. Witnessing numerous spirits incapacitated, Davey unleashed Lavatein indiscriminately, transforming the entire vicinity into a blazing inferno. Lavatein, the sword of spreading flames, enabled him to engulf the entire area in hellfire within moments.

"Davey! Watch out!"

In that crucial moment, sensing a swift approach from behind, Davey swiftly stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Whoosh!

Simultaneously, a green flash shot past the spot where Davey's head had just occupied, piercing cleanly through the ground.

"At least one of them seems competent."

While other spirits succumbed to the Lion's Roar, there was one still launching skillful attacks.

"Y-Yushir?!" Liline exclaimed with wide eyes.

The creature, a seemingly well-known succubus, moved swiftly, almost as fast as a flash of light. The blade she wielded bore the mark of a Swordmaster, particularly evident in the finely honed aura blade that indicated considerable skill. Although it was common for succubi to frequently wield swords, finding one with such skill was not easy.

"Hahh... hahh..." Yushir lowered herself, her uneven breathing driven by not fatigue but a peculiar excitement, her gaze flickering as if ready to pounce.

She appeared distinct from regular succubi. It occurred to Davey that succubi did possess a rather unique characteristic.

"Hey, you're observant."

Regular succubi typically failed to notice this, being either exceptionally obtuse or surprisingly sharp. While Davey had often seen creatures become bored by the spirit energy emanating from him, it was quite intriguing that a mere Swordmaster, albeit a slightly superior one, had sensed the hidden monsters within him.

Clang! Bang!

"Retreat!" The succubus named Yushir constantly shouted while attempting to keep Davey at bay.

However, due to the aftermath of an earlier roar, the majority of the succubi guards, having lost their hearing, failed to obey her command.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue briefly, glaring at Davey with evident tension on her face before lunging at him once again with her thin green blade.

Clang! Bang!

Despite enduring the heat from his weapon, Lavatein, and attempting multiple strikes, all her efforts were effortlessly parried. However, this only lasted for a moment.

"Hmph!" Suddenly, her sword accelerated as if all her prior attacks were merely to catch him off guard. It wasn't just the speed; this swordsmanship was something he had seen before, extensively. Could he have been mistaken?

"Longsword?"

As far as Davey knew, the only demon who had mastered the longsword and handed over the position of Demon King to him after dying by his hand was Belial. Signs of the longsword god would be sources of resentment among demons. Yet, she wielded the longsword without hesitation.

Kwaang!!!

An immense force bore down on the blade, which then struck Lavatein fiercely. Undoubtedly, it was a lethal strike delivered at an unimaginable speed.

However, Davey retorted, "Stay humble."

"Eh?!"

Kwaang!!!

An immense blaze erupted from Lavatein, engulfing Yushir entirely. Davey didn't stop there but vented his anger, releasing sword energy recklessly all around.

Kwaang! Boom!

The dense forest on the other side of the gorge was rapidly transformed into a sea of flames, which the wind further spread.

"Davey!"

Liline Orlouge seemed to crumble in shock, while Illyina urgently shouted at him, trying to restrain him.

"Stop! There's no need to burn down a perfectly good forest."

"Leave it. I'm still not over it."

"What? Argh! That was close! You maniac!"

"Stay out of my way."

Davey's aggressive and destructive actions, unlike his usual self, left Illyna perplexed. He, however, did not respond. More importantly, the succubus Yushir, who had been dueling him, managed to escape his range of attack with a mysterious technique.

Davey had wanted to chase her down and unleash his anger upon her, but he refrained due to the unique technique she displayed while fleeing, which resembled more the art of an assassin than that of a swordsman. She excelled at it and proved highly skilled at hiding.

Ultimately, Davey lost track of the succubus Yushir, but it didn't matter. There was no point in inefficiently pursuing someone he had deliberately released.

"The entire forest... it's been turned into a sea of fire..." Illyna murmured in disbelief as she surveyed the forest engulfed in flames due to Davey's frenzied arson.

In stark contrast, Liline Orlouge appeared deathly pale, almost on the verge of collapsing. To anyone witnessing Davey's actions since arriving in this dimension - setting everything ablaze in his path - they would appear far from normal. However, even Illyna's attempts to dissuade him were bound to be short-lived.

* * *

'He became mad again.' Illyna could not help but think that way.

She knew all too well that Davey was not an ordinary human. She had her own connections with him, having experienced together what most could never imagine. Therefore, she was certain that he still possessed some unknown element, which appeared to be the cause of the current situation.

"What... What is that human..."

"Shut up."

"I just..."

"Even if Davey might be able to, I can't be friendly with your kind of demons."

Her adversaries were vampires and potentially liches. Although these foes were now almost nonexistent, any demon associated with them could never be seen in a positive light.

Given the situation where Davey had taken Liline hostage, if he went rogue, Illyna would have to ensure Lilina's safety. She had no way of knowing why he had come to the demon realm. To be honest, she couldn't even believe they were in the demon realm.

'At least it's less absurd than that judge's world.'

The dreamy world of the gods, where the godly judge resided, was undeniably more bizarre than the demon realm, from which Sword Lord Ares had banished the demons.

"Wahahahaha! Burn it all!"

For some inexplicable reason, that lunatic was venting his anger everywhere. Despite appearing quite young, he possessed surprising sharp-mindedness and, in some ways, was as obstinate and persistent as a petulant child.

Davey brandished his flame sword and set the forest ablaze, with them following him deep into the burning woods.

"It's useless. Marka... or rather, the castle of succubi is a place known to very few in the demon realm. Unless you're a succubus or invited by one, even gods cannot enter."

Succubi had the power to control dreams and were secretive even to demons. Succubi did not discriminate between humans, monsters, or demons when selecting their prey.

"It's useless?"

As Davey, who was relentlessly burning the forest, paused, Liline flinched.

Illyna, prepared for any sudden movements from Liline, tightened her grip on her weapon.

"Aren't you venting your anger because you know this as well, Demon King?"

"..."

"The castle of succubi is only accessible to succubi. Even the Demon King cannot locate it, let alone enter..."

"I saved you because of that damn fate, but you keep blabbering on."

"What... What did you say?"

Davey's words left Liline looking confused. Simultaneously, the madness and anger in Davey's demeanor... returned to normal.

'That's why it's so hard to get used to!' Illyna sighed as she saw Davey's sudden change in demeanor, as if all the fury and madness had been a mere facade.

Of course, that was just his nature. Davey was a master of deception, lying effortlessly, and was even willing to deceive allies if it meant confusing enemies.

"Hey, Succubus." Shortly after, Davey, gazing up at the brightly colored sky filled with smoke, spoke.

"..."

"If you continue to hide and make me wait, I will come for you." Davey swung his weapon, Lavatein, with a calm demeanor.

"The castle of Succubus can only be entered by succubi? I assume the entire territory is shrouded in a dream."

'But what now?' There was a smirk on Davey's face as he began to chuckle.

"You're exposed."

Simultaneously, from the other side of the forest set ablaze by Davey, massive fire whirlwinds erupted, appearing to pierce the sky. It was not just a matter of the forest being set on fire; there were five pillars in total. As they rose, a mysterious power, unlike anything they had ever felt, began to emanate.

"Title, Unstable Demon King, activated." A very faint murmur escaped Davey's lips, followed by the magical energy of the Demon King pouring out of him.

Suddenly, a magic circle began to react, distorting grotesquely. It soon emitted light and shattered in an instant.

"Did it seem like I just burned everything in anger?"

At Davey's calm question, Illyna nearly nodded absentmindedly but remained silent. She replied with the best answer she could come up with, given her knowledge of Davey: "Wasn't it?"

"Damn. This is why I hate the quick-witted ones," Davey muttered, rolling his eyes. "You guys can't run anymore."

"What?!" Horror filled Liline's face as the castle of succubi, which should have existed in the dream world, was now exposed atop the burnt remains of a ruin.

Simultaneously, a hysterical shout from a woman broke the silence. "What the hell have these cursed humans done?!"

A barbed, black whip sliced through the air, aiming straight at them.

Caught off guard, Liline's eyes widened just as a mischievous grin spread across Davey's face.

"Confucius once said," he began, puzzling those around with the unexpected reference, "Long live the sun."

[Light-type Adapted Spell]

[7th Circle]

[Sun Flare Grenade]

"It's been a long sleep. Time to wake up," he declared.

The entire area was engulfed in a flash of light, far more intense than the one he had used during the Lyndis Empire royal banquet—a brightness akin to the radiance of the sun.