Chapter 70: Rite of Calling (5)

"..."

Everyone became silent after hearing Oriax's sudden screams.

Yoo TaeShik looked at Oriax with a confused expression.

"Oh, immortal! Wh-why are you suddenly acting like that?"

[Immortal? Don't say nonsense, human! We just don't have a restriction on how long we can live. We can also die!]

"B-but you just said that fighting and slaughtering are your favorite forms of entertainment..."

[There's no way I would have fun if I'm on the losing side!]

'What's up with him?'

Yoo TaeShik looked at him in disbelief.

You obviously wouldn't have fun if you were on the side of being slaughtered, but to think that a demon who'd sounded so confident would suddenly say something like that.

'What's happening?'

Oriax had been speaking confidently...

TaeShik wasn't sure why Oriax had suddenly changed his attitude.

The demon was acting like one of those kids who talks all high and mighty in an internet cafe until their mother suddenly comes in and finds out he'd been playing video games.

[What are you waiting for?! Cancel the summoning! Send me back to Hell!!]

Oriax began shouting as if he were about to have a heart attack.

Yoo TaeShik bit his fingernails. His plan had started to go wrong.

'Among all the demons, why did someone like him get summoned...?'

Yoo TaeShik thought that he had gotten unlucky.

To think that a demon from the 7th Hell would be such a coward.

His head got messy.

He wasn't sure what he had to do to solve the situation.

"It's impossible to return. Master, Oriax, don't worry about anything. Those guys are just mere mortals! You'll easily win against them."

[Mere mortals? Weak?]

Oriax glared at Yoo TaeShik.

[You dumb human! How can you say such nonsense?! You don't know anything. Who that person is, what he has done!]

You could see and hear the fear in Oriax.

Yoo TaeShik's doubts deepened, and he began wondering who the person capable of making a demon tremble in fear was.

"Who is it that I don't kn—"

Boom-!

A huge explosion shook the cave.

KangWoo had used the Authority of Destructive Void.

He looked at Oriax with a troubled expression.

'To think that he'd recognize me.'

KangWoo frowned at the unexpected development.

It was true that KangWoo was famous in the Hell of Nine Skies...

But unlike Earth, there wasn't any form of video or way to communicate with others in Hell. Rumors spread only from mouth to mouth.

That's why most demons, although they might have heard rumors about KangWoo, probably didn't know how he looked.

But to think that the demon summoned was one that knew about him.

You could say that he had been unlucky.

'No, isn't it the reverse?'

KangWoo looked at Oriax, who was trembling in fear.

Most of KangWoo's strength was currently sealed.

Thanks to leveling up and his Authority of Predation, he had recovered part of his strength, but it couldn't be compared to before.

So fighting against a demon of the 7th hell in that situation was quite burdensome.

'If he's scared, it will make dealing with him easier.'

The tips of KangWoo's mouth went up.

[Did you say your name is Oriax?]

[Huff!]

KangWoo's voice spread through Oriax's ears.

Oriax trembled in fear. Just hearing KangWoo's voice was enough to make his mind go blank.

The fear was written into his soul—an uncontrollable fear toward the absolute being called Demon King devoured him.

[Y-yes,] Oriax answered in a trembling voice.

[Speak so only I can hear you.]

[Aah... Yes! Understood.]

Oriax quickly nodded. How he was talking to the humans at the moment was to send them his thoughts.

It wasn't hard to ensure that only one person could hear him.

[Wh-why is the Demon King here...?]

[Did I give you permission to ask me a question?]

[N-no! I'm sorry!]

Oriax shook his head while trembling.

KangWoo smiled, satisfied after seeing how Oriax overreacted with everything he said.

'It's going to be easier than I thought.'

A huge fear devours your reason.

He wasn't sure where he had seen him, but judging by his reaction, it seemed like his fear toward him was really deep.

It was as if he were laying on the ground like a dog before even fighting.

'I just can't let him figure out that I'm weakened right now.'

If Oriax didn't realize that he had gotten weaker, he'd be able to win against him easily.

'Lying to someone who's afraid is easy.'

It wasn't something hard. No, it was so easy that it almost felt boring.

[It seems like you've ruined my plans,] KangWoo said in a serious tone.

Oriax's eyes widened.

[P-plan...?]

[How dare you ask back?]

[I-I'm sorry!]

A normal conversation.

Oriax became desperate.

He was trembling because of his fear towards the Demon King.

'And the more desperate he becomes...'

The more thoughts he'd start to have.

[Ugh, ugh...]

Oriax was trying to figure out what KangWoo was talking about when he said 'plan.'

KangWoo looked at him with a relaxed expression on his face.

It didn't matter how much he thought, there was no way he'd be able to figure it out.

'Because there was no plan. I just used some random serious-sounding words.'

To make him not suspect that he had become weaker, KangWoo just had to make it so the demon didn't have time to think.

KangWoo, who had been waiting for the right timing, spoke in a low voice.

* * *

[I'll give you an opportunity.]

[A-an opportunity?]

[Yes. If you succeed, I'll accept you as my familiar.]

[F-familiar!]

Oriax was surprised.

A familiar of the Demon King...

Becoming a familiar of the Demon King, the one who had become the strongest after killing all the seven archdukes...

If he become a familiar of the Demon King, he'd be able to receive part of his strength.

If he received even a tiny part of that demonic energy, he was probably going to be able to become overwhelmingly strong.

He would probably become so strong that no one in the 8th hell or even in the 9th hell would be able to take him lightly.

For demons, who worshipped strength, it was an offer they couldn't refuse.

[I'll follow any order! I, Oriax, swear eternal loyalty to the Demon King!]

Oriax shouted excitedly at the sudden offer.

[Win against all the humans here without using your weapon. I want to know if you're worth it.]

[Understood!]

Oriax nodded without doubting for a moment.

Kangoo smirked.

'You should doubt at least a bit.'

Most living creatures with the ability to reason would have doubts if someone asked them to fight without weapons against enemies to test their strength.

'Although he probably can't think properly right now.'

It wasn't a matter of knowledge or reason...

It was the effect of the absolute authority that the title Demon King had.

Just like Milgram's experiment had shown, humans tend to submit to an authority quite easily.

—It was the same for demons.

Oriax dropped his scythe and kicked it to the side, getting into position to fight against the Hwarang Squad with his bare fists.

"Why is that demon doing that so suddenly?"

"I'm... Not sure," Baek HwaYeon said while narrowing her eyes.

"But I'm sure this is the perfect opportunity for us to attack."

They weren't sure why the demon had suddenly started acting strangely...

But what they were sure of was that, because of it, they had the advantage.

'South Wind.'

Baek HwaYeon extended her sword.

Wind gathered around her sword, with sharp objects hidden in the soft wind that could cut through skin.

Slash-!!

[Ugh!]

Oriax moaned in pain. He'd defended against the wind with his bare hands, and his skin was split.

[You damn bugs!]

Oriax swung his fist. Baek HwaYeon's sword and Oriax's fists clashed against each other.

Clang-!!

"Ugh!"

A loud explosion that was hard to believe came from the clashing of a sword with fists spread through the cave, and Baek HwaYeon was pushed back.

Oriax was about to charge toward Baek HwaYeon when Chae YeonJoo blocked his path.

"Who are you calling bug?"

Chae YeonJoo angrily extended her hand as she closed her eyes to concentrate. The bracelets on both of her hands began shining with a red light.

'Blood Chains.'

Chains with sharp thorns shot out of the bracelet.

Tens of chains moved through the floor of the cave in a snake-like motion.

The chains spread through the cave as if they were a swarm of snakes and targeted Oriax.

[AARRGGHH!!]

The sharp thorns pierced his skin. His skin was torn apart, and blood leaked from him. The chains absorbed his blood.

He glared at Chae YeonJoo while frowning.

'She's strong.'

It was hard to believe that she was just a human.

[Damn!]

It was an attack that was so strong that he wasn't sure that he would have been able to defend against it with a weapon. He looked down at his bare hands.

Maybe things would've been different if he was a demon that fought using his bare hands...

But he'd fought with a scythe for a very long time. All of his movements have been optimized for fighting using a 'scythe.'

He would obviously struggle if he suddenly began fighting with his bare hands.

His movements had become sluggish, and the damage output was bad.

'But this is all to pass the Demon King's test!'

He tried to calm down and kept fighting against the humans.

The longer the fight got, the more wounds he started to get. His movements began getting slower, and his eyes started to lose light.

[Ugh.]

Oriax knelt on one knee.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to win against the humans at that point, even if he used a weapon.

At that moment, he saw KangWoo approach him with his weapon.

'He's trying to return my weapon!'

Oriax's eyes recovered hope.

Once he got his weapon back and received the Demon King's power, he'd be able to completely wipe out all of the humans.

He would be able to crush all of the bugs that'd dared to put him in danger with overwhelming strength!

'I can already see it happening!'

He tried his best to overcome the difficulty.

The Demon King had probably been moved by his effort.

[Ah... D...]

Stab-!

[Huh...?]

He'd thought that the Demon King would return his weapon, but his own scythe pierced his chest instead.

He looked at KangWoo in confusion.

[Wh-why...?]

"Don't resent me too much, Oriax."

KangWoo used the scythe to cut him down.

The wound deepened, and blood poured from Oriax's chest.

A deep smile appeared on KangWoo's face.

"It's your fault for falling for such a scam."

Ting-

[You've successfully defeated Oriax, a demon of the 7th hell!]

[You've gained extra experience points as a bonus!]

[Your experience has increased exponentially!]

[Your level has gone up by 5!]

[You've reached level 50 and unlocked the sixth Awakening.]

[You've gained a new Attribute.]