The levels of the demons ruling Deboir varied greatly. From those far below transcendence to those who had reached the level just below a Great Demon. Since demons gained power from the karma and fear associated with their titles, not only effort but also innate abilities were crucial for growth. No matter how hard they worked, if their title was something like "Petty Theft," there was a limit to how far they could rise.
In that sense, the surface, completely desolated and overflowing with negative emotions, was a land of opportunity for the demons who had been overlooked.
About a hundred years ago. When the gates of hell opened in this world…
Lower-ranking demons, who had been scraping by in the depths of hell, receiving meager offerings through insignificant contractors, rushed to the surface. Once on the surface, they no longer had to rely on unsatisfactory contractors. Demons roamed the world freely, reveling in their newfound freedom, and the karma and fear they generated in the process became their power.
That was the everyday scene in this ruined world. A playground for demons, a farm for extracting sustenance. In fact, if they wanted to, they could have driven humanity to extinction at any time, but they didn't. The penalties they suffered for ascending to the surface, like losing immortality, were no longer a big problem. It might have been different in the early days when the gates of hell first opened, or during the mid-stage when the last resistance forces were fighting back, but now that all humans had been reduced to livestock, there was no one left to resist the demons.
Slash—!
"Ugh!"
Therefore, the current phenomenon occurring worldwide was a major event that no one in this world had anticipated. Demons being killed one after another by the sudden attacks of the Undead Army.
"Kyaaa! What is this? What is this?! How can mere undead…!"
And naturally…
The list of victims included not only lower-level entities like the 'Demon of Trickery', but also higher-level entities recognized in demon society.
"I had some expectations for the Demon of the Sword… This is very disappointing. I was hoping for a good workout after so long."
The Demon of the Sword, disguised in a human male form, gritted his teeth and glared at the intruder who was muttering softly in front of him. A middle-aged man in a strange black uniform, wielding a longsword. He looked incredibly calm, despite having just cut off his opponent's right wrist.
'I… lost to a sword? Me, the Demon of the Sword?!'
He grimaced, glancing at his severed right hand, still clutching a sword, rolling on the ground. Even if he had been using a human form and swordsmanship, the fact that he, the Demon of the Sword, had lost to a sword-wielding opponent was simply unacceptable. If other demons found out about this, he would become a laughingstock for centuries. Especially if his opponent was an undead…
"[This is unforgivable! I'll tear you to shreds!]"
A ferocious roar erupted from him, his body emitting a sharp aura.
And immediately after…
A giant blade sprouted from his severed wrist.
The transformation didn't stop there.
Whoosh—! Crack!
His body swelled, and swords of all shapes and sizes erupted from his entire body. Greatswords, longswords, daggers, and even deformed swords shaped like saw blades and sickles. His remaining left hand was now replaced with five sharp blades, and his hair transformed into thin, long chain swords, reflecting the light.
"[I am the Demon of the Sword! The sword is everything that defines me! Your attacks will never reach me!]"
A giant monster, over six meters tall, its entire body composed of sharp blades, roared, looking down at the ground. His title was 'Demon of the Sword.' Although he was a master swordsman, the swordsmanship derived from it was merely a secondary element. The element that symbolized him was the sword itself. And wasn't the sword a weapon that had instilled fear in humanity since the dawn of history?
The Demon of the Sword, who used swords as both weapons and armor, was a formidable force, a true powerhouse among demons.
"Hmm."
But even in the face of such overwhelming power, the middle-aged martial artist remained unfazed.
"So this is the Demon of the Sword… Then the 'Demon of Weapons,' which is supposed to be a higher rank, won't be much different. Disappointing."
He merely clicked his tongue and scanned the giant, aura-emitting figure.
"[Insolent! I'll grind you to dust!]"
The enraged Demon of the Sword charged fiercely, slashing through the space.
'I was just careless earlier! A sword can't hurt me!'
The swords that formed his body were all connected to extraordinary legends. Unbreakable, ignoring any defense, bringing certain death with a single stab, always bringing victory, even cutting down transcendent beings… And all those abilities became his power.
That was his proud ability, the power that had frustrated countless heroes for ages, the power of the Demon of the Sword. As a swordsman wielding a sword, the situation wouldn't be much different for that arrogant undead.
"Tsk, what a beast. I almost preferred you earlier."
It should have been that way…
Slash—
The rampaging Demon of the Sword froze. His gaze slowly shifted downwards.
"[Huh?]"
An unfamiliar line, which hadn't been there before, crossed his torso.
Crack—Thud!
The severed blades began to fall along the line…
…and finally, his upper body, unable to support its weight, collapsed to the ground.
Clang! Crash—!
A ridiculously one-sided battle, decided with a single strike. But that wasn't what mattered to him right now.
"[Cough! How! How could a sword hurt me?!]"
The Demon of the Sword had been cut by a sword. He couldn't help but be confused by this unbelievable situation. An attack that ignored his power? It was impossible, as far as he knew.
"I don't know why I have to explain such basic things."
Tianma, the great martial artist who had once reached beyond the peak and touched the Divine Realm, replied nonchalantly, stroking his beloved sword—the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
"Since I am the sword, and the sword is me. It's meaningless to question whether the source of a Heart Sword strike is a physical sword or not."
It was just a simple application of Sword-Body Unity and Heart Sword. Something that monster, who only focused on the superficial aspects of the sword instead of pursuing the ultimate through cultivation, would never understand.
"[Aaaaagh! No! This is impossible! I can't…!]"
Those were the Demon of the Sword's last words. The countless sword fragments crumbled into dust with a flash of light. Tianma, leaving it behind, slowly rotated his wrist.
"Hmm, it wasn't completely meaningless."
Although the fight ended quickly, it wasn't easy. He had to put everything into that single strike, since the enemy was his natural counter. In the process, he had recovered some of the realm he had lost due to memory damage. Although his level was still lower than when he was alive, with all the buffs he was receiving now, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage in terms of power output.
As his subordinate undead were collecting the demon's remains…
"It seems you're finished. I heard the Demon of the Sword was quite strong, you're truly amazing."
…a woman approached him and spoke. A female warrior in pitch-black armor, carrying a black shield and a warhammer, as if she had emerged from the abyss. Tianma nodded slowly as he watched the black aura emanating from her gradually engulf the surroundings.
"It seems you've finished without any problems as well."
It was Scribe, the former priest, his comrade. The undead following her also showed signs of battle.
"My opponent wasn't that strong. Thanks to that, I was able to properly educate him. To think he dared to boast such a blasphemous title as the 'Demon of Disbelief' when our Lord has descended upon this world?"
She shrugged, saying that heretics deserved only death, and smiled brightly. Her massive hammer, stained with an unknown reddish liquid, was proudly slung over her shoulder.
"Well, good. Is this area mostly cleared now?"
The Undead Army's blitzkrieg was still ongoing. The legions of death, scattered like cancer cells throughout the world
, relentlessly targeted the demons. Although they suffered losses in the process, it wasn't a big deal due to their nature as undead. This world, filled with resentful deaths, was overflowing with materials to replenish their forces.
"Yes. Then next…"
Scribe, who had been answering his question, suddenly stopped and stared blankly into space. Tianma reacted the same way. Somewhere far away, beyond their sight…
…they could feel one of the two clashing forces devour and suppress the other.
And after a moment…
"…It seems to be over."
"It's over."
They both spoke at the same time.
"Then there's only one left?"
"Yes. That one is the main dish."
"I'm looking forward to it. I hope there are some useful ones there."
After a brief exchange, they turned and started walking. Towards the teleportation circle the undead mages had just completed.
Hum—
Such large-scale movements weren't limited to them, but were a common sight among most of the undead in this world. A massive current that could even shake the solidified fate of this world.
And so, the Undead Army, having swept through the Great Demon of Despair, the Great Demon of Ruin, and their subordinates…
…turned their attention to the last remaining Great Demon faction. Towards the place ruled by the strongest demon, reigning at the apex of Deboir.
The domain of the Infinite Demon.
Hans, checking his condition by cracking his knuckles, slowly nodded.
'I see why they call the Great Demons the apex of this world.'
Despair, whom he had hunted first, and Ruin, whom he had defeated second. Both were formidable opponents with tricky abilities. Despair's ability to neutralize enemies within his domain and nullify all hostile attacks directed at him was a power excellent for large-scale battles and specialized in self-preservation. Any energy that approached him would weaken and dissipate, making it impossible to land a proper attack.
"[There's no such thing as absolute in this world, but—]"
The same was true for the Great Demon of Ruin, who possessed the power to annihilate everything around him. If it were his subordinate undead, they would have melted before even getting close, but it was meaningless to him, as he hadn't intended to rely on his subordinates from the beginning. He was the Ruler of Death; he wouldn't be intimidated by those Great Demons.
'That's a shame, though. If the Great Demon of Death was still around, he would have been quite useful.'
In the process of defeating the two Great Demons, he had achieved some of his original goals. As he suspected, there were traces of the Lord of Heavenly Change's presence in this Deboir.
'A being who destroyed the world's barrier, opened the gates of hell, and hunted down absolute beings, including the Great Demon of Death. Only the Lord of Heavenly Change is capable of such a thing.'
However, he couldn't obtain all the information he wanted. It seemed Despair and Ruin had ascended after the gates of hell opened, so there were many things they didn't know about the situation before that.
"[Kehehe, dealing with the Infinite Great Demon directly is the most certain way.]"
The only one who had survived the Lord of Heavenly Change and still maintained his position as a Great Demon was Infinite. He had heard that Slaughter and Fear, who had also survived, were killed by the Executioner about a hundred years ago.
'Was the world's destruction triggered by the Great Demons of hell being devoured by him?'
In other words, the balance of the world had been broken in hell first, not on the surface. With the scales tipped and the barrier between the two worlds broken, it was natural for demons to flood the surface. The basic structure of the Deboir dimension itself had completely collapsed.
'If I clean up all the demons that have crossed over to the surface, wouldn't that open up a path? The Administrator of this world will take care of the rest.'
Cleaning up the overflowing sewage was the priority before reorganizing. The demons of Deboir were beings born from the negative elements that constituted the world. Even if he eliminated them all now, they would naturally regenerate from hell after a long time, but by then, the world's barrier would have recovered to some extent. Just buying that time was enough for him to consider his job done.
'Of course, I need to get rid of these guys first.'
Hans looked ahead, black flames flickering in his eyes. A massive army filled the plains.
That army wasn't his Undead Army.
"[Indeed, Infinite…]"
It was the legions of hell summoned by the demon. And it wasn't just a massive number of low-ranking demons. It also included many high-ranking demons he had considered quite troublesome.
'There are so many of them that look the same. Even those who should have already died. To think he has the ability to copy even dead demons…'
And that probably wasn't the extent of his abilities. The concept of 'infinite' was a word with limitless possibilities, which could be utilized in any way.
'Well, whatever.'
But Hans didn't mind. Because…
"Kyaaaaa—!"
"[For the King of Death! Slaughter everything that stands in our way!]"
"Gurgle!"
"[Wooooo—!]"
…he was the Undying King, the apex of necromancers, specialized in large-scale battles.