Chapter 374: The Most Demonic Demon (1)

“Hey! What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Dang it, there’s no time to explain. A summons just came for all the supervisors so just follow me!”

Several supervisors ran through the tunnels and signaled to their comrades still watching the miners.

“It’s the Liberation Army!”

“What the hell is going on? Hey! Don’t move and just keep mining those magic stones!”

“We’ll be checking your yield thoroughly once we’re back!”

The supervisors followed after their comrades leaving the miners behind who slowly straightened their backs.

“If my ears didn’t deceive me... it sounded like the supervisors just mentioned

them

.”

“I heard it too.”

“Then does that mean they really came? To Mine 7?”

The miners looked at each other with shining eyes.

The Liberation Army was a resistance group that had been active in the vast Demon Realm for decades. Ironically, what they pursued was freedom. They acknowledged the rule of the strong but sought to create a peaceful and free world where the weak weren’t killed without cause. That was the very meaning of the Liberation Army’s existence and why they freed countless slaves in the Demon Realm.

“If they’ve really come to Mine 7... then it must be to free us.”

“Then does that mean we can go to that place too...?”

The miners said the word with overwhelming emotion, “Elision.”

Elision was the utopia of the Demon Realm guarded by the Liberation Army's elite, and the only rest place where the weak could find protection. Heading there was the dream of all powerless demons, but naturally, it was a distant hope.

“We can go. We really can!”

“

Wooow!

”

Liberation Army and Elision. Just those two words were enough to send the miners into a frenzy.

One miner raised his pickaxe over his head and shouted, “We can’t just sit around like this. Let’s get out of here too!”

“B-but... Will we even be of help if we go?”

“Besides, it’s not like the Liberation Army has won yet... and the supervisors told us to stay put.”

They longed for freedom but hesitated to pay the price to attain it. That was the mindset buried deep inside most miners who had developed a slave mentality.

Frustrated by his cowardly peers, the miner struck his chest. “You foolish demons. Even if the Liberation Army wins, this is Mine 7. It's a massive place. Do you really think they’ll be able to take all the miners to Elision?”

“Wait, that means...”

“We need to head out first and follow them around if we want even a small chance of reaching Elision!”

At that shout, the demons fell into brief thought, and it didn’t take long for them to realize the logic in his words.

“

Yeah

... He’s right.”

“Even if the Liberation Army came, how many could they have brought? There’s over a thousand miners here. There’s no way they can all escape.”

“This is a competition too. We need to follow them and make sure we’re not left behind!”

The moment they realized that, the demons sprinted down the tunnels without a moment’s hesitation. By the time they reached the passage past the tunnel’s entrance, hundreds of other demons who had thought the same were already there.

“Run!”

“The entrance! The supervisors ran toward the entrance!”

“We’re heading there too!”

A chaotic stream of demons rushed out with not a trace of order in sight.

Dex swallowed hard as he watched the scene and looked over at Ira. “You were right. They really did come into the mine!”

“Looks like we were lucky.” Ira smiled, dusted herself off, and stood up. “Well then... let’s go too.”

***

Kai was following behind the demon who had introduced himself as Kazura. To be more accurate, he was part of the line following behind him.

Kazura. Are all upper-ranked demons like him?

He was definitely strong. If he had to compare Kazura with players he knew, he was stronger than Chris, but slightly weaker than Goliath when he went all out.

Yet, that’s just an upper-ranked demon? How many more of him are in the Demon Realm?

It made sense now why Helik had warned him so seriously, and why he had been repeatedly cautioned about the power of the demon race.

I would have been in real danger if it were the old me.

Of course, he didn’t worry much right now. He was confident he had reached that level himself. It wasn’t petty arrogance or bravado but an objective assessment.

I heard demons in the Demon Realm are divided into five ranks.

While living as a miner over the past few days, Kai had carefully gathered information from the demons around him.

Lowest, low, middle, upper, and top-ranked.

Those were the classifications used to divide demons in the Demon Realm, and the standard used to determine those ranks was simple.

Strength.

One’s strength was the one and only way to gain a higher rank.

And above the top-ranked, there are five demons who are beyond classification.

They were the four demon archdukes and the Demon King known as Angol Moa.

I don’t really need to figure out their combat power.

There was no need to confront them, as he and Yoo Ha-Rin planned to take what they needed and leave the Demon Realm.

“

Hmm

.” Kazura exhaled roughly through his nose and came to a sudden stop.

Naturally, the line following him also came to a stop. Unlike the miners who shuffled backward, Kai stayed right where he was. As a result, he unintentionally ended up quite close to the front.

“

Oh,

this guy’s got some guts.”

“But this might be too much for him. Step back.”

Several demons emerged from the back and patted Kai on the shoulder as they stepped past him. There were five of them, and each of them possessed formidable power.

Wait, are all of them upper-ranked demons?

Even Kai was momentarily surprised by their power. With Kazura at the lead, the backs of the six demons appeared more reassuring than anything else.

But Kazura said earlier that he came with seven comrades including himself, didn’t he?

Only six were here. That meant the remaining one was likely a support rather than a combatant, possibly assisting with the escape.

“Do supervisors even come out to greet people in this mine?” Kazura muttered as he passed through the entrance of the mine and scanned the supervisors gathered in the opening.

All the supervisors were middle-ranked demons and there were more than eighty of them. However, it was the supervisors who looked terrified now.

“Damn... That’s the Soul Grinder Kazura.”

“And beside him seems to be Baryak the Screamer.”

“Th-they’re all upper-ranked demons...”

In

MID Online

, humans assigned ranks based on social status. Even if a noble didn’t have the slightest ability, commoners had to bow their heads and kneel. No matter how sickening it was or how much rage boiled inside, they had to endure it.

However, the Demon Realm was different. In this savage world where everything was dictated by power, anyone could issue a challenge if they felt wronged. Of course, they had to bear the consequences themselves, but in terms of process alone, the Demon Realm’s system was much more fair. And perhaps because of that...

How are we supposed to beat them...

Six upper-ranked demons? Even two or three would be a desperate fight...

The supervisors were already intimidated before the battle began. They had lost the will to fight altogether, and the demons of the Liberation Army saw through that mindset all too well.

“They probably know better than anyone that they don’t stand a chance.”

The supervisors kept their mouths shut and remained silent.

“If you don’t plan to fight, then get out of the way.”

As Kazura growled and stepped forward, the supervisors flinched and cleared the way.

Thank goodness.

Kazura didn’t show it, but he felt relieved. Even among upper-ranked demons, there were different tiers. The administrator of Mine 7, Draken, was slightly above him in rank. Of course, the Liberation Army would win if all seven of them attacked at once, but that would take at least twenty minutes.

If this drags out, we’re the ones at a disadvantage. We need to hit and go before reinforcements arrive.

Being outmatched in numbers was the only inevitable drawback of the Liberation Army.

In just twenty minutes, dozens of upper-ranked demons sent by Archduke Kinessa could arrive.

“Everyone, pick up the pace. Stay close.”

Using the supervisors as a shield, Kazura quickly led the miners who were following them. The comrade who had split from the group possessed a movement-type ability. With that demon’s help, it was possible to evacuate all of the miners that were over one thousand in number.

It’s a relief things are going better than expected...

The moment he thought that, a tremendous howl erupted from the sky. At the same time, a giant beast with four thick legs landed on the mine. It was a lizard-shaped beast with a red mane that resembled a dragon at a glance.

Kazura furrowed his brows when he saw it, “Damn it.”

—How dare you start a liberation movement in my domain... Did you take me that lightly?

The beast, Draken, with bright yellow eyes, roared in fury.

“Damn it, Memnon, Ordan! Lead the miners and get out of here first!”

“What about you?”

“I’ll deal with the rest of them and Draken.”

“That’s too dangerous. It’ll take too much time...”

“Our goal isn’t to kill him. It’s to free the miners safely.”

—What an amusing plan.

Draken, who had been listening, snorted.

—But I don’t recall giving you permission to leave.

“Forget Draken and take them now!”

At Kazura’s shout, his two comrades led the miners.

“This way!”

“Hurry, move fast!”

—From now on!

A lion’s roar came out from Draken’s mouth. It was so loud that part of the mine collapsed from the sound alone.

—If even one slave dares to take a step... I promise, I’ll kill that one first.

The eyes of the massive reptile gleamed with murderous intent. The miners who met those eyes collapsed on the sport with trembling legs. Some even foamed at the mouth as if they had lost their minds.

It’s over...

Kazura instinctively sensed the failure of the operation.

Indeed, Draken was experienced. He knew that his influence, built over years of ruling through fear, was stronger than the presence of the Liberation Army they had only just met. Because of that, all the miners were frozen in place. They were paralyzed by fear and unable to escape.

“Kazura, the situation is...”

“I know.” Kazura’s claws began to grow longer. “There’s no choice. At this point, we kill him as fast as we can and continue the liberation.”

“I liked this approach better from the start!”

—You brats!

Kazura and his five comrades shot forward like beams of light and collided with Draken’s massive body. The sight of demons flying through the sky as they fought looked like a battle from another world. At least, that’s how it appeared to the miners because the only one who could follow the movements of the upper-ranked demons was Kai.

They’re fast, and every one of their techniques is brutal and destructive.

Kai began image training while watching all their movements.

If I fought Draken one-on-one...

The result came immediately.

It would take about twelve seconds.

Of course, one second would be enough if he could use his Descent skill, but that wasn’t possible now.

—

Kaaaahh!

After seventeen minutes of fighting, Draken’s massive body crashed down. As he fell, his body transformed into a humanoid form and landed right in front of Kai.

Thud!

“

Kugh!

Guh

...”

He was in a horrific state as his side had been crushed and his ribs pierced his lungs, so he was continuously coughing up blood.

“

Huff, huff.

”

The upper-ranked demons from the Liberation Army who had fought him also weren’t in normal condition. They had drawn out power beyond their limits in order to kill him as quickly as possible.

“It’s done. Let’s finish him and hurry...”

Kazura, who had spoken in a rush like someone pressed for time, suddenly trailed off. Even he couldn’t understand what was happening to him. It felt as if something massive was slowly choking him from behind.

Is it the pressure from knowing more upper-ranked demons are about to arrive?

But something was strange, as he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

“

Gugh

...?”

“

Kugh!

”

His five comrades were the same. The veins in their eyes bulged with pressure as they struggled to move their unresponsive bodies.

What the hell is this...?

Unable to comprehend the situation, Kazura's eyes darted restlessly. The world fell silent as if time itself had stopped. Then someone slowly stepped forward from among the miners. It was a girl with white hair and red eyes. In the frozen scene, only she walked leisurely and approached Kazura. She stood out as if she alone had color in a black-and-white world.

“

Tsk tsk tsk

.”

Clicking her tongue, she looked down coldly at Draken, who was trembling like a dead frog.

Draken's gaze trembled in a way unfitting for a demon facing death. “N-no way...”

“Do you remember the phrase I always used to say?”

It was a strange sight no matter who saw it. A mere miner, and a frail girl at that, was speaking informally to Draken.

But even with his guts spilling out, Draken painfully forced himself up.

Then in a voice full of uncertainty, he replied quietly, “If you’re born a demon... live like one...?”

“I thought you were just a complete idiot, but you remember things like that pretty well.” Ira smiled with a satisfied look.

“S-so it really is you...”

That reply sealed it. Draken began to shed tears of emotion and dropped to his knees.

“I deeply apologize for not being able to greet you properly in this disgraceful state...”

“It’s fine. That’s just the kind of thing that makes you so demon-like.”

Ira’s small body began to grow little by little. Soon, her height reached two meters, and her soft and delicate form turned into a muscular body. Her long white hair flowed down to her waist, and her eyes were a deep red like blood.

At the sight of his glorious figure, Draken pressed his forehead to the ground. “I pay my respects to the archduke.”

The ruler of the southern Demon Realm, Archduke Kinessa. A demon so cunning he was said to be the most demonic in all of Demon Realm history.

His title was—

“It was quite an entertaining time. Don’t you agree, Dex?”

The Deceiver.