How To Survive As A Demon King

Chapter 93

The shattered Magi was on the verge of collapse.

Gerald’s widened eyes captured the image of Seo Woojin.

“You…”

He was a bug that needed to be killed.

In reality, Gerald had thought of killing him.

Ever since their first encounter, when Seo Woojin had shown an unexpected appearance, Gerald had thought of taking his life.

That’s why he was furious.

An unexpected meeting had taken place in this place.

But…

Seo Woojin had dared to block his attack.

An attack that could have broken one of the Empire’s wings.

However, Gerald’s surprise wasn’t just because his attack had been blocked.

It was because of the familiar energy he felt from the black flames that wrapped around the sword of pure white.

“How do you control the Magi?”

That guy was a hero.

The archenemy of the Demon King and the natural enemy of the Magi.

A hero who wielded the Magi like a flame that burned brightly.

It was something that went beyond Gerald’s understanding.

“Magi, my ass.”

With a mocking laugh, the sword flew towards him.

Gerald didn’t even think of facing it head-on and instead retreated backward.

He had a strong premonition that if he touched that flame, he would never be able to show his face again.

Just like the black living beings he had seen before.

But his intentions were not easily fulfilled.

“Where!”

The Grand Duke, who had just been on the verge of death, grabbed the air and twisted.

Udok-!

At the same time, his arm broke.

This was also an unexpected situation.

It was clear that the power of that bitch couldn’t destroy this body.

‘Ah…….’

Gerald looked at his broken arm and nodded his head.

The hero’s first attack had dealt a bigger blow than he had expected.

The hard skin was cracked, and the Magi circuit was torn.

Thanks to that, he couldn’t defend himself properly.

The pain was overwhelming, but it was nothing.

Later, he focused on the Magi, and his broken arm became strong again.

It happened in a split second.

The hero’s second attack was approaching.

It was regrettable that his axe was destroyed.

“Back off!”

Red demonic energy wrapped around his fist and collided with the pure white sword.

Kkuuung-!

The space distorted momentarily.

The space couldn’t withstand the collision of the two.

Gerald was amazed.

The hero’s achievement in that short time was not trivial.

‘Is it because of those wings?’

It was visible that the circulation of magical power was amplified several times as it passed through the wings.

Based on an immeasurable amount of magic, he charged forward with the Grand Duke.

Kwakwakwakwakwang-!

In an instant, dozens of exchanges of blows took place.

The Magi was breaking apart.

The body, unable to withstand the fatigue, began to crack.

‘There will be more harm than good.’

The hero’s abnormal strength was unpredictable, but if their combined attack continued for just one more minute, Gerald would be unable to avoid death.

‘I need to retreat.’

It was humiliating.

The red-tinged eyes gazed at the hero’s face once more, as if to etch it deeply into his mind.

He raised the Magi throughout his body and burst it forward.

“Huuk!”

“Umm…….”

The two let out a groan.

It seemed they had received a considerable shock.

But Gerald didn’t have the strength to continue the battle.

It was already a struggle to escape.

“You bastard, let’s meet again.”

The space closed in.

The hero’s sword came belatedly, but it was too late.

Gerald had already disappeared from sight.

* * *

Seo Woojin gazed at the empty air.

‘I should have killed him.’

He had taken a risk in front of the Grand Duke and used ‘Muspehelheim’.

Gerald’s casual mention of the word ‘Magi’ was something she couldn’t have missed.

He had even activated the ‘Heavenly Wings’, which came with a significant penalty……

And yet, he couldn’t kill him despite all the sacrifices.

He had won the battle, but Seo Woojin felt a deep sense of defeat.

“Hey.”

At that moment, Briana’s voice calling out to him was heard from the side.

Seo Woojin turned his head, and Briana was still gazing at him with her burning red hair.

“The power you’re using.”

Her hand pointed this way.

The energy contained within made her tense up involuntarily.

“What is that?”

She finally asked.

Seo Woojin quickly turned his head.

But no matter what excuse he made, it seemed impossible to escape this situation.

“That’s…….”

He had to say something, so he opened his mouth to speak.

The black wings disappeared.

The duration of ‘Heavenly Wings’ had ended.

Only 2 minutes.

Thanks to using it at full power, all his abilities had increased fivefold, but the casting time had decreased to one fifth.

As the wings disappeared, Seo Woojin quickly began to plummet towards the sea.

But Seo Woojin didn’t have the luxury to worry about that.

“Kkkkkkkk!”

A silent scream erupted.

His entire body felt like it was tearing apart.

The shock was stronger than when his body had evolved.

It was as if he had been struck by lightning in the head.

No scream came out.

Ulk-!

Blood spurted out from every hole.

‘The penalty is real, huh…….’

This was beyond imagination.

The price of using unauthorized power was driving Seo Woojin to death.

He didn’t know if his eyes were closed or open.

Everything was pitch black.

‘Am I going to die?’

The thought of death naturally occurred to him.

He didn’t regret using ‘Heavenly Wings’ to save the Grand Duke.

Considering the situation, the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been able to defeat Gerald anyway.

So Seo Woojin would have died too.

There was no reason to regret it.

But it hurt too much.

‘Damn it, …….’

In the end, Seo Woojin’s consciousness completely disappeared.

* * *

“What are the traces?”

Agna asked, shaking off the cigarette ash.

“It’s heading northwest.”

“Can we catch it?”

“Trust the kids.”

The subordinate dismissed Agna’s concerns.

“After all, if it’s those kids, they can catch a wounded Gerald.”

Crusiel had dispatched its maximum combat power, the mobile special forces unit.

It was a military unit created to hunt down such monsters, so there was a high chance of success.

“I’m worried that the damage might be too great.”

Crusiel had anticipated Gerald’s movements in advance.

One mistake was enough.

They had re-examined the entire Empire’s information network and monitored all suspicious movements.

Finding Gerald, who could move through space, was a challenge, but this time, they could detect him early.

So they set a trap.

Gerald, no matter how monstrous, would have to be injured after clashing with the Grand Duke.

They planned to take advantage of that gap to eliminate one of the Empire’s greatest enemies.

But the process had caused too much damage.

Mernotain was half-destroyed, and the Grand Duke had almost died.

Agna hadn’t expected such sacrifices.

“That guy was stronger than I thought.”

She acknowledged that her judgment had been wrong.

“But it’s fortunate that Seo Woojin was there.”

That was another variable.

Who would have thought that Seo Woojin would appear in Mernotain?

Thanks to that, the Grand Duke had survived, and Gerald had escaped.

It had deviated slightly, but in the end, Agna’s plan had succeeded.

“Don’t spare any support for Mernotain. Focus on reconstruction and compensation.”

This was the extent of what she could do.

It was a small price to pay for catching Gerald.

The subordinate sighed softly and lowered his head.

“I follow your orders.”

After the subordinate left, Agna tapped on the desk.

She was thinking about Seo Woojin.

“I knew he was strong, but I didn’t think he could drive Gerald away.”

At least a year or more of growth was needed to achieve that, she thought.

But he had exceeded her expectations.

“How did he do it?”

She knew that Seo Woojin had helped in the battle between the Grand Duke and Gerald.

However, at the level of information sources, it was not possible to determine the exact situation.

If they had gotten too close, they would have been caught up in the fight and they might not have even been able to find their own corpse.

Thanks to that, she still couldn’t understand what had happened.

“Should I ask the Grand Duke?”

The Empire’s Guardian had been used as bait, but there was no hint of self-reproach in her voice.

Agna pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of paper and began to write something.

A moment later, it was tied to the ankle of a bird made of shadow and flew up into the sky.

* * *

The axe fell from above.

He dodged to avoid it, but the axe remained above his head.

No matter how he dodged, it wouldn’t budge.

He used a skill.

Unleashing all his hidden powers, he attacked the axe to destroy it.

But everything seemed to crumble like sand.

‘This is it. I’m going to die.’

He realized that he couldn’t escape death.

The axe, which had suddenly become gigantic, split his skull and crushed his body like an insect.

“Kkkkkk!”

Seo Woojin screamed, but his voice was stuck in his throat.

The pain was so intense that he couldn’t even breathe properly.

But thanks to that, his mind cleared up.

The first thing he saw was Irene.

Irene’s worried face was looking down at him.

“Are you okay?”

Seo Woojin tried to answer, but no sound came out.

Even that small movement made his whole body tremble.

“It’s fortunate that you’re alive.”

Irene let out a sigh of relief.

“You almost died this time.”

He knew it better than anyone.

How could he not, when he had even dreamed of Gerald’s axe splitting his head open?

“But thanks to the Grand Duke’s help, you were able to survive.”

Seo Woojin closed his mouth at Irene’s words.

“How did it happen?”

Briana had witnessed his unusual skill.

Thinking about it, it would have been more natural to torture and interrogate him to get information rather than saving him.

‘Ah, is it because they plan to do that later?’

If Seo Woojin wanted to hear the story, he had to be alive.

“For now, focus on recovering your body. The mage of the Sky Tower and the priests of Aier have arrived, so you’ll be able to get back on your feet soon.”

With that, Irene took a bowl and left the room.

“I need to think of an excuse.”

He had acted without thinking to survive, but now it was time to make amends.

‘What should I say to make the Grand Duke believe me?’

Should he just say it was one of the hero’s skills?

Or that he had used a one-time item obtained from the ruins?

Whatever excuse he made, it seemed like he would be questioned.

The pain made it hard to think straight.

Even lying down, he felt like the god of death was holding a scythe to his neck.

‘Can I recover from this?’

I’ve never been this broken before, so I don’t know what to do.

The tight magic circuit was now in shambles, and his body was as fragile as glass.

He couldn’t feel even a hint of magic, and his life force was still draining away at this very moment.

It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment.

Seo Woojin, observing his own body, let out a hollow laugh inside.

He was somehow still alive.

Just then, a shadow fell over his head.

Red hair.

“Have you regained your senses?”

The Grand Duke had arrived.

Her usual playful and mischievous expression was nowhere to be found.

Instead, suspicion and coldness had taken its place.