(Ugh! This is completely absurd!)
That giant, crowned fly monster. From the sheer, unearthly pressure rolling off it, Asura could barely keep his consciousness from slipping away. And it wasn't just him. The few subordinates who had managed to survive had already rolled their eyes back and passed out cold.
It matched the descriptions he had heard in legends. That was Beelzebub, the greatest calamity in history.
"Dat is cowwect. Dat one over dere is Asuwa."
Still on its knees, the crowned bipedal giant fly rolled its compound eyes toward Asura while answering the black-haired human youth's question. Immediately after—
"Great One!"
Būnbun, Ujiko, and Princess Fly—whom Asura had believed far too arrogant and insolent to bow before anything—effortlessly dropped to their knees and bowed their heads to a black-haired child who looked like nothing more than an ordinary human. The same went for the fly monsters that had just been slaughtering his subordinates. Paying no heed to enemies like Asura, they all dropped down in unison, prostrating themselves with deep reverence.
(What the hell is this?!)
Beelzebub's spawn—Būnbun, Ujiko, and Princess Fly—had undeniably been living calamities to Asura. Yet the pressure radiating from the crowned Fly God before his eyes was so overwhelming that it made those three look like mere children. Still, up to this point, it wasn't entirely baffling. After all, he hadn't stood a chance against its offspring alone.
There was no need to question the sheer power of the progenitor, Beelzebub. What he simply could not fathom was the black-haired child before whom Beelzebub and the others knelt. He couldn't sense even a speck of power from him. To Asura, he was a frail human who would shatter with a single tap. That Beelzebub—the very embodiment of despair—would submit to such utter small fry was entirely beyond belief.
"The sideshow is over."
The moment the black-haired youth quietly declared an end to the one-sided massacre, Beelzebub rose. Following suit, Princess Fly, the rest of Beelzebub's brood, and the swarming fly monsters stood and formed a wide perimeter around Asura and his men. Gone was their mocking playfulness from moments ago; their expressions had hardened into deadly seriousness, as though confronting destiny itself, their compound eyes glaring down at Asura.
(Is this where I die...?)
As the thought echoed in his mind, he realized he had accepted his defeat with surprising ease.
It made sense. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter who this black-haired man was. As long as Beelzebub—a being infinitely stronger than Asura—intended to slaughter him at the black-haired man's behest, the outcome was already sealed. What was more, the enemy had cast aside all arrogance and leisure, preparing to obliterate him with everything they had. Even if he devoted every fiber of his being to running away, escape was impossible.
"Giving up without even putting up a fight. In your current state, you are unworthy to inherit that person's wishes. I suppose it cannot be helped..."
Muttering those cryptic words with a tinge of melancholy, the black-haired man turned his back on Asura. Taking that as their cue—
"..."
Without a word, Beelzebub pointed the tip of the cane in his right hand toward Asura. Dense black battle aura erupted from Būnbun, Ujiko, and Princess Fly as they glared down at him, swirling into a vortex overhead.
As the tempest of aura raged, creaking fractures splintered across the chamber floor and walls.
(So they weren't taking this seriously at all...)
The desperate struggle that Asura and his men had waged with their lives on the line had been nothing more than child's play to them—a trivial amusement unworthy of their true strength.
Far from feeling any will to fight, he didn't even register shame or humiliation. He merely yielded to defeat, letting the tension drain from his body as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Just then—
"You little brat! Don't you dare give up so easily!"
Along with the roar of Asura's sworn brother, a right fist slammed squarely into his cheek. As Asura tumbled ungracefully across the stone floor, a hand seized him by the collar. Before his eyes stood Zenki, battered like a tattered rag, glaring down at him with the ferocity of a wrathful demon.
"Z-Zenki?"
Asura tried to ask what he meant, but—
"Who in the blazes are you?! Say it!"
Zenki barked, demanding an answer to something completely obvious.
"What are you talking about—"
"Weren't you our king, Asura?! Are you telling me that big talk about conquering the world before us was nothing but a lie?!"
"..."
Stunned by Zenki's explosive fury in the face of certain death, Asura was left at a loss for words.
"I might as well say it now! You've been the absolute worst lately! Six Great Generals, my foot! True evil, my foot! You're just a coward who can only throw punches at those weaker than yourself! To call yourself a true Ogre King is an absolute joke!"
Zenki spat the words with the rough familiarity of their past, only to drop to one knee and vomit a mouthful of blood.
"H-Hey, Zenki?!"
Asura reached out to steady him, but Zenki violently brushed his hand away.
"Listen to me, you brat! Do you think we followed your rotten self all the way to this day just to watch you grovel like a dog?! Hell no! If you're going to die, at least go out with some damn style, like the man you used to be!"
Slamming his fist against Asura's chest, Zenki let out a shout that shook the very air.
"A true Ogre King, huh... Come to think of it, I used to spout that kind of naive crap back in the day..."
In the past, when his life revolved entirely around endless battle, Asura had been far weaker than he was now. But in return, he had burned with more ambition than any other ogre. That had all changed after he suffered a crushing, total defeat at the hands of that Supreme Commander of Evil, who seized his soul and forced him into servitude. From that day on, becoming the embodiment of true evil was everything to Asura—his ultimate ambition.
—He began devouring the inferior beings known as humans, whom he had never cared about before.
—He learned to take pleasure in watching those inferior beings perish in agony and despair.
He had sprinted blindly down the path of wickedness, all to become true evil.
Yet thinking back on it now, it was all a hollow lie. No matter how much meat he devoured from inferior beings incapable of fighting back, it could never taste good. Tormenting the weak could never bring him true satisfaction. He had merely forced himself to believe it did. Asura was not that kind of ogre.
Above all, if he were the Asura of old who lived only for battle, a clash against overwhelming strength was something he would have craved with every fiber of his being. It was unthinkable that he would lose his will to fight simply because he was surrounded by strong foes.
That was right. Indeed—
"A coward who can only swing his fists at the weak, huh..."
It was just as Zenki said. The current Asura was truly pathetic. It was so disgraceful it made him sick to his stomach. The Asura of the past had a real purpose—a dream he was meant to achieve.
(That's right. Why did I ever forget?)
In the end, this world was ruled by the law of the jungle. Power was crushed beneath even greater power. That was the ultimate truth, an absolute rule binding every existence in this realm.
Yet there was a single exception. One solitary existence that stood beyond that absolute rule: the strongest, true king of this world. An untouchable entity residing beyond the very concept of strength.
—Stronger than all else,
—More selfish than all else,
—Championing the path of supremacy above all else,
—Freer than all else,
—And more kingly than all else.
The supreme, ultimate being whose legend was passed down through both good and evil alike. That was what Asura had fiercely admired, the ideal he had yearned for with all his heart.
"Are you still—"
Holding up a right hand to stop the fuming Zenki, Asura spoke.
"No, I'm good now. My bad. I remember."
Asura felt his expression shift into a fearless grin. Of course, he could never return to the innocent youth who had lived purely for the thrill of the fight. Even so, he felt he could at least put on a brave front and act the part.
"Hell yeah! That's the big bro we know!"
Battered and on the verge of collapse, Goki slapped Asura on the back, crying out in triumph as he drew his weapons.
Just as Asura raised his beloved blade and braced his core—
"Hmph! No matter how much small fry struggle, you are still small fry! Have you already forgotten that you were completely helpless against us?!"
Princess Fly's furious voice shook the hall as she took a heavy step forward. But then—
"I will take this."
The black-haired youth, who had turned his back until a moment ago, made his declaration with a composed smile.
"B-But, Great One—"
Princess Fly attempted to protest, but—
"It is de Gweat One's command. Obey it."
When Beelzebub rolled his compound eyes to glare at her—
"..."
Princess Fly snapped straight and bowed in deep submission.
"State your names."
Resting the naginata over his shoulder, the black-haired youth spoke plainly.
"One of the Six Great Generals—no, the Ogre Lord, Asura! Face me in fair combat!"
"Lord Asura's first retainer, Zenki!"
"His second retainer, Goki!"
Each roared their names with pride.
The black-haired youth curled the corner of his lips into a smile.
"I am Kai Heinemann. A swordsman. I recognize you as my enemies."
The moment he made that simple declaration, his aura transformed entirely, and the world's strongest monster revealed a mere glimpse of his true might.
—It was the very embodiment of the king of battle, the strongest being in history, whom Asura had spent his entire life searching for.