"I'm honestly surprised the man’s still breathing. Are you sure you finished the job?"
"I used Forbidden Magic to annihilate his very soul. Survival should have been impossible."
I answered Luciana’s dubious look with immediate, flat certainty.
I had killed Barulk with my own two hands.
Precisely because I was well-acquainted with the man's nature, I had been meticulous in taking his life.
I had reduced his body to atoms and incinerated the remains; no amount of regenerative power could have acted fast enough to save him. It was a mystery how he could still be alive. Even now, a part of me wanted to doubt it.
However, it was impossible for an impostor to claim Barulk’s name.
To do so would invite a lethal curse that killed without exception, regardless of whether the person was a stranger or a chosen successor. Power was imbued within the name itself. Barulk possessed a pathologically intense pride; he would never permit another to use his name.
In other words, the individual claiming the title this time was the genuine article. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the previous Demon King's Army.
Luciana stared at the ceiling in thought, a deep furrow appearing between her brows.
"Knowing Barulk, maybe he found some twisted technique to achieve resurrection?"
"It’s highly probable. He was an exceptionally cautious man."
Considering the circumstances of his death, I found it hard to believe he could have returned, but I had to face reality. Barulk was alive. He was a peerless Curse User. He likely had a hidden trump card prepared for the ultimate worst-case scenario.
I myself had persisted as an undead after my own execution. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility for something similar to have occurred with him.
"Well, at least we know for sure Barulk is the mastermind. No wonder we couldn't track him down."
Luciana spread her hands with a wry, ironic smile. She clearly harbored a deep loathing for the man.
"So, what’s the plan? Finding him is going to be like chasing a ghost."
"We will do what we can, but locating him is virtually impossible. We have no choice but to wait for him to make a move."
I gave her an honest assessment. Barulk possessed a stealth ability that bordered on the supernatural. He was the platonic ideal of an assassin. Searching for him would be an exercise in futility, and if I grew desperate in the hunt, I would only be handing him the opening he needed to strike.
On the other hand, Barulk was a man of specific obsessions. Most notably, he insisted on delivering the finishing blow to his enemies personally. In a conflict of this scale—a war between the Demon King's Domain and the Republic—his ultimate goal would be my head. The moment he feels victory is certain, Barulk will show himself to kill me.
Catching him in a counterattack at that exact moment would be the most efficient way to end this.
Luciana let out a long sigh. She gave an exaggerated shrug and began gathering the reports scattered across the desk.
"What do you think he’s actually after, doing all this?"
"In all likelihood, revenge against me."
"I can see that. He was always the type to hold a grudge until the end of time."
The recent string of attacks had been pointedly aimed at the Demon King's Domain. We were clearly an eyesore to him. I could feel his thirst for retaliation through his actions.
However, if revenge were his only motive, he wouldn't have chosen such a circuitous route. A Curse User of his caliber could have attempted a direct assassination. The fact that he went to the lengths of usurping an entire nation suggested a much grander design.
The Republic began its dealings with the Former Demon Territory years ago, during the period when I was not active as the Demon King. Revenge could not have been his initial objective.
As it stood, Barulk had secured a nation overrun by demons and magical beasts. Every single one of his subjects was now more powerful than a standard monster. It was a staggering military force. Even looking across the entire continent, such power was rarely concentrated in one place. In terms of individual combat prowess, even the current Demon King's Army couldn't compare. Barulk had painstakingly manufactured this army.
(...Is he planning to become the next Demon King?)
As I pondered, the possibility crystallized in my mind. Barulk had been utterly infatuated with the previous Demon King. In terms of sheer loyalty, he likely surpassed even Grom. He was a zealot, plain and simple. It wasn't far-fetched to think he intended to succeed his fallen idol.
Furthermore, Barulk surely knew my true identity. To a man like him, the idea of Dwight Harvelt—the Sage who ended the dark era—occupying the throne of the Demon King must be an intolerable blasphemy. I was the one who killed the master he worshiped, and I was the one who had destroyed him personally. He had every reason in the world to hate me.
Barulk likely intended to crush the current Demon King's Army and replace it with a new one composed of the Republic's transformed citizens. He probably developed the Magical Beast Drug for exactly that purpose. If he could mass-produce demons at will, he would never lack for military strength.
Once a person is turned into a demon, they can no longer live in human society. They become objects of fear, discrimination, and extermination. At best, they might be kept alive as experimental subjects. For those people, joining Barulk would be their only remaining choice for survival.
After killing me, Barulk would undoubtedly begin an invasion of the other nations. The dark era of ten years ago would be reborn. A global conflict between humanity and demons would erupt, and world peace would drift further out of reach.
By connecting these fragments of information, the full picture emerged. The Former Four Heavenly Kings member, Barulk, had turned the human population into monsters to bolster his ranks. He had seized the Republic to crown himself the next Demon King and now sought to eliminate the current administration. Ultimately, he meant to fulfill the previous Demon King's legacy by invading the human world.
That was likely the gist of it. While much of this was based on deduction and the details might vary, the broad strokes felt correct.
(This is a nightmare scenario, but I wonder... is the Will of the World behind this as well?)
The thought occurred to me suddenly. The Will of the World was a concept dedicated to my destruction. Thus far, it had manifested as sudden Hero Awakenings or the improbable success of enemy weapon development. The Great Spirit had called it Fate itself. I wondered if Barulk's resurgence was another gear turning in that machine.
I couldn't be sure. I didn't know where the natural world ended and the Will of the World began. Regardless, it was clear that Barulk's rampage had to be stopped.
At that moment, the doors to the Audience Chamber burst open. Grom rushed into the room, looking uncharacteristically panicked.
I spoke before he could get a word out.
"What has the Republic done?"
"Y-Yes! My Lord, the Republic has launched an invasion of the Demon King's Domain! A combined army of magical beasts and demons has begun simultaneous strikes against multiple cities!"
According to the report, a sudden surge of new magical beasts had appeared within our own borders. The Republican army had timed their incursion to exploit the resulting chaos. Even for a pre-planned operation, the execution was too flawless. They must have used some form of sorcery to mask their movements and bypass our spies.
"Demon King-sama, how shall we proceed...?"
"We intercept. We will grind them into the dirt with absolute force."
I answered Grom without a second of hesitation. There was only one path forward. The Demon King's Army would move to annihilate the approaching enemy. There was no need for mercy or restraint. I would use every ounce of power I possessed to erase them.
I retrieved the Keepsake Sword from its pedestal. Our opponent this time was a ghost of our own making—a relic of a dark legacy. He was an enemy worthy of this blade.
If I had failed to finish him before, I would make certain he stayed buried this time.
—And so, the war between the Demon King's Domain and the Republic began.