"Gasp... Gasp..."

Mason was walking.

His body half-dragged itself, leaking blood through the gaping wounds.

Gurgle...

His upper body, almost fatally injured, was still attempting to regenerate. However, the injuries were too severe for an easy recovery.

"Damn... This is tough as hell..."

Under normal circumstances, his injuries would have been fatal.

But the beastification serum he had taken twice before kept him in this world.

The serum granted him regenerative powers and vitality that exceeded human limits, forcibly healing his injuries and keeping him alive.

After taking a subterfuge pill tucked into his molar, feigning death, and seizing a moment when the guards were lax, he managed to escape.

And so, he arrived—

At the dungeon beneath the darkened lake, a source of evil from which monsters poured forth. The Lake Kingdom.

"Haah, Kuh..."

But he had reached his limit.

Though he had managed to arrive at his mission objective, his injuries were too severe. Mason collapsed, unable to walk any further.

Holding his intestines in place through the gaping wounds with trembling hands, Mason searched his pockets.

From his blood-soaked fingers, he pulled out a syringe filled with a blue liquid.

It was his last dose of beastification serum.

’Getting shot up twice in one day is insane enough, but three times...’

But what choice did he have?

He had come this far, and he was already past the point of no return.

"Ugh!"

Mason jammed the syringe into his neck.

Whoosh!

The serum rapidly flowed into his system, its effects manifesting instantly.

Creak, creeeeak...!

His muscles twisted, his limbs bulked up, and his wounds healed simultaneously.

"Kuh, Ah, Aaaaah...!"

A moment later, when the ’transformation’ had completed, what remained was no longer anything resembling a human—a hybrid beast.

The serum itself was a synthetic blend of various species, so its ultimate effect resulted in a form close to a chimera.

"At this rate, it’s not a beast..."

Looking down at his grotesquely elongated claws, Mason clicked his tongue.

"...It’s more like a monster."

Though his body had healed, his consciousness had become hazy.

Everything felt foggy, unclear. Yet Mason, gnawing on his own tongue, somehow managed to get up.

- Retrieve the Demon King.

That was the mission given to him by his master, Fernandez.

He remembered just that.

Mason was not a man of loyalty, and he didn’t necessarily agree with Fernandez’s ideals. However.

- Those who gather here in this special unit are those who can only offer their souls to achieve their goals.

Just as he had told Lucas.

The price for his damned soul had to be paid.

"This way... there’s already a trap set up..."

Muttering to himself, Mason moved his feet. His legs, now reversed at the joints, struggled to step forward.

Into the darkness.

Deeper into the darkness.

Towards the deepest darkness, where the Demon King resided.

For the fate of the empire, and for the future of all mankind.

***

The very heart of the Lake Kingdom.

Here stood a towering, pitch-black spire emanating darkness like a mist—the King’s Castle.

Gatekeeper demons maintained a constant vigil here, and one by one, the commanders of the Nightmare Legion arrived.

The council in front of the King.

A meeting presided over by the Demon King himself, a council of the rulers of the hell beneath the Lake Kingdom.

Creak!

Entry proceeded in order of rank, from the lowest first.

The first to enter was the Nightmare Legion Commander, ranked 10th, the Goblin God-King ’Kali-Alexander.’He was exceptionally tall for a goblin, but when compared to a normal human, his physique was clearly diminutive. He wore a leather armor wrapped around his body, a golden cape, and a helmet on his head.

This helmet was a bit peculiar; it was a fusion of a mask and a crown.

A face-covering mask was attached to the front of the helmet, and a pointed crown seamlessly affixed to the top.

"Kali-Alexander."

"Thank you for responding to the summons. Please enter."

The demon gatekeepers stepped aside, making way. The Goblin King gave a slight nod and entered the King’s Castle with a confident step.

Behind him, the demon gatekeepers murmured.

"Heh, a Goblin acting all high and mighty as a king."

"Shh! What if he hears you!"

"So what if he hears? He’s just a Goblin. At the bottom of the pecking order."

Kali-Alexander had heard every word of their conversation.

But he chose not to address their rudeness, silently proceeding inward.

The demon gatekeepers snickered.

"See? Goblins must be used to insults."

"Does he realize he doesn’t belong here? Tsk, tsk..."

Their mocking ceased when the next leaders of the Nightmare Legion appeared one by one.

Clomp, clomp.

With every step, seawater splashed from his waterlogged boots, the hem of his foul-smelling coat scraping the floor, and a phantom pirate sucking on a bottle of liquor appeared next.

Rank 8, Ghost Fleet Admiral ’Bernardt Poker’.

The ruler of all ghost-type and aquatic monsters, the demon gatekeepers stood up straight, their previous slouch gone.

"Bernardt Poker, Captain."

"Thank you for responding to the summons. Please enter."

Ignoring the gatekeepers, the ghostly admiral spat out a single word.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Is there booze inside?"

"..."

A brief silence followed.

"What kind of meeting is this if you’re not even going to serve alcohol, damn it..."

Muttering to himself, the phantom admiral staggered into the castle. The demon gatekeepers were left sweating in anxiety.

Following him was,

"No-no-no-no! I don’t wanna attend today’s meeting!"

"What idiocy is this, Succubus! What excuse could you possibly have to avoid a meeting directly summoned by the King of Kings!"

A succubi woman and a plague doctor were the next to appear.

Rank 7, ’Salome’.

Rank 4, Lord of Plague ’Raven’.

Salome was trying to escape, throwing a tantrum, while Raven forcibly dragged her along.

"My whole legion is wiped out, wiped out! How can I face the King of Kings now! He will be furious! Just let me run away, Raven, please? I promise to attend the next meeting properly!"

"Do you think your annihilated legion will miraculously come back to life next time? It’s better to face the music now. Let’s report truthfully to the King of Kings and beg for his mercy!"

"No-no-no-no! I don’t wanna get scolded!"

Whining like a child, Salome was finally dragged inside the King’s Castle by Raven.

The demon gatekeepers averted their eyes from this unsightly spectacle.

Next to arrive was a mage dressed in mysterious attire, as if he had come from an exotic eastern land.

Rank 3, High Priestess ’White Night’.

Dressed in a wide-sleeved robe and wearing a ceremonial hat adorned with small beads, her face was obscured by a large talisman attached to the hat.

The High Priestess didn’t even touch the ground, effortlessly floating in the air as she arrived at the entrance of the King’s Castle.

"Master White Night."

"Thank you for responding to the summons. Please enter."

In response to the gatekeepers’ hospitality, the High Priestess gave a slight nod and silently entered.

The aura of death that flowed around her made all the demon gatekeepers involuntarily gulp down their saliva.

Click, clack.

The next figure to appear was a familiar presence to the demonic gatekeepers.

Because she was their direct superior.

She was dressed in a lavish gown, wearing a mask that only covered her eyes, as if she were attending a masquerade ball.

Her skin bore the distinct red hue common to demons, and between strands of her cream-colored hair sprouted magnificent horns, reminiscent of a deer’s antlers.

She was the General of the demon legion responsible for serving as the direct royal guards to the Demon King in this Lake Kingdom.

Ranked second in the hierarchy, the commander of the demonic guardians, ’Cromwell’.

"We greet Your Excellency!""We greet Your Excellency!"

Snap!

As the gatekeepers saluted in unison, Cromwell, satisfied with her subordinates’ discipline, strode in with the click-clacking of her high heels.

"Let’s do well today, kids. Understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

After the demonic legion’s General disappeared within, all that was left was to await the arrival of the last one.

The faces of the gatekeepers were tense as they waited for the final commander of the Nightmare Legion. And soon, he revealed himself.

Thud. Thud.

Dressed in a refined black and white suit, with long black hair carelessly falling over his shoulders…

And eyes that shone like golden dragon orbs.

He assumed a human form, but his essence was that of a dragon.

Ranked first— the Black Dragon ‘Night Bringer’. (TL Note: I debated between calling him Night Bringar and this. Decided to go with this)

His impassive face blatantly conveyed his boredom with the world as he sauntered through the royal path into the King’s Castle.

The gatekeepers, as they had done with previous commanders, tried to greet him, but found themselves speechless.

"..."

"..."

They were choked up by the overwhelming presence exuded by the Dragon King.

Not giving a damn about whether the gatekeepers greeted him or not, the Black Dragon ambled into the King’s Castle and vanished from sight.

As he disappeared, the gatekeepers collectively exhaled in relief.magic

"His aura is truly on another level every time we see him..."

"Isn’t it disrespectful to even categorize him with the other commanders? What criteria does our King use?"

Murmurings among the gatekeepers soon ceased altogether.

Their commander— Cromwell, the commander of the demonic guardians, was peeking through the gate.

She let out a disapproving noise, and the gatekeepers immediately snapped to attention.

"Do it right, you slackers. Understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"Just try letting ’Nameless’ break through the main gate like before and tarnish my reputation. I’ll kill all of you."

A cold sweat trickled down the spines of the gatekeepers.

This was a different kind of sweat, one born from the tension of an actual, looming threat.

Cromwell, revealing her fangs, mimed slitting her throat with her finger before disappearing with the click-clacking of her high heels.

The demonic gatekeepers stood their ground without flinching.

After all, this was a routine they had performed ad nauseam over the past several centuries.

***

King’s Castle. Royal Reality.

Once again seated upon his throne, toying with the pieces on a chessboard, the Shadow King— the King of all monsters— greeted his subordinates with pleasure as they assembled.

"Welcome, my Nightmares."

The Demon King scanned the commanders seated at the table with his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Unfortunately, our numbers have decreased."

Ranked 9th, Lunared.

Ranked 6th, Orlop.

Ranked 5th, Celendion.

Three Nightmare Legion commanders had fallen, all at the hands of a single human.

The seven remaining Nightmare Legion commanders all knew the name of their adversary.

Ash—

The opponent to the Demon King, and the guardian of the human world they were tasked with annihilating.

"Let’s cut to the chase. The next ’Great Offensive’ is soon."

The Demon King, crossing his legs and interlocking his fingers, spoke in a relaxed tone.

"And this time, we must utterly destroy the humans."

"..."

"I’ve pondered quite a while on who would be trustworthy enough to handle this task."

The commanders of the Nightmare Legion quickly exchanged glances.

The Demon King would entrust the annihilation of humans to who?

That would be...

’Obviously me, right?’

...They all had the same thought.

"The one who will participate in this grand operation is..."

The Demon King slowly raised his hand, sweeping it across the assembled monstrous kings seated at the table,

"You."

He pointed his fingertip at one among them, singling them out.

--TL Notes--

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