Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 135: Meeting Monarchs
As always, up to 18 chapters ahead of schedule are up at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
I paused as I made to approach their group.
Space was warping around us.
It was rather subtle at first, but quickly escalated into a visible distortion. It looked pretty cool, sort of like reality was distorting into a single point. Though, in reality, it was just a whole lot of mana condensing and swirling into a single point.
I wonder if they do that intentionally to look cool? If so, I approve.
The Hunters immediately turned towards it in shock.
"Th-That's!" Ma Dongwook, the Tank, shouted.
"A Gate." Sung Jin-Woo muttered grimmly.
I glanced at the Hunters, curious about what they would do now. One by one, they backed away, gravitating in my direction with wary glances and uncertain eyes. Interesting. It seemed I'd managed to win over more trust than I thought.
Apparently, reviving a loved one was a surefire way to fast-track someone from "scary demon guy" to "trusted individual." Well that was the entire reason behind what I did, so this was only going to make things easier for me.
I preferred this over just showing up and taking what I wanted from the helpless mortals. Did I have a god complex?
I probably did.
The vortex of mana quickly stabilized, taking on the form of what I assume was a Gate. It didn't look like the portals I was used to, but it was similar in application, though a bit more powerful than most forms of teleportation I had seen.
"Well it seems like we aren't done yet." I said with a short laugh.
This wasn't something I recall happening in canon, but that was a good thing as far as I was concerned. It would be a bit too boring if things went the exact same.
The atmosphere around us shifted as the mana in the air grew denser and heavier by the second. I was mostly controlling my power output, releasing just enough to pressure the Hunters, but nothing that would actually cause them any mental distress. Whoever was coming through the Gate, however, wanted exactly that.
I watched as the Gate fully shimmered into existence in the center of the cavern, folding Space in on itself.
I restrained my senses to keep some of the surprise about who it was that was coming, though I did log the coordinates of the other end of the portal since I'm guessing the chaos world would be beyond the Gate.
In this world's cosmology, the chaos world was essentially the equivalent of the Daemon Realm in this world. It was where the Monarchs had been primarily operating from and was filled with different kinds of Monsters as well as sentient species and settlements.
I raised a brow as a shadow moved from within the gate. A single leg emerged first, pale blue and wrinkled, and the temperature dropped instantly.
The shift was immediate, frost spread over the stones beneath our feet, and the Hunter's breath crystallized in midair. Even the mana seemed to slow, sluggish under the weight of the sudden cold.
I protected the camera from getting frozen solid. I was curious about what would happen if the world learned about the Monarchs and the upcoming war sooner rather than later.
Streaming this whole thing would be the best way to get it across that things weren't as simple as they seemed and maybe save some lives through minimal effort on my part.
Plus, I could have a nice introduction to the wider population, I was going to be sticking around for a little while, and things would be easier if people understood my position.
The figure that stepped through first carried a rather odd presence. It was as if his very existence excluded coldness. His Aura was tainted in that direction as well.
I suppose that is the Monarch of Frost then.
He looked different from a manhwa panel, of course, but his looks were still hard to mistake. He had wrinkled icy blue skin, a muscular physique, white hair, and a pair of blank eyes that looked at our group with amusement. Though his gaze remained on me once he noticed me.
There was a small but malicious smile on his face. I ignored him to look at the other two who followed him through the portal.
The other Hunters were barely managing to stay on their feet, the cameraman was already on his knees as the Monarch of Frost's Aura weighed everyone down.
I could protect it from them, but this would be a good experience for them, even Sung Jin-Woo, who looked constipated.
It really was not his day. From what I recall, he really liked to be prepared for anything and only ever took any action when he was confident in his success. I'm sure his System scanned Sillad and has told him just how out of his league the current Monarch of Frost is.
And if I'm remembering right, the Monarch of Frost isn't even at full power right now. For that they needed to fully manifest themselves, which would also transform their physical form.
Just like how Spiritual Lifeforms needed to fully manifest in the Cardinal World to be at full power.
From behind the Monarch of Frost, two more Monarchs appeared. The first was a large and muscular young looking man with tan skin, glowing yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and wild black hair.
Going by the beastly feel his Aura was giving off, it was probably a safe bet to assume that was the Monarch of Fangs. His Aura was actually similar to Carrion's, though it was far more potent than Carrion's.
Then finally, the last was one I hadn't really seen before. I only remember a few snippets of him. The last Monarch looked like an elderly man with gray hair, light red eyes, and a red blob-like symbol on his torso.
His outfit was also rather odd. He wore a tattered blackish-purple hooded cloak, a pale yellow bone-like mask over his mouth, and two metallic horn-like objects extending from his upper back.
His robe seemed to be layered with a multitude of enchantments, all meant to enhance him in some way.
The last one was the Monarch of Transfiguration; his abilities were mostly unknown to me.
I'm honestly surprised Ashborn or his System hasn't transported him away yet. From what I understood, he was a cautious type of person.
- Ashborn (Shadow Monarch) -
As he dwelled in his successor's soul, Ashborn let out a long sigh.
He had hoped for more time.
He turned his attention to the architect of his System. "Kandiaru." He conveyed through the mental link. "Unlock Shadow Transfer. Get my vessel and his allies out of there. Now."
He wasn't ready for the Monarchs to sense him. Not yet. Not while he was still bound in this half-existence of sorts. He was too weak at the moment. The Monarchs would ruin his successor in the blink of an eye, and he'd rather not forcefully incarnate himself if he didn't have to.
They would realize either way after the Shadow Transfer took place, but they wouldn't realize his and his successor's current state, which was what he cared about.
Kandiaru hesitated. "But... Lord Ashborn, if I may, shouldn't this be the moment? Reveal yourself. Rally them. Strike fear into your old enemies!" Kandiaru responded back.
Ashborn's voice turned cold. "Now is not the time to reveal myself, Kandiaru. I will not expose myself to my peers in this weakened form. Do as I command."
It was an excuse, of course. He merely did not believe his chosen successor was ready to be exposed to the Monarchs; they were far above what he was capable of handling at this point.
He had already decided to fully pass on and join the Absolute Being; he merely needed to wait until Sung Jin-Woo was ready to handle the brunt of his overwhelming power. It was merely easier for Kandiaru to be convinced that his pride was the reason he wished to leave.
"Ah, of course, Lord Ashborn! I should have considered such a thing!" Kandiaru quickly responded, likely sensing how impatient he was getting with him.
He still thought Ashborn was one of them.
Still loyal to the Monarchs.
Which was foolish seeing as Antares ordered two of them to attack him while he was weakened from a battle, though he supposed not many knew of that fact.
Kandiaru's entire reason for serving him was due to his mortality. He reached out to Ashborn in search of immortality, something that Ashborn could give as the King of the Dead, and so Kandiaru began serving him with the end goal of attaining immortality.
- Felix -
"So you are the one." The Monarch of Transfiguration, Yogumunt, said as he eyed me.
Each of the Monarchs completely ignored the existence of the other Hunters, which was pretty funny seeing as the successor of one of the strongest among them was standing next to me.
"You'll have to be more specific there bud." I said with a yawn to the Monarch of Transfiguration.
The Hunters all looked at me with shock, the Monarch's were also quickly getting angry with my attitude. "Uhm, Sir, perhaps taunting them isn't the best move." Min Byung-Gyu, the guy I revived grunted with worry as he struggled to even remain on his feet due to the pressure.
Interestingly enough, he retained his abilities as a Healer and his connection with his Angel was immediately restored, though I imagine that got the attention of his connected Angel. Perhaps I should be expecting the interference of the Rulers then.
I'm sure his Angel was rather shocked at the death and then revival of its vessel.
Min Byung-Gyu seemed to have a rather high opinion of me, which was natural as well.
Each of the Hunters were on their knees now, even Jin-Woo was struggling to stay standing in the presence of three Monarchs, and they weren't even trying to pressure them, the majority of the Aura was focused on me. They were just feeling the wisps.
I could sense Min Byung-Gyu's concern for everyone, even me surprisingly. He really was a sweetheart.
"It's fine." I waved him off, though I raised a brow as I did so as Jin-Woo's shadow expanded, immediately sucking everyone but me in. In the group's place was a lone Shadow, one of Jin-Woo's fodder ones, going by its power level.
I could have stopped them, but I didn't. Though I did quickly grab the camera with telekinesis. I had use for it after all.
"It's about time that happened."
The Monarch's ignored my words as they looked at the place where the shadow teleportation happened with widened eyes. The Shadow seemed about ready to shit itself under all four of our gazes. Poor guy.
It looked around with practically teary eyes before looking at me, seemingly realizing I was its only hope at continued survival. I rolled my eyes and snapped my fingers, teleporting it to where Jin-Woo and the other Hunters were. I did record the other side's coordinates, after all.
"Was that?" The Frost Monarch muttered.
The Monarch of Fangs let out a toothy grin. "It seems he's back then."
"But why did he take those Humans away?" The Monarch of Transfiguration asked.
"He has his reasons." The Monarch of Frost quickly responded. "We can think more about Ashborn's return after dealing with this… pest."
"Ghaha, and to think you were worried, Yogumunt." The Monarch of Fangs said to the Monarch of Transfiguration.
"I would have assumed that one capable of breaking into our universe would be more of a threat." Yogumunt said with some humor. "But as the Humans say, it seems this is overkill."
"Ah, so that's why you got here so quickly." I hummed.
They sensed the spatial disturbance my arrival caused; that hasn't happened before. In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, no one is quite as in tune with space or the world that they could sense something like that. My Planeswalker was meant to be used within the Cardinal World's limits, so it didn't really cause any disturbances there.
The Monarch of Frost stepped forwards, the ground freezing and cracking at his every step as he pressed his Aura down on me further. Before, he was only letting a trickle of his power leak out, but now he was using all of the power that he could in his current form. "I'll handle him." Sillad said with a malicious grin. His white eyes began to glow as he approached.
I was rather curious where this would go. As he approached me, I telekinetically floated the camera upwards so it could capture the entire scenario in a wide-angle view.
'Make sure to record my good angles!'
"Of course, Master." Came Othinus's amused reply.
Othinus had long since made sure that the broadcast would actually be broadcasted to the world. This was my reveal to the world after all! It had to have some style to it. Plus, a part of me thought it would be funny to out aura farm the aura farmer himself.
If left as is, the people in power would no doubt shut it down to prevent panic, to retain their power, etc etc; there were tons of reasons. Hell, they might blame it on those damn gas leaks!
And while Othinus wasn't really an AI, she could act like one in a world filled with technology like this. She had an intellect that none could match. She had so much accumulated knowledge, even on modern things since I analyzed a couple dozen libraries in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
Programming was child's play for someone like her and I with our computational power.
One by one, she accessed the satellites orbiting the Earth, repurposing their feeds, piggybacking on high-frequency broadcasts, cutting into live news streams and entertainment programming, though plenty were already watching the live stream before I popped in.
Everything from late-night dramas in Seoul to breakfast shows in London, from classroom projectors in Tokyo to Times Square's massive screens, every major device with a screen would get the show.
I smiled as the ice in the air grew sharper. The Monarch of Frost was only a few paces away now, each step leaving behind a web of cracking frost, his presence blanketing the area. With each step he took, the cavern frosted over more and more.
He stopped a few steps in front of me, his malicious smile never leaving, at this point the entire cavern was frozen solid, even Beru and the Ant Queen.
I'm 99% sure Sillad is aura farming. If he wanted, he could freeze the entire cavern and the air inside it in an instant. Hell, he could probably reduce the temperature down to absolute zero just as easily, but instead it was getting colder with each step he took and more ice spread over time as well.
He was totally aura farming. I could respect it. When one was so powerful, you needed to find new ways to entertain yourself. I was a victim to this; this entire trip was due to that, in fact.
I'd have to recover Beru's body soon though, it would be a tragedy if he wasn't born.
"Yogumunt and Antares seem to think you could be of use to us." He tilted his head. "You seem to be close enough to a Demon, so you will fit in quite nicely with our subordinates. If that ability of yours can be controlled, even better then. Once the Rulers are dealt with, more entertainment will be needed."
Rakan chuckled. "What he means to say is join us and serve our interests or die." He said as he crossed his arms with a smirk. I could tell he was looking at me as if I were a lesser being, which I expected.
The three Monarchs in front of me were pretty strong all things considered.
Sillad, the Monarch of Frost, had an EP of around 2,100,000. Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs, was around 1,800,000. Then Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration, was at 1,900,000. This is when they aren't fully incarnated; I imagine their EP would spike by around a million when they fully incarnate, though their vessels would likely soon collapse after that.
Sillad laughed. "I would not put it like that, but yes, Rakan is correct. Submit or die."He spoke, his Aura continuing to press down on me.
It was getting cold enough that the frost would be able to affect metaphysical things now, like the soul.
His current Aura would crush even a seasoned Enlightened in an instant, and debilitate Saints.
My lips twitched at his words. "It's not often that I genuinely get angry, but you really just aren't likeable, are you?"
Sillad raised a brow. "Hoh. Perhaps Yogumunt is right; someone who feels at ease with bantering in this situation is either confident, or an utter fool."
I didn't bother responding. I just smiled as I let loose my Demon Lord's Haki.
Demon Lord's Haki wasn't like Aura, so the effects of it were different, but it served my current purpose.
The air vibrated as the moment my Haki met his Aura there was a large explosion of energy. Space warped as flickers of red and black energy materialized into existence around us, the telltale sign of Demon Lord's Haki.
Cracks began to spiderweb through the frozen stone beneath my feet as my Haki collided with Sillad's frost-laced Aura.
Sillad's smirk faltered. Just slightly. His expression stiffened as he instinctively pulled some of his power back, sensing the alien nature of my Haki; it was a pretty unique feeling after all.
"Submit or be broken." Sillad grunted as he pressed down on me with a renewed persistence.
Above Jeju Island the weather was going haywire according to my senses.
The ground behind me fissured, and the caverns shook with a rumble. The ice coating the walls immediately evaporated from my spiritual power.
All the lesser entities littered on the island immediately collapsed under my Haki; mostly bugs as the Ants hunted most lifeforms that could serve as actual food. My Haki could likely even be felt far, far away, though I wasn't going all out so it shouldn't do much to the people who were far enough away. Not to mention the barrier I placed.
"This!"
Wind twisted around us as Sillad's smug demeanor wavered as his power met mine in open conflict, no longer pressing down on me unopposed. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a flicker of disbelief crossed his face.
I wasn't releasing enough Haki to completely blow his Aura away, but it was more than enough for now.
Rakan snarled, his bestial features contorting. "You dare posture against us?" He stepped forward, his claws flexing, a feral grin exposing rows of teeth.
Is this a cultivation novel? Who actually says something like "you dare"?
Though I wonder if I could make anything good out of his teeth? They must be at least Legendary Grade materials. Maybe I could gift Carrion a new weapon made of them.
"Careful, Rakan." Yogumunt spoke calmly, though I could tell he was getting rather curious. "Our friend here may have only revealed a portion of their strength. We have not been able to sense this level of power within him before. To leap before understanding may yield… regrettable results."
I raised a brow at his surprisingly intelligent words, though I didn't take my eyes off Sillad's eyes which were beginning to glow an even brighter shade, though now I could see some interest in them, but he still wasn't worried at all, which was fair. There were three of them and one of me.
He slowly withdrew his Aura from the surroundings, I followed along and reigned mine in as well, curious where he'd take this now.
"It seems we may have underestimated you then." Sillad said with an amused smile. "You may just be one of the most powerful individuals in the Chaos World bar us."
"Are you going somewhere with this?" I asked in boredom. I either wanted the fight to start, or for them to leave me alone.
"Of course, of course." Sillad said, with much more toleration than before, surprisingly.
Oddly enough, he was beginning to look at me as a peer, which made no sense seeing as, in his eyes, I should be weaker than him still.
Was he bipolar? Was it possible for Monarchs to be bipolar? I mean they are Spiritual Lifeforms; I suppose anything is possible.
"You are rather powerful, strong enough for even we Monarchs to take notice of you." Sillad began with a smile. "You are some kind of Demon, no?" He asked.
I shrugged. "Close enough to that."
"Wonderful." Sillad said with a full toothed smile. "We Monarchs are sovereigns over our respective races, and hold a unique position in this universe. We are the most powerful beings in existence."
I stifled a snort at his words.
"I am Sillad, the Monarch of Frost, and my companions are Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs, and Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration."
I raised a brow. "I'm Felix." It was only proper to at least give my name.
He then went on to give a bit of an info dump on the history of the Monarchs and Rulers, the war between them, how they were created, their objectives, and everything.
I already knew mostly everything, but the reason I was allowing him to go on and on was because of the broadcast. It was better to directly hear the true reality of things live from one of the strongest enemies they would have.
Either the Monarchs didn't know what the camera was or they just didn't care.
Once Sillad finished, I could tell he was finally leading up to his main point. "Two of our numbers are either dead or gone. Legia, the Monarch of the Beginning, and… Baran, the Monarch of White Flames and the King of Demons."
"Ah." I nodded in realization as I realized where he was going with this. "You want me to join you and become the new King of Demons."
Rakan and Yogumunt were both looking at me with smiles now. Rakan seemed eager for a fight, while Yogumunt was looking at me with renewed interest.
It really was quite odd how quickly their moods and feelings about me could change. Rakan was a moment from trying to tear my head off earlier, but once I won his respect, he was far more tame; kinda like Carrion to be honest.
Sillad nodded with a small grin. "Not only that, the Priest of the Monarch of White Flames has been looking for a new Monarch candidate for quite some time. I believe you would be capable of ascending to the same position as Baran, and becoming the new Monarch of White Flames, as well as the King of Demons."
That's a thing?
Sillad seemingly took my expression of doubt as something else as he quickly elaborated. "After Baran's untimely demise, many Demons were merged into our own ranks. However, I am certain that once a proper Monarch for them arises, they will be given back to you as your loyal subjects."
"How would one become a Monarch?" I asked out of curiosity. I hadn't heard of this before, which was rather exciting.
Sillad smiled, as if my acceptance was a sure thing now. Rakan and Yogumunt had a similar glint in their eyes. For a bunch of sociopathic dimension destroyers, they really were quite happy that I would be joining them, or at least in their minds I was joining them.
I suppose they wanted to take advantage of my abilities to defeat the Rulers once and for all, which was why they were so happy. My ability to travel between pretty much any dimension was rather attractive to them. They could use Gates to travel around, but it wasn't perfect, or they'd take the fight straight to the Rulers.
"One must venture to the Sea of the Afterlife, a spiritual dimension where the dead arrive after their deaths. There they merely exist in a void, floating around as nothing for the rest of eternity." Sillad began.
Now Yogumunt stepped forwards. "I am more educated on this aspect, so I shall continue." He said as Sillad took a step back.
I had already closely analyzed all three of the Monarchs here, including what direction their powers were more focused in. Sillad used ice, Rakan was a more close combat fighter, while interestingly enough, Yogumunt's Aura was harder to read. The closest I could compare it to was Gadra; his Aura wasn't leaning in a specific direction.
Most people's Aura over time began to skew towards their affinities. For me it was Space, Lalatina's was almost corruptive, Arcueid's could scare others to the point of death, and so on.
Sillad and Rakan's Auras were the same, however Yogumunt's was not. The only real reason for this is if the person didn't specialize in anything in particular and was more of an all-rounder, like Gadra.
That told me that Yogumunt was likely a more magic-based fighter, and likely a scholar since learning magic did require intense amounts of research, and I believed that was true across dimensions.
He was someone to be a bit careful of, even more than the others since sorcerers could whip out bullshit left and right. Though I wasn't incredibly worried; it was just something interesting to take note of. Being confident in myself was one of my dominating character traits for a reason.
"Once at the Sea of the Afterlife, you must venture to the roots of the World Tree." Yogumunt began.
"The World Tree?"
Yogumunt nodded. "The World Tree is the center of this universe, all the branching dimensions are connected to it."
"That's quite interesting, I'd like to see it." I hummed.
Yogumunt smiled, which looked really off putting. "I am glad the newest of our number is one who seeks knowledge."
"Uh huh."
"Once at the roots of the World Tree, you will find an eight-headed serpent, Nidhogg. It contains the power to birth new Monarchs, so long as the conditions are met. You must cut off the head associated with the Monarch of White Flames, this will grant you the primordial darkness of the Monarch of White Flames, ascending you to the status of Monarch." Yogumunt finished.
"That's pretty neat." So it was basically a throne of sorts that was bestowed, and with that throne came the power of being a Monarch. The only question was, is the power granted only applicable in the local universe, or does the power remain outside of it?
I imagine the power would remain, but it was still worth looking into.
Yogumunt nodded. "Indeed, the wonders the Absolute Being created are still incomprehensible to me."
"You gonna join us or not? Having a full roster will make the war even easier than last time." Rakan grunted impatiently.
I didn't say anything for a few moments, for suspense of course. I slowly made my way over to Beru, the Monarchs not blocking my way. I placed a palm against him and sucked him up into my Infinity Space before turning around to face the three Monarchs.
"Monarch of White Flames huh? It's a cool title I suppose, but I'm way cooler than some bum who got no diff'd by the Shadow Monarch, I'm already a Demon Lord, I don't need your title." I said with an easy going smile. "I came to this universe to relax a bit, enjoy life and whatnot, not to mention I was a bit curious about your creator. Plus, the Humans here seem pretty interesting. I'd like to watch them a bit, maybe even help them if the Rulers bribe me or something."
I wasn't opposed to helping the Humans of this universe. Despite the many disadvantages Humans had in this multiverse when compared to other races, it was always quite something when they stood up against the odds and still succeeded.
At times like those, I could understand the "Humanity, fuck yeah" mindset, even if I didn't regret the choices I made.
All three of the Monarchs froze, as if my very words were completely alien to them, which was understandable. Not many if any would reject the offer they just gave me after all.
"...How unfortunate. I would have thought you would be intelligent, it seems I was incorrect. One such as you is no longer deserving of the title of Monarch." Sillad said coldly, his voice no longer amused, only filled with contempt and disappointment.
I think I hurt his feelings.
Then, he took a single step forward. The moment his foot touched the ground, there was a loud crack. His Aura, no longer restrained, surged outward with a far greater pressure than before.
In the blink of an eye, the entirety of Jeju Island was consumed by his ice. The mountains, forests, even the bedrock beneath us were all crystallized into ice in an instant.
I could hear the ocean almost groan as it was overtaken by Sillad's Aura, vast swathes of water flash-freezing mid-wave.
The sea life around was already long dead due to the Ants, but if any did remain, they would have all been frozen in an instant as well.
His ice was a bit beyond even the basic definition of cold. The ice he was releasing now was enough to freeze even True Demon Lords if they weren't careful.
It would have engulfed the entire eastern sea if it weren't for the barrier I placed once the Hunters teleported away. This barrier was also laced with my own Haki to strengthen it further since my barriers were no longer as absolute as they once were with my limited power in this body.
I could sense the edge of Sillad's power meeting my barrier, but the frost climbing against it was unable to pass.
Even still, the sheer pressure he was releasing cracked the clouds above us, blotting out the sun with falling frost and a newly conjured blizzard.
Just his Aura alone was reshaping the climate.
"Alright, now that's pretty cool." I admitted.
Sillad's eyes twitched at my lack of seriousness.
"So you have chosen death." Rakan growled as he unleashed his own Aura.
His presence surged outward in a surge of bloodlust, I could feel the intent he infused in his Aura, but I easily ignored the effects.
Yogumunt interestingly took a step back, not doing some grandiose flexing of his power or anything.
"Well since you showed me yours, it's only right that I show you mine."
- Sung Jin-Woo -
He gasped as he swapped positions with one of his patrolling Shadows. He saw that he received a new quest but he ignored it for the time being.
"What just happened!?" Lim Tae-Gyu yelled as he looked around in panic.
"Are we back in Korea?" Choi Jong-In asked with interest.
Jin-Woo slowly nodded. "We are."
He hadn't been the one to activate Shadow Exchange. In fact, it was still on cool down.
That gave him even more reason to believe that there is someone behind his power; someone intelligent and with a goal for him. Nothing came free in this world, and he should have realized that long ago.
He thought what he went through in the Double Dungeon would be enough, but for what he had now, he would go through it a hundred times more, so clearly it was not enough.
But he would think more about that later. He looked to Hunter Ma Dongwook who was still holding Cha Hae-In.
"We need to get her to a hospital."
Hunter Choi Jong-In nodded. "Leave her to me, you guys inform the Chairman of what happened." Hunter Choi said as he leaped away, presumably to a hospital.
Cha Hae-In should not be in critical danger anymore, but it was always good to have the experts check her.
Slowly, the A Rank Hunter who was responsible for broadcasting raised his hand. "Uhm, the Chairman might already be aware. I resumed the stream right when the Demon showed up."
All of them looked at the cameraman with shock who just looked away in embarrassment.
"During that time… your first thought was to begin streaming again?" Baek Yoonho asked with shock.
The cameraman nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Aha, a paycheck is a paycheck."
"We're getting distracted, I'm going to check on my family." Sung Jin-Woo told everyone.
"But the Chairman–" Lim Tae-Gyu began before he cut him off.
"I don't care about the Chairman right now; my family is more important."
He bent his legs slightly before leaping upwards, launching off of the ground as he headed for his family's home.
He could feel the other Hunters trailing behind him, though the cameraman went off in a different direction.
Hunter Baek Yoonho quickly caught up. "Do you mind if we accompany you? I will inform the Chairman of our position so he can pick us up after you check on your family."
"Do what you want." He responded. He couldn't bring himself to speak much right now; his mind was still on what had just happened.
Baek put some distance between them, tapping into his comms. "Chairman, Jin-Woo and the rest of us are safe. We've returned to Korea. There's... a lot to report. We are going to Sung Jin-Woo's home."
The Chairman and Baek quickly conversed. He overheard that all the Ants that had fled the island were somehow taken care of, which was a relief.
"He'll meet us at Hunter Sung's home shortly." Baek shouted to their group as he finished the call.
They all nodded as he considered everything that had happened.
First he was happy after having killed the Ant King as he had termed the Ant he fought. The Ant Queen's corpse was also there, so he could have revived both as his Shadows, and both would have likely been his strongest Shadows to date.
And then that white haired Demon showed up and complicated things. Thankfully, he didn't seem hostile. He was overwhelmingly powerful. Trying to fight him would have been a dead end for them; he knew that.
In fact, the Demon seemed to be almost friendly with them. He eyed Min Byung-Gyu who was following behind him, as were all the other S Rankers other than Cha Hae-In and Choi Jong-In.
Baek Yoonho caught where his gaze was going. "Reviving the dead, huh? I guess this world of ours is just getting crazier and crazier."
Jin-Woo nodded, understanding where he was coming from. Even his ability couldn't completely revive the dead like what that Demon did.
He thought he was strong now; strong enough to protect what mattered to him, but in the end he was arrogant. He was far from strong enough, not yet.
That Demon, and those other three people who somehow came out of a Gate, similar to a Dungeon Break. Those three beings were monstrously powerful, each one individually was releasing more Aura than the Demon was, and there were three of them.
He could only hope the Demon was alright. He more than others knew that one's race didn't determine who they were. Esil showed him that. Not to mention the Demon had helped them enormously; he revived one of the greatest losses of the Jeju Island raid, their Healer.
Perhaps he should check on Esil later, in fact. Maybe she had heard of the Demon?
Before long, they reached the condo he lived in. He leaped up to the floor his home was on and immediately opened the door.
The moment the door opened he was tackled by Jinah. "Jin-Woo! You're okay!"
He could see his mother sighing in relief from the couch, though what attracted his attention the most was what she was watching.
How is Jeju Island still being streamed? And from that angle too, it was as if someone else was now streaming what was happening.
He shook his head. He could think about that later. He wrapped his arms around his sister and pulled her in tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of home. "It's alright, I'm here, Jinah."
For a moment, everything that happened faded from his head as he just enjoyed the company of his family.
"Ah! You brought guests, Jin-Woo." His mom said, rushing to him. She planted a quick kiss on his cheek before looking at the Hunters.
He nodded in respect to them for staying back and watching respectfully.
"Come in, come in." She said.
"Thank you ma'am." Min Byung-Gyu said as he walked in, followed by everyone else. It was a rather amusing sight having to see Ma Dongwook duck under the door frame.
He took a seat on the couch, his eyes not straying from the broadcast. The other Hunters similarly took seats at the couch and were watching the stream with single minded focus.
"You think he'll be alright?" Min Byung-Gyu asked as they watched the beginning of the confrontation between the Demon and the three unknown beings that came out of the gate.
"He is strong, there is no doubt about that. He revived you, something in the domain of the gods. Even Alex Ward couldn't do that."
Alex Ward… the National Rank Hunter that was solely focused on being a Healer.
Reviving the dead. That made him think of his father. Was it possible?
He shook his head, he could think of that more later.
They had already missed some of the confrontation, but no fight had happened yet. Jinah took a seat next to him. She didn't say anything, realizing how important this moment was.
"Yogumunt seems to think you could be of use to us." The being with wrinkled skin and white hair said. "You seem to be close enough to a Demon, so you will fit in quite nicely with our subordinates. If that ability of yours can be controlled, even better then. Once the Rulers are dealt with, more entertainment will be needed."
He blinked in confusion.
"What are they talking about?" Lim Tae-Gyu asked.
"When you guys weren't here they said something about the handsome white haired guy breaking into this universe from another one." Jinah said in mild confusion. "They were also pretty shocked about your Shadow teleportation thing too."
He nodded, deciding to keep that in mind.
"What he means to say is join us and serve our interests or die." The more beastly looking man said with a grin.
"I would not put it like that, but yes, Rakan is correct. Submit or die." The moment the man with blue skin said that, it was as if the entire scene had changed, they could feel it through the broadcast.
They watched as the camera went higher and showed that the entire cavern was entirely frozen now.
The Demon and the blue skinned man conversed further, before all of a sudden the environment on Jeju Island seemed to shift again, something they could feel through the stream.
They watched with awe as some sort of Aura was released off of the Demon, there was a massive explosion of energy as the Demon's Aura met the blue skinned man's Aura.
Flickers of red and black energy were materializing around them. The camera went higher again to showcase the effects on Jeju Island. The island was in shambles, even more than before.
It was practically frozen solid, trees were uprooted, buildings were even more destroyed. The weather seemed to be warping around the island,
"Aha, I don't think we'll be putting Jeju Island to use anytime soon." Min Byung-Gyu said with a nervous laugh.
The Demon and the blue skinned man continued to use their Auras to pressure one another, but not doing anything else. The other two beings who came to the portal mostly stayed out of it as well other than a few words.
"This level of power… it might be beyond the National Hunters." Baek Yoonho said grimmly.
"That man casually froze an entire island without even trying; definitely National Hunter-level." Lim Tae-Gyu said. "Thankfully, it seems the other guy is also at least that strong, but there are three of them."
He paused his watching as his mom brought snacks from the kitchen. "Here you go boys, eat up!"
His eyes twitched as Baek Yoonho laughed. "Thank you ma'am."
He sighed as he looked back at the screen. "It seems we may have underestimated you then. You may just be one of the most powerful individuals in the Chaos World bar us."
"The Chaos World?" He murmured. "Have any of you heard of that place?" He asked the S Rank Hunters.
All of them shook their heads.
The white haired Demon and the blue skinned man continued to talk, this time in a much more relaxed manner.
"You are rather powerful, strong enough for even we Monarchs to take notice of you."
"Monarchs? What are those?" Ma Dongwook asked.
Baek Yoonho shrugged. "I assume they don't mean in the traditional sense."
"We Monarchs are sovereigns over our respective races, and hold a unique position in this universe. We are the most powerful beings in existence." The blue skinned man continued to explain.
"The most powerful beings in existence?" Lim Tae-Gyu said nervously.
None of them said anything but they all felt similarly. Each of the people being streamed currently were monstrously powerful, he could believe it.
"I am Sillad, the Monarch of Frost, and my companions are Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs, and Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration."
"I-I think this might be a bit above our paygrade." Lim Tae-Gyu said with a nervous laugh.
"I'm Felix." The white-haired Demon said.
He didn't say anything, but Jin-Woo felt similar. All of a sudden he was being confronted with the true dangers that lurked out there.
He thought that maybe, with time, he could come to match those monstrous National Level-Hunters, but even that may not be enough?
Just what was their world coming to?
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. We get to see the initial confrontation between Felix and the Monarchs. If you all are wondering why they became so accommodating, it's simply because he was a new Monarch candidate, they had been lacking a Monarch of White Flames for a super long time, so why wouldn't they be a bit happy they got a new one, which strengthens their forces.
Not to mention Felix was an opportunity to take the fight directly to the Rulers, maybe winning once and for all, which is something all the Monarchs want after so many time loops.
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax
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