The Demon Realm.
A forbidden domain that not just anyone in the Demon Realm could enter.
An emergency meeting of the Great Demons was convened.
Great Demons who had been scattered throughout the Demon Realm gathered in one place.
Baal, Mammon, Mephisto, Belphegor, Asmodeus.
None of their expressions looked good.
"Is it still connected?"
"Yeah. Earth No. 675… we can't sever it."
"It can't be helped. That place already fulfilled the contract."
"…Hoo."
The contract with the Black Tower of Earth No. 1,001 had been completely nullified.
There would be no further connections to the Demon Realm through that world.
The problem was Earth No. 675.
When that world was destroyed, the Demon Realm had intervened.
The Demon Realm had taken part in the destruction of that world.
Without any restrictions, they had indulged in a blood festival to their heart's content.
With things like that, how could the contract be annulled?
Even if you reversed positions and thought about it, there was no way it would be accepted.
For that reason, when a player entered the 91st floor of the Black Tower on Earth No. 675, they would be transported to the Demon Realm.
Honestly, what was there to fear if a mere mortal human entered the Demon Realm?
They could just grab them and toss them to monsters as feed, or send the demon armies to crush them.
But the problem was the sole remaining player of Earth No. 675.
That bastard's background was the issue.
He had an extremely solid backing.
An Outer God from another world who barged into the Demon Realm day after day, causing havoc.
In other words, the aura of a Great Demon God was steeped into that player.
And that wasn't all.
Sometimes, following the Great Demon God, there was also the Sword God who raced through the Demon Realm on a motorcycle, and the Monkey God who possessed both demonic nature and divinity.
The aura of all of them could be sensed from a single player.
They were probably extremely close—or perhaps fellow disciples.
And they were supposed to deal with someone like that?
Were they insane?
The entire Demon Realm would be wiped out.
"What if he enters?"
"What do you mean what? We hole up in the Demon Realm and don't come out."
"Right. Who cares about breach penalties—having our power reduced is better than being erased."
Great Demons were commonly called immortals.
Meaning they didn't die, nor were they erased.
However, in certain cases, that immortality didn't apply.
Namely, when the power of the Great Demon God who governed death intervened.
And then, at that very moment—
Asmodeus tilted his head and abruptly stood up.
"He entered."
"What? Who?"
"That player."
"Damn it—"
Srrrlick.
An image floated in the sky of the Demon Realm.
It showed a human leading his subordinates.
"This is bad."
"Will he carry out the mission?"
"Wait a bit. He might accept the mission and then give up."
"Please give up…"
"Wait! That one there—isn't she a succubus?"
"Oh! Right. A succubus—the Succubus Queen."
"She's submitted to that player."
"Then maybe she can tell him how terrifying our Demon Realm and Demon Domain are, and scare him off."
A short while later.
The player shook his head after talking with them.
Judging from his expression and actions—
"…Did he give up?"
"Looks like it."
"Whew, we survived."
"Please just leave already."
But then—
Drdrdrdrdrdrdrdr.
The image in the air began to shake.
No.
The entire Demon Realm was trembling.
"Gah!"
"Th-this!"
"Haa…"
The distortion of laws.
A display of overwhelming power.
The Great Demon God.
Something he always did whenever he descended upon the Demon Realm.
I have arrived.
So bow your heads low.
If this were the human world, the world would have already collapsed.
It was only holding because this was the Demon Realm.
"We're screwed."
"It's over."
"Damn it!"
The player and the Great Demon God met.
And they were even smiling brightly at each other in greeting.
"…Who was the last one of the first journey?"
"Not me."
"Me neither."
"Then…?"
The Great Demons' gazes focused on one individual.
Baal's expression rotted away.
To the Demon at the Crossroads—also called the Demon of Intersections—Kihellas, humans were objects of mockery and contempt.
Yet now, he was kneeling meekly at a human's feet.
How did it come to this?
He had been hiding well.
Still—
How could he possibly avoid the Great Demon God's attention?
Kihellas already knew.
That the one surviving human might visit the Demon Realm.
Under no circumstances was he to make contact.
So he did exactly as instructed.
And yet, he ended up being caught anyway.
Even now, the Great Demon God was staring at him.
One wrong move, and he'd be erased.
No matter how demonic one was, erasure was terrifying.
It meant your existence vanished completely from all dimensions—how could that not be frightening?
He had to listen carefully.
"Um, Demon at the Crossroads?"
"Please call me Kihellas—Kihel, if you will."
"Ah, Kihel?"
"About the mission you just gave—what does 'subjugate' mean exactly? Does it mean kill him, or—"
"U-uh, th-that is…"
The mission Juhyeok received after meeting the Demon at the Crossroads.
[Mission: Choose the Demon at the Crossroads' proposal.]
[Receive 10 billion kg of top-grade demonic crystals and naturalize into another dimension. – Right Path]
[VS]
[Subjugate Great Demon Baal and live on as you are. – Left Path]
Of course, there was no intention of choosing the right path.
It was obviously the left path.
He just didn't know what "subjugate" actually meant.
"Great Demons are, b-basically, immortal by nature."
Is that so?
"…Then killing him would be impossible?"
"Well, I wouldn't know."
"…So just making him submit completes the mission."
Since you can't kill them, you subjugate them.
He understood the logic, but—
"Do Great Demons actually submit when told to?"
"Never."
"Then this was an impossible mission from the start?"
"Yes."
"So it was basically telling us to die while attempting it?"
"Exactly."
This bastard.
As Juhyeok's gaze sharpened, the Demon at the Crossroads, Kihellas, shrank back and lowered his eyes.
From behind them, King Yama, who had been puffing leisurely on a long pipe, scoffed.
"They say they'll never submit? Acting like they're some kind of righteous heroes."
Indeed.
He was absolutely right.
No matter how many 'Greats' you stick on them, they were still demons.
"Hero Bong, for now, accept the mission. Let's smoke one and go make those trash submit—no, let's go beat the hell out of them."
Magnificent.
Reliable.
I'll trust everything to you, Your Majesty.
True to the leftist way—
Left again.
Ding!
[Main Mission: Subjugate Great Demon Baal and live on as you are.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Completion Condition: Subjugation of Great Demon Baal 0/1]
"You—get lost."
With an indifferent wave of his hand toward the Demon at the Crossroads, Kihellas, Yama dismissed him.
Whiiit!
"…Kieeek!"
Paaat!
Fssssssss.
The Demon at the Crossroads, Kihellas, disintegrated and vanished as if his body were melting.
And he was a lord—Rususrall-class, no less.
"You too."
Paaat!
Fssssssss.
"And you as well."
The poor demons.
Gold axe, silver axe, iron axe—
All gone.
At that moment—
Chalalalak!
— You shouldn't have just killed them. You should've pulled out their hearts first.
Letters formed by Mari's homunculus.
Yama tilted his head.
"Why would you pull out their hearts?"
— I'll make medicine for the Summoner to take.
Yama's expression turned grim, as if asking what nonsense this was.
"Medicine for your master using something so filthy? Have you lost your mind? Even if you only used the finest ingredients, it still wouldn't be enough."
— If I refine it and make it clean—
"Even then, those things are unusable. Medicine made from stinking demon hearts—nonsense."
— I'm confident. I can remove the demonic energy.
Corner-dwelling Mari.
Surprisingly bold.
Talking back even to King Yama.
"If you're going to use something, use something better."
"…Like what?"
"If it's a Great Demon, that'd be another story."
— Ah!
"Anyway, that's admirable. Thinking of making medicine for your master."
Yama smiled with satisfaction.
Juhyeok felt the same.
Ahh.
Summoned beings who think of nothing but their summoner day and night.
"Hero Bong, you're truly blessed."
"Pardon?"
"Your subordinates care for their superior."
Yes, yes.
You understand perfectly.
I live trusting only my summoned beings.
"Not like mine. Judges, reapers, grim messengers—those brats slack off whenever they can, and only think about sneaking my tobacco."
Oh dear.
Your subordinates are thieves.
Ours aren't like that.
"They're all decent ones."
"I know."
"Though some of them have one foot in hell."
"…What?"
"Those ones there. If this were a world under my jurisdiction, they'd already be headed straight to the Scorching Hell or the Freezing Hell."
The ones Yama pointed at were the most vicious warrior in the martial world, the Mad Demon; the assassin Cossack; and the insane fanatic inquisitor, Vardin.
He couldn't deny it.
Given what they'd done in life.
"The two reformed monsters and the two beasts also have plenty of sins."
The reformed monsters—the vampire and the succubus.
The two beasts—the Green Dragon and the Blood Wolf.
"Those women aren't ordinary either."
Mari the foul-mouthed bomb-throwing elf, stern Gyeondallae, sniper Major Bae, and Baek Danea—once a human ice spirit.
"And there's that old attention-seeking geezer with no sense, and that dullard who's just strong."
Well, that would be Mr. Mackenzie.
But our Gobang has gotten smarter, you know?
He's not the Gobang of the old days anymore.
"And what's that thing? That one's not even human? Hero Bong, your tastes are quite… unusual."
Kkyaarok—
Mannyeon.
"A body of steel, but a human mind."
The magitech engineer, Elle.
'Hmm.'
Come to think of it, our team is a bit unusual.
"But there is exactly one among them with the makings of a heavenly person."
"A heavenly person?"
"An altruistic soul who sacrifices themselves for others."
"Ah!"
"Such a noble one lives happily in the heavens after death."
A heavenly person, huh.
Could it be me?
'…Nope.'
The one Yama was looking at was Raziks.
"Huh?"
I agree.
If we're talking devotion, isn't he the number-one farmhand across dimensions?
And though he isn't here, Farmer Do-woo would qualify too.
"Let's get moving and go subjugate the Great Demon. No matter that this is the Demon Realm, my time here is limited."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"I was already brimming with stress, ready to explode—this works out nicely."
What could be stressing him out so much?
"Is something bothering you…?"
"Ah! Nothing major—just cigarettes. I've run out, even the butts."
Run out?
Then what are you smoking right now?
"I have tastes too. That harsh pipe tobacco leaves a bad aftertaste."
A discerning smoker, huh.
What brand do you prefer?
"Only the finest Earth-made filter cigarettes, produced with strict quality control using top-grade tobacco—that's a real cigarette."
Unexpected, given his appearance.
A rugged tough-guy look, but refined tastes.
"As you know, Hero Bong, the world I live in is also connected to a specific Earth."
I'd heard that from the Sword Saint.
A parallel-universe Earth.
"So there's a place called a shopping mall, where they sell just about anything."
Yama suddenly let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo… but then a sudden anti-smoking craze swept through, and cigarette sales were halted."
Oh no.
"Up until now I managed to get Earth-made filter cigarettes through back-channel smuggling, but I got caught."
That's unfortunate.
"So my stress has been no small matter. I'm at my wits' end."
That won't do.
Quitting is important, sure—but if it causes that much stress, smoking might be better.
Plenty of people smoke all they want and live past a hundred.
And it's not like smoking would harm King Yama's health anyway.
'Wait… do we have cigarettes?'
Raziks prepares all kinds of things for tower climbs.
Part of his role is making sure the summoned beings' favorites never run out.
Meat, alcohol, drinks, candies, chocolates—snacks and more.
With such a vast subspace, he buys in bulk and stores everything.
'Among the summoned beings, the only smoker is Mr. Mackenzie, right?'
Could there be cigarettes?
"Raziks?"
"Huh?"
"Do you happen to have cigarettes in the subspace bag?"
At that moment—
Twitch!
Yama's ears perked up.
His expression filled with anticipation.
Honestly, I brought up cigarettes on purpose.
Acted as regretful as possible.
Might as well see if we can get something out of it, right?
The Sword Saint got showered with gifts—no reason I shouldn't.
Would he really have them?
Please, even just one pack.
"Huh!"
Looks like he does.
Yama's eyebrows trembled.
Sssst, sssst, sssst.
Raziks began pulling things out.
Yama's eyes widened.
Good heavens.
What is that?
The heavenly-person-quality worker pulled out boxes of cigarettes.
Usually, one box holds fifty cartons.
Three boxes—150 cartons, 1,500 packs.
"Will this do? Feels like too little."
T-too little?
Those expensive things?
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry it's so meager, but please accept this much."
"H-Hero Bong, what are you saying? Meager? These precious cigarettes…"
"If I'd known, I would've brought a hundred boxes."
"It's fine. More than enough. If I ration them, this should last at least five months."
Huh?
Only five months?
With 1,500 packs?
Does he smoke over ten packs a day?
He practically lives with one in his mouth.
"They're bulky."
"Hahaha, I may be small, but I too have an infinite space."
Sssst, sssst, sssst.
Yama swiftly transferred the three boxes into his pocket.
"Thank you. I'll enjoy them. Though I worry—I don't have a fitting gift in return."
"Oh, it's fine. You taught me the memory-regression technique."
"Hah, does a trivial trick compare to these filter cigarettes?"
He's thrilled.
All this over cigarettes.
Watching from behind, Cossack crept closer.
"Jinsuk, when you go to hell later, you should share a smoke with King Yama."
Why drag Jinsuk into this?
Gyeondallae whispered.
"Though from another world, he's practically a god. This might be a good chance to put him in our debt."
How?
"Unload more goods. Let's empty our farmhand's subspace bag."
Good idea.
That's easy enough.
"Raziks?"
"Huh!"
"Your Majesty—please pack up the snacks and alcohol too."
"H-huh?!"
Sssst, ssssst, ssssssss—
Snacks, drinks, alcohol, sweets, even various electronics poured out of the subspace.
"N-no, all of this…?"
"It's nothing, really. The Sword Saint took just as much."
We even gave him a custom bike.
"Hahaha, thank you, Hero Bong."
"I'm the one who's grateful."
"I'll accept these with thanks. Heavenly One Raziks."
"Huh!"
Sssst! Sssst!
Raziks kept unloading.
Yama hurriedly gathered everything.
Then—
Rrrrrrumble.
The surroundings warped again.
Kuuurrrrr—
Thunder rolled in the sky.
"Oops! I got a bit too excited."
Yama calmed himself, and the Demon Realm quieted once more.
"Right—so which Great Demon do we need to subjugate?"
"Baal."
"Baal, huh. I know where that one lives. Let's head to the Demon Domain."
Yama raised both hands and drew a large circle.
Ziiiiik!
A massive rift opened right in front of them.
"Follow carefully."
Juhyeok nodded and signaled the summoned beings.
Swoosh—
They stepped through.
There, backing away in fear, was a single figure.
White skin, red lips.
Flowing black hair, eyes completely black without whites.
Stunningly beautiful.
Impossible to tell if male or female.
"G-Great Demon God—"
"Shut up."
At that moment—
Cossack bent low, rubbing his palms together as he approached Yama.
"Your Majesty."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Well…"
He whispered into Yama's ear.
Wow.
Cossack's grown.
Just moments ago he couldn't even make eye contact.
Yama nodded.
Cossack grinned and bowed repeatedly, then puffed out his chest and addressed Baal.
"Baal, open your ears and listen.
[Resist and have your heart ripped out] VS [Submit and have your heart ripped out].
Choose one."
What?
What's he saying?
Baal glared at Cossack with a what the hell is this guy look.
"You crazy bastard—"
Cossack flinched and tattled to Yama.
"Your Majesty, he's getting angry."
"How dare he!"
Paaat!
Yama's killing intent burst forth like frost.
Kuuung!
An immense pressure crushed down on Baal.
Crunch!
Baal's knees slammed into the ground.
"I pass judgment. Sentence: heart extraction. Die!"
The god who governs death.
As Yama's decree fell—
Krrrk!
Crack—crack—
With a chilling sound, Baal's chest split open.
Revealing the still-throbbing heart of a Great Demon.
Chwararar—
The homunculus formed letters.
— Yes!
Ding!
[Great Demon Baal subjugated 1/1]
…
[Great Demon Baal has submitted.]
[You have completed the first stage of the Great Mission.]
Mission complete.
Easy.
So easy it almost feels like a misclick.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://beastnovels.com