"..."
While everyone held their breath at Dong Zhuo's bizarre behavior, only one person stepped forward. It was Lu Bu.
With his brow furrowed, he instinctively tightened his grip on the shaft of his Sky-Piercer Halberd.
Whinny—!
Behind him, the Red Hare scraped its front hooves against the ground, visibly agitated. A beast's instincts do not lie. What radiated from that red stone was not the brilliance of a treasure. It was a sticky, ominous malice—an evil energy that felt as if it would swallow everything and bring utter ruin.
Lu Bu did not like this aura at all.
"Father," Lu Bu called out in a low, grounded voice. "The energy from that thing is foul. It is no ordinary treasure."
He trusted his instincts as a conqueror. This was not a trophy to be claimed, but a curse to be destroyed.
"You should discard it."
It was a sincere piece of advice, offered as both a son and a loyal subordinate. However—
"...Discard it?"
Dong Zhuo's head tilted at a grotesque, crooked angle as he turned.
"What did you just say? Discard it?"
Dong Zhuo's eyes were bloodshot, his veins bulging. The jovial, grand conqueror he had been moments ago was gone. In his place was only the shimmering murderous intent of a beast guarding its prey from a rival.
Zing.
Lu Bu's skin prickled. This was a first—his father directing the same lethal bloodlust at him that he usually reserved for his enemies.
"You tell me to throw away this power? Grrr..."
Dong Zhuo recoiled, pulling the fragment tight against his chest.
"Who dares covet what is mine? Is it you? Do you want this for yourself!"
"Calm yourself. I only meant—"
"No! This is mine! It's all mine! I won't give it to anyone!"
Dong Zhuo roared spasmodically. There was no way the loyal advice of a son could reach a mind paralyzed by madness. Driven by the fear that someone might steal his treasure, he made an extreme, irreversible choice.
Snap.
Dong Zhuo opened his mouth so wide his jaw nearly unhinged. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he shoved the fist-sized red gem into his throat.
"...!"
The surrounding subordinates let out gasps of horror. Even for a demon, swallowing a sharp, raw gemstone without chewing was a suicidal act.
Gulp—
His massive Adam's apple bobbed violently. The horrific sound of the esophagus being forcibly stretched echoed through the silent vault. It was the signal that the Demon King Dong Zhuo had transcended the realm of mortals and fallen into the abyss of endless hunger.
Immediately after the red fragment slid down his throat, a strange, thunderous roar erupted from deep within his abdomen, shattering the brief silence.
RUMBLE—!!
It was no ordinary signal of hunger. It was a vibration that felt like a tectonic shift occurring deep underground—or perhaps the sound of a massive beast, finally waking and roaring from within Dong Zhuo's belly.
"Gah... ugh... haah...!"
Dong Zhuo suddenly stumbled, clutching his stomach. Pain? No. It was an extreme, soul-gnawing hunger unlike anything he had ever felt in his life.
His vision instantly turned crimson. The mountain of gold piled before him no longer looked like "wealth." Everything began to look like succulent roasted meat and luscious fruit.
"Hungry... I'm... so hungry..."
The sound of his reason snapping hit his mind like a physical blow. Dong Zhuo crawled on all fours like an animal and snatched the nearest ornate golden crown. Without hesitation, he shoved it into his mouth.
Crunch! Crackle!
Nauseating sounds of fracturing filled the vault. Solid metal was crumpled like taffy by the strength of Dong Zhuo's jaw, and sharp jewels were shattered into dust between his teeth.
"L-Lord Dong Zhuo?!"
The lieutenants were too horrified to stop him. Dong Zhuo didn't care that his mouth was torn and bleeding profusely; he frantically chewed and swallowed the broken gold pieces and jewel dust.
Crunch, snap, squelch.
Silver utensils were crushed, and diamond necklaces were sucked in like noodles. It was impossible to tell if the fluid dripping from his mouth was saliva or blood. It was a sight closer to self-mutilation than a meal.
But Dong Zhuo did not stop. No, he could not stop. No matter how much he ate, the hole in his stomach would not close. Instead, the metals melting in his gut only triggered an even greater thirst.
"Not enough... this isn't enough..."
Dong Zhuo lifted his blood-stained face. His eyes, distorted by greed and hunger, scanned the surroundings fiercely.
"Not enough... hungry... More! Bring me more! MORE!!"
The Demon King's scream shook the underground vault. It was the moment the "Demon King of Gluttony"—the one who would later try to devour the entire Demon Realm—was born.
*
The vault was filled with the sickening sound of jewels being pulverized. Lieutenants recoiled in terror, and soldiers dared not lift their heads.
But Lu Bu was different. From atop the Red Hare, he looked down coldly at Dong Zhuo, who was crawling on the floor, covered in blood and spit.
"..."
The heat that had been burning in Lu Bu's eyes just hours ago cooled into ice. The hero who had laughed boisterously and shouted, "I shall share the world with you," was nowhere to be found. There was only a "vile beast," possessed by an endless hunger and stripped of its reason.
Lu Bu realized instinctively: the "Demon King Dong Zhuo" he had wanted to follow, the one to whom he would entrust his back on the battlefield, no longer existed in this world.
Slide.
Lu Bu quietly adjusted his grip on the Sky-Piercer Halberd. The touch of the cold metal against his palm was the only thing that felt real. He tightened his lips and offered a silent, brief farewell in his heart.
'Father... died today.'
The thing before him was merely a shell wearing Dong Zhuo's face. It was a monster no longer worth respecting, a creature with no future to hope for.
Whinny...
As if reading his master's heart, the Red Hare let out a low cry and turned its hooves. Lu Bu turned the horse away without a single lingering regret.
Crunch, snap!
"More... bring more! It's all mine!"
Behind him, the sounds of greedy chewing and screams continued, but Lu Bu never looked back. Leaving behind the shadow of Dong Zhuo, which was beginning to bloat grotesquely as he gorged on the treasure, Lu Bu headed toward the darkness outside.
His silhouette looked far more solitary and precarious than it had when he first met Dong Zhuo.
* * *
"Meat... give me meat..."
Dong Zhuo's pathetic whimpering was filling the basin when, from far across the thick black mist, a roar that sounded like the earth itself screaming reached them.
Rumble... Thump...
It wasn't just footsteps. It was the sound of something with massive weight being dragged forcibly across the harsh ground. It was mixed with the screeching of iron chains stretched so taut they seemed about to snap.
Screech... CRASH!
Dong Zhuo's gaze instinctively turned toward the source of the noise. Shortly after, a single crimson horse emerged through the thick cloud of dust. It was the Red Hare. And atop it sat a knight covered in purple blood—Lu Bu.
"..."
Lu Bu's appearance was wretched. His armor was dented and torn in various places, and the red cloak on his back was half-burnt and tattered. It was a clear indication of just how many times he had crossed the line between life and death.
But his eyes were different. There was no sign of exhaustion. They were the eyes of one who had transcended life and death by slaying countless powerful foes. Beyond bloodlust, he had reached a state of "void," where emotion had been excised. He no longer looked at Dong Zhuo as a "son" who respected him. He looked at him with the cold eyes of a "trainer" observing an uncontrollable wild beast.
Clank—
Lu Bu stopped the Red Hare and unfastened the thick iron chain connected to the horse's hindquarters. Behind him, a truly unbelievable sight unfolded.
It was a corpse. A "Dimensional Beast" of overwhelming size, comparable even to Dong Zhuo's massive frame. An "Abyssal Monster" with tough, thick skin, dozens of tentacles, and hundreds of eyes, lay brutally butchered and dragged along the ground.
Lu Bu casually tossed the chain aside.
THUD—!
The house-sized beast's corpse fell at Dong Zhuo's feet, shaking the ground like an earthquake. The purple blood leaking through the torn hide instantly formed a pool.
"Ooh... Ooooh!"
Dong Zhuo's eyes rolled back. He didn't care whether Lu Bu had returned safely or if he was injured. His gaze was fixed solely on the massive heap of meat at his feet. Saliva poured down like rain.
"Meat! The smell! It smells delicious!"
Dong Zhuo cheered like a child and tried to bury his face in the cluster of hideous tentacles. Looking down at his father, Lu Bu curled his lip into a thin, bitter smirk.
"Your special meal, as requested."
Lu Bu's voice was dry.
"It was hiding in the deepest part of the rift between worlds. The hide is a bit tough, and you'll have to crunch through some bone..."
Lu Bu paused for a moment, watching Dong Zhuo, who was already frantically tearing into the meat.
"...But with your teeth, Father, I'm sure it won't be a problem."
Chomp! Crunch! Tear!
Dong Zhuo didn't even answer. He was preoccupied with ripping the thick hide with his teeth and chewing the hard bones like crackers. Purple blood flowed down Dong Zhuo's face and over his bloated belly like a waterfall.
"Delicious... crunch... so delicious... salty...!"
It was a scene of gluttony that was beyond disgusting—it was revolting. Atop his horse, Lu Bu quietly sharpened the edge of his Sky-Piercer Halberd. Feeling the cold touch of the metal on his palm, he whispered silently to himself:
'Eat your fill, Father.'
Lu Bu's eyes turned glacially cold.
'For that will be... your last meal.'