Chapter 284
Chapter 284: Rising Up
—
Meanwhile, in the Demon Lord Castle.
A female demon clad in a green dress hurriedly walked down the corridor.
Nephradia Izanis.
Irritated, she slammed open the door to a certain room without knocking.
“Oh, Mother. What brings you here?”
The voice that casually greeted her belonged to her only son, Emelgias.
“Enough of this…!”
Nephradia’s face twisted in frustration.
This was because Emelgias was dressed in a bone composite armor styled like Bon-Dage, looking as if he were ready to head straight into battle.
“Stop it! What are you thinking?!”
“What am I thinking? I’m just going out for a hunt.”
Emelgias shrugged, completely unfazed by Nephradia, who looked ready to grab his collar in a fit of rage.
“…”
They locked eyes for a moment.
The son who usually sulked and acted submissively was now entirely unbothered, staring back at her boldly.
–She knew he had returned to the demon world.
She had also heard that he seemed to have gained some kind of “power.”
However, Nephradia hadn’t paid much attention. She had given up on her son, remembering how he had said similar things in the past just to get her attention. She thought that claiming he would “become strong” was, overall, just a pipe dream.
So, even though it was their first time facing each other since his return…
–What was this?
Splotches like scales rose on her son’s body, and his snake-like, vertically slit pupils gazed at her coldly.
Above all, that magical power.
Had her son really grown this much?
“Well then, I shall excuse myself.”
Casting a glance at the stunned Nephradia, Emelgias attempted to leave. Snapping back to reality, Nephradia seized his wrist, saying, “Wait a moment!”
“What is it, Mother?”
Emelgias turned, looking annoyed.
“How much trouble do you plan to cause our clan?!”
Moments ago, one of Nephradia’s subordinates had sent a magical message. It seemed her son was planning to launch an assault on Zilbagias’s fortress.
There was a strong possibility that Zilbagias was researching high-speed communication technology. If that were true, it certainly did pose a threat to the Izanis Tribe. But to suddenly resort to armed conflict without confirmed information was too reckless!
“It’s for the sake of the clan!”
Although Nephradia was the one rebuking him, Emelgias replied in a tone as if talking to a child, with a hint of mockery in his words.
“I’m merely going out for a hunt with my attendants. You know nothing of this. Isn’t that fine?”
Such excuses couldn’t hold weight! If relations with the First Demon Prince and the Seventh Demon Prince worsened any further—
“Oh, you’re concerned about that?”
Emelgias grinned, baring his teeth.
“You’ve certainly become skilled at minding other clans’ feelings.”
That made Nephradia see red.
“–Whose fault do you think this is?!”
Before she could think, she slapped his cheek with a harsh sound. Emelgias, as usual, took it without resistance, yet his unsettling, calm gaze remained fixed on her.
“Who would willingly bow to the Vernas Tribe? But now that I’ve joined their ranks, I must adhere to the agreements between clans! You need to consider how much your reckless actions inconvenience me! If anything, it’s because you were useless that we’re in this situation!”
“–So, it’s my fault.”
Emelgias acknowledged it with a voice that rumbled like the ground.
“It’s all my fault. The reason I was weak and entirely unfit to be the Demon Lord is because of me. Therefore, I shall settle it. I must settle it—”
Hearing her son speak as if chanting a spell, Nephradia felt an unknown, eerie sensation rising.
“You… what are you…”
“If a strong son was what you desired, Mother…”
Suddenly, Emelgias stepped closer.
“Shall I have you cooperate as well?”
He gripped her shoulders. His monstrous, sharp claws sunk into her bare skin—
“【Offer it up】”
Before she could brace herself, her entire body ignited with a scorching heat.
“Ah…?!”
But that feeling was fleeting; the strength ebbed away, leaving only—coldness.
The world felt so chilling.
If the original “coldness” came from a lack of heat, this sensation was a void of power.
“Wha…?!”
She was horrified. It was unbelievable how feeble she had become. The Archduchess’s magical power had been drastically drained away…!
“This is good.”
Standing before her, Emelgias was overwhelming. His presence had grown immensely.
“Thank you, Mother. Blood cannot be denied, it fits perfectly.”
“Give… it back!! My power! What have you done…?!”
Nephradia clung to him, yet her son shrugged her off like a beggar would.
“Why not? Your wish for a ‘strong’ son has come true. He is your child.”
With eyes gleaming, Emelgias laughed.
“Now, it’ll be easier to take from the others. This is truly appreciated…”
“No… no matter how you grow strong through such means, you won’t be recognized…!!”
“Recognized? I seek no approval. I shall take from those who oppose me, every single one of them.”
Emelgias snarled, baring his teeth, but then he casually looked up at the ceiling.
“Just… my father is in a league of his own. While he is still alive, I must keep a low profile. So, I assume you understand, Mother. Right now, I need not fear confinement. Even without going to the battlefield, I can gain power in abundance.”
“…But that’s not your power. It’s mine!”
Nephradia unsheathed the magical spear she had hanging at her waist and held it against her neck.
“Stop this needless action and return it to me at once—or I will end my life here!”
Nephradia knew. Her son’s ability was to steal power from others. But that was only temporary; once the target died, the stolen power vanished.
So it was a half-baked ability. Closer to “borrowing” than “stealing.” This country wasn’t so lenient as to allow someone to become a Demon Lord with such a flawed ability. If he went around killing the victims from whom he stole power, Emelgias would weaken himself in the process.
“–Go ahead. Be my guest.”
However, Emelgias scoffed.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot to mention. My abilities have sharpened in the demon world…”
Emelgias leaned over to peer down at Nephradia’s face.
“–Even if the target dies, the power won’t disappear anymore.”
Nephradia was left speechless. He had overcome that fatal flaw.
“Y-you’re lying.”
“Then how about you try it out?”
Emelgias maintained his composure. The kind of glee glinting in his eyes spoke agreeably that his claim was no bluff.
“Then… then, it really means…”
He must have become the owner of an incredibly powerful ability.
It had become so easy to take from someone who was once an Archduchess like Nephradia. During the time he had been holed up, his powers had grown, surpassing that of a marquis, and now added to it was Nephradia’s magical power.
Besides the Demon Lord, there were only a handful of entities who could be called Emelgias’s senior.
That “senior”—Aiogias and Rubyphia would, should Emelgias continue to inflate his magical power, soon find themselves completely—
“…”
However, in exchange, Nephradia herself had become like a newly horned child, with terribly weak magical power.
“You said you wanted a son with the vessel of a conqueror, didn’t you?”
Emelgias looked down upon his mother, who had collapsed on the floor, weak and looking down.
“–Be happy.”
Nephradia did not reply.
No, she couldn’t answer. Weakened, she felt Emelgias’s fierce magical power pressing in on her, making it hard to breathe.
With a grunt, Emelgias turned and left the room.
“–Serves you right.”
An unfamiliar, grating female voice echoed.
Nephradia somehow managed to lift her face, but the owner of the voice was nowhere in sight.
Only behind the retreating figure of Emelgias—
A snake-like, poisonous magical power swayed like a mirage.
