Complicated
"...weren't they supposed to be strong?"
Looking at the corpses of the three dwarfs that had served as the guinea pigs for me to use my new skill, it had all been so extremely anticlimactic.
After using my new spell, [Hysteria], they had just gone completely mad, which made it incredibly easy to just end their life with [Feathers of the Underworld], as they didn't even try to defend themselves.
But at the same time, I felt the surge of power that only came to me when I leveled up, which meant that they had to have been a lot stronger than me at least, seeing as I leveled up after just killing the three of them.
Instinctually, I knew the effects of [Hysteria], that it stirred the internal turmoil of the ones who looked into the eyes that I conjured, but it still felt a bit off that they just fell over like that.
'I guess they were all in need of therapy or something...'
A part of me wanted to believe that I defeated them so easily because of the new power that I had acquired, that I was now worthy to call myself a true demon king. But I knew that it wasn't true.
No matter how bad my head was at thinking about complicated stuff, I knew that it had to have had something to do with the circumstances.
[Hysteria] was a composite magic skill that combined light and darkness, illuminating and aggravating the dark thoughts within my victims. Therefore it only made sense for me to believe that these dwarfs had gone through something quite nasty before arriving here, and that was the source of the intense emotions that got amplified to the point of them going mad.
'Boring...'
Though it had been quite enjoyable to see their bodies twist in displeasure, and witness their dirty nails rip right through their own skin, I was still disappointed. Disappointed that the enemies that I was supposed to have feared couldn't even take control of their own minds.
Was I unhappy that my new ability turned out to be quite an efficient tool, at least if used in the right circumstance? No. I was unhappy that I had even gotten agitated about this in the first place, to the point where I hadn't even brought any of my underlings as I didn't think they would be strong enough to stand a chance.
Returning with a frown on my face, entering the tower through the balcony on the top floor, I was once again faced with Tatiana, standing beside my throne crafted out of dark stone.
"... did you already know?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about, master."
"Of course, you don't..."
Though it was obvious through her aloof face that she was aware that the invaders were hurt and fatigued to the point where they wouldn't be able to stand a chance against me, I didn't want to seem petty by forcing the subject.
Instead, for the first time ever, I couldn't hold myself back from asking the demoness, "Who really are you, Tatiana?"
Without even flinching, she answered just as matter-of-factly as always.
"I am your guide, the one chosen by the goddess to help you amass your strength and become a true demon king."
Staring straight down into her eyes, there was not a single flicker of weakness as her crimson eyes met my gaze head-on. She was truly beautiful, this demoness, and if not for the fact that her two sharp fangs gave away what kind of demon she was, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that she was a succubus. Actually, I probably would, given the lack of curvature on her body.
Realizing that she wouldn't give me the answer I wanted, at least not for now, there was just one other question to ask her.
"Can I trust you?"
Without even a second of hesitation, she showed me her fangs.
"No."
Her face brought a wide smile to my face, hearing the truth that I had always been cognizant of. And with that smile, my shadow was cast over her as I leaned forward, towering over her with my newfound height.
"Good. I would have been disappointed if you lied to me."
Then, I turned around, as there were still some things I had to do, now that I had become a being of a higher rank than before.
"Are you going to check on your core, master?"
"Yeah."
With my feet leading me forward, I finally felt like I regained my enthusiasm about evolving, as I was now going to get to see the true fruits it bore.
==========
List of available monsters to create:
Goblins - 10 DE
Bird of Prey - 50 DE
Skeleton Archer - 75 DE
Skeleton Warrior - 75 DE
Fairy - 100 DE
Symphony of Bones - 1000 DE
==========
List of available demons to create:
Gluttony - 0/20000 DE
==========
List of available weapons to create:
Steel Arrow - 1 DE
Wooden club - 5 DE
Steel Sword - 10 DE
Wooden Bow - 10 DE
Wooden Spear - 10 DE
Iron Mace - 20 DE
Long Bow - 20 DE
==========
Demonic constructs:
Seed of Corruption - 0/50000 DE
==========
'I... I don't understand...'
Things had gotten even more complicated for some reason, and although I was happy to see that my options had increased a lot, my brain still hurt when trying to comprehend what I was reading.
"Tatiana... would you mind coming here for a bit?"
As the white-haired woman entered the room, it didn't take long before she started to explain.
"The core is able to store your demonic energy for certain actions. This means that even though you might not be strong enough right now to create your first sin right away, you can dump a bit periodically over a long time instead."
"Sin?"
"The first of the seven demons that will act as your pillars when conquering the world. These beings are the ones that will construct areas of their own by using your seeds of corruption."
Taking a moment to process what she was saying, I believed myself to somewhat understand it. More or less, I was now able to produce my first general, one out of seven important pieces that will act as my extended limbs.
'Come to think of it...'
"Are there even any other demons still alive in this world?"
Nodding a bit, Tatiana had an answer that surprised me a bit.
"There are a few. However, after the last demon king fell, they all went into hiding, not wanting to face the same fate. As far as I know, these beings are hiding in the Dark Lands, spread out around the Snowy Peaks, the Sands of Time, and the Swamp of Malice."
For some reason, I got a really bad feeling when hearing this, as I could somewhat imagine what would happen when they got word of a new demon king having been born.
"...how likely is it that these demons might go on the offensive against the three nations if they received word about me?"
"Incredibly likely."
'Fuck...'
If they had been avid followers of the last demon king, and they suddenly got fueled with the knowledge of a new one being born, it did make sense that they would show themselves to the world again and take up their weapons.
What was problematic about this was the fact that I didn't necessarily want to go to war against the three nations. Conquering the world for me wasn't about actually taking control of everything, it was about becoming a being that couldn't be denied, something that couldn't be ignored.
Not only for my own existence but also for my own survival.
So, what would happen if the other demons started attacking the three nations? It would ultimately lead back to me, no matter how unaffiliated I was to the attacks.
This meant that somehow, out of nowhere, I now only had to figure out how to deal with the three nations, but I also had to deal with the demons that were still alive out there.
'But that also sounds quite fun...'
I didn't care much about races, whether someone was a monster or a human, dwarf or elf. No matter who or what it was that stood in my way, it didn't matter. I had no emotional ties to being a demon, just as I didn't have any emotional ties to having been human in the past.
For me, nothing mattered except for what I wanted, that I would be able to attain what I desired, and most importantly, my own survival.
That's why...
"Oh, also, they are probably aware of your existence. So it shouldn't take long before they start to move to prepare for the advent of their new king that has been prophesized."
"...say what now?"
"Yeah, it's tradition for the demons to start the war against the three nations before the demon king is fully born, as they believe that any mortal blood that is spilled in their ventures will empower you."
"But... that is not true, right?"
"It is not. But they don't know that."