Just as the "King" stopped thinking, the vibrations began to resound.
The ground shook violently.
He staggered, losing his footing.
"What now… Could the core be coming here?" The "King" frowned.
"If that's the case, then great… Finally, the real game begins. I'm bored with these weaklings," the demon laughed, staring in the direction of the tremors.
Then, from the empty space, a crack began to form.
Sharp fingers reached through and clutched the edges, widening it in an instant. A giant flower bud emerged, followed by a skinny, blood-red body and a lower half writhing with tentacles.
"It's the one who destroyed our future," the "King" gasped. "But… why is its flower closed?"
"So what… it changes nothing," a demon sneered.
They charged at the creature, laughing.
The creature raised its arms to block, but the demons tore through effortlessly.
One even grabbed its arm, ripped it off with ease, and hurled it back at the creature, making it stagger and roar in pain.
But that only excited them more.
They sped up, relentlessly piercing its body.
Black liquid oozed from countless new holes.
Sensing danger, the creature began to bloom its flower——but before it could, two demons darted through its neck and severed the bloom.
It fell, withering into black sludge, and the body crumpled to the ground, kicking up a massive dust cloud and strong winds.
The "King" raised his shield just in time to avoid being swept away.
When the dust settled, the battle wasn't over.
Star Eaters still clashed with the demons.
"Why isn't it over?" the "King" muttered. "It should've ended when we destroyed the core."
He turned to the melting corpse.
But as it dissolved, he saw no core—only a puddle of black liquid.
"No… this isn't the original."
He scanned the battlefield—demons feasting on carnage.
And then, what he feared began to unfold.
Cracks opened one after another, sharp fingers emerging just like before.
More creatures poured out, flooding the sky.
"Impossible… how can there be so many?" The "King" collapsed in despair, dwarfed by the colossal beings surrounding him.
But the demons just grinned.
"Hehehe… the more the merrier. One alone could never satisfy us."
They dove back into battle, tearing the new monsters apart.
Each fall brought a windstorm that knocked the "King" off balance.
But the moment one fell, another crawled out from a crack.
To the demons, it was endless entertainment.
To the "King", it was incomprehensible.
Tearing flesh, crazed laughter, agonized roars, and crashing bodies echoed in a never-ending symphony of destruction.
"Is it… really right to have put my faith in these demons?"
Conflicted, he wrestled with doubt.
Yes, they were powerful.
But the stronger they grew, the more he feared they'd eventually turn on him.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice the shadow looming behind him.
A giant hand crashed down.
He turned too late.
There was no time to summon a gate—only to throw up layer after layer of shields.
The hand tore through them one by one, but it bought just enough time.
He opened the gate and leapt through—Just as the hand was sliced into a thousand drops of black liquid.
Floating above was a grinning demon, eyes gleaming.
Its gaze froze the "King" in place, silently telling him to leave and stay out of their way.
It vanished into the sky.
The "King" felt mocked—reduced to a nuisance in the demons' twisted game.
He passed through the gate, leaving the chaos behind.
Earlier, before the battle…
Underground, all was quiet.
Then tremors jolted the ground.
People awoke in panic as the shaking grew stronger. Rocks tumbled from above, flattening houses and burying people alive. The chaos rivaled the battlefield.
The "King's" family woke soon after.
"What is it this time?" the "Queen" whispered anxiously "Could it be a failed experiment by the leaders…? No, this feeling is… different…"
She rushed to the door with their two children—and standing outside was the "King."
"What's going on, dear?" the "Queen" asked.
"We have to leave. Now."
"But why—?"
"I'll explain later. There's no time."
"Wait—!"
He hugged them all and leapt through the gate—leaving behind a city crumbling under falling stone.
The gate reopened in a desolate place.
The family stepped out.
"What the hell is going on?" the "Queen" asked, voice trembling.
He couldn't hide it anymore.
If he did, things would only worsen.
"We… No, we sacrificed our leaders to summon the demons in the book. They're fighting the Star Eaters now."
The "King" couldn't meet her gaze.
She stared at him, horrified.
"Why did you hide it?"
"Because… I feared you couldn't bear the shock."
"That may be true, but… why this method?"
"I… have no excuse." He fell silent.
She broke into sobs, the children rushing to her side.
But he still kept one secret:
That it was the Mermaid Queen who set this in motion.He couldn't bring himself to destroy her image in his wife's memory—whether to spare her pain or preserve the Queen's dignity, even in death.
That no longer mattered.
All he could do now was comfort her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her close. "I had no choice… everything is against us. I had to resort to this."
"Is this the price of defying nature?" the "Queen" cried.
"Even if I die… I'll return from death itself to protect you and the children."
"Why say that now?"
"I know… but take it as my blessing."
The family embraced.
Then a voice cut through the moment.
"Hey, I don't mean to ruin the mood, but we need to talk."
The "King" turned.
A stranger stood there——with a small figure peeking out from behind.
"No way…"
"You guessed right."
The little girl stepped into view.
"You… why?" the "King" asked, eyeing the stranger.
"Think of it as a gift," the stranger grinned.
"Speak."
"What?"
"You didn't save her just to be kind. What do you want from me?"
"You're too suspicious," the stranger chuckled. "Anyway, there's still a page in the book—one that might solve your… pressing problem. The real question is whether you'll use it."
"You mean—?"
But before he could finish, the stranger vanished, leaving the girl behind.
Still unsure, the "King" opened the book and flipped to the demon pages.
But at the back—new images.
Seven demons, more monstrous than the others.
"He said this was the solution… but what makes them different?" he wondered.
He couldn't answer that yet.
First, he had to get everyone to safety.
He picked up the girl and turned to his family.
"It's time to go. Help your mother."
"Yes!"
The children supported their mother—but something crashed beside them, throwing up dust.
The "King" raised his guard.
The dust cleared.
A demon stood, cold eyes on the "King."
"So you're here."
"What happened? Why were you sent flying?" the "King" asked.
"Well… I got too excited. The others hit me by mistake." The demon sighed, then glanced at his family.
"This doesn't seem right."
"That's none of your business." "The King" covered it. "Hurry up and take care of everything."
"Well, about that," the demon thought. "Why don't you look at it yourself so it's easier to understand."
The demon pointed upward.
The "King" followed his gaze—and froze.
Giant eyes stared down from the sky.
"This is an illusion… right?"
"They're called Emissaries. They've sensed that this place is starting to overwhelm the creature below them... so they decided to reveal themselves."
"Those creatures… were low-level?!"
"Exactly. And now… prepare yourself."
"For what—?"
The eyes began to glow.
Beams of energy fired from the sky, tearing into the planet.
Explosions rocked the land.
Even demons were overwhelmed.
The "King" used his blood to cast a forbidden shield around his family——but the price was immense.
He collapsed, vomiting blood.
The girl slipped from his arms and fell to the ground.
"What kind of power... is this?" the "King" gasped, struggling to breathe.
"That was just the first shot," the demon said coldly. "They'll fire again—until nothing's left."
He couldn't summon another shield.
Was this how it ended?
He took out the book and flipped to the marked page.
The demon's eyes widened the moment it saw where the "King" had stopped.
"Are you sure about this...? Those things aren't exactly easy to control."
"Do I have a choice? Do you have a better idea?"
"I don't. But like I said... they won't be so willing to listen."
"I... have no other way!" the "King" shouted.
He poured his magic into the book.
A massive magic circle surged to life, spreading across the land. From its center, a colossal altar began to rise.
The eyes observed the scene—and chose to strike.
Beams of searing light shot down, targeting the altar.
But the moment they hit, the rays mmediately reflected back toward the eyes that fired them.
The altar fully emerged.
The demons sensed it and immediately gathered towards the altar.
The "King" now sat upon a throne at its center. His family huddled in the shadows of the structure, watching in silence.
He clutched the book with the air of a king—not out of pride, but out of exhaustion and despair.
He raised his eyes to the glowing giants above.
Then, to the demons waiting silently below his throne.
Waiting for their King.
He said nothing for a moment.
Then, with a trembling breath, he whispered—
"I... have no choice..."