Barbarian in a Failed Game

In hell.

No, at least within the Blood Domain, the title “king” was reserved for only one being. The ruler of the demonkin legion, the one who kept more than twenty demonkin generals underfoot, the Blood King was the rightful owner of that title.

Among the demonkin generals of the Blood Domain, there were two particularly formidable individuals often noted by other demonkins.

They were referred to as the Blood King’s sword and shield. Some sometimes considered Kurtank on the same level, but among demonkins who revered pure physical might, Kurtank’s abilities were not highly regarded. They were more likely to be scorned than praised.

For that reason, defeating the Shield of the Blood King, Tenel, was a far more symbolic event than one might think. While the Blood King, the leader of the demonkin legion, might not think much of it, at least for the demonkins outside the legion, it was a significant achievement.

“Truly… Tenel, and not just Tenel but the entire demonkin generals… all by himself….”

This sentiment was shared by Kurtank as well. In fact, it meant more to her than anyone else.

The Blood King was an enemy she could not hope to defeat from the outset. Her abilities did not work on the Blood King, so she did not even consider him an adversary. Much like how Khan had easily demolished her forces, so too could the Blood King.

But Tenel, the Shield of the Blood King, was different. He was susceptible to her powers but remained a daunting foe. Tenel was a true adversary whose victory was never assured. And Khan crushed Tenel head-on.

Moreover, he did it right after defeating other demonkin generals in quick succession. That it took mere tens of seconds to shatter Tenel was enough to completely change Kurtank’s perception.

‘If it’s this man, he might really defeat the Blood King…!’

From that moment, Kurtank’s view shifted. Initially, she planned to brainwash the demonkin generals Khan handed over using her enchantment abilities and then cooperate with him suitably. It seemed close to impossible to go against the Blood King otherwise.

But not anymore.

“I greet the new king…!”

The scar left by Khan’s strike had completely demolished a part of the castle. Under the crimson sky, Kurtank suddenly knelt on one knee and offered profound respect.

“What is she doing all of a sudden….”

“Lord Tulkan, for now, let’s kneel together.”

Seeing Kurtank, whom they considered their superior, kneel made Yoro and Tulkan follow suit. Tulkan seemed bewildered by this sudden act.

“What the hell is she talking about?”

Khan was equally perplexed. As if predicting Khan’s reaction, an immediate response came.

“Tenel is a highly symbolic Demonkin General within the Blood Domain. By defeating him alone and simultaneously handling other Demonkin Generals, you have proven your strength. Surely, this qualifies you to challenge for the throne?”

“I have no intention of doing something like that—”

“It will be much easier to meet the Blood King if you have a comparable status.”

“… Go on.”

When Kurtank, who was persuading Khan with her head bowed, lifted her gaze, her eyes were filled with a certain fervor.

“The Blood King isn’t someone you can meet just because you want to. Even we Demonkin Generals do not know his whereabouts or activities. He only calls for us; the reverse never happens.”

“Even that Tenel lying over there?”

“The same applies.”

Hmm— Khan stroked his chin, somewhat convinced by Kurtank’s argument.

‘If what she says is true, then it’s not a bad approach.’

Even if Khan didn’t know what kind of being the Blood King was, surely there would be some reaction if someone in his territory suddenly started proclaiming, ‘I am the new king of the Blood Domain.’

And if Khan’s subordinates, influenced by Kurtank’s enchantment abilities, turned against the Blood King? Furthermore, what if they began genuinely taking over territories within the Blood Domain?

“What does one need to do to become this king?”

“The Blood King became the ruler by hunting down and subjugating powerful demonkins who once ruled the various regions of the Blood Domain. For our demonkins, a king is someone who has proven their strength. And….”

Kurtank’s words trailed off, and in the brief pause, the outside commotion filtered in.

“Quick, check it out! This is where the Demonkin Generals are!”

“Could it be that Lord Tenel and Lord Kurtank fought?!”

“Finally, the top spot in the frontier is being decided!”

The cacophony suggested dozens of voices blended together, with the presence of not just tens but possibly hundreds of demonkins. Additionally, demonkins capable of flight began appearing beyond the broken walls and ceiling.

‘Are these lunatics serious?’

Normally, anyone sane would flee to avoid getting caught in such chaos. But judging by the voices approaching, it seemed like enthusiastic spectators were gathering to witness a fight.

Thud!

Such impressions were confirmed when a horde of manic demonkins burst in. Some even thought the entrance was too narrow, opting to smash through walls to shove their bodies in.

“Wow! It’s complete mayhem…!”

“Are you telling me all these Demonkin Generals were defeated?!”

“But Lord Kurtank left her entire army behind…?”

Hey, over there!

Among the crowd, one demonkin, with a voice trembling as if in a fit, pointed at the three demonkins who were kneeling and bowing their heads.

“What are they doing? Fooling around in a wrecked castle…?”

“K-Kurtank?!”

Among the crowd, the demonkins’ shock heightened as they recognized Kurtank, known across the Blood Domain’s outskirts as a “Demonkin Generals you must never encounter”.

And then, following the direction where Kurtank was bowing her head, their eyes fell on the gray demonkin standing there.

Initially too small and plain to notice, this lesser demonkin was holding a bloodied axe in front of the devastated Tenel, surrounded by shattered armor pieces.

Moreover, seeing Kurtank and other demonkins pledging their loyalty to him made it clear to even the densest mind that he was the one who had defeated Tenel and the Demonkin Generals.

But how?

How could a seemingly ordinary lesser demonkin accomplish this? In the eyes of the Blood Domain’s demonkins, the disparity between a “lesser demonkin” and a “Demonkin General” was akin to that between an ant and an elephant.

To them, this was like an ant killing five elephants—a miraculous and unfathomable event.

“You lowly creatures…. Bow down and lower your heads.”

Noticing the demonkins’ confusion, Kurtank’s voice, cold as ice, rang out.

“He is to be the new king of the Blood Domain in place of the Blood King!”

“What? Replacing the Blood King…?”

“What kind of insane talk is that? A lesser demonkin?”

Of course, their reaction was expected. While it was apparent that he had defeated Tenel and the Demonkin Generals, stating that he was to replace the Blood King was an entirely different matter.

Moreover, given that it was Kurtank who was making this declaration, the demonkins naturally harbored feelings of resistance. Kurtank had always been an object of fear and hatred among the demonkins. When she stepped forward, telling them to kneel and proclaiming a new king of the Blood Domain, it didn’t carry much persuasive weight.

Additionally, with hundreds of them gathered, their collective voices grew louder.

“Isn’t this a setup? Maybe she used her enchantment powers to already control the Demonkin Generals… and this lesser demonkin is just a puppet she put up.”

Someone’s murmured suspicion, though wild and full of leaps in logic, echoed loudly through the hall.

This groundless speculation, completely opposite to the truth, resonated well with the demonkins who had always feared Kurtank’s enchantment abilities.

As doubts spread just like facts among the demonkins, Kurtank was about to step forward.

Boom!

However, at that exact moment, the Demonkin Generals with his arms torn off, who had been lying on the floor, began to rise. Despite losing both his enormous arms, the still-large Demonkin Generals’s rise made the gathered demonkins step back in awe.

“You wretch! Even after that beating, you rise again! Let me deal with you, this instant!”

“Lord Tulkan! Please stay back!”

“Let go, Yoro! Before you fight my older hyungnim, you have to get through me first! You presumptuous Demonkin Generals!”

Tulkan, who intended to show off in front of the already battered Demonkin Generals, was secretly satisfied when Yoro stopped him. There was no way he’d actually fight a Demonkin Generals; he had counted on Yoro intervening from the start.

As expected, the demonkins’ view of Tulkan grew slightly more cautious.

‘Life is all about reading the room!’

While Tulkan was engaged in his solitary battle for social standing, the armless Demonkin Generals staggered toward Khan step by step. Kurtank started to intervene, but then decided it was a good opportunity and held back.

‘This may actually be beneficial. If he deals with a resisting Demonkin Generals, it will serve as ample proof….’

Although losing one General she could control was unfortunate, Kurtank considered it an acceptable sacrifice for the smoother progression of their plans. She envisioned Khan utterly destroying the General before him.

Boom!

However, the Demonkin Generals’s next action rendered Kurtank’s calculations meaningless. He did not attack Khan. Instead, like Kurtank and Yoro before him, he knelt and bowed his head.

“You are…! A true, genuine demonkin…!”

And with a single statement, he dispelled all doubts in the hall.

“A true strength! Physical might…! The king of demonkins!”

No demonkin dared to speak further.

The new king had ascended.

***

From the moment the armless Demonkin General, Vas, a former General of the demonkin legion, pledged his loyalty, events rapidly escalated.

Demonkins who had flocked to the ruined castle began spreading tales far and wide, painting a picture of Khan as a “lesser demonkin who became strong enough to break the Shield of the Blood King.”

Rumors spread faster than the days passed, and before long, they exaggerated to the point where following Khan would supposedly make even minor demonkins as strong as the central demonkins.

It was almost as if someone had deliberately spread these rumors. But the newly dubbed “Four Heavenly Kings” under Khan—Kurtank, Vas who pledged loyalty despite losing his arms, as well as Tulkan and Yoro—were innocent of such schemes.

It was simply that the inferiority complex towards central demonkins among the Blood Domain’s outer demonkins was that severe.

The emergence of a new king, who bore the appearance of a lesser demonkin, provided immense relief to the demonkins of the frontier who had long endured unfulfilled desires.

So much so that, without any prompting from Khan, the demonkins themselves gathered and spread word of the new king’s appearance, going as far as creating an elaborate throne for him and preparing a coronation ceremony.

‘How did things escalate to this point…?’

It shouldn’t be this easy—

Since falling into that cursed Midland, never had things gone so smoothly for him. It almost made him wish he had ended up in the Demonic Realm from the start; his life might have been more straightforward.

‘No, no matter how easy it seems, that’s a bit much….’

He pushed aside the strange, creeping feeling in his mind. Khan’s lips suddenly curled into a cold smile as he sat on the throne prepared by the demonkins.

‘Right. Things shouldn’t be this easy.’

As he slowly rose and walked toward the wall with a hole in it, his gaze fell upon a blood-red army advancing straight towards the castle. Even without being told, he knew.

“They’ve finally arrived.”

Uninvited guests had come to disrupt the new king’s coronation.

The demonkin legion had arrived.