The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 58: The Demon King of Pride (9)

As Kim Eun-ha endured extreme pain while adapting to the Magi, she had an old dream.

– Sister Eun-ha.

Her only younger brother, who used to call her that with a bright smile. Having only older brothers, her younger brother was an even more precious existence to her.

But that warm sunlight, like the dawn, was swallowed up by the darkness that came like storm clouds.

The Gate Collapse Incident of 2040.

That day, Kim Eun-ha, who was at the academy, ran to her younger brother faster than anyone else. She tried calling her brother who should have been in the academy district, but he didn’t answer.

Various thoughts crossed her mind. Could he already be dead and unable to answer? Or maybe he lost his phone and was trembling in fear, unable to contact anyone.

But what she needed to do now remained unchanged. Kim Eun-ha hurried her steps towards the academy district with an anxious heart.

– Jin-yul!!

Kim Eun-ha, who had arrived at the academy district before she knew it, called out her brother’s name while looking around.

– Sis! The bodyguard…!

She turned her head at the sound of her brother’s voice.

Her younger brother with a sad expression in the chaotic street. Next to him was a bodyguard losing his vitality.

Selfishly, at that moment, all she could see was that her younger brother was alive, and she felt relieved at that fact.

Was this punishment for that?

Before she could even show her joy, a winged demon goblin landed behind her younger brother.

– Jin-yul, dodge!

The demon goblin was only E-rank, considered the weakest among demon species, but that was by hunter standards.

To ordinary people, even that was a lethal existence. Moreover, for her younger brother who had just turned 10.

Tatat!

So she ran. Even though her leg muscles screamed in protest from running at full speed for 30 minutes, she ran.

Whoosh─!

The demon goblin swung its club at her younger brother who had his back turned. In that slowed-down world, she ran.

With each step closer, the club also got closer to her younger brother.

No matter how much she pushed through the rain, no matter how much she suppressed the pain and rushed forward.

It seemed the future about to unfold would not change.

– No!!!

She shouted while stretching out her arm, but the flowing time did not stop.

The demon’s club struck her younger brother’s body directly. With an unbearable sound, her younger brother was sent flying.

At that moment, the world went dark, and all she could see was the demon who had swung the club. She cut down that demon while letting out a wailing cry.

She wanted to butcher it more brutally, but there was no time for that.

– Jin-yul!

She approached her younger brother sprawled among the debris and pulled him into her arms.

Her younger brother breathing heavily. Raindrops mixed with blood trickled down his cheeks.

Seeing herself crying, her younger brother opened his trembling lips.

– Sis…Eun-ha….

Her younger brother who smiled brightly until the very end.

She cried while hugging her brother like that.

– If only I had been a little faster….

And she lamented like that.

Just 10 seconds. No, if only there had been a speed that could have gotten her here even faster, before more people died….

But even with such deep regret, time could not be turned back.

For a while, that dream repeated. A dream where her younger brother dies, and she is one step too late.

Then suddenly, as her eyes slowly opened, the dream scattered and a different scene unfolded.

Under an antique ceiling, someone looking down at her.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Except for the long eyelashes and smooth skin, those features resembled someone.

“…Seo-jun?”

“Nope. Do I really look that much like Seo-jun?”

“…Ah! Seo-yeon unni!”

But as soon as she realized that person was Lee Seo-yeon, she quickly sat up.

Lee Seo-yeon pretended to cry.

“After all I’ve done to take care of you, you mistake me for someone else….”

“Ahaha, I’m sorry…. But… where’s Seo-jun?”

“…Looking for him as soon as you wake up.”

As she asked while looking around, Lee Seo-yeon smiled mischievously.

Lee Seo-yeon pointed to a small horn flute on the table.

“Seo-jun said to blow that to contact him. Said it can transmit thoughts or something.”

“I see….”

Kim Eun-ha got out of bed and headed towards it.

“You don’t need to stay in bed anymore?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Rather, she had become stronger than before.

Kim Eun-ha picked up the horn flute, looked it over, and blew it timidly.

– Poooo!

Then, she called his name softly.

“Seo-jun.”

She closed her lips, not knowing what else to say. But if this really was a way to ‘transmit thoughts’, he would have noticed.

That I am now ready.

– Pooooo!!

The reply came quickly.

– Grab a sword and charge at me.

Normally, she wouldn’t have understood what that meant. But Kim Eun-ha understood exactly what he was trying to say.

There was no hesitation. She grasped the sword that was placed next to the bed and stood firmly in the space.

Crackle─!

She slowly took her stance while watching the crumbling space.

A powerful force seethed in her body. She felt elated at this sensation she had never experienced before.

She would no longer be late. Before anyone could meet their death, her sword would arrive first.

“Accelerate.”

Faster than ever before.

Woooosh──!

Her long, loose hair fluttered wildly in the vast Magi surging from her body. Her body heated up as if her blood vessels were being pumped, and a small horn sprouted on one side of her forehead.

Finally, looking at the rift that had opened wide for her, she said,

“I’m off.”

As Lee Seo-yeon waved with a smile, her body shot forward.

As she pierced through the rift, a completely different scene unfolded.

Clang! Crash! Swoosh!

Instead of silence, intense sounds of destruction echoed all around, and instead of antique furniture, she saw a crumbling city.

Above all, the supreme pressure of the beings here, as if weighing down on the entire space.

Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to even stand in this tremendous fear.

‘I can endure it.’

As proof, her body, not losing its momentum, was swiftly cutting through the air.

With a consciousness colder than ever before, she looked ahead. Lee Seo-jun with a somewhat surprised expression.

But I know. That this is merely Lee Seo-jun’s doppelganger.

Slash──!

Therefore, she swung her sharp sword at him.

Of course, she doesn’t think she can defeat him just because she received Magi. What she needs to accomplish now is to create an opening for the real Lee Seo-jun.

Claaang──!

As the fake Lee Seo-jun blocked with his sword, a deafening sound exploded.

Her sword had reached him. Just that fact alone made her happy.

The fake Lee Seo-jun looked at her and reacted.

“…Kim Eun-ha, what are you doing? The one you should be facing is over there.”

It’s truly a chilling level of similarity. Not just the tone and voice, but even the quick-wittedness to devise a strategy in that instant.

Others might not be able to distinguish between the real and fake among them. But I, who have received his Magi, could now discern.

“You are not Lee Seo-jun!”

That the Lee Seo-jun right in front of me now is a fake.

===

**

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Slash──!

I caught sight of Kim Eun-ha swinging her sword at the fake.

Indeed, Kim Eun-ha, who had resonated with my Magi, had enhanced her power to the point where she could cross swords with me. But there was no time to admire.

Thud!

I quickly sprang forward and wedged into the opening Kim Eun-ha had created.

“…Tch.”

The fake, noticing my charge, exerted force to send Kim Eun-ha flying. It was an expected sight.

No matter how much power she had gained, surpassing that of a duke, she was still no match for me or the Seven Deadly Sins.

But that was enough to bring down the fake.

Crash─!

The fake somehow blocked my attack, but his stance was unstable. As a result, my next sword strike slightly cut through his cloak.

That wasn’t all.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As Kim Eun-ha, who had rushed over before I knew it, joined this exchange, the fake was pushed further into a disadvantage.

Kim Eun-ha, truly like a clever fox, maintained the right distance to harass the fake.

“…Kuh.”

When two identical beings fight, even the slightest addition to one side can instantly tip the balance. Lost balance becomes a gap, and that gap leads directly to defeat.

Moreover, Kim Eun-ha was now no longer just a slight addition, but something that could be considered a part of me.

The fake, furrowing his brow, shouted at Kim Eun-ha as she swung her sword down.

“Kim Eun-ha! Why can’t you recognize me! Do you really think that guy is the real one?”

In this situation where defeat seemed imminent, all the fake could do now was to urge Kim Eun-ha.

However, Kim Eun-ha swung her sword without the slightest falter, remaining silent. As if this alone was her answer.

Clang─!

I sneered at the fake who had barely blocked my sword.

“Do you understand now? The difference between you and me.”

“…Don’t make me laugh.”

The sight of the fake gritting his teeth was quite something to behold.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

What followed was an exchange that seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment. While two identical sword dances filled the air, a disparate sword dance interjected.

The fake crumbled helplessly against the continuously emerging large and small cracks, and we pressed on mercilessly.

It was the moment when the fake was about to completely succumb to our joint attack.

Swish swish swish──!

Countless black feathers raining down from the side. It was obvious whose doing this was.

‘…Did he store up power in that short time?’

I had been excluding Lucifer too much.

Clang!!

As I was about to swing my sword down, I quickly changed course to deflect the feathers. But with my vision still filled with blackness, I had to retreat while neutralizing the feathers.

The moment I turned back to the fake after blocking all the launched attacks.

‘…Oh no.’

I realized I had moved too far away from the fake.

“Dodge!!”

Sensing danger, I shouted at Kim Eun-ha who was near the fake.

But before Kim Eun-ha could retreat, the fake’s movement was faster.

In an instant, the fake approached Kim Eun-ha’s vicinity and swung his sword towards her neck.

“Die.”

Slash──!

Even with [Relative Perception] activated, no future where she could survive was visible.

The Solomon guys were busy dealing with their own doppelgangers, and even if I kicked off the ground now, I couldn’t be faster than the fake.

Even in that moment, the fake’s blade was slowly approaching Kim Eun-ha’s neck.

It seemed Kim Eun-ha would meet her end right there by the fake’s sword.

Stop─

‘…It stopped?’

But the fake’s blade halted near Kim Eun-ha’s neck.

Right now, the reason didn’t matter. I launched my body and swung my sword down towards the fake.

Thud─!

The fake barely blocked it, but in the end, unable to withstand the deeply penetrating power of the sword, he was slammed into a building.

Lucifer, looking at the dust rising from the building, exclaimed.

“Why! Why didn’t you kill her!! I can no longer help you!!”

“…Shut up, Lucifer.”

The fake Lee Seo-jun rose groggily from the dispersing dust.

“How dare you, a mere Adoniya demon, order me.”

“…Y-You!!”

“Who said I needed help from the likes of you? I’ll kill that guy with my own power.”

…I had forgotten. That guy is me.

“I move solely by my own will. Whatever I choose, whatever action I take, there’s absolutely no room for you to interfere.”

The fake Lee Seo-jun, gripping his sword, looked at me.

His figure, standing tall under the terrible calamity, was infinitely noble.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……”

“Have you forgotten? That what I hate most is pity. Don’t waste your pathetic emotions and come at me. The real one hasn’t been decided yet.”

Kim Eun-ha, staring at the fake Lee Seo-jun, let her voice drift to me.

“…Seo-jun.”

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Kim Eun-ha nodded.

As two pairs of eyes focused on one point, the fake lowered his stance.

Woosh──!

An overwhelming presence as if dominating the entire space.

In that black Magi, the fake’s piercing eyes were rising brilliantly.

“I’ll kill you, me.”

With the fake’s deep smile, the battle began.

Clang──!

The next moment, the forms of the real and fake collided.

But without Lucifer’s attacks now, the fake was no match for us. The fake could only block the incoming sword energy alone.

Nevertheless, a noble dignity flowed from the fake Lee Seo-jun.

‘…How unpleasant.’

I narrowed my brows as I watched the crumbling fake.

The discomfort I felt this time was completely different from before. This guy is clearly me but not me.

But for some reason, it felt like my image was being projected onto this guy.

Me, abandoned by those I trust, attacked by those I trust.

That was perhaps the me of the past, or the me of a different future.

The me of a future I never want to reach was now the form of the fake.

“What are you seeing right now?”

The same swordsmanship interlock, and the fake’s bloodstains smear on my face.

“What are you seeing that makes you have such sad eyes?”

The fake is crumbling under the real one’s hand.

“I am me. Don’t dare project yourself onto my image.”

I answered not with words, but with my sword.

Another face contorted, another cloak tore, and another uniform disheveled. The deep darkness was turning bright red.

But there, no weak groans existed.

“Revere this stubborn me.”

His eyes were still shining brilliantly.

Woosh──!

Taking advantage of the momentary distance, he condensed vast Magi into his sword. The torn cloak fluttered, and blood scattered from his wounds.

That ragged figure, blending black and red, was undoubtedly noble.

He looked at me, revealing his white teeth.

“I do not die.”

Slash───!

The sword that had been crying out roughly drew a diagonal line.

Facing that unwavering sword energy, I released my power.

Woosh──!

The intact cloak fluttered, and black light burst forth from the straight blade.

Gripping the sword tightly with both hands, I swung it, shooting out intense Magi.

Clang───!

As the two sword energies collided, heaven and earth shook.

Though they seemed evenly matched, my sword energy was slowly creating cracks in his. The cracks became wounds, and the wounds became scars.

And those scars became irreversible fatal wounds.

Crack──!

Finally, my sword energy pierced through his. The rushing sword energy headed towards him.

Even though he had already crumbled, even though he had already faltered, he firmly held his stance.

He spread his sturdy legs and gripped his solid sword tightly.

As if to prove that he was still here, he swung his sword.

Clang──!

A roar that seemed to distort space rang out. In it, he fought as if rejecting the approaching truth.

But the unbreakable diamond sword slowly shattered, and eventually, the pitch-black sword energy struck him directly.

Another me spat blood, flew up, and sprawled on the ground.

“……”

I jumped up and landed right in front of him. Unlike him, he was spread-eagled, breathing roughly.

As I slowly approached, he muttered candidly.

“…So I was the fake after all.”

I looked at him. He didn’t look at me.

I answered him.

“You are you. And I am me.”

I slowly raised my sword.

“That’s all there is to it.”

Thunk─!

The tip of my sword pierced his heart. He coughed up bright red blood.

Only then did he look up at me and grin.

“Twist it.”

“…Farewell.”

Without hesitation, I twisted the sword. Deep crimson blood flowed from his mouth.

I didn’t look at his face any longer and used [Demon King’s Devouring] to put on the monocle.

“Your Majesty!”

“My Lord!”

I closed one eye as I watched the Solomon guys running towards me.

The intense dark red energy flowing from their bodies. Feeling a strange calmness, I swung my sword.

Slash!

I cut down Hyude’s doppelganger.

Thrust!

I pierced through Shayen’s doppelganger.

Swish!

I disposed of Quel’s doppelganger.

“……”

With that, the fight was over. I put away the monocle and opened both eyes.

Without looking down at the ground, I gazed quietly at the empty space. Dark red clouds filled the sky.

Through them, I exhaled a distant emotion.

Even if I turned away from the visible scene, the sensation remaining in my hands was still there. The damned feeling of cutting them down with my own hands.

My heart twisted violently, and hot anger rose to the tips of my hair.

“…This is shit.”

Roooooooar──!

Endless Magi was released in the torrent of emotions. The Magi enveloping my entire body rose like a dragon, piercing through the dark red clouds.

My hair and cloak clung desperately to my body, refusing to fall off.

I gripped the sword as if it might shatter. My two eyes, burning like the sun, slowly turned.

My distant gaze was directed at Lucifer’s bewildered face.

A voice tinged with the chill of death drifted out faintly.

“I’m going to kill you.”

(To be continued in the next episode)