Fucker, I just resurrected… Am I gonna die again already!?

I mean, come on, I just came back from the dead, only to die again?

Well… it was good while it lasted.

Maybe, if the universe was in a good mood for once, I'll end up in the underworld of Ereshkigal… or maybe Osiris.

Hell, I would even be happy within Hell of Hades, anyone except that bastard Vael'Runn is fine.

Unlike Hades, Osiris, Hel or Ereshkigal who were the calm and classy gods of death, that lunatic Vael'Runn was a total psycho.

He would probably torture me for fun… no matter what I offered him.

So, if I wanted even the slightest chance of resurrecting again… then Hel and Vael'Runn were complete no-gos.

I mean, sure, Trickster might have made Hel forget about me but even he probably couldn't erase everything.

And knowing her? Yeah… she definitely remembers something. Probably the part where I ran my mouth a little too much.

Even if I somehow ended up in another Underworld, my chances of coming back alive were… pretty damn slim.

Because this time, the price wouldn't just be heavy… it would be heavier.

And honestly, who the hell knows if this bastard Demon King's gonna kill me outright or take his sweet time torturing me for fun first.

I knew it.

I knew I never should have trusted that damn Trickster.

What the hell did he even ask this guy to do!?

The Demon King's grip around my neck wasn't even tight.

Honestly, I had already prepared myself for death the moment he took an interest in me.

You don't survive the curiosity of someone like him, you just die more dramatically.

But still, man… everything had been going so smooth and then that damn Trickster had to go and ruin it all.

Well, it is what it is… no point cursing about it.

If this bastard was gonna kill me anyway, I might as well go out swinging.

"FUCK YOU, DEMON KING ASHAVAR!!"

"FUCK THAT DAMN FUCKING TRICKSTER!!"

"AND FUCK THAT BITCH FATE TOO!!"

Yeah, I let it all out. If I was gonna die, I was at least dying loud.

The Demon King just laughed.

"Pffft…"

"Don't worry, kid," he said, chuckling. "I'm not killing you."

…Huh?

Wait, what?

So, he wasn't killing me?

Then what the fuck was all this for!?

The floating? The neck grab?

Is this some new kind of demonic dance move or what!?

I mean, I heard him say that the Trickster claimed I would grant Ashavar's wish of death and that he was asked to "do something" to me in exchange.

But when he grabbed my neck and went full dramatic villain mode, the worst case came to mind.

That damn Trickster probably told him to sacrifice me in some ritual, revive his immortal ass and then kill Ashavar right after.

I mean, who could blame me.

But now this bastard was laughing.

"So then…" I spoke, my brain completely confused, "why the hell are you holding me like this?"

I mean, seriously, was there something I missed?

"Don't worry," the Demon King said, a faint smile appearing across his cold face. "You'll find out soon."

And before I could even think of something sarcastic or anything, his body began to float effortlessly from the ground while dragging me up with him.

The crimson dome surrounding us shimmered… and then vanished as he passed through it, flying higher and higher into the sky.

The world below us was becoming smaller and smaller until cities faded into dots, mountains turned into patches of color… until the whole Demon Realm could be seen beneath us.

And then… he released me but unlike what I had expected, I didn't fall. Instead, I just floated beside him as if held by some invisible force.

I tried to move my body… but nothing happened. Even a finger didn't respond to my will.

The only thing that moved was my mouth and it was still smiling.

That same damn smile.

The one I could not erase most of the time.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" Ashavar's voice was calm.

Especially for someone who just kidnapped a handsome student out of what I could only assume was jealousy.

I mean, I didn't know the exact reason he brought me here, so for now, all I could do was speculate…

…and honestly, this theory felt alarmingly valid.

Maybe he was just offended by the fact that there existed someone far more handsome and glorious than him.

So, naturally, he kidnapped me out of spite.

Classic move, really.

Like one of those old stories where a witch kidnaps a beautiful princess… Except this time, the genders were reversed and the witch was more than six feet tall, radiating death and could casually erase nations.

So, yeah. Totally fair comparison.

Okay, okay, enough jokes for now, I guess.

But honestly… I can't help it.

What else am I supposed to do?

I can't move or fight, so yeah, I start thinking bullshit.

"Yes, it's quite spectacular," I said, keeping my voice calm, "but might I ask the reason for letting me witness all this?"

Ashavar laughed.

"Hahahahahahaha… you truly are the successor of the Trickster." His eyes glowed. "Straight to the point."

With a casual snap of his fingers, the sky around us shifted. Countless holographic screens appeared out of nowhere, hovering in the air calmly.

Each one showed a different city of the Demon Realm, crowded streets, endless towers and even sprawling markets.

But my eyes caught one particular screen.

Noxvalen Academy.

On it, I saw the students and staff staring at the sky, where an enormous image now stretched across it.

And inside that image… was me.

Me and the Demon King, floating in the air, perfectly clear for every soul to see.

Fuck.

This bastard was live-streaming it.

This wasn't some technology or mana crystals, he was using illusion and reality-bending to broadcast this scene to the entire Demon Realm.

Damn it…

What the fuck is this bastard planning?

But as always, this bastard didn't give a single damn about my confusion or anything else, for that matter.

He spoke like this was all part of some grand, premeditated plan.

"Hello, residents of the Demon Realm."

His voice echoed across the sky.

"I, Ashavar, the twelfth Demon King of this realm,

have called you all here for one announcement but before I make the announcement," he continued, "I shall introduce you all to the human boy beside me."

I froze.

My heart started slamming against my chest like a prisoner pounding at the bars of a cell that was about to collapse.

It wanted out because it knew something was wrong and wanted to escape before it got screwed up together with the cage.

That foreboding feeling from earlier, the one that had been screaming at my mind was now completely silent as if even it knew how hopeless it was anymore.

The Demon King continued.

"Rael Von Ashborn," he said, my name echoing through the whole demon realm "is the name of this human."

"He walks a peculiar path… and a path which I, personally, respect."

Ashavar's voice echoed across the skies, calm but absolute.

"It is for this reason," he continued, "that I, Ashavar Ashen Noctharion, Twelfth King of the Demon Realm, hereby announce that from this moment forward…"

His crimson eyes turned toward me.

"… Rael Von Ashborn shall be my successor with equal rights to the throne of the Demon Realm

as any of my heirs…"

He paused.

"…if he graduates from Noxvalen successfully."

The moment his announcement ended, every single screen in front of me vanished.

But I couldn't focus on any of that.

Because my mind was too busy flooding with every curse I knew and a few I was pretty sure I just invented for this smug bastard and that damned Trickster.

What he did just now might've been a blessing for countless others. Hell, some of them might have probably been crying tears of joy if they were in my place.

But I was furious.

This smug bastard had just created a death flag the size of a whole continent for me.

Now, every damn student in Noxvalen, no, screw that, the entire Demon Realm was probably going to be hunting for my head.

And the worst part, I was sure he did it on purpose on the orders of that bastard Trickster.

Ashavar looked at me… and smiled again.

That same calm and knowing smile as before.

"Don't look at me like that," he said lightly. "This is what the Trickster asked me to do."

He paused.

"He said… A person cannot grow without danger. He will protect you from tsunamis but if you can't even survive the waves… then you're worthless."

"Those were his exact words."

With that, Astravore smirked,

"Now that I've done my part of the deal," he said softly, "I shall wait for you to grow stronger… and kill me."

"Till then, Rael Von Ashborn, good luck… and I hope you don't die too soon."

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