I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 560

◈ 561. Impregnable (10)

Demonkind possesses unique powers.

This power, known as ‘Sacrifice,’ allows them to restore or enhance their strength by sacrificing their own kind.

Demons are fundamentally a race that receives sacrifices from their worshippers and uses them to increase their own power.

The power ‘Sacrifice’ is an extreme condensation of this mechanism, a ritual in which the caster forcibly makes a lower demonkind a scapegoat.

Imps are the most optimized demonkind to be the target of this ‘Sacrifice.’

Small, insignificant, and weak.

Like emergency rations, they are easily carried around, and when a higher demon needs to recover or strengthen themselves, they are simply eaten. Such are the lowest-ranking demons.

Imps have evolved in such a way that they can be eaten more easily, providing good effects to the higher demons who sacrifice them.

When they become the target of ‘Sacrifice,’ they increase the specific stats of the higher demon who devoured them, temporarily grant enhancements, or increase defense power. They are a race that provides such buffs.

In life, they assist with various chores, and in death, they become food to provide buffs.

Such was the Imp race.

Naturally, Imps were treated as mere tools, only moving as other demons commanded.

The Imp Legion Commander, Low, was no different.

He had lived as other higher demonkinds commanded.

The reason he was given the royal scepter to lead the attack on Inse was simply because all the other legion commanders from other demonkinds were on the front lines against the Black Dragon.

It was an opportunity given to him because he was a weak legion commander, not strong enough to be on the front lines.

The power of demonkind is revealed by the size of their horns. Unlike Cromwell, who possessed large and beautiful deer antlers, Low’s horns were small and insignificant.

With a self and self-esteem as small as his horns, Low had lived his life crawling on the ground.

However, as he fought against Ash, an unprecedented desire began to burn in Low’s heart.

Chasing after the distant enemy commander, whom he could not reach, facing the seemingly impregnable fortress both in his mind and in reality.

In the heart of this small demon, who had lived his life passively, a fire ignited.

I want to win.

I want to win.

His life, which he had thought was meaningless, might have existed to overcome this man—this fortress.

‘If it’s to defeat this strongest adversary, I can do anything…!’

And it was at that moment that Low finally found a clue leading to victory and was about to grasp it.

***

Immediately after the thirty-fourth offensive.

Low was summoned to the royal castle. Or rather, he was escorted.

Thud, thud, thud…

The royal castle was still shaking violently from the battle with the Black Dragon.

Black flames spewed by the black dragons were constantly surging outside the barrier, and other demon legion commanders were screaming to intercept the dragons.

Inside the royal castle. In the audience chamber, the Demon Guard Commander Cromwell was waiting for Low with a tired look.

《Low.》

As soon as the dragged-in Low arrived, Cromwell growled.

《Why did you break the rules?》

《…….》

《I’m asking why you broke the ‘rules’ set by the Demon King. Why did you do such a thing?》

Cromwell, who was interrogating him, then shook his head.

《No, well, yes. It must have been a mistake. I was too hasty in entrusting the task to you, so this must have happened.》

《It wasn’t a mistake.》

《What?》

《I did it knowingly.》

In front of the bewildered Cromwell, Low spoke confidently.

《When I first held this royal scepter, it showed me. What I can do with this scepter. And, where the line I shouldn’t cross is.》

《Then… why did you cross the line?》

《Because I wanted to win.》

Low tightly hugged the royal scepter in his arms.

《To prove the strategy I thought of, I had to deploy two legions.》

《Because I was the one who entrusted you with the proxy…! And because you broke the rules, I am about to receive the King of Kings’ punishment!》

The Demon Guard, which was like the Demon King’s personal guard. Its lord, Cromwell.

Naturally, Cromwell was loyal to the Demon King and feared being caught by the Demon King the most.

Cromwell, who had shouted, then took a breath and extended his hand forward.

《No… actually, it’s natural. The responsibility is mine, and I will bear it.》

《…….》

《I will not question you further. However, Imp Legion Commander Low, I am stripping you of your King of Kings proxy authority. Hand over the royal scepter.》

《I refuse.》

《What?》

《I said I refuse.》

At this unprecedented event, not only Cromwell but also the other demons’ eyes widened.

And the small Imp Legion Commander, for the first time in his life, refused the command of a being far superior to him.

《Just once! Just one step is enough! If we attack just one more time, we can bring down Inse…!》

The demon guards cautiously approached Low, who was shouting. Low turned to them with fierce eyes.

《Don’t come near me!》

《…!》

《This war… is the first thing I’ve ever found that I want to do with my life.》

Low cried out.

《If the life of an Imp is to be a sacrifice anyway, then I… want to be sacrificed for this war!》

《…….》

《This royal scepter, no, this war! It is entirely mine!》

In front of Low, who was panting after pouring out his words, Cromwell could only blink in bewilderment.

《Low, you…》

It was then.

Kugwagwagwagwang!

With a terrifying explosion, the royal castle shook violently. The miserable screams of other demon soldiers were heard from outside.

Cromwell, who barely regained his balance, shouted towards the outside.

《What’s going on!》

《T, the True Black Dragon!》

A demon guard who rushed in reported.

《Night Bringer has taken action himself! His breath has completely blown away the outer barrier of the royal castle from sections 1 to 9!》

《That damn lizard bastard finally…!》

《But the final barrier of this audience chamber, which the remaining legion commanders are maintaining together… is holding firm! It’s still okay!》

However, the next moment.

All the demons gathered in this place had to see it.

Low, who had already run to the entrance of the audience chamber, with his hand on the barrier… slowly turning around.

Cromwell, whose spine was chilled, stammered.

《Low?》

《Have you forgotten?》

Low coldly muttered in a monotone voice.

《I am also a legion commander with the authority to control this barrier.》

《Don’t do it, Low.》

Cromwell tried to calmly calm Low down.

《I’ll let you keep the proxy authority, the royal scepter, everything, so stop-》

However.

The place where Low’s hand had already touched was where the barrier was being released in a circular shape.

Charrrr-r-r-r-

A small part of the barrier was released, swirling, and Low slipped his small body through the gap and escaped.

Cromwell, who was blankly watching the scene, distorted his mouth.

《That crazy ba…》

Cromwell couldn’t finish the curse he was uttering.

The Black Dragon was not foolish enough to miss the small gap that had opened in the barrier.

Kwagwagwagwagwang-!

Night Bringer, who flew in as a giant black dragon, thrust his vicious claws into the barrier and tore it apart in an instant.

Cromwell yelled at Night Bringer, who was digging into the audience chamber like a siege ram.

《True Black Dragon! You traitor-!》

《The prince who establishes a new dynasty must be a traitor.》

Night Bringer laughed, opening his huge mouth wide.

《Rebellion is the mark of a king.》

Crunch-!

The dragon’s huge mouth snapped shut, chewing off Cromwell’s upper body. Blood spurted everywhere like a fountain.

Leaving behind the chaotic royal castle, Low ran with the royal scepter in his arms.

《Huff, huff, huff!》

It didn’t matter what happened.

Whether the demonkind was annihilated, the Black Dragon seized power, or the King of Kings punished him, it didn’t matter.

If he could apply the strategy he had thought of and face the guardian of Inse.

If he could give it his all and have a showdown with his life on the line-

The world could perish for all he cared.

Low, who had escaped the royal castle and ran for a long time, arrived at the entrance of an underground sewer.

As Low was catching his breath, he heard footsteps in front of him.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Low, startled, looked urgently, and there.

《…….》

Was Cromwell’s adjutant, who had been monitoring Low all this time.

She had read the data Low had investigated and knew that Low would come here.

Blocking the entrance to the sewer, the adjutant sent an unreadable gaze from behind her glasses. Low smiled weakly and asked.

《Did you come to stop me?》

《……No.》

The adjutant smiled brightly.

《I wanted to see. The end of the path you are trying to take.》

The adjutant slowly stepped aside.

《I’ll follow you. So, show me your dream too.》

Low, with a bitter smile, staggered into the sewer.

And, without hesitation, he threw himself towards the deepest and dirtiest place.

***

District 10 of the Lake Kingdom. Sedimentation Zone.

This place, where all kinds of filth and garbage flow down through the sewer pipes, is the dirtiest and most unclean place even in this hell.

《Kuh!》

Low, who had rolled down here, was soon able to find them.

The monsters that had nested in this terrible mountain of garbage, where a disgusting stench vibrated.

The Fly Legion.

Dirty, filthy, and avoided by everyone, terrible monsters born from maggots.

《The guardian of Inse knows all the strengths and weaknesses of all monsters. Then, how should we deal with it?》

Low staggered towards the Fly Legion. The adjutant followed Low quietly without even frowning.

《We must twist them. Both strengths and weaknesses.》

《…….》

《The guardian of Inse is confident that they will dominate in information warfare. So, if we make that information wrong, we have a chance to win.》

Low recalled the thirty-fourth offensive just before.

《Earlier, when we deployed two legions that could complement each other’s weaknesses, the guardian of Inse was unable to respond in time and suffered damage.》

However, monsters are inherently difficult to cooperate with each other.

The risk of violating the rules was also borne by Cromwell last time, but if he violated them again, Low himself might have to bear it this time.

Then the offensive itself might end midway.

Then-

《The answer is simple. We just need to deploy without the need for cooperation.》

Standing in front of the flies that were sloppily sucking up filth on the garbage mountain, Low spoke.

《We combine the two legions into one.》

《…You intend to sacrifice yourself, Low.》

《That’s right.》

Low, turning to the adjutant, smiled.

《The Fly Legion are monsters with enough potential to destroy Inse. However, the problem is that their intelligence is too low. The guardian of Inse would easily defeat them.》

《…….》

《But, if I become a sacrifice and strengthen them… if I can give them enough intelligence. Then…》

Imp and Fly.

What kind of result will be born when the two most despised legions combine into one?

Low took a deep breath and walked towards the swarming giant flies. The adjutant spoke to Low’s back.

《Do you know, Low?》

《……?》

《Your horns right now, they are very big and beautiful.》

Low, puzzled, raised his hand and touched his forehead.

Then—it was true. He could feel his horns, which had grown huge, were there.

Low chuckled without realizing it.

He had thought he was weak because his horns were small.

But it wasn’t.

It was just that his dream was small, so his horns were also pathetic.

But now, Low’s horns, who had finally found a dream worth dedicating his life to…

Were emitting an ominous light in all directions, having grown incomparably larger than before.

《Now, maggots.》

Standing in front of the Fly Legion, Low spread his arms wide and shouted.

《Eat me.》

The giant flies that were clinging to the filth, and even the maggots and pupae… all looked at Low at once.

《I will gladly become a sacrifice. Devour me!》

Low, with the brightest smile he had ever made in his life, shouted in a voice full of hope.

《And together, let’s destroy the world!》

Towards Low, countless flies and maggots rushed at once.

***

While Low’s whole body was being torn apart and eaten.

The Imp legions, who had been summoned by his call, also rolled down into the sewer, into this sedimentation zone.

The adjutant quietly watched the scene.

The sight of the Imps falling like rain through the sewer pipes connected to the ceiling.

And the sight of the flies, like baby birds receiving food from their mother bird, happily chewing and eating the Imps.

…….

The long and ugly sacrifice feast was over.

And the flies here, all at once, gained ‘intelligence.’

Bubbling, bubbling….

Making a boiling sound, the flies began to stack their bodies on top of each other. In an orderly and systematic manner. As if constructing an ancient, mysterious architecture with a clear blueprint.

The flies, gathered together, transformed into the form of a single giant fly.

Into the form of their greatest ancestor, buried beneath their genes.

《…….》

The adjutant looked up at the sight as if in ecstasy.

Boooooo-!

A giant fly, created by gathering thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of flies, slowly extended hundreds of legs and picked up the royal scepter placed on the floor.

On its head, like a crown, sprouted an unbelievably huge demon horn.

The dirtiest one.

The most lowly one.

The most impure one.

The Maggot Lord, The master of high dwelling, The head of evil-

His name, Beelzebub [בעל זבוב – Hebrew for ‘Lord of the Flies’].

-Or,

《Fly King.》

Looking up at the giant demon that had finished its metamorphosis and hatched in an instant, the adjutant smiled.

《Let’s go, Low.》

Hundreds of other legs of the Fly King flew towards the adjutant. The adjutant did not avoid them.

《To end this world.》

Swallowing the adjutant, who had been torn to shreds, into its stomach, the demon that had been newly born in this place thought.

Yes, of course. I will gladly go.

To Inse.

To the final fortress.

Because all fortresses must,

exist to be conquered.