Chapter 15
The Demon King’s Disciple (4)
“…A disciple, you say?”
“Hmph. Don’t misunderstand. This is merely entertainment. It does not make us a true master and disciple.”
The Demon King was going to teach him?
Jinhyuk could hardly believe it.
The very enemy he would one day have to defeat—the final obstacle standing before him.
Never, even in his wildest imagination, had he expected to receive instruction from that person.
With her arms folded, the Demon King continued.
“Even so, it will allow you to draw out your power instantly. I shall teach you Solitary Existence and the Void.”
Though Jinhyuk had never agreed to anything, the Demon King had already decided to pass down two of her greatest abilities.
“Thank you.”
Naturally, there was no reason to refuse.
Enemy or not, what could be more exciting than being taught by the strongest being in existence?
The Demon King herself is going to teach me…
His heart pounded.
It was undoubtedly a choice he might regret someday.
After all, she was the one he would eventually have to kill.
Yet—
It would be foolish to turn this down.
Not only was she offering to teach him the Void…
She was offering to teach him Solitary Existence as well.
First, the Void.
The Demon King’s title was none other than The Demon King of the Void.
Mastering the Void would undoubtedly grant unimaginable benefits.
Perhaps he would finally understand the mysterious darkness surrounding her body and the source of her overwhelming demonic power.
Maybe I can even surpass the limits of my magic.
Anticipation curled the corners of his lips upward.
Then there was Solitary Existence.
Its power had become apparent through his countless deaths.
Ever since the Demon King had changed patterns and begun using it, even the smallest traces of her habits had disappeared.
Her movements became completely unreadable.
It lacked the flashy spectacle of the Void, but in terms of practical combat utility, it surpassed everything else.
If he could master both techniques, he would become incomparably stronger than he was now.
And they would undoubtedly aid him in the future battle against the Demon King herself.
This was an opportunity he could not afford to miss.
“Yes.”
“I will become your disciple.”
Jinhyuk lowered his head deeply.
It was the first time he had bowed to anyone since his school days, back when he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player.
“Mm. Good.”
Despite being the one who had proposed it, the Demon King gave an awkward nod.
Since he isn’t an official disciple, I suppose there’s no need for unnecessary formalities.
The truth was that the Demon King had never taken a disciple before.
She had no idea how a master was supposed to treat one.
And to make matters stranger, her first disciple was not even a demon.
It was a human.
If the demon army serving under her ever learned about this, they would probably collapse from shock.
Especially that Demon Lord. If he finds out, he’ll probably try to kill the brat immediately.
The Demon King had never had a teacher either.
The concept of a healthy master-disciple relationship was completely foreign to her.
Old memories surfaced.
The endless struggles of the Demon Realm.
A land overflowing with evil.
The only teachers she had ever known were enemies.
The only lessons she had ever learned came through battle.
Naturally, her own teachings would follow the same principle.
That was precisely why she had never accepted disciples.
If she taught others the way she herself had learned…
None of them would survive.
But this one might endure.
As long as Jinhyuk maintained his current level of determination, he might be the only person capable of surviving the Demon King’s instruction.
“Then let’s begin immediately.”
“First, the Void.”
“What exactly is the Void?”
Instead of answering, the Demon King quietly gathered her power.
“The titles used to describe me have changed many times over the years.”
The atmosphere changed.
“Slaughtering Demon.”
“Vanguard of Corruption.”
“Dragon Slayer.”
“And the title that remained the longest…”
The Demon King slowly raised one arm.
In that instant, her already enormous body seemed to expand.
It wasn’t merely her size.
An overwhelming presence flooded the surroundings.
Jinhyuk hurriedly circulated his demonic energy to withstand the pressure, but he couldn’t stop his body from trembling.
“Urgh…”
Darkness swallowed everything.
Pitch-black darkness.
Within it, the Demon King stood as an absolute presence and proudly declared:
“The Demon King of the Void.”
At that moment, Jinhyuk realized he was no longer standing inside the castle.
This was somewhere else.
Somewhere he had never seen before.
Yet strangely…
It felt familiar.
His eyes widened as the landscape transformed in an instant.
It felt as though he had been dropped into the middle of the universe itself.
A vast, silent darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
Then suddenly, he remembered.
He had experienced this feeling once before.
The Demon King’s armor…
The first time he had seen her.
That armor had resembled the deepest night sky.
A boundless cosmos.
Now those boundaries had dissolved entirely.
The universe itself had expanded and swallowed him whole.
“This is the Void.”
“You could call it the manifestation of a domain.”
“A domain?”
“Everything inside this territory falls under the Void’s control.”
“Like this.”
Before Jinhyuk could process the explanation, the Demon King casually raised a hand.
Whoosh!
His body suddenly floated into the air.
“Anything with mass possesses force.”
“The Void can remove that force—or grant it.”
“D-Demon King, wait! I don’t know what you’re planning, but—”
“Even after making you weightless like this…”
The Demon King flicked her fingers downward.
“AAAAAAAH!”
“I can cast you into an endless abyss.”
The moment her hand fell, Jinhyuk began plummeting.
The sensation was bizarre.
He felt himself falling endlessly.
Yet every time he looked up, the Demon King remained directly before him.
He was falling forever…
Yet never moving away.
The contradiction made his head spin.
“That’s enough.”
Suddenly, his body froze in place.
“Urgh…”
Still suspended in midair, Jinhyuk gagged.
Damn it.
I feel like a toy.
Being moved against his will was horrifying.
The dizziness was far worse than any amusement park ride he had experienced as a child.
“That power is terrifying.”
The Demon King snorted.
“Hmph. This is merely the foundation of domain control.”
“The true application is when it is used upon oneself.”
Then she applied the Void to her own body.
Freed from the constraints of gravity, she floated upward.
And vanished.
“D-Demon King?”
When the Void first expanded, she had already become difficult to perceive.
Now she had disappeared entirely.
To be precise, she had merged completely with the surrounding darkness.
“If one masters the domain completely, things like this become possible.”
A voice echoed directly inside his head.
“What did you do?”
“I dispersed my demonic energy throughout the domain.”
“I can appear whenever I wish.”
“And disappear just as easily.”
A moment later, an overwhelming presence materialized behind him.
The Demon King placed a hand on his head.
“Haha.”
“This is the Void.”
“And this is what you will learn.”
Jinhyuk stared blankly.
“…This goes beyond a simple ability.”
The hunters he had known until now possessed powers that merely enhanced their bodies or unleashed destructive attacks.
The Void existed on an entirely different level.
It felt less like an ability and more like divine authority.
“You’re saying I can learn something like this?”
“Of course.”
“What do you think the demonic energy flowing through your body is?”
As she spoke, the Demon King pressed a finger against his forehead.
“The Void is simple.”
“I merely need to pass on the method.”
“Normally it is as difficult to master as Solitary Existence.”
“But you already carry the Void within you.”
Unique Skill: Dream Reading.
The ability could not only read another person’s memories.
It could also transmit one’s own.
Knowledge flooded into Jinhyuk’s mind.
“Ugh!”
“Endure it.”
“We have a long way to go.”
Countless pieces of information poured directly into his brain.
It felt as though his skull might split open.
This was a sensation he would need to become accustomed to.
[You have acquired the True Demon Divine Art.]
[You have acquired the Origin-One Heart Formula.]
[You have acquired the Heart of the Void.]
“Gah!”
Despite having eaten nothing, Jinhyuk nearly vomited.
It felt as though worms were crawling through his brain.
He had become accustomed to physical agony.
To flesh tearing.
Bones shattering.
His body exploding apart.
But this kind of pain was entirely different.
The profound secrets transmitted by the Demon King were engraved directly into his mind.
Though incomprehensible, every word remained perfectly memorized.
And hidden within those teachings was power beyond imagination.
“From now on, circulate your magic according to those formulas.”
“Your demonic energy will become far stronger.”
The Demon King smirked.
“Convenient, isn’t it?”
“It took me decades to master these techniques.”
“You learned them instantly.”
Then she continued.
“Solitary Existence cannot be taught this way.”
“It requires internalization.”
“You must learn it through experience.”
“Isn’t that far more valuable?”
Jinhyuk finally managed to steady himself.
It was obvious that the Demon King had no intention of allowing him to lie down and recover.
“You’ve regained your senses.”
“Tell me.”
“Does it seem weak?”
“Not at all.”
“It’s terrifying.”
“The fact that I felt fear simply from receiving the formula means I’ve glimpsed its source.”
“I haven’t even understood the principles yet…”
Ignoring his hesitation, the Demon King continued.
She was certainly not a gentle teacher.
“In my view, every martial artist ultimately pursues two ideals.”
“Convergence.”
“And divergence.”
“Domain Manifestation.”
“And Solitary Existence.”
“Ugh…”
Unable to endure any longer, Jinhyuk finally vomited bitter fluid.
The Demon King continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“Those two paths are complete opposites.”
“One condenses all power within oneself, anchoring one’s existence in the world.”
“The other expands outward and twists the world’s power itself.”
“Are you saying a warrior must master one of them?”
“You learn quickly.”
“Yes.”
“Most warriors fail to achieve even one during their entire lives.”
With those words, the Demon King withdrew her power.
The Void gradually faded.
The familiar scenery of the castle returned.
“If you are my disciple, mastering only one is unacceptable.”
“The Void.”
“And Solitary Existence.”
“Only after mastering both will you be worthy of approaching even my toes.”
The darkness surrounding the Demon King slowly receded.
And for the first time—
Jinhyuk saw her true appearance.
“…D-Demon King?”
His eyes widened.
Shock flooded his face.
The reaction was only natural.
After thousands of deaths, countless regressions, and endless battles…
He had imagined the Demon King’s face many times.
Yet reality was completely different.
“Tch.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve shown my true form to anyone.”
The Demon King…
Was a woman.
“What are you staring at?”
And not just any woman.
She was unbelievably beautiful.
A beauty so breathtaking that, for a moment, Jinhyuk forgot even his dizziness.
