Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 130: The Ravager and the Maw

In the city, Vezalia stood atop a crumbling ledge, the breeze brushing through her hair. She sniffed once. Her eyes opened, and then, she frowned.

"Him?" she muttered.

Her gaze sharpened, locked toward the direction of the forest. The woman beside her traced a finger along her chin, thoughtful.

"A Demon Lord manifesting is rare," Vezalia said, her voice low. "But to have that many... in the same place..."

The woman smiled faintly, her tone detached yet oddly serene.

"It must mean something’s ending today." She tilted her head. "But I don’t like flies buzzing around someone else’s prey."

Vezalia clicked her tongue.

"If Mother isn’t there... it will fall on the Devourer’s name."

"That would be unfortunate for you," the woman agreed softly. "But maybe... you can make it meaningful. Find a thread that matters, Vezalia."

Vezalia turned slightly.

Behind them, the two Sacred warriors who had defended Airi stood in front of New Horizons members.

Vezalia smiled.

"You two still want to share dinner? You’re beyond salvation now."

The girl stepped forward, her oversized hands curling into firm fists.

"We’ll handle it," she snapped. "One problem at a time."

Her aura ignited in a blaze of fierce green.

"Starting with erasing you."

But before she moved, the young man beside her spoke.

"Gaia!"

She paused, glancing at him.

He stepped in front of her, hand raised.

"Wait."

"Astros?" Gaia asked urgently. "We don’t have time for this."

Astros kept his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Something changed. That thing earlier." He clenched his jaw. "And I think... this is exactly what they wanted."

He turned to her, voice sharper now.

"We can’t charge in blindly."

He hesitated, then looked back at them.

"We... Can’t."

Gaia blinked, then she gasped.

The forest seemed frozen.

Between two Demon Lords, the air thickened into something tangible. A pressure that crushed down from above and rose from below, folding space around it like a dome.

Bel and Midas faced each other in silence.

The demon still kneeling between them trembled violently, unable to lift his head. His body was caught in the gravity of their presence.

Every second that passed felt like his lungs might collapse from the strain.

Midas observed Bel with a satisfied gleam in his eye. His expression was calm, bordering on pleased.

"Extraordinary," he said finally. "I had heard... the reports. That you would break through. That you would change. But this..." He smiled wider. "This is something else."

He gestured lightly toward Bel, as if addressing a work of art.

"The peak of evolution," Midas said. "An unmatchable force, rising faster than anyone in the last century. A masterpiece."

Bel’s eyes narrowed faintly. He said nothing at first, but when he did, his voice was quiet.

"Stop."

Midas tilted his head.

Bel spoke slowly.

"That kind of praise is for those who need validation. I don’t. I haven’t come this far to be flattered like a child."

Midas blinked, then laughed lightly.

"You wound me. You answer generosity with harshness. That doesn’t bode well for future negotiations, Lord Ravager."

Bel didn’t respond. His eyes simply stayed on Midas, cold and unreadable.

This was it. A true Demon Lord. One of the Seven... or rather, the Eight now.

His supposed equals.

But something was off.

He felt nothing.

No pressure. No storm behind his eyes. No fire inside his soul.

Just a man in a suit, smiling like a merchant closing a deal.

Bel frowned.

"You said you were a Demon Lord... but I don’t feel anything."

That caught Midas off guard.

"Oh?"

"I expected more," Bel continued calmly. "I expected to meet someone incomparable. Someone whose presence would impress me. But you..."

Midas raised a brow, still amused.

"You seem more like a banker than a destroyer."

The demon on the ground flinched so violently that it nearly toppled him. His entire body tensed, waiting for the outburst from his master.

But Midas only chuckled.

"You’re direct," he said. "I like that."

He brushed the brim of his hat back slightly.

"First of all, let’s put things in their context." He began. "You are ’Lord Ravager’. If someone is destruction, it has to be you. Now, in my case... What you’re seeing is not my true form. This is a vessel. Just as you have a human form, I too, wear a skin that allow me to walk on this world better."

His smile curved.

"Aside from one or two exceptions, most of us keep only two faces."

Bel remained silent.

Midas added gently.

"And as for my power..." He tilted his head again, as if thinking. "Well, that’s something I prefer to keep hidden. Secrets are... valuable, wouldn’t you say?"

He took a step closer, gloved hands still behind his back.

"But," he said smoothly, "if you are truly curious, I can offer it to you."

Bel’s eyes twitched.

Midas stopped, letting the silence build.

"The secret of my power," he said. "I could lend it to you. If... you agree to pay me back, eventually."

The kneeling demon’s eyes widened.

This... this is Lord Midas’s...

His ability, the one he used to take out Lloyd, an ability that required nothing but acknowledgment. The moment you owed him, the moment you accepted a debt... He could take anything from you.

Bel studied Midas with calm detachment, the silence stretching between them.

Then it happened.

[System Alert: Hostile Authority Detected]

[Authority of Avarice: Binding Contract Attempt - Initiating Protocol: Debt of Subjugation] [System Defense Activated: Divine Authority Nullified — Host Immune to Divine Authority]

Bel’s eyes widened slightly as the message flashed. A cold realization hit him once he saw the word "Authority".

He knew that only a specific person could be the owner at this instant: Midas.

"You..." Bel thought, his core igniting.

His pupils contracted sharply. His body didn’t move, but the world around him did.

His pressure surged like an explosion.

The entire forest responded. Trees bent, birds launched into the sky. The wind howled as if trying to flee. Even the shadows recoiled, flinching away from him.

The demon on the ground jerked up. He threw his arms over his face, shielding himself against the invisible storm threatening to rip him apart.

Midas’ smile thinned.

The air warped around Bel, distorting, shivering from the intensity of his power. The earth cracked slightly beneath his feet.

Then, Bel spoke slowly.

"Gilded Maw... are you willing to go down... right here... right now?"

The words weren’t loud, but the threat they carried was everything. Midas’s eyes glimmered.

"Yes... This is what it means to stand before another Demon Lord," he murmured. "... Not a Hero... Definitely not."

His voice dipped into a chuckle, but the tension didn’t fade.

"Forgive my foolishness," Midas said, bowing his head slightly. "It was... a test. Or, let’s say, a confirmation. And now I’m convinced."

He raised his gaze again, calm and clear.

"You are not one to follow. So their approach was doomed from the start."

Bel didn’t answer. His aura still surged, crashing through the ground like waves.

The demon on the ground was nearly unconscious, his lungs refusing to breathe.

"Let me be clear," Midas continued, his tone steady. "Among the Demon Lords, we’ve long since abandoned unity. Most of us act on our own. Some like sweet talk. Others prefer guidance. But me? I seek adaptation."

His eyes narrowed, expression finally serious.

"Because I understand something they don’t. You... are your own master."

And with that, Midas closed his eyes.

The pressure began to fall.

First, slowly, like a tide pulling back. The wind settled, and the trees stopped bending. The sky cleared from its distortions.

The forest exhaled.

Bel remained motionless.

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

Midas was quiet for a moment. Then he looked sideways, to the demon still trembling on the ground.

"Are the preparations complete?"

The demon forced himself to breathe and nodded weakly.

"Y-yes... everything is ready."

Midas turned back to Bel.

"Then allow me to make you an offer."

He placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly.

"Instead of listening to voices. Demons, humans. Let me show you something else."

His eyes met Bel’s again.

"Let me show you what humanity truly is. And then... you decide what you want to destroy."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel