Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 93: The Demon Within

The entire dungeon was frozen.

A field of white, jagged ice stretched in every direction.

Walls were now crystal-like. Icicles hung from above like swords waiting to fall.

The floor had frozen unevenly with layers of frost. Steam still rose gently from the edges, where mana hadn’t fully vanished.

Bel stood in the middle, immobile like the world around him.

He turned his monstrous head left, then right. His glowing blue eyes scanned the aftermath.

"Wow..."

He took a step forward. Ice crunched under his claws, then another step.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing.

"Wait. How much mana did I just use for that?"

He was about to summon the system... but then he paused.

Something felt different the moment he focused. He could feel it, he could understand it.

A pulse, a warmth, not just in one spot, but all through his body.

His mana. Not as a number, not as data... but real, alive.

He could feel it moving, circulating, regenerating on its own. He didn’t need to check the numbers. He just knew the proportion.

"About five percent used," he whispered. "Maybe less. And it’s already coming back."

That surprised him.

He had never been able to sense it like this before. Before, it was just numbers on a screen. Now? It was like knowing how full your stomach was.

"This form..."

He glanced down at his claws.

"...is ridiculous."

He tried again, this time checking his stamina.

Nothing.

Or, well, something.

It moved a little, like a small drop, but then bounced right back up.

"I used energy. But it’s regenerating. Like I’m just walking around normally."

Bel blinked.

"How? How is something this strong so stable? No side effects? No drain?"

Then he remembered.

The system had shown a 24-hour cooldown.

"Oh... maybe that’s the limit."

He clenched his jaw, trying to bite his lips, but they were hard to move with his snout.

"Definitely not the same body."

Still, he was impressed.

He stood tall, powerful. More than powerful. This wasn’t just his draconic form anymore.

This was something else. A masterpiece.

He made a low, rumbling growl, a draconic giggle?

His mouth curled into what might’ve been a grin. It was hard to tell with his jaw full of fangs.

"... I love this. I love being a demon."

He laughed. Deep and throaty.

"Thanks, Vezalia. For everything."

He thought about calling her. Just to say it out loud. Just to let her know.

But then he paused.

Wait...

Was he really on their side now?

He looked down at his claws. At the cracked ice underfoot.

A demon.

One of the Eight.

"I’m a demon. One of their lords. One of their own."

The thought hit him hard.

He had always looked different. Even before the evolution. Even before the scales.

Among the humans, he was a shadow, like every single one of the commons people probably.

In a world with heroes and monarchs, he was a peasant without relationship.

Wasn’t that a good excuse to turn against them?

After all, he was a dragon, not a human, why should he force his nature to side with them?

The moment they saw a lesser draconic form, they had raised their swords.

How would they react seeing him now? He wasn’t dumb enough to not understand.

And the demons?

And the demons... they didn’t try to kill him after knowing his nature.

Vezalia welcomed him. Called him a candidate. Said he could take what he wanted. That none of the other demon lords would stop him.

That meant no chains. No orders.

If he ignored them, they’d let him.

As long as he kept evolving as a demon, he was free.

His human side wanted to say, protect the people. Fight for the weak. Remember the villagers. Stop the demons.

But then again...

That side was weak. Naive, it was a shadow of what he was now.

It wasn’t pride or cockiness, his mind had evolved alongside his body, and now when he thought about his past, he felt like watching a stranger.

On the other hand...

His demon side asked him to do everything he desired at the moment.

Evolve. Grow. Take everything. No rules. No guilt.

And if he grew strong enough, even the Demon King couldn’t give him orders.

"If I become stronger than the next Demon King... then no one can stop me."

No chains.

No orders.

Just freedom.

He clenched his jaw again, this time ignoring the scrape of teeth.

"That’s it."

He turned. Ice cracked under each step.

"From now on, I live in my dungeons. I don’t need sleep, I don’t need food. I don’t need rest. I clear, I eat cores, and I evolve. That’s all. I don’t need anything else."

His voice rose.

"This body can go forever."

He stepped toward the exit, frost trailing behind.

But then... he stopped.

With a long delay, his brain remembered an anomaly he barely noticed.

His eyes narrowed.

"Wait... inventory."

He materialized his system screen.

[Inventory: 101 / 150]

He blinked.

"I had 100 out of 100 before I evolved... And now it’s 101?"

He focused on the new slot, a black box appeared, pulsing gently with faint, dark light.

[Item: Demonic Box]

Rarity: ???

A relic laden with one of the sins of the universe.

Bel tilted his head.

[Open: Yes / No]

He selected yes.

The box vanished with a shimmer, and five new items filled cases of the inventory.

[Item: Obsidian Key]

Rarity: ???

[Effect]: Unlocks the [Trial Dungeon of Ascension].

One attempt only.

[Item: Obsidian Core]

Rarity: ???

[Effect]: ???

Usable only inside the Trial Dungeon of Ascension.

One-time use.

[Item: Obsidian Crown]

Rarity: ???

[Effect]: Marks the user as a commander.

Usable only inside the Trial Dungeon of Ascension.

One-time use.

[Item: Cloth of Destruction]

Rarity: ???

[Effect]: ???

Usable only inside the Trial Dungeon of Ascension.

One-time use.

[Item: Mark of Destruction]

Rarity: ???

[Effect]: ???

Usable only inside the Trial Dungeon of Ascension.

One-time use.

Bel stared at the screen. His giant claws twitched slightly., his glowing blue eyes shimmered.

It wasn’t a smile. His current face couldn’t make one.

But the feeling was there. Excitement, shock, and joy.

A trial? Rather a new step forward.

His instincts told him this was no normal dungeon. The system had guided him here.

The evolution, the power, the loop of elements... all of it led here.

This was his path now.

No more random clears.

No more distractions.

This was the trial that waited for this peak of evolution.

Bel’s tail flicked once, beating the ice beneath.

The frozen dungeon behind him cracked again, but his mind was focused on what was ahead.

More power, and he would take it.

All of it.

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