Chapter 461: Demon King Succession
The unicorn transformed into a long-horned female form and knelt before Jiang Li.
“Answering the deity’s inquiry, there has been a Demon King succession recently. I was defeated in battle and came here seeking solitude. I drove away the Hydra—if you’re looking for it, it’s on the floor below.”
The unicorn sensed an oppressive aura from Jiang Li that surpassed even the Demon King’s.
Though uncertain of Jiang Li’s true identity, addressing him as a deity seemed appropriate.
Seeing the unicorn’s reverent attitude toward Jiang Li, Lance and the others were stunned. The priest seized this opportunity to use his strongest healing skill, restoring the party’s mobility.
This was the priest’s limit.
“I’m not interested in the Hydra. But you—as the former second-in-command under the Demon King—must know many things.”
“I dare not conceal anything before a deity. I was indeed the strongest under the previous Demon King’s rule, but now I can only rank second.”
“If someone of your strength is second now, the first must be formidable.”
“My defeat was absolute.” The unicorn recalled the battle with lingering terror—it had been completely one-sided, leaving her no chance to fight back.
Lance used his Appraisal skill and nearly lost his composure upon seeing the unicorn’s status panel.
HP, MP, Spirit Power, Attack, Defense… These stats were terrifying. Combined, the ancient dragon and Hellhound wouldn’t reach half her power.
Not to mention her arsenal of exceptionally rare skills.
Lance would have believed her if she claimed to be the Demon King.
How could Andrew and the others dare fight such a demon? Were they tired of living?
Lance approached Andrew with pity in his eyes. Without Jiang Li’s intervention, they all would have died to the unicorn’s attacks.
“Didn’t you analyze enemy intelligence before engaging? Did you think all legendary-tier beings were equal?”
“I warned you not to rely on Andrew’s emergency burst skill. It’s unstable and far from invincible.”
Lance’s calm tone carried heavy sarcasm to Andrew’s ears.
Especially for the newly recruited mage who replaced Lance but couldn’t match his capabilities.
Andrew hung his head in shame—his arrogance had nearly wiped out the entire party.
The female archer asked with amusement, “What exactly were you thinking when you kicked Lance out?”
The party members remained silent. They called themselves the Hero Party, yet after all this time, Lance appeared before them clad in full Hero’s equipment—the irony was so thick they wished to vanish into the ground.
“Lance, will you rejoin us? I’ll give you leadership. Let’s grow stronger together and conquer the Demon King.” Andrew believed even someone as strong as Lance needed allies—no one could defeat the Demon King alone.
Lance shook his head gently. “I’ve severed all ties with the Hero Party.”
He glanced at Jiang Li. “Moreover… defeating the Demon King is no longer our objective.”
Seeing Jiang Li and the prostrating unicorn made Lance ponder another question:
If the unicorn was now second among demons, who ranked first? How powerful must the Demon King be? Could humans wearing four artifact sets truly defeat such a being?
And when did this Demon King succession occur? Why were humans completely unaware?
Wasn’t the Demon King supposed to be eternal? Succession was unheard of.
“The Demon King changed?”
The unicorn replied respectfully, “Yes. Approximately two years ago, a new Demon King appeared suddenly and slew the previous one. Demons follow the strong—might makes right.”
“After ascending, the new Demon King showed no interest in invading the three races. He wandered the demon realms unpredictably—none could track his movements. Soon after coronation, he vanished entirely.”
“Recently he reappeared, accompanied by an unfamiliar demon general—likely a frost giant. This general’s power defies description… I suspect he surpasses even the previous Demon King.”
“After battling him, I recognized our insurmountable gap. In despair, I came here to meditate… then encountered you.”
“What does the new Demon King look like?”
“Unknown. He remains shrouded in black mist—his demonic lineage is unidentifiable. Perhaps his top general knows his appearance.”
“After retrieving the Hero’s Crown, I’ll pay the new Demon King a congratulatory visit.” Jiang Li found demon affairs more complex than anticipated.
“What do you know about relations between deities and the Demon King?”
“Nothing. The previous Demon King never spoke of it.”
“What about the dungeon’s formation arrays?”
“What arrays?” The unicorn looked utterly confused.
Seeing Jiang Li’s disappointed expression, she hastily explained, “I’m solitary by nature—avoiding conflicts, maintaining only superficial relations with other demons. I never sought forbidden knowledge.”
The Hero Party returned to the surface to recover while Jiang Li proceeded to the deepest floor with the unicorn, Lance, and the female archer.
Eager to prove her worth, the unicorn shattered the guardian golems before Jiang Li could act.
“Here is the Hero’s Crown, for your inspection, Divine One.” She presented the golden olive-branch circlet.
Just as Lance expected Jiang Li to toss him the crown as usual, Jiang Li instead examined it curiously with no intention of handing it over.
“Interesting. This ‘Hero’s Crown’ actually seizes control of the wearer’s consciousness. Rather than a hero’s symbol, it’s more like a Puppet Crown.”
The unicorn gasped. “It controls minds?” She knew the divine prophecy about a hero defeating the Demon King.
“The hero’s weapon controls the hero instead? Who would do this?” Lance couldn’t believe it.
“Who knows? Perhaps gods, demons… or a third party.”
“Since deities remain elusive, we could visit the Demon King’s castle and demand answers from the new ruler.”
The female archer suddenly covered her ears, face pale. “The Demon King isn’t at his castle—he’s appeared in our elven forest!”
“Impossible! The new Demon King never leaves demon territory!”
“Elves share blood connections allowing kingdom-wide communication. Our queen just alerted all elves—the Demon King stands in the sacred forest, demanding the Elf God’s appearance, flanked by his terrifying general. She warned outside elves not to return.”
Jiang Li lacked elven knowledge, so Lance explained: “Elves are haughty toward outsiders but united internally. Bloodline bonds enable these communications.”
“Merciful deity, I beg you to save our people!” The archer began kneeling.
Jiang Li stopped her. “I seek the Demon King regardless. Your information saves me a trip to his castle—I should thank you.”
“Rise.”
Tearfully grateful, the archer said, “You truly are a benevolent and magnificent deity.”