Chapter 6: Rehabilitation (1)

The first priority for the resurrected Demon King was to treat LeRaje.

How many times had LeRaje gotten back up during their journey?

His mental fortitude was remarkable, but each time, his body had to endure its limits.

As a result, if not treated immediately, LeRaje’s life would soon leave the Demon Realm.

The hopeful aspect was that LeRaje was a demon.

No matter how damaged a demon’s body was, as long as they had magic, they could hold onto their lifeline.

When a demon’s life is in danger, they instinctively start burning their internal magic to stay alive.

The immense energy produced by this process allows them to forcibly cling to life.

Thus, theoretically, if a demon had infinite magic, they could never die.

A beastman in LeRaje’s current condition would have died.

Of course, if it had been a beastman’s body, they would never have been driven to this physical state in the first place.

The problem was that this was only “theoretically” true.

No matter how great a demon archmage was, the Demon King had never heard of any demon surviving more than a day in the River of Death.

Most stories only spoke of demons who were saved after being surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of magicians pouring their magic to revive them.

But LeRaje was different.

With talents so astounding that even the law enforcer of the material world was shocked, LeRaje had made an impossible journey possible.

Of course, even such a genius could not guarantee success if the journey had lasted even a day.

No, even if it had lasted just an hour longer, there was no certainty.

The state of the body, after expending so much magic for the Demon King’s resurrection, was dangerous, even for LeRaje.

The Demon King did not stop. He continued to inject his magic into LeRaje.

While it could be dangerous to excessively supply someone with magic, much like a blood transfusion, there was no time for such concerns now.

The real worry was whether the Demon King’s magic would run out first.

The Demon King looked at his hand, which was holding LeRaje.

The frail hands of a boy. The Demon King had resurrected, but in the body of a young boy.

In the long run, that was undeniably a blessing.

The Demon King, with his vast experience and knowledge, starting over from childhood meant a future that would be even stronger than 300 years ago.

But that was no help in saving the demon lord’s daughter, who was dying in front of him.

But he was the Demon King.

If one magic was not enough, he could use all the other techniques at his disposal.

He increased his output and temporarily injected large amounts of magic into LeRaje’s body.

He chose the smallest room in the facility and laid LeRaje on its bed.

This facility had clearly been built to house the resurrected Demon King.

Although now deserted, it still contained many useful items for its original purpose.

Small, rusted knives, and buckets on the brink of breaking, though still holding shape.

Ancient clothes, untouched by anyone, were in surprisingly good condition.

Food stores that had been untouched by maggots, with only honey surviving.

One might question how any of these would help LeRaje, but the Demon King packed everything with certainty.
He then grabbed a bucket and left the room.

The bucket collected rainwater, and he searched for any useful herbs nearby.

If there were none, there was no choice. He would have to solve the issue with what he had.

He gathered the rain-soaked twigs and returned to the room where LeRaje lay.

The reason the Demon King had chosen the small room was for its warmth.

Although the twigs were soaked, they would catch fire when exposed to magic.

As the fireplace began to work, warmth quickly filled the small room.

The Demon King placed the bucket of rainwater on the fire.

He then piled clothes next to it, preparing to boil them.

While waiting for the water’s temperature to rise,

the Demon King checked LeRaje’s remaining magic and removed his clothes.

“…As expected, his nutritional state is poor.”

The recent hardships had taken a toll, but more than likely, he hadn’t had enough food for a long time.

Remembering this, the Demon King decided to focus on more pressing matters.

He had to excise the worsening wounds caused by lack of treatment first.

And he would do so with a rusted knife.

The solution lay with another group of demons, the Ain.

If magic symbolized demons, then witchcraft symbolized the Ain.

When the Ain taught their disciples, the first thing they showed them was a spell called ‘Vessel.’

Using a vessel allowed even an ordinary mass-produced sword to temporarily house the spirit of a legendary weapon.

In this case, it would allow a rusted knife to take on the properties of a surgical scalpel.
Of course, this technique was not foolproof.

Even if a mass-produced sword temporarily became a legendary weapon, it would only last a few seconds before the sword shattered into hundreds of pieces.

The durability of the vessel, the skill of the witch, and the similarity between the vessel and the spirit all influenced the success of the spell.

But above all, the most important factor was the witch’s almost fanatic belief.

The Demon King would not doubt that the rusted knife in his hand would become a surgical scalpel.

The revived Demon King prioritized the healing of Lerazie. During their journey, how many times had Lerazie risen

again? His mental strength was extraordinary, but every time he did, his body was pushed to its limits. As a result, if

the situation wasn’t handled immediately, Lerazie’s life would soon depart from the Demon Realm.

The only hopeful part was that Lerazie was a demon. No matter how damaged the body, as long as there was magic

power, a demon could hold on to life. When a demon’s life is in danger, they instinctively draw from their magic and

begin to burn it. This massive energy can forcibly sustain life.

In theory, if a demon had infinite magic, they would never die. If a beastman were in Lerazie’s state right now, they would be dead. Of course, if he had the body of a beastman, he wouldn’t have been pushed this far physically in the first place.

But the issue was that this was “theoretically” speaking. No matter how great a demon or a grand magician, there

were no known cases of a demon surviving for more than a day in the River of Death. The only stories were of

demons who were saved by dozens or even hundreds of mages who poured their magic into them.

But Lerazie was different. The talent of the security chief from the mortal realm was so astonishing that it made

nearly impossible journeys possible. Even such a genius would have perished if the journey had lasted one more day

—or even just one more hour.

The Demon King’s body, having used up a massive amount of magic for the resurrection, was also at risk, even for Lerazie.

The Demon King continually injected his magic into Lerazie. While excessive magic transfusions could be dangerous, this was not the time to be concerned about that. What he feared more was running out of his own magic.

The Demon King looked at his hand, holding the frail boy’s delicate hand. He had revived, but in the body of a child.

This was a clear blessing in the long run. The Demon King, with all his experiences and knowledge, had been given a

second chance to begin his growth once again. This meant a stronger future than 300 years ago. But right now, it was

a disadvantage in saving the daughter of the Demon Realm.

But he was the Demon King. If one magic wasn’t enough, he could use all his techniques.

He increased the output of magic, injecting a massive amount into Lerazie’s body.

He selected the smallest room in the facility and laid Lerazie on the bed. This facility was clearly designed to house

the revived Demon King. While it was now deserted, there were still useful items within it—rusty small knives,

almost broken but still intact buckets, ancient clothes that had been untouched, and honey that survived in the food

storage where even maggots had starved.

Though one might question how these items could help Lerazie, the Demon King packed them with certainty. He took the bucket and headed outside to gather some supplies.

The bucket collected rainwater, and the Demon King assessed the area for useful medicinal plants. If none were found, he would have to make do with what he had.

He gathered some branches wet from the rain and returned to the room where Lerazie lay.

The reason he had chosen this small room was the warmth. Despite the wet branches, magic could ignite them, and the fire would spread even in the rain-soaked wood. The fireplace quickly filled the room with warmth.

He placed the bucket of rainwater over the fire and began preparing to boil the water. As it heated, the Demon King removed Lerazie’s clothes and checked his magic level.

“…His nutrition is poor,” he muttered. The suffering he’d endured, coupled with the prolonged lack of food, had clearly taken a toll.

Though he took note of this, the immediate concern wasn’t that. He had to start by cutting away the worsened

wounds that hadn’t been treated. With a rusty knife, no less.

The solution came from the Ains, another race of the Demon Realm. While magic represented demons, curses

symbolized the Ains. The first thing they taught their disciples was the ‘vessel.’ By using a vessel, even a mass-

produced sword could temporarily become a legendary sword. In this case, it could transform the rusty knife into a

fine surgical tool.

Of course, this was not a perfect solution. If you tried to turn a mass-produced sword into a legendary one, it would

shatter into hundreds of pieces within seconds. But the effectiveness of the vessel depended on the durability of the

object, the skills of the curse user, and the similarity between the vessel and the object being imbued.

Most important of all was the almost insane belief the curse user had.

The Demon King brought his clean surgical knife to Lerazie’s wounds and began carefully cutting away the rotten

flesh. It was a delicate task, but his focus and skill allowed him to minimize blood loss and heal with precision. His

strength and understanding of the body, honed from the beastmen’s legacy, played a key role.

The third legacy came from the Immortals, who viewed the body as a mere part, something that could be replaced, repaired, or rebuilt at will.

Through their use of necromancy, they could heal wounds, cure diseases, and even restore lost limbs. These were

considered ‘miracles’ by the mortal realm, but the Immortals could do the same. The key tool for such feats was

necromancy, which consumed the user’s soul energy.

The Demon King placed his hand over the incision he had made, applying necromantic energy to heal it. While he

couldn’t heal all the wounds with his current soul energy, he had to immediately remove the infected ones to prevent

further complications.

After some healing, he used minimal magic to dress and bind the lesser wounds, applying honey as an ointment. He

continued feeding his magic into Lerazie’s life force, stabilizing it.

Once the healing process was complete, the Demon King confirmed that Lerazie’s magic flow had stabilized. He could finally relax and take a break, waiting for Lerazie to awaken.

While waiting, the Demon King sat in the room, carefully assessing the situation. The most obvious concern was the boy’s body.

If he tried to use this body like he had in his prime 300 years ago, it would break like glass. He wouldn’t be able to

wield the power he once had until the body matured. But if he trained this body correctly, there was a chance it could

surpass even his former self.

Another concern was his divinity. The Demon King closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. He could faintly hear someone speaking, but the words were unclear.

During the resurrection process, he had lost part of his divine power. However, he could tell that it hadn’t fully disappeared. With time, it would continue to accumulate again.

But the problem was that this had happened in the body of a boy. Time was clearly on the Demon King’s side.

But the Demon Realm was not. Even as he sat here, demons across the land were being hunted. The sorrow he had felt from the throne of consciousness still echoed throughout the realm.

The Demon King’s thoughts turned grim, but as he watched Lerazie breathe, his mind cleared. To survive in this

world, he needed power. He couldn’t hope to rebuild a nation without people. The suffering of the Demon Realm was

infuriating, but it only steeled his resolve. To achieve his ultimate revenge, he could not afford to fail.

The Demon King began to form two strategies.

One was to gather the brilliant minds of the Demon Realm, such as Lerazie, and unite them in one place. Like in the

distant past, he would help them achieve their dreams and win their hearts.

The second was to gather intelligence on the mortal realm, especially the fate of the hero. He was curious about the hero’s whereabouts.

The Demon King stood up and left the facility. The rain continued to fall, trickling down the mountain, and slowly flowing into the river.

Lerazie would need time to recover, but his second goal could be started right away. There were security officers

scattered throughout the rain, and from them, the Demon King could gather the information he needed.

“This will serve as the first training,” the Demon King mused.

He left a simple spell at the entrance of the facility. It was a fun and convenient magic that would alert him if anyone came by.

Next, he cast a detection spell, spreading a thin magical veil across the land. This veil would act like a living being,

memorizing the form of anyone it encountered and returning to its origin.

Even though it was known to be false, one had to believe it to be true, which caused a significant strain on mental fortitude.

This characteristic was present in every form of magic used by the Ains.

While magic used mana, curses were techniques that utilized mental power.

The Demon King, using curses, began tending to Leražie’s wounds, applying a clean scalpel to his cuts.

When the rusted blade couldn’t withstand the magic and broke, the Demon King would throw it into the corner and reapply magic to a new blade.

With precision, he removed the rotten flesh, a technique learned from the beastmen.

The beastmen’s legacy, which helped the Demon King now, was an understanding of the body.

The beastmen had long explored the body to advance martial arts and were also pioneers in medicine during the

Demon King’s era.

Even when cutting flesh, only a small amount of blood would flow, and they would heal the wound with minimal injury but maximum effect.

It was an operation requiring great concentration and delicate fingers, causing significant physical exhaustion, but

the precision and stamina of the beastmen’s bodies were their area of expertise.

The third legacy came from the immortals.

To them, the body was simply a tool, a part that could be replaced, repaired, or remade.

In an instant, wounds healed, diseases were cured, and lost limbs were restored, things that the beings of the physical world called “miracles,” which they too could accomplish.

The tool that enabled all of this was necromancy, which consumed the soul, or in other words, used the soul’s energy as collateral.

The Demon King placed a hand on the incision he had made.

He could not heal all the wounds with the strength of his soul at present, but severe infections or wounds prone to further complications had to be dealt with immediately.

The wounds that had been treated earlier would reduce the amount of energy consumption.

For wounds that were deprioritized, the clothes were boiled and torn to create a makeshift bandage, with honey applied to it.

Throughout this process, the Demon King kept applying demonic magic to hold onto the lifeline.

Once the complicated healing, utilizing all four of the Demon King’s great powers, was completed, and Leražie’s mana flow stabilized, the Demon King finally felt relieved and allowed himself to rest.

Waiting for Leražie to awaken, the Demon King sat in a chair in the room and slowly assessed the situation.

The most obvious thing was the boy’s body.

If he handled it the same way as when he fought the hero 300 years ago, it would break like glass.

Until his body grew, it would be impossible to manifest even a fraction of the power he had back then.

However, with the proper training from here on out, it was possible he could surpass his peak strength.

The second concern was divinity.

The Demon King closed his eyes and focused on his hearing.

Somewhere, he could hear someone speaking, though the words were unclear.

During the process of resurrection, the Demon King had lost a portion of his divinity.

However, since it hadn’t completely disappeared, he could expect it to accumulate again over time, just as it had in the past.

The real issue was being resurrected in this boy’s body.

In this sense, time was clearly on the Demon King’s side.

But the demon realm itself was not.

Even now, in this area alone, countless demons were being hunted.

The sorrowful melody that had echoed from the throne of consciousness still played on throughout the demon realm.

This fact urged the Demon King into a sense of urgency, but as he looked at Leražie, his demeanor remained calm.

Seeing Leražie’s chest rise and fall with every breath, the Demon King was able to keep his composure.

Without power, the Demon King could not venture into the world.

He could not raise a nation without followers.

Though he hated seeing the demon realm in pain, he had to remain colder than anyone.

To complete his unyielding revenge, he must not fail.

The Demon King made two plans on the spot.

The first was to gather the geniuses of the demon realm, including Leražie, in one place.

Just like in the distant past, and just as the Demon King had descended to this land once again, it included making their dreams come true and winning their hearts.

The second was to gather information about the current world, particularly regarding the hero.

The Demon King stood up and headed toward the outside of the facility.

The rain that still fell had formed small streams that slowly traveled down the mountain ridges toward the river.

The first target, Leražie, needed more time as he was still unconscious.

However, the second target could be pursued starting now.

There were plenty of security officers scattered in the rain from whom information could be obtained.

“…This should do for the first training.”

Having made his plans, the Demon King left a small spell at the entrance of the facility.

It was a simple, convenient spell that would alert the Demon King whenever someone approached.

Next, the Demon King cast a detection spell.

The spell spread thinly across the ground.

The magical barrier, imbued with necromancy, functioned like a living organism, remembering any form it

encountered and returning to the caster.

The scene you shared is filled with tense action and psychological insight, as the demon king navigates the chaos

created by the corrupted guards. It is a powerful depiction of the dark side of authority, showing how the guards’

actions are increasingly distasteful and why the demon king has lost any remaining respect for them.

As the demon king takes control of the situation, the turning point comes when he loses his earlier restraint,

realizing that the world of the living (현계) has grown just as corrupt as his own. His decision to eliminate the

corrupt soldiers of the 4th squad is a grim reflection of his shifting mindset.