AFTER DEATH I LIVE AGAIN - Season 2 Episode 24

Devon’s hands trembled ever so slightly as he palmed the pommel of his moonlight steel sword, facing the towering behemoth whose ravenous teeth and snarling breath projected the intense aura of an underworld elder demon race.

It spoke again, in the demon language.

You will come with me when the portal opens, mortal.

The behemoth breathed in through its flared nostrils, the smell of fetid flesh and dragonbreath wafting through the air, causing Devon to recoil for a moment. The scent was not entirely fetid, either– there was the smell of fresh blood and demonic energy and dense mana that made the entire ordeal stifling on the lungs.

Wait. What was that it just said?

“Did you just say portal?” Devon asked cautiously, trying to understand more about the situation.

Suddenly, the historically anomalous appearances of demons that hadn’t surfaced in thousands of years in this world made a lot more sense. That bull demon that destroyed Countess Ilyana’s carriage, then the gorilla demon that interrupted the tomato run game and nearly killed him, and now this behemoth… These foreign demon visitors of this world had to be residents of the demon world that made their way through portals from their netherworld to enter this mid-earth world, portals just like the one the behemoth mentioned.

Yes. The next portal will open during the full moon. That is when this mortal realm is most suitable for manifestation and reception of our mana. You will accompany me back during the next full moon a fortnight from now.

“Where does the portal lead?”

Back to my realm, the underworld, where you will be received by our King. He is a busy man, and yet he has decided to grace you with his presence. Be grateful, mortal.

The behemoth let out a dismissive snort, then continued its monologue.

To be frank, I still do not see what he desires in you. A puny mortal, from a realm so weak such as this one… this mortal realm cannot even manifest the majority of my mana, as the air is thin and the ground so brittle. Only the elves have any vestiges of the great gifts that the gods once bestowed upon this land, and the other races seemed to have lost much of what the elder gods once sowed. It is quite a shame. But my King is interested in claiming this world as his own, so I am here to accelerate the pace of the terrain acclimation. Soon, this world will be habitable again by our kind…

Devon gulped. He didn’t know exactly who this King was that the behemoth kept referencing, but he was certain by the way that the gargantuan beast referred to him in such a respectful and subservient way, that this King was no ordinary being. After all, what in the world could tame a being like the behemoth? With mana as thick as the River Styx, Devon could barely keep his composure in the presence of such an awe inspiring aura. And its size… big enough to trample an entire village like this one in two footsteps.

It also spoke of terraforming the world into one that was more acclimated to demons? Devon gulped involuntarily again. He just got used to this fantasy world, and he didn’t like the sound of demons moving in and evicting the human and other populations that lived here.

“What if I don’t want to go with you through the portal?” Devon asked, his voice slightly raised. “I quite like it here right now.”

The behemoth’s eyes flashed, and it let out a big toothy grin, its scales and massive twin horns raised while the large almost metallic looking plated scales on its pectoral muscles danced with laughter.

Oh, you’d refuse an offer from my King? From King Solomon himself, the head of the 13th demon clan? One of the highest noble demons among the thirteen clans? Surely you jest.

Devon was left speechless at the condescending, remarkably human attitude that the giant behemoth shouldered. It spoke like an Italian mobster from the 70s intimidating a debtor into paying up interest fees. Humorous and jibing, yet with the threat of violence thinly veiled underneath the jesting and mockery.

You’d be a fool to decline an invitation from a clan leader himself. His power is immeasurable, and his influence all encompassing. You will not find yourself safe anywhere, in this world or the next.

Devon drew his moonlight steel sword, his inner palms slightly sweaty from nervousness.

“I quite like this world. I like it the way it is right now, free of your world’s foul mana, and I like the people who live here,” said Devon in a stoic voice. “I decline your king’s offer.”

The behemoth’s jaws clenched in rage, as it rose to full length, casting an unbelievable shadow across Devon and the town itself, blotting out the sunlight. It was little wonder that small animals like birds had fled the area.

So be it. If you do not accept my King’s gracious invitation as a guest, then I will take you by force as a prisoner. Yours is the wrong choice, mortal.