Chapter 237: Madness vs Corruption V
1st General: Bael, The Tyrant Warlord
Bael was a monstrous demon clad in obsidian armor, standing over four meters tall. He wielded a massive, cursed greatsword that could tear the very fabric of space.
"Intruder! I shall crush your bones and offer your soul to the King!" he roared.
Shubh smirked. "Try."
Bael swung his blade, sending a wave of destruction forward, but Shubh flickered out of existence, reappearing behind him. She drove her claws into his spine, twisting them as abyssal energy spread through his body.
The warlord bellowed in agony but refused to fall. His rage-fueled willpower kept him standing—until Shubh ripped his heart out and crushed it in her palm.
Bael collapsed.
One down.
2nd General: Lilith, The Mistress of Madness
A seductress wrapped in chains, Lilith was the embodiment of mind control and illusion, her voice alone capable of shattering the will of lesser beings.
"Submit, child. Let me embrace you in eternal ecstasy~" she purred, her golden eyes glowing hypnotically.
Shubh tilted her head, amused. "Cute trick."
Lilith's illusions took hold, distorting reality, but Shubh was no ordinary mind.
With a thought, she tore through the false world, her abyssal presence devouring Lilith's control like a starving beast. The demoness's expression twisted in horror as Shubh grabbed her by the throat.
"Let me show you what true madness looks like."
Shubh unleashed her abyssal will, drowning Lilith's mind in endless void—an existence of pure nothingness. The once proud temptress collapsed into a babbling husk, her own power turned against her.
Two down.
3rd & 4th Generals: The Twin Calamities, Asmodai & Valak
Two figures stood side by side. One engulfed in flames, the other shrouded in icy mist—the twin calamities who controlled fire and frost, their combined attacks said to be unstoppable.
Without hesitation, they attacked in unison, their elements merging into a storm of destruction.
Shubh didn't move.
Instead, she let the abyss consume the flames and ice, her very existence nullifying their elemental powers. The twins realized too late—their abilities were useless.
Before they could retreat, Shubh severed their heads with a single swing of her claws.
Four down.
With the generals dead, Shubh finally approached the black fortress at the city's core.
A massive throne of bones awaited inside, and upon it sat the Mad Demon King—his body wrapped in dark chains, his eyes burning with chaotic insanity.
"YOU… WHO ARE YOU? A NEW NIGHTMARE COME TO DETHRONE ME?!"
His voice shook reality itself, the sheer weight of his madness threatening to consume the world.
Shubh merely grinned. "No. I'm simply here to kill you."
The Demon King rose, his very presence warping the surroundings. His insanity was a living force, twisting logic, breaking the laws of existence.
Then he attacked.
Shubh barely had time to react as a phantom claw tore through the air, grazing her cheek. A single touch, yet it carried the weight of madness itself—an attempt to corrupt her mind, soul, and reality all at once.
A weaker being would have been lost instantly.
But Shubh was no lesser being.
Her abyssal will resisted the madness, pushing back against the corruption. The battlefield became a clash of two concepts—the all-consuming void vs. uncontrolled insanity.
The Mad Demon King fought like a rabid beast, attacking without pattern or reason, his strength surpassing all logic. Shubh was forced to adapt, dodging his unpredictable strikes, countering his chaos with absolute void control.
Minutes turned to hours, the battle growing more intense. The ground shattered, the sky bled, and reality itself cracked under their overwhelming power.
But in the end…
Shubh won.
With a final piercing strike, she drove her abyssal claws through the Mad Demon King's skull, crushing his essence before he could spread his madness further.
As his body collapsed, the air cleared. The suffocating madness that once plagued Central City was finally gone.
Shubh stood victorious, her body drenched in demonic blood. She gazed at the ruined throne and smirked.
"And that's that."
With her mission complete, she turned away, her next destination already clear—returning to Leon, to report that the Mad Demon King was dead.
As Shubh left the ruins of the Mad Demon King's fortress, she stretched her wings, yawning slightly.
"That was fun."
The air was clearer now. The suffocating madness that had choked Central City was gone, and the remaining demons stood frozen in shock. Their ruler was dead, and for the first time in centuries, they were free.
Shubh didn't care much about that. She had no interest in ruling.
Instead, she made a quick detour—back to the land of Gluttony.
"You're the Demon King now."
The Demon Lord of Gluttony, Odan, was where she'd left him—sitting on his throne, surrounded by mountains of food, stuffing his face with roasted meats, fruit, and steaming bowls of unknown delicacies.
He barely glanced at her as she approached. "Mmf? You're back? Done killing the crazy guy?" he asked, chewing.
Shubh nodded. "Yeah. So, congrats. You're the new Demon King."
Odan paused mid-bite, looking at her blankly. "...Huh?"
Shubh waved lazily. "You heard me. You're in charge now."
The massive demon swallowed and scratched his head. "Me? A King? That's too much work..."
Shubh shrugged. "You don't have to do anything different. Just keep eating and let someone else handle the annoying stuff."
Odan thought about it for a moment. Then, with a nod, he went back to eating. "Yeah. That works."
That was settled.
With that, Shubh's next stop was the land of Sloth.
She already knew what to expect. When she arrived at Soma's castle, she found the Sloth Demon Lord in her usual place—asleep on her massive bed, hugging her oversized flaming bear pillow.
A sign was propped up near her head.
"If it's you, Shubh, just pick me up and take me. Just don't disturb my sleep."
Shubh stared at the sign for a moment before chuckling. "At least she's prepared."
Without another word, she grabbed Soma by the back of her nightgown and slung her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The sleepy demon barely reacted—just letting out a quiet "Mmm... comfy." and snuggling deeper into her pillow.
Shubh took off into the sky, her two new passengers in tow—one an unbothered, gluttonous Demon King, the other a sleep-loving sloth who had no complaints about being abducted.
It was time to return to Leon.
Shubh soared over the demon continent, her wings cutting through the sky like blades. The lands below had changed. With the Mad Demon King dead, the oppressive aura of madness that once infected the lands had begun to fade.
The skies over the Central Continent were clearer, and the lingering wails of the tormented had disappeared. Yet, she knew that chaos would not vanish so easily.
A new Demon King sat on the throne—Odan, the Lord of Gluttony—but she doubted he cared. Ruling meant little to him. If anything, he would probably just let the demons self-govern while he focused on eating.
Behind her, Odan sat on a floating piece of meat-covered bone, munching away as if this were just another regular day. He barely reacted to the fact that he had been forcefully made a ruler.
Soma, on the other hand, was still draped over her shoulder like a sack, sleeping peacefully. Occasionally, she let out a soft yawn but otherwise remained completely undisturbed by the journey.
Shubh sighed. "These are Demon Lords?"
When she arrived at Leon's war camp, the sight that greeted her was one of organized chaos.
Shubh descended like a meteor, her wings folding inward as she touched down before Leon.
He was waiting, standing on the highest balcony of the stronghold, arms crossed. His gaze sharp, unreadable.
She grinned, baring her fangs. "Mission complete."
Leon looked past her at the two unusual passengers she had brought along. His eyebrow twitched as he saw Odan still chewing lazily on a drumstick and Soma being carried like cargo.
"Explain."
Shubh tossed Soma onto a nearby couch, where the demon lazily shifted, hugging her pillow. Then, she pointed at Odan. "I made him the Demon King."
Leon blinked slowly.
Odan gave a half-hearted wave. "Yo."
Shubh continued, "The Sloth Demon Lord wasn't worth killing. She's harmless. Actually, she might even be useful. She can predict the future."
Leon's eyes sharpened. "Future sight?"
Soma, still half-asleep, mumbled, "Mmm... only when I want to..." before rolling over.
Leon sighed, rubbing his temple. "...Fine. You've wiped out the other Demon Lords. That leaves only one last target before this world's trial is complete."
Shubh's grin widened. "The Mad Demon King is dead. But this world still has one more ruler, doesn't it?"
Leon rolled his eyes in response. "Of course, there are over eight continents in this world. Aside from the Human and Demon continents, there are the Dragon, Elf, Fairy, Dwarf, Beastman, and Dark continents."
" and each continent has a ruler and my fucking quest is to become the King of this World not just one Continent"
" and to do that either the rulers of each continent have to submit to me or die"