Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 164: Efficiency

The sky glowed with fading gold and dark red. The wind blew cold and sharp, cutting through the silence.

The perfect setting for a nightmare.

Airi and Crest stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring at the one standing in front of them.

Bel.

No noise. No flash. He hadn’t arrived... he just appeared out of nowhere.

Airi’s breath caught. Her body tensed on instinct. Crest froze beside her, his mind racing to process what he was seeing.

Bel stood calmly, only a few steps away. His face showed no emotion, no anger, no joy.

"So it was you," he said, his voice quiet and even. "I felt two familiar energies. So I came."

Crest took a deep breath. He tried to stay calm, but his question came out fast and rushed.

"You... Where is Sienna?"

Bel didn’t look at him.

His gaze moved around them, sensing the air, the rooftop, the presence of others. Then he lowered his head, as if seeing something beyond the floor.

"They’re all here," he muttered. "A perfect reunion to give them some ideas."

Crest’s hands tightened into fists.

"Where. Is. She."

Bel turned slightly.

"Alive. That’s all you need."

The coldness in that answer made Crest grit his teeth.

Airi couldn’t stop staring. Her heart thudded like it wanted to escape her chest.

That speed again... No energy... No sign... Just nothing. If he wanted me dead...

She didn’t finish the thought. She just couldn’t.

She hated this. She hated the fear rising in her chest, the helplessness. She forced herself to stand straight.

Don’t show it. Breathe. Stand tall. Don’t let him see.

She swallowed hard, but Bel’s voice broke through again.

"How long have you been here?"

He spoke casually, but there was something unsettling in it.

Airi forced her voice to stay sharp.

"Today. We just arrived. Nothing’s happened yet."

But her body betrayed her. Her hands were tight at her sides, her shoulders stiff. She tried to hold Bel’s gaze, not wanting to look weak, but the longer he stared at her, the harder it became.

There was no malice in his eyes, no cruelty. Just... focus. Like he was peeling her apart in silence.

Airi’s breath caught again. She looked away.

Crest stepped forward, still tense.

"I asked you something. Sienna, why isn’t she with you? I want to know—"

"Ah, shut up! You’re wasting breath," Airi snapped. She turned to him with a glare, but fear flickered in her eyes. "Just drop it."

Crest blinked. That reaction... it wasn’t like her. She was afraid.

Bel watched them, expression calm and impassive.

Then the rooftop door burst open.

Astros came out first, followed by Regulus, Aurus, Maël, and Lyraen. They stopped as soon as they saw him.

The rooftop was quiet. Too quiet.

Everyone stood still, the silence thick like a storm waiting to break.

Bel looked at the group.

"Is standing around and staring your only technique?"

His eyes stopped on Aurus. It wasn’t a long look, but there was something in it. Like a test.

Aurus held his gaze. He didn’t speak right away. He stood firm, like a man used to facing pressure. But even he showed a hint of tension in his face.

"You got here faster than I thought," Aurus finally said. "Maybe you just didn’t want to travel with us."

Bel didn’t flinch.

"You are wasting time."

His words were short, but they landed hard. A few of them looked uneasy.

Lyraen stepped forward, trying to ease the mood. Her voice was soft, a small smile on her lips.

"I’m just happy you’re here. We weren’t sure if you’d make it."

Bel turned to her. His tone stayed calm but less cold.

"I had enough time to finish my business. I’m surprised that all you did is arriving."

Then he paused, thinking. He remembered that he needed allies to turn them into Demon Generals. Lyraen was nice, a perfect candidate.

His tone changed.

"I’m glad you came."

Everyone stared.

Lyraen blinked, surprised. Her cheeks turned pink. She didn’t expect that.

"Really...? I didn’t expect you to say something like that. Thank you. That... That means a lot."

She rubbed her fingers together, flustered, and gave a shy smile.

Maël stood near Astros, watching.

"Who’s that guy?" he asked.

Astros kept his tone flat.

"Bel. A Demon Lord who joined us."

Maël nodded like he understood.

"Oh, okay. Got it."

Then he paused.

His eyes widened.

"Wait. WHAT?!"

He spun around, pointing at Bel.

"A Demon Lord?! Like, a real one? The same kind that killed people I care about? The ones I’m supposed to run away from? And you made friends with him?! What is going on?!"

He looked around, hoping someone would say it was a joke.

"You’re serious?! This is real?!"

Astros sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"It’s... complicated... Look, just go with it."

Regulus stayed quiet, watching Bel with worried eyes.

Maël looked around again, then stared at Bel. Finally, he gave a dry laugh.

"And you were upset with me for showing off. Meanwhile, you’re teaming up with a Demon Lord."

No one answered.

Only Lyraen kept talking to Bel like everything was normal. Like he was just another member of their group.

Aurus stepped forward again, tone more controlled now but with a sharp undertone.

"So? Have you come to join us, then? If that’s your intention, we should go inside and talk."

Bel turned his eyes on him. There was a flicker of disinterest in his gaze.

"Talk about what? We all know why we’re here. There’s nothing to discuss."

The tension grew again. Aurus kept calm, but it was clear he was pushing down irritation.

"Strategy," he replied. "We need to share what we know. About the demons. About their abilities."

He hesitated, just for a moment.

"You are a Demon Lord. Maybe you know things we don’t. That knowledge could make the difference."

Bel gave a small shrug.

"The only demon I’ve fought is Mammon. You already know enough about him."

He paused. His eyes scanned the horizon.

"As for the others, I’ll deal with them once I find them. The hard part is finding them."

His tone made it sound like the rest was already decided.

Aurus narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak right away. The air felt heavy. No one really knew if they were still on the same side.

But someone was thinking differently.

Airi watched Bel closely. Her chest was tight. Her thoughts wouldn’t stop.

He spoke calmly, like he already knew what he was going to do. No shouting. No long talks. Just quiet confidence. That scared her more than anger ever could.

The Sacreds were always strong. Always certain, in talk at least. But now they were tense, silent. Not even Aurus said anything back to Bel.

They were confident, but all of them were petrified by a single Demon Lord in their own ground.

And Bel? He had fought a Demon Lord, and lived. No... even more, he made Mammon run away.

A demon Lord decided to run like a coward because he couldn’t beat Bel.

She looked at Astros, then Aurus.

Lloyd and Darwin had died fighting a Demon Lord. They were strong too. But they still died.

Her fists tightened. Bel didn’t just live. He won. He was like her... Or maybe even stronger.

Astros finally spoke.

"So, what will you do, Lord Bel? We know you want to fight demons. But your presence here... it worries people. It would be better if we stayed together."

Bel didn’t even look at him.

"I’ll look on my own. Nothing personal. I just don’t like waiting."

Astros tried again.

"If we worked together—"

"You all need sleep," Bel cut in. "I don’t. That makes teamwork difficult."

He turned his gaze to Astros.

"Consider it as better for efficiency. I’ll turn every rock around to find them, so it will take time. We better going our own way."

His voice was steady. Honest. It made Airi feel like something clicked.

She looked around at the others. They were scared. Careful. Hesitating.

He wasn’t. He moved.

And then it hit her. A chill ran down her spine.

She stepped forward without thinking.

"I... Let me follow you."

Everything stopped. For a second, no one reacted.

Then...

"What?!"

Crest jumped forward.

"Airi?! Are you serious? You want to go with him? With Bel?"

She didn’t answer him. She gulped , trying to keep her voice calm.

"I said what I said."

Lyraen moved beside her, confused.

"Airi... what? Are you serious there?"

Regulus gasped quietly.

Aurus looked upset but held his tongue. He couldn’t say it out loud, not here. Not in front of Bel.

Maël let out a soft laugh.

"Did not expect that... What’s going on exactly here?"

Astros looked at her, surprised.

"Airi... You really mean this?"

Bel turned to face her. For the first time, there was a hint of interest in his eyes.

"Why?"

Airi blinked. All eyes were on her, but she only looked at Bel. Her words stumbled at first.

"I just... I like the way you think," she said, forcing confidence into her voice. "You don’t just talk. You act. And when you do, things get done."

She shot a glance at Crest, not even hiding the comparison. Crest, who always hesitated. Always talked big. Never followed through.

"If someone here is close to doing what matters, it’s you," Airi said. "So I want to follow you... This time."

Bel’s gaze stayed steady on her. He was evaluating her, but not like judging her power or sincerity.

Rather if he wanted this.

He hadn’t expected this situation. If he needed company, he’d just summon Novaria. He didn’t want more humans tagging along. It complicated things.

But then... he remembered again his biggest problem at the moment.

For his army to grow, he needed another General. And for that, he needed a friend. Someone close. Someone willing.

He couldn’t turn a monster into a friend, so... Why not her?

He hesitated. Turning someone into a demon again... stealing their humanity. He looked at Airi and wondered if he could really do it willingly.

He had already stolen Sienna’s life, did he really wants to do it again?

Before he could decide, Airi stepped closer. Her voice dropped into something between teasing and challenging.

"What are you waiting for? With my blessing, I won’t even need sleep. I can keep up."

She blinked at him, not seductively, exactly, but with a sharp confidence that caught him off guard.

The others were stunned. Crest’s mouth opened but no words came. Even Lyraen looked speechless.

Bel raised an eyebrow.

Then he gave a slow shrug.

"Fine."

The word dropped like a stone in water, sending ripples through the whole group and doom on Crest.

Crest stood frozen. It felt like the world had cracked beneath his feet.

He watched Airi walk toward Bel, watched her speak those words, and everything blurred.

Dusteria.

Sienna.

Now Airi.

Every single one of them.

His voice barely made it past his lips.

"You never trusted him. Why now?"

Airi didn’t even look back at him at first. Her arms were crossed, her stance steady. When she did answer, her tone was cold.

"Because I’m tired of speeches."

She didn’t say it to hurt him, but it hit like a knife anyway.

She didn’t admire Bel. She feared what he represented: raw, unstoppable power. A living weapon.

But more than him, she feared being weak. She feared being left behind. In a world where every plan failed, and every brave speech ended in corpses, Bel just did things. Things that worked. That was enough for her.

He was power. He was safety. He was possibility.

Crest clenched his fists. Something in his chest cracked.

"You just want to be near power, is that it? I thought he you were scared by him ?" His voice shook now, his pain leaking into every word. "He didn’t earn your trust. He just scared you and now you’re following? Don’t you have any respect? That’s plain surrender!"

Airi finally turned to him, her eyes sharp.

"Don’t twist this into your personal drama."

"Isn’t it?" Crest stepped forward. "I stood by you when you couldn’t stand. I watched over you when these demons attacked. Yes, I couldn’t do anything, but at least I was there! I was in the most dangerous place! With you, for you! And now you’re just going to walk away because he’s strong enough to scare a Demon Lord?"

"Yes!" she snapped, the words ripping out before she could stop them. "For fucking sake! The most dangerous place?! My ass! Where was this Mammon?! There were two of them and he’s the only one here who makes a demon Lord run! Can you do that? Can anyone here?!"

She stared at everyone, the silence falling again. Her breath was shallow now. Crest didn’t speak. For once, he was speechless.

The moment dragged. But a new fire burnt inside him.

He straightened.

"Fine... Then I’m going too."

Airi’s head whipped toward him.

"What? No. You don’t—"

"It’s for the demons," Crest cut in. His voice was steadier now, but his eyes were glassy. "If the point is to fight them, then three is better than two. There’s no problem right? I won’t get in your way."

He didn’t ask permission. He just said it.

Airi was reddening with anger, but at this point, he had nothing to lose. Better than that letting them the night alone.

Without waiting for a conclusion, Bel turned.

"I’m heading down," he said simply. "Do what you want. If I find something and can’t deal with it, I’ll contact you. If you find something, just use more power so I can locate you."

He didn’t look back.

Airi watched his back for a second, then glanced sideways at Crest.

"Don’t... You... Dare..." she warned. Then she walked after Bel.

Crest hesitated, fists clenched. His eyes were still trembling from what just happened, but he moved.

One step. Then another. He followed, not daring to say anything else.

The rest of the group stood in silence, watching them go.

Maël sighed and crossed his arms.

"Well, there it is... The cutie’s fallen for him."

Everyone turned to look at him, faces ranging from shocked to annoyed.

Lyraen cleared her throat loudly, raising one brow.

Maël blinked.

"What? I’m not into cougars..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lyraen stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar with surprising grace, and flung him over the roof.

There was a yelp, then a long silence punctuated by a thud.

The group stood in silence once again.

The sun dipped below the city skyline, shadows stretching long over Castella as the day came to a close.

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