Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage

“...?”

Ganisel didn’t understand what was going on. He looked at Gigatan with a puzzled expression as he was begging for his life. He then turned to Henry and asked, “What have you done?”

“Huh? Nothing. He’s just being weird.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Henry was technically telling the truth, given that he had merely glared at Gigatan with a murderous expression. And there was a reason Ganisel hadn’t felt Henry’s terrifying aura.

‘I had to make sure he didn’t notice it.’

As Henry shrugged with a look of confusion, Ganisel came to the conclusion that Gigatan had realized just how strong Henry was before starting the fight. He assumed that because he considered Gigatan to be a bit sharper than him.

He wasn’t completely off with his guess, but that didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be hurt by what he didn’t know.

Ganisel shifted his gaze back to Gigatan, proudly resting his sword on his shoulder as he looked down on his defeated enemy, regarding him as an inferior being.

“How disappointing, Gigatan. Is this how the second strongest demon should act?”

“Shut your mouth! Do you not feel it?! The overwhelming and terrifying presence of this human!"

"I’m more than aware of that.”

“What? But then… How can you…!”

“You see, this human that’s made you tremble in fear is my friend. Thus, I have no reason to be afraid like you.”

“How could you...!”

Gigatan wasn’t just incredibly strong. He was also exceptionally intelligent; in fact, he was the most clever Red Giant out there. Thus, he quickly assessed what had happened up to this point and tried to devise a plan.

'This bastard Ganisel is only ranked third. I don’t know what kind of trick he might have up his sleeve, but I don't think I’d lose to him one-on-one. But what if I anger the human next to him and he seeks revenge against me?’

Gigatan knew well that he wouldn’t be able to handle Henry if he were to act. The last thing he wanted was to die in vain. Although it was the nature of demons to revel in battle and always pursue victory, Gigatan was different. He was smart enough to know that acting purely on instinct was sometimes no more than a quick way to get killed.

Gigatan had always relied on reason and logic, which was why he had managed to climb up the ladder to become the second strongest demon in this realm. He knew all too well that the one who survived at the end was the one to get everything, including the last laugh.

After he was done pondering, Gigatan bowed submissively once again and said, “I declare my surrender…”

Gigatan ultimately declared his defeat in the ranking battle. He believed this was the best move he could make at the moment.

Seeing this, Henry squinted his eyes and nodded slightly.

'Hmm, smarter than I thought.'

In fact, Henry would’ve intervened in some way even if Gigatan had challenged Ganisel to a fair duel and asked him not to interfere. His friendship with Ganisel was important, but what was more important to Henry at the moment was for Ganisel to become the Demon King as soon as possible.

And now, with Gigatan making a surprisingly wise decision, Henry knew that things were going to work out much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

He patted Ganisel on the shoulder and said, “Seems like he’s lost the will to fight. How about you acknowledge his defeat now? After all, it’s not this guy who matters, but the next one, right?”

“Hmm… Alright.”

With this, Ganisel had officially become the second strongest being in the Demon Realm, and Henry wanted to quickly find his next and last opponent.

Since they had achieved their objective, Henry decided to keep Gigatan alive. After all, he made things easier for them by wisely surrendering, and Henry was satisfied enough with how things had turned out.

But just as they were about to leave…

“Please! Please wait a moment!”

“Hmm?”

Gigatan stopped them with a desperate voice.

“Please take me with you.”

“You?”

“Yes! Aren’t you two going to challenge Gretel right now?”

“So?”

“If you would allow me, I wish to witness the birth of the new Demon King candidate with my own eyes!”

Henry couldn’t help frowning at this unexpected request. He hadn’t the slightest idea why Gigatan would want to watch Ganisel and Gretel fight after barely managing to escape with his own life. It made no sense to him.

Moreover, Henry could guess that making such a request had to be humiliating for a demon of Gigatan’s caliber. However, there was no trace of shame on the demon’s face. Instead, his expression was full of determination.

Henry squinted his eyes as he stared at Gigatan, unable to figure out his true intentions. Yet, his intentions were far simpler than what Henry had imagined.

‘Gretel will never bow like I did. I’ll watch their fight to determine how strong Ganisel really is. Then I’ll swoop in for another opportunity.’

Indeed, surrendering had been part of Gigatan’s strategy from the very beginning. Even though he knew that the human in front of him was overwhelmingly powerful, Gigatan truly believed he still had a chance to succeed if he teamed up with Gretel. Moreover, he would have the element of surprise, for the human couldn’t possibly anticipate his scheme.

After thinking about it for a few moments, Henry decided to leave the decision to Ganisel.

‘He’s advanced in rank, so it’s only fair that he decides.’

Henry didn’t want to handle everything for Ganisel because that would ultimately hurt his reputation and dignity as the next Demon King. And so, he turned to Ganisel and calmly asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Hmm…”

With the decision in his hands, Ganisel pondered for a moment with his head down, holding his chin. He eventually lifted his head and said, “Gigatan.”

After hearing his name, Gigatan looked up at Ganisel’s lips with a nervous expression.

“I’m actually planning to attack the heavens after I defeat the candidate, Gretel.”

“What…?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about me, but I was born and raised in the heavens. I was actually an archangel, but for a reason I’d rather not discuss in detail, I was banished here, and I’ve been thinking of revenge ever since I took my first breath in this realm.”

Gigatan was genuinely surprised by what Ganisel was telling him. Indeed, he had heard some rumors about Ganisel, but he had no idea that his goal was to wage war on the heavens. After hearing his plan, Gigatan’s jaw dropped to the ground.

Normally, new Demon Kings attacked the human realm with the power the Demon God granted them, as humans were far easier to deal with than heavenly beings. The Demon Kings used humans to get used to their powers and hone them before they ultimately aimed for the heavens.

However, it seemed that Ganisel was planning to skip that part and go straight for the heavens.

Gigatan’s mind was racing as he realized what Ganisel’s plan entailed.

‘What the…? Where is his confidence coming from?’

Gigatan judged that Ganisel was at best on par with him in terms of strength. Thus, he was rather confident that Ganisel wouldn’t be able to take down Gretel, at least not alone. For that reason, the only way he could realistically wage war against the heavens was if he had some sort of ace up his sleeve, something that would give him a huge advantage even in the worst situation possible.

Gigatan believed that the human in front of him was that ace.

‘This human man is that important…?’

Gigatan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity once again. He just couldn’t figure out why Ganisel was trusting this human to the point of relying on him to wage war against the heavens.

Gigatan quickly tried to recollect his thoughts to better understand what was going on. He was a warrior at core, and he sometimes let his pride get the better of him, but he was also a clever warrior who could see the bigger picture. On top of that, he had some good instincts as well.

Thus, he decided to change his mind. Instead of intervening in Ganisel’s fight against Gretel and stabbing him in the back, he would join forces and aid them in their great cause. However, he didn’t voice his decision right away. Instead, he slowly relaxed his surprised expression, which he had faked in order to hide his scheming, and replied in a low voice, “I… see…”

“I know that you’re not simply planning to watch the battle. I can see through your scheming.”

“What… What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, Gigatan. Everyone in the Demon Realm knows you’re not the type to surrender that easily. So, how about changing your approach?”

“...”

Gigatan was lost for words as his plotting was unmasked. He hesitated for a moment, which Ganisel caught on. He quickly broke the silence by making him a proposal.

“Become my right hand, Gigatan.”

“...!”

At this, Henry’s eyes widened in surprise. Now that Ganisel knew what Gigatan’s true intentions were, he had expected him to either execute Gigatan or to refuse letting him tag along. He certainly hadn’t expected Ganisel to ask him to become his subordinate.

Gigatan’s reaction was no different from Henry’s.

‘This guy...!’

Even though Ganisel had seen through Gigatan’s scheming, he still asked for his help. His decision was extremely odd for a demon, given that it was normally more prudent to preemptively cut off potential trouble right from the root. However, Ganisel extended his hand in spite of that.

Gigatan was bewildered once again, but the unexpected offer quickly managed to intrigue him. He didn’t necessarily like the idea of being a subordinate; he would much rather be Ganisel’s equal, his comrade. However, he wasn’t entirely offended by Ganisel’s sense of superiority.

After all, they were in the Demon Realm, where there was no such thing as true camaraderie or brotherhood. The only thing that mattered was being more powerful than everyone else. And so, Ganisel’s proposal aligned with his demonic nature.

‘I underestimated him because he's from the heavens. This is my mistake.’

Every creature in the Demon Realm was aware of Ganisel and his background, but Gigatan had always thought that an angel would always be an angel, even if they had been banished to the Demon Realm. However, after interacting with Ganisel and learning about his intentions, Gigatan was forced to admit that he had been prejudiced against him.

Gigatan saw Ganisel in a new light; if before he saw him as a lesser demon than him, now he was thinking that Ganisel might actually be stronger than him. Having seen his true nature, Gigatan made up his mind. Their intentions aligned, which meant there was no reason to refuse his proposal.

Gigatan looked straight into Ganisel’s eyes, and he could tell with certainty that those weren’t the eyes of a foolish angel, but the blazing eyes of a fierce demon.

Both demons smiled as though they tacitly made an agreement. With that, Ganisel extended his hand, and Gigatan grasped it and said, “Alright, but I refuse to be your right hand. Let’s just say we have each other’s backs.”

Gigatan stood up while holding onto Ganisel’s hand. With that, Henry had just gained another comrade in the Demon Realm. He was deeply impressed with Ganisel’s unexpected display of leadership.

‘He might actually be a far better Demon King than I thought.’

No matter how things turned out, Henry would be glad if Ganisel truly had the qualities of a Demon King. As Gigatan formally joined the group, he finally asked Ganisel the question he had been holding back.

“Ganisel, if it’s not too rude, may I ask who this human is?” He couldn’t muster up the courage to ask Henry directly.

Ganisel replied in a proud tone, “He’s my close friend, and he's the greatest sorcerer from the human realm. He goes by the name of Henry Morris.”

“A close friend..."

Just as he had thought, Ganisel’s companion was a human. However, he hadn’t expected them to actually be close friends, given that such a bond implied equality.

Nevertheless, Gigatan nodded. Knowing that Henry was Ganisel’s close friend, he now felt more comfortable addressing him directly. He bowed respectfully and formally made his acquaintance.

“I look forward to working with you, Henry Morris.”

“Oh, yeah. You seem smarter than Gaga, which is good."

“Gaga…? Who is that?"

“Some lizard.”

Henry had left the clumsy Gaga behind a long time ago, and he guessed that the lizardman was glad to be able to search for another prey in peace.

“Alright then, let’s go meet Gretel now,” urged Ganisel.

“Speaking of which, where is he?” asked Henry.

“He shouldn’t be far from here,” explained Gigatan. “The territories of the second and first-ranked demons are always adjacent to each other.”

At that, Henry turned to Ganisel. “You think you got this?”

“Of course.”

The former Demon King had been Brillente, and the candidate to take his position had been Ganisel. However, since Henry had severed his wings, it had taken Ganisel five years to get back to where he had been.

Although Henry had helped him a bit to reclaim his position, Ganisel felt a mix of emotions.

After walking for a short while, the three reached Gretel’s territory.

“By the way, what kind of being is Gretel?” asked Henry.

“Gretel is a lich.”

“A lich? Like the archlich we saw in the forbidden area last time?"

“Gretel is beyond that. He suddenly appeared one day and dominated over all demons. He is known to be a Neo Lich, which is above an archlich.”

'A Neo Lich?'

Henry had never seen a Neo Lich before, so he didn’t really know what Gigatan was referring to. But given how highly he spoke of Gretel, it was clear that he would be a formidable foe.

The group soon entered the territory of the Neo Lich, and Henry could instantly tell how he had managed to dominate all the demons.

- Kyaaooo!

A chilling howl echoed through the skies, and as the three looked up, they saw a bone dragon flying around.