Demon King Descent Festival!
A festival held to commemorate the Great Demon King who once conquered the Mortal Realm!
During the festival, demons party like absolute maniacs, and the main attraction is the Demon King Descent Ritual!
Right now, Hell and the Mortal Realm are almost completely cut off with ether barrier, so Hell can barely touch the Mortal Realm anymore. Yet these stubborn bastards still force the Descent Festival at fixed intervals, clinging to their delusional dream of conquest by shoving Demon King candidates through the portal!
To put it bluntly, those candidates are nothing but living sacrifices for the ritual!
Not a single demon sent to the Mortal Realm has ever survived! Why? Because none of them ever became a real Demon King! So they all just fucking die!
These cold-hearted demon bastards have zero affection or common sense. They don't give a shit whether the ones they send live or die! They launch them off and then shrug—good if you become Demon King, too bad if you don't!
With that pathetic mindset they keep running this insane tradition while the sacrifices pile up dead!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Have you ever seen such a fucked-up ritual?!
After hearing mother's explanation, I learned these crazy demons have been throwing lives away for nearly a millennium, all in the name of "tradition," no matter how many die!
"What the hell is this!!!"
As expected from these demon bastards, the idea of valuing life never even crosses their minds! Of course they had no doubts about offering sacrifices for the ritual!
There was zero sense that anything was wrong, zero thought of changing it!
And they give the candidates almost no support! Just the lazy belief that any strong demon will naturally become the Demon King!
"Ah, no! Mama! How can I?! You're sending me out there?! Me?!"
"Yes."
This makes no sense! There has to be some mistake!
"Why me?!"
I asked, voice cracking with pure despair!
"Because Knull is incompetent?"
Mother said it with a look of pity on her face!
"No!"
It's true I'm incompetent! If I claimed I wasn't a failure as a demon, that would be a complete lie!
But this is insane!
I was the nobody rotting in the corner of the southern fortress!
Why specifically pick someone like me for this ritual? In the entire Belial territory there are tons of slaves born from her eggs who live and die as slaves!
Statistically, wouldn't one of them be a better choice? It's a cruel thought, but I'm about to die here—what else can I say?! Above all, the Overlord who lays eggs has an enormous number of children!
"Son… I'm sorry. But my son is useless, isn't he? If one person has to be culled, our Knull is perfect."
Mother said it so casually, without a trace of real emotion, her face full of fake pity as she gently stroked my cheek…!
This wasn't something a mother who had just called me her son moments ago should say!
"Why, why! Why me of all people?! What about the other kids?!"
"Oh my, are you wishing for your siblings to die instead? What an excellent way of thinking."
Honestly, yes!
I'd rather someone else died instead of me!
From the start, with my other life memories, I could never see these demon bastards as family, and after being treated like an idiot my whole life, I feel zero affection for them!
In fact, I think they all deserve to die!
"But that can't happen. As I said, our Knull is the most suitable."
"There's no way I'm suitable! Still, isn't this an important event? If someone like me participates, it will ruin Mama's reputation!"
"Hmm… I suppose I should explain that part."
"Yes?"
Mother tilted her head.
"Actually, my son has quite a good bloodline."
"Yes?"
"Of course, since it's an important festival, we need to send a decent child to protect Mama's reputation. But right now, with the war against Heaven raging, we can't waste a truly valuable child on this outdated ritual… Naturally."
Her tone stayed sweet, but the words were ice-cold.
"Isn't it logical to send the most unremarkable, useless child? And Knull just happened to be the right age. That's why you were chosen. Mama's heart aches to send you away like this."
"Ugh… ugh…!"
I really felt like throwing up!
Demon women are fatally beautiful, but they're monsters through and through! To throw away her own child so easily!
But my bloodline is good?
That part was true?
"M-me… I have a good bloodline?"
"Yes."
A firm answer.
Then… did I have some hidden ability? An unawakened power? Since mother confirmed my bloodline was strong, the odds were high.
But why the hell was my ether so pathetic?
While I was still processing that, she called my name softly.
"Son."
"…Yes."
"Mama creates and lays eggs."
"Yes?"
"And I do it alone."
"Uh… I know that."
Mother, beautiful enough to be called the Goddess of Darkness, is a hybrid of succubus and baphomet. She has several special abilities. One of them is laying eggs.
She can produce eggs all by herself. She can incubate them without any husband and create her own subordinates. I don't fully understand it, but since she's a demon, I just accept it.
"Usually, I lay eggs every night."
"…"
"My son was also born from one of those eggs."
"Was I… from a good egg?"
Overlord Elara nodded.
"Most weak eggs go straight to the hatchery, but Mama can sense the grade. Knull was a rather good egg."
But.
"So I kept it separate and hatched it myself with great care… Haa. For some reason, the ether inside was far too low. After raising you a little, I sent you to the southern fortress. You can't waste time on a failure, can you? It happens sometimes."
Ah, fuck.
So that was it? My ether was just naturally shit because I was a failure, and that's why I got dumped in the southern fortress? The realization was so tragic I wanted to collapse and scream until my throat bled.
"Anyway, Knull's bloodline is quite good. Sending a child from a high-grade egg still maintains a certain reputation. That's why you were chosen."
"…"
"It's regrettable… but your incompetence is entirely your own fault. It's admirable that you finally learned to speak, but the other children do it in about two years, don't they?"
Fucking hell!
Because I have memories of different life, I couldn't pick up the Hell language properly, and that's how this nightmare started! The frustration was driving me insane!
"As Mama, my heart aches, but this is the reality of Hell. The weak are eliminated. That's natural."
Mother spoke as if she truly cared, her face full of pity, but every word was merciless!
So I really was being sent to die? There was no way I could survive in the Mortal Realm! I'd definitely get killed!
Now the only option left was to beg!
"Oh, Mama!"
"Uh, uh?"
I instantly dropped down, grabbed her ankle, and pressed my cheek against it! It was pathetic and humiliating, but if begging was all I had, I would cling until the end!
I couldn't just accept death!
"If your heart aches! Please! Please do something! No! Can't you do something?! Please! Please save me, Mother! I don't want to die like this!!!"
"Oh… how troublesome… It's already decided. Just accept it gracefully. Still, you got to talk to Mama one last time, didn't you? That memory should be enough."
I'm not okay at all!
"I'm not okay! How can you call yourself a Mother after this?! Please save me!"
"Oh my, those words hurt."
"Hurt? I'm the one getting hurt and about to die right now! Please! If you're really my Mother, save me! I'll do well! There must be someone else! I'm a late bloomer, an idiot at first, but I'll shine brighter than anyone in the end!!!!"
I begged and begged without shame!
Mother might be culling me coldly, but she still felt some pity! If she felt nothing, she wouldn't have played the "Mama" game at all!
She was being a little affectionate because I shared her bloodline! So I kept begging, trying to stir up whatever motherly instinct she had!
"Mama, please…! Are you truly without blood or tears?! Please save me! Aren't you sad when I beg like this?!"
"Although Mama uses and discards her children as needed, it doesn't mean I feel no sadness. Look."
I lifted my head slightly.
She traced one delicate, beautiful finger under her eye.
"I'm crying like this, aren't I?"
"Ah…!"
If you're crying, then save me!
"This isn't a Mother…! Uwaaaaaaah!"
From the very beginning, with my clear memories of my previous life, I could never accept this insane woman as my real mother!
"Are you going to make Mama even sadder? Stop crying now. Because Knull is pitiful, I granted him the honor of spending this last time with Mama, didn't I? Most children die without ever speaking to Mama once. Now stop crying and stand up."
Hwaaa.
An invisible force suddenly wrapped around me. The power lifted me off the floor, pulling my face away from her ankle until I stood straight! Ether!
"Because Mama will hug you."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Mother stood up and pulled me into her arms!
This crazy bitch, seriously!
"Son. If you're useless, you can only be eliminated. The only reason Knull survived until today… is because you came from a good egg. If your bloodline hadn't been strong, I would have discarded you or demoted you to slave class long ago, the moment you couldn't even speak."
Begging wasn't going to change this cold woman's mind!
She wasn't the type to reverse a decision just because she felt a little sad!
"Khhhh…!"
"Haa… what to do about this weak personality. It's so peculiar, I don't even know what to say…"
"Heuk, heu-euk…!"
"Still, you are Mama's son. Don't worry too much, okay?"
"Yes…?"
"Because if you go down to the Mortal Realm and manage to distinguish yourself even a little, Mama might secretly pull you back out."
What? Distinguish myself? Pull me out?
"Mama doesn't waste useful children. If Knull shows even a spark of real talent in the Mortal Realm…"
"You'll save me…?"
"Yes. I'll do that. So stop crying now, okay?"
"…"
If that was the case.
"Really?"
"Mama doesn't lie."
Thump.
The rage, sorrow, and panic burning in my chest finally started to settle. Pull me out. Save me. Those words echoed in my head. The chance was slim, but it was something.
If there was no other way… I had no choice but to struggle with everything I had like a fish on land.
"You've stopped crying, haven't you?"
"…Yes."
"Well done. As a reward, Mama will give you a kiss."
Smoooch!
Mother soft lips pressed gently against my forehead.
"Now you can be strong, can't you? Then prepare yourself. I'll give instructions for your escort. Take care until the Descent Festival."
With that, the audience ended.