Only I Am A Reader

The freezing temperature was nothing for the former human who had devoured several red and blue dragons including the mother of all dragons itself, and neither were the guards that he devoured on the way into the throne room. However, the Demon Lord proved to be a challenging opponent.

The encroaching darkness of the horned demon that matched the fantasy on earth was just too versatile. Just like the devourer himself who could transform into almost everything kind of monster and use their abilities, the darkness possessed the ability to take any form or attribute.

He had finally met an opponent that deserved to be his match after so long! But was he going to give up when his dream was only a few steps away?

'I should have just given up!'

There was obviously no way! No matter how strong that darkness was, it was nothing compared to the suffering that he endured to build up his arsenal of abilities and bodies. It was a tough battle, but the victor was already decided from the very start!

In the end, the claws of the sword dominator that had almost claimed the devourer's life at one point penetrated the Demon Lord's chest. The gaping hole created by the elongated swords looked horrifying, but there was only infinite happiness in the devourer's eyes even when he took the shape of a monster.

This was it! He had done it! He had become the peak existence in the demon world!

There was no more running, no more fear of death! Nothing could stand in his way! Sure, someone else might come to challenge him just like personally did, but wasn't the dead body lying in front of him able to keep the throne for centuries?

It was at this moment that the mindset of a human returned to the devourer along with the glow in his eyes. He didn't desire much other than a few hundred years of peace.

Looking back at everything, his body was now almost immortal. He didn't particularly need to eat or do anything. It was time to rest and live true to his lazy self without any obligations to care about.

But first, he had to throw the dead body away before it rotted. The former human who had already proved himself unrivaled had no need to devour the dying Demon Lord. He no longer needed to grow any stronger! However…

<Eat it.>

The impulse deep inside never faded.

<Consume it.>

Killing a Demon Lord was enough to become the new Demon Lord, but that wasn't the way devourers did things!

<Devour it!>

Each prey that they hunted had to be eaten to the last bone! Leaving it to the ground was unappreciation!

<Only then can you truly achieve your dreams!>

The newbie devourer might not require more strength, but he still had a hidden desire. To go back to the world that he fell from! The same voice that offered him strength at the very start was telling him…

'I should have held on!'

The last thing that he remembered before coming to a wake was the overflowing desire to consume, the dead body could no longer be seen as it was already deep inside his endless stomach.

<Congratulations! You have successfully achieved the long-awaited destiny of the devourers, becoming the one and only Demon Lord!>

The dreary voice had strangely turned cheerful. Was it time for his happy end at last? Did he really get to go back?

<You have obtained the relevant authority of a Demon Lord, Interdimensional Invasion! You can now travel to other worlds!>

The name of the ability looked shady, but it seemed like his happy ever after was near! Was he not mistaken to have had that little bit of hope to go back? Without hesitation, the new Demon Lord hastily set up everything over in the Demon world before attempting to use his new ability for the first time.

Was it because he was originally from there? The expectant devourer quickly found the way back to his world despite it being his first time trying to travel between dimensions. He just knew it was there, so he naturally cracked open a path!

It took him a few days to trace back the path to this location, but it was finally there! The gate to go back was in front of him. The devourer unconsciously adopted his old human form and stepped in.

He couldn't help wondering if his family was still there… If they still remembered him? He himself could barely remember, but he felt that he would recognize them if he saw them. However…

All he saw was nothing but pure destruction. The modern world full of civility was in ruins! When he opened up his wings and flew up in distress, there were only fires, flooding, and rubble everywhere. The entire world was on the brink of perishing!

"What… What happened here?"

Upon encountering a survivor, he mustered his awkward human speech to ask him about the reason behind this, but the answer was the beginning of his true despair.

"Monsters… Monsters came out from nowhere and everywhere!"

The realization that he was the cause of everything threw him into a pit of extreme darkness. Bound by his screaming mind, he only came to his senses after shredding the survivor into pieces.

No! This was still salvageable! He could still kill all the monsters and save the world, his family could still be okay! He could even become their source of hope… Or so he thought.

<Congratulations! The natives have just been eradicated, you have successfully devoured a world!>

The words that he heard destroyed the flame that was just about to kindle in his heart. He had killed one of the last humans! There was no salvation! He had ruined everything in the end.

As his powers mysteriously grew, the grieving Demon Lord contemplated his options. Should he commit suicide? Was that even possible? Should he just suffer for eternity for what he did?

'There is no escaping it.'

However, it was just then that he realized the ultimate truth.