The Canon of Canons
Even now I'm not too different, but before I regressed, I had been overflowing with pride.
You could say I was confident—overconfident.If you wanted to call it arrogance, then yes, I was arrogant.
Racial pride, the praise of being the greatest valedictorian in history, the admiration of everyone around me—those things shaped who I was.
It wasn't just empty flattery either. Among my peers, there wasn't a single cadet who could even come close to competing with me.
Even among students of the Officer Academy—where only the finest demons gathered—I stood unparalleled.
I entered superior, and I graduated overwhelmingly superior.
So I looked at the worst dimension, Arein, as a trophy that would showcase my excellence.
No—in fact, I believed I must go to Arein.
For someone like me, who was the best, only the harshest dimension was appropriate.
So despite a few attempts to dissuade me, I stubbornly descended upon Arein.And, against everyone's expectations, I achieved some results.
I outpaced the Demon Kings who had arrived before me but were too afraid to act.With that success, I believed that conquering Arein would elevate me even higher.
That was—until I realized that the damned Demon King's Canon was made not for Demon Kings but for heroes.
Still makes me want to curse when I think about it.
In any case, I had once experienced the dimension called Arein.And that experience was the most valuable wealth I possessed.
If I simply assumed that I would not blindly follow the Canon this time—
Then I truly had confidence that I could conquer Arein.
But Gordon clearly didn't think so.
"Arein!? AREIN!?"
Gordon clutched his head.His silky elven hair—said to rival the finest silk—fell pitifully to the ground.
"We have nothing! Absolutely nothing! Even going to the easiest place would be pushing it—and you want to go to the worst dimension!?"
His tearful face overlapped with memories from my past life.
'It may be hard, but with you, my lord, and me together—we can definitely take on the challenge! No, I won't feel motivated unless it's Arein!'
I remembered him being quite spirited back then.
"I won't go! I can't! If you want to die, die alone!"
The difference between then and now was—
Quite large.
Back then, I was a model student. The beloved valedictorian.But now? I was a rebellious lunatic shaking the very values of demonkind.
Because of the butterfly effect, the benefits I once received—and the demons who had offered to follow me—were gone.
Well… I suppose things would be different.
But since I couldn't exactly say "I've regressed," the only thing I could do was order him.
"Maybe stop tearing out your hair? It's a waste."
"Is my HAIR really the problem right now!?"
That backfired. Even more strands gathered sadly on the floor.
If I told him I had been given a chance and refused it, he'd probably go completely bald.
Regardless of Gordon's protests, the moment of deployment approached.
The furious Alkaine assigned me formally to Arein and declared that no one was allowed to assist me.
Naturally, Gordon's hair suffered even more as he tried to persuade every demon he knew to lessen their impending doom.
Time passed, and the day arrived.
Standing before the portal—only Gordon and I.The most pitiful Demon King descent in the entire history of the Demon Realm.
If there was any consolation, it was that Archduke Alkaine had come to see us off.Though obviously not for kind reasons.
"Cry and beg all you want—there will be no more chances. Rot in that damned dimension for the rest of your life."
"Thank you for the warm send-off. I'll return after turning it into a complete colony."
"The audacity… Truly a valedictorian. If you manage that, I'll grant you any request."
"I'll look forward to it."
I smiled as his expression twisted further.
Grabbing Gordon—who was limp like a corpse—by the collar, I dragged him along.
Thus, for the first time in Demon Realm history, a Demon King and a single lieutenant—
Crossed the dimensional portal alone.
The first thing to greet us was a flurry of white snow.
The freezing cold seeped into my weakened body, still adjusting to the dimension's interference.
I exhaled white breath and brushed the snow off my head.
"We arrived properly."
"Where… are we?"
"The northern continent. Somewhere in the Erzest Mountains."
A land untouched by human hands—a harsh, natural fortress.
Monsters swarmed all around, and the brutal environment rejected the weak.
Which was exactly why—
"I'm going to build the tower here."
Somewhere no one could find it.
And even if they did, they wouldn't dare approach.
"That goes against the Canon!"
Gordon snapped.
Canon Rule #1: The Demon King must build a tower in the assigned world.
The phrase itself was simple, but later demonfolk filled it with conditions to fit their convenience.
Like:Pick a suitably dangerous place—but not somewhere humans cannot reach at all.
"And?"
"The Canon is a law that must be followed by all Demon Kings."
"You seriously think I, after what I did at the graduation ceremony, would follow it?"
"…Have you abandoned even the pride of a Demon King?"
His growing disgust made me click my tongue.
I understood, though.One doesn't discard deeply rooted faith easily—unless they die or experience something equivalent.
I didn't answer.
Instead, I slowly surveyed the mountain ridge.There—a nice basin surrounded by peaks. Unless someone pinpointed the exact location, they'd never find it.
A perfect place for a tower.
"This will do."
"You're not just building it in a remote area—you're going to hide it!?"
Gordon protested again.
"And what if I am?"
"I'll stop you. It is my duty to correct a Demon King's mistakes and support you!"
"It's also your duty to obey when the Demon King gives an order."
I silenced him easily and began digging.I planted the tower seed Alkaine had given me.
I covered it with soil, cut my palm, and let blood drip onto it.The dry earth absorbed it instantly.
Then I injected demonic energy.
A faint tremor.
[The tower recognizes its user.]
[Race: Black-Flame Demon Dragon.]
[Name: Berze Deias.]
The system acknowledged me.The seed, having absorbed my blood and energy, unleashed its stored potential all at once.
Rumble—
The mountain shook. The air quivered from the massive surge of demonic power.
A five-story tower emerged.
Its exterior was rough—a smooth monolithic metal surface with no seams, carved from a single block, yet lacking any other ornamentation.
Compared to the twenty floors it had before my regression, it looked tiny, but perhaps because of nostalgia—
It had a certain charm.
Inside the Tower
Creeeeak—
The door opened.I stepped onto the welcoming red carpet and entered.
Inside, the vast chamber was empty.
Before, I had filled it with monsters granted to me as the valedictorian, along with demons who voluntarily followed me because of my fame.
But this time—it was only Gordon.
"Take a good look. This is the tower you'll be managing."
"Is there even anything to manage?"
He snapped sharply.His constant prickliness was getting on my nerves.
If he weren't the capable man who once managed the tower for me in my previous life—If he weren't the loyal subordinate who devoted himself to me—I would've knocked a tooth or two out already.
"Watch your attitude. Elves value their ears more than anything, don't they?"
"..."
Gordon flinched.Even in this situation, the fact remained: I was still a Demon King—one of the strongest in the Demon Realm.
Even trembling, Gordon lifted his chin.
"…I understand. And since I am your lieutenant, I'll offer my advice."
"Speak."
"Kidnap a princess."
"Reason?"
"If you kidnap a princess and leave signs of your involvement, the fury and sorrow of an entire kingdom will focus on you. Those emotions will become sweet demonic energy, greatly strengthening you."
Even in fear, he was filled with a determination to set me back on track.
That was Gordon's strength.But this time, his direction was wrong.
"Rejected."
"The Canon is the Canon because it must be followed! It's the most efficient method! It has lasted thousands of years—there must be a reason!"
"It may be right in other dimensions, but in Arein, it's wrong."
"Why would Arein be different?"
"If a dimension hasn't been conquered in over a thousand years, don't you think that's reason enough?"
"But the Canon was created by the First Demon Emperor to gather demonic energy efficiently!"
"You're only half right."
After being toyed with by heroes and dying, I had been curious.
Was it only me?Or were all Demon Kings being treated the same way?
Had the Canon truly been corrupted into a system for heroes, not Demon Kings?
From graduation to my assignment to Arein, I scoured the Demon Realm's archives.
The librarians glared at me like I was a rebel—But I pushed my way in and confirmed it all.
And I realized—
Why the First Demon Emperor created the Canon.
And why the Canon had only become corrupted in Arein.
"To understand why the First Demon Emperor made the Canon, you must understand how demons obtain demonic energy."
Demons gained energy from the life force and negative emotions of humans or other races.
The higher the quality, the greater the quantity, the better.
"Every demon knows that."
"Then what do you think is the best way for a Demon King invading the Middle World to obtain greater and more abundant demonic energy?"
"Prestige."
Human or demon, any race gains fame by achieving feats.
For a Demon King invading multiple dimensions, feats meant destroying a kingdom and defeating its champion—its hero.
A greater kingdom.A stronger hero.
Destroying and killing them was how a Demon King earned prestige.
"Killing a weak hero a hundred times means nothing. Because killing a weak hero doesn't prove a Demon King is strong."
But if you killed a hero everyone acknowledged as powerful—
"A powerful hero isn't just a hero. They're hope."
"Which is why you should follow the Canon even more! To raise such a hero!"
Demon Kings needed strong heroes to build prestige.But strong heroes weren't common.
So the First Demon Emperor made a decision.
If they didn't exist—create them.Raise them personally, then consume them.
Thus came the Canon's rule: assist the hero's growth.
Not only because heroes symbolized humanity,but because the despair of a strong hero's defeat was more valuable.
Two birds with one stone.
"That method itself wasn't wrong."
Only elite demons entered the Academy. Only some survived to graduation.
The stature of such Demon Kings was on a different level than humans or other races.Even with dimensional constraints, the advantage remained.
"That's how countless dimensions have been conquered and still are. In a sense, the Canon wasn't wrong."
"Then why…?"
"But Arein is different."
Arein had one crucial difference—fundamental, though subtle.
"Yes. One thing."
A tiny difference, yet an enormous one.
"There are too many heroes in Arein."
No—too many didn't even begin to cover it.
"An absolutely ridiculous amount."
That was why the relationship had reversed.
When circumstances change, rules must change—But to demonkind, the Canon wasn't a rule. It was a religion.
The Canon spread, heroes learned to exploit it, and Arein became overflowing with heroes who weaponized it.
Heroes who used the Demon King's Canon to create their own Hero's Canon.
"So I will use that Canon."
I will toy with those trash heroes—The ones who laughed at the foolish Demon Kings who blindly followed a foolish doctrine.