Long ago, Robos asked his father, Sorron Bukka, the previous leader of the clan, how to become the king.

As a child, he felt it was his duty to achieve what his father could not, aiming for the highest of the high. Their clan, while strong, did not even have a Demon Lord in its ranks, so Robos’s desire was to become strong enough to carry his clan on his shoulders, to become the unbreakable pillar.

But instead of giving out a straight answer, Sorron asked his son.

“Robos, what do you think qualifies one to be the king?”

“Father, isn’t the most important quality of a king is to be stronger than everyone else?”

“Strength plays part in it, yes. But a true king is not the one who is merely able to overpower everyone else. The true king is the one who can connect the hearts of many and lead them with his example.”

“Father, I don’t understand”

“When you meet the person who possesses such quality, you will know. But until then, be patient” After his father passed away, Robos had to take over his clan, and he did the only thing he knew how to, rule with strength.

With none left to turn for wisdom, Robos was left with only one path, the path of strength.

Yet, in private, Robos kept asking himself whether he was a good leader.

His father’s words would echo in his head endlessly, as though his ghost was trying to tell him something.

In his mind, Robos equated being a good ruler with being a strong.

That was his mindset for a while, until his pride was shattered into pieces at the hands of a single man.

And that man was now in front of him as his honorable guest.

As the conversation continued, Robos learned that his former opponent was not a human after all.

“I see, I see. So you are not a human, but a crow demon, huh? The leader of Tengu clan, you say? I thought that clan had declined away, but it seems to be as strong as ever. Hmm, I never expected my opponent to be a fellow clan leader, Ren.”

“Yeah, sentiment is mutual, Robos”

“Still, I couldn’t have recognized you as a crow demon at a first glance. You look tad bit too much like human. You don’t even have horns”

“Oh c’mon! No horns this! No horns that! Not this again!”

“I am sorry, Mister Bukka, my brother is very sensitive about the topic of not having horns” Doran explained.

“No worries. With the strength he demonstrated in the arena, there is no way he is a human.”

That was true, Ren was only half. Not a full a demon but not a true human either. More like a creature stuck in between.

Not as strong as either full human or full demon, but possessing weakness of neither.

With the way he fought at the end, Robos knew that Ren only took him seriously only for a little bit before starting to bluff at the end.

Had he continued fighting like he was before, Robos was sure he would have perished.

‘For some reason, he is hiding his strength. If my suspicions are correct, then what he demonstrated during our duel was not his full power.’

Robos felt a shiver pass down his spine.

‘If that was not his true strength, then how strong is he when truly takes the matters seriously?’

Just the thought of it was frightening.

Robos prided himself on his physical strength, but against Ren Karatengu, that strength was meaningless.

More often than not, Ren used Robos’s strength and magic against him.

The results of the duel were clear for all to see.

Robos was the most injured with many broken bones while Ren had only a few shallow bruises.

And at the end, the only reason Robos survived is because Ren chose to spare him.

It was beyond humiliating.

Having his enemy take mercy upon him in such a way…

Had it been Robos in Ren’s place, he would have immediately demanded his defeated opponent to bow down and pledge loyalty to him. Either that or he could have killed the enemy on the spot.

But instead of that, Ren treated Robos as his equal, no, more than that; he talked to Robos as though they were close friends.

‘There is definitely more than meets the eye about this demon’

‘I can’t risk making him my enemy. If I do, he might choose to use his true power, and if he does, my clan will perish’

Robos was not aware of just how much he was overestimating Ren Karatengu.

Since it was his first defeat, Robos was rather shaken up on the inside.

Instead of seeing Ren as a puny weakling, now Robos saw him as someone he did not want to anger.

‘I have to take my hat off to him. He is the first demon who had made me feel true fear in a while. ’

Robos couldn’t have known that Ren was just as if not more terrified of him.