MSR-V3-11

Oblivious to Olgan’s concerns, Mynk kept up the merriment. When one of the continent’s best adventurers said stuff like that, it was never disregarded as cringe. To those listening, it sounded like she was going to bring all of those things to life.

“D-Dark salamander!?”

“What the hell is that!?”

“It’s sealed in her right hand!”

“Damn! I don’t know what that is, but damn!”

Hearing the uproar below her, Olgan let out a long sigh, gazing up at the moon floating in the night sky. She couldn’t deal with it anymore. But even she couldn’t remain uninterested at what appeared next.

Suddenly, as if from out of thin air, a couple was standing on the top of the clocktower, the tallest structure in town. Backlit by the moon, they appeared nothing less than supernatural. While Olgan felt a strong sense of death from the woman, the man exuded the same many times more. The air about him was that of an emperor; one that ruled the underworld, if such a place existed.

“What is that...?” Just as Olgan growled, the man pulled the woman close by her waist and leapt high into the air. In an instant, a thunderous explosion went off... resulting in the ground shaking below them, and the town being covered in a dust cloud. By the time the wind had blown the dust away, the nebulous horde of monsters was no more. Every single one of them had been blown to bits.

## The Battle in the Air

“Seems it’s worse than I thought.”

“They’re great in numbers, at least.”

Standing atop the highest structure in town, the pitch-black Demon Lord and his witch observed the city below them. From various sources, black smoke and painful screams filled the air. While Yu was completely composed, the scene seemed especially disastrous to the Demon Lord, who had walked these streets in peace just the day before. Not only were monsters ransacking the city, some humans had turned to rioting and looting. Some broke into stores to steal products and cash, and some carried off arms full of herbs and plants. It reminded the Demon Lord of riots he had seen on TV that took place in the slums of foreign nations. Directly below them, there was a man about to rape a woman, holding a sword up to her neck.

(Scum...)

“A display of raw humanity, isn’t it, Mister Secretary?”

“...Disgusting.”

“What?”

The Demon Lord threw Sodom’s Fire without another word, sniping off the head of the man below him. The man’s body stood still for a moment, as if it had to process what had just happened. Then, apparently noticing the lack of a head on its shoulders, the corpse fell to the ground. The Demon Lord lit a cigarette as he savored the sight. Noticing Yu staring at him, he gave her a little grin.

“We must always be the ones to shape this world. Let us put these ignorant fools back in their place.”

Yu’s eyes shone bright as she snuck her arms forward, as if to say: ‘Ooooh, Mister Secretary! That line was electrifying!’ The Demon Lord was on course to be ensnared in Yu’s embrace, but the monster invasion didn’t give them the time. Countless Fire-Breathing Birds and Tin Men were marching towards the central plaza.

“Hm. We’re a little out of range from here.”

“Ah...!”

Pulling Yu close to him by her waist, the Demon Lord leapt. Now, the plaza was directly below them. The monsters were gathering there, and seemed ready to disperse back out into all corners of the town. The Demon Lord gestured towards them with his chin.

“Blow ’em up, Yu.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Yu’s expression escaped her trance and a maliciously large grenade appeared in her hand. With the help of her Equipped Skills, the attack would become devastating. Her First Skill, Explosive Expertise, triggered as she threw the grenade into the air, boosting its damage output by 15 to 25. Then her Second Skill, To Pieces, split the grenade into dozens. Then came her Third Skill, Chain Explosions, to pile on an additional 30 to 40 damage. The thunderous sound of the hail of grenades caused the fighting adventurers and the fleeing residents from all around the town to turn towards its source. There, they could see the Demon Lord enjoying a smoke, and a striking beauty in a white coat backlit by the moon.

(Hm... My advisors’ Equipped Skills trigger without a problem either.)

Satisfied, the Demon Lord pulled Yu’s head close to his. He was happy that his advisor, whose every detail he had designed to a tee, was able to unleash her full potential. Not to mention the excitement from seeing a skill of his own creation demonstrate such incredible power.

“A-Are you satisfied... Mister Secretary...?”

“Mm. Wonderful job, Yu. That was a work of art. You can’t beat the feeling of chaining off all of your Equipped Skills.”

Seeing the witch cackle, the crowd muttered. Who else but the Demon Lord could have a stunning beauty by his side as he gazed down upon hundreds of corpses? The Trinary, who had been watching them from afar, immediately knew that the figure in the sky was the infamous Demon Lord. Given the catastrophic and inexplicable explosion along with his pitch-black silhouette, he could be none other than the polar opposite of the White Light.

“That’s the Demon Lord Sir Weeb has spoken of...?”

“That is what I would imagine the legendary rebel to look like.”

“Stand back. Await Sir Weeb’s decision.”

Mikan and Yukikaze, too, were staring at the pitch-black Demon Lord and the witch beside him. The moonlit silhouettes cackling on the roof was quite the sight to behold, and this scene evoked a variety of emotions in different people.

“What’s with him? Trying to look cool with a chick by his side.”

“...I don’t care how many lovers he has. As long as you’re not one of them.”

“I am not interested in him!”

“...Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“Just drop it, already.”

While they carried on as usual, Mynk had just experienced the biggest shock of her life.

“It can’t be...”

Mynk could immediately tell that the silhouette indeed belonged to the infamous Demon Lord. Who else could it have been? As a high-ranking priestess, she felt like all of the world’s malice and hatred concentrated in that single form. His completely unbothered demeanor in the face of this disaster seemed to belong to none other than the one that opposed the Great Light and ruled the night in times of old.

“How could this...”

Mynk had habitually been spewing some cringe-worthy lines about darkness this and evil that, but now she was facing a true embodiment of darkness. One could have only imagined her shock. Having lost the strength in her legs, she crumpled to the ground.

Weeb, too, turned to the Demon Lord from the sea of monster corpses he was standing in. What had only been a sense of presence and voice was now complete, with a defined silhouette.

“So even your subordinates...”

Weeb shook at the disastrous sight of the plaza. He didn’t know what had happened, but all of the monsters were blown to bits in an instant. If that attack was something they could fire off repeatedly, Weeb was sure that even an army wouldn’t stand a chance against just the pair of them.

“Nice to see you again, Hero.”

With his hands still in his coat pockets, the Demon Lord jumped from the roof and landed before Weeb. Now that he could see the Demon Lord up close, his presence seemed even more intimidating than before. The witch also jumped down, returning to the Demon Lord’s side. Weeb felt like his very life force was being ground down from just being in the Demon Lord’s proximity. He couldn’t help his hands tightening around his weapons.

“No need to clench your shoulders like that. We’ll take care of the big one back there. You tend to the monsters around here.”

“...That’s a boss-level monster that disables even Chain Attacks. Many lives are on the line. Do you have a plan?”

At Weeb’s question, the witch squinted her eyes, but the Demon Lord plopped a hand on her head and she immediately calmed down.

“Disables Chains, huh...? Interesting.”

“Aren’t you the king of monsters? Why do you side with the people?”

“That’s a strange assumption. Monsters are just what I feed off of.”

This was the Demon Lord’s unadulterated answer, but it came across laden with subtext to Weeb. Without leaving him enough time to decipher the meaning of it, the Demon Lord and the Witch walked right past him. They didn’t even seem to be fazed by the ferocious Hydra they were walking right up to.

“Mister Secretary, what is that half-baked snake...?”

“Hm... That thing is much less intimidating than the variety of chimeras we unleashed into the arenas. While our JUG is filled up, let’s clear out the dungeon, too.”

The Hydra crooked its necks from the entrance of the dungeon to look at the pair of them. It was a giant, snake-like monster with nine heads. This boss-level monster normally appeared in the Six Dungeon Waterfalls, and had no right being anywhere near this low-level dungeon. Its hardened scales negated Chain Attacks, which made it a formidable foe, even against seasoned adventurers and knights.

“I’ll show him my Chain...”

The Demon Lord threw Sodom’s Fire. When it struck the body of the Hydra, it screamed out in agony. Even without triggering any Combat skills, the Demon Lord’s vanilla attack was nearly fatal. This is when a normal Chain Attack would have triggered, but since the Demon Lord’s Skill Level was over 500, the attack elevated to an Expert Chain Attack, skyrocketing the attack to 25 damage. With the addition of 5 damage from his Combat Skill Mad Rush, the damage totaled 30, three times that of a normal Chain Attack. Thanks to Break Through, another Combat Skill of his, the attack pushed through any skill or technique that prevented Chain Attacks. In short, it was impossible for anyone to defend from this assault. A shockwave sparked from the blade that was piercing the Hydra, launching its gigantic body into the air; a successful Expert Chain Attack. To finish it off, the Burning effect of Sodom’s Fire caused a roaring flame to engulf the Hydra in an instant. A seamless combo. In the game, the Demon Lord used to combo into Equipped Skills or element-less skills. Once he got his first attack in, it was extremely difficult to escape his grasp.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

The Demon Lord laughed, full of elation. Bright red mist emanated from his body, enveloping him. The red mist continuously shapeshifted, becoming a screaming face, a skeleton skull, and then a hellscape that seemed to taint one’s soul just from looking at it.

—Combat Skill: Limit Breaker!

—Special Ability: Dictator of Law!

The Demon Lord’s abilities electrified the hellish mist.

“You insect... Grovel on the ground where you belong! Final Judgment!”

The Demon Lord swung his right hand as if to declare an order, and the insidious red mist turned to thousands of skulls, tearing into the Hydra with nightmarish screams. In an instant, the Hydra evaporated into black dust, and the thousands of skulls proceeded to roll down into the Bastille Dungeon like a flood. The red skulls, hungering for prey, immediately permeated the dungeon all the way down to the lowest level, 20. The incredible momentum shook the entire town, everyone falling on their rear. It wasn’t a group attack, but an AOE. The already powerful move was boosted by so much damage that every monster in the dungeon was massacred in one fell swoop. Even the main aggressor of this counter-invasion, Big Eye, pathetically evaporated with the masses.

All that was left in the dungeon was deafening silence. Anyone who witnessed the hellish attack felt like their souls were blown away with it. But the pair in the eye of the storm had seen things like this many times before, so they thought nothing of it. This was just one of the attacks fired off in the arenas day and night, creating many dramatic upsets over the years.

“That should take care of any monsters in the back.”

“Incredible, Mister Secretary.”

Yu smiled with blushed cheeks, and the Demon Lord nodded, satisfied. Then, he immediately tightened his expression before sending a Communication to Yukikaze.

*Yukikaze, do you copy?*

*...You were so hot, Mister Fox. My snow is melting all over.*

*Whatever. Something’s not right. I’m going straight into the dungeon. Keep taking care of the leftovers on the streets.*

*...Okay.*

Yukikaze’s tone had a touch of disappointment in it, but she must have decided that she would have only gotten in the Demon Lord’s way if she had joined him. Nonetheless, she complied.

*I’ve learned a lot from you two during this trip. After things clean up here, you should visit the village of Rabbi. You’ll always be welcome.*

*...I’ll be there. No matter what.*

The Demon Lord concluded the Communication, and turned to the dungeon. Weeb called to his back.

“Are you going to start a rebellion... again?”

The Demon Lord raised his brow at the word ‘again,’ but decided he couldn’t act without reverence while Yu was there. After a short pause, he answered:

“I have always been on the side of system and order... Any rebellion is made by those who oppose me.”

He answered this question as the Demon Lord of the Empire, so as to prevent Yu from suspecting anything, but Weeb was aghast. The rebel told in ancient legends did not consider himself a rebel at all. He considered everyone else, and perhaps even the Great Light, to be a rebel. This was more than seeing things from another perspective. Weeb felt like the ancient myths and theories were all crumbling down around him.

“Until we meet again, Hero.”

Weeb could only stand there and idly watch as the pair walked into the dungeon.

**You Unlocked Some New Information!**

**Final Judgment**

A massive AOE attack in the game, activated when the player’s JUG (a value that increases or decreases with each bout of combat) reaches 100. Its base damage is 30, but its damage output is drastically boosted the higher the enemies’ levels are relative to the user: a bonus of 8 damage for each level in difference. If the enemy is 10 levels higher than the user, it deals a whopping additional 80 damage. In the game, this move became more and more devastating to take the more a player power-leveled. A relatively weak player could take out powerful players in a single blow. Akira Ono had implemented numerous gimmicks like this one, preventing anyone from winning solely from power-leveling.

**Combat Skill: Limit Breaker**

Doubles the initial damage of Final Judgment from 30 to 60 damage.

**Special Ability: Dictator of Law**

A unique ability of the Demon Lord. An additional 40 damage to Final Judgment. His advisors have a similar ability called Defender of Law that provides 20 bonus damage instead.

## Facing the Unknown

The Demon Lord and his witch continued down the long stairs of the dungeon. Of course, there wasn’t another soul to be found, and no other sound to be heard, as if the Demon Lord’s attack had silenced the entire dungeon.

“This is the dungeon you spoke of, Mister Secretary?”

“Mm. It’s much quieter now.”

Unlike before, the town was in much more of a ruckus. Still, there were not many monsters left out there, and it would be easy enough for Weeb and the Trinary to clean up. While the Demon Lord was unaware, the two S-rank adventurers were out there, too. Barring any more boss-level monsters like the Hydra, Yukikaze and Mikan would not have any problems taking care of themselves, either.

“Mister Secretary, it’s dark and spooky in here...”

“I guess so.”

Yu wrapped her arm around the Demon Lord’s with an obvious ‘I’m so scared’ expression. Tahara would have pointed out that she was the scariest thing in the dungeon at this time.

“It’s like a haunted maze, especially because of the lights.”

“M-Mm...”

Yu subtly pressed her shapely breasts into the Demon Lord’s arms, her cheeks blushing. Tahara would have called her hospital the real haunted maze. The Demon Lord cleared his throat and decided to jump down some levels via Quick Travel.

“Excuse me, Mister Secretary... Why don’t we check one level at a time? We may find something. We should take our time and explore each floor together.”

“N-Not that I don’t want to, but we’re in a bit of a hurry. Let’s go.”

“Oh, Mister Secretary...!”

Brushing aside Yu’s pleading eyes, the Demon Lord grabbed her and forcibly jumped to level 15, where he had seen the prison cells last time. Now, even Yu’s interest was piqued by the bizarre sight. She inspected the space, left and right.

“It’s a very old... well, primitive, jail.”

“Yu, what do you think... was kept captive, here?”

“My first thought would be a human. Most likely an adult-sized specimen.”

The Demon Lord reexamined the cells, and it seemed safe to assume that humans were kept in them in horrific conditions.

They climbed down another story to find more cells. Some were similar in structure to those from the level above, while others were made with metal bars that seemed a little more durable. The further down they went, they found larger floors with more cells. Yu didn’t seem to be bothered, but it was a bizarre sight to the Demon Lord. Who made these things, and why? And why build them inside of a dungeon, of all places? He didn’t understand any of it. On the other hand, Yu spoke with a tone as nonchalant as talking about the next day’s weather:

“Perhaps... They were pets.”

“Ha!”

The Demon Lord laughed it off, but couldn’t quite shake the idea. Who could have remained sane trapped in a prison cell in a dungeon crawling with monsters?

“In any case, I don’t like it...”

“Of course, sir. The management of the people’s happiness must be fully in your control.”

“Mm...”

Even as he pretended to agree, the Demon Lord was screaming on the inside. He would have vehemently denied the need for such management if he could have.

When they reached the 20th level on the bottom of the dungeon, the air completely changed and the banter stopped. The Demon Lord’s expression shifted. This floor hosted a modern factory. Unlike any of the floors above, the ground and walls were made out of concrete, showing bare steel support beams above countless conveyor belts in operation. The industrial belts were carrying cut up monsters and charred human bodies to who-knew-where, along with clothes, weapons, and even the walls of houses. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the variety of things it was carrying.

“I see. It seems I’ve been shown to a different level.”

“...Mister Secretary?”

“It’s quite different from the level 20 I had heard about. Yu, does this

level appear the same as the others to you?”

Level 20, as Yukikaze had described it to him, was nothing out of the ordinary. Definitely not this modern facility.

“Yes... Bare rock walls. Dimly lit.”

At this moment, the Demon Lord became sure of his suspicion.

“Apparently, I was invited.”

First, the gun he had found on level 15, and now the level 20 that was not as it should be. Someone was giving the Demon Lord a secret look behind the curtains and getting enjoyment out of it. Were they taunting the Demon Lord, or did they have a message to send? In any case, he was sure that this wasn’t good news.

“Yu, stay here. If something happens, grab me and Quick Travel.”

“Wait, sir. You’re going alone...?”

“If we both get attacked at once, we’re out of options. If something seems off with me, heal me immediately. Got it?”

“Y-Yes, sir...”

The Demon Lord continued through the countless conveyer belts that carried both monster and human corpses without discrimination. It was creepy to say the least, and anyone might have frozen in their tracks. But the Demon Lord didn’t.

(Something’s here. Something I want to know. Or something that someone wants to show me.)

The door at the end of the factory opened automatically, perhaps by electricity, or perhaps by magic. One question of his was answered as soon as he walked through the door.

“So it’s a recycling plant.”

Below him, he could see the monster and human bodies being dropped into a giant furnace, with new monsters being carried out from it. This was a sight quite in contrast to what most people imagined reincarnation to be.

In the room, the Demon Lord spotted countless monitors varying in size. With around a hundred monitors stacked on top of each other in a heap, it almost looked like a monument. Even the Demon Lord couldn’t help but shudder at the sight.

“Do you want me to grade your artwork?” the Demon Lord asked whoever it was that was waiting for him.

Whoever it was, they had unknown powers and technology. Just from

what the Demon Lord had witnessed so far, the recycling of life below him and the solar-powered gun, they had technology that surpassed that of the modern world. As if to answer his question, a line of text appeared on the screens:

*Let’s play, Demon Lord.*

After reading these words, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette without a word. Perhaps offended by this, a few of the screens cracked. A new line of text appeared:

*Play with me, Demon Lord.*

A similar line, but with a different nature. The first was still an invitation, but this was more forceful. Reading this, the Demon Lord took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it at the screens. The still-lit cigarette hit a monitor and fell to the ground. The next instant, one screen after another shattered in a cacophony. The largest screen in the center, the only one left, displayed a line of red text:

*I’ll toy with you, Demon Lord.*

Now he wore a dauntless grin.

“Finally, your true colors are showing.”

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

*I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU*

“Heh...”

The Demon Lord was secretly afraid of the message and the malice behind it. But his willpower pinned down even his creeping fear, and only grew stronger from it. The more he was put in a corner, the more he suppressed any negative emotions and powered through. No matter how poorly held together he might have appeared.

“Feel like some superior being in this crappy factory? Hilarious.”

Determined, the Demon Lord spat this out at the screen, straight-on. He had the weapons and confidence to win, thanks to the unparalleled world of his creation. The infinitely vast world created from his fifteen years of determination, filled to the brim with cheat codes.

A mess of rapidly-changing text ran on the screen until it finally

displayed:

*GAME OVER*

The Demon Lord, without a word, threw Sodom’s Fire into the screen. As the shattered pieces of the monitor twinkled like snowfall in the air, the Demon Lord declared war against his hidden opponent.

“I have no idea who you are, but you should know this. To me, nor the

Empire, nothing is impossible!”

The Demon Lord flourished his pitch-black coat and left the room.

This was the first battle of a raging war between the Demon Lord and whoever ruled this world.

## Akane Fujisaki

The morning after the counter-invasion, the people of Rookie were up to their ears in trouble cleaning up the mess. There were countless things to take care of, like dealing with corpses, removing debris, transporting the injured, assessing the damage to houses and shops, and so on. Considering that there was this much damage even with the paladin, the S-rank Mynk, and the Demon Lord and his witch protecting the town, it would have been completely destroyed without them.

After the incident, the Demon Lord ordered Yu to return to the village right away and remained in town. He had a million things to think about and wanted to be alone. He was staying at the cheap inn, gazing out the window.

(“Let’s play”...?)

He kept recalling the ominous message. Judging by what he saw, it was definitely sent by someone who ruled this world.

(Plenty of things to worry about in the village, too...)

Tahara planned to keep expanding the village of Rabbi to swallow up the settlements around it, and was even preparing to fight with that noble with a weird name. Of course, Tahara only considered all of these to be planned and already set forward by the Demon Lord. He was just loyally following orders.

(I’ll be stuck between Yu and Tahara as soon as I go back...)

Foreseeing his situation, the Demon Lord clasped his face in his hands. He had designed Tahara to be a genius himself, who was always a hundred steps ahead of Akira Ono. That genius was overthinking every word and move the Demon Lord made out of humility. Akira, an ordinary working Joe on the inside, got exhausted just from trying to keep up the ruse.

(Then there’s Yu...)

She had been more reserved lately, but her backstory was nothing short of catastrophic. In order to pursue the mystery of the human body, she was ready to dissect a million innocent people, laughing all the way. What made it worse was her intellect as sharp as Tahara’s. It was becoming really taxing to keep playing the role of the Demon Lord of the Empire; it felt like he was laying on a bed of nails, day after day.

(I should summon another advisor. To save my mind and my stomach...!) The first advisor that came to his mind was a more-or-less perfect girl, Ren Miyaoji, one of his most powerful advisors. The problem was, she was as smart as Tahara or Yu, and had a considerable history with Kunai. While he might have been able to keep up the charade for a while, it was very likely that she would have her suspicions. Worse of all, the very moral Ren hated Yu, and vice versa. Without the Demon Lord of the Empire serving as the mediator between them, they were sure to start killing each other sooner or later. That wouldn’t help with his stomach ache, and would more likely cause him a heart attack.

(I’ll go all in and summon an idiot... well, the endlessly optimistic one.

That’s the one.)

The Demon Lord thought of Akane Fujisaki. This girl was like the sun. Energetic, happy-go-lucky, and could get along with anyone in no time. She loved anime, light novels, and comics. She seemed like someone who could easily adapt to this fantasy world.

(Akane’s not the cunning type. I won’t have to pretend to be smart around her...)

The Demon Lord wanted a little break from being considered the embodiment of scheming. To strike while the iron was hot, the Demon Lord rose to his feet.

(I’ll summon Akane so I can have some non-scheming time... She’s great at spying, too.)

Even though it was an afterthought, the Demon Lord came up with more reasons to justify his decision. Akane’s specialty was her speed, and she had various abilities well-suited for infiltration and espionage. Now that he had seen a clear new enemy, he deemed it important to gather information from countries other than Holylight. After a deep breath, the Demon Lord opened his Admin screen. Remaining SP — 3803.

(With this much, I could deal with anything that happened after summoning her.)

When he reached the Summon Advisor section, the Demon Lord’s expression tightened. He never got used to the nerves and excitement of this moment. A being that he had created with his sweat and tears was about to come to life. Readying himself, the Demon Lord selected Akane Fujisaki from the Admin screen.

“Akane... Come hither to my presence!”

With the Demon Lord’s call, a pillar of light and a pillar of darkness appeared. When they overlapped, a girl appeared before him. With light brown hair, she wore a school uniform that included a blazer. Her wide-open eyes made it clear that she was a ball of curiosity. Seeing the girl he imagined, designed, and created come to life, the Demon Lord couldn’t help but smile.

“Welcome, Akane.”

“Whoa, it’s you, Hakuto. Where am I, anyway?”

After addressing the Demon Lord by his first name, Akane began looking around. She was surprised to see the Demon Lord of the Empire in such an old-fashioned building.

“It’d be faster to show you than explain it.”

“Hmm? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This.”

The Demon Lord grabbed Akane by the neck and prepared to Quick Travel.

“Whoa, hold on! I may be cute as a kitten, but I’m not really one!”

The Demon Lord chuckled at this. Akane had a very transient nature. Her interests and hobbies changed with the wind, and so did her mood. She was even more cat-like than she thought.

“Well, more like an annoying stray cat.”

“Hey, can you really look into my cute eyes and— whoa!”

The Demon Lord Quick Traveled anyway, jumping them to Holylight. They were atop a clock tower near the Holy Castle where they could overlook the entirety of the Holy City.

“W-What’s this... a new arena? You’re spending too much money.”

“Look over there. We don’t have scorpions that big in the arena.”

He pointed out the Sand Scorpions, which were crucial for transporting goods on this continent. The arena was flooded with Chimeras (as if for experimentation), but none of them looked like those Sand Scorpions. The Chimeras in the arena were more terrifying, forbidden creatures.

“Hey! Hey! Look at the big castle!”

“They call that the Holy Castle. This country is called Holylight, by the way.”

“Holylight? Sorry, I’m stupid, so I don’t know it.”

“Of course you don’t know it. We are in a different world than our own.”

As he lit a cigarette and looked down below them, the Demon Lord explained their situation little by little. After having a few runs with his previous advisors, his explanation was smooth. He had learned and experienced much more now than the times he had summoned Yu or Tahara. With everything that had happened in mind, the Demon Lord continued as if to chew on every word.

“Um... Hakuto? Did you hit your head? Do you have a boo-boo?”

“Were you listening at all!?”

The Demon Lord flipped, seeing that Akane was seriously worried about him. He couldn’t imagine anything more frustrating. Grinding his fist into Akane’s head, the Demon Lord carried on his spiel.

“Ow! That hurts!”

“This’ll help the blood flow into your brain. I think it’s blocked.”

For a change of pace, the Demon Lord tried using fiction as a comparison. After he powered through explaining everything again, pulling examples from anime, video games, comics, etc., something finally clicked, and Akane finally clapped her hands together.

“...It’s Isekai! Well, except you’re the Demon Lord and not the hero!”

“P-Putting that second part aside, it’s something like that...”

A little dizzy from being called the Demon Lord, he continued to tell Akane about Holylight, and that they were based in the village of Rabbi, continuing to expand.

“Alright! I’ll take ‘things that sound like a load of fun’ for 1000, Alex!” “Fun, huh...?”

Watching Akane talk to an invisible game show host, the Demon Lord exhaled a long puff of smoke.

(I was a lot more panicked when I first woke up here...)

Was it her nature? Or just her youth?

“We’re really in a fantasy world! Look, there’s someone pouring water out of a rune circle!”

“Yes. There is a power in this world that they call magic.”

Which was something extremely dangerous to the Demon Lord, something he needed to defend against, ASAP. His advisors would need some sort of anti-magic armor, too.

“So if you’re the Demon Lord, Hakuto, should I be the hero?”

“Why should we be enemies? Besides, this world already has a hero.”

“What!? But don’t you think I’d be better at it? Think of how cute and strong I am!”

“I envy you for your thought process.”

Half-ignoring Akane’s comments, the Demon Lord continued. Once he told her that Yu and Tahara were already here, Akane’s eyes glimmered.

“Oh, oh, Hakuto! What about Ren?”

“Right. Pretty soon, I’ll...”

“Summon her, already. Summon her now. Nooooow!”

“Argh, knock it off! Get off of me!”

Akane curled up to the Demon Lord like a cat, and he picked her up by the back of the neck again.

“Hey! I always thought you treated me like I’m not super-cute, Hakuto!” “Dream on.”

With Akane still in his grasp, the Demon Lord flew them back to the town of Rookie. This time, they arrived on a roof that overlooked the plaza. The same spot from where Yu had thrown her grenade(s) the night before. Below them, they could still see monster carcasses scattered about, and they could still smell burnt flesh in the air. Nearly everywhere in town, there was dried blood spattered on the ground and walls, and there were many people working to remove the debris of the destruction since early in the morning. The smoke from the pyre of victims filled the town, and they could see the mass burial taking place in the cemetery outside of the town.

“Where... are we...?”

“It’s not a world full of sunshine and rainbows.”

“Right... Of course...”

As she recalled her previous world ruled by the Empire, Akane’s expression became gloomy.

“There are countless nations that we don’t know about in this world.

Some non-human species, too.”

Not to mention the various monsters in the dungeon and the devils. On top of that, there was the unknown enemy from the night before, and the mysterious figure who had restricted his Admin features. With those in mind, the Demon Lord spoke:

“It’s the same as it was in the world with the Empire. Even in this world... we have countless enemies.”

“...Right. And if they’re our enemies, I’ll fight them. But...”

“Hm?”

“What do you want to do in this world, Hakuto?”

The Demon Lord couldn’t immediately answer that straightforward question. What was he doing in this world? What did he want to do? He wanted to regain all of his Admin features. Those, having put in fifteen years of blood and sweat to create them, were almost a testament to his own existence. This goal, this objective, would not waiver.

(But what then...?)

The Demon Lord remained silent for a long time, but Akane, uncharacteristically patient, awaited his response. Normally, she would be rushing or teasing him. This went to show how seriously she had asked the question.

(What do I want to do...?)

He realized that, although he didn’t know how long it would take to get there, he had no idea what he would do or wanted to do after regaining all of those features. Now that he had gotten his advisors and many others into the mix, he couldn’t very well ditch everyone and run away.

“Let’s see. After everything’s settled... when there’s peace...”

“When there’s peace...?”

“It might not be so bad to live with you guys in the Sleepless Castle.”

“...Alright. Okay. Okay.”

The Demon Lord didn’t exactly answer her question, but Akane seemed happy, nonetheless. She seemed very excited, for some reason.

“Oh, hey! Look at the weird bird, Hakuto!”

“Just when things were getting serious...”

Just like Akane and her interest in jumping around. She was excitedly pointing at a bird she had never seen, then at a carriage, and to many of the people walking in the streets.

“Look at all that luggage they’re carrying.”

“They’re porters. They do that for a living.”

“But isn’t he... Being pushed around and bullied?”

“He must not be a good porter,” said the man who didn’t carry anything as a porter on his first trip down in the dungeon.

Mikan would have called him out on the hypocrisy if she had been there.

“That kind of thing really grinds my gears. I’ll give them a little talkingto.”

“Hey...!”

Akane jumped off the roof, ignoring the Demon Lord. Her backstory dictated that she would never idly watch as someone was getting bullied. As fast as the wind, she went right up to the adventurers.

“Hey, you! No bullying on my watch!”

“Huh? Who the hell are you?”

The man who had been kicking the portly porter glared at Akane critically.

“Everyone around you is hard at work... What are you doing?”

“Shut up and buzz off.”

Of course, everyone around them was sweating from the hard restoration work. No one else had the time to bully the porter with an already-weak social standing.

“Yuck. Your face makes my stomach turn.”

“This fucking kid...!”

When the man moved to grab Akane, she disappeared from his field of view.

“Over here!”

“You little...!”

Before he knew it, Akane was behind him. With her outrageous Speed stat, she could easily dodge a storm of bullets. If she wanted to, her opponents would have already been knocked flat on the ground without getting so much of a glimpse of her.

“Stop that buzzing... Damnit!”

“Too slow, Admiral! But wow, how’d you survive this long being so slow?”

“You’re using some sort of Wind spe—ellll!?”

With a beautiful kick to the ankle, the man fell on his back. The crowd chuckled at the pathetic pose and the voice he let out. They must have been annoyed by the man jerking around while they needed every hand on deck.

“Come on, bro! If you got enough energy to talk crap, go haul off some debris!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Take a look around! See anyone else goofing off!?”

“What a pathetic little man...”

The man looked left and right toward the voices around him, but soon seemed to realize that there was no one there on his side. He fled the scene, almost on all fours.

“All right, justice always prevails! And look how cute I am.”

As if making a declaration of victory, Akane puffed her flat chest and held out two fingers: V for victory. The crowd gave plenty of cheers and applause to this happy-go-lucky girl that came flying in like a comet.

“That was something, little girl!”

“Man, was that fun to watch. I never liked that slimy bastard.”

Egged on by the cheers, Akane was now beaming with pride. Eventually the portly porter stood up, and approached Akane with a faint voice, apologizing:

“I-I’m sorry... I’ve caused you so much trouble...”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. But you know what, old man?”

“Y-Yes, miss!?”

“See, you got to stop putting yourself down so much.”

“S-Sorry!”

“There you go again!”

The Demon Lord sighed as they played out their infinite loop. She was one of his creations, after all, but she seemed much too reckless. The Demon Lord sent a Communication, ready to return to the cheap inn before the situation complicated.

*We’re heading back to the inn.*

*Whoa! We can still use Communication?*

*I’ll explain more at the inn.*

*Okie dokie!*

Akane left the scene, waving at the townspeople along the way, and returned to the inn with the Demon Lord via Quick Travel. Since the restoration work had only just begun, the townspeople went back to their work.

After returning to the inn, the Demon Lord and Akane spoke of many things as they ate. At first, they were only served loaves of hardened bread by the stern-faced innkeeper, until the Demon Lord chucked a gold coin onto the table and had him bring them food from a restaurant. With a gold coin, they now had extravagant dishes filling the table. Many of them were meat dishes, like pork chop, turkey roast, and smoked lamb. There was also bean and turnip soup, but no seafood.

“Hey, Hakuto. Do you think we can use magic too? What do you think?”

While Akane was freely enjoying all of the dishes, the Demon Lord was sipping on a soup, getting tired of the meat-heavy course.

“Don’t think so.”

The Demon Lord answered as he recalled his advisors’ stats. No slot for magic. The only thing he could think of was an evolved base he designed as a joke, called Slimy Metal House that cast a magic spell called Zizzle.

“Hey! Hey, Hakuto! I was thinking...!”

One moment, Akane was interested in magic, then she wanted to dungeon-crawl, then travel around the world as an adventurer... The Demon Lord brushed off her free-spirited rants as he popped pieces of smoked meat into his mouth.

“Hey hey hey! You’re not even listening!”

“Shut up and eat.”

The Demon Lord was unbothered. Still, Akane stared at the Demon Lord, quizzically.

“What now?”

“You’ve changed a bit, Hakuto...”

The Demon Lord’s heart skipped a beat. While Akane wasn’t book-smart, her intuition was as sharp as a wild animal’s. The Demon Lord decided to agree to her comment.

“I won’t deny it. Many months have passed since I’ve come to this world...”

He was implying that everyone would undergo some changes with a shift in their environment, especially with a shift as major as coming to a new world. Akane seemed to take that as an answer.

“Okay. I like you better now, though, Hakuto.”

“Is that so? Good to hear.”

“Can’t you be a little more excited about it? What’s with the cold shoulder!?”

“What’s to get excited about being liked by you?”

“That does it...! I’m going to finish all these steaks myself!”

“Who do you think paid for those...?”

As they carried on their ruckus of a meal, the Demon Lord kept hammering in knowledge of this world into Akane. Just as a teacher would do to a student.

That night, having completed Akane’s 101 crash course of this world, the Demon Lord was watching the town alone from atop the roof. Akane was already fast asleep, sprawling across the entire bed with a satisfied expression.

(Even restoration is mostly done by magic.)

The Demon Lord pondered some things as he lit a cigarette.

(The village is in constant construction, anyway...)

The major expansion of the village of Rabbi was still ongoing, and he felt that observing the restoration process here might benefit him in some way. While various heavy machinery made modern construction possible, magic spells were the heavy machinery of this world. Large debris made lighter by Wind spells, and some cumbersome stones and walls were even sunk into the ground with Earth spells.

(Magic...)

Recalling the Water spell he was hit with in the dungeon, he couldn’t help but wince. A higher-rank spell could have been lethal. He needed to work out a strategy against magic, and fast. Then, a bird came down right next to the Demon Lord deep in thought.

“Hm? Just so you know, I don’t have anything to feed you.”

There was no way that a bird should have understood him, but it remained still, as if it was resting. In fact, it even crooked its neck as if to read the Demon Lord’s expression.

“What...? You want me to find out if you’re finger-lickin’ good?”

He lazily shooed at it, but the bird remained. Surprisingly, the bird fluttered its wings and hopped over to the Demon Lord, then onto his shoulder.

“Whoa, I’m not into birds that much...”

The Demon Lord chuckled, then the color drained from his face as he heard a woman’s voice, as if spoken directly into his eardrums.

*Caught you with your guard down...*

An eerie voice came out of the bird’s beak. The Demon Lord subtly looked around, but couldn’t find anyone else around them. The only explanation was that the voice was spoken from the bird on his shoulder.

“Practicing your ventriloquist act?”

The Demon Lord puffed out his cigarette smoke, concealing his shock.

*You are an interesting one... Are you man or devil?*

“Doesn’t matter. What do you want?”

He acted as undaunted as ever, but even the Demon Lord was taken aback by the next words out of the bird’s beak.

*Even with all of your powers, you are completely defenseless against magic...*

“Ah... Do you think so?”

Gazing up at the moon, the Demon Lord imagined who he could be speaking to.

*This little bird is the prime proof of it. Most people would keep a lowly familiar like this one away with a rudimentary protective spell or barrier...*

*but you didn’t — or couldn’t — bother.*

“I see... that you find enjoyment in eavesdropping.”

Now, he remembered that the bird on his shoulder was the same one Akane had pointed out during the day. It seemed safe to assume that the bird was listening to at least a portion of their conversation.

*Empire, Sleepless Castle... I don’t understand these words that you’ve used.*

“No need to understand them. Before you know it, they’ll be a reality.”

The bird finally fell silent at the Demon Lord’s bold declaration. Soon, a strange spiral appeared before the Demon Lord, and a girl adorning a black robe emerged from it. She was Olgan, the Star Player.

“One question... Are you truly the Demon Lord that appears in legends?”

“I’m not interested in fairy tales.”

The Demon Lord brushed the question off, but he really didn’t know or have interest in any legends. Only those around him kept (mistakenly) imagining the Demon Lord to be the figure in their myths. “Then allow me to demonstrate a theory.”

“Oh? Please do.”

The Demon Lord agreed, a little nervous. Fiddling with the crystal ball in her hand, Olgan sharply glared at the Demon Lord.

“Long ago, you fought the Great Light and suffered grave injuries. You were nearly dead, or sealed. That’s my starting point.”

“Hm...”

“Now you have lost the majority of your powers, and are under some sort of heavy restraint.”

“I see.”

As he feigned nonchalance, the Demon Lord was shocked that part of her theory was true. He didn’t know if the girl thought of the fact by coincidence or perception, but it was true that many of his abilities were locked and heavily restrained.

“Now... I want to make a deal with you.”

“Deal, huh? What do you want from me?”

“There’s someone I want you to kill.”

“Now that doesn’t sound very peaceful.”

Exhaling the cigarette smoke with a sense of enjoyment, the Demon Lord was relieved for the time being. This girl didn’t seem to be the one who sent him the message in the Bastille Dungeon, nor the one who messed with his Admin features.

“It’s frustrating, but I can’t finish the kill on my own.” “If I do kill whoever it is, what am I going to get out of it?” A deal couldn’t stand unless it was a win-win.

“...His castle contains an abundance of gold and treasure, as well as countless historical magical items. Take them all for yourself.”

The Demon Lord held a long pause at this. Seeing his uninterested act, Olgan couldn’t help but grip her fists in anticipation of a refusal. It was door-die for her. After watching him in action at the counter-invasion the other day, she was sure that he really was the mythical Demon Lord, or at least someone with similar powers. This wasn’t a chance she could let slip by.

“The treasury contains seeds that boost the user’s magic abilities, crystals that temporarily boost the power of magic spells, and a magical item that will bounce off any lower-rank spell. I’m only interested in taking his head.

Everything in the treasury is your reward.”

“...And who is it that you hold such a grudge against?”

Truth be told, the Demon Lord wanted to jump on the deal, but wasn’t careless enough to agree without knowing who he was dealing with. “A grand devil said to be the next King of Devils... Belphegor.”

“The King of Devils, huh...”

With a subtle nod, the Demon Lord internally cheered in victory. The King of Devils was (what he thought to be) the weakling monster that attacked him out of the blue when he came to this world. They considered that wannabe gargoyle a king? Ridiculous. Still, the Demon Lord didn’t want to seem desperate by agreeing too easily. Just as the Demon Lord of the Empire would have, he refused to make a clear answer for a while... “All the treasure in his castle isn’t enough for you...?”

The Demon Lord again only answered with silence. In situations like these, silence was golden. More often than not, the terms of the deal would only improve.

“Then, I’ll make sure you have whatever it is you want. You name it.”

“Oh...?”

The Demon Lord gave her a sharp glare. Finally, some music to his ears. His attitude showed it, too. Olgan was wary of what he could possibly ask for, but she needed him to say yes, above all else. Whether he knew Olgan’s thoughts or not, the Demon Lord solemnly spread his arms and declared:

“Rejoice. Your wish is granted...”

Even Olgan was stunned at his absolute confidence. He already seemed sure of his victory.

“Quite the confidence... We’re infiltrating his land in Hellion territory.”

“No matter. Why do you want this devil dead, anyway?”

Olgan looked to her feet, and remained silent for a long while. It didn’t seem like something she wanted to say. Still, she must have decided that she couldn’t afford to upset the Demon Lord over it. Reluctantly, she answered.

“Because that devil... is my father.”

Now the Demon Lord was actually struck silent. He couldn’t imagine how a father and daughter could want to kill each other, but assumed that devils lived in a different world than humans.

(Her dad’s a devil, huh...?)

At the same time, he finally noticed that the girl before him was no ordinary human, but a Firebrand like Tron.

“Now, what should I call you? Demon Lord? Or do you prefer Fallen Angel...?”

“Demon Lord is fine.”

The Demon Lord contained his laughter at the mention of Fallen Angel. He recalled the cringey story about Lucifer he had read in the library with Aku and shrugged his shoulders.

“I see. Then I will address you as such, Demon Lord. When do we leave?”

“Now.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? We’re leaving now.”

“W-Wait a minute! We’ll need some time to prepare before attacking his castle...”

“No need at all. We have Akane with us, anyway.”

With that, the Demon Lord jumped right off of the roof and headed to the inn. Olgan could only watch him disappear into the town.

—Later in the night, when all were asleep...

The four-member party was gathered at the entrance of town: the Demon

Lord, the still half-asleep Akane, Olgan the Firebrand, and S-rank adventurer Mynk. Ordinarily, these four would have never crossed paths, but now that they were together, it was quite the sight.

“Hey, Hakuto. Who are these people? I’m tired...” Akane said, wobbling as if she was about to fall asleep standing.

Mynk was surprised to see the Demon Lord, too.

“Why is the Demon Lord here...? My sworn nemesis!”

(Nemesis?) the Demon Lord thought, puzzled. Olgan, trying to assume the role of the leader, shortly explained to the party:

“We will infiltrate Hellion territory. Our objective is to kill Belphegor.”

The Demon Lord nodded with reverence. Akane had already fallen asleep, still standing. Mynk alone reacted in surprise.

“Hellion territory...!? With just the four of us!?”

“With just the four of us. Any weaklings would only get in our way.” Olgan countered stoically to Mynk’s reasonable reaction. Olgan knew full well how insane this was, and even she was having a hard time keeping her composure.

“T-This is your plan, isn’t it, Demon Lord...!? You’re trying to usurp me as the superior agent of darkness...!”

Mynk glared at the Demon Lord with animosity, jabbing the air between

them with her finger.

“What is she going on about?”

“Ignore her. It’s a sickness.”

“Are you out of your mind, Olgan!? If darkness meets darkness, the Dark

Salamander sealed in my right hand may arise from its slumber!”

Mynk grasped her right hand, showing a pained expression. Seeing her, the Demon Lord seemed to understand that she had a bad case of goth or emo or something. At this rate, their departure was only going to delay.

“Olgan, was it? Lead the way to... Hellion territory, right?”

“All right. Mynk, knock off the nonsense.”

“Nonsense!? Once I set a single foot in that place, I won’t be able to contain my... Hey!”

Olgan grabbed her by the neck and sprinted. The Demon Lord carried Akane (still masterfully standing and sleeping) under one arm and followed. The mismatched quartet began their invasion of Hellion territory, uncharted by man. One might have shuddered to imagine what sort of commotion they would bring with them.

# Epilogue: Another Departure

——Outside the village of Rabbi.

Wo Wungol was sitting on a comfortably-sized rock, listening to his men report. Through his years as a bandit, he had become well-versed in the undergrounds of most nations.

“A prisoner of war in the Island Legion, huh...? Sounds about right.”

Those who lost a war and were captured were turned into slaves to be sold off. It was common practice, and nothing particular in and of itself. A demihuman in the mix, though, was another story. Especially when the group was being transported to Hellion territory, this was no ordinary transaction. “I’ve got a friend in Euri with sticky fingers. Seems legit, Boss.”

“And how many are in tow?”

“Don’t know the exact count, but apparently it’s over 300.”

“How are they going to take that many over?”

“It looks like they’re taking a ship, Boss.”

Wo Wungol chuckled in response. Once the ship sailed, no one could tell where they were headed. No one in the Northern Nations would expect the slave ship to chart its course to Hellion territory. Wo Wungol was curious what reason was behind all of it.

“I mean, I’ve always known those bastards were up to shady crap...”

“But, Boss. Why would the Tzardom want to bring slaves to Hellion territory...? How do they expect to survive the journey to begin with?”

“Hmph. They got some sort of deal, no doubt. This is why I don’t trust any god or ‘Light’ or angel,” the bandit leader spat out.

They, at least, took pride in their lives of crime.

“Whatever. We just gotta pass this on and get our reward.”

Wo Wungol, the leader of the Mole bandit gang, stood with somewhat of an eye roll. He had become tired of this gig by now, having been halfthreatened into taking it by Tahara. He was promised an absolution from Luna once the job was done.

“Absolution... My ass.”

“B-But Boss... It’s a matter of time before they’ll catch us, or we’ll starve.”

“You want me to be a slave like ol’ Fuji?”

Irritated, the bandit produced a piece of jerky from his pocket and tore into it. While a Holy Maiden was granted the authority to judge and prosecute a criminal on the spot, they were also granted the right to absolve them of their crimes. Mount Fuji, who now served Queen, was a good example of someone who was absolved of their crimes. Imagining himself as a Holy Maiden’s pet, the bandit shuddered.

“B-But, he said he’d give us more work.”

“Work, huh...”

Wo Wungol had accepted this gig because he was drawn by the prospect of this upcoming work of digging wells throughout Holylight. The bandit had scoffed at the idea at first, but after watching the major construction project begin to transform the village of Rabbi, he could no longer do so. Maybe they really would dig all of those wells...

(The Mole...)

The bandit glanced at the ground, reminiscing about an old dream that he had, to dig a well in this dried land like a mole so they could drink as much water as they wanted. His hometown was too poor to even buy any Water Spell Stones. Terrible droughts dried out their farms, causing the people of his village to drop like flies, until the village became uninhabitable. Unable to let go of his dream, he had named his gang ‘the Mole’.

“What’s wrong, Boss?”

“Nothing...”

Wo Wungol stood from the rock he was sitting on and headed to the village of Rabbi to make his report. It was no longer the desolate village he remembered, now bustling with a surprising amount of people working to transform it with a lot of sweat and hard work.

“I’ll meet you back at the base. I’ll go get our reward.”

“Yessir!”

After sending his henchman away, the bandit went to find Tahara, who was in charge of the construction. Tahara perceptively noticed Wo Wungol in no time.

“Hey, old man! How’d it go?”

“Tsk, you annoying freshman...”

The bandit winced at being called an old man. While they were bandits, he was the leader of an organization. He was relatively well known in Holylight, to the point where almost no one addressed him with such rudeness.

“Sorry I’m so young. Sure beats being a senior.”

“Young my ass... You’re not that young anymore.”

“Shut the hell up, I’m only thirty-one!”

“You’re passed thirty, you’re an old man too! Stop trying to fight it!”

The derailed, unsightly argument between the two old men ensued, until Tahara noticed the eyes of the crowd around them and urged the bandit to continue his report, annoyed.

“So, was she one of them?”

“No doubt about it. There’s a demi-human... A hawk hybrid.”

“Right on the money... It’s going to get messy.”

Tahara imagined the turbulence that was sure to follow this revelation. At the same time, he made his first move, right away.

“Here’s your pay, old man.”

“Good... Hey, this is...!”

The leather bag tossed his way was packed to the brim with silver coins, and was heavy enough to make the bandit falter. It seemed at least ten times more than the reward he was promised.

“W-Wait a minute! What’s this supposed to...?”

“I gotta go talk to Miss Luna. I don’t know what it really means, but I gotta get you absolved, or whatever.”

Tahara had decided to continue using Wo Wungol. Once he did, he acted fast. If they remained wanted criminals, it would be difficult for him to employ the gang anywhere in Holylight. Worst case scenario, they could be arrested or killed by the authorities.

“What the hell...?” the bandit muttered.

He moved the leather bag up and down as if to really measure its weight, and held it up to the sun as if to savor the reflection of the silver coins. He tried to maintain his frown, but couldn’t help cracking a smile. With all of this money, he could buy plenty of Water Spell Stones and food. He looked around the area to find many of their workers sharing his expression.

(Do these guys get paid pretty well, too...?)

Once the Northern Nations entered war season, passing both people and goods across borders would become difficult. Naturally, that meant less work for the people. On the other hand, there were more jobs once the war season ended, but being able to work in the meantime was a luxury.

“And there’s a bunch of weird-looking buildings... What the hell is happening?”

As the bandit leader pondered this and that, Luna came sprinting his way, head-on. Wo Wungol nearly fled at her intense expression.

“H-Hey... I was supposed to be absolved... You’re not going to...” “You! Is it true!?”

Faced with Luna’s golden magic bolting through her body, the bandit sweat bullets out of every pore. He knew that, if such magic was directed at him, he would not survive it.

“A-About the demi-human? Yeah, it’s true...! Mixed in, with the slaves, in the Island Region.”

“Okay...”

The bandit answered, barely able to breathe, but even Tahara behind him was in a similar state of mind. He could have taken down Luna before she could cast a spell, but he felt that he wouldn’t get off scot-free from a direct hit of that level of magic.

“Miss Luna, I understand your eagerness here. But I can get you to do your absolution thing?”

“Right.”

Luna agreed with uncharacteristic ease. She knew that she had no time to argue. She produced a piece of paper and an elaborately decorated needle from her pocket, then turned to Wo Wungol.

“Give me your hand.”

“A-All right... Ow! Ow!”

Without hesitation, Luna stabbed the needle into Wo Wungol’s palm. Even worse, she wiggled the needle to and fro until bright red blood came pouring out.

“Gaaaaaagh! What... the hell!?”

“A punishment for the sinful. Wise Angel, have mercy on this hopeless and ugly bearded ape...!”

“Graaaaaaagh!”

The bandit desperately tried to flee, but Luna’s magic engulfed him, keeping him in place. The hellish agony seemed to continue forever when Wo Wungol finally fainted, his eyes rolling into his head.

“That about does it.”

Luna, as if she were on an assembly line, pressed the bandit’s reddened hand onto the paper, leaving his handprint on it. Tahara watched the event unfold with his mouth agape.

“Uh... Is that some sort of ritual? Like, was it necessary?”

To Tahara, it seemed like some black magic. Tales of sketchy rituals using human blood, hair, or nails were common in his world, too.

“What? Oh, not really.”

“Huh?” Tahara blurted out at Luna’s matter-of-fact response. Ordinarily, absolution was performed by pricking a finger and taking the criminal’s fingerprint in blood. This version was of Luna’s invention. Tahara gazed up to the sky.

“What’s wrong with the Holy Maidens of this country...?”

“Oh? I’m much more merciful than my sister, you know? I heard Fuji had his bloodied face pressed into the paper.”

“Is that so...?”

Tahara shook his head, having heard enough. After a deep breath, Luna jumped up.

“Alright, I’m off!”

“...Uh huh.”

As Luna ran off, Tahara shot out a Communication.

Soon, Yu appeared from behind him with a curious expression.

“Are you sure?”

“Didn’t think I could stop her.”

“Still...”

“Don’t worry about it. Mister Secretary said to let her be.”

“I see. Actually, I think it will be better for us to have her involved.”

As the two advisors schemed, Luna was on course to run right out of the village when someone called her to a halt from behind. Luna turned to find the Madame with a jubilant smile and rejuvenated skin.

“What is it? Even you can’t stop me this time, Madame.”

“I wouldn’t dare, Little Luna. Why don’t you take my carriage?”

“What?”

“There’s no way you’ll make it past the Northern Nations in yours.”

Luna froze in her tracks, the revelation hitting her. If a Holy Maiden’s carriage were to pass borders without a warning, it could start rumors of war.

“But not if you blend into my caravan. While you’re at it, there are a few things I’d like you to pick up for me!”

The Madame giggled. She really didn’t have anything she wanted, but this was her way of repaying Luna while keeping face. For once, Luna seemed to pick up on the Madame’s intentions.

“Thank you, Madame... I’ll owe you.”

“Wow. A thanks from Little Luna herself? It must be my lucky day.” “I-I thank people sometimes!” Luna shouted, beet red.

Then, numerous carriages adorning the crest of House Butterfly appeared from seemingly nowhere, all ready to depart. They formed a giant caravan akin to a battalion. Anyone in the Northern Nations would jump in joy upon seeing this caravan... It was a big wave that only came once every few years:

The Buy-Out Caravan.

“Lady Luna, if you would...” The elderly butler of House Butterfly courteously escorted Luna into one of the largest carriages. The moment Luna stepped inside, the Madame saw her determined expression, and the strong, gleaming eyes of a woman ready to fulfill her dream. She couldn’t help but call out:

“Little Luna...!”

Luna stopped and turned around, curious.

“Won’t you tell me... Your dream?”

Luna looked dumbfounded for a moment before finding an answer, and shouting with a powerful voice:

“I’m going to be the princess of this world and brag to my friend about it!”

This made a brimming smile appear on the Madame’s face and she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Let anyone laugh at them, she thought.

Just like hers, Luna’s dream was grand.

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful dream, Little Luna. Take care...!”

With the Madame’s farewell encouraging her, Luna stepped into the carriage as she cheerfully waved back at her. Soon, the enormous caravan started off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

The Tzardom’s troupe, ready to transport numerous slaves; the two Star Players; Luna and the Buy-Out Caravan; and the Demon Lord with his new advisor were all gathering in one location, all as if they were drawn by something. A hellish event that would wreak catastrophic havoc in Hellion territory was about to commence...

# Epitaph: Tartarus Approaching

—Japan, 2004.

Numerous players gathered at the arena, hosted by Akira, day in and day out. It was a craze. Just by logging in, players could compete with opponents all around the country, and could showcase their skills to the fullest.

Things always happened in real-time in the arena, including the News File. A single action could earn a spotlight and the praise of other players. Players were revered for killing many others, and those who acquired a hardto-obtain skill, for example, were also picked up in the News File. The survivor of the week, in particular, would garner the applause and respect of all of the players. It couldn’t get any better — anyone could become a hero here. It is a primal human instinct to crave the attention and reassurance of others, and Akira’s game definitely fulfilled that need. The harsh environment of the arenas made it only natural that players with noteworthy performances were praised. Players forgot to sleep and eat as they dove deep into the game.

Akira only watched all of this with satisfaction, unaware of the approaching pitfall: a Tartarus. Later, he would call it a black hole. At this time, something that would inhale and swallow everything in its path was about to be born.

An incredible social networking service that sucked in the entirety of Japan’s online society... Mizi. The social network had a quiet start, but once the ignition was lit, it spread like wildfire. Friends recruited friends who recruited their friends... an endless chain. After its first year, the service hosted 200,000 then 2 million after its second year. 6 million after the third year, and 14 million after the fourth. This was truly a phenomenon. There, users could interact with all of their friends, as well as meet new people. No need to go through the hassle of creating a blog site. Everything was made easy for the user. Before this, if any individual wanted to publish any information online, they had to create a website. Now, by registering to Mizi, it was all done for them. First, the less tech-savvy women jumped on the service, and the men followed that in swarms. In the blink of an eye, individual websites decayed, blogs disappeared, and all the text-based sites could no longer be found, all swallowed up by the black hole that was Mizi.

Initially, Akira wasn’t threatened at all by it, simply ignoring it. Just a blog site, he thought. But, once the user base exploded, and Mizi began gathering numerous video games and publishing applications, Akira felt a sense of fear. The social network with such an overwhelming population reached into the realm of video games. Setting trends was a numbers game. It was clear to see that anything popularized on the site would become mainstream.

“Whoa whoa whoa...”

The popular games on there were all cuddly games, like farming, cooking in a restaurant, etc., that involved sending friends stars and hearts and such.

These were casual co-op games, the polar opposite of Akira’s game.

“This isn’t good...”

That was an understatement. He could see his player base plummeting, and less and less people showing up to the arenas. Everyone was blogging, interacting with friends, and playing on cute applications on Mizi. Everyone in Japan was there, so it was only natural that people spent more and more time on it. If they were playing Akira’s game, they couldn’t be on Mizi.

“Dammit! What am I supposed to do now...!?”

Akira could not have been the only one troubled by Mizi. Those who had been making a living from independent web sites or blogs were prime examples.

After two years, the entire online society of Japan was swallowed up by the Mizi monster, leaving most everything else a wasteland.

Akira’s instant messenger blinked to signal a notification. He opened it, without much emotion. As expected, it was from XX.

“See? Told you this would happen.”

“...Whatever,” Akira answered, but even his typed response seemed weak.

“What are you gonna do? Want to put your game on Mizi?”

“As if! What the hell am I supposed to do on that cuddle-fest of a platform!?”

In fact, even if Akira had ported his game, no one would have given it a second look. The SNS was a place to get along with other people. Not compete with them, let alone kill them.

“But your world’s dying out, Akira.”

“Not going to happen.”

The next day, Akira introduced a new structure. He allowed the players to form a team of up to five members and fight together. Now, there would be a surviving team of the week, rather than a single player. This was a smart move. Something that went with the times and the trends. While he gained a moderate amount of newcomers, he naturally received some harsh backlash, too. For the OG players, it only looked like he had gotten soft. The forums were in turmoil through the announcement and the implementation.

“Co-op? Who the f asked for this?”

“Who is this for?”

“Co-op sounds kind of fun, actually.”

“There’s new stuff you can do.”

“Go back to Mizi, you POS.”

“Ono’s gone soft...”

“It’s been good, but bye.”

With support and backlash clashing everywhere, the entire game was filled with tension. Eventually, the more casual players dropped out, having had enough of the continuous bickering. They were there to have fun playing a game, not fight. With Mizi’s creation, and now the civil conflict in his game, he was losing players faster than ever. Akira’s world was crumbling like a breached dam.

—New Year’s Day, 2006.

The chatroom that had always been filled with players ready to celebrate the New Year was now empty. Every demographic was logged into Mizi, where they celebrated the occasion with their friends. Akira had logged onto the chatroom to mitigate the vacant loneliness of it, but he only felt hollower by doing so.

“How fast you can fall...”

Not that anyone had heard him mutter that, but a change occurred in the chatroom.

*—Sho joined the chat*

Akira smiled a little upon seeing this. He was one of the players who had always caused a big commotion in the arena, calling himself the Sailor Skirt Warrior. Now, he had created a team of players with similar preferences, claiming that sailor girl uniforms would save the planet and take down the Empire. In his own way, he had tried to reignite the game.

“So, when’s the next event?”

Akira didn’t expect this question from him. Akira smirked.

“Event? There’s no one to play the game.”

“Just get some more people in, then.”

*How!?* Akira wanted to shout into the screen, but held back. How was he supposed to gather more players in this wasteland?

“There’s not even a hundred players left. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Do it for those hundred people, then.”

“A hundred... Where there were thousands...”

This was more of a painful revelation for Akira than anything. Now that there were so few players, the game balance was completely out of whack. But Sho was suggesting this in earnest.

“If need be, I’ll talk to some people.”

“It’s okay.”

“...What’s okay?” Sho asked, but at the same time, didn’t seem like he wanted to hear the answer.

After hesitating for a moment, Akira continued:

“I think I’ll shut it down...” Sho replied with a flood of text.

“Hey, Ono... Remember New Year’s Day back then? Remember how cocky you were!? Where’s your ever-evolving world now!?”

“I’m just one guy... How am I supposed to take on that phenomenon?”

In fact, any and all personal websites and games were disappearing from the World Wide Web. With time, the model of people concentrating to the epicenter of trends would never change. In several years, various more networks would be established, along with video-posting sites and tools where people comment with 140 characters or less... Through the various changes and evolutions of online society, the only thing that remained true was the concentrated population graph of it. Just as people gathered at metropolises, people attracted more people.

“Come off it... Where’s your signature cocky attitude!?”

“Heh. I’d love to be cocky right now...”

“If you give up, it’s really all over...! Why don’t you...?”

“Thanks for loving this game like you did. For loving my world.”

“...I don’t want to read that kind of bull! I’m done with you!”

Sho stormed out of the chatroom, and Akira left without another word. Then, he logged in as the Demon Lord of the Empire and entered a room where one of his advisors sat. A girl named Ren Miyaoji. The prima donna of the game, who was more popular than any other character.

“Thanks for your hard work, Ren.”

Akira spoke to her, but of course, she didn’t respond, Ren was only a lifeless video game character. As if to reminisce, Akira muttered:

“A lot has happened these past few years. All those players attacking the Sleepless Castle, going to your place, having this weird raid party. You getting bombarded with love-letter messages...”

There were battles over the Sleepless Castle here and there, but most of them were treated as a party or an event, rather than a full-blown siege. Some attacked the Castle with all intentions of taking it down, but were usually demolished within an hour. After that, battles over the Sleepless Castle were excuses for big parties. Players ran to their favorite advisors, some massacred the raiding players from behind, and some used their fireworks to show off.

“It was the best... Like a roaring flame. It was fun.”

Akira’s whisper wasn’t meant for anybody in particular, but rather he was telling the world itself how he felt.

“You must be tired, huh? Take a break. I think I’ll... do the same.”

Ren’s expression was unchanged; she just sat there quietly. Seeing her like this, a tear fell down Akira’s cheek for his frustration against himself. “But Ren. I will come back. To you. So... Wait for me.” With that, Akira left his familiar arena.

And so, Akira Ono’s world came to an end. It would take him a few more years to get back up and reconstruct another world. The trends of the online world changed day-to-day, ever-shifting. Even Mizi, the unstoppable juggernaut, would not escape the shifts of time. As everyone was tossed to the roiling current of time, Akira, too, was like a single leaf floating on its surface.

Years later, when that leaf soared again... it landed on the ground, rooted, sprouted, and eventually triggered a world-wide phenomenon. Something Akira had no idea about just yet.

# Postscript

Thank you for picking up volume 3 of Demon Lord, Retry! Kurone Kanzaki, the author, here. Finally, the new edition has caught up to the number of volumes of the original publication! It took a while to get this far, but I think the contents are much more robust now! This was only made possible by your support. Thank you so much.

...And I’m writing this formal greeting in April, while this volume should go on shelves come May. We saw another advisor appear, how do you like her? She’s going to make the world of Demon Lord, Retry! a lot more chaotic. I have fun writing her, more than anything. She doesn’t have a trajectory or any order about her. She’s free, and in a sense, she’s already out of my hands. I expect her to tear things up with unexpected actions come volume 4. The Demon Lord is in for more headaches.

By the time this volume is published, I’m sure the second round of announcements have been made for the anime. And what a line-up of voice talent...! I’m starting to worry if the anime team really stayed in their budget.

Let me rip open my Velcro wallet here...

In any case, the anime will premiere this summer. With all of the other anime coming out in summer, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Meanwhile, I’m sure I will be writing away in my little room. When I do go outside, I go on walks, eat at Osho (a chain ramen restaurant), or go to the supermarket... I’m living the life of a stay-at-home husband. Well, it looks like another peaceful year of writing about this Demon Lord for me.

The chapters in volume 4 have never been published before. I shudder to imagine what trouble our usual suspects will bring to Animania and the Hellion territory.

I look forward to seeing you all in the next volume, or maybe in the anime.