Akira Ono, the Final Boss

Akira Ono, the Final Boss

——Belphegor’s castle.

“What are you...?” The Demon Lord puffed white smoke upon encountering the steel-colored slime.

Bizarrely, the slime was covering a mirror.

Welcome home, Creator.

“Huh...?” the Demon Lord blurted out at the text on the mirror. He didn’t recall ever creating such a weird creature, nor doing anything else that warranted this thing calling him ‘creator.’ “I’ve been tangled up in all sorts of misunderstandings in this world... Don’t tell me you’re starting yet another one of them.” The last thing he wanted was this inorganic matter, which was at best a viscous blob, to have some misplaced ideas about him.

The slime didn’t answer, but another line of text appeared on the mirror.

Change current settings? YES / NO

“Settings...?” The Demon Lord thinned his eyes. In this world, the settings he had designed for the game had saved him countless times, yet confused him and put him in danger numerous other times. This was one particular word he couldn’t ignore. “You might be mistaking me for someone else. You don’t seem antagonistic, at least.”

The mirror remained silent, displaying the same line of text on its surface. It seemed to lack any capability for conversation. Even so, the slime seemed perfectly harmless, and even ever-so-slightly gleeful. The Demon Lord was taken aback that he was able to sense such an emotion from a slime.

Confirm current settings: Jump to B40. Make changes? YES / NO

“B40? What are you talking about...?” The Demon Lord’s continued line of questioning was left unanswered. He felt like he was trying to converse with a machine, which gave him an idea. “Let me rephrase. Who made that setting?”

Name search... Complete. Olgan.

“Olgan? Next question. Who created you?”

Creator.

“That again... Who is this creator?”

Creator.

Seeing the same letters blink on the screen, the Demon Lord let out a sigh. There didn’t seem to be anything to gain by continuing this bizarre conversation. He still didn’t know why no one was outside the castle, despite their plans to meet up there. (Even Communication is disabled in here, somehow... Better assume they’re in trouble.) Even in his Game, large-scale combat, sieges, event fights, and boss fights all came with unexpected accidents, which made him a pro at dealing with them. (If Olgan made the setting, it has to mean something... Is it a note, telling me to meet her there? In any case, I can’t ignore it.) In addition to the Demon Lord’s calculated assessment, the biggest motivator was that he couldn’t be bothered to climb down forty floors on his own.

“Jump, huh...? Very well. Send me to the destination Olgan set.” This prompted the slime to gleefully writhe towards him. It was more than a little terrifying. “Why... are you coming closer? It’s kind of creepy... Wai—”

Sucked into the mirror, the Demon Lord’s surroundings changed in an instant. Despite the fact that he was supposedly underground, the Demon Lord noticed that the ceilings were high, and the walls looked sturdy as if they were made with concrete. (What is this place...? It reminds me of the Bastille Dungeon.) This resemblance was only reinforced further by how brightly the space was lit.

With a few exceptions, those with Hellion or monster blood were unable to use the power of Light. Therefore, they often used humans and Anima as slaves to build anything they needed. With catacombs of this magnitude, the number of slaves used for the labor was undoubtedly in the ballpark of tens or hundreds of thousands.

(In any case, I can’t leave that mirror up there...) After taking in his surroundings, he Quick Traveled to the room with the mirror. Seeing the Demon Lord reappear, the slime happily protruded an arm-like appendage and waved it to and fro, as if it was greeting an old friend. “What are you, really...?” the Demon Lord muttered. “Just seems like you’ll cause me more trouble if someone sees you, so you’re coming with me.” He produced his scroll-shaped Item Folder, took the slime by its appendage, and stored it into the folder.

Z COPY 07

The text that appeared on his item folder sent something crawling up his spine. An emotionless string of text that seemed nothing like an item. The Demon Lord felt like he caught a glimpse of the nature of the ‘Creator,’ who most likely named the thing. “Everyone in this world really hates normal names...” The Demon Lord tried, unsuccessfully, to laugh it off. The furrow of his brow only grew deeper. (Forget it. It’s not the time to get into that...) With that thought, the Demon Lord Quick Traveled back to B40, carefully listening for any sound or sign of life. While he picked up nothing from this floor, he noticed faint footsteps. “Guess they went downstairs.”

As he descended further, the Demon Lord couldn’t help but notice the sporadic monster carcasses. There were far too few of them. (The gate was open to start with... No one was in the castle up there, and barely any monsters underground. It’s too unguarded, even for it to be a trap.)

There were similar structures in the Sleepless Castle that he had once created, designed to draw in the attackers only to ambush them. Those structures, however, were never a permanent solution since they didn’t have replay value, per se. His enemies were human players, after all not strings of code. Humans always thought ahead, worked together, and persisted with their research until every last corner of the place was mapped out and analyzed. After 15 years of unrelenting curiosity, the Sleepless Castle was stripped bare of its defenses. The fall of the Sleepless Castle and the subsequent conclusion of the Game was not a product of luck or coincidence, but a victory won by the collective determination of the players. For someone like the Demon Lord who had engaged in maddening sieges day-in and day-out for over a decade, the state of this castle was beyond careless, but downright lazy.

“The master of this castle... Must not know how much damage complacency can cause.” The Demon Lord followed the faint sense of movement and footsteps further down the catacombs. While there were some traps along the way, they were all lackluster or had all already been destroyed by the apes.

When he stepped down to B50, however, a completely different atmosphere greeted him. “What kind of place is this...?” His first impression was that it was a dilapidated ballroom, but with a heap of dead bodies. The expensive-looking tables, glasses, bottles of wine, and fruits were trampled and smashed, and the few portraits hung on the walls were all shredded. The Demon Lord spotted the leader of the apes and the kappa on the ground. “Hey, if you’re alive, say so.” He generated a bottle of Fuji Water, as he had done back in the cottage. The bottle was so large it even came with a ladle. Seeing that the two on the ground could barely move their arms, the Demon Lord lifted the bottle and poured some of its contents down the ape’s throat.

“Grmb... S-Stop... Grmbr! ”

“Hm? You’re alive, after all.”

“Are you trying to kill me, False God!? Because you nearly did!”

“You’re livelier than ever.”

“Livelier... Ooh-ah? Something’s weird...” The ape shook his head in surprise as he rapidly healed both 50 HP and Stamina.

The Demon Lord created another bottle of Fuji Water, and went to make the kappa drink it.

“M-Mister Shadow...” a weakened voice called back. “If that’s water... Can you pour it on the dish on my head...?”

“The dish...?” The Demon Lord poured out a ladle full of the water with a curious expression and splashed it onto the kappa’s dish.

The kappa immediately piped up. “Mm-mm-mm! This is something else! Now that’s what I call refreshing!”

“G-Glad to hear...”

“Give me more, Sir! Right here, on my dish! Give me another load of that good stuff !”

“No, get away from me...!” The Demon Lord threw the ladle at the kappa and lit a cigarette. He couldn’t help but realize how difficult it was to remain serious around the Journey to the West duo. “So, what happened? Where are the others?” He hadn’t seen Olgan, Mynk, or Akane anywhere. The only thing he saw around him was gruesome carnage.

“Here, Baldibald. I don’t know how, but this water gives you strength.”

“Ge-foo! It’s too good! My dish is dripping wet!”

“Getting wet on the False God’s water? What a slut kappa you are.”

“Not fair! I can’t help what my body needs...!”

“Knock off that disgusting discussion!” The Demon Lord had heard enough. Their conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “How can you be goofing off in the middle of all of this carnage?”

“False God... My men fought with every drop of their strength. It would be a shame for their leader to mourn the deaths of proud warriors.”

“I see...! I shouldn’t have said that.” The Demon Lord dropped it, seeing that the leader of the apes had flashed him a sharp glare. He wondered if the ape and the kappa were simply acting unbothered, regardless of how they actually felt. “Let’s get back on track. Where are the others?”

“Belphegor took his daughter somewhere, and the weird girl with bandages over her eyes followed her. Don’t know where they went.”

With that, the Demon Lord began wandering off. They hadn’t met up with Akane yet.

“We’re going back to the forest, False God. We can’t take out that coward right now.”

“Go back for what?”

“With Lady Tatsu’s permission, I’ll kill that coward.”

“I see. Then you two don’t need to come back here. Take the humans away on your way out. By the way, are there any Bunnies in your nation who came from the village of Rabbi?”

“Bunny? Those rabbit-hybrids that like to eat carrots?”

“If any of them want to go back to Rabbi, take them there, too.”

The leader of the ape pondered the request for a moment, before finally speaking. “False God, that coward is powerful. Not even you could beat him.”

The Demon Lord paused for a moment, then turned around. His expression was completely unaffected. “Don’t worry. The only things that can kill me are of my own creation.” With that, the Demon Lord followed the trail of blood downward.

The leader of the apes silently watched him leave.

“You sure you didn’t want to stop him?” the kappa asked.

“I have no strength to stop him now.”

“But what if he dies? What will we say to the Grand Priestess...?”

“The look in his eyes was not one of a man walking to his death.” The leader of the apes looked around, as if to burn the sight of his comrades into his memory. “Even if the False God fails, I will kill that coward... So rest easy.”

The ape and the kappa remained silent for some time before heading back above ground, in the opposite direction as the Demon Lord.

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord was listening for a familiar voice.

“Let me go...! Olgan’s...!”

The Demon Lord approached the direction of the voice to find Mynk being covered by a red, gelatinous blob. The slimy thing shifted its form as if on a whim, taking the shape of a giant hand, a silhouette, and even Mynk herself. The Demon Lord exhaled smoke at the situation that reminded him of a scene out of an X-rated fanfic. “What... Are you doing?” he asked.

“Demon Lord!? Great! Get this Red Slime off of me!”

As if to rebel against Mynk’s plea, the slime extended an appendage, wandering around Mynk’s body. The Demon Lord was at a loss for words at the situation.

“Slimy, slimy!”

“Hey, get off of me! Demon Lord, hurry!”

“I’d love to help you, but the gravity on this planet is a little stronger than normal...” The Demon Lord wished he had a smartphone just so he could take a picture.

Mynk, of course, didn’t find any humor in the situation. “Gravity!? You’re just sitting there smoking!”

“Strange how its hand is moving.” The Demon Lord took his time as he put out his cigarette in his portable ashtray, and couldn’t help but wonder why he kept running into slimes today. “A bizarre creature... This one makes sounds, too.” As the Demon Lord approached, the red slime slid off of Mynk and lunged at the Demon Lord as it was going to entangle him. While the attack was quicker than expected, it was naturally blocked by Assault Queller.

“Slimy slime...?”

“Are you like that other slime on the mirror? Or are you an enemy?” The Demon Lord grabbed the red slime by what appeared to be a garment and stared it down.

Seeing that the Demon Lord was close enough to kiss the slime, Mynk screamed. “Don’t get so close to anything that looks at me like that! You’re going to violate it, like some doujin!”

“The last thing I need is you complicating things! How do you know about doujinshi in this world, anyway...?”

“Slimyyyy.” Having seen how outclassed it was, the Red Slime reverted to its blob form, shrinking into a puddle.

After the encounter with the bizarre Slime earlier, the Demon Lord was more straightforward with this one. “This place will turn into a battlefield soon. If you’re not going to fight me, get far away from this castle.”

“Slime...”

The Demon Lord stood Mynk up. Before he could ask her what had happened, she took off running. “Hey, can’t you tell me—”

“There’s no time! Olgan’s father took her!”

“I got that, but you’re going to trip on impatience.”

“What, you want to chat over tea— ahh!” Mynk had already tripped on something, and was now entangled in rope and hanging from the ceiling. She would have never tripped such a trap if she wasn’t rushing to the point of losing peripheral vision “What is this!? Demon Lord, get it off of me!”

“You can’t catch a break, can you...? And stop moving, you’ll get even more tangled.”

Mynk flailed about, indeed tangling herself even further. Before she knew it, she was nearly practicing shibari .

“What are you doing...? You’re a natural masochist at this point.”

“Just get me out of it, already...!”

“Ugh...” The Demon Lord threw Sodom’s Fire to sever the rope from the ceiling. Mynk fell face-first onto the ground. She glared up at the Demon Lord, twitching in pain from the sudden face-plant. This was a most thoughtless and uncaring rescue. “Get yourself together. Your wounds are deep.”

“How can you just say that!?”

“And these are for long-distance travel... Keep them off when you don’t need them.” The Demon Lord gently took the Moon Shoes from Mynk’s feet. He recalled how Akane had really liked the pair, calling them one of her partners. The significance of Akane lending them to someone was not lost on him. “I see you were getting along well with Akane. Well, I hope you two keep being friends.”

“I-It’s not that...” Mynk couldn’t help but avert her eyes from the uncharacteristically calm and gentle Demon Lord. She felt a mysterious sensation, like she had just caught a glimpse of something she was never meant to. Even so, the sensation kind of tickled her back.

The Demon Lord stored the shoes into his Item Folder and stood again. “Akane’s... wherever she wants to be, so that’s fine. Where is Olgan?”

“Further down, I think... High-ranking devils are usually careful about protecting themselves... Yeah.”

Unsure of what took the spunk out of Mynk all of a sudden, the Demon Lord created another bottle of Fuji Water, in an overly generous gesture. “Drink this and take a break. I’ll go find Olgan.”

“W-Wait... I’m coming, too! I can’t sit around when she’s in danger!”

“I understand your desire. You’ll probably regret it,” the Demon Lord warned, ambiguously

Mynk gulped. Nothing was going to keep her from going to her partner when she was in need. Drinking from the bizarre bottle, Mynk renewed her resolve. “No matter how powerful the... Wait, what is this!? Elixir!?”

“Elix...? No, it’s just water.”

“As if! Don’t tell me! You’ve laced some vile contract into this liquid that binds my soul to you, or something! Have you no shame, Demon Lord!?”

“It’s just water.”

Leaving the rambling Mynk behind, the Demon Lord headed further down. In fact, regardless of any effects it possessed, the Demon Lord really had produced nothing more than a bottle of water.

——A private room, B??.

After however long of being unconscious, Olgan was awakened by the pulsing of dull pain throughout her body. She stirred and heard the clanking of chains. She was chained to a chair with her hands tied behind her back, a coil of chain at her feet... A familiar feeling.

“You’re finally up.” A voice spoke, evoking a violent physiological reaction within Olgan. She couldn’t imagine a worse sight to wake up to. “How do you like the room?” the voice continued. “I made the place up just for you,” Belphegor boasted, outstretching his arms. The room was exceedingly wide and tall. Unlike the other spaces in the catacombs, this room was cave-like, with bare rock walls. “Behold the walls. They’re my prized collection. Had them gathered from all around the continent. I’ve dreamed of our reunion, meticulously maintaining and polishing them every day.”

The walls were crowded with various torture equipment. Just in her vicinity, in addition to sharp blades and blunt objects, needles of all sizes lined a wooden shelf. The expansive room was packed with equipment created for the sole purpose of inflicting pain. Olgan even spotted some sort of bed that was made for restraining a victim.

“Oh, did this catch your eye...? This one is clever. Tears the gut of the subject and extracts their entrails alive. With the turn of this handle here, the criminal dies as they watch their own organs being coiled away,” Belphegor gleefully explained, then strode over to a large bull-shaped object and stroked its head as if he was appreciating a masterpiece. “This is a bull made of brass. Its back opens, where the prisoner can be stored. It locks the criminal inside and roasts them with fire. The heat turns the bull gold, making for a majestic sight. Its mouth is open, tuning the dying screams into a beautiful note.” Belphegor continued stroking the bull. “What a good boy.” He stroked his instruments with gentle care and affection that he had never shown Olgan. “And this belt, for example... Oh, this collar took quite some effort to make.”

As Belphegor went on showing off his collection, tears fell from Olgan’s eyes, and she began to quake all over. The fear of knowing that all of those pieces would soon be turned against her was overbearing. “Please... No...”

“Hmm? I can’t hear you! Oh, I almost forgot. I paid close attention to the lighting in this room, too. I even went through the trouble of ordering whale oil from a distant land.” Belphegor thumped his chest, as if to emphasize his hard work. Whale oil, in this world, had become much too dangerous to acquire feasibly, and had fallen out of circulation. While the oil could be used for light, it emitted a certain stench that added to the dark atmosphere of the room. A portion of the wall was dedicated to a painting of Olgan’s mother, and illuminated by the whale oil lamp, the figure in the painting was shedding tears through the flickering of the light. “Let’s see. I should remodel the room every thirty years or so. Ten remodelings over 300 years... I don’t mind, Dear Daughter. I will make sure you won’t get bored.”

The words ‘300 years’ sank Olgan’s heart. She would have chosen death without hesitation, but this cruel king would not allow her the privilege so easily. “Please...” Olgan pleaded. “I won’t... disobey you again...”

“You’ve forgotten how to beg in our time apart.” With a disgusted expression, Belphegor slammed his fist into Olgan’s face, and he repeated the motion twice and thrice, causing Olgan’s face to swell up and turn red from the blood. “Dear Daughter... You know that’s not the tone to use when asking your father for a favor.”

“No... more... Why me...? Why do I always...?”

“Hah ha! That’s a little better, but it’s far from satisfactory.” Belphegor yanked Olgan’s hood off of her head, revealing something that shouldn’t have been there. “I kept quiet about it to preserve the integrity of our reunion, but what is this?” Belphegor spat out. There was no way for a Firebrand to grow horns. “Found something in the land of humans...? Or perhaps in the ancient dungeons. In any case, I cannot stand to see horns on a mixed blood.”

“P-Please... Not my horns! Please, anything but my horns...!”

“Is this the source of your little rebellion? All you need is your Dear Father. We must strip away such— Grah!” Belphegor grabbed one of the horns to tear it off of her head, then retracted his hand after feeling a powerful burn. “What the..!? What is this heat...?” It was inconceivable that he would feel anything through his invincible armor that blocked physical attacks and magic. The only exception was... “A class-6 spell...? On those little horns? Impossible... It’s unthinkable! Olgan... how did you grow these horns!? Tell me!”

Watching Belphegor lose his cool, Olgan’s tears finally stopped. At the same time, her blurred vision was restored, and the dark room became clearer. The sight she saw was as heinous as ever, but there was a small glimmer of hope. “Heh...” Olgan let out a little chuckle. She had forgotten something important while she was overwhelmed by the flood of her worst memories.

“What’s so funny? Have you forgotten the only actions allowed to you? You may only cry, scream, or plead for your father’s mercy. Nothing else.”

“I’m... protected.”

“What’s that?”

“Even when I’m back here... I’m—”

Choking Olgan with one hand, Belphegor’s face contorted with frustration. She used to always be in tears, begging for mercy. Now she was showing a streak of independence, which very much irritated him. “Unacceptable. Your horns, your attitude... Nothing about this is acceptable.”

“I’m not... your toy anymore. I’m a real devil now.”

Belphegor walked over to the wooden shelf and produced a plier-like tool, designed to peel, pinch, and twist. “I’d best pull out your tongue first... It irritates my ears.”

Much to Belphegor’s surprise, Olgan’s expression didn’t change. In fact, she stuck her tongue out of her mouth. If her hands weren’t tied, she would have pulled down one eyelid to complete the traditional display of insult.

“I see... I don’t know what you’re holding on to, but it seems I need to crush it here and now. I’ll switch things up.” Belphegor tossed the pliers aside and grabbed a vial instead. “I gave you too much of a tolerance through experimenting with all of that poison... But this one is exceptional. I’ve tried various applications on some lowly beasts, and it was quite the amusing sight.” Much of Olgan’s skin was poisoned from the result of being subjected to constant exposure from a young age. Part of her skin had even turned scale-like. “I wonder what will grow on you next. Perhaps you’ll turn part-beast!” He splashed the poison into Olgan’s mouth, and her expression twisted. It burned her throat and her stomach as unbearable pain overcame her.

“I know! Perhaps it will turn you half-ape! If you look like them, those apes outside might take you in! Wah ha ha ha!” Belphegor laughed and clapped his hands, reassured that, now, things were as they should be. “That means I must gather a horde of live monkeys...” With a hand to his chin, Belphegor paced in circles, plunging into thought. Whenever he found something that really piqued his interest, Belphegor set aside his sloth and became incredibly productive. “I know. I’ll have that slacker go hunt the apes! I need to calculate the formula for the new... Hm?”

A gut-rattling thud came from above. Belphegor gazed up at the ceiling to see that few pieces of rock were coming loose from the vibrations. He had never before felt his meticulously constructed catacombs shake, for whatever reason. “An earthquake... Then why would the sound come from above...?” Belphegor astutely noticed that Olgan was beginning to smirk as she watched rock and dust fall from the ceiling. “What? Are you hallucinating from the pain already?”

“Heh... Didn’t think he’d do it here.”

“Dear Daughter... It’s much too early to lose your sanity.” Belphegor feared that she had broken too quickly.

However, the expression on Olgan’s face was of relieved exasperation. “Apparently... This is a... veteran strategy...”

“What are you going on about?” Belphegor snarled as the quake intensified, the destructive noises rapidly approaching the torture chamber. Just as Belphegor’s ears began to ring, his vision shook, and a large hole blew open in the ceiling. “What the...!?”

Amidst the new drizzle of rock and a cloud of dust, a dark silhouette rose from the floor. A brazen figure, holding a woman at his side.

“Wh-What are you thinking...!? I thought I was going to die! You know what? I’m pretty sure I did !”

“I told you you’d regret it...”

“You didn’t tell me you were going to plunge through the catacombs! Don’t you have any common sense!?”

“You’re the one to talk...”

Olgan’s vision blurred again hearing the voice, which felt nostalgic to her after everything she had just been through. She couldn’t put into words how relieved she was if she tried.

Even Belphegor couldn’t conceal that he was shaken by the sudden intruder. “You might be the most intrusive guest I’ve ever had... How did you get down here?”

The Demon Lord set Mynk down and took in his surroundings... A terribly dark and depressing room filled with countless torture devices. “Are you Olgan’s father? Just from your tacky armor and this dreadful room, I’ve learned more about your stupid life and character than I’d like to,” the Demon Lord declared, facing down the top contender for the next King of Devils. With one glance around the room, he knew that he and Belphegor would never reach a point of understanding.

Belphegor ignored the Demon Lord and turned to Olgan. “Is this what you are holding onto...?” He looked genuinely disappointed. The man was a mere human, and so was the woman beside him. “It was a good touch to train those apes, but that was apparently the last of it... It seems I must groom you under my care.”

“I will... never...”

Seeing Olgan answer with shallow breaths, Mynk’s expression shifted. She could see by the profuse sweat on her face that Olgan had clearly been poisoned. “Olgan doesn’t look right... I think she’s been poisoned!”

“First a curse, now poison...?”

Belphegor threw Olgan, still chained to the chair, at the two intruders. He seemed to be losing interest. “My Dear Daughter has drunk my new poison... Parts of her body will change first, but she’ll die if left alone. What will you do now?” Belphegor spread his arms wide, in expectation of a show. He wanted to do something to forget the disappointment that Olgan’s determination was relying on a human .

“Come on, Olgan! Drink this!”

“Mynk...”

Mynk produced an antidote and poured it through Olgan’s lips, but her pained expression didn’t change. Any of her Light or Holy antidote magic would only damage Olgan. The fact that she had never needed an antidote to any poison before now came back to bite her.

Watching Mynk frantically tend to Olgan, Belphegor spoke out, frustrated. “You think your human antidotes will do anything to a poison of my creation? At this rate, my daughter’s whole body will become that of a filthy beast.”

The Demon Lord, as he tore apart Olgan’s chains, couldn’t help but ask, “Why poison your own daughter...? You get your kicks out of this?” He couldn’t understand a single line of thought within that shiny armor.

Belphegor shook his head, chuckling at the question. “Humans indeed are lower than apes... Of course, your bug-sized brain cannot comprehend. This is a display of my love, as a ruler of all, and a form of education for my daughter.”

“You call this love and education, huh...? No one chooses their parents, I suppose.” The Demon Lord took out the small token he had carefully kept on him—a rare item once called the Empire Mint in the game. It was the same one Akane had found the other day, and it was his only Mint so far.

“What?” Belphegor laughed. “What greater honor is there than being born as the daughter of I, the next King of Devils?”

“You want to be a cardboard cut-out? How comical... Cash In.” the Demon Lord scoffed and opened his admin screen. He selected the Neutralizer, a weapon once popular in the game that neutralized poison. Poison was one of the most prevalent status conditions, inflicted by coating weapons, dosing food or drink, or via skill. “This Neutralizer eliminates any and all poisons in your system.” A bright light appeared above the Demon Lord, into which the Mint was taken. Then, a blue vial materialized and gently floated down. The vial was enveloped in fractals of light, which gave it the appearance of a divine item from the heavens.

“What... is that? What did you do, Human?”

Ignoring Belphegor’s remark, the Demon Lord tossed the vial to Mynk in such a casual manner that she became flustered after catching it.

“H-Hey...! Isn’t this a super powerful item!? Why’d you chuck it like that!?”

“Give her that.” The Demon Lord lit a cigarette, relieved about one thing in particular. Halfway through the game’s existence, the Empire Mints were given a backstory that Akane was in charge of managing their circulation. As a result, Akane had always appeared during a Cash In. Her attire and line would change each time, so the players had grown to call her the Mint Goddess or Mint Fairy, and eventually “Superstar of the Sleepless Castle.” (Phew... Good thing it was an earlier version.) Akane popping up in a bizarre outfit would have ruined the mood, to say the least. After using all sorts of outfits suggested by the players, from soccer and baseball gear to nurse and flight attendant uniforms, the Cash In had become like a cosplay showcase for Akane. No matter what item he produced, her appearance would only weaken its gravity.

“Olgan, drink this...” Mynk held the vial up to Olgan’s mouth. “It looks like this thing might bind your soul, or something... But beggars can’t be choosers...”

(What does she think my items are!?) Resisting the urge to squabble, the Demon Lord closed his eyes and inhaled smoke, which instantly cleared his mind.

“Olgan, this...!”

The Demon Lord hurriedly turned to them.

“It’s incredible...” Olgan muttered. The Demon Lord had mistakenly thought that the Neutralizer was a dud. However, color was even returning to Olgan’s face. She couldn’t believe the change her own body had undergone and was undergoing. “Am I dreaming...?” she muttered absent-mindedly. Even the old scales on her skin began falling off, restoring her original skin. All of the poison that had affected her and remained with her over the years was being neutralized as well. According to the Demon Lord, this too must have only been a natural effect of the item.

“Demon... Lord? What did you do? What did you make me give Olgan...!?”

“What are you talking about?” the Demon Lord snapped to attention. He too had been surprised that the item was negating the poison that had afflicted her all of her life.

“First, that curse water, now this...? Something’s wrong with you... The black phoenix, sealed within my right eye, knows this.”

“Black phoenix... You’re the one who has something wrong with them! And I told you, that was just water earlier!”

“How can you even say that!? Ever since I drank from it, the seal on my right hand has loosened, it’s not listening to me...”

Watching Mynk feebly grip her right hand, the Demon Lord gazed up at the ceiling, exasperated. While water from Mount Fuji and the Alps were popular in Japan, he couldn’t believe that those expensive bottles of water would be treated as a curse in this world. “What do you think of the famous Fuji Water? You owe Mount Fuji an apology.”

“What’s Mount Fuji...? Is that the name of some false god!?”

The Demon Lord let out a long sigh, and created yet another bottle of Fuji Water. He produced it in part because he wanted to defend Mount Fuji’s honor, as well as give Olgan something to regain her strength. “Take this and rest in the corner,” he said as he handed it to her.

“Alright... I got it...” Without hesitation, Olgan poured some water in the ladle and drank from it. Mynk watched the exchange, flustered, before realizing that Olgan’s skin was rapidly recovering moisture and tautness, undoing the poison-tint. While Olgan had a more durable physique than humans did, her healing was still rapid, even by Firebrand standards.

“Hm. You clean up nice. You’ve practically got baby skin,” the Demon Lord remarked honestly, but not as eloquently as most women would have preferred their compliments.

Meanwhile, Olgan didn’t know what to say, and kept her head down without saying a word. Her discolored and clearly cursed and/or poisoned appearance had only ever prompted people to avert their eyes or cast her looks of disgust. Never before had anyone complimented her appearance.

Mynk misunderstood Olgan’s reaction, and began attempting to lift her spirits. “Stay strong, Olgan. I drank the water too, but he hasn’t taken my soul yet. We’ll overcome this trial together.”

“Mynk, this is just water... Except for its incredible healing capabilities.”

“That’s what that demon wants you to think! That’s how devils and con artists find an opening in your heart to shove their foot in!”

“You know I am technically a devil too, right...?”

Besides the two, the Demon Lord approached Belphegor, who had fallen silent and was visibly sulking, his shoulders low and back slouched. “You’re a lot quieter now,” the Demon Lord started. “Didn’t expect your little poison to be dealt with?”

“It was you...”

“Hm?”

“The flowers of fire in the night sky, the horns on my daughters head... You’re the creator of mysterious things. Who are you?”

“No need to ask. We’re going to part ways, soon enough.”

Despite the Demon Lord’s cold shoulder, Belphegor couldn’t help but be curious about this particular human. “I know of those called ‘alchemists’ who live to the west of the human lands. Are you one of them?”

“Alchemists? Sounds sketchy. Don’t know any,” said the sketchiest man in this entire world. Even so, the world of his creation was his core. He kept any outside elements and philosophies away, and never wavered his stance. In that sense, he was extremely static. For better or worse, he always remained the same in any situation against anyone. “I am who I am. I’ll restore everything to this world and eliminate anyone like you who stands in my way.”

“A human is still a human, no matter what mysterious powers they possess... Apparently you need some discipline. It would be my kingly duty to educate you on where you stand in this world.”

“King? Someone thinks highly of themself... Sure, I’ll play with you.” With a sly grin, the Demon Lord manually turned off Assault Queller. He feared that the feature would prevent him from even entertaining Belphegor.

Belphegor drew the sword from his waist and charged towards the Demon Lord, who dodged the sword with ease and slammed the back of his fist into the side of Belphegor’s face. (Huh...?) Despite the perfect timing of the attack, it didn’t seem like it had any effect.

Belphegor’s eyes shifted, maliciously gleaming. “Good swing. It’s almost a shame that you’re a human.”

“Hm...” The Demon Lord held Sodom’s Fire by the hilt and poised it. While it was designed to be thrown, it could also be used in melee combat.

Belphegor elegantly swung his sword, as if he was dancing. “Humans are annoying... We can’t even have a conversation without discipline first. Any self-respecting monster or devil can at least gauge their opponent’s strength without fighting.”

“Funny... Those words are going to haunt you.” After parrying the sword attacks, the Demon Lord slashed Belphegor with Sodom’s Fire once he found a split second of opening. However, there wasn’t a scratch or even any damage, as far as the Demon Lord could tell, on the golden armor. “That armor isn’t all show after all.”

“Be careful!” Mynk shouted from the distance. She seemed to have taken Olgan away from the area once combat was initiated. “That armor blocks out all attacks and magic!”

The Demon Lord saw that Olgan was still on her back, and while she seemed far from fully recovered, she had already healed well enough to not be worried for her life.

At the same time, Belphegor gazed up, as if his fun had been spoiled. “Spoiling the trick already...? Humans really don’t know how to have fun.” Belphegor sulked again, lowering his sword. His playtime and the disciplinary action he was ready to administer had just lost much excitement. “It’s no use hiding it now... No attack nor magic will have any effect on me. Do you understand what that means?”

Without a word, the Demon Lord threw Sodom’s Fire. Despite it flying at incredible speed, the knife didn’t pierce the armor, as if it was protected by some unseen barrier. “Understand now? I am invincible. The unbeatable, infallible king. Kneel before me human, and use your powers to serve me. Swear your loyalty to me, and you will be spared from any admonishments.”

“Invincible and unbeatable...? You continue to bore me.”

“Is that a refusal...?”

“Just so you know, my world of course had armor that negated physical attacks or Chain Attacks. Some reduced or even negated the effects of skill attacks.”

“Human... What are you chirping on about?”

“Let me educate you on something. If I create one particular skill, I naturally have to create another skill that defeats it. A counter, if you will. Then, I need to make a counter for that skill, then another one for the next. A counter’s counter. This chain continues until there’s a zero-sum environment. In my world, it was one large circle.”

Belphegor nearly attacked the Demon Lord out of frustration, but found that he couldn’t move his feet. Watching the Demon Lord speak so brazenly made him hesitate for fear of some unexpected trick up his sleeve.

“Deciding where to use the limited resources of SP and money is at the core of it. One can reduce their weaknesses all around, or specialize in a specific area. The varied choices and infinite possibilities give the world depth and strategy. The small, self-sustaining circles, when combined, form an infinity sign.”

“Stop that grating yammering immediately.”

In lieu of compliance, the Demon Lord flicked the cigarette at Belphegor. It struck him square in the helmet and shook his body. While the action dealt no damage to the devil, it succeeded in insulting him. “The invincible hero of good has a certain charm...” the Demon Lord said. “But what charm does an invincible force of evil possess? Let me be frank. You’re... boring.” The Demon Lord laughed and lit yet another cigarette.

Despite still suspecting a trap, Belphegor had heard enough. He spread his wings wide and generated twenty Dark Spheres in the air. While each of them was a class-2 spell, it required an incredible amount of magic to create so many.

Even still, the Demon Lord didn’t bat an eye. “Just so you know, I’m not invincible. I prepared plenty of weapons and skills that could minimize my stats, reduce my HP, and deal astronomical damage to me. What’s the point of a final boss that can’t be beat?”

“I told you to shut up...! Multiplied: Dark Sphere!” The spheres soared at the Demon Lord, exploding around him, one after another. Each blast damaged the Demon Lord and tore at his clothes. “Puny bug... Looks like you were all talk after all.” Belphegor created numerous more Dark Spheres, ready to steadily strike at the Demon Lord without giving him a chance to strike back. Who could withstand a rapid-fire onslaught of this caliber? Even now, the Demon Lord was immobile, save for replacing the cigarette blow away by this attack.

“After how much you’ve insulted me, don’t expect an easy... death...” Belphegor noticed, at this moment, that the clothes of the ‘puny bug’ before him were rapidly restoring themselves. Moreover, the blood on his forehead and the cut on his cheek were nowhere to be seen. “You worm... Begone!” Belphegor shouted, firing off another storm of Dark Spheres. While they appeared to deal damage to the Demon Lord, his wounds, as well as his clothes, continued to rapidly heal. “What... trickery is this!? What are you doing!?”

“I wonder how the log looks...” The Demon Lord tried opening the Combat Results, which he had disabled shortly after coming to this world. His brain was filled with a rapid flood of text:

Dark Sphere dealt 13 damage! Survival Skill: Meditate! Restored 18 HP! Restored durability of all armor! Dark Sphere dealt 18 damage! Survival Skill: Meditate! Restored 12 HP! Restored durability of all armor! Dark Sphere dealt 16 damage! Survival Skill: Meditate! Restored 27 HP! Restored durability of all armor!

Seeing the block of text in his mind, he began laughing. No matter the damage, he had healed just as much or even more after each hit. To add, the armor worn by the Demon Lord and his advisors all possessed infinite durability, keeping them from ever breaking.

“You kept calling yourself ‘king’ or ‘king of devils’ as if you were some final boss. Like I said, an undefeatable final boss is pointless... As is one that’s too easy to defeat, of course.” The Demon Lord put even another cigarette in his mouth, and continued prattling as if he was tutoring a struggling student. “A worthy final boss is one who can only be defeated when the best of the best players from around the globe, the legendary and almost omnipotent ones who provided the world with infinite possibilities and choices, come together as one. You want my two cents? Someone like you who keeps barking that they’re invincible with barely any power to show for it is no final boss, nor a king of any worth. At best, you’re the comedic relief that shows up halfway through the main quest,” the Demon Lord rattled off, spitfiring as if he had greased his tongue with insults beforehand.

“I had never expected an insect to make me so angry... There won’t be a shred left of you.” Belphegor closed the distance between them and swung his sword with a battlecry. The longsword cut through the air at blinding speed, but never reached the Demon Lord. A honeycomb-shaped barrier had blocked the blade.

“What...?”

“By defeating the final boss, you overturn the entire world and bring it to an end. Usually, a one-of-a-kind hero’s the one cut out for the job. You have no right to stand before me!” The Demon Lord grabbed Belphegor’s head,and threw him against the wall with unbelievable strength. The strange bull and bed that were placed against the wall shattered to pieces.

Belphegor stood, quaking with humiliation. While he hadn’t taken any damage, he couldn’t imagine a shame worse than being tossed by a human as if he was a rag doll. “You... maggot!”

“I’ll show what a true final boss is, in lieu of a farewell. Admin Feature: Debug Mode, Reduced HP, Field: Electric Colosseum.” Just as those cryptic words left the Demon Lord’s lips, the room was filled with black fog, which concentrated around him and formed an ominous whirl.

“What... is this...? What is happening!?” Belphegor knew that this was a crisis. More accurately, he was standing before a creature that didn’t belong here.

As if the laws of the world were bent to the Demon Lord’s will, their surroundings changed in an instant.

“Olgan... W-W-W-We’re...!”

“Hm... So this is the ‘old world’ he kept talking about...”

They were in the middle of a digitally-created enormous Colosseum that boasted unbelievable size and an audience of hundreds of thousands, all cheering. These were God’s People, the citizens of the Empire. Generated by top-notch technology, everyone in the crowd looked real, even their outfits shimmering bright. Many in the crowd held fans, glow sticks and banners with the Nine logo on it. Some even had ‘Nine’ or ‘Hakuto’ tattooed somewhere on their body. The cheer of the audience was earsplitting. This was one of the stages designed by Akira Ono, meant to blow any invading players out of the water while fully claiming the home field advantage. There were indeed countless players who were thrown into this field, only to stand in awe of their surroundings before being immediately destroyed by the Demon Lord of the Empire.

“What is this place...? I was in... my castle...” Belphegor muttered, and faltered from the overwhelming digital world around him.

A mocking voice came from the black whirl. “Bel... What was it again? Welcome to my world .” His voice had changed to that of Hakuto Kunai, befitting of the tyrant who soaked the world in blood. The black whirl spun faster, blurring the Demon Lord’s silhouette. The crowd went wild, their cheers roaring and eventually forming a collective tsunami of sound waves. The crowd chanted “Ku-nai! Ku-nai!” as they clapped their hands and stomped their feet in unison. Imagine a stadium filled to the brim with the most hardcore fans of a single team.

Belphegor looked to and fro, his ears assaulted by the ear-splitting cheers, and his throat became parched. Before the fight had even resumed, Belphegor’s senses were overtaken.

“You kept calling me a bug... Would you care to do it again?” The black whirl subsided, revealing the Demon Lord in a completely different look. His signature long black hair and eyebrows were dyed white, and his eyes had changed to ruby red. His skin was now porcelain white, and he appeared younger, about thirty years old. His outfit had changed from his long coat and suit to an edgier iteration: his neck was covered with a large feather scarf, and he wore a medieval royal outfit under a large black cape. In short, he was a vampire lord. With his HP halved, the Demon Lord of the Empire took his true form, one he only revealed during a final battle.

“What the...? What are you...? What are you!?” Belphegor shouted, overcome with confusion.

The Demon Lord answered in his usual tone. “It’s only natural for a final boss to change its form and evolve. As a creator, I made sure to always include this sort of tradition .”

This was one of the gimmicks that Akira Ono had built into the Game, and an important reveal that showed players that the HP of the final boss had reached 50%. That being said, the Demon Lord had only ever been in this form twice before. The first was when he had barely defended the Sleepless Castle after all of his advisors except Ren Miyaoji had been defeated, and the second was during the fateful battle in 2016 when the Sleepless Castle fell.

(This reminds me of her...) The Demon Lord couldn’t help but smile from nostalgia as he recalled the distant past when he created a certain NPC. But he couldn’t relish his nostalgia for long.

——Triggered Duel Skill: Tyrant!

(+66 to Attack, Defense, and Dexterity. +666 Max HP. Negate all defensive effects. All attacks directly hit all targets. Temporary.)

As the Tyrant skill triggered, as it did during both of the previous final battles, a black fog composed of the spirits of the dead emerged from below the Demon Lord’s feet. That sight alone filled Belphegor with fear. Then the eye of the Demon Lord’s ring emitted a sinister glow as the mist changed shape from spirits to skeletons, appearing like it was merging with the Demon Lord of the Empire. Soon, the Demon Lord’s mind tumbled down long and hard into himself.

He found a world divided into black and white. An ordinary Japanese man stood on the white side, and Kunai on the black side. The line between them blurred, overlapping the minds of the Demon Lord and Kunai. (That’s right. I’m you. And you’re me.) The present and the past overlapped, entangled, and melted into each other in his tumbling mind. He felt an indescribable release.

When he opened his eyes, they glowed a violent red. The Demon Lord of the Empire no longer stood there, but rather Akira Ono, the true final boss, in his place. “Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Now this feels great!”

Belphegor seemed to grasp the final boss’ strength from that cackle alone. “W-Wait... human!” he squeezed out. “Let us talk, discuss for a moment...! Let us talk!” Belphegor pleaded with the unbelievably violent presence before faltering. Without a sound, his right leg had been torn off. Just as Sodom’s Fire clinked to the ground, Belphegor fell like a log. “G-Grahhhhhh! M-My leg!” Belphegor writhed on the ground and agony overcame him. His personal hell, however, had just begun. Black flames erupted from his wound, which began to spread to his entire body. Belphegor screamed.

“Bah ha ha ha ha! Now that’s what I call a dumpster fire!” The Demon Lord’s taunt erupted the digital audience in thunderous cheers and applause. The battle had turned into an execution. “How does it feel to be toyed with by a bug ? Why don’t you pick up your sword and try striking me, if you don’t like it? Do that, and this world will disappear, too.”

“Grah...! You are a bug!” Belphegor spread his wings and flew high into the air. With one leg gone, he was forced to be aerial. He spread his arms and began using every drop of Stamina he had. “I-I am the next King of Devils! I will not lose to a puny human!”

“Puny human, huh...? I’ll tell you this. Someone like you who hides behind tacky armor, enslaves people, and abuses their own daughter... A piece of shit like you will never overturn my world ...!” With a soul-shaking growl, the Demon Lord threw Sodom’s Fire at maximum strength. The immense energy contained in the attack caused the black meteor to draw a line in the air, as if cutting through the sky itself. With the Tyrant modifier, the attack caused a blinding explosion upon striking Belphegor’s armor, shaking the ground below. Belphegor blew into pieces, and black ash rained down on the arena. The Demon Lord produced a cigar this time, gracefully slicing and lighting it. Enjoying its top-shelf aroma, the Demon Lord bellowed out a puff of smoke. “Nothing more than a filthy firework...”

The digital crowd went wild in celebration of the Demon Lord’s victory. Confetti began falling from the sky and fanfares rang. This entire arena was dedicated to the Nine, the Demon Lord’s fanatic fans.

“How... could this... be...?”

“Oh, there’s still a piece left.”

Belphegor’s head, or more accurately, just his helmet, lay on the ground. It was a much too pathetic ending for the undefeatable king.

“Have... mercy...”

“Mercy...?”

“Just this once... If you and...”

“If you understood what that meant, Olgan wouldn’t have suffered like she did. I don’t subscribe to ‘do I as I say and not as I do.’” The Demon Lord exhaled a plume of smoke. His red eyes were glaring at Belphegor like he was the insect scurrying on the ground.

“Wait... Just once! Just one chance, have mercy...!”

“Another thing. The Demon Lord of the Empire knows no mercy.” The Demon Lord raised his foot. His expression was as unapproachable as an arctic glacier. “I have nothing of the sort for a piece of shit like you...!” He stomped Belphegor’s head, which was obliterated without a trace, his dying breath sounding like a frog’s croak.

Sensing that the fight was over, the jumbo screen brightly lit up with the name of the victor.

Hakuto Kunai WINS!

Unending applause and cheers enveloped the arena, while enormous fireworks in all colors of the rainbow illuminated the sky. Olgan and Mynk, who had been watching the fight, let out a gasp in amazement at the glimmering sight.

“I never expected the days of old to be so glamorous...” Olgan said, entranced.

“More like the world of light than darkness...” Mynk complained.

The digital world, and all of its glitz and glamor, gradually crumbled into fragments of numbers and symbols. Even the sight of the world dissipating like sand in the wind exuded a certain beauty.

The party found themselves again in an empty cave, and everyone there could feel that their war had come to an end.

Olgan approached the Demon Lord as he contentedly puffed white smoke and grabbed the end of his cape. “I’m sorry. I completely relied on you until the end.”

“Don’t worry about it...” The Demon Lord looked the other way. His anger had somewhat faded, and he was beginning to question his action of stomping Olgan’s father to death while she watched.

“Now my nightmare is over. I can’t thank you enough.”

As the Demon Lord was thinking of how to respond, the long-awaited sound of an unlocked Admin feature rang in his head. “Hwah! Here we go...!”

“Wh-What’s the matter!?”

“I-I mean...” The Demon Lord cleared his throat. “I need some time to myself to think over—”

“I knew it!” A loud voice called from a distance. “Your looks’ve changed, Hakuto!” Akane was standing there, pointing at the Demon Lord. “You always do the fun stuff when I’m away!”

“It wasn’t exactly fun .”

“Woah! Your voice changed, too!? I like it just as much! A silver fox turned bad-boy vampire! Hey, hey! You ever want to drink blood!?”

“That’s disgusting, why would I ever...?”

“Oh, I get it! You only like virgin blood, right!?”

“You really want me to drink blood, don’t you...?”

“Ooh! You’re going to drink my blood, Hakuto!? That’s kind of hot now that I think about it!”

As the two bickered, Olgan silently tugged on his cape. Her expression made it perfectly clear how unhappy she was. “We’re done here. Let’s go to the treasury.”

“W-Wait a minute... I want to be alone for a second,” the Demon Lord muttered as Olgan began pulling him away. He wanted to take his time and see which feature had been unlocked. He couldn’t exactly show how excited he was with all these people around.

“Oh, right! I went over there, and there was this weird little brat who took so much of the treasure... My B, Hakuto! These are all I got.” Akane apologized, putting her hands together. Then, she showed him the select few treasures that she was able to acquire. The pile included some sort of seed, a gem, a sculpture, and a book.

Olgan flashed a slight look of relief. “This one is Amanda’s Seed. It temporarily increases your resistance to magic. This jewel is Amanda’s Stone. Prevents status conditions... only up to class-2 spells, though. I assume the sculpture is just a piece of art.”

“This will do for now,” the Demon Lord nodded in satisfaction, and turned to the book. It featured a familiar dog on the cover, titled The Adventures of Spot the Destroyer-Dog, Vol.6 . “This book again... Why was this in the treasury?”

“This is the mythical sixth volume. I didn’t expect it to be in this castle, either.”

“Oh well. It’ll be a souvenir for Aku...” The Demon Lord stored the treasures in his Item Folder and placed his cigar into a dedicated ashtray. Then, something moved at the corner of his eye. “What the...?”

“Ooh, such sparkly armor!” Akane cheered.

Belphegor’s armor was slowly regenerating. (Does that metal have infinite durability too...?) he wondered, though no one but him and his advisors should have had such a thing.

“Hey, hey. Can I take it?”

The Demon Lord chuckled at Akane’s innocent request. While Akane was a sucker for all treasure, this was technically a keepsake for Olgan. “That’s yours, Olgan.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but no. I’d always be on edge if I had that thing around.”

“That makes sense...” the Demon Lord acknowledged, and Akane celebrated by thrusting a fist in the air. This was a nice find, a very ‘treasure-y’ treasure, after missing out on almost everything in the treasury. Just to be sure, the Demon Lord performed Analyze Item by holding his hand over the armor. He would only be able to read the item’s name from it, but he decided it would be better than nothing. “Analyze Item... Huh? ‘Final Exam’...? What kind of name is that?”

“Pfft! The little guy’s called ‘Final Exam’!? That’s kind of cute!” Akane proclaimed.

“But, Hakuto. There was a bunch a white powder under the castle, too.” Akane added, and The Demon Lord frowned at the notion. That wasn’t something in line with this fantasy world. Akane seemed slightly worried about how the Demon Lord would react. “What should we do...?”

“Blow it up with the rest of the castle. Can’t be bothered to try and get rid of it on our own.”

“Mm hm... There are a bunch of gross things around here, too. Let’s light ’em up!”

“I’ll take care of it,” the Demon Lord nonchalantly said. “Take them all outside.”

Akane happily nodded. Her eyes showed that she was assured of something. “Let’s go, Caped Girl!”

“H-Hey...”

“Wakey wakey, Edgequeen!”

“Huh...? I’m tired, let me sleep... Today was all a dream. It had to be...”

“Eggs and bakey!” Humming a tune, Akane quickly grabbed the two and vanished.

After seeing that all of them were gone, the Demon Lord Quick Traveled to the ground floor of the castle. While that was another glamorous room, there was no sign of life, which seemed to embody the masterless castle. “No sense keeping such an eyesore of an enemy base lying around...” A shadow emerged from the ground below him, extending outward until it reached the outer wall of the castle. The shadow shifted its shape into a scythe-wielding reaper.

—Special Ability: Shadow Edge!

With that call, the scythe swung in an arc in the span of a blink, slicing the castle straight across. This was an ability dedicated to the Demon Lord, an AOE attack unleashed at the end of the combo. While it dealt a comparatively modest 50 damage, its range was incredibly wide, and it even included a knockback effect. Since the final boss often fought against a crowd, Akira Ono had designed this move to clear his surroundings of foes. With the Tyrant modifier on top of it, its range easily covered the entire castle. As the building began crumbling down, the Demon Lord Quick Traveled out of range of the debris, where he could watch it fall with the rest of his party.

“I can’t believe that giant castle is falling...” Mynk muttered in awe, while Olgan silently stared. Perhaps she wanted to destroy the castle herself, if she could have. The Demon Lord, too, watched the destruction with some sentiment in his eyes.

“Down it goes...” Akane said as she stood beside him, holding her hands behind her back. Her eyes were searching for the emotion behind the Demon Lord’s eyes.

“A castle is worthless without its master. Let it fall with one last show.”

“Mm-hm...”

With a sound that resembled a scream, the walls all came down. The floor below caved in, unable to bear the weight of the rubble above, the heap of debris repeatedly collapsing into the ground, one level of the catacombs after another in an unstoppable chain reaction. The ceiling, the walls, the elaborate staircase, the lights, the flowers, the paintings, the torture instruments, and any remaining monsters were all being buried beneath a torrent of rubble. In fact, in a way, it looked like a mountain had sunk into the ground.

“Hakuto... I’m going on an adventure now.”

“What are you talking about? We’re going back to the village—”

“You’ve got Tahara and Yu. I want to do a job that only I can do. Is that okay?”

The Demon Lord pondered for a moment. In fact, Akane was better suited for excavation, espionage, and attacking locations as a second unit. She wasn’t the type to be content sitting in a village. “Guess that’s better suited for you... Oh, and take these back.” The Demon Lord produced the Moon Shoes from his Item Folder and handed them to Akane. He told her to watch what she ate, to be careful against magic, to use the golden armor if push came to shove... Like he was a teacher reminding his student, who was too excited to pay attention, the important details before a field trip. “And I don’t mind where you go, but be ready to answer a Communication from me.”

“Ugh. I like making calls, not taking them.”

“What are you, a child!? Oh, you are...”

“Now, I’m off to find treasure and take names! See ya, Caped Girl! Edgequeen! Peace out! Yee-haw! Adventure awaits!” With a perfect salute and a wave to Olgan and Mynk, Akane disappeared. She always seemed to come and go like a storm.

“And she’s gone...” Mynk muttered. “What are you going to do, Olgan?”

She didn’t answer, but turned to the Demon Lord. She truly had no plan after fighting her father. “What should we do?”

“Why are you asking me...?” the Demon Lord snarled. How could he show anyone the way, when he was going through this world like a chicken with its head cut off?

“Is there anything you want me to do? I’ll do anything, if I’m capable of it.”

“What were your plans for after all this, anyway?”

“I did have an investigation quest from Xenobia. I haven’t responded yet.”

Hearing this, the Demon Lord tilted his head. He had heard the name of that country from Tahara quite often. He recalled the woman dressed like a bizarre ninja. “Oh, the country of that ninja... Why don’t you go there?” The Demon Lord casually encouraged her, as if he was sending her off to a destination like the Iga Village Mokumoku Farm, a farm-restaurant-hotel located in Mie prefecture.

Oblivious to any tourist destinations in modern Japan, Olgan simply agreed. “Understood. We’ll head to Xenobia.”

“Right...” The Demon Lord couldn’t help but be taken aback by Olgan’s look, which was completely trusting of him. (I did kill this girl’s father...) The Demon Lord was hung up on that thought. Even though Olgan had asked him to do it, this con artist was feeling the tug of whatever little conscience he had.

“Demon Lord, have you ever wanted a child?”

“What?” the Demon Lord blurted at the completely unexpected topic. Then, he saw the emotions in Olgan’s eyes, and said with ostentatious gravitas, “I told you, I’m single. Never even crossed my mind.” The Demon Lord fluttered his cape and produced another cigar from his pocket, using his cat’s eye cutter to prep it. He slowly lit the cigar hoping to brush this particular topic under the rug, but Olgan fired off another shot at the Demon Lord’s back.

“I want a child. One truly loved by their parents.”

“R-Really... That’s an admirable thought amidst the declining population...” The Demon Lord mumbled some nonsense and sucked on his cigar. What else could he have done? As sweat poured down his forehead, a surprising but welcome aid arrived.

“Hey, Olgan! What are you talking about!?”

“Exactly what I’m saying, Mynk.”

“You’ve been brainwashed from that cursed water, and your horns...! This man is the Fallen Angel Lucifer, the epitome of evil! The evil star that will bring destruction to this land!”

Even as the Demon Lord felt relief, he felt dizzy after learning that he was being called an ‘evil star.’ (What did I do to deserve that...!? Wait, maybe it’s not entirely uncalled for...?) Seeing that he had drastically altered the landscape before them by obliterating a grand devil and his castle, the name was fitting. Even as the Demon Lord toiled with this thought in his mind, the two continued.

“If I bear the Demon Lord’s child... They’ll probably become one of the best Spellcasters on the continent. As a mother, I would remain firm but kind to— Hrm!”

“Say no more! Words alone could get you pregnant! Think about it, his voice always lingers in your ear... That’s right! He’s trying to impregnate us through our ears to brainwash us!”

(‘Impregnate us through our ears’...? What the hell is she talking about!?) The Demon Lord could no longer bear the outlandish accusations, and created a particular item. He wanted to gift Olgan something after she had lost her father, especially since giving her a child was out of the question. “I’ll give you this, Olgan.”

“What... is this...?”

The Demon Lord had produced a black outfit, spending 50 SP in the process. Whether he had intended to or not, the outfit too carried important weight.

“During the battle in the Sleepless Castle, this outfit was given to those who forsook everything and chose our side.”

“‘Chose your side’...?”

“Men were given the uniform of the Imperial Knights, and women the uniform of the Valkyrie. It has a nice defense of 35, too.” Without much of an explanation, the Demon Lord handed Olgan the outfit, as if she was always destined to wear it.

While the Demon Lord hadn’t offered much context, his words allowed for Olgan and Mynk to imagine various aspects of his world. Now, Mynk shook in anger. Her concerns were coming to life before her very eyes. “Let’s go, Olgan! We can’t be with him... The more time we spend with him, the worse our minds and bodies will be turned! You won’t make a fool out of me, Demon Lord!”

“Calm down, Mynk... I—”

“We’re going!” Picking Olgan up, Mynk ran off like she was protecting her daughter from a wolf.

The Demon Lord could only chuckle. (Now, that was a rambunctious crowd... But I got what I wanted, so I’ll call this a win.) He inhaled the smoke from his cigar as he looked at the land where a castle once stood. He could almost see the Sleepless Castle standing there. Even that high-tech grand fortress fell after fifteen years. “I suppose any world changes when a castle falls.”

While the Demon Lord was thinking of his world in the past, the world he currently occupied had also changed this day, unbeknownst to him. Belphegor would have ruled over the entirety of Hellion territory, waged war against humanity, and brought catastrophic warfare to the continent. But, in any world, history is not written with ‘would have’s.’ Belphegor, who would have scarred a large portion of history with his name, was destroyed this day. This world would change even more drastically, naturally due to the Demon Lord and his advisors, as long as he remained resolved to restore all of his world and his features...

The Demon Lord opened his Admin screen and burst out laughing as he read the text. “Bah ha ha ha ha ha! Perfect! Absolutely perfect!” He began slapping his knee and giggling like a child. He looked like he was about to begin dancing in joy.

Congratulations!

Through enough activity... You unlocked Area Construction.

Area Construction: Pool — 500pt

Area Construction: Beach — 300pt

Area Construction: Lighthouse — 500pt

Area Construction: Marina — 5000pt

Area Construction: Water Park — 5000pt (+ Payment)

Area Construction: Forest — 5000pt (+ Payment)

Area Construction: Quarry — 20000pt (+ Additional Requirements)

Area Construction: Mine — 20000pt (+ Additional Requirements)

Area Construction: Apartment Complex — 3000pt (+ Minimum Population)

The Demon Lord read the nostalgic block of text a few times over. Just reading the words seemed to content him, in contrast to what came out of his mouth next. “I don’t know if there’s a god in this world... But nothing can stop me now!” With the flutter of his cape, the Demon Lord Quick Traveled to recover the Hideout, along with the little princess within it.

Once he was gone, silence came over the old castle grounds illuminated by the morning sun. Whether the Demon Lord could be called a natural or man-made disaster, one of the Seven Original Sins, Belphegor, was destroyed. This day marked a dramatic change in the forces within Hellion territory, which would soon affect Animania and the human nations. In a very literal sense, the world was changed.