Chapter 2: Releasing the Seal

After lunchtime—

Diablo and the others had made their way back to the inn.

“...We will need to leave soon if we are going to Starfall Tower,” Rem spoke up.

“It did take us a while to finish eating because of the nuisance from earlier.”

“Ahaha... That weirdo sure was a handful, huh!”

Diablo nodded, and Shera smiled like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“...I’m sure there aren’t many people who could call a Paladin a mere ‘nuisance,’” Rem sighed.

“I couldn’t care less about that pest. More importantly—” Diablo turned to look at the door.

Alicia was staying in the room next to them. They had all come back together from Pointy Ears... But it was probably impossible to leave without her knowing. She had some sharp senses, and they would have to pass by her room to leave the inn.

Rem appeared to be hesitant about something.

“...I wonder if I should tell Alicia as well.”

“Alicia is a good person, so I’m sure she would understand!”

If you asked Shera, pretty much everyone was a good person from her point of view. Diablo also thought Alicia was trustworthy, of course. He would even call her their friend at this point.

But that was exactly why Rem was conflicted.

“...Alicia is an Imperial Knight... There is no reason she would just turn a blind eye to the Demon Lord being resurrected, no matter what the circumstances might be. It may be better to not trouble her and stay quiet about this.”

Alicia and Rem had become more friendly after talking with each other a while back, apparently finding they had some things in common. Thinking about Alicia’s position as an Imperial Knight, though, it was in both their best interests to keep this a secret.

But Rem thought of Alicia as her friend, which is why she wanted to tell her. To put it bluntly, Diablo had absolutely no idea how to deal with these kinds of delicate relationships; not one clue. What was the right course of action here? How could Rem tell Alicia without ruining their relationship?

It would have been much easier if she was a complete stranger. Rem was close with Alicia, which was exactly why this was so hard. He was no good with stuff like this, so he remained silent in the end.

“What do you think I should do?” Rem asked him.

—You’re asking me? Asking me how to deal with other people is like asking a turtle how to fly.

But answering that he didn’t know would be a little pathetic. Instead, Diablo decided to try saying something that “sounded” like good advice.

“You are worrying about it. That is your answer.”

He almost couldn’t believe what he had just said. There was a limit to just how much random nonsense one person could spout.

—But then, Rem nodded as if she had been convinced.

“...I see. True, I would not be worrying about it this much if Alicia wasn’t someone I think I should talk this over with. She is a friend I believe I can trust, and that is why I am worrying... And because she is someone who is causing me to worry about it this much, I should speak with her about it. That is what you are trying to say, yes?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“...That’s just what I’ve come to expect of you, Diablo. Not only are you strong, but you are sensitive to issues like this as well... To you, the answers to my problems must be so obvious they seem like the most trivial things in the world.” The expression on Rem’s face became more cheerful, as if a weight had been lifted from her.

He was starting to feel a little bad at this point. He had only pretended to say something clever, but it was really Rem who had answered her own question. Even Shera was looking at him, her eyes shining.

“You really are amazing, Diablo! It’s just like you said; Alicia is our friend, so she’s sure to understand if we just talk to her about it!”

“B-But of course.”

“...All right. Though this may cause trouble for her, I’ll do it.”

They left to pay a visit to Alicia’s room.

Surprisingly enough, Alicia accepted the whole ordeal without incident. With tears in her eyes, she sympathized with Rem for holding onto this secret for so long, and promised to do everything she could to support her. Rem herself teared up at her kindness, and Shera quickly followed suit.

Their confession went off without a hitch. It was a good thing she had decided to let Alicia know as well.

—Or at least, that’s how it should be...

Diablo was leaned up against the wall, arms folded as he watched the girls shed tears together. It almost looked somewhat...fake.

It felt like he was looking at his classmates back in school right before they changed grades. They would cry, and promise that they would be friends forever... But once the new school year started, they were almost never seen together. He couldn’t really tell what they were like on the inside.

The problem Rem faced was life-threatening, and even Shera understood being present for the Demon Lord’s resurrection meant risking her life as well—at least, he hoped she understood that. Not to mention that Alicia should be more conflicted about all of this, considering her duties as an Imperial Knight. It had to have taken an inordinate amount of effort for a woman to climb the ranks to reach that position in this world.

The girls’ tears weren’t fake. He knew that’s how it should be... But still, something felt wrong to him.

Diablo sighed.

—But I’m just a guy who sucks at talking to people, has no friends, and hasn’t been added to a single group chat on LINE. Maybe I can only see something like this as weird to me...

†

Starfall Tower—

The time was around 8 o’ clock in the evening.

In this world, a watch that could be carried around on your person was an extremely expensive luxury item. A pocket watch here was worth far more than its weight in gold. Wall-mounted clocks were only found in places like the homes of the nobility or churches.

Almost all of the townspeople lived their lives according to the bells of the church, which rang out every hour on the hour, from five in the morning to seven in the evening. Five times for 5 AM, six times for 6 AM... Once it reached one in the afternoon, it went back to tolling just the once. Diablo had thought it to be inconvenient at first, but it wasn’t like there were train or bus schedules to adhere to, or TV shows to wait for. He didn’t have to worry about being late to work or school or anything, so there were no immediate problems.

Inventions that make things more convenient for people—things like precise clocks, public transportation, computers, the Internet—may actually be making it harder for them to live their lives. That’s what Diablo suddenly found himself thinking about.

The full moon glowed prominently in the night sky. The ancient stone tower that stretched toward the moon was made in the shape of an octagon, and was thicker toward the bottom of the structure. Including when he had first been summoned, it was Diablo’s second time coming here. It seemed like a completely different place at night.

Diablo and the others stopped to look at their surroundings.

“We came as promised, but...”

“...Where could that Fallen be?”

“N-Nothing’s gonna come out and attack us, right?”

“From what you have told me, I would think we have nothing to worry about... Let us proceed with caution, however.”

Alicia reached toward the sword at her waist. The small figure of a person appeared at the entrance to the tower, emerging into the moonlight.

“Finally, here?”

It was Edelgard, wielding a lance in her right hand. Shera let out a small scream and hid behind Diablo.

—If she was that scared, she should have just waited at the inn...

Rem seemed to be fairly apprehensive as well, while Alicia boldly stood her ground. It was exactly what he would expect of an Imperial Knight such as herself.

The dark-skinned Fallen with silver hair glanced at Diablo and the others, her face completely expressionless.

“Preparations, are finished. For ritual.”

—Huh? She’s not going to ask why Alicia’s here, too?

He had been worried something would happen since they brought an Imperial Knight along, but Edelgard didn’t even bat an eyelash at her.

—I guess she’s so strong that a lone Imperial Knight means nothing to her.

There was no point in him bringing it up and causing more trouble for himself, so Diablo stayed silent. Right now, he should be focused on the ritual.

Stifling the unease inside of him, Diablo gave a confident nod.

“Good work. Now, I assume all that’s left is for Rem and me to complete the ritual?”

“Right. Then, let’s go.”

As always, Edelgard’s peculiar speech pattern made it hard for him to figure out what she was thinking. For a Fallen like her, resurrecting the Demon Lord should be her most ardent desire. It had been thirty years since the last Demon Lord was defeated, so he would at least expect that she was hoping for a new one to come into power. Despite the fact she would be playing a part in such a momentous event for her kind, she seemed rather aloof.

Edelgard ran her eyes over the surroundings, even looking above them for good measure.

“Best, to hurry.”

At Edelgard’s urging, Diablo and the others entered Starfall Tower.

It was pitch-black. If this were back in the game, this would be the time he’d go to the settings and turn the brightness up to max.

Shafts of moonlight came through the small windows. The glow from the full moon was their only source of light here. Edelgard was at the front of the group, followed in order by Diablo, Rem, Shera, and Alicia.

As they ascended the staircase, Rem posed a question to Edelgard: “...Has something happened? You seemed to be on guard...”

“Followers of Vahl, don’t like rituals. Want to break, Demon Lord’s vessel, and revive them immediately.”

“Mngh...”

Of course Rem would be scared to hear that. It basically meant there were Fallen out in the wild who wanted to kill Rem on sight.

Diablo stroked his chin as he thought. He remembered the name Vahl, a Fallen who had made an appearance in the game. This Fallen looked like a giant bear and had been quite the powerful opponent when Diablo fought against him.

“Are there factions amongst the Fallen as well?”

“There are. Yes. Ones who, just want to kill, other races... They are, Vahl faction. Those ones are, stupid? Only think, about killing. Just, killing.”

“I see... Then why do they not go toward the town? There should be people working the farms outside the barrier’s reach.”

“Vahl followers, move as they please. That’s why. But, truth is, they’re scared. When Demon Lord, isn’t here... Fallen, are weak. They’re weak, so don’t, want to fight? But still, want to kill, other races.”

“So, they’re like monsters, then.”

—Basically, reason isn’t going to work with those guys. Things are gonna get real annoying real fast if we run into them...

“Also, Eulerex faction.”

“And just what kind of faction might they be?”

“Eulerex, is even older, than last Demon Lord? Eulerex, is oldest Fallen, and most powerful. Apparently. Don’t know, for sure. Edelgard, never seen him fight. But, he’s passive? Useless. No...not passive, he said. Part of, the moderates? That’s what, he said.”

“Hmph. Never thought there would be moderates amongst the Fallen.”

He knew who Eulerex was, too. From what he remembered, Eulerex had the appearance of a colossal owl. There was plenty a discussion about whether he was a monster or not, but despite how he looked, he was a Fallen capable of speech.

When you met him in-game, it was on a quest where you would conquer the Fallen’s territory. He wasn’t much for talking then, and would only say one line of dialogue; something like, “You irksome Adventurers!” and then the battle would start. He didn’t give off the impression of a moderate, and he definitely wasn’t the strongest.

It was the first time he had heard anything about factions, too.

“Eulerex said, if we just wait, Demon Lord, will be resurrected. So, doesn’t move? Won’t move!”

“...A moderate Fallen faction...” Rem looked shocked. “I have never heard of anything like that before. I’m sure any of this information would come as a complete shock to the races.”

“It seems more likely that you would be executed for fraternizing with the Fallen before anyone would believe you, though...” Alicia added.

Once he heard those words, Diablo finally came to understand the situation here: The races knew almost nothing about the Fallen. Nothing about them was written into the game’s setting, either. How many of them were there? What was their chain of command like? How do they live, and how do they increase their numbers?

It was absurd. If the races really wanted to win against the Fallen, they would first have to know their enemy before they could claim victory over the Fallen.

“And which faction do you belong to, Edelgard?”

“Wrong. Edelgard, is Edelgard!”

“So...there are three factions, then.”

“Yes. There are, ‘outliers,’ too, but altogether...about three? Three! Edelgard, talked to Fallen priests. Worked hard, for Demon Lord’s, resurrection. Important to, resurrect Demon Lord, properly. Have to make sure, done proper.”

Vahl and Eulerex both existed in the game. After enough updates, Edelgard may have been implemented later on as well.

Diablo stared at her, fixated.

—Judging by her looks, they probably would have sold tons of merchandise of her.

He couldn’t help but think so.

They finally reached the top of the tower. Because they had been climbing the staircase in pitch-darkness, the moonlight was almost blinding.

It was the place Diablo had been summoned. It was wide enough to not feel cramped, even with the five of them there. An altar stood in the middle of this octagon-shaped space, surrounded by stone pillars. There was no roof here, with the night sky spreading out before them. An enormous full moon hung above them.

†

The roof of Starfall Tower—

The five of them—Diablo, Rem, Shera, Alicia, and Edelgard—walked toward the stone altar in the center.

Edelgard began to explain:

“To resurrect, Demon Lord, either vessel, has to die. Or must satisfy, soul of, Demon Lord. Has to be given, magic energy... Probably take, another, few hundred years?”

“...So the purpose of this ritual is to give Krebskulm’s soul enough magic energy to satisfy it?” Rem steeled herself.

“That’s, right.”

Edelgard turned to look at Diablo. “You will offer, magic energy. To the, Demon Lord’s soul. If you do, Demon Lord, will revive faster. For sure. Probably. That’s what, Fallen priests said.”

Rem looked uneasy, swallowing quite audibly.

“...I suppose... I have no choice but to believe that...”

They were still left in the dark about far too much. They were woefully lacking in information that would allow them to make any sort of informed decisions, so there wasn’t a clear way to confirm if Edelgard was telling the truth or not.

Rem reached out toward Diablo. She clasped her soft, dainty hands around his own right hand, which still held Tenma’s Staff.

“Wh-What is it?”

“...Diablo... I cannot trust a Fallen after all.”

“I see. Shall we stop, then?”

“No, let’s go through with the ritual. I am sure Krebskulm will revive once we have stored up enough magic energy... But by that time, I don’t know if I will be able to be saved anymore...”

“Hm.”

“...Even so, I do not mind. Defeating Krebskulm is more important to me than my own life, and you just might be able to do that... No, I know you will. That’s why I’m placing my faith in you, Diablo.”

She stared at him intently. The look on her face showed she was willing to risk her life over this. She wore the face of someone who had chosen to fight, rather than one living a life in hiding as an incubator for the Demon Lord. She looked radiant as the moonlight poured over her.

Diablo laid a hand on her shoulder. “All that awaits those who dare oppose me is their destruction at my hands.”

He never would have thought he would be saying something like this as a way to put a girl at ease. Though he was acting the part of a Demon Lord, this was also how he truly felt. He would defeat Krebskulm. If anything happened to Rem, he wasn’t going to allow Edelgard to get away with it.

“Now lie down. Here!” Edelgard prompted Rem to head toward the altar.

It was the place Diablo had first opened his eyes when coming to this world.

“...Like this?” Rem laid flat on the altar.

“Good. Now, you.” She turned to look at Diablo. “Put magic energy, into her.”

This was his role here, after all. Diablo did his best not to let the nervousness he felt show on his face.

“Do we not use any kinds of tools for the ritual? You did prepare for this, right?”

“At your feet, is magic circle. Amplifies? Magic energy, you give.”

“...Is that all?”

“Need, anything else?” Edelgard tilted her head.

He had been taught how to infuse another person with magic energy by Medios, the owner of the slave emporium, with Shera being his first test subject. It was all fine and well that Diablo just happened to learn this technique...

But if Diablo hadn’t known how to infuse magic energy, then this whole ritual would have been a bust. He probably would have felt like running out just to get away from the awkwardness that it would have caused. He was practically jumping for joy on the inside that he had managed to learn it beforehand.

—Edelgard seems like the kind of person who’s not very good at planning ahead.

Despite her way of speaking, she did think things through. She was smart and composed, although that may just come with the territory when you were the leader of one of the three Fallen factions. But there were still times when it seemed she acted first and thought later—kind of like now.

Or could it have been that she had information about how Diablo knew of infusing someone with magic energy?

—Is that why she suggested this whole thing?

“Infuse her with magic energy...? That means you’re going to have to do that, right?” Shera’s face turned a scarlet red.

“So it would seem.” Diablo nodded.

“So you are gonna do that... I wonder if Rem’s gonna be all right...?”

“...I-I am prepared for anything... However, this is a ritual to revive, and defeat, Krebskulm. It is a completely serious affair.”

Shera had poured some of her own magic energy into Rem when they were playing around before, and remembering that experience was probably the reason Rem’s face had flushed so red now.

“Y-Yeah. Good luck!”

Shera tried to come closer, but Edelgard stopped her.

“Will disrupt, magic circle. Not involved, then stand back.”

“Aw...”

“Leave it all to me.”

Diablo approached the altar; as he did, the magic circle drawn around it glowed softly, turning a pale-blue color. There were small, densely packed patterns and symbols inscribed on the altar Rem laid upon as well. She was shaking.

“...Heh... When I first decided to become an Adventurer, I was just about ready for anything to happen to me... But, lying within a magic circle drawn by a Fallen while a Demon Lord gives me his magic energy... Now that was completely beyond anything I could have imagined.”

“Just lie there and count the stars. This will be over in an instant.”

—It will be over in an instant, right?

Giving magic energy to someone demanded an extreme amount of focus. He had only just learned how to do the technique himself, so he couldn’t keep it up for very long. Still, he reached out and touched her body, placing a hand on her stomach. It was pleasantly cool, and felt soft to the touch.

“Ngh...” A small gasp escaped Rem’s lips.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes... It just...tickled a little, that’s all.”

“If it becomes too much to bear, tell me right away.”

“...All right.”

“Now then...”

Rem wore a two-piece outfit that left her stomach exposed. Laying a hand on her bare belly-button, Diablo started to get a read on her magic energy.

There was a strong torrent of energy that swirled around her heart. It was a completely different pattern than when he had done it with Shera. He started to pour his magic energy in that stream.

“Hnghhh...?!” A shudder ran down Rem’s back.

“Wrooong. That’s, wrong,” Edelgard interjected from the sidelines. “That Pantherian, is not, the Demon Lord! Giving magic to her, wrong.”

“Hm. I see...”

He redoubled his efforts to gather information from Rem. Behind Rem’s stream of magic energy—there was a thick, dense mass. It was in the inner parts of her abdomen... No, even further than that.

Though he could get a read on something else’s magic energy, he wasn’t able to tell what color it was... Or at least, that’s how it should have been. Right now, he could say without a doubt: This thing was pitch-black. It was as if a bottomless hole had laid open inside of Rem’s stomach. It wasn’t as if he had experience infusing other people with magic energy, but at the very least this was different than when he had done it with Shera. Most likely, it was different than what was inside Diablo as well. This was the reason Medios had looked at Rem with such a strange expression before.

“So, this is the spot...”

He started the magic infusion once more. Rem’s body shuddered just like before.

“Mmnngh...!!”

“Hm. It’s not reaching...”

Because it was so far away, that made it far more difficult for his magic energy to reach it. About half of what he sent in was redirected to Rem instead.

“That won’t, be enough,” Edelgard said, sounding dissatisfied. “Won’t reach, the Demon Lord? You should try, stabbing, your finger. In her.”

“...Hold on—my finger?”

“Right. Stab! All at once.”

“...I refuse. Though I shall not say I will not allow a single scratch on her... If I did what you are suggesting, it would only endanger Rem’s life.”

“Mmph. Races, so weak. Die, from just a hole, or two... That’s it. A hole. Does she, have one? She does.”

Edelgard moved to the side of the altar and pointed. Though she had been the one to say to not get so close during the ritual, there wasn’t exactly a ritual to interrupt right now, so Diablo didn’t bring it up. More than that, there was a glaring problem with her new suggestion.

“What...are you...?”

“Put finger, in here. Then, won’t have to, stab stomach.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke to you?!”

“Edelgard, hate jokes.”

“...ease...” Rem called out in a small voice.

“...Hm?”

“If it really is necessary... Then please... Do it, Diablo...”

“Ah, erm... Well... Hmm.”

Shera, watching the whole thing unfold, yelled out from the side: “I don’t really get it, but good luck!”

Alicia stayed silent as she watched over them. Diablo responded with a firm nod.

“...Very well. Tell me if it hurts; I will at least wait.” His voice almost broke as he said that.

He reached out once more toward her—to the place that would allow him to get the closest as possible to the being inside of her.

—This is all to give Krebskulm magic energy...!

“I’m taking them off.” Diablo reached out to the lower part of her body.

“A-All right...”

He grabbed her spats, sliding them downward and exposing her waist to the night air. He extended his hand to the space between her legs; but he kept his eyes focused on her face, so he could tell straight away if she was in pain—and to not let his gaze wander to where his hand was traveling.

He fumbled around, looking for the entrance inside of her. With a shudder, tears welled in Rem’s eyes.

“Ahn?!”

“H-Hey?”

“I-I’m fine...It’s just... I’m a bit sensitive there, that’s all...Please, don’t worry about me and keep going. I will make sure to tell you if I can’t take it anymore.”

“I see.”

Rem had said she was fourteen before.

—Is this even all right? ...No, I can’t judge Pantherians by the same standards I would for Humans. According to the setting in Cross Reverie, Elves lived for about 300 years or more. The other Demis probably have the same kind of longevity as well...

Diablo stopped sweating the small stuff and focused on the task at hand.

As she watched from a distance, Shera’s face blushed. “What? What?! This is supposed to be a ritual, right?!”

“Of course,” Alicia answered.

As Diablo’s fingertips finally found their mark, Rem’s back arched.

“Ngh!”

“S-So, here it is...”

“Mnn...ah! Ahh! It... It’s coming in... Diablo...is coming, in...”

“Ah......” It went in much easier than he had expected.

It was warm and soft, and the inside clung to his finger, coiling itself around him.

He had only gotten the tip of his finger inside, so Krebskulm’s soul was still a ways to go. This was completely different from when he had laid a hand on top of her stomach.

He pushed deeper inside of her. Rem’s breathing grew ever more ragged.

“Ahhhhhn! Ngggh... Mnnnn! Mn! Ah! Hah... Hah!”

“Just a little bit more...!”

Diablo reached as far as he could inside with his middle finger. The warmth from her body spread to him as she tightly wrapped around him. He could feel magic energy as well.

—I’m right next to you now, Krebskulm!

“Here we go, Rem...!”

Raising her hips with just his middle finger, he pushed even deeper inside, and released his magic energy.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!” A high-pitched scream escaped from Rem’s lips.

The magic energy Diablo released reached to her deepest parts, flowing toward the pitch-black void inside Rem.

Edelgard’s eyes narrowed. “Like, that... Should be, fine...”

“Ah! Ahh! Ahn—hyahh! Nhaaaa!! N-No... Too, rough... No...just like that! Ahhhhhhn! M-My stomach...feels hot... Like it’s, on fire...!”

“We’re not done yet; we need more...!”

Holding nothing back, he poured every last drop of his magic energy into her.

—I’ve already made it this far... I will satisfy Krebskulm, and give them the wake up call they deserve!

The magic circle at his feet glowed with a blindingly intense light—Diablo’s magic energy was being amplified. The massive amounts of it being released inside Rem raged about, stirring around her insides and causing her to repeatedly shudder and tremble atop the altar.

“Hnnngahhhhh! Ahn! Mnn! R-Reaching that far... Ahhhh! Scraping...inside— Ahhhhn! I-I’m going.... Mm! Going...crazy...! Mnn! Ahhhh... Ahhhhnnn!!”

“Hah— Hah—”

His vision started to swim from using too much magic energy. A dull pain climbed up his spine, reaching the deepest parts of his head. He started to lose the feeling in his fingers, as if they had melted from Rem’s heat; it was almost like they had become a part of Rem.

But even so, he went further inside her.

“Ngh—”

“Hyaan! Ahn! Ahhhh! Nghhh! It’s hot! Diablo... I can’t...mmgh! This is...going to drive me crazy...! Mnn!”

“Ah... It’s spilling back out...”

The magic energy he poured inside the opening on Rem had started to overflow.

—Looks like Krebskulm’s had their fill...!

For the finishing blow, he poured in the last vestiges of his magic energy.

“Raaaaagh— Take it all...!!”

“Nnnngh! Ahh! Mmmmmgh!!”

Diablo removed his fingers, rubbing along her insides as he did so. Fluid splattered onto the altar.

—Here it comes!!

Something began to emerge from the depths of the hole inside of Rem.

†

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Rem let out a pained scream.

What emerged wasn’t an actual physical being—it was a thick torrent of magical energy. It swelled and overflowed from inside her, flowing forth with the intensity of a torrential mudslide.

Diablo braced himself at the edge of the altar. If he was going to err on the side of caution, he would have distanced himself from this spot—but right now, there was someone here he needed to protect.

Since he didn’t know how exactly a Fallen magic circle worked, he couldn’t move Rem around carelessly.

“Hey, Edelgard! Is this really safe?! She seems like she’s in a lot of pain!!”

Edelgard was staring at the torrent of magic energy, as if she was on the verge of crying tears of joy. She looked up to the sky, enraptured.

“Oh... Ohhh... Demon Lord...”

“Tch... She’s not listening.”

She always seemed so aloof and detached from the world, but she had put her life on the line to reach her goals as well. Face-to-face with her success, she was in an ecstatic trance. For an instant—

He was overcome with a sense of vertigo. He had pushed himself, using his MP to the limit. If he let his guard slip for a second, he would fall unconscious. Perhaps due to the current situation, he wasn’t being assaulted with the usual wave of lethargy.

Diablo turned to look toward the ramparts of the tower. Shera could also see the flow of magic energy; trembling in fear, she stared aghast at the gigantic swirling vortex of magic energy.

“Wh-What is this...? Is... Is this Krebskulm...?”

“Yes... This is the true Demon Lord...” Alicia murmured. She was looking up at the sky as well, body slightly shaking.

With what little strength she had, Rem lifted her hand.

“Hah... Hah... Ngh... Hah... Di...ablo...”

“Are you all right?! Hold on, Rem!”

Diablo took Rem’s hand with his left. He gripped Tenma’s Staff in his right hand, ready to protect her at a moment’s notice.

“Mgh... Hah... Hah...”

“Rem—hey!! Open your eyes!!”

Pale and shaking, Rem’s face was slick with sweat.

“Hah... Hah... Diablo... Please... Please, win...”

“Of course I will! I have a duty to see this through for you! I will not allow my property to just up and die, understand?!”

“...So...I see...” Though still in pain, Rem managed a smile.

“It’s solidifying!” Shera yelled.

The enormous swell of magical energy that had been released from the broken seal swirled faster, coalescing into a form the Demon Lord Krebskulm would take.

Diablo stood at the ready.

The energy molded into the shape of a gigantic torso, that was thin and long, almost like a snake. Two twisted horns burst forth from the newly materialized head. Two, three—four glittering red eyes opened where their face would be, with one eye in the middle as well.

The surface of their skin was a slick, glossy black, reminiscent of an insect’s carapace.

Next grew a pair of arms and legs, finally taking on a somewhat humanoid shape. It was far larger than Diablo, standing about three meters high. Though Diablo was considerably tall when compared to the other races, he only came up to this figure’s waist.

From their back sprung forth wings made of pure light, massive enough to almost reach the heavens. They spread their dazzling wings, gently flapping the light.

—It was a colossus wreathed in armor. This was the true form of the Demon Lord, Krebskulm.

Krebskulm laughed. It was a shrill, high-pitched laughter of a woman, rattling the eardrums of all that were present.

Overcome with emotion, Edelgard threw her hands in the air. “OoOooOhh! Demon Lord, resurrecteeeed!!”

Her shouts were almost the same as the howling of a beast. Now more than ever, it made him feel like she truly was a Fallen.

Magic energy surged forth from Krebskulm’s entire body.

“...We shouldn’t... We shouldn’t have done that!” Shera’s voice was trembling.

“Hah... Hah... This is...” The color in Rem’s face grew even more pale, yet her breathing had become more stable. It seemed like what she was going through wasn’t completely life-threatening.

“Shera! Alicia! I leave Rem to you!” Diablo shouted.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a potion flask. It was an MP potion, and not one that he had made in this world. It was the ultimate potion, one that he had made in the game with the rarest of ingredients; it was in his pouch when he first came to this world.

Using it, it replenished his dwindling MP all at once, driving away the exhaustion he had been trying to ignore until now. The haze that clouded his thoughts had now cleared, regained his senses that had been dulled.

“Ahh...”

Diablo readied Tenma’s Staff. If he was facing another one of the races, he could get a read on his opponent based on their opening moves—but he knew almost nothing about Krebskulm. Even if he was one of the top players in Cross Reverie, in this case, he wouldn’t understand anything unless he fought her himself.

—It’s possible Krebskulm has some kind of “one-hit kill” move, but there’s no reason for me to wait around and find out.

In the game, you would be forced to listen to whatever speech the last boss had before fighting them. In this world, there was no reason to play along and wait for them.

He pointed his staff toward Krebskulm, and right as he was about to invoke his magic—

Pssshhhh!!

As if a balloon was deflating, the form of the Demon Lord Krebskulm started to shrink. It was now about the same size as Diablo—no, smaller now. It was even smaller than Shera or Rem. It came down from the air, landing with a thump.

Diablo was so taken aback that he forgot about attacking, and could only stare. The once sinister form Krebskulm had first taken changed dramatically. He did a double take, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

“It’s...a child?”

Krebskulm had now become a young girl.

Two twisted horns grew out of her head, like that of a goat. Her eyes were a deep, amethyst purple, and her braided black hair came down to her waist. She wore a fluttering, frilly dress, but her shoulders and stomach were still exposed. If she wasn’t a little girl, it would have been almost lascivious. She was smaller than Rem, and her appearance had all the lovable charm of a small animal. Her ears were long and pointed, like an Elf’s, while a reptilian tail dangled behind her.

She was a little girl. Diablo doubted his own eyes, starting to wonder if the ultimate MP potion he drank had been too strong and was making him hallucinate. He turned to look at Rem and the others to see their reactions. But they all wore the same shocked expression on their faces.

—So my eyes didn’t deceive me after all...

The young girl—Krebskulm—landed upon one of the walls that surrounded the edge of the tower. Arms folded, she lorded over them with an audacious gaze—though Diablo was still taller than her, despite her elevated position.

“Heh heh heh... So you are the ones who have awakened me from my slumber!”

Her voice was as cute as could be.

Edelgard knelt down. “For Demon Lord’s, resurrection... I offer, my sincerest, joy? Joy!”

The girl nodded. “And you are?”

“Edelgard, is called, Edelgard. My lord.”

“I see. Very good! I praise you for your revival efforts!”

From what she was saying, this little girl had to be the Demon Lord Krebskulm. She was the enemy Diablo had to defeat; and yet, he hesitated.

It was true Cross Reverie had humanoid enemies appear in-game, from bandits to Fallen. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had faced a female humanoid, either. There were no “little girl” enemies in the game, however...

—It’s just a theory...but I think there was content that was intentionally removed from the game, just like they did with the references to sexism, race discrimination, and slavery. Maybe they removed her because having an enemy like her would look like child abuse?

As she had looked now, beating up Krebskulm with his magic would look downright cruel to anyone watching. But this world wasn’t a game; “defeating” an enemy meant “killing” them. She was a Demon Lord, after all, and defeating a Demon Lord should just seem obvious...

—But, to be honest, I’m kinda against it. I have my promise with Rem to fulfill; and for the sake of the races, I can’t just ignore her. That little girl is a Demon Lord here to destroy all the races of this world. She has to be....

...But is that really true?

“Hey. You. Are you truly the Demon Lord Krebskulm?”

“Mm? In the flesh! And just who are you supposed to be?”

“I am Diablo, a true Demon Lord from another world. I am the one who revived you... And I am the one who will destroy you!”

“Hm-hmm, that magic energy... I see. So you’re the one who has awakened me. Good, very good... As a reward, I will teach you the true meaning of fear!”

A tremendous amount of magic energy poured forth from her tiny body. The air itself began to warp and twist.

—Despite how she looks, she really is a Demon Lord. It looks like I’m gonna have to fight after all.

Diablo raised Tenma’s Staff, twisting his lips into a sneer. Even when confronted with a formidable enemy, a Demon Lord always faced his enemies with a smile!

“Hah hah hah... You’re just a Demon Lord who woke up from a nap. How do you intend to teach me anything about fear?”

“Heh heh heh...” Krebskulm smiled, showing her razor-sharp canine teeth. “Let me see... Yes, I think that would be most fitting for the one who awakened the Demon Lord! I will kill you in the cruelest way imaginable!” She exclaimed in grandiose fashion.

It looked like she had thought up a way to fight against him—or perhaps, to execute him. This was an opponent he couldn’t take lightly.

—Should I take the initiative? ...No, judging from her physique, there’s a strong chance she’s going to use magic.

He would wait for her to attack, then reflect the spell back and hit her with his own ultimate-tier spell. Diablo had changed gears, completely switching his thought process to battle mode.

—But then, Krebskulm looked a bit confused.

“It’s, um... You know, that thing... I should...have this super cruel way to kill you... Hold on a second.”

“What’s wrong? Why do you hesitate?”

—Is it because you have too many spells to choose from? I’m expecting you to use a powerful one right off the bat, you know...

“Wait...! I said to hold on! I’m remembering it right now! Uh, how did it go again...? I know I had something...”

“......Are you saying you don’t remember?”

“No! No, no, no way! A Demon Lord is a Demon Lord, after all! I have all sorts of knowledge at my disposal! ...Or at least, that’s how it should be... But, um... How do I put this? I kinda seem to have...forgotten...”

“You forgot how to fight?!”

“That’s not true...! Enough with this! I’ll burn everything in sight to the ground! That’s something a Demon Lord would do, right?!” She was like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Y-You can’t do that!” Shera yelled. Those words would never work on a Demon Lord—

And yet, Krebskulm faltered.

“...I can’t? Then, what should I do? I can’t seem to remember a thing...”

—She stopped...?!

Both Rem and Alicia were dumbfounded. Even Shera seemed surprised, and she was the one who said to stop in the first place.

Edelgard's eyes were as wide as the moon above them.

“Demon Lord?! Listening to, other races, wrong? Wrong!”

“Mm? Is it? But she’s saying I can’t, so, maybe it’s a bad thing?”

“What...are you...?”

A look of bewilderment was plastered firmly across Edelgard’s face, with everyone present making roughly the same expression.

Diablo had a vague idea of what it could be. This didn’t have anything to do with being knowledgeable about Cross Reverie, per se, but it was a trope you would see all the time in fiction.

—Is Krebskulm missing part of her memories?

Though he didn’t know why, it looked like the ritual had only been partially successful.

“The Demon Lord is supposed to be a being who destroys the races... Is that not what you are?!” Alicia challenged.

“Mm? When you put it like that, I kind of feel like that’s true...” Krebskulm was deep in thought.

“But why?!” Rem called out to Krebskulm, leaning on Shera for support. “I have always thought it to be strange, but why does the Demon Lord kill the other races?! The Fallen have their own territory where they live, and we do nothing to get in the way of their interests—so what is the purpose of killing the other races?!”

True, Diablo knew nothing of the reason for that either as nothing about it was written in the story for Cross Reverie. There weren’t many games that even explained why the antagonists were trying to destroy humanity in the first place.

Monsters existed to attack people, but in this world, the Fallen had divided themselves into their own factions. They certainly wouldn’t throw their lives away needlessly by straying too close to towns.

If the races could come to an agreement, like Diablo and the others had done with Edelgard, then the Fallen and races would be able to cooperate with each other. They had even managed to establish dialogue with Krebskulm by doing so.

—Why do you kill the races?—

“Well... that’s... I feel like there was a reason for that...” Krebskulm looked troubled in the face of Rem’s question.

“Then do you not want to kill the other races?”

“Hm? Do I...? Maybe I don’t...”

“Then please, don’t kill them!”

It was an outrageous request to make to a Demon Lord—but Rem was serious.

“I’m asking, too!” Shera added. “Killing people is bad, so don’t do it!”

Alicia was, again, dumbstruck.

“Hmm... I can’t remember why I wanted to kill them in the first place... So, sure, whatever. I won’t kill the races.” Krebskulm nodded.

“But if you say you will destroy me,” she said as she glared at Diablo, “I will burn you to a crisp.”

—Is she trying to pick a fight?

To maintain his dignity as a Demon Lord, his only response to a statement like that would be: “I’d love to see you try.” Just as Diablo went to fire off a retort of his own—

In a panic, Rem and Shera jumped into the conversation, cutting him off.

“N-no destroying, no killing, and no fighting from him! Just as long as you don’t kill the races...!”

“Th-That’s right! Diablo is actually really, super nice!”

After spending this much time with Diablo, the girls had sensed he would strike back with a few choice words of his own, so they cut him off.

—Nice one, girls!

“Hm. If you say you don’t want to fight, then I see no point in us doing battle.” Krebskulm seemed to be satisfied.

Alicia looked as if she had come face-to-face with something truly unbelievable. She had a much more diverse range of facial expression than Diablo first thought.

“...Are you being completely serious...? Is a Demon Lord actually saying they will not kill the races?”

“I can’t seem to remember the reason why I wanted to kill them, so there you have it. Besides, killing them doesn’t put food on the table, and right now, I’m starving.”

“E-Edelgard?! Are you all right with this?!”

Edelgard, who had been kneeling the entire time, stood up in response to Alicia’s question. She brought her eyes together in an intense expression of displeasure.

—It looks like she can’t agree to the Demon Lord saying she won’t kill the races after all.

Diablo stood on guard. Edelgard, however, cast her eyes downward.

“Don’t, really care...about the races? Edelgard, cares about, Demon Lord. Demon Lord, is only thing, that matters,” she sighed. “Did not, prepare snacks, for Demon Lord... Edelgard, a failure.”

It seemed like she was more lamenting the fact she had nothing to feed Krebskulm.

Edelgard had mentioned before that there were factions amongst the Fallen. The Vahl faction only thought about killing the races, while the Eulerex faction were all supposed moderates. It looked like Edelgard was completely devoted to following the Demon Lord, no matter what, making this an extremely convenient situation for them.

Alicia ground her teeth together. With the sound of scraping metal, she drew her sword.

“Calm yourself, Alicia. It seems that fighting will not be necessary after all.” Diablo called out to her.

Alicia ran her gaze over the roof of Starfall Tower. Shera looked relieved that they didn’t have to fight after all, and Rem, whose desire had always been to defeat the Demon Lord, also seemed quite happy that they avoided an unnecessary battle. Her expression had softened compared to earlier.

Edelgard was mumbling to herself, conflicted over if she should leave now to go find snacks for the Demon Lord, and what kind. Diablo had already lowered his staff.

...And then there was Krebskulm, who sighed as she held her stomach.

“Mmngh... So hungry...”

“Ngh...” Alicia sheathed her sword.

—Maybe she really wanted to fight the Demon Lord...?

She was a straight-and-narrow Imperial Knight, so it was possible she was feeling gung-ho about defeating the Demon Lord. Even if they were dealing with one who said they wouldn’t kill the races, it was possible Alicia still thought Krebskulm should be brought down. But if her friend, Rem, and their main firepower, Diablo, said they wouldn’t fight, then she couldn’t just force them to do so. That is what Diablo surmised her feelings to be.

—She can be a real stiff sometimes... But I guess it’s important for us to have someone like that watching out for us, too.

They couldn’t just let their guards down all because the Demon Lord said she wouldn’t kill them. It was a great possibility that Krebskulm would start attacking as soon as she remembered the true reason why the races were her enemy.

Handing Rem off to Alicia, Shera approached Krebskulm. This wasn’t a case of her looking timid but actually being brave...

But maybe it was because she had completely believed what Krebskulm said earlier. Shera was the complete opposite of Alicia; she was almost never wary of others.

“I’ve got some snacks on me!”

Shera pulled a biscuit from her pouch. It was a disc-shaped confection that was made of hardened wheat-flour. They rarely used butter and sugar for cooking in this world, so it wasn’t sweet in the slightest. It might be more appropriate to call it a non-perishable foodstuff rather than a confection.

“What is that?!” Krebskulm’s eyes were sparkling.

“They’re called biscuits and they’re sooo good! See? Yummy!”

While biting into one herself, Shera held out a biscuit to Krebskulm. There was a loud *crunch* as she did so.

“Oho, so these are called ‘biscuits,’ are they? Then I shall have one! Let’s see here...” Krebskulm took the biscuit, biting into it with a crunch of her own.

“They’re yummy!” She shouted.

“Right? I’ll give you some more.”

“Ohh! Hand them over!”

“When someone gives you something, you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ OK?” Shera said as she passed the treat along.

“Please thank you!!” Krebskulm was so focused on the biscuits it seemed she hadn’t even heard half of what Shera said.

She stuffed them into her mouth. “They’re so good! Delicious! You! What is your name?! I will make you into the most powerful Fallen the world has ever known!!”

“Ahaha... I’m Shera, and I’m an Elf, OK?”

“So you aren’t a Fallen? Oh well, I still praise you for your biscuit-giving ways!”

“Edelgard is, only Fallen here? Only one!” Edelgard looked unhappy that the role of giving snacks to the Demon Lord had been snatched away from her.

Krebskulm gave an understanding nod. “Then I shall give you power!”

She held her hand aloft, and Edelgard was quickly bathed in the magic energy that Krebskulm released from her small hand. With a burst of energy, Edelgard’s aura changed dramatically. Diablo could feel the intensity from the process crawling across his skin. Though she hadn’t even taken up her spear, this was the same pressure he had felt when Edelgard had used her trump card, 《Sacrificial Charge》.

—She’s changed that much after receiving power from the Demon Lord?!

Edelgard knelt down once again. “Ohhh... Edelgard, is honored!”

Though Krebskulm may have declared she wouldn’t kill the races, and looked to be a little girl happily munching away on biscuits... There was no doubt she was a Demon Lord. She could drastically raise the magic levels of the Fallen without any difficulty.

In the past, Diablo had faced down an army of one hundred Fallen who had laid siege to the Bridge of Ulug. His ultimate spell had managed to clear away almost all of their ranks—but if those Fallen had been strengthened by the Demon Lord’s magic, he would have had a much harder time claiming victory then.

—Though I don’t think I have to worry too much about her right now...

He felt no desire to fight coming from Edelgard. As she was devoted to the Demon Lord, she most likely intended to follow through with Krebskulm’s promise not to kill the races.

Diablo walked over to Rem, where Alicia was waiting at her side. “How do you feel?”

“...My body seems to have calmed down now... But I’ve taken so many surprises today that I can’t seem to hold my legs steady.”

“Heh, so you’re a bit weak in the knees. I’m sure that will heal soon enough. Now, that aside... Can you accept what has happened here?” He lowered his voice as he asked her.

“...My mother... my grandmother... We have all suffered because of the Demon Lord’s soul.” Rem’s eyes were sharp. “I have lived my life with only one goal: to defeat Krebskulm... That is why I cannot accept this so easily.”

“I see.”

“But, still... If she says she will not kill anyone, then what cause do I have to fight her? If I were to kill her without reason, that would make me no different from a monster myself.”

Saying that, she smiled. She looked exhausted, but despite that, she wore that cheerful smile.

Alicia had stayed next to them, listening in silence. It seemed she was wrestling with some complicated emotions of her own, but it looked like she had lost her will to fight.

“There are still things that I am not satisfied about, but this is your choice to make.” Diablo nodded.

“Yes.”

“It looks like I’ll end up only fulfilling half my promise to you.”

He had succeeded in removing Krebskulm’s soul from Rem’s body, but it looked like things would end without him defeating Krebskulm.

—If I were to kill Krebskulm now, it would only make me a monster.

Krebskulm greedily devoured her biscuits. “These are *munch* delicious! *munch munch* So good! *munch* Thanks to this, I finally remembered what my true purpose is!”

“What?!” Shera said, alarmed.

Krebskulm boldly stuck out her almost non-existent chest: “I will devour all the biscuits of this world! That is the reason I was resurrected!”

—Like hell that’s the reason you’re here!

This world wasn’t a game, so peace was for the best here—but if they were to ever put a Demon Lord like this in Cross Reverie, the developers would get flooded with complaints.

The best kinds of enemies in games were the ones you could beat up without thinking too hard about it, and laying a smackdown on them was the perfect kind of stress reliever. But in this world, the Demon Lord wasn’t something made to be an entertaining diversion for the players of some game—she was alive. She was a a living, breathing being, one who smiled and...ate biscuits.

Krebskulm turned to ask Shera, “You don’t have any more biscuits?”

“Nope, sorry. But they have all the biscuits you could ever want back in town! They taste even better if you put jam on them, and if you add cream on top of that, they’re the best!”

Shera had an enraptured look on her face as she talked. Krebskulm made a slurping sound as she held back a stream of drool.

She pointed to the east: “Very well! Lead me to where the biscuits are!”

“You’re going to town?! But you’re a Demon Lord!!”

In a haste, Edelgard drew closer.

“D-Demon Lord, should come back, to Demon Lord’s castle, first! That’s, how this works?”

“The Demon Lord’s castle, huh... Are there biscuits at this castle?”

“No? It has...dead flesh, blood wine, and, banquet of screams?”

“You ingrate!” A sharp expression of displeasure crossed Krebskulm’s face. “You’re saying you want me, the Demon Lord, to go to a place with no biscuits?! I said my reason for being here was to eat all biscuits, and I meant it!”

“...Ah, well... You, see... Edelgard thought that, Demon Lord’s castle...was most fitting, for Demon Lord? Most fitting! M-My apologies...my lord!”

Edelgard deeply bowed her head. Krebskulm crossed her arms with a snort.

“In recognition of your success in reviving me, I will pretend like I didn’t hear that. I have no need for Fallen who do not obey me, understood?”

“Y-Yes, my lord!” Edelgard prostrated herself, a shocked expression on her face.

Krebskulm grabbed onto Shera’s arm. “All right, lead me to this ‘town’ you speak of!”

“Are we really going?! Is that all right?!” Shera looked around in a panic.

At this point, they had no choice but to take her with them. If they tried to refuse her, that could mean that, this time, they really would end up fighting the Demon Lord.

Diablo thought to himself, Though there’s still a lot I don’t know about the Fallen, there is one thing I’ve learned today—

Biscuits did not exist in Fallen culture. That much he could say for sure.

†

The group left Starfall Tower, heading outside where the dazzling full moon still shone in the night sky. It was the deep of night; if they started towards Faltra now, they should arrive just as dawn was breaking.

Diablo slowly made his way across the grassy plains. He had ended up carrying Rem under his arm, as she still wasn’t quite able to walk. Keeping his arm wrapped around her waist, Rem had a reluctant look on her face.

“...I can walk, you know?”

“You almost fell over twice coming down the stairs. You’ll only make me worry, and I do not need that right now.”

“...You’re worried about me?”

“Hm? Um, well... Hmph. You are my property, after all. Of course I would worry about my belongings becoming even more damaged.”

“...Yes. Of course you would.” Rem smiled as Diablo blushed slightly.

Behind Diablo—Krebskulm already seemed to be getting along well with Shera, the two of them holding hands as they walked. Though Shera had been afraid at first because Krebskulm was a Demon Lord, thanks to her extremely trusting personality, Shera was smiling along with Krebskulm as they strolled.

Next was Edelgard, a gloomy expression on her face that could roughly be interpreted as: “I can’t believe the Demon Lord was won over with biscuits.” She followed behind them with slumped shoulders.

Bringing up the rear was Alicia, who was making a face as if she had lost the greatest battle of her life. Suddenly, she turned to look up at the sky.

“...Ah?! Sir Diablo, above us!”

“What?!” Reacting to Alicia’s words, he looked up to see a shadowy figure descend from the moonlight.

The sound of beating wings came from above them—an owl, one that had a single enormous horn growing from its head. But it was huge; from head to tail, it was probably about ten meters long.

—Is it a monster?!

But he had seen this figure in the game before. In fact, he had done battle with it, as well.

“Eulerex?!”

A Fallen.

The gargantuan owl made its descent, landing just slightly ahead of Diablo and the others. It started to change into a more humanoid shape, transforming into a giant of a man with the head of an owl. Only covered by a thin shirt, and with muscles dense enough to replace armor, his appearance gave off an aura of intensity.

“Eulerex... Why?” Edelgard muttered.

The owl-headed giant turned to Krebskulm, dropping to one knee. “My humblest of congratulations on your resurrection, Demon Lord.”

The Demon Lord in question only stared blankly back at him, still squeezing Shera’s hand. “What’s with you?”

“I go by that of Eulerex. As an elder Fallen, I am a being who has supported Demon Lords for generations.”

“Oh, are you? Then I’ll give you power, too—”

As Krebskulm went to give Eulerex the gift of her magic power without a second thought, Shera hastily stopped her.

“Y-You can’t do that! You have to make sure he promises not to kill people before you give him your magic energy! If everyone is killed, and all the towns are destroyed, you won’t be able to eat biscuits anymore...!”

“I see. That’s no good, then.”

Since their minds both operated on roughly the same wavelength, Shera had a good grasp on how to control Krebskulm.

Edelgard stepped forward: “Eulerex? Why did, you show up? Business, with Demon Lord? Edelgard, protects her.”

Eulerex was supposed to be the oldest and strongest of the Fallen, and a part of the “moderate” faction amongst them. But ignoring Edelgard, Eulerex continued to speak to Krebskulm.

“I have long waited in anticipation of your resurrection, my liege. I know of no greater elation than being in service to the Demon Lord. I wish to offer a toast to commemorate such an auspicious event.”

Krebskulm looked confused. “I can barely understand a word you’re saying.”

“...My sincerest of apologies. As such, I humbly beg your forgiveness to allow me to be more candid in my explanation. In this case, ‘toast’ would mean... Well, I wish to kill every single one of the races somehow left alive here, as the crowning jewel to celebrate your resurrection.”

Shera froze up with a soft yelp of terror. Diablo had known what was coming from the first words that came out of Eulerex’s mouth, so he had already made Rem get behind him. He stood at the ready, Tenma’s Staff in hand.

There were about ten paces between Diablo and Eulerex, the perfect amount of space to give a Sorcerer like himself the advantage in a fight. Eulerex held no type of weapon whatsoever; and based on his appearance, it was probably safe to say he was a Brawler-type of Fallen.

Diablo still waited to make his move. He was interested to see what kind of reaction Edelgard would make.

The small Demon Lord stood in front of Shera, spreading her arms wide. “No! You can’t kill the races, or I won’t be able to eat biscuits anymore! Shera gave me biscuits, you know?! I won’t let you kill her!”

“...I see.” The eyes set in Eulerex’s owl head narrowed. “Keeping a portion of the races alive to procure luxury items... That is most certainly an entertaining prospect. However, I would humbly request you at least increase the number of monsters, and with the largest ones possible.”

Diablo had just picked up another tasty piece of information.

—What...?! So monsters are actually created intentionally by the Demon Lord?!

According to the races, it was thought that monsters would simply multiply naturally when the Demon Lord resurrected. The same thing was written into the setting of Cross Reverie. If Diablo had access to the wiki right now, he wanted to post this new information with a video to go with it as proof.

“No, no, no!” Shera said, shaking her head. “Monsters attack people, you know?!”

“You heard the Elf.” Krebskulm shrugged. “If monsters kill the races, then we’d be better off the less there are of them.”

—She really isn’t anything like a Demon Lord is supposed to be... Maybe her way of thinking regressed because she’s a child? Or is this another facet of her amnesia?

Eulerex finally managed to turn his gaze towards Edelgard. “What is going on here? This is the first I’ve seen of a Demon Lord who did not wish to kill the races. A proper Demon Lord grants magic power to the Fallen, expands the number of monsters, and acts as a harbinger of death to the races... Can she truly be called a Demon Lord?”

“...Edelgard, doesn’t get it, either? But, she gave Edelgard, power! So, Demon Lord, is Demon Lord. Edelgard, will follow, Demon Lord’s will?”

“You are far too young still. Not only that, but you have yet to fully grasp the gravity of this situation. The Demon Lord is the lord of all Fallen, a demon who exists to kill the races. They are a bringer of destruction, one whose very presence defiles the land itself. A certain restriction exists for the Demon Lord’s soul, as well—as long as this Krebskulm exists, then the true Krebskulm has not been revived.”

“So, what?”

“Those of the Eulerex faction await the resurrection of the Demon Lord in their perfect form.”

“That, so.”

“For an imperfect Demon Lord such as her... I would have her make another revolution along the wheel of death and rebirth.”

He had said it in such a nonchalant manner, but the meaning was clear: This was a declaration of war. And not just toward Krebskulm—Eulerex intended to murder every single one of them here.

In an instant, the elder Fallen closed the distance between them. Crossing what should have taken ten steps in a single stride, he raised his right fist to smash it into Krebskulm. Right before the impact, however—

Edelgard threw herself into the fray, catching the blow with her spear. A thunderous shock wave radiated outward from their clash.

“Ngh... Your faction, does whatever, they want... Nothing more, important, to the Fallen, than will of, the Demon Lord! Nothing!”

“The Fallen have their own role to play in this world. You have merely abandoned your duty, and your purpose. Your rash and foolish actions have brought about this imperfect Demon Lord’s resurrection...and I shall be the one to rectify it!”

The giant owl-man hybrid lunged at Edelgard with a ferocious kick. Edelgard used her spear as a shield to block the attack.

Shera had grabbed Krebskulm by the hand and was running towards Diablo, screaming all the while.

“AUGHHHHHH!!”

“Aghh! Aghhhh!!” Krebskulm may have just been yelling as an attempt to imitate Shera’s screams, but it looked to Diablo that the little Demon Lord was having the time of her life.

Diablo was protecting Rem, who couldn’t run anywhere, which is why he couldn’t move. Shera and Krebskulm finally made it over to him.

“Ahhhhhh!! The Fallen! Went kaboom!”

“Ahaha! Ka-BOOM!”

Tears in her eyes, Shera was blurting out things that barely made sense, while Krebskulm laughed happily alongside her.

“Leave this to me.” Diablo made them take cover behind him. “Hey, Alicia!”

“Y-Yes!” Sword already drawn, she had snapped out of her slump, and was back to her normal self.

—Good, she seems all right now.

“Protect Rem and the others. It doesn’t seem like he’s getting any closer for now, but this guy is supposed to be one of the most powerful Fallen, after all.”

“U-Understood!”

†

Edelgard thrust her spear toward Eulerex.

“Fallen, rebelling against, Demon Lord! Strange! Not, right!”

Eulerex had deflected the blow with his tree trunk-like arms, but a spurt of blood flew from a wound on his face.

“Hm?! I see... So you spoke the truth when you claimed to have received power from the Demon Lord. However, your movements are still far too slow!”

A consecutive three-punch assault from Eulerex broke through Edelgard’s defense.

“Agh?!”

Usually after taking a huge hit like that, the impact would cause some space to open between you and the assailant—but Edelgard just crumpled to the ground where she stood.

—What the hell is going on here?

Collapsing in front of her enemy, Edelgard was left completely defenseless, with Eulerex raining blow after blow upon the downed Fallen.

—I don’t really have any obligation to save her, but...

Choosing a spell with low power and high accuracy, Diablo cast his magic: “《Bit Arrow》!”

Aiming at Eulerex’s head, he sent an arrow of light speeding towards the Fallen. Reacting to Diablo’s spell, Eulerex leapt out of the way, Diablo managing to protect Edelgard from his follow-up attack.

—Tch, he dodged it like it was nothing...

Elite Fallen such as Eulerex were far more resilient when compared to the rest of their brethren. It seemed the reason he had been able to dodge Diablo’s attack was because of his heightened agility. Even the governor of Faltra, Galford, had managed to avoid Diablo’s spells in their battle a not too long ago. If it weren’t for that, Diablo might have been shaken up at this turn of events.

Eulerex fixed his ire upon Diablo. “So, a halfling such as yourself believes he can face off with an actual Fallen!”

“Heh heh heh... For someone who claims to have lived as long as yourself, it seems you are nothing but a birdbrain if you are oblivious to who I am!”

“Me? Lacking in knowledge?”

Diablo slammed Tenma’s Staff into the ground:

“I am the Demon Lord Diablo! How dare you oppose a true Demon Lord, you ignorant cretin!”

Eulerex’s golden-colored eyes widened, emphasizing the black pupils within them.

“A...Demon Lord?”

“You claim to be one of the oldest Fallen, yet you do not know of me...? You should be ashamed of your own ignorance!”

—Of course he wouldn’t know who I am... I’m just some guy who role plays as a Demon Lord in the game he plays.

But even if it was just an act, it only meant he shouldn’t be thinking about things like that all the more. Diablo had made it known that anyone who did not know of him was ignorant, and that was all there was to it.

Eulerex bent his neck, twisting it so it was perfectly horizontal with the ground.

“You utter fool—an inferior race such as yourself, claiming to be a Demon Lord... I will provide a death fitting of your arrogance.”

“Hmph... Then I shall make you understand my true power!”

“If you claim to be a Demon Lord, then why cooperate with the races? Why protect this failure of a Demon Lord?”

“These are all my possessions. All that awaits those who would cause harm to my property is their destruction by my hands!”

Alicia was not actually one of his “possessions,” but a friend; and though he couldn’t exactly call Krebskulm the same, explaining every last detail of their circumstance was a chore he would rather avoid doing.

Having apparently recovered from the previous beating she took, Edelgard once again took up her spear.

“Edelgard, not your possession? No! Serve, Demon Lord!”

“Hmph... Your ‘Demon Lord’ Krebskulm seems to be more of a prisoner to biscuits, is she not?”

“Mmph.”

“Leave this to me,” Diablo declared. “I will take care of this muscle-headed birdbrain.”

He pointed Tenma’s Staff towards Eulerex: “《Flare Burst》!!”

A sudden explosion occurred right under Eulerex’s nose; an attack to see what he was made of.

Flare Burst was the highest-tier spell one could learn at level 99 or lower. In other words, it was merely the spell you learned right before breaking the level cap. It wasn’t even that powerful compared to the rest of Diablo’s arsenal of magic. But it was a good way to restrict his MP usage, and it activated quickly to boot.

Above all else, the damage was focused to only a small area; he had allies around him, so this was important. Though its range was more restricted, it was still wider than the last spell he used, Bit Arrow, and its activation time was dramatically reduced as well.

—There’s no way he could’ve avoided that!

“Raaaaaaargh!!”

Eulerex came charging headfirst out of the smoke. There were burns on his shirt and skin, but it hadn’t hindered his movements in the slightest.

A look of shock overtook Diablo’s face. Then, as soon as Eulerex had almost reached directly in front of Diablo—

《Super Mine》 activated, a spell that was cast onto the ground itself, and was particularly effective against opponents who liked to fight in close quarters combat.

The explosion engulfed Eulerex. Diablo’s look of surprise earlier was just a ruse, to make Eulerex think there were no traps waiting for him.

The pressure from the sudden detonation made the Fallen’s legs buckle, and scorched his body. But even still, he pressed forward, fists outstretched.

“This is far from over yet!!”

“A stubborn one, aren’t you...!!”

This time it came as a genuine surprise to Diablo—but he was someone who had already experienced countless battles before.

Instinctively, he had already kicked off the ground and jumped backward, creating a space between him and Eulerex to stay out of reach of the Fallen’s fists—

“《Quartz Lance》!!” Eulerex suddenly shouted.

A semi-transparent, razor-sharp spear made of crystal had formed around his rugged fist.

—So this guy was a 《Brawler Sorcerer》, too!

However, Diablo was in possession of the Demon Lord’s Ring. Just like always, it had sent his opponent’s magic flying back to them.

“Argh?!”

Having his surprise attack returned in full-force, the crystalline lance punctured the left side of Eulerex’s chest. No matter how resilient a Fallen he was, even Eulerex had to stop after taking an attack like that.

Diablo once again put some distance between him and Eulerex. Edelgard was next to him, looking shocked.

“What...was, that?!”

After seeing Eulerex withstand his spells, suddenly explode, and even take damage from his own Quartz Lance after it was reflected back to him—there wasn’t any way for her to know what had just happened.

With a self-confident chuckle, Diablo’s mouth twisted into a warped smile. “This is the power of a Demon Lord!”

Eyes open wide, Edelgard gasped in admiration.

Smoke rising from his body, Eulerex fixed his gaze on Diablo. “...My spell...was reflected...? Do you mean to tell me...that was ‘Magic Reflection’...? The very same power possessed by Lord Enkvaros?”

“Oho, so you realized my power after only seeing it once.”

Diablo had received the “Demon Lord’s Ring” as a reward after defeating Enkvaros back in the game, an item with that housed the power of “Magic Reflection.” It would also reflect healing and support spells as well, so it wasn’t without its own drawbacks.

“...Can it be...he is a true Demon Lord...?” Eulerex sputtered. “No, that is impossible... A Demon Lord exists to obliterate the races!!”

He started to gather energy into his right fist, glowing as he infused it with SP.

—Looks like he’s trying to come at me with a technique that’ll take a while to activate... But it’ll do massive damage, too.

“Hmph, I have no reason to wait for you! 《Lightning Bullet》!”

“Now is the time! Do it!!” Eulerex shouted.

—What?!

Diablo had spent his time in Cross Reverie living the grueling life of a solo player. He would fight by himself, and protect only himself. He was undefeated, a player acknowledged to be the best by not only himself, but others, too.

—But right now, there were people he needed to protect.

“Wait!!” Edelgard screamed.

Krebskulm and the others were watching Diablo, expressions of concern etched on their faces. Behind them, a Fallen had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere; Eulerex was the leader of his own faction, so this had to be one of his followers.

Diablo wasn’t able to move freely the instant after launching any one of his more powerful spells, which meant that suddenly switching targets was impossible for him.

Edelgard had already taken off at a sprint toward Krebskulm and the others.

The bullets of light Diablo had fired from his previous spell bore into Eulerex’s abdomen, exploding from inside him and blowing away half his body. Though that should have been a fatal blow—

Eulerex had managed to activate one of his Martial Arts—his target: Edelgard, who was desperately trying to reach Krebskulm.

“Hnngaaah!!”

Eulerex, his body covered in lightning, rammed straight into Edelgard. She had managed to take the attack with her spear, but with a dry, cracking sound—her lance shattered.

“Nrgh?! Aghhhh!!”

Edelgard was blown away. With a flash of purple lightning, her blood danced in the air. She crashed along the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as she tumbled.

Eulerex had lost half his torso; his arm was bent in an exaggerated direction from overuse; and his entire body was scorched to a crisp. But even still, he stood proudly; his victory had been all but assured.

At the same time—

The Fallen from Eulerex’s faction moved to attack Krebskulm. It was a veritable monster, possessing the head of a wolf, and a slew of snakes in lieu of arms. It drew closer from behind Krebskulm and the others.

Shera had been the first to notice, and let out a scream. Turning around to look, Krebskulm froze when she saw it. Alicia was late in reacting, and no longer had the time to even ready her sword. As for Rem—she had thrown down a crystal.

“《Stoneman》!!” An enormous stone obelisk stood in front of the Fallen, blocking its path; it was her Summon.

The countless snake heads that tried to sink their fangs into Krebskulm found themselves with a mouthful of hard stone instead. But this was a Fallen entrusted by Eulerex with eliminating a Demon Lord, one of the most powerful Fallen in existence. Its strength was most likely up to task for an assignment of that magnitude. As such, Rem’s Summon was crushed by the multitudinous snakes, shattering it to pieces.

But it had already bought them just enough time—Alicia and Shera had grabbed Krebskulm by the hands, pulling her to safety. Rem was a good distance away as well.

Diablo unleashed one of his ultimate-tier spells, catching the wolf-headed Fallen by surprise and erasing him from existence.

†

After losing half his torso from Diablo’s attack, Eulerex had regressed back to his initial giant owl form.

“...To think an insignificant Summon would be able to hinder my plans.”

Surprisingly enough, there were no wounds to be found on the owl’s body. It was possible that the damage Diablo had done still remained, however.

Diablo pointed Tenma’s Staff at him. “Leaving one of your subordinates lying in wait for an ambush... Though you may act all high and mighty, that’s quite the underhanded tactic, wouldn’t you say?”

“...If you were not present, I would have destroyed her from the very beginning. Such overwhelming magic energy... I cannot fathom for it to be coming from one of the races.”

“I have already told you: I am a Demon Lord. I thought you merely a fool, but perhaps you’re senile instead?”

“This cannot be... And yet, that strength is not normal. Inconceivable... Inconceivable... Inconceivable...”

Eulerex spread his wings. Stirring up a cloud of dust, he propelled himself into the air.

—You’re just gonna run away?! I mean, I could try pursuing him, but...

He took a quick glance around him. If Eulerex were to assault him with a wide range attack that wasn’t a spell, the only way he could protect the girls was to have Rem use one of her Summons as a shield. Since her largest Summon, “Stoneman,” had just been destroyed in that last attack, she wouldn’t be able to use it for a while. Edelgard looked like she had taken heavy damage as well. She was just now beginning to pick herself up off the ground.

There was no need for Diablo to go rushing after a fleeing enemy. Eulerex was practically inviting them to launch a counterattack. As long as he didn’t lose anyone on his side, Diablo was fine with the outcome.

Diablo lowered his staff. “Hmph... I have lost interest in you. I couldn’t care less about a fleeing coward.”

He left Eulerex with that harsh remark, since showing any kind of weakness to him went against everything he pretended to be here.

No matter how knowledgeable or skillful you were, any fight against an intelligent opponent was a dangerous one. If Eulerex had gone after Diablo’s allies instead of Diablo himself, then the number of ways he could protect them would be severely limited. Even if he was acting like a Demon Lord, Diablo didn’t actually want to kill anyone.

Eulerex disappeared into the night sky, and everything grew silent once more.

“Shera, do you sense any other Fallen around?”

“N-No, I don’t think there are any more around here... Though it’s true that I was late in noticing that last one.”

“At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange for Vahl’s faction to show up as well. Keep your guard up.”

“G-Got it.” Shera squeezed Krebskulm’s hand tight as she answered.

The young Demon Lord in question, who had just faced an attempt on her life, didn’t seem fazed at all by the previous battle. Instead, she wore quite a lively expression on her face.

“You were the one who protected me earlier?”

“Huh? I suppose...you could say that, considering what just happened.” Rem nodded slowly.

Krebskulm must have been referring to when Rem used her Summon to block the wolf-headed Fallen’s attack.

“Then you deserve my praise. Good work!”

“...Why did I end up protecting you, I wonder?”

“Hey now, I’m praising you here,” Krebskulm proclaimed self-importantly. “You should be bowing your head in thanks to me!”

“That’s not right,” Shera chided. “At times like this, you should be saying ‘thank you.’”

“Even though she doesn’t have any biscuits?”

“You say it when you’re happy about something someone did for you!”

“I will never understand the races, I swear... Well, no matter. There’s no point in saying anything if you don’t choose your words based on who you’re talking to, after all.”

“Good girl!”

Watching this exchange, Rem had a conflicted expression on her face, as she had long sought to defeat Krebskulm. Though Krebskulm had promised to not kill any of the races, none of them knew what would happen if she suddenly regained her memories as a Demon Lord.

But even then, Rem had immediately moved to protect her—why was that? She still didn’t have an answer to that question.

“You must have wanted to protect everyone from the bottom of your heart.” Alicia smiled gently. “I am sure that is the reason why you sprang into action, Miss Rem.”

“...Perhaps you are right.”

“The difference between an experienced Adventurer and myself is quite something, isn’t it... When the moment of truth came, I was petrified.”

“...I was no different, really. It was my Summon who did the fighting.”

It seemed both Rem and Alicia had managed to calm down somewhat.

Diablo turned his attention towards Edelgard. “You still alive?”

“No, problem. Edelgard, is fine.”

Looking at the Demon Lord being friendly with the other girls, Edelgard sighed.

“...Demon Lord, was tricked...”

“That is not my fault, I will have you know.”

“I, know. But, still... Not satisfied? Reason why, didn’t kill, races, from beginning... Take Demon Lord, back to castle... That is, your fault?”

Her way of thinking was not all that different from Eulerex. She did, however, have the composure to understand her situation and her own power, and even when to have the self-restraint to avoid a fight.

“Edelgard, want to protect, Demon Lord. But Edelgard, can’t go, near town.”

“So it seems.”

They should be able to scrape by if they hid Krebskulm’s tail, and maybe her horns, too, for good measure. On the other hand, Edelgard may have been beautiful, but she also had scaly skin and a pair of reptilian eyes not found amongst any of the races. If she were to come close to Faltra, people would quickly come to realize she was a Fallen.

Edelgard knelt down once more in front of Krebskulm. “Demon Lord... Edelgard, cannot accompany, you to town? Will be, in forest. Please call me, at any time.”

“Right, good work today!”

“Someday... Please come, to Demon Lord’s, castle. That is, wish, of all Fallen.”

“But Eulerex is at this castle too, is he not?”

“That, is...”

“It is my destiny as the Demon Lord to eat biscuits at this ‘town’ they speak of. I will not let anything stand in my way!”

“...Under, stood. If it is, will of, the Demon Lord!” Edelgard gave a deep bow of respect to Krebskulm. Dragging herself off the ground, she staggered back to the forest.

As he watched her forlornly trudge away, Diablo had felt some sympathy for her—but they just couldn’t get her into the town. Not only that, but given the opportunity, it seemed Edelgard wanted to kill Rem and the others and take Krebskulm back to the Demon Lord’s castle. Diablo was uneasy about keeping her close by, if only due to that. That was one conflict of interests they just wouldn’t be able to get around.

Diablo started to walk towards town, with Rem following after him.

“Are you all right now?”

“...After being attacked by a Fallen, I don’t think I have the luxury of saying that I feel a bit weak in the knees anymore. Putting that aside for now... You truly are a force to be reckoned with, Diablo. Eulerex is supposed to be one of the most powerful Fallen.”

“He was a bit more tenacious than I had expected him to be. Smarter, too. If he had received power from the Demon Lord on top of that, it would have been a much more arduous fight.”

Alicia came besides them, a wry smile on her face. “Even then, you would call it an ‘arduous’ fight rather than a ‘defeat,’ I see.”

“Of course. I am a Demon Lord from another world, after all. I will not lose to any Fallen.”

“Time for the biscuit song~ ♪” Shera was walking hand-in-hand with Krebskulm.

“What’s that?!”

“When I was walking alone in the forest at night, I would sing this song so I wouldn’t be afraid. It’s a lot more fun when everyone sings along! ♪ The ‘B’ of biscuit is for the ‘Best!’ ♪ The ‘I’ is for ‘Incredible!’ ♪”

“B, B! Stands for B!” Krebskulm’s delighted laughter rang out as she sang along.

Diablo and the others left Starfall Tower behind them.