Part 3
—[Ruby Cave], Underground Canal.
*Plonk!* Demon King of Confusion was deposited along with a hot wash of wind and he fell from his mid-air position.
“That hurts!”
He grabbed his head as he rolled around a few times. Due to the suddenness of the situation, he who had not be able to respond to the situation had landed on the ground. Head first.
To prevent the canal from being rocked by strong impacts, the stone carved canal was thoroughly inlaid with many Gifts. Of which some Gifts to eliminate trespassers had also been set up at certain points to trap and exterminate.
It could be said to be a fortunate thing in his misfortune for him to just hurt his head only.
“Why am I in the underground canal? Who is it who brought me to this place?”
Demon King of Confusion clutched his head as he took a look around him.
The underground canal that was as complex as an underground maze only had a few specific exits and wasn’t something that could be accessed from anywhere. Or at least there wasn’t an entrance from the streets of the Commercial District that would have led to this passageway.
Then, who could it be to have brought him to this place? If he could have figured out the answer just a few seconds earlier—the fate of Demon King of Confusion may have been slightly different then.
“Halt—!“
“!?”
The sharp voice was piercing and seemed to be of a high pressure as just hearing that word had already given him the illusion of being struck by an axe.
Due to the echoes in the underground passage, the source of the voice could not be pinpointed accurately but it could be sure that the person must be hiding in a blind spot of his field of vision.
Under the dim lighting, Demon King of Confusion had immediately stopped his movements. This is not because of him being unable to pinpoint the enemy’s location but it was his innate instincts of self-preservation that was shouting an alarm at him in the highest possible volume.
(……This is bad…This is really bad. My[71] senses are really too slow.)
This Demon Lord who had been living in seclusion for a long time had now felt ashamed at his lacking that was being shown quite frequently today.
When he first found himself to be in this situation, he should have already noticed it.
The number of Gifts that could have brought him from the District that had no entrance to this passage would have been only a limited handful. For it would have been a Gift that enabled ‘passing through’—or a large scale Gift that could control the ‘Portals’.
(Instantaneous transport of an object?……Though I’ve heard of it in the past, but this is my first time experiencing it for myself.)
Demon King of Confusion was panicking as cold sweat started to dampen his back.
If he activated his Gift of “虚度光阴”, he might just be able to escape but he would have to aim for the time that the enemy drop their guard.[72]
Since the order had been ‘Halt’, that would also mean that the instant that he make a move, the enemy would also bare their fangs.
Listening for the breath of his enemy, Demon King of Confusion then matched his heart beat to it while awaiting his chance.
Just when he was prepared to make his move—a crisp sound chimed from the depths of the darkness.
“Really now, Maxwell-san! Using threats will only cause others to mistake our intentions! We are here to make a deal, don't go scaring others that way!”
Hearing that young voice that really contrasted with the atmosphere then, Demon King of Confusion couldn’t help but fall to the ground.
But that was only understandable. He had already set his mind to activate his Gift in a gamble with his life on the line but only to be stopped short by the childish complains of a little girl who seemed to be trying to defuse the situation.
Losing his will to fight, Demon King of Confusion decided to ignore the command to look towards the one who just spoke up—at Rin’s direction.
“Oi Oi, don’t you think that this kind of treatment for negotiations is pushing things a little? Adhere to the request of your client next time, the intellectual Demon Lord of Thermodynamics, right?”
“……Hmph. When dealing with a third rate who only knows how to abduct children, that sort of treatment should already be very appropriate, am I right?”
The other had replied in a haughty and contemptuous tone and Demon King of Confusion was just about to return those insults a hundred fold when Rin frantically placed herself between them.
“An-ny-way-s![73] Maxwell-san, please redraw for now! You needn’t mess up the situation for me every time!”
“Although I’m not really willing, but I will just comply with that. But if you are so angry, you will be violating the direction set by the Game controller you know?”
*URIA!* Rin shouted towards the dim waterway at the opposite end. And following that, the man who was at the end of the waterway……[Maxwell Demon Lord]’s presence had winked out of the place.
Rin gave a small sigh before turning to face Demon King of Confusion with a look of weariness on her face.
“Sorry about that. That fellow is definitely strong but the quality of his character is left wanting.”
“HehHeh, that must be quite a headache. ……Well then ojou-chan, did you come to look for me knowing that I’m Demon King of Confusion and the situation I have?”
“Yes. My reason for coming here is to meet with the famous [Disaster of the North], Demon King of Confusion. If you can forgive that act of insolence earlier, I will be much blessed with that honor.”
“……Oh?” Demon King of Confusion exhaled a long breath in admiration.
Though many people might have heard of his title as a Demon King, this other alias of [Disaster of the North] wasn’t one that was commonly known. For that other name had only been told to those who had experienced the Trial hosted by himself.
“What a surprise. There shouldn’t have been anyone who heard of that other name of mine and manage to survive……Oh well, forget it. What do you want me to do? I will just take it that I owe you one for just now and no matter how difficult a task you set for me, I will be willing to accept the request more favorably.”
Demon King of Confusion gave a laugh under the folds of his long robes.
He had already guessed the organization that Rin belonged to for the warning issued by Shiroyasha when she stepped down from the post of [Floor Master] had spread like wild fire and even he who lived in recluse had heard of the news.
—[Maxwell Demon Lord] had joined the Demon Lord Alliance.
Then she who was addressed as the “commander”[Game Controller], could only come from one organization.
So Demon King of Confusion was full of anticipation when he asked provocatively:
“Well then ojou-chan, who do you wish to be ‘Kamikakushi’ed? It must be your desire to snatch away a talented individual or two that you have searched for me right?” he spread his arms, causing his presence to be emphasized.
The game of tag earlier had only been a portion of his real power. Hosting a Trial that overrode the intellect of Mankind was the true epitome of a Demon Lord. And if one looked from that perspective, it would mean that he had not even shown a tenth of his true power yet. Hence, Demon King of Confusion was able to taunt Rin while boasting of his worth.
Rin placed a finger to her lips as she replied with an infinitely gleeful look on her face:
“—everything.”
“Wha?!”
“I said, I want everything.”
—For a moment, Demon King of Confusion had doubted his ears and returned the question reflexively.
But Rin paid it no mind as she stretched out her arms while swaying her beautiful black glossy hair as she spun around in a dance. And while she did that sort of cute girlish actions, she blinked those pretty eyes at him as she continued:
“That’s right, it is not a metaphor. Every single talented individual, materials, territory, social positions, Flags, Names and the Gifts that have been bestowed upon this piece of land. Take them away. Every single one of them. Not allowing even a single one of them to escape your hands, completely rob them of their wealth.—For that purpose, we needed your ‘Kamikakushi’, O Demon King of Confusion.”
Those were the words that she had declared with that chime-like awe-inspiring voice of hers.
It wasn’t a metaphor— Yes, they wanted to take away everything.
This was the place that the North, South and East Side Masters of were to gather in preparations against the Demon Lord Alliance but they had actually thought of this plan while knowing that fact. Seeming to mock their enemies in the face. And in the eyes of the one who said such blasphemous words—the girl called Rin had not a shred of worry or a trace of fear about the possibility of the plan failing. There was only that blossoming look of joy that was on that cute smiling face of that girl who was feeling happy about the imminent plan of plunder that was about to be set into motion.
Hence Demon King of Confusion changed his view of her then.
Compared to himself, this girl had shown the truest essence of the term ‘Demon Lord’ of all the people that have been seen by him thus far.
“……Ha, Haha…….HehHehHehSiaHahahaha!!!!!! This is bad, bad, downright bad, a really bad karmic task you have there!!! In the age where even strong Demon Lords are to hide their names and aliases to survive, there’s actually a little brat crazier than me, the crazy and hungry ghost, wandering the Earth?!!!! Looks like even after a thousand years, sin is still deeply rooted in this world……”
Demon King of Confusion laughed loudly while hugging his belly, laughing so hard that his tears flowed out as well..
And who knows whether those tears were for joy or due to his laughing.
But after his laughing fit had subsided, Demon King of Confusion panted as he got up to his feet with a gaze ablaze with the flames of his fighting spirit.
“—Okay. I will follow ojou-chan for that trip then. Take out your book for the Alliance recruitment and I, Demon King of Confusion will start right at this very moment to stand behind the Flag of the Demon Lord Alliance under this sky.”
He had opened his blood red jaws as he laughed those words out.
Drawing out the Alliance recruitment book and a Flag, Rin was fairly satisfied by his devilish and fearless laughter. And under that Flag that started to flutter vigorously—she announced.
This was the Alliance Flag that had gathered many powerful Demon Lords under its pact and upon it was a ‘Tail biting Three Headed Serpent emblazoned on it of which its eyes emitted s strange light that seemed like the radiance of light bouncing off a king’s crown.
“I hereby welcome you, Demon King of Confusion. We of the [Ouroboros] welcome you into our ranks.”
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