The Great Demon was really a little brat.
She looked just about the same age as my daughters. Definitely not someone I wanted to be friends with.
Anyway, I had to shut down the broadcast before starting a proper conversation. There was a good reason for that.
“This woman is human! Don’t be fooled, everyone!”
Just then, the Great Demon squawked and exposed my identity. It was a scenario I had anticipated, so I wasn’t particularly moved.
However, the other members seemed extremely upset.
“Shut up.”
“Ahh!”
Reeve slapped the Great Demon on the head, her hand covered in purple Sacred Power.
Right after, Wip drew a dagger and held it against the girl demon’s neck.
“Stay still.”
Reeve and Wip.
The actions and atmosphere of these two noble individuals turned hostile in an instant.
Yet, the Great Demon didn’t seem to care and wielded her signature ability to provoke us.
“What are you gonna do if I don’t? You think you can just kill me? You really think that little threat could intimidate me? Go on, kill me!”
Chattering away.
That tiny mouth kept yapping non-stop.
It was infuriating, like I had experienced during the broadcast. Truly impressive skills.
Even a monk with a mind as calm as a lake would have no choice but to raise their fist in front of such malicious wit.
“Can I hit her until she can’t talk anymore, Your Holiness?”
“Can’t we just kill her on the spot?”
Already entangled in the Great Demon’s verbal assault, Reeve and Wip turned red in the face and looked at me, but I shook my head.
“Calm down. It’s not time for that yet.”
“Right, right.”
Kim Ji-yeon, who agreed with me, stepped forward and changed the symbols drawn on the talisman.
[RELAX]
[ㅣㅁㅣ;;]
It was a somewhat playful restraint, but it was enough to calm the victims of the Great Demon.
Soon after, Wip managed to settle her rage and closed her mouth. Her fiery eyes were still glowing, but at least she didn’t seem to be on the verge of losing it again.
Meanwhile, Reeve unclenched her fists and tossed the Great Demon aside.
“Ugh!”
The thrown girl demon screamed, but no one showed any concern for her.
Instead, everyone shot looks full of hostility. The kind that suggested they wanted to cut her off right away.
“Lilith! That must be the demon who tormented me!”
Even Cubica, who only knew how to misbehave, was huffing while clinging to Lilith.
An uncomfortable atmosphere filled with violent anger and murderous intent.
Yet, Rema wasn’t just any demon reigning over a territory about the size of the Japanese archipelago for nothing.
Surrounded by hostile enemies, the girl demon refused to bow her head. On the contrary.
“What are you gonna do staring at me like that?”
The Great Demon, with a smirk, raised both middle fingers at us.
Provocation using both her expression and fingers. She even swayed her body a bit to double the discomfort.
“Oh dear…”
Koruaegenin, stunned by her master’s antics, sighed while Lilith approached me.
“Can’t we just eliminate her? What reason do we have to spare her?”
“……”
Honestly, I was slightly tempted.
However, I resolutely shook my head and called over the only Holy Knight present who had no previous ties with the Great Demon.
“Yao.”
“What should I do?”
“First, tie her up so she can’t move.”
“Understood.”
Just when obedient Yao was stepping toward Rema…
“You let your guard down!”
The Great Demon, sitting on the floor, suddenly thrust her hands towards me.
“Die!”
A pathetic sneak attack from a demon.
Yet, it had no effect whatsoever.
Nothing happened at all. A faint smoke wafted from her little hands.
“…Huh?”
As the startled Great Demon widened her eyes, Reeve chuckled and waved her hand, now gripped with purple Sacred Power.
“No way I would’ve brought you here without doing anything! I restrained your powers while taking you down earlier.”
“What?! I didn’t feel anything!”
“You caught on quickly. I figured you’d try to pull some tricks.”
To think a high-ranking Great Demon like Rema was so easily subdued without noticing. It was a remarkable feat.
“Impressive. Well done.”
After patting our prospective Saint on the back, I squatted down in front of the girl demon.
Was she finally getting a grip on the situation?
The once fierce Great Demon’s complexion had turned pale.
“Did you pretend to be overthrown to sneak-attack me? The attempt was commendable. You almost got away with it.”
“……”
The revelation that the infamous Great Demon was just a girl was shocking enough to leave me fumbling; still, Rema appeared perfectly fine.
She had been hit by the counterattack of the ‘Sun Barrier’ and also beaten by Reeve, yet she bore not a single scratch.
An abnormal appearance.
It wasn’t just her looks; she likely hadn’t taken any damage at all. Or perhaps she possessed some extraordinary regenerative ability.
Either way, Rema’s intentions were clear.
“Using her age to catch us off guard, huh?”
The sharp Wip hit the nail on the head. I nodded and poked the Great Demon’s forehead with my finger.
“Now that I think about it, it was a little too easy to catch the Great Demon, and I didn’t sense any unease at all. That must be your ability, right? Isn’t it?”
“……”
The girl demon didn’t respond, opting for silence.
A silence that indicated she knew she had been cornered.
“It was a cunning ploy typical of a Great Demon. You’ve eliminated the chance for mercy.”
I continued to prod Rema’s forehead with my finger while glancing at the General.
“Is it possible that your reason for proposing a negotiation to us was…?”
“I don’t know. If it were planned, I wouldn’t have a thorn lodged in my chest.”
“That makes sense.”
Indeed, it was clear that Koruaegenin was entirely unaware of her master’s schemes.
However, that didn’t provide sufficient reason to continue the negotiation. The party involved had already kicked away their opportunity.
‘We’ll have to eliminate all of them.’
Though I reached that decision, I didn’t issue the order to act immediately. There were still aspects I hadn’t uncovered.
“So why did you ask to be stabbed by the Great Demon with a ‘Transgender Needle’?”
“…Transgender? What kind of nonsense is that?”
The girl demon, sweaty and tense, looked puzzled.
Ignoring her, I gazed steadily into the General’s eyes until a heavy voice finally broke the silence.
“As you can see, my master is but a child. Born with naturally potent power, he stepped into this world.”
Koruaegenin let out a small sigh.
“But since he is still young, he cannot fully control his innate power. With his small stature, he inevitably falls short against enemies of the same caliber.”
Which meant that while he could easily subdue superhumans like Korean returnees, he was outmatched against demigods.
-Your Holiness, it seems the absence of information about the Great Demon in Demon World was due to this. Being young is practically a weakness.
With a valid point raised by Witness, I smiled and then furrowed my brow.
At this point, it became somewhat clear what was driving Koruaegenin to attempt negotiations.
“So you wanted to have the Great Demon transformed into a robust young man. That way, he could unleash his full potential.”
“Exactly.”
The General, who nodded while still sprawled on the floor, wasted no time showcasing his unyielding spirit as he looked at me.
“Your Holiness, I’ve heard you are expected to face an Evil God in the future. Is that true?”
“…Correct.”
The imposter of the Black Sun.
I had to uncover and thwart the conspiracy of that unknown returnee. Only then could we live peacefully and safely.
That, indeed, was the gap the deeply loyal General aimed for in my heart.
“Then employ the Great Demon’s powers. While we must implement various measures to prevent betrayal, he will definitely be a great asset.”
Ultimately, Koruaegenin had begged for Rema to be transformed into a male, perhaps just to ensure her survival.
A resourceful suggestion offered in a situation where the death of the Great Demon was all but confirmed.
While it was a reasonable proposal, Rema rejected it outright.
“Hey! You want me to become your Holy Knight’s lackey? No way! I’d rather die!”
“Lady Lurie, with those guys around, I doubt they’ll just kill you.”
“…….”
“If you don’t bow your head and surrender right now, there may be no way to turn back.”
“I really don’t want to….”
“This isn’t the time for tantrums.”
Now I realized, Koruaegenin was more like a caretaker than a subordinate.
Indeed, helping out an annoying child who wouldn’t stop whining was just like babysitting.
Having spent years looking after Liam, who behaved whimsically every day, I understood well.
‘… It must’ve been tough.’
As the feeling of empathy toward the General unexpectedly swelled within me.
“Ughhh!”
Suddenly, Rema began grabbing her head and rolling on the ground, screaming in pain.
Could this also be a ploy?
But there was too much genuine agony in her expression and voice for it to be staged. If she were faking it, the act was far too convincing.
“What’s going on?”
“Is this perhaps… Reeve’s doing?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
While the members put aside their bubbling revenge and remained perplexed, Lilith tapped my shoulder.
“Hey, this seems like that thing I mentioned the other day.”
“…Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, the Great Demon’s fragment in America had been suffering a hundredfold pain, and her original self was also afflicted by the aftermath.
“Then please stay calm.”
I had Yao lie down the squirming Rema and then asked her.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My head, eyes, teeth, heart, fingers, intestines, stomach, spine, pelvis, thighs, calves….”
“Alright. Do you know if anyone is tormenting your fragment? Perhaps the so-called Black Sun?”
“Ughhh….”
The Great Demon, who was even shedding a few tears, struggled for a while before answering.
“There’s no one around, but the black sun is floating in the sky. It’s that girl who appeared in my dreams and commanded you in your country….”
“……”
Her words hinted at hidden truths now becoming clear.
‘Imposter.’
The audacious criminal impersonating the Evil God was an American.
*
In a dimly lit space.
A small woman buried in shadows smiled faintly.
“Finally found you. Faker.”
A voice tinged with an eerie chuckle echoed through the room.
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