Lilith’s Great Demon King’s castle was located quite nearby.
Well, that explains why Yuma had appeared in front of him so soon after entering the demon realm.
The image of the Great Demon King’s castle wasn’t really much different from what Yuma had imagined.
At the entrance of the castle stood a vast number of troops—about a thousand right in Yuma’s line of sight.
Numerous soldiers were lined up on either side.
Lilith walked down the massive avenue between the military ranks, her long red hair flowing behind her.
Due to the demon lord birthstone bracelet Yuma wore, countless demons were on high alert.
Kugugugugugugugu──!!!
With so many top-tier demons spreading their keen senses, the tension that thickly enveloped the Great Demon King’s castle was almost visible to the naked eye.
“O noble and revered master of all flames, this human is… a dangerous being who has killed two demon lords of our realm.”
This was the statement from the black knight clad in armor, the Death Knight.
Despite her aides’ concerns, Lilith grinned.
“It’s fine! I’ve simply brought a friend to chat with!”
Lilith waved her right hand dismissively, trying to assuage her subordinates’ worries. Of course, there was no way her subordinates could feel at ease with their leader’s carefree attitude.
Yuma, receiving the combined glares of fear and hostility, followed behind Lilith into the Great Demon King’s castle, [Purgatory Castle].
The building, reminiscent of bright red azaleas, surely impressed upon Yuma exactly what kind of powers the demon lord wielded.
“Welcome to my castle, insane human. My name is Lilith, bearing the title of master of all calamities.”
Her tone was nothing short of imperial.
Yuma clicked his tongue inwardly. But really, it made sense. Demons held positions far above even the imperial emperors.
“Yuma.”
“Is it Yuma?”
Lilith guided Yuma and Bell into the main hall of Purgatory Castle, toward the central table.
“Have a seat.”
Following her lead, they each took a seat around the massive table.
Lilith turned her bright yellow eyes toward Yuma.
“I am very curious as to what purpose you have in the demon realm.”
Yuma hesitated for a moment.
The passive skill [Crisis Detection] picked up nothing. And Lilith’s alignment seemed neutral.
Considering that the demon realm is a society of its own, it meant that good, evil, and neutrality coexist.
Even among humans, the good alignment was relatively rare, so it must be even scarcer among demons.
The conclusion came swiftly.
He descended.
He spoke honestly about his intentions. Then, he only acted based on the reactions that followed.
“Kill or…”
If they come at him, he would kill them. After all, extracting the clear blood from the Great Demon King’s heart would mean accomplishing the greatest goal.
According to the tip received from the status window right after killing Incrinew last time, the blood of the Great Demon King needed for the combination that would swallow the Dragon Heart isn’t just any blood; it must be the [Birthstone of the Great Demon King], which is blood drawn from the heart of the Great Demon King, just like in the game [Loop Blood].
That meant he absolutely had to kill at least one [Great Demon King]. Even if it didn’t necessarily need to be blood drawn from the heart, there wouldn’t be one single Great Demon King willing to generously donate their blood.
If an unsalvageable situation arose, he could use the [Dimension Travel Orb] to return to the Intermediate World.
The reason Yuma wasn’t eager to kill the [Great Demon King] Lilith right before his eyes was that his goal wasn’t solely the [Blood of the Great Demon King].
Marking.
The Mark of Flash.
In the context of the game [Loop Blood], it was the power that allowed one to teleport in an instant, known as ‘Blink’.
“There are probably few cases where one can’t find the parry point.”
He even found the parry point for the darkness itself, Incrinew’s authority, Ending.
“But there must be variables I haven’t anticipated.”
Thus, he needed to obtain the teleportation ability.
Meeting a family of mark users among the demons and receiving the [Mark of Flash] from one of them was Yuma’s secondary goal.
Yuma believed his path would be determined by how the ‘mark families’ took shape in this world.
If he had to kill a [Great Demon King], then there was no need to attract the attention of the demon realm by killing two of them.
Yuma spoke softly.
“Do you know where the mark families are located?”
Lilith’s eyes drew a line of interest.
“Oh… the mark families. It seems you have business with them.”
“Yes, if you know about their location and situation, I would appreciate the information.”
Lilith’s bright yellow eyes sparkled.
From her unusual reaction, Yuma could tell that Lilith felt a strong interest in the topic he had brought up.
“The mark tribe is bound to the land of [The Lord of All Blessings], Great Demon King Berzette.”
Yuma furrowed his brow slightly, as he couldn’t easily understand Lilith’s words.
If they were in Berzette’s land, it should just be that—they were there, but what did it mean to be bound?
I didn’t understand what that meant at all.
“Every blessing is formed by a seal. So isn’t the Great Demon King Berzette the head of the sealed family? What do you mean by being tied up?”
Lilith grinned.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. The sealed family has been living as slaves to the Great Demon King Berzette for over 250 years. Berzette, unsatisfied with the countless blessings inherited from his bloodline, coveted even the blessings derived from the seals of the sealed family. So he made them submit through war.”
Yuma’s brows furrowed slightly.
“This situation is quite different.”
The situation with the sealed family in the game Loop Blood was vastly different. They had no history of living as a slave family.
Since he had no clear basis to connect to, it wasn’t contradictory for the situations to differ.
Yuma sorted his thoughts.
“Then, to get what I want from the sealed family, I’ll probably have to kill Berzette.”
It was likely that he would have to kill the Great Demon King.
Yuma was saying that now. He was talking about someone who would not be out of place being called a Demon God, someone who was one of the five Demon Lords of the Demon Realm.
“Hahahahahaha!! This is quite amusing!”
This fact made Lilith very cheerful.
“If you are determined to kill the Great Demon King Berzette, I can help you make contact with the sealed family.”
Yuma narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lilith.
“How can I trust your words?”
Lilith’s bright yellow eyes gleamed.
“I am the master of all flames in this demon realm. Yet, there is one who dares to manipulate flames outside of me in this land. That’s Berzette. He’s been shooting flames gained from the blessing of the seals. I can’t just sit back and watch that.”
Anger.
What Lilith showed was clear anger.
“And Berzette is one of the few who has fought against me in the past. Although this was before we both held the title of Great Demon King, that is.”
Without any petty reasons, it made her seem more trustworthy.
Rather than having a special reason to help a mere human, it seemed more fitting that a demon would act according to her own desires.
However, he still couldn’t easily trust her.
“You still don’t trust me. I’ll give you a more honest reason.”
To dispel Yuma’s doubts, Lilith decided to be more straightforward.
“In my battle with Berzette, my younger brother lost his right arm. It was from an irreparable attack. Perhaps this is an opportunity to settle the score.”
“This might turn out to be a chance.”
Yuma finally understood the intense anger hidden behind Lilith’s words.
“This is just a minuscule gamble to Her Royal Highness. Even if you fail to kill Berzette, I have no intention of demanding a price for the information provided.”
Yuma stopped worrying.
After all, he had to kill one Great Demon King. He also needed to acquire the Mark of Radiance, and it seemed clear that the being who fit those two objectives was [Berzette].
“I understand. Arrange a meeting with the Marked Family.”
Yuma, the human who had killed two Demon Kings.
One, the [Great Demon King], was in a league of its own. In this demon realm, even a rank 1 deity could hardly touch it.
“I shall look forward to it, human.”
If the human before him succeeded in killing Berzette, it would be quite the delightful affair for Lilith.
*
Yuma was in a vast room, having been guided there through Lilith’s subordinate alongside Bell.
He sat down on a chair and contemplated.
The Marked Family.
The Marked Family he had encountered in the game [Loop Blood].
“Thanks for taking down the Lepeus Demon King family with me, human. What is your name?”
The Marked Family in Loop Blood was a Demon Lord family. A powerful family that ranked among the top ten.
“[Don’tScrewMeOver], what a fascinating name. Are all human names this intriguing?”
The head of the Marked Family had platinum hair.
Her name was definitely Selene.
Selene had engraved the mark onto [Don’tScrewMeOver]’s back.
“The mark of the family can only be engraved with sincere goodwill toward the marked subject unless it’s a forced pact. So for me to mark [Don’tScrewMeOver], that means I hold quite a strong favor for you.”
The silver-eyed gaze resurfaced in memory.
“The Marked Family remembers all grace and mercy, just like the marks we engrave.”
– Reuben Ehen Del.
– In the language of the Marked Family, it means to always wish for peace.
– Farewell, [Don’tScrewMeOver]. I will always wish for your well-being. I shall engrave your grace and mercy.
After finishing his recollection, Yuma slowly opened his eyes.
Moments later, after three knocks on the door, it opened.
The Great Demon King, Lilith, with her red hair stood there.
“You can depart tomorrow morning.”
Yuma nodded.
“I understand.”
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