Duke Yuma stood before the Great Demon King Lilith.
“I’ve got the seal. Now I’m thinking of going to kill Berzette.”
At Yuma’s words, Lilith nodded her head.
“Got it. If we wait a day or two, the chances of them noticing this occupation will only increase. So let’s leave right after dawn.”
Yuma nodded in agreement.
“Understood.”
Yuma opened the door to the house where Selene was staying.
Creeeak—
Selene was sitting in a chair, just like when he first saw her.
And in front of Selene, there was Bell who was chattering away.
“Sister, sister, let’s definitely find a way to come down to the Intermediate World later!”
“Yeah, sure.”
Selene awkwardly smiled at the lively Bell. The two of them chattered for quite a while before eventually falling asleep. Yuma also drifted into a light sleep a short distance away from them.
*
“Boring.”
A purple toad.
With a face and body resembling that of a toad, the demon opened its mouth wide and let out a long yawn.
The lord of all blessings, Berzette, was seated on the throne.
Berzette felt the same sense of ennui yet again. This dreadful boredom was what had initiated the family conquest. Three hundred fifty years ago, the family that had been hunted as part of that conquest was the Sealing Family.
Should I devour another family again?
Berzette was seriously contemplating that thought. There had been more than a few times he wanted to escape this lengthy boredom. However, he was just keeping an eye on the other Great Demon Kings.
If I go too wild, more than one of them might team up and erase me.
‘Though they wouldn’t show such friendly behavior.’
Berzette sensed that the front of the royal palace had become very noisy. And someone rushed inside in a hurry. It was his right-hand man, advisor Algenus.
The blue-leathered devil humanoid, Algenus, hurried up to Berzette.
“Lord Berzette—!”
His shout seemed very urgent.
“What is it?”
Algenus opened his mouth without catching his breath.
“Lilith. The Great Demon King Lilith is leading an army towards this place, [Blood Castle].”
Berzette’s brow furrowed tightly.
“Lilith. Is it the [Ruler of All Flames] Lilith that I know?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Why is that woman suddenly targeting me…?”
Anger and disbelief swirled through Berzette’s mind. He began to trace the reasons why Lilith might have a motive against him.
‘Great Demon Kings are quite rational beings after all.’
To take revenge for a war fought over 500 years ago?
Was Lilith really such an unreasonable being that she would risk the position of the Great Demon King for a personal vendetta?
Berzette shook his head.
In the first place, it was the Great Demon King Lilith who had proposed to end the ongoing war.
‘In fact, making such an open advance…’
It seemed far from making a reckless advance while risking the position of the Great Demon King.
‘In other words… she must have confidence in her ability to destroy me and this Bloodline Castle.’
Though he had no guess as to what that confidence was, the fact that they were directly invading this place, not some battlefield in the Demon World like mountains or plains, made him think that a power to kill him clearly existed.
‘What the heck has she prepared? Has she formed an alliance with another Great Demon King?’
His purple, toad-like face scrunched up. Golden eyes twitched slightly.
Another being approached Berzette.
It was Rohit, the general of the Marang clan and Berzette’s left arm.
The wolf spoke to the toad.
“We’ve identified the front line of the advancing enemies.”
Who was leading the charge toward the Bloodline Castle?
Berzette swallowed hard, waiting for Rohit’s next words.
“It’s a human.”
Rohit’s words pierced into Berzette’s ears.
The already scrunched-up brow of Berzette deepened.
“H-human?”
His golden eyes locked onto Rohit, filled with doubt about whether he had heard correctly.
Rohit bowed his wolf head under Berzette’s furious gaze.
“Yes, it’s definitely a human. That human has even used a voice amplification artifact to declare war against Bloodline Castle, so it’s certain.”
As Rohit continued speaking, Berzette felt it was becoming increasingly like a ridiculous joke.
“…Declaring war with an amplification artifact? Just a mere human? No matter how strong, are they really on the same level as a Class 1 demon?”
Rohit gulped at the crimson aura swelling behind Berzette. Berzette was furious. The pinnacle his kind could reach was merely ‘Grandmaster’, and the thought of a human daring to look at him, at this land he ruled, Bloodline Castle, infuriated him.
Despite Berzette’s icy glare, Rohit bravely opened his mouth again.
He felt this was vital information his lord needed to hear.
“I have gathered information about the human. A human with grayish hair and wall-eyed gaze. That human is the one who killed two Demon Lords among the demon forces sent to the Intermediate World, led by the Great Demon King Kutos. It is believed that he has transcended Class 1 level.”
“This is the author. It seems possible that the first-tier rank has been surpassed.”
A strange light flickered in Berzette’s golden eyes.
“I see… You mean that human killed two Demon Lords?”
One thought it might be worth pondering, yet the thick, powerful aura radiating from Berzette’s massive form showed no signs of abating.
“Did they actually bring back a decent troop? A human?”
They didn’t ally with any other Great Demon Kings.
They didn’t form a giant alliance with dozens of Demon Lords.
Just a single human who killed two Demon Lords?
“You really believe you can kill Berzette just because you’ve killed a couple of worthless Demon Lords?”
Berzette flicked its enormous crimson tongue.
Berzette’s eyes were fixed squarely on Rohit.
“So, what’s the content of that so-called declaration of war from the human you just mentioned?”
Rohit spoke while sweating bullets.
“The, the Great Demon King ordered him to come and face him directly.”
Berzette looked at Rohit as if to bore a hole through him.
“Precisely. Repeat every word he said without a single mistake.”
Rohit had no choice but to divulge the words he had initially held back to prevent provoking Berzette’s wrath further.
“…Unless he’s afraid, he said to come fight him directly. He claimed that as long as you kill him, Lilith, the Great Demon King behind him, and her army won’t invade Blood Realm.”
All-Blessing King, Berzette, momentarily let its long, massive tongue droop, wearing a blank expression.
“So, this human said that if he dies, Lilith and her infernal army won’t attack the Blood Realm… Is that what he said?”
“Yes, that’s correct. He also said that his death would lead to Lilith’s retreat, and she swore on her honor as a Great Demon King.”
Berzette shot up from its throne. The Demon Lord, resembling a giant toad even larger than an ogre, strode forward decisively on two legs.
“It seems that crazy bitch has lost her mind. To bet her honor on a mere human!”
Berzette wondered if it had ever been this furious in its life.
‘Never.’
Bang!
With that conclusion, Berzette burst through the palace doors.
‘Did that human really see any possibility of killing me just because he killed a couple of Demon Lords? That wench.’
“Is that so? You little wench.”
Urgently following behind his lord, he stepped outside the Blood Fortress.
Rohit spoke again.
“He said he would wait in front of the Blood Fortress.”
Berzette bared his sharp teeth and said.
“Make that human bastard come inside the castle gates. I have to show that little wench what happens when you step into this Blood Fortress. He won’t dare to pull such insolent stunts again.”
Berzette decided to turn the human into dozens of chunks of meat.
Lilith was planning to tear apart that human she had brandished with her blade.
“Gather all the forces of the Blood Fortress behind me. I’ll tear that terrified human apart with my own hands. I will use this army to pressure Lilith.”
He had no plans to clash directly with Lilith.
He wasn’t considering a war between the Great Demon Lords. However, letting him go would surely spread rumors. It was obvious the rumor of a guy who was humiliated first and didn’t retaliate at all.
“Understood, my lord.”
The demon Algenus responded and vanished to carry out Berzette’s orders.
*
Blood Fortress.
Duke Yuma gazed at the fortress of the Great Demon King Berzette.
Behind Duke Yuma, a massive army led by Lilith stretched endlessly.
This was because Yuma had declared with certainty.
“I’ll catch Berzette. Prepare to capture the rest of the army.”
No one could refuse such a calm proclamation.
The renowned Great Demon Lord, “Master of All Fire Demons,” Lilith, looked at Yuma standing before her.
“You didn’t say a word about the House of Engraving. Touching Berzette’s pride with the story of his daughter’s honor was quite a good choice. If you’d mentioned the family, there might have been unnecessary troubles.”
Yuma slowly nodded. The provocation was done with that intention from the start. A bait to ensure they would never imagine attacking him because of the House of Engraving.
At that moment, just as Yuma had proclaimed through the loudspeaker, he heard a mighty voice from within the Blood Fortress.
-“Human, if you’re so confident, come inside this Blood Fortress. The Great Demon King will personally teach you a lesson.”
Yuma turned around.
There stood Selene, the head of the House of Engraving, Levean.
Yuma approached Selene.
Step.
Selene’s golden eyes stared intensely at Yuma.
He slowly opened his mouth.
“Don’t worry, I’ve never failed to keep a promise.”
Selene smiled brightly.
“Yes, take care, Yuma.”
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