Silence enveloped the moment.
“….”
Even Han-shin, who had given the order for a sortie, was stunned. He had expected that sending out Zel’d first would at least give a sense of Ezekiel’s level.
He was wrong.
Without any warning, Zel’d breathed his last. There was no moment to assess Ezekiel’s strength.
“This arrogant….”
Han-shin tried to say something but bit his tongue.
Is it too late to say this? He knew that manipulating mana was in the realm of possibility, but he didn’t expect it to be at this level.
Han-shin quietly reflected on his resolve.
‘As expected.’
Unexpected, but the task became clearer.
That guy must not be left alive. For the sake of the demon realm, he must die now to avoid future troubles.
‘But….’
For Han-shin, a dangerous character like that, who he had thoroughly followed and even now considered a husband, was also a source of danger. He must be eliminated.
Han-shin then made his decision.
“Attack him with everything.”
“…What?”
“I said to attack with everything.”
At that, the flames atop the Dullahan’s heads flickered violently. They looked unsettled.
“It’s unexpected, but… isn’t a cooperative attack a bit much? Isn’t this event set up for a duel?”
“Shut up. I don’t need the process; what matters is the result. The result I need to deliver today is….”
After a brief pause, Han-shin continued.
“…the result that the goddess’s husband possesses the same abilities as the lower demon kin. I have to kick that damn whore, Arcne, out of the demon lord’s place.”
He must not simply die.
There are already rumors floating around that Ezekiel is pillar god, and to be brutally defeated and killed by a demon far beneath the demon god’s levels?
Who knows how far the goddess’s honor will plummet. At the same time, that was also what Han-shin aimed for.
“Han-shin.”
At that moment, a Dullahan with blue flames spoke.
“Then shouldn’t we send out a high-ranking knight?”
“…!”
It was an obvious statement.
But it wasn’t the obviousness that surprised him.
What truly shocked Han-shin was that, unconsciously, his Dullahan subordinates all assumed that only a cooperative attack could defeat Ezekiel.
‘Did I…? Did I really overestimate that guy?’
Han-shin didn’t keep mere lower demons or flunkies around. The Dullahan gathered here today could all easily be considered elites.
‘Yet even so….’
Somewhere along the line, they drew that conclusion.
His instincts buried deep spoke.
Han-shin’s voice became noticeably quieter.
“…Don’t ask why, just attack cooperatively.”
“….”
“Do you mean to defy my orders?”
All the reapers and subordinate gods gathered here loathed Ezekiel. Killing him first and then figuring out the details would be simple enough.
The orders of a demon god are absolute.
The loyal ones soon began surrounding Ezekiel, and even those hesitating finally started to move hesitantly.
Even if they questioned the cooperative attack, they all shared the common desire to take down Ezekiel.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel stared calmly at Han-shin.
“I clearly called you out for a duel.”
“….”
Han-shin remained silent, standing opposite Ezekiel, flanked by purple flames.
“I’m quite disappointed you’ve sent out only lowly ones. It feels like I’ve been deceived. May I demand compensation from the demon lord later?”
“…You arrogant madman!”
The Dullahan around them all shouted.
But Ezekiel didn’t care at all.
“I’m not asking trash like you. Since you’re the husband of the demon god, you should be regarded as equal to her. And yet, you’re pulling this nonsense? There should be some discipline here.”
But then.
“Aha ha─!”
A high-pitched laugh resonated, accompanied by a strange aura. Anyone present could identify it; someone with tremendous mana had appeared.
“Seol-gwi, you’re right!”
Suddenly, the demon lord appeared.
Ezekiel wasn’t surprised by the demon lord’s appearance.
With even the emperor overlooking the continent’s events, the demon lord must fully understand what transpires in the demon realm.
It was expected. It was also something he had been hoping for.
A crucial move Ezekiel had prepared was that the more high-ranking demons gathered, the more potent the effect would be.
“Th-the demon lord….”
“…We greet the demon lord.”
All the demons, except Ezekiel, immediately knelt on one knee and offered their respects. Their faces showed clear signs of confusion amidst their sneaky designs.
However, the demon lord’s gaze was not on the demons, but solely on Ezekiel.
“Han-shin seems to be playing quite the trick, but you managed to hold out, huh? Any other human would have been taken by now to do some labor.”
“Enough nonsense; let’s talk about compensation.”
Ezekiel gestured toward Han-shin.
“As you can see, treating me, who has been recognized by you, the demon lord, in this way is a matter worthy of treason.”
“…!”
Han-shin’s surprise was evident. Ezekiel’s words carried weight.
Of course, the demon lord merely waved his hand gently.
“Han-shin is very fond of the demon realm, so how can I treat him harshly? The root cause of this was your ambiguous schemes from the start.”
Tock— Tock—
Valetta moved closer to Ezekiel.
“Then let’s sort this out. If you follow my terms, I’ll grant you the compensation you demanded, and ensure no demon god disrespects you.”
“Can you guarantee that?”
“Indeed, I promise you the same status as the demon gods.”
He even voiced the status of a demon god. The demons’ energy was shocked, but the demon lord ignored it.
“Alright, tell me your conditions.”
“Directly absorb the mana. Don’t use any tricks.”
This time, he demanded the absorption of mana, not its manipulation. Valetta’s words were concise.
Don’t freeze the surface of the mana with ice; show me your body absorbing it. If you do so, I’ll ensure no issues arise related to this.
“Got it.”
Ezekiel didn’t hesitate at all.
It was to be expected, and he had already prepared himself.
From the very beginning, he had understood that thinly icing the surface of mana was only enough to fool the ordinary demons. He hadn’t acted carelessly based on that reassurance.
“Can you gather the other demon gods as well?”
“Oh?”
When the demon lord snapped his fingers, all the demon gods immediately assembled. Of course, Arcne, with her sparkling eyes, was among them.
“I thought you’d refuse, yet here you are making strange demands. Seol-gwi, do you have the confidence?”
Ezekiel first checked to see if all the demon gods had gathered. They all had.
“Look.”
At the same time, Ezekiel swallowed a red sphere he had tucked away before crushing it with his molars.
The very sphere he received from the demon lord earlier.
“Huh?”
“The Bloodstone…!”
The eyes of the demon gods widened in shock.
They thought he would only be able to absorb a meager amount of mana. Yet, he had swallowed a mystical item discussing immortality.
“…!”
Ezekiel barely held back a scream.
An odd energy whirled within him, immediately causing his vision to spiral and nausea to surge.
Amidst it all, he caught a glimpse of Arcne’s worried face.
“Dear, my lord…. To consume the Bloodstone all at once…? You haven’t prepared for any side effects….”
It wasn’t a face filled with admiration. Only worry and shaking filled her expression.
Soon, Ezekiel’s vision blurred even more, and he could see nothing. Even the sounds around him were indistinct.
Though he could think, he recalled what he had been researching while staying here.
‘Just like the Sun Elixir, there should be an elemental…’
The Bloodstone, the Eternal Blood Gem.
The most precious elixir in the demon realm, the Blood Gem, not only had tremendous efficacy but apparently also bore an elemental like the Sun Elixir.
It was practically the Sun Elixir of the demon realm.
So.
From now on, it was a gamble for his life and a duel.
‘I’ve already taken one, so there’s no reason I can’t take two.’
Success means a windfall; failure means a disaster.
No, it absolutely must succeed. It must.
With that thought, Ezekiel’s consciousness began to dive deep.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Inside Ezekiel’s body.
“~♩♪♬”
The elemental of the Sun Elixir hummed a tune.
Recently, Ezekiel had been diligent in his training, making conditions inside him progressively better.
Moreover, being within Ezekiel allowed him to naturally eavesdrop on conversations with the emperor.
If he successfully completed this task, he would be promised another Sun Elixir. Wouldn’t this luxurious mansion become even more splendid afterward?
He was already buzzing with excitement. He was having a ball.
Then, suddenly.
Bang─! Bang─!
Violent noises struck his ears out of nowhere.
“…?”
Bang─! Bang─!
The sounds were coming from within the mansion, and the elemental in the garden hurried towards the source of the noise.
And there, it finally found.
A black elemental that was smashing up his house.
“…?”
“…?”
At the same time, their actions froze.
The two faced each other for a brief moment.
Their colors, natures, and appearances were completely different.
The elemental of the Sun Elixir appeared as a red and neat girl, but the pitch-black elemental had a bandage wrapped tightly around one eye and a nefarious aura.
“….”
“….”
A moment of silence.
And then the next second.
“─!”
“─!”
They both grabbed each other by the collar and started rumbling.
