Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 17 - Chapter 4

THE DEVIL KING AND THE HERO STORM THE DEMON REALMS 
A red sky above red earth dominated a landscape dotted with black clouds. The wind rushing above them shook the air like a howling giant, offering no solace to anything between heaven and earth. The first sight of the demon realms, the home of Maou and every other demon, took Emi’s breath away. It was desolation, dreariness, and sorrow symbolized. 
“So this,” she managed to whisper, “is the demon—” 
“Maou! The sand, it goes in my eyes!!” 
“Yeah, it’ll do that…” 
“<Satan! Why are we in the Greatstone Waste? We will make a fine target for Legoon out here!>” 
“Peep-peep! Where’s peep-peep?” 
“I tell you, I am not ‘peep-peep’!” 
She never finished her whisper. 
“…” 
Her former mortal enemy had invited her to his homeland—a complicated situation that made for some complex emotions she didn’t know what to do with. But her companions were being far too annoying for her to even start on that self-exploratory quest. 
“Come on, Alas Ramus. Put on your goggles and mask. You’ll get sand in your eyes.” 
“Maou! My eyes, they hurt! And my mouth, it is full of the sand!” 
“I got a set for you, too. Don’t tell me you forgot them!” 
“This not fair! My big sister, she gets it, but me, no! Give me some! Gimme, gimme, gimme!” 
“Stop acting like a begging child! Laila, put them on her!” 
“All right, all right. Come here a moment, Acieth.” 
“Boooo! Maou is a big loser! No good! Mom, what do you have on your head?” 
“I have long hair, so I put it up in this scarf to keep as much sand out of it as I could.” 
“Daddy! Peep-peep! Peep-peep is gone!” 
“Peep-peep’s right here, Alas Ramus.” 
“Huh? …No! That’s not peep-peep! Scary!” 
“Camio, stop making Alas Ramus cry.” 
“Er, no, um, I am not peep-peep, but I also am , in a way…” 
“…” 
They were loud, and none of them gave Emi’s feelings any consideration. 
On White Day, Emi had agreed to go with Maou to the demon realms, barely even waiting for him to supply a reason. It turned out he had a number of pretty serious motivations for inviting her and the rest of this party. 
First, they needed at least one person stronger at wielding holy magic than Camio, just in case Kinanna’s violent spells didn’t stop in the demon realms. 
Second, with Camael’s next move unclear, there was a nonzero chance they’d have to deal with assassins from heaven, and they wanted a bit more firepower on their side than just Maou and Camio. With Acieth on hand, Maou certainly had the muscle to dispatch three angels at the same time—but he still lacked much experience controlling Acieth’s force, and the exact nature of this power was still largely a mystery. Better, he thought, to have more stable firepower on hand instead of relying on an unknown like that. The “non-demonic, non-holy power” he busted out against Camael at Sasahata North High School, and the similar force he tapped against Gabriel and two other assailants in Heavensky, were still question marks. 
Third, as Maou had said, if the Devil King went back to his realm, and the humans involved with the assault on heaven found out, knowing the Hero Emilia was accompanying him would put a lot of people’s minds at ease. 
Fourth, the whole reason they were back here was to jog Kinanna’s memory and learn more details about the historical Devil Overlord Satan’s relics. Thus, both Kinanna and Camio, who had fought over the Astral Gem, needed to come along. 
Fifth, Laila had memories of the Devil Overlord as well as the assorted things that happened in heaven long ago. If they came into contact with an angel, or some of Satanael’s past belongings, she might be able to help out. 
As a result of all these considerations, the Devil King’s first return to his realm since he set off to invade Ente Isla had evolved into what resembled a family vacation. 
Alas Ramus, next to her, was whining about the lack of peep-peep since she didn’t realize Camio, back in his original form, was that black chicken from before. He tried his best with her, crouching his large body and trying to assuage her anxieties, while Acieth just sat there and let Laila put on her anti-sandstorm equipment for her—two grown-ups attempting to coddle the young ones at the same time. Kinanna, slithering around at their feet, played the role of the pet they couldn’t find anyone to take care of at home. 
“Ugh…” 
Looking back, she had nothing to be nervous about. Certainly, all demons were still the enemy to many Ente Islans, their realm a brutish landscape crawling with them. But by this point, to Emi, the Devil King was nothing but… 
“You doing okay, Emi?” 
She lifted her head. There, much higher up than usual, a familiar face stared down at her—framed by a single horn on one side of his head and a gigantic body covered in his Devil King’s cloak, one that Emi once attempted to pierce through with her sword. 
“Let me know if you start feeling sick. This has to be a terrible environment for you.” 
The grim, foreboding face of the Devil King, leader of demons and nemesis to all humankind, was concerned for Emi. She wondered how he interpreted her sighing. 
Yes, the demon realms were pulsing with demonic energy, thick enough that Shiba’s warnings of exhausting the supply seemed silly. If a normal human came here, it’d be like sitting in a room full of lethal gas. 
“…I’m fine for now, thanks.” 
The Emi of today meekly accepted the kindness of Satan, a demon no longer her adversary. 
“But if it really gets dangerous, I’ll transform somewhere Kinanna can’t see me.” 
“All right. But don’t push yourself. I’ve never brought a human to the demon realms before, so I can’t say what’s gonna happen.” 
“…Yeah.” 
If Emi wanted to run at full performance in a demonic force–laden environment that was like a poisonous miasma to most humans, transforming into Hero mode would do much to reduce the strain on her body. But Kinanna had named Legoon the warrior, an angel from heaven, as his arch-nemesis. If the Hero Emilia came along, having a lot of the same external traits as Gabriel and Camael, they didn’t know how he’d react. Thus, except for real emergencies, Emi needed to keep that locked away. 
“But how come Kinanna’s still a lizard if you and Camio are back to your demon forms?” 
“Oh, right…” 
“Ugh. Use your head a little.” 
Only now did Satan notice that the pint-sized lizard at their feet hadn’t absorbed any demonic energy. He was the exact size he was back at Villa Rosa Sasazuka—where the creature hungrily ate up even the tiniest bit of demonic force Maou released and used it to enlarge himself. Surrounded by all this , you’d expect him to be the size of a giant monster out of a movie. 
“<Now, Camuinica…>” 
As Maou wondered about this, Kinanna looked up at Camio. 
“Hmm?” 
“<What happened to the Nothung?>” 
“…That again?” 
This discouraged Maou. In the lizard’s senile mind, the Nothung must’ve been something he had some major regrets about. He hoped a change of scenery to something familiar would change his tune a little, but all he wanted to talk about was that sword. 
Camio, likely feeling the same way, looked down at him. Then, at Satan, he said, “…Pardon me, my liege.” 
“Hmm? What are…? Ngh?! ” 
Suddenly, Camio tapped on Satan’s broken horn, injecting his own demonic force into it. 
“Owww! What’s that for?!” 
The pain of having an old wound energized with foreign energy like that brought tears to Satan’s eyes. 
“One moment, my liege,” Camio said, lowering his head. “I just wondered if this could trick him for a period of time.” 
“Huh? Trick him?” 
“Hey, I sense some demonic force coming our way.” 
Laila pointed toward the eastern sky. 
“Hmm?” 
Looking that way, they picked up on it—a sort of strong, dark energy flying toward them. 
“I will call for it. Excuse me.” 
Camio flew up and away. 
“Huh? Daddy?” 
Watching Camio go, Alas Ramus—for reasons only she knew—called the force that had Camio’s attention Daddy. 
“Is that a sword?” 
It was—and Camio had just caught it in midair. 
“Is that…?” 
It was a familiar blade to Emi and Satan, its scabbard covered in tons of jewels, every inch of it bursting with energy. It was a demon sword, crafted from the Devil King’s own horn—and perhaps because the Yesod fragment was taken off the sheath, it was bursting with energy even with the blade not visible. 
“Ohhh… That’s my…” 
“Indeed, it is. This sword is made from fragments of your shattered horn, my liege.” 
It must have been attracted to the magical force of the Devil King, whose energy it was imbued with. But handling it here in the demon realms, it exhibited an ominous, foreboding strength, far more powerful than when they had last seen it in Choshi. 
“So it comes flying to me if I poke at my scar? What kind of curse is that?” 
Emi grinned as she looked up at Satan’s missing horn. “It’s already pretty cursed as it is. Not that it’s for me to ask…but you can’t fix that thing?” 
“Probably not. It got used to make this sword. If I could fashion that back into a horn, I could’ve restored Room 201 to normal, too.” 
“Your Demonic Highness, I apologize. It was taken at great risk from Ente Isla’s Devil’s Castle, as a relic from the Devil King we thought we lost…” 
Satan shook his head. “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not like it won’t ever go back to normal.” 
“Huh?” 
“Oh?” 
“Here, look. I noticed this the last time I transformed back.” 
He crouched, giving Emi and Camio a closer examination at the sliced-off stump. When it first happened, the surface was level and flat, like a trunk sawn off a tree—but now, it rose a little bit, forming a small hill. 
“It’s starting to grow a bit again.” 
“Is…? Is that how it works?” 
“Ah, yes, the shape of your horns did change quite drastically as they grew. When you were younger, my liege, they were no longer than one of my claws.” 
“Right? So yeah, I guess so. Of course, this is after two years of growth, so who knows when they’ll both be in balance again.” 
Satan flicked his other horn. 
“Besides, I don’t really see a need to get this fixed. It’s kind of a symbol of the mistakes I made. If someone cuts your horn off, that hurts in more way than one, and even if you can take the pain, it still sucks. Learning that in time for this war against heaven was good for me. I know to watch out for that.” He stood up and smiled at Emi. “Because we’ve fought enough by now, right? And if, after all this, I’m dumb enough to go back to our old relationship, I’d rather we both just died.” 
“…!” Emi, not expecting this, was speechless. She blushed. “Wha? That-that-that’s not something you can… I—I didn’t, like…” 
Whether he intended it or not, it was just like what she whined at Chiho about. It made her almost incoherent, for some reason. Satan—Maou—was thinking the same things as her. Emi no longer wanted to fight him, and he no longer wanted to fight her. If they could avoid it, they would. 
“I…” 
“Ha-ha! Well, let’s help out Alas Ramus’s family first. Hey, Camio, where was Kinanna’s lair again? We can’t stay here too long. Camael might still be around, and I’d like to keep other demons from realizing I’m back home for now.” 
“…” 
Camio glanced at Emi quickly. He did not speak to her. 
“It is in the direction your demon sword came from, my liege. But if we venture inside unprepared, I fear it’ll attract the wrath of Kinanna again. His strength is truly something to be feared, so… Kinanna! Look at this.” 
“<Hmm?>” 
“It is the Nothung.” 
“Huh? Uh, shouldn’t we have taken the real one along?” 
Was he trying to make the lizard confuse Satan’s demon sword with the Nothung? The real one was still in Ente Isla, and Satan wondered if it was worth the time to bring it over. But before he could suggest it: 
“<What is this?!>” 
Oh, great , Satan thought. 
“<Camuinica! You’ve abandoned the Nothung until it’s deteriorated into this sorry state? If I told you once, I told you a thousand times—no matter how long the fight drags on, you must always sharpen it regularly! How will you ever slay Legoon with this?!>” 
“Huh?” 
Kinanna was angry, all right—but for different reasons than Maou expected. 
“<Come here, Camuinica, you inexperienced young fool! I’ll sharpen you up right alongside the Nothung! Here we go!>” 
The transformation came quite suddenly. Just as Camio went from a black chicken to a proud Pájaro Danino general, the lizard Kinanna’s form morphed into a two-legged, muscle-bound warrior in the blink of an eye. The stone they thought was the Astral Gem was embedded in his throat, the dazzling color pattern around his neck shining shades of red in the crimson sky. Taking the demon sword in hand, he extended insect-like wings, also in an array of rainbow colors, and floated into the air. 
“<What are you doing, Camuinica?! Join me!>” 
Camio placidly nodded. “Yes… Shall we, my liege? And you, too?” Then he flew up, encouraging the others to join him. 
Satan half froze for a moment, unsure what to make of this chiseled demon, not at all the reptilian monster he saw in Yoyogi Park. Emi pushed him forward. 
“See? Bringing him back here is giving us results. Let’s go.” 
Picking up Alas Ramus, he flew behind Camio. 
“A-all right…” 
Satan followed along, still unsure. 
“What is the matter, Mom?” Acieth asked Laila. 
“Oh, um, I just feel like I don’t really have anything to contribute, so…” 
Satanael, also known as the Devil Overlord Satan, left a set of relics, crystallized pieces of his memory, in the demon realms for reasons only he knew. Laila knew no details about any of them, and she couldn’t get anything useful about them out of Gabriel. What was going on while she was denouncing Ignora as mistaken and wandering across realms? 
“But, Mom, if you were not there, then Maou, maybe he not be alive? It is fine! You are no useless bum!” 
“Acieth, I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I’m not that bad off… Maybe you’re right, though.” 
The largest, boldest dreams in the world will lose out every time to a single committed act. These two superpowers, teaming up to stop Ignora—if Laila wasn’t around, they wouldn’t be here at all. 
“Thank you. Now, let’s go.” 
“Okay! Oh, but do not get the cocky, okay, Mom? Suzuno, she say ‘Oh, be careful when Laila is raring to go!’” 
“…Does she really doubt me that much?” 
Maybe it was time for Laila to reconsider her life a little bit. The thought depressed her as she soared into the red sky. 
East of Greatstone Waste was a mountainous area that used to be the stronghold of Alciel’s Iron Scorpion clan, although it was mostly deserted now. Beyond it lay Kinanna’s homeland. 
“There it is, my liege.” 
Camio pointed to the mouth of a large gorge, a crack in what was otherwise a flat patch of land. As if on cue, Kinanna descended, plunging straight inside. 
“His comrades won’t attack us the moment we go down, will they?” 
“No, they won’t. That land…” 
Camio lowered his voice. 
“…is a valley of death.” 
The bottom of the gorge was not exposed to the howling winds above. In its place was stagnant air and low temperatures. The wind brushing against the top echoed across the canyon like a low rumble, applying pressure to the ears. It was a deep valley, pockmarked with tunnels on the walls that resembled the hives of gigantic demon insects. Around them, toward the top, the wind blew coldly, like the dead of winter. 
“You okay, Alas Ramus? Would you be better inside Mommy?” 
Emi had no idea what climate to expect, so she and the two Yesod fragments in the group were in warmer clothes. Now, they could all see their breath. Emi hugged Alas Ramus tight, the child hugging her back. 
“Mommy, I’m cold.” 
“I know. Come on in, okay?” 
She closed her eyes and fused with Alas Ramus. Away from the cold, Emi could feel a sense of relief wash over her. 
“Hey… Maou, I the cold, too, a little…” 
“Sure thing. I don’t want you poking around here anyway.” 
“Huh? Ah! I—I did not mean— hey!! ” 
Acieth, hoping for a little sympathy of her own from Maou, instead got sucked into him without any chance to protest. He didn’t want her curiosity getting the best of her and driving her down one of those tunnels—but based on her shouting and carrying on in his mind, she must have picked up on that. Maou let it slide. Despite her anger, the cold meant she was in no hurry to go back outside. 
Kinanna, the first to touch down, walked along the gorge’s bottom and away, not looking back. 
“Considering how imposing he is, something seems to be concerning him. Don’t get lost, okay? This gorge is full of tunnels.” 
“As far as he knows, I am Camuinica, and my liege is Satanael. He has memories of spending time with both of them in this land. He must assume we’ll follow along without him having to tell us. Don’t worry. I have walked this path before. This way.” 
Camio put his best foot forward, walking with confidence that wiped away Emi’s concern. It didn’t take long for them to catch up with Kinanna. A few times, he stopped to look around and sniff the air, perhaps wary about something else, then start walking again once he was satisfied. 
“Is he keeping an eye out for angels? Or Legoon?” 
Camio shook his head at Laila, then pointed at a pile of rubble in a previously unseen corner. “I am not certain myself, but I believe he is as wary of that as he is of Legoon.” 
Upon closer scrutiny, it almost looked like a pile of broken machine parts, an unusual sight to see this far down. 
“What’s that?” 
They had been here for some time, their rusted surfaces hard to tell apart from the boulders that surrounded them, but they still had the straight lines and angles of man-made objects. Emi took a few steps closer, straining to observe them in the dim light. 
“Wait, Emi.” 
Satan put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, surprised at his insistence, only to find Laila looking at the pile with similar wariness. 
“Hey, Camio, that a Silverarm?” 
“Likely so.” 
Another new term. A demon clan, Emi assumed. 
“This is a Seraph, a polar patrol battle unit. A bipedal weapon from heaven.” 
“What?!” 
It was something Emi never expected Laila to say…and something she never expected to hear in the demon realms. 
“A weapon…? Like, a battle robot?” 
“That’s right. A pretty old model, but I’m sure of it.” 
“Stay here, Emi.” 
“Okay…” 
Emi nodded at the stern eyes of Satan, then looked up at his back as he gingerly approached the ruined machine. He was on his home turf, as the Devil King, facing something that was torn to shreds ages ago, but he was still taking every precaution possible. 
“The Silverarms,” Camio explained to her, “could be called bitter enemies of the Devil King’s Army. They were a formidable challenge for both His Demonic Highness and his generals.” 
As someone who didn’t know much about how the Devil King’s Army got its start, Emi could only see those robots as something that must’ve been really strong at one point. 
“It’s fully shut down. I don’t think its communication systems are online any longer. Camio, do you think Kinanna did this?” 
“I would say it is quite likely. Him—or another Lenbrellebelve.” 
Maou, retreating a little, watched Kinanna as he continued to probe the area, swiveling his head around. 
“…How long has he been down here…?” 
They walked for perhaps two more hours after reaching the gorge’s bottom—and along the way, Satan and his team found several dozen more ruined Silverarms. Why would Silverarms, which once wandered in the area of Satan’s Ark south of the Malebranche homeland, wind up all the way down here? They didn’t know. Maybe there were even more of them abandoned elsewhere. 
Regardless, Kinanna spoke no words to these ruined machines. When he finally stopped, he was in front of a tunnel, one looking little different from the others they saw. The main difference was the large crater in front of it, no doubt created by some powerful force. This crater must have been new—made when Camio encountered Camael, no doubt. 
“<Mm? What is this?! Has Legoon’s advance guard come here again?!>” 
Kinanna, seeming to recognize something was off, quickly ran inside the tunnel. 
“Of course,” Camio said with a grin as he followed behind, “it was Kinanna who did that, not me or Camael.” 
The rest of the team continued in, one step back. They quickly found that only the entrance was dark—the rest of the tunnel was not. 
“Are those lightbulbs?” 
The lights lining the walls were not the luminescent moss or other dim sources of illumination one saw in caves. They appeared to be powered by electricity. What resembled a bare cave up front soon gave way to a paved path, leading to a geometrically designed hallway. 
Looking at the walls and floor, Satan’s eyes lit up. “Is this…the same material as in Satan’s Ark?” 
“I did not venture this far in my last visit…but something like this, so far underground?” 
Satan and Camio couldn’t hide their surprise at the secret space in Kinanna’s tunnel. Neither could Laila. 
“I… I know this. This is what we built. Up in heaven.” 
She touched one of the walls, looking shocked. 
“When he went away from heaven, Satanael took some of the moon’s technology with him…but I thought that was only in Satan’s Ark. I had no idea there was any of this here… I wonder if Gabriel knows about it.” 
Satan had already surmised that Satan’s Ark was a heavenly creation. But what could Satanael have buried in this space, so far away from there? Something so important that he placed Lenbrellebelve guards to protect it? 
“Let’s hope the answers are on the other side of that door.” 
A few hundred feet ahead was a door, the design of which nobody on hand had seen before. Kinanna stood in front of it, waiting for them. Nervously swallowing, they approached him. 
“<…>” 
Once they were all by the door, Kinanna wordlessly turned around, then peered into what looked like a lens on the wall. There were similar devices in Satan’s Ark, Satan recalled as the door automatically slid open. He only recognized it as a retinal scanner because he had learned what those were in Japan. 
Beyond the door was a small chamber, almost a continuation of the hallway, with the same kind of door on the other end. It didn’t seem like a room, and exactly why this small, empty space existed at all was unknown. But nobody sensed any danger, and the party had members strong enough to deal with any surprises at hand. So they entered it, Kinanna taking up position at the next door. 
They all stopped, not wanting to rile him. Then the previous door closed behind Emi’s back. And just as everyone went on full guard, ready for anything, unexpected things began to happen. 
“Whoa?!” 
“Peep?!” 
With a shout, Satan and Camio were engulfed in a dark fog. 
“Devil King?! Camio?!” 
Emi was about to manifest her holy sword, Laila squaring up for battle herself—but then the fog dissipated, sucked into the walls and ceiling. And what they left behind… 
“Hohh, man… What was that all about?” 
“ Peep… That was quite a surprise.” 
…was Sadao Maou and a black chicken. 
“Are you okay?!” 
In a panic, Emi ran up to them. Maou, lying on his rear end in shock, didn’t appear hurt, apart from the fact that his Devil King cloak was a floppy bedsheet on his human frame. 
Camio quickly trundled his small, round body up to Emi. 
“It was quite the surprise, but I appear fine… And you?” 
“We’re all good. Right, Emilia?” 
“Yes, I didn’t—” 
“Huh? Hey, Acieth, you okay?!” 
Acieth, fused with Maou, did not fare as well. At once, he released her, only to find a severely nauseated girl, face covered in a cold sweat. 
Laila promptly sprinted up to her. 
“Acieth?!” 
“I… I am okay… Or I want to say…but… It is the tough… urg … Maou, that thing, it was good to you…? Your dark force, it was sucked up like vacuum?” 
“I dunno… Losing all that force was a surprise, yeah, but I wasn’t hurt at all…” 
“But you must be…” Acieth winced at the oblivious Maou. “That thing, it takes energy from the core of life… I cannot believe it… Emi and Mom, you are really fine? Maou, Camio, you, too…?” 
“Um…” 
“Apart from losing that force, yes. Although this could be a peep problem…” 
Acieth had clearly gone through an ordeal just now, confusing everyone else in the room. Then Emi recalled something that made her shudder. 
“Alas Ramus?!” 
She materialized as Emi called for her. Her suspicion was right. The child appeared to be unconscious. 
“Alas Ramus! Wake up!” 
“She’s alive, Emilia. Don’t worry. She’s just unconscious.” 
Laila stopped Emi before she started trying to shake her awake. 
“How can I not worry right now?! This came out of nowhere… What’s wrong, Alas Ramus? Open your eyes!” 
“Calm down, Emilia!” 
“…!” 
Emi froze at the sound of her mother’s scolding. But the energy drained quickly from her body. 
“You’re her mother! You can’t lose your mind at a time like this! Just calm down and prepare for whatever might come next. You know they’re far, far stronger than we are. I know you’re worried that she’s knocked out, but if she’s breathing, she’s fine. Come on, everyone, look up ahead.” 
The door before them had opened up at some point. Kinanna was gone, and nothing but darkness greeted them beyond. It seemed to lead to a much larger chamber. 
“This room was probably like the air showers you see in factories, so you wouldn’t bring demonic energy with you to whatever’s coming. It didn’t affect Satan or Camio at all, but if this machinery sucks the energy out of people, who knows what’s driving it… I never saw anything that did this in heaven. If it did that to Acieth and Alas Ramus, I bet we’ll find out why up ahead.” 
“If anything else happens to Alas Ramus, that lizard’s going to pay.” 
Emi fused back with the child, holding her tightly, then wiped the tears from her eyes and peered into the darkness. 

 

“I’m bringing you back, Acieth.” 
“Okay,” she said, still a little pained. “I want the sleep, a little. Unless it is bad, do not wake, okay?” 
“All right,” Laila declared, “I’ll take the leader position from now on. You and Camio can’t fight like that; Satan, Emilia, you take the rear.” 
“Okay.” 
The four of them went through the second door, all senses finely tuned. Then, as if awaiting their arrival, the large, high-ceilinged chamber lit up. 
“What on…?” 
Not even Maou, familiar as he was with the state of science and technology in Japan, had seen all the inscrutable, unfathomable machines and devices that filled this room. It looked like a factory, or perhaps a laboratory, with an incredibly high ceiling and a sprawling floor space. On one end was a desk of sorts, equipped with a console and monitors to control the rest of the room. On the other were four capsules on top of platforms, each different sizes and likely meant to house something. One of them, the largest, was bigger than a lot of buildings they had seen; most of the square footage in the room was devoted to this monolithic capsule. 
“This…doesn’t really match up with my image of Kinanna…” 
Emi had a good point. Why would that completely befuddled lizard be connected to heavenly technology, the likes of which not even Laila knew of? He had to be involved, given how the retina sensor let him in, but would he sit down at one of these consoles and start controlling all these machines? It was a bit hard to imagine. Ergonomically, the desks and such were clearly made for human-sized operators. Even in his current bipedal form, Kinanna’s tail would get in the way. 
“So where did he go…?” 
“Actually, why didn’t he shrink from that mist? He’s a demon, too.” 
“I dunno. But none of this looks like it’s running. Let’s go see if there’s another exit or… Whoa!” 
“<What are you going on about, Satan? It has been a while since your last visit. Have you forgotten how to operate this?>” 
Just as Maou was checking around the chamber, the capsules began to rumble into motion, Kinanna coming out from behind their platforms. 
“<Camuinica, what have you been doing with the Nothung? It’s shrunken to the point that you can’t even install it in the capsules.>” 
“I-install it?” 
“<Right. Time to sharpen it.>” 
Ignoring the flustered Camio, Kinanna approached a console and began operating it with his clawed fingers, not trying to sit down. 
“Oh…?!” 
The sword from Satan’s horn began to rise. 
“Uh, Camio, this is kinda bad, isn’t it? Isn’t the Nothung supposed to be in that machine? If it’s something else, will it break?” 
“I—I would think so, but what peep can we do about it…?” 
“It’s starting up!” 
Laila, too, couldn’t hide her concern about what seemed like impending doom for that machine. But with a low whirring, the demon sword went inside the capsule—and then a fifth rose up from between the other four. It was big enough to house a person, but it was empty, its door open. 
“<Right. Oof!>” 
“Huh?” 
With a measured pace, Kinanna walked inside the capsule, as if he had done it a million times before. It automatically closed, a set of restraints keeping his head in place. 
“<Now, time to begin.>” 
The restraints were designed to keep the stone buried in his neck exposed. Once they were in place, the entire capsule was cloaked in black mist. 
“Demonic force?” 
“Could that be the force taken from us? Ah… It is not…” 
“No, there’s too much of it… Whoa?!” 
The concentrated force inside the capsule was clearly even greater than what had just gotten sucked out of the Devil King and his consort. 
“Hrngh…” 
Judging by how Emi, even with her superhuman resistance, was currently retching behind the two of them, there was clearly a fearsome amount of demonic energy being put into that capsule. Its walls didn’t let any of it out, but the stench of it alone was affecting the Hero’s physical health. 
“This…is kind of rough…” 
Laila, being an angel, was no exception. She held her hand to her mouth, but her eyes were still focused on Kinanna in his capsule. 

“This much force at once… It’s enough to suck all the nearby demonic energy out of the atmosphere… Where does it come from…?” 
“…!” 
Maou remembered: He had seen this happen, long before he had gone to Japan, even before he had united the demon realms. It was in the wastelands to the south, when he was being held prisoner at the Malebranche homeland and sent to defeat the Silverarms running around Satan’s Ark. 
“No way…” 
He had been under the earth’s surface then, too. And when he traced his memory that far… 
“Hngh?!” 
“Devil King?!” 
The capsule housing his demon sword began to glow—and the moment it did, Maou collapsed, holding his head against the intense pain. 
“Ooowwwwwwwww!! Wha-what the hell is—? Aaahhhhh?! ” 
“My liege?!” 
“S-Satan?! What is it?!” 
“Gaaahhhhhh?! My horn… My horrnnnnn?!” 
“Hold on, Devil King! Hang in there!” 
Emi couldn’t be blamed for panicking. A small amount of blood had spouted out of the right side of his head. 
“Kinanna! Stop that machine! His Demonic cheep … Er, the machine is hurting Satan!” 
Camio shouted with unusual volume. It didn’t seem to reach Kinanna in the capsule. In fact, the stone in his neck began emitting an even stronger light—and when he absorbed the super-concentrated force inside, he, too, began to shine brightly. 
“<Ooohhhhhh…>” 
Between his shouting and the whirring of the machine, Kinanna and the demon sword glowed on…and its brightness was directly connected to the pain making Maou writhe around. 
“What is this black magic peep he’s showing us?!” 
To anyone else, it would look like Kinanna was inside some elaborate torture device. But it was Maou taking all the pain. 
“Agghh! …Gaaagh!” 
“Hang in there, Devil King!” 
Emi took out a handkerchief and applied it to Maou’s head. It was quickly stained red with his blood. 
“Emilia! Keep it held down! …Ngh! ” 
Laila—a doctor in heaven and a registered nurse in Japan—put her own hand on top of Emi’s, applying healing magic to it. 
“Nnn…guh…rngh…” 
But the blood didn’t stop. And while everyone stood around him, helpless, the capsule with the demon sword let out a particularly blinding burst of light. 
“Aagh!” 
“Devil King!!” 
Maou’s body spasmed, and then his eyes rolled back. Emi managed to keep him from falling straight to the floor, but Maou was completely unconscious. 
“Devil King! Devil King, are you okay? Keep it together!” 
He didn’t wake up. 
“The blood stopped…but…” 
It was no doubt because the sword inside the machine was sharpened, as Kinanna would put it. But they had no idea why something that hadn’t been part of him for years would affect him this way. 
“Oh! Acieth! Is Acieth okay?!” 
“I don’t know. I can’t treat her from the outside. I can’t say what’s happening to her while he’s unconscious…” 
“You have Alas Ramus and me here! It shouldn’t matter whether he’s knocked out or not! Acieth? Can you hear me? Can you get out of there?!” 
Emi tried calling for her. There was no response from her or Maou. 
“<So did that sharpen it?>” 
Then, completely ignorant of the scene outside, Kinanna sluggishly exited his capsule. 
“<Kinanna!>” Camio shouted. “<What did you do to that sword? What do you mean by sharpening it?!>” 
Kinanna didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, he trudged to the other capsule. 
“<Don’t tell me, Camuinica, you’ve stopped sharpening it for so long that you’ve forgotten?>” 
Emi had no idea there was such a thing as a lizard’s smile until that moment. 
“<It means concentrating my life energy within the Astral Gem Satan placed in my body and using it to reenergize the sword.>” 
“<!!>” 
“Did he just say Astral Gem…?” 
“Assuming my Idea Link picked that up correctly…” 
Emi and Laila glanced at each other while Camio, at a loss for words, stared at the sword. At first glance, it didn’t look any different. As a chicken, he was watching Kinanna from a pretty low angle—but as if Camio was standing there in his usual form, Kinanna brought the sword forward…and let it go in midair. 
“Peep?!” 
With a heavy clunk, the sword landed right in front of Camio’s face. Gingerly, he examined it. Its demonic force had been sucked dry in the previous chamber. The scabbard had become discolored and the jewels scraped off of it, perhaps by the light in the capsule. 
“Mmph… What… peep is this…?” 
The sword, while infused with Satan’s horn, was otherwise the same as any other metal sword. But Camio felt repelled by it. The aura it emitted made it all but impossible to approach. 
“Camio? What is it?” 
“Can—can you peep pick up the sword for me, Angel? With my current body…” 
“Oh? Oh, all right. I hope the machine didn’t break it or anything…but at least we know that’s really the Astral Gem in his throat, huh?” 
Keeping an eye squarely on Kinanna, Laila approached the sword. 
“Based on what we just saw, I think it’s pretty obvious…” 
“Yeah… You’re right.” 
Laila and Emi looked at each other with a mixture of emotions. It was safe to say they knew where the Astral Gem was now. And based on the capsule sizes and Kinanna’s Nothung obsession, it seemed clear this very chamber was deeply related to the four relics. And if Kinanna was a sort of “living relic” charged with sharpening the others, it was clear what the other three capsules were for. The capsule he had just put Maou’s horn-based demon sword in belonged to the Nothung. The gigantic one near it must’ve been meant for the Spear of Adramelechinus… 
“…Wait.” 
But then Emi noticed something strange. There were four capsules—one for each relic, she assumed. But Kinanna—i.e., the Astral Gem—went into the central capsule that appeared when the sharpening process began. That made for one too many capsules. 
The Sorcery of the False Gold had to go into one of them. One was smaller than the Nothung space; the other a bit larger than that. Emi had never seen the Sorcery tome before, but either way, she couldn’t guess what was meant to fill the blank space. 
“We aren’t still…missing something, are we?” 
“Emilia? What is it?” 
Laila, not picking up on this, grabbed the demon sword. 
“<You need to keep the Nothung sharpened, you know. If you don’t do a thorough job of it, you will never neutralize Legoon the warrior.>” 
Kinanna was not focused on Laila, despite her being right there with the sword. Perhaps Laila and Emi never even registered in his mind. 
“<Now, Satan, it is time for you to slay Legoon once more.>” 
This encouragement was lobbed at a prone, unconscious Maou. Emi had enough. Flinging caution to the wind, she glared at Kinanna. 
“<Mm…>” 
But he still didn’t look at her. His face was hardened, sharpened, and it was pointed at neither Emi, nor Laila, nor Maou, nor Camio. 
“…Huh?” 
“What?” 
“What cheep is it…?” 
Emi, Laila, and Camio followed his gaze. And there… 
“Wha?” 
“Uh…” 
“Ah…” 
“<Legoon!!!>” 
As the trio stood dumbfounded, the lizard darted among them at lightning speed. 
“Agh!” 
“Whoa!” 
“Peeeeeep?!” 
A shock wave coursed through the chamber, blowing away the lightweight Camio. Laila withstood it, Emi bracing herself as she held Maou’s body, but neither could move while in its grasp. 
Since when was that figure there? It was small, a measure smaller than Laila or Emi, and somewhere amid all this fracas, it had taken up residence at the entrance. Kinanna, noticing it, went on the attack with fists raised, but a barrier of golden light was between them, keeping him safely away. 
“That’s…” 
The sight was familiar to Emi. Not the figure, so much as what it was wearing, maybe? She didn’t know. But it was clear this was the enemy. 
The jet-black, bowl-like visor. The somewhat puffy full-body suit. It was that astronaut—the one who’d appeared aloft in Heavensky, capital of Efzahan, and tried to suck everything with holy energy upward to it. 
“…” 
“<Nnnnnnngh!!>” 
The barrier of light did little to dissuade Kinanna. He bashed against it with his full force, attempting to break through. 
“!” 
It was hard to tell since the visor was completely opaque, but it seemed like the astronaut flinched back a bit. The stone in Kinanna’s throat glowed—and suddenly, his arm punched its way through the wall. 
The claws reached the astronaut’s helmet, hitting it with a dull thud. Emi thought it might shatter the visor—but Kinanna only managed to push the astronaut’s head back a little, causing no damage at all. 
“<How did you find this place?!>” 
The lizard hammered another fist down at astonishing speed. The astronaut, unable to dodge in time, took the blow head-on. Another dull thud. The suit wasn’t damaged. 
“…!” 
Kinanna, flustered at being so ineffective, flinched for a moment. That was all the astronaut needed. A thickly gloved right hand reached for his throat. 
“<Ghn… Kaaahhhh!!>” 
“!” 
Not trying to undo the grip, Kinanna opened his mouth wide and screamed, his throat releasing sparkling trails of demonic force—a move they’d seen in Yoyogi Park. The astronaut took them at point-blank range, and while her outfit remained undamaged, the figure unhanded him and stepped away. 
“<Impressive.>” 
Not lunging in for another attack, Kinanna growled at the foe. Or perhaps he couldn’t attack at all. Unbelievably, after all that force, he fell to his knees. There were still indentations around his neck where he was choked. Black mist flowed out from them—and bit by bit, he began to shrink. 
“<Camuinica! What are you doing? Take the Nothung! Push Legoon back!>” 
She didn’t understand him, but Emi heard “Camuinica” among the gibberish. It made her click her tongue. 
“Peeeeep…” 
Camio, bereft of force, couldn’t even beat a normal human by this point. And being blown against the wall just now didn’t do him any favors. The peeping seemed even more pathetic than usual. 
Realizing her back was against the wall, Emi manifested her holy sword. 
“Laila, take care of the Devil King!” 
“Huh? W-wait, Emilia, you can’t right now…” 
“This is exactly why I came here! Please!” 
“No, Emilia! That’s…!!” 
Laila’s shouting couldn’t stop her daughter. 
“You don’t need to tell me who it is!” She leaped forward, surpassing even Kinanna’s speed. “It’s Ignora, isn’t it?! If I beat her, this ends now!!” 
It could only be her. There was no one else who’d attempt to fetch the angels Maou defeated in Heavensky, who made strange advances upon Alas Ramus and Acieth while in the bodies of their respective hosts—and who now fought with Kinanna, a lizard capable of beating Camael at his strongest. In that bulky outfit, no less. The root cause of everything tormenting Emi and her daughter—Ignora, head of heaven. 
“Prepare yourself!” 
With extreme hostility, Emi instantly transformed—no time to worry about Kinanna’s reaction. Turning her holy sword’s force up to the strongest level, she smashed it down upon her foe’s visor. 
But: 
“…!” 
“No…!!” 
Like a father deflecting a sword made by his child out of newspaper, the astronaut globe grabbed the Better Half’s blade, stopping it like there was no power—holy or otherwise—behind it. It forced Emi to land awkwardly on the ground, her momentum stunted. 
“Y-you’re kidding… Why…?” 
The sword didn’t move. No matter how much she pulled or pushed, the glove kept it frozen in the air. The space suit seemed bereft of energy, but not even Emi’s concerted effort could make it budge. 
“Emilia! Get away! Put your sword back!!” 
“I would if I could!” Emi shouted back at Laila. “But she’s…! What’re you doing?!” 
“Emilia?!” 
“My sword! It’s coming… No! Stop it, Alas Ramus!!” 
With a scream, Emi was blown aside. In front of her was a golden barrier of light, the same that stopped Kinanna’s fist. It had sent Emi flying like a bug. 
“Agh!!” 
“Emilia!!” 
Sent helplessly to the floor, Emi’s hair and eyes went back to their usual colors, and then she fell unconscious. 
“…” 
The Better Half was nevertheless in the space suit’s hand—still manifested, despite being away from Emi. Twisting her arm, the astronaut took it by the handle, giving it a few test swipes like it belonged to her. 
“I-Ignora… Are you Ignora…?” 
Laila furtively called her by name. The former comrade that she once respected but turned away from after a difference in opinion. But the astronaut called Ignora did not respond. She didn’t even turn her way. 
“…” 
Wordlessly, she caressed the Yesod fragment ensconced on the handle—and then something unbelievable happened. 
“Alas Ramus!!” 
Laila’s voice was a high-pitched scream now. 
The holy sword disappeared, as if melting into the air. All that remained was Alas Ramus in the astronaut’s arms, sleeping with a discontented expression. 
“Stop! Ignora! That girl…!!” 
In a panic, Laila tossed Maou aside and lunged at Ignora, not even bothering to remove the scabbard on the demon sword she carried. But she was no trained fighter, and to the astronaut, it barely even registered as an attack. There was no golden wall. None was required. 
The visor turned her way. 
“…!!” 
That was all it took to stop Laila. She wasn’t even four feet away, but she just couldn’t extend her arm out to her. Her body erupted in a cold sweat, her legs started to quiver, and she wound up dropping the demon sword. 
“…I-Ignora… You…” 
“Laila.” 
From behind the visor, there was a voice she should never have been able to hear. 
“Thank you for helping me.” 
“…What?” 
“Farewell, then.” 
A glove came up to Laila’s face, emitting a blinding golden light. 
But just then: 
“<This is not over yet!!>” 
With a cry, the astronaut’s wrist was launched upward. 
“Ngh!” 
“Ahhhh?!” 
Kinanna picked up the sword Laila dropped, removing the sheath, and struck the astronaut’s arm. The space suit, impervious even to the Better Half at maximum strength, was deflected away by a demon sword that was drained of demonic force a moment ago. 
The strike triggered another shock wave of energy, strong enough to virtually take Laila’s head off. The wave smashed the largest capsule and blew a hole in the wall. 
“<Nrraaahhhh!!>” 
“!!” 
For the first time, the astronaut took evasive action. Until now, she had blocked every attack with either that golden barrier or her own space suit—but now she was running from a simple steel sword. 
“<I will let you take no more of the children of the great tree! Legoon, prepare to die!>” 
Paying no attention to the demonic force bleeding out of his neck, Kinanna skillfully avoided Alas Ramus as she surged toward the astronaut. The tip finally reached the visor, the same one that was undamaged after a direct slash from the Better Half—carving a small, gold-colored scratch on it. 
Then, out of nowhere, Alas Ramus woke up in her arms. 
“…Malkuth…?” 
The astronaut paused for a moment. Kinanna didn’t miss a beat. 
“<Keeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!!>” 
“Wah!” 
With a feral scream, he extended his slippery tongue and wrapped it around Alas Ramus. 
“!” 
But the astronaut quickly recovered, lunging for the tongue faster than Laila could see. 
“<Ngh!>” 
“Wehh-ehhhhh?” 
The tongue was a lot sturdier than at first glance. A burst of golden energy must have come out of the gloves again. There was blood in the air. Alas Ramus, wrapped around the tip, was shaken violently. 
“Ah!” 
“<Mngh!>” 
“Aaah!!” 
Weakened to the point that he couldn’t bring enough power to his attack, Kinanna dropped Alas Ramus. The astronaut reached out, ready to grab her. 
“Hraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” 
The scream stopped everyone in their tracks. Acieth Alla had appeared out of nowhere—and the next thing they all knew, her right knee was buried in the chin of the astronaut’s visor. 
The high-speed surprise attack had a clear effect. But Acieth’s assault didn’t end there. She landed a whiplike kick on the astronaut’s right side, still off-balance and wide open. Nothing Kinanna or Emi did could make her do more than waver a bit, but now she was down on the ground. 
“Wah!” 
Just then, Alas Ramus, who had fallen to the floor near Acieth, blinked and looked around the chamber. She then realized her clothing was soaked by Kinanna’s saliva. “All wet,” she sadly proclaimed. 
Acieth smiled a little bit at that before firming up her face and handing her over to Laila. 
“Mom, take care of Big Sis for me. You can do that, yes?” 
“A-Acieth… You…” 
Ignoring the dazed angel, Acieth immediately pressed upon the astronaut, still trying to get up. Her foe raised a palm, perhaps trying to counterattack, but Acieth landed another kick on her arm, giving her no time to come to her feet. Raising her leg high, she smashed her heel upon the visor with full force. Her opponent, who seemed so invincible before Emi and Kinanna, was now practically groveling to her. 
“You! How dare you do the mean thing to my sister, you turd! How dare you!!” 
This sounded like Acieth but with more intensity than even her usual self. And as she spoke, she kept on kicking, virtually tormenting the astronaut—and with each kick, her enemy was sent to the ground again. 
“You say something to me! Your head, I will break it! Come on!” 
Then she grabbed the astronaut by the neck with one hand, like picking up a tree branch, and used her free hand to land a flurry of body blows on her side. 
“…” 
Laila just stood there, unable to do anything else. She had nothing to fend off the astronaut with—but somehow, Acieth made it a completely one-sided battle. She wasn’t ripping or tearing the space suit itself, but the shock of the blows must’ve been making it inside, because she was making occasional moves to block her strikes. But given the headlock the astronaut was currently in, there wasn’t much she could do. Laila thought about stopping Acieth—but doubted she could, and besides, even if she did, what next? 
“What’s wrong with Asseth…?” 
Alas Ramus looked a bit alarmed at her younger sister’s transformation. But she didn’t stop. Even Kinanna just stood there, sword in hand, unable to parse this development. 
“You! All of you!!” 
“A-Acieth…” 
Laila’s weak voice made it nowhere near Acieth’s pounding fists of fury. 
“After all…you did to us…!” 
“Asseth… No… Don’t…” 
“Wh-what is it, Alas Ramus…?” 
The child squirmed in Laila’s arms. 
“If only you were never here!!” 
“Huh?” 
“<Mngh!>” 
As Laila and Kinanna watched, an aura of red rose up over the rage-driven Acieth. It lasted for just a moment—but that was all it took. 
“…!” 
“!!” 
The astronaut, totally defenseless before, escaped Acieth’s grip the moment the aura blipped in and out of existence. She ran for the exit, but Acieth quickly recovered and came after her. Turning back, she found her assailant’s eyes emitting a dull light, resembling but not exactly like the Hero Emilia’s scarlet eyes—a light shared by the Yesod fragment glowing on her forehead. 
“W-wait, Aci…” 
“<No! Not like that!>” 
It was Kinanna who moved first. His actions made it look like he was trying to stop Acieth, advancing upon the astronaut as she fled into the corridor beyond. 
“Aghh?!” 
But the moment she left the atmosphere in the chamber, she let out a scream of pain. The astronaut, realizing this, stopped for just a moment to turn around. 
“Don’t…go…” 
She was faced with murderous red eyes of Acieth glaring at her, even as their glow was starting to fade. She got the hint. In another moment, she was gone. 
“Asseth!” 
Alas Ramus jumped out of Laila’s arms and ran up to Acieth, Laila a beat behind to make sure the astronaut didn’t come back for a second round. 
“Acieth, are you okay? What happened?!” 
“Asseth! Hang in there!” 
“Uggh…dammit… I almost had her…Big Sis…” 
“What? Asseth! What?!” 
“You’re all wet… So gross…” 
“Nh?” 
“Phewwww…” 
“Acieth?!” 
With that, Acieth closed her eyes and stopped moving. Worried, Laila knelt down by her side but then rolled her eyes as Acieth began to snore deafeningly. She turned to the door; the astronaut appeared to be gone for good. She ran out to the gorge, just in case. There was no sign of any life. 
“SKRRRNNNNNN…” 
“Asseth! Wake up! Are you okeh? Wake up!” 
“<…>” 
Returning inside, Laila found Acieth prone. Making an ear-bursting racket, Alas Ramus was slapping her cheek in a futile attempt to wake her up, and Kinanna was just standing there, bleeding from his mouth and emitting black mist from his throat. Maou, Emi, and Camio were down for the count as well, showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. The danger was gone, she could safely say, but Laila still put her head in her hands. 
“What is going on… ?” 
 
“What?!” 
At the base of Devil’s Castle in the Central Continent, the blood in Suzuno’s head began to drain as she heard the hard-to-believe report from Emeralda. 
“Are…? Are you sure of that?!” 
Emeralda looked similarly strained. “I am indeeeeed,” she replied, speaking notably faster than usual. “It happened right after you returned to Japaaan the other day. We received news that Archbishop Robertio, eldest of the Six Archbishops, had died, and it put Sankt Ignoreido, the Sanctuary, and every cathedral worldwide in a tiiizzy.” 
“Archbishop Robertio…” 
The Six Archbishops, the highest decision-making body in the Church, stood at the top of the religion’s worldwide bureaucracy; Olba Meiyer used to enjoy a seat among them. There were officially no ranks between Archbishops, but Robertio Igua Valentia was generally seen as having the most influence. No one had served as Archbishop for as long, and even in his advanced age, he was robustly healthy. He did not serve on the front lines against the Devil King’s Army, like Olba did, but nonetheless, there were no warning signs that he would die so suddenly. Suzuno thought of a few scenarios—assassination, internal strife, even Olba escaping imprisonment in Saint Aile—but Emeralda dissuaded her against any of those theories. 
“Canon Robertio is officially ‘taken by a miiiracle.’ The other four Archbishops all gave the same tessstimony.” 
“A miracle? That is what the others said?” 
With Robertio, mediator among the group of six, dead, and Olba, a bureaucrat with worldwide influence, no longer among them, the four remaining Archbishops would normally engage in a power struggle to secure their own futures. Whenever someone this high-up died, even from clear natural causes or illness, the death would usually not be announced publicly for some time to come—time needed to work out how to break the news, when to do it, and who’d be appointed in their place. There was no way all four surviving Archbishops would call the cause of his death a miracle. 
“Wh-what kind of miracle was this? This was an Archbishop. Are you saying even Archbishop Cervantes said the same thing?” 
Cervantes Reberiz, the youngest Archbishop in history, had an equally youthful lust for power. Following Robertio and Olba, he was the de facto third in command among the group. With numbers one and two gone, Cervantes had the perfect chance to seize authority for himself—but instead, he was working in harmony with the other three. 
“Wellll…” Emeralda turned pale. “Each of the four says they had the same dreeeam. A dream where Canon Robertio was accepted into heaaaven.” 
“A dream? In these times? What would they use holy dreams like that for?” 
There was nothing more annoying to a Church bureaucrat than a king’s or a cleric’s holy dream. These dreams were usually interpreted as missives or prophecies from God, often in a way that gave the dreamer free rein to engage in all sorts of atrocities. But the situation was beyond even what Suzuno imagined. Emeralda paused for a moment, frowning at the thought. 
“In the dream, the ‘aaangel’ who came to Archbishop Robertio apparently warned of a ‘daaanger facing the world.’” 
“…!” 
The four surviving Archbishops may have all drunk from the abyss of good and evil, each one parched for power and greedy enough to do anything for it—but they were still clerics and believers. Suzuno turned white as a sheet of paper. Now, she could imagine the absolute worst-case scenario, one that went well beyond her imagination. 
“N-no… No!!” 
To many practitioners who believed in the Church faith in Ente Isla, the Six Archbishops ranked above even the king of their own nation in most cases. They were literally as lofty as you could get, and their words held sway just as massive as prophecies from God. Their powers were so vast that, at times of peace, they would deliberately stage political differences among themselves, so as not to turn public opinion or axes of conflict too far in one direction. If all four of these “prophets” were saying the same thing, that would be accepted by the people as the truth, without question. 
“The angel in the dream said this: ‘Another evil is gathering anew, in the center of the world. All good people, it is time to come together, rise up, and slay this evil.’” 
“It cannot be… After everything was going so well…” 
Suzuno felt her knees tremble. She could no longer even pretend to hold her composure. This was too much. 
“Our ‘enemy’ must have aimed for this moment. Choosing the worst possible method at the best possible time with the least amount of work to crush our objective.” 
“What about General Rumack…?” 
“General Rumack needs to attend to her own nation. She is already on her way home. I obtained this information ahead of all the other nations because I was able to place one of my staff in our capital’s grand cathedral, to make up for the inquisition against me. But I fear it will not be enough of a time advantage to leverage before the news begins to spread.” 
We should have considered this from the start. Why did we assume the enemy would be so foolishly honest that they’d gladly stage a frontal attack against us? 
The enemy, in this case, was the gods of the planet. It’d be easy for them to interfere with Suzuno and sow chaos around the world. One of the angels in heaven must have killed Robertio, then stood in the surviving Archbishops’ dreams, inciting them in the name of their kind. All so they could crush Suzuno’s plan without exposing themselves to any danger. And if the four Archbishops all act under the same volition, there would be no way in this world to stop them. 
“Do you think Saint Aile and the Western Island would comply?” 
“We can’t think of this as a time of peace anymore. It would depend on what action Rumack chooses to take, but that fiend Pippin and his accursed band are still latched on to her, festering like black mold with their Church connections. I would not be too optimistic. And even if Saint Aile does not comply…” 
As a Church leader, Suzuno didn’t need to be told, but Emeralda did anyway. 
“The combined forces of the Sankt Ignoreido headquarters, the Sanctuaries, and the Church knight corps dotted around the world would be approximately equal to Efzahan’s combined armies.” 
“Damn…them…!!” 
Suzuno balled her hands into fists tight enough to draw blood. 
“Why are the Devil King and Emilia not here yet?! Please… Please come back! If this keeps up…” 
Her pained shouting, imbued with her deep pessimism for the future, reached no listener. 
“If this keeps up, we will shed blood that needs no shedding!” 
– To be continued –