Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Capital in Turmoil 

The darkness in the imperial capital ran deep and black. Advances in science had given the city natural gas-powered streetlights to illuminate its streets, but even so, there were still many back alleys hidden from the public eye. The city was still developing, but it would be quite a while before all the darkness inside was eradicated.

Now Misha was quietly walking in the dark where she was born and raised, and here, it gave her mind comfort instead of fear. That’s just how she was.

In the days since she finished her report to Yuuki, Misha had kept hidden in the shadows, busily preparing for the upcoming coup. The imperial army was currently out on an invasion; it’d be dangerous for an officer like Misha to be seen in public. Desertion was punishable by death—and also described what she was doing pretty well at the moment. But she strode on with confidence, not a hint of fear on her face. It made evident just how confident she was in her knowledge of the city’s darkness.

Besides, despite her preference for staying behind the scenes, Misha was an excellent fighter—not as good as Vega or Damrada but certainly a talented boss all the same. She was an expert at intel gathering, priding herself at outclassing Dwargon’s and Blumund’s agents. That was why she felt sure she could hide from the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, and she had stayed alive in the capital well enough up to now.

Now she was heading for her usual destination… But tonight, that seemed to be a mistake. She hadn’t been careless at all, but nonetheless, a man appeared to block her way.

His name was Tatsuya Kondo, the “figure stalking the halls of information” in the IIB. Damrada hadn’t confirmed it with her, but he was also likely the commander of the Imperial Guardians. At the very least, there was no doubt that Misha could ever hope to beat him one-on-one.

“Where are you going this time of night?” Kondo asked, his cold voice particularly resonant.

Misha smiled, even as she internally chided herself. “Oh, it’s you, Lieutenant Kondo! Are you working late tonight?”

Despite any misgivings, she acted perfectly serene with him. But for her, the situation couldn’t get much worse right now.

I can’t believe he sniffed me out in this remote nook of such a vast city… What a monster. No way could I beat him, either. And my escorts won’t even buy any time for me.

Kondo had appeared without warning, but he seemed to be alone. That didn’t give Misha much optimism. She searched for a way, any way, to get out.

“You’re Misha, aren’t you? Staff officer for Commander Caligulio? Why are you back in the capital during a wartime operation?”

His tone was dead serious.

“It was so scary, Lieutenant Kondo! I was actually asked by Lord Caligulio to go on a secret mission back to the capital.”

She had to deceive him somehow. At the same time, she searched her surroundings for other people, keeping her guard up. There was no one else in this cramped alleyway, which was fine, but her bodyguards had apparently disappeared on her.

Did they already take care of them? How outclassed are we anyway? I didn’t even notice a fight…

In an instant, Misha gauged the situation. They did not know each other personally, but there was no way Kondo wasn’t aware of Misha. She didn’t know how he saw her, but it didn’t seem like words alone would get her through this. Her guards were dispatched without a moment’s hesitation. Deception, she assumed, was out of the question.

So she decided to ask for help from Damrada, whom she was planning to meet up ahead. But then an unpleasant thought entered her mind.

How did they find out where I was? Sir Yuuki decided to trust Damrada… But can I do the same?

It was Damrada who arranged this meeting place for them; they were supposed to work out the details of the top secret conference they’d have with the demon lord Rimuru tomorrow.

Not good… Not good at all. There’s a chance Damrada double-crossed us…as much as I hate to think it. Sir Yuuki trusts him, and besides, I owe Damrada as well.

Misha and Damrada had known each other for over twenty years. They were both leaders of Cerberus, and she felt she knew more about him than even Yuuki. That’s why this was all so confusing for her. He knew Damrada to be coldhearted—rational. Based on what he told her, he had no apparent reason to stab Misha in the back. She not only wanted to believe that—after listening to Yuuki explain matters, she was convinced of it. So now wasn’t the time for hesitation. She had to believe in her friends until the end.

So her mind made up, Misha looked at Kondo.

“My gratitude goes out to the great Emperor Ludora for the good fortune of meeting you here.”

“Oh?”

“It was you, Lieutenant, wasn’t it? The guy who took out my pursuers? I knew I wouldn’t be able to take on that many opponents by myself.”

“Ah. Proceeding with that script, then?”

“Oh, are you suspicious of me? Even after I’ve been desperately trying to get back from that hellhole to bring you my information at all costs?”

Misha boldly continued the performance, approaching Kondo and sidling up to his chest. This was Misha the Lover’s specialty—using her feminine charms to ensnare unwitting men. It was powered by a combination of Curse Perfume and the illusory magic Charm, and it worked on the mind of the target, stimulating their base instincts while inhibiting their thought processes in order to make them fall in love with her. Their dependence on Misha would grow further if she was closer to them—physically and emotionally. Once she had it all in place, she’d have as much control over the target as she wanted.

She was using this on Caligulio as well; by her estimation, a few more embraces, and he’d be hers for the taking. And not just Caligulio, either—a litany of men had fallen for her wiles. As far as she knew, it had never failed before. It was the most powerful card she had to play, because even if she never had a chance in battle, she was sure any opponent would succumb to lust for her.

So Misha placed her supple hands around Kondo’s back, pushing her ample breasts against him. Then she gauged his reaction. She could sense him slackening a little. She giggled.

Hee-hee! Good. He pretends to be this stuck-up bastard, but even Kondo’s still a man, huh?

This was going better than she anticipated. Maybe this would work out, after all.

“Hey, why don’t we go someplace else, huh? A room where we can relax, maybe.”

She whispered the words, her lips close to his ear. Kondo’s right hand moved a bit. “Very well,” she could hear him whisper back.

This is going well. My best bet is to meet up with Damrada at our rendezvous point. Even if that doesn’t work out, I can have Kondo sleep with me, and then he’ll become my captive—

It was the last thought Misha would ever have. With a dry bang, Misha collapsed to the ground, the left side of her head bleeding profusely all over the street.

Somewhere along the line, Kondo had produced a Nambu semiautomatic handgun. The smoke rising from the muzzle made it clear this was the murder weapon that had shot Misha in the temple. He put it away, expression frozen, as if nothing untoward had happened.

His unique skill Decipherer, which read the thoughts of anyone he came in contact with, had already collected all relevant information. Misha’s objective, Yuuki’s plans, the fate of the imperial troops staging the invasion—it took him less than a second to read all that. But despite the devastating truths just revealed to him, Kondo’s face remained frozen. Instead, looking almost bored, he spoke into the darkness.

“…A coup? What a deranged idea. And yet you claim you’re not betraying His Majesty?”

From the darkness, where nobody should have been, emerged a lone man. Instead of answering Kondo’s question, he walked up to the crumpled figure of Misha. It was Damrada.

“Kondo, you didn’t have to kill her, did you? With the right education, she could have been of great help to His Majesty.”

“No, there was no chance of that. Apply a ranking to her skills, and she would be lucky to reach thirty-seven or so. She might have had a chance if she could reach the teens, at least, but no woman of her caliber could ever serve His Majesty. Besides,” Kondo coldly spat, “I was completely exposed, and she couldn’t penetrate my defenses.”

Damrada shrugged. If Kondo said so, he must have been right. There was no point arguing. All he had were mixed feelings over the fate of Misha, one of his friends.

He kneeled next to her, holding out his left hand to the left side of her head. A soft light closed the wound. He pushed Misha’s protruding eyeball back into its socket, pulling both eyelids down. Finally, he wiped her face clean, trying his best to restore at least some of her beauty. He couldn’t bring the dead back to life, but at least he wanted her to rest in peace.

“Why waste your time? Leave her, and the body will be disposed of before sunrise,” said Kondo. “Just answer my questions, please.”

“I can’t put my emotions aside the way you can.”

“You’re too soft.”

“You’re just crazy. How can you act so thoroughly emotionless at such a young age?”

“I don’t have any emotions. End of story.”

“That’s ridiculous—”

“I have seen hell in my time. It was Emperor Ludora who saved me from that hell. If you’re switching sides on me, you won’t receive any mercy.”

“I am ever His Majesty’s faithful servant. I could never betray him.”

“We’ll see about that. Remember, you’re under my spell at the moment. If you want me to trust you, better prove it by your actions.”

Then Kondo walked away, never looking back. Damrada took one final glance at Misha, then left the scene himself. Nights lasted a long time in the imperial capital. There was still work left to be done.

Not long after, agents from the Intelligence Bureau disposed of Misha’s body, leaving not a trace behind. The darkness of the capital’s nights was so deep it could bury even these events, as if they had never happened at all.

Upon receiving Yuuki’s instructions, Kagali immediately went on the move. If they were going to carry out this coup, careful preparation was absolutely essential. Messengers were instantly dispatched, and within a few days, all the major players from around the world were gathered in one place.

Nearly thirty of them were now at Yuuki’s mansion in the imperial capital, faithful agents who all swore absolute loyalty to the man. Some, like Vega, were embedded in other imperial corps and couldn’t participate; the people here composed around half of Yuuki’s executive staff. The coup itself had been in the works for some time, and the attendees were all eagerly awaiting Yuuki’s speech, feeling that the time was near.

They were all quite capable, climbing the ranks on their own strengths and making names for themselves in the military. Their loyalty to Emperor Ludora was nonexistent from the start. Some were even excited at the concept of engineering an Empire-wide revolution. There were visitors from other worlds, halflings with strange and unusual skills, superhumans subjected to cruel body-enhancement experiments, and first-rate adventurers raised by Yuuki himself. There were even enslaved warriors collected by Damrada, as well as magic-born under Misha’s protection.

What they were faithful to the most was violence—and that’s exactly where the Composite Division shone the most.

A large meeting room was opened to them all, located upstairs above the grand atrium floor. Yuuki came in with Kagali just as everyone took their seats.

“Hey there, guys. Great to see you all here.”

He was all smiles, speaking in his usual cheerful tone as he greeted them.

“Tomorrow, I have a meeting planned with the demon lord Rimuru. I’m having Misha bring over Damrada as well, so we’ll discuss more details once he arrives.”

This instantly caused an uproar.

“Weren’t we staging this coup by ourselves?”

“The demon lord is too cunning and unpredictable. Are you sure we can trust him?”

“No, wait. Aren’t we at war right now? Rimuru can’t just slip out of that and slink over here.”

Voices shouted out from across the hall. Yuuki’s smile just broadened.

“The imperial army has been annihilated, you know. Rimuru killed all nine hundred and forty thousand troops who invaded the forest.”

“That’s insane!”

“It’s too fast. Calculate the travel times, and it’s only been a few days since we engaged them…”

It was far too much for the audience to believe. Yuuki quieted them down with a laugh.

“If we’re going to overthrow the empire, we need fighting power. That’s why I’ve decided to join forces with Rimuru.”

The audience began to understand Yuuki’s words, even if they didn’t agree with them. The more intelligent among them had shifted their attention to whether this intel was reliable or not.

“Is this information Lady Misha brought back?”

Many Cerberus members were among the group, aware of Misha’s presence in the military.

“You got it. If we hadn’t allied with them beforehand, I think they would’ve killed Misha long ago.”

“Lady Misha did that?!”

“Astounding…”

She may have done mostly undercover work, but she was also a well-known figure, a truly appropriate leader for Cerberus. Everybody in here attained their positions in life through their own efforts alone, so they knew how to assess their peers fairly. They had a lot of trust in Yuuki that way, oddly—they knew he’d never value someone inferior in ability.

“Well…in that case, I welcome this alliance. I’m not too happy about how you kept this to yourself until now, but I’m sure you had your reasons for it, eh, Boss?”

“Not really any major reason, but yeah. It’s just that I lost to Guy, and he made me promise him something.”

“Guy? You don’t mean Guy Crimson, do you?!”

“You fought the Lord of Darkness? That’s way out of line, Boss!”

“Impossible. I’m amazed you survived.”

Now the audience was in an uproar for another reason. Yuuki quieted them down again.

“I’m sure you all have your opinions, but I don’t have time to explain everything. For now, you’ll all gonna have to accept it, and I hope you’ll be patient with me on this. Instead, I’d like to discuss the arrangements we’ll make at tomorrow’s meeting and how we’ll conduct our operations afterward.”

The only official forces remaining in the capital were the IIB and a force of new recruits. The top-ranking IIB personnel were a threat, perhaps, but their rank and filers didn’t really count as a military force. The new recruits formed a vast army, numbering a good hundred thousand, but they had no real skill. They were just fill-ins, not even worth considering in this coup attempt. There were also around twenty thousand guards serving as police, but in terms of their equipment, they were no match for a military. The difference in gear was so vast, it’d be like a grown-up taking on a five-year-old. At best, they could stop their coup for a short period of time.

But the most powerful forces of all, the Imperial Guardians, were still at the disposal of the emperor.

“The IIB has Guardians mingled in among them, too. So technically speaking, it’s really only the Guardians who we need to worry about.”

“Right, yes. I’ve run into them in ranking duels before, but the guys up top really do pack a punch.”

“Oh, quit patting yourself on the back. For all we know, there are traitors like us among the Guardians, no?”

“Could be. Me, the only thing I have faith in is power. I’m not going to swear allegiance to some emperor who swaggers around like a fancy lad all the time!”

Scattered laughter broke out. They had allies among the Guardians. Reaffirming that fact just now, everyone realized just how much of an advantage they had.

The joke was told by a somewhat small man, known for his arrogant attitude. His name was Arius, and he was an otherworlder—not summoned, but a “visitor,” one who made the journey by chance.

“So will the demon lord Rimuru’s forces be ready for this by tomorrow?”

The black-haired girl asking this question was Mai Furuki, a high school teen over in Japan who was then summoned and picked up by Yuuki back when he still led the Free Guild. Thanks to the support Yuuki offered, she held deep, admiring trust for him.

“Good question. If they’re bringing an army, it’ll take a while no matter how fast they are. Not unless they’re flying over— Hey, they ain’t gonna fly into the capital, are they?”

Now a large, muscular man was chiming in—Tornewot, a former slave fighter. If he hadn’t caught Damrada’s attention, he might’ve spent his whole life toiling in the mines until he collapsed. Thrown into the army, Tornewot received an education, something he took intense pride in. Despite his bulky build, he was quite an intelligent man, enough so that he had been appointed a staff officer in the Composite Division.

“Perhaps, but flight magic consumes spiritual force. That won’t be a problem for a demon lord, maybe, but I don’t know if his rank-and-file monsters can all fly.”

Tornewot’s question was answered by Alia, a petite magic-caster who also wore the heavy armor of a fighter. She was nowhere near as young as she looked—in fact, she was an apprentice of Gadora’s, and she had also undergone body-enhancement surgery, making her a unique figure in this crew.

“I don’t mean that,” Tornewot countered. “Whether the Empire’s main force is away or not, they’ve got a surveillance network covering the skies above the capital. If a large army comes in from the air, they’re gonna get noticed no matter how far away they land.”

Alia’s face reddened a bit. It was a surprisingly accurate observation, and being shown up like this was a tad embarrassing. By magic-caster standards, she was unusually short-tempered and too quick to speak without thinking matters over.

“Hey, it’s important to keep an exchange of ideas going here. Analyzing things from different angles could help us see things differently, after all.”

Yuuki quickly interceded, guiding the chatter back to the main topic.

“Rimuru has contacted me through old man Gadora to say that only a small number of them will be coming tomorrow.”

The contact came through a Gadora-engineered anonymous magical call. Even if the IIB was listening in, it was all encrypted and impossible to decipher. Gadora outlined the main points of it to Yuuki, and according to him, the roster they’d send tomorrow was still undecided. Rimuru was definitely coming… But who would escort him?

Sounds like Rimuru’s decided a show of force won’t work on Ludora, too. Quality over quantity, huh? I bet he’ll bring nothing but his top brass over, then.

Maybe about ten or so at most, Yuuki reasoned.

“They’re underestimating the Empire that much? Or are they making fools out of their allies?”

The question was lodged by a slender beauty, stretching herself out—not a question so much as just stating what was on her mind. This was Orca, a warrior, and she might’ve appeared a bit airheaded at first. Despite that, she was an extraordinary talent with a number of hidden skills.

“Wrong on both counts, Orca. Like I said, it takes a lot of time to ready a large army—delays pop up in so many different ways. I’m sure he decided it was better to work with a small team of elites.”

Tornewot stepped up to explain matters again. Yuuki smiled, glad to be spared the trouble.

“Exactly. That’s why we need to work out our own direction now.”

If Rimuru was only bringing his best fighters, that brought up the question of who would pit themselves against whom.

“I’m gonna ask Rimuru what he thinks at the meeting tomorrow, so we need to put our thoughts together. For example, what are we gonna do with Emperor Ludora?”

It might’ve been pretty arrogant of Yuuki to say that. Defeat wasn’t even on his mind; only victory was in his future. Discussing their treatment of the emperor before the coup had even succeeded was a tad abnormal, after all. But no one pointed this out. Even Tornewot, always ready with a verbal jab, grinned and waited for Yuuki to continue.

“The Dwarven Kingdom is aware of our activities as well, so the currently deployed Composite Division forces are free to head off to the capital without worrying about their rear. If all they have to deal with are the imperial forces left in the capital, it’ll be easy, right?”

“It sounds that way. The Guardians are the only threat?”

“That’s right,” responded Yuuki, still smiling. He knew the true threat was elsewhere—an unknown entity known simply as the Marshal. And if you thought about why Guy let Yuuki live in the first place…

Why did Rimuru take action this time? He’s a pacifist at heart. I figured he’d hate to attack other countries out of nowhere…

Perhaps he just didn’t want to have any regrets. But Yuuki felt that couldn’t be the only reason. So he mentally put the pieces together—and then he saw a hint of Guy’s shadow behind Rimuru as well. If that was the case, he concluded, perhaps there was a monster in the Empire that could be a worthy opponent for even Guy.

“Depending on how things work out, we might have to kill the emperor, won’t we?”

“Not so fast, Arius.”

“Yeah, don’t reserve the right for yourself!”

The crowd here was so excited now that they were openly talking about the emperor’s upcoming murder. Yuuki agreed it was too early to discuss his treatment, but he was glad to see everyone so revved up in advance.

In fact, they’d be discussing Ludora’s fate at the meeting tomorrow. Gadora was opposed to killing him, and Damrada’s loyalty was still squarely aimed at the emperor. They were both important collaborators on this, and Yuuki hated to clash with them. Plus, there was a healthy chance this “monster” Guy was so wary of was Ludora himself—and if so, it’d be suicidal for Yuuki to make any careless moves.

Let’s wait and see how this turns out, he concluded. No need to put myself in the hot seat for no good reason. I could always have Rimuru take the emperor, too.

They’d be saving strategic details for after Damrada’s arrival, but Yuuki already had a draft outline ready for their approval. First, the main part of the Composite Division would overrun and capture the capital. Any Imperial Guardians who got in the way would be taken care of by those present in this room. Yuuki expected big things from them all; they were no less capable than the Guardians themselves. Maybe they couldn’t take the top-ranked ones, but they still had a numerical advantage. If multiple allies swarmed on one, that should make up the difference.

The big guys like Ludora and the Marshal could be left for Rimuru, considering he was kind enough to join their fight and all. That’s what Rimuru was probably aiming to do anyway, so he was sure the demon lord would accept that.

Meanwhile, no imperial reinforcements would come from anywhere to defend the capital. Out of their three major armies, the Armored Division was destroyed by Rimuru; the rest of the Composite Division would join them once the trend was clear; and the Magical Beast Division was way up in the clouds over distant lands. Even if they found out and rushed over at full speed, it’d all be over by then.

Now that the plan had progressed this far, it was all but a sure bet. Yuuki wasn’t about to hurry matters, but he was sure victory was imminent. Still, he still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that he was missing something. What could it be—?

“Pardon my lateness,” boomed a calm voice that echoed across the heated meeting hall. The moment it did, everyone shrank back, as if showered with ice-cold water.

“There you are, Damrada.”

He was finally here.

Today Damrada was dressed in his military uniform, a rarity considering his usual merchant’s disguise. That was when Yuuki began to worry.

“Where’s Misha?”

“She’s dead.”

The hall fell silent. Everyone went on guard, sensing something disturbing. They had all been in many life-threatening situations in their time, so they were sensitive to the signs.

“What do you mean, Damrada?”

“I mean exactly what I said. She was killed by Kondo a moment ago.”

The instant he heard the news, Yuuki felt the lingering uneasiness in his chest explode. That uneasy feeling that he had overlooked something… Now he knew what it was.

He and Damrada hadn’t known each other for long, but their relationship ran deep. They’d shared in countless evil machinations that could never be revealed to the public. It was his assistance that helped Yuuki take down the Echidna Club, once the overlords of organized crime. They then established Cerberus together, with Damrada working tirelessly to build it up.

That’s what Yuuki thought, but maybe he had it all wrong. In fact, everything was going exactly how the Empire wanted it. Cerberus was built from a core group that Damrada recruited for the purpose. Its mission was to weed out the talented from the incompetent, and its network was spread around the world to find and bring in new potential talent. Protecting lost otherworlders was part of that. And they hadn’t started this just recently—it had been going on for a while, even back when the Echidna Club was dominant.

In a way, didn’t it mean that Yuuki himself was discovered by Damrada in the same manner? He was in the business of scouting strong prospects and bringing them under his wing, and as he worked on that, Damrada discovered Yuuki. If Damrada himself emerged from his undercover position, he’d be too conspicuous, after all. Yuuki was just selected as a charismatic public figure.

He thought he was using Damrada, but it was the other way around. But that didn’t mean Damrada double-crossed him. His loyalty was genuine. Perhaps someone had manipulated Damrada in order to make the ever-suspicious Yuuki trust in him—thinking about it that way, it seemed to answer all the questions he had up to now.

Picking up on all this, Yuuki let out an exhausted sigh.

“Well, you sure put one over on me. So when did this all begin?”

“…? What do you mean?”

Damrada sounded indifferent. He used the same tone as always… But now Yuuki was positive something was off. Damrada didn’t seem to be playing dumb; he honestly didn’t understand this question. The man himself, in other words, didn’t even realize he was being manipulated.

No wonder, huh? If he didn’t realize it was happening, he wouldn’t know to keep an eye out for it.

Yuuki recalled their last meeting. Damrada had insisted he didn’t betray anyone, and Yuuki felt that was the truth. Maybe something had been done to him after that, even. If he could trust his own instincts, it seemed that Damrada’s manipulation happened only recently.

Right. I’m the one who decided to trust him, and I’m not going to say anything about that now. The important thing is: What does whoever sent Damrada here want from us?

Someone was controlling him. That much Yuuki was certain of now, and based on that, he surmised that they were in a very delicate situation. For all he knew, they’d fully surround his mansion in the time it took to deal with Damrada.

Yuuki was lost in thought, Kagali quietly analyzing the situation herself. But the revved-up audience was enraged by Damrada’s behavior.

“How dare you disrespect Sir Yuuki!” Alia shouted, denouncing him.

“Damrada,” Tornewot said, “what are you thinking? Are you here to betray us all?”

“Betray?” Damrada aloofly replied. “What a strange thing to accuse me of. From beginning to end, my allegiance for His Majesty, the Emperor Ludora, has been unwavering.”

“Tch! That’s called betraying us!” Arius spat.

Damrada was notorious for being corrupted by money, a fact that some of his companions looked down upon him for. Some even openly talked behind his back about how he’d surely betray them all for the right price. That’s why the group here was more angered than surprised by this revelation.

Tornewot was the first among them to act, lifting Damrada up by his shirt and shouting at him.

“Quit screwing with us! You found me! You said that I should live for the greater good instead of die in the mines. I was so grateful to you. So why did you do this to me— Nngh?!”

This was actually Tornewot’s attempt to protect Damrada. Before anyone else could act, he wanted to confront his benefactor himself and figure out what was going on. But to Damrada, this was probably unwelcome attention. With a gentle squeeze of Tornewot’s wrist, he flicked his hand back, manipulating his muscle tension to reverse the hold on him.

“Tornewot, do you remember what I said to you?”

His eyes were so cold that they chilled the normally levelheaded Tornewot to the core. “Wh-what?” he replied, grabbing his wrist.

“I told you to be strong for the greater good, didn’t I? And this power is all you have to show for it?”

All his force converged on a single point. It made Tornewot’s wrist creak…and then shatter, all in an instant.

“You… What did you do to my wrist…?”

With that groan, Tornewot backed away from Damrada, rubbing his wrist as he used one of the healing potions he always kept on hand. Damrada stood there at ease, refraining from a second attack, but there was nothing off guard about him. In a world where some monsters can repair broken bones in an instant, you could never let up until you were sure your opponent was neutralized. A failure to realize this would be lethal.

Yuuki narrowed his eyes toward Damrada. He knew this man was powerful. You didn’t get to rank that high among the Single Digits without being able to outclass a room full of champions like these. The question was: Did he possess an ultimate skill or not? And if so, how good was he at using it?

Will my Anti-Skill work on it? That’s the thing.

Depending on the answer, he may have to kill Damrada. He needed to know, so he didn’t dare stop anyone from confronting him.

“You’re the emperor’s dog, aren’t you?!” shouted Arius. “I thought you were just a money-grubbing bastard, but you tricked us all! Why would a coward like you just walk in here alone and expose yourself?!”

Then things began to unfold.

“He’s right, Damrada. I owe you a great debt… So I’m going to make your death painless.”

Now Tornewot was ready to challenge him with everything he had.

“Too late.”

But despite Tornewot grabbing the battle mace hanging from his belt and heaving it up with both hands, Damrada had no problem ducking the strike. In a clean, natural movement, he dived toward Tornewot’s chest and gently pushed out the palm of his right hand. Despite the light, airy move, it hit its target with a deep, heavy impact.

This was Spiral Penetrator, a type of fa jin martial arts move that strikes its opponent with focused, explosive force. This fighting spirit is given directional kinetic energy that penetrates both armor and muscle, destroying the target from the inside out. Its power is proportional to the amount of infused fighting spirit, and if Damrada was the one focusing it, he could count on it having the lethal force of a tank round.

“Gnhh!”

His opponent crouched down, coughing up blood, legs too weak to stand back up. How could he? That single blow had just destroyed all of Tornewot’s internal organs.

“It… It’s crazy… You were that strong…”

“Well, well, well. Judging a book by its cover? The classic move of a conceited pile of muscle, supported by a massive ego. Were you laboring under the assumption that you outgunned me just because I hired you as a guard?”

“Ngh…”

“I asked you to be strong. Humans are no fools. They don’t need to rely on arcane, esoteric abilities—they can become as strong as they want, if they train hard enough. Just like I did.”

Then Damrada shot his leg backward, executing a roundhouse without looking behind him. The attacker aiming for his blind spot, unable to react in time, promptly died of a broken neck.

Damrada made it look like stepping on an ant, but this was Arius, a man whose strength even Yuuki praised. He possessed the unique skill Murderer coupled with the twin skills of Silent Movement and Conceal Presence, the perfect combination for assassination missions. This made him a natural killer, one good enough to rank Number Forty-Four in the imperial hierarchy. But despite his specialty in antipersonnel ops, Damrada wasted no time at all dispatching him.

“As I think I’ve just shown, leaning on your abilities is not good enough. When push comes to shove, the thing you can rely on the most is your well-trained body and mind. If you ask me, all of you here are useless.”

He was choosing harsh words, and those in the room who’d never been ridiculed by even their martial-arts instructors were indignant as they heard them. It was like he was trying to teach the weak a lesson here, and it infuriated them. They all glowered at Damrada, eyes blazing with murderous intent.

In the midst of all this, Yuuki was still calmly, silently observing. Now he had his conclusion.

I knew it. Damrada didn’t betray us—someone was controlling him. Someone on the emperor’s side, maybe, considering Arius’s position in the Imperial Guardians. He didn’t kill Tornewot, but against Arius, he showed no mercy at all—that’s all the proof I needed. So Damrada still has his free will, but he can’t do anything that’d be inconvenient for whoever’s ruling over him. Is that it?

Whatever controlled Damrada must have been a very powerful force, indeed. Nonetheless, Damrada was still attempting to find a way to communicate his current situation to Yuuki. Based on that, Yuuki tried to work out the best solution.

“Okay, guys, eyes over here! Switch to a retreat operation right now! I’m leaving all authority to Kagali, so all of you drop everything and regroup with the Composite Division.”

“Boss? We don’t have to run away. Let’s take care of this traitor, and then we can rise to action right now—”

“No.”

Yuuki immediately rejected Alia’s suggestion. He still had his usual carefree smile on, but his eyes weren’t so jovial as he scanned the room.

“Damrada’s stalling for time. That’s why he’s going on and on like this. It’s what he’s been allowed to do, okay?”

“Allowed to do?” Kagali asked.

Yuuki nodded. “Right. Damrada didn’t double-cross us. Someone’s controlling his mind, and that someone’s trying to wipe us out right here.”

This revelation was met with mixed reactions, but it did help his comrades regain their sense of judgment. Holding back the desire to kill Damrada, they focused their gazes on Kagali, the second-in-command.

She had come to the same conclusion Yuuki did. She knew they were in a critical situation; the alarm bells in her mind told her so. Now, with Yuuki’s instructions given, she knew what she had to do. Things were urgent, and she knew it was no time to argue with him.

“We’ll abandon this place and head for the Composite Division’s encampment.”

“But what about Sir Yuuki?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I doubt Damrada would let me leave anyway, so I’m gonna have to deal with him here. You guys get going.”

Yuuki turned his back to the crowd so he could face Damrada.

“We’re off,” Kagali ordered.

“““Roger!”””

Everyone realized what they had to do. Whether Damrada betrayed them or not didn’t matter now—once they saw Yuuki turn around, they knew he was ready for anything. The time for debate was over. Right now, as all the superpowers in the room knew, job one was just to survive.

Alia carried the fallen Tornewot. The sight of a dainty little girl picking up a musclebound giant was chuckle-inducing, but no one was laughing. A healer cast some magic on Tornewot as they joined the line of fleeing rebels—and then, in perfectly orderly fashion, they all blended into the darkness of the night.

A few minutes later, Yuuki and Damrada were the only ones left in the vast meeting hall.

“It’s too late to run away now, I think. You always did blow the landing that way, Sir Yuuki. I think you’re underestimating the IIB here.”

“Maybe I am. But if I struggle hard enough, maybe I can find a way out of this, y’know?”

“Don’t make me laugh. This isn’t a children’s game, you know.”

“Of course not. I’m always serious.”

“Including with your fairy-tale dreams of conquering the world?”

“Hell yeah! And you’re the same, aren’t you?”

Damrada gave that a chuckle. “Yes,” he bellowed from the bottom of his heart, “exactly!”

Yuuki Kagurazaka was, to Damrada, a good boss. He still had a childish mind that caused him to make immature decisions at times, but he also had his coolheaded side. He was incredibly calculating in personality, and no matter how things turned out, life was certainly never boring under him.

That’s why Damrada trusted him. He trusted that, right now, he must realize that Kondo was controlling him like a puppet.

………

……

…

At the same time, Damrada’s loyalty to Emperor Ludora was completely genuine. He recognized and approved of Yuuki, but his feelings for Ludora were something completely different. They weren’t comparable at all.

To Damrada, Emperor Ludora was everything—and right now, he was acting in accordance with his promise to Ludora. Fulfilling that promise was what he pinned his whole life on. He knew Ludora longer than Kondo had, and it was admittedly careless of him to think Kondo wouldn’t touch him. He was aware that he was under suspicion. That’s why he had been so careful. But it seemed that Kondo was even more dangerous than Damrada thought.

Immediately after he said his final goodbyes to Misha, Damrada’s will was put under Kondo’s control. How he did it, Damrada couldn’t say—but no matter what he tried, he was unable to break it. His consciousness remained fully intact, but every aspect of his actions was now dictated by Kondo.

………

……

…

I had no idea that bastard Kondo would take over my own body, too. Anyone will tell you how cautious he is, but I didn’t think he’d take matters this far. Sir Yuuki has truly outdone himself.

If he couldn’t deactivate this body control on his own, the only hope left was to rely on Yuuki. He’d need to make Yuuki aware of his situation, but that posed a major challenge. No matter how you looked at it, this was clearly Damrada betraying the entire movement. It was just asking too much, and Damrada himself was about to give up on the idea.

But Yuuki noticed it. He did an incredible job. It moved Damrada deeply, even as he could only say what Kondo allowed him to.

“Allow me, Sir Yuuki, to show you the abilities of the vice commander of the Imperial Guardians.”

The restrictions were permission-based; they put blocks on what Damrada could do. But despite that, Damrada tried to relay as much information as he could to Yuuki. Providing his rank was one such attempt. He had to let Yuuki know as much as he could give him, and after that, Yuuki could utilize it as he pleased. Convinced this was the right way, Damrada decided to pin his hopes on Yuuki.

If he kills me after that, it’ll all be over. The promise I made to Emperor Ludora will be taken on by Sir Yuuki, I assume. A pity I can’t see it with my own eyes, but…

He was sure that Yuuki would carry on his will. If Yuuki ever wanted to fulfill his lofty ambitions, he’d have to carry out Damrada’s objectives as well. He didn’t have high hopes, but they were hopes nonetheless.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I still have work for you to do, y’know. I’ll help you out of this.”

“Ha-ha-ha! If that’s the kind of infantile nonsense you’ve got for me, you don’t stand a chance.”

Controlled or not, nothing could erase the joyful feeling welling up from his heart. And so just as that heart desired, Damrada unleashed his emotions…

Over thirty warriors were running along the main thoroughfare of the imperial capital. Led by Kagali, they were attempting to flee the city at night, just as Yuuki ordered them, to regroup with the Composite Division. The division was camped near the Empire’s border with the Dwarven Kingdom, over three hundred miles southwest of the capital; merchant caravans would need over ten days to travel that distance.

Those with enough magic force could use one of the transport gates laid out around the city, a first-rate piece of magical technology that allowed travel between supported cities in an instant. But they couldn’t push a hundred people through at once, and given their importance, they were kept under heavy guard. Storming one this late at night would obviously lead to warfare.

Thus, without hesitation, Kagali decided to go it on her own. Rather than stir up trouble here, she decided that strengthening her forces’ position came first. Everyone in this group was far more powerful than your average human being; if they kept running without any breaks, they could reach their destination in a few hours.

“Are you all right, Lady Kagali?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. Thanks for your concern, Teare.”

Kagali nodded at Teare, a young masked woman who was running next to her.

As the former demon lord Kazalim, Kagali spent years in only her spiritual body after Leon defeated her. She was not a spiritual life-form yet, and it took everything she had to maintain her sense of presence. But she made it through, and thanks to Yuuki, she finally obtained a homunculus body for herself—one she had no problem training to become as matchlessly powerful as she was before. Thanks to that, she was now equivalent to a high-level magic-born in fighting strength, one who’d never lag behind the rest of this group.

“Oh? Well, good, then. Would’ve been nice if Laplace were here right now…”

“Yes, I’m sure he could’ve beaten Damrada, even.”

“Hoh-hoh-hoh! Well, our boss is no pushover, either. I’m sure he’ll be back with us shortly…after he wins!”

“You said it!”

“Yep! He absolutely will.”

Kagali flashed a smile, but inwardly, she knew her panic was growing. Those alarm bells were still going off, making her anxiety balloon in size.

…This is not good. Not good at all.

It was an instinctive hunch; Kagali couldn’t count the number of times it had saved her life. She knew she had to do something about it, even if she had no real evidence yet. So she turned toward Teare and Footman, her most trusted companions here.

“Contact Laplace for me.”

“What?”

“Tell him to come back here.”

It was no problem for Teare and Footman to contact Laplace via Telepathy. No matter how separated they were, the clowns were always connected to each other.

“Laplace is on a messenger run, but…”

“I don’t care. Hurry up!”

The alarm bells only Kagali could hear began to ring louder. There was no time to explain, she decided. Leaving Teare behind, she moved on to her next order.

“Everyone, disperse! Survival’s your top priority! Take any measures you see fit to—?!”

She was ordering them to find their own ways back to the Composite Division, but she never had the chance. As she now realized it was already too late.

“What a surprise. I thought I eliminated any sign of my presence. You did well to notice me.”

A man in a military uniform emerged from the darkness. It was Lieutenant Kondo—and with him, a group of operatives silently rappelling down the buildings lining the main street. There were about fifty in all, but each one exuded a presence that was nothing short of overwhelming.

“Imperial Guardians…”

“That’s right. Cease your futile resistance and surrender at once. If you do, I’ll give you the honor of dying for His Majesty the Emperor.”

“So you admit it then, Lieutenant? You’re the commander of the Imperial Guardians?”

Kondo’s expression remained blank. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but to Kagali, that was enough.

Kagali’s group crowded together, keeping careful watch of the knights surrounding them. Combat was no longer avoidable. Each one of them was armed to the teeth, covered head to toe in Legend-class armor. Perhaps both sides were evenly matched, but the difference in gear was as clear as day. It was a dizzying disadvantage to have, but none of Yuuki’s troops would give up at this point.

“Ha! Let’s do it, huh? This’ll just save us time later!”

“Right. Let’s see what the Guardians can really do!”

Tornewot had been at death’s door a few minutes ago, but now he was keyed up, and Alia was following his lead. As superpowered as they all were, they had no intention of admitting defeat without attempting anything.

In the meantime, Kagali was desperately analyzing the situation. The probability of them all surviving this was practically zero. At this stage, the only tactical victory they could gain was to transport as many comrades over to the Composite Division camp as possible. To achieve that, they’d need to buy some time—until Yuuki could defeat Damrada; until Laplace could return to pitch in. Time, precious time, was what Kagali realized they needed the most.

Well… I hope one of the two make it in time, but let’s see what happens.

She took a step toward Kondo.

“Oh? You want to be my opponent?”

“Yes. I want to see for myself what the head of the Guardians is capable of.”

Kagali understood that her own strength was far below Kondo’s. But her objective was to serve herself up as a decoy.

Even if I can’t win, if I can at least carve out some time…

With that thought in mind, she steeled herself, facing Kondo. The lieutenant, on the other hand, seemed all but oblivious to her, sighing at the sight of the combat beginning around him.

“I detest waste. I have no intention of putting up with your stalling attempts. And you need to understand that ‘wanting it more’ won’t help you win a war.”

“You think? Because I think if you pray enough, you might just see a miracle.”

“Hmph. Imagine, an ex–demon lord raving so incoherently.”

Kagali sneered back. Only a very few companions were supposed to know that she used to be a demon lord—but Kondo just blared it out for the world to hear. To put it another way, he must have decided it was too insignificant to keep a secret.

“You’re really looking down on me, aren’t you?”

“I’m not intending to. But let me tell you something else. I imagine you’re trying to regroup with the Composite Division, but don’t bother. His Majesty himself has just organized a force and set out to defeat them.”

“What?”

The emperor going off to battle was an extremely unusual state of affairs. But what caught Kagali’s attention more was the “force” being organized.

“What did you expect? Only the strong matter to us. If you swear loyalty to His Majesty, then fine. But a bunch of minnows with no chance to evolve? No, thank you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Am I not getting through to you? The only reason you’re being kept alive right now is because you still have the potential to evolve. All of this is going according to His Majesty’s plan.”

“Don’t give me that! Are you saying you knew our entire scheme?!”

Kagali was furious. Kondo just gave her a resentful look.

“What a silly question. Or did you think you were pulling the wool over our eyes here in the capital?”

A dim, angry flame lit itself in Kagali’s heart—the flame of humiliation. With her unique skill Schemer, Kagali had formulated a wealth of plans, succeeding in most of them. She had made a number of mistakes recently, mostly in relation to Rimuru, but she was proud to be Yuuki’s close confidant and chief strategist. But Kondo just sniffed at all that.

“How dare a mere human like you talk that way…”

“A mere human? Do you mean Yuuki Kagurazaka?”

The wave of intense anger, like a rush of blood to her head, nearly blinded Kagali. But she could see that this was just Kondo executing his plan. If she let her anger get the better of her, it’d cost her a potentially winnable battle.

As proof of that, Footman was now attacking Kondo like a berserker, perhaps inspired by Kagali’s anger. He was the most powerful attacker among the clowns, and now he was unleashing massive missiles of magic, not sparing a moment to consider the damage to the city. Kondo avoided them without much of a fuss, but now sirens were going off; there would be panic in the streets before long.

At this rate, the rebels would have to deal with Guardians, security forces, and curious onlookers, all at the same time. Kagali saw no reason now to mind her manners. They’d have to treat anyone in their way as enemies and blow them away—but Kondo and his men were just as aware of that. Why was Kondo allowing this to happen, then? Kagali wasn’t sure.

Stay calm. Chill out. He’s just trying to piss me off…

She had seen through his scheme, and all she had to do was not play along. So she stifled her anger… But then, out of nowhere, she felt a great unease, as if she had overlooked something serious.

Wait… Damrada was under someone’s control. If that was Kondo’s doing…

Both Footman and Teare were now joining the battle. Around them, Yuuki’s comrades were in a pitched battle to the death against the Guardians. Not even that was enough to change Kondo’s expression. He was now holding a revolver in his hand, produced from parts unknown, and a sword was in his left. That was his approach against Footman and Teare, both outclassing a demon lord in force, and he still seemed fully relaxed.

They had expected him to be powerful, but this was beyond all expectations. He must outclass Damrada, Kagali sensed, realizing all over again how much of a threat this was.

He had his gun out, but he didn’t show any intention to shoot, engaging Footman and Teare with his sword alone. Even Kagali could tell that it was a masterful weapon—but what she didn’t know was that, despite appearing to be a standard-issue sword from the Imperial Japanese Navy, the blade itself was a work of art, boasting a beautiful, rippled streak along the edge that was mesmerizing to look at. It was a family heirloom, handed down through Kondo’s family for generations; no cheap imitation an amateur would bandy around.

This was, of course, not the kind of weapon you’d wield with one hand—but Kondo was doing just that, holding the lower part of the hilt with his left. It was hard to believe he’d normally carry it this way, suggesting that he wasn’t demonstrating his true ability with it yet.

This man is a menace. He’s taking both of them on, and he’s not even trying to fight seriously yet… But why, though? If he wanted to kill them, he’d be far more engaged than this. If he’s not, then maybe he sees some kind of value to us? In other words…

Then Kagali arrived at the answer.

“Look out!” she immediately shouted. “Kondo might be able to control people somehow!”

“Heh. You’re right.”

She thought he’d deny it, but he didn’t. It was unnerving.

So he’s just revealing his hand? …No, there’s no point denying it if we already suspect as much. If he affirms it, though, that makes us warier of him. I don’t get it. Why…?

Now Kagali wasn’t sure what to believe. Kondo’s behavior was beyond her understanding; she couldn’t figure out her next move. If fighting wasn’t going to bring them victory, it should’ve been best to stick to the original stall-for-time strategy, she thought. But she had no clue why Kondo was just going along with it.

…No! It’s just not right! He said he wasn’t going to put up with our attempts at stalling, so why…? Ah! Wait! That’s what he meant!

It was only then that Kagali realized just how much of a menace Kondo truly was. Everything he said had intrinsic meaning to it, she realized. And through the lies he had weaved, he was fully controlling every aspect of this fight they had.

“You’re stalling for time, too…”

“Oh, you’ve finally noticed? You see how I’m helping you with your silly attempts at buying time now?”

“Ngh!”

“It’s too easy to decipher the thoughts of someone like you, you see.”

Despite her attempts at remaining calm, Kondo’s taunts were hitting home.

“Don’t give me that—”

“Do you know why they call me the mysterious figure stalking the halls of information?”

“…”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? You just said I could control other people. So why don’t you also see that it’s simple for me to obtain information from the people under my control?”

What is he talking about? an astonished Kagali wondered. It sounded too amateurish to be a lie… But if it were true, it was a tremendously important secret to leak out. It was hard to believe that such a careful man would do something to expose his own hand like that.

“This is a hassle for me as well, you know. Not even I know everything. The plan was to make contact with you all on the outskirts of the city. We’d hardly want collateral damage inside the capital, and going easy on you in battle like this is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Going easy?!”

“Hoh-hoh-hoh! You think that little of us, do you?”

Kondo’s statement elicited further enraged excitement from Teare and Footman. They were being taken in by his scheme, and Kagali knew how bad an idea that was. Her agitation grew.

“Calm down, you two! Don’t let his words disturb you!”

She tried to stop them from going too out of control. Kondo shot her a glance, looking less than amused. Then, after a quick glance at his revolver, he put it back on his belt, for reasons only he knew.

“What a pain. Come on. Allow me to neutralize you as a threat without killing you.”

The moment he grasped his sword with both hands, the atmosphere changed completely. Now his aura was something only a true master could achieve.

“Teare, allow me to take over here. Let’s go, human!”

The two of them together struck such a presence that even those fighting around them felt pressured into stopping.

Kondo kept his sword high, pointed up in the air, as he quietly gauged his foe. Footman, meanwhile, seemed to be ignoring any semblance of defense. His aura coursed across his body, shooting him forward like a gigantic bullet. He pinballed around, showing amazing agility for his well-nourished body. Then, accelerating with every bounce off the ground, he jumped around the vicinity of Kondo, erratically hopping from landing point to landing point and growing faster all the time.

“Hohhhhh-hoh-hoh-hoh! Try to follow me, if you can!”

Convinced he was exercising his full potential, Footman unleashed his finishing move on Kondo. The secret to his battle technique was the unique skill Amplifier, and that, in essence, is what it did. Whether the movement took wave form or existed as mass, he could accelerate it at will. Simply bouncing off something sped up his body, and he could amplify his weight as well, giving himself mass far greater than how he looked. The sheer kinetic energy this generated could likely tear any enemy to pieces.

“Take this—Angry Splatter!”

With absolute confidence and destructive power on his side, Footman lunged for Kondo. But without the slightest change of expression, Kondo unleashed a skill of his own.

“I’ve just executed Thundering Universe. You had best consider it an honor.”

The quiet announcement was heard only after it was all over. In a single instant, Footman’s arms and legs had been severed. The action was far too quick to catch with the naked eye. It’d be absolutely impossible to pull off were it not for the awe-inspiring difference in ability at play.

His head was still attached, but there was now blood spurting out from a gaping wound across his neck. Not even that would be enough to kill Footman, but he was understandably out of this battle.

“And you’re Teare, aren’t you? Bind his arms and legs, and stop the bleeding out of his neck while you’re at it. I can’t have him dying on me yet.”

The order was given flatly, without emotion. The revolver was back in his right hand again; he was back to his original style. His body language indicated that he wasn’t interested in fighting anybody else.

“What…? What are you thinking…?!”

“I’m not going to kill any of you. Especially you, Kagali—or the ex–demon lord Kazalim, I should say. You have a lot of value to us. We can’t afford to have you dead.”

“Come on. You think I’m going to do that after what you’ve done?”

“Heh. I’m not asking for forgiveness. Didn’t I tell you that I can control other people?”

How loathsome of a man was he, even? Kagali eyed him hatefully. His manner of speaking irritated her to no end. She thought she had the right idea about all this, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t. Every word Kondo uttered got on her nerves.

Then a red burst of light emerged from Kondo’s handgun. Seeing this, Kondo smiled a little—a tiny, easily overlooked smile. Kagali was amazed he could smile at all… But at the same time, she sensed the biggest alarm bell yet.

He… It was true? He really was stalling?!

It was far too late to realize that. She abhorred being toyed with for this long, but still Kagali searched for the best way out of this. It was clear Kondo had all his cards in order, although she didn’t know what they were. It was impossible to escape; even buying any more time was a challenge.

And so there was just one choice to take. All Kagali could do was strike at the source of this danger, the calamity about to befall her friends. In other words, a suicide strike.

Death, she determined, was the best way to prevent information leaks. As a walking dead, though, Kagali would not truly cease to exist. She’d lose her physical body, yes, but as long as she inhabited someone else, she’d survive. Footman and Teare would realize what she meant to do, no doubt—they were walking dead as well, and just like Kagali, literally dying was unlikely. If all of them advanced upon Kondo at the same time, they’d fulfill their objective without revealing their intentions to him. Even if they all lost their bodies, they’d be able to escape and avoid the worst-case scenario. Such was Kagali’s decision, the best chip she had to play right now.

But how annoying! Sir Yuuki went through all this trouble to obtain my body. It took a while for me to settle in, too… Although it beats losing it all anyway. I hate to involve Footman and Teare in this, but I’ll see that they receive stronger bodies next time.

Her mind was made up. Laplace, she believed, would help clean up later. Kondo was just too strong—unexpectedly so. Based on her current assessment, Kagali believed he and Laplace were an even match…that or Kondo had a slight advantage. Even if he made it here, and they fought together, that still wouldn’t assure victory. It’d be foolish to put Laplace in danger as well, she reasoned.

What she wondered about was just how Kondo managed to take over other people’s minds. She wanted to flee after finding that out, but that might just be too greedy of her. So putting aside her doubts, she sprang into action.

“Well, just look at how much this human’s toyed with us, huh? Footman, Teare, stop playing with him, and let’s give him everything we’ve got. And you’ll get to see the full powers of the one they used to call a demon lord!”

Kagali stretched out her aura across her body, exercising power beyond all her limits. A borrowed body like this one had no chance of withstanding this; it’d be lucky to survive another few minutes. But this way, at least, she could settle this without Kondo thinking she chose to end her own life.

Footman and Teare, seeing Kagali’s move, immediately understood her plans.

“Hoh-hoh-hoh! It’ll take more than blowing my limbs off to stop me!”

“Yeah! And I’m still in this, too! I haven’t gone all out in ages upon ages, either. It’s so exciting!”

Footman, following Kagali’s lead, balled up his body and started bouncing around. Teare began unleashing her aura as well, blowing it up into a massive presence in the middle of the capital. If Kondo could be convinced this was a suicide strike aimed at taking both sides out, the strategy would be a success.

But despite the situation he was in, Kondo didn’t even bat an eye. He remained calm and measured as he sheathed his sword and spot-checked his revolver. Then, as casual as can be, he immediately rained all over Kagali’s parade.

“So I understand that walking dead can survive in spiritual form alone?”

It was a statement they ignored at their peril. Among their companions, only Yuuki knew the trio’s exact species. It was highly confidential intel, something not even Damrada was aware of. Nobody, not even Kondo, could’ve possibly known about it.

“Wh-why do you…?”

“War is something that fully ends before it begins, one could say. The Armored Division was wiped out because they underestimated the enemy and skimped on information gathering. If you simply run wild without any precise intelligence to go on, you’re all but guaranteeing your own defeat. Don’t you agree?”

“…”

“And by the way, I have to say that your comrade in arms was tremendously disappointing as well. I had him all set up at the exact right timing, and then some upstart demon lord completely bowls him over. Hardly a demon lord at all, I’d say. It makes me laugh.”

“…What?”

“But him losing was more convenient in the end, I suppose. I have a basic grasp of what went on over there, and it led to the creation of someone far more fascinating than Clayman anyway.”

“What the hell do you mean by that…?!”

Kagali exploded with anger. Any shred of remaining calm was thrown out the window. Her hatred for the man before her, Lieutenant Kondo, made her forget everything else. This was no less than a full confession that Kondo had total control over Clayman.

Looking back, Clayman had clearly lost his mind over time, a trend that progressed for at least several decades according to Laplace. Kagali assumed it was just the stress of becoming a demon lord, chiding herself for being overprotective of him—but if it was all Kondo’s doing, that was a different story. It meant that Kondo had a hand in virtually every failure in her plans, and that was hard to forgive. Worst of all, it was Kondo’s manipulation that sent her beloved Clayman to his demise…

He has to pay. I’ll never let this pass.

Her anger was nothing she or anyone else could control. Footman, sensitive to this, also picked up on it…and thus amplified it further. In the end, ironically, that was exactly what Kondo was hoping for—or aiming for, even.

“Getting emotional in the middle of battle? What a novice mistake. If that’s all the resolve you have, no wonder it was so easy to lead you to a trap like this.”

With that, Kondo pulled the trigger.

“Ah!”

There was a small bang. Kagali jumped back. There was no blood; this was a very special bullet, affecting not the body, but the mind. It was called a Dominion Bullet, a treasure granted by Emperor Ludora, and it was one of Kondo’s secret techniques. Each bullet contained a part of Ludora’s own power, making it capable of enthralling and controlling others. However, it worked on just one person at a time, and it was very likely not to work against those with strong mental fortitudes.

Kondo had an ample supply, but he still had to be very careful about how he used them—if a shot missed the mark, it’d both expose his hand to the enemy and cost him control over whoever he last shot with a Dominion Bullet. Using one to take over a demon lord’s mind required targeting them while asleep or in an agitated state—blinded by lust or by negative emotions like anger or grief. Once they were in the right condition, he could fire a Dominion Bullet to gain full control.

“Well, it took long enough, but we’re still sticking to the plan. Kagali, order your cohorts to cease hostilities immediately. You’re a careful person, so I assume you’ve implanted a locking curse on the summoned?”

“Yes, Sir Kondo.”

“Drop the ‘sir,’ please. ‘Lieutenant’ is fine.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Kondo. As you wish.”

Thus, Kagali fell into Kondo’s hands. And just as Kondo predicted, the souls of Yuuki’s comrades all had a locking curse etched on them. The same was also true of Teare and Footman, and thus they could not disobey the words of their commander Kagali.

Not everyone on hand had this locking curse, but it was quickly clear just how doomed they were. Better, they reasoned, to be captured than try to resist this horde.

Silence returned to the darkness of the capital.

“If you want to hate anyone, hate yourselves for being so powerless. Everyone has their own sense of what makes right, but only when integrated into a stronger will can it be acted upon. The same is true for one’s ideals. Your ambitions all vanished in the face of His Majesty’s just cause. Nothing more and nothing less.”

This was the one true rule—survival of the fittest. Kondo was well aware of it.

“Of course, those who are not prepared to be crushed in the end aren’t even qualified to have ambitions at all. That does not apply to you… So I’ll be sure to remember your disappointments for you.”

Kondo himself lived with a certain resolve. That’s why he never made fun of Kagali and her friends for what they attempted. If he lost, as he knew and understood from experience, he’d suffer the exact same fate.

Yuuki and Damrada were deep in a fierce battle, exchanging one blow, then another for what seemed like the millionth time.

Without hesitation, Damrada aimed a spinning back blow at a pressure point on Yuuki’s face. It was blocked with a palm; Yuuki attempted to gain control of Damrada’s wrist, but he was denied as his opponent unleashed a chop to hold him back. Yuuki, anticipating this, twisted his upper body back as he executed a double kick. But Damrada was quick to pick up on it, sinking down and sweeping with his leg—then his opponent jumped up, perhaps reading this counter in advance, and tried to take his head off with a spinning kick. However, Yuuki’s leg cut through thin air; Damrada was back on his feet a safe distance away.

It was a sophisticated, refined exchange of martial arts that went beyond the scope of what human beings could maneuver. They kept rattling them off, again and again, at a pace so regular that they almost seemed to be in a training session. But they were going too fast for the normal human eye to follow. The lack of spectators was a pity, but then again, they’d have trouble rounding up an audience with the skills required to watch and appreciate them.

Here was a battle between dedicated masters, fought only with their own well-honed bodies. But that wasn’t all that was taking place. Yuuki was also trying to communicate with Damrada—not with speech, but through Telepathy. Damrada, in turn, was trying to help Yuuki with that. That’s why there was so much unnecessary physical contact; when they went hand-against-hand for an instant, that’s when they were exchanging messages.

(Wow, we’re finally connected, huh? I didn’t expect you to gain an ultimate skill as well, Damrada. You had no idea how much trouble I had opening a Telepathy link to you. Have you had this since we met, perhaps?)

(It was borrowed, Sir Yuuki, but yes, I’ve been in possession of it for as long as we’ve known each other. I don’t use it very often, however, so I doubt you would have noticed.)

Yuuki couldn’t help but snicker at this. When he awakened to his own ultimate skill, only then did he realize the mind-boggling difference between them and regular unique skills. Still, there was something in Damrada’s reply that he couldn’t gloss over.

(Borrowed? What do you mean?)

Skills like these were, by nature, acquired by yourself. Some people could craft them like Yuuki, but they couldn’t just be conjured out of nothing. They were using their own desires to change the form of the power within their soul. It wasn’t something that could be “borrowed.”

(I mean exactly what I said. My power was granted to me by His Majesty.)

(Is that even possible?)

(I understand your skepticism, but you have me as a witness to it. You’ll have to accept that it is possible, yes.)

(I see. Fair point.)

Having it phrased that way, Yuuki had no choice but to accept it. That naturally led to his next question.

(So can he just pass on skills to anybody he wants?)

(Oh, no.) Damrada smiled. (The average person does not have the capacity to obtain even a unique skill, much less an ultimate one. Simply accepting that power requires an enormous amount of energy. You’d need to be completely remade, the way otherworlders are, to pull it off.)

(Well, that’s a relief. I was worried the emperor was holding a closeout sale on ultimate skills.)

(Ha-ha-ha! No, he hasn’t managed that yet. It’s one of his objectives, however.)

Yuuki could accept that.

(And that’s why he’s gathering all these strong people?)

(Precisely. Humans, too, can evolve after enough training. Their entire species changes, and they become Enlightened. As a Saint, Sir Yuuki, I believe you know the process?)

(Pretty much, yeah.)

He had a general understanding. Humans can go from Enlightened to Sainthood, and that took more than regular old training. Even the Ten Great Saints, deemed the strongest in the Western Nations, had just two real Saints among them—Hinata and Saare.

(Only upon becoming Enlightened can one break free from the framework of humanity, where they must live among their own kind. They remain an individual but also gain the ability to connect with the world at large. Those who reach that stage here become Imperial Guardians, having passed the minimum requirements His Majesty has put in place.)

(Being Enlightened’s the minimum requirement?)

(Yes, that’s right. If you fought against Guy, Sir Yuuki, then you understood just how strong he was, I assume? Even a Saint could never beat him.)

(Yeah, I’ll grant you that.)

Guy was simply unassailable. That much was made perfectly clear, taking him on. No half-assed attempt would even touch him.

(If you want to defeat Guy, as an absolute minimum, you must awaken to the ultimate in force.)

(An ultimate skill, in other words?)

It made sense to Yuuki. That came across more strongly to him, now that he had an ultimate skill of his own. The only way to tackle someone with an ultimate was to break out an ultimate of your own.

(Exactly. His Majesty is familiar with this as well. That is why he grants trials to those who are Enlightened, to help them awaken further and become vessels worthy enough of the ultimate skill he can give them.)

(Sounds pretty crazy. But if I were him, I’d do the same thing, I guess.)

(I’m glad you understand so quickly.)

Yuuki and Damrada smiled at each other. It might be completely illogical to the average person, but Yuuki saw the reasoning behind it. Once you had the methodology down, it could allow you to collect a large number of people with ultimate skills. He disliked how someone else beat him to the idea, but he had to admit to its charms. The only problem with it was that it required someone as uniquely qualified as Ludora to engineer.

(The fact that Ludora can grant ultimate powers at all is just amazing.)

(Hee-hee-hee… Yes, it proves his greatness beyond any doubt. And if you become a Saint under his tutelage, His Majesty will grant you the ultimate skill Alternative.)

Damrada’s telepathic voice sounded proud to Yuuki. He could feel the respect Damrada held for Emperor Ludora, and it made him laugh a little. Damrada might have been loyal to Yuuki still, but his feelings for the emperor were a different matter. Yuuki knew this was the case, although he really wished Damrada hid it a little more. Of course, he normally never made that kind of mistake, so Yuuki assumed he was acting this way on purpose right now.

(So is Ludora waging this war in order to awaken more of his knights?)

(I suppose he would be. Our previous war was stymied by interference from Veldora, but that was a blessing in disguise. A few people evolved into Enlightened in the process, so we gained even more power than we lost.)

Talk about patience, an impressed—and jealous—Yuuki thought.

So the two of them shared thoughts with each other through Telepathy as they fought, or sparred, or whatever. Finally, Yuuki managed to break through the last of Damrada’s psychological barriers.

(Oh, here we go. I found the core of the power controlling you.)

(Ah, wonderful to hear. Do you think you can remove it?)

(Yeah, no problems there. But if I do, won’t Kondo find out?)

(I imagine he will, yes, but I’m not sure I care.)

(Well, here we go, then.)

They hadn’t been sparring for no reason. Damrada knew about Yuuki’s Anti-Skill ability, and he believed it could overcome the thrall that Kondo put upon him. Yuuki was aware of that as well, and without any further instruction, he had spent the past while probing Damrada. Now he would use the new power awakened in him to bring his friend back to normal.

Mammon, Lord of Greed—the ultimate skill Yuuki had acquired—specialized in seizing things. It contained the ability Lifestealer, for example, which sapped energy on contact. Using it allowed Yuuki to deal damage simply by punching and having it blocked. The exact type of energy taken—magical, physical—depended on the opponent, but whatever it was, Yuuki could take it and use it for himself.

Lifestealer didn’t work on Damrada, however. He had too much strength, and even under Kondo’s control, he still maintained that strength in the best possible condition. Regardless of his mind’s intentions, his body was doing the best it could to interfere with Yuuki. That was thanks to Alternative, the ultimate gift provided by the emperor. This skill protected his very soul, an impenetrable psychological barrier that nullified any kind of spiritual attack. This was combined with absolute physical destructive skills that could penetrate all defenses. Put them together, and Damrada had become an undefeated champion in every way.

Kondo was able to control him because the Dominion Bullets the emperor gave him were devised to be higher level than Alternative. If Damrada had learned Alternative naturally instead of receiving it as a gift, his body never would’ve been taken over. It was a real obstacle, and Yuuki had to use Anti-Skill to the hilt to break down the barriers. In time, though, he found the Dominion Bullet lodged in his soul, and once he had Damrada’s permission, he instantly focused his power on it.

“Lifestealer!”

The bottom of Yuuki’s palm struck Damrada’s chest.

The precisely controlled blow shattered only the bullet and nothing else. It seemed so anticlimactic, but now Damrada was free once more.

“Thank you, Sir Yuuki.”

“Yeah. Hope you can stop relying on others like that for a while. I’m worried about Kagali’s group, though. I gotta go, but what’re you gonna do?”

“Let me join you. I need to speak with the demon lord Rimuru tomorrow regardless. We’ll be proceeding with the coup right after that, so it’d be too dangerous to return to where Kondo is.”

“True. No need to try patching things up now, is there?”

Yuuki laughed; Damrada joined him.

“Ready to go, then?”

“By all means.”

He turned around and headed for the door, Damrada nodding and following along. But just then:

“So why were you playing with this outside element instead of taking care of him, Damrada? You weren’t seriously planning to betray His Majesty, were you?”

The cold voice made Yuuki too nervous to move. The real crisis was only beginning…

Without a sound, before anyone knew what happened, she was standing right there. Her presence was overwhelmingly strong, her hair blue, her face beautiful. It’d be the first time they met, but Yuuki felt he already knew this figure from somewhere. The figure of the one on the other side of the curtain, seated next to the emperor—the Marshal.

“L-Lady Velgrynd…!”

Damrada’s whisper sounded bizarrely loud.

Velgrynd? Does he mean…?!

At that moment, Yuuki realized his face was too tensed up to move. A True Dragon, the strongest creature in the world—now she was before him, their powers beyond compare.

This sure ain’t good. I didn’t sense this when I saw Veldora, but with her, it’s not even a question of winning or losing. Fighting someone like her head-on would just be suicide.

But despite that realization, Yuuki refused to give up. If a head-on confrontation was doomed to fail, simply find a back door—and Yuuki had the perfect special move for that. Play his cards right, he thought, and victory seemed possible enough.

“I never would’ve guessed Her Excellency the Marshal was a True Dragon all along. Now I understand why Guy hasn’t made a move yet.”

“My. How unusual for a human. I admire you for not losing your nerve around me.”

“Thanks. And by the way, it’d be really great if you could let me go. What do you think?”

“That’s fine by me. I don’t have any business with you… My dear husband does.”

Velgrynd took a step back… And only then did Yuuki notice the other man present. His eyes opened wide. Standing next to Velgrynd was a man in an extravagant outfit that was no doubt worth an astronomical amount of money. Yuuki knew his face well.

“…Masayuki? Nah, no way it’s him. Or…?”

To Yuuki, this man had to be Masayuki’s identical twin—but he noticed a few differences. The most notable one was the hair color. The man before him had shining blond hair, and while Masayuki usually dyed his blond, his natural color was the standard black of most Japanese people.

Looking more closely, he could sense differences in the eyes, too. Masayuki’s were always either darting around or just kind of blank, unthinking, but this man looked like he could see through everything. It almost felt like those eyes could consume you if you weren’t careful. No way were they the same person.

…Guess not, huh?

Now reasonably sure of that, Yuuki then realized who the man really was. If Velgrynd called him her husband, that left only one candidate.

“…Emperor Ludora?”

“That’s right, Sir Yuuki. This is His Majesty, Emperor Ludora, the ruler standing at the peak of the Empire.”

Damrada provided the reply. He was on his knees already, not even caring if he got his clothes dirty; he urgently wanted to prove to Ludora that he bore no animosity. Yuuki couldn’t blame him. He knew how much more Ludora meant to him. The real issue at hand: Why was Ludora here at all?

“Well, color me shocked. Why is Your Eminence in a meeting hall like this? Are you bored, or…?”

“No, I am quite a busy man,” the emperor replied, unaffected by Yuuki’s teasing. “My game against Guy is in the closing stages. I have no time to trifle with other matters.”

This seemed to astound Damrada. He never thought that Ludora would actually address someone lower than himself, and he never thought Velgrynd would allow it.

“Oh? Well, you better stop bumping around my place, then—”

“Enough nonsense. I want you to join me. Agree to it, and I’ll let you keep your free will.”

It was an order, one from far above, delivered to a lowly worm on the ground. Yuuki hated this type of person more than anything else, but for some reason, he felt like he just couldn’t resist.

Is this Thought Guidance in action? It resembles the brand of dominance Maribel tried on me, but far stronger…

The power annoyed him greatly. But since Yuuki had Anti-Skill handy, he could cancel out any skill-driven order on him. Or he should’ve been able to.

No! This isn’t any simple power like that!

Yuuki shivered as he came to that realization. It took a mighty effort not to fall to his knees. This was pure charisma, the unimaginable supremacy of a ruler capable of subjugating anything he sees. He resisted it with all his might.

“Pft… Not bad. I wasn’t expecting you to break out this cheat code on me from the very start…”

He spat on the floor in anger, a little blood mixed in. It was usually Yuuki dominating encounters like these from the start, and he hated having his style copied like this. But he was still in the clear. He was angry, and that emotion was proof that Ludora’s control on him was broken. With a bold smile, he looked his way, only to find the emperor giving him a quizzical look of his own.

“What’s wrong? Strange to find your power doesn’t work on me, huh?”

“No—”

Ludora turned toward Velgrynd, troubled. She responded with light giggling, which didn’t make Ludora feel any better.

“Don’t bother, Ludora. When this kid was exposed to your presence, he mistook it for a mental attack. You have to use a lighter touch, or you’ll break him before he can even join you.”

“What, this won’t work?”

“No. You don’t have enough people in your life you speak to on equal terms. That makes it hard for you to control your strength.”

Velgrynd seemed to thoroughly enjoy how puzzled Ludora was. Yuuki, hearing all this, trembled in humiliation.

Are you kidding me?! Do I not even register to them? Let’s take that smug attitude and rip it apart right now!

“That’s fine,” he said, regaining his composure. “I’ll admit it. You guys are definitely the greatest rulers the world’s ever known. But you know, if you have all that power and still can’t conquer the entire world, then to me, you could hardly be more incompetent.”

As usual, he kicked things off with provocation. Velgrynd responded first.

“Hmm. Brash of you. How about we kill him after all, Ludora? Bringing this kid into the fold wouldn’t make that much difference strength-wise against Guy. Why keep him around just so he can sass us like this?”

But Ludora was more magnanimous than that.

“Oh, don’t say that. Maybe you see him as insignificant, but give him the right education, and he can grow to become a tremendously useful pawn. And isn’t a little defiance now and then a nice change of pace? A cat, after all, is just as cute if it refuses to sidle up to you. I like him.”

It was Ludora’s way of completely degrading Yuuki. He snorted at it. Taunting Ludora wouldn’t accomplish much if it did nothing to bother him. It was time to break out the big guns. With Velgrynd around, Yuuki couldn’t waste a lot of time. He’d have to tap his greatest weapon from the get-go and use the momentum from it to subdue the True Dragon.

Yuuki steeled himself.

“You want me to join you? Fine, but I’m not about to serve someone weaker than me. If you want me around, you’re gonna have to show me some real power!”

As soon as he shouted it, Yuuki began to act. No time for small talk; no point in putting on a performance. The ultimate skill Mammon converted the size of one’s desires into actual power, and Yuuki knew he was a greedy man. It was only natural, he thought, that he awakened to the power he took from Maribel. That was why he firmly believed that a skill as outlandishly unfair as Mammon made him the strongest in the entire world.

So who would he target first? It had to be Ludora. He’d take control of the emperor, using him as a hostage against Velgrynd. If that let him survive this crisis, this whole day would be a blessing in disguise. Such bullish optimism was Yuuki’s driving force, and it had brought him great success so far—and this time, too, he’d make a huge leap forward.

It was the only thought in his mind as he started running. In another few steps, he was within punching range. In less time than the blinking of an eye, Yuuki’s hand was about to touch Ludora.

He activated Life Absorb, one of Mammon’s subskills, in his right hand, combining it with Anti-Skill. This fearsome combo allowed him to penetrate through any barriers his target might have covering him. This was what Lifestealer was meant for, and unlike with Damrada, Yuuki didn’t care if this attack was lethal or not. If Ludora died, it only meant he had Velgrynd alone to deal with. Escaping two strong opponents would be a formidable challenge, but a single one was far more manageable.

If he survived, though, that’s where Yuuki’s left hand came in. It was infused with Heart Control, a terrifying power that acted on the target’s emotions and even affected their memories. It was a dominating force, one even more vicious and irresistible than Maribel’s own greed.

Yuuki planned to use this one-two punch to blaze a path through this. But the plan was quickly shattered.

“You will not lay a hand on Ludora in my presence.”

Yuuki was running his body to the absolute upper limits of speed, but not even he could keep Velgrynd from stepping between him and the emperor. Then, without breaking a sweat, she swatted Yuuki’s right hand away.

He was stunned. Having his hand blocked was a surprise, but even more astounding was the sheer amount of energy that flowed from Velgrynd. It was a raging torrent, enough to make Yuuki vomit blood. In a single exchange, his body was infused with far more magicules than he could ever hope to withstand.

Instantly, he realized the danger, forcibly twisting his body to get away. If he reacted even a moment later, his body would have been completely destroyed. It wasn’t that Velgrynd did anything to him, exactly—quite the opposite. All she did was push Yuuki’s hand away. The damage was more self-destructive, in a way. He had activated Lifestealer, and then he used it to absorb far more energy than he could control.

As blood flowed from his mouth, eyes, and nose, Yuuki thought over what just happened.

That… That’s insane. How beyond my allowable limit was that?! I’m at a point where I can take in dozens of high-level elementals without issue, and I got all filled up in a single instant? How crazy are True Dragons anyway?!

Yuuki wanted to complain to the gods about it. Velgrynd was nobody to trifle with. Despite all the energy taken from her, she acted like she was in no pain at all. Yuuki’s attack wasn’t even worth defending in her eyes.

Now he realized how impossible this was.

Dammit! I had no idea there was this much difference. No wonder I barely register with them.

They were undeniably on the same level as Guy. Realizing that, Yuuki now knew just how lofty the great heights of the world truly were. It was an impossible gap to traverse, and he only knew it because of the ultimate ability he awakened to. Staging any kind of attack against them would be suicide. He had no choice but to wait for his enemy to make a move.

“I’d advise you not to try anything rash, please. I’ve come to you on my own volition. And indeed, why don’t I respond to your request to see my power?”

“That’s a bad habit to indulge, Ludora. Leave that to me. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Hee-hee! Well, that won’t be very convincing, now will it?”

This was stirring the pot, nothing more. Yuuki wasn’t about to let them take all his favorite party tricks away from him.

“Ha-ha-ha! Glad you know what I’m talking about. Realistically speaking, I think I’ve already lost. But I’m not a quitter, you know. Don’t expect me to give up that easy.”

He knew he was being a sore loser, but Yuuki decided to grandstand a bit anyway. Now that he knew there was no way to beat Velgrynd, all he needed to protect now was his dignity. Even if it got him killed, he wanted to have things his way right to the very end.

Infused with a new drive, he glared at Ludora. The emperor responded with a curious smile.

“Very well. Let me take you on. I will tell you in advance that domination is a strong suit of mine. If you can endure it, you win, and you may go wherever you wish.”

The unexpected offer made Yuuki steel his eyes. Ludora clearly meant it. He really didn’t mind letting Yuuki go. And while Yuuki couldn’t read his intentions here, Ludora saw this confrontation in rather simple terms. Yuuki could gain experience through this—experience that would give him even stronger powers. Once that was done, they could talk it over again… And then he’d have Yuuki in his hands.

The two of them were completely different in ability. That’s why Yuuki found Ludora so creepy—and why his taunts enraged him.

Domination’s his strong suit? Well, it’s the same for me. I’m gonna bet it all on this Mammon skill…

Ludora looked at him, bemused and excited about his first match in a long time. If Yuuki could withstand his domination skills, this might prove to be one treacherous ally, indeed. He was aware of the possibility, but he still chose to engage him.

If this is enough to crush me, well, that’s as far as my ideals will take me.

Defeat wasn’t even on his mind. And if Yuuki merely pretended to obey him, that was not the end of the world, either. Taming pawns like that, he was sure, was the only way he could truly become the world’s sole dominant ruler. And Velgrynd had known him for a long time. She didn’t need it spelled out to know what he was thinking. That’s why she knew how useless it was to chide him for this.

“All right. If you lose, then I’ll make sure to avenge you.”

She took a step back.

“You hardly need to worry,” Ludora replied, chuckling as he stepped forward. Yuuki followed suit, ignoring his screaming aches and pains as he stood up.

“Your group certainly is interesting, though. No wonder Guy praised you all as the jokers disrupting this whole game.”

“…How did you know that?”

“Heh. I just received a report from Tatsuya about them. The Moderate Jesters, I think they’re called? Well, their leader’s fallen into our hands, too. And I’ll also tell you this—everything about you is now fully known to me. Keep that in mind as you challenge me.”

Tatsuya was Lieutenant Kondo’s given name. Ludora must have had some way to keep in contact with him, and he must’ve reported on defeating Kagali just now. Realizing all this, Yuuki let out a sigh of disgust. Everything from his unique constitution to the fight and subsequent conversations he had with Guy had been leaked. Yuuki had told everyone he trusted about his ultimate skill. Damrada had faithfully kept it a secret, but now all that was meaningless. Kagali was Yuuki’s closest confidant, and naturally, she knew all his secrets.

Oh, man. I’m dead. So they know absolutely everything about me…?

Suddenly Yuuki had an urge to throw it all away. His mind told him that he was out of ideas, but his pride would never allow him to retreat at this point. But most of all:

Then Kagali isn’t dead? Ludora’s got some kind of domination skill, and if I had to guess, Kondo’s got something close to that. In which case, instead of trying to run…

In an instant, he formulated a plan. It had a very low chance of success, but it made him feel better than taking things on with zero strategy.

“Well, how kind of you to say. But all that ease is gonna be your downfall!”

“That’s fine. I tend to believe I’ve won only when I’ve surpassed my opponent’s full strength. So please, by all means, give it your all as well. I don’t want you having any regrets.”

Ludora took another step forward. Then he assumed a fighting stance—a unique one, no weapons involved. He was a swordsman by training, as proven by the longsword on his belt, but he intended to defeat Yuuki purely by domination, as promised.

Yuuki had already seen through Ludora’s personality. He had a firm, honest disposition, one not befitting a ruler at all, and now he was sincerely aiming to battle Yuuki. That’s what made him so easy to read.

Honestly, winning here in the primary definition of the term is impossible. Even if I pull something off against Ludora, Velgrynd’s still here. If I can’t escape, then the best I can hope for is to cancel out Ludora’s domination?

But Ludora had to be expecting that—and what’s more, he had total confidence that he could take control of Yuuki. And so the only option Yuuki had left was…

“Bring it on, Ludora!”

…betting everything on the slightest of probabilities.

“Regalia Dominion!”

With a balletic move, Ludora sprang into action, instantly closing the distance between himself and Yuuki. Once he was in range, he began activating his “imperial domination,” the very pinnacle of powers offered by his ultimate skill Michael, Lord of Justice. Unlike the imitation he proffered to Kondo, this skill had no limitations, and its powers were an order of magnitude greater. Even among ultimate skills, there were still subclassifications in rank—and for someone as recently awakened as Yuuki, there was no way to resist this one.

Ludora stood there, as dignified as could be. Yuuki collapsed on the spot. The winner and loser seemed clear now, but the outcome remained unknown.

“Are you sure you won’t kill him? People like him, you know—they’ll pretend to obey you, and then they’ll wait for just the right moment to strike.”

“That’s fine. That’s what makes it so fun. I’m letting him off the hook as a reward for resisting my dominance.”

Despite it all, Ludora’s confidence remained unshakable. His absolute dominance was assured in his mind, and he didn’t doubt his victory for a moment.

“All right, then…”

Ludora, the victor, boldly smiled. Then he turned toward Damrada, who was staying politely silent in a corner of a room, and addressed him like an old friend.

“Forgive me, Damrada, but I cannot have you getting in my way just yet.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty…”

That was all it took for the two of them to be on the same page.

“When he wakes up, please take care of him for me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Satisfied with that reply, Ludora left with Velgrynd in tow. He had only just begun tightening the reins on his government, and now that he was on the move, a new era was about to begin. Not even the capital would escape the waves of upheaval—and even though it was the middle of the night, the sky turned red as a rain of pure crimson began to fall.