205 The Demon Who Commands the Gods

Good.

If that is settled, act without delay.

Kill every human and demon. That is the plan. That is the intent.

"Wait. What are you attempting to do?"

Don’t stop, creaking!

Paradise awaits beyond that point!

Ah, attempting to eradicate both humans and demons swiftly, are we.

Do you think I would permit that?

Ah, yes.

I am sorry.

Can you please stop projecting that serious god-like aura?

It's tough on me, a novice to the divine.

"Really. Ariel, can you handle the reins of this thing?"

Ahaha... a bit unsure of myself.

The demon lord, who laughed abruptly, then immediately turned serious.

To be honest, this is both good and bad because I’m true to myself. I do what I want. I don’t do what I don’t want. If my life isn’t at stake, I’ll see anything I want through to the end.

"Even if it leans toward extremes, huh. Quite troublesome."

Um...

Can you stop treating people like disasters?

I mean, we can communicate, right?

"Communication is possible, but mental alignment is impossible. A peculiar entity."

That's harsh!

No, no.

Why do both the Demon King and Guri-Guri nod so firmly there?

"Nothing to be done. I will stay by your side."

"Are you sure?"

"There is no alternative. On this planet, only I can stop that thing. If it goes wild without my watch, catastrophe. I cannot predict when it might explode. I must keep it under constant surveillance."

So, ah, never mind.

Troublesome.

"Great! Two divine subordinates secured!"

"Not subordinates. Overseers."

"Fine, fine. But for convenience, can I consider Guri-E and Spider-chan my subordinates?"

"Suit yourself."

Nods.

"Understood. Then I'll briefly outline the next steps. First, I'll go to the demon realm and consolidate the demon forces."

"Any plan in mind?"

"Of course. Since inheriting the title of Demon King from the previous generation, I've maintained contact intermittently. I've already made preliminary arrangements with Argner, an old-timer, and Balt, the current leader of the demons. The progress stalled, however, when someone—unknown—launched an impossible attack the moment I stepped onto the public stage."

Who could it be...? Who would do such a bothersome thing...?

Really... who could it be...?

"Ugh, eyes are swimming. Nauseating."

I should just keep them closed normally.

Yes, that's best.

"Returning to the matter— I've already instructed them to prepare the demon military forces. Once ready, it'll be war against the human race."

Is it really worth going to war over this? Thanks to what that one did recently, we’ve already secured a sufficient number of casualties.

Ah… uh…

Guriguri, you don’t know?

That’s right— the Demon Lord said something similar earlier.

“Guriguri, current MA domain energy fill rate is only 3%.”

Guriguri’s eyes widen at the Demon Lord’s unusually serious tone.

“Impossible!?”

“We’d painstakingly built it up to 71%— now it’s vanished entirely. The cause is likely the previous Hero and Demon Lord.”

“Timing would explain it. But is it possible? If that much energy were consumed, even I— stripped of my interference rights— should have noticed.”

‘That depends on whether the energy was used on this world.’

“Then… that’s what it is.”

That’s right—it connects to the reincarnated individual I spoke of earlier. The previous Hero and Demon King altered dimensional magic. They identified me, the system’s final authority, and launched an attack. They destroyed the MA domain and used its energy for that purpose.

Huh?

Isn’t that the same as before?

Didn’t you say earlier that you pierced through the MA domain when opening a dimension?

Now it sounds like it was set up deliberately all along.

Ten to eight, you deliberately expended energy targeting me. The system knew it would persist even if I died. Perhaps it even considered seizing my authority. Though the greatest miscalculation was that the system administrator was me. Did it truly believe such an attack could kill me? Or did it not know who I am? Probably the latter.

Ahh-hah.

This person just dismissed an attack that poured more than half the energy contained within their star.

Seriously, that's not even funny.

"Only one person could have done something like this."

"Likely."

The culprit is clearly identified between the Demon King and Guryuguryu.

"Potimas!!!"

An immense aura erupts from Guryuguryu's body.

"How much corruption must there be before you're satisfied!?"

"Moreover, he is a ruler. One who has established authority. Eliminating him in this state would accelerate the collapse of the world. If he has calculated this far, I must admit his cunning is undeniable."

"Damn it!"

Two individuals at maximum fury.

Oh, frightening. Truly frightening.

"Anyway, that's why immediate restoration is necessary. Fortunately, the matter I mentioned earlier should have provided some replenishment. There is a brief window of opportunity. I will use that time to train the demon clan. Then, let us engage the humans in a grand confrontation. The more sacrifices, the better, after all."

Guryuguryu fell silent, expression strained, as the Demon King’s chilling smile settled upon him.