Side Story Chapter 46
Kireua stopped his sword an inch away from Marquess Turtler’s carotid artery and said, “Everyone, freeze.”
The rebels and the demon that had introduced himself as the Demon King of Gluttony belatedly turned around.
“The more I look at him, the more surprising he is,” Marbas mused.
“I’ll ask you one question, so answer it.”
The murmuring died down, and Marbas nodded on behalf of all of them. “What is it?”
“What are you trying to do in this country?”
“You’re asking the obvious. Wasn’t the goal of every rebellion ever to overthrow the existing government and become the new rulers?”
“I saw the knights possessed by demonic power,” Kireua said.
“That’s also a means to our goal.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kireua’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent, his sword ready to slit Turtler’s neck any moment. “Why don’t you answer that yourself, Marquess Turtler? No matter how much you want power, How could you take a demon’s hand?”
“You’re gravely mistaken about one thing,” Marbas interrupted.
“I asked Marquess Turtler.”
“It wasn’t me who made the offer. It was them, the citizens of your empire.”
Kireua’s eyes widened.
“They want to build an empire of demons and rule over the entire continent.”
“You lunatics.”
“They have a specific plan after winning the civil war. After decades, the Masters’ Battle is going to resume. So that is where they’ll start.”
“The Masters’ Battle? Wait, you’re going after Reinhardt…?” Kireua’s face darkened.
Continental War had taken place about two decades ago, before Kireua had been born. The current Emperor of Avalon had knocked down two of the Skies of that generation.
Reinhardt was a strategically important city, so the other two empires had formed an alliance to take it but had repeatedly betrayed each other. That was how important the free city was.
However, the prominent hero named Joshua Sanders had put an end to the Continental War, and Reinhardt had become his land and his only. After about two decades, the city had naturally become part of Avalon—but not anymore. The one and only king of Reinhardt had disappeared over a decade ago, so it was actually a bit late to talk about resuming the Masters’ Battle.
In the Hubalt Empire, which had become far stronger than it was at the time of the Continental War, the emperor claimed that since Reinhardt’s one and only king was gone, a new ruler of Reinhardt should be selected in accordance with historical tradition: a Masters’ Battle.
Aside from the Martial God, no one should be recognized as the king of Reinhardt without winning a Masters’ Battle. The same applied to Joshua Sanders’ children, who couldn’t keep their country in one piece, the leaders of the Hubalt Empire and other countries claimed. Since it was for the sake of their countries, they would never back down unless the Emperor of Avalon himself appeared to refute them.
“That is why you’re going to loose demonkin on the other countries? Have you truly lost your minds?” Kireua asked.
“Who decided that demonic power is evil in the first place?” Marbas demanded.
“…What?”
“It was none other than you humans. You call that divine power holy and praise the people who wield it, but if you take a closer look, these two powers aren’t that different from one another.”
“What are you gibbering about?”
Since Kireua had no prior experience with demonic and divine powers, he really couldn’t understand what Marbas was talking about.
“Some people believe that demonic power consumes its wielders, but that’s just superstition. Well, it might be due to how demonic power responds badly with one’s mana.” Marbas shrugged.
“Mana is a form of vital force, so isn’t that obvious?”
“Yes, mana boosts vitality.”
Kireua frowned. “It isn’t just about making one stronger—it’s literally essential to survive. Think about true mana.”
“What if you could replace mana with demonic power?”
“…What?” Kireua blankly gaped at the demon. He had never thought about it.
“Isn’t that what the priests do, the ones you praise for being holy? They utilize their divine power, not mana, to use their abilities and sustain their lives.”
“But demonic power is—”
“An evil power? Or there is a possibility that you could become a puppet of the demon supplying the power?” Marbas raised an eyebrow.
Marbas was right. Demonic power was considered evil and consumed those who possessed it, which was why any creature with such power was condemned. That was what Kireua had learned and had been engraved in his mind.
“But isn’t there a human who broke that stereotype?” Marbas tilted his head inquisitively. “Joshua Sanders.”
Kireua jolted.
Marbas nodded. “He’s a human, but he can't be defined by existing standards. So he’s special to us demons, too.”
Kireua’s lips trembled when he realized how close to him the exception was. That person surpassed the limits and could freely use his demonic power. Instead of hosting a demon, the man himself had become the source.
“The relationship between light and darkness is symbiotic; it’s too black and white to call one side good and the other bad. There’s actually a good precedent for this: after the death of the Demon Spirit, the Demon Realm disappeared, and the Angel Realm also came to an end when the balance was upset. That was how the powers you guys call authorities appeared, wasn’t it? There are already people who manifested the archangels’ authorities, so I believe that there is no need for you to view a person with an authority related to the Demon Realm differently.”
“…Then what are you demons trying to achieving in this place?” Kireua finally said.
“It’s more of a desperate attempt to survive rather than trying to achieve something.”
“To… survive?”
“We demons no longer have a home to return to, so regardless of whether we like that or not, we have to make a choice. We can either turn the Human Realm into the Demon Realm or coexist with humans,” Marbas explained. “It’s the same for the angels, of course.”
“Turning the Human Realm into the Demon Realm? I knew demons can’t be—!”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe it or not, but I’m more inclined toward the latter case. I wish to live together with humans.”
“…What?” Kireua asked, unable to believe his ears.
“Didn’t I already tell you that light and darkness are in a symbiotic relationship? Even if I force the darkness to spread in the Human Realm, the world is already off balance. Any such effort will eventually crumble.”
If what Kireua heard just now was true, the magnitude of the problem was very grave. Not all of the demons and angels would be on the same page.
“…Heh. Hehehehehe…” Turtler chuckled, despite the fact that Kireua’s sword was still hovering above his neck.
“…What is so funny, Marquess Turtler?” Kireua’s eyes narrowed.
“Power without justice is violence, but justice without power is incompetence, Second Prince. If it hadn’t been for the disappearance of the Emperor, we wouldn’t have had to worry about this in the first place.”
“What are you…” Kireua trailed off.
“That monster would have killed all the angels, demons, and anyone else who didn’t listen to him. He’s the human who annihilated the Demon Spirit, isn’t he?” Turtle reached out his hand to push away Kireua’s sword.
Of course, Kireua reacted instantly—but the reaction he got was violent and unyielding. He inhaled sharply. It felt like he’d struck a lump of metal. He’d been trying to cut off Turtler’s head with one clean cut, but his sword had bounced off too easily.
Which meant only one thing.
“Wait…” Kireua blankly murmured.
“My men aren’t the only ones who use demonic power.”
“I knew it…!” Kireua leaped backward, putting his back against the wall.
Turtler stroked his neck for a moment and grinned. “Demonic power is truly an evil power. Being able to forget your fears is great, but losing your rationality is definitely a downside. Nevertheless, you can overcome that once you surpass a certain level.”
“Do you really think there won’t be any side effects? You’ve already manifested the power of Four Guardians.”
“Idiot. The Black Tortoise, my Four Guardian, was the guardian of the Demon Realm in the first place.”
Kireua gritted his teeth. This was the first he’d heard of this.
“Second Prince, if you’re really a member of the Imperial Family of this Empire, you don’t have to worry too much—this is for Avalon, after all.”
“Nonsense!”
“You heard what he just said. Once we take over the capitol, our next goal is the continent. I’ll win first place in the Masters’ Battle as representative of Avalon, the first step of my journey to becoming the first emperor of the continent!” Turtler shouted ecstatically.
The air, thick with murderous intent, shuddered as seven mighty knights simultaneously released their powerful mana—which quickly turned into black demonic power.
“It’s your first time seeing this, isn’t it? When I use my authority of the Black Tortoise, I can convert my and others’ mana into demonic power. The saying that mana and demonic power are the polar opposites of one another is an old, ignorant story.”
The mysterious authority of the Black Tortoise was unveiled. Up until now, Kireua thought that the demon’s abilities was what made it all possible, but it turned out he was completely wrong.
The two men standing closest to Turtler immediately tossed their swords to him. The Marquess swung his swords, cutting across the air.
“Die!” Turtler shouted.
Kireua deflected both swords with one swing, and whipped his blade into two swings so fast that they sounded like one. The rebel knights leaped backward, appalled, but they were too late—Kireua’s sword bit into their abdomens.
The two men dropped to their knees. While one of the men’s wound was shallow, the other man’s was critical.
“He cut through demonic skin with one strike…?” Turtler murmured, surprised.
Their wounds were burning up due to Kireua’s fire mana, smoke rising from their skin.
“You have a real way of laying out your bullshit in detail,” Kireua quietly said.
“…What?”
“In the end, you’re all just hyenas that have been cowering before real power. If His Majesty showed up right now, you’d all probably tuck your tails behind your legs and kiss the ground. Are you seriously talking about becoming the first emperor of the continent? It’s not even funny.”
“You fool!” Turtler yelled at the top of his lungs. His men were watching him, so the Kireua’s humiliating remark made Turtler shake so hard that his cheeks vibrated.
‘I should get out of here first,’ Kireua thought.
Kireua had provoked Turtler for a reason, of course: to find his weakness. Although Kireua felt like he had a chance of winning if he used Coal’s abilities, he felt uneasy about Coal and the demon, who was quietly watching the situation.
He quickly took a look around. ‘Since there are this many people watching me with their eyes wide open, my stealth techniques won’t work, but the demon blocking the entrance bugs me. So I’m not sure I can make a way out.’
Yes, the one demon was the problem. In that case, there was no way other than breaking through them head-on—
Kireua flinched as a cool gust of wind blew through the room. They were inside a closed building.
The situation changed very rapidly.
“Your Highness!”
The soft wind instantly turned into a harsh gale that whipped the room into a howling frenzy. While the occupants tried their best to keep their balance, Anna—the apparent culprit of this sudden chaos—urgently reached out to Kireua by way of spirit.
“The Emperor appeared in Avalon!”
Everyone stiffened. Kireua wasn’t the only one who heard Anna. Turtler and the demon that hadn’t blinked an eye once were also wide-eyed with surprise. The atmosphere in the room changed drastically.
“Joshua Sanders is back!” Anna repeated.
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