Kurimu’s expression turned solemn in an instant. The innocent look of a child vanished from her eyes, replaced by a gaze brimming with violence. Her originally purple pupils gained a tinge of crimson as her anger rose.
One of the special abilities of the Devil Race was an “unreasonable ability.”
It might be difficult to understand at first, but it was an undeniable fact. The Devil Race could ignore certain rules and restrictions to a degree, allowing them to exert power far beyond their own limits.
Specifically, a Level 20 Troll could rely on its naturally massive physique to smash a building with a single punch. A Devil of the same level, despite lacking that immense size and having much lower physical strength than a Troll, could still cause identical or even larger-scale destruction. This was the Devil Race’s ability to distort the laws of nature more easily than other races.
When such an ability belonged to a Demon King-level Devil, it was no longer as simple as tearing down a building.
“You… I don’t like you!”
As soon as she spoke, a massive amount of Magic Power erupted from Kurimu’s body. The purple energy, having condensed into a physical form, even created countless bolts of lightning. Even the pillars of the Audience Hall, which were constructed from special materials capable of withstanding a direct hit from a C-Rank Expert, began to crack under the pressure of this immense energy.
Seeing this, the Maid Guards quickly combined their efforts to expand a defensive barrier. However, how could the maids, who were only between Level 50 to 65, be a match for a Demon King-level Devil?
The mere burst of energy was enough to make them exhaust all their Magic Power for defense in a single instant. Yet, this was only the beginning of Kurimu’s outburst.
Because Kurimu was still young, her control over her power was shaky, making her even more dangerous.
“I’m not a child! I’m already an adult!”
Kurimu’s twin-tails fluttered in the gushing energy, and the resulting wind pressure made it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes fully open.
The member of the Blood Race facing the wrath of the Second Demon King had already slumped to the floor, her legs turning to jelly. Strangely, even then, her mouth remained as hard as bedrock, and she showed no intention of apologizing.
“An adult doesn’t go around saying they are an adult, so you are just a little brat.”
“You…”
This sentence further fueled Kurimu’s rage, and her erupting Magic Power became even more intense.
“I’m going to kill you in the most cruel way! The most, most cruel…”
However, halfway through her sentence, Kurimu seemed to remember something. The Magic Power that had been gushing out rapidly weakened before vanishing entirely, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Cruel… what was a cruel way again?”
“…”
In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.
Originally, they had all prepared themselves for a cruel scene, even bracing for the possibility of being caught in the crossfire. In the end, did this Demon King not even know what the word “cruel” meant?
‘Sigh, she really is a child.’
“Let’s end it here.”
At that moment, a voice incredibly familiar to everyone rang out.
Everyone turned toward the source of the sound. They saw Ai Yue sitting casually on the throne. Her aura as a superior being who looked down on everything had not diminished in the slightest. In fact, compared to the others who had been more or less affected by the outburst, she appeared even more unreachable!
“…As expected of the Great Demon King, to remain so composed in the face of such overwhelming power!”
“Isn’t that obvious? The Great Demon King is far stronger than us. Even the First to Sixth Demon Kings were individuals she brought to heel!”
“We couldn’t even withstand the aura emitted by the Second Demon King. Just how powerful must the Great Demon King be to have defeated the other six…”
It wasn’t just strength; her inner strength, spirit, and insight were all far beyond ordinary, making her impossible to fathom.
In the hearts of all the knights and maids present, Ai Yue’s strength — which was already considered peak — broke through its limits once again and reached a higher level.
The reason she hadn’t spoken earlier must have been because she predicted the Second Demon King’s sudden arrival!
‘The Great Demon King truly is divinely brilliant!’
As for the person herself, if she had heard these people’s inner thoughts, she would have screamed that it had nothing to do with her. ‘I only remained unscathed thanks to the maids’ desperate protection — hey!’
However, since there were benefits to her reputation, she decided to just let it be.
“Kurimu.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing someone call her name, Kurimu turned her head to look at Ai Yue, who was looking down from the throne.
“Oh! It’s a beautiful sister!”
Kurimu pointed at Ai Yue, clearly not realizing who she was. This was normal, as in the game’s settings, Kurimu had become a Demon King during the ten years Ai Yue was asleep. Back before Ai Yue’s slumber, Kurimu had been a young, ignorant girl who hadn’t learned much yet.
Seeing Kurimu treat Ai Yue so rudely, everyone broke into a cold sweat.
If Kurimu truly provoked Ai Yue, there was a real possibility she would be erased. After all, to the Great Demon King Ai Yue, it made no difference whether an enemy was old or young.
“Beautiful, am I?”
Ai Yue’s subsequent reaction shocked everyone once again.
“Yes, beautiful. Can I stay here and play for a while?”
“As for that…”
Faced with Kurimu’s innocent request, Ai Yue naturally couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
A great person once said: “In any world, children are the most precious treasures.” A child as cute and pure as a blank sheet of paper like Kurimu made it impossible for Ai Yue to say no.
After all, Ai Yue had been involved in designing Kurimu. With this personality, she felt almost like her own daughter. Surprisingly, even though she had designed her, the Main Quest log did not show any content related to Kurimu.
‘Anyway, since she isn’t a capture target, it shouldn’t matter if I don’t worry about it too much, right?’
“…Then let us end it here.”
Just as Ai Yue and Kurimu were settling the initial details, Egrette, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up.
“It seems some members of the Demon Race have become dissatisfied with their superiors lately and have managed to infiltrate this place. I offer my apologies to everyone here and will send an official apology gift another day.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the head of the Blood Race member who had made those rude remarks exploded into a blossom of blood. Under Egrette’s exquisite Blood Manipulation, the blood floated in mid-air, preventing it from staining the floor.
“However…”
“Yes, let’s leave it at that.”
Compared to her subordinate, Ai Yue put on an expression that seemed completely indifferent.
No, rather than saying she didn’t care, it was more that she didn’t dare let Egrette stay here.
Although she didn’t know why Egrette seemed dissatisfied with her, she would rather follow the other woman’s lead than risk becoming “Ai Yue-chan” while trying to solve that mystery.
However, Ai Yue did not realize that in the eyes of the others — especially the consistently proud Blood Race — the posture she maintained to act like a Demon King looked as if she were saying, ‘I do not deign to bicker with the weak.’
A humiliation.
It was the ultimate insult!
In that moment, the Blood Race members whose master had already declared the matter finished could only swallow their bitter resentment, turn around, and depart.