Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1

by Kurone Kanzaki

  “Death to the false angel...! Firebird!”

  “Woes unto the Holy Maidens...! Ice Hammer!”

  Lights, red and blue.

  (What... the...)

  The unreal sight in front of him prompted a childish reaction from the Demon Lord. In the next moment, waves of heat and cold rushed him in tandem, nearly blowing him away. The rapid-fire spells tore through chunks of the crowd, causing a downpour of blood in this city block.

  (Damnit...! Magic again!)

  Amidst the screams and cries, he could even hear cheering. Out of nowhere, a group clad in black had appeared, attacking the post-apocalyptic Holy Maiden and her gang.

  (I recognize that outfit...)

  A quick recollection led the Demon Lord to the answer. They were dressed the same as the group of corpses in the Shrine of Wishes. He didn’t have a clue who they were, but they seemed to be against the Holy Maidens.

  “...What’s up, Satanists?”

  As a cloud of dust rose, she whipped out a ridiculously large metal club, and slammed it onto the figure in the black robe in front of her. That apparently smashed his skull to bits, as the body fell onto its back, spewing a spray of blood. She swung around the hunk of metal as big as herself, massacring another figure in black, then another. Then, she let out a maniacal laugh and charged into the group of them.

  (Holy Maiden my ass... That’s a blood-thirsty beast!)

  A hit from that hunk of metal would send even a lion or a bear running with their tail between their legs. The crazy Holy Maiden kept swinging the hunk of metal side-to-side, blowing heads off of her enemies. Not even a smidgen of guilt could be seen on her face, as she went on as if she was playing a friendly game of sport.

  “Drop dead, you idiots...! Gold Geyser!”

  With a swing of her staff, Luna shot out numerous golden spears. In the blink of an eye, ten or so of the figures in black were bloodied. Their blood flowed all through the main street, into the alleys. Immediately, the Mohawks screamed.

  “Cleanse the Satanists!”

  “Blood for the queen!”

  “If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to have the queen insult me...!”

  Screaming this and that all at once, the Mohawks and skinheads collided with the figures in black. There was no telling which side was the aggressor anymore. The two crazy Holy Maidens were on top of their game, too.

  “Hah ha ha ha! Red is the new black, Satanists!”

  “You should feel honored to perish by my spells! You demons!”

  (You’re the real demon here...)

  The Demon Lord’s resolve to escape the city with Aku had solidified. Who could blame him for trying to avoid the Holy Maidens, though, when every time one appeared, people had been killed?

  Just when the Demon Lord was about to turn around, a man who seemed to be in a leadership position, wearing a different garb than the rest, produced a large box and opened it. A pitch-black liquid emerged and making peculiar sounds, it spread through the main street. The man grimaced as if he had already won the battle.

  “Our precious darkness... But it should be forgiven if used to take two Holy Maidens.”

  In an instant, a strange energy permeated the area. The black liquid had spread wide on the ground, and the Mohawks had fallen to their knees one after another as it reached them. After seeing this bizarre sight, the woman with the hunk of metal shouted with agitation:

  “Luna, back off! It’s Tartarus!”

  “Wha... Huh...?”

  By the time she got the words out, the liquid had reached their feet. They fell to their knees, powerless.

  “Now...! Get them!”

  The leader shouted. The black liquid was creeping into the alleys. People in the crowd fell one after another as it approached the Demon Lord.

  (Poison?)

  If it was, he had a neutralizer from the game. As he got ready to face it, the liquid kept spreading, while avoiding the Demon Lord. He sensed wariness from it. As if it was just staring back at him, observing. Maybe it was some sort of creature.

  “Everyone, the blessing of the angel is gone! ...Take down the Holy Maidens!”

  With that call, the figures in black attacked at once. The woman with the hunk of metal had lost her punch, panting with one knee on the ground. The man the size of a boulder put himself between her and the attackers, but even he looked pale, without an ounce of strength in his stance.

  (This doesn’t look good...!)

  While panicking at what was happening, the Demon Lord knew that there would be more trouble ahead if he jumped into action right now. The woman with the metal hunk remembering his face, especially, could spell the end for him. He could go into battle in Stealth Stance, but that would take away 70% or so his combat powers. Since he didn’t know what these figures in black were capable of, he wasn’t willing to risk it.

  (Maybe I should just craft a Grenade or something and chuck it into the fray?)

  As the Demon Lord was considering brute-force solutions like that, the ring on his finger emanated a mystifying light, sending him into excruciating pain and dizziness.

  That’s right... Blow them all, and that woman, to pieces... Problem solved.

  (Not you again! Kill that woman, and I become the most wanted man in the country!)

  Despite his rebellion against Kunai’s whispers in his head, they didn’t stop.

  But she, and this entire country, is trying to kill the Demon Lord.

  It’ll be self-defense, again. Your favorite.

  Isn’t it comforting? With the justification of protecting yourself, you can go on relishing in the murd-

  With every second his headache worsened, until he couldn’t stand anymore. It even seemed like the pitch-black liquid around him was resonating with Hakuto Kunai’s calling. Ripples appeared on its surface, taking peculiar forms here and there. The Demon Lord expected it to swallow him whole if he let his guard down.

  (Isn’t there... anything that can get me out of this...!?)

  With his quivering hand, he opened the Admin Features. Much to his surprise, he was greeted with a brand-new command.

  Change Character — Non-controllable

  (...Huh?)

  Killer Queen

  Race: Human — Age: 17

  * * *

  Weapon Bloody Conclusion

  A ridiculous hunk of metal as large as the wielder herself. In exchange for being ridiculously heavy, its destructive capabilities are outstanding. Queen loves using it for its sheer durability.

  Weapon The Hammer of Sigma

  A venerated hammer, blessed by the Still Angel. In addition to its high Attack, it is imbued with the power of the four basic elements. By spending some Stamina, the user can cast some simple spells with it.

  Armor Congregational Robe of Sigma

  What used to be a venerated garment, blessed by the Still Angel. Queen’s crazy modifications has left it with almost no resemblance of its former glory. There is even a large slit up the skirt.

  * * *

  Level: 18 — HP: ? — Stamina: ? — Attack: 28 (+12 or +20) — Defense: 26(+15) — Dexterity: 25 — Magic: 15 — Magic Defense: 5(+15)

  * * *

  The middle sister of the three Holy Maidens. As her stats indicate, she is more of a frontline warrior. Because of her expert skills and intuition in close combat, she is one of the best fighters in this world. Her demeanor is absolutely becoming of her name, and what comes out of her mouth are almost exclusively vulgarities. The lack of any male stronger than her has left her uninterested in romance, but she still holds onto the hope that her Prince Charming will come someday.

  Dragonborn

  As the saying goes, a drowning man would clutch at straws. A straw’s a straw, though. It would break as soon as he clutched it. Still, there was a time for the man to clutch it, nonetheless.

  With a quivering hand, the Demon Lord selected the command from his Admin Features. The voice echoing in his head disappeared immediately. At the same
time, he was enveloped in a white light. It was bright enough to even stop the fighting on the main street as they squinted into the light to see what was behind it.

  When the light faded, there was a man standing there, clad in white from head to toe. With that description, one might imagine a warrior of light or something, but his clothes were adorned with grotesquely bizarre text that read the following in Japanese: ‘Best in the World’ ‘Bring it On’ ‘Leave You in the Dust’ etc... All phrases that one might expect from the stereotype. On the back of the man’s jacket, amidst the cacophony of embroidered text, was a long, silver dragon. Even the man’s hair was dyed silver. He was a Bosozoku, a Japanese biker of a variety that had definitely gone extinct in modern-day Japan.

  “Where the...?”

  His name was Zero Kirisame — a character Akira Ono had created so he could play in his own game. Aligning with his backstory as a Bosozoku, he had a fierce glare. His eyes seemed to have been created with the sole purpose of giving his enemies ‘the look.’

  “Wh-Who do you think you are...!”

  “...Huh!?”

  As one of the Satanists yelled at him, Zero responded with the look. He certainly had no idea where he was, but he seemed ready to finish a fight if one started. Zero looked over at the main street. When he noticed Queen and Luna curled up on the ground, his expression changed.

  “Tsk. Getting off on bullying a kid and a chick, huh...?”

  “Bastard... You must be with the Holy Maidens! Kill him!”

  “Ooh. You guys... wanna go?”

  Grudge has been set.

  As soon as Zero muttered this, blue flames rose out of him. One of the Satanists swung his short sword, attacking him out of the blue. Zero tilted his head to dodge the sword without a word, and swung his right fist with astonishing speed. An unworldly crunch was heard, as the man did a 360. His face had been caved in to the shape of Zero’s fist. His nose was shattered, and most of his teeth were broken.

  The man was twitching on the ground for a few moments before his eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness. With a single blow so impactful in many ways, the Satanists fell speechless.

  “I only need one punch... for trash like you.”

  (Noooooo! Shut up, you idiot!)

  Akira Ono, trapped inside Zero, screamed in protest at his corny one-liner. This was beyond embarrassing. It was practically abuse. But alas, Akira’s voice was heard by no one else, and he couldn’t move a finger of Zero’s body. It wasn’t that he was logged in as Zero, but had changed his character. Therefore, Zero acted and spoke as he pleased, according to his backstory, which was that of a rebellious biker teen from the good old days. To lift up the weak and beat down the strong was the lifestyle of a traditional Bosozoku before they went extinct.

  (Who... is that...!?)

  Queen was transfixed on the man who appeared in front of her with a burst of light. For a moment, she thought an angel had materialized. Instead, there was a man wearing a silver dragon on his back. A rocking stud, at that.

  (What is that blinding white outfit...!? Shit’s unreal!)

  It even looked like he had carved Bindings all over his body. There were ways to carve magic directly into one’s body, but that was a fighting style that literally drained the life out of the user. No one could withstand that with an ordinary mind or body.

  When one of the Satanists had swung his sword at him, Queen couldn’t help but let out a cry. But then, a flash of his fist blew away the Satanist along with her concern, sending the attacker onto the ground after a full 360.

  “I only need one punch... for trash like you.”

  (Damn that’s so cooooool!)

  The electrifying line had struck through her heart. Some strange elation she had never felt before came rushing from deep within her. What came to her mind was an old prophecy she had scoffed at before.

  When the Demon Lord descends on this land, so does an ancient light.

  (That prophecy was for real...!)

  What she had discarded as nonsense spewed by the old hags at the church was becoming a reality. There he was, right in front of her... the Man in Light wearing a dragon on his back!

  “Wh-What are you... Who are you!?”

  Another Satanist yelped in astonishment. Queen listened carefully for the answer. Where did this rocking stud come from?

  “Scum like you who bully women... don’t even deserve to know my name.”

  (W-Woman...? He called me... a woman...)

  All the blood in Queen’sbody rushed up to her head. To her embarrassment, even her hands were shaking. She was already stepping in Tartarus and having her powers drained, so this wasn’t good. But this kind of shyness, Queen thought, may not be too bad.

  “...He must be another one of the Holy Knights! Stay vigilant, kil-”

  Before he could finish the sentence, the Satanist went flying. It must have been a kick, Queen thought. His moves were so fast that she could barely follow them with her eyes. She looked over at Luna, about to tell her that she wouldn’t want to miss this fight, but the little fucker was on her back, now, seeing stars. This bitch was hopeless, through and through.

  “Ready or not... First Skill: Kung Fu.”

  As soon as the man had said those words, it seemed like he had grown in size. What followed was a straight punch as fast as a lightning bolt. The Satanist who took the hit was dramatically blown away, snowballing through a few more of the bunch. The attacks though, kept coming like a whirlwind.

  “Show me your moves...! Second Skill: Close Combat.”

  He dove into the crowd of Satanists, unleashing a flurry of countless kicks, concluded by a full-force, roundhouse kick. The whole lot of them were blown into the air as if a tornado had hit them, sending the Satanists into a panic.

  “Don’t you know? You can’t run from a dragon... Third Skill: Phoenix Fall.”

  With a ferocious three consecutive punches followed by a final one into the ground... a blast of energy took the form of a dragon as it carried 30 or so of the Satanists away towards the horizon. Now, every single one of the Satanists were on the ground. The only one standing was the man with a dragon on his back. After looking around at the carnage, he brushed his hair back with both hands, and dropped another electrifying line:

  “Give it a good millennium before even thinking about taking on a dragon, rookies.”

  (He’s so coooool!)

  Queen nearly screamed this out loud. If her knights were not around her, she would have cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed it loud.

  Before she knew it, even the Tartarus that was covering the block had vanished. Did the Satanists collect it, somehow?

  “What a strange city...”

  Even after such a rampage, the man hadn’t even broken a sweat. When Queen wondered if, perhaps, he really had some dragon’s blood in him, his piercing eyes were pointed at her. Queen’s heart was taken hostage by the black eyes that met hers.

  “Chick over there... You all right?”

  “Y-Yesh...”

  (‘Yesh!?’)

  She nearly slapped her own mouth, but right now, she didn’t feel like she could even show her face to anyone. It was terrifying to think what sort of expression she must have had.

  “You’re pretty reckless. What’s a chick doing against dudes with shivs?”

  (H-He’s worried about me...?)

  Queen tried to remember when she had been treated like this last. It must have been when she was a young child... Although she didn’t know why, something warm and fuzzy was swelling within her.

  “Well, just call me anytime if those scum pick on you... I’ll rush over, wherever you’re at.”

  (Agghhhh, I can’t take it! My heart! It must have stopped like four times already! I can’t act myself around him, now... If he finds out, I’ll die! There’s no way I could live with it!)

  “U-Um... W-Won’t you... tell me your name...?”

  A sickeningly sweet voice escaped her mouth.
Queen couldn’t believe the sound of it. Fuji, who had been listening beside her, did a spit take. Queen made a mental note to make him regret it later. Thoroughly regret it.

  “Hm? I’m Zero... Zero Kirisame.”

  “Zero... Um, I’m so sorry... You got roped into this...”

  “It’s no trouble. I got to protect my title of best fighter in the world.”

  (I feel like I’ll get a nosebleed...!)

  How was it possible that everything he said struck Queen’s heartstrings on the bullseye? Her heart was continuously crumbling to a sweet symphony. Queen was growing more confident... that this may very well be destiny.

  “Looks like a lot of them are hurt. Tend to them. I gotta get going.”

  “I-I will...!”

  (Zero... Kirisame...)

  The silver dragon on his back was almost painfully bright. Until the dragon faded into the crowd, Queen didn’t dare look away for a moment.

  “I really found him... My destiny...”

  A Bosozoku in the wrong decade and the most vulgar woman in the world... it really was destiny. Meanwhile, Warlkin, who had been bulldozed by the dragon, was running through the outskirts of the city, his face red with frustration.

  “That freak... At least I was able to collect Tartarus...!”

  He was sprinting through somewhere far from the major roads, carrying a large box. He alone had successfully escaped amidst the chaos. A good leader knows when to retreat.

  “So that’s the rumored Dragonborn... I never expected there to be two of them!”

  Even as he ran, Warlkin’s brain was turning full-throttle. The accursed monster with dragon’s blood in it. A being that rejected devils and scorched the earth with a raging roar when the time was right.

  “Those Anima bastards... Were keeping this secret!”

  The leader of Animania, the nation of Animas in the east, was undoubtedly a Dragonborn. However, that leader was a woman. Throughout the entire continent, there was only a record of one Dragonborn. Even she was born overcoming miraculous odds.