“Those little... They’re going to jump into the fray in this country!”
In addition to Queen, now the Satanists would grossly misunderstand Zero. What was he doing now? Close to where he had slipped away into the crowd, there was a man curled up on the ground with both hands on his head.
“Damnit...! Kill me! Somebody just kill me...!”
His appearance seemed to have returned to the usual Demon Lord’s, but his mental scars would be difficult to heal. Beyond the point of mere embarrassment, the Demon Lord’s mentality had been thoroughly beaten to the point where even suicide flashed in his mind.
“Best fighter in the world!? You moron!”
The Demon Lord’s curses continued. Although, he had to accept it all in the end. Even Zero was a character he had created of his own volition. Sometimes, being an adult meant wiping one’s own ass.
And so, the appearance of the Silver Dragonborn who hated evil began to accompany the rumor of the Demon Lord’s arrival... without anyone else knowing that they were the same person. This misunderstanding would lead to cause major chaos in Holylight.
Zero Kirisame
Race: Human — Age: ?
* * *
Weapon The Knuckles of Righteous Brawl
His fists. Infinite Durability.
Armor Silver Dragon Biker Jacket
A traditional Bosozoku jacket, adorned with a silver dragon on the back. In the game, this was a rare armor with a special ability, leaving its Defense nonexistent. This piece of attire embroidered with various text just looked otherworldly in this fantasy world. Infinite Durability.
Item 750RS (ZII)
Zero’s motorcycle. It’s much faster than a carriage, and can carry him a long distance in a flash. In the game, it expended the user’s Stamina, but had the effect of minimizing the amount of Stamina spent this way.
* * *
Level: 1 — HP: 165 — Stamina: 300 — Attack: 7 (+85) — Defense: 7 (+73) — Dexterity: 8 (+80) — Magic: 0 — Magic Defense: 0 (+55)
Equipped Skills: First: Kung Fu Second: Close Combat Third: Phoenix Fall
Combat Skills: Grudge, Go Easy, etc.
Survival Skills: Sewing, etc.
Duel Skills: ?
Special Ability: Mad Flurry
His stats increase explosively against a ‘team’ with a Grudge set on them. His stat increases are negated against anyone else. He can only switch Grudges up to three times a day.
Special Ability: ?
The Journey Begins
On the main street, the injured were being carried away as people hurriedly restored the city. Queen, who would have been leading the endeavor and barking directions at everybody under any other circumstance, was sitting on her chair staring off into space. She didn’t seem like she could muster the enthusiasm to take charge of the restoration today. While she may have looked rather spineless now, Fuji wore a gentle smile looking at her. No man in this country was able to meet her standards before. Fuji had been concerned that his queen would end up an old maid.
“What a brazen man he was...” Fuji thought. The man showed no hesitation in taking on the Satanists, and it seemed like even Tartarus was avoiding him.
Tartarus wasn’t the name of the liquid itself, but of a giant hole located in the center of the continent. For a long time, the countries up north had been at constant war. The hole earned its name when people from those countries started dumping the corpses from battles into the hole. Burial took time, land, and money. Those countries had cut corners, and decided to throw everything down the hole, rumored to be the gateway to hell. Dead men tell no tales, indeed.
Rumor had it, a weird liquid emerged from the hole now and again and attacked people. The black liquid, which was rumored to crawl out of the hole about once every century, was the nemesis of angel worshippers, as it drained everyone of their holy powers.
“At the very least, that man does not serve our Angel.” Fuji concluded, and he wasn’t wrong. Tartarus would have drained him of his powers if he had been using any holy powers or powers aligned with the angels. The truth was that he was just a Bosozoku. The polar opposite of an angel, in a way. He was supposed to be on the side of uprooting law and order.
“In any case, we must officially invite that man to our country.” Fuji continued his thought... but he never dreamt that this man and the Demon Lord were two sides of the same coin.
† † †
—Inside a carriage en route to the Holy City, Holylight
“...And then, that Dragonborn punched the ground, and people went flying! Like bwoosh!”
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
After leaving the battle-scarred city of Yahooo, Luna was proudly describing the battle to Aku, as if she had watched it herself. Luna was unconscious for the duration of the battle, but poor Aku didn’t doubt the Holy Maiden’s words. Of course, the Demon Lord was wincing at every turn of the story.
(Dragonborn...!? He’s just a Bosozoku punk!)
The Demon Lord contemplated jumping out of the carriage from sheer embarrassment. While his body was uncontrollable during the character switch, he was conscious the whole time, much to his devastation.
“Demon Lord, maybe that Dragonborn will kick your butt, too! That’ll be the day!”
“Uh huh...”
He replied with apathy. It was impossible for both of them to exist at the same time, after all.
“Anyway, where are the knights you had with you, Luna?”
“Hmm? I sent them home. I don’t need them anymore.”
“You...”
Someone at the top of a nation’s government going solo... That was something unthinkable by the Demon Lord’s standards. Especially when there was a terror attack and assassination attempt just the day before.
“What are you going to do if there’s another emergency situation?”
“...Y-You’ll be there.”
“Huh? When did I sign up to be your bodyguard?”
“Zip it! I know you’re jumping with joy inside to be with me! You pervert!”
A vein protruded on the Demon Lord’s forehead, but Aku (who was sitting in between them) laughed.
“It will be so much fun! I’ve always wanted to go on an adventure like this!”
“For real...?”
“See, listen to Aku. Swear your servitude to me, Demon Lord!”
Staring down Luna’s self-righteous finger pointed at his face, the Demon Lord could only sigh.
After some time had passed in silence, the Demon Lord thought of some items to craft.
“Fine, we’ll head to the Holy City together. It doesn’t hurt that you have this carriage... But you have to change into something more inconspicuous.”
“Ch-Change...? You’re trying to get me into something pervy, aren’t you!?”
“You moron. Put this on.”
“What is this...? And where were you keeping it?”
The Demon Lord had produced a blazer. He figured she wouldn’t draw too much attention to herself walking down the street in something like that. He had other options to pull from, like a high school uniform, a maid’s outfit, a china dress, and many more, but he thought taking out any of those would have only given Luna more ammunition to call him a pervert. On the other hand, the Defense of any normal clothes from this world was unsatisfactory. In the end, he reluctantly decided to bite the bullet and spend some of his precious SP.
“A Defense of 10 isn’t too good, but our priority is keeping people from knowing who you are.”
“10...? You know, you say some weird stuff, sometimes.”
Ignoring her, the Demon Lord crafted another item. ...A Sweet Dumpling Skewer. This was a one-shot item that healed the user’s SP by 50. In this world, that classified it as a miracle drug.
“Aku. You must be tired from the ride. I know you don’t have much experience in carriages. Have some of these. They’re sweets from my country.”
“Wow... They’re so cute! Such a sweet scent, too... Thank you, Mas
ter Demon Lord!”
“Th-That looks good... I want one too!”
“There’s half a dozen of them. Knock yourself out. I’m going to smoke outside for a bit. Go ahead and change while I’m out there.”
The Demon Lord stepped out of the carriage to be greeted by a clear sky above him. Gazing up at it, he lit a cigarette with practiced efficiency.
(I better grind some SP somehow...)
His SP was already down to just 50 and some change, which wasn’t a comfortable number. The Demon Lord could blame part of it on him spoiling Aku and Luna, though.
(Just like the game, I gain SP when I fight...)
The first option that came to mind was playing adventurer, the staple of fantasy worlds. In fact, there were adventurers in this world, too. They took on various quests, and some specialized in hunting monsters while others were more like treasure hunters. Since there were always wars going on up north, mercenary work wasn’t an unpopular way of putting food on the table, either.
(I can’t have people seriously pegging me as a Demon Lord. Maybe I should find a day job.)
Akira Ono, a working Japanese man at his core, considered this option, too. On the other hand, the prospect of working a nine-to-five in a fantasy world, of all places, wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Miss Holy Maiden, this is so sweet!”
“Ah, stop being so childish, Aku. A proper lady enjoys sweets in modera- Mmmmmm!”
“I even feel like I’m not tired anymore!”
“That pervert... He’s probably trying to get our guards down with food so he can do unspeakable things to us! But these are so good!”
‘It’s like they’re doing a skit,’ the Demon Lord mumbled, hearing the ruckus from the carriage. At the same time, his ultra-keen hearing picked up another commotion: people yelling and swords clashing. He squinted into the distance to see a pair of women being chased by wolf-like creatures.
(You ask and you shall receive...)
The corner of his lip lifted into a smirk. It was an expression truly becoming of a Demon Lord.
To the Holy City
“Ready, Yukikaze?”
The woman said, drawing the sword from her back. It was a giant sword that looked too heavy to lift, even for most men. There were loads of Spell Stones imbedded in the sword, but the wielder had opted to make the sword heavier with them rather than lighter... to bolster its Attack. She wore a large brown robe that covered most of her body, but patches of her skin that showed through the opening in the robe were coffee-brown, befitting of the hot climate. Her hair was short, perhaps to keep it from impeding her movements. All-in-all, she looked athletic. Her hair and eyes were a burning red. Mikan was her name, and while her eyes were piercing, her appearance would be considered attractive by most. In fact, she was one of the most famous adventurers in Holylight.
“...Ready, prime, and dripping.”
A dainty mage who answered to the name Yukikaze gave a reply with dangerous connotations. In accordance to that name, which means ‘wind of snow’ in Japanese, Yukikaze’s hair and eyes were bright white. From in between her black robe and stereotypical witch’s hat, her sleepy eyes were peeking out.
“Just... please take it seriously,” Mikan replied.
“I always take it seriously.”
“I’m getting these weird implications every time you say something.”
“It’s all in the ear of the listener. Maybe you’re frustrated.”
Yukikaze’s voice was soft and sleepy, but had a cute, soprano chime to it. Her popularity in Holylight was explosive, making her something like a pop star. This adorable 15-year-old starlet had captured the hearts of most boys and men around the country. Under her robe, however, was the body of a fifteen-year-old boy.
“There’s supposed to be a pack of Sand Wolves around here...”
“...I’m all sweaty from this heat. Especially in my bosom.”
“You don’t even have a... Gaah, you drive me nuts!”
“Poor, blind, Mikan. Only those with a pure heart can see my shapely breasts.”
Scratching her head, Mikan ignored the comment. This line of conversation was nothing new for them. A Sand Wolf was a decent threat on its own, but their numbers exploded once they formed a pack, making them extremely dangerous. A pack of them could be aggressive enough to charge into a well-protected city, so an unprepared village didn’t stand a chance against a stampede of them. This was why it was critical to take down a pack while it was relatively small. When the pair arrived at the point where the pack had been spotted, their eyes widened. There wasn’t a pack of Sand Wolves there, but an overwhelming horde of them.
“Nope nope nope! We can’t deal with that!”
“...I can’t take that many. There’s only one of me. With only one hole.”
“This isn’t the time!”
Watching the two of them making a ruckus as they ran toward him, the Demon Lord laughed. But then, the color started to drain from his face as he realized how many wolves were chasing the girls.
(What the...!? How many of them are there!?)
A drop of cold sweat trickled down his face (now devoid of a smile) and even the cigarette fell out of his mouth. A sort of primal fear curdled within him. No matter how powerful of a protection he had, the sheer number of the horde evoked a natural dread in the Demon Lord, as it would have in anyone.
(Hundreds of them... Wait, it’s a train!)
A train was a phenomena occasionally seen in MMOs, where players running away from enemies cause a large number of them to chase after them, until even uninvolved players get wrapped up in the mess. No matter the intention, causing a train was a strong taboo according to MMO etiquette.
“You! Run!”
“...It’s up to you, now, Silver Fox. Chao.”
(Screw them! Take some responsibility and get eaten, already!)
The Demon Lord nearly screamed this out loud, but somehow held back. If he were to run away, Aku and Luna would have been in danger.
(I-I can do this... I know I can. I just have to try hard enough!)
With desperate self-motivation, the Demon Lord hyped himself up.
(I’ve got the shield. This is fine. This is fine. This is fine. This... is... fine, right?)
In the game, of course, the shield only ever activated against other humans. With a deep breath, the Demon Lord calmed himself... Then, remembering Hakuto Kunai’s character, he started speaking to perfectly match what the game’s final boss would say in this situation.
“Fools... Why run from a pitiful drove of beasts?”
The Demon Lord said looking at the two girls running away, but he was speaking more to himself. Once he said it out loud, even the smoke he blew gave him courage. Oh, the wonders of the human brain.
“Aku. Luna. Stay in the carriage...”
Standing in the path of the horde, the Demon Lord braced for impact. When the wolf at the front of the horde lunged at him, the Demon Lord clenched his eyes and teeth... but before the fangs of the wolf could reach him, the familiar ping was heard, and the wolf bounced right off of the barrier. A sense of relief slowly spread through the Demon Lord...
(I win...! The first part is over!)
He nearly clenched his fists in victory, but keeping all of that excitement internalized, he only lit a cigarette with a dauntless attitude. Remembering that the girls could have been watching from the carriage, the Demon Lord wanted to look as cool as he could. Alas, the tragic nature of men.
“Once you bare your fangs at me... beast or man, I won’t hold back,” the Demon Lord said, calmly. He decided to start practicing his Skills in combat against these animals. It was the perfect opportunity he was looking for, since he hadn’t really experienced real combat in this world yet.
“Take your last breath in my arms...First Skill: Charge.”
His hand moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, and the Demon Lord threw a knife into the horde, slicing through a few dozen wolves. The next instant, his bo
dy leapt at lightning speed.
(Holy crap...!)
The world seemed to move in slow-motion, where everything was almost to a standstill, except for the Demon Lord. Now, he was really getting into it.
“Your lowly eyes... have no right to gaze upon me...! Second Skill: Eye Gouge.”
In a flash, the Demon Lord’s right hand drew a straight, horizontal line in the air, slashing the eyes of every wolf in the vicinity. Shards began to flow from the Demon Lord’s left hand: a sand-like substance created by the Empire that impeded the vision of nearby enemies for half a minute. The wolves cried out in confusion before turning their backs to flee. To kick them while they were down, the Demon Lord said:
...Didn’t you know?
“You can’t run away from the Demon Lord...Third Skill: Mad Rush.”
The knife in the Demon Lord’s right hand danced in a flurry, chopping up countless wolves with each wave of the arm. Finally, the Demon Lord forcefully threw the knife into the middle of the horde. A shockwave erupted upon landing, erupting a giant pillar of flame. There had been enough wolves to swarm every inch around him, but now they were engulfed by the flames one after another, immediately turning to ash. In the end, the horde of wolves had gone down from about three hundred to five. The remaining bunch were desperately growling, as if to conceal their terror.
“Mere beasts, after all... That was hardly a chore.”
Brazenly smoking his cigarette, the Demon Lord dropped this line. He must have started to enjoy it somewhere along the way, as he was getting into his part. Perhaps he wanted to blow off some steam after the Bosozoku fiasco.
“Have you learned the insignificance of your existence...? Then kindly scram.”
On this command, the wolves scrambled away. Now that their numbers were so few, it would take a considerable amount of time until the Sand Wolves would form a full-fledged pack again. While the horde had been successfully dispatched, the pair of adventurers had some thoughts upon witnessing this annihilation.
“That’s... the Demon Lord we’ve been hearing about...!”
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1 Page 11