Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1

by Kurone Kanzaki

  Returning to the restaurant, the Demon Lord immediately commanded Yu. He wasn’t really in a rush, except that he didn’t want any SP... err, enemies to get away.

  “Yu, protect the people here... I’ll take care of the commotion.”

  “Understood, Mister Secretary.”

  “Wh-Who made you the boss!? I’m going, too!”

  “Luna, there’s a chance you’re the target of this attack. I can’t protect you if you’re wandering up and down the streets.”

  “P-Protect... I d-d-d-don’t need your protection...”

  Luna went quiet and blushed.

  (She... is way too easy. I’m starting to worry.)

  The Demon Lord couldn’t help but think this, witnessing Luna’s utter lack of social grace with the opposite sex. More importantly, if Luna were to take down any enemies with her spells, that would cut into the Demon Lord’s SP grind.

  “Aku, you’ll be safe with Yu. Just enjoy your meal.”

  “O-Okay...! B-But will you be all right, Master Demon Lord?”

  Aku looked up at him with a worried expression, holding his hand. It was exactly the expression of a daughter worried for her father. The Demon Lord had to internally shake off the mental image of being a single father all of a sudden.

  “Just entertainment, like I said... A little post-meal exercise.”

  In fact, the only thing he was thinking about was reaping that SP. If the enemy seemed too powerful, he just had to run. He was confident that he could successfully flee the battle, need be.

  “You as well, Madame. I hope you enjoy the rest of your meal.”

  “You really are a confident man, aren’t you...? Or rather, everything you say becomes reality... was that it?”

  “Guilty as charged... It was unfortunate for them that I happened to be here.”

  With that, the Demon Lord left the restaurant, and remembered to give Yu a reminder to behave. Who knew what she would do if left unchecked. He could easily imagine returning to a table full of attackers dissected like fish at the market.

  Yu, in order to learn... we must be in good standing.

  Refrain from cruelty to gain a good reputation?

  I’m glad you’re always on top of things. I’m counting on you, Yu...

  Y-Yesh shir...!

  (Hm? Did she stutter at the end?)

  For a moment, her last response had sounded a bit off, and that was uncharacteristic of Yu, of all people.

  “Now, where to start...”

  On the streets, he could see people running for their lives. It wasn’t an uncommon sight on his TV screen back in Japan. He had witnessed peaceful cities ravaged by terror attacks, and bloodied civilians being carried away in ambulances, all from the comfort of his living room, as if he had nothing to do with it. In fact, he never did have anything to do with it. What person could have a concrete grasp on the effects of terror attacks happening on the other side of the world?

  (But here and now, I do have something to do with it...)

  While Luna had ways to defend herself, he expected even a small projectile to seriously injure Aku. It seemed counterproductive to let Aku get injured in such a stupid commotion, especially after going through the trouble of healing her foot.

  (You guys again...)

  In the distance, he could see the familiar men in black robes. Most of them were holding weapons, with a few of them wielding wands. Remembering that they were the cause for him ending up in this world, his fist began to tighten without him realizing.

  “Swarming around wherever I go... You want the Demon Lord? You got him.”

  Away from the overcrowded streets, the Demon Lord sprung into action, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

  †　†　†

  —Business District

  Marge, the leader of the group in this district, couldn’t conceal his frustration. They had started off the attack on the right foot, the element of surprise on their side. Now, however, numerous members of the Adventurers’ Guild had come out to fight. Of course, the Satanists had accounted for them, but two of the adventurers were especially formidable, hindering the progression of their plan.

  “Hrrrraghhhh! Power Smash!”

  At this very moment, the olive-skinned warrior woman swung down her giant sword, blowing away three of the Satanists. Her expression was shaded with exhaustion, and she would run out of steam sooner or later. However, Marge would lose many of his men if he just waited around for that to happen.

  “Keep it coming! Power Dance!”

  Swinging her sword full circle, the warrior woman fired off a powerful shockwave around her. Bodies of the attackers in black were torn to bits like pieces of paper, thinning out the Satanists’ man power by the second. Finally, Marge made the decision to go out on the frontlines. He hadn’t planned on spending his Stamina here, but the situation was slipping away from him.

  “Adventurer scum...! Ice Slash!”

  Marge fired off a blade created from the Ice element, an elevation of Water. He could wield up to class 3 Water spells, indicating his prowess in magic. He could only wield up to class 2 Ice spells, but that still set him apart from most mages. But now, a mage wearing faded white incanted a Defense Spell to protect the warrior.

  “Frozen tangerine... Snow’s Kiss.”

  An Ice spell, just like Marge’s, but a class 4. An overpowering anti-Ice Magic Defense was granted to the warrior woman, shattering the blade of ice before it had even reached her.

  “Thanks, Yukikaze!”

  “...V is for victory. Share happiness.”

  The mage mumbled some nonsense which the warrior woman ignored as she charged into the crowd of enemies. The girl called Yukikaze began another incantation to fire her next spell. Normally, after a spell is cast, it would take the mage considerable time before they could cast another, but she seemed especially powerful, going into a Chain Incantation.

  “...Catch me in the crashing waves... Frost Hands.”

  “It’s really hard down there... Ice Splash.”

  With the first spell, countless hands of ice erupted from the ground, clasping onto the Satanists’ ankles. Once they were locked in place, they were rushed by icicle spears. After the ruthless Chain Incantation, the Satanists fell to the ground one after another, painting the ice with blood. Despite her cute looks, her attacks were savage.

  “Stand your ground! We outnumber them... Keep pushing until your Stamina runs out!”

  At Marge’s call, the Satanists rushed from behind him. At this point, the battle became chaotic. Adventurers and Satanists clashed, skyrocketing the number of casualties on both sides. The Satanists’ lingering advantage from the surprise attack was undeniable. Gradually, the adventurers were being overwhelmed. The adventurers had been hit with this situation out of the blue, and were only trying to defend themselves and civilians. On the other hand, the Satanists were suicide soldiers. Every single one of them was ready to die today, while the adventurers had no reason to die fighting for the Holy City, unlike the members of the Knights’ Order or the Church. Some of the adventurers were already getting ready to flee when they noticed others preparing to bail.

  “We’re in a bit of a pickle... What should we do, Yukikaze?”

  “I don’t want to die a maiden.”

  “You understand the situation we’re in, right...? Besides, you’re a dude.”

  “You know nothing, Mikan. Even a boy can...”

  Before she could finish, a Satanist swung his sword at Yukikaze’s face. Before the sword could reach her, though, a strange sound echoed. It sounded like the atmosphere was sliced through. Then, a sound that resembled a twig snapping, something otherworldly on a battlefield, followed. Despite the shouting and clashing swords, the sound sank into everyone’s ears, as if by some malicious power. It was the sound of the Satanist’s sword arm breaking from some form of impact. The Satanist’s arm, still holding the sword, was flung towards his back with incredible speed, sending his entire body spinning like a top. Eve
ryone in the area stopped to watch the spinning human top, bewildered. The Satanist eventually stopped, falling to the ground unconscious.

  “...That clown had a pretty good trick.”

  The crowd looked up to see the Demon Lord clad in a pitch-black coat. He had a few pebbles in his hand, which he tossed lightly in the air now and again. The human spinning top must have been the product of him throwing a pebble. With just a pebble, he reduced that man to a twirling toy. It was all too ridiculous. Not even the deep divide between classes in this country could compare to the impossible gap in power between the Satanists and the Demon Lord.

  “Mister Fox... We meet again. Too gorgeous.”

  “Demon Lord...! Why are you in the Holy City!?”

  Without answering the two adventurers, he jumped off the roof as if it were routine before immediately flowing into his next move. There were around five hundred Satanists in all who had attacked this district, but they were helpless facing off against this man.

  “You dare stand in my presence? Kneel... Overlord.”

  A red aura rose from the Demon Lord’s body. As he waved his right hand, a nonelemental storm blew through the streets. It was Overlord, one of the Combat Skills of the Game, dealing damage equivalent to one third of the user’s Attack stat. This overwhelming AOE attack tore through the crowd, tearing into the Satanists and flinging their blood about in the wind. However, the Demon Lord’s attack was far from over.

  Combat in the Game was generally comprised of players collecting skills to form their own selection and chaining them into combos. In addition to normal attacks, there were Chain Attacks that could be used after reaching a certain skill level, elemental and nonelemental skills, Revenge Attacks, special abilities... The right combination could produce astronomical damage. It had been said in the game that the best players could even kill a god.

  “I will return you peasants... Mind’s Eye.”

  As the Demon Lord horizontally swung his left hand, a blue aura burst and fanned out, cutting through the hoard of Satanists. In contrast to Overlord, this skill dealt damage equivalent to one third of the user’s Defense stat. The Satanists fell to their knees one after another, vomiting up gushes of blood.

  “...to your true form... Obliterate.”

  A yellow aura swirled from the Demon Lord, forming a giant hammer. When the hammer struck down from the sky, a blinding shockwave struck the Satanists. This was a Combat Skill that dealt one tenth of the enemy’s current HP to each of them and had a chance to add the Broken Bone status effect. The hips and legs of many of the Satanists were smashed, causing them to fall face-first to the ground.

  “That’s a good posture... Make sure never to forget it.”

  After these three nonelemental attacks... there were pathetically defeated Satanists fallen as far as the eye could see. Many had bones which seemed shattered, some were flattened like frogs, and many others had limbs bending in directions they shouldn’t.

  “I see... Your HP’s in the ballpark of 60 to 80.”

  The Demon Lord mumbled, but no one there would have understood it. There was one thing they understood, though: the man in front of them wasn’t just someone claiming to be the Demon Lord, but the actual Demon Lord himself.

  “You may not know it, but I’ve got a pretty good reason to be pissed at you guys.”

  He mumbled again, too quiet for anyone else to hear, but it held much significance for him. In fact, the Satanists, who had wished to summon the Demon Lord, led to him being in this world.

  “I might have a bit of gratitude, now, though...”

  When the Demon Lord mumbled this, the now-bloodied Marge held up an upside-down cross while whispering some ominous curse. This was a blood-soaked tactic of the Satanists. A forbidden ritual that demanded the user sacrifice not only his own life, but the lives of many others.

  A Devil v.s. the Demon Lord

  “May calamity rain... upon this accursed land...”

  As Marge chanted this, tiny thorns burst from every surface of the upside-down cross in his hand. They punctured Marge’s palm and now gleamed with fresh blood.

  “Dad... I’m sorry...”

  Marge thought of his father back home. He was a skilled cobbler until the ripples of recession had dwindled his business until he was forced to close up shop. After that, Marge’s father drowned himself in liquor, became violent in the house, and even beat Marge now and again. Marge, still young, couldn’t bear to live that way, and stabbed his father to death before fleeing the village. The Satanists had found Marge during the tumbling downfall of his life. In these times, though, this was not an uncommon story anywhere.

  Dark red smoke arose from the cross and enveloped Marge’s entire body. This was a ritual that summoned a devil in exchange for human sacrifice. The red smoke kept coming forth, spreading out and enveloping the bodies of the five hundred or so Satanists, in addition to Marge.

  With only humans as its sacrifice, the best this ritual could summon was a low-rank devil... but thanks to the upside-down cross given to Marge by Utopia, he had successfully lured out something a step above. A very powerful being, even among the medium-rank devils.

  “Summon Devil...”

  The blood-colored smoke took shape, summoning the medium-rank devil, Carnival. Seeing this, the adventurers cried out. This was unthinkable. For such a monster to appear in a city full of people? In the devil-repelling Holy City, nonetheless!

  “Oh... I was summoned by humans? What’s going on here?”

  The two horns growing from its head, the black hair, the charcoal skin, and the face that epitomized ugliness... everything about this monster seemed to drain the life out of those who gazed upon it. In contrast, it wore a ridiculously flashy outfit, with shiny stones sprinkled all over the golden fabric. The monster was even carrying a peculiar musical instrument on its back.

  “Ah, whatever. At least there’s some good snacks... Land of Beautyferno.”

  Activating a Devil-only skill, Carnival generated invisible walls in the vicinity. Devils preferred to toy with their prey after blocking their escape route. Whether they wanted to kill, eat, or play with their body parts, giving the prey a chance to flee wasn’t ideal. For a devil like Carnival, especially, who played instruments with the chorus of human screams in the background, any prey they allowed to escape was a loss of musical talent. Seeing Carnival, the adventurers scrambled to flee, but it was too late. The devil had already created its own space. There weren’t many things in this world that could break through that barrier. They realized that, in addition to them, the area encompassed an entire section of the Business District, along with a few thousand people.

  “It can’t be, why is Carnival in a place like this!?”

  “W-Wait...! We’re just adventurers!”

  “Th-That’s right! We’re not members of the Church!”

  “No... I don’t want a Devil to eat me!”

  Hearing the harmonic crying of the adventurers, Carnival squinted his eyes in ecstasy. It was almost euphoric to him.

  The residents of the Business District were quaking in fear, hiding in their homes. A vast audience on top of everything else? This was beginning to look like the perfect stage for Carnival.

  “What a warm welcome... Now, which little kitty’s going to sing for me fir—... Fraghaaahhhh!”

  His ecstatic speech was interrupted. A pebble had been thrown from somewhere, snapping a horn on Carnival’s head. In agony, the devil held his head and screamed. One of his horns, which represented pride, history, and everything about who the devils were, was broken by a pebble, of all things.

  “Wh-Who did that!? You worm!!!”

  In a completely raw tone, unlike how he had been speaking up to this point, Carnival screamed. The adventurers shrunk into their shoulders, but the culprit sounded perfectly calm, as if he were only reading the forecast.

  “Yeah, that tone’s more like it.”

  “You!!! You shiteater!!!”

  “...You jus
t don’t have any class, do you? Ugly face. Ugly voice. Ugly clothes, worst of all. There’s not an inch of you pretty enough to look at, but you’re not too bad as a comedian.”

  As the Demon Lord spoke this, Carnival screamed louder, further distorting his appearance. He wouldn’t give this insect the luxury of singing to his death, he thought. To crush the man’s skull with the snap of his finger, Carnival took a step forward... but stopped short. Perhaps that was his instinct as a powerful devil.

  The Demon Lord opened his mouth, and solemnly spoke. His words, along with his skills... would have sent any devil running with its figurative tail between its legs.

  “To tell you the truth, this is my second encounter with a devil.”

  —Survival Skill Activated: Fighting Spirit (+10% to user’s Attack and Defense)

  “The last one dropped dead without much of a fight.”

  —Combat Skill Activated: Fake Out (-10% to enemy’s Defense)

  “I wonder how long you’ll last.”

  —Combat Skill Activated: Intimidate (-10% to enemy’s Defense)

  “I’m going with my original style so I can get some more practice in.”

  —Combat Skill Activated: Equal to None (+30% each to user’s Attack and Defense)

  “Carnival, was it? ...Are you ready?”

  While the Demon Lord himself didn’t seem to notice, an abnormal amount of aura was emanating from him, so much so that it almost looked like Carnival was starting to shrink in comparison. The Demon Lord’s already unbeatable stats were now explosively buffed by his skills’ modifiers. A simple normal attack... could have killed a god.

  “W-Wait... wait! Beautiful Monsieur! I-I’m sorry...!”

  “Oh, almost forgot.”

  The Demon Lord said, providing Carnival with a glimpse of hope. This nightmarish scenario was never supposed to happen. How could the world-renowned powerful devil, Carnival, be overpowered by a mere human?

  “Wh-Whatever it is, I can help! I’ll help you with anything...!”

  “Change Mode — Combat Mode.”

  “Change Fighting Stance — Retaliation Stance.”

  As if he hadn’t heard what Carvinal had said, the Demon Lord switched his Combat Mode. While this Mode decreased the chance of finding enemies, it buffed all of his stats. It was highly effective when a player knew the enemy was in a certain area, or had cornered an opponent and wanted to finish the job. He also changed his Fighting Stance to create the optimal combat setup. Both of these buffed his Attack and Defense, but the most noteworthy characteristic was that he would be extremely likely to encounter enemies. Building up an unbeatable setup, waiting for an enemy to appear, and taking them down with one shot. That was the Demon Lord’s intended combat style.