By the time they made it to the inn, the town was already swallowed up by fog thick enough to cut visibility down to just a couple hundred feet.
And yet Amane, after dropping them off, was oddly eager to dive right back into the soup.
“Right. Good night, folks. Stop by tomorrow to pick up your wages, okay?”
“Amane, the fog is still terribly thick. Would it be wiser to wait in the lobby, perhaps?”
Suzuno’s suggestion seemed like common sense to anyone. Anyone except Amane.
“Nah, I got a couple small things I gotta take care of. Kind of related to my day job, you know? Sometimes I get called to work if the fog comes out, so… Don’t worry, though. I’m pretty used to this. See you tomorrow.”
With that hurried reply, Amane plunged into the night fog and disappeared before they could stop her.
Emi, Chiho, and Suzuno watched the fog anxiously, the now-silent Alas Ramus finally giving them a moment of peace.
Amid the dense mist that so filled them with disquiet, a single beam of light—probably from the lighthouse—plowed its way through the murk.
Maou and Ashiya stared out their guest-room window.
“Man, this fog is nuts.”
“If we stepped outside right now, we would quite literally be in a fog, wouldn’t we?”
“Hey, your phone’s ringing.”
Stirred to action by Urushihara behind him, Maou reached for his cell phone.
“Ooh, Chi sent a text… Guess they made it to the inn.”
Maou opened the message, reading through it before his eyes stopped on the final few words. He tilted his head in confusion.
“…Uh. What?”
“What is it, my liege?”
Maou turned toward Ashiya.
“She said Amane walked away. Right into the fog.”
“So? She lives here. She probably just went back home.”
“Well, yeah, maybe, but Chi didn’t say she ‘went home.’ She said she ‘went off somewhere.’”
Maou turned off the screen and put the phone in his pocket before turning toward the fog one more time.
He never had found out what Amane’s day job was. Did it have her running outside on a night like this? Because you really couldn’t see more than a few dozen feet ahead right now. Hopefully she doesn’t get in a car accident or—
Buooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn…
Buooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn…
Buoooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…
The window glass vibrated as the blare echoed again.
Perhaps this is what the roar of some ancient, massive dragon sounds like.
It was enough to tear right through the fog, making the entire beach seem to shake. It caught Maou right when he was deep in thought, startling him so badly he thought his heart exploded.
“Jeeeez, that scared me!”
The fog grew even thicker as the horn continued to peal.
The view out the window was now a uniform white. The Cape Inuboh-saki bluff was now the mere suggestion of a shadow.
“Y-Your Demonic Highness!”
“Gahh!”
Just then, Ashiya shouted for his master’s attention right next to Maou, startling him into a muffled scream yet again.
“D-Do-Don’t freak me out like that, man! Eesh!”
“I, I apologize, my liege, but…did you see something in the fog just now?”
“Huh? In the fog?”
The only thing piercing through the layers upon layers of fog was the strobing lighthouse beam, the nearby beach, and the demons themselves, reflected against the window. That, and:
“…A person?”
They saw the figure of somebody in the fog. It looked like it was walking toward them, but it was staggering, eerily lumbering, like a broken pendulum. And even worse:
“Uh, pretty huge, isn’t it?”
“It is, my liege.”
The approaching figure was impossibly enormous. Not just tall, or rotund, but gigantic.
Big enough to dwarf the entirety of the one-story Ohguro-ya beach house.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Taking note of Maou and Ashiya’s increasing sense of panic, Urushihara took his own place by the window. Then he saw what Maou and Ashiya saw.
“Well, look at this fog. It’s probably one of those Brocken specter things, right? Just our shadows being cast back at us?”
“B-But that’d mean one of us was casting that shadow. We couldn’t be.”
“Uh, dude, are you saying that story Amane told Emilia just a sec ago…”
The moren-yassa. The legend of the seafaring ghosts of Choshi.
“No way. They show up on boats, right? That…that guy’s gotta be on land…”
“Ssshh! I… Those are footsteps…”
It might have seemed comedic, the sight of these former rulers of the demon realms quaking in their boots as they desperately tried to gain a view of the giant stomping around outside. But even demons could be afraid of the unknown.
“It, it’s coming…”
As Ashiya gurgled it out, the fog parted…and it appeared.
“Nhh…”
It was hard to say who uttered that groan out of the three.
It really was a giant, tearing his way through the fog. One all of them knew well.
And as they watched, the figure, just a bit away from them, fell to its knees with a mighty crash and a ballooning puff of sand.
“Is that…”
“My liege! Lucifer! We must go at once!”
“S-Seriously?!”
Watching as the figure collapsed a hairbreadth in front of Ohguro-ya, Maou regained enough of his senses to storm out of the guest house.
It was virtually right on top of the door to their quarters.
And as they looked down at the fallen figure, amid the fog and the swirling sand, Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara found themselves at a loss for words.
<“Gr…rr…rhh…”>
It emitted a guttural, nonhuman grunt, but it had the shape of a human being.
Its size, though, was nearly twice that of a normal man. Its armor-like skin was the color of rust, and a single horn extended from its forehead.
Most unique of all, however, was the intricate tattoo covering its entire face, completely surrounding both of its eyes.
The effect of the ink made it appear that just one large eye occupied the top half of its head. It rang a bell with all three of them.
“Is, is that…a demon?”
Ashiya whispered it, seeking confirmation from Maou. Maou swallowed, then shouted out loud.
“A…A cyclopean?! What the hell is a cyclopean doing over here?!”
<“I…I couldn’t see… How could…a human have such power…”>
The words this beast they called a cyclopean spoke had meaning: They were from one of the languages of the demon realms. The sound of them suddenly made the scene much less of a dream and far more of a reality to them. Ashiya found himself striding forward, exuding confidence and authority.
“You! Cyclopean! What is the meaning of—”
“Ashiya! Get away!!”
Suddenly, the fog began to swirl atop its enormous frame.
Maou grabbed Ashiya by the scruff of his neck, dragging him off his feet and away. Just above them, multiple streams of fog zoomed past like snakes slithering in the air, converging toward the creature.
Unable to react in time, the three demons watched as the fog imploded within itself, illuminated by a powerful flash that made them avert their eyes. Then, enveloped in the fog, the cyclopean that never should have existed in Japan vanished.
The dragon’s roar returned to their ears.
“It’s gone…”
Once the swirling fog disappeared, all that remained was a depression in the sand. That, and:
“Must’ve been a younger cyclopean… But he was definitely there. Wounded, too.”
Right there, where the hulking mass once lay a momen
t ago, they could see something red seeping into the sand.
Ashiya gaped at Maou’s quick analytical skill.
“But this…this is Kimigahama! In Chiba! What’s a demon doing here?!”
“Uh, what’s the Devil King and that archangel doing in Sasazuka, huh? We can probably expect Sapporo to elect a Church archbishop mayor soon. Maybe the Eight-Forked Serpent from Japanese mythology will show up in Isla Centurum before long.”
“This is no time for jokes, Your Demonic Highness! It was right here! Where we stand right now! This is a crisis, my liege!”
“I’d like to think it was a coincidence…but no luck, huh?”
“Kinda sudden for that, don’t you think?!”
Urushihara looked around warily. This was enough to unnerve even him.
“Perhaps someone in the demon realms has tracked down our location…”
Ashiya blurted out the assertion, as if it only just came to mind. But even that sounded too optimistic.
“Doubt it. Why was that cyclopean in such bad shape, then?”
“That…”
Ashiya fell silent. Urushihara was right: There was no way to be sure, but those had looked like battle wounds.
Where did the Gate open up? Who opened it? Was it injured before entering the Gate, or afterward? Depending on the wheres and whens, the story could branch into all kinds of possibilities.
And considering the demon was a cyclopean, a demon race Maou and his generals knew well, an even larger question loomed before them:
Why, even after falling into Japan, did the cyclopean retain its demonic form?
The situation didn’t give Maou any time to ponder over matters.
“…!! Whoa! Ashiya! Behind you!!”
Behind Ashiya, deep in thought, stood another demon.
It was a beast demonoid, its bottom half that of a carnivorous beast, its top a twisted, demonic monster. Many were those in the demon realms that praised the heroic exploits of this race.
<“Grrnnnnngghhhh…”>
But this demon, like the one before it, was gravely wounded, groaning and writhing in pain.
It looked like a midlevel demon, the sort Maou and Ashiya would have assigned an army unit to in the past. The armor it wore was in tatters, the swords in both hands so dented and nicked that it was a wonder the blade remained in one piece.
“A beast demonoid?! From Satanas Arc?!”
There were many half-demon, half-beast races in the demon realms, many of whom lived in Satanas Arc, the de facto capital.
<“Humans…of this world… Do you seek battle with me, too?”>
The demonic tongue was invitingly familiar. It screeched across the air like a buzzard’s cry, but even with their human ears, Maou and Ashiya understood it perfectly without the need for an Idea Link.
“H-Humans? Us?!”
All three of them understood the demon’s speech. But, as he still failed to fully comprehend the situation, Ashiya found Japanese coming out of his mouth, a language that seemed much more natural to him by now.
“You insolent fool! I am Alciel, Great Demon General of the—”
<“Enough with your nonsensical warbling. Let us fight, so I may show you how my sword tastes!”>
“Phwaaahhh?!”
To the wounded beast demonoid, the rantings of the thoroughly offended Ashiya sounded like little more than an alien from another world prattling on about nothing.
Its twin swords had long lost their sharpness, but now it swung them high, thrusting them down upon Ashiya.
“Ashiya!!”
With a pointed shriek, Maou barreled into Ashiya, sending both of them rolling in the sand. They felt a sword whiz above their heads.
<“Sheathe your swords! I am not your enemy!”> Maou, still sprawled out on the ground, shouted at the beast demonoid. He could see the hesitation in its ghoulish face.
<“Ashiya, calm down! He’s not gonna understand Japanese, dude!”>
<“Oh. Er. Right.”>
It took Urushihara’s scolding for Ashiya to finally figure it out. Flustered, he switched his brain from Japanese to demon-language mode.
<“Ngh… The demon tongue… That demonic power… Who are—”>
“!!”
“Huh?!”
The end of the beast demonoid’s sentence never reached their ears.
Just like the cyclopean before, the demon’s body was enveloped by snakelike whorls of fog. An instantaneous flash ran across this miniature tornado of mist, and then there was nothing.
Then, that dragon’s roar again.
“What the hell’s going on here?! Is the Church attacking us?!”
“I, I’ve never seen that manner of holy force before!”
Right before their eyes, two wounded denizens of the demon world had appeared…then disappeared.
They left not a trace of demonic force. Nor did any hint of the power that whisked these demons away reveal itself.
No… Now, they felt another force.
“Above us! Here comes another one!!”
This time, Maou and Ashiya and Urushihara could feel the demonic power before it approached them.
“?!”
With a boom like someone blew off an artillery-grade firecracker, the fog above them began to shimmer.
As it did, something began to fall, aimed squarely at the beach Maou stood upon.
“Get away!!”
The three demons nimbly dove for cover.
Another few moments, and then the demon that hurtled downward at such speed that Maou thought it was blown in by an explosion unfurled its wings, touching down for a soft landing.
In terms of size, it was much smaller than either the cyclopean or the beast demonoid. About as tall as Ashiya, the birdlike demon was covered in an array of jet-black armor.
He, too, sported several open gashes. Although he landed on his feet, he soon fell to his knees.
“D-Damn it all…! How could anyone wield such force in this realm…!”
Unlike the previous two demons, while this demon fighter’s armor and helmet were all but destroyed by the ravages of battle, the sword hilt and scabbard by his side were in sparkling condition, the colorful jewels that festooned them shining in the dim light.
It was a sword of some notoriety. That much was clear. But Maou and Ashiya paid it little heed. Their eyes were focused on the avian demon’s face.
They knew it.
“C-Camio?!”
“Sir Camio?!”
The avian warrior, his round, evocative eyes a rarity for a demon, raised his heavy head at the call of these strange humans.
“You… Humans. Why do you know my name…? Rgh!”
Blood poured from the demon’s beak, his sharp eyes glaring at Maou and Ashiya.
“It doesn’t matter! Camio, what happened to you?! Your wounds…!”
“My liege! The fog!!”
Maou attempted to run up to the warrior, but for a third time, the snakes of fog were too fast for him.
He had no idea what was driving this living, breathing fog, but there was no telling what would happen if it chose to smother him. He stopped.
“Ugh! Shit! This is all or nothing!!”
Urushihara’s voice rang out, and then a strong wind began to blow.
The next moment, the fog around the three demons fell back.
“Urushihara?!”
Behind Urushihara, they didn’t see the black wings of a fallen angel. These were white, bathed in holy energy as they hung in the air.
With a single flap, they summoned a more powerful gust, bringing the entire space between the demons and Ohguro-ya back into clear focus.
“Uh, why’re your wings white—”
“Couldn’t you tell that something’s up with this fog?! Hurry up and get Camio inside!”
“Oh! Right! Jeez, this is nuts… Ashiya, you take that side!”
“Y-Yes, my liege!”
The two of them held the avian warrior by the shoulders, bringing
him back into Ohguro-ya. It wasn’t far. All of this had happened practically on their doorstep.
Urushihara continued flapping his wings to keep the fog at bay as he took rear guard, shutting the door behind him once everyone was inside.
Buooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn…
Buooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn…
Buoooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…
The haunting scream, like that of a carnivore whose prey had slipped through its talons, boomed across Kimigahama.
“Your Demonic Highness! The fog!!”
After setting the warrior down, Ashiya looked out the window, only to find the fog receding just as rapidly as it came, as if the guttural scream just then had scared it away.
Several more moments, and Kimigahama was back to its normal nightscape—the moon, the stars, the lights out on the sea, the town overlooking the beach, and the lighthouse.
There was no sound, apart from the ebb and flow of the sea. The events of the past few minutes seemed like a passing daydream.
“Camio! Camio, hang in there!”
The three demons looked on, concerned, down at the wounded warrior.
“I know not who you are…but meddle with me, and it will cost you your lives… Know your place, hu…”
Strangely, the words coming from the warrior’s beak didn’t match the cyclopean’s or beast demonoid’s speech. It was fluid Japanese from the start, a bit of a mismatch for the creature’s visage.
“Can’t blame you. Satan and Alciel look pretty much totally different now.”
The warrior fell silent at Urushihara’s voice.
“But you can still tell who I am, I bet. Right, Devil Regent?”
The avian warrior’s face shot up.
Urushihara was dressed in a baggy T-shirt, shorts, and hoodie, but his pure white wings were still there as he stood before the warrior.
The sight was enough to make him gasp.
“Lucifer… Is that you, Lucifer?!”
“Sure is, Camio. You never did call me by my full title, did you?”
Ignoring the pouting Urushihara, Camio refocused his eyes on the other two men watching on.
“Alciel? …Satan? …It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be…”
The words fell shakily out of his beak.
“General…of the Eastern Island…”
“…I look like this now, it is true…but yes, Camio, I am Alciel.”
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 4 Page 15