Cross Reverie was a wholesome game suitable for all ages, so it should go without saying there were no erotic scenes like this to be found anywhere.
Looking toward the bottom as well, Shera’s face turned pale.
“Diablo! Rem and Lumachina!”
“Hm.” He turned his gaze to the direction she was pointing.
There they were, both strung up on an altar at the center of this place. Lumachina had been reduced to a very un-ladylike appearance, with her clothes having been stripped from her upper body, and her chest laid bare for all to see. Her underwear had fallen around her ankles.
Diablo’s face went beet-red.
Next to her was the head maid Shiliu, her hands creeping all over Lumachina’s body. She was almost completely naked as well, only wearing a black corset, netted stockings, and high heels. It was like one of the designs for an outfit you’d see on one of those boxes for games they sell at ***map or **dio. The boxes were normally quite large even though there was only a single disc inside them.
—That’s taking it way over the top, right!?
Shiliu’s tongue was creeping across Lumachina’s skin. Though he couldn’t see it from up top, he could tell Lumachina was trying to escape, but couldn’t due to her hands and feet being bound.
Diablo sprinted down the stairs. “Shera, Horn, you wait here! I’m bringing those two back!”
“Y-Yeah!”
“Roger that, boss man!”
After coming halfway down the stone staircase, with about fifty meters left to go—
There was someone else climbing up those very same stairs.
†
Batutta—
Unlike the others in the nude, he was wearing his full armor, and he carried his spear, which was enveloped with magic energy. There was a sharp glint in his eye.
“I was waiting for you, Diablo,” he boomed in a solemn voice.
Being confronted like this was really getting Diablo fired up. He felt a heat bubbling from deep inside him. Now more than ever was the time to act like a Demon Lord.
Diablo pointed Tenma’s Staff toward Batutta.
“Ahhhahaha... Regret the fact you were careless enough to stand before me.”
But still, he couldn’t stop thinking about it: With someone as proficient as Batutta, he should be able to guess the difference in their abilities. Why was Batutta acting so confident? Was it a trap? Some sort of bluff?
Diablo’s attitude, haughty and overflowing with confidence, was all just a bluff, of course. It was just a Demon Lord role play, after all. Unlike the game, he was always suppressing his nervousness and fear when he fought in battle here.
“Batutta, how do you explain all this?” he demanded.
“If you truly are a first-class Sorcerer, then surely you must already know the answer.”
He was just a gamer. He didn’t really know any information about things other than the battle system. But if the purpose of this place was the same as it was in the game, then...
“So, you had a hand in producing the curse of the Death Knell disease.”
“Hm... I see you heard about that from Lumachina.”
“You say she knew as well?”
A scowl appeared on Batutta’s face. “You’re telling me that not only the High Priest, but even a Sorcerer caught on?”
“Hmph. I am no Sorcerer—I am a Demon Lord who has come from another world!”
“What drivel are you spouting...”
—Not many people believe me when I say that, huh...
Though, it was actually pretty cute how Rem and Shera believed him so easily.
“Do those pitiful fools crawling around down there have something to do with this curse...?”
“If you come work under me, then I will tell you whatever you wish to know.”
“Said like a true egotist, Batutta. But the truth is, you learned this curse from the Fallen, didn’t you?”
“Wha—!?” Batutta’s eyes flew open. “How do you know that?”
“Heh heh heh... I have already said it: I am a Demon Lord!” ...He couldn’t say it was because this was the same curse the Fallen used back in the game.
He still didn’t completely understand what this world was, but he thought of it as the inspiration for Cross Reverie. The X-rated parts of the curse were omitted in the game, however, with Batutta most likely having brought Rem and Lumachina exactly to do those types of immoral things to them.
“Release the girls,” Diablo ordered. “If you are to atone for your vulgar misdeeds on top of that, I will spare your life.”
“Oh, Diablo...” Batutta’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “So youthful. It is quite intriguing to think how you obtained such strength while being so young... But even then, you are still so very inexperienced.”
“What was that?”
“You have never lost a battle, correct? You are going into this fight with the conceit that your victory is absolute. Even now, I assume you view this situation as having ‘cornered your enemy.’”
“Hmph... Because it is the truth.”
He acted high and mighty, but he was sweating bullets on the inside. Just as Batutta said, though, he was thinking he would definitely win in a one-on-one fight. Despite how much MP he had lost, he was still the one on top level-wise, and there was a huge difference between their equipment. Batutta’s spear was wrapped in magic energy, and was at most an SSR weapon. Diablo, on the other hand, had reinforced his SSR equipment to their maximum limits, and could probably be classified as EX-rank gear.
He held an overwhelming advantage. But not just that, Diablo possessed superior skill as a player, never even losing to other level 150 rankers in battle.
—If I was to explain it with my own made-up logic, my parameters should be level 150, with my equipment also being at 150. If my player skill is 150, too, then that should make 450 altogether! Considering Batutta is level 130, that’s a gap of 320!
If they fought, Diablo was all but guaranteed to win.
Batutta stroked his beard. “Now, you may be an Elemental Sorcerer strong enough to defy common sense...but what type of magic can you use here?”
“Hm...?”
Batutta rapped the back of his hand on the stone wall. The fragments of rock fell of the block he had knocked against; they were more fragile than Diablo thought.
“We are underground here, deep enough that we should be surrounded by bedrock. If the ceiling breaks, however, a mountain of sand should come raining down on us.”
Diablo swallowed, though his throat was bone-dry. “That’s a bluff... You would be buried alive as well.”
“I would risk my life if it meant victory; it is only natural. I am sure you are the same... But what will you do about your companions’ lives?”
“You bastard!”
Diablo had come to rescue Rem and Lumachina; them being buried alive in sand would mean losing everything. Batutta obviously couldn’t care less about the lives of those around him.
“That should seal away the spell you used against the Sand Whale quite nicely. Next is your footing... Is fighting on stairs a strong suit of yours? Just how much can you evade while fighting on this terrain, I wonder...”
“You’re the only one who will suffer from being unable to evade this!”
A detonation appeared out of thin air—
Explosion.
The stone staircase crumbled away, fragments of stone dropping on top of the writhing mass of humanity below.
“Ngh!?”
This place was even more brittle than he imagined. They were also in an enclosed space, which meant the effect of the shock wave was much stronger than when he used it out in the open. Sand immediately poured down from the ceiling in a grand fashion.
—Even a spell like that was too much!?
Batutta leisurely dodged backward, landing further down the staircase. Diablo wanted to use magic with a wider area of effect to suppress that speed...but if he did, the ceiling would give way.
But there was something wrong with the people here. Though both sand and stone were falling from above, they stayed intoxicated by their mad feast, making no attempt to run away. They didn’t even seem to perceive the danger around them. It seemed they were no longer capable of normal thought.
Batutta laughed. “You act without thinking, I see.”
“Hmph... I was only testing the actual worth of getting serious or not.”
“Is that so? Then this time, I’ll be the one making a move.”
Batutta took up his spear, pressing the assault. Diablo had to repel him with magic, but...
—What kind of magic can I use that won’t break the walls!?
“You hesitated, greenhorn!” Batutta shouted.
He closed the gap between them all at once. The spear was aiming directly for Diablo’s heart; Batutta made it clear he was after Diablo’s life.
“Too naïve, Batutta.”
The 《Ground Mine》 Diablo placed at his feet exploded. It was a spell that unleashed an explosion once someone stepped within range of the mine. It was an elementary Earth spell with little power, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about the stone walls breaking.
Still being engulfed in the explosion, Batutta didn’t stop.
“This battle is your loss!”
“Ngh!?”
Batutta’s spear was heading straight for him. He had to get out of the way—but a stone wall was on his right, and he would just fall if he went left. The spiraling stairs weren’t suitable to make a rapid descent in a hurry, either.
As Batutta advanced, the only things his attacker would be looking at were Diablo and the staircase, which meant he would just have to rely on his memory to get down from here. But the length and height of each step in this staircase was uneven; it would be all over if he tripped.
“Hah! Never underestimate a Demon Lord!”
Diablo repelled the spear’s attack using his left hand. Though close combat wasn’t exactly a Sorcerer’s forte, his basic parameters were considerably high thanks to his level.
He fended off the spear... Is what should have happened, but the spear disappeared from his sight.
A shiver ran up his spine.
—What the—!?
This was different from what he expected.
His hand wasn’t where it needed to be...
Shouldn’t it have parried the spear so he could prepare his next attack...?
A massive splattering of blood gushed all over the stone staircase...
Diablo’s left arm had been severed right through the bone, barely hanging on by some skin.
—AAAAAAAAAGH!?
It took all he had to resist screaming out loud.
He was slick with cold sweat. His eyes were flickering from the intense pain.
Shera, who was watching the fight from the staircase above, let out a scream in Diablo’s stead. Rem also let out a scream from below, even though she shouldn’t know what was going on.
—What’s happening with Lumachina...?
He didn’t see Horn.
—Did he run away...?
Diablo still had the composure to worry about what was going on around him. Under normal circumstances, he would be writhing around in pain, crying and screaming bloody murder; but he could chalk this up to how tough his level 150 body was.
He managed to stand himself at the ready.
“Heh... Heheh... Not bad, Batutta...”
“You overestimated your own strength, and now you find yourself in a place where you cannot use your spells. You may have been gung-ho about charging in here like it was a secret base or something, but you never once suspected that it could have all been for the purpose of luring you here. If I left you a letter saying I was waiting in this underground facility, then you would have been much more on guard, and most likely taken sufficient measures to prepare yourself before coming. Since you came here because of my subordinate’s ‘leaked’ information, you instead entered here completely unguarded.”
He couldn’t deny that. But instead of clicking his tongue, a sneer crossed Diablo’s face.
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you, you weakling.”
“Certainly. I do not think of myself as strong, nor am I prideful of myself. I make sure my preparations are flawless, and deal with powerful foes by having them play into my hands then defeating them in situations where I have an absolute advantage. Relying on equipment, skills, or even powers is something only a novice would do.”
There were terrain effects back in the game, along with special conditions that restricted the way you played as well. But the player would almost never be the ones to set those conditions. Usually, it was the game devs who prepared the special terrain, and it was the player’s job to think up strategies to work around it.
Diablo curled his lips.
—It’s true, I may have been a bit prideful... My thinking was too shallow. I’m taking what you said to heart, old man.
No matter how much he needed to avoid damaging the walls, using a spell like Ground Mine against a level 130 Warrior was a mistake on his part. It was so weak it didn’t even slow him down.
Batutta seemed like he had undergone training with movement on stairways; he could even dodge spells like Explosion. But if Diablo used anything more powerful, the stone walls would come crumbling down. He really really did think through this anti-Sorcerer plan so thoroughly.
—Even so, I’m gonna come out on top!
“There are some spells in this world that even you do not know about, Batutta! 《Lightning Sphere》!”
Crackling purple electricity flashed through the air. A sphere wreathed in lightning appeared, measuring about three meters in diameter. Any who dared touch it would be met with a violent electric shock, which meant he should be able to fry Batutta without damaging any of the walls.
The only downside to this spell was how sluggish it was when it moved. It slowly floated toward its target. Usually it would be a simple matter to dodge it...but they were on a staircase. There was nowhere to dodge.
“I see, so magic like this exists as well.”
Would he just make his way to the bottom of the stairwell? Probably not. With his level 130 footwork, Batutta should easily be able to jump over a ball three meters long.
—Come on!!
His plan was to lure Batutta to the Ground Mine he planted on the wall, using that to send Batutta hurtling over the edge of the stairway.
The orb of electricity slowly approached its mark.
—What, he’s not jumping out of the way...?
Batutta suddenly vanished without a trace. He wasn’t above Diablo; in fact, he jumped over the edge himself.
—You gotta be kidding, right!?
“It’s too easy to see what you’re aiming for, greenhorn!”
Though it looked like Batutta had fallen, a single hand remained grasping the stone steps; he was simply hanging from the edge. After the Lightning Sphere passed him by, he pulled himself back up and onto the staircase.
Batutta was in a disadvantageous position, which meant it could be effective for Diablo to attack him directly. But, that said, Diablo was a Sorcerer who focused all his firepower on spells. It would be reckless of him to go picking a fight at close range, not to mention that it took everything he had just to try and dodge Batutta’s spear.
Diablo moved to back away, when the heel of his right foot caught on the stone staircase.
“Oh cra—!?”
“Careless! Time to end this!!”
Batutta thrust his spear forward, a shining, rainbow-colored effect spreading out from it. It was the Martial Art 《Rising Spear》, a technique that activated quickly and boasted immense power. On top of that, it also ignored any effects that reduced physical damage. Batutta had probably noticed the damage-reducing effects of Diablo’s armor when he cut th
rough his arm earlier.
The spear stabbed into Diablo’s chest.
The razor-sharp spearhead tore through his Ebony Abyss, rending flesh, smashing bone—and piercing his heart.
A massive amount of blood vomited from his mouth. The pain was so much that he couldn’t even realize what it was, feeling like his consciousness would leave him at any moment as his brain deflated like a slashed tire.
Death.
He was falling into darkness...
His heart was crushed by Batutta’s high-level technique. This was lethal damage, enough to kill him in an instant.
Tenma’s Staff fell from Diablo’s right hand, landing in the pool of blood that had spilled on the ground.
He crumbled to his knees. Someone let out a high-pitched scream; Shera, probably.
Assured of his victory, a sneer enveloped Batutta’s face.
Diablo grabbed Batutta’s left wrist with his right hand...
Panting like a wild beast, with his eyes filled by a burning fury, he opened his bloodstained lips.
“You finally, stopped... Senile old fool.”
“...Wha... How are you still alive!?”
Batutta tried to get away, but the strength of Diablo’s grip wasn’t so weak as to let the man escape that easily. To do so, he activated a spell that required him to be in contact with his target.
“Everything shall vanish...into a world of complete stillness... 《Absolute Zero》.”
Batutta’s arm started turning white from where Diablo was touching.
This was one of the most powerful Ice spells. It would cause the kinetic energy of whatever it touched to disappear eternally. It only targeted one person, and could only be activated at point blank range.
“Wooooooargh!?” Batutta’s eyes were wide open.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 4 Page 17