Hold On

"Hold on. Jonas saw Mr. Yujun's strength with his own eyes. I don't understand using someone this strong as a piece to be thrown away..."

"He's bait, of a sort. And the tastier the bait, the harder the fish loses its head and lunges."

"So being strong actually makes him worth more as bait?"

"Yes. In practice, if we drag things out by any means we can, there's a good chance Jonas gets to run his plan exactly as he wants."

"How galling."

Do Jiyun bit her lip, plainly aggrieved.

"It's better this way. If Jonas had set this in motion without a thought in his head, we wouldn't have had an answer either."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Hard to say. We don't know precisely how the situation is turning, so all we can do is improvise."

That was when Manuela spoke.

"I wandered around a bit earlier, remember? I found a few things out."

"Already?"

"I'll explain everything."

Manuela began, wearing a thoroughly self-satisfied look.

Duke Jonas.

His frame was slight, but his gaze was keen enough to cut.

"The tournament preparations are finished. Horshi."

"Yes."

Horshi, the supreme-grade demon who had never left his side, bowed as she answered.

"And the mood of the banquet?"

"The tournament is nearly upon them, so everyone is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in high spirits."

"The witch and the undead?"

"They recognized the pursuers sent by the Demon King. Three demons, put down in moments."

"Tsk. Did they seem to have learned anything?"

"That, I couldn't say. But the Lich Lord's instincts are sharp. It would be no surprise if he has already read the situation."

"A pureblood witch called Manuela is with him. Interrogation will not be difficult."

"Might the plan not come undone? If they were to flee..."

At her words, Jonas laughed coldly.

"It would not matter. They were never in the original plan. They are only variables that appeared without warning."

"Is it not a waste? That undead was exceedingly strong."

"The Lich Lord and the witch. Both are capable, yes. The trouble is that their skill begins and ends with magic. They are poorly suited to facing the Demon King."

Jonas let out a thin sigh.

"The Demon King bears the trait of Magic Immunity. That single trait is what set him at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm."

Which was why he had left the Lich Lord and the witch out of the final battle. Using them as bait to split the Demon King's attention was more efficient than fighting with them at his side.

"Nor is there any certain guarantee that they stand with me."

"I looked into it. There was no link to the Demon King—save that the pureblood witch is deeply entangled with him, just as they said."

"Even then, we cannot grow careless. The Demon King we face is a serpent of the oldest kind."

Little time remained before the great undertaking. Jonas's face turned grave, and he sank once more into thought.

The banquet had ripened. Little time remained before the martial tournament began.

An arena had been laid out at the banquet's heart, and demons hurried back and forth across it, wholly absorbed in readying the event. Fewer of them had entered than one might expect, and there were two reasons for it. Defeat in the tournament usually meant death, and anyone who had already competed was barred from entering again until five tournaments had come and gone.

"Any prospects this time?"

"Same old faces. What else is there?"

"I just want one flashy bastard to show up."

"Word from my sources is that an undead is entering this tournament."

"An undead? What undead, all of a sudden?"

"A lich, they say, and next to nothing is known about him. That's what makes it all the more exciting. A new prodigy takes the stage—and of all things, a lich who used to be human. If he's strong, you won't find a better show than this."

"Oh, now you've got my interest."

"Either way, what's certain is that we've gained one more thing worth watching."

The demons turned toward the arena with excited faces.

Then a powerful barrier rose over the grounds. Duke Coken, the Demon King's closest aide, was the one who had set it—a defensive barrier that would not so much as flinch under an ordinary impact. His martial strength was somewhat lacking, but when it came to barriers, no demon surpassed Coken.

At his appearance the demons glanced about with expectant faces, wondering whether the Demon King might show himself as well, now that Coken had come out. The Demon King did not. He was famous for rarely appearing at official gatherings, and the demons were disappointed. They were not so different, in the end, from the other races of the Continent. Demons were not wicked simply for the sake of being wicked.

Yujun was only now coming to see it.

I thought it would be pure chaos once a crowd of demons got together.

Petty scuffles broke out now and then, but the place was unexpectedly peaceful.

Is it because of where we are?

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Who would dare raise hell inside the Demon King's Castle, unless they had a wish to die?

A fine spectacle, and a field of opportunity besides. For the demons, a long stretch of time had passed, and the tournament was at last underway.

The bracket had been drawn at random. Whether it was truly random was another matter, but that, officially, was what the Demon King's Castle had announced. And Yujun, as it happened, had been set upon the very first stage.

Did Jonas pull a few strings?

Opening the tournament was something a demon could hardly help longing for.

If I can finish early and rest, all the better.

The first match was often a clash between the strong, the better to seize the crowd at a stroke.

No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem random.

The circumstances invited suspicion, yet no one raised an objection. A bracket built this way was simply far more entertaining.

"Get him, undead! I want to see ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a lich win for once!"

"Ah, come on. The Brute Mace is going to win, isn't he? That guy's never lost an opening fight."

"Huh? Hasn't he?"

Yujun's opponent was a demon known as the Brute Mace. The enormous bulk of him, and the heavy iron mace in his hands, made quite an impression. The nickname had not been stuck on him for nothing.

Most of the demons had already judged that the Brute Mace would win in a walk. Demons typically showed overwhelming strength against mages, and a lich might as well have had no physical ability at all. He was losing on the matchup before the fight had even begun—and all the more so when the opponent was the renowned Brute Mace. Few could imagine the lich had any chance at all.

At last the duel began.

The Brute Mace had no intention of going easy. He came on from the first step with terrifying momentum.

Faster than he looks.

A speed that did not match his size. An iron mace of staggering bulk came hurtling at Yujun.

Yujun did not move. He simply released his mana.

Mana Release. This, too, was Ancient Magic—a spell that, just as the name said, drove mana out into the open. Simple, yet so quick to cast that it could be used as an attack.

The Brute Mace's face hardened.

KRA-KOOM!

The giant's body was shoved straight back. Unlike his looks, the Brute Mace had sharp instincts and was quick on his feet. He had anticipated the blast of Mana Release and thrown himself clear ahead of it. He had not escaped entirely. Grimacing, he staggered.

"Stings a little."

Pride apparently demanded he say as much. Then he closed in on Yujun again.

This time the mace was thickly laden with Dark Demonic Energy, and his speed felt greater still. Having been hit once, the Brute Mace was finally fighting at full strength.

A fast-cast spell caught me off guard for a moment. But there is no way I lose to a mage.

In an instant the Brute Mace stood before the lich.

That same moment, a shield unfurled, and mana burst from the lich's body once more.

I saw it coming!

Get hit once, and you do not get hit twice. A confident smile on his face, the Brute Mace swung, wrapping his whole body in Dark Demonic Energy. The stuff boasted tremendous destructive power and, at the same time, formidable defense. Clothing oneself in it meant accepting a considerable loss—but the effect, at least, was certain.

"Die!"

In the instant the mace was about to smash into the lich, an enormous quantity of mana was released. It was on an entirely different level from before.

The Brute Mace's eyes flew wide.

KRA-KRA-KOOM! KRA-KOOM!

His body shattered to pieces and scattered in every direction.

"......"

"......"

A brief silence. A scene no one had expected—save Yujun's own party—had just unfolded.

"H-he's insane."

"...The Brute Mace lost?"

"Looks that way."

The demons murmured among themselves.

"Have liches always been that strong?"

"That magic's on another level. Even I can tell, and I don't know the first thing about magic..."

"Today's going to be fun."

Some could only stare, dazed. Others shouted. They were cheering the upset.

"The winner is the Lich Lord!"

Having claimed an overwhelming victory, Yujun stepped down from the arena.

How many more times do I have to fight?

Stay on this path, and he would be playing the bait to perfection. That was surely what Jonas wanted. But Yujun had no intention of going against it. Even if it only bought time, that was enough. Winning the tournament, taking the reward, and laying hands on a Transcendent Stone besides would be the best of both worlds. In truth, whether the Demon King changed or not was none of his concern.

"You're going to keep going?"

Do Jiyun asked.

Yujun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nodded.

"Then isn't Jonas just toying with you?"

"Turn it around. Jonas is the one being toyed with, on terms that suit us."

"What? What is that supposed to mean?"

"We're not actually stuck in the Demon King's Castle. We can leave whenever we like, and the place is full of rare items—especially the kinds you can't find anywhere on the Continent."

"...Don't tell me you're going to clean out the storehouse."

Manuela asked, her face uneasy.

"Yeah."

"That's insane. You saw them put a bounty on my head. Mine's probably the highest in the Demon Realm—and that was just for stealing a handful of items."

"And in the end they never caught you. You're alive and perfectly fine."

"That's because I know how to stay hidden. Do you not realize I'm a witch?"

"I'm not from the Demon Realm. Go back to the Continent and you can barely find a demon, never mind the Demon King."

"Once you're wanted, getting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of the Demon Realm won't be easy. They'll scour the place for every Rift and try to shut them all."

"Those can be closed?"

"Not normally. If the Demon King moves himself, though, he can."

"Then I just have to get out before he does."

"You're actually going to do it?"

"Not at all costs. If the situation lines up, then yes. It's not as if I can sprint into the storehouse and walk out with whatever I please."

"Fine. I get it, for now."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here with you. Nothing good comes of splitting up for no reason."

Paranet, Do Jiyun, and Manuela. The three of them had nothing to do for the moment.

The tournament went on without a break. Demons were impatient by nature.

Amid the heated air, Yujun climbed back into the arena. His turn had come. This opponent had killed both of his previous foes in a single blow to get here.

"The Thousand-Slayer Swordsman against a lich. Even I'm getting the shivers."

"I can't get a read on who'll win. Neither of them has shown everything they've got."

"Still, there's the record. My money's on the Thousand-Slayer."

From the way the demons were anticipating it, his opponent seemed quite famous. A slender swordsman with a single blade in hand. He was plainly a demon, and yet his appearance was remarkably neat.

"I trust this will be a worthy match. My previous opponents were entirely too dull."

"Polite, aren't you."

"Merely the courtesy owed to a man about to die."

"Is that so?"

Yujun cast Space Domination.

KRKK—!

The demon swordsman's body bent in a grotesque direction and crumpled in on itself.

The winner was decided.