Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Four Heavenly Kings Set
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Stepping out from the shadows was none other than a demon. A beautiful woman with gray hair tied in a ponytail. Judging by her outfit, she was a demon assassin.
"I was going for a sneaky ankle slice, but oh well. What a shame."
She gave a haughty laugh, feigning disappointment.
"What the hell? You've got some sharp senses."
This woman's dangerous.
I had no specific memory of her, but every instinct screamed that she was a threat. On par with Knight Commander Ariana Katrin? No, even more so.
"Just kidding. No need to be so on guard. I'm here to catch these bastards."
"What?"
"These guys are escapees. The little sister's a flower snake type, and the brother's the kind who breaks the backs of his own kind."
Criminals even among demons?
"They were such a pain that I was gonna kill 'em, but they slipped away. Sorry to drag you humans into this."
She looked down at the two bound demons and prodded them lightly with her foot.
"But... this little sister's in rough shape. Your handiwork?"
Semen leaking from her pussy, bruises staining her belly. She looked even more wrecked than her brother with his tendons severed. Still, she must've been happy since it felt good.
...Probably?
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Come to think of it, that doesn't match what I heard from that snake sorceress bitch."
"What doesn't?"
"She said the Demon King or one of the Four Heavenly Kings was behind it. Solid info."
"Pfft."
She couldn't hold back her laughter at my words.
"Why're you laughing?"
"How could I not? You look all innocent, but falling for fake info? You're more naive than I thought."
"Huh?"
The info I'd confirmed with my dick-thrusting truth serum was rock-solid.
"Let me say it again: these are escaped criminals. That's why I'm here personally to drag 'em in. And me being behind it? Hilarious."
"Wait, you?"
"I said I'm behind it."
Her sharp eyes curved into a chilling smile. That confidence—like she could gut me anytime.
"One of the Four Heavenly Kings... Set, the Dark Shadow Sorceress. That's my name."
Holy shit, one of the Four Heavenly Kings?
"F-Four Heavenly Kings...!"
Asabel gasped, too stunned to close her mouth. Anyone who's studied demons even a little knows: beneath the Demon King are four powerhouse demons called the Four Heavenly Kings.
"Set. Set..."
"What? You know me?"
"A little?"
Of course I did.
When war actually broke out, three of the four demons known as the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings were accounted for... but Set wasn't one of them. Why do I know? Every scrap of intel mattered in war.
I knew she'd been betrayed and killed by a subordinate. That's why her spot got filled by someone else.
"Anyway, don't get the wrong idea. It's tragic about the humans these guys killed, but don't go assuming we demons have some grand scheme."
"So you're saying you don't want war with humans? That's rich coming from a demon. Especially one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Squashing humans must be like stepping on bugs for you."
As Set shifted her foot slightly, black hands erupted from the cave floor's shadows.
"Daron!"
Before the princess's cry finished, a dagger was at my nape. My feet were pinned by shadows—I couldn't move. Hell, I hadn't even tracked Set's movement with my eyes.
"Daron. That's your name, right?"
Her voice had turned icy, unlike her earlier coaxing tone. The grim reaper who could claim my life anytime was pressed right up against me.
"Daron. Better watch your mouth."
Her assassin garb left her cleavage on full display. For such a speedy assassin, those tits were huge! Ahem, not the point.
"Urgh... So you're saying it's not you?"
"Believe it or not, my father's human. That comment of yours... insults me, my mother, and my father."
"If that's true, then yeah, that was out of line."
I hadn't expected Set's dad to be human. I was just probing with some bait, but there wasn't a hint of deceit in her eyes.
"I sincerely apologize to you and your family. Sorry."
"...Hmph. Good, as long as you get it."
Maybe my sincerity got through—Set withdrew her dagger and released the shadow bind. A true Four Heavenly King might've slit my throat on the spot, but she was different. Unlike the other Heavenly Kings from my previous loop, she had her own beliefs. With a human father and raised in demon lands... she'd think from a demon's perspective but wouldn't blindly weigh demons over humans. That's probably why she got offed.
"One question."
Set stepped back, fixing me with a piercing glare. Compared to her initial round-eyed friendliness, she really had taken a liking to me.
"Does the Demon King you serve... think the same?"
"What?"
"Again: I got confirmation from the snake sorceress. I get they're criminals or whatever, but that's not the whole story. There are four Heavenly Kings, right?"
Even if Set wasn't involved, one of the other three might be.
"Or maybe the Demon King himself."
"No way His Majesty would."
Set strode right up again, thrusting out her chest as she denied it. At least she didn't threaten my life with her dagger this time.
"Even if he did, I'd convince him otherwise."
...No wonder you got axed.
Betrayed and killed by a subordinate—with the Demon King or another Heavenly King pulling strings, no doubt. For hardliners pushing war, offing a pacifist like Set made perfect sense.
"Heh."
"Why the laugh?"
It had nothing to do with me anyway. I could let it play out, but crunching the numbers, this was a golden opportunity that wouldn't come twice. When else would I get to chat with a Heavenly King? The one peaceful demon, no less.
"Here's a tip for you."
Prime intel, worth a favor in return. But I decided to spill it freely.
"You're gonna die soon."
"...What?"
"Exactly what I said. Killed by the Demon King, a Heavenly King... or one of your subordinates."
"You're crossing the line."
"Gah!"
Unlike the foot bind before, this forced me to my knees. Set swung her dagger down at me.
Clang!
I barely blocked it. But I toppled backward naturally. Set pressed her dagger, shoving my sword toward me. She dialed it just to my limit—full power from me barely held it at bay. Assassin or not, the gap between us was massive. Fuck, she's insanely strong. Speed and shadow sorcery were her mains, but raw mana difference made even a power struggle grueling.
"Daron!"
"Your Highness! Stay back!"
Don't butt in. Set leaned in close, her beautiful face inches away as she toyed with my life on a razor's edge. Adjusting her strength to match my max output pissed me off. I knew she was strong, but this was deliberate—rubbing the power gap in my face.
"No grudge against humans, but guys like you trying to divide us demons with your silver tongue? Different story. Scum like that... demon or human, I forgive no one."
"You're purer than I thought. That's why you'll trust your subordinates to the end and get betrayed."
"Insulting my subordinates now?"
"Urk—."
The dagger sank lower, cold steel kissing my throat. It nicked the skin—a sharp sting. Just a warning, but words alone wouldn't cut it. Time to get her off me first.
Time to use that.
"Hiyah!"
I roared with effort and twisted my sword. Her dagger slid along mine, grazing past my throat and embedding in the floor.
—It won't work if the demon's too strong. Oh, you could temporarily seal their power, though.
The day before the expedition, Succubus Princess Ellis had given it to me.
No need for Pamela. Too precious to waste—one use only. Planned for the brother, but we caught him too easily, no chance to deploy.
Click.
"What's this?"
"Boo."
I slapped the bracelet on Set's wrist in her opening. A restraint effective only on demons, disrupting mana flow.
I counterattacked immediately. After ten exchanges, I pinned her. Without mana, she wasn't untouchable.
"Kyaa!"
The tables turned in seconds. Now I straddled her, sword to throat. The mana suppressor turned the powerhouse into a helpless woman. She was so strong, she might break free in seconds or minutes—who knew? But now was my shot.
"Not sowing discord. Even if you don't buy it, at least take this as advice: be cautious."
The Demon King's army needed a pacifist like Set. She'd thwart the Demon King's plans while aiding me—a demon ally I could use.
"The Demon King's already plotting to invade here. He kept it from you knowing you'd object."
"Don't insult His Majesty."
"Fuck! Do I look that stupid? If I were some human slaughtering all demons on sight, you'd be dead already. Don't have to trust me fully. Just stay more vigilant than usual."
Set knew it too.
That I had ulterior motives? Sure, but no need to go this far convincing her. She just wanted to believe in her lord to the end.
"Get that huge dick off my chest already."
"Ah."
"That bitch wasn't kidding—it's the kind to make you cum."
My neck yanked back, forcing me off Set. I crashed ass-first to the floor. She'd already shattered the restraint and unleashed shadow sorcery. I snatched my sword into guard position, but no follow-up came.
"Haa."
Set sighed deeply and sheathed her dagger quietly. She'd seen the truth in my dick—no, my eyes.