Interlude - The Council of the 7 Realms
In a black void shrouded by the darkness of the 7 Realms, where stars spiraled in a ceaseless vortex and the sun and moon drifted like fish through a cosmic lake, the entity wearing the shape of a woman slowly emerged from the gloom.
“I truly never imagined anyone would summon a person as busy as me in such a fashion.”
Her voice was icy, steeped in arrogance. Her gaze shifted toward the six entities seated before her.
A colossal burning eye floated in the air, encircled by a single coiling serpent. A figure possessing the torso of a beautiful woman fused with the lower body of a snake. A massive winged dragon. A blue-skinned man with multiple arms. A one-eyed elder gripping a spear, his form withered with age. And, seated alone at the center while the rest stood, a towering man clad in radiant armor, an eagle perched upon his shoulder, his entire body wreathed in crackling lightning.
Upon seeing her—who had only now returned and revealed herself—they held a heavy silence for a moment.
Then the first to speak was the enormous winged dragon, the one whose very presence seemed to enfold the world itself.
“Mm, exactly. You nailed it. The truth is, lately I don’t even have enough bodies to handle everything. I really am sorry. Coa, those children of mine you bet would lose? They’re skyrocketing like absolute lunatics right now, did you see?”
“Jealous?”
The colossal winged dragon shook its body so violently that the entire space trembled. Watching the pair, the blue-skinned entity still seated spoke in a tone that could have been consolation or mockery.
“Calm yourself. Coa, I told you before—it’s pointless to wave after the carriage has already left. At least, unlike a certain someone, you didn’t crash like a dog. Shouldn’t you be grateful you’re merely holding steady?”
“Shut your mouth, you son of a bitch.”
The blue-skinned being and the giant dragon sensed the atmosphere freezing over and promptly closed their mouths. At that moment, the woman with the serpent’s lower half spoke again.
“There’s no need to get so worked up, Lord Neltarion. Honestly, when I think about how you’ve spent all this time on the surface shoving even Jupiter in there and sucking up every last drop of honey, isn’t it about time you stepped down from that seat?”
“Nua… You bitch, have you finally lost your mind and decided you want to die? Do you even understand what kind of place this is, that you would wag that loathsome tongue of yours?”
“Want to die? You couldn’t possibly have forgotten the rule that we of the 7 Realms are forbidden from harming one another, could you? To forget even such basic common sense—has the weakening of your power brought about dementia as well?”
“You… you bastard…”
The lightning-wreathed giant emanated such pressure that cracks spiderwebbed across the throne he sat upon. In response, the serpent-bodied woman glared back with open killing intent. Then—
“Enough. All of you.”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“…Tch.”
Within that murderous atmosphere, the burning eye coiled by the serpent spoke with grave weight. The two offending parties wore dissatisfied expressions but began to withdraw the auras radiating from their bodies.
“As Nua pointed out, direct conflict between members of the 7 Realms is forbidden. If you wish to fight, do so through the children dwelling in the lower realm.”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“Haa… Yes, yes, I understand perfectly. Rha.”
“The spectator who isn’t even participating sure has a lively mouth…”
“What was that?”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“Nothing at all, Rha.”
Once the heated atmosphere had settled, the burning eyes turned toward the rest of the 7 Realms and spoke with a quiet, glowing power.
“We did not clear time from our busy schedules merely to exchange idle chatter. I have been watching quietly, yet the flow upon the surface is twisting in ways that grow increasingly difficult to predict. This is something every being present must feel in agreement.”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“Mmm…”
“I agree. To begin with, the so-called hero who received my blessing turned around and attached himself to Mari…”
“It’s nothing more than reaping what you sowed. The sin of trying to arbitrarily absorb the children of our Falcon Empire by using religion as a tool.”
“And when things didn’t go your way, the next thing you did was stick a blade in the back of my neck. You’d better prepare yourself for when you’re dragged down from that seat soon.”
“Kuh…”
The lightning-wreathed man fell silent after receiving a carpet-bombing of criticism from everyone present. The burning eye continued.
“That would be the root cause. Nevertheless, if things continue this way, the flow on the surface will become completely entangled. And as I have insisted from the beginning, there is clearly some hidden hand behind all this.”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“A hidden hand…”
“Ordinarily that would be true, yet the world always contains exceptions. Just as none of you can explain why the hero’s attitude suddenly changed, it is difficult for us to make assumptions about what lies ahead.”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“In other words, someone is interfering with our world, and that is why the flow has twisted and produced these events. Is that what you’re saying?”
The serpent-bodied woman spoke with a serious expression. The moment they heard her words, every face in the gathering hardened like stone.
An impossible phenomenon that shook the very laws of the world was occurring. To all present, it could only mean that an extremely troublesome situation was about to unfold.
“Just who is the vermin daring to interfere in the playground of us 7 Realms?”
“Then they might actually get along with me surprisingly well… but let’s set that aside for now. While I have benefited from this, I have no desire to see the entire game board flipped over.”
“What should we do? At this rate, it seems we have no choice but to use that.”
“Mmm…”
⟨ RHA ⟩
“You mean to release the hounds upon the surface? In this situation, wouldn’t that be rather troublesome…?”
“It’ll only be troublesome for you alone. We are in favor.”
“It is regrettable that yet again no small number of lives will be lost today, but…”
After the one-eyed elder—who had remained silent until now—spoke those bitter words, the rest expressed their agreement. Once their consensus was reached, the darkness before the burning eye parted, revealing the bright surface world.
Then, streaks of crimson flame descended toward it. Each one fell upon one of the five nations of the continent and the single empty region, taking the form of wild hounds that immediately began to move. They sought what their creator desired, in accordance with his will.
However—
“Kyaheeeeek!!!”
“Krrruuuuung!!!”
“Wh… what?”
“…”
⟨ RHA ⟩
In the next instant, the hounds that had only just begun to act let out single screams and vanished completely. So naturally it seemed less like annihilation and more like they had been forcibly returned to their original place by someone’s will.
Watching the shocking scene—akin to a waterfall flowing backward—the seven absolute beings could only stare in blank amazement. They felt with absolute clarity that something beyond even their understanding was occurring. At the same time, they dimly realized that a colossal storm, one that had slipped beyond their control, would soon sweep across the surface.
After finishing the torture of Cleopatra and stepping outside, Elisa’s face—which had been overflowing with confidence only moments ago—was now clouded by an exceedingly complex mix of emotions.
The unexpected words that had spilled from Cleopatra’s lips were so enormous that even a corps commander like Elisa could not easily process them. She had no choice but to sink into deep contemplation.
I must… report this to His Majesty the Demon King at once.
With that thought, Elisa hurried toward the royal castle. On the way, she spotted her colleague wearing an equally troubled expression—Belzebeuty.
“Chancellor.”
“Ah… Elisa. What is it?”
“It’s… well, never mind. Let’s speak in front of His Majesty the Demon King. You’ll come along, won’t you?”
“Ah… yes. Understood.”
Though Belzebeuty looked far more exhausted than usual, she still accepted Elisa’s request. The two of them set off together toward the place where the Demon King awaited.