"Too early for you to face me."
The voice was neither loud nor thunderous. Yet every word fell like a hammer, pressing directly against the core of my soul.
"I admit," he continued, "this technique is truly remarkable. Something that never even crossed my mind in my lifetime."
My chest tightened. I held my breath without realizing it.
"For this time," he said again, his tone flat yet carrying an absolute decision, "I forgive you."
He turned halfway, then looked at me from the corner of his glowing red eyes.
"But the next time I see you… stand properly. On the same level as me."
I swallowed. My throat felt dry.
"Y… yes," I answered softly. "Th-thank you."
He snorted lightly, clearly unimpressed.
"Don't thank me," he said. "Consider this a debt… one you will repay someday."
A debt?
I hadn't even had the chance to ask when his finger lifted, pointing in one direction.
There—upon the grassland that now felt cold—lay Vali's body, in her female form, unconscious. Her breathing was still there, but weak. Albion was silent as well, as if forcibly put to sleep.
"To pass on the name Heavenly Demon to this world once more," he continued.
My heart pounded hard.
To pass on… that name?
Before I could open my mouth, cracks appeared in the sky of my domain. Black lines spread like shattered glass, rapidly crawling in all directions. This world—my mental realm—began to collapse.
I moved on reflex.
I ran, then scooped Vali's body up before the ground beneath her fully split apart. She was light—far lighter than someone with that level of power should have been.
When I turned back, the wooden door in the distance—the gate that had opened earlier—began to close on its own.
But before it fully shut, I saw it.
A sight that froze my blood.
Behind the door, thousands of skulls emerged from the darkness. From their eye sockets and jaws grew black hands, overlapping, reaching, grasping, dragging that figure back into the void.
Not with violence.
But as if… that was where he belonged.
His final gaze pierced through the narrowing gap of the door.
"Remember," his voice echoed from everywhere at once, not from a single point, "our will."
Those words were the closing.
The gate shut tight.
And at the same moment—
This world shattered completely.
I felt a powerful pull, as if my existence was being forcibly dragged out. Light, sound, and sensation collapsed into one. My mental realm crumbled, folding back into me.
The next instant—
I returned to reality.
The night sky of Kuoh greeted me with cold wind and the lingering remnants of battle energy. I was still holding Vali. My hands trembled—not from physical exhaustion—
But from a single truth I could no longer avoid. Because I toyed with the name Heavenly Demon, its true owner appeared before me.
...
I descended slowly from the sky, still wearing the black armor that had yet to fully disperse. The night wind brushed its surface, causing the red lines along the armor to pulse faintly before finally dimming.
In my arms, Vali lay unconscious.
A princess carry.
…This situation was wrong on so many levels.
'Damn,' I thought, glancing briefly at her face. 'If he weren't a man—or rather, not a former man—I'd have to admit… she's beautiful.'
That thought immediately sent a chill through me.
'No. Don't go there. That's dangerous.'
I landed calmly, stepping onto ground still cracked and smoking from the aftermath of the fight. The surrounding aura was still heavy—a mix of tension, shock, and wariness. All eyes were on me. Devil Kings, Archangels, the leader of the Fallen Angels—not a single one of them dared to move recklessly.
And among them, there was a new figure.
A… monkey?
No—more accurately, a humanoid with a wild and careless aura, yet ancient—very ancient. His energy was strange, free, yet filled with an irritating confidence. A long staff rested on his shoulder, and his expression was far too relaxed for someone standing in the middle of an inter-faction battlefield.
Bikou.
Successor of Sun Wukong. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Mount Huaguo.
His gaze went straight to me—then shifted to Vali in my arms. His eyebrows shot up.
"Huh?"
I let out a quiet snort. "Haaah… you here to pick her up?"
Bikou scratched his cheek, clearly confused. "Ey… yeah. Since when did he—"
He stopped mid-sentence, staring more closely at Vali's face. Then at me. Then back at Vali.
"…since when did he become this?"
"Don't ask," I replied honestly with a sigh. "I'm confused too."
I stepped closer, then stopped right in front of him. Behind me, I could feel the sharp gazes of Azazel, Sirzechs, Michael—everyone. This wasn't a small decision. This wasn't a safe move.
Yet I still shifted my body slightly forward, offering Vali to him.
"By the way," I said flatly, "take her out of here."
Bikou's eyes widened.
"…Huh?"
I looked straight into his eyes. "I'm not joking."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
I was fully aware of what I was doing. I was openly handing over a hostage—a core member of the Khaos Brigade—to another party. And I was doing it in front of the leaders of the major factions of this world, as if the chaos earlier had been nothing more than a noisy scuffle.
But that was my decision.
"She's not fully conscious yet," I continued. "And if she wakes up here, this place could be destroyed again. I have no intention of repeating that."
Bikou stayed silent for a few seconds, then let out a small chuckle. "You're… really strange."
"I've been told that a lot."
He finally accepted Vali from my arms, lifting her more carefully than I expected. His expression was still a mix of caution, confusion, and… a hint of admiration.
"Hey," he said quietly. "If she goes berserk again later—"
"—that's your problem," I cut in. "Not mine anymore tonight."
I took a step back.
And Bikou activated a teleportation technique beneath their feet and vanished, swallowed by the mud-like substance emerging from the magic formation.
The black armor covering my body opened at the head, revealing my face.
I could feel all of their gazes.
And for some reason, this time… I didn't avoid them.
I knew one thing for certain.
Tonight, it wasn't just the conference that had changed course. My position in this world had shifted as well, and there was no way back to the starting point.
I had just turned, intending to leave, when—
"Hey."
That voice stopped me.
Sirzechs Lucifer.
I glanced back slightly. His red hair swayed in the night wind, his expression calm yet heavy—not the pressure of power, but the pressure of authority.
"What will you do now?" he asked.
I looked at him for a few seconds. Not long. Not defiant. Just… honest.
"I'll answer truthfully," I finally said.
I turned fully, facing the three of them—Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel.
"If you want a full explanation," I continued softly, "I have no intention of giving one."
The air immediately tightened.
"I'll make this clear," I added, my voice still flat, "even if you are the strongest devil right now, Sirzechs Lucifer—you won't be able to pry my mouth open."
Several faces changed. Some troops in the distance reflexively went on guard. I could feel that reaction, but I didn't care.
"However," I let out a small breath, "you can be certain of one thing."
I lifted my gaze, looking at them one by one.
"I have no intention of creating chaos like those maniacs earlier."
I paused for a moment, then continued in a lower tone—more personal.
"There is only one thing I want."
I slowly clenched my hand.
"To survive."
There was no lie there.
Those words—strangely enough—lingered. I could see it in their eyes. They didn't fully trust me… but they also knew I was not lying.
Silence fell.
In the end, I broke it myself.
"In that case," I said as I turned away, "see you again. We may meet again—somewhere more private."
I didn't wait for a reply.
Energy gathered at my feet, then—
BOOM.
A jet of qi blasted downward, propelling my body into the sky in an instant. The wind roared. The ground below cracked lightly from the pressure, and within seconds I was already soaring high above, leaving them behind.
I pierced through thin clouds.
The night sky began to fade in the distance, replaced by the gradient of morning light. The sun slowly emerged on the horizon, its rays touching the ruined edges of Kuoh City—calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
I disappeared toward that light.
Leaving confusion behind.
//--//
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