Chapter 14: The Arrival of the Demon King!
Because of Paolo Blandelli's words, the atmosphere of the entire venue became oppressive in an instant.
Everyone felt as if a giant boulder were pressing down on their hearts, making even breathing difficult. A "Godslayer" was simply too powerful; the strength possessed by those who could slay a god was an existence that even the most powerful magus could hardly comprehend. Even though they possessed peerless swordsmanship and mastered the world's secret arts, as the most elite magi in the magic world, they still could not hide their dread of a "Godslayer."
For even the strongest knight in the world today, or the top magus proficient in the most complex magic, they were nothing more than ants that could be extinguished with a flick of a finger in the face of a Demon King and a God.
That seemed to be the only truth in this world.
Those capable of becoming "Godslayers" were born heroes who could achieve the hegemony of slaying a god—they were "Demon Kings" who stood above all others!
Those who could accomplish such a great feat might be knights with exquisite swordsmanship, or magi with supreme magical power, or perhaps even just an ordinary person. But the moment they slew a god from the heavens and usurped divine authority, they became existences beyond mortal understanding.
There was no logic to it.
Every "Godslayer" possessed overbearing luck and strength, capable of reversing a death trap that others would deem impossible, slaying gods and Buddhas alike should they stand in their way. That was a "King!"
These magi, who were incomparably powerful in the eyes of ordinary people, were no different from commoners when standing before a Godslayer.
At this moment, because of Paolo Blandelli's words, the things the Grand Masters present were unwilling to think about were ruthlessly laid bare before them, forcing them to face the cruel reality.
"In that case, how should we face this new 'King'?" The Grand Master of [Lily City], the 'Purple Knight,' threw out a question.
Hearing the Purple Knight's question, the leaders of the magic associations who had not yet pledged loyalty to any Demon King fell into deep thought.
Then, Paolo Blandelli, the Grand Master of [Copper Black Cross], spoke up. "Our [Copper Black Cross] intends to try and seek refuge with the 'King of Swords' who emerged in recent years."
The "King of Swords" Paolo mentioned was the sixth "Godslayer." Since his emergence a few years ago, he had quickly become famous across the Southern European continent, and magic associations worldwide gradually came to know his name—Salvatore Doni.
It was said that a few years ago, Salvatore Doni was just an obscure knight with high talent in swordsmanship but nearly zero talent for magic; his body was incapable of storing magical energy before he became a "Godslayer." He once studied swordsmanship under Saint Raphael, the former master of Saint-Rene-le-Château, and completely mastered his techniques in just one month. Later, he was possessed by the deity Saint George, fought various gods, and finally, after the spirit of Saint George was killed by the God-King Ada and he regained consciousness, he defeated Nuadha with his swordsmanship to usurp his authority. Later, he even struck down a Heretic God summoned by Marquis Voban and seized its power.
Leader Luo Hao, the "Godslayer" from Jiangnan, once evaluated him by saying, "In terms of pure swordsmanship, his technique is close to mine, but in other martial arts, he is no match for me at all." For the incredibly arrogant Luo Hao, this was already a very high evaluation, proving that Salvatore Doni's title as the "King of Swords" was by no means empty fame.
"Seeking refuge with the 'King of Swords'... if our Italian associations do that, will it cause dissatisfaction from the new 'King'?" Trinid, the Grand Master of [Old Lady], raised another question.
After Trinid asked this, the Grand Master of [Whelp] spoke up. "But if we don't, wouldn't the 'King of Swords' also be dissatisfied because Italian associations sided with a new King? After all, that 'King of Swords' also emerged from Southern Europe and might already see Southern Europe as his own territory."
The words of the [Whelp] Grand Master seemed aimed at Diana Milito of [Bronze Black Cross]. Although others had considered this in their hearts, no one had said it aloud; now it was being laid out on the table.
Facing the pressure from the [Whelp] Grand Master, Diana Milito couldn't help but frown. She could see that these people wanted her to make a choice. Either betray the new "King" and join them in serving the "King of Swords," or be suppressed by their alliance after they pledged loyalty to Doni.
In the eyes of these experienced Grand Masters, the sixth Godslayer, with the reputation of the "King of Swords," was undoubtedly more trustworthy than a new "King" who had just appeared.
Diana Milito felt the situation in the venue was turning against her side. Although she wanted to argue back, she was currently in a state of confusion regarding the new King's background and strength, so she truly didn't know how to refute these leaders.
Furthermore, after hearing what Trinid said, she had also grown somewhat worried. If this new King's strength was not as great as the "King of Swords," [Bronze Black Cross] would not only be suppressed by their rival [Copper Black Cross] but might even face the crisis of destruction.
However, she had already chosen to be loyal to this new King. If she betrayed him now, the "King of Swords" would certainly not accept their loyalty. Moreover, Diana Milito felt that instead of gambling on whether the "King of Swords" would accept them or whether the new King was weaker, it was better to trust Liliana's judgment and offer the loyalty of [Bronze Black Cross] to this new "King."
Since the die was cast, Diana Milito could only make up her mind at this moment to stand firmly by the new King's side.
While Diana was thinking this, the Purple Knight of [Lily City] spoke. "In that case, we only have two choices now."
Hearing the Purple Knight's statement, the other Grand Masters (except Diana) immediately turned their gazes toward him, anticipating his next words. The Purple Knight enjoyed the attention and then spoke.
"The first choice is for us to set aside our prejudices and pledge loyalty to this new 'King.' Having obtained his protection, we might not have to worry about the 'King of Swords' being dissatisfied with us. However, we currently know nothing about this new King's strength, so the risk of this choice is very high."
The Purple Knight's words plunged the other leaders into reflection. While Diana Milito kept a neutral expression on the surface, she grew increasingly anxious internally. The Purple Knight's current behavior was clearly intended to force her, as the head of [Bronze Black Cross], to reveal the new King's information here. If she did that, the new King would certainly be displeased with [Bronze Black Cross].
Under Diana Milito's dangerous gaze, the Purple Knight continued nonchalantly.
"And the second choice, as everyone has probably guessed, is to pledge our loyalty to the King of Swords, Salvatore Doni. Everyone has witnessed the strength of the 'King of Swords'; he has slain five gods to date. The authorities and strength he possesses are definitely greater than this new King. As for the new King, who has only slain one god and whose strength is still unknown... looking at it this way, everyone should understand how to choose, right?"
With the Purple Knight's logical analysis, the Grand Masters looked at one another, and Paolo Blandelli of [Copper Black Cross] nodded in approval.
"The Purple Knight makes a lot of sense. No matter how you look at it, pledging loyalty to the 'King of Swords' is the correct move, even if it means offending the new King."
Seeing his argument validated by Paolo, the Purple Knight's lips curled slightly into a meaningful smile, and he looked toward Diana Milito. Facing the provocative gaze from the Purple Knight, Diana's brow furrowed. She was about to say something when she suddenly heard Liliana's voice from behind her.
Even facing the stares of many heavyweights in the Italian magic world, the girl's face showed no fear. She spoke out sternly.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but please listen to me, everyone. I have personally witnessed the scene of the new King slaying a god. That terrifying power is absolutely not inferior to any other Godslayer! So I think..."
However, before Liliana could finish, she was rudely interrupted by the Purple Knight.
"Liliana Kranjcar, this is a meeting of the Grand Masters of the Italian magic associations. Although you are an outstanding junior qualified to attend this meeting, that does not mean you are qualified to speak here. Please recognize your status!"
Hearing these words, Liliana's face flushed red, and her fists clenched involuntarily. But she knew she couldn't cause trouble for Aunt Diana at this moment, so she could only grit her teeth and swallow the words she had intended to say.
Seeing Liliana's frustrated state, the Purple Knight snorted coldly and scanned her with a look of disdain.
"So what if your [Bronze Black Cross] has gained the protection of that new King? You're still going to be targeted by the 'King of Swords.' A newly ascended Demon King who doesn't even know how to hide his sharp edges will be killed by the 'King of Swords' sooner or later!"
In the Purple Knight's view, [Bronze Black Cross] was only acting so arrogantly before the associations that hadn't pledged loyalty yet because they had the new King's protection—even a junior dared to be so bold as to speak up to his face.
After harshly rebuking the junior, the Purple Knight felt refreshed. He was about to continue speaking to pull the other Grand Masters into his camp and then point the spearhead at [Bronze Black Cross], when the doors of the hall were suddenly shattered by a certain force.
BOOM!
As the doors of the meeting hall shattered violently, splinters of wood scattered everywhere. Before the Grand Masters could react, a crimson longsword streaked across the room, piercing through the Purple Knight's chest and carrying his body backward until he was pinned to the wall.
"What happened!?" "Who? Who is it!?" "Who on earth is it!?"
While the Grand Masters were horrified by this sudden turn of events, a red-haired youth wearing a pure white tailcoat walked into the hall with a relaxed gait.
"Who did you just say was going to be targeted?"
With Shirou's words, the entire hall suddenly fell into dead silence.
"My King! Why are you here!?"
While the Grand Masters were frozen in place by the sight of the Purple Knight pinned to the wall, Liliana showed an expression of pleasant surprise and skipped over to Shirou, performing a bow.
"You, stand behind me for now."
Shirou smiled slightly and nodded to Liliana. He then turned a scrutinizing gaze toward the Grand Masters of the Italian magic associations who had stood up around the circular table.
"I was wondering what kind of meeting Sir Liliana was attending. So it turns out a group of old turtles are gathered here discussing how to deal with me?"
Shirou's tone carried no harshness; instead, it was flat and gentle, as if he were chatting with friends. However, everyone could feel the underlying interrogation in his words.
In private, these Grand Masters dared to discuss the Demon King and even make grand proclamations, but the moment the Demon King actually stood before them, they were like turtles shrinking their heads into their shells, wishing they could disappear. They were exactly like keyboard warriors who are timid in reality but strike hard on the internet.
Of course, among these Grand Masters, there was still one person who could remain calm: Diana Milito, who had already chosen to side with the new King. At this moment, she was incredibly grateful that she hadn't been forced to submit by the joint pressure of the other leaders earlier; thus, she could stand so steadily before the new King now.
Compared to Diana Milito, the expressions on the faces of the other Grand Masters were as ugly as could be. Because they had just been making grand boasts, they never expected the new King to come knocking on the door the very next second. This scene—where the Demon King arrives immediately after you've talked big—was simply too intense.
And right now, compared to the Grand Masters of [Old Lady] and [Whelp], there was the Grand Master of [Lily City], the "Purple Knight," who had been impaled and pinned to the wall by the crimson demonic sword Shirou had projected.
The Purple Knight's face had grown increasingly pale. He had been trying to pull out the crimson sword pinning him to the wall, but when he placed his hands on the hilt, he found he couldn't exert any strength at all—it was as if all the energy in his body was being drained by this sword.
Realizing this, for the first time in his life, the Purple Knight felt a sense of despair. The reason he had dared to speak so grandly about the Demon King earlier was that he had never actually seen a "Campione" or a "Heretic God" before. Under such circumstances, he had a complete misunderstanding of the power gap between himself and a Demon King.
The Purple Knight believed that because he was so young and already able to sit in the position of Grand Master of [Lily City], he was definitely a favored child of heaven. He believed that if he encountered a Heretic God, he would be able to slay it just like those "Campiones" and achieve that near-impossible feat.
But today, at this moment, the humiliation and despair of being pinned to the wall made the Purple Knight profoundly feel the gap between himself and the Demon King. As Paolo Blandelli of [Copper Black Cross] had said, the power of a Demon King was indeed unreasonable—an existence that mortals like them could not understand!
In deep despair and fear, sweat constantly beaded on the Purple Knight's forehead, and his pale lips began to crack. His body swayed on the wall like a pendulum as he struggled in vain.
Shirou looked at the Purple Knight's pathetic state and merely let out a cold laugh.
"I think you should just go to England and be Big Ben. You won't have to do anything all day—just hang around and swing."
Hearing Shirou's mockery, the Purple Knight was overcome with fury. His eyes widened, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"Pfft!"
That mouthful of blood landed exactly on the head of Paolo Blandelli, the Grand Master of [Copper Black Cross], who was standing below. For a moment, his head was drenched in blood, and even his blue tailcoat was stained. However, Paolo Blandelli didn't dare to move even an inch, because the Demon King had turned his gaze toward him.
With the Purple Knight as a cautionary tale, Paolo Blandelli made his choice almost instantly.
Without hesitation, Paolo Blandelli dropped to one knee in a knight's salute. Seeing her uncle's actions, Erica also reacted immediately and hurriedly performed a knight's salute.
"O King! I am Paolo Blandelli, the Grand Master of [Copper Black Cross]. I take the liberty of requesting your forgiveness. I hope you can pardon our stupidity so that I may remain useful to redeem the sin of offending you!"
After Paolo made his plea, Erica also spoke up hastily. "King! Please give us a chance to atone for our sins!"
However, Shirou did not answer their request. Instead, with a smile on his face, he paced the room, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the Grand Masters one by one.
Faced with the King's gaze, the leaders, who were standing stiffly, suddenly felt a heavy pressure on their bodies. Their limbs seemed to stop obeying them, making it difficult to even move.