Vol. 12 - Ch. 765 - The Only Choice

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A silence engulfs the banquet room as everyone realised Allen and Merus were peeping at Demon King's army situation. 

Everyone's expressions were laced with concern, so was the case with the Queen. Lupto had arrived to save Homaru after all, and with a similarly concerned gaze, she looked at Allen from the Heavenly King's side.

"Can you cut the nonsense already? Reminds me again why Lupto was all you wanted.” (Demon King)

(Huh, if he knew I was watching, then why did he reveal their plan at all? We will surely try to save Lupto, so... a trap? But why?)

Whether it was the situation with the Founder of Evil God's Doctrine, or Prostea Empire, Demon King's army, and Kyubel in particular, were always one step ahead of them, and ultimately they managed to revive Evil God too. 

It was no wonder Allen doubted the sudden generosity when the same Kyubel appeared so amiable to share the reason behind their today's invasion. However, they're also far from prepared to raid Demon King's Castle and save Lupto at present. And with no way to teleport, it was unclear how long it would take them as well.

Kyubel didn't wait for Allen to come out of his thoughts, and spinned on his heel, facing the Demon King. 

«The difference between an angel and the First Angel comes from the disparity in their strength; First Angels are stronger than higher gods, and boast a nearly inexhaustible lifespan.»

"Ah, I guess that was the thing. They're the closest to the god—I have heard it enough from you to get callous in my ears. And, you're also one of them, eh." (Demon King)

«Well, it's not about me for now.»

"Mhm." (Demon King)

«Anyway, the newborn First Angel Homaru was bestowed the power from God of Harvest, a bummer. I did pay attention though, with a silver glimmer of hope, but they're just not the 'same.' Kelvin-kun, who had been blessed by the Great Spirit God, and Merus-kun, who had War God's blessing, barely cut it...»

(Not 'same'? I... guess it's just as I thought. It's all about which higher god bestowed their divine power.)

As Allen continued to listen to Kyubel and Demon King's dialogue, he felt his guess might not be far-fetched from the truth.

«...Aren't you the one who killed Merus, Kyubel?"

Demon King poked a jab at Kyubel. Merus had lost his life in battle against Kyubel during the demon's raid on territory of Fire God Freya. He was still the acting First Angel then.

«It was a force majeure, if anything. Everything we had planned was to steal the sacred artifacts, so it would've done no good to fail on our mission."

"Hmm, I wonder about it. So, Lupto is the one you're looking for?" (Demon King)

«Yes. Born as the twin, Merus received the blessing of War God, while Lupto-kun was blessed with the divine power of the Creation God Elmea. Frankly, I was flabbergasted when I heard about it from Mara. A-and, that Mara...*sniff* has met her demise in today's war *sniff*.»

Kyubel shed his crocodile tears from behind the mask. Allen turned to Merus, affirming the authenticity of the news.

"Is this true? Lupto received her blessing from Creation God?" (Allen)

«...He's right. And that's why, I was put in charge of the Human Realm, while Lupto was handed the responsibility to coordinate with Gods here, in the Divine Realm.» 

Merus nodded from the sideline, his voice low. If that was right, then even if Merus was the First Angel, Lupto was chosen to stay by  Creation God side and, most likely, was doted on. 

«After eating the evil god, your body has been unstable, My liege. A precise reason is that your 'principle' is being drawn to here, «This World». ...Hence, as long as you can eat First Angel, the inherited power of the ancient god should be able to reinforce your core. Then we can move to other gods, and once you've eaten the Creation God too, I believe it should be possible to create the new «Principle». I believe in my plan.»

(So that is the plan of Kyubel—and the Demon King's army.)

With eyes bloodshot, Kyubel passionately expressed his grand plan from his kneeling position.  The mask might have hidden his face, but the oozing insanity, like a merchant of chaos, was palpable. 

And for Allen, the long drawn veil of ambiguity over demon's objective had finally been lifted. 

"......But that's not all the reason, is it? Aside from getting a complete hold of the unstable power of Evil God, she's also essential to completely eat and digest Elmea." (Demon King)

«Indeed, your guess is correct, my liege. In your present situation, your essence is far from the threshold to try out Elmea. And even if you did manage to absorb, I don't believe this would bode well either."

After listening to Kyubel's explanation, and injecting his own merciless remark, Demon King climbed down the stairs.

(Sure enough, he's going to eat Lupto. And I have yet to find the continent.)

As a matter of fact, Allen had guessed maybe demons abducted Lupto to 'eat her.' 

Soon, Allen saw the feet of Demon King entering the scope of «Pursuit Gaze».  

As much as he had wanted to sprang into action, the situation had him bound. Even now, his summons had been actively searching for the «The Forgotten Continent» which was said to be where Demon King resided. 

After their intense battle with demons, he already had his summoned beast teleported to the Rodan Village of Ratash Kingdom, the sole location he had registered as «Nest» which was closer to the heart of the continent. Then, from there, he dispatched 30 Bird A with teleportation skill and 30 Bird E with reconnaissance ability toward the north for the said continent.

In the half day since Lupto was kidnapped, the summoned beasts had managed to cross through Giamoot Empire's capital, and were now flying over the ocean in a pair, spreading wide for the target. 

As soon as they found the «Demon King Castle» said to be located somewhere in the continent, they would begin the rescue operation. But, in a corner of his mind, Allen couldn;t help but be doubtful. Kyubel and other demons had teleporated to the Demon King's Castle straight away. So, it's possible they're merely being deceived and they might not even find anything on the continent.

«Lupto!!»

*Thud!*

Merus couldn't withstand the situation anymore, and slammed his palm onto the table, causing spider-webs like crack to cover the surface. 

"Eeek!"

The Queen's startled voice echoed, taken aback by the ghastly expression of Merus, visibly shaken.

Nevertheless, the situation continued to proceed within the scope of «Pursuit Gaze», and now the Demon King was visible up to his stomach as he nonchalantly climbed down the stairs.

«Argaargg...»

«Gyaaahh...»

With each step, Demon King's appearance reflected clearly—he was stark naked from waist and above, with black pants on the lower body, and an black overcoat with red undertone draped over. His long hair was unevenly blemished in grey and scarlet. 

However, the most bizarre aspect was his stomach. Silhouettes of several human faces were constantly squirming around, their expression dyed in despair before disappearing. Perhaps, this was the after-effect of eating Evil God.

«Hmph, rejoice, for you are going to be the food of Demon King.»

Still kneeling, Ordo remarked at Lupto. Then, in a devotee-like gesture, he spread his palm, where he had Lupto gripped between, and raised them above head as if putting up an offering. 

«Hmghaguf...»

Lupto had heard of the conversation, and desperately tried to free herself, even if the cursed magic tool had bound her. 

«For crying out loud. How long do we have to be here...»

"—This should be here, and then, this should go here......»

Meanwhile, bored by their current situation, Bask murmured his complaint as he glanced up at the ceiling, even trying to figure out how tall the distance was. 

Shinonom was trying to tinker with the Space-God Time Administrative System, occasionally grumbling something to himself.

In this terrifying moment, however, there was no one to save her. 

Like he was handling a chicken, or a live fish, Demon King grabbed Lupto's face into his clutch and brought it closer to his abdomen.

*Squelch*

Suddenly, the flesh on Demon King's abdomen split open in a straight line, and a jaw full of jagged teeth, lined in irregular fashion, bare itself. 

The giant, squirming mouth was big enough to chew off Lupto's entire head in a bite. And, seemingly lured by the smell of fresh prey, drools dripped out from its. 

«...My liege, if you may have a moment of patience.»

"What now? I was getting to the good part."

At the sudden interruption, Demon King whipped out a scuffed voice, clearly annoyed. Though, since his face was hidden from the scope, Allen couldn't see Demon King's expression.

«Lupto is blessed by the Creation God, and I fear the gods would no longer sit around if you eat her in our current situation. Even the Human Realm wouldn't be enough to protect us. And our army is already running thin now due to Allen-kun.»

«Hmm... your words have weight.»

Ordo expressed his agreement to Kyubel's remark They indeed weren't an opponent of gods in their current state. 

"What, what did you say? Are you asking me to not eat her?! To begin with, whose fault it is that the army didn't have enough rank to call it a goddamn army!!"

Frustrated that he might not be able to eat Lupto, the Demon King hollered at Kyubel. On other hand, Kyubel called out to Shinonom. 

«Director Shinonom, how is the stolen Space-Time System working? Do you think you can synchronise it with Castle's system?»

"W-What do you think I am?! It's because of your pressure that I couldn't bring the rest of my parts with myself!"

«I knew it. Anyway, how long will it take?»

"I need at least 10 days to fuse two systems!! In its current state, it's far from enough to achieve our goal!!"

Shinonom hollered when Kyubel asked for a deadline. Their retreat had occurred in haste, which left him no time to retrieve all the tools he had used in controlling the Space-Time System, and that frustrated him to no end.

«Ten days, huh. ...Our army has paid a heavy price to kidnap Lupto-kun, so we're far from prepared to face off against the gods if they come knocking down on our place. And I am presuming Allen-kun is already amidst his preparation to save Lupto-kun, since he's seeing everywhere here. We're lacking on many fronts, and one of foremost tasks is to completely take over the Space-Time System.»

Hearing detailed analysis from Kyubel, Demon King eased his grip on Lupto's face, and retracted his hand. 

"It's another long wait. But you're right, we can't be lacking in preparation. I will not be careless..."

Showing his understanding, Demon King retraced his steps back to the stairs. Kyubel also walked back to a certain spot, and without any suspense, it was the place that was in the scope of «Pursuit Gaze». The sound of his sole tapping on the floor echoed around.

(He really isn't trying to hide their plan at all from us...)

Just as Allen was trying to figure out their current situation, Kyubel appeared behind Bask's back, and stared at one point as if looking straight into him through. 

«So, this is pretty much everything, Allen-kun. Lupto only has ten days to live, long till we're all prepared to control our situation. I don't know if you're already on your way to the Demon King's Castle, but if you're, you can find us at the centre of the Forgotten Continent. 

Now, not only did they knew demons plan, they even knew where to find them once they made it to the Forgotten Continent.

"......It has to be a trap. I don't believe they're that stupid to reveal everything otherwise."

Allen pur forth his honest impression, saying it loud enough for his comrades to hear as well.

«It's not a trap. You always take the wrong step, and end up playing like a fiddle within my plan, so I am giving you the last chance, Allen-kun.»

Kyubel remarked as if he knew what would be inside Allen's mind.

"The last chance?"

«But remember, you're just a pawn in my game. I am confident enough to say you will never triumph over my plan, no matter how hard you struggle or try to be smart. I just know everything. Anyway, I will be looking forward to see you in person, Allen-kun. You have ten days—which is basically the first day of the next month. If you're even a second later, Lupto will be eaten by the Demon King. Remember it.»

As if he was playing a game, Kyubel gleefully gave them a deadline. 

"So he's forcing us to choose whether we will take action immediately, or ten days later to retrieve Lupto?"

«Ah, then again, I wonder if you will choose another date to take us by surprise, eh? Or would you choose to abandon Lupto-kun? Whatever your decision is, I am looking forward to it. That said, believe me when I say it's game over if Demon King ate Lupto-kun. So, make sure to take it seriously and properly consult with everyone, got it~?»

At the end, Kyubel spoke gleefully, as if he had read the thoughts of Allen. It was the truth that they'd never gained an upper hand against Kyubel. 

Allen delved into his own thoughts, trying to figure out the situation. On the other hand, probably calling it the end, Kyubel waved his hand in the air in a wiping gesture. 

Immediately, the skill «Pursuit Gaze» was undone.

Seeing that, Allen switched from forward sitting posture and sunk lower onto the chair. Sophie, catching up with the situation, addressed him. 

"Is it over, Allen-sama? What's the situation? Is Lupto-sama alright?"

It wasn't just Sophie. Allen's party had circled around the table, waiting to hear from him. 

"Lupto was captured to make the Demon King stronger. Just like what happened with Evil God, their plan is to... eat Lupto-sama."

"E-eat?!"

"However, they're not going to do that yet. It would take them 10 days to reinforce their strength and prepare themselves. If we didn't make it to them within the duration, Kyubel threatened Lupto-sama would be immediately eaten."

"Isn't it suspiciously too convenient?! Are you sure it's not a lie? I fear even if we make it in time, there might be no more Lupto-sama!"

Shea pressed her opinion following after Sophie.

"I know, this is undoubtedly a trap. But—"

(We really do need to decide on a concrete plan, isn't it?)

With everyone's gaze trained on him, Allen pondered, concluding that he must have a discussion with his teammates. 

An expression of unease was covering his teammates' gaze, saving Merus, who had been silently smouldering into a rage of his own. With such undercurrent ongoing, what would be Allen's decision? The foreboding premonition of a gritty clash against Demon King's army engulfed the banquet room.

T/N - If your preferred genre is dungeon x light-hearted story, try out LET ME SPEND MONEY, DAMMIT!