Chapter 953: Demon King in the Audience

Susanoo's laughter continued echoing through the VIP room while Inari tried, without much success, to control the movement of her nine tails. Tsukuyomi observed the situation with an amused smile, while Stella seemed particularly pleased to have witnessed such a proud goddess being teased like that.

"I'm going to rip these damn tails off if you don't stop moving!" Inari grumbled while trying to keep them still behind the sofa. The problem was that the more irritated she became, the more restless they seemed, provoking another fit of laughter from Susanoo.

"You should see your face!" Susanoo commented while wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye. "The great Inari Ōkami, who spent centuries rejecting suitors, being betrayed by her own tails! This is wonderful!"

"Keep laughing, Susanoo. I'll remember this when you find someone you like." Inari replied with a threatening smile, making the Goddess of Storms stop laughing for an instant.

Vergil, however, had already lost interest in that discussion.

Sitting near the enormous panoramic window, he observed the coliseum with an increasingly impatient expression. Ryujin had finally finished his exaggerated performance and disappeared among the clouds, but the organizers remained occupied with ceremonies, speeches and presentations that seemed to have no end.

Two groups of priests crossed the arena carrying enormous flags, while a formation of traditional drums announced some tribute to the ancient warriors of the Oni Gate.

Vergil looked at the clock.

Then at the arena.

Then back at the clock.

"Fuck, this is taking way too long..." Vergil grumbled while standing from the sofa, completely ignoring the discussion happening behind him. "I came to watch two guys beat the shit out of each other, not a festival of performances."

"Have some patience, kid." Susanoo replied while retrieving her glass. "We're talking about a historic event. It's natural for there to be some formalities before the confrontation."

"Formalities that have already been going on for almost an hour." Vergil replied while approaching the glass. He watched the priests begin yet another ceremony and let out an irritated sigh.

Stella, who was comfortably settled on one of the sofas with a plate of desserts, noticed the change in her husband's expression.

"Darling, don't do anything stupid." Stella commented while bringing a small sweet to her mouth. She knew Vergil well enough to recognize that look of someone about to solve an inconvenience in the least diplomatic way possible.

Unfortunately, the warning came too late.

Vergil cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath and shouted at full force:

"HEY, YOU SONS OF BITCHES! START THIS SHIT ALREADY!"

The voice passed through the glass and spread throughout the entire coliseum, unintentionally amplified by the spiritual pressure escaping his body.

For a fraction of a second, such intense killing intent accompanied the shout that thousands of spectators felt their blood run cold.

The drums stopped.

The priests froze in the middle of the arena.

An Oni who was drinking dropped his own mug, while a Kitsune nearby instinctively flattened her ears. In the upper stands, several spectators felt their legs weaken, unable to understand why a simple complaint had provoked such a reaction.

Even Ryujin, who was resting on a formation of clouds above the stadium, raised his head in alarm.

The entire coliseum fell silent.

And then, slowly, thousands of faces began turning in the same direction.

Upward.

More precisely, toward one of the VIP rooms located in the upper part of the structure.

Vergil remained standing in front of the glass with an expression of absolute impatience.

"There." Vergil commented while lowering his hands, apparently satisfied with the result. "Now maybe they'll start."

Susanoo stared at him with her mouth open.

"Did you just yell at an entire stadium?!" Susanoo asked while standing from the sofa, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

"It worked, didn't it?" Vergil replied while pointing toward the priests frozen in the arena. "At least they stopped playing those damn drums."

Tsukuyomi brought one hand to her forehead.

"You really don't have the slightest concept of discretion..." The Moon Goddess murmured, although the smile appearing on her face showed that she found the situation quite amusing.

However, the real problem was only beginning.

In the broadcast booth located on the other side of the coliseum, two commentators remained seated behind an enormous table covered with magical devices. Several monitors displayed different angles of the arena, while a production team coordinated the images being transmitted to the giant screens spread throughout the stands.

The main commentator, a dark-haired Oni named Bob Derrew, had spent the last twenty minutes describing the historical importance of the confrontation. His partner, a Tanuki with round glasses, was about to announce the final part of the ceremony when the shout crossed the stadium.

Both flinched.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Bob exclaimed, pulling the headphones away from one ear while observing the monitors. "Who was the lunatic who shouted like that?!"

"I have no idea!" The second commentator replied while trying to recover his composure. "But by the gods, I thought someone had declared war on the Oni Gate!"

Inside the control room, the operators began searching for the source of that voice.

One of the magical cameras identified the residual concentration of demonic energy and automatically rotated toward the VIP rooms.

The image changed.

First appeared the enormous panoramic window.

Then the silhouette of a white-haired man, elegantly dressed, who seemed to be complaining about something to a violet-haired woman.

The operator responsible for the camera narrowed his eyes.

He zoomed in.

And froze.

"Wait a second..." The producer murmured while leaning over the monitor, examining the man's face. "Is that... is that the Demon King?"

Another employee immediately approached.

Upon recognizing the figure, he nearly dropped the documents he was carrying.

"FUCK, IT'S HIM!" The employee exclaimed while pointing toward the monitor. "Bob! Bob Derrew, are you listening?! Vergil Lucifer is in the audience!!"

Bob froze.

"Who?!" The commentator asked while pressing the headset against his ear, believing he had heard wrong.

"VERGIL LUCIFER!" The producer repeated, practically shouting through the internal channel. "The Demon King! The guy who faced Odin, defeated Thor and stole the Bifröst! He's watching the event!"

Bob slowly turned his face toward the main monitor.

The image showed Vergil calmly talking with Susanoo, completely unaware of the commotion his presence was causing.

For a few seconds, the commentator was speechless.

Then his eyes began to shine.

He recognized the opportunity.

This was not merely an important guest.

He was one of the most talked-about figures in the supernatural world.

"Put the main camera on him!" Bob ordered while adjusting his suit and approaching the microphone. "Now! Before that guy decides to leave!"

The producer signaled the operators.

The enormous screens spread throughout the coliseum flickered.

The image of the arena disappeared.

And Vergil's face appeared before hundreds of thousands of spectators.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Bob Derrew's voice echoed through the coliseum's speakers, completely interrupting the ceremony. "IT SEEMS WE HAVE A VIP GUEST AMONG US! AND JUST LOOK WHO IT IS!!"

The crowd raised their eyes toward the screens.

Some spectators needed several seconds to recognize the man displayed in the image.

Others identified him immediately.

"It can't be..." A red-haired Oni murmured while slowly rising from the stands. "Is that Lucifer?"

"IT'S THE DEMON KING!" A Kitsune shouted while pointing toward the screen, making several people around her stand to see better.

"VERGIL SPARDA?!" A Kijin exclaimed, nearly falling over the seat in front of him. "THE GUY WHO STOLE THE NORDICS' BRIDGE?!"

The news spread through the stands within seconds.

Spectators who were still sitting began to rise. Some creatures tried to look directly toward the VIP room, while others pointed toward the screens, excitedly discussing whether that really was the man responsible for so many recent events.

Bob noticed the reaction and increased his enthusiasm even further.

"THAT'S RIGHT, EVERYONE!" The commentator announced while the camera slowly zoomed in. "PRESENT IN OUR COLISEUM, THE RULER OF THE AETHERN OX, THE DEMON KING WHO CHALLENGED ASGARD AND ONE OF THE MOST FEARED NAMES IN THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD! VERGIL LUCIFER!!"

The stadium exploded into screams.

Some spectators immediately applauded. Others whistled, while entire groups began discussing the battles attributed to the Demon King.

The second commentator practically jumped out of his chair.

"AND IT SEEMS HE CAME PERSONALLY TO WATCH THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN MUSASHI MIYAMOTO AND SHUTEN-DŌJI!" The Tanuki announced while pointing toward the monitor. "BOB, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?! EVEN THE DEMON KING IS INTERESTED IN THIS BATTLE!"

"EXACTLY!" Bob replied, taking advantage of the audience's growing excitement. "IF ANYONE STILL HAD DOUBTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS EVENT, I THINK WE JUST RECEIVED THE BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER!"

Inside the VIP room, Vergil became completely still.

He had been about to return to the sofa when he noticed the crowd had started shouting something.

His name.

Vergil frowned.

"What...?" Vergil murmured while looking toward the stands, trying to understand why thousands of people were pointing in his direction.

Then he noticed the screens.

His own face appeared in gigantic proportions, broadcast by several magical cameras that had focused exclusively on the VIP room.

Vergil looked to the left.

The image on the screen followed the movement.

He looked to the right.

The camera followed again.

Vergil narrowed his eyes.

"What the fuck...?" Vergil grumbled while watching his own confused expression being displayed to the entire stadium. "Why are they filming me?"

Susanoo was already doubled over laughing.

"YOU YELLED AT THE ENTIRE COLISEUM!" The Goddess of Storms replied between laughs, bracing one hand against the sofa so she would not lose her balance. "WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!"

Tsukuyomi covered her mouth with the sleeve of her dress, trying to maintain some composure, although her shoulders were trembling from laughter.

Stella, on the other hand, seemed delighted.

"Look, darling! You're famous!" Stella commented while approaching the window and observing her husband's gigantic face on the screens. "Do you think they'll put my face up there too?"

"Please don't give them ideas." Vergil replied while running one hand over his face, already beginning to regret opening his mouth.

Crymsaria watched everything with a bowl of ramen in her hands.

"Wow, he really is famous." The Dragon Empress commented while bringing the noodles to her mouth, apparently impressed by the audience's reaction.

"That's because you didn't follow all the trouble he caused." Nivara replied while crossing her arms, observing the stadium with an amused smile.

Qliphoth, still hugging Vergil's shoulders, seemed extremely proud.

"My darling is appearing for everyone!" Qliphoth commented while tightening the hug and smiling directly toward one of the cameras. "Should we wave?"

"No." Vergil immediately replied, gently holding her arms to stop her from starting some improvised performance.

However, the screams continued.

Vergil let out a sigh, slowly turned toward Inari and pointed at the screens.

"Can you explain what the fuck is happening?" Vergil asked while observing the Fox Goddess, who remained comfortably seated with her cup of tea.

Inari raised her eyes.

Looked at the screens.

Then at Vergil.

And shrugged.

"You're famous, remember?" Inari replied with an innocent smile, while her nine tails moved lazily behind the sofa. "Deal with it however you want. The easy-to-seduce one here can't do anything."