After the Round of Sixteen of the martial tournament came to an end, all participants were granted a two-day break.
Thanks to a stroke of luck in the heated sixteenth round, Caron had made it all the way to the semifinals. The four matches following Caron and Leo's duel had all ended in double forfeits, which allowed Caron to advance without another fight. As a result, he enjoyed more leisure time than the remaining competitors.
"Ah, my side is still aching. I think that stab from Leo is still bothering me," Caron groaned, rubbing his ribs.
"Hero, I erased the scar so cleanly that not even a mark remains. Why are you still whining?" Seria remarked, her tone sharp.
"Hey now, Seria, when did your mouth get so foul?" Caron asked, taken aback.
"Anyone would start talking like this after staying around you long enough," Seria replied coolly.
"You weren't like this before..." Caron trailed off.
"Think of this as my true nature. I can't even be bothered to explain," Seria said.
Caron watched the quarterfinal matches from the VIP stands. Since he had advanced by default, there were only three matches being held in the quarterfinals. Summing up the remaining seven contestants, the lineup was as follows...
Caron Leston; Sir Luke Hymer, deputy commander of the Imperial Guards; a swordsman known only as "Nameless" from the Free City Union, and then...
"Uwooooooooh!"
"Great Warrior Utula! Utula!"
"May the God of War bless our chief!"
There was Utula, the massive giant who served as muscle for the Caron Cartel; and Srom, chieftain of the Blackclaw clan from the Rahal Mountains.
"We will not lose!"
"Overwhelming victory! Boiling blood!"
The two were the warrior powerhouses of their respective species.
In addition to that, a single dwarf warrior and a pirate completed the quarterfinal bracket.
Though the beastkin and elves had unfortunately fallen in the Round of Sixteen, they had already proven their worth and could walk away with pride. They'd achieved what they had set out to do.
Caron shook his head slowly as he watched the two giant brutes flexing their muscles in the arena. He remarked, "What the hell are those oafs doing, making fools of themselves in a sacred arena? Ugh, they reek of sweat."
"At least it's better than putting on a coffin show in the middle of the ring," Seria remarked.
"People liked that, didn't they? That's all that matters," Caron shot back.
The two titans, each about twice Caron's height, howled wildly while brandishing axes. Their overwhelming presence drew gasps from the crowd.
It was a duel between fighters with nearly identical, brute-force styles. Even Caron had to admit he was a little curious about how this match would go.
"Who do you think will win, Caron?" Seria asked.
"Hmmm... It's hard to say. I guess the tougher one will come out on top. It's going to be a bone-crunching slugfest either way... Hey, Seria, did you bring jerky?" Caron replied.
"Here. Stuff your face," Seria said, handing him a pouch.
"Such generosity from our dear Saintess," Caron said as he snatched it up and shoved a piece in his mouth. He remarked, "Who wins doesn't matter to me. It's not my match, after all."
"The winner faces you next," Seria reminded him.
"I'm confident I could beat both of them at once," Caron said confidently.
"How unpleasant," Seria muttered.
"But it's true," Caron shot back.
Before they knew it, the match began.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed across the arena as raw power collided.
The axes, imbued with terrifying force, smashed together again and again, shaking the air. Neither warrior backed down. They stood their ground, trading blow for blow in an all-out brawl.
This had to be what the ancient warriors of legend had looked like when they fought.
"Uwooooh!"
"Graaaah!"
The two evenly-matched beasts roared as they clashed, tearing into each other like wild animals. The atmosphere in the stadium boiled with excitement.
Caron continued chewing his jerky, watching intently—until a sudden voice echoed in his head.
"Owner," Guillotine called out.
"...Caron," Seria said at the same time.
Both Guillotine and the Saintess called his name in unison.
Caron swallowed the jerky and frowned deeply, then replied, "Yeah. I knew it was going too smoothly."
There was no doubt about it. He had just sensed something dark and ominous from the stands. It was dark mana, disgustingly vile and fleeting. It had appeared for only a moment before vanishing like a mirage.
Caron's eyes swept across the audience as he thought, Where was it...?
Something was hiding among the spectators, but he couldn't pinpoint it. The overwhelming auras of Utula's battle spirit and Srom's mana made it nearly impossible to sense the dark mana clearly.
There was no time to think.
Caron quickly pulled a communication orb from his pouch of dimensional space and spoke to the forces stationed around the arena. "I've just detected dark mana. All units, prepare for combat—"
But before he could finish, an urgent voice burst out through the orb.
"Reporting in! A disturbance has broken out in the southern district of the capital! Civilians and several others are rampaging as if possessed!"
"Likewise in the northern district!"
"The eastern district too...!"
A flood of simultaneous reports poured in. Mass hysteria had erupted.
There were few beings capable of such atrocities. Now that the Demon King of Slaughter had perished, it could only be the work of someone who had inherited his power.
"Laia," Caron muttered under his breath.
At once, Revelio's voice rang out through the communicator. "Do not be shaken. Remain calm and carry out your duties. This is the situation you have long prepared for. Move without a single misstep."
Revelio issued his commands without the slightest hint of panic. He was as composed as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
Caron stood up with the communicator in his left hand. Without hesitation, he drew Guillotine and scanned his surroundings.
"Uninvited pests always make a mess," he said with a click of his tongue. "If they wanted to cause trouble, they could've at least waited until after the finals."
This was an event where the continent's strongest had gathered. Naturally, it would attract all kinds of vermin. The only unusual thing was that those pests had remained quiet until now.
Just as Caron was about to take a step and begin tracing the trail of dark mana, a frantic voice once again burst through the communicator.
"...The imperial palace's defense turret has been seized...! B-Bombardment magic! Bombardment magic has been activated! The target is Arena One! Evacuate immediately!"
Caron slowly lifted his head and turned toward the palace. An immense concentration of mana pulsed from that direction.
The defense turret of the imperial palace was a powerful magical installation erected by the mages to obliterate any invading enemies. It was essentially a weapon of mass destruction, firing magically enhanced shells powered by mana stones.
And now, instead of raining down on an invading force, those shells were headed straight for the arena.
An uproar spread through the VIP section.
"Protect His Majesty!"
The Imperial Guards, grasping the urgency of the situation, quickly moved to shield Revelio.
But Caron, watching the shells fly toward the arena, merely twisted the corner of his mouth into a smirk.
"Aren't you going to respond, Caron?" the Saintess asked.
Caron chuckled and shook his head, then answered, "There's no need for me to step in. We've got someone stronger than me, don't we?"
From the VIP section, an elderly man slowly rose to his feet.
Caron stood still, simply watching the old man. The man quietly drew his sword, then swung it lightly into the air.
Clang!
A colossal wave shot up, splitting the sky in two. The sword, Gram—the Blade of Rael—unleashed a tide so immense it seemed to tear through space itself as it surged forward.
Moments later...
Boom!
The mana shell that had been headed for the arena split in half as if it were nothing. The bisected projectile exploded in midair, lighting the sky in a crimson blaze. The blast was so massive that fire threatened to spill into the arena.
But the shell's force never reached it.
Whoosh!
A massive protective spell, cast jointly by the Imperial Tower Master and the Dark Tower Master, blanketed the entire arena and blocked the impact.
"Aaaahhh!"
"We're under attack!"
Screams erupted from the crowd as spectators bolted in every direction. Panic flooded the arena.
And within that chaos...
Ssshhhh!
Black petals floated in the wind.
"Seria, prepare yourself," Caron said.
"Yes, Caron," Seria said.
Petals, dark mana, and madness—there was only one demon who would be accompanied by all three. But perhaps it was no longer fitting to call her a mere demon.
Gripping Guillotine tightly, Caron sprang forward.
Thousands of petals drifted down over the arena, where Utula and Srom had just been locked in brutal combat. Now, the two warriors stood back-to-back, gripping their axes, their instincts screaming at them to be ready.
Then, she appeared.
A woman clad in a stunning gown stepped into view. She was breathtaking—so beautiful it felt suffocating. Her crimson eyes glowed with a seductive, otherworldly charm, threatening to ensnare all who looked.
As she extended her delicate white hand, countless flowers bloomed across the arena floor. She plucked one flower gently and murmured, "I really tried to be patient... but I just couldn't hold it in anymore. Patience was never my strong suit, you see."
With that sultry voice, the petals surged again as she continued, "Your Majesty the Great Emperor, I've come today to greet you as a monarch myself."
She released the flower in her hand, sending it floating toward Revelio. But Sir Mason, who stood beside him with a hardened expression, sliced the flower in half without hesitation.
The woman clicked her tongue in disappointment, then said, "To think a knight would cut down a flower offered by a lady... You clearly lack chivalry."
At that, Seria bared her teeth and shouted, "A lady? You, a filthy succubus who feeds on perverted dreams? Don't make me laugh. Even a stray dog would find that funny!"
The succubus sneered and replied, her voice dripping with poison, "Such a foul tongue for a Saintess. Did you sleep with the man beside you or something? You resemble him far too much otherwise... Hmm."
Her voice trailed off as she smiled at Caron, then turned back to Revelio, lifting her gown slightly in a mock curtsy.
"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Laia. You may call me the Demon King of Lust," Laia said.
An uninvited guest had arrived in the heart of the empire's capital, where honored guests had gathered for a grand festival.
"I came to enjoy the festivities together with all of you," Laia said with a smile.
***
Succubi fed on dreams. When someone longed desperately for something within a dream, a succubus would devour that desire, growing stronger with each bite.
Laia was the queen who ruled over such dream-eating beings. She was the mistress of all greedy dreams, a demon of unfathomable darkness and corruption.
...She's undeniably a Demon King now, Caron thought, frowning as he landed lightly in the arena.
The Laia before him was a completely different being from the one he had encountered in the Pajar Sultanate. She had changed entirely. She was now a Demon King, and had acquired power befitting that title.
Black petals filled the sky, shattering the boundary between reality and dreams. Through the cracks in space, now fractured like shards of glass, the ashen sky of the Demon Realm flickered into view.
"You've become much more manly," Laia whispered as she approached Caron, her voice silky. "As expected... You were well worth the wait."
But Caron's only reply was a grimace. Without a word, he swung his blade.
Slice!
Guillotine cut straight through Laia's body, cleaving her in two.
Yet all that spilled from her were petals. There was no wound, no blood, no sign that the real Laia had been harmed at all.
"Oh, come now. Did you really think I came in the flesh like that fool, Slaughter? I told you, didn't I? I'd be waiting for you in the Demon Realm," Laia said with a soft laugh. "I only came today to help you... And this is how you greet me? So cold—it's a little heartbreaking."
"To help me?" Caron snapped. "You think you can help me?"
"Honestly, waiting like this is hard. I wish you'd reach the Demon Realm already—sooner rather than later. Your dream. My dream. Neither of them can be fulfilled until you set foot there," Laia said as she flicked her wrist lightly, as if putting on a show. "For the continent to become one, there has to be sacrifice, doesn't there? I've come to help make that happen."
The Demon King of Lust smiled.
"And now, the real festival begins. I'm truly curious... What choice will you make? Will the great hero save innocent lives..." Laia paused and licked her red lips with a slow, deliberate motion. "Or will you save the ones you hold dear?"