Caron gripped Guillotine tightly as he fixed his gaze on the enemy before him.
He could feel it, just by looking into that endless, abyssal violet. This one was no mere projection, no puppet like before. This was the true body of the Demon King of Sloth.
The power of Slaughter that resided in Caron, and Guillotine itself, both screamed the same truth that the foe before him was no illusion.
A chill ran down Caron's spine, yet he welcomed the sensation.
"It's my first time seeing the real body, isn't it?" he remarked. There was no fear in his voice.
There was only murderous intent and exhilaration in that spot.
It wasn't the Malevolent Emperor, but it was still a Demon King standing before him. It was the kind of wretch whose head he'd longed to sever.
But even if this wasn't the Emperor, then so be it—he could always kill that one later. For now, all that mattered was the enemy before his eyes.
Whoosh!
Azure Mana surged from Caron, glowing a deep oceanic blue. The sea spread out, and greedily, it consumed the surrounding space, swallowing Beatrice and Sloth alike in its current.
"So the mad dog throws himself willingly into the trap." Sloth's voice echoed all around.
And then...
Ssshhkk!
Thousands of arms erupted from the ground, seizing Caron's legs. Arms, pale and corpse-like, clawed their way up through his sea, reaching endlessly for him.
Ssshhkk!
A clone of Caron appeared, summoned in an instant, and hacked the arms apart without mercy.
Then...
Fwaaaaah!
The hazy figure of Sloth solidified, revealing its true form.
He had a crimson suit as red as blood, and a golden necklace at his throat. His black hair whipped about as he extended a hand toward Caron, pale fingers tipped with obsidian claws.
Thud!
Before Caron could react, one of those claws pierced his shoulder. Dark mana spread rapidly through his body.
Injected directly by the Demon King himself, the dark mana was venomous. Just having it seep into his body tested Caron's very will. It made him want to drop his blade.
But he bit his lip until it bled, forcing himself to resist the crushing intent.
"No matter how you struggle, you cannot escape the fate of being a toy," Sloth said, no longer distant in Caron's mind but right beside his ear. The dark mana woven into that voice shook his body to the core.
But Caron only laughed faintly and said, "The only one playing games here is you."
His spirit wouldn't break from such tricks. To falter now, with his enemy before him, would be to waste both this life and the one before.
With a grim smile, Caron swung Guillotine without hesitation.
Ssshhkk!
The blade cleaved through Sloth's neck. Heavy resistance first met the strike, but then the Demon King's head tumbled to the ground.
Impossibly red blood spurted like a fountain into the air, drenching Caron completely. Kavana, his armor, was stained, and his golden hair dripped with the Demon King's lifeblood.
But it lasted only for a moment.
Fssshhh!
The blood dissolved into black dust, scattering in the wind. And ten paces away, a new Sloth emerged, gazing at Caron with arrogant disdain.
"I never thought a fool would actually try fighting a Demon King here in the Demon Realm," the Demon King said. "Perhaps I overestimated you."
Caron sneered and replied, "Funny. It's always the desperate ones who pretend to be calm. If you can't devour me, you'll die, won't you?"
He had already heard from the nobles.
Sloth was cornered.
The Demon King of Havoc and the Demon Queen of Lust had joined forces, pressing hard against Sloth's domain.
Sloth's only chance of survival was to change the tide—perhaps even by seizing Caron's half-broken Power of Slaughter.
It was said that many of the demonic monsters once loyal to the Demon King of Slaughter still lingered across that forsaken domain. If Sloth could absorb them, he could muster an army to turn the war around.
Which meant he was desperate. Perhaps even more than the expedition itself.
"You're the one running out of time," Caron said coldly.
That was why the Demon King had descended here in person.
At Caron's pointed words, Sloth's brow furrowed. He flicked his hand—
Crrrkkk!
The air screeched and warped. A vast gate pulsed open above the battlefield, shimmering with violet light. From within, massive demonic monsters began pouring out one after another.
"Halo Leston will take quite some time to reach you," Sloth said. "By the time that detestable man arrives, you will already be a part of me."
"Whoa, are you asking me to become one with you? Is this supposed to be a demon's version of a proposal?" Caron asked.
"Hehe, making you my puppet might be fun too. Even I can't help but admire that mouth of yours. You'll become my favorite toy," Sloth answered.
From the gate, hordes of demonic monsters poured out like a flood.
At the sight, the soldiers of the Second Army clutched their weapons while screams and groans burst from their throats. This battlefield, where the Demon King had descended, had become nothing short of hell itself.
And it wasn't only demonic monsters.
Kwaaaaah!
Undead appeared as well—high-ranking ones. From liches and Death Knights to even a bone dragon, they revealed themselves one after another.
Gratia landed behind Caron, her bloodshot eyes burning with rage as she bellowed, "...Demon King of Sloth!"
Her kin, slaughtered by demons in the ancient war, had returned in the vilest form imaginable. The Demon King had desecrated even the last honor of a great race.
Kruuuum!
Before long, Gratia released her polymorph, unleashing her breath weapon in fury. That marked the start of a full-scale battle.
The demons pouring from the gate flew straight toward Caron. High-ranking nobles, their black wings spread wide, charged in with malicious dark mana radiating from them.
Caron didn't so much as flinch. He merely glared at them. These were at least count-class demons, and hundreds of such nobles burned with hatred, desperate to sink their fangs into him.
But not a single one reached him.
"What the hell are you standing around for?!"
"You really are a handful!"
His companions had leapt in to intercept the attacks. Ugo, Kerra, Leo, Utula, Seria, and Orion—those who had arrived late rushed in, crossing weapons with the demons in Caron's stead.
Kaaang!
Even the Avengers Caron had summoned joined in eagerly, fighting for vengeance. In an instant, the battlefield was a storm of chaos.
Freed at last from the Demon King's influence, Beatrice radiated holy power as she charged into the thick of the demons.
"Commander, don't bother with the others..." she shouted.
"Leave the Demon King to me," Caron replied.
"Glad to see you're in your right mind! So hurry up already!" Beatrice snapped.
Caron grinned faintly and nodded, before turning his sunken gaze toward the Demon King of Sloth.
The fiend was now cloaked in pitch-black darkness, as if inviting Caron to enter it. From within the void, he gestured with a mocking hand.
Caron glanced back at Seria and asked, "Should I dive in there?"
Seria answered with a flat expression, "Why are you asking me that? You'll dive in whether I stop you or not."
"That's the problem—you know me too well," Caron muttered with a smile.
"Wait just a moment. If you're going to go, I should at least bless you first," Seria said.
She placed a hand gently atop his head and closed her eyes in prayer. "O Light, grant your radiant blessing to this warrior who fights against great evil. Though he is, regrettably, a delinquent, he still follows your will. I pray he will not falter before the hand of darkness."
Fwoooom!
A surge of holy power stronger than ever before filled Caron's body. He smiled softly at Seria. These days, Seria had looked at him with nothing but sharp hostility, yet now her face was brimming with worry.
Caron laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll be back soon, so don't worry. Ah, and Seria—one favor."
"Say it," Seria said.
"If it seems like something is wrong with me, contact the Magic Tower and have them wipe this whole place out with airships," Caron requested.
"If you die, I'll just blow myself up instead, so don't worry about that," Seria said calmly.
"Blow yourself up?" Caron asked, confused.
"If I offer my life to call forth a miracle, I can still drive them away right here," Seria explained. Her expression carried the weight of one resolved to die.
Caron gave an awkward laugh and nodded, then said, "I won't let you die."
He adjusted his grip on Guillotine, then slowly turned toward the darkness.
"...I'll be praying," Seria whispered.
"Yeah," Caron answered.
Behind him, Seria began her prayer. Caron let out a quiet breath as her beautiful voice washed over him.
"Guillotine," Caron called.
"We've been waiting for this moment. Owner, let's go," Guillotine said.
Without hesitation, Caron hurled himself into the darkness, clutching Guillotine tightly.
Moments later...
Fwaaaah!
The heavy blackness swallowed him whole.
***
Darkness stretched out on every side. Sight was useless, and even Caron's senses were dulled in the void.
Meow.
Pluto burst from Caron, quickly spreading out and trying to wrestle the shadows under control.
Within that suffocating dark, a voice echoed like a mocking chime.
"A fool who hasn't even surpassed the limits of humanity dares to enter unafraid? Lucky for me. Had you crossed that wall, devouring you might not have been so easy."
The Demon King of Sloth still sounded calm, almost bored.
Caron swung his blade toward the voice. From its tip, a crescent-shaped arc of sword energy shot out, cutting across the dark. But before it reached far, the shadows swallowed it whole.
"You can do nothing in this world," Sloth said, dripping with arrogance.
Fwoooom!
Suddenly, crimson light spread across the dark domain, revealing at the edge of sight a solitary throne.
Sloth appeared from the void, trudging slowly before dropping himself onto the throne. Crossing his legs, he rested an elbow on the armrest and fixed his eyes on Caron.
"I wondered how to draw you into this trap. You turned out more cunning—and clever—than I expected," Sloth said, propping his chin on one hand. "Couldn't you have just discarded that subordinate from your previous life? If you had, none of this would have happened."
He smirked tauntingly as he continued, "Why not hide behind your doting grandfather's back? No—perhaps I should call him your friend from a previous life? I want to know how it feels to be reborn while keeping those old memories. That's an experience I've never had."
Step.
Caron ignored the words, continuing forward.
...A Mental World, he thought. He was certain that this wasn't reality. Everything here was woven from dark mana. Nothing else could twist the world so horribly.
Every breath threatened his sanity. The power shaping this place pressed down on his will, trying to crush it.
If he hadn't already endured the Demon King's Mental World back on Ghost Island, he could have crumbled at once.
"Your reincarnation was guided by Havoc and Void. You know you were reincarnated—but this, I'll wager you didn't know. This is your third life. To harvest a soul like yours is no ordinary task for us," Sloth rattled on, never ceasing.
But his words carried such crushing mana they weighed down like the command of a dragon, pressing like unbearable gravity. Just walking toward him made Caron's legs tremble. Even the sea he'd summoned could not remain free of that oppressive will.
Through the churning waters, Sloth's voice pierced straight into Caron's mind.
"Well? Aren't you curious? Surrender to me now, and I will tell you your secret."
His tone was mockingly generous.
Caron grinned darkly, his eyes narrowing as he thought, I see him.
Perhaps Seria's blessing had sharpened his vision. Through the corrupted world overflowing with malice, he glimpsed the Demon King's true form lurking beyond.
Caron drew in a steady breath. There would be no second chance. He would either collapse here in this mental prison—or strike a killing blow.
The outcome could only be one of the two.
Whoosh.
From Guillotine, colossal moons poured out, filling the false world. Dozens of glowing orbs lit the blackness.
Kwaaaaaah!
Waves shattered the moons into countless fragments, and thousands of shards streaked toward the Demon King.
In that endless dark, the fragments gleamed like shooting stars filling a night sky.
"Eat this, bastard," Caron snarled.
From the start, he had poured in all his mana, and he didn't regret it. There was no other way to win.
Krrrraaaash!
The throne upon which Sloth sat shattered beneath the lunar onslaught. The entire world was drowned in bluish moonlight.
And then...
Fwoooosh!
Caron's vision turned crimson. He looked down to see Sloth's arm driven straight through his chest.
"Your soul will be mine to claim," the Demon King of Sloth said, laughter echoing with certain victory.