novelAvaritia: Now, Let's Start the Usurping
| ← Ch.07 | Ch.09 → |
The Demon Lord who Governed Gluttony, Zebul Glaucus—Zebul the Devourer was of the Greatest of Demon Lords.
Among the Demon World's strongest forces governed by the Great Demon King Kanon Iralaude, he would even rank within the top ten. While this may not have been due to his basic fighting prowess, the ranking bestowed on him by the Great Demon King was Rank Five.
In a superfluous gesture, I ask the men lined up before me.
"Do you understand what that means, men?"
"..."
This may be common sense, but a Demon's appearance doesn't necessarily have to be in human form.
As they gain more and more power, quite a few of them take on human appearance, but a demon's figure is all representative of his individual nature.
A grotesque array of numerous forms were in formation with a sense of order rare to find in the army of a Demon Lord.
It's all because of a skill the guy governing this land, Boss, has. By it, the soldiers of his army will gain power while fighting on his land.
It's a skill common to all Demon Lords, and one of the most famous: 『Abyss Zone』.
That's what makes advantages in a fight between demons not based on size, or geological advantage, but on the quality of the Demon Lord governing them.
Boss Leigie never stands on the Front Lines, but an invisible battle between Demon Lords was already going on around us.
While we can't see the glutton Zebul's zone, it should be eating into the sloth Leigie's zone, in an attempt to give his troops an upper hand.
Ki ki ki, try your hardest.
I'll be doing the same. More or less.
"That means... we are obtaining... the glory of destroying a Demon Lord Himself, what's more, a high class one at that. Ki ki ki, Boss isn't to be underestimated. He's giving us a chance this big..."
If I may, I'd wish he'd be a little easier on us, but that's impossible.
There's no doubt the Boss doesn't even remember the fact that Zebul's attacking.
But that's unrelated to us, the one's fighting at the site.
To satisfy my Greed, I can't be scared to take risks. Otherwise my life would have ended as a nameless demon in the countryside.
I draw a single sword from the scabbard at my waist.
Demon Blade Celeste.
For a swordsman... no, for any Demon, it's a well-known blade of legend.
I concentrate my gaze on the burning body of the sword.
Dark Crimson magical energy as bright as the sun surrounds its wielder, me, as it rises as a pillar of light into the demon world's red sky. Its power is greater beyond my comprehension.
Ki ki ki, as long as I have this, I'll be a match for a hundred.
Additionally, while they may fall short of Celeste, I have a number of Demon Blades just a rank or two below it in my possession.
"Let's go, ya bastards. All the money, the fame, the power and the women are yours for the taking. Release your desires, and prove your powers to our Demon Lord, Leigie of the Slaughterdolls, and the Great Demon King above him, Kanon Iralaude. The Demon Lord of Gluttony is nothing, and it is our duty to make him realize that. Realize just who... it is he picked a fight with."
The strange-looking crowd's applause rings out like thunder.
These guys aren't fools. A strong Demon Lord draws Strong followers to himself. This isn't about the Great Demon King's dispatchments or anything, it's something more to do with fate, or luck drawing them together.
A Demon's base instincts lead them to follow the most atrocious presences to satisfy their spirits.
A nihilistic full moon floated in the blazing red sky.
This territory is still Boss's. In the distant wastelands, I see the black shadows of Gluttony's forces.
Medea slowly gets up.
As if she was shrouded in mist, her outline isn't clear, and it's as if only the powerful pressure she gave off denoted she was truly there.
Me and her rarely work alongside one another. But her single motion showed me the level of her ability.
Lust skills are pretty much an unknown world to me. I'm not saying I've never gone against them, but they're not a group of demons you would often meet at General level.
High class magic that pollutes the mind, and deceives the five senses.
The eyes of the men watching Medea begin turning lewd.
Ki ki ki, what a scary woman. I mean, she's the only woman in this entire army squadron, and she's the leader. If I underestimate her, I feel my soul's going to get sucked out.
"I'm going ahead. Objections?"
"Ki ki ki, do whatever you want, Luxuria. You'r the guest here today."
If you want the first attack, you can have it. All I care for is the result.
First, let's see through the power of the Devourer. That's her field of expertise, right?
Medea's form starts blurring again. It's like my eyes have gone blurry, but they aren't going back. Her formed warped into two identical girls. The second one opened its mouth, and spoke with the same condescending tone.
"Avaritia, I'm thankful."
"... I don't need your thanks. Just do your best not to get killed by the first strike."
"Hmph..."
She scoffed at my words.
At the same moment, in no time at all, her form multiplied from two to a countless amount.
This is... the Lust skill tree. The proof of a demon governing temptation and delusions.
How unexpected. An illusion good enough to deceive my eyes... and she can deploy this amount in an instant?
Oy oy, isn't she a monster? And resistance skills I have against mental corruption aren't resisting anything.
While my mind's in disarray, I do my best not to show it on my face.
Compared to her, the skills of the other Lust demons I fought look like Child's play.
There's a ranking among skills. If you don't learn the previous skill, you can't learn the next one. So just to what extent has she fulfilled her own lust to be able to use illusions of this level?
Medea licks her lips in a seductive fashion. As if painted by her tongue, her lips turn the crimson color of blood. Her movements were enough to show anyone the attribute she reigned over.
"Then, later."
Her pure white robe turns.
Each and every Medea's robe sways differently as they sprint off.
Not a single sound resounds through the deserted land, and her actions don't change that fact. She somehow remains inconspicuous. Even so, the group moves at a frightening speed.
The real one's fleeting existence wavers like a heat haze in the desert, and it's as if, if I turned my eyes away, I wouldn't be able to find her again. I can't feel her magic or perceive her with any of my other senses.
Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. This is bad. This ability... suitable for her name?
Fitting of her reputation? Don't screw with me. She's exceeded it. If none of my resistances worked against her, then that Gluttony's legion won't sense a thing.
At this rate... she's capable of deceiving and killing them all.
There'd be no room for me to go out.
I'd heard that Luxuria skills become terrifying at high levels, but I never thought I'd confirm it in a place like this. I guess you never know what's gonna happen. I'm glad we're allies.
Well, it's troublesome we're allies too. At this rate, I won't be able to rack up any distinguished service.
"Oy, ya' bastards. Is this the time for you all to be playing around? Follow Medea's lead, and launch a full-on assault! At this rate, that girly's going to take all the limelight!"
Perhaps they had finally noticed I had spoken. The following demons began following her lead, and running off. But their visions are now clouded with the sight of an infinite number of Medeas.
Well, well, well, so everyone's been captured in her illusion. It'll be hell if they have a Lust on them too. Should I equip some resistive gear?
No, in the first place, can a mere magic tool go against this illusion?
As s cloud of dust rises as the army rushes downhill, I go over to the only demon that stayed behind.
An Invidia Demon. Libell Aejens. A small and powerless one, but a scholar whose knowledge is said to be second to none. He's also a friend who accompanied me when I came over to join this army.
In a war between demons, seeing through your opponent's ability is a crucial factor. Based on that, tactics can change drastically.
I ask the wise demon. Not of our enemy, but our ally.
"Oy, that skill. Do you have any recollection of something like it?"
Libell's purple eyes scrutinizingly trace the form of the countless men chasing Medea. Ki ki ki, he may have the form of a brat, but this man once earned recognition for his efforts in the wars with heaven. A renowned intellectual.
Among my associates, he's the one with the most in-depth knowledge of other Demons.
"I've never seen it, but I've heard of something like it... I high class Lust Skill... SS Class『Phantom Aliquot Dance』... A skill to birth illusions with physical substance..."
With a soul-less expression, Libell bit his lower lip as he raised a voice that seemed to come from the deepest depths of Hell.
But his expression doesn't really matter. His answer was outside my realm of speculation.
"... What? Oy, oy, don't joke around. SS Class? That's crossed the bounds of a General Class Demon, hasn't it?"
"... I cannot believe it. No... but, there's no mistaking it. I have a much higher level of Mental Corruption Resistance than you, and I was unable to see through it with these eyes..."
His words were no lie. Due to the nature of the Envy Tree's skillset, Libell's resistances should be far above mine.
Is this for real?
An SS Class Lust Tree Skill? That's definitely within Demon Lord territory.
As a fellow general, the highest level Greed Skill I can use... I've only reached S.
And that candid girl's surpassed me? How the hell?
No, is she hiding her true nature? Stuck in the closet? A Closet pervert? No, no, as if I'd let something so idiotic pass. A Demon's cravings aren't something so half-assed. Just what is that girl doing in the shadows?
No, in the first place, after all that... Why isn't she a Demon Lord yet?
That's wrong. That's not what I should be thinking about now.
A Demon Lord's skills have far transcended the skills of a normal Demon. I don't know just how many skills they have in their repertoires, but if she can use SS Class Lust skills at will, then even a high class Demon Lord will be hard pressed. I mean, the opponent shouldn't have much information on her. High level Lust Demons are hard to come by.
Crap, the Demon Lord of Gluttony may get eaten up at this rate.
I take a sword out of my storage space, and grip it in one of my left hands. I hold up Celeste, and on the edge of the wasteland... I glare a girly, who's coming into contact with the enemy, from afar.
Her pure white coat. Even with such a flashy color, I can't find her.
"Damn, there's no helping it. I'll also go out. Libell, you go and『Envy』 Girly's skill."
... But my capacity is already full."
My, my, this man doesn't get it. You don't often get a chance to see a high class Luxuria skill, you know?
『Invidia』 Class Skills are picky. If you hold too much desire without fulfillment, it loses its use, and you become just a useless, average Demon.
"Libell, throw away my『Skill Ruler』."
"... I see. That one was convenient."
But he immediately nods. I like how he's quick to understand.
That's why I'm friends with this guy.
"Ki ki ki, what's the problem? Once your skilltree expands, you'll make more space. Once you get a high class Lust skill, you'll be able to raise it easier, right? You've fulfilled most of the conditions already, right?"
"Yeah, I'll do that."
Envy skills let you learn the skills of others. They're limited time use, and the conditions for acquiring them are harsh, but it's a perfect imitation.
It's really convenient. I mean, if you fulfill the conditions, you can even use Demon Lord Class skills.
This is a chance. We can't approach a Demon Lord so easily. So the acquiring conditions won't be met.
We'll use the skill Medea just displayed. It looks to have all-purpose uses. If he learns to use it, I'll become even stronger.
I'll get closer to being a Demon Lord. If Deije the Usurper, and Libell the Pursuer join forces, we'll be the strongest.
Ki ki ki, luck's finally going my way, it seems.
Now, let's start the Usurping.
"Girly, I'm sorry. I'll be taking your skill."
Power and fame and treasure, and all else. It'll all come to me.
| ← Ch. 07 | Ch. 09 → |