When they arrived at Mira's house, Mira was shocked to see Ryuka being carried by Arata.
"Ryuka, are you okay?" Mira asked with a concerned tone.
"Eh, it's nothing. I'm just exhausted because I ran out of energy," Ryuka replied.
(Sighs in relief) "Thank goodness. I was so worried when Arata rushed straight to where you were after you screamed," Mira said.
Hearing Mira's words, Ryuka teasingly nudged Arata.
"Hoo, so you're that worried about me? Could it be that you like me?" Ryuka teased.
"Of course, I like you as a teammate," Arata answered.
Upon hearing Arata's confession, Ryuka felt a little disappointed.
"Oh, is that so?" Ryuka responded.
Mira, realizing what Ryuka truly wanted, sighed at Arata's lack of awareness.
"You, Arata…" Mira said.
"Huh? What's wrong? Isn't it true that Ryuka is my teammate?" Arata replied.
"Seriously, you're so dense," Mira said, frustrated.
Arata remained confused by Mira's words.
Not long after, Yuki finally woke up from her coma.
(Opening her eyes) "Nee-chan?" Yuki called.
Immediately, Mira embraced her little sister tightly.
"Ouch, Nee-chan, you're hugging me too hard," Yuki said.
"Sorry, Nee-chan didn't take good care of you," Mira apologized.
"Yeah, Onee-chan, I know you've been busy trying to earn money for us to eat. Please let go, your hug is really hurting," Yuki said.
After hearing Yuki's words, Mira released her embrace.
Arata, seeing that Yuki had woken up, approached her to ask about her contract.
"Welcome back, Yuki. By the way, how did your contract with Yami no Sōsei go? Did it succeed?" Arata asked.
"Of course it worked. By the way, Arata-nii-san, who exactly are you?" Yuki asked.
"Me? I'm just a regular swordsman who got kicked out of a party," Arata replied.
Ryuka, hearing this, approached Arata.
"What swordsman can defeat a dragon god alone and even heal a life-threatening illness?" Ryuka said.
When they both heard that Arata had defeated a dragon god alone, they were both stunned.
"What?!! Arata-nii-sama can defeat a dragon alone?" Yuki exclaimed.
"And not just any dragon, but a dragon god?!!" Mira added.
Seeing their shock, Arata whispered to Ryuka.
(Whispers) "Why did you say that? Didn't we promise to keep this a secret?" Arata asked.
(Whispers back) "Hmph, that's your payback for your actions earlier," Ryuka replied.
(Whispers) "What action? Don't leave me hanging, Napa," Arata asked, confused.
"Figure it out yourself, you dense man," Ryuka said.
Seeing Ryuka pout, Arata was still confused, but Yuki and Mira laughed at his bewildered expression.
A little while later, after the earlier events…
"Oh, Yuki, since you've already made a contract with Yami no Sōsei, can you please call him? I have something I want to ask him," Arata said.
"Okay, but what does Arata-nii-san want to ask?" Yuki asked.
"You'll know once you call him. Just go ahead," Arata said.
Hearing Arata's words, Yuki immediately called Yami no Sōsei.
As soon as Yuki finished calling, a tall man with an intense dark aura appeared before them.
"Is this Yami no Sōsei? But why does he look different from the one we encountered before?" Mira asked.
"This is his true form. What we saw earlier was just one of his manifestations," Arata explained.
"Oh, I see," Mira said.
Seeing them talking about the figure, Ryuka was still confused about who he was.
"You guys have been talking about Yami no Sōsei this whole time. Who exactly is he?" Ryuka asked.
"Oh, I forgot to explain. Yami no Sōsei is the one who caused Yuki's coma," Arata said.
"So, why did he make a contract with Yuki?" Ryuka asked.
"Because he's the one who guards Yuki's soul," Arata explained.
"Huh? What do you mean by that? I still don't understand," Ryuka said.
"I don't fully understand it myself, that's why I asked Yuki to call him," Arata replied.
"Oh, I see," Ryuka said.
Soon after their conversation, Yuki finished the summoning.
"I'm done, Arata-nii-sama," Yuki said.
"Good, then rest now," Arata said.
Yuki went to Mira's lap to rest.
After Yuki finished summoning Yami no Sōsei, Arata approached him.
"So, this is the human who defeated me earlier?" Yami no Sōsei said.
"Yeah, that's me," Arata replied.
"Hm, interesting. So, what's your reason for summoning me?" Yami no Sōsei asked.
"I want to ask why, if you are known as the terror of darkness, you protect Yuki's soul," Arata said.
"Straight to the point, huh? Fine, I'll tell you the reason," Yami no Sōsei said.
Yami no Sōsei then explained why he was protecting Yuki's soul.
"The reason I protect her soul is because, in a past life, she was my lover," Yami no Sōsei revealed.
Hearing this, all four of them were shocked.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Arata asked.
"She was your lover in a past life?" Ryuka asked.
"And now she's my sister?" Mira asked.
"I still can't believe it," Yuki said.
(Sighs) "I knew you'd be shocked. She's the reincarnation of my lover, Alicia. She was brutally killed by Abyss Netherrealm," Yami no Sōsei said.
"Abyss Netherrealm? What's that?" Arata asked.
"Hoo, I didn't expect there'd still be humans in this age who know about the demon kingdom," Yami no Sōsei said.
"Of course I know, my father once mentioned it," Arata replied.
Seeing Arata surprised, Ryuka asked him about the demon kingdom.
"So, what exactly is Abyss Netherrealm?" Ryuka asked.
"Abyss Netherrealm is one of the ancient demon kingdoms. This kingdom isn't recorded in holy books, prophecies, or regular historical records. Abyss Netherrealm is an ancient land where ancient demon entities were imprisoned after the First Dimensional War. Only a few beings know of its existence: forbidden sorcerers, ancient dark races, and some traitorous Shinigami," Arata explained.
"If it's that terrifying, why did they kill your lover?" Ryuka asked.
Yami no Sōsei answered her question.
"The reason is because Alicia was a princess of that kingdom, but she betrayed Abyss Netherrealm and chose to escape. When I found her, she was lost in the forest without knowing her true identity," Yami no Sōsei explained.
"And you didn't ask why she betrayed Abyss Netherrealm?" Arata asked.
"She said she was a sacrifice for a Lucifer summoning ritual," Yami no Sōsei revealed.
"Lucifer? You mean one of the Seven Deadly Sins demons, Lucifer the Pride Demon?" Arata asked.
"Yeah, that's him," Yami no Sōsei replied.
Hearing this, Ryuka asked again about the Seven Deadly Sins demons.
"So, Abyss Netherrealm and now the Seven Deadly Sins demons... what exactly are the Seven Deadly Sins demons?" Ryuka asked.
"You don't know? Alright, I'll explain. The Seven Deadly Sins demons are the strongest demons to ever exist. With their power, they could potentially destroy this world," Arata said.
"Huh? That terrifying? So you said seven, so there should be seven members, right?" Ryuka asked.
"Yes, there are seven members. They are:
1. Lucifer – Pride
The fallen ruler of Heaven, representing rebellion against God. Powers: Reflects all attacks & magic laws, manipulates black light, absolute words.
2. Mammon – Greed
The demon of wealth and greed. Often depicted as someone who manipulates humans with wealth and power. Powers: Steals power, wealth & souls; creates devil contracts.
3. Asmodeus – Lust
The demon of desire and lust. Sometimes depicted with three heads: human, bull, and ram. Powers: Controls desires & emotions, creates illusions and love slaves.
4. Leviathan – Envy
A sea serpent or massive dragon from the chaos ocean. Symbolizes envy and the desire to destroy everything one cannot have. Powers: Mimics & consumes opponent's powers, controls water and dimensional storms.
5. Beelzebub – Gluttony
"Lord of the Flies." Represents uncontrollable gluttony, both physical and spiritual. Powers: Swallows anything, infinite regeneration, spreads soul disease.
6. Satan – Wrath
The ruler of Hell, representing hatred and anger. Sometimes confused with Lucifer, but also considered a separate entity. Powers: Gains strength with anger, hellfire that destroys souls.
7. Belphegor – Sloth
The demon who tempts humans with laziness, indulgence, and reluctance to act. Often appears as a lazy scientist or inventor. Powers: Slows time & movement, stealth teleportation, intangibility." Arata explained.
After hearing about the Seven Deadly Sins demons, Ryuka turned to ask why Abyss Netherrealm wanted to summon Lucifer back to their world.
"Oh, I see. But why do they want to summon Lucifer back into this world?" Ryuka asked.
Yami no Sōsei answered this question, and when he did, they were all shocked.
What is the true reason Abyss Netherrealm wants to summon Lucifer back to the world? Why did they sacrifice Alicia, Yami no Sōsei's lover? And what will happen next after hearing these reasons?
Stay tuned for the continuation in Chapter 15.
*If I made any minor mistakes that might be distracting, I sincerely apologize. I have done my best for this novel, and if you enjoy it, please consider giving it a like and sharing your feedback, suggestions, or criticism so I can learn and improve. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!*