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"Aldias?"
"Yeah, do you know him?"
Let's rewind a bit. This is the Labyrinth of Raisen, one of the Seven Great Labyrinths located in Tortus. At its deepest point were Hajime Nagumo, summoned to Tortus as an Apostle of God, and the Liberator, Miledi Raisen, who resided in this labyrinth. To return to their original world, Hajime and his companions challenged this labyrinth, navigating Miledi's cunning traps and acquiring one of the Ancient Magics, "Gravity Magic." Unfortunately, Hajime didn't seem to have an aptitude for it...
Afterward, Hajime was rummaging through the treasure vault, as if to vent his frustration at Miledi, when she suddenly asked him about a certain person.
"What about him?"
"Was it about eight years ago? That child came here and overcame the trials, just like you."
"!?âThere were others besides us..."
Hajime showed his surprise upon hearing that someone else had conquered the labyrinth. But it was understandable. While in the Kingdom, Hajime had the opportunity to view the statuses of his classmates and knights, including Meld. While it might have been different in the past, their current levels were nowhere near his. He had assumed that since the Orcus Labyrinth was believed to end at the 100th floor, no one even recognized its true extent. He wasn't claiming to be the strongest, but the possibility of someone posing a threat to him made Hajime's brow furrow.
"Well, it's probably unavoidable that you don't know. That child is a demonkin, after all."
"What? You give Ancient Magic to demonkin too?"
"Yes, if they have the qualifications. For me, anyone is fine as long as they kill that bastard. Besides, one of the Liberators was a demonkin."
"...I see, now that you mention it."
Hearing "demonkin" usually made one think of enemies of humanity, but the root cause of the conflict was God Ehit. To the Liberators, if their goals aligned, then differences in race wouldn't matter.
"Hm? Aldias of the demonkin?... Ah."
Hajime had been nodding in agreement with Miledi's words, but the mention of "Aldias of the demonkin" triggered something, and as he searched his memory, he recalled something.
"I remember. Aldias of the demonkin, isn't that the False King?"
"False King?"
Hajime explained the information he had gathered from the royal library to Miledi, who tilted her head at the rather unflattering moniker.
The False King Aldias was a demonkin who ascended to the throne of Garland, the demonkin nation, about three years agoâthe position of Demon King. Before becoming king, he sometimes appeared on the front lines of battle. However, his appearances were primarily for withdrawal battles, where the demonkin forces retreated to their own territory. He would obstruct the human army until the entire demonkin force had withdrawn, then retreat himself simultaneously. A person later to be called a king turning his back on the enemy and shamelessly fleeing earned him the derogatory title of "False King."
However, Hajime did not find this king pathetic. He had learned from another dusty book on a far shelf that since Aldias began appearing in withdrawal battles, the demonkin's casualties were literally zero. To protect an army-sized force alone and retreat safely himself would be an extraordinary feat, impossible without immense power.
"âSo, he's called the False King simply because they couldn't have things their way."
"I see~. Well, that child would certainly accomplish something like that with ease."
"By the way, doesn't he consider slaying gods?"
"I asked him, but he dodged the question. Well, even though he got Ancient Magic, I'm not going to force him. The kind-hearted Miledi doesn't force promising children into dangerous battles!"
Hajime felt irritated by Miledi suddenly striking a pose, but a certain phrase in her words caught his attention, and he asked about it.
"You keep saying 'that child' and 'the child,' like you're talking about a kid...?"
"Because he is a child."
"Huh? He's a king, even if only nominally, isn't he? Treating him like a child... Oh, right, you're an old hag."
"Ahâ!? You said what shouldn't be said!! You don't talk about a woman's age! If you do that, that child Shia will hate you!! Besides, he really was a child!!"
"What meaningless nonsense are you talking about...?"
Hajime was thinking something quite terrible, like 'her brain must have rotted from living too long', but then he remembered another important fact about Aldias. Demon King Aldias was reportedly the youngest Demon King in the history of the demon race. Although his exact age was unknown, when he appeared on the battlefield, he appeared to be in his early to mid-teens at least.
How many years ago did Miledi say Aldias came here?
"Hey! How old was this Aldias guy when he came here?! And has he been to the other Seven Great Labyrinths besides this one?!"
"Huh? Uh, I think he said he was ten... And by coincidence, just like you, he seems to have conquered the Orcus Labyrinth before coming here."
Hajime was speechless at the facts revealed by Miledi. He himself, having experienced it, knew how difficult the Seven Great Labyrinths were. And a mere ten-year-old child did that? And if it's been eight years, he might have already conquered other Great Labyrinths as well.
Moreover, the demi-humans of Fae Belgen had looked at him with awe as soon as they learned he was a labyrinth conqueror. He had thought it was simply fear from sensing a difference in power, but if someone had tried to harm a previous conqueror and suffered a painful backlash, their reaction now made sense. Hajime's vigilance towards Aldias sharply increased. However, whether she noticed Hajime's reaction or not, Miledi spoke of the past with a nostalgic tone.
"Oh, he was still a child but had such refined features~! I actually thought he was a girl at first! I bet he's an unbelievably handsome man by now! And the girl who was with him was cute like a doll~!"
"Hm? Was there someone else with him?"
"Yes, there was! A beautiful blonde girl, and she was as cute as I am! When they stood side by side, they had the destructive power to make you want to hug them!"
"...What was her name?"
"...Oh? Oh my, oh my? Asking for her name so suddenly once you knew she was cute, you really are a boy after all~! What? What? You're not satisfied with just the rabbit-girl? Pffft! Fine then, Miledi will lend a hand to someone like you who desires a haremâOWOWOWOW!?! It hurts, it hurts!! It's a joke, just a joke! Miledi's perfect body is going to break!?âPshaaah!?"
Whatever Miledi thought of Hajime's expression, the golem's face contorted into a vulgar grin, and she began to tease Hajime. But Hajime's left prosthetic arm immediately seized Miledi and began to squeeze her. Miledi, thinking she would truly be crushed, hastily apologized, but Hajime didn't release her. Instead, he threw her against the wall. She let out a strange sound, slid down the wall, and flopped onto the floor, lying on her back.
"Honestly, you really almost got crushed."
"Stop fooling around and tell me. Next time, I'll really shatter you."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Uh, what was it again? You handle me so roughly my memory's all messed up. Hmm... Oh, right!"
âI think she said Aletia?
Orcus Labyrinth, 90th Floor.
At this very location, the battle between the first hero summoned by God Ehit and his party, and the demonkin, unfolded. ...That's right, in the past tense. While neither side had suffered fatalities yet, the outcome had already been decided. By the defeat of the demonkinâCattleya.
(Damn it! I wasn't told there'd be someone like this!)
Cattleya was already in a state of exhaustion. All the monsters she had brought were annihilated, both her legs were injured, and her escape route was completely cut off. She didn't understand the mechanism, but the weapon held by the eyepatch-wearing man before her possessed power that could easily take her life. Her life was entirely in this man's hands.
The knights she thought she had killed, perhaps due to something the rabbit-girl did, were slowly getting up, staggering.
"Well, there's nothing I particularly want to ask, and no reason to keep you alive."
The eyepatch-wearing manâHajimeâsaid this and pointed the muzzle of his pistol, Donner, at Cattleya. Seeing this, Cattleya understood her impending end but glared at Hajime.
"You are strong, certainly, but you are nowhere near that person. Someday, our King will kill you."
Hajime's brow twitched at Cattleya's words, which could be taken as a bitter retort. Hajime had an idea of who this "King" she spoke of might be, but he quickly twisted his lips into a fearless grin.
"If they're an enemy, I'll kill even a god. If they're merely dancing to that god's tune, they won't reach me."
Hajime retorted, but upon hearing his words, it was Cattleya's turn to grin fearlessly, as if in retaliation.
"...What is it?"
"Dancing to a god's tune... huh. You understand nothing. You'd best cherish what little life you have left."
Hajime frowned at Cattleya, who closed her mouth as if she had nothing more to say after those words. But his objective remained unchanged, and he pressed the gun barrel against Cattleya's head. However, a man intervened.
"Wait! Wait, Nagumo! She can't fight anymore! There's no need to kill her!"
The young man trying to stop Hajime was Kouki Amanogawa. He was the leader of their summoned classmates, possessing the Heavenly Job of "Hero." However, Hajime calmly retorted to Kouki's words.
"What are you saying? You couldn't even lay a hand on her, could you?"
"Th-that's..."
Kouki stammered at Hajime's words. Kouki had been caught off guard by the assault of numerous monsters, but in a moment of crisis for his companions, he activated his trump card, the ultimate derivative skill of "Limit Break," [+Domination Rupture]. While normal Limit Break unleashed three times the fundamental stats, "Domination Rupture" could boost them up to five times.
Kouki, transformed into a bullet of light, swept aside monsters and rapidly approached Cattleya. Cattleya, though slightly widening her eyes, easily dodged Kouki's strike and, conversely, delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to his exposed abdomen. Although Kouki surpassed Cattleya in pure stats, he lacked the technique, having been unfamiliar with combat until recently. For Cattleya, countering a purely force-driven opponent was as easy as eating breakfast.
However, Cattleya would not take the risk of keeping Kouki alive and bringing him back, given he possessed the power to kill her. If Hajime had been even slightly late, the worst outcome would undoubtedly have occurred.
"...A prisoner, yes, we can take her prisoner! It's absolutely wrong to kill an unarmed person. I am a Hero. Nagumo, you're a comrade, so please relent for my sake."
It wasn't Hajime who reacted to Kouki's utterly flawed reasoning, but Cattleya, who was being held at gunpoint.
"What are you planning? I'd rather die than leak information to the enemy. Besides, you yourself were coming to kill me, weren't you?"
"Th-that's..."
Kouki stammered as before at Cattleya's words. His eyes were filled with fear of death and confusion. Seeing Kouki's eyes, Cattleya accurately understood why he was protecting her and directed a gaze of contempt at him.
"How pathetic... Did you only just realize now? That you were trying to kill 'people.' I can't believe you didn't even think of us as 'people'."
"N-no, that's not it! I just didn't know..."
"You mean you didn't try to know, don't you? Alright, that's enough, isn't it?"
"...Yeah."
Hajime, who had somewhat sensed it but hadn't imagined it was this bad, looked at Kouki with a disgusted expression while placing his finger on Donner's trigger.
"Waitâ"
Kouki frantically tried to stop him, but the distance was too great.
(Forgive me, Aldias-sama. Forgive me for going first.)
This time, Cattleya, accepting her end, closed her eyes while silently apologizing to her revered lord.
âNever die. Always return alive.
"!?âGAAAAAH!!"
"What!?âGuh!?"
The moment Hajime pulled the trigger, Cattleya, abandoning all pride and appearance, rolled on the ground to evade. Hajime, surprised and frozen by her unexpected evasion, suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen and stumbled back a few steps. It seemed Cattleya had exploited Hajime's momentary lapse to deliver a kick, but since it was executed with a shot leg, the damage was minimal, and Cattleya was instead clutching her leg in pain.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Damn it! Am I a complete idiot?!"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Hah!? That's my business! To forget the most important thing, using this mission and the demonkin's pride as an excuse...!"
As Hajime frowned at Cattleya, who suddenly started talking nonsense, Cattleya, despite the pain of moving, slowly began to stand on her two feet. There was a clear, tenacious will to live in her eyes.
"What's your plan, you who accepted death moments ago? Did you get scared at the brink of death?"
"Hah! I've never feared death since I came to the battlefield. I've already killed many people. I've been prepared for that for a long time."
"Then whyâ"
"Just because I'm prepared doesn't mean I'll give up, does it?"
Cattleya smiled fearlessly as she said this. The situation hadn't changed. The monsters were annihilated, and she could barely stand. On the other hand, not a single enemy had died. It was a checkmate situation, but Cattleya still refused to give up on living. No, she remembered that she must not give up.
The words of that person, spoken directly to all demonkin before they went into battle, before she herself left for this mission. The kindest King, who, upon learning of even a single casualty, would quietly clench his fists until blood dripped, despite his composed demeanor...
(What a state. To accept death so readily just because a monster-like person appeared... Aldias-sama would undoubtedly be furious if he knew. ...I must return. Even if my arms are torn off, even if my legs are severed, I will crawl back alive!)
Cattleya's determined eyes locked onto Hajime and his classmates behind him. All of them recoiled in fear from her aura, which seemed impossible for someone so exhausted.
"I can't die! I can't die here!! I promised... I would return alive to that person!!"
Cattleya's soul-shaking cry echoed. Her classmates were confused, horrified, and terrified by her appearance. They were God's Apostles. They were supposed to defeat the evil demonkin to save the world for humanity's victory. That's how the story was supposed to go.
But what was this being before them...? Even if unsightly, even if pathetic, even if drinking muddy water, the sight of someone wishing to live for someone else... the being they thought was a higher species of monster... was, in every way, the same as themâ"human."
The classmates were speechless with turmoil. And Hajime was no exception. He had already experienced killing. He understood that his enemies were also "people." So, what was disturbing him so much?
Hajime's gaze was fixed on Cattleya's eyes. Powerful eyes that had not given up on living at all. Hajime recognized them. They were the same eyes he had when he clung desperately to life, even after being betrayed by his classmates and thrown into the abyss.
He didn't know why he was so disturbed by just that. But for the first time since returning from the abyss, Hajime felt fear from the bottom of his heart.
"!"
Hajime aimed Donner at Cattleya. To eliminate this fearful weakness before him as quickly as possible... Cattleya, in response, remained still, glaring at Hajime. She probably no longer had the strength to move. Yet, her eyes still showed no hint of resignation.
"!?âStop those eyesâ!!"
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, driven by sudden passionââ
DOOOOGOOOOM!!
Suddenly, an immense roar reverberated through the labyrinth, and the ceiling collapsed simultaneously. The classmates crouched down, unable to stand from the heart-shaking roar and the impact.
Only Hajime and Cattleya reacted differently. Their gaze was fixed on the collapsed ceiling where rubble had piled up. Dust billowed, making it impossible to see clearly.
(Something... is there.)
Even with his vision obscured, Hajime sensed something there using "Presence Detection" and "Heat Source Detection" and became vigilant. Unlike Hajime, Cattleya couldn't stop her heart from pounding.
(Ah, as expected, you came all this way for me.)
Cattleya's expression, which had been filled with determination moments ago, suddenly transformed. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes were slightly moist, like a maiden in love.
The classmates, finally recovering from the roar, looked around and turned their gaze to the collapsed ceiling, the presumed source of the sound. Everyone was stunned by the deja vu-like situation when suddenly a wind blew, and the billowing dust cleared instantly. And thenââ
"Well endured. The rest is up to me."
"Ah...!"
Her cry from the bottom of her soul. It had surely reached one "King."
"Now then, who dared to harm my precious retainer...?"
Here and now, Demon King Hajime Nagumo and Demon King Aldias. The two strongest and most malevolent beings met for the first time.