That demon tore through the border like a tempest unleashed, leaving devastation in his wake. He carved a path through the Nether Realm, the spiritual domain of the damned, known to some as Hell. Every step he took was an embodiment of violence, a force that shattered the strong and scattered the weak.
Demons of considerable power assembled to challenge him—but to him, they were insignificant. Each clash was a fleeting inconvenience, an exercise in futility.
He crushed them effortlessly. With surgical precision, Diablo obliterated all opposition. Demons were spiritual entities; their bodies could be destroyed, only to regenerate over time. Perhaps it was this understanding of their resilience that allowed him to show no mercy, leaving devastation as both warning and monument.
"Kufufufufu… it has been too long since I returned. Looks like a den of vermin squats in my absence. No matter. Collecting them is pointless. I must hasten to see my old allies."
These 'old allies' were beings whose strength could rival his own—a collection of demons whose recruitment had been the purpose of this brutal march.
"Kufufufufu… if it's them, Atem-sama will surely welcome this."
With that, Diablo vanished in an instant, leaving only the remains of those foolish enough to confront him.
The mundane quiet of Eterna's palace was shattered by a visitor whose audacity matched his reputation. Shuna appeared at the doorway, bowing with her usual grace.
"Your Majesty Atem, a visitor has arrived. He identifies himself as Dino, claiming to be an acquaintance of yours," she said carefully.
I considered this calmly, my eyes narrowing slightly. Dino… a member of the Octagram, a peer among the mightiest of demon lords.
Shuna hesitated, concern flickering across her face.
"Should I summon the army, Your Majesty? We can surround him, just in case—"
I interrupted her with a smooth, authoritative tone, dismissing the suggestion with ease.
"No need. Dino is nothing more than a small fry. I can handle him myself."
Shuna blinked but nodded, understanding the unshakable certainty in my voice.
We approached the guest chamber. The door opened, and my eyes fell upon Dino.
He was lounging carelessly across the sofa, sprawling as if the room—and indeed my entire palace—belonged to him. His posture was audacious, a grin stretching across his face as though he were utterly immune to consequence.
I stepped inside silently. One finger snapped.
Immediately, the air shifted. A palpable weight pressed down on the room, crackling with unseen energy. My Pharaoh authority—my aura of absolute command—erupted like a storm of shadows and light.
It coiled around Dino like an invisible serpent, tightening with deliberate precision. His grin faltered as his throat constricted. His movements became sluggish, his limbs heavy. Even his demonic powers faltered, suppressed under the weight of my will. The room became his prison, a cage of authority he could not escape.
Dino gasped, choking as the Pharaoh aura crushed him. The audacity of his actions met with the full weight of the King of Games' command.
I stepped closer, my presence alone radiating dominance, and spoke with the calm cruelty of inevitability:
"Dino… who do you think you are? Coming into my country, uninvited… and lounging on my sofa as if you own this place? Are you… forgetting who I am? Or shall I make you experience Hell itself to wake your senses?"
Dino's struggles grew desperate, yet my authority was absolute. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his powers stuttering under my command. There was no escape, no trick, no bluff—he was utterly at my mercy.
The room was silent except for the sound of Dino's choking, and my aura's unrelenting pressure. I was calm. Calculating. Majestic. A Pharaoh among kings, a force that demanded recognition before any word was even spoken.
In that instant, Dino understood fully: he was no longer a guest, but a trespasser under the judgement of Atem—the King of Games, the Pharaoh, the unchallenged sovereign of Eterna.
Dino coughed violently as Atem finally loosened the invisible grip of his Pharaoh's Authority, the crushing aura dissipating like a dismissed executioner. The demon lord collapsed deeper into the sofa, pale, gasping for breath, sweat beading across his forehead.
"Hey, long time no see… w-what's popping…?" Dino wheezed, trying and failing to hide how shaken he truly was.
He didn't bother sitting up. His insolence remained—but his confidence had evaporated. Even so, he tried to appear nonchalant, sprawling as if nothing had happened.
Shuna shot him a glare razor-sharp enough to cut stone. But she remained composed, bowed silently toward Atem, and left—likely preparing tea, though her irritation radiated like a silent tempest.
Atem seated himself across from Dino with the calm, poised presence of a monarch who feared nothing and judged everything.
"I have been well," Atem said, voice smooth yet edged like obsidian. "Though I have countless matters demanding my attention. A king's life is never carefree. Now…" His eyes narrowed. "…what exactly are you doing in Eterna, Dino?"
Dino shrugged as if relieved to be out of the aura's crushing grip.
"Eh, me? I told you—I came to hang out."
It was a lie so cheap and flimsy that even the shadows in the room seemed offended.
Silence thickened.
Then Shuna returned, placing tea and cream puffs before them with flawless grace. Atem nodded once in acknowledgment. She bowed and exited.
Atem lifted the tea to his lips, his gaze never leaving Dino.
Dino scratched his cheek awkwardly, eyes darting away. "Fine, fine… the truth is… Dagruel chased me out."
Atem paused mid-sip. "…What?"
"Yeah. I don't have a house, I'm broke, and Dagruel said I was mooching too much. So, uh… here I am!"
Atem blinked slowly. "…You're a Demon Lord."
"Ahaha… well… yeah, technically."
Atem's expression became a calm, disappointed stare. A king who had just discovered a peasant sitting on his throne.
Dino puffed out his cheeks and continued,
"So I thought, hey—Dagruel's kids are living with you. Maybe Atem will let me stay too!"
"No." Atem rejected him instantly.
"—EH?!"
"'Eh' what?" Atem leaned forward slightly, voice cold, regal, unamused. "Your logic is flawed, your request absurd, and your presence unwelcome."
Silence.
Dino deflated like a punctured balloon. "So you're just gonna let me starve in the streets?!"
"You can get a job." Atem's tone left no room for argument.
"Atem, come on! My philosophy is to NEVER work! I haven't earned or spent a single coin in hundreds of years!"
Atem sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with Pharaoh-level disappointment.
"Truly remarkable… Now please leave once you finish your dessert."
He reached for a cream puff—tasting it with the restrained elegance of a king.
Dino, sulking, followed suit. As soon as the flavor hit him, his eyes widened with divine revelation.
"—I've decided!" Dino slammed his hands on the table. "I'll become a citizen of Eterna and work under you!"
Atem raised an eyebrow. "…Are you having a breakdown?"
"No, look! If I get to eat this every day, I'll devote my immortal life to you!"
He bowed dramatically.
"A-atem-sama! Command me as you wish!"
Atem quietly sipped his tea.
"…I don't want to hire you."
Dino flinched as though stabbed emotionally.
Atem set the cup down, eyes narrowing with regal precision.
"You've met me only once. Now tell me the real reason you are here."
Cornered, Dino's gaze darted. His excuses crumbled like dust.
"Fine… Guy told me to stay in your nation."
Atem stilled.
"Guy Crimson?" he asked. "The man who believes himself strongest among the Demon Lords?"
"Yeah yeah yeah, that red-haired guy." Dino waved lazily.
Dino froze suddenly. Atem's eyes sharpened—and his mind involuntarily replayed the memory burned into every Demon Lord's soul.
The moment Atem arrived at Walpurgis.
The moment Atem defeated Guy Crimson effortlessly.
The moment the so-called strongest Demon Lord was humbled like a child.
The memory haunted Dino so deeply that he broke into a cold sweat in real time.
Atem extended his hand. Dino gulped, then quickly fumbled through his clothes, pulling out an envelope sealed with crimson youki.
The letter contained a single sentence:
"Take care of Dino for me." —Guy Crimson
Atem stared at it for a long moment.
"…So Guy has decided to dump this farce onto me," he said coolly.
Inside him, the voice of Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom, whispered:
«Answer: Individual Guy Crimson has, with high probability, decided to burden you with Individual Dino to avoid responsibility himself.»
Atem's eyebrow twitched.
"…He truly dares."