Chapter 139
The Assembly of the Demon World continued on. Naturally, there was more than one agenda item to discuss. With the restriction on entering the human world lifted, there were new policies that needed to be established.
Among the important agendas passed, the first was a change in the policies of the Demon World. They decided that the battlefield of the Heavenly Demon War would no longer be confined to the Demon World.
“If there are movements in the Heavens, we too will intercept the human world.”
Of course, fighting in the Demon World was advantageous for the Demon Kings, as it was a place abundant in external magical power. However, if the Heavenly Demon War were fought in the Demon World, the damage would ultimately fall back on the Demon World and its kings.
“When humans revere the Archangel as a god and, receiving his sacred artifacts, invade the Demon World… they become our undeniable enemies.”
Beelzebub declared this. There was no one to refute his statement. On the contrary, many preferred to teach the inferiors about their folly.
Another significant item on the agenda was a change in hierarchy. There had been no significant changes among the higher-ranked Demon Kings, but there were substantial shifts beginning from rank 40 downwards.
The cause of this change was naturally Seere and her faction. After sharply rising to rank 50, she continued her conquest activities and managed to conquer up to the 46th layer in the six years since the Assembly had convened.
“Rise Seere von Debata’s rank from 50 to 46, her ally Gremony von Due’s rank from 51 to 48, and Citri’s rank from 52 to 49.”
Seere’s achievements influenced her alliances. It is natural since one of the crucial factors determining a Demon King’s rank is their faction and influence.
One of the reasons Demon Kings form factions is precisely this. The Demon Kings belonging to a faction are in alliance with each other. Especially since each faction is led by a top-tier Demon King, those affiliated with the faction often gain in rank.
‘Have you finally made it into the top 50?’
Now, Seere had reached quite a good position among mid-ranking Demon Kings. Nahen thought it was not bad at all. Seere was only 20 years old, which is still very young by Demon King standards. Among Demon Kings who had lived for at least over a hundred years, Seere was truly a fresh sprout.
Yet already ranked 46. Nahen smiled contentedly. At this rate of growth, she would surely reach the pinnacle eventually.
“Seere.”
“Yes?”
“Very well done. To think you’re already at 46, you’ve worked hard even in my absence.”
“…You’ve been praising me a lot lately.”
“Is it bothersome?”
“No? It’s just that while you compliment me often, you offer little in the way of rewards. I find it disappointing.”
Just earlier, Nahen had almost made a big mistake when he said he would give a reward, and now he was sweating slightly. However, Seere genuinely looked disappointed, and seeing her glum expression softened him. After a moment of contemplation, he said,
“If it doesn’t put me in a bind, I might consider giving you a reward.”
“…Really?”
It was a somewhat significant offer. Nahen rolled his eyes slightly and added a condition.
“No lewd rewards.”
“Yes.”
“…You will really keep that, won’t you?”
“Of course. We just have to make a promise.”
Nahen looked at Seere. The sincerity in her gaze was evident. It seemed unlikely that she would break the promise.
“…All right then. According to our agreement, neither troublesome nor strange rewards are permitted.”
“Great! I will tell you later.”
“Sure.”
Nahen was unaware. This promise would later bring him a significant crisis.
#
The Assembly concluded neatly. It was a successful gathering that fulfilled all of Nahen’s desires. He whispered to Seere.
“Go and greet the Demon Kings who helped.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It would be nice to introduce you to Citri and Gremony as well.”
Seere nodded. She conveyed the message to Citri and Gremony before approaching the Demon Kings of the Equites faction.
Nahen moved to wait outside the conference hall. However, someone was following him.
Nahen pretended not to notice. Initially, he thought she would keep her distance, but that was not the case. With a deep sigh, Nahen turned to face her, pondering what to say.
“…What is it?”
“Isn’t our transaction still unresolved?”
It was Phynox von Hog. Instead of using her leverage against him to unsettle him, she intended to part ways neatly after their transaction was complete. But instead, she was implying that the transaction was still not finished.
“What part of the transaction is unresolved? His Majesty has done enough already, and I will keep my promise. This will all be a secret…”
“Our transaction was not just that, was it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You distinctly mentioned that I was the only one who could understand your plans.”
Nahen narrowed his brows slightly. Now that he thought about it, he had said such a thing. However, that was during an explanation of why Phynox could not kill him; it wasn’t the substance of their transaction.
“That was not the essence of our deal.”
“I know. What I meant by saying our deal isn’t over is that I have a proposal related to that part.”
“…What do you mean?”
Phynox smiled softly.
“Don’t collaborate with the Equites faction; join hands with me instead. You said so yourself: trust Seere von Debata and partner with her.”
Nahen squinted his eyes. Slowly, he turned his body to face Phynox directly.
“Are you serious?”
“Do you think I would joke about something like this?”
“You won’t regret this decision, will you?”
“Regret? I only engage in transactions that are beneficial. You and the Debata faction receive much from me, and in return, I seek your understanding.”
“If it’s merely for your plans, isn’t it a bit too premature?”
At Nahen’s question, Phynox chuckled.
“How could I know how relationships will shift later? If you have a chance to secure a favorable position now, you should certainly take it.”
“…”
Nahen looked at Phynox with an impassive expression before breaking into a smile. Grinning, he extended his hand towards her.
“Welcome, Phynox von Hog.”
“Thank you, I look forward to working with you.”
Phynox took his hand. Nahen smiled pleasantly. However, he had slightly different thoughts in mind.
‘She should be quite useful.’
A high rank of 9 and considerable influence. Coupled with her exceptional martial prowess and tactics, she led a significant faction as the head of the Plebs faction. All of this provided ample resources for Nahen to utilize.
This indicated potential stepping stones for Seere and her faction as they aimed to rise to the top. There was a reason why Nahen did not regard Phynox as an ally like Citri and Gremony.
It wasn’t due to reasons like those with Barbatos. Although Phynox was strong, the proof of her might could be evidenced by Seere defeating other martial Demon Kings.
Yet, the reason Nahen hesitated to treat Phynox as a genuine ally was simple…
“I’ll invite you to our tier next time. We can have a deep conversation then.”
Because she was ambitious. Phynox, in addition to advocating reform, had ambitions regarding her own rank. After all, her original plan was to dominate the Demon World, so it was only natural that she was ambitious.
Would it be wise to keep an ambitious Demon King as an ally?
‘Can I really sleep next to a tiger?’
Citri aimed to return to her rank, while Gremony merely aspired to rank among the highest. Their ambitions did not intersect with Seere’s goal of reaching the pinnacle, so there were no issues.
But Phynox was different. What she was currently eyeing was the 8th layer maintained by Barbatos, who ranked above her.
Her ambitions were considerable, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to threaten Seere when she sought to reach the top. For the time being, since she had met Nahen, who understood her ambitions, she would likely stay temperate. However…
Phynox left with a bright smile on her face. Watching her recede, Nahen murmured with a colder thought.
“…I need to make sure to extract the most out of this.”
This was the type of man Nahen was. He was a man willing to do anything for the sake of Seere and her faction if it meant turning a profit.
Though he had become more cold-hearted, more brutal, and felt less guilt upon inhabiting the body of a great demon, this was still tied closely to his original personality.
He was obsessed with Seere’s growth. He was obsessed with success. It wasn’t just to see the ending.
“Make sure you deliver.”
He didn’t want to experience the failures of the past again, failures he couldn’t bear to encounter in reality.
#
After the Assembly concluded, in a dimly lit space.
Here, the four greatest Demon Kings of the Demon World had assembled together.
Agreas was wearing a pleasant smile as always, while Basago kept glancing at Beelzebub, and Samygina remained quietly indifferent to everything.
And at the center of this, Beelzebub von Deus frowned as he reviewed the recently passed agenda.
“I am not pleased.”
“Then why didn’t you manipulate the votes? It was entirely possible.”
Agreas casually suggested resorting to corruption. However, no one opposed Agreas’ suggestion.
“Why was it possible previously, but not now?”
The reason was simple: they frequently engaged in such behavior.
The reason the Partriki faction, comprised of the top-tier Demon Kings, remained unknown to the other Demon Kings lay in this fact. The Partriki faction had been manipulating votes and executing agendas as they pleased, utilizing the presence of the four most powerful Demon Kings.
What Agreas was implying was why they didn’t take similar actions for the agendas passed thus far. But a negative response emerged from Beelzebub.
“…It was not possible.”
“Hmm? What a strange statement.”
Basago tilted his head in response to Beelzebub’s comment.
“Were you perhaps worried that Barbatos might catch on?”
“No. It wouldn’t matter if Barbatos noticed; he could never notice in the first place.”
“Ah, right. So then what were you worried about? Was there something you couldn’t do in the Demon World?”
To Basago’s question, Beelzebub displayed an unexpected reaction. He fell silent. Basago was surprised, and Agreas exhibited a curious expression, equally taken aback.
Even Samygina, who had seemed indifferent to everything, showed a sign of curiosity at Beelzebub’s reaction.
“Beelzebub, what is bothering you?”
“…I will inform you later.”
“What? Waiting is boring; can’t you tell me now?”
“It is not possible. This must be clarified thoroughly.”
Agreas seemed dissatisfied, but since Beelzebub insisted, he accepted it. Basago also accepted it for now, while Samygina wiped curiosity from her expression.
Beelzebub thought alone.
‘That face….’
At a glance, he had thought it was simply a familiar face, but soon his thoughts changed. The moment he saw those golden eyes, an unforgettable memory resurfaced.
‘I must head to Hell.’
It seemed that only by going to Hell could he accurately grasp the situation.
The man Beelzebub had seen was none other than one of the ten great demons existing in Hell and was…
The most powerful among them, a great beast capable of ruling its own domain—the great demon known as the “Beast of the Apocalypse.” Three great beasts recognized his strength and bowed their heads willingly.
The sole master of the inverted kingdom, ‘Nehemoth.’
He was Nahema.
