After realising my [Devil Light Manipulation] at maximum power, I had noticed I was the only one present in the temple. Their astral forms had returned to the actual bodies, which I couldn’t sense anywhere near this place.
Still, the fact that all that was here was their Astral forms suggested to me that they either knew something like this would happen or they were busy elsewhere and simply sent their forms here to pray. The most logical was the former, but the most likely was the latter.
I couldn’t wrap my head around the reason they really weren’t here. Possibly assassination missions? Whatever.
I left the temple to go see how my shadows had handled the entire situation. At the bottom of the temple, the generals were kneeling down, awaiting my return.
‘Honestly, it would have been better if they came down there to help me.’
I begrudgingly realised how easier that entire scenario would have been if they came down there to help me.
“AS EXPECTED, THE PRINCESS HAS DELIVERED US WITH AN OVERWHELMING VICTORY!”
The main general shouted loudly for all the others to hear.
‘I-I wouldn’t say overwhelming.’
Unfortunately, he didn’t listen to me and only got the shadows riled up. The merman in their captivity didn’t seem too pleased by the situation, but there was nothing that they could do.
The shadows all let out weird eerie screeches. Easily a couple of hundred of them. I looked up and noticed that from the temple where the light from my attack had escaped, to a long seemingly unending stretch, that portion of the sea had turned pitch black.
‘I-Is that the effect of the devil light? What the heck? Isn’t that a bit too mu-’
“SUBORDINATE?!”
A cry cut off my thoughts. I looked towards the person who screamed and unfortunately for me, it was the princess and co.
‘What are they doing here?’
‘How’d they even get here?’
‘U-Uwaa, I d-don’t like the look of things.’
What Akkun was talking about was how the princess was walking with the Gate Keeper.
That old bastard had a shrew expression on his face as he looked at me. And with the way he was being amiable with the princess, it would seem his loyalty was leaning towards her rather than the guild. That would explain a lot of things, like how he allowed Needle Master to remain so reckless with the guild’s entrance and exit.
Behind the pair, Yokino and Sunalla were both standing there. Yokino was looking with concern at everything whereas Sunalla who just shouted was staring, dumbfounded, at the princess.
‘Ugh, the headache has appeared.’
‘Maybe she won’t recognise us in our devil for-‘
“Yoohoo! Hinotori, come over here!”
She called out to me while waving her hands. With little to no effort, she garnered the attention of my shadows, especially my generals. They all reflexively grabbed their weapons, as the grunts snarled at her.
‘Huh? What do you want?’
I asked her from where I stood, refusing to move to where she was.
“Why don’t you come down here and find out?”
‘I see no reason to. Come up here and speak to me.’
I decided I wasn’t going to let her push me around. Agreeing to be her bodyguard didn’t necessarily make me her servant. I simply had to ensure her safety and from the looks of things, she was very safe at the moment.
“Kyayaya. A nasty attitude like devils. You really found a disturbing subordinate.”
I heard the old man say mockingly at her side. Still, out of everyone he was the one I was most wary about. There was a reason why out of everyone, he and he alone was placed as the guardian of the entrance.
“Hmm, she really seems to have no interest in coming to me. What to do.”
The princess was thinking about how to get me to come down to her. Whether she knew if I could hear her or not, I wasn’t sure, but I definitely wasn’t going down to go meet her.
I caught her looking at the old man from the corner of her eyes. He looked at her and started laughing.
“I agreed to work with you because you were the safest option. I hope you aren’t planning on making me go fight an army.”
He had zero intention of fighting me, which was a good thing for both of us. In the end, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
“Just can’t win against certain things.”
“Princess?”
Sunalla was the first to react to the princess swimming towards me.
“Yes?”
“I-I should do this instead.”
The princess stopped in her tracks and thought over it for a bit before permitting Sunalla to come towards me.
The storm spirit moved towards me quickly, but was forced to stop once my shadows started to get restless. I sent a signal for them to step down and she hesitantly approached me, knowing that she could be ripped apart at literally any moment.
Once she got before me, she sent a telepathic message.
‘Listen to me, just do as the princess says. Things won’t end well for anyone if you don’t.’
“Present yourself before the princess like a good subordinate should.”
‘Huh? Why?’
‘There’s something I have to talk to you about, but now isn’t the time.’
“Stop wasting time and making a scene. Go to her majesty now!”
‘Are you on drugs? No.’
‘Drugs? What? No. Now isn’t the time for this. Just, trust me.’
I looked at her and could feel her earnest feelings. There was something about the princess that terrified Sunalla. I guess that explained why she was being so delicate with the princess. Still, I didn’t understand why she would stay so close to something that terrified her so. I’d have run away eons ago.
‘Maybe we should?’
‘Y-Yeah. This form will kill us if we don’t stop it.’
‘Hmm, but… I just really don’t want to… hmm… hmmmmmmmmm… fine.’
I shut down [Devil Form] and my thoughts became clearer. Well, not clearer per say. More like organised and under control. In [Devil Form] I’d have to say they were… purer? Something like that?
Once it was done, Sunalla let out a heavy breath.
“That was intense.”
She muttered unconsciously.
‘Intense?’
“Let’s go now.”
I looked at my generals.
‘If something life threatening happens, come to my rescue. You too, Yokino.’
I also delivered the same message to Yokino. Of course, this wasn’t necessary, but I could never tell with her. Akane was always more sporadic and unpredictable than anyone I knew.
‘Princess.’
“Hinotori. I see you have infiltrated the Sikari guild and taken care of most of its members.”
‘All of its members. I managed to repel the guild leader and all his direct servants.’
I corrected her. My efforts definitely weren’t going to go unnoticed. I also needed to emphasis the power disparity between us. The guild had been active for a long time, causing quite a bit of trouble, yet they needed a random creature from the surface to solo this entire guild? Imagine how shocking it must’ve been.
“Forgive my rudeness. All members of my private corps.”
With arms folded behind her, she started to approach the immobile assassins.
‘“Your” private corps? I haven’t even met them.’
“Yes. “My” private corps, which you just beat into submission for me. Every ruler needs their very own private corps, don't you think?”
I looked at the Sikari guild, then back at the princess.
‘Huh? Oooh, I know you're not talking about my dinner.’
“Dinner? What kind of creature would see so many men and consider them a mere dinner?”
The princess questioned my sanity, but to hell with that.
‘Like hell I’m giving them to you. I acquired them fair and square.’
I tried to grab the princess, but just then, I felt a palm on my shoulder. Standing behind me was the old man.
“Kyayaya. She’s a devil, princess. Eating this many souls won’t even be enough to fill up half her stomach. She really is the second coming of Makrov.”
My limbs felt heavy out of nowhere. My thoughts became fuzzy and the world started spinning around me.
‘Huh? Why is it getting… darker…?’
Just like that, I passed out.
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[The Exclusive Skill [Legend of Pandemonium] has unlocked a new section]
Chapter 1 - #@$^&!
Act 1 – Battle For Atlantis
Part 1 – Army Drafting
--- Hyakkiyago has aided the princess in acquiring a personal army for the upcoming battle for Atlantis. ----
*Rewards for creating this scenario will be delivered at the end of this Chapter*
*Special rewards will be delivered for finishing hidden events in this Chapter*
*Additional rewards will be delivered for beating enemy Sacred Bearers in this Chapter*
[Several spectating higher beings are excited by this development]
[Some are willing to sponsor you with their blessings]
[Some higher beings have left the development]
[One of the 9 Primordial gods is watching this development very closely]
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<A/N: Yosh! 3 day streak! Let's go strong for the rest of the month! I was also thinking of getting an official cover art for the novel! I hope you guys like it if I get it done!>
