Side Story Chapter 180
‘He’s not the same Shining Darkness. Just like that weakling human who went down after one attack, he’s just a pathetic human,’ Altheon thought, bolstering his confidence.
Many of the surviving demons were from the lower part of the Demon Realm. In contrast to them, Altheon had been born as the noble head of the prestigious Heavenly Demon Family.
There had been millions of demons in the Demon Realm. If the monsters without intelligence were included, the total number of life forms would be similar to the Human Realm’s. Regardless, only just over one thousand demons were considered to be chosen by a god, and there were less than one hundred demons of Altheon’s rank. The demons at the top of the social hierarchy were absolute rulers of their land and believed that only the weak formed packs. All other creatures were subjects to their reign, they believed.
It was those same aristocratic demons who approved of the three prestigious families in the Demon Realm: the Earthly Demon, Heavenly Demon, and Evil Demon Families. The Earthly Demon Family was the kingdom of devils which had been led by Urus, the second strongest demon. On the other hand, Altheon, the strongest demon, had ruled over the Heavenly Demon Family, while the Evil Demon Family had been serving the Demon Spirit for generations.
Naturally, the three families had disbanded upon the fall of the Demon Realm, but...
-I’m still here.
Altheon slammed his foot against the floor as Joshua approached him.
At some point, the Heavenly Demon Family had started to worship a being much like the Evil Demon Family had. That being was called the Sky of the Demon Realm despite the Demon Spirit’s existence, and the Heavenly Demon Family devotedly worshiped him for his power. The demons had called the being the Grand Duke, an acknowledgement of his dominion over the entire Demon Realm. When that being had disappeared, Altheon had become head of the Heavenly Demon Family and Grand Duke himself in an effort to erase all traces of that being from the family.
-Unwelcome in both realms and now just a human. That is who you are, Shining Darkness.
Rays of black light rose from the back of Altheon’s hands.
Two kinds of demonic power clashed with each other. Divine power was the polar opposite of the demonic power, but the chamber had already been converted into the Demon Realm. Joshua knew better than anyone else that the best choice, therefore, to deal with Altheon was demonic power, not divine power or aura. However, there was a problem that needed to be taken care of first.
-I don’t think you can afford to fight me right now. It looks like your dear human wife is about to die.
Ordinary people couldn’t survive in the Demon Realm, even a small fragment of it. As a matter of fact, Icarus had already been having trouble breathing after Cain and Ulabis were incapacitated. She had accumulated quite a lot of mana with Iceline’s help and armed herself with all sorts of artifacts, but they were of no use right now.
“...Tshchary and Perchilin. Turn this place back to its original state,” Joshua ordered.
Perchilin stiffened awkwardly and looked at Tshchary in surprise. Since the two demons had Joshua’s Overlord Symbols, they had no choice but to follow his orders.
“Are you thinking of betraying me?” Joshua narrowed his eyes.
-...No, sir.
Once again, Tshchary was the first to regain his composure.
‘What are you going to do?’ Perchilin quickly whispered to Tshchary through telepathy.
‘We have to play along for the time being.’
‘Are you an idiot? The only reason we stand a chance is because this place is now the Demon Realm. Do you think we can even imagine winning against the Shining Darkness in the normal Human Realm?’
‘But we can’t free ourselves from our Overlord Symbols right now. The moment we shed our souls again, we’ll be completely vulnerable for at least ten minutes,’ Tshchary explained.
‘The Shining Darkness is preoccupied with Altheon, so now is our chance. When will we have a chance like this again?’
‘...How can I trust you enough to undo your Overlord Symbol?’
‘What?’
‘You tried to betray me.’
Perchilin gaped at him, completely dumbstruck.
-B-But Altheon is...
-Altheon’s ultimate goal is to make the entire Human Realm into the Demon Realm, which means it’s similar to our goal. It’s a much better option than living as a human’s slave for the rest of our lives.
That silenced Perchilin, but it wasn’t nearly enough to deter Icarus.
“You’re worried because you might be betrayed and end up dead after losing your Evil Sins. I’m sure that you already know from your experience that demons aren’t trustworthy beings.”
Icarus was bad mouthing demons to demons, making Perchilin shake her head in disbelief.
-For goodness’s sake.
“So stop pretending to be friends and make a deal,” Icarus suggested. “You two aren’t even good at acting like friends.”
-What deal?
Tshchary tilted his head in confusion.
“From what I heard, Perchilin wants the powers of Sloth and Lust, while it’s the power of Pride for Tshchary, yes?”
The demons blinked in surprise once again, this time because Icarus remembered their names. Of course, that was nothing special for Icarus; she never forgot what she saw or heard.
“First of all, give up Pride, Perchilin. You already have two Evil Sins, don’t you? You’re acting too greedy after Tshchary’s made plenty of compromises.”
-I-I only thought about it! If things hadn’t turned out this way, I never would have dreamed about it!
“Yes, I believe you. And Tshchary.” Icarus looked at the reaper. “I won’t ask you to trust Perchilin again. You should put the cards you have on the table. For example, you don’t have to tell Perchilin how to undo whatever oath you’re under until Pride is firmly in your hands...”
Tshchary was visibly taken aback. He and Perchilin had talked using telepathy for a reason. How did this human woman know that they discussed the method to undo their Overlord Symbols?
Icarus glanced back at Ulabis and then pressed her hands together with a desperate look. “I beg of you. That greedy demon Altheon will try to take everything, but I can promise you that you’ll have all the Evil Sins you want if His Majesty wins.”
-How are we supposed to trust you? You told us to make a deal, but you seem to contradict yourself.
“No, I also offer this deal because I want to save my friend, no matter what it takes. I could never miss this golden opportunity,” Icarus told them, her eyes burning with fervor.
-That is why I’m telling you that you’re just daydream—
“I’ll persuade His Majesty to give the Evil Sins to you two by any means necessary.”
-I don’t trust humans’ empty promises.
Tshchary shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.
“It’s not an empty promise,” Icarus said with a firm voice. She placed her hand over her heart. “I’ll also make a Mana Pledge.”
-A... Mana Pledge?
“Yes.” Icarus nodded with a faint smile. “This is a binding oath that is similar to yours. If I don’t uphold my Mana Pledge, all the mana I’ve accumulated until now will scatter. Of course, you two demons are formidable, so my mana wouldn’t mean anything to you. In fact, it might seem ludicrous, but we human knights and mages believe that it’s better to lose our heads than to lose our precious mana.”
Perchilin and Tshchary looked at each other. The witch subtly inclined her head at Tshchary, meaning that Icarus was speaking the truth. As Perchilin had Lust’s memory, she was well aware of humans’ traits.
“How does my proposal sound?” Icarus asked.
