Chapter 80: The Incident at the Banquet Hall
The Banquet of Demons (魔王達の宴ワルプルギス=Valpurgis).
The current Demon Kings participating in this banquet number nine.
And, there is one who falsely claims to be a new Demon King, the main character of the significant topic of this banquet.
The participants are as follows:
Devil Race... "Dark Emperor (暗?皇帝ロ?ド?オブ?ダ?クネス=Lord of Darkness)" Gigimuzon.
Fairy Race... "Maze Fairy (迷宮妖精ラビリンス=Labyrinth)" Lamiris.
Dragon Race... "Tyrant of Destruction (破?の暴君デストロイ=Destructor)" Mirim Nava.
Giant Race... "Wrath of the Earth (大地の怒りア?スクエイク=Earthquake)" Dagrule.
Vampire... "Queen of Succubi (夜魔の女王クイ?ン?オブ?ナイトメア=Queen of Nightmares)" Luminas Valentine.
Fallen Angel Race... "Sleeping Ruler (眠る支配者スリ?ピング?ル?ラ?=Sleeping Ruler)" Dino.
Bird Race... "Sky Queen (天空女王スカイクイ?ン=Sky Queen)" Frey.
Undead Race... "Puppet Master (人形傀儡師マリオネットマスタ?=Puppet Master)" Kreim.
Former Human... "Blond Demon" Leon Cromwell.
The seating at the round table is determined by the order in which they became Demon Kings.
There is one vacant seat, and a temporary seat is prepared at the end.
Guided by the maid, each Demon King takes their seat in order.
The hall, which is a space isolated from the outside world, is solemn.
Already seated, waiting for the arrival of the other Demon Kings, are Gigimuzon, Leon, and Luminas.
Suddenly, a group of intruders burst into the space, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
"Yah-ho! How have you been?"
Lamiris, the fairy, says casually as she flutters to her seat.
Dagrule, a large man, greets everyone and takes his seat.
"Welcome. You're still as fat as ever."
Dino teases the silver-haired girl sitting next to him. She doesn't respond, only glaring at him with displeasure.
Following the three Demon Kings, the newcomer, the main character of the issue, enters.
At Rimuru's appearance, the Demon Kings who were already seated focus their attention on him.
Another looks uninterested.
However, no one speaks, and he is guided to the temporary seat.
This leaves three Demon Kings yet to arrive.
The atmosphere grows heavy as the Demon Kings wait for the remaining members, with their subordinates standing behind them.
For some reason, the three standing behind Dino and Dagrule look particularly worn out, but no one comments on it, as if it's a common occurrence.
After some time, just before the banquet is about to begin, three Demon Kings enter simultaneously.
Kreim, the organizer of this meeting, and the other two Demon Kings.
With this, all the Demon Kings are finally gathered.
At that moment, an event occurs that shocks the Demon Kings waiting for the start of the Valpurgis.
"Move faster, you idiot!"
As he spits out these harsh words...
This event is enough to surprise everyone already present.
If this were a normal situation, it would be a common sight. Ah, the poor guy. That would be the end of the story.
Despite striking Mirim and acting violently, Kreim doesn't seem to be punished.
Mirim doesn't resist or voice any complaints, only sitting in her seat as ordered.
This abnormal situation convinces the Demon Kings that something significant has occurred.
Thus, with a sense of foreboding, the Valpurgis begins.
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Dino, not in his seat, thinks about the monster he met earlier.
An interesting monster. And, he can clearly sense a power equal to his own.
Not a weakling like Kreim, but a true monster with a fierce aura.
Dino had been using his Unique Skill, "Slacker (怠惰者ナマケモノ=Lazybones)," to corrupt Dagrule, who was on the verge of falling.
Struggling against overwhelming energy, Dagrule hesitated to fight seriously.
Dino cleverly tempted him with words, corrupting his power and...
He was about to succeed in making his son take the throne and completely corrupting Dagrule.
His sons were capable of being Demon Kings. With experience, they would become decent successors.
If that happened, Dagrule would retire, and the situation would be as Dino planned.
The ability of the Unique Skill "Slacker" is to dominate and control the corrupted, while also taking their power.
It would be possible to gain a powerful and obedient servant and a vast amount of magic power.
To Dino, it was just a bit of entertainment... but it was a grand game that lasted 300 years.
A single word from Veldora made him realize a higher potential.
His ambition grew, and he was no longer a match for his current abilities.
This was quite regrettable...
But, he still finds it interesting.
Dino himself didn't notice, but the feeling of interest he had influenced his ability "Slacker" slightly.
It was a very small effect.
But, the vast amount of magic power he had accumulated over a long time, enough to overflow, began to change due to this small effect.
Deep within, even Dino, a Skill Master, didn't notice, it began to change.
Eventually, Kreim and his group arrived.
Dino wasn't particularly interested, but he was shocked by the scene.
Dino couldn't believe it and opened his eyes wide.
Mirim is clearly of a higher rank, not just one of the oldest Demon Kings but also possessing an absurd amount of magic power and mana.
His power is on par with Gigimuzon.
For Kreim, a weakling, to strike Mirim!
Dino feels a new emotion rising within him.
It is anger, or perhaps resentment.
This emotion fuels his ability "Slacker," causing it to change even more.
This change eventually accelerates, evolving his mind and granting him a new ability.
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Guided into the hall, as soon as I entered, I was provoked.
It seems my appearance makes me look like a weak child.
"Only the strong can come here? You weakling, you shouldn't have left your house!"
It was a threatening statement, reminiscent of the "father hunt" (1).
He has blond hair and piercings all over his face.
They look like troublemakers.
They were probably lying in wait to challenge anyone who looked weak, to show off their strength.
Their energy levels are quite high, and some are even stronger than Benimaru or Shion.
In response to Shion's questioning gaze, I nod lightly.
In the next moment, the three become pitiful.
They are in a sorry state.
Without even drawing my precious greatsword, "Gouryoku," they are silenced by Shion's iron fist.
Despite having a similar amount of mana, they are beaten one-sidedly without even breathing heavily.
"Sorry, was I not strong enough?"
He apologizes to me, but he was more than sufficient.
However, it was a good opportunity to vent.
They are probably Dagrule's sons.
We were warned that they might attack us upon seeing us.
I don't know why, but they entered through a different path despite coming through the same door.
They challenged me as soon as I appeared.
"Disgusting. Don't judge by appearance!"
The three, who were boasting, are now lucky.
If they had faced another Demon King, it wouldn't have ended there.
But, it proved that even an equal in terms of mana can be dominated by the way magic is handled.
Shion has also gained great power.
These three, though they fell like weaklings, were actually in the Demi-Demon King class.
Eh? So, Shion is in the Demi-Demon King class?
But, Shion? That fool can't be a Demi-Demon King.
I convince myself and move forward.
From behind, I hear, "Teacher, please call me master!"
A luxurious door appears.
This seems to be the hall.
I enter and am guided to a seat.
Sitting down, I look around and see Dino and Dagrule.
Behind them, the three worn-out figures are standing, clearly Dagrule's sons.
Everyone is ignoring them.
It's not a common occurrence, but this is a place where 100 upper demons can die, so no one is surprised.
I take the opportunity to observe the Demon Kings.
At the far end, a seductive red-haired figure (male?).
A beautiful person, who could be mistaken for a woman.
I immediately sense danger.
The information I get is that there's nothing special.
The energy level is similar to Diablos, with some distortion.
This means the energy level is high, but the control of the energy is immature.
But, my eyes can't be deceived.
Or, perhaps the "Great Sage" could have deceived me, but this information is fake.
By showing fake information, it misleads the opponent about their true strength. The battle is already underway before it even starts.
My philosophy is to hide one's strength, completely suppressing the release of energy.
But, this person's approach is to use the opponent's ability to read information.
Those who are scared by the read information are not worth fighting.
Of course, those who can't even read the fake information are not considered.
The problem is that the skill level is similar to Diablos.
It's impossible to predict their true strength.
This person is clearly in a different league.
I instinctively know this person is "Gigimuzon."
She's a senior, so she's seated in a high position.
She swings her legs, looking happy. She's like a child. She can be left alone.
The seat to the right is vacant.
This man also has an enormous amount of mana, about three times that of Diablos.
But, the important thing is not the quantity but the quality.
The effective use of energy. At our level, the ability to use skills is a crucial factor.
I just told him how to control and use energy, but I hope he doesn't become an enemy.
Even controlling energy is difficult.
Monsters are fascinating. They can easily learn such things.
Next to Lamiris is a silver-haired girl.
She has a transparent aura, with heterochromatic eyes that glow with blue and red.
She has a perfect beauty.
Behind her stands a butler-like man, motionless.
He is undoubtedly a master.
He thinks like me, suppressing his energy to avoid being read.
It's surprising that he is a subordinate.
His master, the girl, is leaking a vast amount of energy.
But, she is also altering the quality of her energy randomly, making it impossible to read the total amount.
This is what a Demon King is like.
The gaze that seems to be directed at me is terrifying. It probably goes beyond me to Veldora behind me.
She is undoubtedly a vampire, a Demon King who turned a kingdom into ashes.
What a terrifying opponent to anger!
Is this the rumored "headache" state?
If I die from the anger of such a beautiful girl, would it be a lifelong wish? No, there is no salvation.
I can only pray that the aftermath doesn't fall on me.
Dino speaks to the girl in a submissive manner.
As expected, he doesn't read the atmosphere.
This man doesn't know fear.
But, it also means he has that much skill.
He doesn't have as much mana, but he is suppressing it.
This person is also using interference (jamming) to hide their true strength.
I can sense this when I try to read his true strength, and he is glaring at me.
He is not to be underestimated.
The most concerning is Leon, who will sit next to me at the end.
He looks refined, with a face that seems to be blessed by the gods.
He is originally human but has a dignified presence.
He has the aura of a Demon King.
And, his strength is unreadable.
Interesting. Raphael has declared him unreadable.
This means he has an ability on par with mine.
This person undoubtedly has some ultimate ability.
And, at that moment, I realize the purpose of Gigimuzon's fake information.
It was a countermeasure against an ultimate ability.
This means he must have an ultimate ability.
Just because he is a Demon King doesn't mean he is forgiven for having it.
Acquiring it requires talent, luck, and spontaneous elements.
But, its power is incomparable to a Unique Skill.
Therefore, I must be more cautious in the future.
And, I must assume that my ultimate ability has already been discovered by Gigimuzon.
I can't be sure if he has it, but he is already certain.
There's nothing I can do about it. As long as the specific ability isn't revealed, it's fine.
I should be glad that I've learned the need for such countermeasures.
If I survive this, it will be a valuable lesson.
Now, I know Leon has an ultimate ability, but he doesn't seem interested in me.
But, I have something to say to him.
She asked me to hit you, so let me hit you."
I speak directly to Leon.
Reacting to my words, Leon opens his eyes.
...But, I'll invite you. Come when you want to hit me.
The timing is up to me. If you think it's a trap, you don't have to come."
He says this bluntly and closes his eyes again.
He doesn't seem to want to deal with me any further.
"Alright. I'll accept, so send me an invitation."
I respond and fall silent.
I can feel Leon's light acknowledgment, as if he finds me annoying.
For now, this is fine. I was able to convey the matter of Seizu.
It might be a way to defer the issue, but for now, I need to focus on resolving the matter with Kreim.
After some time, Kreim and his group finally arrive.
There, I witness a shocking scene.
Kreim struck Mirim. That Mirim.
I feel a surge of anger within me.
(You... don't think you can die easily...)
Kreim's "death" is certain.
For whatever reason, it cannot be forgiven.
But, there's no need to rush.
The banquet hasn't even started yet.
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