"What do you mean 'guarantee my safety,' you brat...!"
Vassago snarled through gritted teeth, looking ready to chew through anything that crossed his path.
Of all the Demon Lords on this expedition, Vassago was the least enthusiastic. This distinguished gentleman was content as long as he himself was comfortable. If Dantalion hadn't promised to guarantee his safety going forward, he never would have participated in this war.
But this was a different story.
"It's Agares!"
"Agares is coming!"
Demons everywhere screamed. They began scrambling to get out of the way. Individual soldiers—whether dozens, hundreds, or even thousands banded together—couldn't stop the one charging at them now. The troops retreated from the trenches in orderly fashion under their officers' commands.
Only three remained standing. Vassago was among them.
"Safe in the future or not—what good is that guarantee if I'm in danger right now?!"
This really was a different story. If he had known he'd be facing Agares, he would have found any excuse—by any means necessary—to skip this expedition.
"Hey. You're not really in any danger. The one actually fighting is me and that harlot over there."
"Vassago just needs to provide proper cover from behind. That's all. Hehe."
The other two spoke—Beleth and Sitri. The two Demon Lords each held their respective weapons—an axe and a serpent-blade—and gazed leisurely ahead.
"Fools. Do you even know who we're up against?"
Vassago snarled through clenched teeth.
"It's Agares. The Butcher Agares. You lot won't last thirty exchanges before you go down. And once you're out of the picture, I'm next—so how could I not be in danger?!"
"Yeah. That's right."
Sitri grinned broadly, completely unfazed.
"Which means you'd better work hard not to put yourself in danger, Vassago!"
"……You damn fool."
This was exactly why he couldn't stand people whose brains were made of muscle. There was no reasoning with them. Having to fight alongside these clueless brutes was no joke.
Beleth spoke, his tone utterly indifferent.
"Chatting is all well and good, but I believe it's about time we started making preparations."
"Goddesses! Please curse Dantalion!"
Vassago bit into his thumb. Blood sprayed out with a wet crunch, like fruit flesh splitting apart.
A sky-blue magic circle expanded outward in a great ring centered on Vassago. Having stretched to a diameter of forty meters, the circle suddenly stopped, as though hitting its limit. That was when it truly began.
As if a mother were giving birth, new magic circles sprang into existence from the original massive circle in four directions—east, west, south, and north. The mana surged so powerfully that the flow of air warped around it. The wind became a gale, howling into the circles.
"Whew."
Beleth whistled. His hair whipped about in the violent wind.
The magic circles being deployed now were something only Vassago could perform in this world. That had to hold true throughout all of recorded history as well. No—how many could even manage to cast even one of the four lesser circles?
Vassago scattered drops of blood into the air. The young man's face, lit an eerie blue by the sky-colored glow, was twisted beyond recognition. Once ranked third—the one called the wisest of the Demon Lords—he roared:
"——Come out already, you good-for-nothing servants!"
It was far too crude to be called a spell incantation. But its effect was absolute.
Mana erupted brilliantly from the magic circles in all four directions. Arms and legs pierced through the howling wind, taking shape. The number of figures totaled four.
A woman with red hair—the Elemental King of Fire. A woman with blue hair—the Elemental King of Water. A woman with green hair—the Elemental King of Earth. A woman with white hair—the Elemental King of Wind. Beings capable of causing upheaval throughout the Human Realm even if summoned alone, yet four of them had appeared at once.
—Oh my, how long has it been, everyone?
—What's the occasion? That stingy miser actually called all of us at once. If my memory serves, it's been 2,455 years since the last time.
—How sad... Big sister must be losing her memory already. It's not 2,455 years—it's 2,454. To be precise, 2,454 years, 67 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes.
The blue-haired Elemental King furrowed her brow.
─ Your memory's great, good for you, dear. But did you know? You're really unlucky.
─ Envying youth is an old person's privilege. At least, if we can call it a right. Yes, yes, of course I acknowledge that Big Sister has that... right, in that sense.
─ My, my. You all really do have energy to spare.
─ …….
The Elemental Kings ignored their summoner and chattered away among themselves. Only the white-haired Elemental King kept her silence.
─ Anyway, your makeup is absolutely terrible, dear. You should prepare in advance so you're ready to be summoned anywhere at any time—look at you, caked up like that, what's the plan?
─ At least I didn't paint all the way up to my brain, so don't lecture me.
─ That's right. Big Sister may have been born ugly and needs makeup to compensate, but I'm a natural beauty, so I don't need any of that.
The Elemental Kings glared at each other with smirking expressions.
─ Oh my. Ugly hags with filthy mouths.
─ Like I care. Says the eternal old maid.
─ Wanna go at it?
─ ……Everyone. Please get along.
Vassago clutched his forehead. A headache was already setting in. This was exactly why he hated summoning all four Elemental Kings at once. He had kept that resolution for over two thousand years, but it was Dantalion—of all people—who made him break it.
Vassago muttered with great difficulty.
"……Before I banish you all immediately, assemble by my side."
The Elemental Kings stopped their chatter mid-sentence. They turned their heads in unison to look at Vassago. Their gazes were so rigid it was impossible to believe they were looking at their summoner.
─ Eh. I wouldn't really mind being banished, you know.
─ Seeing as you called us, it's obviously a serious situation, right?
─ How unpleasant. Where do you get off making threats like that?
─ ...Know your place. That's what's needed.
"If you really don't want to see me reverse-summon you and tear up the contract, assemble right now!"
Vassago ground his teeth and shouted. The Spirit Kings grumbled as they shuffled over to Vassago at a leisurely pace.
─ Look at him. He's got no sense of camaraderie. One word and it's all "contract this, contract that."
─ Ugh, you just can't get attached to him no matter how hard you try. Spirit mages didn't used to be like this back in the day.
─ What can you do? If the summoner says jump, you jump.
─ ...Tyranny. Revolution. Desperate need.
The Spirit Kings lined up in formation. Every single one wore a look of utter annoyance plastered across their faces. They were no different from shut-ins who'd been dragged out to some family gathering when they just wanted to hole up in their room and do nothing — not one bit better or worse. They looked about thirty thousand light-years removed from the image most people had of Spirit Kings.
Sitri and Beleth watched the scene unfold from the sidelines. The two muttered amongst themselves, looking rather unimpressed.
"......I always wondered why Vassago never wanted to go to war."
"......Ah. I assumed he was just a coward all this time, but it turns out he had his own desperate reasons for it."
If any demons had witnessed this, Vassago's authority and dignity would have hit rock bottom. Vassago himself knew that better than anyone. He quickly issued orders with the intention of wrapping things up.
"The enemy is Demon Lord Agares. There is only one thing you need to remember: he is more powerful than any dragonkin you've ever faced. The sole silver lining is that he cannot use magic at all, and the tragic fact is that he's still more powerful than any dragonkin despite not being able to use magic. In short, he's a monster."
Only then did the Spirit Kings' expressions turn somewhat serious.
"Your allies are the two you see over there — the Demon Lords in view. Your mission is to support those two, cooperate with each other, and assist however you can to stall for as long as possible. It would be ideal to take down Agares, but for now, assume that's impossible."
─ Oh my. So you decided winning was impossible, yet you still went off to fight? What's gotten into the most stingy man around? Did someone threaten you or something?
"From this point on, personal chatter is banned."
The Spirit Kings puffed out their cheeks and glared at their summoner with sullen expressions.
But on this particular matter, Vassago was right. Beleth and Sitri had already straightened their weapons and taken their stances. Over in the distance, a murderous intent was rising. That killing aura crept closer and closer until it eventually bore down on the surrounding land.
From nearby, soldiers let out war cries. Spears and blades clanged noisily together.
However, strangely enough, it was quiet around this area. Bretagne's knights had not ridden their steeds this way. The Demon Lord's army's longspearmen had long since cleared out. It was as though even the air itself were holding its breath, and within that illusion, the sound of wolf footsteps suddenly echoed out.
"Two are the faces I expected. The third is a surprise."
There he sat atop a massive wolf — Demon Lord Agares.
"Vassago. I didn't expect even you to side with 'them.'"
"……."
"Well, fine. I can't very well blame anyone for following the prevailing wind. But……."
In that instant, without any warning, flames rained down. The inferno unleashed by the Flame Spirit King engulfed Agares in an instant. The roar of blazing fire rang out deafeningly. Yet after barely three seconds had passed, a gale erupted from within the center of the flames and parted the fire in two.
As the flames died down, a dark crimson Aura bloomed in their place.
"But you see, following the prevailing wind is simply what the weak do."
Agares gripped his halberd and flashed a grin.
"Vassago. Whether the new powerhouse you've found to replace Bael is Barbatos, Paimon, or Marbas — it doesn't matter. I'll give you one last chance to answer my question. — Are they stronger than me?"
"……."
That attack just now had been no mere probing strike. As the Flame Spirit King, it was the most devastating blow he could deliver. It had been a perfect attack at a perfect moment — and yet Agares had brushed it aside as easily as snuffing out a candle flame.
And it was that very Agares who posed the question. If you're feeling uncertain, you're welcome to come over to my side right now — I'll forgive you.
Vassago twisted the corner of his lips.
"……Agares. I have a question of my own. Are you stronger than Bael?"
"Hmm? Who knows. Hard to say."
Agares raised one eyebrow.
"It would depend on the circumstances, but so long as we're not fighting barehanded, I'd likely lose to Bael. My odds of winning are about one in four. Why do you ask?"
Vassago nodded.
"I killed Bael. That should be enough of an answer for you."
"……Hmm. That's a shame."
Agares leveled his halberd at the Demon Lords. No more questions, no more answers.
Beleth and Sitri charged from both sides with a shout. Agares spun his halberd, deflecting both the Demon Lords' axe and sword in a single sweep. The moment he blocked the pincer attack, Agares leapt from the wolf and lunged at Sitri.
Sitri's twin swords were no ordinary weapons. Their length could extend freely at will, and they could curve unpredictably to strike from unexpected angles. A troublesome opponent. That was precisely why he had decided to take Sitri down first, before Beleth—and had launched his surprise attack in one swift motion.
Sitri gritted his teeth. He had lost the initiative. He never expected the pincer attack to fail so easily. Agares smirked at Sitri's expression and swung his halberd—but—
"—Oh my."
The halberd sliced through empty air, missing Sitri's face by a paper-thin margin. Agares glanced downward and saw tree roots surging from the ground, wrapping around his ankle.
A bit of force snapped the roots apart without resistance. But in that brief opening, Sitri had already retreated a fair distance. Before long, he had regrouped with Beleth and encircled Agares with no gaps to speak of. Beyond them, the Earth Spirit King stood beside Vassago, grinning annoyingly.
"So that's how you want to play it."
Agares caught on to their strategy—Beleth and Sitri would lock blades with him while the Spirit Kings disrupted from the sidelines. He let out a laugh.
"I just realized something… I've killed at least one from every race there is—Dragons, Demons, humans, demi-humans, you name it. But for some reason, I've never once killed a Spirit King. How curious."
Agares readjusted his grip on the halberd.
"Let's find out whether a Spirit King screams when it dies."