episode_0026

Rumble, rumble.

Dozens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands… no, it might be tens of thousands of individuals were gathered together.

From those with fiercely daunting physiques and demeanors to creatures with monstrous forms, beings with ethereal bodies, and undead who had escaped the shackles of death.

From a distance, it might have seemed like an assembly of various tribes, but a closer look would reveal that each one of them could easily crush several planetary systems without breaking a sweat.

What lurked within them were clusters of magic that were destructive, violent, and compelled them to assert their own superiority.

Each one was a demon lord who ruled over their respective planetary systems.

Yet, despite their gathering, not a single conflict or voice arose. They simply stood silently, gazing at the central stage.

It could have been boring in anticipation, yet they all displayed an eerie composure, devoid of any discernible emotion.

And before them stood someone who commanded their attention—

“Applaud!”

As soon as Demon Lord Jang raised both hands wide, all eyes focused on him, and in unison, a resounding cheer erupted!

“Hail, Demon Lord Jang!”

“The splendid form of Demon Lord Jang we haven’t seen in ages…!”

“Even the black sheep who couldn’t make it are here?”

Hehe.

Demon Lord Jang briefly enjoyed the shower of attention directed at him, then waved his hand to quiet the crowd.

“To gather amidst your busy schedules as leaders of Manma-jeon is truly a source of immense pride…! Let’s get straight to the point! Astaloth!”

At his side, his aide Astaloth snapped his fingers, and a familiar screen appeared.

The public guide to the arena written in demon language—everyone had seen it at least once and nodded in recognition.

“As you all know, the arena will soon open. Therefore, today, under Lady Bonny’s supervision, we intend to select one representative to compete in the arena by playing rock-paper-scissors!”

The Demon King Jang spoke boldly, but Ashtaroth, who stood beside him, simply let out a deep sigh.

“Each pair, play rock-paper-scissors with your partner! If you win, step forward to face the next person, and if you win again, step forward… The final person to reach me will be the one to compete!”

“But I have pincers for hands-”

“My fingers are too thick to make a fist…”

“How can a form without fingers participate, my lord?”

Various complaints and concerns bubbled up towards Demon King Jang, but as a true king, he disregarded these minor opinions and moved toward justice!

“Now, let’s begin!”

Some wore expressions of disgust at the outcome of rock-paper-scissors as they stepped back, while others smiled as they stepped forward…

“Aaargh!”

…Some even screamed like girls and collapsed on the spot.

The reason was simple: the Demon King with pincer hands had sliced another Demon King’s hand in half with his fist.

“…..”

“…..?”

“Uh… um….”

After a moment of silence enveloping the surroundings, the Demon King with pincer hands tried to turn the atmosphere around with his argument.

“Wh-who said scissors lose to rock? Shouldn’t a true Demon King overcome such trivial adversity…!”

And then-

“Aaargh!”

Hell broke loose.

A new variation of rock-paper-scissors emerged, where scissors tore through rock, fists pierced through paper, and hand-slicing became the norm…!

“Hahaha! I won! Who brings paper against a fist!”

“Do you think a bladeless scissor can stop my hand of annihilation? Fool, the price is your wrist…!”

“Your fist is so useless it couldn’t even be used in mud wrestling! Just split already! Hryaaat!”

Long after the rules and norms had turned to shreds, those who survived amidst the bloody scene were the ones with sturdier bodies than anyone else.

And soon, as fists collided with fists, and scissors clashed with scissors, the scene began to merge and blend. The expression on Demon Lord Zhang’s face subtly changed.

What kind of chaos is this?

Astaloth, the CEO of Manmaeon Company, displayed a look of disdain at the tragedy incited by Demon Lord Zhang.

These foolish bastards!!!

With them in this state, how could Manmaeon hold the arena alone…

What good is strength if it’s just brute force?

Every single one of these lunatics seems to be missing a few screws.

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

…And the culmination of this foolishness was none other than Demon Lord Zhang.

The subtle expression quickly transformed into an eager and joyful face, expressing genuine delight.

“Excellent! Wonderful! If everyone steps forward with such enthusiasm, I can’t help but join in the excitement!!”

But even this sight seemed pleasing to Demon Lord Zhang’s eyes.

It seemed like he was about to leap forward any moment, waving his hands… but Astaloth grabbed the Demon Lord’s back, stopping him in his tracks.

“Where do you think you’re going, my Lord.”

Astaloth’s face was chillingly stern.

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious! The only ones eligible to participate in the arena are the Demon Lords affiliated with Manmaeon…! So, doesn’t that make me eligible too! The supreme among Demon Lords! The leader of Manmaeon! I am the true representative…!”

“So, you’re saying you want to jump into this foolishness right now?”

“Of course! Let go at once! It’s not too late!”

If he had just turned his head a little, he would have been able to see Astaloth’s face.

But the Demon Lord was caught up in that frenzied scene, and thus missed his final chance.

Unrecoverable madness… erupted.

“Someone is currently burdened with handling various documents related to the matters agreed upon with the Ministry of New Faith as soon as this task is completed. But our Demon Lord seems to be leisurely participating in selecting participants for the arena, attempting to escape. It seems like you’re in a good mood thinking about going out as the representative of the Demon Lord and working hard at the arena. While I’ve been losing sleep for weeks, my eyes are popping out, and I have to handle reviews, revisions, on-site management supervision, and even prepare the budget proposal for the next quarter from scratch. The situation demands that I get rid of these dark circles under my eyes, yet our Demon Lord is trying to have fun, clashing with the people of the Ministry of New Faith and playing around with the deities. Your audacity is increasing by the minute—”

The Demon Lord’s face turned pale blue in an instant.

“Uh… uh…”

Confronted with the madness of a worker overwhelmed by their duties, the Demon Lord could do nothing but avert their gaze.

“I, I was wrong… ”

“From now on, exclude all those who are going to move from the next quarter’s budget proposal. And only those who still want to go out as representatives for the competition can play rock-paper-scissors.”

Astolat’s words were more chilling than a cold wind, echoing through the air, freezing every Demon Lord in place.

While the desire to participate as the representative of the entire demon world in the arena had been strong as a chimney, it was only when there was some leeway. If they were to be excluded from Astolat’s budget proposal, how could they possibly manage their immediate financial situation, which was already heading to hell?

Do you know the power hierarchy within the Mammaejeon Company?

Chairman Astolat ranks first, followed by her finance department, and the Demon Lord is no more than third.

In an instant, Astolat, the ruthless incarnation of cutthroat capitalism that had subdued the Demon Lords, swiftly brought the situation to a close.

Damn Demon Lords.

Another wrinkle formed on Astolat’s forehead.

=========================================================

Was it because they couldn’t bear the deities’ protests, or was it originally the time they intended to make the announcement? Only the administration knows, but eventually, the Arena Guide Notice was posted on the gallery notice board.

And in that notice, there was one more piece of news that everyone had been waiting for…!

The scheduled opening date.

“It’s opening in 2 days?! What, why are they opening so hastily! Are they insane, seriously?”

Awaited news brought catastrophic reactions.

Not only Adikia, but the gallery was also in chaos.

“Damn it, they say it takes a week to retrieve the equipment we left.”

– Even if we pay extra, it takes three days to repair everything that got wrecked at the last arena. Hopeless, really.

– You too? Me too!

– Since things turned out this way, how about we all go back to basics…? Remember those matches where contract holders fought barehanded or in ridiculous costumes, don’t you miss those?

– Ahaha, those old event matches were legendary. But damn, that was before points were at stake!!!

– The probability of this guy taking out a full loan is 500% haha

“Are there still any rookies not using their reserve gear?”

– Group photo.jpg

– Weren’t contract holders supposed to prepare second and third-string gear? Running the arena without that effort is negligent.

– Teacher, seriously, how much overflowing power do you have…

– Wow, insane gear. Orihalcon alloy? There can’t be much of that stuff left.

– Sorry for intruding, but if it’s not too much trouble, could you give me just one number?

– Give me your address.

– Huh? For real? XXXXXX XXX XXXX XXX….!

– Hahaha, within 10 minutes of that guy upstairs being screwed, I can bet both my balls on it hahaha

“That bastard who offered numbers earlier – look at this punk.”

– Total mess at home.jpg

– Flashbang rolling in.gif

– This crazy bastard! Why are special forces raiding instead of the pizza delivery!!!! Swatting, damn it all!

– Hahaha, that’s why someone got doxxed on the forum? And how did they manage to take a picture in the middle of it? Hahaha

– These newbies can’t sue, can’t even fine them, losers, losers hahaha

– If a contract holder reports a false swatting, at least it goes to trial, but most of the time it’s just a slap on the wrist. Newbies getting played, they’re so obvious hahaha

– A rookie who ended up cooking a whole meal instead of ordering a pizza hahaha

Like a bolt from the blue, Adikia leaped up.

“So much to prepare for… from equipment to learning new terrain maps, strategies, farming routes, and map gimmicks… so much to memorize, and only two days to prepare…?”

Ugh…!

Adikia’s restless pacing contrasted sharply with Yudahee’s unyielding composure. Standing on the veranda, she gazed out at the stars spread across the universe. By her side, Dike remained bound tightly in power-suppressing chains, still unconscious, his tongue lolling out.

Adikia had mentioned that it was only natural for Dike to be in this state, having been struck with full force while lacking his accumulated power. She added that he would likely remain like this for at least three days. As Yudahee restrained Dike, negotiations regarding the contract with Adikia began. Yudahee had anticipated discussing terms, but the situation turned out to be more complex than expected.

The contract between Yudahee and Dike wasn’t just a simple agreement between parties; it was entangled with the dimensional credit union’s joint guarantee, making it difficult to break casually. While there was the option to prove that the contract relationship had been forcibly established, rendering all facts null and void, a problem arose: time.

Time was absolutely scarce, with only two days remaining until the arena’s reopening. “If only we had one more week…!” If they had just a little more time, they could have easily entered into a sole contract with Yudahee without any issues. But now that it was impossible, they had no choice but to enter into a dual contract.

“In truth, there’s nothing inherently wrong with entering into contracts with multiple deities…” There were no particular disadvantages for the contractor. It was a structure that allowed for support from more deities. However, the controversy arose from which deity would support the contracted fighter under their name, regardless of whether they won or lost, points would need to be divided.

Proud and strong-willed deities wouldn’t easily yield their pride. Although entering into contracts with multiple deities was nearly a forbidden method, some deities favored it based on mutual agreements. In the end, there was no other choice. Yudahee and Adikia’s dual contract would proceed, leaving Dike’s contract untouched. To others, it appeared to be an unmanageable love triangle of sorts.

“Sigh…”

However, what can I do but accept it…

I’ve put in so much effort, but it seems like this clinging is not fate, but destiny…!

Fate can change depending on the effort, but destiny is like a bullet already fired.

Adikia realized that it couldn’t be changed and let out a deep sigh.