Claire arrived in the arena, entering the portcullis greeted by the faces of hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of people.
All types of rodent humanoids lines the seats of the stadium. Rate, mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, weasels, etc.
It was noisy beyond belief, and Claire was reminded once more of the lizardmen arena, except there were even more people here.
However, there was something different between now and then.
Before, the lizardmen had arrived expecting to see a fight, so there was an excitement in the air due to the fact that every single person had arrived expecting to see entertainment.
This time, Claire was met with many restless faces.
Some filled with worry, others filled with spite and anger, and others still filled with fear and terror on seeing Claire exit from the arena gates. Others still were filled with awe and bliss at seeing the beauty of Claire's angelic form.
Claire became slightly nervous at seeing the different reactions to her appearance.
'Uwah.... I guess going into a city and taking over all the bosses really is going to seed quite a bit of hatred.... this is why I didn't want to do this, but what's done is done!! Ugh.... I'm getting kinda nervous tho....'
Claire felt somewhat intimidated at seeing the hundreds of faces, many of which looked bitterly at her.
'If you're gonna freak out just let me do it. I'll give those people a real reason to have such a nasty glare.'
Clarice made a crude suggestion, however instead of berating her or arguing, Claire merely closed her eyes and smiled lightly.
'No... this is something I have to do myself. Sorry, Clarice. I'm going to have you sit out for this one.'
It was an oddly mature response from Clarice's perspective, leaving her somewhat speechless for a few moments.
'Alright. Just know that if you mess up I'll be the first one laughing.'
And with that, Claire stepped into the center of the arena.
The throne which had been here yesterday had been removed, but this did not bother Claire, as she didn't want to sit from the position of a throne as she addressed these people.
Instead, she simply walked to the center of the arena, looking all around her.
'I can tell.... there are many people in this village who have been deeply hurt. I can't even begin to imagine what the causes are, but I would assume most are due to the loss of loved ones....'
Claire looked up firmly.
'But I will change that. I will use the method given to me by the antiheroes. In order to become a hero, I must first become a villain.'
"Hello everyone!!!!!!!!"
As Claire shouted this, the people became silent, and all eyes focused on her.
Claire felt a twinging in her stomach as the attention of thousands became focused solely on herself, however she ignored it and spoke boldly.
"Living is hell!!!!!!"
Claire shouted this out at the top of her lungs, to the confusion of many of the people present.
'What the hell is this woman talking about?'
'This is the person who defeated all three of the mafia factions!?'
'She has no charisma at all....'
'She is beautiful though...'
Claire turned around 180 degrees, and shouted it out once more.
"I said that living is hell!!!! Life is hell!!! We live our lives day in and day out, just barely trying to survive. We lose our loved ones!! We fight one another!!! We spend our days trying to take things from others, just so that we can feed those we care about!!!! Why are things like this!?! Why do things HAVE to be like this!?!?!"
The people began looking around to one another, murmuring.
"Do you think this angel is a bit off her rocker?"
"I mean, I heard that the leader of the ferrets was pretty crazy. Don't you think that it would take one who's even more crazy to take her over?"
"Ugh... what have we gotten ourselves into...."
"This is what happens when an outsider tries to come into the city...."
Claire smiled sinisterly.
"The answer is because life is suffering. If you want something, you can't get it for free. In order for food to be produced, a laborer has to put forth the effort to create it. In order for economy to be spurred, workers have to sweat before any tools or machines can be put on the market. This is life. To get, you have to give up. The winners are the people who take from others, and the losers are the ones who get taken from. Isn't that the order here? Isn't that the order everywhere!?! It's as if society encourages us to take!!! To become villains!!! The evil get rewarded, and the just get a pat on the back and a thank you, but are soon forgotten!!!!"
Looking around, Claire could see clear disgust and fear forming in the faces of many.
They were not impressed in the least from her speech.
In a voice that was almost a whisper, Claire spoke directly into the minds of the people.
[But.... there is another option, no?]
Many people looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the voice had come from, given that it was the voice of the woman standing in the center of the arena, yet she had not said anything with the volume for the people to hear it.
[When a merchant sells a ware, he often sells it for twice or three times the price that he bought it for. He will buy it where it is not wanted, and bring it to a place where it is wanted, reaping the profit. And yet.... the person buying the ware does not complain that they are being ripped off.]
'Yep. She's just crazy.'
'I don't really get what she's trying to say, but this city is probably doomed.'
'Maybe I should try to leave? But will I actually be allowed to?'
[There are two reasons for this. The first is ignorance. If the person buying the good is not aware of it's actual value, then of course they will not question the price in which the merchant is selling it for. They will purchase it without question, believing in their heart that they are getting a good deal. Is that wrong? Is that deception on the part of the merchant? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I won't say anything on that, but let me ask this- why does the person purchasing the good not take the effort to find out on his own what the true price of the good was, and where he could get it from for such a price?]
'Grr.... this woman.... she reduced our boss to such a state, and now she has the audacity to give us some lecture on things that don't even matter....'
'I'll kill her myself.... I'll take revenge for our boss.... she was once a beautiful dominatrix, and now she's been reduced to a submissive pawn!!! I'll never forgive her!!!!'
Some of the members of the ferrets faction- in particular the ones who were excessively fanatic about their leader, were filled with fury with every word that Claire spoke, and wanted to jump out of their seats and go fight Claire at this very moment.
[Isn't it because the person purchasing the good views the price which they are paying for it as reasonable? Do they not view the potential savings as not worth the extra effort of investigating? Or perhaps specifically in the case for this city, it is too dangerous to go out into the streets and investigate, for that could mean risking your life. After all, which would you prefer? Getting ripped off, or risking the one and only priceless thing to you in an attempt to get a fair deal?]
Claire chuckled to herself, broadcasting this wicked laugh into the minds of the people.
'This woman...'
'She's nuts....'
'We.... might be doomed.....'
'My children.... I need to protect them.... I need to keep them safe.... but with this woman as our leader.... how will I do that?'
Many people were completely filled with doubt and suspicion, however a few souls in particular had faith in Claire which did not waver.
'C... I don't understand why you're saying these things, but I trust that you're doing this for the good of the people....'
'C.... please save everyone.....'
[Right now, I am going to play the part of the merchant, offering you an opportunity. Bow down before me. Become my slaves. Give up your very beings for me. This may be the biggest ripoff in the history of the world, but let me ask you this.... which one would you prefer? To get ripped off....]
The demonic aura which had been contained in Claire's left hand the entire duration of the speech suddenly flowed forward like a faucet had been released, covering 60% of Claire, including her entire face.
Her left wing became demonic, and her eyes bulged with redness. Her horns sprouted, and her halo disintegrated, and two fangs protruded from a terrible smile filled with bloodlust.
[Or to risk your lives trying to find out what would happen if you don't take this deal?]
'This bitch....'
'She's threatening us, isn't she!?!'
'That was a direct threat!!! It was a challenge!!! She's telling us that we don't have the balls to go against her!!! I'll show her wrong!!!'
Many were infuriated, while others were filled with terror. Others still were filled with confusion at the words of the woman, but every single person in the arena knew one thing.
'She's a demon.....'
'A true and tride demon, in the gown of an angel....'
Claire then walked off the stage of the arena, exiting through the portcullis, leaving the restless crowd.
'What the hell!?! How can she just say that and leave!?!?!'
'The audacity!!!!'
However, at that moment, sitting in four seats that floated in the air, four beings appeared in front of the crowd.
Two demons, one the crimson shade of blood and another the teal shade of the ocean on a clear day.
A girl who seemed to be transparent, with hair frizzled about like a wild woman and eyes so baggy that it appeared as if someone had smudged pencil lead all over them.
And an elf who wore an elegant suit and tie, with a pair of glasses that had corners cut sharp enough to slice one's finger on.
The elf spoke in a calm yet dominating tone, forcing every single person in the arena to pay attention to him.
"A wonderful speech, if I do say so myself. Truly.... she is terrifying. As I thought before..... the Determined is far more fit to lead, even compared to myself. She may not realize it, but at critical moments her charisma far surpasses that of any of us."
----
'Why did you butt in at the end there!? I thought I said I would do it myself!!'
'Well, you left yourself wide open. I couldn't help it.'
'Ah jeez.... well, either way it ended well, I think..... I've done exactly as Theo would have expected me to do and painted ourselves as villains. Now I'll just leave the rest to them.'
'But we are villains, so painting ourselves as such is just being honest, no? It's the same as if the merchant admits the original price to the customer, right?'
'Geh...'
Claire found herself in slight mental torment, however she was also proud of herself for doing so well.
'I just hope that we can fix everything.... and the first step to doing that is completely taking control.'
'Of course.'
Claire made her way through the dark halls, wondering if what she did was actually the right decision, but somehow or another, even though her mind was telling her that what she did was wrong....
She felt right about it.
----
"Now then.... you've all witnessed the magnificence of our leader, the Determined. You've learned of our demands. It's time for each and every one of you to make a decision."
The one who spoke was Garett.
"But first.... we should explain who we are. People of the ratmen city, listen closely, for we will not repeat ourselves. We are the antiheroes, and we have come to turn the world on it's side. This village is ours for the taking, and if anyone is stupid enough to try and stop us, then come forward right now."
The seats which the four beings sat upon seemed to lower to the point where they were only a couple meters above the ground, and the crimson demon who was covered from head to toe in bandages jumped down, the very ground shaking as his bare feet came into contact with it.
He wielded no weapon, and cracked his fingers one at a time, pulling each and every one of the demonic appendages, licking his lips as his eyes glazed the crowd.
Around his neck, he wore a necklace made from human fingers, and to the people of the ratmen village, he was making a statement with this motion.
'To anyone who dares step forward.... you are next.'
"30% are rebellious. 50% are submissive and filled with terror. The remaining 20% are filled with awe and respect.", Trevor stated from his seat, while glancing at a screen which had colored dots representing all the people of the arena.
"I'm going to mark the people right now.", Samantha said with a seductive smile as she waved her hand in a 360 degree motion.
Above the heads of every single one of the people, barriers formed in one of three shapes.
>:(, :O, :D.
They looked like text based smiley faces, representing the current emotional state of the people in the crowd.
"Well?? Did you all not hear me before? I'll take on as many people as there are here if I have to. If you have a complaint about becoming slaves to the Determined, then step right up. Bring as many weapons as you want. I'll fight you all bare handed. After all, if you can kill me then there's just four more people to defeat in order to reverse things to the way they were before."
'Who the hell are these people!?!?'
'The antiheroes!?!? Ha!! What a bunch of bologna!!'
'He said he'll fight as many people as who approach him? What an idiot!! Even if he's a demon, we can overwhelm him with numbers!!'
One man in particular- a ferret- stood up and began shouting.
"Men!!!! Will you sit back and watch as these demons take over our city!?!?! How many years have we spent trying to fight for our own pieces of territory!?!?! I don't care what faction you're from!!! Right now, we are all faced with a common enemy, so let us unite our power as the people of this city and throw them out of here!!!!!!"
The voice of this man boomed through the arena, reaching the hearts of many.
"Yeah!!!"
"We won't let them take our city so easily!!! Who ever said they could just walk in here and become the new leaders!?!?!"
"I'll take revenge for the sake of the boss!!!!"
Many men from all different factions began to stand, each of them heading down the stairs of the seats and jumping down into the arena.
The text based faces which hovered above the people started to change. Most stayed the same, but a few began flickering back and forth, ending in more angered expressions than before the statement was made.
"We won't lose, demon!!!! We'll kick you and your kind out of our city!!!!"
Many people sat in terror, watching as a large number of men exited their seats and jumped into the arena to fight.
Not a single leader of the mafia did anything to stop them, nor did they join them.
'Their actions are incomprehensible. Their objectives will never be completed.', Fina thought as she watched this happen.
'Idiots... they don't understand how outmatched they are....', Tiffany mused.
'Tch!! Why would anyone ever go against demons like these!?', Ramrod thought as he looked around at the vast number of people exiting their seats in shock.
Around 500 men had now jumped into the arena, surrounding Garett on all sides.
Many pulled out knives, some guns and crossbows, and one man even pulled out what looked like a mini cannon attached to his wrist.
"It seems that there are many fools here who fail to understand the gravity of the situation.", Ashley said with a giggle, tempted to release her crushing aura onto these people.
"Don't.", Trevor said while holding his hand up. "This is Gary's fight alone. If you interfere, he will have gone back on his word. Not that we need to keep our word to these insects, but there is simply no need to lie in the current situation. That would merely create distrust among the rest of the people."
"Alright....", Ashley responded with bored eyes.
Pulling out their weapons and preparing to shoot, the men around Garett seemed to laugh with confidence.
"What's wrong, demon? Never seen this tool before? It's called a gun. It shoots off a piece of metal faster than the eye can see. I bet even an upper demon like you won't be able to dodge it."
"Is there a need to dodge such a thing?", Garett asked, mockingly. "A primitive weapon like that won't even be able to lay a scratch on me."
The man sneered at hearing this.
"You sure talk big, but I'm sure you'll be crying once it hits you!! If you have the time to even cry, before you bite the dust that is!! Men!!! Fire!!!!"
The men with guns and crossbows, and even the one with a mini cannon fired off their rounds, littering Garett with the bullets.
A cloud of dust raised around him from the explosion of the cannonball as it hit, obstructing him from the sight of all.
"Hahaha!!!! That's what you get for underestimating our new technology and going against all of us at once!!!", one man shouted.
"Who's next, demons!?!"
However, as the men looked up to the three who were in the seats, they all had bored expressions on their faces as if they couldn't care less.
"You all are truly demons.... to not even care when one of your comrades has just been one sidedly slaughtered like that.... but that's fine!!!! We'll take care of all of you heartless bastards soon enough!!!"
"Who are you calling heartless?", Samantha asked in a sweet tone, while looking down smiling at the man who said this.
As she said this, the man felt an unbelievable captivation with every fiber of his being.
'B-beautiful.... I.... must serve her....'
"Please kill yourself, scum. Think about how much you've offended me in the next world."
The man brought the gun to his own head, letting off the bullet.
"Oi!?! What did that demon just do!?!?"
"Did she seduce him!?!?! Be careful, everyone!!! They've got a succubus on their side!!! Aim for her now!!!!!"
However, as the men began preparing to fire, the cloud of dust disappeared, revealing that the demon in the center was currently putting his hand over his mouth, just barely containing his laughter.
"Heh.... heh.... Keh.... AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!"
When he saw the faces of the men around him, he burst into a fit of laughter, making a complete mockery of everyone present.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Why are idiots so funny!?!?!? AHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!"
In an instant, as if he had teleported, one man found the demon behind his back.
"Disappear."
[Complete Elimination]
The second the demon's hand came into contact with the back of this man, he disappeared.
He was gone.
As if he never existed.
No blood, no flesh.
Nothing.
Not even his soul remained.
"Wha-"
"How are you still alive!?!"
The demon walked from person to person casually, touching each one- and the second his hand came into contact with them, they ceased to exist.
"How am I still alive? How is it possible that you thought something as simple as bullets and cannonballs would kill me? The real question is, how are you still alive at this point?"
As Garett said this, he touched three more people, and with every touch they disappeared.
"Five. One percent completed."
"The... the people he touches keep on disappearing!!!"
"Don't worry!! He's probably just casting some illusion spell on them when he touches them!! He's trying to freak us out!!!"
"Yeah, that's right!! They can't just have disappeared!! It has to be an illusion or some sort of spell!!"
"Prepare to fire again!!!! Melee fighters, charge!!!!"
One man shouted off orders and the people with ranged weapons began to reload while all the men with knives charges at Garett.
"How kind of you all to come to me. It saves me a lot of time and effort, after all."