Though Aectaeon recognized that he was being unreasonable, he couldn't stop himself.
He was aware that he would be wasting time by insisting on what he wanted, he couldn't just pardon anyone who'd try to sabotage his gameplay.
The only person who could sabotage his plans was him and only him.
Left with no choice, the female Meister started summoning every single one of her Demons. She was sweating all over her body, her limbs trembling. Her complexion had become pallid, making her skin look like the surface of a piece of parchment.
It took her more than five minutes to complete the summoning. Once she was done, she made sure to avoid Aectaeon's gaze as long as possible.
Aectaeon, on the other hand, was eyeing the Time Limit of his mission.
{{ Time Limit: 00 D ; 09 H ; 53 M ; 12 S }}
'Since it has come to this, I can kill more than an hour for this battle alone. I'll speed through all the battles after this.'
The man heaved a sigh as he pulled his hands out from his pockets. He ruffled his hair for the uncountable time in a row. That very act helped him regain some of his composure.
'Just because I can, doesn't mean I should. I want to escape the Hunting Ground the soonest I can. That being said, there's only one way to defeat all these Demons in one turn.'
Right then, Aectaeon searched for the Command he desired to use. Under the 'Battle' category, there was one that he had been intending to use the moment he saw it.
Upon tapping it, a panel appeared in front of the female Meister.
{-{ Opponent is requesting permission to violate a rule }-}
{-{ Accept }-} {-{ Reject }-}
The woman hurriedly raised her head and looked at Aectaeon. Meeting his glare, she immediately returned her gaze at the panel.
"Accept it," Aectaeon urged, his voice threateningly low.
With her quivering finger, she accepted. It was now Aectaeon's turn to finalize his plan.
{-{ Select Rule to Violate }-}
{-{ A. Stat Threshold - Demons with HP > 5000 will not be allowed to participate in the battle }-}
{-{ B. Demon Ranks - Kings will not be allowed to participate in the battle }-}
{-{ C. Item Restriction: Ban the use of all auxiliary weapons }-}
{-{ D. Item Restriction: Ban the use of all potions }-}
Without an ounce of hesitation, Aectaeon made his choice. At that instant, another panel appeared afore him.
{-{ Deducting 99% HP Points from Meister Igor Vali }-}
{-{ HP: 100/10,000 }-}
As his HP for the battle was being reduced, Aectaeon felt as if he was being strangled by the neck. He tilted his neck to the sides, trying to dismiss the discomfort coursing through his veins. Once it was done, he could finally take a deep breath.
'This will be underhanded of me, but this woman is testing my patience.'
Aectaeon wasted no second in summoning the Demon he had in mind.
"Come out, Bacharoth."
Rather than the usual portal emitting a white light, the portal this time was just a plane of endless darkness. It was even oozing with smoke so dense that it was able to conceal the opening.
Soon enough, the Demon slowly emerged out of the portal.
{-{ Bacharoth Lv. 155 }-}
Bacharoth was a Demon whose stature surpassed Aectaeon. The Demon was approximately 300 meters tall, though its appearance was still similar to that of a human. Only, it had an enormous spiked tail spanning two meters long and as thick as Aectaeon's body. Bacharoth had black hair, slightly curled and smooth, that reached the ground.
The Demon had a tanned skin, giving emphasis to its bulky build. Its eyes were a pool of darkness, seemingly wanting to absorb everything that the Demon laid its eyes on.
But the most remarkable difference that Bacharoth had with the other Demons was not its appearance. It was the absence of horns on its head.
In the place of horns was a crown made of jewels and gold.
Bacharoth was a King.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, bringing out Kings in a battle with a lower-ranking Meister was unlawful. Demon Kings were not Kings by birth. They gained their status through the abilities they had shown.
Within Aectaeon's portal, there were a handful of Kings. One of the main criteria to be promoted as a Mentor Meister was to be in possession of a Demon with a King rank.
Kings were special in an egregious way. They could reject the summoning of their Meister if they had deemed them unworthy of controlling them. That's the reason why Meisters, who had Kings in their repertoire, were the paramount of strength among the community.
As for the Meisters around Aectaeon, it was the first time they had witnessed the appearance of a King.
They were not in awe. They were terror-stricken.
Bacharoth didn't hold back in emitting its aura. And the sole person who was immune to its pressure was Aectaeon.
"Bacharoth, I hope it's not a bother that I have summoned you."
The Demon turned towards Aectaeon, bowing before responding.
{-{ "Meister Igor, there will never be a time that we will be bothered by your summons." }-}
"Is that so?" Aectaeon chuckled, "I lost my composure for a bit. I ordered my opponent to summon all of their demons because they purposefully set no time limit."
{-{ "Did you advise them of what time limit you wanted?" }-}
"Yes, three minutes. Though, this wouldn't have happened if I initiated the battle myself."
{-{ "The blame is not on you, Meister Igor." }-}
Aectaeon then took a few breaths, realizing just how many unnecessary things he had done only to end up in that situation.
The female Meister, in the meantime, tried to retreat. However, the line of Meisters behind her prevented the woman from doing so. Furthermore, she couldn't just leave her Demons be.
"Bacharoth," Aectaeon uttered as he pointed his finger at his opponent, "Would you mind decimating all of those Demons for me?"
{-{ "Will you be at ease if I did that?" }-}
"There's no greater joy for me than seeing those who wronged me learn their lesson, Bacharoth."