Vassago was infamous as an insidious and prudent demon even in hell. His castle was surrounded by six layers of walls, and unlike other demon lord candidates who owned many army corps, Vassago was famous for moving out with only a few aides on his side.
There was a hypothesis that, if a demon was to eat a saintess, that demon could reach the Gods' realm. As such, pursuing the human realm was the fate of the demons.
One day, it was reported to hell that a saintess had appeared in the human realm. There were demons who had persistently developed influence on the human realm through black sorcerers and demon worshippers, and some of the impatient ones had rushed in after hearing the news.
When it was reported that Lilith had caused a disaster and brought about the intervention of the Gods, a rather radical argument to cause an all-out war was bolstered.
Vassago was an unusual demon. He was not very interested in the duty that demons regarded as fate. There was no desire to dominate within him, which he believed was instinctive. All he wanted was a perfect monarch.
"The powers of the demons are unbalanced and hell is still imperfect. We seek to make up for that deficiency through battle and blood. It's like a really childish beast."
For Vassago, even if worthless demons ascended to the humans' realm, it would be fortunate if they did not go extinct due to the intervention of crazy Gods. He had always been spitefully telling them to get a grip.
What hell needed was an impeccable demon lord. A strong, beautiful, arrogant monarch that no one could ever overcome. For such a demon lord, Vassago was confident to become his servant and submit like a slave.
Vassago, the maverick from hell.
He was summoned by a saintess.
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Vassago, who ascended into the body of the black sorcerer, seemed genuinely surprised. He burst into laughter at Lara, saying of his obliviousness on how it felt to be dragged by the hair.
Lara shrugged and said.
"I heard that you are the maverick from hell. I have two blabbermouth demons with me, you know?"
"Is that so?"
Vassago came down from the altar and dusted down his body. He seemed fine even though he would feel imprisoned due to being forcibly summoned to a human's body.
"Will you fight with me?"
"Sure."
"Hmm, if I win, I will make you a witch and use you to humiliate the Gods."
"Go ahead."
Lara mumbled.
"But if I win, I will use you as my servant and order you to polish my shoes every morning."
In Vassago's eyes, Lara looked like an ordinary human being with no power. She did not seem like a sorcerer nor did she seem familiar with battles. But be that as it may, God did not seem to have given her a tremendous miracle to beat a demon all at once. Because if that was the case, there was no way he would not notice. Then, what made this young saintess be this confident?
Vassago looked around. There was a parasite-like vampire nearby and several humans standing in the distance armed with weapons. However, none of them would have been able to be his opponent.
"Who should I fight with?"
Vassago asked.
Lara replied with an expressionless face.
"Fire."
The torch she had lit suddenly rose violently, casting a huge, red shadow. It was the giant of fire.
Vassago's pupils expanded significantly.
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"Are there six torches there because it's a demon summoning altar?"
Lampion muttered timidly, having counted the number of torches several times.
"It's ominous no matter how I look at it. Why does it have to be six? We can do five or even seven."
"There he goes again."
"Domino, look over there. The sky is weird too. It's ominous and really weird."
Lampion's complaints made sense. Even Domino said that he had never seen such a sky before. It was not a typical night sky in which stars gently spread faintly in the dark sky, but a sky in which sticky darkness seemed to flow down, swirling and devouring the stars.
"It's ominous."
While Lampion kept murmuring how ominous the sky was, Oscar approached him and covered Lampion's mouth with his large palm.
"Keep quiet. It's started."
The altar where Lara performed the summoning ceremony was on a stone pagoda in the corner of the ruins. Although all sides were blocked by walls, the ceiling was open, so they could still see the swaying shadow of the torch from afar. They did not know what Lara was doing there. However, they were only thinking that she was summoning a demon and would make him obey her. If things went wrong, they would run to rescue her.
The shadow of the torch had been swaying, it rose enormously and disappeared in an instant. Domino suddenly became restless because of it. Lampion shook his legs and asked Oscar.
"Should we go now?"
"But she told us not to come before she calls us."
"But the light is off!"
"She said not to come recklessly. The demon might ascend into our body!"
"But I'm still nervous! Let's send one of us to take a look. If the demon comes into his body, just kill him."
"Are you even my friend?"
A small war of words happened between Lampion, who insisted they go to Lara out of worry, Domino who was hesitating, and Oscar, who was stopping the two. Of course, it was all useless.
"Uh… She's coming."
They did not think they had waited for very long, but Lara was already walking towards them. Only the sounds of her footsteps were heard among the quiet grass, like gravel rolling on the water.
Lara was not alone. There were two more demons with her. Valac, who followed closely behind her like a secretary, and another demon who followed behind with a moderate distance away. He was covered with the black sorcerer's shell but something completely different walked along with her.
Lara approached the three Barbarians and said.
"Thank you for your help. Everything has ended well so you can sleep comfortably now."
"It's over?"
"Yes."
"Then that's…"
Domino, Lampion, and Oscar's eyes went to the new demon.
Vassago was a strange demon. Unlike Paimon, who was fatally beautiful, he had an atmosphere that was difficult to express in words. Something that was not supposed to be there seemed to be inside the body of the young female black sorcerer. Even though they were making eye contact, it didn't feel like they were looking at the black sorcerer. Rather, it felt like they were looking into space.
Vassago looked at the three Barbarians and soon put his hands in front of him and bowed deeply to greet them. It was a very polite and courteous gesture.
"What…"
"But why…"
"I'm offended."
Domino, Oscar, and Lampion agreed that they had never received such an uncomfortable greeting in their lives.
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Valac lived in hell and was treated like a flea and aphid. Lilith was despised and called a half-breed because she was mixed. Paimon was known as a candidate for the demon lord due to his reputation in hell, but not many demons actually expected him to become the demon lord because he was vain and impulsive.
"I don't want to say it myself but I'm one of the most likely candidates for the demon lord. I'm in one of the top five in hell."
Vassago stood in a polite position opposite Lara and was talking to her. His body was a young female black sorcerer, but now he looked like a completely different person. His messy hair had gotten shorter and was neater, and his hunched body was straightened out.
Lara asked him.
"What if news comes out that I made you obey me?"
"Then you will be a candidate for the demon lord instead of me, Master."
"Even though I'm not a demon?"
"Race does not matter. According to the ancient records of hell, there have been several cases in which humans have become the demon lords."
"What if it's revealed that I made Paimon, Valac, who ate Lilith, and even you obey me?"
Vassago slightly raised his head. A strange light grew in his eyes, it was more of a joy.
"I can assure you, Master, you will be one of the two candidates for this generation's demon lord."
"But I don't know how to use powerful magic, nor can I use curses or attribute power."
"A demon lord is determined by power."
There was little to no tone in Vassago's voice. He was like a straightforward scholar.
"That power is not only the power of the demon lord but also the power of the soldiers who follow them."
In short, it should be enough even if the demon lord had a lot of strong subordinates. Vassago bowed his head deeply to Lara once again.
"As long as the hellfire is in your hand, Master, there will not be many demons who can resist that fire. It's the fire of destruction."
Lara's gaze touched Vassago's eyes. He was such a strange demon. As soon as Lara summoned the giant of fire, he gave up the fight and knelt down to her.
The giant of fire did not even have a chance to show its skills. The fuel that Isadora fed it throughout the summer to raise him had the potential to turn as large as a small mountain, but the battle had already ended without even a single spark.
"So, there's something you want from me."
Lara realized. Paimon called Vassago an unplumbed old demon. But in Lara's view, although he was not such a difficult opponent, he wasn't acting like a demon.
"Say it."
"Master."
Vassago came a little closer to Lara. the giant of fire sitting on Lara's lap burst into flames as though he was growling. Regardless, he approached her still, and said with a face soaked in madness.
"Please save the hell. If you do that, Master, I will be your faithful slave and take the lead in the dirtiest and most dangerous of your business."
"Why?"
"Hell needs a King. At this rate, hell will be first to be destroyed."
Vassago was certain.
"Master, I will do whatever you want. I can betray my race and stand on the side of mankind. I can even make you the Emperor. If you ask for my life, I will cut off my head and offer it to you. If you want my honor, I can leash it and give it to you."
"Vassago?"
"The demon lord is not a position the Gods create as they please, it's a position established through sacred battles and through the obedience of the defeated."
Vassago's voice sank heavily in Lara's ear.
"As the great monarch of hell was treated as God's toy, the demons lost interest in the sacred battle. The demons have a desire to leave hell and rise to the Gods' realm because there is no real demon lord to obey and follow."
Since demons were said to have a never-ending lifespan, it was not surprising that Vassago knew the secrets of the world. However, Lara did not expect that he would ask her, the saintess, to be the demon lord. What Vassago wanted was the demon lord who would protect hell from Gods.
Lara thought.
What will happen to Demian if I become the demon lord? If one of us has to be the demon lord and the other has to be a saint or saintess, wouldn't it be better for Demian, the fragment of God, to be the saint?
If Lara ascended to the throne of the demon lord, she would not covet or lead the world to destruction, nor would she make a fuss about eating the saint, nor would she be swayed by God's hands anymore.
'Don't you think so?'
Lara closed her eyes and asked. There was a deep sadness in Abraxas' gaze that did not leave her side from some point on.
'I will have to leave him.'
Lara decided that if they were fated to have no other choice but to be in love, then even that fate would be cleanly cut off.