ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER
_________
Leon landed lightly several meters away, one hand pressing against the hole in his stomach.
Light gathered around the wound immediately.
The flesh regenerated almost instantly beneath the purification energy of [Metatron], the torn fabric of his coat fluttering gently as the remaining particles of the barrier faded into nothingness.
Silence lingered for exactly one second.
Then,
"WHAAAAAT?!" Ramiris screamed loud enough to shake the room. "LEON LOST?!"
Deeno burst out laughing from his chair while Carrion scratched the back of his head with a bitter grin.
"Man…" the Beast Master exhaled. "And here I thought surviving five minutes was already impossible."
"You fight intelligently at least." Coming from Leon Cromwell, those words may as well have been thunder.
Ramiris nearly fell out of her chair. "WAIT THAT WAS A COMPLIMENT?!"
"Impossible." Deeno muttered. "The world's ending."
Milim was practically vibrating in excitement. "SEE?! SEE?! I TOLD YOU SOMETHING INTERESTING WOULD HAPPEN!"
Guy laughed loudly.
"Marvelous." the red-haired Demon Lord grinned. "Absolutely marvelous. Three newborn Demon Lords in one Walpurgis, one dead clown, Leon got humbled," He ignored the Demonoid's glares.
He rested his cheek against his fist. "This truly was worth attending."
Luminous crossed one leg over the other elegantly. "Your standards for entertainment are concerning."
"Exquisite, are they not?" Guy laughed it off.
Meanwhile Rimuru was staring at Sally with an increasingly complicated expression.
Rimuru pointed accusingly at Sally. "Do you have any idea how horrifying it is watching someone else use your Ultimate Skill?!"
Milim nodded seriously. "Yeah, that was super creepy."
"Thank you Milim!"
"But also really cool."
"DAMMIT!"
Sally tilted her head slightly toward Kaede. "He's pretty loud."
"Yeah." Kaede grinned. "They're all weird like that."
Rimuru snapped. "I don't wanna hear that from you!"
Across the chamber, Daggrul let out a deep rumbling laugh. "Good." he declared. "Very good! Strength, wit, guts. You've got all three."
Carrion nodded in agreement. "Honestly? I can respect it. Fighting Leon head on sounds suicidal."
"Perhaps." Sally admitted calmly.
Leon's eye twitched slightly.
Guy noticed. Which naturally made his smile widen further. "Well then." he announced, clapping his hands once. "I believe this concludes our final matter."
His crimson eyes swept across the chamber.
"No objections remain regarding Sally's qualification?"
Silence.
Not hesitant silence either.
Acceptance.
Leon closed his eyes. "None."
Luminous gave a slight nod.
Daggrul shrugged.
Deeno waved lazily from his chair. "Sure, whatever."
Ramiris puffed her cheeks. "I still think this Walpurgis is weird…"
"Your opinion has been noted and discarded." Guy informed her pleasantly.
"HEY!"
Guy ignored her, then he smiled toward Sally.
"From this day onward," he declared, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. "You shall be recognized as a Demon Lord by the council of Walpurgis."
Sally closed her eyes briefly. Then opened them again. "…I see."
Kaede stared at her for a moment. Then suddenly stood up.
Before anyone could react... She wrapped her arms around Sally again. "I'm so glad."
Sally smiled in return, placing a hand on Kaede's. "I found you."
---
Once again, the round table was back in place with the various Demon Lords seated around it.
The current Demon Lords were now like this:
Demon. The Lord Of Darkness, Guy Crimson.
Pixie. The Labyrinth, Ramiris.
Dragonoid. The Destroyer, Millim Nava.
Giant. The Earthquake, Daggrul.
High Blood. Queen Of Nightmares. Luminous Valentine.
Fallen. Sleeping Ruler, Deeno.
Harpy. The Sky Queen, Frey.
LionMan. The BeastMaster, Carrion.
Demonoid. Platinum Saber, Leon Cromwell.
Human. Mother Of Monsters, Kaede Honjou.
Slime. Ruler Of Monsters, Rimuru Tempest.
Deathman. Lady Of Phantom, Sally.
For a brief moment, the chamber was quiet.
Not the tense silence from earlier, or the suffocating pressure that had filled the room when Clayman still stood amongst them.
This silence was calmer.
Guy Crimson looked around the table slowly, crimson eyes glinting with amusement. "Twelve Demon Lords once more." He mused. "How nostalgic."
"Three of them appearing in one night is the part that's insane." Deeno corrected lazily from his seat.
"Technically two." Daggrul said. "Kaede should have already qualified long ago."
"True." Deeno nodded. "Honestly, it feels stranger that she wasn't already one."
Ramiris puffed her cheeks. "Well excuse me for not wanting every terrifying monster in the world joining our meetings!"
"You're literally a Demon Lord." Rimuru pointed out.
"I'm also the Queen Of Spirits ."
"No argument there." Frey admitted.
Ramiris immediately looked smug. "See?"
Guy ignored the pixie for the moment. His gaze shifted toward the newest additions to the council.
Rimuru Tempest.
Kaede Honjou.
Sally.
Beings that had appeared out of nowhere and violently altered the balance of the world in less than two years.
Even amongst the Demon Lords, that was absurd.
Especially because none of them were ordinary awakenings.
Rimuru possessed more than Ultimate Skills, it seemed and had evolved through harvesting twenty thousand souls.
Kaede was...
Guy smiled slightly.
Kaede was Kaede.
And Sally...
Guy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they rested on the silver-haired girl seated beside Kaede.
'Still impossible to read.' Not even a fragment. No matter how many times he looked.
Even with [Lucifer], her existence remained strangely blurred.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You know," Guy suddenly said aloud. "This may become troublesome."
"Hmm?" Rimuru looked up.
Guy gestured lazily around the table. "The balance of power has shifted quite dramatically tonight."
"That's your problem." Leon replied instantly.
"So Cold." Guy pouted.
"You'll survive."
"Emotionally? Perhaps not."
Luminous sighed softly. "Can we move on already?"
"Very well." Guy spread his hands dramatically. "Business it is."
Instantly, the atmosphere changed again. More serious this time.
Even Ramiris sat properly.
Guy leaned back into his throne-like chair. "First issue." he said. "Clayman's territory."
That caused a small pause around the table.
Because that was indeed a problem.
Clayman may have been pathetic by the standards of this room, but he had still ruled over an enormous domain.
A power vacuum of that scale was dangerous.
"Normally," Guy continued. "The territory would be divided or claimed through conflict."
"Sounds annoying." Deeno muttered.
"It usually is." Luminous confirmed.
Guy smiled faintly. "However, in this particular case…"
His eyes shifted toward Sally.
"There is an obvious successor."
The room seemed to understand immediately.
Carrion scratched his jaw. "Makes sense honestly."
"She inherited most of Clayman's forces already, didn't she?"
Sally gave a small nod. "Most of the upper command has already sworn allegiance."
"Because you killed the old boss?" Deeno asked.
"Because I broke the control he had over them." Sally corrected. To emphasize that fact, the orange furred fox with three tails curled up on her lap while purring.
Rimuru leaned back thoughtfully. "So instead of conquering the territory, you already dismantled its structure from the inside."
"I had time." Sally replied calmly.
Kaede looked oddly proud beside her.
Guy chuckled softly. "Efficient too."
Daggrul crossed his arms. "Then there's no issue. Give her the territory."
"No objections here." Carrion agreed. "So long as you don't mind helping out with the labour for rebuilding Eurazania."
"Already trying to guilt the newbie? Eh, Carrion?" Millim laughed. "Sally shouldn't have to deal with the consequences of Clayman's actions ya know."
Carrion nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It should be you! After all, you're the one who blew up my kingdom in the first place! Take responsibility damnit!"
Millim looked away while whistling amateurishly. "What do you mean Carrion? I was being controlled by Clayman remember?"
"A kid like Clayman could never take over my mind! Hahaha!" Carrion did an imitation of Millim. "Those were your words."
"Ah, Rimuru help!" Millim nervously cried out.
"Just agree to sending some of your people to join the restoration efforts." Rimuru advised. "You at least owe him that."
Millim looked down dejectedly. "...ok."
Frey nodded as well.
Luminous closed her eyes briefly. "As long as the instability is contained."
Leon said nothing.
Which in itself counted as approval.
Guy clapped his hands once.
"Excellent." he smiled. "Then from this day onward, the former domain of Clayman shall belong to Sally."
Ramiris raised her hand suddenly. "Question!"
Guy turned to her. "What."
"Does this mean we have to change the name of the Ten Great Demon Lords?!"
A pause spread across the room.
Then Rimuru slowly spoke. "Well, since there's twelve of us, wouldn't just The Twelve Great Demon Lords do?"
"That sounds rather dull." Luminous sounded displeased at the name.
Daggrul nodded. "…She has a point."
Millim slammed both hands on the table excitedly. "Let's call it something cool!"
"No." Leon said immediately.
"Aww."
Guy looked dangerously entertained now.
Which was never a good sign.
"Well then," he grinned. "Since we apparently have another crisis to solve…"
Leon closed his eyes.
"…I'm leaving."
"You can't leave during official proceedings."
"I suddenly understand why Kazalim hated these meetings." Leon muttered darkly.