Zeke rode Bucephalus toward the location Anastasia had mentioned.
Beyond the Forest of the Forgotten, the Gate was concealed by a Demon Realm barrier, which made it impossible to pinpoint with the naked eye.
But Zeke, who possessed not only the Dragon Eye but also the Eye of the Sage, could pierce the hidden Demon Realm barrier.
"It must be over there."
From the air, he could see the chaotic traces of barriers that stretched from the sky to the ground.
At that moment, crow demons from within the barrier flapped their wings and flew toward Zeke.
As Zeke drew the Holy Sword Ascalon and gathered his energy, the crow demons flinched and retreated, saying,
"Wa-wait! We're just here to guide you."
They knew the emissary sent to deliver the message had been killed by Zeke's attack, so the crow demons remained on high alert, watching him carefully.
Zeke, who had been glaring at them, sheathed his sword and said,
"Don't try any tricks. Just guide me quietly."
The crow demons sighed in relief at Zeke's words and led him to a gap in the barrier.
Tssst—
Fortunately, they guided him exactly as he could see with his eyes, and Zeke followed the crow demons into the Demon Realm barrier.
As he entered, the gap in the barrier closed immediately.
It meant no other human could enter this place except Zeke.
The crow demons took the lead and said to him,
"This way. Human, follow us."
Zeke urged Bucephalus forward, following the crow demons' guidance.
While flying through the air and surveying the inside of the barrier, Zeke was startled by the sight that unfolded on the ground.
"Is this really the Phenomenal World...?"
Surprisingly, a fortress made of spires and towers in a style he had never seen before stood there.
It felt as if an entire city had been transplanted to this location.
Zeke asked Arataso and Nebilos through his spirit link,
"Have you ever seen buildings like that?" Unexpectedly, Nebilos responded first.
"It's intriguing. That's one of the Demon Archlord's invasion fortresses."
"Invasion fortress? What's that?"
"Exactly as it sounds—a fortress built for the purpose of invasion. It's used when waging war to encroach on another demon's territory and expand one's domain."
Zeke closely examined the invasion fortress at Nebilos's words.
"Can such an invasion fortress appear in the Phenomenal World?"
"Hmm, even in the Demon Realm, summoning an invasion fortress required a substantial sacrifice. To summon it here in the Phenomenal World..."
Arataso, who had been silent, added,
"Invasion fortresses vary by type. That one appeared to be an erosion-type invasion fortress."
Nebilos finally understood and replied,
"Ah, I see. That would reduce the amount of sacrifice needed for the summoning."
Zeke said to the two demons, who were conversing in terms only they understood,
"Explain what an erosion-type invasion fortress is, kindly." Arataso answered Zeke's question.
"An erosion-type invasion fortress is summoned by overlaying it onto existing structures, as the name implies."
Nebilos added,
"It takes much longer than summoning the fortress itself, and it can't exert its full power, but the advantage is that it consumes fewer sacrifices."
Nebilos continued,
"The issue is that very few demons in the Demon Realm can summon an erosion-type invasion fortress. It requires quite stringent summoning conditions."
"According to the demon who came as the emissary, Anastasia, the adopted daughter of the Demon Archlord and a princess of the Demon Realm, is here."
"What?"
"Princess Anastasia?"
Nebilos and Arataso exclaimed simultaneously at Zeke's words.
Zeke was more surprised by the demons' intense reactions.
"Why are you so shocked?"
Arataso groaned,
"Of all the Demon Archlord's adopted daughters, the most vicious one had to be the one summoned."
Nebilos echoed in a similar tone,
"If it's Princess Anastasia... she's infamous even among demons. That's why she receives the Demon Archlord's favor."
"Just what kind of demon is she to elicit this reaction..."
As Zeke was bewildered by the two demons' responses, he descended into the fortress following the crow demons and spotted something that made him puzzled once again.
"A fighting pit?"
It resembled the fighting pit where he had seen the balrogs in the Inverted Tower.
Demons of various kinds sat around the fighting pit, roaring with frenzied cheers. "Graaaah!"
"Kill it! Kill!"
Surprisingly, inside the fighting pit, an elephant-like demon and a tiger-like demon fought, spilling blue blood.
The moment Zeke took interest, the tiger-like demon let its guard down, and the elephantlike demon wrapped its long trunk around the tiger's waist.
Kudududuk!
The tiger-like demon's waist snapped under the powerful pressure, splitting it in two.
The elephant-like demon, covered in the tiger's blood and entrails, bellowed in triumph while drenched in gore.
Graaaaaah!
Seeing the primal, barbaric frenzy of the fighting pit, Zeke began to get a sense of what kind of person this demon Anastasia was.
At that moment, the elephant-like demon turned its gaze to Zeke in the air, pointed at him, and declared,
"I cannot allow a lowly human to enter this sacred fighting pit!"
The demon's provocative words made the other demons in the spectator seats roar even louder.
Moments later, the elephant-like demon extended its trunk long and began inflating it like a balloon.
Kugugugu—
A powerful mana shot burst from the massively swollen trunk.
Tatatatata!
Hundreds of mana shots flew toward Zeke in the air.
Zeke drew the Holy Sword Ascalon and unleashed a sword strike at the incoming mana shots.
Kwakwakwakwang!
Zeke's sword strike canceled out the mana shots, causing a chain of explosions.
The elephant-like demon raised its arm, flexing its muscles, and laughed.
"Kahaha! A mere human dies in one blow! The one to monopolize Lady Anastasia's love is me...!"
Jjeok—
In an instant, the elephant-like demon's body split in half as it spoke.
Chwaaaak—
Zeke had dismissed Bucephalus's summon and leaped down to the fighting pit, cleaving the elephant demon in a single stroke with the Holy Sword Ascalon.
Kung!
The massive demon's body fell to the fighting pit floor, split into two halves.
The demons in the fighting pit fell silent for a moment.
Then, cheers erupted once more.
"Graaaaaah!"
"The human cleaved Korem in one strike!"
"A strong human!"
Like the balrogs Zeke had seen before, these demons were utterly simple.
Addicted to base pleasures, the demons cheered at the overwhelming violence Zeke displayed.
At that moment, the surroundings darkened, and spotlights focused on Zeke standing in the fighting pit. Soon, upbeat music began to play.
Dudududu!
Simultaneously, the floor in front split open, and a lavishly decorated stage rose up.
On that stage stood Anastasia, dressed in a gown.
As Anastasia appeared, the demons gathered in the fighting pit went wild, shouting.
"Lady Anastasia!"
"Graaaah! Look this way!"
"Kweeeeek!"
Anastasia's displeased expression at the frenzied demons only fueled their fervor more.
With an arrogant look, she gazed down at Zeke from the high stage and said,
"Zeke Draker, thank you for accepting my invitation."
Zeke pointed the Holy Sword Ascalon at Anastasia and said,
"Where is my master? If you've deceived me..."
Anastasia waved her hand dismissively at his words.
"Humans are so suspicious."
She snapped her fingers, and a chair emerged beside the stage.
Seated on the ornate chair, asleep in a gown similar to Anastasia's, was Nigel.
Zeke's eyes widened at the sight of Nigel in a dress, something he had never seen before.
"...It feels like I've seen something I shouldn't have."
Zeke averted his gaze from the dressed-up Nigel and said to Anastasia,
"Cut the damn pranks and start the bet." Anastasia smirked at his words.
"Very well, then... shall we proceed with the bet as a 'chess match'?" Zeke pondered briefly at Anastasia's choice of chess as the bet.
"Chess, huh."
Zeke grew suspicious that Anastasia, the Demon Archlord's adopted daughter, had chosen such an ordinary game.
After some thought, Zeke nodded.
"Fine. We'll do that."
Anastasia smiled at Zeke's agreement and snapped her fingers again.
Woooung—
Light flashed on the fighting pit floor, creating a realistic miniature battlefield.
Fortresses stood at opposite ends, with a river, plains, and forests in between, and scattered ruined castles, fortresses, and villages throughout.
As the scene fully materialized in the fighting pit, the demons in the spectator seats cheered.
Zeke's expression hardened upon realizing that what Anastasia meant was not ordinary chess, but an entirely new game.
"...What is this?"
Anastasia shrugged at Zeke's question.
"What else? Preparing for chess. Demon Realm chess, that is."
She smiled at Zeke's stiffened expression.
She hadn't specified what kind of chess she meant, but in the Demon Realm, it was indeed called a "chess game," so she hadn't lied. Anastasia said to Zeke with a relaxed expression,
"Have you ever played Demon Realm chess?"
Zeke gritted his teeth at her question and replied,
"Of course not."
Anastasia smirked at Zeke's response and snapped her fingers.
Wooong—
The game board in the fighting pit shifted, and legions composed of demons and monsters appeared within it.
Demons and monsters of various kinds clashed in massive battles on the plains, spilling blood and falling.
Though scaled down, it felt like watching a real war.
Anastasia pointed to the game board and said,
"Demon Realm chess is not a simple game. The Demon Realm sees so many wars that it consumes vast forces. So, my father, the Demon Archlord, created a new method called 'proxy war.'"
Zeke nodded as he looked at the virtual battlefield Anastasia had conjured.
"You're saying we wage a virtual war here, and the winner takes all." Anastasia nodded with a smile.
"You're quick on the uptake for a human. Yes, that's Demon Realm chess."
A completely new form of chess.
Zeke said to Anastasia with a hardened expression,
"You're called a princess of the Demon Realm, yet you use such petty tricks. Hitting me from behind like this."
Anastasia covered her mouth and laughed delightedly at his words.
"I don't care about means if I want something. Well, shall we begin the game?" She snapped her fingers again.
Humans appeared in Zeke's camp, while orcs and other monster races appeared in hers.
"As a special mercy, I adjusted the races to the Phenomenal World version. The method is simple. Use the workers among your pieces to gather resources, strengthen your forces with them, and invade the enemy's camp to win."
"What do you mean by producing with workers? There's no such thing in regular chess."
"Demon Realm chess recreates real war, unlike humans' simplistic pastime. No war can proceed without logistics. You must use workers to gather food and various resources to produce troops and weapons."
Zeke's expression darkened as he listened to Anastasia.
Demon Realm chess was utterly different from Central Continent chess.
Zeke quickly scanned the battlefield on the game board and asked Anastasia,
"Specify the victory conditions. Is it killing all the enemy's pieces? Or conquering the castle?"
Anastasia smiled at Zeke's question and snapped her fingers again.
Blue and red flags appeared on each castle.
"The side that invades the enemy's castle and first captures the flag wins." Zeke pondered Anastasia's words briefly before speaking again.
"One more thing. How does the balance work between my human race and the monsters?
Monsters should have higher base strength and stamina."
Anastasia was slightly surprised inwardly at Zeke's probing question.
'Could he have played Demon Realm chess before?'
But given his initial reaction and that he was human, it was unlikely, so Anastasia replied calmly.
"The human race is certainly weaker in the early game, but they have higher productivity than monsters and can create a strong army with various weapons as the game progresses."
"So the balance differs between early and late game."
"Factoring in those points to devise strategy is the core of Demon Realm chess."
Zeke nodded at Anastasia's words, then stared intently at something with a serious expression.
In his line of sight floated a single message.
['Constellation's Pastime Battle' detected. Would you like to proceed linked with the system?]