Exposed Deception

Belial and Lucifer sat among the other demons at the table, discussing their actions, and formulating their plans.

Belial, the traitor, and the manipulator.

Lucifer, the heartbroken, and the cruel one.

They were well-known among the South Continent, and even feared by many who lived in this enslaved nation.

"Ahh! I-I'm so sorry!"

A young elf, around the age of fourteen, was pouring more wine for Belial, doing the duties that she was given, to please the guest. However, she made a mistake.

She dropped the glass of wine, breaking it against the floor.

The young girl dropped to her knees, covering her head, scared of being hit.

"You humanoid scum!" One of the demons got up from their seats, kicking the girl in her head, "Clean it up!"

She skidded across the ground, crying her eyes out, "I'm sowwy, please forgive me!"

Belial could only stare at the shattered bottle, closing his eyes in disappointment.

"I must say, Lucifer, for someone who despises most of the humanoid race, you tend to keep a lot of them around. Especially in the castle."

Lucifer sat there, staring at the young elf who cowered in fear, unable to stand.

"Do I have to knock some sense into you, little shit??" The demon that was bullying her had drawn its sword, pointing the edge toward her face, "On the count of three, if you don't make a move, I'll skewer you where you stand."

"P-Please, no more, I'm scared!" The little girl hugged her knees, turning away from the sword.

"One... two..."

"Wow, he's really going to kill her, isn't he?" Said the eccentric Belial.

"Three!" The demon finished counting, and lifted his sword into the air, "For showing disrespect to Lord Lucifer, you'll be cut down like vermin!"

"Ohhh!" Belial clapped his hands together, joyful as ever.

The sword finally swung down, connecting with pristine armor.

"Hey... what the-" The demon couldn't understand what happened, until he looked up, noticing Lucifer standing in front of him, "L-Lord?!" He backed away, dropping to his hands and knees, "I-I'm sorry!! Forgive me, Lord Lucifer!"

"Hm?" Belial's joyful expression wore off, showing his annoyed stare, "It's not like you to stop a justifiable death, Lucy."

"By no means did she deserve to die."

"Oh?" Belial lifted his brow at the demon king, "Isn't it you who made the rules to kill anyone who fails to do their job, and show disrespect in your presence?"

"...." Lucifer went quiet, turning around to face the frightened child, "Return to your quarters, now."

"Y-Yessir!" The small child stood up on their shaken legs, running out of the conference room.

"You're getting far too soft on the humanoid race, don't you think?" Belial sat there, grabbing another bottle of wine to pour into his cup, "Actually, you never told me your motives. Why would someone as soft as you, plan war against another nation, knowing he will cause bloodshed to the woman, children, and the innocent?"

Lucifer returned to his seat, crossing his arms.

"You've known me for months, Belial, you should know that I am not soft. I simply wasn't in the mood to smell the blood of another humanoid scum."

"Oh, is that it? You scared me for a second," The pleased Belial would swirl the wine inside his cup, taking a small sip, and saying, "So, are you willing to answer me, friend?"

Lucifer heard his question loud and clear, but he seemed hesitant to respond.

The demon king only sat there, arms crossed, and head slightly bowed.

"The West Continent must perish. Someone I loved dearly, lied to me... and betrayed my heart," He averted his gaze from the floor, glaring at Belial, "I cannot forgive her, nor can I ever forgive him as well."

"Emperor?"

"Yes... Emperor."

"And I assume the one who's broken your heart is Angelica?"

"Indeed. We were once a team, but we split apart for our own personal reasons."

"...I'm sorry, but all of this is over some woman? Kidnapping two members of the strongest guild in the game, and planning to destroy the West Continent who's in alliance with the North Continent." Belial sat his wineglass down, irritated in his expression, "Am I the only one with rational thinking right now?! Have you gone insane? You want to risk everything that you have, to get revenge on someone who broke your heart?"

Lucifer stood up, grabbing Belial by the neck, and lifting him from the ground.

The manipulator paused for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened.

One second he was in his chair, but now he's being held midair, choked by the demon king himself.

Belial couldn't breathe, his eyes could only widen in shock, but soon... they became angry and indignant; His eyes were staring deep into Lucifer's gaze, seeing how angry this demon king had gotten, "Gffk... don't push... your luck... Lucifer!"

"You speak as if you know what true love is, Belial."

"...Ghhhkk... damnit..." Belial tried grasping Lucifer's wrist and prevent his possible death.

"But the truth is, you don't know anything. All you know is how to manipulate others and get what you want. You're nothing more than a narcissist who destroys lives for the fun of it. That's one of the reasons you let most of the Swindlers Guild die, wasn't it?"

"...Can't...breathe!"

"Killing your own guild, just to have a laugh. The true monster is you, not me, or anyone else in this world. You even convinced that one party who's known for their skillful cooperation to join the Swindlers Guild, so you could work together and ruin the Phantom Mutiny's reputation."

"....!!!" Belial widened his eyes, staring at Lucifer's statement.

"That's right, I know everything you've been doing. What was their party name again? Ah, yes, the Chimera. I'm certain their leader went by the name, Isabella, is that correct?" Lucifer sneered, "They've been working for the swindlers guild for months, only because you rewarded them for each mission they've done. Considering they were people who acted like mercenaries, they were never gonna stay in the guild unless given something valuable for their hard work."

"...How do you know all of this?!" Asked the strained Belial.

"I'm no fool, Belial. I watched your every move. This whole time you've been going behind my back, trying to ruin the Phantom Mutiny's reputation so their GP (Guild Power) would decrease, forcing them to lose their Guild Base."

Reputation was important in Isekai World Online. You could obtain GP if your Guild has a good reputation, constantly providing for the world, and performing good deeds. This was important for all Guilds.

However, if another Guild were to ruin another Guild's reputation, then that guild would lose all of its GP alongside the Guild Base itself.

When this happens, they lose all rights to their Guild Weapons and treasury, and their GP is sent towards the Guild that managed to destroy their reputation.

This was how Guild Wars usually started.

This whole time, Belial was planning for this.

"The moment you destroyed the Phantom Mutiny's reputation by using the Chimera members as your pawns, you would've had the Swindlers Guild obtain their GP, making your guild the strongest in the game. That was your plan all along. You knew the Chimera would die whilst fighting the Grim Reaper, and you also knew that every member in the Swindlers Guild would perish during that fight as well."

Lucifer dropped Belial back into his seat, finally letting him regain his breath.

"But after their deaths, you were going to bring them all back to life through one of your mods, and force them to work under your control, that's why you didn't tell Isabella and Bertram the full story after witnessing the future, because if you did... they would've surely defeated the Grim Reaper."

"...Impossible..." Said the breathless fool, "Y-You can't... possibly know all of this!"

"Heh," Lucifer sneered, "Your plans went to ruins once Angelica and Emperor showed up because you didn't expect Dorothy to be connected to Emperor, is that correct?"

"...." Belial gritted his teeth, holding his neck in pain.

"Your future sight couldn't predict anything else after the Grim Reaper killed everyone, you know why?"

"...Why is that?!" Yelled the frustrated Belial.

"Because Emperor and Angelica had shown up, preventing your mods from working."

"How can something like that happen?"

"It's simple; you cannot use mods to affect a great king, that's why your future sight was unable to see deeper into the future the moment Angelica and Emperor showed up." Lucifer cackled, "Your plans went to ruin!"

"Tsk... damnit!!" The calm and collected Belial would slam his fists on the table, shouting, "Fuck!!! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Curse those damn fools! Curse them!"

"I find it comedic," Lucifer crossed his arms, showing his mocking smile, "Our plan was to capture Emerald and Christopher, but this whole time you were doing things behind my back, attempting to obtain the Phantom Mutiny's power and strength, so you could rebel against me once I let my guard down."

"...You're just making up assumptions at this point! I was never gonna do such a thing." Belial frowned, but was still nervous as ever, "What would make you say such a lie?!"

"The devil is a lie."

"What?"

"It's a term people use, representing the devil as a liar."

"...What are you saying?"

"As someone who exists as a liar, why wouldn't I be able to tell what is true, and what is not?"

"But I'm telling the truth!" Shouted Belial, standing up from his seat, "I mean it! I would never betray you!"

"There's another lie from you, Belial."

"...Wait!"

Lucifer slowly unsheathed the sword on his hip.

"Wait... wait a second!!"

"I become stronger from those who lie in my presence. I become stronger from those who committed the most sins in my presence. I become aware of all of their evil deeds, as the embodiment of evil itself! You have nothing more to hide from me, Belial!"

"Y-You can't do this to me! I'm your... friend?! Your comrade!"

"No." Lucifer frowned, "You're a fraud."

"Aaahhhh!!!"

Belial screamed as the sword fell upon his body, supposedly eradicating him from this world.