3. Dai Maou Mesvegg

The woman's body is in her early twenties, with a charming figure, or rather alluring, perfect hourglass figure. Her robe's cleavage gives a perfect view upon the valley of her E-cup perky breasts, and the lower part of the robe reveals her long and slender legs' sides. Trying to get a good sitting position on this unfamiliar chair, the woman's mood gives no improving signs.

Two dragon-like long black horns grow from the sides of his forehead, indicating she's from the Black Draconic Demon Race, one of the rarest Mamonos races existing in Argom.

Her rebellious red hair spread until her slim waist, some of them making bangs and covering her left yellow eye. Her skin, with a modest tan, bears some portions of black scales, specially on her forearms and legs. A long and thin scaly black tail comes out from the top of her ass, and betrays her annoyance by its furious swinging.

About a week ago, she was so excited, because for the first time in her reign over the Demonic Empire, she found something absurd enough, to force her eyes to focus on it, with all her attention. But now, it is gone before she knew it.

Her name is Akasuma Kriv Mezvegg. And the woman kneeling before her is Helva Okundar, the holder of the Demon King's title of this city. Or rather, Demon Queen. Excluding these two, there are others Demons around them ; six of them stand behind Akasuma, dressed with red and black cloaks and masks. Those are the Dai Maou's personal Battle Maids. They follow their Mistress, or fulfill any mission they could be assigned to. Very few people know what they look like under their masks.

Two others people are kneeling with Helva. One is a man with very old age, with one horn on his forehead and dark blue skin. His name is Kabal. The other person is a woman in her forties, named Valma. Like Kabal, she has only one horn, but a dark red skin.

Those two belong to the two most populated Low-Oni factions. Unlike Helva, they're low-level Demons. Because they're born with a low talent for Evolution, and trained themselves too late, they've been stuck for many decades. Their families served Helva's family, Okundar Family for generations, with the most famous Oni family, Vohndar Family. Those two families have switched their places in power many times, after each twenty-year tournament.

When one Oni child becomes sixteen and is under thrirty years old , he has to participate in a tournament who decide the next Ruler of the Burzbia territory. The predecessor leaves the throne once the winner is declared, and most of the time choose to go either to the very border of the Empire, or to the imperial capital Karvann. Of course, this peaceful manner of taking over the Demon King's title is only possible because of the Burzbia territory's place in the Demonic Empire.

Red skin, with two thin horns, Helva is a Red High-Oni, a common enough High-Level Mamono race. Her athletic body, looking like around her thirties, has a good balance of muscle mass and womanly charm. Her black hair is styled in a long thick plait, which she puts around her neck like a scarf. She's very cautious of it. She prefers one hundred times getting one more scar on her body than letting it be cut.

Her armor is made of bones and leather, the vital organs being hidden by bone-plating while the rest hides only under leather. Even so, Helva's overall figure is one of a feisty , yet sexy woman. But her courage can't be brought out before a superior power like Akasuma's.

After all, Mamonos submit themselves to the strong. One's strength is the only real virtue revered by all. Real strength. Not gained by overpowered gear or temporary buffs, but strength that you would bleed for. A strength no one can steal you without consequences.

Trembling, Helva responds to Akasuma.

"W-we have no idea, Dai Maou-sama. We've heard he decimated three Orcs clans, and apparently fought against the Maou Defanny-sama , before he disappeared."

Hearing a name she was a bit expected to, Akasuma clicks her tongue.

"Defanny. Sigh, I told her to not do anything before Helsi has fulfilled my orders... Where is Defanny now?"

"W-well, Defanny-sama is-"

Before Helva could answer, someone spoke from the door of the terrace.

"She's returned to her Castle, Dai Maou-sama."

Looking at the door, Akasuma and Helva see a woman with slight younger looks than Akasuma's. F-cup breasts caged in a black dress wih sheer meshes parts over her body, except the most interesting places. With a thin long tail, sporting a heart-shaped tip, two bat wings, and a pair of curved horns among purple silk hair, her aura exuding lewdness leaves no doubt about her race name.

Succubus.

Above her dress, the long purple fur scarf she wears gives her a high nobility feeling despite her lewd nature. Green eyes awed by the sight of Akasuma, yet are calm enough. Like a business woman who came with a alluring deal for her ruling potential client.

"? Who are you?"

"My name is Meredith Laguira , Dai Maou-sama. I am the new Succubus Queen of the Ballast Territory. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Meredith... Ah, I remember hearing that name in Karvann... You're telling me Defanny ran, after messing with my interests?"

"This lesser person is very honored to be known to your Supremacy... To be honest, it was actually Lady Defanny's twin pupils who brought her back."

"? Defanny's pupils?"

"She was wounded in her fight against the Mamono you're interested in. By Him, I mean."

"--!!!--"

Raising, one of her brows, Akasuma stares at the Succubus, who keeps smiling, despite few sweat drops flowing her back.

"I don't like this kind of joke."

Akasuma's voice seemed a bit colder than before. Even so, Meredith stays calm, with a smile.

"? I am very sorry to disappoint Dai Maou-sama but, it wasn't a joke."

"So you mean he has wounded Defanny, a Maou who can use Soul Armor, the strongest defense of our kind?"

Soul Armor. The pinnacle of the defensive abilities of Mamono, only available by Maou-level ones, or above. The principle is to use Mana both in the air and one's own body, to generate high density magic armor. The difficult part is that not only the amount of Mana is colossal, but a clear picture of this armor and how it works are required too. And that's not counting the mental strength to maintain it over an extended period of time, or the balance of the attributes of Mana.

Only Maou-level Mamonos can do that, but Akasuma is the only one capable to destroy a Soul Armor, officially.

('How could he possibly do that? I knew he could at least survive Defanny. But to wound her.... Maybe he used some underhanded means. How disappointing of him.')

Feeling like the Dai Maou was losing interest into Him, Meredith chooses to reveal something she couldn't expect to.

"From what I saw, he ended the fight by using Soul Weapon."

Everyone twitched at Meredith's revelation. Even Akasuma's Battle Maids did so. After all, to manifest a Soul Weapon is different from Soul Armor.

Unable to keep herself calm, Helva interjects.

" !! That can't be ! He's just an Orc, not even a Demon. You gotta be--"

Staring Meredith with a pitying smile, Meredith finishes her claims.

"Wrong? Helva, you really don't know why Dai Maou-sama is so interested by him, do you?"

"Eh?"

"First of all, he's not exactly an Orc. But a Chimerified Orc."

"C-chimerified, you say?"

Chimerified. A term attached to every Mamono who has Assimilated Traits or Abilities from others Mamonos races.

"That's right. And unlike the most of them, he's the most stable Chimerified Mamono I've ever met."

The underside of Chimerification is that Evolution becomes impossibly difficult after. The more Traits and Abilities one has absorbed, the more unstable one's body is, and the more difficult to Evolve then. Because, every race has only one single predetermined Evolution Path.

A Mamono race can be categorized among three Classes - Monster, Demonic Beast, and Demon -, and two Demonic Types - Infernal and Abyssal.

Monster is the lowest Mamono Class, consisting of many races of non-humanoid creatures. Most of them act by instinct, without really being different from wild beasts, except in certain conditions. No matter the race, a Mamono will have a organ in his body, generally located near the heart, where lies a pebble very valuable for Humans. The Soul Stone.

Initially, it's not big enough to be called "stone". At the Monster's birth, it's more like a grain of sand. The longer the Monster breathes, the bigger the grain becomes. Once the Soul Stone grows to a particular size, the Monster Evolves.

Like the others Mamono Classes, it has three Evolution Stages : Low, Middle, and High. Each Stage is divided by five Levels. For example, a Slime starts at the Level one. Once he's gets at the peak of the Level five, he evolves to the Middle Stage. The power it can obtain is very different between Level five and Level six, than between Level four and five.

During the run on the Evolution Path, one can gain new Traits or Abilities naturally, but one will be always capable of Evolution, because it's natural Mutation, modifying the existing data of a creature.

Assimilation or Absorption is very different, like taking some a pack of genes, and force it into the nucleus of a cell, in addition to the already existing genes. It's very painful. The Mamono vessel feels like tearing apart, and bursting out. The original data fight for survival. But the higher quality data always wins.

Without pressing circumstances, one doesn't have to endure such pain. So, only those who can't Evolve anymore, but still seek strength, choose to do that.

Akasuma isn't surprised about this Orc being Chimerified. Not even that fact about him being able to use Soul Armor. Closing one moment her eyes, she remembers the events of their first meeting.

An Orc, ostracized by most of the Orc community. Yet, she liked him. Unlike common Orcs, he didn't stink typical Orcish body odor, but smells like some perfumed herbs. He was a bit scared of her, but not enough to comply her will. He had nine fallen demon girls as his.

Even if those Demons had lost their horns, they're still Demons. Disliking their situation, she ordered him to free them. What he firmly refused.

Objectively, she didn't had the right to order him anything, but she was irritated since she became Dai Maou.

No one has challenged her for the title. Each of Demon communities bend themselves at her will. Every day was just boring. Then, she tested some things, some whims to know until where they will comply. And suddenly, she met an Orc foolish enough to stand against what she want.

The power difference between them is like sky and earth. She wanted someone standing against her, but not a non-Demon. So, she snapped.

A magic attack powerful enough to hurt a Soul Armor-less Maou. She thought she wiped him out, until the dust revealed him, partially hurt, with a partial Soul Armor.

That day, her boredom cleared up. She knew that, if she waited long enough, He will come to challenge her, once being evolved as Demon. So she blackmailed him in making a promise he will do that.

She assigned Hesti for regular checking about his progress for Evolve, and making reports.

Looking again Meredith, she asks her.

" Did you see it? His Soul Weapon?"

"Yes, Dai-Maou sama. But it was quite incomplete, like a broken one. I think he hasn't finished it yet, or he didn't use enough Mana for it, just like his Soul Armor."

Helva's mind is stormed with many questions, feeling a sense of self-criticism.

('Soul Armor too?! Why am I so unaware about that?! Even if I'm not a Maou-level Demon yet, I should have sensed a such powerful Mamono ! Who the hell is this Orc?! ')

As if she could hear the distressed thoughts of her Demon Queen fellow, Meredith couldn't help but tease her.

"Fufufu. Helva, I told you to invest in the Information Gathering Network of the Lair of Ghost Daggers. You would know about a lot of things then. Especially in your own territory."

"Ugh !"

Helva knows that. But she's a Demon Queen since only four years. To invest in the Lair of Ghost Daggers, isn't so simple. You need a lot of funds. She became Demon Queen by succession, not by fighting in the Destruction Arena. Furthermore, there's not a lot of Demons who want the duty to keep guard on the south border of the Demonic Empire, especially in Burzbia.

During the last two centuries, this place has been breached twenty-five times, by the armies of the Seven Virtues Church. Twenty-five times where the blame has fallen on the ruler and residents of Burzbia.

"B-but how could he use those abilities? Even if he's a Chimerified one, to use Soul Armor, not to mention Soul Weapon. Even partially, without Evolving..."

Suddenly, a new figure appears between Akasuma and Helva. It was a Battle Maid. Kneeling before her Mistress, a monotone voice is heard.

"Battle Maid Hesti, reporting."

"Ooh, Hesti ! You're finally here !"

"I am very sorry to be late, Dai Maou-sama."

"Don't worry about that ! Most importantly, tell me what you learnt."

"Yes, Dai Maou-sama."

*****

In the Dawn and Twilight Dungeon's altar room, Jack waits for the request Kate will do to him. Behind them, Jeff and Matt are fearing about that. Most probably, this little girl will ask for their deaths. Slowly, the two men are going for the exit vortex. They're only at midway from it, when they hear a ten years old girl telling her request.

"Jack-sama, please save our village's people."

Amused, Jack raises one of his brows, smiling.

"Hoo? You're sure that's what you want ?"

Firmly nodding, Kate confirms.

"Y-yes ! Please, Jack-sama, help them !"

Looking this little thing, Jack is quite stunned. He was expecting she would request the death of those who raided her village and killed her parents. But surprisingly, she didn't let her pain cloud her reasoning.

('Well, well, what a interesting little one.')

After a few moments, Jack grants her request.

"Alright, Kate. I'm gonna to save them."

"!! Thank you ! Thank you very much, Jack-sama !"

Kate is very happy, knowing the village's other people who have been captured, will be saved very soon.

"And you, Jul? What do you want?"

Hearing Jack's question, Jul doesn't answer instantly. He knows he should be like his big sister, trying to think about their future. Or that of others villagers. But he's only seven years old. Any boy who lost his family, would want what he wants.

"I want to revenge my parents, and the others people those bad guys have killed."

Kate looks at his little brother. She doesn't blame him for requesting that. She can't, because deep inside her heart, she wanted to ask that too.

"I know I shouldn't be asking for that. Even Big Sister didn't ask for it. But, I can't help it. Please, can you avenge them, Jack-sama?"

Looking into Jul's eyes, Jack answers.

"I can't."

Feeling his throat and hands clenching, Jul is frustrated. But he hears Jack keeping talking.

"Revenge is all about giving back the correct amount of pain someone has inflicted upon you. Most of the time, no one can do that."

Opening his hand lifted to shoulder height, a small red flame appears above of it, Jack looks at the flame with a calm expression.

"You think Revenge is like throwing back a stone you've taken in the head. It is not. In fact, it's like fire. A fire on a torch you run with, through a forest, just to burn one single tree. During your run, your torch touched the others trees. Then, when you reach the tree you wanted to burn, the forest behind you is already into the flames."

While Kate and Jul were looking Jack, the flame he's casting begins to darken itself. Matt and Jeff were shivering at the view, and finally arrived at the exit vortex. Once inside, the light began to shine to wrap them up. Jeff couldn't wait to get away from this place. But when the light was supposed to teleport them outside, the process reversed.

"I can't get revenge them for your sake, because I don't know how much pain should be given back to those guys."

At his moment, the red flame had become dark and scary. Matt and Jeff were at the exit vortex, but despite how many times the light wrap them up, it won't teleport them. Matt was panicking.

"Shit ! Why isn't it working?!"

Like answering to his question, Venus' voice resonates.

[ "Once your party's every member will be present, the exit of the dungeon will be possible."]

"--!!--"

When the two men heard that, their eyes look for the last remaining member who they got inside with. They see him..... to the other side of the room. If they were close enough, they would see a little smile on his face.

"That idiot ! Why did he go that way?!"

Jack's words seem resonate like thunder then.

"But I can make them face a pain they deserve to."

A giant circular dark flame wave is cast then, stretching to the room's walls. Powerless, Jeff and Matt brace themselves for the impact.