Editing Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 7 Chapter 4

==Chapter 4==

===Part 1===

—[Kouen, City of Brilliant Flames], Tablet of the Sea of Stars, Corridor of Displays.

The city region was already steeped in chaos. Unlike the stationed troops of [Salamandra], the civilians had not been mentally prepared to take on the fight with the Demon Lords. Suffering the curse of fatigue that was sprung on them without any warning, they could only tolerate the unjust treatment as they battled against the Titan Race.

In the center of the Large sized Fire Dragon formation that battled the oncoming horde of the Titans, Kudou Asuka sat astride the back of the Mountain Goat Divine Beast—Almathea, as she defeated the Titans one after another while suffering the discomfort of riding bareback.

“Strike them down, DEEN!”

“DEEEeeeEEEN!!!”

Deen gave a loud roar while it charged towards the Titan warrior. Grabbing the head of the opponent with an arm, it swung it down to meet the ground. Although the Corridor of Displays were already in a mess of shattered glass, now was not the time to think about that stuff; hence, assuming that the precious displays would already be removed to safer locations ahead of this fight, Asuka and Deen worked together to put down the Titans in succession.  As for Jack and Laius, who had been tasked with the responsibility of protecting the city, they were watching the progress of Deen.

“Yahohohoho! Looks like we did a good job, didn’t we?!”

“……Hmph. That’s because Deen’s original structure had been too simplistic. It only took some understanding on the uses of the Sacred Rare Metal to achieve that sort of versatility.”

Said Jack who was beaming with happiness and a Laius who pulled a long face as he replied.

The two had not only bestowed the Flames of the Dragon’s horn to Deen. The strongest weapon upgrade given to this Red Iron Giant Soldier was actually the large increase in the power from utilizing the whole body.

Up till now, Deen had always used its Gift of stretch-ability from the Sacred Rare Iron to move its body. To put it bluntly, it would just be a lump of iron muscles.

Hence Jack and Laius added gears and pistons into that hollow interior to help bring out the full potential of Deen’s Gift of stretch-ability; consequently, Deen has obtained an upgrade in its explosive force and the mobility to make more fine-tuned movements.

“Tch…… As I thought, giving it to the [No Name]s is just a waste. If it were left to me, I would have made stronger reinforcements to it.”

“HouHou? How so?”

“I would first apply a coating of the Adamantium, which is bestowed the Gift of Hades, on the surface of the armor to give it invisibility; subsequently, I would give it the power of flight to allow the huge body to take to the skies. It would surely be a spectacular sight indeed.”

“……Hm, Well that… Laius? Even if that huge body were to be invisible, it would still cause the ground to tremble due to the heavy footsteps and it would be exposed then, wouldn’t it? Moreover, even if you do not add the ability of flight to it, wouldn’t it be easy for Deen to reach aerial enemies by boosting its size?”

Completely without practical uses—Jack calmly retorted.

Instantly, the expression of Laius, who had been very confident when he said those words, was changed to that of displeasure as he turned his head away.

However, Asuka who sat astride the back of the Mountain Goat Divine Beast Almathea had overheard their conversation and muttered a comment in her interest.

“……but doesn’t it sound interesting to have those functions? What do you think, Almathea?”

{“Master, Smith Jack is right on that. Although it doesn’t seem useless at first, the strong would also have a method to deal with invisible enemies.”}

“But a Deen that can fly in the skies would surely be impressive!”

{“……”}

Is that so? Although the Mountain Goat Divine Beast was really doubtful about that, she wasn’t that oblivious to just trample across those feelings in her master’s currently sparkling eyes. She was a mountain goat who knew how to read the mood.

The Greek gods were also one of the few famous Problem Children Groups in the various Group of Gods. However, there were also some Divine Beasts amongst them who have a good personality and a conscience, which is this Dual Horned Mountain Goat—-Almathea. Those Dual horns of hers possessed the Gift of abundance and if she were to transform into her Human form, she would be a jaw-dropping beautiful Goddess. She was a Divine Beast of the highest tiers who possessed both grace and beauty.

“Okay, it’s time to move to the next location, Alma.”

Asuka tugged on the reins and Alma bolted across the roofs of the Corridor of Displays with her leaps. Asuka and Alma made another visual confirmation that the Titans in their current location had been clear and were pondering about moving on to the next location.

Just then, the Fire Dragons who were battling the Titans were giving out desperate cries of agony that sporadically sounded from the city regions.

“GEEEEEEEYAAAAAaaaaaa！！？”

That was a roar that was much higher in octave than the usual. If it were others who did not understand it, they would have thought it to be a yowl of the brave fighters. But the Divine Beast Alma was able to accurately pin point the meaning behind those yowls.

{“Master, that yowl just now was a cry of agony. And it would seem that the situation is quite desperate.”

“Is that so? Do you know the location?”

“Yes. And because it is straight ahead, I will ask of you to hold on tightly to the reins.”

Alma stated a fair warning and Asuka frantically tightened her grip on the reins as she leaned her body forward.

With the clopping of hooves, Almathea raised her speed to soar leisurely across the high roofs that seemed to tower above them like the peaks of mountains with her great leaps. As Asuka was wearing the protective shoes inscribed with the symbol of Vayu that Yō had used before to break the strong wind that was rushing towards her. Galloping at a speed that was unthinkable for a Mountain Goat, they duo had reached the scene where they could see a Fire Dragon bleeding profusely as its wings were torn.

「UOOOOOOOOOooooooooo—!!!」

“Ku~….. Just a mere Titan, how can it be that I’ve lost?!”

“Be careful! These guys seem a little strange! It might even be possible that they were bestowed with some sort of Gift!”

Hearing the words of the Fire Dragons, Almathea had given the Titans a glance in confirmation.

Their eyes were bloodshot and glinting with a strange light from under those masks and a sinister atmosphere was cloaked around them. Although the Titans were by no means a kind and gentle Eudemon breed, but this was already close to the realms of being a demonic beast or a demon itself.

And Asuka could recognize this dramatic change in them.

“Could it be…… demonification?”

Almathea lifted her head in surprise as she replied.

{“Yes, that’s it. You are right, my master. That is the Vampirification. The Titans have been demonified by the Vampirification process!”}

「UOOOOOOOOOooooooooo—!!!」

The Titan lifted his huge battle axe to chop it down toward its new target—Asuka.

And it was stopped by Deen who came from the side to send the Titan flying.

「DEEEEeeeEEEEN！！！」

The iron fist had struck the side of the head with a twisting action and the Titan’s body was sent sailing through the air.  But the unbelievable part was the ability of that demonified Titan who could use the momentum of the force to convert it into a somersault as it launched a chop towards Deen in that revolution.

Using the centrifugal force to chop the arm upwards, the Titan managed to cause the huge body to wobble slightly, even though it was unable to destroy Deen who was made out of Sacred Rare Iron.

Deen swung the right fist down to slam on the head of the Titan.

「DEEEEeeeEEEEN！！！」

「UOOOOOOOOOooooooooo—!!!」

The Titan who punched a few times by Deen continued to put up a fight with the battle axe. This attack and counterattack continued for over twenty-four rounds before the demonified Titan finally lost its consciousness.

In a mere span of three minutes, the Corridor of Displays had been transformed into a pile of rubble and Asuka had been watching the whole fight from the start to the end.

But that was not all. The demonified Titans were still coming through from the outer walls.

“What a surprising amount of vitality. If it were just one or two, it would be still manageable, but if these demonified Titans were to come in waves one after another……!”

{“It would seem that the enemy has a pureblood vampire in their possession. With the demonification of these huge Titans, the Fire Dragons would be at a disadvantage when they confront them directly right?”}

Hearing Almathea’s calm assessment of the situation, Asuka tightened her grip on the reins.

“…… You mean we should join the battle too?”

{“No, just allowing Deen to provide support will be enough. I do not believe that there’s only one demonified Titan in their ranks. We will have to look at the bigger picture here—to get rid of the primary targets which make up the main force of the enemy!”}

With the echo of her clopping hooves, Alma suddenly took off from their original position. Shortly after, the position that they had been moments before was struck by a wave of heat. The bricks on the roof were melted and the corridor exploded to send the molten bits scattering in all directions.

In the suddenness of the acceleration, Asuka had almost fallen off her stead but she was still able to regain her seat while keeping a firm hold on the reins as she used her legs to steady herself. The attacker’s shadow was cast over them as they continued to pursue them persistently.

From the sounds of the flapping wings, Asuka realized the identity of their attacker.

“He’s here…… The Black Gryphon!”

{“That’s not all! There’s another in front of us!”}

Asuka hurriedly focused her eyes on the target that approached from the front. The figure of a person wearing a robe with the “混”character had just jumped out from the shadows of a tall chimney. Although the appearance couldn’t be seen due the long robes that covered the body up to the head, it was definitely the Demon Lord of Confusion.

Almathea, who had accelerated not too long ago, judged that the distance between them would be too close to start her deceleration for making a turn; hence, she made the decision to charge straight into the path of the figure that wore the robe with the “混”character. And to prepare for the collision, she stepped up on the speed. The Demon Lord of Confusion parted his lips in a smile from under the folds of the hooded robe as he leap aside to give way to them. At the same time, he used his hands to release a hot wave of heat towards them while laughing loudly.

(''Ku……It’s not possible to dodge…!'')

With them galloping at full speed, an attack from the back would be impossible to dodge.

Graiya who had been launching his attack from above had also aimed for that opportunity to spit another wave of heat at them.

「GEYAAAAaaaa！！！」

Simultaneously, Graiya gave a loud cry as he fired his intense attack with exhilaration; consequently, the two balls of intense flames had shot towards the two running figures.

The seven houses in the area below them had completely been vaporized and the ground was also bombarded into the air, resulting in a reddish smoke that rose from the ground which was not unlike a volcanic crater at this point.

It was undoubtedly a direct hit.

The Demon Lord of Confusion leap into the sky to give two spins of triumph while the “混”character fluttered in the wind.

Landing on the back of Graiya after his complete somersaults, he gave a triumphant laugh.

“Fufu, hey, young urn, your technique in cornering others was a job well-done. The angle of the attacks and the way you chased them was really one of a kind too.”

“…… Being called a young urn by that kind of voice sure doesn’t sit well with me.”

Graiya retorted as he gave a harrumph in displeasure.<ref>[magrefnotes: Demon Lord of Confusion is a very old demon that existed during the time of Sun Wu Kong… Graiya would be a young urn in comparison]</ref>

But Graiya’s words were not wrong as well.

The voice of Demon Lord of Confusion at this point was far from the voice of an ape spirit but was the voice of a young girl that was as crisp as the chimes of silver bells. Being called a young urn by this sort of voice would surely be an insult that made his anger justifiable.

Giving his neck a twist<ref>[magrefnotes: I’m not sure how to describe this twist of the neck action. Have you seen the action of people making the cracking sound of their necks as they turn it left and right very quickly just to relief the aches? It’s something like that…suggestions for the description of this action would be appreciated]</ref> in his discomfort, Graiya spread his wings to take to the skies. 

“I heard that this is the person who made Aura retreat the other time and I didn’t expect her to be this fragile to be so easily done in with just some low-end strategy. It seems like I’ve given it too much thought.”

“—No? I think you might have underestimated her?”

Demon Lord of Confusion left those words to Graiya before jumping off with a despicable fit of laughter.

Following that, a sudden attack from Almathea who streaked pass in an intense lightning bolt narrowly missed his wing.

“Nu?!”

“Ku… It was dodged……”

{“It just shows that you haven’t aimed properly, my master. Please do reflect upon your actions.”}

Almathea had stated it plainly but it carried a hint of blame in her advice to Asuka as she leapt to the adjacent roof. On the other hand, Asuka had pouted her lips in defiance.

However, this leisurely conversation was not joined by Graiya, whose wing had narrowly survived the attack and was unable to bring himself to take things at that leisurely pace; hence, Graiya turned his angry stare towards Asuka and Almathea.

“You are actually not hurt from that firepower……?”

“Mhm. Mhm. Mah, I’ve guessed that this would happen already. That level of attack would only be deflected by that mountain goat I guess……. Fu Fu, you’d better tighten your belt my young urn. Although I’m not clear on the full potential of that young lady, I would say that the defense of that mountain goat is definitely a Ten out of Ten. To say that the Greek Gods existence is all due to the accomplishments of that Mountain goat might not be an exaggeration too. She’s also quite good at developing talented individuals.”

The Demon Lord of Confusion gave a fair piece of warning to Graiya that contained much profound meaning between the lines.

And if he were to start feeling afraid from merely hearing the mention of the Greek Gods involvement, it would have been an insult to the title of the Gryphons.

The black body started to tremble and Graiya gave an angry roar.

“The Mountain Goat Divine Beast that belongs to the Greek mythologies…… I see. So she’s Almathea from the constellation of Capricon! To be able to meet an enemy of a celestial beast status in this [City of Brilliant Flames] sure is an honor! Please allow me to unravel your genome to be incorporated into my flesh and blood!”<ref>[magrefnotes: I will say once more that Graiya speaks in old language, so his “I”, “me”, “You” are all different...... but I’ve not been able to capture them in the translations.]</ref>

The curved talons of the eagle and the hind legs of the lion started to tremble violently as they underwent a transformation to form the wrists of a Dragon.

The [Genome Tree] carved upon Graiya’s chest gave off a strange sinister light that constantly changed in its radiance. The dual wings divided into four and was constructed to take on a different shape. Graiya had transformed into a Black Dragon and a red glint could be seen shining from the huge eyes of his, which he had focused upon Asuka and Almathea, who stood before him, to release a ray of light.

{“We will be taking off immediately! Please hold tight!”}

“I… Got it!”

Asuka grabbed the reins while hugging the back of Almathea tightly.  Graiya, who had just completed his transformation into a Black Dragon, emitted a ray which was much different in radiance from the previous heat attacks, and it struck the corridor. The corridor that had been struck by the direct ray was not destroyed but was blanketed with an eerie silence. Following that was a dramatic change in the environment.

The red bricks that paved the corridors were instantly transformed into grey rock.

“Gift of Petrification……!?”

Almathea squinted her eyes to scrutinize the body appearance from its head to the tail.

{“The Eye of Petrification that is possessed by the Cockatrice<ref>[magrefnotes: translating the ch book’s Note: A cockatrice is a cross between a chicken and a snake. Head of a chicken, body that has two pairs of wings like a dragon, and a tail like that of a snake, without feathers, but covered in scales. It is said that they hatch from chicken eggs and their gaze is fatal. They must hatch from their incubation on the day when the Star of Sirius is high in the skies, and be fertilized by a seven year old cock. This sort of egg would be easy to differentiate. They wouldn’t be of the normal oval shaped egg but take on a spherical shape that has no shell. Covered by a thick layer of skin, this egg must be incubated by a toad to hatch.]</ref>. Although I don’t know what kind of Gift he holds, but it seems like he’s able to use the Gifts of other Species…… Mhm. This is just as well.”}

“Eh?”

{“This is great news, my Master. As a form of accumulating experience, this is one of the best teaching materials that can be prepared for you. If I were to suggest the way to go about this, try to bait him into showing all his abilities in the battle and counter all of them. When you succeed, you will definitely become an outstanding Eudemon-Exterminator!”}

“Wha….No. It isn’t the time to talk about these kind of things right?! Moreover, there are also other enemies—“

“Fuahahahaha! It’s just like you said, my young ladies!”

The cute voice that did not seem to match the despicable style of laughing floated over to them as the figure with the “混”character soared across the night skies.

Moving at a speed faster than Almathea’s galloping speed and leaving afterimages in his tracks, he had inserted himself between the two of them in a flash and he followed it up with a thrust of a fist with that petite girl-like body to strike towards Asuka.

Asuka’s physical body was no different from an ordinary girl.

At this speed and distance, if the strike were to land, her bones would definitely be shattered.

To prevent that from happening, a Pumpkin Head dressed in rags intervened between the two of them.

“Ara, let’s stop this here!”

Appearing from the Pumpkin colored Gift Card were seven lighted lamps that moved to attack the Demon Lord of Confusion.

Being hit by the sneak attack, Demon Lord of Confusion used the head of Almathea as his spring board to make a somersault in mid-air. But that was still insufficient to get him away from the attack and his long robes were burnt away.

“……Yaho?”

Jack was so surprised that his eyes quivered in their sockets, and the Demon Lord of Confusion did not let that opportunity pass him.

Adjusting his form in mid-air and pulling away some distance from them, he started to laugh cheerfully.

Even Asuka, who had been narrowly attacked a moment ago, couldn’t help but to draw a sharp breath after witnessing the appearance of the Demon Lord of Confusion.

“……This…… What joke are you trying to pull, Sandra-sama?”

She asked with that quivering voice of hers. But that didn’t mean that Asuka had not guessed the reason, and it was just that she wanted to repress those worst case imaginary scenarios that she had by muttering those words.

The one who appeared from under the covers of the “混”character— the one with red hair and donned with golden accessories, the girl who wore the specially tailored clothes that had the emblem of the [Salamandra]’s Fire Dragon.

She was none other than the leader of [Salamandra], Sandra Doltrake.

“Yahoho……Could… Could it be that you have used a transformation technique to appear like Sandra-sama……?”

“Oi, Oi. Are you blind or what? Is there no eyeballs in those sockets of yours, pumpkin head—Ah ah, you really don’t have any eyeballs! But even if you use those hollow eyes of yours to see, you should also recognize immediately whose body and spiritual power it belongs to right? I’m the youngest and least honored girl, who has been given the most unfortunate fate of the world, to take the position as a [Floor Master]! The new leader of [Salamandra]—Sandra-sama!”

Giving a fierce smile that didn’t seem to be the usual Sandra, the Demon Lord of Confusion removed his hairpins. Rather than calling that action as one that was feminine, it was more accurate to describe it as the bold action of a warrior drawing his sword.

This wasn’t just a manipulation of the mind. Her body was now injected with an entirely different soul. And anyone could have been sure about that.

The hollowed eye sockets of Jack was lit with a silent anger, but he managed to ask calmly.

“Possession of an opponent…… Demon Lord of Confusion, is that your Game?”

“Fufu, well, you are close but you’ve not hit the bull’s eye.”

“……stop beating around the bush. No matter how it is, Sandra-sama is still the [Floor Master]. A normal Gift would never be able to forcefully take over her body—You have used it right? The [Authority of Host Master]!”

The suppressed anger had finally leaked out and Jack’s words were rude near the end.

Standing akimbo, the Demon Lord of Confusion then retrieved the banner of the “混”character from his Gift Card to raise it while making his declaration.

“You’ve quite a good eye on that, but there’s an unfortunate piece of news for you guys. The one who can participate in the Game of this ‘Great Me’ here is only limited to one! Currently the participant is only Sandra ojou-chan alone! Furthermore, the most problematic thing is that the one who can read the [Geass Roll] is also Sandra ojou-chan, herself!”

“What did you say?!”

That’s absurd, Asuka voiced it loudly. That was something that couldn’t even be called a Game. But the reality was that there was nothing that could be called a [Geass Roll] being held in the hands of the Demon Lord of Confusion.

The Demon Lord of Confusion gave a fierce smile as he scratched his hair as he looked down up on the three individuals before him.

“It’s just great that this young girl is so lonely. Although she really wanted to depend on her family, she was unable to do so. Although she wanted the trust of her comrades, she was unable to get the trust. And then to be betrayed by the two whom she had thought of as her important friends, abandoned…… Fufu, His Highness and Rin ojou-chan were really overboard with that! Having fulfilled these conditions, it was just simple for this ‘Great Me’ to use the [Authority of Host Master]! The pitiful soul that have been forced to carry the burden of all these confusions in reality— have already been devoured by me, the Demon Lord of Confusion!”

The Demon Lord of Confusion flapped the banner around while laughing to the point of having stitches where he couldn’t help clutching his sides.

Having heard the entire speech, Asuka’s fist had begun to tremble from the anger that coursed through her.

……To prevent any misunderstanding, it might be good to make this clear now– Asuka and Sandra had no deep connections or relations with each other. It was just the level of being acquaintances who greeted each other when they met a few times.

However, if what the Demon Lord of Confusion said was true, the loneliness that Sandra felt would have been the same as that which Asuka once had. Or even of a higher degree of it. Even so, Sandra had never allowed herself to present such a side to her and had stood before everyone else as the [Floor Master].

That was her stubbornness, her pride and the entirety of her courage. Asuka could never forgive the Demon Lord before her who despicably laughed while trampling over these attributes under foot.

Taking out her Gift card, Asuka took a step forward

But surprisingly, Jack stopped her with his right hand.

“Asuka-san…… I understand your feelings. But for this…… just leave it to me. Jack to deal with him.”

The pumpkin head was covered with flames of anger as it continued to bobble as he requested for Asuka to step back.

“Jack……”

Asuka also knew better than to insist on it as she took a step back.

—It was well known that Jack loved kids. A Demon who loved children and was loved by them in return. It was needless to say that the person who was fuming the most would be this Pumpkin Gentleman.

The hollowed out eyes were lighted with a boiling anger and Jack posed a question like the last attempt at negotiation:
“Demon Lord of Confusion…… You have trampled upon the pure soul of a child. Don’t you even feel a slightest bit of remorse or reprimand from your conscience?”

In regard to that question, Demon Lord of Confusion wiped off his smile to reply angrily:

“The reprimands of the conscience? Ha, what a huge misunderstanding you have there! The one who forced this young lady to this state was never the ‘Great Me’! But it was the people of this Confusing world that had forced her to that dead end!  And you still dare to question the conscience of the ‘Great Me’?<ref>[magrefnotes: ch version calls it 本大爷 which means your great grandfather in direct translation. It’s just like the insult of saying you are the parent and talking down to a child, being greater and such. I’m sure the jap version would have been different but in the meantime, I will just translate it to the ‘Great Me’.]</ref> What a fine joke you have there!” 

Demon Lord of Confusion threw the banner with the “混”character over his shoulders and transformed it into his new battle equipments.

The golden accessories and the red outfit were dyed black and the “混”character appeared upon the chest and back.

“The ‘Great Me’ will always follow the path of Evil! Demon Lords are the opposing existences of Law and Order. We are the scourge born to the world! Hence those who are born Saints or Demon Lords are different from those rogues of Kouryuu and the other small fries! It is to ensure the progress of the world in the correct direction that the absolute evil is needed to balance the scales in the world! The ‘Great Me’ takes pride in this character of “混”! Being a member of the ones who carry the burden as the scourge of the world, I refuse to see living my life by my motto as anything disgraceful!!”

There is nothing to be ashamed in my life—that was the roar from the Demon Lord of Confusion. He then stared at Asuka and the others while emitting a fiery aura around himself that flowed from the Dragon Horns of Sandra.

It was then that Asuka realized that she had been underestimating the enemy before her.

[''This enemy……is also a Demon Lord!'']

The Shinigami Pest who swore to take revenge on the Sun.

Leticia who had been pushed to the point of despair by her comrades and resorted to committing a massacre.

Similar to the both of them, they were all people who had understood the evilness of their acts when they abused their Authority to become a tyrant. Betting their souls and everything of their existence to formulate the Rules(Game Rules), possessing a power to force the world to obey the rules and becoming the King to awaken others to the cruel reality.

“…… ‘follow the path of Evil’. Is that your entirety and source of spiritual attainment?”

“That’s right. A Demon Lord is to be determined and unshakeable in his belief. And that will be the Oudou<ref>[magrefnotes: Oudou- Path of the King Thanks to unrail, on wordpress. King can also be synonymous to Lords in this novel…. That’s why I’ve been having trouble with the Demon King/Lord of Confusion… um maybe it’s the confusion part as well… oh well :p]</ref> that I, the King of Confusion will always uphold till the day of judgement.”

Hearing that reply, Jack’s spiritual status started to undergo a dramatic change.

“You have forced my hand!! Demon Lord of Confusion! You have done it before the banner of [Will-O'-Wisp]—the most sinful crime that you should not have—!”

Purgatory flames poured out of the Hollow Pumpkin head.

That was an agitated shout that was much more intense than an eruption from an active volcano.

For [Will-O'-Wisp] which has always functioned upon the motto of protecting young souls as a Guardian organization, this Demon Lord would be an enemy that necessitate a judgement.

Burn away every single drop of spiritual power to completely overwhelm the enemy’s Oudou!”

“O’ Demon Lord of Confusion, accept this with everything you have! This is my Trial…… [Pumpkin the Crown]—!!!”

Following the eruption of Purgatory flames from the Crown of the Pumpkin, it exploded apart.

The fragments then transformed into shining and glowing pieces of parchment that scattered across the various corners in the Corridor of Displays.

 

<p style="text-align:center;">
<span style="font-size:120%">'''<<Gift Game Name: Jack the Monster>>'''</span></p>

 

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·Participating Requirements:</span>: '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·A person who have killed or hurt a child before;</span>: '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·A person who used children to perform evil deeds.</span>: '''</p>
 

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·Participant: Demon Lord of Confusion ( Permitted to kill anyone who obstructs the Game)</span>: '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·Game Leader: Jack the Ripper</span>: '''</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">·Winning Conditions:</span>: '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">*'''Defeat the Host- [Pumpkin the Crown];</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">*'''Unravel the mystery behind ‘Jack’ by understanding the historical events.</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Defeat Conditions:</span>: '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">*'''Participant(Player) is killed by the Game Leader and is hence defeated; '''</p>

<p style="text-align:center;">*'''Whenever a part of the Game Leader's true identity is exposed, the Participant(Game Leader) will lose his strength to the point of defeat.</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Oath: The legality of this Trial is assured as long as it is implemented on a participant who has fulfilled the Participating Requirements.</span>'''
</p>


 <p style="text-align:center;">  “[St. Peter] Stamp''" </p>

As Jack scattered the glowing pieces of parchment, the expressions of everyone present were distorted in consternation.

“Jack…… can use the [Authority of Host Master]?!”

Asuka’s surprise was only natural. For the [Authority of Host Master] mentioned here is a powerful authority of enforcement that surpasses any Gift bestowed by the Gods. In addition, it is the symbol of a Demon Lord that allows the unreasonable demand of others to participate in a Game.

Standing in the centre of the raging Purgatory Flames that had flowed out from the Pumpkin head, Jack finally took on the figure of a human. A scarlet leather jacket and messy blond hair that looked like that of a wild beast.

A blood stained blade was held in a backhand grip while his eyes were filled with a murderous intent sufficient to kill with just the focus of the gaze.

“……Ugh!”

That was no longer the Jack she knew. This was definitely not the same Pumpkin Gentleman who would give a cheerful laugh whenever and wherever he goes to.

Seemingly like the crazy killer as recorded in the [Geass Roll], his gaze was so sharp that they would have pierced the depths of an abyss. Even Asuka who had been born in the Showa era had heard of that name.

“Jack the Ripper”——The serial killer in the year of 1888 who shocked the whole of England.

But no one knew of the ending to that story right?

There was no way it could have been known.

—This crazy killer had also committed a similar heinous crime in the distant past, or even a massacre that was far worse than what was mentioned earlier. No one knows of his lies to a Saint, and having obtained this second chance at life.

And no one would have known what kind of causation might have linked them to be called by the same name.

 

“It’s time for a’ killing… Let’s dance, O’ Demon Lord of Confusion—!”

 

Jack’s shout was filled with anger and murderous intent.

Forming a swirling fire from beneath the heels of his leather boots to construct a spring, Jack instantly leapt towards the open chest of the Demon Lord of Confusion

And plunged the blood stained blade towards the chest of the Demon Lord of Confusion.

===Part 2===

—[Kouen, City of Brilliant Flames] The practice area in front of the Palace Third Right Wing.

The [Genome Tree] that started the transformation process gave off a bright dazzling light that surrounded Yō’s legs. The tips of the footgear were as sharp as the protruding claws of a wild beast while the materialized armor seemed to be adorned with the fur of a Gryphon.

Being equipped with the new equipment that was created through the mimicking of Eudemon abilities, Yō took to the skies.

The punch that she had shot into an empty spot had suddenly resulted in a spray of blood.

“……What?”

Maxwell gave a surprised mutter as he appeared above Willa’s head. The strike that Yō had thrown at the empty spot had been deeply buried into the back of Maxwell’s waist.

(''This works!'')

The strike that landed successfully had released the tension that Yō had been feeling up till then.

On the other hand, Maxwell was staring at Yō in a daze due to the unexpected sneak attack that had took him by surprise. It was supposedly impossible for anyone to come between the fight of Willa and Maxwell who were moving instantaneously. But Yō’s strike had made contact to his body and shook him to the core causing him a fatal injury that he had never experienced before.

Maxwell quickly followed Willa’s movements to perform another dimensional leap and when he materialized in the empty spot—

“—this isn’t right.”

Maxwell tried to change his line of thought for it was a little different from the sequence of events. Following up with an attack after his materialization is supposedly impossible or that should have been the case—

For at the same time that Maxwell materialized from in that empty spot, he had been struck by the attack from Yō.

“Willa!”

“Got it!”

They shouted to each other as they begin to follow up their attacks on Maxwell. Drawing out a hand crafted staff, Willa thrust the sharp tip towards Maxwell’s abdomen while channelling the [Ignis Fatuus] from within.

Using the claws and blades from her equipped armor and wings, Yō ripped through the clothes and flesh of Maxwell’s neck.

Beheaded and incinerated by the Azure flames, the red and blue colored jacket and his internal organs had been incinerated instantly and disappeared with the rise of the pillar of fire.

Yō hugged Willa while staying aloft in the air, not moving her eyes at the pile that was his remains for even a moment.

—we won?

Though she had just asked herself that question, she also shook her head to answer it for herself.

“Willa. This might just be out of our calculations.”

“I agree…… it’s quite a problem. I didn’t expect for him to become that strong.”

There was a tinge of anxiety in their voices but this was only understandable.

Maxwell was supposed to be beheaded and have his ashes dispersed by the pillar of fire that incinerated him. But he now stood within the pillar of fire leisurely as the burnt head and other parts of his body started to reattach themselves.

“According to what others have said, I thought that he’s supposed to be vulnerable to physical attacks and be defeated in that way……but if that last move of ours were to be ineffective, there’s no way for us to beat him at this point.”

“Mhm. It’s a headache. It really is a headache-inducing problem.”

The two of them were very calm on the exterior due to their personalities but internally, they were very anxious.

If it were the case of a specific method to defeat him just like those of the God-slaying methods, they were not well-versed on the topic to expose Maxwell’s spiritual source. Whether the two of them were enough to hold out against him with their current firepower was also another problem.

Continuing the fight in this manner would just be an uphill battle that would gradually become worse for them and just when anxiety was beginning to take hold of their hearts…

The figure of Maxwell disappeared.

“Nu, I won’t let you succeed!”

Yō tossed Willa into the air while kicking the right hand of Maxwell that attacked from below. Using the sparkling whirlwind to negate the blizzard released by Maxwell’s left hand, Yō flew higher into the air to pull away from him.

“Willa! Tactical retreat for now! Bring me along with your teleportation!”

“That, That can’t be done.”

“Hah?!”

“If I want to bring a live person along with me in the dimensional leap, you would die if I close off the doorway.”<ref>[magrefnotes: portal needs to be linked from hell to real world. If doorway is closed to open a new one, live person dies.]</ref>

Yō was speechless at that reply.

She did not expect to learn of that fact only at this important juncture. Having no other plans, Yō could only dodge the continuous attacks, which came from Maxwell who chained his dimensional leaps, while thinking up another battle strategy.<ref>[magrefnotes: Well, chained attacks like combo attacks in games….loop cast? :X]</ref>

On the other hand, Maxwell was already starting to see through the Gift that Yō was using to continuously dodge his attacks.

(''This little girl can perfectly deal with my dimensional leaps and keep up a defensive battle. This…… I see. It’s the same Gift as that guy!'')

It was something that happened three years ago when Maxwell had happily appeared before Willa to pick her up, but that man had used the same power to push him into a tight spot.

Maxwell had been brimming with confidence when he entered Little Garden but having been defeated by that real and overwhelming power of that man, he could only run away then.

“Previously, it was the tactical retreat after being confronted with an unknown power yet……Hoho, but I’ve now guessed the workings of it. This time, I will be sure to see the workings of this Gift completely!”

Seeming like an attempt to put some distance between them, he performed a dimensional leap to the back where he dispelled the endless emissions of flames and snow from his hands. For the Demon Maxwell who controlled heat, flames and snow were far from his true powers.

Compressing and extracting the heat to use it as energy. That is the sort of idea that made the foundation of ‘Maxwell Demon’’s existence.

“With just me alone, I’m not that strong a Demon Lord; hence to fill that weakness of mine, I’ve had someone create this thing for me— Summon, Coppelia<ref>[ magrefnotes: coppelia, a comic ballet originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles Nuitter. According to wikipedia: Coppélia concerns an inventor, Dr Coppelius, who has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a guy, becomes infatuated with it and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde. The inventor is an eccentric person who wants to bring his creation to life with a live sacrifice---Franz, the convenient person who trespassed. Swanhilde wanders in and discovers the plan, pretending to be a ‘live’ Coppelia to rescue Franz as she activates all the other mechanical dolls. Whole incident was then settled by $$ which leaves the eccentric inventor placated.]</ref> Sister!”

<nowiki>*Pak*</nowiki> With the snap of his fingers, a spiral shaped [Astral Gate] opened.

Just like the summoning with the Titans, the practice grounds were awash with the violent eddies of heat and sleet while many girl-like dolls appeared amidst the storm to surround Yō and Willa.

The dolls, which were modeled after females while possessing transparent pupils and platinum white hair, were continuously summoned to the practice grounds.

Though they were lined up neatly, their movements were exhibited much dexterity and did not seem to belong to dolls as they lifted the hems of their skirts in a curtsey. Although their eyes were lifeless, the skin of the dolls were flushed and seemed to have the heat of blood flowing within them.<ref>[magrefnotes: when described as hot and flushed, it is the sign of a person having performed much physical activities and in danger of dehydration… but this case only flushed to mean the coloration of the skin being a reddish tinge.]</ref>

“Co…..Coppelia……”

“Their appearances are quite appealing right? These are the results of a certain [Third kind of Perpetual Motion Machine] that was sealed by someone three years ago. Feeling that it’s a waste to leave it sealed up, I’ve gotten others to help mass produce them. Although they are still in the prototype stages, they are still valuable experiment materials—- so let’s get this going and have a dance, [Coppelia Sister]s!”

Maxwell gave his command.

The summoned platinum white haired dolls rushed towards Yō and Willa in a wave as they waved their wicked looking blades while stepping lightly in a dance like footwork while the various blades hidden on their bodies were flashing out in succession.

While dodging the blades hidden between their fingernails, wrists, elbows and hems of their skirts, Yō also launched her own kicks at them which easily shattered the dolls with the enhanced strength from the collective genes of the Eudemons.

(''Individually, they weren’t strong, but their numbers are great!'')

And the worst part was their lithe and rapid movements.

Willa was engaged in her teleportation guerrilla tactics but melee has never been her speciality and her dodging movements were awkward with the lack of practice. It was just the girlish action of jumping back in panic while releasing a handful of Azure flames in retaliation.

Even so, the two of them were barely managing to meet the onslaught of the dolls. Although they were outnumbered, the difference between their strengths were levels apart. Willa and Yō kept up a constant pace of destroying the dolls with the respective firepower of Azure flames and sparkling winds.

However, the rate of summoning is clearly much faster than their rate of destruction.

In the time that they took to destroy twenty dolls, thirty more had already been summoned.

“We will be overwhelmed by the numbers if this continues……Willa!”

“Wha,What?”

“I will be the decoy! Take this time to use your biggest firepower to blow up this practice grounds, okay?”

The bold battle strategy caused Willa to widen her eyes.

The soldiers who were battling in the vicinity had also chorused with, “What did you say?!”, “Don’t Joke around!” and “Oi! What kind of joke is that?!”, as they piled comments of displeasure one upon another in protest. However, they were all ignored by the two.

Willa understood that Yō had the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor to protect herself. Realizing that this was a strategy that had taken the backup defense system into account, Willa nodded her head in agreement.

“……Ten sec…No. Just get me five seconds to be readied!”

“Got it!”

The [Genome Tree] shone blindingly as it constructed more blades of higher durability. The agility of Yō’s reactions as she charged towards the main bulk of the dolls had also increased.

Using a sparkling wall of wind to deflect the dolls that pounced over from all directions, while effectively dismembering those that managed to pass through the defense. She then prioritized on destroying the dolls that were summoned closest to her without allowing them to make a single move.

Be it from above or below, left or right and all corners of the directions in addition to the dimensional leaps that can be chained, Yō unleashed her blades to mow down her enemies without a blind spot within her reach.

(''It’s just as I thought! This reaction time cannot be the result of responding with the five senses! She clearly……knows what will happen in the next second!'')

Maxwell who was watching over the battle from above had already seen through the Gift that she wielded. In the situation where all her opponents were surrounding her, moving in response to the information received from the five senses would have been much more restrictive.

(''I’m afraid that the Gift she’s using might actually be the power of premonition! And it should be a continuous casting type that can be used in a limited radius! For the sneak attacks from behind to be noticed, it shows that she’s using her senses and hearing to obtain information a few seconds in advance!'')

Then, how many times can she cast it in a chain? How many seconds would be the limit of her premonition?

To discover the answers to those questions, Maxwell summoned yet another fifty dolls.

Within the five seconds before Willa started the summoning of a large scale [Ignis Fatuus],—at the third second, the equipment on Yō’s legs were swapped out with the sparkling armor of the Pegasus.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!”

Yō roared with all her might as she used her power to release a huge sparkling whirlwind. The reinforced sparkling whirlwind became an iron wall that protected the two of them from the attacks that came from all directions.

But understanding the basis of that action, Maxwell started to smile.

(''I’ve seen though the trick! Three seconds—That’s her limit!'')

The [Coppelia Sisters] that he had invested as the fighting force had totaled a hundred and twenty-two.

But with that sacrifice, Maxwell was able to fully grasp the ability of Yō. This young Demon Lord having been humiliated three years ago had now learnt to be humble and calm when analyzing the abilities of the enemy.

(At the instance when the [Ignis Fatuus] of Willa’s summoning ends, I can summon twice the number of the fighting force. And when it becomes a confusion in the battle grounds, I will get rid of that girl when she reaches her time limit! So go ahead, summon the [Ignis Fatuus]! O’Bride of the Azure Flames!)

Having meticulously plotted the factors for the setting of his stage, Maxwell took off his jacket while allowing himself to be intoxicated in the thoughts of victory.

Willa raised her hand crafted staff up high as she opened the portal.

“Summon, [Ignis Fatuus]—!”

An Azure wind picked up above the ground.

The searing heat caused temperatures in the region to sky rocket and it incinerated all the [Coppelia Sisters], which surrounded Yō and Willa, to crisp as it shot up into the sky. During this time, Maxwell retrieved a [Geass Roll] that shone with a dark light in preparation for his next move.

(''Willa……I can finally get you to join my Gift Game of courtship!'')

Shortly after, the blaze had diminished in intensity and the jet-black charred surface of the Practice Grounds started to be visible.

As the heat rose from the ground, the moisture from the evaporated grounds made it difficult to make out any figures within the vapor, obscuring the both of them from view.

Maxwell had a face full of trepidation and happiness as he observed the scene.

But no matter how long he waited, the two figures never appeared on the grounds.

“……Willa?”

Maxwell’s mouth was hanging agape as he looked down upon the Practice Grounds.

After the vapor had dissipated, his beloved person did not appear.

His arms hung down lifelessly as he stood in mid-air in a daze.

The current Maxwell was full of openings to be exploited and this is not a metaphoric expression. Even the soldiers would be able to behead him in this current state.

From being intoxicated to a state of daze, and regaining his bearings once more, Maxwell crushed the [Geass Roll] in his hands.

 

“Willa……Aaaaaaaah, WILLA! Willa, Willa, Willaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! UUuuAAAAAAAAAAAAA leeeaaaaaaaaaaa! URIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa! Where have you goneeeeeeaaaahhhhh!”

 

After three years of rumination, the [Geass Roll] that he had injected all his feelings of love had been totally ignored. Using both his hands to grab his hair in frustration, Maxwell gave an unworldly roar.

The echoes of the roar continued to reverberate in the Palace for a full three minutes.

Abruptly stopping the shouts and returning to his calm self, Maxwell coolly shrugged his shoulders.

“—Mah, this sort of thing is also possible. I guess I will just listen to the next instruction from the “Tactician(Game maker)”-sama. Hoho, what a shy bride she is.”

Maxwell Demon Lord threw his jacket over his shoulders and disappeared.

On the other hand, Yō and Willa had flown to the blind spot of their enemy, hiding in the Forth Right Wing of the Palace. After Yō, who wore the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor, had confirmed the disappearance of Maxwell’s presence, she then let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s over now. Come, it’s okay now, Willa.”

“……Sniff, Uu…..”

Willa started to sob in the embrace of Yō’s arms.

Somewhat troubled by the turn of events, Yō stroked the head of Willa while thinking in admiration ‘Uwa~Though she’s obviously petite in size, her huge racks are really surprising’, while feeling healed by the sensation of those ample breasts.

“Sniff… Uu…It was really scary, really disgusting!”

“Mhm, yeah. That was really disgusting.”

Although Yō had never been a target of a stalker, she was able to empathize with that level of disgust. It was physiologically unacceptable.

“We must also rest and regroup. Moreover, it seems that he’s not interested in anything that does not concern Willa. So thank you for your hard work, let’s rest a bit for now.”

“Mhm Yō……Thank you.”

Willa dried her tears as she sat down.

Even though it couldn’t be called a victory, it was still a success in stalling the Demon Lord.

In regards to that achievement, Yō was confident.

[The current me can now fight when matched against a Demon Lord. I’m no longer a burden in fights.]

—But, just this once had already made her exhausted. If she were to continue fighting in this condition, she could only see an imminent defeat for herself.

Drawing out her Gift Card, Yō materialized a twig of the Water Tree to replenish her bodily fluids as she made preparations for the next battle.

===Part 3===

— [Kouen, City of Brilliant Flames], [Tablet of the Sea of Stars], Corridor of Displays.

Having ripped off his Pumpkin mask, he who transformed into [Jack the Ripper] had deeply plunged the dagger into the chest of the Demon Lord of Confusion. Sandra’s body was then stained by her blood as a result. Currently, he is no longer Jack the clown but a cold-blooded murderer. Since there isn’t any way to rescue her, he would not show any mercy even if his opponent were to be using Sandra’s body.

Jack’s dagger pierced into the chest of Sandra—

“—Don’t underestimate others, you newbie!!”

Suddenly feeling something amiss, Jack quickly retreated back to his previous spot.

Although it was still unconfirmed about what had just happened, the Demon Lord of Confusion must have used a certain spell. And the evidence was evident when the reeled scroll of “一事无成”<ref>[ magrefnotes:“一事无成”if you can’t see this due to the lack of computer program, it’s the Chinese characters which will be translated to [nothing is accomplished] and reasons for that can be futility of efforts/ no effort was made. My guess is that he should have died in that hit but it was negated.]</ref>was unfurled in the hands of the Demon Lord of Confusion.

Not doubting his proficiency in sensing a killer’s strike, Jack was confident that he had dodged the enemy’s technique.

(''But, that’s not a Gift for attacking!'')

Confirming that his body is fine, Jack launched into his second strike without a shred of hesitation. The Demon Lord of Confusion had to lean his upper torso backwards to dodge Jack’s dagger.

(''Damn it! This guy’s fast!'')

That speed had far exceeded the standards of normal. The dexterity of Jack’s Hissatsu waza was even able to surprise the Demon Lord of Confusion who had been able to make Izayoi have a run for his money.

Faced with such a strong foe that was out of his calculations, the Demon Lord of Confusion twitched the corners of his cute lips into a smile:

“You’re quite good yourself! To actually obtain an [Authority of Host Master] that have been signed by a Great Saint?! My, I really didn’t expect the real identity behind [Jack the Ripper] to be that of an executioner!”

“Yes. That’s right. And you, the criminal who snookered and devoured the young, shall meet your end! Right here, right now!”

The blood-stained dagger was engulfed in flames as it made a slashing movement to make a sweeping slice along an elongated vertical plane to cut the peak of the tower that the Demon Lord of Confusion had stood upon in an extended line. If that strike had landed, it would no doubt cause a fatal wound.

(''Tch! …..Reinforcing one’s own [Authority of Host Master] through revelations of the spiritual source?!'')

A Gift Game held in a duel format that metes out punishment to a particular sinner——Demon Lord of Confusion had deduced that to be the case.

 

—Although the [Authority of Host Master] is well known for its association with the Demon Lords, only some would know that the basis of its existence is actually the opposite.

A Trial for meting out justice to Criminals;

A Trial for proving one’s Devotion to a belief;

A Trial for welcoming new evolutionary Changes.

The forceful authorities that are made to bestow these Well-intentioned Trials—saying that is the real nature of the [Authority of Host Master] would not be a far cry at all.

Due to the guarantee of the Gods and or Religion that the Game abides by the rules and is of a well-intentioned purpose, Jack is able to be spared from the branding as a Demon Lord.

However, in the case that Jack hosts the Game out of his own selfish desires and not for the purpose of meeting out judgement to the sinner, he would immediately be branded with the mark of a Demon Lord and hunted down by the religion that assured his good behavior.

 

(''But, that’s not all! That guy’s actually able to induce a small scale [Paradigm Shift], which shows that his spiritual source is definitely not a weak or normal one!'')

The mystery surrounding the identity of the Game Leader had been used as the core of the Game and it simultaneously possessed rules to reinforce Jack’s power.

The coupling of the high dexterity from those flame springs and the dagger made a dangerous pair as it enabled Jack to instantaneously travel up to twice the speed of that capable by the Demon Lord of Confusion.

Even so, the Demon Lord of Confusion gave a relaxed laugh.

“This is interesting……!! It’s been a few hundred years since I’ve been warmly received by a Human’s Game! Ah,aah, let’s dance! Let’s dance together! But when the curtains fall, it will be sufficient to have only the ‘Great Me’ standing upon the stage!”

Responding to Sandra, the Dragon Horn emitted a glow. Raising his right hand above his head, the Demon Lord of Confusion created many a hundred large fireballs in the sky.

Although Sandra is young, she was definitely not a push-over. Her body had inherited the purest blood from the bloodlines of the Strongest Class. Just purely on firepower, her strength was one of the top few in the Five Digit Regions and it was now possessed by the old and experienced Demon Lord.

Bringing to bear many hundred fireballs that hung and almost covered the gloomy skies, the Demon Lord of Confusion roared:

“It’s now! Graiya! Take them!”

「GEYAAAAAaaa！！！」

Jack who had been chasing the Demon Lord of Confusion hurriedly turned to look behind him as Graiya glided in the air to come up from behind.

Graiya, with his abdomen lit with a glow of stored flames, and the Demon Lord of Confusion launched a pincer attack on Jack as one.

Seeing this, Asuka griped the reins as she shouted her command.

“Alma, protect Jack!”

Alma, who changed into a bolt of lightning, arrived under Jack before transforming once more into an Iron-clad fortress, and although the hot ray of Graiya and the many hundreds of large fireballs rained down upon it, the sturdy fortress constructed by Almathea continued to shield Asuka and Jack without being bulged.

Protected within the Adamantium fortress, Asuka gazed at the humanoid Jack while muttering in a doubtful and bewildered tone.

“Is this Jack’s…… true form?”

“……That’s right. Asuka-san, this form that is drenched in blood is my true form.”

The dagger soaked in fresh blood.

The bright red leather jacket that is used to hide the traces of blood.

A messy head of hair and the gaze that seemed to ooze with the murderous intent of a Shinigami.

All those characteristics effectively created the atmosphere unique to a serial killer.

“There’s a continuation to the legends of Jack the Pumpkin. The blood-stained criminal who had been granted a second life and the young demon who saved him—the fates of these two were supposed to be eliminated and erased……but a kind and generous Saint had given me a second chance to change my ways.”

Jack’s task is to protect the young and to search for and rescue souls that have been born from unnatural deaths. Having set his heart to turn over a new leaf, Jack had played the role of the Pumpkin clown and became the main character for Halloween.

And that’s how Jack, whose name had been synonymous to terror and monsters, had taken on the association to a clown to live on.

“…… But you know… The one we want to make an alliance with is Jack the Gentleman and definitely not a murderer. Am I right, Jack?”

“Yes. I know that. To have concealed my identity up till now, I offer my deepest apologies.”

“That’s right. Then after this, you’d better make sure to change back into that Pumpkin head. Otherwise, Lily and the others from the senior children group will be afraid of you.”

Giving a smile that seemed to blossom across her face like any normal day, Asuka raised her Gift Card.

Jack was stumped and was unable to say anything to that.

Even after knowing the past of the other, it would not change the fact that they were fighting as comrades in arms. And those were the words said by the honest gaze from Asuka.

“……Yahoho. Mhm. Of course. If I use this look to say ‘Trick or Treat’, children would surely be scared to the verge of tears. I guess I should just spare myself from those situations.”

“That’s right. The pumpkin head really looks many times better than the current you.”

Yahoho, Jack gave a laugh that was a much deeper tone than the usual.

He also seemed to be a little shy and it is definitely not an illusion.

“Okay……It’s our turn to do this, Alma! Let’s go beat those rude little baddies!”

{“Understood. My master.”}

Almathea reverted from her fortress form to her mountain goat form while Asuka retrieved four Gemstone orbs from her Gift Card which she then proceeded to inject with her Speech.

“ ‘Float like the Clouds, Shower like a hailstorm, and Rampage wildly like a bolt of thunder—

O’Mountain Goat who runs in the skies, I beseech thee to transform into a formless fortress to mete justice upon thy enemies.’

"'''''—Go, Almathea!'''''”<ref>[magrefnotes: it wasn’t bolded, just bolded it to show the incantation. +italic too. If you wonder why it is thunder and not lightning, it is an old saying… Pikachu is a lightning or thunder pokemon? THUNDER! My guess is that they have the same belief of thunder and lightning like the Chinese. Thunder Gods and all because the sound is scarier than the light, even though the light is the one that will make them charred and crispy.]</ref>

The words of Asuka had caused the gemstone orbs to have mock Divinities residing within them.

Her God’s bestowment (Speech) is a reinforcing Gift but if it were to be used in its current form, they would shatter instantly; hence, these four gemstone orbs were given to Almathea to crush between her teeth, where they would be absorbed as Gifts.

In an instant, the spiritual status of Almathea started to bloat enormously.

(''Asuka-san…… Finally she’s going to use that.'')

Almathea, who had just ingested the four Mock Divinities, started to release fierce sparks of electricity that ran along her woolly body and she gave a loud bellow. The Iron body had also started to melt from the heat and gradually turned into a fluid that seemed like Mercury.

Almathea—Her real identity is the Goddess of Harvest who nurtured the main God of the Greek mythologies. Her horn is able to bless fertile soils and bring forth much fruit for harvest, and her woolen hide is covered by a layer of Adamantium; hence, she is able to become the Strongest Shield of the Greek Gods that can defend from any attacks—[Shield of Aegis]<ref>[magrefnotes: notebyCNTL: Aegis is a divine shield of the Greek mythologies and half is said to be owned by Zeus while the other half is with Athena. Crafted by Hephaestus using the hide of a Divine Mountain Goat, it is the sturdiest Sheild that cannot be struck down by the lightning bolt of Zeus. Differences between the two shields are: Functions of Athena’s shield include: Symbol of feat, able to track, symbol of violence and war and the ability to petrify. Whereas the functions of Zeus’s shield: gathers the clouds, hold the ability to create dark clouds, with a wave, it can generate violent winds and when released into the skies, it will darken the skies and will only brighten once more when retrieved.]</ref>.

Jack had used the combination of Adamantium on Almathea to create a mock [Aegis Shield]. But the method to activate this Shield would require an indispensable Gift. And that would be the Divinity from the Heavens.

Like the clouds, hail and thunder that protects her master to mete justice upon the enemies.

[Shield of Aegis] is still a symbol of power for Zeus, God of the skies.

(''To make up for that shortcoming, Asuka-san had used the method of injecting Mock Divinity into those four orbs to be given to Almathea. And if this works……'')

Having her former Divinity returned to her, Almathea gave a loud bellow.

Stomping her hooves that ran with rivulets of energy that coursed throughout her body, she waited for the orders from her master.

{“Please give the next order, my master.”}

“The order’s been given already. Just like the clouds that float in the skies, the hail that rains down upon the lands and the thunder that strikes in a pronged fork—Almathea!”

The sound of an explosion came shortly as the air around her underwent a rapid thermal expansion.

Following the explosion, fresh blood had also spurted out from the chest of Graiya.

Almathea who had moved with a sonic boom had pierced Graiya’s chest like an arrow. The speed was completely incomparable to that of before and it could be said to be the epitome of a lightning fast strike that sparked as it struck its target.

“Gu, uh—!!”

As Graiya toppled backwards from the momentum of the horn that pierced his right chest, the two beasts fell in a straight line to crash through the structures within the Corridor of Displays and all the way into the Commercial Districts, causing them to collapse along the way.

However, this opportunity was not let up by the Demon Lord of Confusion as he immediately launched a fireball towards Asuka who stood without her usual protectors.

“You’re full of loopholes, ojou-chan!”

“Ara, A maiden’s defense is really sturdy you know?”

— <nowiki>*Hing Ling*</nowiki> The sound of the flute that had suddenly appeared in Asuka’s hands from nowhere resonated in the air.  Perhaps it was a customized version of a flute for a simple movement of the wrist had already been able to generate the sound from the flute.

But the problem was not with that movement.

Seeming to have heard this sound, Almathea had traveled at light speed to protect Asuka. 

(''Guh, that’s fast!'')

Coming down like a torrential rain of scatter shots, she had transformed into an Iron Wall of defense. As for Graiya, who had been knocked away with her just a little while earlier, he was still kneeling over the rubble as he gripped the right of his chest to staunch the flow of blood. It really is an incredible speed.

(''Tch! This girl also possess some problematic tricks as well huh……?'')

The Demon Lord of Confusion had a cunning glint in his eyes, which was really unimaginable to have come from a young girl, as he assessed the situation.

Although Jack was said to be a Sixth Digit person, he was in the possession of an [Authority of Host Master] and in addition to that was Asuka who controlled The Fortress—Almathea. Graiya had also been severely injured and the enemies were still holding back on their hidden moves.

The situation sure is bleak.

He gave a shrug. “Although it is a pity, but I guess it’s about time. FuFu, it’s time for us to take our leaves.”

“…… Are you trying to run? As long as my [Authority of Host Master] is still activated, you will never be able to escape out of [Kouen City].”

Jack raised his dagger while lowering his hips into a crouch.

But the Demon Lord of Confusion only gave a leisurely smile as he retrieved another reel of scroll<ref>[magrefnotes: like the Naruto one… hmmm is that called reel of scroll or scroll reel?]</ref>.

“What~’s the matter?! It’s just for us to regroup a little. Well, during that time, you will just have to make do with playing with the Titans!”

He unreeled the scroll and some Chinese characters floated from the surface.

虚度光阴—The curse that stops the sense of time within the radius of the caster.

Up to the point where their vision started to become a monochrome, Asuka and Jack were able to grasp the situation but it was only up to that point for the figure of the Demon Lord of Confusion had suddenly disappeared before their eyes.

“You must be joking? He really disappeared!”

{“Although it’s just for a moment, I’m sure that the characters of 虚度光阴 had appeared. I speculate that this must be the curse that controls the sense of time. And as long he has that card in his hand, we won’t be able to catch him”}

“But I’ve already activated the [Authority of Host Master] on him. If he attempts to flee the city—“

Just then, the sound of something collapsing from the outer wall section of the city echoed loudly.

The stationed troops along the City walls must have been breached.

Asuka and Jack gritted their teeth in frustration as they assessed the next step they should take.

“Let’s go. If the Demonified Titans were to swamp in, the City would be wasted even if we were to win the Game.”

{“That’s right. But what makes me worried is Smith Jack. If he continues to battle, he would also fall prey to the curse of fatigue and lose his strength right?”}

“Oh, Oh this…… It’s nothing, don’t worry! Due to a lot of reasons, this curse will not have any effect on me!”

{“Hm? Oh is that so? Then let’s take action before it’s too late.”}

Asuka rode upon Almathea, who had changed back to her mountain goat form, as they hurried over to the breached Outer Walls.

 

But at this time, they should have noticed.

The Dragon Horn of the Dragon of the Sea of Stars that Sandra carries around had not once, been used by the Demon Lord of Confusion.

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===Translator's Notes===

<references/>  

{{Mondaiji Nav|p1=7|p2=Chapter 3|n1=7|n2=Chapter 5}}
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