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The battle between the Old and Current Demon Lord factions raged on in the arena. Though after the spectacular opening two matches, everything that followed felt rather underwhelming by comparison.

Not that the spectators in the stands minded much.

Most of them were Current Demon Lord faction supporters anyway. After starting with two straight losses, finally clawing back some ground was enough to lift their spirits.

Whether the fights were actually competitive had become secondary.

❁❁❁❁

Meanwhile, deep within the Northern Territory, in a cave completely hidden from all detection magic—

Several elderly demons sat on plush sofas, watching the massive magical crystal screen mounted against the cave wall.

Leading them was Madonis, the same figure Leohart had spoken with remotely at the Cardinal Institute.

He sat in the center position, swirling a glass of red wine in his wrinkled hand as he watched the screen, letting out a low, sinister chuckle.

"Hehehe, excellent, excellent. Everything's proceeding exactly as planned. That Leohart took the bait hook, line, and sinker—bringing in some random outsiders to stage fake matches while his technical team frantically searches for our signal location."

"So... what happens if they actually find us?"

Another Council elder asked cautiously from the side.

"Relax. Being found is only a matter of time."

Madonis continued swirling his wine glass unhurriedly despite saying they'd definitely be discovered.

"But they won't find this place easily. At minimum, they won't locate us before the final match begins. And by then... it'll already be too late."

"No—I should say from the moment they decided to play along, it was already too late."

As if his words carried prophetic weight, a figure suddenly materialized from thin air within the cave the instant he finished speaking.

The Council elder didn't even turn around.

"You're back, Admirath."

"Yes."

The unicorn-horned young demon carrying a stone tablet knelt on one knee behind the sofa, bowing his head.

"Just as Lord Madonis predicted, the Current Demon Lord faction successfully excavated the relic from the Demon God War era. However, due to time constraints, they've only completed preliminary decoding work so far."

"Oh? They've already finished preliminary decoding? How efficient."

Without setting down his wine glass, Madonis extended his other hand backward over his shoulder.

"The item—you brought it back, I assume?"

"Of course."

Admirath rose and carefully handed the stone tablet to Madonis with both hands.

"What is this...?"

The other Council elders leaned in curiously to look, but the bizarre symbols on the tablet instantly killed any desire to decipher them.

Only Madonis laughed like he'd found treasure, gently brushing dust off the tablet's surface.

"Remember what I had the Current Demon Lord faction excavate? Officially it was a relic from the Demon God War era—which isn't technically wrong."

"So what exactly is it, Lord Madonis?"

Admirath inquired from behind, bowing slightly.

"Want to know?"

Madonis smiled, shaking his head.

"While this should remain secret with as few people knowing as possible, considering your substantial contributions in this game against the Current Demon Lord faction, Admirath, I suppose I can tell you. This is... a trigger."

"A trigger?"

Admirath didn't immediately understand.

He knew what a trigger meant—like the fuse on a firecracker. Light the fuse, it burns down to the gunpowder inside, causing an explosion.

Simply put, using something small and safe to trigger something bigger and more dangerous.

As a Council member, he had some knowledge about what the Current Demon Lord faction had excavated. He'd been the one who delivered the reference materials for the dig, and he'd even seen what they'd unearthed.

Honestly, that coffin pulled from underground already seemed massive to Admirath. Yet Madonis was calling it merely a trigger.

What kind of terrifying existence would this trigger summon?

"Correct."

Stroking the rough carved tablet in his hands, Madonis's smile widened further.

"This is the trigger to summon the legendary King of Heroic Spirits. Legend says the King of Heroic Spirits is a monster that even Demon Lords cannot oppose. If we summon it during the final battle, what do you think will happen?"

"!!"

❁❁❁❁

Everything proceeded according to plan.

Scene Shift to the arena.

After Venelana and Kuroka's opening two victories, Sheila, Koneko, and Akeno deliberately threw three straight losses.

Though all three were first-timers whose acting was rather clumsy—all featuring back-and-forth exchanges followed by sudden pratfalls and immediate surrenders—the audience couldn't have cared less.

The momentum had completely reversed!

Then Rias, wielding her mother's Power of Destruction, effortlessly claimed the sixth match, forcibly corking the champagne bottles the Current Demon Lord faction supporters had already half-opened.

Now both sides held match point. Victory would be decided in the final round.

"Oh my. Who would've thought the Old Demon Lord faction would claw back from the brink! Looks like everything comes down to this truly final battle!"

As the sixth match concluded, the referee girl's voice echoed through the stands once more.

❁❁❁❁

Meanwhile in the lounge, hearing the announcement for the seventh match, Bokue Keikain gently patted Kuroka's bottom to signal her to let go, then rose from the sofa and straightened his slightly disheveled clothes.

"Looks like it's finally my turn..."

"Sodayo (That's right)~"

Just as he finished speaking, the lounge door suddenly burst open. A pristine white figure bounced energetically into the room, weaving past the various girls at lightning speed to reach the young man by the sofa.

Who else could arrive at such a moment but a certain young Demon Lord's sister—Liala?

Completely unexpected, her appearance caught even Bokue by surprise.

"Liala? Why are you suddenly here?"

"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? I'm here to cheer for Bokue-kun~"

Liala tilted her head cutely, the motion causing the snowy mountains beneath her white dress to sway gently.

"Didn't I mention before? I'd be cheering for both Bokue-kun and Leo-chan during today's battle, right?"

"I think you did..."

"Bo—kue—"

While Bokue was still lost in thought about past conversations, an angry voice suddenly came from behind—a certain cat-eared girl sounding rather irritated.

"Who is she now? Better explain yourself to big sister, nya!"

But before she could cause a scene, the broadcast system crackled to life again with the cat-eared referee's commentary.

"Dear audience members, we've now reached the battle that will determine the Northern Territory's fate! For this occasion, our organizers have prepared the perfect stage for this final confrontation! The darkest forbidden ground of the demon realm, blessed by the Demon Gods themselves, the eternal battlefield, the Demon Lord's dueling ground—SAMUDŌ!!"

"What?! Samudō... why there?!"

Hearing the location name, Liala's cheerful expression instantly vanished.

"If the final battle is at Samudō..."

"'If it's at Samudō'?"

Rias, who'd been sparring with Kuroka moments ago, noticed something was wrong and approached with Akeno and the others.

"Sorry, we don't know much about the Northern Territory. Is there something wrong with this final battle location?"

"Yes..."

Never expecting things to reach this point, Liala struggled to maintain her previous carefree smile.

She nodded with difficulty.

"That's a dueling ground specifically built for those with Demon Lord bloodlines to stake their lives and honor in battle. Only those carrying Demon Lord blood can enter—without it, you can't even step onto that stage."

"Is that so?"

Bokue raised an eyebrow.

"What if I insist on going anyway?"

With those words, his form had already vanished from the lounge.

When he opened his eyes again, Bokue Keikain stood upon a land on the verge of shattering.

No need to wait for the arena's teleportation circle.

He'd already arrived at Samudō.

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