I’ve survived countless near-death experiences so far.

Considering all that, I should have been able to overcome this one no problem, but…

“...”

Ugh.

It fucking hurts.

Breathing heavily, I looked down at my body.

It felt like my entire body was mutilated, like it had been cut into thin slices. This was the result of me ‘sending’ Iliya to go ahead while I tried to survive on my own here.

[Sometimes, I wonder if there’s really a need for you to do such a dumb thing.]

“...”

I didn’t answer that and let out a sigh.

It isn’t like I have any other choice.

Even if Iliya was with me, it would be impossible for us to win against that thing with our current stats. We had a better chance to survive if I were to let her go ahead on her own first and have a showdown with the Devil after.

That was why I had to stall for time for as long as I could while Iliya negotiated things with Faenol…

“...Caliban.”

[What?]

“How many minutes have passed?”

[Two.]

“...”

Are you telling me it hasn’t been that long?

I swear that I’ve been fighting for a while, but only a moment has actually passed?

The Hell Guard was an extremely powerful opponent—this was a fact that I knew beforehand.

Because even in the Pandemonium, almost nobody could match it in close quarters combat.

-!

Again, our swords clashed.

I had given the Holy Sword back to Iliya, so I was only left with a spare sword and the Infinity Gauntlet the Tribal Alliance had made.

-!!!!

The sword the Hell Guard swung slid on the surface of the gauntlet I was wearing.

This thing was a versatile item with all kinds of special effects, but it wasn’t that useful against this bastard.

You see, the Hell Guard’s strength could be summarized in one sentence.

Overwhelmingly strong, to the point that it could respond to everything I threw at it head-on.

Its specs were transcendental.

It was also quick, powerful, and unyielding.

Even when my Desperation EX was activated, I could only follow its movements and nothing else.

-!

-!!

Due to the clash, my body bounced off and I ended up rolling on the ground again. Usually, it was my opponent who’d be doing this whenever my Desperation EX was active, but it was the complete opposite case with this fucker.

Despite having mastered the Law Technique and greatly improved my stats, I was still no match for him. It felt like I was hitting a rock with an egg.

I guess this was what those punks who were crushed by me in one blow felt. Was this was karma?

Even if I were in my peak condition, forget about beating him, I wouldn’t even know if I could survive. Continuing the battle in my current state was a penance if anything.

“...Haa.”

I sighed while tuning up my body.

“...”

It hurts.

Fuck, it hurts so bad.

It wasn’t like I was unfamiliar with pain, as I experienced it countless times before, but prior to this, I was abusing one of the most important Holy Relics in this world in a rather expedient way. Obviously the burden on my body wouldn’t be light.

And I had to fight against such an opponent for so long in that condition. There was no way my body would be fine.

But still…

This wasn’t enough.

Because I still had things left to do.

[...I get that you still have things to do.]

Suddenly, a voice came out of the Soul Linker.

[But, can you even keep this up in your current condition? At the very least, I don’t think you can manage by yourself.]

“...”

Still, I had to do it by myself.

It wasn’t like I could ask anyone for help.

[What? Do you really think no one can help you?]

Fine, tell me who can help me then.

The Devil's Vessels?

There was no way I could expect their help.

Unexpected variables might arise if I made them take a risk here. I had to make sure I would be able to do everything—

[Call them by their names.]

“...What?”

[At one point, you’ve been referring to those Devil’s Vessels as a group rather than individuals.]

“...”

[Lady Tristan, the Tribal Chieftain's daughter, the Holy Land's Assassin, the Homunculus who lacked social skills… All of them are human beings with personalities, not just ‘subjects’ you have to protect.]

“...”

[It's like a tail wagging the dog rather than vice versa if you forget their nature as you thought of protecting them. You know that?]

I looked at the Soul Linker blankly.

[Do you know what I was struggling with the most when I went up to the place where I led all of the Guardians?]

“...What?”

As I asked back blankly at his sudden words, Caliban continued with a chuckle.

[Talented people with good heads on their shoulders, who are chosen for a grand goal of fighting for justice, have one thing they're frequently mistaken about.]

“What are you suddenly talking about…”

[They think that everyone around them is a subject they must protect.]

Caliban said with a grin.

[But that’s what I call a fucking arrogance. That’s just them looking down on everyone around them.]

“...”

What the hell is he talking about?

I thought so while staring blankly at the Soul Linker.

[Idiot, don’t try to do anything by yourself. Because people aren't fools you can manipulate.]

“...”

[As much as you want to protect them, they definitely cherish you as well.]

At the same time as Caliban said so…

“...You.”

Before my eyes…

A familiar ‘aura’ rose…

“You are doing something like this by yourself again.”

And the voice that I definitely didn’t expect to hear here rang in my ears.

●

Even in Pandemonium, only few people were familiar with its name.

Because previously, it was just a creature that lived at the very bottom of the Pandemonium.

It lived among the filth…

And, yet…

It ‘yearned’ for the little Monarchs.

The Seven Monarchs who ruled the Pandemonium. The untouchable supreme beings in all dimensions— the Celestial infused in the Astral, the Mirror World where the Spirits lived, and even the Material Realm that was full of living beings.

During an ‘eclipse’ which occurred once per period in the Pandemonium, the colors of all of those Monarchs spreading throughout the whole Pandemonium could be seen.

Even in the gray-scaled world, where the law of the jungle was in full swing, everyone watched the scene absent-mindedly when that day came.

Among them…

There were low-level Devils whose hearts and souls were taken by the scene and became determined to get close to it.

Of course, most of them didn’t get further than that as they’d be blocked by a wall called reality and disappeared into history after dying without making a name for themselves.

However, at times…

Overturning all kinds of odds…

Some of them would become unusually stronger.

Throughout the history of perfect predation.

They grew by tenaciously surviving, devouring, becoming stronger, and pushing themselves to the end.

And after such miraculous possibilities collided, after going through the final stage of evolution that allowed even the most lowly creatures in the Pandemonium to become stronger, this creature, the Hell Guard, was born.

The ‘Royal Guard' of hell put his sword away while exhaling breath which was mixed with sulfur.

The man in front of him, who had been severely injured by his sword, was breathing heavily and shallowly.

-...

In truth, the Hell Guard was a little annoyed.

Because of his impudence.

Such a fragile human, to have the presence of the Monarchs who should have been worshiped in his humble body.

The doors to the Material Realm were opened out of nowhere.

The impudent man wouldn’t know what kind of penance it went through in order to touch such an aura.

-...

I'll kill him.

I'll erase his existence from this world and eat him up.

That was what the creature had thought.

Until someone got in its way.

“You are doing something like this by yourself again.”

And as soon as it saw who it was that dared to get in its way…

The Hell Guard was at a loss for words.

-...!

Gray.

The most powerful of all the Monarchs.

A woman, who hosted such a being in her body, was blocking its way when it was about to pounce on the man, who had just collapsed.

It could also feel the aura of the Monarch from the tiny woman, who was quietly glaring at it, next to her.

The White Monarch.

Not only that…

There were other people who came running behind them.

“Hey, you punk, are you okay? You've been beaten to pulp…!”

“Senior! Oh my, this needs to be treated quickly…!

Blue, Purple.

Two more Monarchs.

As the human with the Blue Monarch’s aura glared at the human with the Purple's, the Hell Guard stumbled in shock.

“...Hey, beast girl, what’s with this senior thing? Are you trying to flirt with him?”

“He’s a 2nd year, how else am I supposed to call him? What, do you have any complaints? Oh, could it be you’re that kind of pitiful woman? You know, the one who has zero confidence whatsoever in regards to a romantic relationship, the one that becomes hypersensitive to everything when it comes to Senior—”

It couldn’t fully comprehend the context in full detail.

What it did know was that the two Monarchs right there were ‘worrying’ about the two men who collapsed there while ‘keeping a check’ on each other.

As if both of them were competing to ‘own’ that man by themselves.

As if they were infatuated by him so much.

-...

As soon as it saw it…

Anger burned the Hell Guard’s Mind.

It…

In order to get them to look at it even once, so that it could stand near them, so that it could worship them with all its being.

It had finally become so powerful after going through an endless battle in Hell, killing everyone in its sight, devouring everything, and creating trails of blood in its wake.

Yet, that damn punk! What did he do to get their favor so easily…?!

-...!

As the creature was shaking in anger that it had never felt before in its life, someone walked towards it and stopped before its eyes.

“Are you the one who made Dowd like that?”

The Gray Monarch.

The Master of Pandemonium Pantheon.

The woman who had such a being inside her, said in a quiet voice while pulling out her sword.

Next to her, the woman with White Monarch inside her also did the same quietly.

“What, are you guys going to have fun by yourselves?”

“...As expected from a barbarian, once you see the opportunity to hit someone, you —”

“Shut up, beast girl.”

Then, Purple and Blue joined as well.

It seemed as if they wanted to scold it, as it was the one who had injured that man.

-...

Hell Guard.

The Royal Guard of the Hell Monarchs. One of the most powerful beings in Pandemonium.

A creature who had devoted itself to training himself almost forever in order to reach this far.

That creature was now…

On the verge of getting lynched by the beings it was serving because it messed with the wrong man.

-...

If it could use the human language…

A curse would probably come out of its mouth in a dejected voice.