Chapter 901: You Don't Want Your Other Half to Disappear Either, Do You?
"Is that so? You're the new Demon King?"
Wolbach slowly approached.
The gentleness previously seen in her eyes was gone, replaced by a shadowy veil.
She held a very clear hostility toward the new Demon King.
"What brings the new Demon King here?"
"I heard there was an unauthorized war happening here, so I came to see for myself."
Eiji crossed his arms, pretending not to notice her unusual behavior.
"I see. Your information network is quite efficient."
Wolbach nodded in understanding, but then her tone shifted abruptly.
"However, how I conduct myself is none of your concern. If you're here to interfere, you can leave now."
Her words had become sharp and cutting.
There was no trace of respect for him as the new Demon King in her speech; instead, it was filled with rejection and defiance.
Silvia trembled nearby, crouching in a corner and pretending not to exist.
"You have a problem with me?"
Eiji hummed thoughtfully, as if realizing something.
"Do you really think I would bow and scrape before you?"
Wolbach looked at him incredulously, her expression completely fearless.
"My agreement with the old Demon King never included taking orders from him. The only reason I joined the Demon Lord Army was to find my other half. The old Demon King was wise enough to never try to command me."
Eiji had inherited his position as the Demon King from the old Demon King, so the agreements with the various executives naturally remained unchanged. In fact, executives like Barnier and Wiz had even resigned.
Gaining further control over executives who were never under his command in the first place was never part of the inheritance.
It was strange, really. The old Demon King must have had some skill to recruit people like Barnier, Wolbach, and Wiz as executives, even though he himself was utterly incompetent.
"That's fine. Do as you please. I have no intention of interfering with your affairs."
The new Demon King's attitude was much calmer than Wolbach had expected.
He genuinely seemed not to care whether she followed orders or not, which made Wolbach reconsider her opinion of him.
After all, she had never actually heard what the new Demon King was like. Based on his forceful seizure of the Demon King's position, she had assumed he would be a domineering figure.
"However, you seem to hold some other grudge against me, don't you?"
"...Are you really that unaware?"
Wolbach let out an exasperated sigh, her face full of displeasure.
"I am a god. If I were still the goddess Wolbach from centuries ago, it would be different. But now I am the evil god Wolbach."
Eiji had heard about this too. It seemed that due to the slander from Axis Cult followers, her divinity had become corrupted.
"Faith in me has drastically declined. Not only has my power weakened significantly, but if faith were to drop to zero, I would disappear on the spot... Gods are that dependent on faith."
Wolbach's expression darkened.
A god's power relies on the strength of their faith, while their followers' power also depends on the god. The relationship is mutually reinforcing.
But in other words, once faith reaches zero, the god is finished.
Eiji suddenly remembered something.
"Did my permission for Serena to proselytize among the demon tribe encroach upon your domain of faith?"
"It seems you aren't deliberately playing dumb."
Wolbach's expression softened slightly, and the confrontational tension in the air eased a bit.
To obtain the position of Demon King, one had to gain the recognition of the executives. Back then, to secure Serena's approval, Eiji had permitted her to spread the teachings of her worshipped goddess among the demon tribe.
According to Serena, the goddess she believed in was on the verge of decline, with her being the only follower left in the entire world. If she, as the last believer, were to die, her goddess would fade into the dust of history.
Due to the dire straits her goddess faced, the moment Eiji allowed her to proselytize, Serena immediately switched sides.
But prior to this, the faith within the Demon Lord Army had belonged solely to Wolbach!
It was precisely because she could monopolize the demon tribe's faith, coupled with her need to leverage resources to search for her other half, that Wolbach had been willing to join the Demon Lord Army as an executive.
Allowing someone else to proselytize undoubtedly infringed upon Wolbach's fundamental interests!
Eiji recalled that Barnier had once warned him about this matter, stating that Wolbach would inevitably confront him over it.
"I see, I understand the source of your hostility toward me now."
Eiji nodded in comprehension, then revealed a vicious smile beneath his mask.
"But, Wolbach—you wouldn't want your other half to disappear, would you?"
"What?"
Wolbach shuddered, staring at him in shock.
"What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you've... found my other half? Don't think I'm easily fooled; I'm not some woman who can be deceived by empty words—"
Eiji pulled out his student handbook.
He had anticipated that Wolbach might not believe him, so he had taken a photo of Toshinosuke before coming.
"Heh heh heh, any last words?"
Holding up the photo of Toshinosuke, he laughed like a true villain.
Wolbach's bright eyes widened in disbelief.
The black cat in that photo was undoubtedly her other half! Seven years ago, she herself had struck it into that form and resealed it in the grave, yet she hadn't been able to locate it since.
Now, it had appeared in the hands of the new Demon King!
"You... what are your conditions?"
Wolbach immediately grew restless, her expression filled with turmoil.
The issue of faith could be discussed later!
If she could reclaim her other half, allocating a small area for Serena to proselytize might be worth considering!
No, if reclaiming her other half could be achieved under such conditions, she would agree without hesitation. Once she regained her other half, her power would double—far more valuable than a mere sliver of faith!
"My, I only just noticed today how striking Goddess Wolbach's beauty is!"
Under Wolbach's furious yet stifled gaze, the new Demon King pinched her cheek, behaving like a third-rate ruffian.
"Don't worry, my conditions won't be too difficult... You understand, right? Heh heh heh!"
Wolbach's face flushed bright red, half from embarrassment, half from anger.
"...I understand."
...
The night had grown deep.
Silvia, her face filled with trepidation, slipped past the patrols and sneaked into Crimson Demon Village.
With the invisibility magic bestowed by Lady Wolbach upon her, her form remained unseen by the naked eye. Fortunately, there were no magical barriers or detectors around the Scarlet Devil Mansion, allowing her to slip in with ease.
"How wretched my fate is!"
Silvia crept forward cautiously, silently mourning her misfortune.
The moment His Majesty and the goddess reached an agreement, they had immediately pushed her into this suffering!
If she were discovered, she might truly die here!
Did neither of her superiors care even a little about her human rights?
"The warehouse, the warehouse… where is it?"
Unable to locate the warehouse anywhere, Silvia grew increasingly frustrated.
Finding the target sooner would mean she could retreat earlier!