Hearing Charles's words, Meliodas and Ban were both taken aback.
Where were they? This was Purgatory—what kind of pig could survive here?
Then, in the next instant, they both thought of Hawk, the most unusual pig they knew. But they both shook their heads.
Hawk had many special traits, but a Power Level of three hundred didn't exactly scream "connected to Purgatory."
As if guessing their thoughts, Charles said, "The pig I'm talking about is related to Hawk!
"You've probably noticed—even Hawk himself doesn't know the Demon King has been watching the Boss through his eyes.
"He's a Purgatory beast to begin with, which is why the Demon King used him as a pawn. And he has an older brother right here in Purgatory who's been challenging the Demon King ever since his little brother was taken.
"As long as we find him, we can find the Demon King."
Ban had already suspected something was off with Hawk once he learned the pig's eyes were linked to Purgatory. Meliodas had noticed much earlier.
What they were more curious about was Charles's source—he even knew this. But since Charles didn't volunteer it, they didn't pry. It was enough to know he was helping them.
Ban said, "Then the question is—how do we find the Master's brother?"
Charles grinned. "Why do you think I brought him up?"
Seeing his smile, Ban and Meliodas understood what he meant, and the three moved at once.
The moment they did, a dark shape burst from the hillside behind them and tried to flee.
Charles flashed in front of it, crossed his arms, and blocked the charge, bouncing it back.
Meliodas and Ban used the opening to surround it. All three got a clear look at the shadow's true form.
The speed it showed just now had been shockingly fast; no one expected such an agile figure to be… a wild boar with purple fur!
Though different from the rosy Hawk, at least eighty percent of the two pigs matched.
Indeed, this was Hawk's brother, Wild, the Purgatory beast.
Charles actually had a backup plan—he could tweak the Meliodas-locator to track someone linked to him by blood: the Demon King.
But he'd noticed someone tailing them earlier. Given how long it had followed, if it meant to attack, a Purgatory creature wouldn't have had that much patience.
And Charles sensed no malice. In a place like Purgatory, a creature without malice could only be Wild.
Charles said to Wild, "You heard what we said. Your little brother is named Hawk now—he's our friend.
"If you want to see him, you'll have to leave Purgatory. So can you take us to the Demon King?"
Wild froze, then his eyes filled with tears in an instant.
"My adorable little brother, Mild—I finally have news of you!"
And yes, once he started crying, Wild looked even more like Hawk!
…
Charles had to hand it to Wild—surviving in Purgatory and still keeping such a pure heart. Charles had nothing but his word, yet Wild believed him at once and agreed to help.
Well… maybe deception just isn't a thing Purgatory creatures use, so the thought never occurred to him.
Sure enough, in some ways, the human world is scarier than Purgatory!
With Meliodas and Ban taking turns telling Wild all about Hawk—while Wild sniffled and wept—the group finally reached their destination: the Demon King's lair.
They didn't need to get close—Charles could already feel the crushing pressure, the natural weight of the Demon King's vast magic.
The Demon King was like a black hole—his sheer mass generated a gravity that could swallow even light, making Charles vividly aware of the god's presence.
As they moved forward, Charles saw the Demon King's true form.
A humanoid giant as tall as a small mountain, his whole body jet-black under archaic, heavy armor, a greatsword like a city gate in his hand.
Thick horns jutted from his head. In the shadowed face, only a pair of crimson eyes and a red sigil on his brow could be seen. A great beard lent him a wild, imposing air.
The Demon King lowered his head to the three men and one boar approaching, his voice dull yet overwhelming.
"Meliodas, you've come back again."
They all stopped together. Meliodas lifted his chin and met the Demon King's gaze. "Of course—because I'm leaving this hellhole."
The Demon King planted his sword in the ground and laughed. "What nonsense. Even if you've found the exit from Hell, so what? You're not getting past your father!"
Then he even bent down. "At the end of the day, you're the most useless part of Meliodas!"
Charles stepped forward. "I don't think so. You have no idea what Meliodas's greatest strength really is."
The Demon King turned his head, and the pressure on Charles spiked severalfold.
"So it's you—the human of unknown origin. Your existence is too dangerous. And you had the nerve to stand before me! I can't let you meddle any longer!"
A shiver of disgust ran through Charles. He'd known the Demon King had been spying on Meliodas and those around him through Hawk's eyes—but hearing it from the source was still gross.
So he didn't bother with words. Flame surged from his body.
"Looks like there's no talking our way through."
The Demon King laughed. To him, a human daring to bare his fighting spirit before a god was amusing—like watching a clown.
Then his laughter cut off—Charles had already closed in, and a Fire Dragon's Hook Claw kicked his head back.
The Demon King thought he'd taken Charles seriously enough, but he hadn't expected the human to actually hurt him.
He lowered his head and saw Charles's transformed state.
His opponent was the Demon King; naturally Charles went all out from the start, igniting both Dragonflame Battle Gear and Dragon King Body. Even his dragonscale scarf seemed to blaze, fluttering with his movements.
By this world's Power Level metrics, Charles's numbers had at least quintupled.
"Now!"
The moment Charles struck, Meliodas, Ban, and Wild moved together, sprinting past the Demon King toward the most conspicuous hole behind him.
"Don't even think about it!"
With a roar, the Demon King yanked up his sword to cut them off.
But mid-swing, the blade veered aside—Charles had smashed it with a horizontal blow, breaking the attack. The two men and one boar seized the opening and slipped through.
A roaring fire dragon barred the Demon King's path. Eyes narrowed into vertical pupils, Charles locked onto him. "Your opponent is me!"
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