"Frey?"
"Why is she here?"
Seeing Frey, Carrion was first startled, then confused, completely unaware why she had come alone into the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania.
No matter what, I'll go check it out first.
With that thought, Carrion kicked off the ground, instantly shattering the floor of the martial arts arena, and charged toward the distant cliff.
Boom!
In nearly an instant, the burly figure descended like a meteor, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You reckless man, still the same as ever."
Frey waved her hand to clear the dust. She looked Carrion over, then said with clear disappointment, "After all these years, you still haven't made any real progress."
"Huh?"
Carrion frowned, displeased. "You here to fight me, Frey?"
"Sorry, but if I remember correctly, you've never once beaten me."
"Don't bring up the past!"
With Frey talking like that, how could Carrion maintain his dignity? He immediately snapped back, "I'm insanely strong now!"
"…"
Frey sighed. She realized once again she wasn't good at communicating with idiots.
"I say."
"Were you asleep earlier?"
"I made such a big scene, and you didn't react at all?"
Frey was referring to the time she publicly challenged a Demon Lord's awakening in order to help cover for Rin, and she'd done it in front of countless onlookers.
Logically speaking, even Clayman had speculated she might have become a True Demon Lord, so Carrion should definitely know.
But this guy just had to be this reckless and act like nothing happened.
"You…"
"Ah, right."
Frey didn't bother hiding anything. She spoke plainly.
"I've already become a True Demon Lord."
Boom!
The moment her words fell, a terrifying pressure belonging to a True Demon Lord erupted from within Frey and enveloped Carrion.
"This is...?!"
Carrion immediately felt his body sink, and his spirit faltered for a moment. "You actually, really did it?!"
Everyone had felt Frey's challenge to awaken.
But whether she'd succeeded or not, without witnessing it directly, no one could say for sure.
Now, however, Carrion knew. Frey had truly reached the status of Demon Lord.
No longer a self-proclaimed Demon Lord Seed like them, but a real powerhouse who could stand as an equal with the veterans.
"So?"
Carrion forced himself to remain calm. "Why are you here? What do you want?"
"Showing off your power isn't really your style."
True Demon Lords were indeed powerful, but they were not without enemies.
In the Cardinal World, where Ultimate Skills existed, their effects often outweighed raw magicules.
This meant that information was more valuable than raw strength.
Once an opponent understood your skills and trump cards, they could counter you freely.
That was why most Demon Lords kept their strength hidden.
It was common sense.
For example, if someone awakened with three Ultimate Skills based on the seven virtues and got cocky, only to run into Rudra, Emperor of the Eastern Empire...
Rudra's Lord of Justice, Michael, could command other seven virtue users.
The moment he activated Royal Authority, you'd be kneeling before you even realized what happened. Who could you even complain to?
This alone proved that in the Cardinal World, arrogance could get you killed fast.
"What kind of image do you have of me anyway?"
"Image, huh..."
Carrion scratched his chin and bluntly said, "A bit shady, not very honorable, petty... and an old woman who's hundreds of years old but still acts—"
"Drop dead!!"
Before Carrion could finish, an invisible slash cut toward him.
"Holy crap!"
If Carrion hadn't dodged in time, he probably would've been sliced in two along with the cliff.
Even so, he still broke out in a cold sweat.
The cliff that stretched hundreds of meters high was now split cleanly in half from the center by an invisible blade.
No warning. No fluctuation of magicules.
It just appeared, as if from nowhere.
Even Carrion, who had just witnessed this terrifying strike, was deeply shaken.
"Hey, hey! Was that really necessary?"
Sweat poured down his forehead. "I was just joking!"
"Joking?"
Frey gave a dazzling smile. "Oh, me too. I was just joking."
"You absolutely tried to kill me!"
Honestly, Carrion still couldn't make heads or tails of Frey's attack.
Spatial magic?
A sword technique honed to the extreme?
Or was it some kind of slash specialization?
Can't figure it out...
Even with five hundred years of combat experience, Carrion couldn't unravel the mystery of Frey's move.
"This... could this be that legendary Ultimate Skill?"
"…"
Hearing him say that, Frey rolled her eyes hard.
What the heck do you mean, 'Ultimate Skill'?
She sighed once again.
If she hadn't met Rin, she might've turned out just like Carrion. A frog at the bottom of the well.
"This is just Spatial Slash. A power-up based on a qualitative shift in my magicules."
A million magicules. The moment one stepped into the Demon Lord's Domain, the density of magicules took a qualitative leap.
And magic and skills cast with those dense magicules?
Even if they were the same techniques, the effects would be drastically enhanced.
"It's not an Ultimate Skill?"
Carrion couldn't hold it in anymore. "The difference after awakening is this massive?"
He had seen Frey's Spatial Slash before.
And with his abilities, he could even tank it physically.
But now...
Just look at what happened.
Trying to stop this with your body?
You might as well write 'kill me' on your forehead.
"So then, what's your reason for coming here?"
Carrion actually knew Frey quite well. Their relationship was nuanced.
Before they became Demon Lords, both were intelligent monsters living in the Eastern Plains.
Harpy and Beastfolk had been allies since ancient times.
And as the top representatives of their races, Frey and Carrion had shared a friendship for over five hundred years.
Especially after Frey became a Demon Lord, she never forgot to support Carrion.
Their relationship wasn't quite like siblings, but it was closer than most.
"You sent a team to scout the Jura Great Forest, didn't you?"
"How did you know?"
Carrion had thought he was keeping that operation pretty low-key.
Could it be...
He suddenly thought of a worst-case scenario.
Frey had captured his subordinates and was here to demand a ransom.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)