At last, the Night of Walpurgis had begun. Before him appeared a massive gate, like the entrance to the demon realm itself.
"Shall we?"
What would happen at this Walpurgis? Carrying a small sense of anticipation, he slowly stepped toward the gate before him.
Rumble.Creak—
The gate, which would never open for one who lacked permission, began to swing wide the moment Vertis approached. Beyond it lay a grand banquet hall.
There stood a great round table, with twelve chairs arranged at equal intervals around it.
Of course, there was no seat prepared for him. He had never claimed the title of demon lord, but he did possess the qualifications of one.
"It's been a long time since I came here."
"So you've come, Vertas."
"Guy. Were you waiting?"
"No, I only just arrived myself. This Walpurgis should be interesting."
"It should. That fool has ended up tightening the noose around his own neck."
People in the world called them the Ten Great Demon Lords, but in truth, aside from himself, Ramiris, and Milim, there were only four others Guy truly acknowledged as demon lords.
The giant who guarded the Heavenly Gate, the true ancestor vampire, the one who had fallen from the heavens, and the newest demon lord of all—a hero who was also called a demon lord.
From Guy's perspective, then, Clayman was barely even worthy of passing. Controlling Milim was something no one but Vertis could have managed.
Of course, Vertis and Milim were practically like father and daughter, so Milim showering him with affection was a far cry from being controlled.
No lesser skill could affect someone who possessed an Ultimate Skill.
An elemental attack exploiting a weakness might work a little, but mental domination was out of the question. A mind weak enough to be controlled like that could never obtain an Ultimate Skill in the first place.
That was what an Ultimate Skill was: the ultimate magic, and the ultimate regulator of magic.
Just as poison could only be countered with poison, and heat with heat, the only thing that could stand against an Ultimate Skill was another Ultimate Skill.
Clayman probably didn't know. He thought he was controlling Milim, when in reality he was dancing in the palm of her hand.
Vertis calmly created a chair at the center of the round table and looked down over everything from there.
He was present by right of having the qualifications of a demon lord, but since he had never claimed the title, he had no voice in the proceedings. All he could do was watch.
As he waited for the other demon lords to gather, the next to arrive was Rimuru, led in by Misery.
He entered the banquet hall wearing a mask, with Shion at his side as his escort and Ranga hidden within the shadows.
'...That bastard Guy. Starting the game this early, is he?'
Guy was already testing Rimuru.
He was deliberately leaking out his energy and disguising himself as an amateur who couldn't control his aura.
The question was whether Rimuru would notice the act or not... Judging by his reaction, it seemed he had.
Guy appeared to realize that too, and casually tossed a remark Rimuru's way.
"What's wrong? Go on, take a seat. If you stand in front of the door, you'll only be in the way. If you get trampled, don't blame me."
With those words, the next to appear was a huge man.
"Would you move aside, little one?"
"Y-yeah. Sorry."
Dagruel, the giant demon lord. As befitted one of the giant race, who valued strength above all else, an overwhelming amount of energy was practically spilling out of him.
The next to arrive was a handsome man who looked like a noble young lord. The two fangs visible between his lips made it clear he was the vampire demon lord of the age, but...
'A stand-in... Is the real one that maid?'
The current demon lord was, quite literally, only a proxy. Even so, as the demon lord's representative, his power was more than enough to justify the title.
The fifth demon lord arrived with a lazy yawn, shuffling along as if half-asleep.
His only weapons were the two swords hanging at his waist, and with his drowsy eyes and languid movements, he didn't look especially strong.
But he too was one of the demon lords Guy acknowledged. Dino, the fallen angel.
"Hey, Ramiris. You're still tiny as ever."
"Are you picking a fight? You think you can mouth off like that, Dino?"
"Why would I, when I already know I'd win?"
"How arrogant!!"
"...Huh? Ramiris, what's with you bringing attendants? Now I feel embarrassed for coming alone."
"Hmph. Learn how powerless you are in front of these two!"
"What's with that? I thought we were fellow loners. So can I destroy them?"
"Of course not! If you break them, I'll tell Guy and get you sentenced to the Iron Fist Punishment!"
Ramiris and Dino bickered like old rivals, but the moment Dino sat down in his seat, he simply leaned back and sprawled out.
Naturally, he was jamming his aura, so it was impossible to judge his true strength.
The one who came after Dino was the empress of the harpies.
He had never met her in person, but she was probably Frey, whom Milim talked about so often.
Her outfit was rather revealing, but more than that, one of the attendants with her drew his attention.
'That guy is...'
After that came Leon Cromwell, and finally the host of this banquet, Demon Lord Clayman, appearing together with Milim, who was pretending to act as though she were under his control.
"Thank you all sincerely for answering my summons today. Then let us begin. Our banquet! Here and now, I declare the opening of Walpurgis!!"
Exercising the rights of the host, Clayman declared the gathering open.
And so Walpurgis began.
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