"Go through this gate. Beyond it lies the continent of frozen earth that I rule."
The place Guy led me to was the abyss, even lower than hell.
He had formed a gate beneath the lands swarming with demons in order to block the invading races—the Phantoms, the Insects, and the Cryptids—from reaching the Central World.
For now, Noir was holding the Phantoms back, but Guy clearly believed there was no telling when that whim of his might end in the future.
"......"
I stared at the deep blue gate radiating an icy chill, then silently stepped through the one Guy indicated.
With the faintest bit of anticipation for what the Central World might look like now.
*
The sight beyond the gate far exceeded anything I had imagined.
"Wow......"
The frozen castle, [White Ice Palace], was too magnificent to be described with a word like beautiful.
The residence of a Demon Lord, glorious enough to rival Blanc's castle, stood before my eyes.
The dark crimson castle made it unmistakably clear who ruled this place, and the ice crystals wrapped around it in a way that called to mind a gigantic dragon.
It was a scene no manga panel could ever truly capture, and I couldn't stop staring.
"So you were already prepared."
At Guy's words, three women revealed themselves.
"Yes. I happened to sense your magicules."
The woman in front, with blue eyes, looked young at first glance, but she carried the mature ease of a fully grown woman. She wore a gentle smile, yet something about her stirred a demon's survival instincts, making it obvious just how overwhelming a being she was.
"........."
Of the two women behind her, the one with long green hair wore a classic maid outfit. Her beautiful grass-green eyes shone with calm composure, and the flawless curtsey she performed as she bowed her head made it clear she was a consummate professional at serving others.
"........."
The woman beside her, with short blue hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes, wore the same maid outfit and held the same curtsey. But unlike the other woman, her posture was just a little awkward, as though it reflected a more lazy, easygoing personality.
'So those are [White Ice Dragon] Velzard and the Primordial Demons [Blue] and [Vert].'
All three of them were incomparably more beautiful than in the manga. Beautiful enough to stand beside the demon kings of hell without shame.
"By the way, Guy. Who's the demon standing next to you?"
"Ah, this one? My new subordinate."
Velzard glanced at me with interest, and Guy threw an arm around my shoulders as he continued in an amused tone.
"This works out perfectly. We should name him right now. Velzard, you and I were supposed to give this one his name together."
""What?""
At Guy's casual declaration, Velzard and I both asked at the same time.
"My name—"
"—What do you mean I have to name him with you?"
"Oh, right. I never told you yet, did I?"
What came out of Guy's mouth next was absurd—no, beyond absurd. It made no sense at all.
"He's a demon, but he has a [Hero's Egg] inside him, along with a strange [factor] similar to that of a True Dragon. If we're going to awaken it properly, he needs not only my demonic magicules, but your draconic magicules too."
The part about me having a [Hero's Egg] inside me, I could understand. But...
'What the hell is a factor...?'
This was my first time hearing about a [factor].
At this point I was genuinely curious why a demon like me had a Hero's Egg and some bizarre special factor stuffed inside him in the first place.
"A [Hero's Egg]? How could a monster..."
"No idea. But one of my kind happened to gain an ability like that, and it'd be a waste not to make use of it, right? So I made him my subordinate."
Guy Crimson grinned fiercely, as if boasting. In contrast, Velzard let out a sigh like a wife exhausted by her husband's latest stunt.
"...Fine. I understand for now. Since you chose this, I assume you have your reasons. How exactly are we supposed to name him together?"
But in the end, Velzard accepted with a bitter smile.
They had been partners for so long that she already knew he would never give up once he'd decided on something.
"Simple. You give him his first name, and I'll give him his family name. Just like what happened with me."
When Guy received the name Guy, he evolved into a [Devil Lord], an Awakened Demon Lord, and when the first Hero, Rudra, gave him the surname Crimson, he became even stronger.
This was a near-impossible loophole, but Guy and Velzard were both immortal beings standing at the summit of the world, so a trick like this was possible for them.
"...Then should we do it right now?"
"Yeah. Oh, and don't give him some ridiculous name. I'm planning to have him act as a Hero."
"Don't worry. I'm not the sort of person who names things carelessly like you do."
For the record, the origin of the name Guy was apparently that people screamed, "Gyaaaah?!" as they died, and he mistook that for his own name.
.........
......
...
"Then let's begin."
As soon as Guy said it, Velzard stepped toward me.
She swept her jewel-like blue eyes over me once, those eyes shining like gems sunk deep beneath the sea.
Then, as if she had settled on my name, cold magicules began to frost over her entire body.
"From this moment on, your name is Adelio. Please become a noble retainer worthy of that name."
"...!!!"
And the instant I received that name, my soul began to tremble violently.
[Report. Acquisition of name confirmed. Evolution into a named monster... successful. Evolved from [Arch Demon] into the Demon Lord species [Demon Lord]. In addition, the [Hero's Egg] has begun to stir. Formation of the body of a sage... successful. Acquired [Sage's Body]. Next, combining mind and body for further evolution... successful. Species has evolved into [Divine Demon].]
'......?!'
A vast power unlike anything I had ever felt before overflowed inside me.
I could feel immense magic power soaking into my soul and body in real time, to the point that I could hardly believe this was really my own strength.
It would never happen, but I was honestly worried I might lose control at this rate.
"Then I guess it's my turn. Hm... Adelio. Starting today, your family name is Ruber. Be grateful. It was the alias I used back when I was traveling around."
Before I even had time to rejoice over my evolved body, the dark crimson magicules pouring from Guy's body were immediately absorbed into me.
[Report. Acquired [Full Name]. Learned the Extra Skills [Demon Lord's Haki], [Heroic Aura], [Universal Sense], [Spatial Movement], [Multi-Barrier], and [Chant Annulment]. In addition, combining the Unique Skill [Sword Demon] and the Extra Skill [Fighter] to evolve into the Ultimate Skill [Ru-Lawather] [Sword Emperor Heavenly King]... successful.]
'...Huh? W-wait a second!'
An Ultimate Skill? Out of nowhere?
While I was still reeling, the Voice of the World continued speaking regardless of my reaction.
[Next, acquired [Nullification of Physical Attacks], [Nullification of Natural Effects], and [Resistance to Holy-Demonic Attacks]. In addition, combining the Unique Skill [Answerer] and the Unique Skill [Seeker of Learning] into an Ultimate Skill...]
But then the Voice of the World—
[...failed. Acquisition failed, as this skill exceeds what a Sage's Body can withstand.]
—came to an abrupt halt, as if it had slammed into some kind of barrier.
...
......
.........
'.........Did it... stop......?'
The endless stream of notifications had finally ended.
Wooooong...
Though my magic power showed no sign whatsoever of calming down.
"Oh... impressive. To think you'd go beyond [Demon Lord] and even gain a body. A completely new, complete species has been born."
Perhaps his demonic curiosity had been stirred, because Guy's eyes sharpened as if he were looking at a fascinating new life-form.
"......"
But then Guy Crimson muttered, "Well, at this point, one more derivative species doesn't really matter," and his expression soon turned serious.
As a Demon Lord, now carrying himself with full dignity, he slowly extended a hand toward me and spoke.
"Welcome, Adelio Ruber. With this, you are now fully my subordinate. I look forward to working with you from here on."
.........................
From that day on, the name of my new life became [Adelio Ruber], a name that meant nobility and red.
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