Kazaream's emotionless voice echoed quietly through the banquet hall as he apologized for being late.
"It's fine. One person still hasn't arrived yet."
When no one answered his apology, Guy Crimson grinned at Kazaream in the others' place.
Then he pointed to the seat across from him.
The last remaining seat, still empty and alone.
'...Whose seat is that supposed to be?'
Hearing Guy's words only threw me deeper into confusion.
With Kazaream's arrival, nine of the ten Demon Lord seats were now accounted for.
If things were following the original story, then all the Demon Lords should already have been gathered. Leon Cromwell was still a Hero, and that "stupid Deathman" who would succeed Kazaream didn't exist yet.
But...
Kazaream nodded as if he understood what Guy meant, then spoke.
He named another Demon Lord from this era—one I had never known about.
"Ah, I see. So that [Cryptids] who became a 'new Demon Lord' this time hasn't arrived yet."
"......!!"
...[Cryptids]?!
'How the hell does something like a Cryptid become a Demon Lord...?'
Kazaream's answer told me something I didn't even want to understand.
[Answerer]: [Cryptids] are one of the [Aggressors], alongside [Phantoms] and [Insects], and are a representative race that dwells in otherworlds. As beings derived from the first Cryptid, [Ibaraje], the [Destroyer Dragon], most of them lack intelligence, but they possess overwhelming power in exchange.]
[Aggressors]
Just as [Answerer] said, when people referred to [Aggressors], they usually meant those three races: Phantoms, Insects, and Cryptids.
They were races that had already devoured multiple other dimensions, and they were known as some of humanity's most hostile monsters.
They targeted this material world, the central world, and not only was their species as a whole extremely powerful, each race also had its own troublesome traits that made them difficult to deal with.
Especially for demons.
"Come to think of it, was this Walpurgis called because of that Cryptid Demon Lord?"
While I was inwardly swallowing my shock as I listened to [Answerer], Carrion muttered with his arms folded, sounding like he couldn't quite remember.
"That's right. It seems that one awakened as a 'true Demon Lord.' Kazaream, you should know this best, shouldn't you? You were the first one to discover that Cryptid."
After answering Carrion's question, Guy turned back to Kazaream and asked.
At that, Kazaream let out a dry little laugh.
"Yes. Just as you said, I happened to witness that Cryptid, after becoming a 'true Demon Lord,' destroy a small nation in the [Western Nations]. It seemed to be one of those who crossed over into the central world by chance long ago."
As Kazaream said, most Cryptids did live in otherworlds, but in the past, a few intelligent individuals had crossed over into the central world because of certain incidents.
And those individuals had built settlements and villages of their own and lived there.
Even now, in this era.
'An ambush from a place I never expected... If an intelligent Cryptid became a true Demon Lord, then that's going to be a serious nuisance.'
A true Demon Lord.
In other words, once a monster gathered ten thousand souls and became an [Awakened Demon Lord], it underwent explosive growth.
A [Demon Lord] was already powerful, but [Awakened Demon Lord] was the next stage beyond that. From that point on, the path toward ultimate powers like Ultimate Skills began to open, and the very rank of one's existence rose at a terrifying pace.
Some monsters even grew more than ten times stronger than before.
In my case, after evolving into the [Demon Lord] race, I obtained the body of a sage, evolved once more, and gained the Ultimate Skill [Ru-Lawather], [Sword Emperor Heavenly King].
Of course, I wasn't a normal, complete [Awakened Demon Lord], but an unusual half-[Awakened Demon Lord].
Still, Cryptids were already a powerful race to begin with, so for one of them not only to gain intelligence but also become a true Demon Lord meant one thing.
It could become a massive variable.
A dangerous variable I had never accounted for.
"That aside, Guy. Who is the demon standing behind you? I don't believe I've seen him before."
Just as I was thinking what a troublesome variable this was, I felt Kazaream's gaze along with his voice.
'...Is he wary of me?'
Deep inside the gaze of that Deathman, which seemed empty on the surface, there was a faint trace of doubt.
A question that asked, 'Where did a powerhouse like this come from?'
Naturally, Guy—who stood in front of me—had read that look as well, and smiling, he started to repeat what he had told Ramiris and Milim earlier.
"Ah, him? Like I told Ramiris and Milim earlier, that's—"
Grrrk... grrrk...
If not for that revolting noise that suddenly rang out.
"Looks like they've arrived just in time."
"That sound is..."
A low, crawling growl like something a beast would make.
I could feel the owner of that cry approaching the banquet hall, carrying emotions like rage, hatred, irritation, and disgust.
"......"
A bronze-colored body, roughly as large as Carrion's, covered head to toe in beastly fur.
Grrrk...
Four grotesquely long arms, each bearing a different kind of weapon.
Grrrk...
An ominous mask that looked like it had been modeled after an eastern goblin spirit.
"Grrrk... I've arrived..."
A clumsy way of speaking, as if it had only recently learned language.
"So you are the Demon Lords..."
If I had to sum up everything about him in a single word...
He was a yokai.
An absurdly arrogant yokai that didn't know its place.
"...My name is Venenum. I am the new Demon Lord— the 'King of the Cryptids.'"
The one who called himself Venenum had actually dared to do it.
He had proclaimed himself the King of the Cryptids.
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