"...Ha. So now that you've become a subordinate of [Rouge], you're feeling awfully confident... Are you joking right now?"
After turning Adelio's words over in her head, [Jonne] twisted her beautiful face in disbelief.
"...You tell me you're still serving [Blanc], and you think I'd accept your [Contract]?"
Once more, fury bordering on hatred surged up from the depths of [Jonne]'s heart.
It was rage toward the demon who had made a mockery of her, just like [Viole].
And the fact that [Blanc], whom she had thought must have become a loser stripped of everything just like herself, had in fact remained a victor all along only kept feeding that anger.
'Why do you follow someone like her?'
He followed [Rouge], the strongest of demons.
'Why are you looking for her instead of me?'
He had even ascended to the Central World and obtained the very thing demons longed for most: a body.
'...Why are you still serving [Blanc]...?'
And yet...
He was still offering his loyalty to her.
Creak
"If you sincerely don't want to die, then declare your submission to me right now."
It was a final warning spat out through clenched teeth.
By [Jonne]'s standards, this was one of the moments in her entire life when she had shown the most restraint.
She was enduring this much only because her opponent possessed a soul of nothingness, and because he was the kind of demon the other kings would covet.
But even so, it was little different from reckless bravado.
"My apologies, but I must refuse that order. I... believe that in the end, you will accept my [Contract]."
From the start, the other side's gambling table was already nearly complete.
"...What nonsense are you talking about? I'll accept your [Contract]? Me?!"
[Jonne] frowned and bit her lip.
Seeing the look on her face, Leon and the [Magic Knights] nearby all turned pale.
After all, it would not have been strange at all if she started firing Nuclear Magic again that very instant.
"......"
But Adelio, meeting [Jonne] head-on, instead drew a faint curve at the corner of his mouth.
That was because the best outcome he had anticipated had come about on its own.
"Yes. You can tell just by looking at this situation."
One glance at [Jonne]'s current state made it obvious.
"Nuclear Magic boasts the highest level of destructive power, but that also means that once it fails, the backlash of magical power is severe."
Backlash of magical power.
Simply put, it meant that after a spell failed, the magic that slipped beyond the caster's control would run wild.
Grand spells like Nuclear Magic had a high chance of causing that kind of backlash, so the usual method was to store the spell in advance and release it when needed.
Of course, to one of the [Primordial Demons] using their full power, such backlash would amount to almost nothing.
"But in your current state, where you can't even use power on the level of a [Demon Lord], isn't it impossible to keep fighting while enduring that backlash?"
However, [Jonne], having descended into the Central World, was unable to use her full strength.
Not even a tenth of her original power.
And a [Primordial Demon] without a body or a name, no matter how generously one estimated it, could wield less power in the Central World than Adelio, a [Divine Demon].
Especially at this point in time, when there was no [Ultimate Skill].
"What's more, we have two fighters here with power beyond that of a [Demon Lord]."
Two swordsmen in whom a [Hero's Egg] had begun to stir.
There were only two of them, but they were enough to overturn some middling faction in a single night.
In terms of level and skill alone, both had long since surpassed the limits of humanity.
And beyond simple level, those two swordsmen ranked among the very finest in the world.
"In a situation like this, are you truly saying you'll reject my [Contract] and choose defeat?"
"........."
[Jonne] pressed her lips shut, unable to offer any real rebuttal.
Everything he said was true, and unless she retreated through the [Netherworld Gates] as things were, defeat was all but certain.
The very concept of defeat, something she had never experienced from the age of creation until now.
But still...
'...Don't make me laugh... You think I'd ever accept an outcome like that...?!'
[Jonne]'s pride knew no way to accept the word defeat, or the concept itself.
As a king among demons, her power, temperament, and battle instincts would not permit her to stop fighting.
And the pride of a tyrant had long since fused into the mindset of a conqueror who desired nothing but victory.
Which meant [Jonne]'s choice had already been decided.
"...What kind of contract?"
By the single choice of accepting.
"A very simple [Contract], mixed with a little wager."
Then the ash-gray demon gave a small shrug and briefly closed his eyes at her predetermined choice.
As if calming the tension he had been holding inside from the very beginning.
"One subordinate chosen by you will face me in hell in a one-on-one battle using nothing but pure level and skill. If I win, then you will grant me one request—"
When he opened his eyes again, the demon spoke of the wager... no, the gamble.
"—And if your subordinate wins instead, I will become your slave."
As he pushed forward chips that [Jonne] could never refuse.
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