After escaping from the capital of the Inglassia Kingdom, Yūki and his group took a leisurely route along the Canaat Mountain Range, heading toward the Eastern Empire.
There was a safer route that passed through the Dwarven Kingdom and straight into imperial territory, but that would let Rimuru's side know exactly where they were headed. Magical teleportation was possible to places they'd visited before, but Yūki had never ventured east.
"Well, hey, a little mountain climbing now and then could be fun, right?"
Speaking in that casual tone of his, Yūki tore apart an incoming lesser dragon with his bare hands. Kagari shrugged in response but said nothing, and the inspectors Yūki had dispatched to various nations — his most trusted confidants — remained silent as they kept their vigilance on the surroundings. Yūki, seeing their reactions, glanced up toward the summit with a bored expression.
The route Yūki's group followed passed directly above the Dwarven Kingdom — a path that hardly anyone ever took. Wild dragons made their home here, and the higher-ranking ones among them were advanced life forms capable of understanding human speech. In this place, they were unwelcome guests; being spotted by a Dragon King-class dragon would invite serious trouble.
Whether they understood the gravity of the situation or not, Yūki's group pressed forward cautiously. In stark contrast to Yūki's cheerful demeanor, fatigue hung heavily on the faces of his subordinates. That was only to be expected — they were beset by lesser dragon attacks once every hour. At worst, five would come at them simultaneously.
Had they taken a relatively safe route, they wouldn't have been attacked nearly so often. On the trade roads that merchants used, dragons rarely appeared.
The path Yūki's group was traveling today was not covered by any pact with the Dragon Kings.
Perhaps out of an abundance of caution, Yūki had chosen this path without hesitation.
Then — "Oh? A message from Leon. He was pretty angry last time when he called off the deal. Complaining again, is he?"
Speaking cheerfully, he pulled a necklace embedded with a small crystal from his pocket and channeled magic into it. After a brief conversation with Leon — "He says he's coming here. Should take about an hour, so how about we rest up and wait for him?"
He told Kagari and the others, then promptly sat down on a convenient rock.
"Leon...? Demon Lord Leon? Is that really okay?"
"Could it be an ambush sent by Demon Lords like Rimuru or Luminas?"
"Is it wise to reveal our location so carelessly?"
To the questions from Kagari and his subordinates, Yūki simply offered a laid-back reply.
"Come on, it'll be fine. He was a regular customer, after all. Besides, well... even if the Demon Lords were to team up and come after us, Chloe's here too, right?"
Kagari and the others realized that arguing further was pointless.
And so, a little over an hour later, they found themselves facing Leon.
······ ····· ··· A golden streak of light blazed across the sky — a shooting star, visible even in broad daylight. Whether by detection magic or some other means, they approached without hesitation, flying straight toward Yūki's group. It was Demon Lord Leon, accompanied by several of his knight subordinates. Leon wore golden armor, while his knights were clad in silver, black, red, and blue — quite the colorful entourage.
"Kept you waiting?"
Leon spoke the moment he touched down.
"Nah, it was a nice break. So, I hear you had something urgent? What's it about?"
Yūki answered with a pleasant smile.
"I heard you lied to me and never handed over the person you were commissioned to deliver. I came to find out if that was true."
"Oh really? Who would spread such a lie? There aren't many people out there with a credit rating as high as mine, you know."
Yūki replied to Leon's inquiry with a smile.
Invisible sparks flew between the two of them, and tension instantly filled the air around them.
"You think that kind of lie would work on me, a Demon Lord?"
"Ahahaha. So the lie really was exposed after all? But you know, if you're gonna catch on, you'd better do it sooner — otherwise you might miss your chance."
Those words were the trigger. The rock Yūki was sitting on melted in an instant, transforming into molten lava — the work of searing magic. Yūki leaped away nimbly. How his opponent would react to his answer was exactly as expected.
Even during conversation, Yūki had never stopped analyzing Leon's combat strength. The real question was whether the enemy was Leon alone. Were reinforcements from other Demon Lords on the way? Was Leon a diversion, or the real threat?
His response would depend on the answer. From the moment he'd received that earlier message, Yūki had already anticipated this development. Leon was one of the higher-ups — a Demon Lord — and never to be underestimated. If Leon were cooperating with other Demon Lords, even sending Chloe to handle him alone might not be enough.
That was precisely why Yūki had chosen this location.
"Hey now, jumping straight into an attack — that's hardly gentlemanly. There's an important young girl here with me, you know. Ever heard the word 'hostage'?"
Yūki called out, attempting to rattle his opponent.
"Rest assured — if I kill you, she'll be freed, won't she? The one I was commissioned to deliver was an eight-year-old girl with black hair named Chloe Obert. She's already grown, and she's right there!"
With powerful conviction that brooked no argument, Leon rejected Yūki's words. And at Leon's words, the black-haired girl — Chloe — opened her eyes.
"Huh? Onii-chan Leon? You're alive?"
Her voice, small and murmured, carried both surprise and a sense of nostalgia.
"Tch. Guess the cat's out of the bag. I was keeping quiet about the fact that I'd protected Chloe-chan as a trump card against the Demon Lords... but somehow, for a while there, I'd completely forgotten about it. By the time I remembered, she'd already grown into a Hero."
He spoke without a shred of remorse, almost as if he were mocking Leon. And then he continued: "But hey, what could I do, right? I mean, look — the Demon Lords are evil. And defeating them is a Hero's job, isn't it? When you think about it that way, Chloe growing into a Hero is actually a happy miscalculation."
He declared this with finality.
Leon, unperturbed by Yūki's words in the slightest — "Hmph. Is that all you have to say? Then die satisfied!"
He unleashed a high-output magic attack against Yūki.
And thus, the battle between Leon and Yūki began.
−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− A wave of magical heat surged toward Yūki, violently trying to incinerate his body.
Yūki regarded the heatwave with a cool expression, then let a small, sly grin cross his face.
Things were going more or less according to plan.
But not entirely as he wished.
He had considered the possibility of multiple Demon Lords attacking, but judging by the current situation, he was certain this was a solo assault by Leon. If Rimuru, Luminas, and Leon — three Demon Lords — had attacked together, even with Chloe joining the fight, the odds would have been grim.
But the scenario of Rimuru and Luminas — two of them teaming up to attack was within expectations. Leon's participation was unexpected, but given Chloe's involvement, a confrontation with him sooner or later was inevitable.
Come to think of it, the girl Leon had been commissioned to deliver growing into a Hero had been unexpected too.
From the moment he'd obtained intel that the "Sleeping Hero" was being kept under Luminas's care, Yūki had been waiting for an opportunity to seize her — in order to acquire trump cards against each of the Demon Lords.
Against Demon Lord Leon, the girl Chloe.
From Demon Lord Luminas, he would steal the "Sleeping Hero" and use her as a trump card against Luminas in turn.
As for Rimuru — a suspicious fellow reincarnator from the same world whose growth was erratic and unpredictable — Yūki had planned to simply eliminate him early on because of that very unpredictability. That was why he'd sent Hinata, whom he'd already turned into a pawn, to do the job.
But the attempt failed, and Rimuru became a Demon Lord.
If that was the case, then Yūki would use the children as trump cards against Rimuru. His plan had been to assemble a hand against each Demon Lord and either eliminate them easily or pit them against each other.
Ultimately, the goal was the subjugation of Demon Lord
Guy was relentlessly cunning and seemingly without a single opening. Milim was also a supreme being, but she seemed easy enough to deceive and couldn't really be called a threat.
In that sense, too, Yūki believed that once Guy Crimson was defeated, everything else would fall into place.
But truly, so many unexpected things had happened — and it was fascinating!
Yūki felt an almost exhilarating thrill at how his plans weren't going his way.
Kagurazaka Yūki was a genius.
Even back in his original world, he had been a man of dangerous inclinations, dreaming of breaking the monotony of everyday life. The only difference was that back then, he hadn't found the prospect of the world's destruction particularly appealing.
Making money was trivially easy for him — he could have anything he wanted if he put his mind to it. But there was nothing left that he truly desired.
When Yūki had just entered elementary school, his parents died in an accident. They bore no fault whatsoever — they were struck head-on by a truck driven by a drowsy driver and died instantly. Only Yūki, sleeping in the back seat, survived.
This was unjust, Yūki thought.
The world was far too unjust, and he was far too powerless.
Imagining revenge against such a world became his form of entertainment. But even that amusement quickly bored him.
He was simply too much of a genius — he could do anything he set his mind to. If he truly desired it, he could probably have brought about the world's actual destruction.
Boring. This world was truly, unbearably boring. That was his genuine, unvarnished truth.
But paradoxically, it was precisely this fact that had restrained his rampage.
The fact that this man had crossed over to another world was Yūki's fortune — and a misfortune for everyone else.
Kagurazaka Yūki traversed worlds and acquired the power of the soul as he saw fit.
He who desired everything did not, in the truest sense, desire anything at all.
And so, what he gained was "power" in its purest form.
A rampage fully restrained. Power that was completely and utterly pure.
The "power of the soul" that allowed him to freely reshape its essence at will.
Its name was — the Unique Skill "Creator."
That power proved to be a miscalculation for Kazalim, the one who had summoned Yūki.
No — the very fact that the summoning target had been Yūki was, in and of itself, Kazalim's failure.
Kazalim had spent centuries preparing the "Wandering Spirit" for her own revival, placing constraints on the summoning target. It was a ritual in which not even the slightest failure could be tolerated. She had used her domination abilities to meticulously carve curse seals and carry out the summoning. The summoned subject was never meant to retain consciousness — Kazalim was supposed to shatter their mind and kill them, then steal their soul power and seize their physical body for revival.
But those supposedly perfect constraints were effortlessly broken by the summoning target, Yūki. Using the soul power he had obtained, he launched a reverse-engineering counterattack, sending the curse seals right back at her.
Having his own skills reflected back at him, Kazalim capitulated to Yūki without resistance.
And Yūki descended into another world.
A world where powerful enemies existed — a world with no room for boredom.
Yūki was overjoyed. He finally understood his purpose for existing.
He would bring destruction to this world. If anyone could stop him — then try!
That was Yūki's operating principle.
A twisted vengeance against an unjust world.
And so, Yūki had no need to rush. Failure was acceptable.
If he succeeded, the world would end, and he would die amidst the ultimate pleasure and ecstasy.
Perhaps he could even create a new world and become a god — but even Yūki didn't desire that much.
His wish was to challenge the world. To fulfill his twisted desire.
Yūki, with his genius, came to understand the mechanics of this world.
First, he unraveled the principle by which he had been summoned here and created the Unique Skill "Summoner."
Then, drawing on Kazalim's abilities, he created the Unique Skill "Dominator."
He was capable of creating and freely switching between skills once he had deconstructed their underlying mechanisms.
From there, he continued to deconstruct the skills of everyone he encountered, acquiring a vast array of abilities. It took remarkably little time for him to wield power befitting the title of genius.
From Hinata, he obtained the Unique Skill "Plunderer." The "Mathematician" skill was unnecessary — his own thinking speed already surpassed it. What would have been impossible neural processing in the original world was effortless here.
The reason was that when he had been summoned to this world, every aspect of his physical body had been rewritten, transforming him into a type of spiritual life-form.
As a result, Yūki had transcended the limits of this world.
After ten years, Yūki had confirmed that his power was on par with a Demon Lord's. But he didn't let his guard down. Even though his appearance hadn't changed at all, he was well aware that he no longer had a lifespan to worry about.
There was absolutely no need to rush. He would proceed carefully and with certainty.
Yūki advanced his plans slowly, exactly as he wished.
He might be able to defeat a Demon Lord, but it wasn't guaranteed. So first, he needed to acquire trump cards.
To that end, he mobilized every information network at his disposal. He used Kazalim and
His plan needed revision.
He had originally intended to defeat each Demon Lord individually, but the two apex Demon Lords were apparently operating on an entirely different level.
So he chose a different strategy: turning several Demon Lords into pawns, using schemes and stratagems to achieve victory.
Against Leon — the girl Chloe.
Against Luminas — the Sleeping Hero.
Against Rimuru — the children.
But it turned out the girl Chloe was the Sleeping Hero herself.
He also ended up losing Hinata, whom he'd been using as a pawn. But that couldn't be helped.
The contract he had made with Hero Chloe.
Against a newly awakened, incomplete Hero, he had attempted full domination using the Unique Skill "Dominator." He concentrated every ounce of his energy into a single skill — and even at that level, Chloe was an existence he could not fully dominate.
He suspended his entire plan and focused on dominating the Hero.
"Eventually, Hinata will come here to rescue the children. When she does, I will fight her myself. So please — don't interfere."
He had gambled on a prophecy-like declaration from Hero Chloe, and that gamble had failed.
In Yūki's estimation, the one who would come was Rimuru, now a Demon Lord. If Rimuru appeared, Yūki planned to have Chloe fight him and use the opening to seize control.
But because that gamble had failed, Yūki realized just how naive his thinking had been.
Hero Chloe was, most likely, an existence that transcended the principles of this world.
Even his domination abilities could not fully control her, and even his analysis could not see her bottom.
Fortunately, he had succeeded in engraving the "Curse Seal" upon her — though it had cost him nearly all of his usable "soul power."
Even so, he had only managed three commands. But the potential of this girl was immeasurable.
Everything had failed.
And yet, having obtained this Hero held a significance that surpassed it all.
Above all else — This was getting insanely interesting!
Before him stood Demon Lord Leon. This man was undoubtedly stronger than him — an opponent whose abilities Yūki's powers couldn't fully read. Normally, Yūki could instantly analyze any standard Unique Skill. If he couldn't, then the opponent's ability surpassed the Unique Skill tier.
According to Kazalim, it was the mainstream of the light that could cause everything to collapse.
What came to mind was the "Photon Disintegration" that Hinata wielded — the ultimate sacred magic. Leon had apparently activated it instantly, without any incantation, and with seemingly infinite output.
If he used that now, I'd lose, wouldn't I?
Just the thought sent a shiver of excitement through his entire body.
And then — 《Confirmation complete. Supreme Ability acquired: "Greedy King" — success.》 The voice of the world resounded.
On this day, at this time, in this place — the most wicked of all fiends was born.