First day of the great war.
It ended without incident.
The defensive barrier enveloping the magic city was rock-solid, repelling the angels' attacks completely.
Under the strengthened command of Yellow Knight Kizuna and White Knight Meteru, all efforts had been poured into reinforcing the city's barrier — and it paid off.
But on the second day, the angels — who had been acting without coordination until then — began concentrating their barrier-breaking attacks on a single point.
The knights reinforced their defenses in response, but through the tiniest of cracks, a handful of intruders managed to slip inside.
Those few intruders would send the battle's momentum into upheaval.
It didn't take long before a report reached Leon that enemies had infiltrated the castle.
A knight arrived with the report, his face pale with urgency.
"The city is in chaos! Only four enemies got in, but they're causing havoc!"
With that, the knight turned and rushed back to the fight.
But moments later, screams echoed down the corridor, making the severity of the situation unmistakably clear to Leon.
"Have the mages seal the city! Isolate all intruders within the castle walls. We cannot allow damage to spill into the streets below. All knight commanders — intercept them!"
He ordered an emergency lockdown of the castle via isolation barriers and dispatched the knight commanders to engage.
Maintenance of the city barrier was left to the Yellow Knights and White Knights, while the reserve Red Knights were tasked with the castle lockdown. That left only the Blue Knights. Leon would need to judge where to deploy them based on how things unfolded.
*So it gets this hectic already on day two,* Leon thought, irritation creeping in. *I thought we'd hold a bit longer, but the enemy is no joke.* He rose from his seat.
He'd go see the intruders for himself.
But that turned out to be unnecessary.
With a deafening crash, the front doors were blown apart.
The grand doors leading to the audience hall disintegrated into powder, scattering fragments like dust.
And from within that cloud of debris, the intruder made a grand entrance.
"Hehehehe! Good day to you all!
My name is
Of the Clown Troupe of the Middle Way, I am the one called the Angry Clown.
Pleased to make your acquaintance!"
A fat body wearing an angry clown's face. Yet despite the jovial tone, this clown radiated a distinctly unsettling aura.
The report had said four managed to break through, but the man calling himself Footman had apparently come alone all the way to Leon's throne.
Was he supremely confident, or just an idiot with no concept of danger?
"You think you can walk in here alone and walk back out alive?!" Alros shouted.
Leon considered. Did this Footman truly intend to take him down single-handedly? If so, that was beyond audacious — it was contemptuous. It was far more natural to assume he had some other objective.
"Hehehe. Are you angry? You need more calcium, you know!
Speaking of which, do you know what calcium is?
It's found in large quantities in things like this.
A souvenir for you all — please, help yourselves!"
With a beaming smile, Footman lightly tossed whatever he had been dragging behind him toward Leon and the others.
The object burst apart in midair with a soft *pop*, scattering something pure white across the floor.
What was it? Leon, Claude, and Alros all understood at a glance.
It was the remains of the knight who had delivered the report just moments ago.
Alros's eyes blazed with fury.
He lunged toward Footman in silence, sword drawn, but Claude grabbed his arm.
"Wait. His power is dangerous.
If there are three more like him inside the castle, everyone here is at risk.
Claude cut off mid-sentence.
"Ah, so this is where you are after all, Demon Lord Leon.
Ufufufu. As I expected — I'll just have to be the one to kill you."
A woman slipped through the ruined doors and into the audience hall.
A beautiful elf woman — yet her expression was pure malice.
The former Demon Lord Kazalim. Now known as Kagari, one of the Four Calamity Generals.
And following behind her, two more clowns entered.
A girl wearing a teary-eyed clown mask, and a man with a mischievous, taunting clown mask.
Claude and Alros tensed.
Not because they'd sensed Kagari's power. Because of what the man with the taunting mask was carrying over his shoulder.
"You! Let
Alros roared in fury.
Indeed, the clown was carrying their comrade — Blue Knight Oxian.
"Eh!? But why? We went through all that trouble to take him down...
Now, I was fixin' to turn this man into a nice little puppet. Shame, but I can't exactly go listenin' to what you've got to say."
The man shook his head and waved his hand with a dismissive grin, as though mocking them to their faces. That attitude made not only Alros but Claude himself flush red with rage.
Kagari watched their reactions with evident amusement.
"Now, now, no need to get so riled up.
Let's enjoy this slowly. Go on and introduce yourselves first."
She smiled brightly.
Her demeanor was unmistakably that of someone in command, and in truth, the aura Kagari now radiated was incomparably denser than before.
Leon noticed, and his expression hardened.
This was going to be trouble. She knew how strong he was and still had this composure. That either meant the companions she'd brought were formidable, or she had grown strong enough to back up that confidence.
*Tch. Annoying. I should have finished her off for certain back then.* But regret was pointless now.
Leon resolved that this time, he would not let her escape. He would end her here.
And as he steeled himself, the three demons began their introductions.
The first to speak was the fat clown.
"Hehehe. As I mentioned, I am Footman.
Of the Clown Troupe of the Middle Way, the Angry Clown — Footman.
Demon Lord Leon.
You bear the grudge of having once destroyed Lady Demon Lord Kazalim.
And above all, you committed the sin of watching my friend
I won't make it quick for you. After all — I'm *angry*!"
With that, he folded his plump body into an exaggerated bow, then stepped aside.
Next forward was the girl with the teary clown mask.
She rested a massive scythe on her shoulder and greeted them with a playful lilt.
"The name's Tia!
Of the Clown Troupe of the Middle Way, the Tearful Clown — Tia!
I hate sadness. Anyone who's an enemy of Lady Kagari, I'll be the one to take them out!"
She declared this, then twirled her great scythe with practiced grace, pirouetting to one side.
The last to step forward was the man still carrying Blue Knight Oxian on his shoulder — the one with the taunting clown mask.
"Well now, everyone. Looks like fine weather today, doesn't it?
The name's
Vice-leader of the Clown Troupe of the Middle Way, and the Hedonist Clown — that'd be yours truly.
A pleasure.
Today I'm here on orders from our chairman, Lady Kazalim — well, she goes by Kagari now, doesn't she — the boss lady herself.
When we heard that one of our small number had gone and become a Demon Lord, we sent someone to check things out. Regret that decision, I do.
But hey, this very Kagari has gone and set up this little revenge opportunity for us, hasn't she?
We've got grievances stacked up against you lot in spades, so do stay close, won't you?"
He delivered his little speech with a flourish.
Leon regarded him.
"The Clown Troupe of the Middle Way? Never heard of you."
"Oh? We're a modest little outfit, nothing grand.
There was a fellow by the name of Clayman who owed us a favor — surely you haven't forgotten?
Clayman the Ecstatic Clown, now *there* was a go-getter."
Laplace answered with a disturbing wink and a greasy, mocking grin.
But Leon's eyes saw through it. This man called Laplace was not someone who could be taken lightly.
There were no openings.
Despite all his seemingly wasted gestures, every motion flowed seamlessly into the next. This was the movement of a master — someone who had refined every action to its utmost. Someone who had reached a certain pinnacle of craft.
Leon had the distinct impression that Laplace might be even more dangerous than Kagari herself.
And when he quietly measured their combat capability, the results were unmistakable: all three clowns accompanying Kagari exceeded Demon Lord class.
Kagari herself was on par with — or perhaps even beyond — an Awakened Demon Lord. Leon and his forces had been completely caught off guard.
The angels outside had been nothing but a feint. A show of force to hold attention.
The moment Kagari infiltrated the city barrier, the angels outside had served their purpose.
In other words, it meant Kagari possessed absolute confidence that she could defeat Leon and his forces.
*They've been looking down on us...* *Well then, I'll just have to teach them their place once more.* Leon rose to his feet.
"Hmph. No need to remember anything at all. After all — you lot have no future."
He declared it flatly.
And the battle began.
From behind Laplace, a figure closed in with her presence entirely suppressed — Red Knight Fran, unleashing a killing blow.
Her blade wreathed in flame, she struck from Laplace's blind spot. With absolute confidence that evasion was impossible, Fran swung with everything she had.
But to her shock, Laplace didn't even turn around — he dodged effortlessly.
Even if he'd been using Mana Perception to map the space around him, Fran had completely severed her presence and concealed herself through mana interference. Tracking her should have been anything but easy.
"Whoops, close one, that was.
See, when you go getting all emotional like that, leaking your feelings all over, it completely ruins your stealth technique."
Laplace deflected Fran's attack while chatting idly, as though this were a casual stroll.
Fran's abilities had improved dramatically.
Demon Duke-level power, combined with the techniques she had honed all this time, plus her magic. As a magic swordsman, she had reached what felt like the absolute pinnacle.
In truth, she could be said to rival the former Demon Lords in capability.
And yet, before Laplace, every attack was read perfectly. She couldn't land a single hit.
"Impossible! You're reading all my attacks?!"
The question escaped her involuntarily.
"That's right, every single one, plain as day.
The movement of your eyes, the flow of your ki, the fluctuations in your emotions.
It all converges to a single point.
At least scatter them a bit, won't you? Otherwise it's like you're telling me exactly where you'll strike next."
Laplace replied with a weary shake of his head, as though dealing with something tiresome.
In truth, Fran's movements were not that easy to read. The habits Laplace pointed out would be nearly imperceptible to anyone else.
And yet, to Laplace, her actions were as clear as daylight.
Because between them lay an absolute gap in power.
The instant Fran engaged Laplace, Footman moved too.
Despite his rotund body, he moved with astonishing agility, rolling and sliding across the floor.
And with a snap of his fingers, several knights who had charged at him froze mid-air, pinned in place.
"Hehehehe! Time for some fun fireworks!"
He cackled with grating glee.
Then — *snap!* — he flicked his fingers again.
The suspended knights' bodies began to swell, inflating like balloons.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"Stop! Stop!!"
They bulged, ballooned — and then— *POP!!* They burst spectacularly.
Several knights, powerless to resist, were killed instantly by Footman — their own bodies bloated until they exploded.
"Hehehehe! This is — so — much — fun!!"
The remaining knights finally understood that numbers meant nothing here.
Fran's Blue Knights and the Blue Knights' elite could only stand at a distance, unable to approach, surrounding the intruders uselessly.
Claude ground his teeth at the situation.
The enemy's combat strength exceeded anything he'd imagined.
Among the four besides Claude and Alros, Fran was the strongest — yet she couldn't make a dent against this demon called Laplace. And against Footman, the knights were utterly useless.
There was no choice. He and Alros would have to step in.
That was Claude's assessment.
He was worried about Leon, but fretting over a master far stronger than himself was pointless — and Misery was there as a powerful ally.
What he needed to do now was support Fran.
"Lord Leon, I shall sortie as well."
Claude declared this, and once Leon gave a nod, he moved to reinforce Fran.
At the same time, Alros shouted: "Lord Leon, I'm going in too!"
He burst into action without waiting for permission.
Only Leon and Kagari remained — she with a languid smile playing on her lips.
An alien tension filled the air between them, thickening with every passing second.
Claude and Alros, who had rushed out— Claude moved to support Fran, while Alros charged toward Footman.
And Tia, who had been left out of the fighting — two knights stood in her path.
Having left the outer barrier's maintenance to their subordinates and rushed to the scene at full speed, Yellow Knight Kizuna and White Knight Meteru arrived.
Each found their opponent, and a fierce battle erupted.