B2 Ch 95 - Rank Sixty-Nine

The sound of heavy, uneven footsteps pounded through the darkness of the night, breaking the silence as ten figures emerged from the shadows. They moved in a loose patrol formation across the barren, lifeless earth, their footsteps falling without any clear rhythm.

They were tall, easily matching the height of an average adult human, perhaps even a little taller, with dark grayish skin. Curved horns jutted from their skulls, some short and blunt, others long enough to sweep backward like a crown.

In truth, those horns were one of the clearest signs of their identity. Demons always had horns. Of course, that did not mean everything with horns was automatically a demon. There were plenty of horned creatures in the world that had nothing to do with demons. But these ones? Yeah. These were definitely demons.

Their armor was jagged along every edge, made of plates that looked as though they had been forged from shards of broken glass rather than carefully shaped metal. The pieces were fitted tightly over bodies that were lean but clearly dangerous, giving each of them a sharp, threatening silhouette. And their faces...

Yeah. Definitely not human. Their jaws were elongated, some carrying a slight underbite, while their eyes gave off a faint glow in shades of red or amber. Their skin stretched so tightly over the bone beneath that parts of their faces looked almost skeletal.

The ten figures suddenly came to a dead stop when the demon at the very front raised his right hand to the side, giving the others a silent signal. Not far ahead of them, something began to take shape where there had been nothing only moments before. Something was emerging from the darkness of the night.

The shadowy shape rose higher and higher, gradually revealing its towering size until every one of them looked small beneath it. It easily stood two or three times their height.

Beneath that towering silhouette, the figure slowly revealed itself. A massive body stood there with a pair of enormous horns rising from its head, while restless shadows covered nearly every part of its form.

"Where are your manners?" a thunderous voice boomed through the night. "Kneel and show your respect. Now."

"Who the hell are you?!" the demon at the front barked.

The figure before them was Jester. His High Bullkin form was already massive on its own. But wrapped in the shifting darkness Shade had poured over him and sealed beneath the jagged armor Michel had folded across his shoulders and chest, he now looked, at the very least, similar to those demons in shape.

"What is that?" one of the demons hissed.

The one at the front arrowed his glowing red eyes. "Doesn't matter what it is. Don't let its appearance fool you." His expression hardened as he gave the order. "Kill it. Anything that enters our territory without being recognized dies."

Jester answered with a deep, rumbling growl. "Kneel!" he roared. "I am your Demon Commander. Drop your weapons and bow, or I'll tear the horns from your skulls and make the survivors carry them back to their master."

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then the crown-horned demon let out a short, mocking laugh. “Commander?” He spat on the ground. “This territory belongs to Queen Belial, the Sixty-Ninth Ranked Demon. You think we don’t even know our own chain of command?”

Rank sixty-nine?

Jester had come out here expecting outposts, patrols, maybe a Demon Commander if he was unlucky. He had not expected one of the Demon Sovereigns to be sitting somewhere behind all of this. Wasn't this actually a huge stroke of luck?

There were only seventy-two Ranked Demons in existence. Rank Sixty-Nine placed her near the bottom of that list, far from the monsters who occupied its highest positions. Even so, a low rank among the seventy-two meant little when countless demons would never come close to claiming such a position.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Whatever Queen Belial's true strength was, she had earned her place among them, and that alone made her someone who could not be taken lightly.

Jester slammed the head of his axe into the ground. The impact cracked forcing several of the demons to scatter aside before quickly recovering and drawing their weapons.

"Watch your mouths when you speak to me!" Jester growled. "You think I don't know that low-ranked Belial? I'll show you exactly who you're dealing with."

The insult immediately drew angry snarls from the demons. Weapons rose around him, and several stepped forward, looking ready to attack.

“Watch your mouth!” the crown-horned demon roared. “You dare speak of Queen Belial like that in her own territory? Say her name with respect, or I’ll rip out your tongue and nail it to your corpse!”

"You think hiding behind some worthless title makes you untouchable? Prove who you are, or we'll carve that title off your body and leave what's left for the beasts!"

Jester's grip tightened around the haft of his axe.

“I am a Demon Commander, a position that carries authority and respect!” Jester thundered. “You’ll regret ever questioning my name! I serve under the Fifty-Fifth Ranked Demon. You want to find out whether my title means something? Keep talking.”

The demons around him bristled, raising their weapons higher, but the crown-horned demon quickly lifted one hand, stopping them before they could charge.

“Rank Fifty-Five?” he repeated.

For the first time, uncertainty flickered across their faces. It lasted only a moment before the crown-horned demon’s expression twisted with anger.

"You dare make a claim like that without proof?" he snarled. "You barely even look like a demon, yet you stand here claiming to serve one of the Ranked Demons? Do you take us for fools?"

"Who said a demon has to look like you?!" Jester roared back. He struck a fist against his armored chest. "I am a demon! More demons than every last one of you! Look at yourselves. Small, skinny, weak! And you dare question me? I am a mighty demon!"

“Then say the name!” the crown-horned demon barked. “If you truly serve a Ranked Demon, then you know exactly who holds Rank Fifty-Five. Say it! Give me the name, or admit you’re bluffing!”

Of course they would ask him that. Unfortunately, Jester did not have a complete list of all seventy-two Ranked Demons. Even after searching the internet, he had never managed to find a reliable list of all their names and ranks. Picking Rank Fifty-Five at random had probably made things worse.

"I am a Demon Commander under Duke Ose!" Jester said, throwing out one of the names he had found online. Behind the act, he was still desperately searching through what little information he had.

"Now kneel and show some respect!"

But instead of answering, the demons fell strangely silent. Several of them exchanged uncertain glances.

Jester almost frowned.

Seriously? They don’t know who the Fifty-Fifth Ranked Demon is either?

Perhaps these demons were even more ignorant than he had expected. Maybe ordinary demons only knew the Ranked Demons who ruled nearby territories, or perhaps only the handful at the very top. Whatever the reason, their hesitation was enough for him to push harder.

"I came here to take control of this territory by order of Duke Ose!" Jester declared, striking the ground with his axe again. "Kneel, all of you, and take me to that low-ranked Belial!"

But what happened after that, the demons immediately tightened their formation. Weapons rose, blades turning toward Jester as whatever uncertainty had held them back disappeared.

"Enough!" the crown-horned demon roared. "Not another word out of your mouth. Drop the axe and get on your knees. Now!"

"You've insulted our Queen, entered her territory under a false name, and threatened her soldiers. Surrender, and we'll drag you before Queen Belial in chains. Raise that weapon again, and we'll cut you apart right here and carry your head to her instead."

Jester, however, showed no fear at all. He raised his axe without hesitation, and the demons immediately tightened their formation, weapons held ready.

Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he swung the massive weapon straight at them. The blow caught several demons at once, sending them stumbling aside, while one was struck hard enough to be hurled across the barren ground.

Jester surged forward before they could recover. His axe came around again and smashed into another demon, launching him backward with enough force to send him tumbling across the earth.

Jester immediately raised the weapon once more, positioning its blade above the fallen demon as the other nine finally closed in around him from every direction.

"I am done warning you!" Jester roared. "I came here under orders, carrying the authority of a Ranked Demon far above your lowly Queen. I did not come to ask for your permission!"

He lowered the axe until its blade hovered dangerously close to the fallen demon's neck. "Take one more step and his head leaves his shoulders. After that, I'll kill the rest of you one by one until someone finally learns to obey!"

But the demons did not retreat. If anything, the threat only sharpened the fury in their eyes.

“Kill him!” the crown-horned demon roared. “Kill him now!”