Chapter 806: Party A and Party B

“You’ll have to pay the prisoner’s ransom in full.”

When I said that.

The beings of the Demon Realm.

The presences of that tremendous number of beings changed in an instant.

FWAAAAASH......!

A spicy and astringent taste filled my mouth.

Extreme anger and displeasure.

The beings of the Demon Realm were expressing clear displeasure at my words.

But.

“First of all!”

Ignoring those gazes, I shouted.

“You must stop your invasion of us...... no.”

He was a prisoner we had struggled to capture.

Now that we had decided to hand over such a prisoner.

“You must stop your invasions of every other world.”

At the very least.

It felt like I needed to receive this much in return for the deal to be worthwhile......!

And.

The very moment I uttered those words.

=How arrogant.=

The wills of the Demon Realm.

Among them, an especially immense voice began pressing down upon me.

***

=How arrogant.=

Along with that voice.

The immense wills situated within the Demon Realm.

Among them, the souls of those seated upon especially immense...... thrones began to flare.

Through their voices, I saw a vision.

The thrones upon which they sat.

Their true nature began to appear within my foresight.

=A mere insect that has yet to even reach transcendence dares to issue commands to us.=

The evil that sought to be superior to others.

Pride.

=Our invasion is a desperate struggle to survive. Do you ask for our destruction merely because you wish to live?=

The evil that envied and hated.

Envy.

=......You dare!!!=

The evil that sought to rage and destroy.

Wrath.

=......How unfortunate. I was still looking forward to the day I could be with you...... but such a proposal.=

The evil that sought intoxication without restraint.

Lust.

=.......=

The evil that abandoned its own duties.

Sloth.

=You, too, wish to walk a different path from us. Once again, I shed tears.=

The evil that gnawed away at hope and caused others to turn their backs on goodness.

Sorrow.

They had appeared at the same time the Demon Realm was born.

They were the concepts of evil themselves.

BOOOOOM!!!

As the pressure of the immense beings poured down.

A crushing sensation swept over me, as though my body were being compressed beneath an enormous hydraulic press.

‘......It is not only those six.’

The countless beings situated within the Demon Realm.

Every one of them was directing a displeased gaze toward me.

That must have been because my request was something they could not accept from their perspective.

‘Heavy.’

The Demon Realm that had appeared above our heads now.

It was somewhat different from the Demon Realm Avaritia had summoned.

The Demon Realm summoned by Avaritia had been dragged here by Avaritia, who was outside.

It had been no different from an illegal intrusion brought about without the permission of this world’s owner.

The distance had been great, and in order to exert influence upon this land, it had been necessary to cross that distance of countless eons.

But now was different.

‘That Demon Realm was summoned by me.’

Those whom I had personally invited because I wished to make a contract.

The distance between us and them now was like sitting face-to-face with only the veil of that world between us.

A distance that had become infinitely close.

The pressure surging from afar was incomparably more intense than before.

“Ghk.......”

“L-Legion Commander.......”

“Urgh.”

I was not the only one feeling that pressure.

The Legion members who had been fighting in this place.

They, too, had to endure that pressure together with me.

Avaritia was not the only one who had lost a great deal of power in the war against Avaritia.

We, who had won that war, had also lost a great deal of power.

Thanks to the power of the awakened growing stronger throughout the world, we were not being crushed.

But it seemed difficult to continue the transaction like this.

=Then let us do this.=

At that moment.

The one seated upon the Throne of Pride spoke.

=You shall preserve the life of our compatriot and return him to our embrace.=

“.......”

=In return, we shall bestow upon you the grace of refraining from invading your world for one hundred years.=

The prisoner exchange became an order.

The price I was supposed to receive became a grace they bestowed upon me.

In the end, what ruled this world was the law of power.

No matter how powerful we had become.

The gap between us and that immense Demon Realm was far too great.

Just as the System had already warned me to withdraw from the transaction.

An equal transaction was impossible before that overwhelming power.

=Do you not also desire the survival of our compatriot? If so, this alone should be sufficiently favorable terms.=

I tried to answer those words with something.

But there were no fewer than six beings equal in rank to Avaritia’s true body.

And countless beings who, though inferior to them, had still reached the level of transcendence joined in as well.

Because of the pressure they sent toward me, I could not properly open my mouth.

=If you do not answer, then we shall consider the contract concluded on those terms.......=

And so.

Just as that unfair contract was about to be forcibly concluded.......

At that very moment.

“......When the dark radiance blocking the path suddenly disappeared, we were worried that we might have arrived too late.”

From somewhere.

Countless presences began approaching us.

And.

“Fortunately, it seems we may be of assistance.”

Along with those presences.

There was a dark crimson cloud spreading outward with a FWAAAAASH!!!

***

The Demon Realm summoned for the contract.

But the pressure originating from it was overwhelmingly powerful.

So powerful that even we, as we were now, could not conduct a proper transaction against that pressure.

But now.

FWAAAAASH!!!

The Demon Realm situated above our heads.

There was something blocking the space between that Demon Realm and us.

‘That is.’

And.

As I looked at that cloud, I opened my mouth blankly.

It was not me who uttered the words that followed.

“......Neferat’s!”

Ariella’s voice echoed from somewhere.

The bewilderment that emerged from her mouth matched exactly what I had been about to say.

Not long ago.

The land of another country where I had unintentionally ended up.

The red cloud that had covered the sky above that land.

Despite being made of blood.

It had even blocked the light of the sun, one of the largest celestial bodies in the sky.......

A red mist of blood that blocked everything.

[Kirchhoff’s Mist]

The remains of the former grand duke, who was now dead and gone.

Were blocking the space between the Demon Realm and us.

[The influence of the Demon Realm is rapidly decreasing!]

“Ghk......!”

The immense pressure diminished in an instant.

Only then.

Was I able to confirm the crowd approaching us.

“......Karhin!”

The only guild situated upon the land of China.

The Chairman of the [Military Commission].

[Awakened]

[Lv.69 Vampire Marquis, Karhin Nibela di Neferat]

The head of the Neferat Bloodline.

It was Karhin.

No, it was not only him.

“......Whew, I was worried all our effort might have been for nothing!”

“Fortunately, it does not seem that will be the case.”

The two old men standing on either side of Karhin.

The two Vice Chairmen of the Commission.

And.

“.......”

“.......”

A massive man glaring at one of the awakened on our side.

At Jinlei.

General Kaio as well.

“......W-Who in the world are those people?”

“Where did so many people.......”

A countless crowd.

Even at a rough estimate, their number reached several hundred thousand.

There were quite a few familiar faces among them.

“......They came from the north.”

“The north? This is North Korean territory. The country above this place is...... ah.”

The awakened of China.

Had reached us.

“How did they get here.......”

The unit members were bewildered.

Even the unit members who had experienced what happened in China.

Seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of these reinforcements.

But.

“You came at a good time!”

Looking toward those reinforcements.

I shouted in a loud voice.

‘From the beginning, I knew very well how large that Demon Realm was.’

At least among the awakened of this land, there was probably no one who understood its scale better than I did.

Because I had personally seen that Demon Realm through Avaritia’s memories.

It was a world containing that much power.

Even without the System’s warning, I had known all too well that if I recklessly attempted to make a contract with such a world, I would merely be suppressed by its power and swindled like this.......

And, naturally.

‘Had that been everything, I would never have attempted such a foolish contract......!’

But.

Even while the System’s warning obscured my view.

There was a scene that remained clearly visible to my eyes.

-Chairman! We have finally succeeded in opening the road to the south.

-......General. Inform all our compatriots. In order to repay the grace we received, we will begin advancing south from this moment onward.

From the moment I obtained the vision that allowed me to look down upon this entire world.

No, even before that.......

Probably from the very moment Avaritia occupied this northern land, they had begun gathering their forces and making preparations.

-......This is.

-There is no mistake. It is the Legion Commander’s light!

-Just what in the world has that man done.......

-Continue the breakthrough!

Through the power of that transcendent law.

Through the veil made of golden light and dark radiance.

-The destination is not far away!

In order to save us.

I had seen them advancing south at full speed!

“I apologize for arriving a little late.”

“No, you arrived at exactly the right time.”

Although they had failed to reach us in time for the battle against Avaritia.

They had not stopped advancing south even then.

I had also been watching them.......

‘That is why I attempted this transaction.’

Our power had been greatly exhausted in the war against Avaritia.

They were already people who had eaten my cooking.

It was impossible to inflate their power any further.

“It is fortunate if we can be of assistance.”

But.

“Even if it is the mist of the previous head of the family...... Lord Kirchhoff, it will not be able to endure that pressure for long.”

The awakened who had not yet eaten my cooking.

The story was different for them.

My occupation was a chef.

“Therefore, let us postpone our reunion after such a long separation.”

In that case.

For those who had travelled such a long way to find us.......

“Please serve us your cooking.”

Cooking for them.

Was not difficult at all.

[Five Loaves and Two Fish]

[Course Meal - Earth]

The number of survivors from the land of China was tremendous.

Their numbers had even increased compared to before.

The monsters that had begun appearing once again in the land of China the moment the grand duke disappeared.

Karhin had been taking them in as his retainers and reviving the Neferat Bloodline, which had been reduced to a single remaining member.

And.

[The cooking has been consumed!]

[The influence of the awakened is rapidly amplified!]

The light situated deep within their bodies.

The moment they ate my cooking, that light rapidly swelled.

CRAAAACK.......

The power that had covered the sky and blocked the pressure of the Demon Realm.

Kirchhoff’s Mist...... that red cloud split apart.

Even a light capable of overcoming the sun could not block the pressure of the Demon Realm for long.

But.

“......You will bestow upon us the grace of refraining from invasion for one hundred years?”

Even after that cloud cleared.

The same pressure as before could no longer be felt.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something, so let me explain it to you.”

Several hundred thousand awakened.

The immense light pouring from the bodies of the Neferat Bloodline and the Military Commission.

That light was enduring the pressure of the Demon Realm.

“Even if anyone is to bestow grace, it will be me.”

Beneath that immense light.

I glared at the beings of the Demon Realm and declared.

“I am Party A, and you are Party B.”