79 Chapter 79: Elevation

"That's right!"

Takeda Tetsuo nodded at my guess.

"It doesn't matter who has these legendary weapons…Kobayashi and his gang just need people to fight once that day arrives. The strongest warriors with the most powerful weapons, charging in and conquering that last secret demonic domain…"

"So they are trying to invade this peripheral domain through sheer numbers alone," I concluded, thinking deeply.

"They say that what lies in this last, secret demonic domain is power enough to rival even the gods." Takeda frowned as he stroked his chin. "Knowing Kobayashi, he will want to even conquer the heavens and become the king of gods himself."

That sounded like Kobayashi, all right. Whether it was actually successful was another matter entirely…

"Speaking of which, I might know something about that last domain."

I closed my eyes and temporarily shifted my consciousness away from reality. Entering the Library of Eden, I peered through the endless rows of bookshelves. Thanks to my will, I was able to speed through the bookshelves and arrive at the right one, where books were sorted according to the topic I was looking for.

The last, secret Demonic Domain at the northmost region of Restia. There was only a single shelf dedicated to it, which meant that it was hardly written about. Taking a deep breath, I took a book out and scanned through it.

"…"

After glancing through its contents, I put it back and retrieved another book. Scanning through it, I saw that the contents were similar. I repeated the maneuver with another book, browsing through it, and as I suspected, much of what was written about the last domain was consistent.

Pulling my consciousness back to reality, I stared at Takeda grimly. Even though it seemed like I had spent an hour glancing through the books, in reality only a second had passed. Takeda only noticed me closing my eyes for a short instance.

"From what I know, the last domain isn't some secret level or dungeon filled with treasure. It's a dark, secret domain that has been sealed off from the rest of the world. I'm not sure what's sealed inside but it seems extremely dangerous. If Kobayashi unleashes whatever's been sealed inside, the world will be destroyed."

"What?" Takeda's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!"

I nodded grimly. "Yeah. From what I've read, they refer to this precarious existence as…Chaos. I have no idea what Chaos is, and none of the books I've read ever gave any concrete description or explanation, but it's this primordial, otherworldly existence that transcends even the demons. It infects, corrupts and warps all living things into…monsters. And I don't mean normal monsters but something worse than monsters. Beyond imagination."

Kobayashi could not be allowed to open the seal on that last demonic domain. Hell, it wasn't even a demonic domain but a gigantic shrine, a vast space of nothingness sealed off to keep this Chaos thing contained within for eternity.

"…if what you say is true, then we have to stop Kobayashi, no matter the cost." Takeda swallowed. "Or the world is…doomed."

"Worse than doomed," I muttered. "It'll become the new home for Chaos, and will be warped and changed into something so monstrous our existence will be worse than death."

Takeda didn't seem like he understood what I was talking about, but that was fine. It wasn't as if I could pull the book out of the Library of Eden into reality and lend it to him. Besides, I was surprised that Takeda was even believing me in the first place.

"I know you read a lot. It doesn't surprise me. Besides, I've heard rumors that you've somehow become a follower of Lyia, the goddess of knowledge."

"Where did you hear those rumors from?"

"Apparently a bunch of Knights were talking about you." Takeda pondered. "The Knights of Blood, if I recall. Led by someone called Dante Infernius. It took a while for us to put the pieces together and realize that they were talking about you, but there is only one other person outside the heroes who can stop Suzuki's God-Slaying Strike with one hand. Actually, I doubt there's any among us who can actually stop Suzuki's God-Slaying Strike at all! Even I would be defeated by that."

"That's useful to know."

"Anyway, good to have you on our side."

Takeda threw an arm over my shoulders, chuckling warmly.

"Thanks…I do have a question, though."

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"?"

Takeda stared at me curiously. I took a deep breath and glanced around.

Back in the violet cavern, Asmodai raised a hand and studied the swirling petals that gathered atop her outstretched palm.

"Kozue-chan…"

She suddenly stood up, allowing the petals to disperse and melt away into violet mana, staring down on Hoshizaki's relatively small figure.

"If Takeda Tetsuo and his comrades didn't arrive in time to rescue you that fateful day, you would still have been keeping me company all this time."

She stepped down from her crystalline throne to approach Hoshizaki, who remained standing defiantly at the bottom of the structure.

Across the cavern, countless incubi and succubi stirred to life, awakened by their queen's freshly inspired vigor. Rising to their feet, they marched in ordered ranks silently, getting ready for war. Linked to their queen's mind through subtle illusions, they could receive instructions in an almost telepathic manner without needing Asmodai to speak out loud.

Hoshizaki Kozue didn't pay the surrounding sex demons any attention. Her gaze was fixed on Asmodai alone.

"I have a question," she said boldly.

"I expected as much," Asmodai replied jovially, raising her hand and conjuring a purple, crystalline fan to flap it flippantly at Hoshizaki. "If it wasn't for how special you are…and how important you are to me, I would have blown you into a million pieces."

"I'm grateful that you've allowed me to live," Hoshizaki replied with a wry smile. "Besides, you're not the type to blow your enemies into a million pieces, but the kind to drown them in mindblowing pleasure before torturing them to an excruciating death."

She tapped her head, as if to emphasize Asmodai's specialization in mind and mental magic. She stared down Asmodai's razor-sharp fan, unfazed by the threat.

"And once again, I beseech you…if you will not form an alliance with the demons, then at least cooperate with me and my group…the Iron Knights."

Asmodai merely smiled.

Back in the Cross Castle arena, where the remnants and pieces of countless carnivorous plant monsters lay scattered across the floor, Lilith was confronting Domon Daisuke.

"As we've told you earlier, we are people from another world. And as Tanaka-kun's comrade, I feel that sharing our past with you might be relevant."

"Your past…you mean that in your previous world?"

Back in the elevator, Takeda shrugged.

"Well, it's a plot device for me to give an explanation until we reach our destination for an even more dramatic revelation."

"…seriously?"

I wanted to get out of this elevator already.

"Anyway, that aside, how are we going to fight against Kobayashi? If what you say is true, he's planning on invading the ten domains. I'm sure I can get Emperor Regis to defend Moria successfully, and Haemorage too, but the other seven domains…I'm not as familiar with the demon nobles as you are, so I don't know…"

Even with the Library of Eden, I couldn't possibly find out more current information. It wasn't as if the library would have the autobiographies that listed the personalities and motivations of the current demon nobles ruling over those domains. They would have historical records, geographical surveys, anthropological data and all that, and even political information and alignments, but nothing more detailed regarding the actual demon nobles themselves.

"And you've never heard of this Chaos thing before? In all of the seven months you've been in Restia?"

Takeda shook his head.

"First I've ever heard of it."

"This is the first time I've heard of Tomoyuki-kun's past," Lilith admitted as she listened to Domon, who nodded.

"The vendetta between Tanaka-kun and Kobayashi – the current Emperor of Humanity and the leader of the heroes – stretches way back to our previous world. It wasn't even Tanaka-kun's fault. He was only trying to help me."

Lilith's brow furrowed.

"Whoa, slow down there. What are you talking about?"

"The past. I don't know why, but Kobayashi and his friends seem obsessed with bullying Tanaka-kun and making his life miserable. They beat him up, abuse him, ostracize him and…when we were summoned to this world, even tried to kill him."

"…"

Lilith studied Domon, who continued in anguish.

"It all began when he helped me…I used to be the victim. Kobayashi and his goons thought it was funny to pick on me, you see. They would give me a punch or kick, slap me, knock my homework and stationary off my desk…and the teachers would look the other way because Kobayashi's grandfather is the board chairman of the school."

"School?"

"Ah…an institution of learning."

"…I see."

"Anyway, Tanaka-kun stood up for me, told them to stop it. He would even fight them in my stead. Kobayashi didn't like it. He wasn't used to people standing up to him and defying him. He hated that Tanaka-kun wasn't intimidated by him. So he shifted his attention to Tanaka-kun and tried to destroy him. Beat him up, abuse him, alienate him, etc. Tanaka-kun refused to cow, and his resistance escalated, but so did Kobayashi and his goons' attempts to bully him."

Lilith smiled wryly. "That sounds like Tomoyuki-kun, all right. The one I know. He has quite the indomitable spirit that refuses to surrender to anyone."

"…yes. Tanaka-kun is impressive…but it's my fault. I've always felt guilty about this."

"Why?"

"If it weren't for me…Tanaka-kun would never have to undergo such abuse and bullying. He would be all right. It's all my fault…"

"I see."

Lilith studied Domon for a moment, suddenly understanding.

"You're not blaming yourself for causing Tomoyuki-kun's bullying. You're blaming yourself for standing by and doing nothing while he got bullied. Even though he stood up for you and tried to stop this Kobayashi from abusing you, when the roles were reversed, you didn't have the courage to stand up and fight for him the same way he did for you. That's why you feel so guilty. Because you didn't help him even though he helped you."

"…I…"

Domon trailed off, realizing that Lilith was correct. But Lilith folded her arms.

"So why are you telling me all this?"

"?!"

"Shouldn't the one you be telling this to…Tomoyuki-kun himself?"

Back in the elevator, Takeda looked grim.

"What I can tell you, Tanaka-kun, is that it's possible that Kobayashi still doesn't know that you're alive. In fact, no one knew you were alive until that event with Asakura and Sakaguchi, where they found out that you had joined a mercenary guild."

Yeah, that was a complete idiotic move on my part. Not only did I use my real name to register for the guild, I went and did all sort of stuff to make myself stand out. Killing a manticore, getting rid of a group of orcs and a High Orc, and even defeating an Ancient Dragon. If Kobayashi and the others didn't notice me before, then they would have realized that there was this rising mercenary with the exact name of the guy they hated for some reason, and investigated him. When that happened, they would out me and try to kill me.

I was such an idiot. Well, it was for the sake of moving the plot along, so it was inevitable. Not to mention, I was just making things up as I went along and didn't consider the future too much. I hoped I didn't have to pay a high price for that carelessness.

"On the other hand, that helped us a lot because we realized that you're still alive, and so we were able to reach out to you."

Takeda placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiled.

I guess this was what they call a silver lining in every cloud, huh? Though, to be honest, I wasn't sure I could entirely trust the Iron Knights…

Back in the violet cavern, Asmodai seemed to have reached a similar decision.

"I reject your proposal."

She casually rested her fan in her other hand as she leaned back, a mocking smile curling her delicate-looking lips.

"Like before…I won't help you, nor will I need your help. If the humans want to invade Lustrous, then let them come…."

She raised her fan from her hand and with a single flick of her hand, opened it as she pointed it toward the distance.

"I will destroy them all."

Back in the elevator, Takeda looked solemn.

"Our enemies already have a vast number of fanatical zealots at their disposal. Once they conquer the nine strongest demonic domains, they will attain powers never before seen in history. The situation looks bleak."

"Why are we assuming that they will succeed in the conquest of the demonic domains?" I snapped irritably. "And I'm guessing you've already come up with a plan against Kobayashi and his gang, right?"

"Of course."

Takeda pointed a finger upward.

"The answer is at the top."

Takeda chuckled. "Once my exposition is finished."

I shook my head in frustration. As I did so, Takeda leaned closer.

"By the way, I just received a message from Nagano-san. It appears she has agreed to repair your sword."

"That's great!"

I was delighted. Minamoto Kureha's Saint Sword, which I had pilfered from her corpse so long ago, had been in an unusable condition this whole time. I couldn't use it because it was broken into pieces, but it would be an excellent weapon in my arsenal if I could get it repaired. Moreover, because I Devoured Minamoto's Sword Saint special ability, I was sure I could somehow make the best use of it rather than always relying on my staff.

After all, even with the staff, my repertoire of long-range spells was extremely limited, and most of the time I just ended up engaging in melee combat anyway. Furthermore, against Kobayashi and his Excalibur, I needed a sword to match up against him in close combat.

"I had no idea how to repair this treasure sword this entire time, but I really wanted to use it because of its potential. What do I need to do to repair it?"

"Repairing treasure weapons is Nagano Nanaka-san's specialty. If you have any questions, ask her directly."

Takeda offered me his smartphone, and I took it hesitantly.

"She's one of the two heroes in Restia with the title swordsmith."

"How much do you need me to pay to repair my Saint Sword?"

Nagano appeared on the other side of the screen. Apparently she was sipping tea from her cup casually.

"This kind of legendary treasure weapons doesn't require any money. But it needs a very valuable material."

"Oh."

I could already guess what that valuable material was.

"Speaking of which, that Saint Sword you're talking about…doesn't that belong to Minamoto-san? I recognize it…after all, I'm the one who forged it."

"Ah…well, yeah. Minamoto tried to kill me about a month ago, and we ended up battling to the death. Sorry about that."

"No…it's not your fault." Nagano didn't sound pleased, but she didn't sound upset either. "I believe Minamoto-san, along with a few others, were among Kobayashi-kun's group that were…pretty obsessed with bullying you. Given how Sakaguchi-kun and Asakua-san reacted when they found out that you were still alive, I can only imagine just how…murderous she was."

"…yeah, I wasn't given a choice. It was kill or be killed."

"Anyway, since I was the one who forged the sword, I can easily repair it."

"Thank you! You're a great help!"

"The catch is that, to repair a legendary weapon such as the Saint Sword that Minamoto-san used to wield, you definitely need a Shadow Dragon Egg found in this level as part of the materials to reforge it."

…I knew it. Talk about foreshadowing.

"This is one of the reasons why we have our headquarters in the Cross Castle. Additionally, the legendary weapons all used by us Iron Knights have their powers originate from the various demon nobles from the nine most powerful domains."

"I see…this is the secret why everyone is so strong despite being of a lower level than the other guys in class."

Back in the violet cavern, Hoshizaki turned away.

"I understand…"

She was conjuring her wormhole once again, opening up a rupture in space to travel out of the cavern.

"Goodbye…"

With one last glance at the demon noble who was her friend, Hoshizaki stepped through the wormhole.

"And take care."

With that, she disappeared from the cavern, leaving Asmodai all alone in the cavern with her milling subordinates.

"She's gone."

Asmodai daintily covered her mouth with her fan and giggled before she lowered it with a sigh.

"Ah…it was so boring sleeping for so long. It's still so boring now that I'm awake."

She turned her violet crystals into a crystal ball that was perfectly spherical in shape. Another underground cavern loomed inside the crystal ball, showing the short but bulky figures of dwarves diligently laboring inside their mines to construct weapons and vehicles of war.

"It's too bad that the first domain the humans plan to attack isn't mine. Moria, huh…I wonder, how will Little Regis protect that subterranean domain from the first human invasion?"