This wasn’t just a manipulation of the mind. Her body was now injected with an entirely different soul. And anyone could have been sure about that.
The hollowed eye sockets of Jack was lit with a silent anger, but he managed to ask calmly.
“Possession of an opponent…… Demon Lord of Confusion, is that your Game?”
“Fufu, well, you are close but you’ve not hit the bull’s eye.”
“……stop beating around the bush. No matter how it is, Sandra-sama is still the [Floor Master]. A normal Gift would never be able to forcefully take over her body—You have used it right? The [Authority of Host Master]!”
The suppressed anger had finally leaked out and Jack’s words were rude near the end.
Standing akimbo, the Demon Lord of Confusion then retrieved the banner of the “混”character from his Gift Card to raise it while making his declaration.
“You’ve quite a good eye on that, but there’s an unfortunate piece of news for you guys. The one who can participate in the Game of this ‘Great Me’ here is only limited to one! Currently the participant is only Sandra ojou-chan alone! Furthermore, the most problematic thing is that the one who can read the [Geass Roll] is also Sandra ojou-chan, herself!”
“What did you say?!”
That’s absurd, Asuka voiced it loudly. That was something that couldn’t even be called a Game. But the reality was that there was nothing that could be called a [Geass Roll] being held in the hands of the Demon Lord of Confusion.
The Demon Lord of Confusion gave a fierce smile as he scratched his hair as he looked down up on the three individuals before him.
“It’s just great that this young girl is so lonely. Although she really wanted to depend on her family, she was unable to do so. Although she wanted the trust of her comrades, she was unable to get the trust. And then to be betrayed by the two whom she had thought of as her important friends, abandoned…… Fufu, His Highness and Rin ojou-chan were really overboard with that! Having fulfilled these conditions, it was just simple for this ‘Great Me’ to use the [Authority of Host Master]! The pitiful soul that have been forced to carry the burden of all these confusions in reality— have already been devoured by me, the Demon Lord of Confusion!”
The Demon Lord of Confusion flapped the banner around while laughing to the point of having stitches where he couldn’t help clutching his sides.
Having heard the entire speech, Asuka’s fist had begun to tremble from the anger that coursed through her.
……To prevent any misunderstanding, it might be good to make this clear now– Asuka and Sandra had no deep connections or relations with each other. It was just the level of being acquaintances who greeted each other when they met a few times.
However, if what the Demon Lord of Confusion said was true, the loneliness that Sandra felt would have been the same as that which Asuka once had. Or even of a higher degree of it. Even so, Sandra had never allowed herself to present such a side to her and had stood before everyone else as the [Floor Master].
That was her stubbornness, her pride and the entirety of her courage. Asuka could never forgive the Demon Lord before her who despicably laughed while trampling over these attributes under foot.
Taking out her Gift card, Asuka took a step forward
But surprisingly, Jack stopped her with his right hand.
“Asuka-san…… I understand your feelings. But for this…… just leave it to me, Jack to deal with him.”
The pumpkin head was covered with flames of anger as it continued to bobble as he requested for Asuka to step back.
“Jack……”
Asuka also knew better than to insist on it as she took a step back.
—It was well known that Jack loved kids. A Demon who loved children and was loved by them in return. It was needless to say that the person who was fuming the most would be this Pumpkin Gentleman.
The hollowed out eyes were lighted with a boiling anger and Jack posed a question like the last attempt at negotiation: “Demon Lord of Confusion…… You have trampled upon the pure soul of a child. Don’t you even feel a slightest bit of remorse or reprimand from your conscience?”
In regard to that question, Demon Lord of Confusion wiped off his smile to reply angrily:
“The reprimands of the conscience? Ha, what a huge misunderstanding you have there! The one who forced this young lady to this state was never the ‘Great Me’! But it was the people of this Confusing world that had forced her to that dead end! And you still dare to question the conscience of the ‘Great Me’?[5] What a fine joke you have there!”
Demon Lord of Confusion threw the banner with the “混”character over his shoulders and transformed it into his new battle equipments.
The golden accessories and the red outfit were dyed black and the “混”character appeared upon the chest and back.
“The ‘Great Me’ will always follow the path of Evil! Demon Lords are the opposing existences of Law and Order. We are the scourge born to the world! Hence those who are born Saints or Demon Lords are different from those rogues of Kouryuu and the other small fries! It is to ensure the progress of the world in the correct direction that the absolute evil is needed to balance the scales in the world! The ‘Great Me’ takes pride in this character of “混”! Being a member of the ones who carry the burden as the scourge of the world, I refuse to see living my life by my motto as anything disgraceful!!”
There is nothing to be ashamed in my life—that was the roar from the Demon Lord of Confusion. He then stared at Asuka and the others while emitting a fiery aura around himself that flowed from the Dragon Horns of Sandra.
It was then that Asuka realized that she had been underestimating the enemy before her.
[This enemy……is also a Demon Lord!]
The Shinigami Pest who swore to take revenge on the Sun.
Leticia who had been pushed to the point of despair by her comrades and resorted to committing a massacre.
Similar to the both of them, they were all people who had understood the evilness of their acts when they abused their Authority to become a tyrant. Betting their souls and everything of their existence to formulate the Rules(Game Rules), possessing a power to force the world to obey the rules and becoming the King to awaken others to the cruel reality.
“…… ‘follow the path of Evil’. Is that your entirety and source of spiritual attainment?”
“That’s right. A Demon Lord is to be determined and unshakeable in his belief. And that will be the Oudou[6] that I, the King of Confusion will always uphold till the day of judgement.”
Hearing that reply, Jack’s spiritual status started to undergo a dramatic change.
“You have forced my hand!! Demon Lord of Confusion! You have done it before the banner of [Will-O'-Wisp]—the most sinful crime that you should not have—!”
Purgatory flames poured out of the Hollow Pumpkin head.
That was an agitated shout that was much more intense than an eruption from an active volcano.
For [Will-O'-Wisp] which has always functioned upon the motto of protecting young souls as a Guardian organization, this Demon Lord would be an enemy that necessitate a judgement.
"Burn away every single drop of spiritual power to completely overwhelm the enemy’s Oudou!”
“O’ Demon Lord of Confusion, accept this with everything you have! This is my Trial…… [Pumpkin the Crown]—!!!”
Following the eruption of Purgatory flames from the Crown of the Pumpkin, it exploded apart.
The fragments then transformed into shining and glowing pieces of parchment that scattered across the various corners in the Corridor of Displays.