Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Disgaea: Gehenna's Holy Queen ❯ Chapter 2: Revenge is Sweet ( Chapter 2 )

Disgaea: Gehenna's Holy Queen

Chapter 2: Revenge is Sweet

“Satsuki-chan?!” Konoka couldn't believe it... here of all places, was a person she once knew. Why was she here? Did she know about Konoka's immediate past?! She couldn't bear it. Maybe she wasn't the closest associate she had back at Mahora, but she was still happy she could see one. “Oh, Satsuki-chan!” Not even bothering to hold anything back, Konoka leapt over the counter and wrapped her arms around the not-so-pudgy-anymore cook. “To think I'd see you here of all places!”

“Konoe-san...” Satsuki gave a slight chuckle.

“You know her?” Lucas stared incredulously. Humans (and some very travel happy demons) often talked about their world being small, but this was bordering on ridiculous!

“Yeah, I do,” Konoka answered. “She was a classmate of mine back when I was still human...”

The curious younger demons seized up the cook, and they received a kind yet weary stare in return. Satsuki, however, rolled right on, “To be honest, I'd never thought I'd see you again, either. The world believed you were dead.”

“I... died?” Konoka blinked. Then she gazed at her tail. “Then again, I don't remember too much right before I went into the magic world, and...” Something stirred in her before her mind flashed a picture. A high pitched scream filled her thoughts, and the sound of death consumed her ears shortly thereafter. “...maybe I did die...”

“Sakurazaki-san went looking for you, too... have you not seen her?” Satsuki asked.

“Sakurazaki?” That name! That name was familiar and yet... “Sakurazaki, Sakurazaki, Sakurazaki...” Konoka thought hard, but for some reason nothing would come up. Why?! This name sounded really damn important.

“You... don't remember her?” Satsuki blinked. “You and... Setsuna-san were inseparable for a time.”

“Setsuna...” The memories were slowly opening! She could grasp something tangible in her mind now. Aha! While she could not remember her face, she did remember the quiet, serious guard which moved from distant protector to dear friend. When she first discovered magic, she had also been kidnapped by a rebel mage—it was this woman who saved her, along with Negi and her pals. But if she's not here now, then...!

Once again, her mind betrayed her, but with greater effect. Not only did those fleeting thoughts leave, but now her own mind seemingly did not want to deal with the subject. “...only a few small trinkets are missing from my life, and I guess Setsuna was one of them... It hurts too much to think about. Can we talk about something else?” Konoka gave a sad smile.

Satsuki reeled back, as if she narrowly dodged stepping on a landmine. Who was this girl?!

The demons exchanged looks—even Turmeric showed some concern. “Hmmm... the past has not been favorable for those two, has it?” Even in a serious situation, Turmeric's voice still had random inflection.

“Sounds like it...” Lucas murmured.

“So how about you, then?” Anise turned her sugary sweet voice over to Satsuki. “You're Sir Sweet's new cook, but you're obviously human.”

“My past?” Satsuki tapped herself. “Ah, I was with Konoe-san while she was human. Back on the human world, I had my life lined up, but... don't worry about me. I'm just an inspiring cook.”

“Back when I was human, Satsuki-chan made lots of wonderful things!” Konoka wagged her tail in delight. “Like meat buns, curry, and western food, too!”

“I actually miss those days...” Konoka looked over at Satsuki just as the cook finished her sentence. “I think it's been almost a year since I've cooked anything other than sweets.” Konoka noticed some sadness in that voice, and coming from Satsuki, it sounded foreign.

The girl stared intently at Satsuki. Was it just her, or were those eyes looking sort of... lifeless? “Satsuki-chan?”

“Oh! I'm sorry.” Satsuki shook off those small morose feelings. “I'm fine, really.”

Konoka stepped on the chair and peered real close to Satsuki's face. “No! You want to cook something non-sweet, don't you?!”

Girl was caught like her hand was stuck in a cookie jar! “Well...” The girl actually showed signs of embarrassment. “...yes.” The girl leaned in. “But don't let them know that. The Moabs have keen noses, they'd know if I were cooking something non-sweet in an instant. Trust me, I tried...” Satsuki sighed. Demons tended to become extremely pissy if you don't cater to their tastes, and she had the memories (and bruises) to prove it. She focused on the conversation again. “My cooking hand may not be as strong as it used to, either.”

Konoka, somewhat satisfied, sat down. “So this... Sir Sweet I've been hearing about runs the castle right?”

“I could have told you that!” Turmeric declared. “That cursed Sir Sweet! That madman has known nothing but sweets, and worse yet he has put food predilection curses on a number of people... including my mother! I will stand for this no—”

Lucas beat Anise to the punch and smacked him with his spear. “No, no more speaking in italics for you today!”

Konoka, unperturbed by her cronies' antics, continued. “...and he has you cook nothing but sweets for him?”

“Yes,” Satsuki nodded.

There was a moment of silence. When it ended, the Gehenna Queen had reached a decision. “That's it... I'm taking you home!” Konoka stated pridefully. “Satsuki-chan should be able to cook whatever she wants! In the meantime, I'm gonna have a talk with this nice Sir Sweet person somewhere—I'm an evil Overlord, after all!”

“Easier said than done, I think,” Anise said, her voice no longer obnoxiously sugary but kind all the same. “Ms. Satsuki said it herself, those piggies are gonna come running the moment they notice her cooking something unsweet.”

“Not to mention Sir Sweet himself,” Lucas added.

Konoka began to think for a moment. “Somehow, I'll have to hold them off then, or at least long enough so Satsuki can complete her meal.” She stood up and turned to the small band. “Would you guys help me? If you can keep the piggies at bay, I can get to Sir Sweet himself.”

“Of course we will!” Lucas cheered, his eyes alight with happiness. “You're an awesome Overlord!”

“Alas, I wanted to work for the great prince,” Anise lamented. “But since Lucas thinks you're the best thing since sliced Purgatory Buns, I guess I have to help too.”

“Any enemy of Sir Sweet is a friend of mine!” Turmeric declared.

Konoka giggled and nodded. “Thank you!” She whirled over to Satsuki. “Have faith, Satsuki-chan! We'll save you from the doldrums of sugar!”

Satsuki felt something odd in her chest from those words. “Thank you.” It was a strange and very... new feeling to have, but at least it was pleasant.

For the first time ever, as she watched Konoka spread those un-demon-like wings and fly off deeper into the castle, Satsuki Yotsuba felt hope.

xxx

There was a gentle and yet prideful humming echoing through the halls surrounding the master suite. They sung of a man who loved to do what he did for a living—bossing around various Moabs and concocting wonderful desserts to sell to the world.

This was the hall of none other than the overlord of the castle, Sir Sweet.

As Moabs go, he wasn't that much bigger than his average underling—Morgan topped him in that category. But he still kept an imposing presence, with huge tusks, darker maroon skin and swirling blue robes. Grasped within his hands was a scepter, with what appeared to be an ice cream cone stuck on the end. His fancy crown completed his look—fitting the role of the pampered king, however, was a choice of style and not attitude. He worked as hard as anyone else in the castle.

With his new cook, however, he could speed production with his works, and continue concocting a bigger variety of delicious delicatessens. Everything was going smoothly!

...a little too smoothly.

He knew something was up when he heard massive scrambling going on downstairs. Figuring that he'd rather not concoct something if his castle was in danger, he left his sweet suite and headed downstairs to his multicolored garden.

“Sir Sweet! Sir Sweet!” A Moab grunt scrambled over.

“You rang?” The Moab leader asked.

“It's bad! We've got an intruder!” The pig tried to warn him through tired breaths. “She trumped Morgan! She stole half of your potential bodyguards and beat up the rest! She's gonna take your cook!”

“WHAAAAT?!” Sir Sweet stood at attention. “Who is this person, and why is she daring to take my cook?!”

“We don't know! She's some recently converted Overlord who looks almost like a Celestial! That's all we can pinpoint...”

“Hmm...” Sir Sweet's mind began to churn. If her goal was a thorough snatch and raid, she probably would've been just content in raiding his kitchen and valuables—not that it would do the thief any good. His most valuable recipes were written in an ancient language only he and his closest confidants could understand. On the other hand, if she was here to actually fight him for the cook, he needed only to wait. Most people assaulting his castle always gunned for him, believing him to be weaker than most overlords. That statement wasn't false, but most demons were too stupid to remember that strength wasn't the only thing that won battles.

Smiling, he fingered his staff and regarded his underling. “Nooo, let her play. As a good host I'll entertain our guest. Perhaps she'll be the first since Lady Etna's prinny squad to survive 'Death by Chocolate'!” And so, with a swirl of his cape, Sir Sweet trotted downstairs with a delusion of metrosexual grandeur.

xxx

Konoka kept her new mission close to her mind and heart, like hopefully her new recruits would—protect and avenge Satsuki Yotsuba with their lives.

She could beat Sir Sweet, sure. Probably. Maybe. But that would achieve nothing on its own. She was also averse to killing him, and yet she understood that snatching what he thought were his “things” would bring revenge on herself, her castle and her newfound friends. So how could she establish herself against this Sir Sweet?

She was so deep in these thoughts she hardly noticed as her tail plowed through numerous Moabs launching one last assault on her. Even as inexperienced as she was, these gunners were pretty sad if she could beat them while not even paying attention, irregardless of her power.

But it might just be predictability and the ridiculous power gap talking.

In any case, Konoka now found herself in an orange-tinted castle pinnacle, surrounded on all sides with many multi-colored sweets. The girl's mouth threatened to water from all the delicious sweets she saw... but she denied herself. No! I must focus! Satsuki-chan is counting on me! She glanced around, looking for some hint or clue of the lord of this castle...

“Oh ho~!” A voice rang out. “What a time to see such a young demon maiden!”

The Gehenna Queen saw some stout, robed boar demon waltz in from stage left. His crown, the glittery, important robes, his flamboyant voice... “Ah! It's the court jester!”

Sir Sweet tripped and crashed.

“You little—!” He recovered instantly, but he shook off his rage with relative ease. In retrospect, he found her ignorance quite funny. “Ah, you must be craving sweets so badly, you can't even think straight! You should come with me, sample some of my treats, and then we can do business.”

“Business, huh?” Konoka blinked. But nevertheless, she followed.

Sir Sweet showed her various treats, and the eager demoness sampled quite a few of them. “It's great, isn't it? I've finally been able to speed up production, so now I can start moving forward with creating new treats!”

“I see,” Konoka answered. “You've had a recent cook to help you, right?” She questioned almost innocently.

“Hmmmm?” Sir Sweet turned his head to regard her. “And how would you know?”

“She is a wonderful cook,” Konoka smiled, twirling about like a morose ballerina. “I would know, since I have tasted her cooking before. But... get this. I'm worried she may lose her heart.”

Sir Sweet raised his eyebrow, as if the girl had already assumed final boss form. “What a curious thing to say. Are you sure you're not a Celestial?”

“I'm an overlord, just like you! Sure I kinda look like an angel with horns, but my morals are just as loose as yours!” The girl protested, her tail stiffening in indignation along with her cheeks. “But even so... Satsuki-chan can cook things other than sweets. I beseech you... let her go!”

“Nope!” Instant response from the Overlord of Sweets.

To be honest, Konoka didn't know what to expect. That naive and hopeful wish that demons would listen to logic and reasoning and would have mercy was just that—a wish. Even so, to see it outright denied by someone who wasn't even a heartless overlord was a bit much to bear, even knowing that they were demons. “...why?”

“With this new cook, I can finally move my ambitions forward!" Sir Sweet crowed. "With a second cook, I can continue concocting legendary desserts left and right! Everyone in the Netherworld could have a sweet tooth! Why should I care about things that aren't sweet?”

Emotions welled up within the Gehenna Queen. She hugged herself, trying to stem the tide of sadness and rage that were rushing forward. She could not... no, she was better than petty rage, right?

Naaahhh.

Sir Sweet tensed. Was she going to fight? Or would she simply sulk? Even so, his mind churned, trying to come up with a scheme that would tilt the scales in his favor. She was no weakling compared to him, judging by the welling power he felt. Just as he was about to open his mouth, though, she began. “...fine. I'll have my cake... and eat it too!” The petulant queen, instead of launching an expected attack, swept some growing lollipops in the garden and began eating them out of pure defiance.

“Whaaaaat?!” Sir Sweet, indignant about someone who would dare eat his meals with no respect or dignity, began to seethe with anger. He aimed his scepter. “Stop that, this instant!” From the skies, a meteor sized gumdrop sailed towards Konoka.

“Eep!” Konoka stopped her eating rampage and rolled out of the way as the gumdrop meteor crashed and exploded. She quickly flipped back onto her feet. The mad boar overlord was already summoning yet another gumdrop meteor, and she didn't have all day to dodge them. The girl flew into a sprint towards him and slid down into a tail whip attack. “Heeeyah!” The attack was enough to make the flamboyant boar flinch.

“Ouch!” Sir Sweet hissed. Much to his chagrin, Konoka wasn't even finished yet. He haphazardly scrambled away towards the edge of the garden as Konoka continued her pursuit. “I'm not done just yet!” He turned back to her as he suddenly stopped. “Are you fast enough to dodge this?!” He aimed his scepter like a rapier, and not even a second later, he burst forward with speed.

Konoka could barely turn around before Sir Sweet's ice cream drill was smashing into her side. With a cry of pain she tumbled to the ground. Trying to keep her bearings straight, she began to crawl backwards, her eyes on Sir Sweet.

The Overlord of Sweets sneered and charged again. No longer off guard, however, Konoka tumbled out of the way, though she only managed to evade the attack by a mere inch. Once again safe she stood. “Muuuu... why are your attacks making me hungry?”

“I live, breathe, and even fight in my job, don't you know!” Sir Sweet answered happily. Lifting his scepter, he gathered magical strength. “Shall we?” A steady stream of gumdrops showered from his scepter like confetti.

While Konoka did scamper back to avoid the heavier concentration, she did manage to catch one of those tasty gumdrops. She ate one.

It had explosive taste—quite literally.

Had she been a human or a much weaker demon, that would've been lethal! “Auuu!” Konoka lamented as she tried to recover from the attack, smoke pouring out of her mouth.

“You're fun to play with!” Sir Sweet laughed. “All that power and you still don't know how to use it! Well, I suppose if you were to go all out, I might not win, but since you're such a childish and innocent maiden, then I—” Alas, Konoka was already in his face, having a kind of warm smile that would frighten dragons. Sir Sweet's eyes bugged out. “...oh crap.”

Sir Sweet dodged like the Fist of the North Star as that girl threatened to blast him away. He didn't even bother with trying to run this time—he flipped open his cape, letting its power extend itself into leathery bat-like wings. “N-not today!” With an agility impossible for him on foot, Sir Sweet weaved through the halls and back down into the main halls of his castle, with Konoka in hot pursuit.

Reaching an open room where the scent of his wonderful sweets was slightly stronger, he swerved to a stop. The demon boar lifted his scepter. The ice cream burst, leaving a shiny red gem that glowed with the power of fire. “Hnrrgh!” He slammed it down, and TWO gumdrop meteors sailed in, just as Konoka arrived in the room.

“Geh!” The girl twirled in response. The meteors failed to connect, albeit by a very slim margin.
When his attack finished, however, Konoka remained at her side of the room, her tail waving excitedly as if she were a scorpion.

“You shouldn't have come so close to here!” Sir Sweet giggled. “Now, you'll witness my newest, most deeeeelicious attack!” He swung up his scepter. Four magical runes swirled into existence on the ground. From them, four dark red tentacles emerged.

Candy tentacles.

No points for guessing what happened next.

“Eeeyyahh!” Konoka cried, unable to move as the tentacles wrapped around her chest and both legs. As three of the red tentacles restrained her movement, she grit her teeth as she saw the last one snake towards her face.

“It's truly exciting, isn't it? You just might be able to satiate yourself on my taffy tentacles! Until you burst, that is~” Sir Sweet crowed.

Dashing into this horrifying scene, Konoka's prinnies nearly crashed into each other upon seeing their master wrapped up in those... things! “Gah!? The hell is this, dood?!” One cried.

“Don't do it, dood! The rating's gonna shoot right up and nobody sane will read this anymore!” The other shouted at Sir Sweet in alarm.

“As long as it's not described, we're in no such danger~! Gahahahaha!” Sir Sweet, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. “That lady's sweet tooth would make her a fine customer, but she must realize that she can't just take things as she pleases! That wonderful new cook belongs to me!” Thanks to his speech, they don't see the awful, slightly devious, tasty, nasty things going on the other side of the room.

“Aren't you doing the exact same thing she's doing, dood?!” One prinny shot back, putting his fins on his chubby hips, trying to ignore all those sounds going on. “That cook can make her own choices, you know!”

“Silence! As soon as she's my hungry hungry slave, I'll add you to my pot!” Sir Sweet aimed his scepter in retaliation. “I think I can start gathering more prinnies to create the legendary... G-Sweet once more!” He lifted his nose into the air; he was completely unable to resist the smell of victory. “Can you smell it? What Sir Sweet's elite is cooking?!”

Then he took a closer sniff. “Wait... that isn't a sweet!”

“That's right,” Satsuki stepped in. Bearing a plate of warm, spicy lasagna, the girl boldly walked over to the Overlord of Sweets. “Lacking in protein won't do you any good, and sweet foods don't have that so often, so...” She gently grabbed his snout and tilted it up, then dumped her delicious work down Sir Sweet's mouth. Then she gently closed his mouth, making him savor it.

Sir Sweet had lived entirely off of sweets his entire life. Knowing the textures, the degree of sweetness, everything... things that weren't sweet tasted like sandpaper or worse! He could live without them (he just mixed in necessary vitamins when he needed them)! But this cook of his had the talent to not only feed him something that wasn't sweet, but for it to taste... “...good? This is... good! It's good! Not sweet! Something good that isn't sweet?!” He was shaking with a dichotomy of happiness and rage. “It's impossible! Truly impossible!”

“Is it?” Konoka asked impishly.

“Wha...” Sir Sweet, still clouded by his feelings over being fed good, non-sweet food, looked over to see Konoka had basically defeated his spell with ease, having eaten the other three taffy tentacles that actually sustained the spell. “No way! You can't be!”

“Well~,” Konoka continued. “While you thought to trap me here, it was actually my idea to send you down here instead. I only fought you to stall long enough for Satsuki-chan to finish preparing her meal!”

“You mean...?” Sir Sweet stepped back.

“There's more to the world of food other than sweets!” Konoka declared. “I wanted to show you that, but you wouldn't listen! So I decided it would be the best thing ever for you to taste good cooking itself! Satsuki-chan couldn't fight, and I haven't cooked in three years, so that's how it all worked out.”

“Rrrggghh!” Sir Sweet stamped his foot, trying to deny the impossible. Has his life of sweets been ruined by this cook?! “I refuse to allow it! I will not be led astray! If you taint my tongue with things that aren't sweet, I'll just send you to oblivion!” He rose his staff to summon more gumdrop meteors.

Satsuki showed no fear, despite the lunatic overlord now gunning for her life.

Konoka however, would have none of this. She vaulted over the Overlord of Sweets, and with ease and fury, smashed the meteors with her tail before they could even get close to Satsuki. “You will do no such thing. You. Have. Lost.” She stated, standing protectively in front of the cook.

Thoroughly beaten, Sir Sweet couldn't take it anymore. He started sobbing.

“My life has lost its meaning!” He lamented like an actor dying on stage.

Konoka shed her fierce stare and simply patted him on the back. “There, there! It's not the end of the Netherworld! You can still produce sweets! I'm still taking Satsuki-chan whether you like it or not, but~” She trailed off impishly.

“But what~?!” Sir Sweet looked at her.

“If you want a choice whether or not you can taste non-sweet things, or to peddle your wares further into the Netherworld, you have to let me take a share of your profits and your underlings!” Konoka smiled.

That creepy feeling of doom in her earlier smile wasn't there, but the boar demon had that feeling she could summon it at will. But still... “What do you mean by 'peddle my wares further into the Netherworld'?”

“Advertisement! Plus if we make Satsuki-chan happy instead of miserable, we could build that so called legendary G-Sweet... without prinnies, of course!” Konoka produced some contract papers (and convenient pen) out of nowhere. “So... will you pledge your help to me?”

“Yes!” Sir Sweet broke into fresh sobs. Seeing as his life currently had no meaning, he signed that silly contract and hoped this crazy girl would go away.

“Konoe-san, you really are a demon,” Satsuki remarked with mirth poorly disguised as horror.

“So she really does have overlord potential!” Lucas cheered. He and the other small platoon of future recruits finally came back, having staved off the Moabs from invading the kitchen. “See, I told you Anise!”

“Guess you were right,” Anise shrugged. "Still, she's not as charming as Prince Laharl...” Her eyes shined. “Ah, Prince~”

“Konoe? As in the Konoe princess?” A voice cut through.

“Hmmm? What do you want with me? You know me?” Konoka asked this voice.

Through the small crowd, a hulking green demon stepped forward. This demon gazed at Konoka with blank eyes. “Ah, yes, the Konoe Princess. I'd recognize that power of yours anywhere. You summoned many of my friends some years ago, although not of your own will. And a survivor of Zegnant.”

That one got a reaction from Konoka alright. “Zegnant?!”

“Don't even know who that is, and yet his name scares me...” Lucas shivered.

“He-who-must-not-be-named!” Turmeric declared in a spooky voice, but Anise slapped him.

“You must be fortunate, child,” The demon regarded the boy. “Those who meet Zegnant without a twisted heart do not survive, whether in body or in sanity, with very few exceptions. This girl is perhaps one of them. I myself might actually have to thank him.”

“Thank him...?!” Konoka reeled back. Satsuki looked on nervously, seeing her former classmate's discomfort. “But why?!”

The green monstrosity lifted a hand, and an orb of lightning appeared. It grabbed the mass before aiming forward and punching, creating a rift in space... a dimensional portal. “I am a Dimensional Gatekeeper. I used to be something closer to human, but I was thoroughly incompetent at my job. As punishment, Zegnant mutated my body into what you see here.” The demon smirked.

The other demons noted for the first time that this one actually had something close to a female body hidden beneath that mass of muscle. So she really was...

“The only thing I ever had left was my poor ability to create these rifts, and through Zegnant's despair I developed this into an amazing power. It's the only reason I'm still sane today,” This demon laughed. Looking at all the stunned faces, she merely shrugged. “Hmph, I don't need your amazement or your pity. But still...” She turned back to Konoka. “...for you to have survived, young lady, I'm amazed. The halfling crow must have made a great deal to protect you.”

“Halfling... you mean Setsuna Sakurazaki?” Konoka recalled. “I don't remember her too well for some reason...”

Satsuki looked on worriedly. If that sudden switch in personality was any indication, the name Setsuna Sakurazaki would be a sore point for a very long time...

Konoka decided. “Let's go home, then. If you would, err...”

“Just call me T'ifr,” The female demon stated simply, and with that, she gathered energy and punched open a dimensional rift.

And that is how Konoka, who came to Sir Sweet's castle with just two prinnies, left with a small army, a lot of money, and an old friend.

xxx

Laharl's blank stare said everything: dude, why are there so many goddamn flying whales?!

“Sometimes I have to wonder what the hell these humans are thinking when they design their flying ships,” The small overlord snarled. “You'd think they'd go for more badass things but nooooo...”

“If they were imperial badasses, that argument might actually fly, Prince,” Etna shrugged, with a small platoon of prinnies by her side.

Apparently, this floating isle they found themselves on was the gateway between their world and this so-called “Magic World”that more magically inclined humans called home. Laharl could see the vast expanse of clouds in the sky and the other floating landscapes as well. “Hmph. Feels like a Netherworld with humans in it.”

“So what exactly are we looking for, Prince?” Etna asked.

“A decent place to serve as a base, of course!” Laharl smirked. “If these humans focus heavily on magic, they'll notice us a lot faster than those normal humans we've run into before. As awesome as a massive takeover would be, we can't do that without a base here!”

“Riiight,” Etna shrugged that off.

Both demons surveyed a nearby isle a bit away from the small village they landed in. Laharl, of course, caught the jackpot. “Ha, as good as place as any!” He scrambled up the dangerously weak stairway, eager to get a better view. Etna decided floating was better and just followed him.

On this vast and near empty expanse, the small overlord came across a group of demons—and one nearly dead human between them. They seemed to take base pleasure in just kicking the human around like a hacky sack. Most of them were at least twice Etna's size, let alone Laharl's, but that didn't bother either of them.

No, what bothered Laharl was... “Hey, those punks are on my future turf!” The demon objected.

Apparently, this objection got noticed. Three sets of eyes swiveled towards the young overlord. “Your turf?” One raised its eyebrows.

“Yeah, my turf!” Laharl boasted. He thought about it—demons were on this world, living here as well. True, living uselessly by wasting their strength on weaklings, but living nonetheless. He'd fix that as soon as this was over. Laharl got straight to the point. “How long have you clowns been here in this world?”

“Oh, we'd say a long ass time,” One horned demon responded, a single eye swiveling to regard Laharl. “This human thought he was tough stuff and wanted to put an end to us messing with his town. Don't think that's happening now.” He gave a sneer that even the small overlord had to quiver at... mentally, that is.

On the outside, Laharl just raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

“Small chump, wanna join him?” A massively huge but very human-like demon asked, cracking his knuckles. “Or just sit back and watch. Show you how it's done and all.”

“Tch, don't even know who I am, do you?!” Laharl just gave a feral grin as he drew a fierce blade.

“Show 'em, Prince!” Etna cheered. “I'll just sit back here and raid all the good prizes.”

“Aw, come the hell on!” Laharl shot back at the demoness. “You can't cheat like t—”There was a whooshing sound, and Laharl had to stop in his tracks. Not even a second later, nightmarish bursts of lightning struck right behind him. The younger overlord whirled about to see that his previous challengers no longer existed, not even having time to scream at their own deaths. “Wha...”

From the sky, a cloaked man descended down to the floating earth, opposite of the small overlord. Looking at the fallen human, he began some slight chanting, apparently casting some healing spell. But it seemed almost weak now, definitely compared to his superior vicious attack on those other demons. Speaking of which, Laharl could feel the ire of this man despite not even seeing his eyes. “Tch. Demons. Wreaking havoc as they please. Is this your doing?”

Something felt familiar and awful about this man. Laharl immediately thought back to something he only saw once while running around with Mao: a super hero, who had fought and killed so many monsters, he had became one. Not even like the humans or other demons who ascend to Overlord status, but those figurative monsters with no heart and no regard for life.

This man was beyond logic. That was good, since Laharl decided to hate him right back. “Why should I tell you?” The demon boy shot back. “Would you listen to a demon?”

“Good point,” The man conceded. He curled his hand, charging massive magical energy.

Laharl aimed his sword and dropped into a fighting stance. “Etna... leave this one to me.”

“What, and let you hog all the fun?!” Etna objected, but in a matter of seconds, Laharl and the man had already clashed. The resulting burst was enough to blow Etna off her feet. “Seriously, what the f—” Etna flipped to dodge the random debris that flew in her direction after the men clashed a second time. “...argh, Laharl, watch it!”

The scout finally arrived. “Ten minutes in, and he's already in a fight?” The woman asked.

“It's Laharl, what did you expect?”

“Not much,” The scout looked on. However, the cloaked figure fighting him—wait! Who was that...

Laharl danced about, twirling his sword to deflect the man's fierce assault of lightning moves and energy sword strikes. Geez, this bastard was fast! But this man can't possibly tank, Laharl's thought processes ran hard and fast. Just space away, and— he shoved away and flipped backwards, landing a bit away.

Laharl gave a devious grin and raised his right hand. “Meet your grave.” Red hot orbs formed around the sky and around the man, swirling slowly. Then suddenly, they all zoomed in on the man, crashing into a crescendo of heat before exploding magnificently. Smoke rose from the destruction.

That was the magnificent power of Overlord's Wrath.

Or... not really, since after a few seconds, the smoke parted, and the man came tearing through with a vengeance. The only proof of Laharl's previous attack doing any damage at all was the smoke and slightly burnt clothing. “What?! That's not even f—” Laharl couldn't even finish that thought, as the man had delivered a magically charged punch to his gut.

“Prince!” Etna shouted as the boy sailed into the air.

Laharl sailed helplessly as the man twirled about and chased after him, bringing another round of powerful lightning, chanting something before yelling, “Fulguratio Albricans!” The demon overlord recovered at the last possible second and whirled his sword to parry a fierce blast of white lightning.

“You little—” Laharl had enough of this bullshit and simply smashed his sword down. The man guarded against the attack but crashed into the earth anyway. Laharl snarled before following up with a sword stab to the ground. Of course, he missed.

Both combatants began their furious dance of speed once more. Laharl and the mysterious demon slayer crashed against each other repeatedly, gaining speed and furor. However, the man scored a lucky strike when he clipped Laharl with a sudden, magically charged kick.

It didn't hurt as much as that last attack, but it was still very, very bad. Laharl already saw the man charging up yet another high-powered spell. “This won't cut it...” Laharl hissed. “Guess it's time to start using some new moves I've learned.” He lifted his right hand again. “Hey demon slaying punk!” He called out to the man. “I've got three words for the likes of you, deluded by your quest for so-called 'justice'!”

Those red orbs formed, radiating their energy. However, instead of chucking them at the man, Laharl let the red energy crash into himself. “HUMAN SLAYER X!” Charged with massive energy, Laharl dropped to the man's level before charging downward in a red ball of chaos, slamming into the man and letting his world explode.

Laharl stood once more. “For a human, you're pretty damn tough.”

“Heh... I haven't fought a demon your level in ages...” The man responded, wiping blood from his mouth. “Perhaps I'll end this now...” He curled his hand. This delayed spell of his only had one shot... it had better count!

He shoved his hand forward, and at once a half sphere of magic circles appeared in the sky, all surrounding Laharl. The demon's eyes shot open as the man shouted, “KHILIARKHOU ASTRAPE (Thousand Thunderbolts)!” And with a deafening crescendo, Laharl found himself on the receiving end of one thousand lightning bolts.

“Laharl!” Etna screamed.

The other woman just clenched her fists.

There was silence, as the shadowed man simply let out a huff, before beginning to march away.

“Don't even check to make sure I was dead? Way to let your guard down!” Laharl's voice echoed.

“...maybe I don't give the Prince enough credit...” Etna muttered. However, she saw one huge magic circle unlock itself and open in the sky. “Aw hell...” Just as she feared (and predicted), falling from the massive circle in the sky was one huge meteor. “LAHARL, YOU IDIOT!”

“HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Laharl crowed from his vantage point on top of the flaming rock of doom. Needless to say, it crashed into the earth, wiping out nearly everything within a hundred foot radius. It was a great reminder of Laharl's destructive power—one that he would not hesitate to gloat about.

When the smoke cleared once more, the fallen man had a sword pointed to his neck, courtesy of one Overlord Laharl. “Not bad, but still not good enough. Still... had you just been a second faster with that attack, I would've actually been toast.”

“Geh, stop blabbering and just finish me,” The man grumbled, red hair shading his eyes. “I caused too much of a burden to my own kid, and both princesses, just by being too powerful...”

Etna, seeing as all the fury and battle was over stepped closer to hear their conversation, and nearly tripped when she heard Laharl admit he was close to losing... wait what?! How was that even possible? Only that Mao kid and that legendary Tyrant Overlord Baal ever came close to beating him, and both were high level demons equal to him in strength. Oh well, this guy was toast anyway. So—

“Huh?” Etna blinked, seeing that the scout they brought along with them suddenly darted forward after hearing the man speak. Her eyes were clouded with emotions the demon girl couldn't figure out.

“Geh, fine then!” Laharl waved his insult away. “Remember, you wished for it!” He lifted his sword to behead the man once and for all—

POW, RIGHT IN THE KISSER!

Etna's jaw hit the ground.

Laharl was so shocked from the blow he staggered back. He also barely registered that the man on the ground had been slapped as well. “This isn't like you at all to bottom up like this!” He heard the scout yell at the man when he regained his senses.

...and boy, was he pissed. “You just hit me, didn't you?”

The scout stared back at him, regarding him with strangely calm blue eyes.

“Did you seriously hit me?” Laharl tried again. But that defiant and calm stare was his only answer. He was at a boiling point now. The insolence! “DID YOU JUST SERIOUSLY HIT ME?!”

However, instead of any answer, he got laughter. From the man.

“Daahahaha! Man, you haven't changed a bit, have you?” His entire facial expression changed. Gone was the despondent man who had seen too much death to care. His eyes were alight with a sort of carefree brattiness most shounen protagonist youth would have in spades.

“I see deep down inside you haven't changed either.” The woman responded. They embraced each other tightly, much to the disgust and confusion of Laharl and Etna. “Now have some sense.”

“Hey, I know this is a touching family reunion and all, but could you explain what the hell is going on here?” Etna demanded. “How do you two know each other? And who the hell are you, anyway?”

The man shakily stood, but his smile was broad. “I'm Nagi. Nagi Springfield.”

“I know this incompetent fool from the days of my humanity... as a princess of a sovereign nation,” The scout gave the cloaked hero a sideways but endearing glance before facing Laharl and Etna. “I am Arika.”

“Hmph, that explains a few things,” Laharl folded his arms. “Anyway, I'll admit that you pack a punch, Nagi Springfield! I'll make you my new vassal!” And of course, that statement couldn't be ended without a trademark arrogant laugh. Which Laharl did. “Haaaaahahahahaha!”

Nagi and Arika exchanged looks before giving a heavy sigh in unison.

Etna smirked. “Have fun under your new boss, kids! Employment benefits take about 100 years to finalize! That's unless of course, you can hook me up with some good sweets.”

She then leaned in and whispered. “Then we can knock it down to 75.”

-X-X-

(Ah, yet another wonderful chapter. As always, reviews and concrit are appreciated!)