Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Run, Annie, run as far as you can, the farther the better..."

Regardless of Angelita's reaction, Raslaufer, seemingly exhausted, turned back to her: "Grazzt, do you want me to be your general? I'm not really keen, but 'I' might agree... persuade it."

"Convince whom?" The demon lord's avatar was stunned for a moment, but the next moment he realized that Leslaufer's rationality was gradually sinking, and what rose up with it was complete chaos!

"Kill...kill!"

The thread between the six fingers was violently torn off by a tremendous force. At the same time, "Reslaufer," who was leaning against the pillar, became half transparent, turning into a blur. Its true form, however, appeared without warning beside Lord Darkness, its giant sword bared out menacingly!

Grazt hurriedly tried to repeat his old trick, but at this moment, Raslaufer had no scruples whatsoever, or rather, he didn't know what scruples were! The tide of sorrow immediately pierced through his body, while the Greatsword of Kings simultaneously plowed a furrow in the avatar of the Demon Lord!

If both sides are armed with sharp weapons, unless the difference in strength is enormous, if one side only wants to kill the other, then there is almost no other possible outcome!

"Reslaufer! You utter madman!" Grazt roared as he staggered backward. When he realized what this half-baked demon lord was up to, he backed down! And as his momentum diminished, the more he tried to defend himself, the more passive he became—unless he intended to abandon this avatar and truly fight Reslaufer to the death here together!

But he is a powerful being comparable to the Demon Prince! A lord whose influence spans several layers of the abyss! And this Raslaufer... right now he is nothing but pure chaos!

How could he possibly be worthy of him...

"Ugh!"

Grazite screamed again, while Reislaufer on the other side seemed oblivious to the danger. After both of them were hit at the same time once again, he pounced on them again without hesitation or doubt!

Grazt couldn't remember the last time he faced such a predicament. He had been powerful for far too long. Most beings like him had conspiracies, plans, and entanglements... It was almost impossible for beings like them to fight to the death to this extent! But this bastard, this half-baked idiot who didn't even have a complete memory, didn't care about any of that at all!

The tide of sorrow pierced through Raslaufer's chest, half of the blade protruding from behind, while the Kingmaker simultaneously ripped open his abdomen, becoming the final straw that broke the back of this once arrogant demon lord.

No... he can't continue!

Grazart drew his weapon, but seeing that Raslaufer still showed no signs of dying immediately, he no longer wanted to fight and turned to flee towards the window behind him.

He has ample time to wait, and countless worlds await his conquest; why rush things?! If this fool insists on having this world, then so be it! But he must at least recoup the interest, which would be a reduction...

"Hey, isn't this Grazt? It's been centuries, what happened to make you look so disheveled?"

Just as Grazt was about to rush towards the rear of the palace, a mocking laugh, accompanied by figures formed from lava and sulfur, blocked his path. Flames formed an insurmountable barrier, standing between the devilish duke and the demon.

"Philna, get out of my way and mind your own business!" Grazt had no intention of continuing the fight. Behind him, Leslaufer, whose chest had a gaping hole that was difficult to heal, roared as he chased after them. "You're just a piece of trash who can only share power with others. You're not worthy to fight me!"

“Is that so?” Philna tilted her head, but moved swiftly, blocking his path again. “What if it’s two grand dukes sharing power?”

Graztel looked in horror toward where Philna had been standing. There, another handsome devil with red skin and small horns stood with his arms crossed, silently watching him—who else could it be but Grand Duke Belial, who, like Philna, was a ruler of Phrygsos?!

“Catching you won’t be easy, Grazt,” Belial snorted. “Such an opportunity requires thorough preparation.”

"Just the two of you?" The demon's initial shock turned into a maniacal laugh. He clutched his stomach, letting the filth spill out. "I can't beat you, but I can escape! You won't be able to keep me here!"

"Then take a look behind you."

A familiar, incredibly familiar voice.

The demon lord's face suddenly stiffened. He didn't even need to turn his head to look; he knew there was a demonic sword burning with hellfire—a demonic sword that had once wounded him, not his incarnation.

"Gracesia".

“Your words just now sounded like you were questioning my dear father—he’s not some mortal king of this world,” the little princess, also a princess but from purgatory, chuckled. “Let’s see what kind of demon you’ll give birth to this time we stab you.”

Three demonic dukes! Grazter felt his blood run cold. Was he supposed to assume, to assume that the great demon Zariel, who resided in Avernus, the easiest plane to reach, would actually be absent? No hope! According to his intelligence, that Raslaufer even held a nominal position in her legion! Even if he managed to escape today, he probably wouldn't be able to act again for the next ten, no, even twenty centuries!

The battle within the palace nearly turned the entire Magpares upside down; it was beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. Angelita stood in the empty palace, seemingly still bewildered by what had transpired. The last image she remembered was of Raslaufer being pierced through the heart by the demon lord's sword.

"Uncle Leslaufer..."

She muttered to herself, her fists clenched in a daze, and just then, she seemed to hear a voice beside her—it was Richard VII.

“Anne…” The emperor, who had almost passed out after being knocked away by Leslaufer, seemed to have just regained consciousness and struggled to walk towards Angelita. At this moment, Angelita did not see the conspicuous dark shadow behind his head. “My…daughter, I’m so sorry, so sorry to your mother and brothers…”

“And the entire empire, our ancestor Richard the Great,” Angelita cautiously took a step back, “are you still being controlled?”

The emperor paused for a moment, shook his head, and continued to stagger over, looking as if he had aged fifty years: "No... that voice has fallen silent. You're right, I've wronged far too many people, ha ha, I've truly gone completely mad, mad."

He looked up, examining the crown atop Angelita's head: "Perhaps it's time to step down, like the dragon and the giant, the elf and the dwarf. Annie, this crown suits you well. I believe in you; you can ensure the empire and the family continue..."

“There is no family left,” Angelita’s eyes dimmed. “Father, have you forgotten? You killed almost all of our relatives. If I hadn’t left, I might have been the first.”

Richard hesitated for a moment, then quickly took two steps forward: "No, Anne! William, William hasn't been sacrificed yet! And your sister, she's still alive, perfectly fine!"

"What?!" This sudden news was like a godsend for Angelita. She rushed forward, "Tell me, where are they? I need to see them right now!"

“Of course, of course…” The emperor nodded repeatedly as if in a convulsion. Angelita was so excited that she completely ignored the dark shadow that once again occupied the back of the emperor’s mind like a nightmare: “You can go see them now!”

He suddenly drew his sword, grabbed Angelita's arm with one hand, and thrust the tip of the sword toward his daughter's heart!

He... hasn't changed?

Angelita's pupils dilated, but she felt no pain. She quickly looked down and found a matte, a coral dagger, and a wooden staff stacked on top of each other, perfectly separating her from the emperor. Standing to the side were her companions.

Is this the start of a revolving door of memories?

“Don’t be silly, Annie,” Daisy chuckled. “Didn’t you see the demons fighting outside? The barriers and the demon army outside were all cleared away before we came in, and this is what we saw.”

The eccentric poet casually and cheerfully observed Richard VII, who was so shocked he was almost unable to move: "Well, Anne, your eyebrows are a bit like his, but that's about it. Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, I was just curious: Is this Xuanwu Gate?"

"Stay away from me!"

Richard VII let out a scream even more piercing than a banshee's, his eyes widening as if they were about to burst. Seeing that the final assassination attempt was doomed, he immediately jumped back, his hands clasped together, and ran backward as if he had truly gone mad. In no time, his figure disappeared around the corner.

"Should we chase after him?" Bella asked. "He's running pretty fast; he looks like he's really gone mad."

“He’s completely out of spells,” Mary said, withdrawing her sword. Her face was ashen—unlike the others, she had overdrawn her body at least four times, and it would probably take a long time for her to recover. “Now that the situation is settled, our most important task is to appease the others. Your Highness—you should now call me His Majesty.”

Prince William may still be alive, but whether that's true or not, the empire is no longer his concern.

“No, wait, Uncle Raslaufer, he still…” Angelita interrupted Mary, turning to look outside the palace where a hole had been torn in the wall, revealing the view outside.

But... there are no demons, no devils, and no Uncle Raslaw.

Where did he go?

"Ha, ha... They're just a bunch of little girls, they don't even understand the most basic principles!"

Meanwhile, deep within the palace, in a secluded corner, a man who had lost his crown and clothes lay panting, chuckling sinisterly. He clutched a scepter tightly in his hand, carefully removing the jewels from its hilt. Inside the hollowed-out interior lay several soul coins—the meager reward he had received for selling his entire family.

“Soul Coin… With this, I can escape! Escape to a place where no one can find me!” Richard VII muttered to himself in a madman's voice, while pulling out several pieces of paper from the inside of his clothes. On them were spells for summoning lower-level creatures.

If these coins are used as payment, no matter what kind of demon is summoned, the other party will be more than happy to rescue him! To hell with the family, to hell with the empire! They're all a bunch of ignorant idiots!

What was the difference between what he did and what his dead father, Henry III, did? Why was Henry III called a "good man," while he was labeled a madman? He refused to accept it!

“Raslaufer… that brute who ruined all my plans!” Thinking of that man, Richard VII felt a surge of hatred and fear, muttering through gritted teeth, “Just you wait, how long will your glory last? Can you find me? I just need to wait patiently. I can lose, I can keep losing until I win…”

"pat"

The soles of my boots felt sticky on the paving stones, as if there were the blood of ten thousand creatures beneath them.

Richard's heart skipped a beat.

He raised his head like a machine that had been rusted for years, and turned to the doorway to the side, where a burly man stood, exuding an indelible stench of blood, holding a dark, menacing sword in his hand.

There was a huge, bloody hole in his chest, and the strong acid was hissing at the edges, hindering his recovery. The sunlight outside shone through the hole and fell on the emperor's face.

Richard VII opened his mouth, wanting to shout and run away, but his body seemed to be out of his control, unable to move an inch.

"God..."

He mumbled his last words, and as he finished speaking, Raslaufer walked toward him, raising his sword.

"No, it's me."

postscript

In the Zebrech region of East Inasas, a small village that once had no name has now become a developed metropolis. But in the heart of this giant city, there stands a two-story building that has weathered countless vicissitudes, collapsed and been renovated many times.

Everyone called it a "palace," but none of the emperors who ruled over the vast lands stretching from the Elven kingdoms in the east to the Ampiri kingdoms in the north ever actually lived there. Few even approached it. The inhabitants of Zebrech treated the building with a mixture of reverence and awe, though they had long forgotten why.

But today, today is a very unusual day. As if overnight, countless carriages and magical vehicles surrounded the small building, making it impossible to move. Most of the residents did not know what was happening, but they could see clearly that all the visitors to the building were nervously and excitedly anticipating something. They were all eager to enter the building, but in the end, they all hesitated and could only wait on the street, as if they were waiting for an emperor's summons.

But there were indeed members of the Matt royal family among them—they were also not allowed inside.

Inside the building, after a whole night of intensive preparations, it was no less impressive than the Royal Palace of Magpares. And here, an emperor who now exists almost only in legend, Angelita I, sat at a long table, attended by the advisor who still serves the royal family.

But her position was not in the main seat.

"Oh, Anne! And Mary!" With a "whoosh," a portal opened out of thin air beside the table, and a cheerful figure carrying a matte jumped out from the starry sky. "You always come so early! You guys should be much busier than me, right?"

"The crown has been passed down for countless generations, what's there to be busy about?" The ancient emperor, who still looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, smiled slightly. As the bard who wandered through the multiverse took his seat, she patted the chair next to her. "Mary, stop busying yourself and sit down. After so much time, there are probably only a few of us left sitting at this table."

"Old Feng is in a hurry to see Moradin, I don't know what's so urgent. Bella is the same, she's supposed to be a great druid—hey! hey hey hey!" Daisy was gossiping behind people's backs, but before she could even get to Bella, a small bee suddenly landed on her shoulder and then transformed into a red-haired girl in a dress woven from branches and leaves, who reached out and grabbed the poet's ear.

"If you're so capable, then don't go to the grove again!" Bella glared at Daisy with her bright green eyes. "Last time, I finally managed to get an opportunity through the Peacekeepers to invite everyone over, and what did Annie and the others do? And you! You got a bunch of half-goat people so full they were practically eating tree spirits like grass!"

"You dare talk about me behind my back? If you do this again, we won't take you on any more field trips!"

Upon hearing this, Daisy immediately begged for mercy. After much pleading, she managed to prevent Bella from turning her ears into elf ears. Just then, a sulfurous smell appeared in the banquet hall without warning, eventually converging behind the main seat to form another portal.

Several friends looked over expectantly, while the surrounding guests lowered their heads, some even kneeling on one knee. As they bowed, the heavily armored man stepped through the portal, pulled over a chair, and sat down in the main seat with an air of authority.

Once every fifty years, even for him, this was an extremely rare event, a chance to briefly escape the quagmire of war.

Three thousand years—he thought it wouldn't mean much to him, but in reality, it was not. Even someone as engrossed as Raslaufer found the endless bloodbath exhausting.

"The Kingsman has returned from the bloody battle!" Mary stood up, raised her glass, and spoke first. Following her lead, the crowd outside the long table and even the street outside the building erupted in a thunderous roar of agreement.

"Welcome back, King of Kings, from your bloody battle!"

“Alright, alright,” Raslaw waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to go through the formalities two or three more times. “I’m still far from actually asking for bloodshed. It’s just going home to visit. There’s no need for such a grand ceremony every time.”

“That won’t do, Uncle Leslaufer,” Angelita said with a smile, raising her glass of pear wine. “Fifty years in our material world is a long time for Avernus. The devil doesn’t have any good intentions, and it’s necessary to celebrate your safe return every time.”

“Alright, alright,” Leslaufer looked at Angelita and couldn’t help but laugh. “Do whatever you want. It’s a pity I still have to… tsk, it’s just a day off, why bring it up again? So, the same as before? Let’s deal with those annoying guys first.”

The crowd nodded, unsurprised. Soon, a trembling young man stepped forward and prostrated himself on the ground, intending to kiss the tip of Raslaufer's boots without saying a word.

"Your Excellency, Kingmaker! Your fame is known from the deepest hell to the deepest abyss... I am a prince from the world of Mandalan, the Kingdom of Wend, my homeland..."

“Alright, alright,” the man interrupted the young man as he was about to recount his bitter and vengeful story. He twirled an iron soul coin between his fingers, turning the side engraved with Raslaufer’s bust to look down at the impoverished nobleman who had come to pay homage, along with the Kingmaker himself. “I don’t care who you are.”

"Offer your price, your promises, and your loyalty, then return to prepare for your coronation, my Majesty."

New book release

My new book, "Who Made This Shapeshifter a Priest!", has been released! I'm back!