THE DEVIL AND THE HERO STAND STRONG IN SASAZUKA 4 page

?I have an idea.? Emi, dressed in a business suit that had all but fallen to tatters due to her falling down the stairs at Maou?s apartment then joining a life-or-death clash of ponderously enormous magical forces, spoke up as she looked down upon Lucifer.

?Why don?t we just hand this guy over to the cops? We could say he was some kind of terrorist bomber or something.?

?I was thinking that too, but? Like, maybe that?d cause a big furor to start out, but there?s no actual evidence at all, and plus, it?d be kinda pointless anyway. I bet the cops wouldn?t mind closing the book on that string of robberies, though.?

The pants and shirt on Maou, stretched to the very limit of their fibers following their owner?s recent transformation, were now hanging loosely off his body, as if draped on a deck chair.

?Yeah, I?m sure, but?I mean, what?re we gonna do about all this??

?Beats me. Not like a Great Demon General drained of all his magic power is gonna help us much.?

Said draining and absorption of Lucifer?s magical force was the one and only reason why the suddenly-human demon officer was so meek and docile now.

Ashiya himself still retained some magic, obtained the same way Maou had obtained his just now, and Emi had yet to exhaust her supply of holy force either. For Lucifer, whose stores had been fully tapped, there was no chance of even scratching them.

?Um??

Chiho was the one who sheepishly interjected. She had no obvious injuries, and except for a light case of exhaustion after having Lucifer suck all the negative emotion out of her, she was fine. Compared to Maou, she looked oddly refreshed and ready for the day.

?I-I guess this is kind of a silly thing to ask at this point??

?What?s up, Chi??

The response, and the voice that delivered it, was unmistakably Sadao Maou. But Chiho still clearly recalled the enormous creature that had taken his form just minutes ago.

?Well, what?what are all of you??

It was the obvious question of the hour. Maou, Ashiya, and Emi exchanged glances.

?Well?like, it?s kind of embarrassing to just put it out like this, but I?m the Devil King over in another world.?

Maou honestly did look embarrassed, distractedly scratching the side of his face with a finger, as if someone had just revealed one of his hidden nerd hobbies to his coworkers. It was enough to make Chiho burst into laughter even before she could process his words.

?Yeah, not that you believe it, huh??

Chiho waved her hands in the air nervously. ?Oh, no, no, no! I mean, I saw all of that?stuff you did, so. And that?s how you did all that, too, right??

Her finger was pointed at the crowds of onlookers, overturned cars, and other debris scattered around the area, still frozen in time underneath the magical barrier.

?Yeah, more or less. But, you know, that much is pretty easy, so??

?Your Demonic Highness, I know humility is considered a virtue in Japanese society, but you really shouldn?t be afraid to take more credit here.?

Ashiya was already back to his usual griping-househusband tone of voice.

?These guys are all demons, keep in mind. Myself, I?m all human. Okay, half angel, but??

The utter seriousness of Emi?s interjection made Chiho spasm in laughter once more.

?Oh, come on, Chiho!?

?I-I?m sorry! It?s just so?goofy!?

?Wait, you?re half angel? ?Cause that?s news to me.?

?What? How could you not know? You?re the Devil King! Who did you think I was this whole time??

Emi snapping back at Maou?s half-baked response was all it took for Chiho?s laughing to grow louder.

?I just thought that? Ha-ha-ha-ha! That angels and demons and stuff? They were all just these big made-up things, but?seeing you all?right here??

The effort to speak while laughing eventually caused Chiho to choke on her own words. Emi worriedly slapped her on the back a few times.

?Well, look, Emi, you weren?t exactly sharing your personal info with me over there, right? I just thought you were, like, a really strong human, is all.?

?Oh, so you thought a regular human could just walk around with enough Holy Silver in her body to summon her sword??

??Guess not, huh? Well, that sure explains a lot. I wondered how you could transform like that.?

?If you think that was a shock, imagine finding you guys looking like humans for the first time!? Breathing okay now, Chiho??

?Y-yeah. Sorry.?

Emi brought her lips to Chiho?s ears as she composed herself after her laughing fit.

?You see now? There?s nothing special at all between me and Maou, so quit worrying, okay??

?Y-Yusa??

All this laughing and blushing was keeping Chiho?s circulatory system fairly well occupied. Emi breathed a sigh of relief, yesterday?s misunderstandings now a thing of the past. Maou and Ashiya, looking on, couldn?t help to smile to themselves.

?You know, though?? Maou furrowed his brows, his face betraying his embarrassment.

?I guess it?s pointless asking now, but Emi, if you had that much power left, why didn?t you attack me before now? Like, until yesterday, you could?ve reduced me to a pile of ash any time you wanted.?

?Oh, that??

Emi shrugged, as if the idea meant nothing to her.

?Well, a Devil King as cowardly as you are, you might have been pretending to be a weak, helpless human being until the moment you decided to bare your fangs, right? Plus, like I told you, if I fought at full power like that, even if I managed to defeat you, there?s no guarantee I?d have enough power left to control the Gate. That?s pretty much it.?

?Oh. Makes sense.?

Maou nodded his agreement. Then his face turned white as he grasped the meaning behind her words.

To put it another way, if Emi had decided to give up on returning home, she could have utterly destroyed him at any moment. She had every chance in the world to pull it off before now.

Emi, perhaps noticing this, sulkily turned her back to Maou.

?I know I don?t act like it sometimes, but I?m a Hero. A leader. My people respected me. I can?t just prey on the weak and defenseless like that.?

?The weak and?? That?s kind of mean.?

?It?s the truth, isn?t it??

?Yeah, well, what about now, huh? I got all my power back, and you used all of yours up! I could crush you like a bug! How about them apples??

Maou struck a semiserious battle pose.

?Oh, suuuuuure.?

But Emi was totally unfazed. Grabbing Chiho at her side, she held her close, while Maou?s potential love interest hid behind her shadow.

?Hey, Chiho, that guy?s using his ?I have my power back? crutch to try and pick on me.?

The tactic was as barefaced as it was effective.

??Really, Maou??

And what?s more, Chiho looked honestly crestfallen as she looked toward Maou. He cringed, shielding his face against her sheer innocence.

?D-don?t look at me like that! I? There?s no way I?d actually do it! I am the proud, noble king of the demons! When it?s time to fight, I fight fair and square! So stop looking all sad like that, Chi, okay? Also, that was low, Emi!?

Ashiya sighed, looking even sadder than Chiho as he watched Maou frantically make excuses from the rear.

Lucifer, for his part, seemed utterly lost, as if viewing a scene from another dimension.

?What has happened to all of you??

The question brought Emi and Maou back to reality. In tandem, they planted a foot upon Lucifer?s head for speaking without permission.

?Nnrgh!?

?Yeah, that reminds me, this guy comes before any of that. That and Sasazuka. What?re we gonna do??

Maou looked around his surroundings as Ashiya crossed his arms in intense thought.

?As they say, Your Demonic Highness, if you make a mess, it?s your job to clean it up. This world?s been very kind to us. Leaving it in chaos before returning home would make even a demon?s conscience feel guilty.?

Ashiya?s response could not have been less demonlike. But it was the reference to ?returning home? that made Emi?s face stiffen.

??So you are going back??

?Of course we are. With my liege?s powers restored, we no longer have anything chaining us to Earth. Ente Isla is always our first and foremost target.?

The words from Ashiya?s mouth were cold and frank.

?Going back? Back to your family, or???

Chiho?s question, a justifiable one for a girl with an incomplete knowledge of Maou?s world, went ignored.

?Well, hang on. I?m signed up for a bunch of shifts this month, and grnh!?

?Your Demonic Highness, is your part-time job at MgRonald more important to you than the conquest of Ente Isla?!?

A swift swat with Ashiya?s flattened hand was enough to momentarily rearrange Maou?s face.

?Listen to me, my liege. I will grant you that without your hard work for Ms. Kisaki and the Hatagaya rail-station MgRonald, our time in Japan would have been far more difficult than it was. But what possible value does a contract with the human race hold, one written without the benefit of demonic force behind it? I know we will both miss the thousand-yen hourly pay you were receiving??

?Wow, a thousand yen at MgRonald? They must?ve loved you.?

?You stay out of this, Emilia! Your Demonic Highness, how saddened would your former compatriots of the darkness be if they knew how apparently elated it makes the almighty Devil King to cook beef and pork and chicken and potatoes all day? I understand you have made a work promise to Ms. Sasaki here, one you are loath to break. But it is the very sadness, the negative emotion, from such a harmless young girl upon seeing this promise broken that we demons thrive upon!?

?Hah! You think that bum?s work friend will be that disappointed? Missing her big chance to learn how to clean the soft-serve machine??

?Wait?what? You aren?t quitting, are you, Maou??

?The one desire that drives us demons forward is the subjugation of Ente Isla. That is something I have repeated to you endless times since we were banished to Japan. We have a mission, and it simply must be completed! Your Demonic Highness, I beg you to show me your resolve. You must deal Lucifer his just punishment, settle matters with the weakened Hero Emilia, and bid a final farewell to Sasazuka!?

?Man, I don?t remember you mouthing off at me that much as a demon??

Ashiya?s rapid whining wearied Maou?s ears.

?Okay, so how?re we gonna clean this up and get back home??

?We have done nothing wrong here, my liege. Your only responsibility as Devil King is to give Ms. Kisaki formal notice of your departure. It wouldn?t do to make her think you bailed out without telling anyone.?

?Aww?but we almost hit the top for regional sales for the last special promotion??

?Enough about Hatagaya! You have another entire world to be concerned about!?

?We only just bought that fridge, too. And the washer. And my bike.?

?And you now have the power to navigate across the Gate, Your Demonic Highness! You no longer have any need for home appliances!?

?Um?so, what do you want from me??

Lucifer, wallowing in self-pity after being knelt down and stomped upon, spoke up, his face still being held against the rubble. Instead of his former demon cohorts, it was Emi who responded first.

?Oh! Now that you mention it! Lucifer, were you the guy who called me up at work??

?Uh, yeah???

What remained of Lucifer?s demonic pride made him quick to admit the crime.

?How did you find out where I worked??

?Oh, yeah. You got, like, harassed at work, didn?t you?? As Maou lifted his foot, Lucifer gingerly turned his face upward.

?Yeah I did!? Emi snapped. ?What was that all about?!?

?That, uh? Well, you dropped this, Emilia, didn?t you? During the first attack?? With Emi?s foot still firmly upon his head, Lucifer took out a folding wallet illustrated on the outside with brown bears, white bear cubs, and yellow birds.

?Ahhh! My wallet!?

Emi snatched the fancily decorated wallet from Lucifer?s hand.

?You had some kind of work ID in there, so I used that to track you down??

?Oh, eww, Lucifer, you poked around inside a girl?s wallet??

?Simply disgraceful. That could be grounds for a lawsuit in this day and age.?

The looks of disgust on Maou?s and Ashiya?s faces were sincere.

?You can?t just look inside people?s wallets like that. That?s personal.?

?I always knew you were a bad seed, Lucifer, but who could have known how depraved you truly were?? Chiho turned toward Lucifer, her previous pangs of fear now transformed into utter disdain.

?Hey, Ashiya, what?s the name of that character on her wallet??

?Um, Re?relax-a-Bear, or something like that? I?ve seen it quite a bit lately.?

Maou?s face contorted itself, as if showing pity for Emi.

?Chiho carries around a Louis Videon wallet, you know. I don?t know if it?s fake or what, but Videon, man. What?s this thing??

?It?s real, Maou! ?Uh, but I like Relax-a-Bear, too! He?s cute!?

The harried addendum to Chiho?s frantic response failed to make Emi feel any better.

?Just shut up, you guys! I like that design! So what?? Emi blushed slightly as she looked through the wallet?s contents. ??Ahh!?

?Wh-what?! I didn?t take anything from it!?

?Then where?s my stamp card from Subwave?! That was a full card, too! I hate you!?

Now Emi?s face shone a bright red.

?I?I had never eaten a sandwich with ?buffalo chicken? inside of it before! I was merely curious!?

The conversation had descended into unorganized chaos, one that went off on wilder and wilder tangents as it continued. But no one demonstrated any willingness to rein it in.

?Erf, I feel sick? What the hell?s all this about? Why?s it all stopped??

?Don?t ask me about thaaaat! It must be some kind of magical barrier!?

?Who?s that standin? over there??

?It looks like Emilia to me??

?And who?s buried in that pile??

??That would be Olba.?

?And who?re those other guys??

?Couldn?t saaaaay??

Upon discovering the Church?s plot, Albert Ende, martial artist and friend of Emilia, and Emeralda Etuva, court alchemist for the Western Continent empire of Saint Aile, immediately sprang into action. They had pursued Lucifer and Olba?s trail across the Gate, and they chose this exact moment to descend into Sasazuka.

?So, what, you?re Satan? That Satan??

The dark-skinned man, somewhere around thirty, easily towered over Ashiya. He boasted well-kept white hair and a white beard, but what stood out the most was his golden-colored eyes. And now Albert, arms still crossed, was looking straight down upon the Devil King. His lightweight leather suit was designed to accentuate the musculature of his body, making him look like a pro wrestler staring down a sixth grader.

?And you are his general, Alciel? Reeeeeeally??

Emeralda was far smaller in build, her short, rounded blue-green hair rustling in the wind as her similarly light-green eyes stared up at Ashiya. Her clerical robe resembled Olba?s, but instead of the archibishop?s simple design, she preferred a more striking arrangement of red and orange, the national seal of Saint Aile stitched in gold on the back. Neither of them seemed to be armed.

?Indeed. Cower in fear!?

Maou tried his best to act the part, confident that these interlopers had no intention of fighting.

?Oh, stop being so siiiilly!?

But the way Emeralda instantly brushed it off disheartened him.

?Well, doesn?t this just beat everything, Emer? I ain?t got much strength left? Wasn?t planning on sizing up the Devil King so quickly and all.?

?You knoooow, I would advise against saying that in front of the enemy??

?Yeah? Yeah. Well, whoops on me!?

Albert bared his white teeth and laughed heartily, hand behind his head.

Chiho had remained silent since their arrival, but the loud laughter made her immediately notice something. She launched an accusatory finger at the giant man.

?M-Maou! That?s the voice! The voice that talked to me in my brain!?

?Oh? Hey, little lady, did you pick up on my idea link??

The conversation had already been derailed; now it was in danger of all but falling off the cliff. Emi swooped in.

?Listen! Listen, everyone. I know we?re all a little confused here, so let?s just calm down and talk things over so we?re on the same page. Let?s go back to your apartment, Alciel. We can?t just talk here amid all this rubble.?

?Ridiculous! I would never invite the Hero?s cohorts to Devil?s Castle!?

Maou intervened before Ashiya could chide Emi any further for attempting to take command.

?Nah, she?s right. We?re in an emergency, Ashiya; we need to be flexible. I?m getting kinda sick of keeping this barrier going. Plus, it wouldn?t be a good idea to waste all my new power on fighting these guys.?

Ashiya nodded ruefully. To him, Maou was suddenly making sense again.

??But what about Olba, buried under that rubble??

?Leave him. He carried out all those robberies with Lucifer, right? The police?ll ID him and lock him up soon enough.?

It was true. Within the rules of Japanese society, Olba and Lucifer were criminals. Neither Emi, whom Olba had betrayed, nor the demons, his original enemies, had any reason to show him mercy.

?You remember where it is, right, Emi? You go on ahead. Take Chi and these guys with you.?

Maou tossed the apartment?s door key toward Emi.

?Huh??

?I?ll come over once I clean things up.?

??You aren?t gonna jump back to Ente Isla, are you??

?No, Emi! Your pals would chase right after me if I did. Just go, all right??

Emi?s eyes were filled with suspicion, but she nonetheless motioned toward Chiho, Emeralda, and the others as she began to walk off.

?So what?s up with that? You folks gettin? along now, or what??

?Emilia the Hero, making friends with the Devil King! Myyyy, wonders never cease!?

?I firmly deny that, and only that, all right? Let?s get going.?

For a moment, Emi turned back toward Maou before proceeding down a Sasazuka back alley with her heroic band.

Ashiya watched them go before speaking. ?And what do you intend, Your Demonic Highness??

Maou pointed toward the Shuto Expressway. ?We can?t just leave it like that. Ashiya, Lucifer, help me out.?

Ashiya hesitated for a moment, but sighed, a resigned smile on his face. Lucifer, however, was shocked.

?You, you don?t mean??

?Mm-hmm. I know I just got my powers back, but??

?But?but if you do that?!?

??So be it. My liege has made his choice. I am bound to follow him.?

??Can you at least tell me what has possessed you? You, and our lord, as well??

?I cannot say. I find it difficult to understand myself.?

?You two mind knocking off the chitchat for me??

?My apologies, Your Demonic Highness. Here you are.?

Taking Ashiya?s hand, Maou began to speak, the excitement plain in his voice.

?As the lord of demons, I must take responsibility for the actions of my minions. Whether it be Ente Isla or the MgRonald Corporation, that must always apply. I rule all that I see, and a ruler?s burden is a heavy one.?

Maou smiled as he watched over the ruined Sasazuka.

The sight of Villa Rosa Sasazuka was enough to make Emeralda and Albert blanch. Even for someone who had just arrived on Earth half an hour ago, this structure was nowhere near what one?s imagination conjured upon hearing the words ?the Devil?s Castle.?

?Ermm? Emilia??

?I know what you?re thinking, Emeralda. But that room over there, upstairs? That?s the Devil?s Castle, the lair of Satan himself. In Japan, anyway.?

??That room?? Just the one??

?Yep. All the others are empty.?

The two newcomers fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Emeralda clapped her hands in realization.

?Ah! Of coooourse! They?ve disguised the exterior as a shoddy, cramped hovel, but once you step inside, you?re transported to another dimension, one that extends boundlessly across??

?Nope. One hundred square feet. If I had to guess, it?s about half the size of the mountain shack you lived in, Albert. No bath, either.?

?Eesh. Well, that?s a disappointment.?

?And he still calls himself Devil Kiiiing??

Both had to struggle for the words.

?Oh, I don?t know. If you ask me, this apartment really jives with the image I had of Maou, so??

Chiho?s observation was, in its own way, even crueler.

?You?ll see what we mean once we?re inside. Let?s go.?

Carefully, Emi ascended the stairway she had so blithely tossed her body down that morning.

Turning the cylinder lock, the group was greeted by the familiar smells of life inside a well-worn building. This time, Emeralda and Albert were at a total loss for words.

Chiho, noticing the paper bag with the can of senbei rice crackers she dropped earlier, walked over to pick it up. She turned toward Emeralda and Albert, brushing the dust off the bag.

?Um, so in Japan, the custom?s to take off your shoes before you enter someone?s home. So you can do that here??

As she spoke, she removed her loafers as she stood in the front foyer, one about the size of a hamster cage. Emi followed, and then Emeralda and Albert copied the motion, removing their boots. Four pairs of footwear were enough to completely occupy the cramped space in front of the door.

?I?d take my old mountain shack over this heap any day. There ain?t even enough space to put up any traps!?

?Forget about traps. There isn?t even enough space for the bare minimum of furniture. Feel free to sit down wherever, I guess.?

The group settled to the tatami floor, none looking very comfortable with themselves.

??Oh, um, I?ll go make some tea or something!?

Chiho suddenly thought to travel over to the kitchen counter. Emi stopped her.

?Don?t bother, Chiho. They don?t have any teapots or cups or anything. The fridge and the shelves are completely empty, too. I have no idea what they live off of.?

?Oh??? Chiho, standing by the sink, turned toward Emi. The look on her face was less of surprise and more of disbelief.

?How do you know all of that, Yusa??

?Oh, uh, the other day I st??

Emi stopped herself midsentence, all too aware of the blunder she had just made. Chiho wasn?t stupid. She knew what it meant when a woman knew a man?s kitchen inside and out. Her seemingly comprehensive knowledge of the Devil Castle?s interior likely struck Emeralda and Albert as suspicious, too.

?The other day you?what, Yusa??

?Um?well, this was a total accident, but??

The Hero was just about to plow forward with her highly unheroic excuse when she was interrupted.

?Hmm??

?Oooh!?

Albert and Emeralda both reacted simultaneously. It wasn?t to pick on Emi. Emi herself immediately knew what caught their eye.

?Um?is there something???

Albert and Emeralda glanced at each other instead of answering Chiho.

?What was thaaaat, just now??

?One damned powerful wave of magic power, if I know it. Hey, Emilia, you sure we should really be trusting the Devil King and the rest??

?I?think so.?

The strain was obvious in Emi?s voice.

The magical force the three of them had picked up on was absolutely enormous in scope. It felt like the blast wave of a gigantic bomb centered on Sasazuka rail station, lapping across the apartment roof as it spread wider and wider. It was a mammoth explosion of magic, one Emi hadn?t even felt in the previous battle.

??Are you guys hiding something from me??

Chiho, unaware of all this, was more than a bit put off at her question being ignored. But the sheer, impalpable quantity of magic was all but impossible to wrap one?s head around.

Maou said he wouldn?t do anything. Was believing him the right move? Was that weird affinity he seemed to have for Japan and its people up to this point all just a farce? A wave of anxiety flashed through Emi?s mind, before being very suddenly interrupted.

?Yo! Emi, open up! We?re back!?

Emi tensed herself up tightly at the sudden bang?or kick, to be exact?on the door. All of them except Chiho looked at each other, then at the door.

??Shall I open it??

Emeralda squinted at the door.

?It?s kind of his place, innit??

?Yes, but the Devvvvil King?s place. To say nothing of that unusual bolt of maaaagic??

?Pfft. Whadda we got to be scared of? A Devil King that lives in this piddlin? little pigsty? ?Sides, if that magic was his, no way he?s got any of that stuff left. I could beat ?im down inna blink of an eye.?

?Oh, thanks a lot, Albert! Let?s see if you keep on saying that once you open the damn door!?

From the other side, Maou railed at them. Only a few thin pieces of plywood separated them, and yet they couldn?t detect a single spark of magic.

??Open the door,? hmm? You and what arrrrmy??

?? ??

Emi could feel the exhaustion pour over her as this exchange continued. Maybe she was overthinking things after all.

?Just open up! I?m gonna call the landlord if you don?t!?

?Open the door for him, Albert.?

Reluctantly, Albert stood up.

?Why? What?s a ?landlord?? That strong of a monster, or???

Maou answered the question from the other side as Albert unlocked the door.

?Ohhh yeah. She?s real strong. You try to cross her, and one look?s all it?ll take to crush your soul.?

Emi knew Maou wasn?t entirely joking. Come to think of it, what had Shiba the landlord been doing since they detected Lucifer?s rampage and flew out the door?

That lady had acted like she knew everything about their true colors.

As Emi thought this over, Albert opened the door. Maou clumsily lurched inside, supporting the limp, unresponsive Ashiya and Lucifer with both arms.

?Get outta my way. These guys?re heavy.?

Maou dragged his companions inside, throwing them down on the tatami floor. Chiho gasped lightly as she realized Ashiya was apparently unconscious.

?Ah?uh?what happened to Ashiya??

?Oh, nothing much. I squeezed all the magic out of him, he almost died, that sort of thing.?

With a great sigh, Maou sat down and looked at Albert and Emeralda.

?So. Guess we all know each other now. Why are you people here? Judging by the looks of things, you?re not here to kill me, at least.?

?Nope. Not really. Fact is, we had no inclination to even run into you. We just came to help out Emilia.?

Albert shrugged, his eyes turned toward Emi.

?Olba wasn?t the only one. The whole Churrrch was in on it.? Emeralda was stern as she spoke, face scrunched, both hands balled into fists.

?What?!?

?The Church bishops all but bullied us into joinin? their side. They had us captured, their spies watchin? us day and night. Took a lot of work to escape, lemme tell you.?

?They guaranteed our securrrrity as long as we didn?t do anything against them. They wanted me to retire out of court life in the Emmmmpire. That?s how scared they were, apparently, of their Hero and savior seizing political power.?

The sad story was high entertainment to Maou?s ears.

?Yeah, that?s what you get from people who don?t lift a finger to actually do anything. The demon world?s got you beat there. Total merit-based system, all the way down. You guys wanna be my new minions??

Emeralda, her face still pained, stuck out her tongue at this maybe-joking, maybe-real attempt at scouting new talent.

?Thpbbt! I?d never be the minion to someone thiiiis broke.?

Albert, meanwhile, sized up Maou from head to toe.

?You ain?t got enough muscle on you, boy. Anyone who wants to boss me around, well, he better be a damn level bigger than I am.?

He flexed his biceps to the audience in a pointless bit of bravado, demonstrating the brawn that usually backed up his words. He followed it up with several more poses, to the appreciative admiration of Chiho.

?So that?s all you two care about? Muscles and money??

Emi?s plaintive question went unanswered.

?Okay, enough screwin? around. So anyway, Emilia, we wanted to letcha know that danger was about to be on its way. We traced you and the Devil King?s path down to Japan pretty quick, too.?

?The problem, though, was that if we could find you, Olba and the Church could, too. It was a race to see who could reach you firrrrst.?

Emeralda and Albert stared off into space, recalling the trials they went through to reach their Hero.

?We both fired out a whole mess of sonar bolts. Pretty well caused a bunch of havoc in this world, too, I reckon. Did you have a lot of earthquakes and stuff??

Everything so far was exactly as Maou had guessed.

?In that case, Albert, why did I hear your message??

Albert replied nonchalantly to Chiho?s query. ?Well, the idea link works by linkin? up between people?s consciousnesses, so the sender can narrow down the range of folks he sends messages to. So when I sent out that message, I narrowed down the people receivin? it to ?human beings who think about nothing but the Devil King all day.??

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 208