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Chapter 246: Ballroom (7)
Unlike Vulcan, who boldly declared his representative, the other demon lords hesitated to put theirs forward.
It wasn't that they lacked representatives.
Surely, demon lords wouldn't struggle to find even a single representative.
It was just that...
'Who should I send?'
There were many things to consider.
'Survival.'
'It'll be the coldest, hottest, and mentally straining, they said.'
'And food will be scarce too? Then it's not just about being strong...'
No matter how powerful a warrior was, they couldn't fight on an empty stomach.
Strong adaptability to the environment.
On top of that, an iron will and the resourcefulness to be self-sufficient were required for this event.
And as always with the Demon God...
'The explanation is very vague.'
Would the representatives share a single stage, or would they be given individual stages?
And how long did they need to survive?
Even the demon lords didn't know.
Then, Vulcan was the first to raise his hand.
〈The theme is survival. Vulcan's representative for the Ranking Battles has been determined at this moment.〉
〈The chosen one is Kim Minwoo.〉
The demon lords were shocked.
'What?'
'Andromalius is out?'
Vulcan, who had suddenly been reborn as a demon lord. His strongest card was Andromalius, the former demon lord. They didn't know how he had taken over his position.
But Andromalius was under Vulcan's command, and that was a tremendous asset.
Even though he was at the bottom, he was once a demon lord who had shared their table!
Even a wealthy family's fortune lasts three generations.
The same was true for demon lords.
Even if they lost their position as a demon lord, their power wouldn't vanish overnight. Andromalius, a monster who had lived for thousands of years, would possess immense knowledge and abundant resources.
Malphas, the demon lord currently ranked 49th, the highest in Group 3.
Even his representatives paled in comparison to Andromalius.
Such a powerful card...
'Was removed?'
'Why?'
'Why did he remove him?'
It wasn't like they couldn't participate in the higher-level battles after the lower-level ones.
The shocked demon lords' gazes all turned in one direction.
Kim Minwoo.
The human participating as Vulcan's representative.
'Could it be...'
'That human is stronger than Andromalius?'
There was no other reason to put Kim Minwoo forward as the sole representative.
They had thought there was something special about this human since his secret conversation with Baal, and now their wariness had intensified.
Especially for Malphas.
He was once a demon lord ranked 67th, near the very bottom.
Insignificant forces.
His own strength wasn't great either.
Nor was he particularly bold, like Marbas the Lion, one of the highest-ranking Great Demon Lords.
Malphas was truly one of the demon lords optimized for the lowest ranks. However, the new wave of the Ranking Battles had made him the leader of Group 3. All thanks to his competent representatives.
— Caw! A-4. You cold, mechanical man.
"Is it because your head is a crow? Your memory is still dull, Malphas. This body is not A-4, but the Ice-Blood Demon Lord."
— Humph! You're just an implanted memory.
"Memory is everything to one's personality. Though my body is a cold machine, my memories are those of the Ice-Blood Demon Lord, so I can be considered the Ice-Blood Demon Lord himself."
— Yes, yes. Our great Ice-Blood Demon Lord.
Malphas said with a sneer.
Unlike the closed-off Demon Realm of the past, the current Demon Realm interacted with various groups and cultures.
'Galaxy', the advanced human civilization that traversed planets.
Interacting with them was inevitable.
A-4 was one of the members of this Galaxy.
While appearing human on the outside, it was merely a shell. Inside, it was undeniably a mechanical human, connected by countless machine parts and wires.
A-4 was the finished product of implanting the memories of what they called 'martial arts' into such a mechanical body.
Malphas had joined hands with this A-4.
Or rather, they had made a deal.
A-4 would raise Malphas' rank.
In return, A-4, or the Galaxy, could demand one 'non-essential' thing from Malphas in the future.
That was roughly the deal.
— So far, we've been great. You, Ice-Blood Demon Lord, have been the perfect representative.
"What's gotten into you, crow? You're even saying things that are pleasant to hear."
— You clearly promised me. At the end of three Ranking Battles from the contract, you would raise me to at least Group 2.
"Yes, I did. And that time has come."
Then, with a smirk, the Ice-Blood Demon Lord looked Malphas up and down.
"Why? Do you doubt me?"
— No, of course not. Just be careful. That Kim Minwoo. If he's participating instead of Andromalius, he'll surely be a big variable.
"Don't you get it yet? Even though they're both in the 'human' category, humans from Galaxy and other humans are different. We are the chosen humans. In short, we're a different species."
A-4, the Ice-Blood Demon Lord, answered with unconcealable pride in his eyes.
— ...You're amazing every time I see you.
A-4 wasn't human.
At least, that's how Malphas saw it.
The reason was simple.
His whole body was a machine.
That A-4 seemed to define essence by thought.
'How does that make sense?'
By that logic, if a goblin's body had a troll's memories, would it be a troll?
But A-4's attitude was different.
He seemed to completely consider himself as the human, the Ice-Blood Demon Lord.
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A being who was a member of the great Galaxy because he was human, and thus, devoted infinite loyalty to Galaxy.
Yet, he also discriminated against other humans, defining them as unchosen beings.
'Well, it's none of my business.'
Why Galaxy approached him, what they wanted, and so on.
Malphas had many questions, but frankly, it wasn't his concern.
If he could utilize such a powerful representative in exchange for just one non-essential thing, it was a profitable deal.
For Malphas, the most important thing was his rank.
Whether that A-4 from the distant dimension Galaxy considered himself the Ice-Blood Demon Lord or a human was none of Malphas' business.
— Can I trust you?
"Yes. There's no need to send multiple representatives. It's meaningless to me. Besides, that human is much easier to deal with than Andromalius."
— Why?
"Demons all have complicated minds. Even you are a monster who has lived for thousands of years, aren't you? Who knows what kind of schemes you're plotting right now."
— But that human is different?
"How long has he even lived? At least he'll be easier to read than a cunning demon."
— Hmm...
Malphas stroked his chin.
Judging an enemy based on their lifespan rather than their strength or skills.
It certainly made sense.
The human lifespan was usually around 100 years at most, except for special cases like that mechanical human.
— Then, I shall choose my representative.
Malphas raised his hand and designated his representative.
〈The theme is survival. Malphas' representative for the Ranking Battles has been determined at this moment.〉
〈The chosen one is A-4.〉
"No, it's the Ice-Blood Demon Lord."
— Yes, yes. The Ice-Blood Demon Lord. I hope you won't embarrass me in front of Galaxy.
"Don't worry. We, Galaxy, keep our promises. Always."
A-4 said assertively.
It was a plan spanning 300 years. Malphas had to rise in rank this time.
That was why he had maintained his position at 49th.
So that he could immediately enter Group 2 after Group 3's trials ended. An unexpected variable had appeared, but the outcome wouldn't change. A-4's mechanical pupils whirred as he looked at Kim Minwoo.
* * *
The demon lords' representatives were diverse.
Naturally, the names of the representatives were also uniquely distributed.
'Porporpor', 'Adventurous', all sorts of titles were listed, but the most peculiar one was 'A-4'.
'What kind of name is that?'
Even fairies, known for their unique names, wouldn't choose something like that.
Naturally, his gaze fell upon him.
[Demon Eye activates!]
[A-4]
[Race: Machine]
[Armament Level: Near cutting-edge.]
[Characteristics: Implanted with the memories of the Ice-Blood Demon Lord, Jeong Cheong.]
"...?"
Machine, that was understandable.
But the status window displayed by the Demon Eye was quite unusual.
First, there was no level.
If there was one, it would have appeared, even in the form of a question mark.
There was also no equipment.
No, instead of equipment, it used the word "armament."
Level 1,721, the high-ranking noble Malos he encountered at the banquet.
What was the overall assessment of his equipment, an incubus?
[Equipment: Looks like it was picked up from a secondhand market, but it's decent enough to wear.]
It was something like that.
But this guy was described as "near cutting-edge."
It probably meant his firepower was no joke.
And what was that?
'Implanted with the memories of the Ice-Blood Demon Lord?'
Were memories something one could plug in and out like a card?
And wasn't the Ice-Blood Demon Lord a title that usually appeared in martial arts novels?
There were many puzzling points.
— Hmm. As expected. You're also paying the most attention to him, Master Kim Minwoo. He's definitely a dark horse.
Andromalius, who had approached at some point, nodded and chimed in.
"You know him?"
— He's famous in the Demon Realm. He's one of the Galaxy's mechanical humans. He also participated as Malphas' representative 300 years ago.
Andromalius continued his explanation. The gist was simple.
He was a mechanical human dispatched from the successful human alliance called Galaxy.
300 years ago, he appeared as Malphas' representative and raised his rank to 49th in one go.
49th was the top of Group 3 and qualified to challenge Group 2's trials.
Only the 1st place in each division could challenge the next division's trials.
"But he didn't go to Group 2?"
— To be precise, he forfeited as soon as he got to Group 2's trials. Thanks to that, Malphas has maintained that rank. As a sort of leader of Group 3.
"Why? Galaxy would also benefit if Malphas' rank increased. Are Group 2 trials on a different level? So much so that even the 1st place in Group 3 can't compete?"
— No, not to that extent. And A-4's skills are impressive. I'm certain. He'd do well in Group 2. No, maybe even in Group 1.
"Then he must have some ulterior motive."
— Yes, I think so too. That's why he's staying in Group 3, isn't he?
Unfortunately, it seemed Andromalius didn't know the reason why he remained at 49th.
'Well.'
There was no reason for him, ranked 72nd, the very bottom, to delve into the circumstances of Malphas and his representative.
— Anyway, he's one of the most wary individuals in Group 3. A mechanical human. Just thinking about it, isn't he the most advantageous race for this theme?
"...Does he not even need to drink water?"
— Just water? Meals are also meaningless to machines. Extreme temperatures are the same. Hot or cold, what does it matter? At least he'll have a much greater advantage than other races. Mental strength? That's probably one of the areas where machines excel.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
A being optimized for survival.
That was A-4.
He had been staring at them since earlier.
His bright yellow pupils, unlike those of a human, were clicking, giving off an eerie feeling for some reason.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
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