The Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army--"Distortion".
　Volk Granberia was on his way home.
　Most of his body was engraved with wounds, and his forehead was bandaged.

'...... tch. That b*tc* is ......

　Volk couldn't help but be poisoned by the tingling wound.

　In the end, the fight between Volk and Lucifina was not settled.
　In the middle of the fight, with an expression of endurance, Lucifina broke off the fight and disappeared.
　Volk, who was left alone, did his duty as the Fourth Heavenly King to clean up the fort.

　By the time Volk arrived at the fort, the heroes and Elfiszak had already disappeared.
　The fort was crumbling in many places, and the Four Heavenly Kings, Gracia, had also died.
　Volk used the authority of the Four Heavenly Kings to instruct the remaining demon clans in the fort to prepare themselves.
　He also reported to Lefise and had her dispatch the demons to take control of the fort.

　With that settled, Volk decided to return to his village for once.
　Riding on the back of a small, disciplined dragon species, Volk headed to the village.

...... I have returned the favor. So the next time we meet, it will be the enemy, brave.

　When watching the scenery pass by, Volk is reminded of how he became the man he is today.
　How did I become the person I am today?

◆

　Volk and his village used to be a village that never settled, moving whenever they were attacked by humans or demons.
　A village that does not interfere in wars and moves around so as not to get involved in them.
　Occasionally, members of the Demon King's army would come to them and ask them to join their troops, but the head of the village at the time - Volk's father - kept refusing to do so.

　The demons began to make fun of that village for running away from the war and not fighting.
　Sub-humans and humans alike sometimes laughed at Volk and others for being cowards when they saw them not fighting.
　Volk couldn't forgive them for making fun of the village.

　But his father quieted the angry Volk and said, 'Don't worry about the little things.

But his father quieted him down and said, "Don't worry about the little things. Only focus on what's really important. Whether you get ridiculed or licked, as long as you can protect what's important, that's all that matters.'

　Volk thought his father was a coward for saying such things and not even trying to defend the honor of the village.
　There were times when he was frustrated and hated him.

　One day.
　The village had moved on and was attacked by a dragon species.
　The war had ended their residence and they must have fled here.

　A large number of dragon species descended on the village and began to attack the villagers.
　Volk, who had no strength, could only run away.
　He couldn't even fight, he had no choice but to flee.

　In the midst of all this, it was Volk's father who fought to the end to protect the village.
　Despite his wounds, he continued to fight to save as many villagers as possible.
　When Volk shouted at him to flee, his father said, "Let's get out of here.

If it was to protect my people, I would bend the rules, even if I didn't like it. But don't break what's really important," he said. But don't break what's really important.

　And so his father died, saving many villagers.
　His father's dying wish was fulfilled, and Volk became a warrior chief.

　Bend but do not break.

　When it comes to protecting what's important to them, they will bend their principles.
　But they do not bend when it comes to protecting their friends.
　This is the way of life of Volk Granberia.

　His father's love for him has made him the man he is today.
　So, Volk will continue to fight to protect his village.
　That's why he lives: ----.

◆

　--The village was engulfed in a kale-fire.

　When Volk returned home, he saw his village under intense fire.
　The wards that protected his village were gone, many of the buildings had collapsed, and the villagers were nowhere to be seen.
　Witnessing the devastation, Volk was immensely disappointed.

''What ...... is this?''

　He jumped down from the dragon and entered the village.
　There were dead villagers' bodies here and there, and the corpses of demons lying around.
　Volk grunts as he sees familiar faces turned into wreckage and runs.

　After running for a while, he saw a large number of demon corpses lying around.
　In the middle of it all, a woman lay down.
　It was Tyra, one of the deputy warrior chiefs.

''Tyra!''

　Volk rushed over and saw Tyra, her entire body torn to shreds and out of breath.
　The blood that was wetting the ground red, no matter how you look at it, was lethal.
　Even if he used his healing magic, there was no chance of him surviving.

''Warrior ...... chief. Suima ...... sen.
What's going on!　What happened!
The villagers have betrayed ...... and brought demons into ...... the village. The number of people who could not protect ...... the village, and could not protect ...... the village.
......

　The villagers who betrayed them are newcomer women.
'These are the women Dionis used to enslave,' he says.

'Krug and ...... Bedrut, too, ...... have already been killed by a demon ......
No more ...... talk, Tyra.
It was a warrior chief ...... suima, sen ......

　With those last words, Tyra drew her last breath.
　Tears spilled out of her closed eyes.

'f*cking ...... shit!'

　He screams and Volk runs.
　There are still demons left in the village, and they hear the screams and rush to Volk.

'Ooohhhh!'

　Wielding his cleaver, Volk kicks the demon away.
　Before the distortion, the demon can't get a hand or foot in front of him.

''Don't screw around ...... screw around--!

　The village's defense was perfect.
　Even if the Four Heavenly Kings attacked, even if the Cathedral Knights attacked, it was strong enough to defend itself.
　However, that was only against an attack from the outside.
　They didn't expect an attack from inside that didn't assume a traitor.

　Even so, it was still manageable if Volk was there.
　No matter what kind of enemy came, he could have dealt with it by using mental image magic.

"If I ...... don't vacate this village. If I ...... me ...... me aaa!　d*mn it!

　The village was burned and no survivors could be found.
　Wherever you go, there are only dead bodies lying around.
　The women who betrayed the village were nowhere to be found.

'Somebody ...... somebody ...... isn't there.'

　It was then that Volk nearly collapsed from his knees.

'Warrior ...... chief ......?'

　A corner of the village.
　Four children emerged from a building that hadn't been exposed to much fire.
　Their clothes were stained with soot, but they did not appear to be seriously injured.

'Good ...... you guys ......'

　Volk immediately runs to the children.
　Only four.
　Still, I'm so glad you're alive.
　It was when tears came to Volk's eyes from relief.

　A thud.
　A dull thud ran through his abdomen.

'...... ah?'

　A small knife, stuck in his abdomen.
　The person holding it was a child.

'O......y. What are you doing ......

　As he was about to say this, Volk noticed.
　There was no light in the children's eyes.
　Clearly, they had an unusual look in their eyes.

'Your sister told me. She told me that my mother and father died because of the warrior chief.
The Warchief killed him.
It was the Warchief's fault.
It's your fault. You killed him. You did it!

　The four children stare at Volk with a crazed look in their eyes.
　The three children just look at Volk with resentment.
　But the kid who stabbed the knife into Volk let out a beastly scream and attacked Volk with another knife he had hidden.

'Hey, stop it ......!　Hey!　What happened to you?
'You're the one who's aaaaah!'

　Volk's words failed to reach the delirious child.
　When he was forced to, he tried to knock the child unconscious.

'Aga--'

　Suddenly, the child popped and died.
　Chunks of flesh were flying off the ground, turning the area red.

"If you ask me, friends are supposed to help each other out, right?

　I heard a woman's voice, pleasant to the ear.

"And in keeping with that idea, I saved you from being killed by a child, didn't I?

　Volk, who looked up at the roof, saw Lucifina standing in the corner of his eye.
She was holding the "Tenri Sword" and looking down at me while smirking and laughing.
　Volk shakes his body with a buzz.

''Teika .......''
Yes?
"Lucifina!　You did this to me!
What are you talking about?　I was concerned about my fellow village being attacked, so I came to help.
"--

　Nonsense not worth listening to.
　That's when Volk was about to slash at Lucifina in a fit of rage.

''--Child, you're going to get me involved, aren't you?

　Lucifina said in a whisper.
　Huffing, Volk turns his gaze to the children.
　The three of them are silent from earlier as they stare at Volk with resentful eyes.

'What is the purpose of ......?'
Oh, that's not very polite. I don't really want to kill children, you know?
......

　The white words almost made Volk's mind go blank.
　Still, the pain of the knife in his abdomen and the children by his side were probably the reason he stayed on.

'I just don't want to be attacked by you ...... right? Then would you take this, please?

　With that, Lucifina threw a bottle of liquid at him.
　Receiving it, Volk checks the contents.
　What's in the bottle is a translucent liquid.
　It looks like water - but there's no way Lucifina would give him such a thing.

'............'

　Volk looks down at the bottle and is silent.
　Lucifina looks at it and smiles as she tilts the 'Tenri Sword'.

''Drink this ...... and you won't mess with the kids ......?
It's not that I won't touch him, he's a promising young man who is the future of the demon race. I wouldn't want to mess with Moegi like that either.

　Having fought in front of Fort Ravas, I know.
　Lucifina is strong.
　She's not someone who can fight while protecting her children.

　So from the beginning, Volk had no choice.

.......

　Opening the bottle, Volk swallowed the liquid inside in one breath.
　The lukewarm, tasteless liquid slid down his throat and into his body.
　Eventually.

''U......g?!''

　Volk moaned as an intense pain shot through his body.
　It was as if something small was rampaging inside his body, and the pain was like that.
　Biting his lip, Volk bit down on his lip while sweating fat, Volk kept his consciousness.

　Seeing Volk like that, Lucifina sounded impressed.

''You're one of the Four Heavenly Kings, aren't you? How can you drink the 'Onion's Claw' and still be able to stand.''
The demon. ......

　Flatly, Lucifina uttered the name of a deadly poison.

''After all, this poison isn't something that should be consumed by someone with a strong magic resistance. If it's only this level of efficacy for the Four Heavenly Kings class, then it wouldn't be able to communicate with Refise and Ortegia-san at all. There's no way they can understand Amatsu-san, right?

　Couscous, Lucifina laughs happily.
　They have a nostalgic look on their faces, as if they are remembering a distant day.

'Is that ...... satisfactory?'
Yes. Even though it doesn't work very well, I don't have to worry about you attacking me for a few minutes. So, for the time being, I'm safe. So, do you want to fess up?

　Saying that, Lucifina smiled.
　Seeing that fearless smile, Volk couldn't help but widen his eyes.
　It was such an evil smile, as if he had boiled down the malice of this world.

''--I'm the one who burned this village, you know.

　Lucifina says with a smirk.

''Oh no, it was hard work. It's a good thing that you can't get in, because the defense of the village is so tight that even I can't get in easily. So I was allowed to attack it from inside the village.

----

You took in the slaves that Dionysus left behind. I trained some of them to my liking. Actually, I had intended for them to be useful in killing Mr. Dionis, but they served me well this time.

----

'I let them run rampant inside and tear down the wards - and then I sent my lovely collection in there.

　As Lucifina said that, some demons appeared behind her.
　It was an ancient species of demons that do not survive in the present day.

''Oh. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you come to the site.　It's sad. It was such a vibrant village.

----

'Oh dear. This case has reaffirmed that, after all, it's best to handle the collection yourself. Dionis-san went out of his way to lend you a Kraken, but you used it up for nothing.

----

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that he's not very smart. He learned some kind of lost magic (lost magic) for nothing and cackled and was happy ....... I think he would have gotten to a pretty good point if he had trained his demonization and honed his sword skills. Well, ...... that's what makes Mr. Dionis so cute, stupid, and funny is that he doesn't do that!

　Staring at Lucifina, who continued to talk for a long time, Volk asked in a voice tone that was filled with hatred.

''What the hell is that? What the hell are you, ......!
''What a rude thing to say. It's a very good idea to have a good time with them.

　Enraged by the joke of an answer, Volk exclaims.

'That's not what I'm asking, ......!　What the hell do you want!　Why in the world would ...... do this to me?
Why are you doing this to ......

　Lucifina said, as if answering a matter of course.

''--Because it's fun, of course!
What?

　Volk was immensely disappointed by those words, which were beyond the scope of understanding.
　It's not only funny that Volk has such an attitude, but Lucifina continues to speak.

It's fun to trample people like you who don't like it and send them to the depths of hell. Again, the look on your face when you saw the burned village!　Hmmmm. Oh, I couldn't bear it. I feel like I'm getting wet just thinking about it.

　Lucifina cooed as her cheeks tinted and her body made a pout.

'What's that ......?'

　...... fun?
　Do you enjoy trampling on people and sending them to the depths of hell?

'You killed my people for such a stupid reason: ......!

　I don't understand.
　You're crazy.
　It's insane.

　I don't understand how this woman could kill someone for such a stupid reason.

"Stupid ......?

　Lucifina's expression disappeared and she quietly ruminated on Volk's words.
　'Yes,' said Volk, about to yell in fury.

'-- The most important thing in this world is entertainment.

　Lucifina said in a frozen tone.

'N--'

　Volk was immensely surprised by Lucifina's change in attitude.
　It's a far cry from the condescending attitudes of the past.

The truth is, I had planned to wait until the war was over before burning this village," he said. I had planned to wait until the war was over before I could enjoy the burning of the village, but the appearance of that brave man has ruined that plan. That's why I had to burn this village down in a hurry.

----

The brave man makes me feel like I'm going crazy. I'm the kind of person who saves the fun for later, but to have to use up one of my amusements out of necessity...

　Lucifina looks down at Volk with her silvery twin eyes and brushes back her golden hair as she says, "I'm sure he's going to complain a lot about me for crushing one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

I'm sure Lefise will complain a lot because I crushed one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but what I enjoy now is far more important. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the game. You're going to have to be a brave man, a former demon king, and the most powerful cathedral knight of humanity. There are many uncertainties, but still, at the end of the day, with Ame, his men and Ortegia, the demon king's army will have a solid victory.

　Well, the death toll on the Demon King's army side will increase for that, though.
　With a thin smile on her face, Lucifina said that.
　I'm not sure what I'm talking about, but I'm not sure what I'm talking about, and Volk asks again.

''What the heck is that ...... thing?''

　Sniffling, Lucifi answers the question.

''So, I told you earlier. It's your colleague, Lucifina, right?

　Saying this in a mocking tone, Lucifina breaks up the conversation with, "Well.

''I think it's time for us to go home. The soot has stained my dress, and I feel like going home and taking a shower as soon as possible.

　Saying that, Lucifina snapped her fingers.
　Instantly, the children who had been staring at Volk until then opened their eyes with a huff.

''Ah ...... ah!''

　The children shake their bodies as they hold their heads.

"?　Hey, are you okay!
''Mom and dad got eaten by the demon ...... and everyone got killed by the demon ......
"I got away from here ...... and then ......

　He behaved as if he had just come undone from his delirium.

'To the children, what have you done ......!
'I was only trying to make you a little delirious. I tried to make you suspicious, as if you were turning against Mr. Volk. But don't worry. I've already put it back together.

　Lucifina was right, the children's eyes were back to normal.
　But instead, they were remembering what had happened to them.

'Everyone died ...... and then ......'
"Oh, ...... us ...... war chiefs, what a terrible thing to do.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. ......

　Children with expressions of despair and tears spilling out of their eyes.

'......'

　With a bang, Volk hugged the children.

'Don't apologize ....... I didn't protect your father and mother. It's all ...... my fault as a warrior chief. I'm sorry. I'm sorry .......

　Saying that, Volk gussied up and patted the children's heads.
　Volk apologizes with a tearful voice, and the children burst into sobs.
　Lucifina is watching the situation with a kind expression on her face.

' ...... Volk-san, you are a kind person. That's the kind of thing, after all, I'm a little bit like Amatsu-san. That's probably why I was curious about you .......
....... I don't care what happens to me. So don't mess with my kids.
Yes. I'm a man of my word. Let's swear never to touch the children.

　Lucifina slowly nodded to Volk, who pleaded with her to do so.


''--I'm (...)


　Poof.
　In Volk's hands, the three children burst like balloons.

'...... huh?'

　A ragged, translucent liquid fell to the ground, mixing with the child's flesh.
　It was the carcass of a slime.
　The slime had been inside the children's bodies from the beginning.

''I told you. It's not that I want to kill the children.

　-- just.

I just want to see your despairing face!　Mr. Volk!　Huh, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

----

'Bending but not breaking,' was it?　Haha, you've broken it. Now your heart is snapped!

''Lu, si, fi, naaaaaaaa----!''

　Roaring like a beast, Volk slashed at Lucifina.
　The effects of the 'Claws of the Demon' had not yet been broken.
　But it didn't matter.
　If he could kill the woman in front of him, that was all that mattered.

''--[Bend but do not break (Vane), I claim my sword (Realm)] uuuuuuuuuuuu!

　The magic power that erupted from the tip of the cleaver twisted through space.
　The emptiness created by the distortions twisted and advanced to Lucifina while spinning like a tornado.

''Oh dear.''

　Looking at the mental magic looming in front of her, Lucifina chuckled in dismay.

''So, you've heard it before, right?　Just because we're the same Four Heavenly Kings, are you going to win?

　Saying that, Lucifina raised the 'Tenri Sword'.
　Magic power flowed into the purple great sword, doubling its amount in the blink of an eye.

　And then.

"A sword of the clearest star in the sky.

　A glow, even divine, was released.
　The light easily sliced through the emptiness and pushed forward to Volk, who stood beyond it.
　His vision is engulfed in light.

　Then, suddenly, Volk's right side of his vision was covered in darkness.

''Ah ......?''

　Immediately after, I notice.
　The right half of Volk's body has disappeared without a trace.

''Oh dear, you're a little off.

　Volk, now only half left, falls to the ground with a vexed look.
　In a pool of blood, Volk glares at Lucifina with a beastly life force.

''Go......rouzu......''
Ha, that's disgusting.

　With that sneer, Lucifina takes another swing at the 'Tenri Sword'.

''Goodbye, Volk-san.''
Jugu ...... place ....... Le ...... ......f .......

　The light engulfed Volk.
　Immediately afterwards, after a moment's pause, a tremendous explosion sounded.
　When the billowing smoke disappeared, the "Distorted" Volk Granberia had disappeared without a trace.

''Well, as a Four Heavenly Kings, I guess that's the middle of the pack. Hmph, hahaha!

　Lucifina laughed to the point of tears as she added that assessment.
　Then Lucifina puts her hand on her chest.

''Huh, huh ...... haha.''

　After a ripping smile, Lucifina looks up at the sky.
　With all interest already gone from Volk and this village, there's only one man in her mind.
　Thinking of that person, Lucifina muttered.


''--This time, please play with me. Amagatsuki Iori-san.