It happened just before Sora, Kreia, and Ursula passed through the Demon Gate.



　The land inside the gate is called the Demon World by the demon tribe living here.

　Although the demon world is vast, most of it is a barren wilderness, and the area where the demons can live is very limited.

　The history of the demon race is the history of the struggle for this limited land.

　They were invaded and invaded, robbed and robbed, and killed and killed. Such bloody and turbulent times continued for decades.

　In the midst of this, one kingdom began to rapidly expand its power.

　The name of that kingdom is Chuzan. The name of the king who led it was Azuma.

　Originally, Chuzan had been one of the powerful nations known as the Five Mountains, but it had once fallen in the midst of war, and by the time Azuma took over the kingdom, it had been reduced to a small country of only a few hundred.

　By the time Azuma took over the country, it had become just another small country. The previous king had been killed, the territory had been taken, and the treasury was empty. The young Azuma, who was less than 20 years old at the time, had only a handful of vassals and his three younger brothers left.

　With no land to govern, he spent his days wandering and searching for food. At the time, no one could have imagined that this small group of people, who could not even be called a nation, would soar through the demon world like a bird of prey. Or perhaps even Azuma himself did not expect it.

　But Azuma did it.

　Sometimes by force, sometimes by strategy, and sometimes by diplomacy. In this way, Azuma was able to subjugate the surrounding forces one after another, and by skillfully uniting his various subordinates, he formed a great power. By skillfully uniting his various subordinates, he formed a great power and brought prosperity to Nakayama that surpassed that of the past.

　Azuma revived Nakayama with his outstanding skills and started a war with Kazan, the avenger who had destroyed Nakayama in the past.

　The battle against Kazan, who had become the greatest power in the demon world, was fierce and Kazan was driven into a state of inferiority more than once, but in the end Kazan won a great battle in the suburbs of his capital, Seito, and achieved the unification of the demon world.

　Now the name of Azuma, the King of Chuzan, echoed throughout the demon world.

　And just as famous as Azuma, or even more so, are the three younger brothers who supported Azuma's progress.

　The eldest brother, Doga. Second brother Hakuro. Third brother Kagari.

　The three brothers were once young, but as soon as they grew up and joined the war front, they rapidly emerged and overwhelmed the other warriors, becoming powerful pillars supporting their elder brother and Nakayama.

　After unifying the demon world, Nakayama's next step was to go to the "Gate" guarded by the abominable traitors. This is a sealed place that many demons have tried in the past, but could not overcome.

　Now, many demons are looking forward to it. If they are the four brothers who led the weak Nakayama to become the champion of the demon world, they will be able to free themselves from this world filled with barrenness and corruption. Wouldn't they be able to put an end to the three hundred years of purgatory?

　The whole demon tribe was uplifted by this expectation, and Zhong Shan was surrounded by unprecedented activity.

　--However, not all of the demons supported Zhongshan.

　In the process of unification, Zhongshan destroyed many enemies and shed a lot of blood. It was natural that there were people who hated and resented him.

　In particular, among the demons who belonged to Kazan, there were not a few who were dissatisfied with Zhongshan as a conqueror.

　Azuma adopted a policy of sparing as little blood as possible in his attempt to conquer Kazan, and there were many who respected his methods and swore to obey him. However, conquest was still conquest, and it was impossible to completely suppress dissatisfaction and rebellion.

　They seized the opportunity presented by Zhongshan's army turning its troops against the Gate and began to act secretly.

　With the orphaned son of King Gien of Kazan, who was killed in the previous battle, at the head of the banner, ......




　Seito.

　The largest city in the demon world, which was once the capital of Kazan, has not lost its position even though its master has changed to Zhongshan, and its streets are crowded with people and goods.

　The streets were bustling with people and goods. Two demons were walking in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

　One was a young boy with an agile physique, and the other was a man with an imposing physique.

　They were headed for the royal palace, where King Azuma was in charge of affairs. Looking at the royal palace, the boy spoke up.


"Hey, Brother Doga. What do you think is the reason why Brother Azuma called us back from the front?


　Kagari, the youngest of the four Nakayama brothers, asks his second brother Degas, who is walking next to him.

　Degas responded with a twist of his thick neck.


"Well, you know. I don't care if it's only one of you, but if you're both going to be called back at the same time, it must be something very important that's come up.


　While saying this, Degas looked around him. The streets of the western city seem to be as prosperous as they were when the two went to war, if not more so. There is no sign of any disturbance at all.

　Cagalli nodded in response to Degas' impression.


That's right. The guards seem to be taking it easy.


　That's why Cagalli wondered.

　Now they were leading an expeditionary force to attack the gate. Degas is the commander-in-chief, and Cagalli is his second-in-command.

　This time, Azuma had called back the general and the vice-general together, so it was natural for both of them to think that something serious had happened.

　Cagalli was still puzzled for a while, but the Doga was not concerned about this issue and quickly changed his mind.

　The two brothers are not going to get an answer by twisting each other's heads together here.

　The strongest warrior in Zhongshan urged his younger brother, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly like rocks.


It is no use for a rude man like us to sit here with our foreheads pressed together. Why don't you go to the royal palace and ask your brother directly?

"Yes. By the way, Brother Doga, are you hungry?


　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

　Perhaps this was the subject from the beginning.


I've been away from the city for a long time, and I'd like to buy some food before I go. ......


　I've been away for a long time, and I'd like to go to the city after I've had a bite to eat..." Doga couldn't help but chuckle when he saw his brother glancing up at him.


I'm sure you're not the only one. Since I'm waiting for my brother, I can't sit down and eat, but I don't mind if you pick up a skewer from a street vendor on the way.


　After saying that, Doga's face crinkled up in a smile.


To be honest, I too was fed up with the tasteless food in the camp.



"Oh, Brother Doga can talk, indeed!　If this were Brother Hakuro, I'd say, "Oh, I think I just heard a hallucination. Of course it's an auditory hallucination. There's no way my beloved brother would say he wants to eat while waiting for his eldest brother... By the way, Kagari, did you say something? I'm sure he's going to be very insistent!

That's exactly what Hakuro would say.


　While exchanging such conversations, the two of them walked through the streets of the Western Capital.

　When the two of them arrived at the royal palace, the guards were surprised to see the general and vice-general of the expeditionary force without their attendants, and failed to notice the sauce on the edge of the vice-general's lips.