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Volume 10 Chapter 279

Daemon Baal

W-What is this!?
Why am I, the first-ranked servant of the Evil God-sama—
I, Baal, the most powerful daemon—
Being thrown around like this?
…… Curses.
Ridiculous.
I can’t fight back at all.
Even if I try to counterattack, everything is deflected in an instant.
C-Could this be…… the end for me?
Suddenly, memories from the past surfaced.
Born by the Evil God-sama’s hand, several hundred million years ago.
Many things happened.
Countless nations fell by my hand.
There were times I possessed the bodies of kings and did as I pleased.
The number of souls I collected surpasses millions.
It was truly enjoyable.
……Huh?
What is this?
Why am I reminiscing about the past?
Could it be…… this is what humans see at the brink of death, the so-called life flashing before one’s eyes?
—Ah.
So this is it.
Am I…… going to disappear here?
As I gazed at the colossal pillar of light looming before me, I reflected on how this came to be.
It all started when a single slime suddenly appeared before me.
　──＊＊＊──

I was searching for the whereabouts of the twelfth-ranked daemon, Citri-sama, when—
　『It』suddenly appeared.
Referring to Citri-sama with the honorific『sama』, despite her lower rank than me, is because she became a Demon Lord.
We daemons gain power as Demon Lords through the blessings of the Evil God-sama. At the same time, we become close aides of the Evil God-sama.
In other words, high-ranked daemons must respect Demon Lords once they receive the blessings to become one even if the daemon was low on the pecking order before.
If the rank of that daemon is low and their power as a Demon Lord is weak, they might be looked down upon by other daemons though—
But Citri-sama is different.
There are seventy-two daemons directly under the Evil God-sama.
Even among them, she, ranked twelfth, became a Demon Lord.
Her power surpasses mine.
That’s why I address Citri-sama with respect.
However, if I were chosen to become a Demon Lord, I would undoubtedly be the strongest Demon Lord.
I looked forward to the day when I would become a Demon Lord.
It suddenly happened one day, Citri-sama, who had gone to the human realm, didn’t return. Lower-ranking daemons under her came to me for advice.
A case where the next Demon Lord went missing should be reported to the Evil God-sama immediately.
However, the Evil God-sama is currently in a brief slumber for some reason.
So Citri-sama’s helpers came to me.
Immediately, I dispatched my subordinates to the human realm to search for Citri-sama.
I received reports that Citri-sama was traced to a human nation called Glendale, but there were no further developments.
It was reported that remnants of Citri-sama’s magic were overwritten by even greater magic, making it impossible to track her.
Ridiculous……
She is a daemon ranked twelfth and a Demon Lord.
There’s no way someone with enough power to conceal the traces of such a being would be in the human realm.
If there’s any possibility, it would be a Hero from another world, but Citri-sama hasn’t yet ruled as a Demon Lord.
Therefore, there shouldn’t be a hero in this world.
Frustrated by the slow progress of the search, I manifested myself in the human realm to find Citri-sama.
It was my first manifestation in thousands of years.
According to my subordinates’ reports, this is the land where Citri-sama’s magic remnants were strongest—
And it was where I was collected by a slime.
……Nn?
Don’t understand?
It’s exactly as it sounds.
I was contained by a lowly slime.
Not『absorbed』.
『Contained』.
I don’t know why, but I understand that.
Hahaha.
Even as I say it myself, I don’t really understand it.
……
Why?
Why must I, the strongest daemon, be contained by a slime?
You damn slimeeeee!
……No matter how much I scream, it’s useless.
Inside this thing, no sound can escape.
I can’t even release my magic.
No matter what attacks I unleash within this thing’s body, everything gets absorbed somewhere.
Furthermore—
W-What now!?
A powerfully charged fire magic, capable of evaporating lower-ranked daemons in an instant, came flying at me from nowhere.
I narrowly dodged it.
Has it been half a day since I was contained by this thing? Suddenly, incredibly powerful magic started being unleashed at me one after another.
It’s not just magic.
There are slashes that could tear through my skin with a touch, and strikes that could shatter my bones flying at me.
Since I tried to guard against the slashes and strikes at first, I knew their power.
Flying slashes and strikes are techniques rarely used except by Heros from another world.
Moreover, their power is seriously dangerous.
They rained down on me like a storm.
To die like this……Trapped by such a lowly creature, is unthinkable!
I am the strongest daemon—Baal!
I desperately continue to evade the incoming magic, strikes, and slashes.
　──＊＊＊──

I must have been inside the slime for about two days.
I was still alive.
But… … at my limit.
At that moment—-
Suddenly, I was expelled from the slime.
I got out!!
「D-Don’t joke with me…… I am daemon Baal, you lowly slime—」
I immediately tried to make the slime that had captured me disappear—
「Everyone, this is bad! The slime seems to have transformed into a daemon」
……Huh?
There was no slime there.
Instead, there were monsters.
Monsters that even I, the strongest daemon, could only describe as monstrous.
Three colored dragons.
Two nine-tailed foxes.
Three Spirit Kings.
Just by judging from the quality of their magic and their appearance, it was clear how formidable they were. Their bodies were covered in what seemed to be support magic.
And also, there was a half-elf who inherited the blood of heroes, Tina Haribel. She was a companion of the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord Beret.
What’s more, the most dangerous one was a black-haired, blue-eyed man wielding a giant sword.
The magic he exuded was truly that of the master of monsters.
He could easily exterminate all monsters gathered here, the monsters he was leading.
Among these monsters was Citri-sama. Even she was emitting hostility towards me.
I instantly understood that Citri-sama had become a subordinate of the black-haired monster.
The leader of the monsters gave the order.
「Everyone! Let’s go!!」
It seemed that they had already finished preparing their attacks before I emerged from the slime.
With no chance for counterattack, attacks were unleashed on me one after another.
Dragon breath.
Half-dragon, half-human slashes.
Beastman blows covered in white scales.
Magic from the Spirit Kings.
Beams from the nine tails.
Magic from Citri-sama—
They relentlessly whittled away at my stamina.
I see… …All the attacks unleashed on me while I was inside the slime were theirs.
Furthermore, no matter how many times my hands regenerated, they were repeatedly sliced by Tina and the black-haired man.
There was no way to counterattack.
And finally, I reached my limit of regeneration.
Unable to do anything anymore, I collapsed to the ground like a rag.
It seemed they were about to finish me off.
The black-haired man conjured a gigantic pillar of light.
Is this the end……?
Before I lose consciousness completely, there’s one thing I must say with all my strength.
「I am! No slime—」
「Holy Lance!」
Crushed by the gigantic pillar of light.
Damn. Couldn’t even finish my sentence……
My consciousness fades.
Is this complete annihilation?
Evil God-sama, I apologise.
It seems…… this is the end.
The days I spent rampaging as your subordinate—
The days of hindering that damned Creator God—
Were very… …enjoyable……