Chapter 7 (1/2)

”My Lord. What is the matter?”

Laila looked incredibly confused. For this long awaited day, she must have thought it was only natural that I would approve. But as long as the dangerous word 'war' was concerned, I needed to first figure things out.

'Uriel Diablo' wasn't the only Demon Lord within the abyss. I came to know that truth when I killed him, and perhaps this war mentioned by 'Laila Diablo' may also be related to him after all.

'I need to find out before going back to my original body.'

Roughly 48 hours were given to me, after which my transfer would end and a change would occur. I would most likely return to my original body. That's what I strongly felt, an instinct to return.

That's why I had to make good use of these 48 hours to crack the secrets of these powerful existences called Demon Lords, Uriel Diablo included, since there was no guarantee of coming back to this body again.

More than anything, the 'Colossus' she mentioned bugged me.

'This is an opportunity.'

I was surprised at first, but I recovered my usual composure. I studied the situation thoroughly with calm. Who knew when such an opportunity would come by again? The chance of a lifetime to better know my enemy and myself.

”First tell me of the matters I need to know.”

But I had to cautious because Laila Diablo was an ardent follower of Uriel Diablo.

One wrong move, one wrong word could raise her suspicions!

'I mostly remember his manner of speech and behaviour.'

It was fortunate that I had been the one to kill him. I was well aware of Uriel Diablo's tyrannical ways and his pride. That being the case, all I had to do was behave in a similar manner.

I sneaked a glance at Laila.

Thankfully she wasn't suspicious but instead realized her own blunder and cried out,

”Truly! Truly a personage of prudence! When waging war, 'knowing' comes first. This girl had forgotten such a simple thing. Forgive me.”

Thank goodness. Laila had a flair for interpreting things on her own. A common case of being blinded by love. She had the most dazzling, dangerous kind of imagination.

I continued to wait, and Laila nodded her head, continuing to explain.

”It has already been a hundred years since my Lord went to slumber. During that time, Carpediem the Destroyer and our-.”

”From the beginning.”

”From the beginning, you mean?”

I refrained from speaking as much as I could without breaking character. What I wanted to know was his background. I wanted to confirm the history of Uriel Diablo and the other Demon Lords.

'Just what exactly are you all?'

Perhaps, I would be the first of humanity to arrive at the truth. The truth behind the abyss. The cause behind the emergence of Demon Lords and monsters. I intended to get to the bottom of the circ.u.mstances that lead to them targeting Earth in order to prepare a countermeasure.

This was literally a 'war against myself', one that I alone would prepare for and fight in. A war of utmost secrecy, deceiving myself in pursuit of 'perfection'!

In the past I acted as the hero, and this time I would be a villain.

Laila was lost in thought for a while.

”The day I was born, my Lord gifted me an eternal blue flower. My mother had said that on that day, unicorns danced in the heavens showering down blessings.”

She pushed out her chest straight, revealing a small blue flower from which emanated a queer blue colored energy. She proudly gazed at me with softness in her eyes, as if implying it was a precious treasure to her.

Sure, it was touching, but the beginning I wanted wasn't about Laila's birth.

”I mean from the beginning of the war.”

”The start of the war was….”

Laila was slightly blus.h.i.+ng.

What in the world! To think that the Queen of Terror could feel embarra.s.sed!

I barely managed to keep my mouth gaping from the shock.

Laila continued to speak,

”There was chaos within the abyss. Every being in existence struggled against one another with their lives on the line. It was then that the 'Great Star' arose. The Great Star spoke, that it would grant its 'prestige' upon the strongest. And then everything changed.”

Changed?

Was the 'Great Star' that tempting? To the extent that even the powerhouses of the abyss would make a move for it?

Finally, Laila waved her hand once, causing the s.p.a.ce to shake, and the surrounding background changed to show a vast expanse of barren land. The number of corpses lying nearby was numerous beyond imagination. It wasn't at the level of a mere ten thousand or hundred thousand.

A hundred million…or perhaps more.