Chapter II

Greetings and salutations everyone! I have returned with another chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter; the reception seems pretty positive overall, which is nice. Be sure to let me know if you enjoy this one as well. That said, let us get on to the reviewer responses, there are certainly a few to go through.

Messiah of authors: I can see why some people wouldn't. Personally, I really do like him. He obviously doesn't fit as the main character to every story, but I like him as a protagonist, though he does have his annoying moments.

flo463: Since I've got two jobs to deal with and a life outside of that, I'm pretty just writing whenever I get the scant chance to, as a result I'm writing whatever I have the inspiration for at the time. I'm sure I'll get around to those stories at some point. I'm just more interested in these two at the moment.

Skull Flame: No. He looks just like he did in How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord.

Well hopefully it keeps your interest.

Kind of, but you're also not completely wrong. You'll just have to wait and see.

Fortitude501: Yeah, pretty much.

LOL, yeah, it's right there with him.

Guest: Dude. Most certainly dude.

superpierce: Okay, that's my mistake. I honestly thought it was World Class.

No, in the novel, the ring does in fact have a limit to how much magic it can reflect. I don't remember off the top of my head but I think it's something like the most powerful spells will still hit him or something. Regardless, the anime edited many things from the novel, and one of them was the power of Diablo's ring.

The Lazy Dragon: It's certainly a possibility, yes.

Okay, that was a pretty good amount. Well, on with the main event!

Making his way back to the room, he shut and locked the door behind him before tossing Rem onto the bed, the girl releasing a small cough as he did. "Now then. Tell me why Celes was meeting with you."

"N – No, I can't…" she protested, glaring up at the horned man.

His annoyed glower turned into a cruel grin as he leaned overtop of her. "Fine, then I'll force it out of you."

Rem's face went blue as he loomed over her. "A – Are you planning to disgrace me?!"

Diablo froze in place as his mind finally caught up to his body. 'Craaap! I got so into character I didn't really think about it! Okay, think, think… Hmm… Maybe…' Taking a gamble, he reached up with his right hand and grabbed one of her feline ears, gently squeezing it between his fingers.

Rem's back suddenly arched as she held back a powerful moan.

Diablo released a tight sigh of relief. 'Okay, this should work. Touching her anywhere else would make me feel like an actual villain… not just roleplay…' "Well?"

"I – I can't…" she weakly managed to spit out.

He firmly pinched the edge of her ear between his fingers. "The more you resist the worse it'll get."

Rem trembled and squirmed more below him, attempting to wriggle away from him, a small moan escaping that hitched in her throat. "You'll… just leave like everyone else…"

Diablo kept his fingers teasing the fur on her ear as he thought. 'Huh? How to respond…' After another moment, he came up with what he considered a suitable retort. "You're my slave, Rem. You belong to me. There's nothing anyone but I can do to change that." 'Man that felt dirty…'

Rem's body suddenly stiffened as her eyes shot wide, looking up at him.

Diablo winced at the expression on her face. 'D – Did I go too far…?'

Rem's eyes slowly returned to normal as she attempted to force the words out. "Do you… do you mean that?"

Momentarily raising an eyebrow in thought, his expression returned to neutral as he nodded. "Yes. I do not say anything I don't mean."

Rem's tiny body began shivering as tears started forming at the edges of her eyes. "You won't… abandon me…?"

Diablo stood over her silently as he considered what to say. 'Dammit… Gah! Why did I have to make my character a demon king?! Okay, I need to think of something that sounds sorta evil but lets her know I won't go away…' However, his thoughts came to a halt as he looked at Rem, staring up at him desperately. "I… you belong to me, Rem Galleu. There is nothing in this world or any other that can change that."

She stared at the horned man in silent awe. "… You promise?"

He nodded firmly. "I swear on my power as the True Demon Lord Diablo."

She continued gazing at him before nodding slowly. "… Okay… I'll tell you."

Diablo got off from her and sat next to her, helping her sit up.

Her gaze turned from Diablo to the floor as her expression soured. "If I die, the world will likely end."

He just raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Rem placed a hand over her abdomen as she explained, "The soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm is sealed inside my body. If I die, her soul will be released, and she'll be reborn into the world."

Diablo remained silent for a moment. "… Is that it?"

Rem turned to him suddenly with surprise. "H – Huh? What do… you mean?"

'Krebskulm… that was the strongest Boss in Yggdrasil. Even I never fought her, but her sisters I did, and beat. So this little girl has that thing inside of her? I can't imagine what it's like.' With a pompous huff, he retorted proudly, "You really thought I'd leave you over something as trivial as that? How foolish! I am the Great Demon Lord Diablo! I will subjugate her and free you from this burden to live your own life. Just as I have done with five other Demon Lords."

Rem's eyes widened as she listened to his words.

With a smirk, he added, "After all, you belong to me, not some third-rate Demon Lord."

Rem began trembling where she sat before tears started falling uncontrollably.

'Oh shit, did I go too far!?' His brain went completely flatline as Rem lurched over from where she sat and wrapped her slender arms around him. '… E – Eh…?'

"Thank you…"

"Y – You're welcome…?" he responded, his façade faltering slightly in pure perplexed shock.

"That… that's the first time anyone… ever said they wouldn't leave me…"

Diablo just sat silently next to her as she sobbed before gently patting her head.

Soon after, the atmosphere in the room calmed down, Shera joined the two, and they prepared to head for bed.

Diablo gulped somewhat nervously as Shera and Rem slept beside him. 'Odd… in a way… this brings me back.' Sighing, he stared up at the ceiling. 'So… I'm really in the world of Yggdrasil? It's… somewhat absurd to think about. But the setting, the races, the locations, even some of the things they talk about. It all matches up to information I know from Yggdrasil. Unfortunately I mostly memorized the technical aspects of things. Hopefully that'll be enough to keep them thinking I am what I say I am until I'm able to sort things out a little more.'

Pushing the thoughts from his mind with a sigh, he let the embrace of sleep take him.

Diablo slowly stirred awake as light shone in from the window and the sounds of the world outside reached him. Opening his eyes, he saw the wood-paneled ceiling of the inn. He almost reflexively let out a sigh. 'So… it really wasn't a dream… Damn…' He slowly pushed himself to sitting position, before noticing a surprising, but entirely unfamiliar, sensation of softness in his left hand. Slowly, jerkily turning his head to the side, he confirmed his suspicions. His left hand was firmly grasped onto Shera's bulging tits. 'Oh crap… Okay, it's a simple thing… just let go… … My hand isn't listening to me!' His fingers wiggled and twitched as they seemingly fought against his attempts to wrest them from her orb, inciting a soft moan from the sleeping elf. It's so soft… and springy… and my fingers sink into it…!'

Feeling a firm softness on his right hand, he feared the worst and turned to the other side to see that, yes, his right hand was draped over Rem's petite breast as well. 'They're still budding… but they're soft… and nice in their own way… NO! Stop this! Hands!'

Shera rolled as she slept, her moans growing louder before she began to slowly wake up. As her eyes opened, she saw Diablo's hand sunk firmly into her chest. She blinked once. Then twice. Then she made the connection. "Kyaaa!" she shrieked as she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, away from him, curling up slightly. "N – No! It's not good t – to do this! Not until you choose me as your Master!"

Diablo's jaw nearly hit the floor. 'Wait, so it's okay if I do!? The fuck?!'

Rem sat up sleepily as well with a groan. "Why are mew so loud, nya…?"

"N – No reason… you can go back to sleep…" Diablo urged weakly.

Rem blinked curiously before looking down to see his hand on her budding chest, causing her face to turn a brilliant shade of red.

'Crap… think Demon Lord, think Demon Lord… what do I say!?' "D – Don't feel defeated, Rem. Hold your chest out with pride."

Rem stared silently at him in disbelief before twitching. "NYAAA!"

"Geez…" Diablo groaned as he walked behind Rem and Shera, some claw-like scratch marks going down one side of his face. He saw Rem walking in front of him with a deep, shadowed look on her face. "You still mad, Rem?"

"I'm not mad," she replied coldly. "Let's just go grab a job."

Diablo just sighed as the scratches on his face began to fade away. 'Yep, she's still mad…'

Shera hid behind Diablo's cape, warily staring at Rem. "Scary…"

As the group rounded a corner, Diablo felt someone run into him, though he himself was barely budged. Looking down, he saw a young woman with long, bright blue hair, a large curl atop her head, her bangs framing around her dark blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless blue blouse, that hugged tight enough to show her moderate figure, with a pleated, layered, blue and yellow skirt, long white arm-warmers, and thigh-high, blue, high-heeled boots. 'Wow… she's pretty cute…'

"Ow…" the girl groaned as she slumped on the ground before pointing at Diablo angrily. "Hey! Watch it, jerk!"

'Aaand she ruined it.' "… You're the one that ran into me girl."

The girl stood up, dusted herself off, and pointed at him defiantly. "I'm not just a girl! I'm the goddess of water, Aqua!"

Another person came running from around the same corner, irritated. "Hey! Didn't I tell you? Don't just go running around –" the new person, a girl with long, dark lavender hair tied back with a large, light blue bow, bright azure eyes, and fair skin, wearing a simple white dress with a large blue orb that hung on a necklace in front of her ample bosom, though not quite as sizable as Shera's. When she set eyes on Diablo, her expression stiffened in total shock.

"This delusional blue girl with you?" Diablo questioned as Aqua kept shouting at him.

The girl shook her head to break out of her stupor and nodded. "Y – Yes, she is. She's the reason I'm here, actually."

Diablo merely nodded. 'I don't know why, but there's something familiar about her…'

Bowing, the girl introduced herself. "Nanana Ryugajou."

Diablo raised an eyebrow in thought. 'That's a very Japanese name…' "I see. My name is Diablo."

Shera waved with a bright smile. "I'm Shera L Greenwood."

"Rem Galleu," the Pantherian introduced, still glowering from the morning's events.

Nanana backed away slightly from the cat-eared girl's anger before she noticed something about the girls that caught her interest and looked at Diablo. "What's with those big collars?"

"We're Diablo's slaves," Rem answered rather bluntly.

Nanana's jaw nearly fell off. "Eehh!?"

'Dammit, Rem, you can't just be that nonchalant about it!' Diablo shouted in his head before deciding to try and correct the situation before it got too troublesome. "These two tried using enslavement magic on me. It bounced back."

"O – Oh…" the purple-haired girl muttered as she calmed down before mumbling quietly, "I thought you'd gone bad, Momo…"

Diablo felt his ears twitch at her words. "… What did you say…?"

Nanana just waved her arms frantically as she tried to brush it off. "N – Nothing. Diablo, you say? So, are you Adventurers?"

Diablo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'There's only one person who calls me that… I guess I'll just leave it for now.' "Yes, we are. Rem is Level Forty, Shera is Level Thirty, and my Level is apparently beyond measure."

"Riiiiight…" Aqua hummed sarcastically, earning her a smack from Nanana.

She then added, "We were actually looking for the Guild to get our Levels measured."

Diablo nodded in understanding before continuing to walk, the girls following him. "Ah. We were headed there for a mission. You're welcome to accompany us."

"Yay!" Nanana cheered as she skipped up to him, Aqua following with a groan.

As the group continued towards the Guild, Shera occasionally looked at Nanana, who walked the closest to Diablo, smiling and humming as they made their way through the crowded streets. After several minutes of this, Shera pouted in confusion. "Hey, Rem, is it just me, or is that girl acting really familiar with Diablo?"

Rem stopped in her tracks and looked at Shera in surprise, the others noticing the two's pause and stopping as well.

The elf noticed the cat-eared girl's shock and tilted her head, perplexed. "H – Huh? What'd I say?"

"Something smart," Rem noted bluntly, prompting Shera to puff her cheeks in offense.

Diablo put a hand up to stop the two. "Come on you two, cut it out. It won't reflect on me well if my slaves are constantly bickering."

"Yes, Master," Rem retorted coldly as she continued walking, causing Diablo to wince in response.

Nanana snickered in amusement. "You walked into that one, Momo." Shaking her head, she corrected, "D – Diablo, I mean."

Diablo narrowed his eyes before turning to Rem as he put a hand on Nanana's shoulder. "Rem, can you take these two to the Guild? I need to speak with our friend here."

Rem raised an eyebrow but nodded and continued walking, Shera and Aqua following behind her.

Diablo quickly pulled Nanana with him to an alleyway off the side of the street. "How'd you get here Tabula?"

Nanana chuckled before looking up at the man. "That easy, huh?"

He responded gruffly, "You're the only one in the Guild who called me Momo. So, out with it."

The girl waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come on, enough with the act, I already know what you're really like."

"So? I need to keep up the appearances to the others."

"Huh? Why? Wait, you're not actually nervous are you?"

Diablo winced slightly before looking off to the side. "That's not… entirely wrong…"

"Wow…"

Diablo twitched an eyebrow and looked down at the girl. "… Shut up…"

Nanana smirked wryly and leaned forward slightly, giving Diablo a view to almost perfectly see her melons in her shirt. "Is this what's bothering you?" she teased.

Diablo gulped as he tried to look away. "Not… exactly…"

"Wow… even though you got busy with Sinoula, this much bothers you?"

"… Well, my wives tend to be the ones in charge…"

Nanana smirked with further amusement. "Hoh? Wait, wiveS?"

"Yes… they are very hard to say no to…"

Nanana's smirk widened. "You're getting even more interesting, Momo."

The man groaned and corrected, "Stop calling me Momo, the others know me as Diablo."

Nanana huffed flippantly. "Oh come on, stop it with the big bad Demon Lord act. It's not who you are, plus, you were making your friends uncomfortable."

He rebutted, "I can't. People in this world respect power. If I am to protect these two, I need to act the part."

The girl sighed in mild defeat before shrugging. "Well just don't overdo it and start actually treating them like slaves."

He nodded in understanding. "I won't. Besides, part of my goal here is to find a way to break the contract. Though Celestine doesn't have any ideas."

She blinked a few times as she thought about what he said. "Celestine? You mean that super strong NPC?"

He nodded in affirmation. "Yes, her. She and Rem are personally acquainted. I can't tell you how or why in the open, so let it go for now."

Nanana pouted in disappointment. "Fine. Then you need to let Aqua and me join your Party."

Diablo nodded. "I was planning on you. Not sure how I feel about her…"

"She can be a meat shield."

"… Ah." Diablo then had another thought come to him. "Oh, that reminds me. How'd you get here, specifically?"

Nanana winced lightly before laughing weakly. "Oh, right, sorry. Well, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

In a harsh deadpan, Diablo shot back, "I've become my video game character, summoned to a new world by an elf and Pantherian. Try me."

Nanana nodded in response and began her explanation. "I was a Ghost. I was murdered several years ago and only recently a Goddess summoned my spirit to Purgatory. I personally think it's because she's a lazy bitch."

Diablo twitched an eyebrow and sighed before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "… Well, that makes more sense than just about everything else that's been going on around me. Wait, if you've been a Ghost this whole time, how did you keep playing Yggdrasil?"

"I was a ghost, but I could still interact with physical objects when I wanted to. Including VR headsets. Which was good because if I couldn't, all I'd have left in the world would be pudding."

He remained silent for several more moments. "… Right… Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing that idiot is the goddess you're talking about?"

The woman folded her arms in a pout. "Yeah. But she's even lazier than Shiki. The only reason I was a ghost for so long is because she was too lazy to call my soul up to Purgatory."

Diablo felt a headache coming as he listened. "Right… that still leaves one thing. What happened when she 'called you up' as you put it?"

Nanana nodded as she continued. "Oh, right. Well Aqua presented me with three choices. Have my memories wiped and be reborn as a baby, go to Heaven and live as an eternal spirit with no emotions, or be sent to a new world with one boon of my choice to try and slay a Demon King causing strife."

Diablo stared at her quietly. "… Eh? … Well there's only two options I can think of."

"Really? Any ideas?"

"Me, or Krebskulm."

Nanana raised an eyebrow curiously. "You mean that Event Boss?"

"Yes. She's… very close by."

"Right…"

Before their conversation could continue, Shera shouted towards the duo. "Diablo! You coming?"

"I'll be there in a moment," he called back before signaling Nanana to follow him.

Soon after, the group arrived at the Guild building and made their way upstairs, where Bleu set eyes on Diablo and began to subtly tremble.

Diablo did his best to imitate a reassuring smile and waved to the frightened girl, who tremulously returned his wave.

Watching this exchange, Nanana shot Diablo a sideways glance. "What did you do…?"

Diablo averted his gaze from her as he answered. "Cut my finger and shot blood everywhere. Then I touched that measuring mirror and nearly blew the place to pieces."

She stared at him with a combination of disbelief, amusement, and a hint of disgust.

Diablo could very clearly feel the emotions bleeding through her expression. He decided to swiftly change the focus. "Oh, one quick thing. I should probably give you some of my memories."

"What for?"

"So you can read those papers."

Nanana shook her head in denial as Bleu handed her the documents. "Nah, I was given that information when Stupid put me here."

Diablo twitched an eyebrow in return. "… Lucky…"

Aqua huffed in irritation as she filled out hers. "Let's just get this over with so we can get registered."

"Hope you like bleeding," Diablo noted flatly, causing the goddess to pale as she looked at him.

"… Eehh!?"

Aqua pouted and whimpered as she held her thumb, despite the fact the injury had long since closed.

"N – Next is to measure your Level," Bleu explained, her discomfort around Diablo seeming to fade somewhat.

"Right!" Aqua exclaimed, her previous trepidation gone with the possibility of showing off as she proudly put her hand on the mirror.

Bleu studied the blue-haired girl's reflection carefully. "Looks like… Level Ten."

Aqua pulled her hand off and looked at the dog-eared girl in disbelief. "EH?! That can't be right!"

"Sounds right to me," Diablo and Nanana commented in unison, resulting a pout from the goddess.

"N – Next…" Bleu urged timidly seeing the situation getting unpleasant.

Nanana responded by putting her hand on the mirror, causing a reflection to appear.

Bleu studied it for a few moments and then nodded to herself. "Ooh. Level Twenty-Five."

Nanana was somewhat disappointed by that, though Shera hopped with joy. "Yay! I win!" Her glee was short-lived as Rem reminded the elf of her presence, turning her joy into disappointment.

Diablo just sighed as he patted her head gently. "There, there."

Shera just smiled blissfully as her ears wiggled, seemingly ignorant to the stares sent at her from Rem and Nanana.

"Now let's get a job."

"Right!" Shera cheered.

After dealing with the last of the paperwork, Diablo made his way into Sylvie's office and discussed potential jobs with her. To which the girl pulled one from her desk. Handing it to Diablo, she explained the details. "Hm… there's a few towns reporting bandits attacking them from the west."

"Is that so?"

"Yup. They seem relatively well-organized based on reports, and are wearing armor of some kind. But that's all we have. The remaining villages are offering a reward of one hundred thousand Vals if someone can take care of them."

"We'll take it," Diablo answered without any hesitation as he took the flier and left the room.

"Right then," Sylvie answered with a nod.

Aqua frowned slightly as she and the girls followed him.

Diablo, Shera, Nanana, Rem, and Aqua made their way through a lush forest west of Faltra, looking for the bandits in question.

After several long hours of walking, Aqua groaned heavily. "… Bored…!"

Diablo twitched an eyebrow and looked at her with irritation. "Why are you here again?"

Nanana answered swiftly, "Because she's helpless without me."

Aqua began complaining at the duo, though they ignored her, Diablo looking around for traces of the bandits. "Now then… Those bandits should be around here." His thoughts were immediately redirected when he heard screams of terror nearby and immediately raced off towards them.

Shera stopped in her tracks and turned to follow him. "H – Hey! Wait up!"

"Dammit," Rem cursed before chasing after the elf, Nanana and Aqua bringing up the rear.

Diablo broke the foliage onto a road and saw two girls cornered by several soldiers in silver and blue armor. 'Those aren't bandits… they're soldiers. I don't know what nation they're from though…' He shook the attempts to understand the situation from his mind and raced towards the girls with his staff in hand. 'Doesn't matter! I need to kill them!'

One of the soldiers raised his sword to strike the older girl as he approached.

Diablo hissed as he ran as fast as he could, the world around him almost seeming to move in slow motion. 'I won't make it…! There's only one thing I can think of from this distance that won't hurt the girls.' Diablo reached a hand out towards the swinging soldier, focusing all of his attention onto a single spot. "Grasp Heart!"

The soldier suddenly stopped, trembling.

The other looked at him, confused and angry. "Hey! What are you –?!"

Diablo felt something rubbery in his grasp, though he saw nothing there, and balled his hand into a fist, resulting in blood suddenly gushing from nowhere.

The soldier coughed violently before falling to the ground. Dead.

The second soldier stumbled back in horror. "H – Hey!" He then took notice of Diablo running up to him and prepared to fight. "Wh – What the?"

Seeing a clear opening, Diablo pointed his staff directly at the man. "Dark Bullet!" Several balls of black energy shot from the end of his staff and impacted the soldier, bursting in flameless explosions that shattered his armor in several places and sent him flying into a tree.

The older of the two girls, a blonde with a side ponytail and dark brow eyes, wearing a plain brown and orange dress with a form-fitting white top underneath, looked up at Diablo in awe.

Sighing in relief, Diablo turned to the girl. He then noticed a large wound on her back, likely from the soldiers he just killed.

The girl held her younger sister close defensively. "Please, just don't hurt Nemu!"

Diablo did not say a word as he pulled a bottle with a bright red liquid inside from his pocket and motioned towards her. "Here."

She looked at it curiously before taking it, Nemu trying to stop her.

"Don't drink it, Enri!" the girl pleaded.

"It will heal your injuries completely," Diablo explained.

Enri stared at it pensively for a moment before the pain in her back made the decision for her as she popped the top off the bottle and gulped down the contents. She blinked in surprise as she finished the small bottle. "… It's sweet…"

Nemu watched in awe as Enri's injury closed up completely and vanished.

"How's that?" Diablo asked.

Enri nodded with a smile. "I feel much better."

"Diablo!" Shera cried out desperately before lunging at him in a hug that planted his head in her bosom and knocked them both to the ground.

Enri watched the events unfold and found herself even more confused than before.

Rem grumbled as she and the other two joined up with Shera and Diablo, the elf pouting as Diablo stood up and put her on her feet.

"Come on, Shera, I have work to do," Diablo chided softly. Looking back at Enri and Nemu, Diablo aimed his palm towards them.

The sisters tensed in fear.

"Anti-Life Cocoon, Wall of Protection from Arrows." After a moment, a small green bubble of energy surrounded the girls. "There, that will keep you protected should anymore show up."

Enri looked at him in bewilderment before he pulled two long, curved horns from his pocket and tossed them to her. "Wh – What are these…?"

"Horn of the Goblin General."

Enri's entire body went stiff in horror. "G – Goblins…?!"

Diablo raised an eyebrow curiously. 'How strange. Why is she so frightened by Goblins? I'll need to look into this later.' "Yes. Intelligent and loyal soldiers and hunters, loyal to those that command them and the one who holds the horn. They mean you no harm."

"R – Right…" Enri answered, suspicious but accepting his explanation.

Diablo turned his attention to one of the corpses nearby and furrowed his brow in thought. 'I was able to use those spells successfully. What about this one?' Motioning to it, he called out, "Death Knight!"

Suddenly a black mass appeared above the dead soldier and enveloped it.

'It transforms the corpse!? That wasn't in the game!'

After morphing and shifting, it transformed into a large, vaguely humanoid, skeletal monster with black armor and a long cape.

"Wow…" Shera commented in amazement.

Diablo then pointed to the remaining dead soldier. "Death Knight, slaughter everyone wearing that armor. Leave none standing."

The armored beast reared its head back and howled into the air before running off towards the other soldiers.

'… What good is a defensive monster that runs off when ordered? Though I guess technically I told it to…'

Nanana knelt down next to Enri and Nemu with a smile. "Don't worry, we're the good guys. And that monster is going to protect your friends and family. So, Diablo, shall we proceed?"

Diablo had Shera and Aqua stay by Enri and Nemu as added protection while he, Rem, and Nanana headed towards the village.

As they approached, Diablo saw numerous dead soldiers, the Death Knight charging towards the last few, chopping one in half before stomping on another.

"As vicious as I thought they'd be," Nanana commented as she watched.

"Agreed. Oh, Death Knight! Leave that one!" he ordered as he saw the Death Knight grab the last soldier, only for it to obey his command and drop the man.

The soldier instantly tried to escape, but the Death Knight stomped on his leg, crushing it under the beast's foot and pinning him.

"… Good," Diablo remarked, slightly uneasy with all the blood and gore. As he approached the pinned man, he noticed the villagers all huddled near the middle of the town square, terrified. He tried to ignore them as he walked up to the man, attempting to maintain a terrifying presence. "How annoying. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer me, or my Death Knight will kill you, understood?"

The man nodded desperately.

"Who do you work for?"

He betrayed his initial willingness by remaining totally silent.

Diablo sighed in annoyance. "Staying silent isn't going to help you. Death Knight, his arm."

"W – Wait, don't – GAH!" the man begged before howling in pain as the massive beast effortlessly ripped his arm off.

Diablo felt somewhat guilty when he noticed Rem wince as she stood beside him, though he turned his attention back to the man. "Now, do I need to break your other limbs, or will you answer me?"

"S – Sla…" the man seemed to begin reflexively before changing his answer, "L – Lautreamont, the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom!"

Diablo narrowed his eyes coldly. "Be honest now," he warned, causing the man to pale, "Otherwise I'll have Death Knight remove your ability to procreate."

Rem then interjected on the interrogation. "What he's wearing is Lautreamont armor."

Diablo nodded in understanding, but argued, "Then why start to say something else? If he really was part of Lautreamont then why not say it first and not about to say something else?"

Taking the momentary distraction, the soldier pulled a dagger from his waist and slashed his own throat, resulting in him bleed out almost immediately.

Diablo twitched an eyebrow in annoyance before kicking the man's helmet. "… Fucking hell. Tch… and now there's not even one left for me to send as a message. Useless bastard. Oh well."

As the situation seemed to calm down, one of the villagers gathered in the middle of the town approached Diablo nervously. "U – Um, you… is that your monster?"

Diablo turned to the man and nodded. "Yes. I ordered him to butcher each and every one of these scum for their actions."

The man immediately fell to his knees in relief and joy. "Thank you! P – Please, tell me your name."

Diablo opened his mouth to begin speaking but thought about it for a moment. 'If I just tell him Diablo, it'd be truthful. But…' he wondered as he glanced at Nanana before looking back to the man. 'If there are any other players in this world, I might be able to make contact with them if the guild's name is known widely.' "Ainz Ooal Gown," he answered proudly.

Nanana put a hand over her mouth in attempt to hold back a snicker. "Using the guild's name, eh?"

He responded by abruptly smacking her on the head, though his expression was unchanged. "My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and this is Tabula."

Nanana looked up at him with mild annoyance, though did not speak.

"We heard the reports of these mongrels attacking villages and came to help." Diablo was surprised and concerned when the villagers looked at him suspiciously and began whispering amongst themselves. "Of course, I will be returning to one of the Guilds with this for payment. So I expect the Chief's signature."

Many of the villagers, the man who approached him included, sighed in relief at Diablo's proclamation.

That left him even more confused. 'So they're less suspicious if they think I'm doing it solely for monetary gain? Odd.' "Though I am quite curious about this soldier's attempt to cover up the name he was going to say. Sla something."

"H – Huh? But that's Lautreamont armor."

Diablo narrowed his eyes further before looking at the man directly. "Are you this village's chief?"

"Y – Yes, I am, sir."

Nodding, he added, "Come, let us speak in your home. Aqua! Shera! You can stop hiding."

Shera popped up from a bush near the battlefield with a smile. "Okay!"

Aqua just groaned as she stood up as well.

The chief led Diablo and his group to his home, a small building near the back of the town, though it was still larger than all the rest.

He took the group to his dining room, which was furnished with just a square table and several chairs. Within moments he again had his head bowed over the table towards Diablo. "Thank you so much!"

Diablo waved a hand dismissively as he sat down. "That's enough groveling." 'Geez… having to act like this all the time is tiring… Though if I don't, I have a feeling things wouldn't go well.'

The chief nodded as he sat down as well. "R – Right. How much do you want?"

Diablo shook his head in return. "I'll get what I need from the Guild. From you all I'd like information. Namely who the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom is and what Sla could mean."

The chief motioned to a woman, likely his wife, who set a large map on the table.

Diablo was surprised as the entire continent, as Rem had mentioned, in fact appeared to be in the shape of a dragon lying on its side.

"R – Right. The Lautreamont Kingdom is to the south. The only thing I really know about them is that their emperor routinely executes nobles."

"I see… and Sla?"

The Chief sighed as he looked over the map. "Hm… the best I can think of is the Slane Theocracy. They're a religious country that worships the Six Great Gods. They're the most powerful of the Arc Strada nations, tied with Zephyros, only because of its machinery."

Diablo nodded in affirmation. "Then it's obvious. Those soldiers are from the Theocracy disguised as ones from the Kingdom."

The portly man frowned in confusion. "But why?"

Diablo put a hand on his chin in thought. "There are many reasons. One of the most likely is to cause strife between Lautreamont and Re-Estize."

"Ah…"

"Or lead someone into a trap."

That seemed to worry the man even more.

"Though who? Do you know much about the relations between the nations?"

The chief shook his head disappointedly. "I'm sorry, I don't. Though I'm somewhat surprised you don't. N – Not that I mean any disrespect."

Diablo put a hand up respectfully. "None is taken." 'Craap… what kind of backstory should I tell this guy? That I'm a Demon Lord summoned by these two…? I don't know how he'd take that… Maybe that I'm just a traveling magic caster? But then I'd need to explain the slaves…' "I only just arrived from far away after my ship crashed a week ago."

"O – Oh. I understand. The only thing I can really tell you is that Lautreamont and Zephyros had been at war for centuries, with Re-Estize always getting caught in the middle. Or rather, with our villages getting caught in the middle."

The man's choice of words caught his attention. "Had?"

Nodding, the chief continued, "Yes. About five years ago, a treaty was signed between Lautreamont and Zephyros, with Re-Estize as the mediator. At least, I think that's the word for it."

"I see."

After their conversation ended, the surviving villagers went about beginning to repair buildings and bury those who had died.

Diablo frowned as he saw Enri and Nemu crouched in front of two graves that were most likely their parents, tears pouring from their eyes. Holding a small, purple and green rod in his hand, Diablo thought to himself, 'I could easily revive these people with my Wand of Resurrection… but someone able to revive the dead would attract a lot of trouble… Best not to. For now you'll need to be satisfied that I rescued the village.' He sighed as his chosen persona yet again got in the way of his desires.

Nanana noticed his troubled expression and frowned in concern, slowly moving her hand towards his when Diablo suddenly started looking around suspiciously.

Diablo noticed the villagers who weren't helping with burial efforts beginning to gather nearby, gossiping about something. 'Great… another problem. Just great.' He decided to head off any problems by talking to the chief directly. "Chief, is something wrong?"

The man turned in surprise and stumbled over his words somewhat. "Oh, Lord Ainz. W – Well, some of the workers reported seeing knight-like people coming towards Carne Village."

The people gathered around looked to Diablo with wanting expressions.

Diablo sighed as he quickly figured out what they wanted to ask. "I understand. Have the people gather around your house. The Chief and I will address these knights. If they prove hostile, I will deal with them." Looking to the Death Knight, he ordered, "Go and guard them."

Nodding, the beast made its way towards the villagers, who were understandably frightened of the beast, and stood in front of them, shield raised.

"Now let us go," Diablo called out as everyone prepared.

After several minutes of waiting, Diablo saw a group of soldiers approaching, led by a few on horseback. 'Huh? Their armor's different. Must be a different Kingdom.'

The one in front of the group, presumably the leader, a strong looking man with short brown hair and several scars, clad in ornate red and silver armor, pulled his horse to a stop, the others following suit. He looked at Diablo in thought before announcing, "I am the Head Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. I am here under orders from the king to hunt down the Lautreamont soldiers massacring villages."

"The imposters are all dead," Diablo declared.

Gazef frowned in confusion before looking at the chief. "Chief, who is this man?"

The man stammered slightly in his word before Diablo interrupted him, "O – Oh, this is –"

"Ainz Ooal Gown. I was traveling when I saw this village being attacked."

Nanana gave a light snicker at him. 'Liar…'

"So I decided to deal with these Slane Theocracy thugs."

Gazef raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Slane? We were told the soldiers were from Lautreamont."

Diablo nodded in understanding. "I have no doubt, they had matching armor. But the one I tried to interrogate slipped up and began to say Slane Theocracy before changing it to Lautreamont. Then he slit his own throat, preventing me and my summon from gaining more information on their orders."

"I see…" Gazef remarked in thought before dismounting his horse and smiling to Diablo. "Well, that being said, mere words cannot express my gratitude at saving this village."

Diablo's composure remained placid on the outside. Inside, however… 'This aura… it's deafening! I'm not used to this kind of praise!'

Nanana was the only one who picked up on his anxiety, causing her to sigh softly.

"Don't worry. It was mere coincidence," he replied to the armored man.

One of the soldiers suddenly ran up to Gazef frantically. "Sir!"

Gazef turned to the man, irritated. "I'm in the middle of something. This had better be important."

"It is, sir! There's a large group of people surrounding the village! They have us completely boxed in."

"So they were bait…" Diablo noted as he narrowed his eyes.

Hearing him, Gazef turned to Diablo in confusion.

The horned man looked at Gazef before questioning, "You said you were Re-Estize's head warrior? That explains everything."

"Pardon? I don't follow."

Nanana smirked subtly towards Diablo. 'Scheming and strategizing, Momo's favorite things.'

Diablo explained, "They lure you in with some expendable soldiers disguised in the colors of another nation, then strike you full force and eliminate a major threat."

Gazef snarled as he took in Diablo's words before slamming his fists together in frustration. "… Dammit… and I fell right into it."

Diablo put up a hand to dismiss his concerns. "You're trained and paid to fight, not to think. It's your superiors who are at fault for this blunder. That is… tell me, would any of your superiors benefit from your death?"

Gazef let out a heavy sigh. "Too many to count."

That same soldier grit his teeth before turning to Gazef. "Dammit, Lieutenant, I told you this would happen! It's why those damned nobles sent us with only a contingent of fifty men to take on what was supposedly an invading army!"

Diablo shook his head as he argued, "All that was here was a platoon's worth at most. Not enough to kill, but certainly enough to weaken a group of skilled fighters."

"Dammit…" Gazef cursed.

"I suggest we take heed in the buildings and try to gauge our enemy's numbers. Then plan on how to deal with them."

Gazef nodded in agreement.

Diablo, Shera, Nanana, Rem, Aqua, Gazef, and the villagers hid in the village's largest storehouse as the enemy approached.

Peering through one of the thing slats in the wall, Diablo saw a large number of people in robes wielding staffs encircling the area.

Gazef growled angrily as he saw them. "Dammit… it seems you were completely right. Only the Slane Theocracy has the manpower to send out that many mages at once."

Diablo kept his attention on the soldiers as they began preparing spells and incantations, but questioned Gazef, "Hmm… what type of magic do they specialize in?"

Gazef could only shrug. "I… don't really know. To my best knowledge, it's all some form of holy magic, judging by those angels they have under their command."

That got Diablo's attention, causing him to raise an eyebrow to the man. '… Oh this will be so easy.' Looking back out the window, he saw what the soldiers were summoning, an army of vaguely humanoid, silver and yellow, mechanical creatures that floated above the ground wielding swords made of bright gold energy. 'Wait… those angels… those are Archangel Flame. A monster from Yggdrasil. This will be even easier than I thought.'

Gazef slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. "To think even the Slane Theocracy wants my head."

Diablo put a hand on the man's arm and pulled it away from the wall. "Don't make too much noise or they'll find us. Any Military would want to eliminate the greatest threat to them as efficiently as possible."

Gazef stared pensively at the surrounding forces before glancing at Diablo. Sighing in resignation, Gazef turned his full attention to the horned man. "… Sir Gown, I'd like to hire you, if possible."

"For?" Diablo responded, keeping his attention on the Slane soldiers.

"To help against these bastards."

Glancing at Gazef with a raised eyebrow, Diablo returned his gaze to the enemy as he nodded. "Very well."

Gazef let out a whisper of relief. "I have nothing to pay you with for now, but I promise that I will ensure the kingdom pays you any price you ask."

"I will hold you to that," Diablo added as he moved away from the window.

"You plan on fighting Slane?" Rem asked, her ears folded against her head in worry.

Seeing this, Diablo merely huffed confidently. "A massacre is no fight. Head Warrior, you and your men remain here."

"But, Sir Gown," Gazef argued in disbelief.

"Do not worry. I will be fine."

Rem stepped up to Diablo as he made for the door. "Shall we come with you?"

Diablo looked at her in thought before smirking. "Sure. You'll have front row seats to a grand show," he retorted as he made for the door, Shera and the others following after him.

On the edge of the village, the leader of the attacking soldiers, a man with his blonde hair slicked back, clad in regal blue robes with a nasty smirk, watched in confusion as Diablo's group approached him calmly. "This trap was for Gazef Stronoff, so what's this Draph doing here?"

Getting a suitable distance from the enemies, Diablo slammed the end of his staff on the ground, creating a loud whack in the air, before calling out proudly, "Attention fools from the Slane Theocracy. I will give you all only one warning. Leave now or fertilize these fields with your corpses."

The man puffed defiantly before seeing Diablo's staff. "What, I'm supposed to be scared of some Draph that fancies himself a Magic Caster?"

'So even a race like Draphs are known here? Interesting.' "If you had any sense you will be. And… who are you exactly?"

That question seemed to rile him up. "I am Nigun Grid Luin, captain of the Sunlight Scripture! The fact that you do not know me insults my intelligence, Demon! So, do me a favor and just die quietly. Once we're done with you and kill Gazef Stronoff, we'll kill everyone in that village as well."

Diablo clenched his fingers at the man's declaration, but kept his expression still. "Corpses it is then. Though… why should I bother dirtying my hands doing it myself though?"

Nigun slumped where he stood at Diablo's retort.

Diablo's placid expression morphed into a bloodthirsty smirk. "I'll give you this, you have a lot of balls, boasting about how you intend to massacre the village I put so much time into saving. But now? You're all dead men, and I know just how to wipe you all out."

Nigun twitched an eyebrow at Diablo's seemingly boastful confidence. "… Kill him."

At once, the numerous Angels all dove towards Diablo, ready to attack.

However, Diablo merely pointed a single finger at the army of automatons. "Subjugation of Heaven."

"Wh – What…?" Nigun stuttered as the angels immediately stopped where they were.

Diablo's smirk widened into a full grin of malice at the man's fear. "Now then, fools of the Slane Theocracy. How would you like to be slaughtered by your own Summons? Lest of course you have a secret weapon to turn the tide I suggest you lay down and die."

Nigun looked up at the angel floating directly behind him as it too began moving to Diablo's back. "H – He's controlling the angels… how?!"

"Oooohh…!" Shera cooed in awe.

Aqua's jaw dropped, dumbfounded. "Whoa… Maybe he can…"

Diablo raised a hand high into the air, causing the angels to stop and turn towards the Slane soldiers. "Now Angels… slaughter the Slane forces!" he hollered as he swung his hand down, resulting in the angels all charging at the soldiers.

Nigun watched in horror as the angels turned on his subordinates.

A group of three shot balls of fire at the machines, but their swords easily knocked the attacks away before cleaving them apart.

Another created a barrier for his allies, but the large angel used the giant mace in its hand to smash the barrier and crush the man into pulp, allowing the smaller angels to rip the others apart.

Nigun clenched his teeth before reaching into his coat. "No… I won't let it end like this!" He then pulled a large, jagged, luminescent crystal from his pocket.

Watching the proceedings, Diablo raised an eyebrow in thought. 'So, they have command over monsters from Yggdrasil, can use spells from it, and even have items from it. I suppose this could be…'

Nigun began cackling madly as the rest of his soldiers were being butchered. "I'll smite you with the church's most powerful weapon!" Throwing the crystal to the ground, it shattered and caused an eruption of light in all directions before a massive, multi-story angel appeared. "Dominion Authority!"

"I – It's huge!" Shera shouted in amazement as she tried to hide behind Diablo.

Diablo stared at the summoned beast in bored annoyance. "… Is that it? Throwing a new Angel at the problem? Very well then. You have chosen the form of your executioner."

Nigun's confidence completely evaporated as he rebuffed desperately, "Wh – What? Dominion Authority is beyond the control of any mortal not blessed by the Six Great –!"

"Oh shut up already!" Diablo interrupted, growing tired of the man's preaching. "Dominion Authority is well within the range of power below me for me to make it my own." Pointing to the giant angel, he called out his spell. "Subjugation of Heaven!"

Nigun's face went white with terror as the Dominion Authority stiffened before it began to turn to face him instead. "What!? No! That's impossible! There's no way some mere Magic Caster can –!"

Diablo again interrupted the petrified man, "I am no mere Magic Caster, you fool. I am Ainz Ooal Gown! A Supreme Being! Now Dominion Authority! Strike him down with Holy Smite!"

"Wait, no!" Nigun begged before a large pillar of white energy shot down from a large, ornate circle floating in the sky, encircling Nigun and the few soldiers he had left, vaporizing them all.

Diablo sighed in fatigue as Dominion Authority began to disappear, turning back into its crystalline form, along with the Archangel Flames. "I did warn them."

"Wh – Whoa… you're incredible, Diablo!" Shera exclaimed in astonishment, her ears wiggling excitement, Rem next to her, nodding in silent amazement.

Aqua silently stared at the man. 'He can control Angels… the soldiers of gods… Meaning he can help me get out of here! Oh, I've got to do my best to get in his good graces… But… do I deserve…?' She shook her head fiercely. 'Of course I do! I deserve my position back!'

Diablo flexed his shoulders in discomfort as he picked up the various crystals around him. 'I still have access to my Inventory, but I wonder if I can add items to it.'

After focusing for a moment, a purple, intricate magic circle appeared in the air in front of him, which he dropped the crystals into, causing them to vanish. After waiting for a moment, he reached behind his cloak and, as expected, managed to pull one of them from his Inventory. 'So I still have access to it and can put things in it at will. Perfect.' His theorizing was cut short when he noticed Rem staring at him. "Yes Rem?"

"Nothing…" she remarked uneasily.

"It's… over already?" Gazef asked, dumbfounded as Diablo and the others returned.

Diablo merely nodded in response.

The villagers gasped as he walked into the store room.

"They were foolish in their overreliance on Summons." Diablo twitched an eyebrow when he noticed the chief next to him, kneeling in a position that was clearly prayer. Putting his hand up, Diablo chided, "Do not pray. I am no god, merely someone who was passing through."

The chief trembled slightly but stood and nodded uncertainly. "I – If you say so…"

"Good. Now if that is all we shall take our leave."

"R – Right…" Gazef answered in surprise.

And thus concludes Demon Lord's Adventurers' second chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed it; be sure to let me know with a review if you did. If you were confused, unsure, or simply have questions about anything, leave your concerns in a review and I will do what I can to address them in the next reviewer response. If there were characters you do not recognize, tell me which ones they are and I will answer what series they are from. This story has so many characters it would be rather troublesome to list every single new one that shows up, especially when most readers know some of them. That said, if you did not enjoy the chapter, leave a review with your gripes, but might I suggest a better use of your time? Anyway, that is all from me, so until next time, bye-bye!