The group marched down the steps to the tenth and final door of the Circle of Fraud.
All thoughts of pain and suffering fell upon the falsifiers. Hear their wailing and be warned.
Face your fate
"So, this is it… The big boss is just beyond this door." David said.
"So, is everyone ready for this?" ZS asked.
"More than ready." Mark answered. "Dave, a favor: make an entrance."
"I'll see what I can whip up." David said.
With one movement of his foot, David kicked the door open, revealing a grand circular chamber, with ten elevated thrones, nine of which were occupied by demons: the other nine Demon Kings of Fraud.
"...that maniac is spending too much time on that tacky throne they made, I swear…" one of them said before their attention was drawn to the group. "Oh no, it's them!" he yelled as all the kings tensed up.
"So, I heard from your friend Jacky Hacks that Discordiae is a bit of a problem here." David said.
"Wait… you're here for them?" Another of the kings asked before they slumped in their throne. "Thank the Maker, we won't get thrown under the bus!"
"Ah, you see, most of the demons that have attacked you did so on the orders of Discordiae." a third king explained. "That fool is obsessed with defeating you to prove their worth as a Demon Lord, and we've lost so many demons because of their insane plan."
"If you want them, go ahead! We have no intention of stopping you." a fourth assured them. "We all hate the bastard!"
"Geez, the guy sure doesn't sound like Mr. Popularity, do they?" Captain Cold asked.
Just then, a door appeared and out of it came a demon wearing a makeshift robe and a crown, who smiled a nasty grin when he observed the group.
"Ah, so you finally grace me with your presence. The Sons of Sparda, the Ice Devil, the Nephilim, and all of their allies, in one place! Truly, this is my shining moment!" Discordiae declared.
"Shining moment? I wouldn't really say that." David said.
"Behold!" the Demon King said, waving their hand across the room. "Here, in the presence of my fellow Demon Kings of Fraud, I shall slay all of you, and earn my place as the new Demon Lord of Pride. Then, all of the Demon Universe shall honor me as its benevolent king for all time!"
"Yeah, yeah… Keep telling yourself that. You'll just make a bigger ass out of yourself once you're taken down." David said.
"You, the Demon Lord of Pride? Please, Lucifer was more of a Demon Lord than you would ever be." Ace added.
"The cowardly ramblings of cowardly cowards about to die." Discordiae replied as they threw off their robes. "Watch me, my fellow kings!"
The Demon King summoned two fireballs and hurled them at the group.
David promptly snapped his fingers as a blizzard was conjured, snuffing the two fireballs out. The storm pelted Discordiae until they started running at the group wildly, arms shaking and speaking gibberish.
"Yep, this guy is a loon." David said. "Always happy to take out the trash." he said as he drew Blizzard Edge.
"Behold, the blade catch!" Discordiae declared as they put their hands together to try and catch the blade… too late, as the Nichirin Blade swung down the middle, scoring a nasty hit. "...Well done!"
"Like that? Watch this!" David said as his blade started to glow. "Breath of Ice: Tenth Form… Sapphire Storm!" he said as he swiped at Discordiae, causing a cloud to appear over them as rays of blue light rained down.
The lights struck Discordiae all over, until the Demon King was completely covered in ice, save for their head. "Ah-ha! Already, they immortalize me with ice sculptures!"
"Man, just shut up already. You're giving everyone here a big headache." David said.
"You're a big headache!" Discordiae said.
"What's that even mean?" Ethox asked.
The Demon King opened their mouth to respond… then closed it, looking confused. "...I don't know."
"What an idiot… I'm not going to sweat the details." David said as he held the blade to Discordiae's neck. "I'm here to take your life."
"Ha...do you really think you can?" Discordiae declared.
"It's not a question of whether I can." David said. "It's about more than just slaying you. At least, it is to me now."
"I am invincible! I will never die!" the Demon King yelled. "Your butter knife cannot spread the butter of death upon me!"
"You just have no awareness of what's going on around you, do you?" David asked.
"Ha….you shall never….gah!" Discordiae cried out as Inosuke carved off the demon's arm.
"Well look at that. Mine seems to work." Inosuke said.
"Just face facts, already. You're finished." David said. "The Demon Universe is better off without you."
With that, David swung the blade across Discordiae's neck, ending the mad Demon King's life. After a moment of silence, the other Demon Kings clapped.
"I know I shouldn't say this, but thank God they're gone!" one of the kings said. "Honestly, I forget why we even let them be a Demon King."
"We were desperate after the crusader carved his way through here." another answered before he turned to the group. "Congratulations, you've cleared the Demon Universe's dungeon. Now, perhaps we can offer you a few rewards?"
The king snapped his fingers, bringing in demons hauling treasure which they put at the group's feet.
"These are the treasures that Discordiae took for themself throughout the years. They're yours now." the king stated.
"Heck yeah we'll take it!" Meowth said.
"Haha! Finally, actual gold treasure earned fair and square! We're rich!" Eddy laughed.
"Erm… Thank you." David said.
"Now, onto the second reward: knowledge." another king said. "Knowledge about these dungeons."
"Wait, you mean you know how this whole dungeon thing happened?" Mark asked.
"To an extent." the king said. "All of the dungeons you've seen so far weren't formed from nothing: they were created by a being, one very powerful. Who or for what purpose, we cannot say. All we know is that this being can reach into all universes. It is they who brought the Circle up into the human world, and perhaps it is they who brought the Sons of Sparda in here as well."
"And now, a third and final reward." a third demon spoke up. "We shall grant to thee any one request, as long as it is within our power. Whatever you wish for, we shall do our best to grant."
"Say… There has been something we were told on the way here." David said.
"Oh?" the king asked.
"Yeah, Jack the Hacker… he said this system hell is using is flawed." Mark said. "There are people here who've changed and might be worthy of going to Purgatorio."
"A sad state of affairs, but only the Demon Lords have a chance of altering the system. We, unfortunately, cannot do that." the king replied.
"Well, what if you put up a demon that wanted things to change?" Mark asked.
"He mentioned that only Demon Kings can become Demon Lords. And with Discordiae dead, that means that some other Demon King will have to rise up. Maybe someone that can help change this system for the better." David said.
"I see… you want us to elevate Jack the Hacker to the position of a Demon King, so that he has a chance to become a Demon Lord and attempt to change the system." the king summarized. "...Very well. We shall carry out this request post-haste."
"Now that the matter is settled, it is time for you to go." another king said. "It won't be long before the Circle of Fraud returns to its rightful place in the Inferno. Allow us to make you a way out."
The kings gathered their power together, opening a door that shined with a bright light.
"Fare thee well, heroes. And please, if you ever find yourselves journeying to the Inferno proper… Please let us know before you show up, so that we might try and mitigate the damage." the king chuckled.
"We'll see what we can do on that front." David said.
The entire group walked through the door, finding themselves back on the outskirts of Redgrave City.
"Whew! We made it! That was a real doozy." Dynasmon said.
"Indeed. Though now we must wonder which dungeon to strike next." Iida said.
"Ainz, Albedo… Do you guys really think I did the right thing back there?" David asked.
"Hm? What brought this on?" Albedo asked.
"It's just… Up until a while ago, I was just going after demons indiscriminately, and now I'm helping them change their society. The whole time we were there, I thought I was coming down with a fever or something, because… That was just not something I'd normally do." David said.
"Hmm…let's walk." Ainz said walking with David. "It's not too strange to consider. I mean, look at me. I was just some ordinary office drone but now...I am the overlord. Surrounded by the inhuman and care less about the human race. Rimuru is another example. Caring more about monsters but also about humans. Honestly, it's not strange for views to change."
"Hmm… I can understand where you're coming from. I guess when you see things from the other side, after a while not everything is as you once thought." David said.
"Very true. In fact, you may have to make a choice like that someday. Which is more important...slaying demons...or changing their ways to end the slaying." Ainz said.
"Yeah… I know. It's a tough burden to bear, but someone has to take it, right?" David asked.
"Yes...I suppose so." Ainz said.
"And it wasn't just with that dungeon either. Back when we were in past Glenwood, I was actually on the side of the Lord of Calamity, a being I once saw as pure evil." David said. "And then… There were Dark Meta Knight's words back at the Jambastation."
"I think you should take a break from shouldering all of these responsibilities and focus on what your priorities should be for the future." Ainz said.
"Yeah. You're right. All of these are just a huge wake-up call that not everything is as I once perceived them." David said. "You know… It's kind of funny, really. Dark Meta Knight, Cheetah, and now you… All of you are from sides that I thought I'd never have decent interactions with, but now… You all seem to be like...mentors in a way. I'm not really sure how to put this feeling into words."
"I see...well I can't help but feel flattered in a way. We all are just living our lives the best we can...most of them fueled by our own desires and intentions." Ainz said.
"Yeah. I think that's what you guys are trying to get me to think about. What kind of path I should walk…" David said.
"Hmm….huh?" Ainz said. "Excuse me a moment." he said, answering someone telepathically. "What is it, Demiurge? What? You only had to stay within this one and not...oh. I see..how fascinating. Send me the location and return to the ship. We'll head there soon."
"Sounds like he got a lead on something." David said.
"He's subjugated a number of demons to Nazarick. But he's gone beyond this universe. He's found a new dungeon in the Magic Universe." Ainz said.
"Magic, huh? Interesting. We should go tell the others." David said.
"Indeed. A discovery like this cannot be left to waste." Ainz said. "Besides...if magic is involved...I must know its secrets." he said as his eyes blazed.