Again, massive spoiler warning. Please read the manga if you haven't already.

Chapter 2 – Clarity

"We win," said a human voice.

The owner of that voice was not his partner, Reen Vise. Ashron spun on his feet and looked down. Reen was still there, wearing an expression of shock, but thankfully wearing no injuries.

And not two demards away, the human Dufort stood, gazing calmly at Ashron without the slightest trace of fear. Ashron's fierce glare did not scare him as it did all other humans he had met so far.

In one hand, the human held Zeno's blue book. The book was kept solidly at the human's waist level, in a grip like a student might hold a textbook as they traveled between classes. It had not been opened the entire fight, the spells within being recited from memory.

And in the human's other hand, a different book was held aloft: one with a vermillion cover. Ashron's book.

Reen looked to the upraised book, then at his own empty hand. "Wha-?"

"You are unable to cast any more spells," Zeno's human said calmly. "You lose."

"You- you cheated!" his own human shouted, pointing an accusing finger. "They said that humans wouldn't be involved in the fight- that we wouldn't be involved! You violated the terms of the duel!"

"No," the human Dufort denied, still calm. Then, word for word, he recited, "We demons aren't allowed to target our humans or books. The first to inflict true damage upon their opponent's body wins. Alternatively, if either of us runs out of spells, or is otherwise unable to cast any, that one shall lose."

Reen stood there, speechless.

"They weren't allowed to target us," the human summarized. "They said nothing about us targeting each other." He held his own book aloft. "I still have Zeno's book, and I still have heart power." The blue book briefly glowed with an intense light, but the light dimmed as quickly as it had come.

The Demon prince suddenly appeared right in front of Ashron, seeming to flicker into existence. "Dufort, what do you think you're doing?" The thunder emperor asked, eyes intense.

"Winning," the human shrugged. "Or 'having fun', as you might put it. I can still cast," he stated, his gaze returning to Reen. "You can't. We win, you lose."

Zeno's eyes narrowed, but then he closed them, took a deep breath, and let it out. "We'll talk about this later." The Thunder Emperor turned to face Ashron. "You said you had something to say before we burn your book. Something important?"

"Yes," Ashron said. "Something that concerns the fate of all living Mamodo."

Ashron had been watching the exchange in silence. Initially, he had been about to object to the human's interference, but his own partner took care of that. Then, as he was reminded of Zeno's exact wording and took a bit of time to think it over, he realized the human was technically correct. Dufort had violated the spirit of the duel, but not the terms.

Now Ashron was wondering if he should accept his defeat with honor.

Zeno Bell seemed to be angry at his own human's actions, meaning the Thunder Emperor had not intended to win this way. Ashron doubted Zeno even needed his human's assistance in the first place, given how the first two exchanges of their duel had gone.

I'll speak my peace, Ashron thought to himself. If Zeno has any sense at all, or any concern for his future subjects once he becomes king, then he will take my mission, even if he decides to burn my book. And I have already witnessed Zeno acting with honor, if not kindness.

"I assume you know of the king's privilege?" Ashron asked.

Zeno's royal purple eyes widened slightly. "Yes, I know it."

"And you know what it does?"

Ashron knew what it could do, but...

Zeno's eyes narrowed. "It is the ultimate prize of the fight to become Demon King: the ability to kill any Demon you wish upon your coronation. If someone angers the winner during this battle royale, or if the winner holds a grudge against another tribe, or if the winner is just malicious, he will be given the opportunity to erase any Demon from existence."

... but Ashron didn't quite know the specifics.

"Any demon, or just the competitors?"

"The whole demon world shall be the Demon King's domain," Zeno said, as if reciting something. "This ability will not be restricted in use only against the 100 Mamodo who fight in the battle to become king."

Ashron nodded. "I thought so. If I had won this battle," he began, "my question would have been 'how many demons will you kill upon becoming king?' and you would have been honor-bound to answer."

Zeno grinned. "I see. That's a good question to ask of a powerful demon whose book is in your hands."

"If you intended to use the privilege at all," Ashron continued, "I would have burned your book in an instant."

Zeno's grin widened. "That's reasonable. You realize I'm not currently obliged to answer?"

"Yes. That wasn't where I was going with this. Tell me, prince of the Demon World, what is the worst possible way the King's privilege could be used?"

Zeno frowned at the question.

"It would depend on what you mean by 'the worst possible way'."

He raised his right hand in front of him, palm facing upwards. "Some demons, like yourself it seems, would consider it a terrible thing to use it at all. A violation of rights, life, decency, and so on." He lowered the hand, simultaneously raising the other in a mirror motion, as if weighing two options on a set of scales. "Others would consider it a terrible waste to throw away the opportunity to eliminate all of our world's undesirables, or to reshape society at will." He lowered both hands. "From which perspective do you ask that question?"

"Every perspective," the dragon emphasized. "Every perspective of every demon currently alive except the future king."

Zeno's frown deepened. He couldn't quite envision an answer that all demons would agree upon.

Ashron took a deep breath. "Let me rephrase: What is the absolute, worst possible action that could be taken with the power to kill any demon you wished? It is something that every single demon alive would consider an awful outcome, except the one who brings it about."

Zeno shook his head. No opinion could be that unanimous.

"The king kills everyone," came the voice of Dufort before Zeno could respond. "Including himself. Or, at the very most, he spares a single demon, leaving no possibility of repopulation. That is the 'answer'."

Zeno stood still, corrected.

The eyes of everyone present, excluding one pair, shot to Zeno's partner.

Dufort's own eyes were staring vacantly in the direction of Ashron, still emotionless. "I presume there exists a demon who intends to the privilege it that way?" he asked in a detached, condescending tone, as if he was asking the most obvious question in the world. "One more powerful than you?"

"Yes," Ashron confirmed, appearing unnerved. "How-"

"If no demon existed with that intent, you wouldn't be worried about it," Dufort interrupted. "And if the demon was weaker than you, you would have burned his book already," Dufort finished. "Don't ask stupid questions."

Ashron seemed stunned at the admonition.

Zeno, on the other hand, was still reeling.

The Demon prince hadn't considered a Mamodo would ever use the privilege that way, even though he really, really should have.

Ever since he learned of his brother's existence, and of the fact that his father had favored Zatch with Baou, and finally the fact that Zatch would be participating in this fight, Zeno's mind had become significantly better at perceiving and comprehending the darker aspects of Mamodo society. He has had enough history lessons to know that some demons crave only murder and destruction. He has also thoroughly learned the lesson that life is never fair.

Of course a Mamodo intended to use the King's Privilege to end all of demonkind, and OF COURSE it would be the most powerful Mamodo in the competition. It only made sense.

Zeno himself had only intended to use the King's Privilege to kill a single Mamodo, but it seems his short list might have just gone from one Demon to two.

"What's the name of this Mamodo?" Zeno asked, unable to prevent his dark thoughts from showing on his face.

"Clear Note," Ashron answered, his gaze settling on Zeno once again.

"Clear Note?" Zeno echoed in surprise. It wasn't a name he was especially familiar with, and his memory took longer than usual to recall the relevant details. "The bastard child, born to the outcasts of the lightning and gravity clans?"*

Ashron showed some surprise of his own. "I am only familiar with his name, powers, and appearance, not his backstory."

"He was abandoned by his parents," Zeno explained, "who were shunned and eventually abandoned by their own families. His mother was a member of the gravity clan, aunt to Brago and Rodeaux, who are relatively strong contenders in this competition. His father was a member of the lightning clan, my own uncle."

"Lightning and Gravity?" Ashron asked, his eyes distant. "His parents had the powers of disintegration and black holes? The two highest forms of destruction?" His eyes then grew even more distant. "Demon power theory states that gravity equals matter and lightning equals antimatter... combined..." Suddenly, his eyes refocused. "Yes, that makes sense."

Zeno shook his head. "No, it doesn't. Neither of his parents had any demon powers whatsoever, which is why they were shunned. My own uncle left our clan by choice, but the powerless mistress of gravity was forced out of hers. I dismissed Clear Note as a threat because the offspring of powerless demons should not have had any powers at all."

"No powers?" Ashron asked, seeming surprised. "Nothing?" Then, after a few moments, he chuckled darkly. It almost developed into a full laugh. "Yes, that makes sense too. Perfect sense."

"How could it?" Zeno argued, annoyed.

Ashron's expression grew grave and serious. "Because the powers of Clear Note are based on Nothingness."

There was a pause.

Zeno still didn't understand. "Care to explain?"

"Annihilation," Dufort supplied. "His attacks leave nothing behind, and his defenses annihilate incoming spells. That's the 'answer'."

Zeno stared at his partner in disbelief.

In all his studies of demon history and lore, in all his knowledge of tribes and power, he had never read or heard of such a thing. It was true that new powers types could develop from diverse Demon blood lines mixing in different ways, but... Annihilation? That was just... cheating.

Broken.

Unfair.

Life isn't fair, his lessons automatically reminded him.

Ashron was now looking at Dufort again. "Probably," he eventually confirmed. "Clear Note is currently unable to cast any spells. His human is a baby, and since humans need to be able to speak to cast spells..."

Zeno's eyebrows were drawn together, intense in both concentration and thought.

"There's a cliché," came the voice of Dufort, "that human children have the strongest hearts of all. Whoever designed this competition must have a thing for poetry. The strongest Mamodo, unable to cast spells. The most emotional human, unable to speak words. They make a perfect pair."

Zeno ignored his human, focusing instead on the important things. "How were you unable to defeat a demon that can't cast spells?" he asked Ashron.

"I am unable to defeat him because he requires no more than two fingers to deflect third-level spells," Ashron stated simply. "None of the spells I've unlocked so far can overcome his unpowered body. In terms of physicality, he is generally more powerful than you or I, though his skin isn't quite as tough as my scales, nor his speed quite as high as yours, nor his strength as great as Elzador's, I suspect."

And yet, Zeno thought, any level of natural defense that can be mentioned in the same sentence as the Scarlet Scale is nothing to scoff at, nor any speed that can be compared to mine.

Zeno's eyebrows were still drawn, still thoughtful. "If you couldn't damage him directly, why not just burn his book?"

"Clear has somehow encased the infant in an impenetrable barrier, an absolute defense that he claims cannot be broken, though he also claims that maintaining it halves his power." Ashron sighed. "The only way through it is through him. I am unable to get through him, so I can't get to his book. I can defend against him, but that's the most I can do."

Before Zeno could respond, Dufort interjected. "And since you would never let such a powerful enemy roam unsupervised," he said, again sounding bored, "you know Clear's current whereabouts, and could tell us Clear's location, which is..." he trailed off, his eyes narrowing at the great red dragon. "... somewhere nearby. Somewhere you could reach in minutes at most, in order to mitigate the damage of a rampage, if Clear went on one."

The great dragon gave a visible shudder. "I still cannot comprehend how you do that. But yes, you are correct. Clear is approximately fifty demards that way," he said, pointing a claw.

"One hundred and eighteen point five kilometers west of here would place Clear Note in Sweden," Dufort calculated instantly.

Zeno took a moment to extend his senses.

"I do sense someone in that direction," Zeno said with a frown. "But there's no power behind the presence at all."

Ashron nodded. "Clear Note is concealing his presence, like you did before you appeared before me. He can't conceal it completely because he must maintain his barrier, but he can hide his strength."

"Then how do you know it's him?" Zeno argued. "If a Mamodo is actively concealing their presence, it is notoriously difficult to identify them."

"I haven't allowed him to leave my range ever since I first encountered him," Ashron rebutted. "I don't have to recognize his demonic signature to know it is him. And you should already know that the Beast clans specialize in a different form of demon sensing than the Humanoid clans. My sensing range might be shorter than yours, but once I've met a Mamodo, I will always be able to identify his or her signature, no matter how much effort they put into concealing it. It's like a 'scent' that I don't forget, and other beast demons can do the same, especially the fully bestial ones."

Zeno scowled. "I wasn't taught about that nuance. I'm going to have to punish one of my tutors when I return to the demon world."

Ashron shuddered, but pressed on. "In that case, I suppose I should mention that other beast mamodo may be able to detect where a mamodo has been, not just where they are, though I have trouble with that aspect myself. Thankfully, since I'm partially humanoid, I have the 'scent tracking' without fully sacrificing my general sensing potential, and I can make myself more humanoid still by taking a form that restricts my battle power but not my senses. I was about to test if that form would grant me better sensing range before you arrived."

"It would," Dufort confirmed, though Zeno had no idea how he could possibly know that. "You'll also have a greater range than humanoids, but only for Demons whose 'scent' you recognize. Otherwise, your maximum sensing range potential should be about half of Zeno's."

Zeno was sorely tempted to reprimand his human right then and there, but they were still in front of an opponent, and his training still instructed him to wait until they were alone.

Instead Zeno thought about the problem some more, and a new question occurring to him. "How do you even know what his spells do, if he can't cast them in the first place?"

Ashron was silent for a moment, appearing surprised at the question. "I suppose," he said slowly, after a time, "you could say I don't know what his spells do, since I never witnessed him use any. All I know is that he claims they will be capable of annihilation once he can cast them."

Zeno's concentration deepened at that, until a sudden realization brought his thinking to an end.

"Not to mention," spoke Dufort, interjecting himself into the conversation once again. "His existing barrier annihilates all harm directed towards his partner, which fits the theme of his powers."

Zeno sneered at his human. "You really think so, Dufort?"

If Dufort had the sense he claimed to have, he should be able to see through the lie.

The idea that such a powerful Mamodo existed was implausible enough, but when you add the further constraint that nobody ever noticed his strength back in the demon world, a single response comes to mind: ridiculous.

Clearly, Ashron invented this incredible story so that Zeno would spare his book. The great dragon would probably propose they join forces, or something equally absurd, in order to take down this terrible threat. Then, when he wasn't looking, he would be stabbed in the back. Or his book would be burned when his attention was elsewhere, in this case. Not that Zeno or Dufort would ever give them such an opportunity, even in the hypothetical scenerio where they did form a temporary alliance.

Everything said so far has been hearsay. Ashron has offered no proof, nor has he provided any immediately verifiable details.

"If you really know everything," Zeno said to Dufort, "surely you've considered the most obvious possibility here?"

"I've considered every possibility," his human answered. "And in this case, the 'answer' is that Ashron believes as he speaks, despite how it may seem. He might have been tricked, fooled, or given false information, but he does not currently intend to deceive us."

"You can't possibly know that for certain," Zeno argued.

"Perhaps you can't," Dufort spoke, still with that infuriating detachment. "But I can."

Zeno was enough insubordination for one lifetime. They needed to talk. Now.

"It's time we leave," he declared.

"What about my book?" Ashron asked.

"What's Reen's phone number?" Dufort instantly replied.

Ashron's partner, briefly startled at being addressed, answered the question.

"You will receive instructions via text for retrieving your book if we decide not to burn it."

"And if Clear kills you both before you can?" Ashron postulated.

"That's why you'll be receiving a text, not a call," Dufort said dismissively. "Zeno, we'll be needing the element of surprise; don't flare your power when you jump."

Before anything more could be said or asked, Zeno wrapped his partner in his mantle and teleported the two of them a few demards away. He couldn't go the full fifty in a single jump without revealing his full power level.

But then, it's not like he planned to confront Clear before he confronted his own partner.

"So, the demon hell-bent on genocide has taken up residence in Sweden," Dufort commented when they reappeared some distance away. "Not as cliché as a dragon in Norway. He should have been hiding in Auschwitz. Or a Russian gulag. Or perhaps Hiroshima or Nagasaki."

"You shouldn't give tips to the opponent, Dufort," was the first thing Zeno said, though he had plenty of other objections to his partner's behavior. "You shouldn't have told him about the extent of his own sensing powers."

Dufort's hand raised a vermillion tome. "We already had his book." His shoulders shrugged. "And he won't take my word for it anyway."

"It's the principle of the matter," Zeno stubbornly argued. "You don't help the enemy. Ever."

"He wasn't our enemy."

"You don't know that! And it's still not your call to make, even if you did."

"My mind, my mouth, my will, my call," Dufort stated.

"My competition, my opponents, my culture, my call," Zeno shot back. "This is my game. If you want in, you play by my rules."

"My heart power," Dufort said, his book glowing briefly. He wore the slightest of grins as he said it, the closest thing to a positive emotion that Zeno had ever seen him have. "If you want it, you play by mine."

Zeno reminded himself how much he hated that fact.

He took a deep, calming breath.

"Perhaps," the demon prince allowed. "But you forget one thing."

He blurred forward, knocking the human down and grasping his throat in a swift, terrible motion. "Demons are far more powerful than humans, even without spells. If you don't obey me, you will die."

Dufort stared back at him, unblinking. "Fine."

Zeno faltered.

"What?"

"I said, 'fine'."

Zeno's eyebrows were furrowed again.

"Don't you care about your own life?"

Dufort was emotionless as always when he answered, "Why should I?"

"Because you'd stop existing if I crushed your throat," Zeno said, squeezing slightly. "You aren't the slightest bit afraid that I will?"

"No."

Still, the lack of emotion.

In any other situation, Zeno would have called the bluff. He was sorely tempted to do so now. But if he killed Dufort, he lost the competition. It was as simple as that. And Dufort knew that. Dufort was calling his bluff, and he was powerless.

"It seems we're at an impasse," Dufort said, his throat still clutched by Zeno. "You want my heart power. I want to do things that interest me. These goals don't have to be incompatible, you know. I'm just as interested in seeing Clear as you are."

Zeno's grip loosened slightly. "Maybe so," he allowed. "But we need to establish some ground rules."

"Such as?" asked the human whose life he held at his fingertips.

"Rule 1: I call the shots. I decide where we go, who we fight, and what we do."

Dufort stared at him silently.

"Rule 2: You don't get to talk to our opponents unless I say so. Rule 3: No insubordination. Got it?"

"I understand," Dufort instantly replied, causing Zeno's fingers to loosen even more, "but I don't agree," he amended, causing them to tighten again.

Zeno's eyes narrowed. "And why not?"

"If you get to lay ground rules, so do I," said the human.

Zeno's eyes narrowed further. "Like what?"

He was tempted to refuse on principle, but it didn't make sense to reject conditions he didn't even know. And since his powers were locked, he may as well hear them out.

"Rule 1: You decide where we go, who we fight, and what we do, but you listen to my advice when I give it."

Zeno paused, considering. Advice, huh?

It didn't sound too bad, but...

"What kind of advice?" he asked skeptically.

"I know the human world better than you do," Dufort said. "I know how to avoid attracting undue attention here, and how to get around. I'm also good at deducing things you miss, as you've already witnessed."

Unfortunately, Zeno couldn't deny that last part. Dufort had seen every single one of Ashron's implications before he had.

"You call the shots, but only after taking my advice into account. Is that acceptable?"

Zeno considered it.

"Yes," he said, after realizing that he didn't actually have to change his positions, even after being advised. "So long as you don't do it in front of other Mamodo. Especially ones we're battling."

If the rule was that Zeno would listen, not that he would agree or obey, he could acquiesce to it easily enough.

"Rule 2," Dufort continued. "I don't talk to your opponents unless you say so. But there will be battles when I will talk to you, giving you direct orders."

Zeno scoffed. "And why would I ever agree to that?"

"My battle intuition is better than yours." Before Zeno could combat this ridiculous claim, Dufort asked, "'How do I dodge this attack? How do I do damage? How can I win?' The answers to these questions instantly pop into my head. Remember when I ordered you to dodge Ashron's claw attack? Or when I assessed his weaknesses, which you confirmed for yourself afterwards? Or when I dodged his scatter shot? I do not claim to have your physical abilities; I claim to have better battlefield awareness."

"Even if I believed that were the case," Zeno spoke in a tone that clearly conveyed he didn't, "I still don't see why I should follow your orders. With my level of power, any fight we get into will be trivial."

But Dufort shook his head, only slightly, since Zeno wasn't giving him much freedom of movement. "There may be fights that aren't easy; we will not have the luxury of frivolity against Clear Note, for example, whom you intend to find and fight. In that battle, if I say to do something, you will do it."

"And if I refuse?" Zeno challenged.

"Then you will lose," Dufort declared. "And if you attempt to lie to me, feigning acceptance of my terms with the intent to ignore them at a critical juncture, I won't accompany you, nor cast any spells if you drag me along by force. We are about to face a true dilemma, danger that even I cannot accurately predict. I don't care about my own life, but even I have standards about dying as a result of preventable stupidity. If you want to kill me, fine. But if you drag me into a fight that you weren't ready for, ignoring my advice, and get us both killed... the thought of that scenario displeases me greatly."

Zeno stood there silently, again considering.

He didn't like this condition. In fact, he absolutely hated it. Once again, he reminded himself just how much he loathed the system that locks Demon spells behind human heart power.

"I won't always do this," Dufort added. "Only in true dilemmas, where the conclusion is not foregone thanks to your considerable powers. Or when I believe you would be annoyed if I hadn't done so, like warning you of an ambush, or a surprise attack."

The demon prince considered further. Dufort was right that Zeno would be annoyed if he saw a surprise attack coming and said nothing. And if he would otherwise only give orders in genuinely dangerous battles...

"Fine," Zeno spat. "You can 'answer' our battle problems all you want, but I'm still calling the shots. I decide whose books we burn, I decide which Mamodos we battle, I decide what is allowed to be said to our enemies, and I decide where we go and what we do. Understood?"

"We already established that with Rules 1 and 2," Dufort said as his way of answering. "Rule 3: No insubordination, but there will be times when I want to do things not related to the competition. I will agree not to go against your will so long as you agree to abide by mine when it's inconsequential to your goals."

There was a pause.

"Well?" Dufort asked, his life still in Zeno's hands.

Zeno was motionless for a moment as he thought about this final amendment. If it was not related to the competition and inconsequential to his goals... it probably referred to things like food, comfort, and possibly entertainment.

"Do we have an accord?" Dufort pressed.

"Yes," Zeno said at last.

He may have conceded a great deal of ground just now, but he was still in control, and that was the important thing. He could always wait until after the competition to kill the human.

The thunder emperor released his partner, taking a step away.

Dufort stood, wiping the dust off his clothes. He didn't even having the decency to cough after being throttled so viciously, and Zeno was torn between respecting his partner's dignity or resenting it.

"Should we get going?" Dufort asked, clearly and calmly.

Zeno wrapped his human in his mantle and made another short jump in the direction of the presence Ashron claimed would be Clear Note.

*Clear's past isn't ever explained in canon, only his intentions and motivations. Everything in this chapter about his parents and their powers is entirely original content. Clear's backstory has been left open to our imagination, so I took the liberty of filling in some blanks. The information I've provided doesn't contradict anything in canon, to my knowledge, but understand that it isn't canon, either.