Many years later, yes, now, Demon King Aio would often recall that afternoon, walking home from school, when a massive truck sent him from his old home on Earth to another world.
The moment he opened his eyes and realized he wasn’t dead, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Eh?” Then, after glancing at the unfamiliar surroundings and understanding he’d transmigrated, he let out a sudden, enlightened, “Oh.”
That was how he got his name in this life.
With a distant bloodline connection, formidable personal strength, and, most of all, his unrivaled wit, Aio smoothly became the new king of the Demon Race.
Over the years, he led the heroes of the Demon Race to accomplish great feats, becoming the Human Kingdom’s archenemy.
People would cry out in alarm, Demon King Aio is here, another city is about to fall.
And then, inevitably, he attracted too much attention and was targeted by the Hero Squad.
***
In the dense forest outside the Demon King’s Castle, Aio collected his thoughts and returned to the present.
The few shallow wounds on his back were no longer serious, but the situation was grim.
Just a few dozen paces ahead, three girls with distinct attire faced him in a silent, triangular formation.
The Hero Squad!
In fact, he’d received intelligence about these people days ago.
“Your Majesty, I’ve heard that the Human Kingdom has produced several young geniuses: the youngest Sword Saint in the kingdom’s history, a girl, hailed as a once-in-a-millennium sword prodigy. The Grand Sage of the Magic Court’s personal Disciple, also a girl, another once-in-a-millennium magic genius. The Church of Light’s new Saintess, said to appear only once every thousand years. And some sort of once-in-a-millennium Assassin… Uh, Your Majesty, why are you laughing?”
“I’m laughing because you’re too young, and you know too little about humans. These titles are just empty words. Think about it: if there’s a ‘once-in-a-millennium’ every time, does that mean the humans have been hiding in the shadows and losing battles for a thousand years, just waiting for me to show up?”
“That makes sense, Your Majesty.”
“Of course it does. So, should I not laugh?”
And so, they all laughed.
Remembering that conversation, Aio suddenly felt his face sting.
The intelligence was real!
This morning, Aio had just woken up when he received news that a garrison on the forest’s edge had been attacked and was requesting reinforcements.
Since it wasn’t far, he went himself, only to be ambushed by the Hero Squad as soon as he left the castle.
He hadn’t taken them seriously at first, just four people, and none of them shouting about the power of friendship, but as soon as the battle began, he realized how wrong he was.
These girls were not only well-trained and perfectly coordinated, but their tactics were flawless.
Aio, outnumbered, fought and retreated, caught between advancing and withdrawing, until he ended up here.
“You’ve got nowhere to run now, small fry Demon King~”
Tch!
Of the three girls before him, the one at the front, single arrowhead of their triangle, had long, icy-blue hair.
She wore a silver skirt-armor, not hard metal but a flexible Mithril, and wielded a gleaming Knight Sword.
Her gear alone showed how valuable her equipment was.
She was as vivid and beautiful as a rose, but what struck Aio most was her eyes, also icy-blue.
They held no playfulness or chill, but a strange quality: steadiness.
To her left, behind her, was a petite girl with red twin-tails.
She looked innocent and adorable at first glance, but… she was the one who’d just spoken.
Such a cute face, wasted on a hateful Human Kingdom mage brat!
On the right stood a blonde girl with a pure figure and innocent face, dressed all in white, radiating an untouchable sacredness.
Their tactics were simple: the strongest swordswoman held the front; the Saintess on the right provided healing; the mage on the left cast spells from the rear.
As long as the front line held and the formation was tight, they could wear him down, giving their real trump card, the hidden Assassin girl on the flank, a chance to strike.
A thousand cuts wouldn’t kill at once, but given time, even the toughest would fall.
The situation was dire, dangerous, even, but it wasn’t a dead end yet, because tactics could always be countered with wisdom!
“Hahahahaha.”
Facing them, Aio started to laugh.
“What are you laughing at, small fry Demon King?”
The mage girl tilted her head. “Giving up already?”
“I’m laughing because you’re all so young, brave, but lacking in cunning. You knew I was here, so you rushed over, full of passion. But did you ever wonder, if so many people knew I was here, why it’s you who ended up facing me?”
Indeed, why? Well, even if there was a reason, Aio didn’t know it.
But it didn’t matter, he was sure these girls didn’t know either.
The heart of the Hero Squad’s tactics was their formation, and at the core of that was the lone front-line Sword Saint.
If he could break through her, the formation would collapse instantly.
“You might be able to finish me here, but after that, when you return with your achievement, what awaits you? Flowers and applause, or…”
Now!
Aio suddenly exploded into action, raising the White Bone Sword high.
Surging demonic power turned into sword energy, sweeping countless Undead toward the swordswoman.
Youngsters like these had never faced true chaos.
If he could distract her with some ambiguous words, then strike while she hesitated, he could easily.
Clang!!
The exquisite Rose Knight Sword and the White Bone Sword clashed, sword energy scattering like a storm, and the wails of the Undead echoing in the air.
She didn’t fall for it!
Though strained, she still blocked the strike.
Her icy-blue eyes didn’t waver, only her brows knit slightly.
“O God, bestow your grace and guide the lost into the Light.”
The Saintess prayed, and holy Light fell upon the Sword Saint, rapidly restoring her magic and dispelling the Undead’s curse from the White Bone Sword.
Now, she didn’t even frown.
“I’ve long heard the Demon King is cunning and deceitful,” the Sword Saint said calmly, gazing at Aio.
“Now I see it’s true.”
Damn that Human Kingdom bard, leaking my secrets… Argh!!
A flash of cold light darted from a haystack, a small dagger flicking out from a sleeve, slashing past Aio’s back.
No greed, no haste, just a shallow cut before vanishing again.
“Damn backstabber!”
Aio, furious, hurled a Fireball at the hiding spot, but it was intercepted mid-air by an Ice Shield, bursting into steam.
“Small fry Demon King, arson is a serious crime~”
The Sword Saint stepped forward, swinging her sword.
Though Aio blocked it easily, he couldn’t keep casting spells.
Clang! Clang, clang!
After a few exchanges, the Sword Saint used the force to retreat, and the Healing Light fell on her again.
The formation held, the Saintess healed, the Assassin vanished once more, everything was just as it had started, except Aio now had another wound on his back.
How was he supposed to win this?!
After a rustling sound, the three girls lowered their guard, and even the hidden Assassin emerged from the grass.
They all watched as the Demon King fled toward his own Castle.
“He ran?”
“But there’s no exit behind the Castle, where does he think he’s going?”
“He’s panicking~”
The Sword Saint thought for a moment, then decided: “Let’s chase him down and trap him in the Castle.”
The Demon King’s Castle really was a solitary fortress.
After all, when past Demon Kings built it, they never considered things like decapitation tactics.
But after Aio took over, he installed several Traps inside. If used well, they’d be invaluable today.
He ascended from the first floor, activating the Traps one by one along the way.
“That stuck-up ice queen, that two-faced Church of Light girl, that cheeky brat, and that damn backstabber, you just wait!”
“Your Majesty, what are you doing?”
Aio looked up and saw an Octopus-Headed Creature poking its head out from around the corner, staring at him in confusion, as if it had no idea what was happening.
This was one of the Castle’s Seafood Chefs.
Don’t be fooled by all those tentacles, if a fight broke out, it’d end up as grilled squid.
“All of you, hide! Go tell the others, everyone, hide!”
They weren’t much use in battle, so better to play an Empty Fortress Stratagem.
If the girls stumbled into a few Traps and saw an empty Castle, their young hearts would surely waver.
Then, he could make his escape.
With everything set, Aio sat by the stairwell on the upper floor, waiting for the Traps to do their work.
Soon, the Hero Squad entered, their view of the lower floors blocked, but he could hear their voices in the distance.
Footsteps approached, drawing near, at the hall entrance, yes, right there.
The first fire Trap will let you…
“Maintain formation,” the calm girl’s voice ordered.
“Zero, check for Traps.”
Eh?
“Roger.”
Clatter, tinkle, clang, boom!
It sounded like someone was tossing things on the ground, triggering or disarming the Traps.
“First floor clear!”
“Second floor, maintain formation, keep checking.”
Clatter, tinkle, clang, crash, thud!
“Second floor clear!”
“Third floor, same as before.”
Aio’s face turned ashen.
With this attitude, what else was there to say?
His life was theirs.
The Traps had failed, and the Empty Fortress Stratagem was useless.
Now he truly had no options left.
Slumping on the stairwell, Aio looked back on his life.
He’d done pretty well, teaching the reckless Demon Race the art of intrigue, and achieving plenty.
But what could he do?
The humans had forged a sword over a thousand years… no, four swords, and he just happened to run into all of them.
Anyone else in his shoes would have to admit it was just bad luck.
With the talent those four girls had, they’d surely become legends of this Continent one day.
People would seek the story of their rise, and bards would sing of their deeds.
Then everyone would know that once, there was a Demon King named Aio, their first trial, the whetstone that sharpened their blades.
Not a bad thing, really.
At least his name would live on.
People would remember… hmm?
Hmm?
Aio snapped to his feet, and in a flash, dashed to his room.
If he wanted to leave behind a decent reputation, he had to deal with the stuff in his cabinet, right now!
No time to explain.
He burst into the room, tossed out a Fireball to ignite the furnace, yanked open the cabinet by the bed, and started throwing things in.
Little toys offered by Succubi, burn them, burn them.
Mysterious little picture books, burn them, burn them.
A mysterious little vial filled with a mysterious liquid… wait, this one really was mysterious.
Aio held it up for a closer look. Sunlight shone through the crystal bottle, and the clear liquid inside glimmered with faint pink, almost dreamy.
After half a minute of thought, he finally remembered what the pink liquid was.
“Your Majesty, this is the Permanent Transformation Potion. It can turn a member of the Demon Race into a beautiful human girl. After much effort and many rare ingredients, we finally succeeded. With this, your spy plan can proceed.”
It had just been developed last month, one of the Demon Race’s Secret Technologies.
As he recalled, it didn’t limit the gender of the Demon Race; it only guaranteed the final result. In other words…
Aio’s breathing grew rapid.
Calm down.
Think this through.
There’s no turning back, once he drank it, he’d be a girl for life.
He’d keep his magic, but without the Demon Race’s strong body, could he still be the Demon King?
Boom!
A Trap detonated, followed by a girl’s voice: “Second-to-last floor clear!”
They were coming.
No time for hesitation.
Aio raised the crystal vial, grinned at it, and said:
“Hehe, I have to survive.”
With that, he drank it down in one gulp!