"This… is a 'King' piece."
"—!?"
Ajuka-san's words hung in the air, heavy and impossible. We could only stare, our eyes wide with sheer disbelief.
An Evil Piece… for a King?
When he first pulled it out, the possibility had flickered across my mind. It didn't look like any of the pieces we knew; the shape was entirely unique. But the idea felt like a betrayal of everything we understood about our world.
In the Underworld, it was common knowledge: once you reach the rank of High-Class Devil, you travel to the Monolith—located either in a Great King's castle or the Lucifer's own domain—and register yourself as a 'King.' Only then are you granted the right to a Peerage and handed your set of Evil Pieces. That was the path I took to reach where I am today.
We were always taught that a physical 'King' piece simply didn't exist. Rias, Sona, even Ravel—everyone believed the same.
Yet, amidst our collective shock, one man remained eerily composed.
Azazel-sensei.
"…I'd heard the rumors," Sensei murmured, his eyes narrowed, "but this is the first time I've seen the real thing."
"You knew about this, Sensei?" I asked.
"Only whispers. Though, ever since we signed the pact with the Devil faction, those whispers started sounding a lot more like the truth every day."
So the rumors had been circulating for a long time.
Rias, however, couldn't take her eyes off the piece in Ajuka-san's hand. Her expression was one of profound doubt.
"…A King piece? But… I was told the technology to stabilize a King piece was never perfected. That's why the registration system was created—to bypass the need for a physical piece and jumpstart the system through the Monolith…"
"Precisely," Ajuka-san replied, casually rolling the piece between his fingers. "Technically, a King piece shouldn't exist. Under the standard Evil Piece architecture, the King is a registered entity. Or rather… we chose to make it a registration system. We did it to keep this piece out of the public eye. We also feared the complications that might arise if a reincarnated Devil were promoted—specifically, the risk of this piece overlapping or fusing with the piece already inside them."
He paused, his gaze turning sharp.
"The attribute of this piece is simple: raw empowerment. However, we aren't talking about doubling or tripling one's strength. This piece allows for an increase of ten, fifty, or even a hundredfold. It is a literal explosion of power. That is why the King piece was banned. The government feared that such absolute power would breed malice and corruption. Nothing blinds the soul faster than overwhelming strength."
Simple empowerment… ten to a hundred times over.
In terms of raw output, that's on par with the snakes Ophis gives out.
Absolute power blinds the soul…
I suppose he's right. If you earn your strength through blood, sweat, and years of training, you respect it. But if it's handed to you on a silver platter? That's a different story. The Old Maou faction, the ones who used Ophis's snakes—they were the perfect example. They were utterly drowned in their own borrowed power.
If this King piece were ever made public, people would kill for it. Diodora… yeah, that bastard would have used it in a heartbeat. He was already high on his own supply after getting a snake from Ophis.
Ajuka-san flicked his wrist, manifesting a small magic circle. Suddenly, data for dozens of individuals projected into the air above the beach.
"These are the top rankers of the Rating Games," Ajuka-san explained. "The common thread? They are all descendants of the original 72 Pillars—pureblooded High-Class Devils. And every single one of them has used this King piece. All under the secret direction of the Underworld's top brass. Naturally, none of this was ever made public. As a result, some of these players have reached levels that could be described as Ultimate-class, or even Satan-class."
A King piece that multiplies power by a hundred… if that's the starting point, reaching Satan-class isn't just possible; it's inevitable.
Sona swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she asked, "Then… the strength of the current top rankers is…?"
"They have bolstered their standings through an illegal power that exists outside the official rules," Ajuka-san said bluntly. "The majority of the Game's executive committee is completely corrupt. Beyond the use of the King pieces, bribery and match-fixing are commonplace. The Rating Game as it stands today is a deeply dishonest competition. Of course, there are those who climbed the ranks through pure merit—the former Dragon King Tannin, and Rüdiger Rosenkreutz, for instance. You'll notice a trend: the honest ones are usually Reincarnated Devils."
True enough, Tannin-ossan's name wasn't on that list.
Not that I ever expected it to be. The old man is a Dragon among Dragons—a proud King. He'd never stoop to something so shameful.
Maurice-ossan let out a heavy grunt.
"Even if there's some grand conspiracy behind it, do these kids actually feel good about winning with fake strength? …Though, I suppose depending on the situation, even I might use it."
"What!?"
We all froze. The "Old Man's" bombshell left us speechless.
If a King piece were right in front of him, he'd use it? The man who taught me the way of the sword… would he really succumb to that? I didn't want to believe it. His swordsmanship was noble, direct, and honest. He didn't seem like the type to be satisfied with a lie.
Seeing our horrified faces, Maurice-ossan looked at us like we were idiots.
"Hey, I said depending on the situation. Think about it—what if things got so bad that you couldn't protect the things that matter most without it? If it came down to that, I'd take the piece as a last resort. If I have to carry a lifetime of shame to save someone, that's a bargain."
Liesha smiled softly at his words. "Hehe, that sounds just like you, Maurice."
"Well, after using it, I'd probably throw away my sword and live the rest of my life in a hole somewhere," the old man sighed. "I'm not thick-skinned enough to walk around in public showing off a shameful victory. I'd just go off and die alone somewhere quiet."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the group.
Good grief, so that's what he meant… He really had us worried for a second.
But I knew he was serious. If that day ever came, it would be a agonizing decision for him. He'd struggle, he'd fight, and he'd exhaust every possible option. And only when there was absolutely nothing left…
I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Ossan. I'll make sure you have a good send-off. Though, since you're a Devil now, your lifespan is pretty damn long, you know?"
"Is that so? Well then, I guess I'd better keep training so I never have to use the damn thing."
Honestly, if this old man trains any harder, the world is in trouble. I mean, can't he already go toe-to-toe with people using the King piece? Pretty sure he'd win, too.
Wait… come to think of it, when I reincarnated him, I used two 'Rook' pieces. Did I accidentally turn him into the world's strongest Rook?
Actually, I'm pretty sure he beat me in our last sparring match…
Azazel-sensei chuckled at Maurice's answer.
"If everyone had a spirit like yours, we might have actually been able to make the piece public. Unfortunately, the world is usually the opposite. Most people get drunk on that kind of power. Still… if a situation arises where you feel forced to use a King piece, we're probably talking about the end of the world, aren't we?"
"Who knows?" Maurice shrugged. "Maybe if something like a Roswaalde-class threat showed up."
…Yeah, that's literally a world-ending threat. Let's hope that never happens!
Ajuka-san looked around at all of us.
"It's a narrow gate, but the promise that anyone can succeed in the Rating Games through merit isn't entirely a lie. However… unless you are an 'exception among exceptions' like yourselves, it has become impossible to break the hold of the current top rankers."
"So the reason the rankings never change is…?"
"It's a carefully balanced stalemate," Ajuka-san explained. "The old-guard Devils who feast on the vested interests behind the scenes ensure it stays that way. Matches between top players generate astronomical amounts of money. If you can manipulate the match, the profit is immense. Even as Reincarnated Devils start to shine, the wall built by the old-guard and their 'King' piece puppets is far too high for most challengers to climb."
As he finished, Sona collapsed to her knees.
"How could this…!"
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