The great hall of Coleus had become crowded again.
Rows of newly prepared bodies stood at the edges of the room, while the latest arrivals from the Underworld had already settled into them, their auras stabilizing one by one. The atmosphere was heavy, but organized. Controlled.
At the center of it all stood Loki.
Ragnir rested against one shoulder.
Testarossa stood to one side of him, looking far too pleased with herself.
Violet and Juane stood across from him, each with two subordinates behind them.
Loki looked at Violet first.
She met his gaze with her usual lazy confidence, though there was a sharpness beneath it now. She had already lost. She had already accepted the terms.
That did not mean she was going to make it easy for anyone to feel comfortable about it.
Loki lifted one hand.
"Let's do this properly."
Violet crossed her arms.
"How formal."
Loki ignored that.
He looked at her directly and said,
"From now on, your name is Ultima."
The world answered immediately.
Magicules surged.
The floor beneath Violet lit up with black-violet patterns, the air around her body distorting as the power of the name took hold. Her hair stirred. Her demonic aura rose sharply, then sharpened into something far more refined than before.
Ultima's eyes closed for a moment.
Then opened again.
A grin slowly spread across her face.
"…Ultima."
She rolled the name around once.
Then laughed.
"I like it."
Loki nodded once, then turned toward Juane.
Her smile had already widened.
She was clearly enjoying this far more than she should have.
Loki pointed at her.
"And you."
He didn't pause.
"Your name is Carrera."
The reaction was even more violent this time.
Gold-black magicules burst around her in a swirling wave, heat distorting the air around her body as the naming settled into her soul. The pressure in the hall jumped instantly, enough that several of the lesser demons instinctively lowered their heads.
Carrera's laughter broke through the surge.
She looked delighted.
"Carrera, huh?"
Her eyes gleamed.
"That's good."
Loki moved on.
He pointed at Violet's two subordinates.
"You."
The tall one straightened at once.
"Your name is Zonda."
The demon bowed his head as the name settled into him.
Then Loki shifted his gaze to the other.
"And you are Veyron."
The second subordinate gave a smooth, graceful bow as the power of the name moved through him.
Loki didn't slow down.
He looked toward Carrera's side.
The first demon there, an older-looking swordsman with a calm face and dangerous eyes, met his gaze directly.
Loki smiled faintly.
"You're Agera."
The effect rippled through the swordsman's body, and when the light settled, Agera exhaled softly through his nose and looked up again.
His posture had changed.
More respectful now.
More proper.
But the familiarity remained.
That old ease.
The look of a man who would bow because he recognized power, but would still casually speak to that same power like an old friend the second everyone else left the room.
Loki noticed it too.
And grinned.
"Still got that look."
Agera's mouth twitched.
"You still have bad habits."
Testarossa looked between them.
"…You two know each other?"
Loki shrugged.
"We go way back."
Agera gave a short nod.
"Long enough to know he's a pain."
Testarossa watched the exchange with half-lidded amusement.
Then Loki named the final one.
"And you."
The female demon straightened.
"Your name is Esprit."
Esprit bowed beautifully as the power of the name settled into her.
The hall slowly quieted after that.
The naming was complete.
Ultima.
Carrera.
Zonda.
Veyron.
Agera.
Esprit.
And all the other 400 Demons were named.
One by one, they stabilized into their new forms, new powers, new places in the world.
And then Testarossa, who had clearly been waiting for her opportunity to move the day in a direction more suitable to her own interests, stepped forward.
"Little brother," she said.
Loki looked at her.
Testarossa folded her hands in front of her.
"The people of Coleus are gathered outside."
A pause.
"They're waiting for your speech."
Loki stared at her.
"My what?"
Testarossa's smile remained.
"I called a gathering."
Testarossa continued smoothly.
"I thought it would be useful to clear up any misunderstandings with your people."
Loki pointed at himself.
"They're already my people?"
"You're sitting on their throne."
"…Fair."
Still, he looked deeply unconvinced.
Testarossa either didn't notice or didn't care.
"The princes and princess will stand with you."
"That will help."
Loki sighed.
"Or they'll watch me make this worse."
Testarossa clasped her hands tighter.
"You'll do fine."
That was exactly the sort of reassurance Loki did not trust.
Still—
A little while later, he found himself walking out toward the outer balcony above the main square, flanked by Aslan, Sauzer, and Zenobia.
The people were already gathered below.
Thousands of them.
Maybe more.
All watching.
Waiting.
Uneasy.
The princes stepped forward first.
Sauzer lifted his voice.
"People of Coleus!"
The crowd quieted.
Aslan stood beside him, his expression hard but controlled.
Sauzer continued.
"You know what has happened to this kingdom."
A ripple moved through the gathered people.
"But hear this clearly."
He gestured toward Loki.
"Loki-sama is not here for the destruction of Coleus."
That got their full attention.
Zenobia stepped forward then, calm despite the weight of the moment.
"He saved my life."
Her voice carried surprisingly well.
"And he restored those who were lost on the field."
Murmurs spread instantly through the crowd.
Aslan took over next.
"You have every reason to fear him."
That honesty landed.
"But he has not betrayed us."
"He has not harmed the people."
"And he has made it clear that he intends to strengthen this land."
Loki stood a step behind them, listening.
Not interfering.
Mostly because he had no better idea what to say.
Then Zenobia turned slightly toward him.
And in the most composed voice imaginable, said,
"Please, Loki-sama."
"Speak to them."
Loki froze.
Only internally.
Outwardly, his face barely changed.
Inside, however—
'What.'
He looked out at the crowd.
At the expectations.
At the waiting faces.
And felt a rare, specific kind of unease.
'I didn't prepare anything.'
That was the problem.
He was good at speeches when he knew they were coming. Good when he had time to shape the tone, the angle, the energy of it.
But this?
Nothing.
No draft.
No rehearsal.
No proper lead-in.
'What do I even say?'
Then—
A voice sounded in his mind.
Not the Voice of the World.
Something else.
Closer.
Warmer.
Almost playful.
[Perhaps I could be of use, Master.]
Loki's eyes narrowed very slightly.
'What?'
The voice continued.
[You require a speech. I can provide one.]
Loki went still.
Then realized what it was.
The Ultimate Skill.
Loki, Lord of Farce.
For a moment, he was too surprised to respond.
Then he thought back, immediately and unhelpfully, to the last time a skill had taken over his body.
'That went terribly.'
The voice sounded almost offended.
[I am not that one.]
'That's not reassuring enough.'
[From now on, I will only act according to your will. No harm will come from this. I simply believe I could perform this task better than your current panic.]
Loki nearly frowned.
'I am not panicking.'
[You are improvisationally distressed.]
He had no counter to that.
The crowd below remained silent.
Waiting.
The princes remained beside him.
Waiting.
The skill spoke again.
[Allow me.]
Loki hesitated.
Then exhaled once.
'Fine.'
'Do it.'
The shift was subtle.
So subtle no one below could have seen it.
But Loki felt it instantly.
His posture sharpened.
His breathing settled.
His thoughts aligned.
Then he stepped forward.
And began to speak.
"People of Coleus."
His voice rolled across the square smoothly.
Calmly.
Without force.
Without awkwardness.
The crowd quieted even further.
"I know what I am."
No wasted flourish.
No accidental villainy.
No ominous promise hidden in bad phrasing.
Just clear words.
"You fear me."
"That is natural."
The people listened.
"Power without explanation invites fear. Change without warning invites resistance."
He let that sit for a moment.
"But if I had wanted only ruin, this city would already be gone."
A murmur passed through the crowd.
Loki continued.
"I stand before you not to justify my strength."
"Strength needs no justification."
That line earned a slight shift in the square.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"But rule does."
That one settled deeper.
"I took this kingdom by force."
"I will not insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise."
No one moved.
No one interrupted.
"But I did not take it to hollow it out."
"I did not take it to bleed it dry."
"And I did not take it from you."
He looked over the crowd.
"I took it from the kind of ruler who would have sold your future for his own survival."
There was no roar of approval.
No applause yet.
Just stillness.
The good kind.
The kind that meant people were actually listening.
"I will protect this land."
"I will strengthen it."
"And if you choose to live under my rule…"
His voice remained steady.
"…then I will not betray that choice."
The square was completely silent now.
Then Loki, still with that strange calm in his body, finished simply—
"That is all."
For a second, no one moved.
Then applause started.
Light at first.
Then growing.
Then spreading through the entire square.
The crowd wasn't ecstatic.
They weren't converted.
But they were moved.
And for a speech he had absolutely not prepared—
That was more than enough.
Loki stepped back.
The pressure of the skill receded.
His thoughts returned fully his own.
And his first internal reaction was immediate.
'…Okay.'
'That was good.'
The voice in his mind said nothing.
It didn't need to.
He knew.
Back from the square, the group made its way inside.
And once the doors closed behind them, the waiting demons immediately descended on him with the kind of adoration that would have crushed a lesser man.
"A flawless speech, Loki-sama."
"Magnificent."
"Your words moved them perfectly."
"I knew no one could have done it better."
"Truly worthy of Lord Loki."
Then—
A portal opened in the middle of the room.
Just like that.
No warning.
No announcement.
A black circle split the air and someone leapt out of it.
Guy Crimson.
He landed lightly, clearly intending to surprise whoever was in the room.
And for one brief second, he looked very pleased with himself.
Then he saw who was there.
Blanc.
Violet.
Juane.
Rows of demons.
And Loki standing in the middle of all of it like he had somehow made collecting Primordials into a hobby.
Guy stared.
Then blinked.
Then the only word that came out of his mouth was—
"Huh!?"
---
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