The chamber of Walpurgis was already filled.
A vast, circular hall stretched outward beneath a high, shadowed ceiling. Pillars lined the perimeter like silent watchers, and at the center stood a round table large enough to host rulers who did not share the same definition of restraint.
Each seat was already occupied.
Each presence… overwhelming in its own way.
Clayman sat with one leg crossed over the other, fingers tapping lightly against the armrest of his chair. His smile was thin. Calculated. Eyes sharp with poorly concealed hostility.
"So," he said, voice laced with disdain, "this is the one you've all allowed to call himself a Demon Lord."
Across from him, Carrion leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees.
"Allowed?" he echoed. "That's not really how it works."
Clayman clicked his tongue.
"It should be."
Frey sat nearby, legs crossed elegantly, wings folded behind her. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held a quiet curiosity.
"A new Demon Lord appearing so suddenly is unusual," she said. "Especially one strong enough to force the issue."
Ramiris floated just above her seat, wings fluttering lazily as she spun in a small circle mid-air.
"I wanna see him!" she chirped. "Is he scary? Is he big? Is he weird?"
Dagruel sat with his massive frame planted firmly in his chair, arms folded across his chest.
"I've seen him," he rumbled.
That drew attention.
Carrion glanced over.
"Oh?"
Dagruel's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled it.
"He fought me."
A pause.
Then—
"And Luminous."
That got a reaction.
Leon's gaze shifted.
Frey's brows lifted ever so slightly.
Even Clayman stopped tapping his fingers.
"And?" Carrion asked, now clearly interested.
Dagruel exhaled slowly.
"He didn't lose."
Silence.
Not victory.
Not defeat.
Just that.
He didn't lose.
That alone was enough to shift the weight in the room.
Frey tapped a finger lightly against her arm.
"So he's strong."
Carrion grinned faintly.
"Good."
Clayman, however, scoffed.
"Strength alone does not qualify one to sit among us."
His eyes narrowed.
"Especially not some unknown demon who appears out of nowhere and starts taking kingdoms."
Ramiris floated closer to the table.
"Ooooh, is he evil?" she asked.
Clayman smiled.
"Most likely."
"That's not helpful."
The voice came from the far side of the table.
Leon Cromwell.
He sat with his usual composed posture, eyes calm and unreadable.
"If you're going to make claims," Leon continued, "base them on something real."
Clayman's smile tightened.
"And you would know?"
Leon didn't even look at him.
"I've fought him."
That shifted the air again.
Carrion leaned forward further.
"And?"
Leon's answer came without hesitation.
"He's dangerous."
Simple.
Direct.
Absolute.
Ramiris blinked.
"Like… how dangerous?"
Leon paused for half a second.
Then—
"If he decides to be."
That answer did not comfort anyone.
Clayman scoffed again, though it came off slightly less confident this time.
"Vague."
"He's not the kind of person you can summarize easily," Leon said.
That only made Ramiris more curious.
"Say more!"
Leon didn't.
Instead, his gaze shifted slightly toward another seat.
Milim Nava.
Who was already practically vibrating in place.
She slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward with a massive grin.
"He's awesome!"
The room paused.
Carrion snorted.
"That tracks."
Frey smiled faintly.
"I was waiting for that."
Milim beamed.
"He's super strong! And fun! And he fights like, like—"
She struggled for a word.
"Like he's playing!"
Dagruel's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
Milim nodded rapidly.
"Yeah! Even when he's serious, it feels like he's not!"
Leon didn't disagree.
That alone said enough.
Ramiris floated closer to Milim.
"Is he nice?"
Milim tilted her head.
"…Sometimes?"
That answer did not help.
Clayman leaned back in his chair.
"So we have a reckless, unpredictable, absurdly powerful demon who treats battle like a game."
He smiled thinly.
"And we're supposed to accept that into Walpurgis."
Carrion shrugged.
"If he's strong enough, yeah."
"That is not how this works."
"It kinda is," Carrion replied.
Frey rested her chin lightly on her hand.
"I'm more interested in his temperament," she said. "Power can be measured. Personality is… harder to predict."
Dagruel grunted in agreement.
"He laughs too much."
That got a glance from Leon.
Dagruel continued.
"In battle."
Ramiris blinked.
"That sounds scary."
"It is," Dagruel said flatly.
There was a brief lull in the conversation.
Then—
Dino yawned.
Loudly.
All eyes shifted to him.
He was slouched in his chair, half-lidded eyes barely open, looking like he would rather be literally anywhere else.
Ramiris floated over.
"Dinooo," she said. "You know him too, right?"
Dino blinked slowly.
"…Yeah."
"What's he like?"
Dino thought for a moment.
Then—
"…Annoying."
Ramiris pouted.
"That's it?"
"…Yeah."
Clayman frowned.
"That tells us nothing."
Dino shrugged lazily.
"Then ask someone else."
And that was the end of his contribution.
Ramiris floated back, clearly dissatisfied.
"Everyone's being so unhelpful…"
Frey exhaled softly.
"It seems the only consistent answers are that he is strong… and unpredictable."
Carrion grinned.
"Sounds interesting."
Clayman clicked his tongue again.
"Sounds like a problem."
And just as the conversation threatened to circle back into the same arguments—
The air shifted.
A gate opened.
Every head in the room turned.
The black-red distortion spread across the floor, humming softly with power that did not ask for permission.
And from within it—
He stepped out.
Loki.
Followed by two figures.
One with a composed, elegant smile.
The other with a sharp, dangerous grin.
Testarossa.
Ultima.
The moment their feet touched the floor—
The entire room went still.
Even the air seemed to pause.
Every gaze locked onto them.
Measured.
Weighed.
Calculated.
And at the center of it all—
Loki smiled.
Like he had just walked into a room that already belonged to him.
The gate closed behind him.
Silently.
But the impact of his arrival lingered.
Loki stepped forward into the chamber of Walpurgis as if nothing about the room concerned him.
As if the gathered Demon Lords. Beings who ruled nations, destroyed armies, and shaped the balance of the world were just… people in a room.
Behind him, Testarossa and Ultima followed without a word.
And that was when it hit.
Not the theatrics.
Not the entrance.
The presence.
A pressure settled across the chamber. Not oppressive in the usual way, not crushing or suffocating, but absolute. Refined. Controlled.
Dangerous.
Carrion's grin faded slightly.
Frey's eyes sharpened.
Dagruel's arms tightened where they were folded.
Leon's gaze narrowed just a fraction.
Clayman… stopped smiling.
'So this is him…'
Even without movement, even without intent, Loki's existence filled the space in a way that could not be ignored.
And then—
Dino blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His head tilted slightly as his eyes shifted past Loki… and landed on the two figures behind him.
Testarossa.
Ultima.
For the first time since arriving, Dino's lazy posture straightened.
His half-lidded gaze sharpened.
"…Wait."
That single word carried more weight than anything he had said so far.
Everyone noticed.
Dino leaned forward slightly, staring directly at them now.
"…No way."
His usual lethargy cracked.
"…You're serious?"
That was when the others truly looked.
Not just glanced.
Looked.
And saw it.
Not just powerful demons.
Not just high-ranking beings.
Primordials.
Standing behind Loki.
Not as equals.
Not as guests.
But as subordinates.
The shift in the room was immediate.
Ramiris froze mid-air.
Frey's composed expression broke ever so slightly.
Carrion's grin returned, but sharper now.
Dagruel's eyes narrowed deeply.
Clayman's fingers dug into the armrest of his chair.
'Three…?'
No one said it out loud.
But everyone thought it.
Then—
Milim shot up from her seat.
"LOKI!"
Her voice shattered the tension instantly.
She waved both arms in the air like an excited child.
"Over here! Over here!"
She pointed to the seat beside her.
"I saved you a spot!"
The room paused.
Because of course she did.
Loki looked over.
Then smiled.
"Hey, Milim."
Like they were meeting in a park.
Like this wasn't Walpurgis.
Like nothing about this was strange.
He started walking toward her—
Then stopped.
Mid-step.
His eyes shifted.
To the side of the room.
Where a maid stood quietly beside Roy Valentine's seat.
Head slightly lowered.
Presence controlled.
Unremarkable to anyone else.
Loki changed direction immediately.
Testarossa's eyes flickered with interest.
Ultima smirked.
The room watched as Loki walked straight past Demon Lords… past the table… and stopped directly in front of the maid.
She didn't look up.
Not immediately.
Loki smiled.
"Well well."
His tone was light.
Almost playful.
"Didn't expect to see you playing dress-up here."
A pause.
Then—
The maid slowly raised her head.
Eyes met his.
Cold.
Sharp.
Furious.
"…What are you doing?"
Her voice was controlled.
Barely.
Loki grinned wider.
"What does it look like?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Long time no see, Luminous."
The room went dead silent.
Roy Valentine didn't move.
Didn't react.
But several eyes immediately snapped toward him.
Then back to her.
The maid.
No—
Luminous Valentine.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"…You."
The word came out like a curse.
Loki leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice just enough to feel personal.
"You've been hiding here all this time?"
Luminous' aura flickered for a split second.
Dangerous.
"Watch your tone."
Loki chuckled.
"Relax."
He straightened.
"Just saying hi."
Her eyes burned.
"…We are not friends."
Loki waved a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah."
Then, with zero concern for the fact that he had just exposed one of the most well-kept secrets in the room—
"Party pooper."
He turned and walked away.
Luminous' fingers twitched.
For a second—
Just a second—
It looked like she might actually attack him right there.
Then she exhaled slowly.
And said nothing.
Roy remained silent.
But the tension around his seat had changed completely.
Meanwhile—
Loki casually made his way over to Milim and dropped into the seat beside her.
Milim beamed.
"You took forever!"
"You were yelling across the room," Loki replied.
"That's because I was excited!"
"That tracks."
They both laughed.
Just like that.
Like old friends.
Ramiris floated over immediately, unable to contain herself anymore.
"So you're Loki!?"
Loki looked at her.
Then smiled. Genuinely.
"Yep."
Ramiris puffed up slightly.
"Hmph! I heard you're strong!"
"I get that a lot."
She crossed her tiny arms.
"Well I'm strong too!"
"I can beat you in one hit!"
The room froze.
Several Demon Lords glanced over.
Waiting.
Watching.
Loki blinked once.
Then smiled wider.
"Yeah?"
Ramiris nodded confidently.
"Yep!"
"I could totally do it!"
Loki leaned back slightly.
"Sounds about right."
Ramiris blinked.
"…Huh?"
He shrugged.
"I believe you."
Milim burst out laughing.
Ramiris looked between them, confused.
"Wait, really?"
"Of course," Loki said easily.
"In one hit, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Then I'll make sure not to get hit."
Ramiris puffed her cheeks.
"That's cheating!"
Loki laughed.
"Then I'll stand still."
That only made her more confused.
'Is he serious…?'
Inside, however—
Loki's thoughts were a little more grounded.
'If she were in her original form…'
His smile didn't change.
'…that wouldn't even be a joke.'
Around them, the other Demon Lords watched.
And the confusion grew.
This—
This wasn't what they expected.
Not from the man they had just felt.
Not from the one Dagruel called dangerous.
Not from the one Leon couldn't define.
Not from the one who walked in with two Primordials at his back.
He was laughing.
Joking.
Talking casually.
Like none of this mattered.
Like they didn't matter.
Carrion leaned back slowly, grin returning.
"…I like him."
Frey watched quietly.
'He's… strange.'
Clayman's eyes darkened.
'This is unacceptable…'
Leon said nothing.
But his gaze remained fixed on Loki.
Careful.
Measured.
Trying to understand.
And then—
The air shifted again.
Different this time.
Heavier.
Colder.
A presence that did not need introduction.
A gate opened.
And Guy Crimson stepped through.
The moment his foot touched the floor—
The room straightened.
Conversations stopped.
Even Milim quieted slightly.
Guy looked around once.
Taking in every face.
Every presence.
Every shift in the room.
His gaze lingered on Loki for just a fraction longer than the others.
Then he smiled.
"Alright."
His voice carried effortlessly through the chamber.
"Let's begin."
A pause.
Then—
"Walpurgis is now in session."
---
Find early chapters and daily updates on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]
Follow me on Instagram [www.instagram.com/tenten100_?]