The wind had grown cold.
I stood at the treeline, where Lichita had just placed the silver-haired brat on the orphanage's steps. But something was different.
There wasn't just one basket.
A second lay beside it.
"…Well, well."
I stepped forward, cloaking my presence. Not that anyone would sense me anyway unless I wanted them to.
Inside the new basket lay a child with golden eyes. Calm. Serene.
"Yuno."
It didn't take long to piece it together.
Yuno future rival of the Magicless One, was a prince of the Spade Kingdom.
And more importantly, that meant the Zogratis family was in motion.
Vanica, Dante, Zenon… and Lucius.
The devil contractors.
"So the Spade Kingdom has started breeding monsters…" I muttered, turning my gaze toward the North. A chill swept through the trees as if in response.
I considered going. Just to pay a visit. But…
"Hmph." I narrowed my eyes. "If I step foot in the Spade Kingdom, I'll be felt. Especially by Lucifero. That'll blow the whole game open."
My ability to cross between the Devil Realm and the living world wasn't normal. If the wrong devil realized I'd been here all along, well... the board would get flipped before the pieces were even set.
No. I'd wait.
But that didn't mean I couldn't poke one of their little pawns.
Vanica Zogratis. Megicula's host.
Blood Magic and Curse Magic, sadistic streak, battle-crazy.
And unfortunately for her, on my radar now.
---
It took little effort to find her.
The Zogratis family was already gaining power, and Vanica was carving a name for herself through military raids along the borders. I trailed one of her bloodied campaigns into a charred village and waited.
She was alone now, relaxing in a ruined mansion like it was her vacation home, humming to herself while sipping wine.
I appeared before her in a flash of compressed air.
"Yo."
She flinched and immediately reached for her grimoire, the glass shattering as it hit the ground.
"Who the hell?!" Her eyes locked onto mine. "Wait… that mana… That's not human!"
"Correct," I said, stretching. "Devil. Not that you've never spoken to one before."
Her grin widened.
"Ooooh~! You're like Megicula, huh? Wait, are you one of ours? From Spade?"
I chuckled.
"Wrong again. I'm not your buddy. In fact... I think it's time we had a talk."
Before she could react, I flared my Disaster Magic. The ground around her trembled. Cracks formed in the marble floor, spiderwebbing like glass under pressure.
And just like that, she surfaced.
A second voice hissed from Vanica's mouth.
"...You…"
Megicula.
"That's more like it," I smirked. "Been a while, Megicula."
"…Addramalech," the devil growled. "You should not be here."
"Oh, come on. Don't act like I crashed the party. I've been here far longer than you know."
Vanica's head tilted. "Wait, wait you know Megicula? Why's she pissed?"
Megicula didn't answer.
I narrowed my eyes. "So. What's the Spade plan? Open the gates early? Bring the devils to the surface and crown Lucius king of the world?"
"…You know too much," Megicula said, voice sharp.
"It's almost like I've been watching for a while," I said, mockingly.
Vanica scowled annoyed. "I don't care about the politics. Fight me."
Of course she'd say that.
I rolled my neck, my own magic humming to life.
"Fine," I said with a smirk. "Let's play."
---
The battlefield turned into a disaster zone instantly.
Vanica dove forward, blood-red runes spiraling around her as her grimoire flipped open.
"Blood Magic: Crimson Beast!"
A monstrous hound-like creature of blood lunged at me.
I didn't move.
"Earthquake Pulse."
A single stomp, and the ground beneath us shattered. The creature stumbled as the terrain rolled like an ocean wave, and I casually lifted my hand.
"Graviton Bind."
Gravity reversed in a spiral around her body, pinning her midair and compressing her movement.
"Too slow," I taunted.
She screamed and surged more devil power Megicula's marks began to spread across her body.
"Curse-Warding Magic: Decay Wave!"
I raised an eyebrow as the black, rotting magic pulsed toward me.
"Hmm. Dangerous."
I waved my hand.
"Disaster Barrier."
A shimmering distortion formed, rippling like heat above a fire. The decay magic hit it then dispersed into smoke.
I was already behind her.
"Tectonic Lance."
A sharpened spike of earth and lava shot from the ground and pierced through her shoulder. Blood spurted.
But she just laughed.
"YES! This is what I wanted!!"
She twisted midair and sent a torrent of blood blades spiraling at me.
I twirled my fingers lazily.
"Hurricane Rend."
A localized cyclone formed, shredding the blades before they touched me.
I hadn't even moved from my spot.
Her face was bruised. Blood trickled down her forehead, arms, and legs. Her body had clearly taken dozens of micro-wounds from shockwaves and pressure changes. Her bones were likely cracked in places.
And yet she still stood.
She was smiling.
"Not bad," I admitted. "But…"
I slowly raised both hands.
"Let me show you the other half of my power."
From my body radiated a thick, pulsing aura of black-and-purple.
"King's Disaster."
The air itself began to hum with dread.
This was the power I'd borrowed from a different world, amplification of existing harm. A wound was no longer just a wound. It was a disaster waiting to erupt.
Vanica staggered.
All her cuts deepened. Bruises darkened into internal hemorrhages. Her breathing faltered.
"G-Guh…!"
"Now…" I said, lowering my hands.
"Sleep."
But Vanica wasn't done.
She clenched her fists, coughed blood and roared.
"Blood Magic: Crimson Funeral!"
She condensed her remaining blood into a pulsating sphere above her, crackling with curse energy, and hurled it.
The moment froze.
"…Huh."
It was fast. Very fast.
I moved too late.
CRACK.
A fine red line appeared across my cheek.
Blood dripped.
Black blood.
My eyes widened slightly. Then narrowed.
Vanica collapsed. Completely out of mana. Eyes rolled back.
I stared at the drop of black blood as it hit the ground and hissed.
"…So she actually got me."
It didn't hurt. But the fact that I'd been touched at all… was impressive.
Still—she was out cold.
I looked at her for a moment, then turned away.
Didn't say goodbye.
Didn't look back.
---
By the time I returned to Hage, the sun was beginning to rise.
I stood again on the cliff overlooking the orphanage.
Birds chirped. Asta was crying. Yuno was silent, staring into the world like he already knew it would bow to him.
"This is where the real game begins," I said, arms folded.
I had seen what the Spade Kingdom was preparing. I had faced one of their champions and walked away untouched mostly.
But now, I was done watching from the shadows.
The Clover Kingdom would be the stage.
The devils would rise.
The world would burn.
And in the center of it all?
Me.
Addramalech.
The Devil of Disaster.