"As for whether the strongest races or vampires could survive something like that—I can't say for sure.
But when you hear the name Maxwell, the first thing that comes to mind should be Maxwell's Demon, right? A paradox whose very existence can't be confirmed. If this Demon King's origin and achievements are derived from the thought experiment proposed by the physicist Maxwell… then whether he even possesses a physical body at all is questionable."
Ren Kuroda spoke calmly, his eyes fixed forward.
He had encountered another being named Maxwell once before—back in another world entirely—one of the Seven Dukes of Hell. That one had wielded the power to distort cognition, turning falsehood into reality and reality into lies—a true lie made manifest.
The Maxwell before them now was different in ability, yet no less troublesome.
A paradox given form.
If his existence itself was uncertain—how were you supposed to kill him?
"Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap."
A series of crisp, deliberate applause echoed down the corridor.
From the far end, two figures emerged slowly—one tall, one shorter.
The one clapping was the taller of the two—the same silent man who had accompanied the trio that previously contacted Ren, though he had not spoken then.
"Impressive," the tall man said with a thin smile. "No wonder Rin and His Highness both value you so highly. Just from hearing the name 'Maxwell' and exchanging a brief clash, you've already deduced most of his nature?
"That's right. He is indeed the physical phenomenon proposed by the scientist Maxwell—commonly known as Maxwell's Demon. A paradoxical devil. Because he lacks a true body, even if he's shattered to pieces, he can simply restore himself. A monster with vitality comparable to a cockroach."
"Garo, you bastard!" Maxwell's voice exploded from the shadows. "Don't think I won't kill you for that!"
Unable to tolerate Garo casually spilling his secrets like he was aiding the enemy, Maxwell revealed himself once more before everyone.
And just as Ren had said—
The Maxwell who had been sliced apart by his blade moments ago stood there completely unharmed. Not a scratch on him.
"Ren," Shiroyasha murmured quietly at his side, "these are the ones you called the 'Demon King Alliance'?"
While Garo and Maxwell bickered openly, Ren and Shiroyasha exchanged words in low voices.
She had noticed it too—though they belonged to the same faction, there was clear friction between them.
In Little Garden, whether one was a Demon King or a god, the origin of one's divinity or spiritual rank was the most closely guarded secret. If someone uncovered your myth, your core achievement, your conceptual foundation—your Gift Game could be overturned and countered with precision.
Just like what had happened to Pest.
So for Garo and Maxwell to reveal each other's roots so openly—it went beyond mere bad blood.
It was practically an invitation for Ren to kill the other.
"They're the same ones I met before," Ren replied quietly. "His Highness is here too. But that little girl is missing.
"They must not have completed their objective yet. If His Highness showed up here, it's probably to buy time."
Originally, Pest's Gift Game had been designed to stall them far longer.
No one had anticipated Ren's involvement accelerating its unraveling—and even bringing Pest into his own community.
At that thought, His Highness reached up and pulled back his hood.
A cascade of dazzling white hair spilled free.
His eyes—utterly devoid of emotional fluctuation—locked onto Ren.
"Rin was right," he said evenly. "If you cannot become our ally, then you will be the greatest obstacle to our mission."
The instant those words left his mouth—
He vanished.
No warning.
No ripple of power.
When he reappeared—
He was already in front of Ren.
His expression did not change.
His right fist tightened.
And he drove a punch straight into Ren's abdomen.
Teleportation?
Spatial manipulation?
Neither.
He was simply too fast—so fast Ren's eyes couldn't track him.
Shiroyasha, standing beside Ren, had seen the movement. In that split second she flicked open her folding fan, unleashing a blazing solar gust capable of evaporating moisture from the human body instantly.
Yet even in the face of a solar wind hot enough to dry a man alive—
His Highness did not slow.
"Crack—!"
The sound was like glass shattering.
Shiroyasha's scorching gust was smashed apart by his fist.
And without losing momentum, that same fist struck Ren squarely in the stomach.
Pain detonated inside him.
Ren nearly vomited bile.
As his body began to lift off the ground from the sheer force, he gritted his teeth against the agony, yanked the divine blade Kamiyu from his waist—
And twisted midair.
If he was taking eight hundred damage, he'd return at least a thousand.
Even if he couldn't kill His Highness, there was no way he would take that punch without leaving something behind.
As his body flew backward, Ren spun and slashed at the man's neck—a vital point.
Kamiyu, a blade whose rank rivaled the divine sword Kusanagi itself, a spiritual-class weapon within Little Garden—
Its edge cut through meteors.
It had never failed to sever what it struck.
Yet—
As the blade neared His Highness's seemingly slender neck—
It was repelled.
An invisible force deflected it at the final instant.
Ren's eyes widened.
Ever since obtaining Kamiyu—and mastering his ever-evolving swordsmanship, especially after fully comprehending the Fūrinkazan secret art—there had been almost nothing he could not cut.
He had split a meteor in half.
And now—
He could not slice through one of the most vulnerable points on a human body?
Before Ren could even process the source of that mysterious repelling force—
His body was already sent flying like artillery.
He blasted through multiple thick walls of Salamandra's headquarters in succession.
From His Highness's sudden attack, to the shattering of Shiroyasha's Gift, to Ren's counterstrike, to Ren being sent flying—
Though it seemed like many actions, it had all occurred within the span of a lightning flash.
Most of those present barely registered what had happened.
Only a handful of four-digit beings saw the full exchange clearly.
To the rest, it looked like this—
His Highness appeared before Ren.
And Ren was punched away.
Shiroyasha, having seen every detail, now shifted her gaze between His Highness…
And Izayoi.
Her expression was filled with unmistakable shock.