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I left the place at the same time as I announced this. 

It is easy to maintain this state, but if I continue observing the target for too long, I can’t help but move to the process of throwing my own standing out by habit. 

Therefore, the method I will be taking this time around will be to observe the other party, analyze her, and retain it at this stage. 

And then, I hit her in real time with me, check her reaction, and decide on the action to take. 

I can increase the precision even more if I were to use the usual method. It would be faster that way if it is just to make her fall into the trap, but if I go that far, Ilias might make me stop. 

The method I have been going with until now should be enough to catch the Purple Demon Lord off-guard, but I need a perfect victory on this occasion. 

—No, my method until now would not be good.

If I did that, I would be able to understand completely just how serious the Purple Demon Lord is. 

This technique allows me to return because I can comprehend them but not share their views, however, if I were to share those feelings, that would be the end. 

My self would be crushed by the self of the Purple Demon Lord. 

I moved to where Ekdoik is. 

“A one-on-one against the Nose Great Devil as I promised before.” 

“You have my gratitude. With this, I have obtained the last opportunity to restore the honor of mine father in the Nether.” (Ekdoik)

“The Great Devils coming forth will most likely have strength close to that of Dyuvuleori. Do you have a chance of winning?” 

Basically, what I am saying is that I will be stopping the battle if there’s the risk of him losing his life. 

Ekdoik thought of it for a bit and answered. 

“The reason why I am currently living right now is in order to protect the honor of the father that raised me, Beglagud. This will be the last battle for that. I have no hesitation in throwing away my life.” (Ekdoik)

“What about Rakura? Is that already fine with you?” 

“Looking at her usual lifestyle, it does bring worries, but Rakura has proved in front of all the Great Devils that she has the strength to defeat Beglagud. That was enough for me.” (Ekdoik)

I feel like Ekdoik is a lot more farsighted than the first time I met him. 

Ekdoik has been fighting in order to protect the honor of Beglagud, his worth of life, but he is trying to achieve most of them here. 

No, if it is just protecting the honor of Beglagud, he has already achieved it. 

Rakura has defeated two Great Devils, so her reputation among both humans and devils has increased. 

The evaluation towards Beglagud who was defeated by her must have gone from ‘shameful’ to ‘unlucky’.

Now all that’s left is for him to bring retribution to the Great Devils that insulted him with his own hands, but the success or failure of this wouldn’t be that much of an issue. 

Ekdoik takes a step forward. There’s already a new Great Devil at the center of the plaza. 

“When I was invited by Raheight, I was happy that I would be able to get revenge against Rakura Salf and cooperated in trying to kill you. But even if I succeeded in that, I would have adhered to the spiral of anger and resentment, would fight the other Great Devils, and die. The reason why I have obtained this much of a result is thanks to no one other than you, my comrade. My real parents, the father that raised me; the only one who has worked so hard for my sake regardless of whether I was an ally or not was you. There would be no meaning in living if I can’t answer those expectations of yours.” (Ekdoik)

“I will stop you if you are fighting for the sake of dying, got it?” 

“I thought about doing that if it were against Dyuvuleori, but I don’t have any intentions of letting the one who insulted mine father win against me and have their nose held high. I have a chance of winning. I can fight as long as my chains grind.” (Ekdoik)

———

“Humans are diminutive, cowardly, and weak, but those beings defeated us and defeated the Demon Lords. They continue resisting even now and are trying to take back the world. Direct those eyes at the humans. They have something. If you can grasp that, your position will be stable.” 

Father would look down on humans while antagonizing them, seeing them as beings that can one day become enemies. 

It is not only Yugura who defeated the Demon Lords. They have even given birth to outstanding heroes who have defeated many Uniques. 

That’s why Father would observe the humans and learn their traits. 

He would toy with many humans with his curiosity warped from his nature as a devil, killed them, and ate them. 

That father of mine kidnapped me from my village for entertainment and decided to raise me. 

If I went against it, I would be thrashed, and was threatened that if I showed no use, he would kill me. 

He taught techniques, drilled into me the know-hows of battle, and was raised as a weapon. 

When I got stronger, Father’s mood would get better. I managed to spend my time without feeling pain at those moments. 

That’s why I continued polishing my techniques with reckless abandon. 

“Ekdoik, you are a being that I raised for mine amusement. But you have grown to an amusing degree. It is truly interesting that you can now surpass a High Devil. I have picked up a nice thing.” 

The day I killed a High Devil for the first time was also the day Father praised me for the first time. 

I didn’t go as far as being happy about it, but I learned that being seen highly wasn’t that bad of a thing. 

By the time I noticed, I had climbed all the way to being an aide of Beglagud. 

“A human taught the techniques of devils can grow this much…? Ekdoik, I shall give you mine eyes as proof of you being mine possession.” 

I was given the Eyes of Blinding and I even thought my strength had reached the point of being on the same level as Father. 

But it took time for the eyes of a devil to adapt to my body. My vision barely managed to remain, but it took a while before I could use it in a satisfactory manner. 

“Aah, I am looking forward to it. I want to see just how you will face humans a few years later after you are completed. It will truly be a show.” 

A few months after that, Father was killed by Rakura Salf. 

That Father of mine, easily, so quickly, without being able to feel anything. 

The devils that survived joined other Great Devil camps. 

The Great Devils stole away the territory that had lost its ruler.

While insulting mine father, shaming him, tarnishing his honor, and stealing away his worth. 

The one who was the most vocal about this was the Great Devil in front of me: Ramyugureska. 

“Let’s have a little talk.” (Ekdoik)

The man right in front of me, the Nose of Sniffing, Ramyugureska.

He has the appearance of a human and is wearing the same butler outfit as Dyuvuleori. 

But it seems like he hates tight clothes, he is wearing them in a sloppy manner. 

There’s a rough ranking even within the Great Devils. 

The ones within the higher spots were: Eyes, Tongue, Ears, and Nose.

Dyuvuleori didn’t adhere too much to his own territory. Because of this, the remaining 3 Great Devils ruled most of the territory, and the other Great Devils took up their places in the remaining land. 

“I was thinking about settling scores with Beglagud one day, but who would have thought I would end up fighting the human he raised? What’s your name?” (Ramyugureska)

“…Ekdo.” (Ekdoik)

“He liked humans. Of course, not in the friendly meaning, but the controlling kind. Even if it is just a part of that, he managed to raise someone like you which is impressive. But, in the end, he ended up showing such a shameful display of being hunted by humans because he was by the side of humans.” (Ramyugureska)

“I know about you, Ramyugureska. You were the subordinate of a Great Devil that was defeated by a human in the past. You then feared humans and ended up holding camp at the very depths of the Mejis Nether.” (Ekdoik)

“It would be troubling for you to have such a misunderstanding. It is true that the Great Devil that I served was defeated by humans at the time when I was a weakling, and I left that place. But that was not out of fear from humans. It is just that fighting humans wasn’t worth the effort. It was enough for me to just live long in order to become stronger, touch upon the Demonic Element of the Nether, and devour the monsters who have Demonic Element in them. Where’s the need to fight humans? The reality is that, even when Beglagud climbed all the way to a Great Devil, he perished because he got involved with the humans.” (Ramyugureska)

It is true that Father took base in a place close to the human realm out of choice. 

The other Great Devils had the opposite idea. 

Due to this, you could call his territory the biggest even within the Great Devils in the Mejis Nether. 

“Rather, wouldn’t you think him avoiding fighting with us and instead targeting humans is the very act of a coward?” (Ramyugureska)

“I don’t. I heard the reason why you find humans as enemies is because of the monsters.” (Ekdoik)

“That’s right. We monsters and humans can’t coexist. We live in different worlds. Despising each other is a matter of course. But he tried to learn about humans, tried to comprehend them. In my eyes, that’s an act that I can only call faulty.” (Ramyugureska)

“…I see. It seems like we really can’t look eye to eye.” (Ekdoik)

“That appears to be the case.” (Ramyugureska)

We two take our stances. Dyuvuleori felt that and threw the signal to begin. 

I open the Eyes of Blindness. I won’t feel refreshed unless I win against him with the power that mine father Beglagud left me. 

“So you are using that. Of course you would. But did you think such a thing would work on me?” (Ramyugureska)

“Gotta try to kno—?!” (Ekdoik)

Ramyugureska didn’t hesitate one bit as he pushed the thumbs of both hands towards his own eyeballs. 

Blood trickled down as if he was crying. 

“Look, I can’t see now. The bewildering phantoms that you show won’t prove any point to me. That’s how far your power gets you.” (Ramyugureska)

“Are you insane?! If you can’t see…!” (Ekdoik)

I unfolded the chains and stretched them towards Ramyugureska, but he avoided them all with paper-thin difference, and jumped straight onto range with one jump.

That speed is faster than any Great Devil until now. 

It is on the same level as the time when Dyuvuleori defeated the Holy Knight Captain Yox…no, even more than that. 

“My power is the Nose of Sniffing. I can sniff out anything. It is not only the scent of things, but the openings in attacks, the chances to counterattack, and even victory. I can sniff all phenomena!” (Ramyugureska)

I felt an impact on my head and my body was sent flying. 

What I saw for an instant was the sight of his fist puncturing the chains protecting me and reaching my chest.

I feel how I bounced a few times on the ground and then smashed onto a wall. 

“Thus, eyesight is unnecessary. Due to the tinkering of My Lord, my power and capabilities have increased even further. My biggest gripe is that I have to keep this human form in order to utilize it to its best though. That said, the power is sufficient and flexible, so I can’t really be too picky here though.” (Ramyugureska)

It was even stronger than a hit from the left arm of Gugugeguderstaf. He can bring out this much power while maintaining human form, huh. 

Even the chains I wrapped around me below my clothes to mitigate blows were destroyed in one hit. 

A few bones went with it, and I can see damage here and there in my internal organs. 

My movements have gotten duller. I have to do the bare minimum treatment first. 

I spread around chains in their invisible state and set a trap with purification magic. 

Chains that can easily be broken at the front and strengthened chains deeper in. 

When he attacks, the broken chains will stab him, and I will be able to defend myself as well. 

Even if I can’t seal his rush completely, as long as I can buy a bit of time—

“Did you think you could stop me by spreading out the scent of such rusty iron and low level purification magic?” (Ramyugureska)

The instant kick of Ramyugureska destroyed the chains in one go, and the shockwave of it smashed me onto the wall again. 

Even if it was only the shockwave, I ended up taking that on almost defenseless. The internal organs in my whole body were compressed and blood gushed out from my throat. 

“Gah!” (Ekdoik)

A little bit after the stiffness, I was pulled down by gravity, and fell onto the ground. 

Ramyugureska is unharmed, and even the fragments that stabbed onto the arm of Gugugeguderstaf couldn’t get through his defense. 

My path for victory until now has been to poke at the pride of the enemy to take the initiative and suppress them. 

But that initiative has been sealed this time around. He has overlapped attacks and counterattacks. 

This is the pure difference in specs between a human and a Great Devil…

“That’s as much as you can provide when your cheap tricks don’t work, huh. I also don’t know what My Lord wants with such a human. It is beyond understanding.” (Ramyugureska) 

“…I see…so you can’t understand it.” (Ekdoik)

I wrap chains around my body to compensate and bring my body up by controlling the chains. 

The damage to my whole body is terrible because of the blow from just now. It is not impossible to move my body with my will, but regular reflexes would just get in the way regardless. 

“You move skillfully. Yeah, I don’t understand. If I wanted to, I would be able to kill that life in just a few seconds right about now, so why make so many preparations to obtain him?” (Ramyugureska)

“I am impressed you were given that much power when your mouth spits such things.” (Ekdoik)

“I do acknowledge My Lord. I was caught off-guard by mere High Devils after all. I thought ‘Aah, if I obey this person, I can be as strong as I want to be’. If I was capable of making that decision from the very beginning, I wouldn’t have let someone like Dyuvuleori act all big.” (Ramyugureska)

“Hmph, with you being unable to understand the worth of Comrade, this is as much as you can do with the power given to you.” (Ekdoik)

“You are going to be killed by ‘that much’ so I wonder how much that is.” (Ramyugureska)

Ramyugureska rushed towards me again.

Avoiding—it would be too late by the time I can discern the type of attack. I used my chains without hesitation to throw me. 

I was forcefully thrown, so the burden on my whole injured body is heavy. I couldn’t mitigate the fall properly either and rolled on the ground. 

That guy’s kick destroyed the chains remaining there without dropping in speed, finishing its swing. 

If I had chosen to avoid it, my body would have been torn apart by now.  

“This is a surprise. To think you would throw yourself like an object to run away. What a joke.” (Ramyugureska)

“…I don’t have room to care for appearances, you see.” (Ekdoik)

It was a pathetic way to avoid an attack, but I have obtained distance from him. That said, this distance can be closed in one or two steps. 

“…” 

I could see Comrade from afar now that our positions were switched. 

He is making an uneasy expression.

But he is maintaining the eyes that he looked at me with before. 

He has almost no battle power. At the time when I met him, I planned on taking him hostage, but I was on the verge of strangling him to death.

I was wondering why Raheight was being so wary of a human that weak. 

But I know now. I can admit Comrade would be the most fearsome opponent if I were in his shoes. 

Even when he is worrying about me, he is not forgetting his fight against the Purple Demon Lord and approaching victory. 

A man that weak is fighting in order to win against a Demon Lord.

And yet, someone far stronger than him is going to be killed by someone that kneels on the face of that Demon Lord? 

—Even if I were to die here, Comrade would surely win. 

I know how impressive and how much worth Comrade has. 

My mouth warps at how pathetic I am when I compare myself to him.

“What’s the matter? I am impressed you can still smile here.” (Ramyugureska)

“I was just thinking about my own worth, you see.” (Ekdoik)

I regained the honor of mine father. It was in order to prove my own worth. 

Comrade lent me a hand and acknowledged me. He acknowledged my worth.

I see, so that’s where the satisfaction I have felt recently stemmed from. 

I have shown the worth of the life I have lived up until now. I have also been acknowledged by the ones I want to be acknowledged by. 

Then, it might be okay to die already. 

I am satisfied. 

But…

“What worth would there be in someone who just loses and dies?” (Ramyugureska)

“You are not the one who decides my worth.” (Ekdoik)

“Are you saying the lord you obey is the one who decides it?” (Ramyugureska)

My greed showed up. It is different from the times when the cold water in my heart would boil with hatred. 

There’s still fire within my heart that should have nothing remaining anymore. There’s feelings. 

The worth until now should be enough. But I can still give birth to more worth from here on. 

As long as I live, as long as I fight, as long as I do something, that can be born. 

Is it okay for the man called Ekdoik to end here? 

If I die here, not only Comrade…ah, that’s no good. 

The heat just flared up.

“I am the one who decides my worth. I am not satisfied with my own worth yet. Even more so when I am still lagging behind Rakura Salf!” (Ekdoik)

“Eh?! I show up there?!” (Rakura)

I heard the shout of the person I don’t want to lose against from afar. 

That’s right. It is fine to raise her standing. 

That’s something necessary in order to heal the honor of mine father. Father’s standing being below hers is a reality that can’t be changed after all. 

But what about me? I was raised by Father and may have proved the worth of it, but I am below her.

We are both at one win each in the one-on-one against Great Devils. If I were to die here and she wins, it would be my loss. 

In the first place, I lost against Rakura completely before. 

At this rate, I will forever be below her.

As if I can stomach such unreasonableness. Thinking about it calmly, I would rather die than be seen as being below that.

Father, I couldn’t vindicate you with the eyes you gave me. I apologize for that. 

However, what’s more important right now is to not lose against the one that defeated you. 

From here on, I will use my own power to get the win! 

“Mine name is Ekdoik! Ramyugureska, I shall have you taste the true Eyes of Blindness!” (Ekdoik)

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