Sub29 Translation

Estimated reading time: 69–88 minutes

Episode 1

I think the most unbearable feeling in this vast world is “hunger.”
The Demon World is immensely wide, but I can’t imagine there’s a “desire” that surpasses this craving.

That’s why it was only natural that when I was born as a demon, I found myself possessing “Gluttony.”

As time passed smoothly, I focused solely on satisfying my hunger, and before I knew it, my class had become 「Demon Lord.」
Becoming a Demon Lord didn’t change much. All I could do was eat, and that was enough.
The only change was that, because I had become stronger, 「the range of what I could eat expanded.」

True survival of the fittest. We devour simply because we are strong, and as a result, our class rank changes.

It didn’t take long for my targets to expand from what other demons with general desires would call 「food」 to inorganic matter and even my own kind.
It’s common sense for those of us with Gluttony that our own kind tastes delicious. It’s just that not many eat them because it’s too much trouble… In other words, if you can solve that one issue, there’s no reason to hesitate.

I’ve lived for a long time.

Born a demon, I became a Demon Lord, became a subordinate of a Great Demon Lord, and devoured opposing Demon Lords.
The stronger the target, the more delicious it tasted to me.

In terms of demon hierarchy, there are 5 ranks.

Starting from the nameless 「No Rank,」 they are:

「Soldier」
「Knight」
「Commander」
「Lord」

These are the 5 ranks.
No Rank has the blandest taste, while Demon Lords have an exceptional flavor.
Plus, the taste differs depending on the desire they possess. If asked what the ultimate food is, I would undoubtedly say 「demons.」

For Gluttony with its infinite hunger, no amount of food is ever enough.
As a pure predator, Gluttony is not liked even by its own kind. Precisely because it’s a trait excelling in offensive power, if you act indiscriminately, you risk being disposed of by those around you who fear you.
Order was necessary, and the quickest way to satisfy the craving was to receive protection from an even higher species.
That was simply how it was with the Great Demon Lord.
There was no particularly difficult reason, no special circumstances. For very simple reasons, I became a demon attached to the Great Demon Lord, received subjects and territories, and gained the right to devour opposing demons.

Even more time passed.
My power as a demon continued to grow, and simultaneously, my hunger kept growing.
My palate became more refined, and mere food could no longer satisfy my hunger in the slightest.

Three generations of Great Demon Lords changed, and Kanon of Destruction, who didn’t even exist when I was born, was appointed.
She was a crimson demon, like the beautiful flames of purgatory given form.
I still remember when I was granted an audience upon her appointment.

The magical power felt in her body was befitting of Wrath, blazing up, filled with heat that seemed to burn the surrounding air, mighty and so full of sin that I felt like prostrating myself on the spot.
I thought, what a strong and beautiful demon.
There was charisma there.
I believed that under this Great Demon Lord, I would be able to satisfy my hunger like never before.
That I would be able to taste flavors I had never experienced before.

And at the same time, I thought:
If I could devour her—it would be a feeling of ascending to heaven.

I’ve devoured parents, best friends, subjects, and even fellow Gluttony.
I’ve devoured Sloth, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Pride, and Envy.
I’ve devoured while crying, while angry, while laughing, while giving thanks.

There’s no noble or base when it comes to food, and therefore, there’s no superiority or inferiority in the value of all things in this world.
Whether it tasted bad or good, even knowing that such things wouldn’t satisfy my hunger, I devoured them.

This world is—hell.
Decreasing and increasing, changing, wars starting and ending, perishing and reviving, all things in flux and the prosperous inevitably decline, and amidst all this, only hunger never changes.

Only hunger doesn’t change.

And also the indescribable euphoria when satisfying it.

So, my raising the flag of rebellion against Great Demon Lord Kanon Iralord was probably just a matter of time, not really about food or anything like that.
After all, I am the demon of Gluttony.

Episode 2

That level of magical power was far from satisfying for a magic core.

Things were better in the old days. The Demon World was overflowing with powerful demons who had spent long years satisfying their cravings.
Perhaps I have lived too long. I’ve eaten too many delicious things. And now, with limited resources, we who struggle to satisfy our refined palates are like starving ghosts in hell.

Fu fu fu, 「Things were better in the old days」… I suppose I’m starting to sound like an old-timer.

Most of the powerful demons were wiped out over ten thousand years ago – in the large-scale war against the heavenly soldiers who invaded from the Heavens.
Since then, the vast majority of remaining demons, even Demon Lords, are merely youngsters who haven’t lived more than ten thousand years.

「Lord Zebul, I’m hungry.」

Says the wolf-headed demon.
For a commander-class demon who presides over gluttony, I understand his hunger all too painfully, though he has not yet reached the level of Demon Lord.

「Fu fu fu fu fu, that’s nothing – I’m hungry too. You must endure it. The meal taken after enduring extreme hunger is bliss. They say hunger is the ultimate seasoning, don’t they?」

「Food… I want… food…」

The fragrant aroma of blood, flesh and souls tickles my nostrils.
They call me a glutton, but I’m really just a seeker constantly in pursuit of delicious things. There’s no reason I should be called a glutton.
I cross my legs on the pure white marble throne. Muffled screams echo from the mouth of the food supporting the throne.

The demon of pride… the most delicious way to eat them is to shatter that pride first.
But either way, I don’t sense that much power from this demon. The taste will probably be mediocre.

Of course, since my stomach is infinite, I won’t waste anything by leaving leftovers. I always say 「itadakimasu」 before eating and 「thank you for the meal」 after.
Blood sprays like a shower, wetting my cheeks. At the same time, the throne shakes violently.

「H-hey! You can’t just eat on your own!」

「Gu?」

I hurriedly look down to see one of my subordinate demons biting and crushing a neck with its huge jaws.

Ahh, and I was in the middle of preparing it…
I understand the feeling of wanting to eat as deliciously as possible, even if the ingredients are poor quality.
But watching my subordinate crack bones with a 「chomp chomp」 sound, its wolf head grinning from ear to ear, I start to not care anymore. Because I understand that feeling too.
Really, what naughty children they are.
I also leap down from the throne, tear off the right arm of the corpse that’s starting to lose its freshness, and put it in my mouth.
The sweet taste of a mature soul lasts for just an instant. It disappears in no time after chewing a few times.

Good grief, this doesn’t even begin to satisfy my hunger.
As I tear off the left arm, the wolf-head says:

「Gu… Lord Zebul… so fast…」

「Hmph, I’m… a bit of a big eater.」

「You just… ate a Demon Lord…」

「Ah, it was delicious.」

As expected, Demon Lords are different. The depth of flavor is different. The texture is different. I can clearly feel my body rejoicing.
Even for a newcomer, the magical power they possess is truly in a different league compared to even a commander-class demon who has only one rank.
When the wolf-head finished eating the head and tried to search for more prey, the four limbs were already gone.
He gives me an accusing look.

「Unfair…」

Good grief.
What is this man saying?
With admiration for his insatiable hunger for food, I said:

「It’s not unfair, not unfair at all. You have to… get your own prey. I’m the one who fought Clad Astral. It’s only natural that I eat it. Did you do anything?」

「The demon just now… I killed it…」

「Oh? Is that so? Fu fu fu, well, what belongs to the subjects belongs to the master, right? If you don’t like it… you should become more powerful.」

Then you too might be able to know the taste of a Demon Lord. Well, maybe you’d be happier not knowing.

I activate my Gluttony skill.
Using magical power, hunger shakes my stomach even more deeply.

「Million Dish」

Countless tentacles growing from my back pierce into the former Pride demon, now reduced to a limbless torso with its head and limbs torn off.
The wolf-head screams.

「No…」

「Fu fu fu, well, I’ll leave a little bit for you.」

The Gluttony skill exists solely for eating.
The piercing tentacles move independently, devouring the body of Pride, stripped of its limbs and head, in less than a second.
The sound of the wolf-head’s fangs cutting through empty air echoes hollowly as he hurriedly tries to bite.
Fu fu fu… what a naughty, greedy child, trying to interfere with someone else’s meal.

「Aaaaah, you said… you’d leave some…」

「Fu fu fu… thank you for the meal… it was a fairly good taste.」

But it was a bit disappointing for a commander-class. I suppose things really are different from the old days.
No, I guess this is the level of quality you’d expect for demons gathered by a mere 15th-ranked Demon Lord…

「…Lord Zebul…」

「Fu fu, look, there’s some left, isn’t there?」

I point to the pure white throne for Gal Luxedor, the commander-class demon belonging to my army who can be seen with teary eyes.

「…The throne.」

「I don’t need… a plate.」

Really, for a commander-class demon, he has no sense of dignity… Upper-class demons need more elegance, you know?
Ahaha, well, wolves are carnivores, aren’t they? That’s – my bad.
But being picky about food is not good.

「I see… fu fu, in that case, maybe I’ll have it.」

「…Can’t be picky… about food.」

「When it comes down to it, you have to be able to eat even dirt or rocks.」

With a cracking sound, the mouth – fangs – that grew on my hand touching the throne scrape away at the marble.
It’s quite a good taste. But even though it’s made of high-quality materials, it’s still just a plate in the end. It’s good for tricking hunger, but it can’t compare to what’s on the plate.

The battle lines had long since been drawn. Now is the victory feast.

The army of Pride has long since collapsed, and all enemy soldiers have become food.
They were no match at all. Despite having a Demon Lord on their side, the outcome was decided in less than two hours.
Although our army consists only of gluttonous demons, Gluttony excels in attack power, and the most basic skill, 「Wave of Starvation,」 is also an area-of-effect skill.
As long as I’m here, enemy demons below a certain level of ability are caught up in the skill and can only become fodder.
Of course, I went easy on them, but even so, they were hesitant from the start.

Fu fu fu, Pride (Superbia) demons who are hesitant are no match at all. In the end, they’re just losers who succumbed to Kanon Iralord.
Pride is… the stronger the more arrogant it is. And at the same time, that also means it’s more delicious.
There’s probably also the fact that the ranks we were given were too different, but even the 「Superiority」 used by the Demon Lord wasn’t much.
The despair and screams weren’t bad as seasonings, though.

Having finished eating the throne, I rub my stomach once.
I have a slender build. All the nutrients are consumed by the Gluttony skill.

「Lord Zebul… I’m hungry.」

「Hm? Good grief, already?… Well, it was just quantity after all…」

This level doesn’t balance at all with the skills I used.
Looking around, it seems the food each of them had been nibbling on has long since disappeared into their stomachs, and only eyes filled with hunger remain, glittering fiercely.
Good grief, if we had used proper cooking methods, it should have been a bit more filling… Well, if they can’t hold back, there’s nothing we can do.
I who have eaten a Demon Lord could still hold back, but it’s also the role of a king to meet the expectations of his subjects, right?
I clap my hands once and say to my cute subordinates who seem to have no idea what’s going on:

「Well then, shall we go look for the next meal?」

「Ooooooooooooooh!!」

My subordinates roar. The ground trembles with the Wave of Starvation, shaking with the growls of beasts.
They’re plenty motivated. Most of the Gluttonous in my retinue have beast-like bodies. That’s because they’ve transformed their own bodies so that they can at least eat hard things, since they don’t yet have the power to crush everything.

That’s why the members of my army… aren’t very good at using their heads. Well, there’s no need to use your head just to devour things.
Among them, Gal, who despite his appearance is known as a relatively wise strategist in the army, spreads out a map while drooling from his jaw.

The Flame of Ruin Palace, the residence of the Great Demon Lord, is surrounded by the territories of the supporting Demon Lords, and isn’t easily accessible.
So, aiming for the Flame of Ruin Palace while eating the other Demon Lords as appetizers before devouring Lord Kanon seems like a pretty sensible and wonderful plan.
Fu fu fu, even for me… taking on multiple Demon Lords at once would be tough. Let’s devour them one by one in order.
If I can just devour the Great Demon Lord, my abilities will increase even further. I might even take over as Great Demon Lord if I feel like it.
All Demon Lords are full of ambition, you know. No one will care about a weak Great Demon Lord who got eaten.

I look at our planned route of advance, pointed out by Gal, at the territories divided by lines.
A vast land standing in the way of the shortest route to the Flame of Ruin Palace. An area so wide that even if you added up the territories of the Demon Lords we devoured yesterday and today, it wouldn’t come close. A distance that probably couldn’t be traversed in a day even using flying dragons. To avoid this controlled area would require quite a detour.
I frown when I see the name written there.

「It seems… we made a mistake with this invasion. Why, out of nearly twenty Demon Lords, does this person have to show up here?」

「Hm? What’s the problem?」

「There are plenty. Plenty, plenty. Geez, what were Mizuna and the others thinking when they came up with this route…」

「Lord Zebul… Mizuna is no longer here. Neither are Seta or Glad.」

「Yeah, I know. They were delicious, after all.」

I feel like complaining, thinking, 「I know, but still…」

I remember the three who were dispatched by Lord Kanon as inspectors.
Since my subordinates are useless when it comes to planning, I had those three cleverly flattered into devising the invasion plan. Of course, I didn’t honestly tell them it was to devour Lord Kanon.
I only had them think about the route. Naturally, those three, being directly under Lord Kanon, would only be in the way, so after the planning was finished, they became appetizers for this banquet.
In the end, they were only commander-class, and caught off guard, they were no match for me.
Well, I enjoyed them thoroughly. The fact that they were much more delicious than the commander-class from the Pride army speaks to the difference in quality, I suppose.

But of all things, this is…
For the first time in a while, feeling emotions other than hunger, I rub the name written on the map.
Honestly… I really don’t feel like doing this.

「What’s the problem?」

「…Don’t tell me you don’t know Lazy Slaughterdolls, the Demon Lord of Sloth?」

Formerly fourth-ranked, he recently accomplished something and is now ranked third, the Demon Lord of Sloth.
It’s not that the strength of Demon Lords strictly follows their rank, so in terms of strength, he’s not that scary. And it’s not that I’m afraid because he’s not a newcomer, but an old demon who, like me, survived the great war with the Heavens ten thousand years ago.
Of course, I’ve never fought him, but surviving for so long means he’s accumulated that much power. So it’s absolutely true that I can’t deal with him like I would with the 15th or 16th ranked, but that’s not the essence of the problem.
I sigh deeply.

Then, I reveal the shocking truth to my cute subjects who seem to have no idea:

「Sloth demons… are incredibly bitter, you know.」

「Bitter…?」

「Yeah. I have a policy of eating anything I defeat… but even I don’t want to eat Sloth demons.」

「WHAAAT?!」

Gal jumps up in surprise.
Thinking 「That’s a bit dramatic…」, I observe my surroundings to find all my underlings, who usually show no sign of intelligence and only think about eating, looking at me as if they’re seeing something unbelievable.
No, no, no, no.

I explain as if to justify myself. This is the wisdom of Gluttony, you know.

「Well, it’s fine if it’s a lower-ranking demon… But the demons who govern Sloth, the more they master it, the more ways they have to spend time in sloth… and among those is a skill that degrades the taste of their own flesh and soul to make themselves inedible…」

That’s what’s terrible.

Being a specialized skill, and a fairly high-ranking one at that, it embodies an incredible taste.
That taste is so bitter it’s traumatizing after just one bite. It’s not a matter of liking or disliking bitter things, it’s just bitter and unpalatable.
Even for me, who’s been called a glutton, who claims to be the best when it comes to just eating, with an infinite stomach that can eat anything including poison… it’s terrible. It’s deathly unpalatable. It was the first time I experienced stomach pain.
You might think it would be fine to swallow them whole, but that’s not the case either. Their taste resonates with the soul. Even if sent directly to the stomach, it’s undoubtedly unpalatable.

Changing their taste to avoid being eaten, it’s almost like a plant-like attribute.

「If it’s a lower-ranking Sloth… they’re compatible and don’t move much so they’re easy to hunt, and their taste is unique but not bad… but of all things, it had to be a Demon Lord.」

「Meaning?」

I pause for a beat, building up strength before declaring:

「It’s the most unpalatable thing in this world. No doubt about it.」

「Ooooooh」

For some reason I don’t understand, applause rings out.
…You guys don’t get it, do you? Well, I guess that’s natural. The Gluttonous have an incredibly deep appreciation for taste… they’ve probably never experienced the emotion of something being “unpalatable,” let alone just not delicious.
I can’t help but bless their good fortune. It’s definitely one of the top three traumas in my tens of thousands of years of life.

Well, there aren’t many chances to eat Sloth demons, and on top of that, once they become upper-class like commanders or above, they almost never come to the frontlines, so there probably won’t be any chances in the future either.
…Hm?

「…I see… so they assumed he wouldn’t come out. Mizuna and the others…」

「Hm?」

I see. Now that you mention it, I understand.
Indeed, it’s almost impossible for the Demon Lord of Sloth to participate in the frontlines on his own.
Because unlike Gluttony, their craving doesn’t need to harm others, and the king of Sloth is the most slothful existence in this Demon World.
There’s no way they would participate in something as troublesome as war. It’s unthinkable, even if there were orders from the Great Demon Lord.

I try to recall Lazy’s face, searching through my thoughts, but I can’t remember.
I should be one of the oldest in this army, having served in the Great Demon Lord’s army since the time of the Great Demon Lord three generations ago, but no matter how much I trace back my memories, I can’t picture the figure of Lazy Slaughterdolls.

I furrow my brow and allocate nutrients to my thoughts. And finally, I catch a glimpse of what seems to be a memory.
I’m sure I vaguely remember.

He must have been at the ceremony when Lord Kanon became the Great Demon Lord. Being dragged along by the inspector of the time.
He was a thin, unreliable-looking man with black hair, I think. I remember fragments of the Demon Lords at the time talking about how someone like that could be one.

「What’s wrong, Lord Zebul…?」

「…Wait a minute. Huh? He was there at the time of Felth Crown before that too…」

I trace back to an even earlier memory.
The ceremony when the previous Great Demon Lord took that position.
My memories are hazy now, and that scene is all shrouded in mist, but he was definitely there.
A man with black hair and a slovenly appearance, I’m sure he was being carried on the back of his subordinate to participate. I just barely remember the Demon Lords of the time talking about how someone like that could be one.

I tilt my head.

「…Huh? How many years has he been around… He’s quite the veteran, the era of Lord Felth Crown was…」

Lord Felth Crown became the Great Demon Lord twenty-five thousand years ago.
I don’t remember the Great Demon Lord of the generation before that, but was he already there when I became a Demon Lord? Or wasn’t he?
Demons have very long lifespans, but to live that long would require considerable power.
I think he probably wasn’t there, but I’m not quite sure.
I didn’t think it mattered either way whether he was there or not…

「What are you going to do, Lord Zebul?」

「Hmm… what to do, you ask. Now that we’ve come this far, we have no choice but to go, isn’t it?」

We are now in a do-or-die situation. It all depends on how quickly we can take down Lord Kanon.
There’s no option… to take a detour. We have to go with unwavering determination.

Fortunately, Sloth is said to possess skills that excel in endurance. It should be very compatible with Gluttony skills. If only I can endure the taste.
No, even the taste… It’s been a long time since I last ate a Sloth demon. My memory is hazy, and maybe it’s just that the impression remains from so long ago. Perhaps if I ate it now, it wouldn’t be as unpalatable as I remember.

Yeah. That’s right. Unlike in the past, there’s no way I would find something unpalatable now.

Besides, there’s no way Sloth will come out. Even if they do come out, it will probably just be the Sloth army at most. Sure, Lazy’s army is renowned for being elite, but in the end, commander-class demons are no match for me, a Demon Lord.
On the contrary, I’m looking forward to the taste.

「Alright, then let’s head straight for the Flame of Ruin Palace!」

「Ooooooooooooooooooh!」

Lord Kanon… please wait.
I, representing all the Gluttonous demons, will taste you.

Episode 3

I’m already starting to regret this.
The fact that we might not be able to eat the Demon Lord is especially dampening my and the Legion’s spirits.

It’s not that we were careless. But as expected of an old demon, I suppose.
Demons basically get stronger the longer they live. They have more time to advance through the ranks. Of course, just living a long time without doing anything doesn’t increase your power, but at the same time, the Demon World isn’t a gentle enough environment to live idly.
Like Gluttony, the principle of the Demon World is based on survival of the fittest. Had we been too careless against a demon who has carved out a long life in that world?

My army has been running the shortest route and has long since entered the domain of the Demon Lord of Sloth.
And then I notice something.
Gal, unusually hesitant, turns his gaze towards me.

「… Lord Zebul… the zone…」

「Yeah, I know… Damn, it won’t break at all. What is this…」

It’s an incredibly strong and quiet atmosphere.
It’s a power that any demon serving a Demon Lord would recognize.

The Abyss Zone.

A turf war between Demon Lords.

The Abyss Zone of Lazy, who used to be an ally, is now baring its fangs at my army. As a Demon Lord, I’m not affected by it since I emit my own Abyss Zone, but it’s abnormal that it doesn’t even reach Gal running next to me.
We’ve been fighting for an incredibly long time, but I don’t remember anything like this.

I feel like we’re almost there… Lazy’s competing zone is certainly stronger than I can remember, but at this close distance, I should have the advantage.
However, I’m just a little short on power. Being hungry after a two-day forced march after eating a Demon Lord is also part of the problem.
In this situation, I can’t fully use the power of Gluttony.

「We’re so close… Damn, I should have taken a detour and eaten another Demon Lord…」

As expected of the third rank. No, no, this is really troublesome. It’s completely different from the other two pillars whose zones I could break through from start to finish.
While the Abyss Zone doesn’t matter in a one-on-one fight between Demon Lords, it makes a huge difference when using armies. In fact, if an ally’s Abyss Zone is broken, it’s better to run away.
Well, usually when it’s broken, you’re about to lose anyway, so it’s impossible.

As we run for a while, the scent of excitement and fighting spirit wafts from somewhere.
It’s not the demons of Gluttony. It’s a more fragrant, appetizing smell.
The battle is near. I don’t know if the Demon Lord is there, but it seems they’re not going to let us pass through easily.
Well, of course. If a Demon Lord who had eaten two other Demon Lords was allowed to pass through easily, the Demon Lord ruling this territory would be executed by Lord Kanon. That’s why the previous two pillars came out to fight despite their fear.

Should I eat these guys now?

I glance sideways at my army.
No, it’s no good. Even if I eat these guys, the power I’d gain would be minimal. Unless it’s a commander-class, eating demons below that level is just satisfying hunger and meaningless.
Besides, it doesn’t make sense to eat my allies to pass through the Abyss Zone meant for allies.

I wonder if the Demon Lord will come out?

That’s the key issue.
If the Demon Lord doesn’t come out, in the worst case, I could eat all of the first army with my skills – it’s possible with the skills of Gluttony.
If the enemy Demon Lord comes out to fight directly, I’ll have to concentrate on them, so I’d have to leave Lazy’s army to my allies. Making my army, even if it’s composed of high-attack Gluttonous demons, face Lazy’s army without the zone correction would be too much.

According to the usual tactics, the enemy should bring out their Demon Lord. Unless the army is exceptionally strong, there’s no chance of winning against a Demon Lord without deploying a Demon Lord.
But the opponent is Sloth. Thinking about it, it seems unlikely he’d come out. Especially since he’s a demon of the same rank as me. That thoroughly pursued desire has probably become his very existence.
And to back that up, Lazy has never come out to the battlefield before. At least in my memory, Lazy has never fought even once.

I trace my canine teeth with my tongue and activate my skill.
Let’s show a bit of my appetite to Lazy.

Illuminate Requiem.

「Night」 falls within a few meters centered on me.
It’s an enhancement skill for the Wave of Starvation, a Gluttony skill that consumes the magic of things it touches, and at the same time, it’s a skill I gained long ago when I became a Demon Lord.
This skill, which decomposes the damage and the abilities activated as magic or skills of what it touches and converts them into my own magic power, is truly a manifestation of my endless appetite.

It even devours Lazy’s Abyss Zone, deploying my own Abyss Zone, albeit only around me.
I feel a strong bitterness that stings my nose. I involuntarily frown at this unexpected taste.
Just eating the zone tastes like this… This is why Sloth is…

「Lord Zebul, something is coming.」

At that moment, a subordinate reports.
At the same time, a single human figure running across the wasteland enters my senses.
No, saying it’s one person is misleading. It’s one person, but at the same time, it’s countless.
The same figure, a female demon about the same size as me, split into countless duplicates, is running at considerable speed.

「… Intercept them!」

The whole army slows down at my command.
An advance party – and just one person at that.
And several hundred meters behind them, a large group more than twice our size is coming…
It’s a story of being underestimated by an army led by a Demon Lord. I’m impressed by the skill that can deceive even my eyes, but still, I don’t sense much power from that girl’s figure.
The faint scent I smell is mixed with impurities. She’s not a demon purely pursuing a single desire.

Sharp, cutting killing intent simultaneously arises from the countless duplicates.
I search my brain for familiar skills. The vast number of demons I’ve eaten, my battle experience, allows me to see through the true nature of this skill.
Probably an upper-level Lust skill. If I remember correctly, there was a skill among those Demon Lord class skills that could create illusions with multiple physical manifestations.

Well, it doesn’t seem to be her own skill.

Fu fu fu… Don’t you know my rank, my name?
Whether you’re a Knight or a Commander- if you think you can beat a Demon Lord with just that, you’re underestimating me.

… Well, you’ll have plenty of time to regret it. In my stomach, that is.

The Wave of Starvation released by the demon at the front of our formation erodes the illusion. I clearly see the girl’s brow furrowing for a moment as she’s touched by this power that devours magic.
You’re inexperienced. Lacking in battle experience. Or maybe your role is to test our strength.

Fu fu, very well. Let’s play for a while.

The hand of the demon at the front hesitates for a moment before the girl’s delicate beauty.
He quickly regains his appetite and launches an attack, but it’s too late. The girl easily dodges the strike and pierces his throat with a knife hand. A brilliant technique.
To be bewitched by Lust… fu fu, how youthful. So young, so young.

I extend tentacles from the ground to devour the fallen demon. My magic power increases slightly.
I don’t have time to savor it, but I won’t waste your sacrifice… This world is survival of the fittest, after all.

Gal pierces the girl, whose back is wide open, with his fangs.
But that physical form instantly changes into an illusion, and as it’s broken, it disperses into magic power.
I absorb it without waste. It’s sweet. Very sweet magic power. I see… As expected of Lust, it’s worth using the skill.
This looks more delicious than I thought.

And whether by good fortune or not, the moment I absorb that magic power, my magic power surpasses that of Lazy.
With a feeling like something snapping, Lazy’s zone breaks and my zone spreads. The moment it touches it, the girl’s movement stops.
And not just her, but all of her duplicates at once.

Fu fu fu, with such a powerful zone. She probably had never experienced it being broken.
But it’s no good to stop moving at a time like this…

I skewer about ten duplicates that had been quietly crawling along the ground with tentacles. The duplicates pierced from a blind spot all return to magic power and disappear like mist.
It seems the real body wasn’t among them. Well, she’s probably just observing.

But even so, that magic power was extremely delicious. Even if I can’t eat the Demon Lord, it’s more than enough flavor.
That girl has talent as an ingredient, to make my tongue tremble like this…

… Alright, I, as a gourmet, will prepare and eat her with the finest cooking.

Just as I made that decision, I felt an incredibly bad premonition.
I instinctively use the Wave of Starvation.
It was the intuition that has kept me alive as the Demon Lord of Gluttony until now, and following it was the right choice this time too.

A huge power comparable to a Demon Lord’s suddenly occurs in the distance.
A flame dragon that swallows up the entire underworld collides with the wave I hastily released.
Intense heat comparable to the sun of the Demon World, light, contends with the Wave of Starvation.

「Lord Zebul, this is…」

「Ugh… fu… Don’t talk to me right now!」

It was a tremendous trampling of light and flame.
Truly comparable to the weapons used by the soldiers of God that I once saw up close, perhaps even rivaling the divine judgment.
My hair flutters in the hot wind that passes beyond the wave, sticking to my forehead with sweat.

What is this power!? Even if I’m hungry, for the Wave of Starvation of me, the fifth-ranked, to not be able to devour this magic power!?
Wrath? No, this isn’t… This isn’t the flame of Wrath. The taste is different.

At that moment, I remembered the gossip that the now-deceased Mizuna and others were talking about a little while ago.
The story of a legendary magic sword given to that Demon Lord very recently.

… I see, this is… The power of the Magic Sword Celeste – a treasure with the name of an L-class dragon surpassing a Demon Lord!!
Fu fu fu, I had forgotten…

「Please listen properly! It’s about a rival Demon Lord!」
The troubled face of Mizuna, the chief observer dispatched to me, who came to report, flashes through my mind.

I see, indeed this is – a threat.
It seems you were much more competent than I thought, Mizuna.

「The enemy Demon Lord!?」

「Fu fu fu… If a Demon Lord were using it, we would undoubtedly be turned to ashes.」

The heat, the light, is converted into a tremendous umami and returned to me.
A sense of fulfillment spreads throughout my body. What a flavor… Rich umami, a stimulating taste that wakes you up. Wonderful, so this is the power of a magic sword!
I’ve found another thing to look forward to…

The Wave of Starvation becomes more powerful and starts to push back the flame of Celeste.
It feels like power is overflowing from the bottom of my body…

「How delicious… ! If it’s this delicious just from the sword’s effect, how delicious would the main body be…」

「Lord Zebul, that’s not fair!! Only you…」

「Even if you ate it, you’d die with your capacity… Fu fu, work hard so you can join me at the same dining table.」

I look around at my cute army that still focuses on appetite even at a time like this.

You’ve brought quite an extravagant gift, haven’t you?
Fu fu, I can understand why you might have misunderstood that you could handle this without the Demon Lord when you brought such a powerful magic sword. It’s completely understandable.

As expected, Sloth hasn’t come. If the Demon Lord of Sloth had participated, this would have been settled with a single blow.
However, the Great Demon Lord gives quite dangerous weapons as rewards… She should have given one to me too…

For Gluttony, which devours all things, the equilibrium of power is the best feast.
I lick my lips as I devour the power of the flame.

At that moment, the wave that should have been completely overwhelming is pushed back by the flame that has gained even more momentum.
Can the output still increase… I put more power into controlling the wave.
But the longer this goes on, the more advantageous it becomes for me. This level can’t satisfy my appetite.

Gluttony skills are very compatible with emission-type skills and magic swords.
Whether it’s flame, ice, lightning, or whatever, I can devour it.
The power of this type of magic sword depends on the user.
Certainly, the power of this magic sword is – powerful. But it’s not enough to defeat me in one blow, let alone an ordinary Demon Lord.
Also, while the flame of the magic sword can’t be produced infinitely, the Wave of Starvation is a basic skill of Gluttony. I can maintain it for hours.

「Fu fu, I wonder how long you can keep producing it? If you can satisfy my hunger, I might forgive you.」

Due to the tremendous magic power and the pleasure of satisfying my appetite, a throbbing heat spreads throughout my body, washing over my brain in waves.
Ah, how wonderful this is. I’m glad I didn’t take such an inelegant detour after all!

I was savoring the flame in a dreamlike state, but the moment I narrowed my eyes to fully appreciate the taste, the power of the magic sword swelled up greatly.

It was just for an instant.

The wave that had been pushing back until now was suddenly swept away, and a flame that burned everything filled my vision.

「What!?」

「Ugh!?」

Gal, who was standing next to me, is burned up by the flame in an instant, without even a chance to make a final cry.
I hastily extend tentacles and devour his magic power just before his soul disappears.

It was completely unexpected for me. Being on the offensive had led to carelessness.
Due to the trance, a hunger, an impulse no less intense than that flame rages from within my stomach, devouring my body.

Impossible impossible impossible impossible

I sweep away with countless tentacles. My army. The demons of Gluttony are absorbed by the tentacles before they can be burned by the flame, in less than a single breath.
This energy, this magic power. Everyone except me will undoubtedly be annihilated. There’s no time to deploy skills. Originally, Gluttony’s skills aren’t suited for defense.

I had always decided. When my army is destroyed – I would inherit their will.
I devour the army that was trained to share my hunger.
The tentacles that were mowed down with a single swing continue to send endless energy. Each time, I feel my own power becoming more robust as I devour the magic power.

The Illuminate Requiem that was enveloping me counters the flame. That flame now contained power rivaling that released by the Demon Lord of Wrath.
However, unlike the Wave of Starvation, this skill is a Demon Lord’s skill. It’s not just a demon’s skill.
Although its range is narrow, it blocks Celeste’s flame that was enveloping me and transmits that energy to me without waste.
Tears come to my eyes. At that power, that meaning, that incredible deliciousness.

Probably, it was the trump card of the enemy demon.
The torrent of flame ended in just a few seconds. The heat left by the flame blows across the wasteland as wind.

Nothing… remained. My army of nearly three hundred has all been converted to magic power and settled in my stomach.
Just like Celeste’s flame.

「Haa haa haa, sorry… everyone -」

I lick my lips. I look up at the sky with mixed feelings.
The enemy army is still far away. I was all alone in the vast underworld wasteland.
I put my hands together. With gratitude.

「――Thank you for the meal」

The power I’ve eaten is converted, further elevating my rank.
My zone, which has now become meaningless, completely surpasses Lazy’s and races across the wasteland.
Power overflows. More than ever before.

Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. Now, I understand everything.

The Third Legion, and even the location of the enemy general who used this magic sword.
My zone had broken through Lazy’s over several kilometers.
The explosively expanded perception tells me.
As I expected, there’s no sign of the Demon Lord anywhere.

「You underestimated me… Fu fu fu, to think I’d be cornered this much by mere commander-class demons… I’ve certainly tasted your trump card.」

I deactivate the Illuminate Requiem skill. The power I was allocating to the skill converges into my body.
From here on, it’s my – no, our attack.

Along with the enemy commander’s voice, far more demons than us charge with fierce expressions.
They’re much stronger demons than I expected. For demons below commander-class, that is.

I’ll express my respect for your power and your valiant efforts.

I lick my lips.

Let’s eat.

I extend tentacles from my back and pierce the oncoming demons.
The moment I pierce the first one, I feel it. Delicious…
Fu fu fu, as expected. As expected, Lazy Slaughterdolls! As expected of an old generation demon who survived the war with the Heavens! You have quite an army!

I devour them mindlessly with my tentacles. I take attacks, spears thrust from behind.
It was a dreamlike time. Their fighting spirit doesn’t wane even against a Demon Lord. What gallantry. A legion no less powerful than my army!

A large, muscular demon with six arms befitting a commander raises his sword.
I draw the Fang Sword I carry on my back to meet it.
My ivory-colored fang and the man’s crimson blade clash.
The moment our blades cross, I understand.
Fu fu fu, I see. This demon seems to be the wielder of Celeste. I see, he has a delicious scent.
Not just the sword, but the demon’s body itself.
I suppressed the smile welling up inside me.

「…So you’re the commander.」

The demon laughs terribly and swings the swords gripped in his remaining arms. I sense a fairly powerful magic sword aura from all of them. I meet them with my tentacles.
That scent. From his fighting style, I can clearly tell.
A demon wielding this many magic swords. He must be a demon of Greed.
And that flame attack from earlier.
He knows how to use his power quite well.

「That’s a fine arm you have.」

「Kihkihkih, I’m honored by your praise!!」

Flames rise from the sword. I meet the slashing attack with my Fang Sword, not being deceived by the flickering blade. As expected of the renowned magic sword, it would be dangerous if I received it head-on. But there’s a fundamental difference in basic specs between a Demon Lord and a commander.
Of course, he’s not weak. He’s not weak, but no matter how much he’s trained his body… While Pride might be a different story, the gap between a commander and a Demon Lord isn’t small enough to be overcome by Greed.

I strike down a small demon approaching from behind with my tentacles and turn around.
There was the brave girl who charged at us with the first attack.
An ice magic sword and a short sword. Fu fu, for Lust to engage in close combat… How brave.
I judge. These two are commander-class.
The first is Mr. Greed, the second is Ms. Lust, and the rest are rank-and-file soldiers. There’s a noticeable difference in combat ability between the first and second, but that’s meaningless before me.
They’re both equally food.

「Two of you… A tad small, but you look quite delicious.」

The girl’s movement stops for a moment. It seems this child has a bad habit of stopping when surprised on the battlefield. Still very inexperienced.
Not missing that opening, I pierce her with my sword. It’s just another illusion anyway. Her eyes say so.
As I thought, the girl’s figure disappears into mist. I absorb it without waste and face the sword swung widely from behind with my mouth wide open.
The demon’s expression of shock. Fu fu fu, after all, to know the true taste, you have to eat it with your own mouth…
That doesn’t change whether it’s Gluttony or Greed.

「A magic sword… I’ve never eaten one before. It might be a delicacy.」

「What the—?!」

I firmly catch the sword swung down by the muscular arm with my fangs.
The heat of the metal, the thickness of the magic power I feel on my tongue. The leaking flames are just an accent.

I’ll eat it… Your collection, that is.

After all, that’s the cooking method of Greed.
I catch another sword swung down by a different arm with my Fang Sword, deliberately creating an opening.

Fu fu fu, I understand, Luxuria.
I understand everything. After all, you’re in my territory now.

Young. Young. Young. Young. Young Lust – Ahhhhh, I wonder how delicious you are.
I might not be able to hold back anymore.

「You’re the main body… Your magical energy looks rather delicious.」

I deliberately surprise her, and in that opening, I extend my tongue from the mouth I released on my back and entwine it around the sword.
It’s a cold and delicious magic sword. The expression of the Greed demon distorts for a moment.

「Fu fu fu, not a bad texture…」

I move my tongue as if showing it off and peel the sword from the girl’s arm.
You’re weak. This is what happens when you don’t properly Envy arm strength… Fu fu.
I catch the sword of Greed swung in panic with the mouth I manifested in my palm and bite it to pieces.

Everything was superior.
Vast battle experience. Rank as a demon. None of these even come close to my level.

Greed creates an opening when his collection is destroyed.
This is why recent demons are… Oh, did I sound like an old man again?

I chew and swallow the sword I caught with my tongue.
Greed screams. Don’t worry, your proud sword is very delicious.

Now then, is it about time?

Just as I was about to extend my tongue towards Greed who had stopped moving as expected, my tongue was blown away by a tremendous force.

What!? Suddenly?

A crude bastard sword greatly shatters the ground.
Debris explodes outward. I try to meet the blade approaching with strange movements but tremendous momentum with my tongue and tentacles, but they are all blown away.

「…What are you?」

It was a lead-colored skeleton. Two meters tall. Without emotion or presence, its arm is swung with nothing but crudeness.
But its physical strength far exceeded that of the man of Greed.
It’s incomprehensible. It’s not a demon. It doesn’t smell like a demon.
I reluctantly release Celeste. I’ve decided not to let my guard down even against weak opponents anymore.

「…What is that… It’s no demon, and I sense no presence.」

「Kihkihkih, just a candlestick! Though the Master’s skill is on it!」

The skeleton breaks through the ground and charges like a beast.
The huge sword, as tall as me, is swung.
Its speed is certainly fast, and its power is strong, but it’s not much of an attack for me. I can see through it, and if I meet it head-on with a sword, I would win in terms of power.
I was surprised because its smell isn’t that of a living thing, but that’s all.

But this guy… doesn’t look delicious at all.
Candlestick? The thing you put candles on? Why is a candlestick moving?

「…It doesn’t look very appetizing. I’m actually quite the gourmet, you know.」

I deflect the sword and cut off one arm.
The skeleton’s expression doesn’t change. Does it not feel pain? Or rather, is this thing even alive?

Well, that doesn’t matter.
I’ve understood from the exchange just now. Certainly, Mr. Greed and Ms. Lust are strong, and Mr. Candlestick is also fairly strong, but they’re no match for me.
Celeste alone is the only means that can attack me, and this is probably their last trump card. It’s quite a weapon that gives a mere commander-class a chance to defeat me, an upper-rank Demon Lord. That’s enough.

I take some distance. It’s about time to move on to the cooking.

I activate one of the Demon Lord’s skills, Evil Eye.
It’s a binding evil eye that restricts the actions of lower-ranked beings. There’s a constraint that I also become immobile, but it’s sufficiently usable for skills.
And then I activate a Gluttony skill.

Over Table.

I devour the magic power floating in the air.
From my entire body, regardless of face, body, or legs, I generate tentacles different from before.
Countless soft, wet, purple bodies.
The arms of a hungry ghost with extremely high appetite. Fu fu, I wonder if you can endure this?

As a final tribute, I explain the cooking method and extend the tentacles towards the targets.
Don’t think these are the same as my hands from before.
Fu fu fu, this is… not a demon. It’s a Demon Lord’s class skill.

Lust and Greed avoid it, and the skeleton receives it with its sword, being torn apart.
To confirm the taste more surely, I pull it with tentacles, put it in my mouth and chew it, but it’s really just a 「thing」 after all. Just an object without any mechanism. Not very tasty.
But it seems it was one of Mr. Greed’s collections, and he let out a nice scream.
Fu fu, it seems another cooking process is complete.

「Damn it, do you know how much trouble I went through, how many I killed to have that made…!」

「Fu fu fu, my bad about that. Don’t worry, you’ll be reunited soon inside my stomach.」

I extend my tentacles.
Of course, I don’t aim directly at the main dish.
While nibbling on the other demons, I gradually aim for Mr. Greed’s weapons and Ms. Lust’s equipment.
The arms of the hungry ghost are far faster than normal tentacles. Mr. Greed is avoiding them well, but it seems a bit too challenging for Ms. Lust, and I could see her hidden skin being revealed bit by bit, which was a kind of sensual pleasure.
Her eyes filled with killing intent are beautiful. Even though I’m a woman too, I might become aroused.

「What are you playing at…」

「Fu fu fu, do you eat the shell when you have a meal?」

I wield my tentacles.
Fu fu fu, sorry sorry, I was mistaken.
Let me acknowledge you as a gourmet. You truly are Lust. And of the highest quality.
You’re a top-class dessert. Let me teach you true pleasure.

Celeste is hard. But no matter how much of a magic sword it is, it becomes worn out after receiving my power multiple times.
It seems he ran out of stock quite a while ago. Mr. Greed’s collection is now down to just one sword.
From there, it was an assembly line process.
But that’s good. It’s an important process.
I torment Mr. Greed bit by bit. I peel off Ms. Lust one layer at a time.
This kind of process increases appetite. There’s nothing more delicious than a meal you’ve prepared yourself.

When Ms. Lust is reduced to her birthday suit, they start some kind of discussion.
I pause for a moment to observe. Do they still have some counterattack up their sleeve?
I’d be troubled if they don’t become more delicious to make up for my destroyed army.
Why don’t we see everything? That should enhance the flavor.

Ms. Lust, still embarrassed even at this point, is talking to Mr. Greed with a stern face while awkwardly covering her chest and genitals.

However… arguing in front of the enemy, how young. I wonder when was the last time I did something like that…
As I try to search through my memory from tens of thousands of years ago, I realize something.

My wind is blown away by another wind.
The territory I had seized for several kilometers around is repelled in an instant, violated by the power of a new Demon Lord.
It’s just a quiet, just existing, terribly tranquil magic power without any taste.
And at the same time, it’s none other than the same power that had filled this land until I had devoured it all just a moment ago.

Impossible… Why now…

「…What did you do? Is this your secret plan?」

That can’t be. Even if they revived the zone now, their inevitable defeat won’t be overturned.
The difference between me and them is not of that level.

But in an instant, all of that became irrelevant.

Not Ms. Lust in front of me, or Mr. Greed.
I felt it in my soul as if struck by lightning.
The presence of a huge magic power comparable to myself, a dark existence.
The exhilarating feeling that something is about to happen just by standing there. An absolute presence that even adding up Ms. Lust and Mr. Greed, who were of considerable rank as demons, still falls short.

I see… I’m extremely lucky. It seems the big boss has come out.
I’m in incredibly good shape right now. I would have been in even better condition if I had eaten Ms. Lust and Mr. Greed, but I don’t even have the luxury to care about that anymore.

By some arcane principle, a thin young man with black hair suddenly appears before me and lies down on the ground with a lazy expression, of all things, right in front of me.
With that ridiculous action, I’m certain.

This being is,
One of the great Demon Lords.
The demon king who governs corruption and sloth.

「…Who are you?」

To my question, the Demon Lord says with a lazy expression.

「…I see.」

Episode 4

「Fu fu fu fu, I see… So this is your secret plan. Not bad, I didn’t notice it at all.」

「…Huh? Ah, no…」

Ms. Lust looks at the Demon Lord of Sloth lying down with a confused expression.

There’s no deception in his face. Huh? A coincidence? No way, that’s impossible…
Of all people, there’s no way the Demon Lord of Sloth would just happen to pass by.

But both Ms. Lust and Mr. Greed are looking at the Demon Lord with bewildered gazes.

Lazy rolls over with an exasperated expression and says:

「Why me…」

「…Huh? Even after all this!?」

A girl with crimson hair appears almost simultaneously with Lazy, frowning intensely.
Her black uniform is the same as what Mizuna and the others were wearing – she’s one of the Black Disciples.
She’s trying to pull Lazy’s arm to get him to stand up somehow. The scene matches perfectly with the memory of Lazy being dragged out at the Great Demon Lord’s inauguration ceremony.

…I see, it’s quite an impressive Wrath to drag the Demon Lord of Sloth onto the battlefield.
It seems I’ve truly wasted something valuable. Mizuna… maybe I should have cooked and eaten her more properly.

However, though she’s pulling, Lazy shows no signs of standing. He’s shaking his head vigorously in refusal. His actions are undoubtedly slothful. There’s no life in his eyes at all.
To me, it looks like he’s just waiting to be eaten, and at the same time, that is the essence of a sloth demon.
They are extremely tough, but at the same time, they hardly move at all.

Fu fu fu, interesting. This is truly fascinating. To think you’d try to fight me in such a state—
As I face the prospect of battling a Demon Lord with tremendous power, Hunger flares up accompanied by fighting spirit.

I might as well greet him properly.

「Demon Lord of Sloth. This is our first meeting… no, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? My name is Zebul Gracos… the Demon Lord who governs Gluttony.」

「I see.」

Lazy responds to my self-introduction as if it doesn’t matter at all. And with just one word, at that.
But I mustn’t be fooled by appearances or actions.
Lazy’s zone is undoubtedly above mine.
This guy isn’t weak just because he’s slothful, and even when faced with such enormous magical power, the fact that it doesn’t whet my appetite makes me think that in a sense, he might be incompatible with Gluttony.

「Lord Lazy! You’ve come all this way, so fight properly!」

「…But, he’s strong…」

Lazy turns an utterly disgusted expression towards Wrath’s words.
Wrath’s face is dyed with despair and anger. A spicy magical power that burns like fire tickles my nostrils as an aroma. It smells very delicious.

Fu fu fu fu fu fu, ahahahahahahahaha, don’t tell me you thought you could easily defeat me of all people?

「You’re underestimating me too much, Lazy.」

「Ah… curry isn’t worth the effort…」

Along with these nonsensical words, the battle suddenly begins without any signal.

I extend the arms of the starving ghost in all directions towards Lazy as a test. Just one towards Wrath beside him.
While complaining about Lazy, Wrath wasn’t caught off guard. She dodges the approaching tentacle with a backstep and then extends her palm to release flames.

The tentacle swallows the flames, but can’t consume them all. The tip gets burned. She’s quite a powerful bearer of Wrath (Ira).
But it had a correspondingly delicious taste. I vomit.

「Whoa, bleeeeeeeurgh!」

I kneel down, retract my tentacles and place both hands on the ground.
A sensation as if my stomach is being violently shaken up and down.
The feeling of my head being scrambled, and a sour smell. My body convulses uncontrollably. I retch, but nothing comes out of my mouth.
Tears come to my eyes from the intense pain I haven’t felt in a long time.

W-What is this!?

I look beyond the scenery blurred by tears.
What a pathetic state to be in during battle. But it seems none of the enemies understand my current condition. They’re just looking at me suspiciously for suddenly throwing up. They haven’t even launched an attack.
In the blurry world, Lazy, who is the complete opposite of Wrath who demonstrated agile movements, doesn’t move at all and says with tears in his eyes:

「…It hurts.」

Looking closely, his 「clothes」 are torn in various places all over his body where the tentacles must have pierced. Blood is seeping from the gaps visible on his skin, within the margin of error.

This is the extreme of 「Sloth (Acedia)」 said to excel in endurance.
The Demon Lord of Sloth… what toughness…

It’s an overwhelming VIT (robustness) that’s incomparable to the Sloth commander-class I once defeated. Even my magic sword that easily pierces through doesn’t stand a chance, and the arms of the starving ghost that devour can’t do anything.

Ugh… fu fu fu, this is… interesting…!!
I wipe away my tears and use my Evil Eye. The movements of the three demons except Lazy are restrained. Meanwhile, Lazy doesn’t move of his own accord.

Just as I’m about to use a skill, now that the nausea has subsided, I notice an incredibly bitter, acrid taste assaulting my nose. It’s a diabolical stench that far surpasses the shocking experience I had when I fought against sloth demons before, something that doesn’t seem to be of this world.

Until now, I had been so focused on the violent nausea that I hadn’t noticed at all, but this is…

When I check my magical power, it has recovered slightly more than before.
Too much for just eating Wrath’s flames.

I despair. Is there no god in this world!

The trauma has been overwritten here and now.
I glare at Lazy. Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I complain:

「…You taste incredibly bad… It doesn’t seem to be of this world.」

「…It hurts.」

Lazy is slowly rubbing the torn areas. The blood has already disappeared. Even if there was blood, it was at a level that didn’t cause any damage at all!!
Wrath is looking at Lazy next to her with a despairing expression, but I’m the one who’s truly despairing.

This is bad. What is that taste…
It’s a taste that far surpasses the high-ranking sloth demon I ate before, a taste that desecrates food.
It truly doesn’t seem to be of this world. What kind of principle could produce such a taste? Until now, I thought everything in this world could be eaten, but I have to retract that with all my might. It was a taste that could even change one’s view on life.
It’s far beyond the level of endurance. I never want to taste it again.

…Which means I can’t absorb Lazy’s power.
If I endure and absorb it, I’ll probably die from weakness before I can defeat Lazy.
Hahaha, what’s the point of a Gluttony (Gula) that can’t eat!!

It’s truly a cursed attribute.

Lazy suddenly says with tears still in his eyes:

「I surrender.」

「Huh? Why?」

「I don’t like pain.」

「Haaaaaaaaaaaaah?」

H-How did this guy become a Demon Lord… No, how has he managed to survive until now?

In a sense, my consciousness goes blank for a moment at these words, more shocking than the taste.

In that instant of astonishment, Lazy releases an invisible force, a skill, towards me, which is nullified by my passive skill. It’s a skill for mental resilience. Lazy’s expression becomes one of absolute annoyance, as if it’s too troublesome, and he clicks his tongue.

Hunger becomes killing intent and turns into wind, raging across the wasteland.
…Fu fu fu, you’re quite underestimating me. Trying to catch me off guard with a surprise attack… That’s behavior not even fit for a demon.
Alright. I don’t care about Kanon anymore. I’ll kill you with all my might. Because there shouldn’t be anything inedible in this world.

Most of Gluttony (Gula)’s skills are skills that devour the opponent.
If you exclude those, the skills I can use are very limited.

I clench my palm with all my might, seeking fangs. The primordial power that crushes everything.

Lazy searches his pocket with a movement slower than a sloth, with an expression more unreadable than a sloth, and then loses strength and drops his arm.

「…I forgot my piece… Do you have a chess piece? A chess piece would be fine…」

「Huh? Chess? Of course I don’t have that!」

Wrath scolds Lazy with an irritated face.
All of this, I can only think that I’m being underestimated.

Ah, it’s no use anymore.
Alright, I’ll devour you.

Let me show you the extreme of Gluttony.
Don’t think that Gula just devours.

Far more magical power is consumed than when I brought out the arms of the starving ghost, and the hunger becomes unbearably strong.
To the extent that it feels like my stomach has gained a will of its own and might devour itself.
And so, for the first time in 10,000 years, I use that skill.

「Primordial Fang」

A skill of Gula that manifests the fangs of a demon god, piercing through everything while ignoring the enemy’s resistance.
It’s not a transformation of the body, nor is it manipulating magical power to create arms. It’s one of the skills called imaginary armaments that produce pure weapons, swords.

A sword of darkness born from the original sin of Gluttony envelops my arm as it manifests.

It was a black longsword, from hilt to blade. One and a half meters in length.
But reach doesn’t matter. This is my fang, and at the same time, it’s an existence that embodies The Insatiable Hunger of this world.
I discard the curved sword I used when fighting Mr. Greed. Then, I grip the longsword with both hands. I retract my tentacles.

I glare at the foolish Sloth that takes no action, the Sloth that doesn’t evoke any appetite.

「…Fu… fufu… Shall we begin the battle of Demon Lords then?」

「…Hah…」

Lazy lets out a sigh.

This… Don’t underestimate me!
I take a step forward with all my might. Using a Demon Lord’s strength, it gives explosive propulsion, closing the distance in just a fleeting moment—

My body freezes for an instant. Immediately, the mental resilience skill activates automatically in my brain, releasing the rigidity, but by then it was all too late.
My body feels heavy. Unable to withstand the tremendous weight pressing down on my body, I fall to my knees.
Pressure? No, it’s clearly different. It’s physically heavier.
I can’t grip the sword.

Lazy, who hasn’t moved even half a step since appearing, looks at me lying on the ground with dark eyes.

「Impossible… What did you do…」

「…Hah…」

Lazy sighs again.
No, I understand. I’ve experienced Sloth’s skills before.
There should be a high-ranking Sloth skill that hinders enemy movements.

But… A skill capable of binding me? That’s absurd!

「Ugh… W-Wait, Lord Lazy…」

「Fu… ya…」

「Gu-gu… M-Master!?」

Three different cries ring out.
When I manage to turn my immovable neck to look, for some reason even the demons of Lazy’s army are sprawled on the ground.

This guy— he nonchalantly involved his own army.

No, that’s not it.
In an instant’s decision, I sprout countless tentacles, supporting my body to stand up.
In the eyes of the King of Sloth looking down at me, there’s not even killing intent, let alone fighting spirit.

This isn’t… just a hindering skill. This guy is increasing gravity.
I understand. I clearly realize it. Lazy of Sloth. It might be compatibility, but his power— surpasses mine.
I raise my sword with trembling hands and point it at him.

How many kilos, how many tons of load is being applied? Why, in this weight that I can’t move in, aren’t his own demons being crushed?
To lose to a Demon Lord without even fighting spirit?

「…Fu fu fu, it’s been a while… since someone made me kneel like this.」

「I see.」

Lazy says just one word.
Simultaneously, a shock suddenly assaults me from the side.

What? What happened this time?

There’s no fighting spirit, no killing intent at all. My reaction is delayed.
A force that shakes my entire body. My body, barely supported by tentacles, is easily blown away.
The shaking vision, the dizziness disappears in an instant due to the Demon Lord’s status ailment resistance skill.
There wasn’t even a hint of presence. Lazy hasn’t moved a step either.
I thrust my sword into the ground flowing by at tremendous speed, instantly extend over a hundred tentacles, and stab them into the ground.
The sensation of scraping the ground. The tips of the tentacles heat up from friction. Smoke was rising from the ground.

It’s a physical attack. There’s hardly any damage. But I don’t understand what happened.
Incomprehension is the most terrifying thing on a battlefield.
Perhaps because the distance has increased by several hundred meters, the weight on my body disappears.

A chance for victory!

Even demons aren’t omnipotent.
Sloth has a Skill Tree excellent in endurance. In other words, its attack power isn’t that high.
Despite catching me completely off guard, he couldn’t deal much damage to me.

The hunger can’t be satisfied, but a different emotion wells up.
Interesting. How many thousands of years has it been since I’ve had an opponent who could fight me on equal terms?

I sprout a hundred tentacles on my back and thrust them into the ground.
I hold the sword low, concentrate magical power in my legs, and strengthen my leg power.
Gravity so heavy I can’t stand? Then, I’ll defeat him with one slash before it’s applied.
Lazy is certainly tough, but if I cut him in two, surely he won’t be able to use skills.

The moment I try to take a step, an alarm rings in the back of my head.
A warrior’s intuition honed to almost 100% certainty. The place where I was standing, which I hurriedly dodge to the side, caves in with a thunderous roar.
Invisible. It’s invisible, but… something’s there.
Tremendous speed and weight.

I understand. This is what sent me flying earlier.
I sense it being swung sideways through the flow of air, and jump to dodge. The logic of not being able to move in mid-air doesn’t exist for me, who controls countless tentacles. I extend my tentacles to intercept something that suddenly changes direction and comes at me.

My tentacles pierce into an invisible force. I vomit in mid-air.

My movement stops completely. It’s swung down towards me.

「Guuoee… gu… cho… chea—」

An impact incomparable to before, as if the heavens had fallen, mercilessly crushes my body.
My skull creaks, and the hand I hurriedly stretched upward makes an unpleasant cracking sound as it bends in the opposite direction.
Unlike before when I could escape the impact, this sandwich between the rough ground is so intense it feels like my soul might disappear.

But right now, the pain doesn’t matter. This bitterness is terrible. Something mercilessly assaults me as I crawl on the ground, retching while shedding tears.
Over a wider area than before.

Wave of Starvation?
Illuminate Requiem?

Impossible… If I use something like that, I’ll end up eating it. I’ll be forced to ingest it.

A taste that doesn’t seem to be of this world.
This taste, like the mud of despair that has accumulated and stagnated in the abyss from which one cannot escape by oneself, at the bottom of hell, positioned even lower than the Demon World, is truly that of a demon who doesn’t consider demons as demons—

The impact strikes my body relentlessly two, three times, slamming me into the ground. My consciousness flies for a moment. My vision shakes violently and the status ailment healing skill activates automatically without pause. If I didn’t have this skill, I would have long since been unable to move due to dizziness.

Damn it, he’s merciless despite that absentminded face.

Among the Demon Lord’s skills, each of which is said to be a one-hit kill, its power is on the lower end, but that makes it all the more disgusting. I don’t understand the true nature of the impact that assaults my body irregularly as if toying with me, but the ultimately worst fact that the taste belongs to Lazy was certain.

That very Lazy hasn’t moved from his spot at all since earlier.
Don’t underestimate me.

Timing it with the moment I’m slammed into the ground, I stab my tentacles into the ground and forcibly shift my body sideways. It’s not strong. The damage isn’t high, but it’s bad to take it repeatedly.
I forcibly return my broken hand to its original position. I heal it instantly using the stored nutrients.
Before I can even feel that, I kick off the ground.
The impact passes through the position where I was just now.

A thought crosses my mind.
What is this skill…?
An auto-tracking attack skill? Wind? Non-elemental energy?
Every demon skill has a meaning to it. Naturally, it was related to a demon’s desire.
Just as Gluttony specializes in devouring others, Sloth must also specialize in something.
In what?

Making others slothful? No. Well, that’s not wrong, but it’s not the essence.

In the distance, Lazy was lazily swinging his hand down to the ground.

This is it!

A skill to send attacks— flying far away.
In other words, a skill of 「Sloth (Acedia)」 to repel external enemies without moving.

I dodge the wide-range impact descending from above. On the ground, a huge open handprint, about five meters from end to end, was clearly imprinted.
What a ridiculous skill. But the fact is, I’m being toyed with by this ridiculous skill.

While keeping my eyes on Lazy’s hands, I kick the ground all at once. I jump greatly the moment Lazy swings his arm.
I catch the descending fist with my sword. The invisible hand is easily cut, but there’s no sign of damage to Lazy’s hand. So there’s no feedback even if I break the invisible fist… It doesn’t have one-hit kill power, but I can’t see any disadvantages either. It’s just that he can’t use his arm. It’s a good skill, isn’t it?

I parry the swing coming from the side with my sword. The invisible fingers— just that alone, magical power exceeding commander-class is torn and dissolves in the air. It’s a great shame that I can’t eat it.

…No, is this the time to be talking about whether I can eat it or not?
I must defeat Lord Kanon no matter what. I must win and confirm the taste. For the sake of my subjects who went ahead of me too.
For that purpose, Lazy’s enormous magical power becomes a great weapon.
I was certain. Even just comparing magical power, he’s far above my league.
Damn it, how many years has this guy been alive?

But if I eat this guy too many times, I’ll definitely die. I’ll die from weakness due to the extreme unpalatability. That’s very regrettable for the Demon Lord of Gluttony.
But… but, if it’s just one more time—!

That’s right. I have to steel myself. That is the sure way to victory.

Unpalatable? So what?
The intense bitterness and stench still lingering in the back of my nose tramples my spirit mercilessly.
Tasty or unpalatable, that doesn’t matter.

I steel my resolve and glare at the enemy.
I, for myself alone, for my own power alone, Lazy, you—

「—I’ll devour you.」

「…Please spare me.」

Don’t ‘please spare me’ me…
In the moment I’m irritated by that frivolous voice, my body is blown sideways.
He attacks with a truly unmotivated air.

Just as I devour, as Wrath rages, as Greed desires, Lazy simply slacks off meaninglessly.
It’s not very appetizing, but it’s a completely splendid consistency.

The King of Sloth… I see, I understand now.
The diverse skills that toy with me, who am also a Demon Lord.
Is this what you gained by seeking Sloth (Acedia) and peering into its depths?

…Alright then. I’ll show you in return. The power I gained as a result of continuously seeking the pinnacle of Gluttony (Gula).

I use my Evil Eye. It clashes with Lazy’s and is easily defeated.

I emit a Wave of Starvation and absorb Wrath’s flames approaching from behind in a surprise attack. I’m not so soft as to lose to a surprise attack from a demon who isn’t even a Demon Lord.
The bitterness remaining deep in my body is wiped away by the edible magical power I haven’t tasted in a long time.

The damage is fine. I don’t need to worry about Wrath, Ms. Lust, or Mr. Greed right now.

I concentrate my mind.
I raise my left hand and pray. To the god of hungry demons.
Wind pressure approaches from left and right. My ribs break with a creaking sound. My brain understands that it’s as if I’m being crushed by both hands.
I don’t let go of the sword gripped in my right hand. This is my trump card. My arm breaks. I don’t let go. Healing works. The heavy pressure evens out over my whole body. It breaks again each time it heals.
Lazy clenches his hand. An enormous load is applied to my entire body. My bones break as if they were toothpicks. My whole body screams in pain I haven’t felt in a long time.
I can’t use defensive skills. I’ll end up devouring Lazy.
Amidst the heat and pain constricting my entire body, I take a deep breath and steel my resolve.
I infuse killing intent into my fangs. I activate that skill with all my might.

「’Eater’s Plate’」

With a roar, the ground splits and the wasteland cracks. The heavens and earth tremble and space distorts at the enormous magical power that would be more than enough to incapacitate a mere human just by touching it.
Mr. Greed and Ms. Lust hurriedly flee. The Demon Lord in the center was calmly sitting… no, lying down.

What I summoned was the maw of the Hunger King.
A giant void stretching several hundred meters in length. Without fangs or a tongue, it is specialized only in satisfying the insatiable hunger, the unbearable starvation. If viewed from above, one would see a giant semicircular cut in the earth.

And then, I was dumbfounded.

Lazy calmly falls into the hole that suddenly opened in the ground, which I had set as the target. He’s even yawning sleepily.
Sloth is incompatible with demons with high attack power like Wrath, Gluttony, and Pride. This is because they basically don’t move. It’s not just about immobile demons being good targets. They can hone their skills thoroughly, and they are destined to be hunted unless they become considerably strong.
But this outcome is unexpected no matter how you look at it.

Huh? What? Is that how it is?
After fighting so hard until now?

I was planning to slice him to pieces with my sword when he tried to dodge, but…
I glance at the black sword in my hand. The imaginary armament has no reach. I can freely extend it with my will. It was my trump card that I use at crucial moments.

The giant lips close.
The force constricting my body releases, and my body is freed.
I scratch my cheek with my right hand.

「…This feels a bit anticlimactic.」

「…I see.」

A voice that shouldn’t be heard comes from behind.
I hurriedly turn around and point my sword. Lazy is lying down indiscriminately, unharmed.
Despite having taken my back, he shows no signs of making a move.

Wait…

I reflexively swing my sword. There’s no need to extend its reach, he’s very close. It’s not something that can be dodged in a lying position. But just before the blade cuts Lazy in two, his figure vanishes.

A chill runs down my spine.
Is this why he escaped from inside the Hunger King’s mouth!?
…Teleportation!? Is that possible? No, I should have anticipated it from the moment he suddenly appeared.

It’s completely my mistake.

The image gap between evasion and sloth was too big for me to even consider it.
That’s too unfair.

Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!

Is there such a big difference between third and fifth rank!?
Did Lord Kanon consider this much when she pitted Lazy against me!?

I swing my sword behind me with the same force.
The blade grazes Lazy’s arm, who had transferred behind me. Blood gushes out like a fountain. Sensing the smell there, I take several steps back.
Lazy sheds tears. Probably from the pain. But by then, the blood from his arm has already stopped and regenerated as if nothing happened. Tremendous regenerative power. Cultivated robustness. And because of that, an incredibly fragile tolerance for pain.

The moment I try to step forward, my body freezes for an instant.

I’m trapped by gravity again. I realize. This momentary stiffening of my body — it’s the power of the Evil Eye.
Lazy is binding me with his Evil Eye. With the 「Evil Eye」 that should only work on those weaker than him.
It was a clear difference in power.

「Ah, haha, hahaha… La-Lazy. How many years have you been alive?」

「…Probably about a hundred years.」

There’s no way that’s true!
I met you over 10,000 years ago!!

He must be… just forgetting.
Hahahahaha, somehow it feels foolish to be fighting now.

To the extent that even the hunger that couldn’t be satisfied no matter how much I ate seems trivial.

Lazy just says nothing and half-closes his eyes sleepily.

I consider the reason why this Demon Lord has obtained such powerful and incomparable strength.
Unlike Lord Kanon, who became a Demon Lord in less than 10,000 years from her creation, Lazy the Sloth is probably a demon who naturally accumulated power as a result of simply living through the ages, and ended up rising to become a Demon Lord.

He has nothing that could be called ambition, and nothing that could be called a purpose. The King of Futility.
He doesn’t care about the desires of others, and he’ll probably forget about fighting me soon. How enviable that is.

Before I know it, Lazy’s hand is clenched so tightly that his fingers turn white.
My body is constricted from all directions. I hear the sound of something breaking throughout my body, but I no longer feel pain. I don’t even feel like resisting. There’s no way. No appetite arises.

The 「Primordial Fang」 obtained as a result of living for nearly 100,000 years turns to sand and disappears in my hand.

Before me is Sloth. His eyes open slightly. Just eyes that look utterly bothered.

「…Fu… fufu, bye… bye, Sloth. It was fun.」

「…I see.」

I wish he would defeat Lord Kanon in my place, but he probably won’t do something so troublesome.
An index finger reluctantly wedges into the gap of the clenched hand.
As my head is forcibly crushed, I think:

Thank you for the meal.

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