MHGA Chapter 153: Laios and the Demon
"Talk?"
The Winged Lion's expression twisted as though it was laughing in disbelief. "Things have come this far, and you still want to talk with me?"
"Laios, you really are a bizarre one."
"That's right! I am strange—otherwise I wouldn't have made it all the way to the depths of the Dungeon by eating monsters to save my sister!" Laios clenched his fist. "But it's precisely because of that that I believe… there's no other way to resolve your problem, Winged Lion!"
"We already know the way to make you stop being a threat to humanity!" Laios declared. "Let me turn into a monster—and eat your appetite!"
"Ha!"
The Winged Lion looked completely exasperated. "Are you serious?!"
"That's my appetite!" The Winged Lion let out a low growl like a true lion. "How could I ever let you consume it?!"
"Why'd you go and say that out loud?! Now we've got no cards left to play!" Kazuma shouted.
But Laios continued, "If we intended to go about it sneakily, we wouldn't have done any of this."
"We let you leave the Dungeon. We let you consume our desires. We let you cause all this chaos…"
Laios said firmly, "All of that was to convince you of one thing."
"That we can resolve your desire."
"And not by erasing it—but by properly resolving it."
"..." The Winged Lion looked down at Laios. "Why?"
"Why what?" Laios scratched his head.
"Just like your reason for stopping me," the Winged Lion said, glaring at the Hunters. "Why do you want to resolve my desire?"
"How can I trust you, when you've already destroyed my plans?"
"I can't explain it,"
Laios admitted. "But… we don't have any other way forward."
"You can't leave this coliseum,"
Laios said, pointing at the Winged Lion—then at himself and his companions. "And I have no other way to stop this world's destruction, revive my sister, and save my friends… other than solving your problem."
"We've all run out of options."
Laios swallowed nervously. "Precisely because we have no convincing reason, we've prepared ourselves for this."
"Right now, none of us have a choice."
He took two steps forward. "Winged Lion, what are you going to do?"
"Do you still want to eat?" Laios asked. "Do you still want to keep devouring everything?"
"If so… then let's make a wager."
Laios declared, "Let me become the Dungeon Lord. This time… I'll fulfill your desire."
"Hah…"
The Winged Lion let out a loud, almost incredulous laugh. "You really are completely insane, Laios!"
"You want to fulfill my desire?!"
The Winged Lion lowered its head and glared at Laios. "When you can't even fulfill your own desires without my power?"
"When you know that Dungeon Lords fall under my sway—and yet still think you can resist temptation and make my dream come true?"
"When you, a creature so full of desire, a desire-driven human with a limited lifespan—you think you can fulfill my desire?!"
"Hahahahahahahaha…"
The Winged Lion burst into laughter—and its entire body began to grow.
In the blink of an eye, the Winged Lion, still in its same form, had transformed into a towering beast dozens of meters tall.
"Fine! I'll accept your wager! Since you've driven me to this point!"
The Winged Lion roared, "Laios Touden! As you wish—I hereby make you the Dungeon Lord of this place!"
"If you succumb to desire and become a monster, then I will devour every last desire in this coliseum!"
"I will never again trust a single word from you Hunters! And you'll never be able to stop me again!"
"This is… your last chance!"
The Winged Lion raised its paw—and brought it down with crushing force toward Laios.
In the next instant, the paw lifted—Laios had completely vanished.
"Well then…"
Kairo Retsu looked up at the Winged Lion. "Mind if we first confirm the hostages' safety, Mr. Kidnapper?"
"..."
The Winged Lion looked at Kairo, then at the group of Hunters from other worlds.
"Hunting monsters… Hmph. From a human perspective, you all look like monsters yourselves." Gone was the seductively persuasive tone—it now spoke coldly and bluntly.
"Yeah, exactly. That's why we've gotta be extra mindful of our own mental health."
Kairo said casually, "Let me think."
"Our Gathering Hall is basically like a club. Everyone joins through luck or invitation, so naturally we gather based on shared interests."
"Being a Hunter is like a second life outside of your ordinary one. So mental health is important!"
Kairo spoke to the Winged Lion as if it were the most natural thing. "Just look at you—your mental state's a total mess."
"How about I be your caring big bro and have a heart-to-heart with you?" Kairo grinned wide.
"…Everyone I've met today has been insane."
The Winged Lion muttered, shrinking its body until it was level with the Hunters.
"Go ahead and look. The people are in the prison cells over there. Without my power, they can't leave."
"As for what happens next…"
The Winged Lion lay down, its body becoming clean and simple—just a lion's form with wings, pure and unadorned.
It looked almost like the guardian spirit of this kingdom. Then, as if it had eaten its fill and was ready to nap, it closed its eyes.
"You should wait and see what Laios chooses to do."
"Let's go."
Kairo Retsu led the other Hunters past the Winged Lion.
But as he passed, Kairo turned back and said, "Oh right…"
"Winged Lion, have you noticed something?"
The Winged Lion opened its eyes and looked at Kairo.
And Kairo said, "You're starting to look more and more like a human."
"The pure, desireless you might be called a god. The one ruled by desire—a demon. But the one becoming more human…"
Kairo rubbed his chin. "I gave Laios a special authority—a very special one."
"Took quite the effort to get it from the Felyne Granny, you know."
Kairo grinned. "Maybe Laios is even more suited to being a demon than you."
The battle portion of Delicious in Dungeon is now essentially complete.
What follows will shift more toward the literary/narrative side.
Whew—writing the fight scenes was really satisfying.
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