They returned to the reception room and resumed their meeting.
"I expected nothing less from Razen's master," Youm said with a casual shrug. "You're a monster, old man. There's no way I could ever beat you."
"Indeed," Grucius added, tail flicking with excitement. "Lady Myuran said you were a great mage who built an entire new system of magic theory—after watching that display, I can't doubt her."
It was only natural. Gadra was a renowned sage, a master who could manipulate mana itself, interrupt spells mid-cast, and activate multiple layers of magic at once with terrifying accuracy. He had shown everything in that duel—overwhelming strength, mastery, and experience enough to crush even trained warriors.
Grucius, even in his transformed state, was rarely matched by Sare or Grigori. Watching Gadra toy with all three of them so effortlessly proved the gulf between them.
While Youm and Grucius were impressed, the two losers sat slumped, their pride in pieces—though they still maintained their duties as guards.
Razen finally spoke.
"Well then, Master… to what do we owe this visit?"
Gadra exhaled heavily and replied with the bluntness of a man who didn't understand the era he'd walked into.
"I showed my power to prevent pointless resistance. As Razen knows, I have a grudge
against Luminism. I don't intend to harm this country, but when the Empire begins its invasion, casualties are guaranteed. I came to minimize that."
The room fell silent.
"The Empire—"
"You're kidding me…" Youm groaned. "Why now, when I'm the one wearing the crown?!"
"Exactly!" Grucius barked. "We can't win! And I don't want to endanger Myuran or my daughter."
"She's not your daughter—she's my treasure!" Youm shouted.
"Shut up. We may not be blood-related, but I will live as her father!"
"That's not your decision!"
The two idiots fell into a shameful shouting match.
Razen cleared his throat loudly, forcing silence.
"I understand your intention, Gadra-sama. In return for protection from war, you expect us to abandon our current alliances and side with the Empire?"
Gadra nodded.
"Correct. Do you understand the Empire's military might? If you join, you'll stand with me. We'll take Dwargon easily. Cut their grain supply, and they'll kneel."
A dangerous plan—but one that assumed the world still worked the way it did decades ago.
But things were different now.
"…That won't work," Razen said firmly. "There is now a railroad between the Dwarven Kingdom and Eterna. They can transport supplies faster than any siege can starve them. Cutting our own exports won't matter."
Gadra frowned.
He hadn't known any of this.
"That is why I said you should betray them," Gadra pressed. "Eterna isn't fully self-sufficient. From this country—"
"Gadra-sama."
Razen cut him off. A bold, rude act—but necessary.
Gadra was a genius of his era, but his era was gone.
Razen spoke with controlled firmness.
"The world is no longer slow. Trade, infrastructure, alliances—all of it changes daily. If we betray the Western Nations, we will be expelled from their economic sphere. Our country will collapse. Empire support won't compensate for that."
He laid out the situation plainly.
Eterna's influence over the region—over entire nations—was now absolute.
Gadra finally nodded, absorbing the reality.
"…I see. I suspected as much, but I wanted to hear it directly." He sighed. "But does His Majesty Atem not fear the heavenly army? Even if he can defeat angels, the destruction to his creations would be enormous."
Youm raised an eyebrow.
"Atem doesn't fear damage. Not even a little."
"Indeed," Grucius agreed. "His Majesty hates unnecessary deaths—but buildings? Roads? Machines? He doesn't care if they break."
"In fact," Youm added dryly, "he might consider reconstruction a blessing. More jobs, he said once."
Razen nodded.
"His Majesty Atem values lives above structures. Eterna can rebuild anything."
Gadra blinked in disbelief.
He had underestimated the King of Eterna.
He had underestimated Atem.
Youm continued, leaning back with a sigh.
"After all these massive projects finish, the only work left is maintenance. Atem worries people will get bored. He wants to advance technology faster than we can follow."
"If angels invaded then," Grucius snorted, "he'd welcome the chance to rebuild. Probably smile while pretending to be angry."
Sare and Grigori, still traumatized from their loss, simply nodded along hollowly.
"But despite being a Demon Lord," Gadra said slowly, "if he involves himself too deeply in human affairs, the Rosso family would have something to say, right?"
Razen shook his head.
"The Rosso family has already fallen."
Gadra's expression changed instantly.
"They lost all influence. The Kingdom of Dolan shelters their survivors, and only continues trade because His Majesty Atem allows it. King Dolan himself yielded to Atem's authority."
Razen then explained the truth behind Farmenas's fall as well.
And at last—Gadra broke.
"…Atem destroyed Farmenas's army alone? And the Rosso family too…? Then what of Gran… Granbell?!"
Hero Granbell had been the strongest man Gadra knew.
To hear that he was gone—
Razen delivered the final blow.
"The Seven Luminaries are dead. They plotted against His Majesty Atem, tried to force a fight with Hinata, and failed. They were all annihilated."
Gadra's breath hitched.
The Seven Luminaries—gone.
Granbell—gone.
Rosso—gone.
All crushed by Atem's era.
He felt his worldview collapsing.
Every plan the Empire conceived was built on outdated assumptions.
Every move he expected the world to follow had already been rendered meaningless.
His thoughts spiraled.
I've been blind…
Everything changed while I clung to old knowledge…
Atem… this Demon Lord… this King…
He rewrote the world… and I never even noticed…
Gadra clenched his fists, shame burning his chest.
He had not been outplayed.
He had been outpaced.
"…That boy…" Gadra whispered bitterly. "He knew all this… and didn't tell me…"
He wasn't referring to Yuuki anymore—there was no Yuuki in this world.
He meant the young imperial strategists he once advised—those who had watched the world's shift while he remained stuck in outdated thinking.
He had been used.
He had been kept in the dark.
He had been made a relic.
He stared down at the floor, struggling to process the truth.
The world belonged to Atem now.
And Gadra, the ancient sage, had to face that reality—whether he wished to or not.
"This is troubling. I'll have to reconsider my approach to Demon Lord Atem."
Atem was a far greater threat than Gadra had ever imagined. His mind raced, weighing his options. The fire of his grudge—over betrayal, loss, and the deaths of his closest allies—still burned within him, yet many of the enemies he had sworn to destroy, the Seven Luminary Clerics, were already gone. Their absence deflated Gadra's original plan to crush the West, a plan that had once aligned neatly with the Empire's interests. Without that shared objective, his alliance with the Empire now teetered on the edge of irrelevance.
…But there remained one target, the one spark that kept his vendetta alive: the god-like entity he had once trusted, now revealed as Demon Lord Luminas. Gadra recalled the death of his closest friend, a casualty of his faith in that false god—a demon lord masquerading as divinity. The thought of that being still walking the world was intolerable. His resolve hardened.
—or so he thought he had.
"Gadra-sama, I must ask… please, halt your plan."
Razen's voice cut through the storm of Gadra's thoughts, calm yet unyielding.
"Hmm?" Gadra looked up, surprised at the audacity.
Razen met his master's gaze without flinching.
"To this day, I carry pride as your disciple. But my loyalty to my lord surpasses even that. If you wreak havoc in that country, I will have no choice but to consider you an enemy."
Gadra froze. His disciple… defying him?
"You mean Demon Lord Atem?" he asked, suspicion sharpening his tone.
"No," Razen replied firmly. "My master is one of Atem's most trusted aides—Diablo-sama."
Gadra's mind spun. Razen, proud, unyielding Razen, obedient to a subordinate of a demon lord? The notion was almost inconceivable.
"I know it's not my place to interfere," Sare interjected, bold and blunt, "but if we're naming names… Diablo is the demon who defeated me."
Gadra's pulse quickened.
A demon stronger than me…? He nearly dismissed it—but Razen's loyalty proved it could not be ignored. He engraved the name Diablo into his mind.
"Gadra-sama, one more thing. Diablo-sama is an ancient demon," Razen added, his tone as sharp as steel.
"Of course," Gadra muttered, slowly connecting the dots. "If he defeated you, he must be of an ancient species… or worse—a prehistoric demon. Those are unimaginably rare."
The implications were staggering. A demon of power surpassing a demon lord, fully named and active.
"No," Sare muttered, "…he was far beyond demons of that tier."
"He claimed to be a demon peer," Grucius added quietly.
"—!" Gadra's mind nearly shattered.
There were strict limits on demon evolution. Only one had ever defied them—a being who had transcended even demon lord levels. That being was the archdemon who became the peerless "Lord of Darkness," Guy Crimson.
"Gadra-sama, my master, Diablo-sama, has no need to explain how long he has existed… you understand what that implies, don't you?" Razen asked, voice calm but merciless.
Gadra's thoughts churned, disbelief warring with grim comprehension.
"…A primordial?" he whispered, heart sinking.
"Yes," Razen said plainly.
Gadra felt the room tilt around him as he absorbed the truth. If Razen served this being willingly, it meant everything he knew about power hierarchies, ancient demons, and the Empire's plans required a complete overhaul. If a primordial could wield a body and evolve into a demon peer… the Empire's expedition plan was already obsolete.
Then, the conversations he had overheard earlier snapped him fully awake.
"Diablo-dono is Boss's butler," Youm had said casually. "He even scouts capable allies because he doesn't want to do everything himself."
"Oh, you mean that woman?" Grucius added. "I saw her at a Council meeting. White hair, crimson eyes. Stunning… and she's on his military staff now."
Gadra sank in his chair.
No… it can't be…
The description matched Blanc perfectly. Every detail lined up. The nightmare was real. Razen's nod confirmed it—the warning was genuine.
"Is this true?" Gadra whispered hoarsely.
"I would not lie to you, Master," Razen replied with absolute conviction.
Gadra's mind raced. They were not exaggerating. They were trying to save him from his own reckless ambition.
"Is it truly that dangerous?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly despite his authority.
The answer was the silent, unanimous nod of every person in the room.
Gadra's face paled. He remembered the trio who had been sent to Eterna. His heart clenched.
Oh no… I hope they haven't already stumbled into a catastrophe…