Great Demon Gate
"Hey, do you think these guys are for real?"
"…I don't know, man. Everything about this is too weird."
"Well, I'll be happy if there's no war, but I still don't want to bring my family back from Vandoria."
"Same. My wife keeps nagging me, saying the Goddess is giving me a chance to run from the demons, and that I'm an idiot for staying."
"Cut the chatter. They'll be here soon," Luxius snapped, silencing the two soldiers.
It had been two weeks since the bizarre encounter with the Demon Army. Even though one of the Demon Dukes had claimed they came in peace, the Army of Humanity remained stationed before the Great Demon Gate. The Demon Army had withdrawn behind the gate, but they were still visible, watching.
Between the two forces stood a square modern building, guarded on both sides. It had been constructed in a single day by goblins, orcs, and various demonfolk using strange equipment, loud metal vehicles, and heavy machines. The efficiency alone was enough to leave Luxius and his officers dumbfounded. Different demon species working together? Building a smooth, clean structure? In one day?
Unsettling.
"They're coming."
The sound hit first—like air being beaten into submission. Something flew toward them. It was one of the Hell Dragonflies, but this one was bigger. Louder. Noisier.
Bata-bata-bata-bata-bata
The Blackhawk descended, kicking up wind and dust. Luxius shielded his face as the machine landed.
From inside stepped Leviathan and a female demonfolk, escorted by a squad of demon soldiers.
"Greetings, Crown Prince Luxius," Leviathan said with flawless politeness. "We thank you for agreeing to this peace conference. Shall we continue inside?"
"Greetings, Demon Duke Leviathan. Yes, we shall, but before that…" Luxius gestured at the machine. "Do you mind telling me the name of this… flying thing?"
"Ah, it is a transport vehicle called a helicopter. This particular model is known as the Blackhawk."
"Blackhawk… The name is as ominous as it looks."
Inside, the humans could not stop wondering how everything was so similar, yet so different from what they had back home. The lighting came not from crystals or fire, but from strange glowing orbs and tubes—bright, yet somehow gentle on the eyes. The air inside remained comfortable thanks to a peculiar box on the wall that blew cold air, even as the wasteland outside blazed with heat.
The tables were wide, yet strangely thin. Never before had they seen such skillful woodwork. And the chairs—they had wheels. Why in Talvaris would anyone put wheels on a chair? Still, they had to admit it made adjusting their position easier when sitting down.
"Now, before we begin the conference, allow me to introduce myself once more," Leviathan said. "My name is Leviathan. You may know me as one of the Demon Dukes, but my current formal title is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom of Murica."
"And I am Hannya, diplomat of Murica's Foreign Affairs Office," the female demonfolk added, bowing courteously.
Luxius cleared his throat.
"I am Luxius, Crown Prince of the Ravendawn Kingdom, representing my father, King Luxtor. This is my delegation."
He gestured at them one by one:
Gregor, Archmage of Ravendawn
Antonio, Archbishop of the Church of Celes
Duke Pierre, Governor of the Dawn Province of Vandoria
Leviathan and Hannya glanced at Archbishop Antonio with hungry eyes, sending a chill down his spine, but they immediately composed themselves and returned to proper conduct.
"Once again, we thank you for your presence," Leviathan continued. "As previously stated, the United Kingdom of Murica seeks peace. We understand this proposal may be difficult to believe, considering the nature of our past relationship."
"You call eating our people a relationship?" Archbishop Antonio snapped angrily.
"Is it not? No?" Leviathan asked, genuine honesty in his tone.
Hannya stepped forward. "We believe it will help if you learn what has changed through a visual explanation. We prepared a video—an instrument that displays recorded moving images."
She pressed a remote.
The room darkened. The humans tensed at once. A black panel on the wall lit up.
"Oh my…" Gregor whispered. "What a strange-looking crystal."
The video opened to a hellscape of roaring storm clouds, erupting volcanoes, and barren land. A voice eerily similar to David Attenborough began narrating.
"Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lay the Demon Kingdom. A realm where nature is merciless. One could say it is the harshest place to live on the planet."
The footage displayed carnivorous plants, massive demonic beasts, and violent volcanic eruptions.
"Within this brutal land existed more than six hundred races, thirteen hundred tribes, and countless local tongues. A thousand years of tribal war plagued the kingdom. It was a terrible era to live in…"
Leviathan teared up as he watched. Hannya swiftly offered a handkerchief.
"The only moment the fighting ceased was during the Great Escape—what humans now refer to as the Demon Invasion. Guided by instinct, the demon population surged northward, which inevitably caused clashes with their non-demon neighbors."
The humans stiffened.
"But 130 years ago… the Great Escape did not occur."
The narrator continued:
"In the confusion, the Demon King Lucifer met an orc named Solomon. A simple orc… with an idea no demon had ever dared to imagine: a unified, peaceful nation."
Luxius's group gasped collectively.
"Lucifer embraced the vision. A common language was created. Tribal conflicts fell. Commerce, science, and technology spread. Cities rose. Education and welfare became national goals. Today, literacy stands at 98.2%."
Gregor nearly choked. "You mean… every demon, even goblins and orcs, can read and write?"
"Naturally, since in Murica the pursuit of a scholar title is encouraged for every citizen. Orc people and goblin people included," Hannya said.
Duke Pierre leapt to his feet.
"S-scholar!? Are you saying your goblins are smarter than my son!?"
"Well, we don't know about your son," Hannya continued calmly, "but in Murica it is common to see goblins holding professions such as doctor, judge, or other intellectual occupations."
"Duke Pierre, sit down," Archbishop Antonio snapped. "I wish to hear the rest."
Hannya nodded and the video continued, portraying Murica's evolution from medieval tribes into a 1990s-level industrial society. Skyscrapers. Highways. Airplanes.
"And seventy years ago, the Demon Kingdom shifted into a democratic nation: the United Demon Kingdom of Murica. With a new purpose and a new identity for the democratic demon nation, we now seek peaceful coexistence with the rest of the Talvarians."
The screen faded to black.
Then suddenly blasted Star Wars music.
Credits rolled:
"Written and Directed by Belphegor"
Leviathan panicked and shut it off.
"What the hell was that!?" he whispered angrily. "This is a diplomatic video!"
"Hannya adjusted her glasses. "Sir Belphegor said this is the first time his work has been viewed by a non-demon audience, so he refused to let it go unnoticed."
"Damn sloth."
The lights returned. The humans sat in stunned silence.
"Now, as the video stated, we wish to form peaceful and friendly relations with all Talvarians," Leviathan said. "And yes, this time without the man-eating relationship," he added jokingly.
Gregor was the first to recover. "What is… this governance you call democracy?"
Hannya answered, "It is a system of governance where every citizen has the right to vote for their representatives through a process called elections. Whether wealthy or poor, each individual's vote carries equal weight."
"And these elections occur how often?"
"At first, we attempted elections every 4 years, but because our enforcement agencies reported assassination cases spiking during election periods, we revised it. Elections are now held once every 40 years."
"So you mean even your king can be replaced?" Antonio asked.
"No. Our king serves as a ceremonial and symbolic figure," Hannya replied. "He is not heavily involved in government affairs. Our current head of government is Prime Minister Solomon."
Everyone except Gregor struggled to process the information.
Luxius continued, "And what sort of peaceful and friendly relationship does your nation propose?"
Leviathan smiled. "Ah, a fine question. For a beginning, how would a non-aggression pact and trade agreements sound?" He gestured at the documents. "If you open the papers before you, you will find the proposal for the non-aggression pact, along with a list of goods we wish to purchase from the Ravendawn Kingdom."
The humans examined the papers in silence for a time.
"This non-aggression pact appears standard," Gregor noted. "And the trade agreement… livestock, fruit, and vegetables… it is… very ordinary."
"Yes," Hannya said. "We believe it is wiser to begin slowly and carefully. In time, we hope to earn the trust of the people of Talvaris and work toward coexistence."
Archbishop Antonio scoffed, but Leviathan ignored it.
"I cannot provide an immediate answer to this proposal," Luxius said. "I must first discuss this with my father, King Luxtor."
"Ehm, and with the Vandoria Kingdom as well, if I may remind you," Duke Pierre said, cutting in.
"…Indeed," Luxius answered.
"We shall await your favorable reply," Leviathan said. "And we hope it brings good news."
---
Goddess Realm
"Wha... wha… WHAT IN MY NAME IS HAPPENING!?"
Celes hurled her wine glass at the magic mirror displaying the peace conference.
"WHERE ARE MY MAN-EATING DEMONS?! WHERE ARE MY KILLING PRAYERS?! AND WHAT THE FUCK IS DEMOCRACY!?"
The female angel nervously attempted to explain.
"D-Democracy is a system of government from Earth where—"
"Oh, shut it! Why does Earth's garbage exist in my world? WHY ARE THERE EARTH WAR MACHINES!?"
"I suppose… because of Alex Solomon?"
"That pig was meant to suffer for 130 years! How can he be a demon leader, or whatever he is now? He was supposed to be WEAK!"
"I… have no answers."
"AAAGH!"
Little did the goddess know:
When the system informed Solo that he could access the Earth network…
It meant all networks.
Even restricted and classified ones.
The Pentagon, the CIA, weapon manufacturers…
He even browsed North Korea's intranet for fun.
---
Murica Capital, Bashington, DC
3,000 miles from the Great Demon Gate stood a city that looked like a copy of Washington DC, with some minor demonic touches. The building that was supposed to be the White House had been replaced by a black, ziggurat-shaped structure, hence the name the Black House.
Alex Solomon was in a meeting with members of his cabinet.
Leviathan – Foreign Affairs
Asmodeus – Director of the Bureau of Information and Counter Humanoid Intelligence
Satan – Defense
Mammon – Finance and Trade
Beelzebub – Science & Technology
"And that's all for my report from the conference," Leviathan said, closing his papers.
"Thank you, Levi," Solo said.
Asmodeus asked, "Do you think they'll agree to the non-aggression treaty?"
"Oh, they will, Mo, they will… at least until they find a way to profit from conquering us."
"Such is human nature… how lovely," Asmodeus said with a smile.
Satan crossed his arms. "I hope they don't take too long. After the last rebellion, my boys practically have nothing to do. Just training and more training."
Mammon glared. "Oh, shut up, Stan! I just spent a ridiculous budget launching our satellite last week. My head still hurts. And now you want me to spend more on war?"
"Well, Monny…"
"Don't Monny me!"
Solo raised his hand. "Relax. We need Stan's troops ready. We're in uncertain times. Bub, what's the status of our satellites? When will they be operational?" Solo continued.
Beelzebub was practically vibrating with excitement.
"At this moment, they're still in the commissioning phase. After finishing the outgassing and cleaning sequence, they'll begin calibration and perform orbital maneuvering. My guess is… within 3 months."
Solo smiled. "Then, Levi, don't give any country a reason to attack us… at least for the next 3 months."
"Yes, sir."
Mammon groaned. "I just hope this thing called GPS and the internet are worth the budget."
"Monny! Of course they're worth it!" Beelzebub beamed. "We're the first people on Talvaris to reach space! That alone is worth all the riches in the world! And even better—this technology will unlock even more amazing science and discoveries!"
"Well, forgive me if I don't share your gluttony for science! Or war!" Mammon snapped, glaring at both Beelzebub and Satan.
Solo tried to calm his Minister of Finance. "Believe me. It's totally worth it… in the long run. The private sector will explode once we introduce the internet."
He chose not to tell Mammon about the future military upgrades required to fully utilize GPS.
"So let me remind you all again—we must be careful," Solo concluded. "We still don't know how advanced they are, especially in magic warfare. We need more information before anything else. That's all."
The ministers left, leaving Solo alone in his office.
He stood by the window, contemplating while staring at the heavens.
"How do you like my work, bitch?" A slow, wicked grin spread across his face. "It's game on."