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Golden sand stretched to the horizon and strangely shaped cliffs protruded from the ground like pillars that were holding up the sky where the bleeding full moon was hanging. This was the Abyssal Dunes, the territory of Karpeios: the second ranking Demon Lord of the Demon Realm.
Any desert area is hostile to life, but the sands of the Abyssal Dunes were created to be even more dangerous due to the countless vortexes that erupted from within them and the dry tsunamis that crashed endlessly as they tried to consume all living things. This treacherous land had been abandoned for quite some time.
However, recently, the construction of a mysterious, massive structure had been underway in the barren land. It was a pyramid-shaped tower made of dark brown stone, built to replicate the majestic structure mentioned in the Bible that had been a direct challenge to God. It was called the Sacred Tomb of Chaos, evidently dedicated to Chaos and Evil. An incredible workforce was needed for this mass-scale construction, including all of Karpeios' countless demon servants, as well as human slaves he'd purchased from Gibrelte's black market.
This required a huge chunk of Karpeios' wealth, but he willingly used all resources he could gather because this was the job the Primordial Chaos had assigned him. On the highest cliff of the Abyssal Dunes was a throne carved out of stone from where the entire construction site could be seen, and on the throne was a handsome but arrogant-looking man with blonde hair that became red at the ends.
Karpeios sat with his chin resting on his hand, listening as one of his henchmen provided an update on the progress of the structure.
"The basement is going to take a bit more time because you wanted it to be like a labyrinth, but the upper floors have already been completed, all the way to the peak. You could move in today if you wish."
When the Demon Lord did not respond, his subordinate added, "You might find living in the tomb a bit stuffy at first. The structure was made uniquely without windows in order to keep the sand out. Still, your stay should be comfortable due to the number of demon lives we sacrificed to power the air conditioning equipment. Your valuables have also been placed in a storage unit equipped with the latest temperature and humidity control functions."
He went on, "The throne room is on the highest floor, as per tradition. Although not as good as here, you will still be able to enjoy an excellent view of the land and the moon. If you approve, we were thinking of moving the throne you're sitting on to the highest floor as well..."
The demon purposely dragged out the last word in hopes of receiving an answer, when Karpeios suddenly opened his eyes.
"Ah!"
The air around them instantly changed the moment his red eyes opened, his menacing presence giving the demon assistant the chills.
Karpeios finally parted his lips to speak, and a deep voice flowed out of his mouth.
"I dozed off."
"I-I didn'tâI didn't realize you were taking a nap!"
The demon assistant regretted waking his master up, for Karpeios' face didn't look refreshed. Instead, his eyebrows were furrowed aggressively, which gave him the feeling that his master was extremely displeased. The demon had a feeling he would soon die as Karpeios was well known for frequently severing the heads of his assistants, but he decided to try pleasing his master in hopes of a miracle.
"I-is everything all right, Your Majesty?"
"I had a dream."
"I-is that so? Then it must have been an auspicious one!"
"Do you think so? Why don't you try making sense of it?"
The demon assistant cursed his chatty mouth. Swallowing a sense of dread, he reluctantly nodded with enthusiasm.
"My pet that died a long time ago appeared in my dream."
"By your pet... are you referring to Obscuria, the slime creature you personally created and hand-reared?"
"That's right," Karpeios said, his tone fond. "The way it used to writhe around like a bug and howl was utterly adorable. It approached me in the same cute way in the dream, then swallowed my head whole and chewed on it."
"H-how charming."
"It was. It would still be with me today had the Executioner of Evil not subjugated it..."
As the Executioner of Evil was the greatest enemy to the Demon Realm, Karpeios' entire body suddenly emitted a frightening energy at the mention of her.
Sensing that his life was again in danger, the demon assistant quickly shouted, "Your Majesty! I think I understand the meaning of your dream!"
"Oh... Is that so? Let's hear it."
With his lifespan extended by at least a few minutes, the lowly demon eagerly replied, "I-I believe it means a new pet will come to you soon!"
"Hm?" said Karpeios as he narrowed his eyes.
The demon assistant held his breath with fear, worried his random interpretation hadn't been what the Demon Lord wanted to hear. However, Karpeios seemed to have taken his words quite seriously.
"Do you think so? I never found another pet I liked as much as Obscuria."
"T-then what do you say to a pet plant?"
"A plant?" Karpeios stroked his smooth chin as he lost himself to his thoughts, then replied, "A plant sounds good. A dark purple Dead Man's Flower would be nice."
"..."
"But does it even exist? I've never actually seen one before."
The demon assistant gulped as Karpeios's demonic energy, seeping out of him like a noxious gas, announced that he was once more displeased. And understandably so. The mention of a dark purple Dead Man's Flower made the Demon Lord automatically think of Rodrigo Orshe, the master of the Toy Mansion.
That arrogant bastard didn't bring the dark purple Dead Man's Flower straight to me when he found it. He had even gone so far as to weigh which of the three Demon Lords he should give it to.
"How dare he!"
Whoosh!
Karpeios' demonic energy created a current around him as the red tips of his hair floated upward and his eyes turned blood-red.
"Ahhh!" Karpeios, overcome by uncontrollable rage, needed someone to take it out on. "I will not forgive him!"
Just as he was about to chop off his assistant's head to vent his frustration, a voice unexpectedly echoed across the peak of the rocky cliff.
"You're still as barbaric as always, Karpeios."
Karpeios froze and looked toward the item that the disrespectful voice had emanated from, the Mirror Of Surveillance in Hyperspace.
"Inferinos?"
This was the gift Anaxia had given the three Demon Lords so that they could watch her Demon Lord debut. He'd discarded it somewhere, yet Inferinos had somehow used it to make contact.
The two Demon Lords were not on particularly good terms, so Karpeios couldn't understand why the Rule Enforcer had suddenly decided to reach out to him. The rage that had just filled his mind was instantly replaced by curiosity as he sat back down on his throne and crossed his legs.
"What do you want, Master of the Underground Courthouse?"
"What do you think I want?" Inferinos replied unhelpfully.
"If you're just here to annoy me, then kindly f*ck off."
"How mean. I reached out to give you a peace offering."
"Peace?"
Karpeios' indignation and distrust was communicated very clearly in his tone, but Inferinos didn't waver despite the other Demon Lord's blatant suspicion.
"If you don't like the word peace, think of it as a celebratory gift for completing your structure. I'm surprised you managed to build a tower."
Karpeios chuckled at Inferinos' blatant attempt to dig information out of him. Nonetheless, she didn't probe any further.
"Anyway, I prepared a special gift for you. As long as you have a pair of working eyes, you'll like it."
"I don't want it," Karpeios said petulantly.
"I'll send it right away, so connect your space to mine."
"I said I don't want itâ"
"It's a dark purple Dead Man's Flower."
"What?"
He watched Inferinos' upper body reflected in the mirror tilt slightly to the side to reveal a Dead Man's Flower behind her. It was emanating demonic energy that looked like a cloud of ash, and had been placed in a large, luxurious coffin made of marble. As promised, the smooth flower petals were a rich, dark purple.
Karpeios' attitude took a complete turn, and he exclaimed, "My goodness!"
His eyes glistened as he shot up from his slouched position on the throne.
"Is it real?!"
"Yes. This is a real dark purple Dead Man's Flower that blooms maybe once every one thousand years. I swear it's completely authentic."
There was no doubt it was the real deal if Inferinos was willing to swear by it.
Dark purple! A dark purple Dead Man's Flower! I want it. I want it. I want it. As a demon's virtue was their greed and obsession, the dark purple Dead Man's Flower was more than enough to trigger both of these qualities. Unconsciously, Karpeios began to reach for the mirror.
"It's a one-of-a-kind dark purple Dead Man's Flower. A Demon Lord like yourself should have one of these, don't you think?"
Her unexpected encouragement brought some of his senses back to him, prompting Karpeios to ask, "Why would you give me this?"
A Demon Lord was meant to spread evil and crush anything virtuous or good, so it didn't make sense for Inferinos to give such a precious flower to Karpeios unless she'd become a fallen demon. His distrust growing, a new suspicion he had to question popped into his mind.
"The coffin-shaped pot is unnecessarily large. What's inside?"
"Well... It was a secret, but I guess I'll have to tell you. The Dead Man's Flower's color changes depending on the host it feeds from. I placed a dormant dream demon that can bloom a dark purple Dead Man's Flower inside the pot. I swear on my name that this is true."
It was at this moment that Karpeios realized Inferinos was speaking far more politely than was her custom.