The Fantasy MMORPG, Cross Reverie,
is currently the most-played game in the world.
In this game, there is only one person known as a true Demon Lord.
His name is Demon Lord Diablo.
Diablo is not an official monster.
He's a legendary player who reigns at the top with his overwhelming gear and skill.
Diablo is ridiculously strong,
so what causes him to get serious?
Is it the rarity of his challengers' gear?
The titles they've earned?
No,
what makes him get serious is...
Michiko LOVE
RYO's Wife
Oh, those two are a couple.
Time to kill 'em.
Fools who bring impurities like love into the game world
The Demon Lord's Ring reflects all magic
Magic Reflection
must be punished by me, the Demon Lord!
MMOs aren't mere games!
Have you learned your lesson, normies?!
Also, this is me.
A shut-in gamer named Takuma Sakamoto.
At this point in time, I never even imagined
that I would be summoned to another world as a real Demon Lord.
Huh?
Episode One The Demon Lord Act
I've turned into Diablo?!
What is this?!
I was just playing games in my room!
Now the Enslavement Ritual is complete.
Huh?
Way to go, me! The summoning worked!
Try not to get the wrong idea.
I'm the one who summoned him.
Huh? But I'm the one who summoned him!
What are those ears? Is she a Pantherian?
You saw it, didn't you?
Besides, I performed the Enslavement Ritual myself, too!
That girl's... an Elf?
That kiss and stuff...
Kiss?!
That wasn't a dream?!
I should have enjoyed it more!
Wait, where am I?
I kissed him, too.
But it was my kiss that was successful!
This clearly isn't my neighborhood.
I'm also the one who said we should go to Starfall Tower!
Starfall Tower?
Starfall Tower A stone tower located on the border of the Kingdom of Lyferia and the old Demon Lord's domain, adjacent to the Man-Eating Woods. The closest town is the Border City, Faltra. It is a point used for summoning and conducting the Enslavement Ritual. This tower is often the first destination of Summoners. Conducting the ritual between the four pillars at the top of the tower allows a random Summon to be called to the altar at their center. Conducting the summoning ritual requires players to be above a certain level, spend a suitable amount of magic stones, and use specific catalysts. Magic stones can be obtained by spending real money, but catalysts can only be obtained as rewards for completing quests and events. When conducting a standard summoning ritual, a random Summon that is a lower level than the player character will appear on the center altar. Success is guaranteed. In addition, one can attempt a rare summon. If a rare summon fails, nothing is summoned and only magic stones are consumed. Rare summons have a very low success rate, but one can gain extremely high-level Summons this way. But since high-level Summons have high abilities that consume great amounts of MP, Summoners often cannot make use of them until they advance in level. For this reason, few players ever attempt a rare summon.
Starfall Tower.
A summoning point in Cross Reverie.
It's supposed to be a spot where you can summon and enslave new Summons.
But was I...
Did these girls summon me into Cross Reverie?!
I get the feeling it's okay to follow them.
Wait, no, no, no, no!
I did!
No, I did!
U-Um, uh...
How am I supposed to talk to girls?!
How long has it been since I spoke to anyone?!
Wait, have I ever spoken to anyone?!
I can only remember soloing for my entire life!
No, I have! I have!
I've held conversations with the girls who challenged me in-game!
You should cease your trivial arguing.
You currently stand before Diablo.
The Summon...
...talked?!
The game's helping me out.
If I do the Demon Lord act that I did for my opponents, I can make this work!
I hereby command you both...
Shake hands and make up.
With a smile!
Who would ever want to make up with this fat Elf?
What?!
What's going on here?
Huh?
Huh?!
Why us?
I thought this was supposed to appear on the Summon!
I was sure the ritual that would place the slave collar on him succeeded...
Y...
You used the Enslavement Ritual on me?
Yes.
Right!
The effect of my Demon Lord's Ring!
It's one of the most powerful accessories in Cross Reverie, and it reflects all magic.
The Demon Lord's Ring reflects all magic
I obtained it as an event reward,
Magic Reflection
but it looks like its power is still active here.
Magic has no effect on me.
I possess the power to reflect all magic,
so your Enslavement Ritual was cast on yourselves instead.
What?!
I don't want to be enslaved to a Summon!
At any rate, we'll need to return to the city and look for a way to dispel it.
You're coming with us too, okay?
Well, I wouldn't want them leaving me behind.
Oh, yeah! We haven't told you our names yet.
Good grief, but you're carefree. At a time like this, too.
But won't it be difficult for him to talk to us?
I'm Shera L Greenwood.
For various reasons, I'm hoping to become an adventurer.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Rem Galleu.
I need to keep proving my strength as an adventurer,
so please lend me your power.
Diablo must be worth a hundred men!
I've never heard of a talking Summon before!
Fools!
I am no Summon!
Then what are you?
I'm just a plain old shut-in.
But I can't tell them that...
I am Diablo.
The one feared as the Demon Lord!
Demon Lord?
That was my first summon, and I summoned an amazing one!
I summoned him.
No, I did!
I did!
Jeez, all you two do is fight!
I thought we were heading into the city!
We are going there!
With you at my side, I can finally register as a Summoner with the Adventurer's Guild!
Jeez, how did this all happen? There's so much I don't know.
The only thing I do know is...
That girl's awesome!
Border City Faltra
Thank you so much for today.
It's fine.
We're here.
This is the inn.
Good afternoon!
I'm Mei-chan, the idol of Peace of Mind Inn!
Diablo?
What are you doing?
We're staying at this inn.
Th-The crowds are making me nauseous...
Hey, I'd like to have this man stay in the same room with me.
Hey! You can't be telling me to share the same room with the likes of you?!
Well, I don't have the money to rent an extra one.
There's no need for that.
Diablo will be staying in my room.
Huh?! Why?!
I'm the one who summoned Diablo.
Th-This is impossible.
It's natural for him to stay with his master.
I'm the one who summoned him!
C'mon, you're just being a nuisance if you fight at our reception desk!
I did!
I'll throw you out.
How did I end up sharing a room with you?
That's my question.
Two girls in a room with only one bed...
Is this leading to some actual nighttime Demon Lord play?!
No way! I couldn't handle it! I'd die!
Come in.
Pardon me.
Rem-san, everyone...
It's my first time meeting you two, isn't it?
I'm known as Celestine Baudelaire.
Celestine? That sounds familiar...
Do you mean the head of this town's Mage's Association?
That Celestine?
Call me Celes, okay?
That's right!
I knew I'd heard her name before!
The head of the Mage's Association
is an important character who maintains the barrier protecting this town.
At least in the game, she was.
What is someone that important doing here?
Today, I had some business with Rem-san, but...
I'd love to hear your story, as well.
Food! Food!
Proper food!
A reflection of the Enslavement Ritual?
That's quite a serious matter.
Diablo-san, are you able to release them, by any chance?
I can't.
It wasn't even my choice to enslave them.
If I could release them, I would have already.
Looks like we'll have to research this from scratch, then.
Please do.
By the way, what business did the head of the Mage's Association have here?
I'll permit you to share that with me.
You bastard!
How dare you speak to Lady Baudelaire like that?!
I'll have no mercy on you if you don't show respect!
Man, this guy is scary!
Was I being that haughty?
But I can't help it!
I can't get myself to talk any other way!
Galluk-san...
Don't speak to me so lightly, plebeian!
Galluk-san, you're being rude.
Talking to others is so exhausting...
Celes, I don't want to go the Mage's Association Headquarters,
and I don't want any bodyguards assigned to me.
Rem-san... Listen, I'm only trying to help you.
You're very important to our world.
I'm grateful for your consideration.
But I can protect myself.
I see.
I'll excuse myself for tonight.
I'll look into the matter of releasing you from your collars.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
For a such a powerful individual to be visiting you...
You must be holding on to an extraordinary secret.
That's not true.
Oh?
My gamer's intuition is tingling!
The problem this girl's facing is important to the storyline!
The kind that makes the powerful go out of their way,
Why is the king in such a lowly tavern?
that she can't easily share with others!
I have a terrifying secret. I can't share it with you yet, though.
The kind that suddenly gets revealed when it's too late,
but could've been easily dealt with if only we all knew earlier!
I'll end this world! There's no other option for me!
I have to uncover her secret as soon as possible!
You're light.
Hey!
Where are you going?
This one refuses to speak,
so I'm going to torture her.
Tor—
Okay, I'll be here with my food.
Hey! Save me, you stupid Elf!
Fear not. I won't do anything that could kill you.
Not so long as you tell me your secret.
I don't want to share it.
So you ask me to lend you my power while keeping secrets from me?
If I tell you, I'm sure you'll leave me, too.
Did you think a Demon Lord would grant mercy for such a reason?
I guess I will need to torture you.
Are you planning to disgrace me?!
Huh?
I hadn't thought of that!
I was so focused on clearing this story, I ended up in a total away game!
I pushed her down in the heat of the moment,
but how do I torture her?
It feels criminal to touch her anywhere.
M-Maybe right here would be okay?
This works!
It's a way lower hurdle than her bare skin, too!
Could you please stop?
Tell me your secret.
I can't!
That's it, then.
They're fluffy.
No! Stop!
Then how about here?
Not behind my ears!
Will you share your secret?
I-I won't tell you!
Stubborn woman.
In that case...
This reminds me of the stray cat I used to play with!
It's so nice and fluffy!
It's so easy to get absorbed—
Sh-Shoot!
I got carried away!
Crap... If she gives me that look...
What do I do next?!
Are you...
saying you'll accept me, then?
That no matter what,
you won't run away?
Rem...
You can count on me.
No matter what your circumstances may be,
I, the Demon Lord Diablo, will accept them along with you.
Rest assured.
Huh?
No!
It's overwhelming me!
I just heard a really loud voice...
Lady, are you sure you don't need to go in there?
Huh?!
That's your companion, isn't it?
Y-Yes, it is...
All right!
But first, another plate for me, please!
Seriously?!
A-Are you hurt?
No, I'm happy.
You said you'd accept me, no matter the circumstances.
Indeed.
No one has ever said that to me.
The soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm is sealed within me.
What?!
Krebskulm?!
That's officially the most powerful boss in Cross Reverie!
I never expected to hear that name.
So I really am inside Cross Reverie?
My ultimate goal is to defeat the Demon Lord Krebskulm that lies within me
and extinguish her soul.
Makes sense.
Judging from the conversation with Celes, then,
it seems fair to assume the Demon Lord Krebskulm will be released
when you die.
On top of that,
there's presently no way to extract her soul aside from your death.
If they did have a means to extract her,
they'd surround you with the full military might of the world, pull her out,
and defeat her.
Also, judging by the way those around you act,
Celes is the only person who knows about your connection to Krebskulm.
Am I wrong?
Y-You've got it.
Her soul will be released when I die.
Celes knows of this fact.
Hmm...
Did your mother also house the soul of Krebskulm?
So it's hereditary.
What a cruel fate for such a girl.
If this was part of the game lore, I'd be railing on the developers.
Hmph. I'll crush the soul of Krebskulm for you.
Of course, we'll need to spend some time researching a way to extract it first.
Did I do something?!
That was the first time anyone said they wouldn't leave me.
You underestimate me too much.
I'm not so weak as to leave you over something that petty.
I'm used to being alone.
Both in-game and in real life, I've always played solo.
Telling me to change that now, after all this time,
doesn't mean someone with my poor social skills will become very useful to others.
So then, why...
Hey, Demon!
You're that guy from this afternoon!
You're Celes's...
We can't stand by and watch you wander around this late at night.
Demihumans are savages, after all!
What? Running away?
I told you not to speak to me lightly.
I have no time for plebeians.
Hold it!
I'm no plebeian. I'm Galluk!
I won't overlook your rude attitude!
You would preach manners while throwing liquor bottles at someone?
I'm close to the head of the Mage's Association in rank!
I'm not trash like you, who isn't useful to anyone!
I didn't like you from the moment I laid eyes on you.
This is the end of your rude attitude!
After this, you'll be begging for your life!
It's the most powerful Summon,
able to burn everything to death!
Come forth, Salamander!
Galluk! You're using a Summon in the city?!
Shut up!
This is a level 30 Salamander!
If you apologize now, I'll let you off with a few burns...
Though it might be too powerful and kill you anyway!
Really? You're kidding...
Level 30?
That's so weak, though.
Y-You've done it now!
Shut up! This is punishment!
That's it?
I guess that's all a level 30 could do.
Wha?!
K-Kill him, Salamander!
Kill him, kill him, kill him!
Kill that insolent good-for-nothing!
Let me tell you something.
I'm level 150.
O-One hundred and fifty?!
No way!
No one like that...
No one like that can exist!
Kill him!
Explosion!
Don't expect mercy from me.
Wh-What?!
This...
This is impossible!
I thought I held back quite a bit.
I guess my strength is the same as Diablo's.
So the power I amassed by immersing myself in the game is now my power.
You're just a demihuman...
You're useless trash.
How could this be?
What in the world are you?!
My name is Diablo!
I am a Demon Lord from another world!
Once you finish registering as an adventurer, you'll be able to take on quests.
I look forward to working with you, Diablo-san.
Remove that collar from Shera-sama's neck!
Episode Two The Strongest Newcomer
Diablo!