#529 Live Commentary

Things have livened up!

The fight between Demon Queen Glasya vs. Pink Tonton, the reckless boar, has become the match of the century.

And I, Kidan, will be your live commentator.

“With us is Demon King Zedan. Demon King Zedan, what do you think of this fight?”

“Huh?! Um... Well...”

The Demon King is not perturbed by his sudden appointment as a co-commentator.

All the while caressing little Marine’s face.

“I think I’ve shared the story with you about Glasya being the strongest fighter in the army before she became the queen.” 

Yes, you have.

“As a former soldier, she’s even more conscious of taking the initiative and going to the frontlines. Whenever she did, the enemy frontline would collapse instantly, but she would always return alive. Her unrivaled destructive power made everyone recognize her as one of the Heavenly Four.”

“I see.”

“I-Mmbh! Marine, Daddy’s talking, so don’t put your hand in his mouth! Daddy might bite you!” 

And even during the commentary, the Demon King is having trouble with his daughter.

A lively girl, she is. She takes after her mother.

In contrast, Junior, who’s with me, is a quiet one.

“I remember a memorable story from when Glasya was in military service. I heard that there was only one person in the enemy human army who could stand up to her.”

“Oh?”

“Glasya’s enemy was neither a hero nor a general but a nameless therianthrope mercenary. I heard they were subject to discrimination in the Human Kingdom, so I guess that’s why she wasn’t in a high-ranking position.”

Is that why she had to settle for being a mercenary?

“The fact that she could fight on equal terms with Glasya but was not given a position commensurate with her abilities was one of the Human Kingdom’s many lesions. Whenever the two clashed on the battlefield, the earth shook and the heavens roared, and no other soldier could match them.”

And that same battle is unfolding before our eyes.

The earth is shaking with the impact of each slam, and the excitement of the fight is causing roars to echo through the heavens.

In short, the Demon King’s statement wasn’t an exaggeration.

“I didn’t know that such an elite had become an adventurer... Perhaps she was starved out as a mercenary which made her switch professions. She’s a talent I would’ve loved to have in the army.”

The Demon King’s comment elicits sighs of admiration from the audience.

They’re amazed that he’s willing to scout a human mercenary who used to be their enemy.

Yes, our commentary is heard by the audience of both races who had gathered to watch today’s competition.

Ah, speaking of which, the fierce battle of the century is overshadowing something else...

Today was supposed to be a decisive battle for the pride of the Heavenly Four and S-class adventurers!

“The human... What was her name again? Pink Tonkatsu? She looks like she won’t be able to explore the dungeon in that state, will she?”

“You can’t just fry her like that, Lord Saint!”

The Demon King made a tsukkomi at the perfect time.

Meanwhile, Glasya and Pink Tonton are hitting each other with lassos and getting blown away by each other’s momentum.

“But doesn’t this make things quantitatively ideal? Originally, we had an unequal number of participants.”

The Heavenly Four has four people, the S-class adventurers have five, and Six Witches have, well, six, which leaves the Heavenly Four at a disadvantage.

“However, with Pink Tonton out, the S-class adventurer’s group is down to four people. There are only three active participants from the Six Witches, though...”

But Platy is brave to brush a handicap such as that.

We won’t get anything done today if we keep forestalling, so we better let them start real soon.

Ardheg, the lord of the castle, is probably on standby deep within his dungeon. We shouldn’t keep him waiting too long.

“The remaining members of the team will go in. We’re running out of time, so please move along quickly.”

“You’re the ones who were messing around to begin with!”

Sorry, we don’t welcome protests.

The main gates are open, so get a move on!

The participants looked dumbfounded, but they were raring to go, so they proceeded through the gates.

As if to confirm that everyone had entered, the gates closed on their own.

“Now, the competition between humans and demons to conquer the Dragon Emperor’s Castle has begun rather anticlimactically. What do you expect to happen, Demon King?”

“We’re still continuing this skit?”

Not really...

Something about this seems like a drag, doesn’t it?

“‘Well, from my standpoint as the Demon King, I have to root for my men. I think we might as well have won with Belphgamilia in our group, don’t you agree?”

“I suppose so.”

Belphgamilia, the lazy demon who is the Heavenly Four’s leader and more or less humanity’s strongest.

His combat power is comparable to the World’s Two Greatest Calamities, and he’s the most outstanding participant in today’s event.

To put it in racecar terms, he’s as tyrannical as an F1 car in a Choro-Q competition.

If anything, telling him to lose is a tall order.

“But Belphgamilia is also known for his indolence.”

“That person’s fluctuating motivation determines whether they win or lose...!”

It sounds like it’ll be a boring battle if you put it that way.

“By the way, Lord Saint.”

“Yes?”

“Now that the participants have entered the dungeon, what are we supposed to do? Do we just wait for them to come out?”

That’s a good question, Demon King.

A large spectator stand had been set up in front of the main gates of the new Dragon Emperor Castle, and it was packed.

However, it’s impossible to peek into the dungeon from the outside.

As it was, the spectators could only wait idly for the match inside the dungeon to end.

Even so, since Queen Glasya and Pink Tonton are holding a 60-hour, one-on-one deathmatch in front of the main gates, there’ll never be a dull moment till then. 

“But don’t worry! We have already devised a way for the audience to enjoy themselves!”

“Oh!”

A large whiteboard-like object appears in front of the main gates that are no longer open to further intruders.

It’s a square board with an area so large it could be a tennis court.

“What is that white wall?!”

The wall is so massive even the Demon King is taken aback.

But the surprise is yet to come!

As soon as I gave the signal, the white slate showed colors.

Or rather, it projected an image!

“What is that?!”

“That’s a magical video device created for today’s spectacle! It projects images transmitted from the magic cameras installed inside the castle in real time!”

By using it, we can observe how the participants move about in the castle!

So? What do you think of this revolutionary device in this fantasy world?

It’s a super technology completed during the dungeon’s construction, fused with my ideas and the magic of the Lifeless Kings and the dragons! 

Surprised, I take it?

I hear the cheers I expected from the audience, but...

...Surely, they’re not meant for Queen Glasya’s Coconut Crush timing-wise, right?

“Let’s see... Oh, there’s the Heavenly Four, the S-class adventurers, and Platy’s team running inside the castle!”

“The competition has just started, so you could see them going together in one big group.”

It’s similar to the beginning of a marathon.

But from this point on, there’s no telling what difference each contender’s ability and judgment will make.

And the time for that difference to start showing came sooner than expected.

“It’s a branched path!”

The path was straight at first, but it eventually diverged, so our contenders had to rely on their intuition to decide which way to go.

“An intersection, huh...!”

There are three paths, not including the way they came.

Will it be straight ahead, left, or right?

These three choices happened to coincide with the three forces challenging the dungeon.

First, the S-class adventurer team took the right path.

Next, the Heavenly Four took the left path as if to confront the former team.

Finally, Platy and the two other witches entered the middle passage, going their own way.

Thus, the three teams separated.

Which one of them will make it to the goal safely?

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i have my midterms this week, specifically from wed-fri! just putting it out there, haha,,,,