- Have you come to challenge me?

“There’s no other reason I’d seek you out.”

Gremory responded in a cold tone.

Amdusias smirked.

- Good. I was wondering when you’d finally challenge me. I needed more magic power to challenge the higher ranks, so this is perfect.

It seemed that among the demon lords, Gremory had firmly been labeled an easy target.

“Amdusias, where is your contractor?”

- He’ll be here soon. That guy was quite busy just a moment ago.

As soon as those words were spoken, a man trudged down the long staircase.

He was a well-built white man, wearing nothing but a pair of pants.

It was obvious he had thrown them on in a hurry after being completely naked. Considering his name, it wasn’t hard to guess what had kept him so busy.

‘So that’s Giacomo Casanova.’

Lee Shin looked at the white man with fascination.

To see in person the famous historical figure who had turned his name into a byword was quite something.

Despite his disheveled appearance, Casanova bowed politely.

“I pay my respects to the great Demon Lord Gremory!”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve been living the happiest of days.”

Gremory frowned.

“I see your wish has brought you happiness. That’s good to hear.”

Casanova grinned slyly.

His gaze then turned to Lee Shin.

“Oh, so you’re Lady Gremory’s new contractor?”

“That’s right.”

“Whoa, listen to that tone—so haughty and confident. But I get it. Contractors always turn out to be some big shot. So, what’s your field? Monarch? General? Politician?”

“I have no reason to answer that.”

Lee Shin responded curtly.

He couldn’t exactly say he was a professional gamer.

Casanova rested his chin on his hand and scrutinized Lee Shin.

“Hmm… Your tone is too stiff. You must be a soldier. And a high-ranking one at that, considering you were chosen as a contractor.”

“You're close.”

“Haha! I knew it!”

Casanova laughed, pleased with himself for guessing correctly. Since Lee Shin had indeed been a soldier until recently, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“How terrifying. My opponent is a famed soldier. I was merely a wanderer who loved freedom—this hardly seems like a fair match.”

“I heard you were a fugitive.”

“Haha, well, in a world where oppression is justice, I was certainly a criminal. Anyway, you don’t seem ordinary at all. I almost wish you were just another scholar with nothing but theories in his head.”

It seemed he was referring to Machiavelli.

Lee Shin looked at Gremory.

“There’s no reason to waste time.”

Gremory nodded and addressed Amdusias.

“Amdusias, I, the 72nd-ranked Demon Lord Gremory, formally challenge you and declare that I have met the qualifications.”

Amdusias slowly approached and stood to Casanova’s left.

- Very well. According to the laws set by the Demon God, a challenger who meets the qualifications cannot be refused.

“Decide on the battlefield and the amount of magic power to wager.”

- The battlefield will be Second Field: Blue Rain. The wagered magic power will be 20,000. However, before the Ranking Battle, I have a proposal.

“What is it?”

- It seems a bit meaningless to decide the ranking with just a single battle. Your new contractor lacks experience and might make some mistakes.

“What are you trying to say?”

- Let’s fight three times. The one who wins two out of three will be the victor of this Ranking Battle. What do you say?

“That is not part of the laws set by the Demon God.”

- But it’s not forbidden either. That means you’re free to accept or refuse. I’m simply making a suggestion.

“We need to discuss this for a moment.”

- Take your time. We have plenty of it.

Amdusias’ relaxed voice rang out like a song.

“What do you think?”

Gremory asked Lee Shin.

“I think this puts us at a disadvantage. They don’t know anything about Kaiser, but we know quite a bit about them. They plan to analyze you in the first fight and then decide the outcome in the following rounds.”

“So, it’s a best-of-three format.”

“Exactly. Casanova may seem like that, but he once pushed Amdusias up to rank 58. He has a lot of experience with ranking battles and has a variety of strategies to use. You, on the other hand, are still inexperienced, which puts you at a disadvantage.”

“That’s true…”

Lee Shin slowly opened his mouth.

“A multi-round format favors the more experienced.”

Lee Shin smiled. His eyes gleamed like those of a viper.

He whispered into Gremory’s ear. Surprised at first, Gremory soon nodded.

Gremory then spoke to Amdusias.

“We have a condition as well.”

- Speak.

“In exchange for accepting your condition, let’s raise the wagered magic power to 30,000.”

- … Are you serious?

The ease in Amdusias’ voice disappeared.

Amdusias’ total magic power was 91,000.

Gremory’s was 85,000.

Betting 30,000 was a massive stake for both sides.

“If you don’t like it, we can just go with the usual format.”

- Give us a moment to discuss.

Amdusias exchanged quiet words with Casanova.

After a brief discussion, Amdusias spoke.

- We accept. But the wager will be 25,000 instead.

“Showing weakness, are we?”

Gremory teased slightly, but Amdusias scoffed.

- One must consider the worst-case scenario. If I were to lose 30,000, there would be far too many high-ranking demons eligible to challenge me.

“Either way, fine, we accept.”

- Then we’ll see you on the battlefield.

In an instant, Amdusias and Casanova vanished.

Gremory turned to Lee Shin.

“25,000 is on the line. If we win, we’ll skip a rank and go straight up to 70th place.”

“We will win.”

“Your confidence is reassuring. Alright, I believe in you.”

At last, the two of them opened a dimensional gate and teleported.

[Demon Lord Gremory and Contractor Lee Shin have arrived at the Second Battlefield: Blue Rain.]

Amdusias and Casanova had arrived first and were waiting.

Even on the verge of battle, Casanova approached with an easy smile and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Let’s have a good fight. Let’s make this an exciting match.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s exciting or dirty. Winning is all that counts.”

“Haha, what a dull fellow.”

Feeling awkward, Casanova withdrew his hand.

[This is the ranking battle between Demon Lord Gremory and Demon Lord Amdusias. The outcome of the battle will impact their ranks and magic power. A total of 50,000 magic power is being wagered.]

[The 50,000 magic power will be converted into magic stones and distributed across the battlefield.]

[The ranking battle will consist of three rounds. The first to win two rounds will be declared the victor.]

[Please select your race.]

“Human.”

“Orc.”

Lee Shin and Casanova spoke almost simultaneously.

[The ranking battle begins.]

[Contractor Lee Shin of Demon Lord Gremory and Contractor Giacomo Casanova of Demon Lord Amdusias will participate.]