Mayhem was a word. Not the battle, Helmsman was a genius alright, managing to overwhelm and slowly subsume the combined DEPP and CHET forces. A few hiccups here and there, but with Wang’s absolute support the battle was almost anti-climactic.

The aftermath, I didn’t much care for. Not when I had other things to do. Shuttles were moved in and out, and apparently we had new additions, or well, new old additions. Exile joined back up. As well as Veteran, though… the bastard was nearly dead. How he kept alive, I didn’t know, but at this point I imagine it was due to Exile crying over him.

Another, new addition was Exile’s mother. I quickly enough purged her mark, consuming the energy. Adding it to my own. The moment I did, the woman before seemed to have aged by decades, if not more. I wasn’t sure how much longer she had, what with the mark consuming lifespan. Still, I was impressed with what Exile told me. Veteran was a bit of an oddity, but he never seemed like someone to step outside his comfort zone.

For him to throw his life away for a happy ending was, interesting. I applauded the show, but it was messy and ill thought out. Not to mention, it was clear with how Exile was now hovering over the man, whenever she wasn’t by her mother’s side that the old dog had some game. What was the saying, old cows eat young grass?

Though, I wasn’t sure if Veteran would ever pick up on the hints Exile was giving him. Especially when she was taking the time to cut fruit for him while he recovered. It was almost as good as watching my dramas, which I haven’t had the time to do at all recently. I didn’t even bring them with me, frustratingly. Either way, with both CHET and DEPP essentially dealt with. It was now time for an escapade into the Demon Realm.

Our ship was moving towards the meeting point, and I wasn’t paying attention to any of the logistics of the situation. After all, I had no idea where to even begin with coordinating so many different people. Devi’s preparations were completed soon enough.

A large hall had been set aside for a massive magic circle. People, likely recruited cultists Devi had recruited stood around the circle, pumping magic into it. The only annoying part was how Devi was bragging about the Demon Realm.

“It’s amazing! I mean, sure, there’s like no ki, but people make do. They got fancy fountains and buildings; I mean even the immigration office is incredible!” Almost like she totally forgot why we were going, which was to make her the Demon Queen.

Listening to her brag about the place gave me a certain image in mind, so when we finally arrived. I expected something amazing. Not…

“Huh…” I muttered. We had appeared in a ruined building. The walls cracked and broken. The ceiling was just gone. Revealing a blood red sky. Just in front of us was a skeleton, conspicuously missing a head.

“This… isn’t supposed to be this way?” She muttered confused. I followed as she led. We walked out of the building into open streets. Vehicles and tanks were wrecked and ruined. Skeletons everywhere. We were in the center of a rather futuristic-looking city. It would have looked amazing at one point.

Long dead trees and wilted grass were here and there. Fountains, now long dried up, were filled with red sand. The wind carried with it a forlorn desolation. Not helped by the conspicuous skeletons everywhere. The shattered storefronts and blown out buildings.

We stopped at what must have been a train station of sorts, and what I saw made me whistle. The demon realm was massive. Probably the size of at least a quarter of the universe, and it was all land. Though, the biomes seemed varied based on the maps I could find. The train rail cars were missing, and a little flight into the air revealed just how bad it was.

The city looked like it had been hit with a bomb of sorts. With the top portions of the city simply, gone. The city itself was huge and stretched to the horizon, and yet, it was all a ghost town. I couldn’t sense a single living being nearby.

“We should… just… follow the rails?” She suggested, and so we did. It didn’t take long to come across the ruined train. It looked like it had been chewed up. Bullets or whatever else had perforated it to an absurd degree. Vehicles and flying aircraft were peppered about. Skeletal hulks on the red wasteland.

The more we went, the more it was like we were following in the wake of some natural disaster. Buildings were ruined, skeletons populated the ground. Destroyed vehicles were left. I just knew this wasn’t the demon realm Devi had talked about, and yet, what had changed? Did the Majin have something to do with this?

After what felt like an eternity of silence, we came across another city. This one held a massive pillar at the center of it. Likely being the center of the Demon Realm. At least, based on what Devi had said. In the far distance, I could see other pillars in the cardinal directions. Jutting up into the seemingly endless sky above.

The Kai were supposed to live in these pillars. With the center pillar also housing the demon king. The city itself was ornate. Or, had been. Only, it looked like a whirlwind had blown through. Buildings smashed through, and giant house sized mecha were collapsed into buildings. The demons were proving themselves rather advanced…

At the foot of the pillar, a grand staircase stood. Its beauty marred by the piles of corpses and rent metal form whatever had passed by. We went up, past the doors blown off their hinges. Further into the demon king’s hall where pillars were chewed out and more bodies were spread about. Until finally we came to the throne, broken, but still standing. A massive skeleton nearby…

“Well… that was easy.” I said. The throne was clearly empty. Devi opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it. Repeating that motion for a few more times before working something out…

“Right… easy.”

Cautiously, she stepped forward. Nobody came to stop her while she examined the hall. I kept alert, looking about, but nothing jumped out at us. Though, at the center of the hall, above the Demon King’s throne was a large opening. Instead of a ceiling, there was a shaft of sorts. Likely making up the interior of the pillar that extends from the ground to the sky above.

No matter how I tried, I couldn’t exactly sense what was up there, but I didn’t think it would be an issue. With both of us done examining everything, and with nothing happening it was time to move to the next phase.

“I suppose you should sit on the throne? That would make you a demon king, right?” I asked, Devi didn’t seem too sure herself.

“Maybe?” She answered back equally unsure as me. Eventually, seeing as how we had no other plan, she carefully sat down on the throne…

Nothing happened. Devi wiggled on the throne. Trying to see if there was a way to sit in it properly, or if something was missing.

“It's not working?” She said in confusion, not that I blamed her. I was confused too. We shared looks, and she jumped back up. Both of us examined the throne.

Nothing about it was special, but according to Devi, sitting on the throne grants you the right to be the demon king. Was it not that simple? I really didn’t want to play a game of thrones, not at this point. I was tempted to sit down myself. In fact, why don’t I?

Under Devi’s questioning gaze, I positioned myself to plop down right into that seat, when a voice spoke out.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I froze, while Devi let out a small yelp. Apparently, Devi was not good with jump scares. Floating above us, was an odd character. A female, wearing a strange armor like dress, with massive shoulder pads that jutted out from her sides. I noted the earrings on her elongated ears. Telling me exactly who she was. A Kai.

“I take it you’re a Kai then?” I asked. The woman, the Kai slowly descended, touching down at the center of the hall.

“Indeed, I am the Supreme Kai of the Demon Realm.” I nodded, ignoring Devi, whom seemed to be frozen.

“Right, so, care to tell me why I shouldn’t sit?”

“Simple really, though, I doubt you’d fully understand it yourself. By some twist of fate, you bear on your person a fragment of what is called Dark Factor. Granted, I’m not sure if you sitting on the throne is good or bad, but… it would probably be best if you didn’t. And, before you ask, no, I will not explain what a Dark Factor is.”

She was very much, no nonsense. I liked that. “Right, fine. Either way, can you explain why Devi here, isn’t the Demon King yet?”

She rolled her eyes at my words and answered. “Why, I have no idea why you would think sitting on a useless throne would mark you as a king.” She said sarcastically. I didn’t take the bait. She smiled. “Right, well, normally there is a whole ritual involved. Challengers to the throne need to make their intent clear and face off with the Demon King, slowly whittle away their forces and build their own domain to make it official…

Unfortunately, not long ago we had a rather unruly visitor. A visitor that tore through the Demon King’s ranks and slaughtered his people as well as him. Me and the other Kai here aren’t entirely sure how it was he got here, but we imagine those idiots attempting to invade the Mortal Realm were involved somehow.”

Devi looked notably nervous at those words, but I had no idea what she had to worry about. It wasn’t like they sent some terrifying creature to the Demon Realm, right? …Right? I honestly can’t remember. I do remember her bragging about something, but I tuned it out. It didn’t seem important.

“Either way, without a current Demon King and with his forces obliterated, well… it does make this process a lot simpler. Just have the girl sit on the throne and I can give her the qualifications.”

“Oh… really? That’s all?”

She snorts. “Normally, no, but her contract with you allows her to skip steps and all. After all, it is said that every demon king is beholden to the Dark king, so it hardly matters.”

I have no idea what that means. She didn’t seem keen to inform me either. With a bit of a nudge, Devi sat down on the throne, the supreme kai touched her forehead, said a few things in a language I didn’t know and…

Nothing.

“That’s done then. You won’t see an immediate change, but from now on, you will absorb energy from the Demon Realm to improve your power.”

Oh… no big power up? Seems kind of like a letdown. Devi seemed to agree.

“Does that mean we can at least call on the demon race to help with the Majin?” I asked to clarify.

“As the Demon King, and as her contractor, or more or less owner, you both have the ability to summon demons without needing prior contracts. Simply open a portal and it will summon whomever or whatever you want.”

Oh, good. Then we have some magical defenses against the Majin.

“Great, now, whatever happened to that unruly guest anyway?” I asked first, to keep the conversation going and partially out of interest.

“We sealed them. It was rather, difficult to say the least.” She said after a moment’s hesitation.

“Is that so? And what about you and the other Kai? Will you be assisting us with the Majin?”

“No.” She stated without thought. “We’ve decided long ago to simply sit back and watch the Majin destroy the Mortal Realm. Seeing them break into Otherworld was definitely a treat, but if we simply wait for the Majin to have their fun and go back to sleep, we can easily reclaim the Mortal Realm for ourselves.” She explained.

“Right… and what if we actually beat the Majin?” She shrugged.

“Doesn’t much matter to us. We’ve gotten used to our lives here in the Demon Realm, if anything, our choosing to simply wait and see has made us realize life down here isn’t so bad.”

That… what? That was by far the least expected answer I could have imagined. I thought they’d be chomping at the bit to invade the Mortal Realm, but no. They weren’t… Well, regardless, this makes things easier…or does it?

“Right, well, none of that matters.” I settled on. To her amusement. “I however, do need something from you.”

“Is that so?” She asked with a smile. “And what could you possibly need form me?”

“Your ear rings.” I point. “Or more specifically, your Potara Earrings.”

Her amusement fled away, replaced with a look of shock, only to once more transition, this time in pure joy as she laughed. “Truly!?” She asked between laughs. “You really are an oddity, A Saiyan appearing from nowhere, long after their extinction. Breaking the universe over their knee, forcing it to capitulate. Now, you aim for the Majin and you want my earrings? No, the very fact you knew about these is interesting, since no mortal should know of this, since that information was never shared, not even to The Seer.”

She laughed again. “Very well, though, I am unsure of the result. We kai typically use it to merge our powers together into a new being. I’ve no idea what would happen if you would use it. Though, I do find myself curious to see what would happen.” And like that, she took them out and threw them over. I caught them with incredible ease.

Looking at them, they didn’t seem overly special. No glowing, or special ki fluctuations. They looked perfectly… normal. Overall, this was turning out quite well.

“Well, you want me to give them back after everything?”

“Hah! Don’t bother. You Saiyan have a way of breaking anything and everything you get your hands on. I highly doubt they’ll survive whatever you have planned for them, and not just that, but given time I can remake them, though difficult, it is not impossible.”

A little rude, but on point.

“Sounds good. I guess that means we’ll be leaving?” I had no desire to rope her into this mess, not when she seemed content to lie back. We got what we came here for. Now, we just needed to get back and tally our gains.

Hearing my words, the Supreme Kai of the Demon Realm smiled and simply flew up, leaving us alone. Though, I imagine she might become a bother in the future, or perhaps an aid, I wasn’t entirely sure. It still wasn’t a present me problem, no that was someone else’s problem.

Making sure I had the earrings; I began walking out. “You coming Devi?” I called out behind me, and she answered back. We had a bit of a flight back to where we came from. And from there, we had the final preparations.