"Of course—looking forward to working with you."
Kairo Retsu extended his hand toward the Winged Lion.
"Hope you enjoy the flavor of my desire. Would be even better if you could describe what it tastes like."
As Kairo and the Winged Lion conversed, the others stood silently to the side, hesitant to speak.
The Winged Lion, however, smiled and turned to look at Tanjiro, who was standing not far from Kairo.
"Tanjiro, I'm very glad to see you've returned to your true self..."
"Kairo Retsu," the Winged Lion said with genuine sincerity, "if you're able to restore all Dungeon Lords like this, that would be incredible."
"This is the first time I've seen someone regain their sense of self after I've consumed their desire."
"Ah, I get it—it's like when you find your favorite food again after a long time," Kairo replied casually.
"No need to waste time here. Honestly… everyone around here's kinda afraid of you."
"But not you Hunters, I assume?"
The Winged Lion glanced at everyone gathered.
There were seven present—Laios's party of five, plus Kairo and Tanjiro.
Aside from Laios, Kairo, and Tanjiro, the rest all showed clear discomfort around the Winged Lion.
Well... Izutsumi might be an exception—she looked more bristly than scared.
"Marcille, seeing how frightened you are of me honestly hurts a little."
The Winged Lion gave a helpless smile.
"All I want is to borrow your power to leave the Dungeon. I truly want to fulfill your wish."
"Or perhaps… not just yours."
The Winged Lion's lips curled upward.
"I want to fulfill everyone's wishes."
"I love you humans."
He spoke with visible joy to the group:
"Fulfilling your desires brings me satisfaction. Tasting your desire fills me with incomparable ecstasy."
"I want to fulfill everyone's desires. But alas, your desires often contradict one another..."
The Winged Lion spoke calmly.
"If only I could leave the confines of this Dungeon, then I could do it—I could grant all your wishes and bring everyone endless sweet happiness…"
"All I need… is to leave this Dungeon."
Hearing those words chilled the Dungeon's native adventurers to their core.
Kairo, who already knew the truth, simply clapped.
"Just as expected. Good. Then let's make your wish come true—together."
"How strange."
The Winged Lion tilted his head slightly.
"I'm the one who's supposed to grant others' wishes, yet this time, it feels like it's reversed."
He fixed his eyes on the leader of the Hunters.
"Today, it feels like my desire is being fulfilled instead... even if only in the smallest way."
"And now—I hunger even more for endless desire."
"L-Laios..."
Marcille tugged nervously at Laios's sleeve.
"Is letting the Winged Lion leave the Dungeon really such a terrible thing? Is Kairo really going through with it?"
She tried to reassure herself.
"Maybe Kairo plans to use the Dungeon Lord's power to trap the Winged Lion here again... Yeah, that must be it…"
"Well then, let me walk you through my desire blueprint," Kairo said confidently.
"My plan is… to raise an entire mountain range. And… summon the dragon I most want to see right now."
"Oh? Dalamadur, is it?"
The Winged Lion responded gently, as if they were discussing a casual hobby.
"That's right. And more importantly—"
Kairo gave a thumbs-up.
"I'm making Laios the Demon King!! Winged Lion—how about you serve as the Demon King's banner?"
"The Demon King's army? Oh, I see."
The Winged Lion nodded thoughtfully, continuing the discussion with genuine engagement, like two close friends sharing grand dreams.
There wasn't even a hint of opposition in his demeanor.
"I have to say—you really do deliver emotional value!" Kairo said gleefully.
"Bet it took some effort to become like this, huh?"
"Not really. Time doesn't mean much to me."
The Winged Lion shook his head gently.
"I take every Dungeon Lord seriously."
He smiled at Marcille.
"If you still wish to become a Dungeon Lord, I'd be more than happy to help."
"No thank you!!"
Marcille immediately shrank back behind the others.
Kairo and the Winged Lion ended up talking for a full half hour.
Over the course of their conversation, a massive sand table appeared between them—detailing the terrain of the entire island and surrounding regions.
Laios had initially tried to join in on the discussion, but Marcille and Chilchuck clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him back.
On the sand table, new towering mountain ranges had formed around the island—the areas Kairo had requested, now incorporated into the Winged Lion's future plans.
"Hey Winged Lion—what do you think Laios would be like as a Demon King?"
Kairo asked out of the blue.
"I imagine he'd be an interesting king,"
The Winged Lion pointed at Laios, who was currently pinned down by his companions.
"He's unique. And you're all here because of him, aren't you?"
"True, true."
Kairo nodded thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it, Laios kinda resembles Guilliman..."
He muttered to himself, stretching his neck.
"But I wasn't really thinking that far ahead. I just thought it'd be fun."
As he spoke, Kairo caught movement in the corner of his eye—the camp Felyne had returned.
And in its paws was a freshly delivered set of layered armor… along with a brand new Great Sword.
Death Stench Beta layered gear, styled after Nergigante—
"Alright then… it's time for the Demon King to make his entrance!"
Kairo clenched his fist and stood up.
"Winged Lion! Make me the Dungeon Lord!!"
"Very well."
The Winged Lion smiled warmly and bowed deeply.
Meanwhile, the native elves and adventurers had thought the Dungeon's transformations had finally quieted down.
But in the very next moment, the entire Dungeon began to quake.
Before their stunned eyes, a massive mountain peak began to rise from the center of the Dungeon—towering skyward like a sharpened blade, steep and jagged.
But—
What truly instilled fear wasn't the mountain...
It was the massive beast coiling around it as it rose—a serpentine colossus, slithering upward.
Even from this distance, some sharp-eyed elves saw something moving atop the beast's head.
"What's going on?! What is that?!"
Some panicked elves sent their familiars to investigate the figure atop the monster.
But a moment later, they regretted it deeply.
Atop the giant serpent's head, atop a throne of blood-red scales and carapace, sat a man clad in fearsome armor—barbed and jagged.
In his hands, a Great Sword forged of monstrous teeth.
Flying monsters circled above, mimicking human speech as they shrieked through the air—
"In this moment…
We declare the name of Demon King Laios Touden!!"
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