— — — — — —
Kazuma turned the Stormforge Aetaris Armor over in his hands, studying it for a moment before figuring out what it actually did.
Stormforge Aetaris Armor: the combined embodiment of elemental armor, fused from the powers of fire, wind, earth, water, and lightning.
It granted control of nature's blaze, whirlwinds, hurricanes, thunder, and cliffs. It could even absorb the power of the sun, moon, and stars.
Once summoned and fused, it doubled every one of the user's physical stats. And as the battle went on, it could continuously draw energy from nature to boost that multiplier even higher.
In theory it could reach one thousand percent, a tenfold increase. But that was just the theoretical max. Without a strong enough will, no one could push it that far.
"Not bad. But I don't really have anyone to fight right now. Maybe next time I'll grab Tohru and go mess around a bit. Perfect chance to test out the armor."
Kazuma tucked the Stormforge Aetaris back into his treasury, finished his meal, and headed out to buy supplies.
He stocked up on a pile of high-calorie snacks, then went right back to training. His body still had tons of untapped potential.
---
Meanwhile, Hilda was on the verge of a meltdown. She had just received a phone call from the demon realm.
"Y-your Majesty the Demon Lord? This is Hildegarde. Um… may I help you?!"
She had been happily watching TV, completely relaxed, when the demon realm's communication link suddenly connected. And the moment she picked up, she heard a voice she knew all too well.
"Mm, Hilda. I've been bored lately, so I'm heading to the human world to take a look around."
"Oh, and I figured I'd stop by and meet my son's foster father. Hold on, I'm not even on the train yet. Hey, wait for me! Alright, I'm hanging up. Gotta catch the human-world line."
The Demon Lord ended the call just like that.
"H-His Majesty is coming to inspect my efforts! Uhhhhhh... the Demon Lord is coming here! What should I do?!"
Hilda panicked instantly. How were they supposed to welcome the Demon Lord? In this place?
The shrine? Absolutely not. They'd have to tear it down. No way could they greet the Demon Lord in a shabby human shrine.
They needed to make this place look more like the demon realm. Much more.
"Right, and Kazuma. He mustn't do anything disrespectful! And those two annoying dragons! He has to deal with them too!"
Hilda completely lost any interest in TV. The Demon Lord was already on the train. He would arrive soon.
She had to prepare. Immediately.
"Da?"
Baby Beel looked up at her, head tilted in confusion. Who was this Demon Lord person?
"Master… don't tell me you forgot who His Majesty is. He's your father."
Hilda's panic only grew at Beel's blank expression.
"Please don't joke with me. You didn't forget your own father, did you?"
"Da da da!"
Beel thumped his chest confidently. Of course he didn't forget.
Hilda let out a sigh of relief. She had really been afraid that the little master had been away so long he'd forgotten the Demon Lord entirely. Looked like she was just overthinking it.
"Dada!"
Little Beel suddenly sprinted to the door, pushed it open, and pointed proudly at Kazuma, who was still training in the yard.
"Dada!" (How could I forget? My dad is right there!)
He looked extremely proud of himself. He was, after all, the future Demon Lord.
"We're doomed. Our baby master really did forget!"
Hilda imagined the Demon Lord arriving, only for father and son to stare at each other like strangers. She felt her soul leaving her body.
"That's not your father, he's your foster father. Foster. Father. Your real father is the Demon Lord, okay?"
"Da?"
Beel looked even more confused. He was far too young to understand the difference between a father and a foster father.
He hadn't seen the Demon Lord in ages. Of course he'd forgotten. Children were like that. The only "dad" he remembered was Kazuma.
"What's with all the noise? Hilda, what are you doing?"
Tohru and Kanna slid the door open and walked in. They lived next door and had just been trying to take a nap.
Or they would have, if Hilda hadn't been freaking out loud enough to wake the dead.
"It's not noise. It's an emergency! His Majesty the Demon Lord is coming!" Hilda said this with utmost seriousness.
"The Demon Lord is coming…? Eh, so what? Let him come. I'll just cook an extra serving." Tohru looked genuinely unimpressed. Why get all worked up over something so trivial?
"Let's put it differently. Imagine your father arrived and planned to drag you home. What would your reaction be?"
"And Kanna, what if your parent showed up to punish you for your pranks?"
Hilda stared at them.
"My father… is coming?"
Tohru pictured her own father, the Emperor of Demise, Damocles: "Tohru, how dare you mingle with inferior humans? I shall erase this world!"
"Nope. Absolutely not. My father must never come here. If he does, this world is doomed!"
Tohru shook her head violently. Her father was the leader of the Chaos Faction. If he found out she'd made a contract with a human, he'd blow up the planet.
"My dad… no, absolutely not!"
Kanna also shook her head. If her father, Kimun Kamui, showed up, who knew what destruction he'd cause with his battle-hungry nature.
"This really is a serious issue." x2
Both dragons suddenly sobered up. This wasn't something to joke about.
"Exactly! Which is why we need to prepare to welcome His Majesty properly. First step is helping Baby Beel understand who his real father is."
Hilda finally felt slightly relieved seeing everyone take this seriously. Things should go more smoothly now.
They might actually get through the Demon Lord's visit safely.
---
Meanwhile, the Demon Lord had already arrived in the human world.
"Oh? So many humans! Oooh, an arcade. I gotta check this out."
The Demon Lord was unbelievably unreliable. The moment he spotted an arcade, he forgot all about his original goal and marched straight inside.
...
After a few rounds of competitive games…
"Who is this human brat? How dare you keep beating me?! Believe it or not, I'll curse you! Don't underestimate me, you… you…"
"Eh? Y… you're the Great Demon Lord uncle? Why are you in the human world?"
Jashin-chan had been about to curse out the "shameless human" who kept trouncing her, but when she looked up she realized it was a familiar face.
"Jashin-chan, you're here too? What a coincidence. I came to see my son." The Demon Lord spoke like they'd bumped into each other at a convenience store.
"Humans were getting annoying, so I sent my kid to wipe out the human world for me."
"And since the Demon World Poker Tournament just ended, I figured I'd take a vacation and stop by."
He looked genuinely surprised to run into someone from the Demon World here.
"Really? So you're a dad now… thinking back to the old days when we played games together…"
Jashin-chan suddenly froze as a memory surfaced.
"Wait. You bastard, you still owe me two game tokens from back then. Pay up. Pay up!"
Jashin-chan might be terrible at games, but her status was real. She was a top-class demon who literally used (Jashin) "Evil God" as her name. Her parents were big shots in the Demon World and her teacher was Hades's wife, Persephone.
"You're still the same as ever. Don't rummage around, that's all the money I brought with me to the human world. Here, take it…"
The Demon Lord looked pitifully at his now-empty wallet. He'd brought only a little, and she'd robbed him clean.
"This isn't much. You borrowed my game tokens thousands of years ago, you know. I'm collecting interest. Anyway, I know you're broke so I'll just take this. I've got business. Bye."
Before he could react, Jashin-chan bolted with the money. She needed that cash to go win big at pachinko.
"Unbelievable. First thing I run into in the human world is someone who knows me. Great."
The Demon Lord trudged out of the arcade feeling his pockets strangely light. Not an illusion. They were empty.
He wandered around for a while until he turned a corner and ran into a silver-haired man with dead-fish eyes. Gintoki Sakata.
"Sir, care to try your luck? You could win a brand-new phone. Want to give it a shot?"
Gintoki sized him up. The clothes, the vibe… definitely a guy with money. Perfect target.
"Well, I…"
Before he could finish, a girl with ocean blue eyes and an umbrella bounced out.
"Whoa, a lottery? I wanna try!" Kagura shouted, then shot Gintoki a subtle look.
"Alright then, sir, why don't you give it a try?" Gintoki smiled like a shark. The plan was in motion.
"Wow! I won a phone! The winning rate is so high here!" Kagura dramatically overacted with a bizarre accent.
"Really? Let me try…"
Shinpachi Shimura popped out from behind a sign, mortified but determined. Rent wasn't going to pay itself.
"Sir, we only have one try left. Should I give it to this four-eyes guy… or this handsome man here who looks incredibly lucky and absolutely destined to win?" Gintoki looked insistently at the Demon Lord like a neon sign screaming "Buy it. Buy it now."
"Since you insist, I'll try. In the Demon World, I'm a champion at games of chance, you know."
He was hooked. He spun the wheel… and got tissues. Obviously. Gintoki and the crew never actually put valuable prizes in the box.
"Oh dear, so unlucky. Tell you what, I'll give you one more try for half price. Only for you. I'd never offer that to the four-eyes guy over there. He looks like a hopelessly unlucky virgin. But you're different. You radiate good fortune."
Gintoki's grin widened, and Kagura jumped in on cue. "So handsome too. And that green hair is gorgeous."
The Demon Lord puffed up. "Hahaha, naturally. I'm quite exceptional. I'll try again."
That was the end for him.
He kept drawing. And drawing. And drawing.
By the end he had lost everything except his helmet and his underwear, plus a mountain of tissues.
Gintoki and the others patted his shoulder and said, "Sir, you really are unlucky. It's late, we're heading home. We'll continue tomorrow." Then they vanished with their massive haul. Time for a yakiniku feast.
"The human world is terrifying. I want to go back. But… I don't even have enough money for a ticket home."
The Demon Lord squatted in a corner like a homeless man. Around this time, Kazuma passed by after finishing his snacks and heading out to buy more.
"…Wait. That hair. Those horns. You're the Demon Lord, right? Did someone rob you? What's with these tissues? Don't tell me you were… assaulted?"
Kazuma had heard about the Demon Lord's arrival all day thanks to Hilda's panicking, but he hadn't imagined… this. Judging from the sheer number of tissues, the assailant had been busy.
"I'm the Great Demon Lord. And who are you?"
"I'm Kazuma. I'm Beel's foster father. You said you were coming, so we've been waiting. Want something to eat?"
Kazuma pulled a sausage from his shopping bag and handed it over.
"Thank you, human…"
The Demon Lord was so touched he nearly cried. Humans weren't all bad after all. Certainly better than that robber Jashin-chan.
"Alright, stop sniffling. Come on, let's go home. We prepared a feast for you. And here, wear my clothes."
Kazuma tossed him a set of clothes from his Treasury to cover his near-naked state.
"My thanks, human. When you visit the Demon World someday, I'll treat you well."
Dressed in Kazuma's clothes, the Demon Lord followed him home.
.
.
.
A/N: For reference: this world is a fusion setting, so the Great Demon Lord only rules part of the Demon World (Hell). Other regions have their own demon kings.
And one last thing: Gintama has everything except dignity. It's the most hyped comedy among shonen and the funniest among hot-blooded action shows. No one can compare. Long live Gin-sensei.