Do You Want to Spar with Me?

"Clang—"

With a flash of red light, Leo stepped out from the magic circle in the manor's basement, having returned once again.

"Is everything taken care of, Master Leo?"

Miyamoto Musashi, who had been instructing Asuna Yuuki, sensed the activation of the magic circle the moment it occurred and waved at Leo as he emerged.

"More or less." Leo glanced at Asuna Yuuki, who was still maintaining her sword stance with focused intensity, before replying, "At the very least, her family no longer opposes it."

Following a series of devilish whispers, Leo had not only introduced the benefits of becoming his peerage to the women of the Yukinoshita family but also took the opportunity to explain some common knowledge regarding the underworld.

In the eyes of the average person, the underworld is hell—a place where devils live, certainly not a pleasant location. According to legend, it is a terrifying world with an extremely harsh environment, where crimson lotus hellfire burns everywhere. No normal person would ever want to settle there.

However, in reality, the terrifying hell people imagine is actually the underworld lower realm located in the depths of the underworld; the upper layers of the underworld are not nearly as frightening.

While there are no sun or moon, there is still a sky—it is simply purple, lacking the refreshing, expansive feeling of the sky in the human world.

There are no oceans, only vast lakes, yet their surface area is as large as the Earth's. The population is not as dense as in the human world; even if you added up all the races living there, the total number would still fall far short of humanity. Consequently, land is vast and inexpensive, unlike the human world where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.

There are forests there as well, inhabited by monsters such as hydra, undine, azure thunder dragon, and slime. It is quite fantastical. There are also cities—not only is the environment not harsh, but they are even more magnificent than the cities in the human world. At least, that is the case for the cities within devil territories.

As the demon lords often say, it is already the twenty-first century. If humans know how to build good environments and improve their living conditions, and devils live far longer than humans while possessing extraordinary power, is it really that difficult to build a comfortable city to live in?

If one can live comfortably, why force oneself to reside in a harsh environment?

Therefore, the underworld is not as terrifying as ordinary people imagine; it is actually an extremely suitable place to live. Many devils dream of living in seclusion in some corner of it, spending their days in leisure—it might even be more comfortable than heaven.

When introducing these facts, Leo also took the opportunity to describe his home in the underworld, the eligos territory, letting the women of the Yukinoshita family understand just how vast an estate he possessed.

Because the land in the underworld is so expansive, even though the eligos clan had been extinguished, their territory was never seized by others; at most, it had simply fallen into disuse. Thus, when Leo inherited everything from the eligos clan, the territory was returned to him exactly as it was, not a single inch missing.

And the area of the eligos territory was larger than an entire state in this country.

Thinking back to the look of shock on the faces of Haruno Yukinoshita and Mrs. Yukinoshita when he mentioned this—and that he would bestow a portion of the territory to Yukino Yukinoshita as her family estate—Leo found it amusing.

To put it bluntly, once they realized that Yukino Yukinoshita becoming a devil wouldn't turn her into a monster hunted by all, nor would she be treated as an inhuman slave, but rather that she would gain an extended lifespan, eternal youth, and even a territory waiting for her to inherit and develop, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita were tempted for a moment. They looked as if they were ready to abandon their human status and join his ranks; compared to their previous attitude, they were completely different people.

In the end, the matter was settled without any suspense. The Yukinoshita family accepted that Yukino Yukinoshita had become a devil, and by extension, accepted her role as Leo's peerage servant.

Mainly, the matter was already a foregone conclusion; even if they wanted to object, they wouldn't know how to go about it.

Could they really use the power of the Yukinoshita family to contest anything?

If they hadn't witnessed the fierce battle between Yukino Yukinoshita and Sharon, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita might have harbored such thoughts. But having seen that battle, they clearly understood that in front of Leo, they had absolutely no capacity to resist.

Especially after Leo introduced the work devils do in the human world and clarified how many big shots in Chiba were secretly his connections, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita realized that even without using means beyond human comprehension, Leo could deal with the Yukinoshita family with ease.

After all, the Yukinoshita family is not the only wealthy clan in Chiba Prefecture, nor are they the sole power dominating the region. There are other prestigious families here even more powerful than theirs, and some of those families are even working for Leo.

Given this, what else could they possibly do?

They had no choice but to accept it.

Thus, Leo returned in triumph, leaving only Yukino Yukinoshita behind.

The mother and her two daughters still had some private matters to discuss. Leo naturally wouldn't stand in their way, so he simply returned on his own.

"The private tutor has already been brought online. Now, only the Yuki family remains. Once I deal with them, everything should be fine, right?"

During his stay at the Yukinoshita residence, Leo had received definitive news from his connections that the Yuki couple was already on their way to Chiba. He estimated they would be able to meet with him by the evening.

His connections were responsible for preparing the meeting place, ensuring it would be high-end, elegant, and classy.

Therefore...

"I'll be attending the banquet tonight. Asuna, don't practice too late."

Leo gave Asuna Yuki a word of advice.

"...I understand."

Asuna Yuki's grip on her sword tightened slightly. She replied to Leo in a low voice, appearing as though her heart was still not entirely at peace.

Leo, however, wore an indifferent expression, as if he weren't about to meet his future in-laws, but rather his subordinates.

This was the benefit of not dating and only taking in servants.

If you were dating, the other party would be your future father-in-law and mother-in-law; you would have to lower your posture and give them plenty of face.

But when taking in servants, the other party is just the parents of your servant. By a rough calculation, they would have to treat you like a big boss and act subserviently toward you.

"So, does that mean Young Master Leo is free until tonight?" Miyamoto Musashi suddenly spoke up. "In that case, Young Master, would you like to spar with me?"

The remark left both Leo and Asuna Yuki stunned.

"Are you challenging me to a duel?"

Leo pointed at himself in surprise.

"That's right." Miyamoto Musashi admitted it quite readily. "I've heard all about it. You awakened a mutation trait, right? The more peerage you take in, the stronger you become."

"It's been a long time since I've had a duel with anyone. My skills are truly itching for a fight."

In the era she lived in before her death, a challenge from Miyamoto Musashi would not have been an uncommon occurrence.

She considered herself a ronin, and her greatest hobby was challenging the strong.

It wasn't that she was bloodthirsty; it was simply that gaining enlightenment through combat was a path every swordsman had to tread.

For a qualified swordsman, failing to challenge a strong opponent upon encountering one would be an inconceivable thing.

However...

"What makes you think I'm a strong opponent?"

Leo asked with keen interest.

Based on what he had displayed so far, outsiders would only think that even if he had grown stronger, he was merely a six-wing high-class devil.

If his opponent were an ordinary person, Leo would undoubtedly be a powerhouse.

But with Miyamoto Musashi as his opponent, who would ever consider Leo a powerhouse?

Although Miyamoto Musashi only had four wings, she was the greatest sword saint in history and a member of the peerage of the current Demon King, Leviathan. Her true combat strength was at the very least that of an ultimate-class devil. She might not even be a newly promoted eight-winged ultimate-class devil, but perhaps a ten-winged one!

In other words, in terms of true combat strength, Leo, who was only a high-class devil, was at least one rank, perhaps even two ranks, below her.

A gap of one rank was already considered massive, and a gap of two ranks was a chasm—it wouldn't be a match, but a one-sided trampling.

Unless... Leo revealed his true capabilities.

And did Miyamoto Musashi know what Leo's true capabilities were?

The answer was naturally no.

But...

"Don't underestimate a swordsman's intuition, Master Leo."

The look in Miyamoto Musashi's eyes became incredibly bright, as if she had activated the legendary mind's eye or heavenly eye, and a smile full of fighting spirit appeared on her face.

"My blood, bones, flesh, and even my marrow as a swordsman are all trembling, telling me that there is an opponent worth fighting before me. How could this person not be a powerhouse?"

Hearing this, Leo raised an eyebrow and immediately smiled as well.

His own fighting spirit was ignited, and his devil blood felt as if it were boiling, telling him that he was craving a slaughter, craving chaos.

"Since a member of the Demon King's peerage has said as much, it wouldn't be very tactful of me to refuse."

The eyes Leo fixed on Miyamoto Musashi were burning with fire.

"Then come."

This extremely direct response made Miyamoto Musashi's smile grow even more sincere.

The atmosphere in the basement had become as tense as a brewing storm.

Asuna Yuuki, who had been practicing her sword stance in the center of the room, had already retreated. She had pulled back to the edge of the basement's barrier, watching the two people in the arena with a face full of anxiety.

Leo had habitually spread his wings, taking to the air to occupy an advantageous position.

Miyamoto Musashi, on the other hand, remained standing where she was. She showed no intention of taking to the sky, instead looking up at Leo with a smile on her face, appearing completely fearless.

"You start first, Young Master Leo."

Miyamoto Musashi drew one of the two swords sheathed at her waist, rested it on her shoulder, and spoke in a bold, carefree manner.

"Then I won't hold back."

Seeing that Miyamoto Musashi stood with a casual posture while an astonishing aura was already gathering around her, Leo didn't stand on ceremony either.

"Boom!"

An astonishing surge of demonic power transformed into a raging aura, rising up within the basement.

The fierce battle broke out in an instant.