"What a shame," Seraphine said, though her smile suggested she wasn't giving up. "Well, if you ever want a break from all that hard work, you know where to find me. I'm very good at helping people relax."

She winked, then glided away, her blade like wings catching the light.

"She's going to be a problem, isn't she?" Satou muttered.

"Oh, definitely," Loki agreed cheerfully. "Seraphine collects interesting people like others collect stamps. And you, my friend, have definitely caught her interest. Just be careful. Her idea of courtship tends to involve manipulation, corruption, and turning her lovers into devoted servants who would die for her. Very romantic in a deeply unhealthy way."

"Wonderful," Satou said. "Any other demon lords I should be specifically worried about?"

"Chronus will try to undermine you at every opportunity," Loki said. "Malakor will be watching to see if you live up to your promises. Grimfang might challenge you to a fight at some point just to test your strength, it's how he shows respect. The others will mostly ignore you unless you do something that affects their interests."

"And what about you?" Satou asked. "What's your interest in all this?"

Loki's smile softened into something that might have been genuine. "I told you before. I'm building alliances. Creating a network of relationships that will be useful in the future. But more than that, I actually do believe in what you're trying to do. I've lived for a very long time, Satou. I've seen the same patterns repeat over and over. It gets boring. The idea of someone actually changing things, building something new and different? That's interesting. That's worth supporting."

He placed a hand on Satou's shoulder. "So yes, I'm using you. But I'm also genuinely hoping you succeed. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive."

"I appreciate the honesty," Satou said.

"Always," Loki replied with a grin. "Now, let's get you back to your settlement. You have a lot of work to do, and only one year to prove yourself to some of the most powerful and skeptical beings in existence. No pressure."

—----

The meeting seemed to be concluding. Demon lords were rising from their seats, some engaged in quiet conversations, others already preparing to leave.

Then Chronus stood, his voice cutting through the ambient conversation.

"Lord Malakor, if I may."

The temperature dropped again as Malakor turned his hollow gaze toward the Tenth Seat. The Lord of Undeath had been about to leave, but now he settled back into his chair with deliberate slowness.

"Yes, Chronus?" Malakor's voice carried a note of warning. "I thought we'd settled this matter."

"The council has accepted his provisional candidacy," Chronus said, his constantly shifting appearance stabilizing into something cold and sharp. "But that doesn't mean I have to accept it personally. I invoke my right to challenge the candidate's worthiness through combat."

The hall went silent.

Every demon lord who'd been preparing to leave stopped. This was unexpected.

"You want to challenge Satou to combat?" Azshara asked, her voice carrying amusement. "How... petty, even for you, Chronus."

"It's within his rights," Malakor said neutrally. "Any seated lord may challenge a candidate to prove their worthiness through battle. It's an old tradition, but still valid."

"Of course it's valid," Chronus said, a smile crossing his face that held no warmth. "If this goblin is truly worthy of sitting among us, he should be able to prove it through strength, not just pretty words about building civilization."

"This is ridiculous," Loki said, his pleasant demeanor cracking again. "You're not questioning his worthiness. You're trying to kill him because you can't stand that I vouched for him. This is just another way to strike at me through someone else."

"Think what you like," Chronus replied, his smile widening. "But the fact remains, I have the right to challenge. Unless you'd like to argue that Satou is too weak to face a demon lord in combat? That would rather undermine your entire argument about him deserving a seat, wouldn't it?"

Loki's hands clenched at his sides. The bloodlust from earlier was threatening to return. Satou could see the calculation in Loki's eyes, weighing whether intervening would help or hurt the situation.

"You're transparent, Chronus," Volcanus rumbled. "Everyone at this table knows you're doing this because you hate Loki, not because you genuinely question the goblin's worthiness."

"Does my motivation matter?" Chronus asked. "The challenge is legitimate. Satou must prove himself capable of standing against demon lord level threats. If he can't even survive a challenge from one of us, how can he possibly maintain a territory and defend it from heroes?"

"He killed a hero already," Grimfang pointed out. "That's more than enough."

"Against an arrogant shadow user who underestimated him," Chronus dismissed. "I won't make the same mistake. And frankly, if he dies to my challenge, then he was too weak to survive in our world anyway. Better to discover that now than waste everyone's time watching his little settlement crumble over the next year."

Nyxara the Shadow Weaver's form solidified slightly as she spoke. "You want to kill him. Let's not pretend this is about testing worthiness. You want him dead to hurt Loki, and you're using tradition as an excuse."

"My motivations are my own," Chronus said coldly. "Will you challenge my right to invoke combat trial? Because if not, then your opinions on my reasoning are irrelevant."

Malakor's skeletal fingers drummed once on the table again, that small sound commanding everyone's attention.

"Chronus is within his rights," Malakor said finally. "However, there are protocols. The challenged party may choose the time and location of the combat, within reason. They may also request a delay of up to three months to prepare."

"I don't need three months to crush a goblin," Chronus said dismissively.

"The delay isn't for your benefit," Malakor replied, his voice carrying a note of disapproval. "It's to ensure fairness. Satou has just been accepted today. He hasn't even had time to establish his territory properly or access the resources available to seated lords. Challenging him immediately puts him at a severe disadvantage."

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