The Fourth Beast

1

The Youkai King

I

Ajuka Beelzebub wanted to be somewhere else. He had better things to do than to sit on this exaggerated show of authority and power. Unfortunately, he had no other choice. This was one of those occasions where he needed to attend as a Satan. But at least he was not the one who was taking the brunt of this farce of a show. As his eyes subtly landed on his longtime best friend, Sirzechs Lucifer, he could not help but feel sorry for him.

At least for Ajuka, all he had to do was sit, nod, and answer a few questions here and there. In a sense, he had to act like a mascot... a prized and glorified mascot to be shown and presented to the mass. He was fine going along with it. But unlike him, Sirzechs had to take the full consequences of being a Satan, whether he liked it or not.

"Satan, is it?" Ajuka snorted, seeing the slight twitch on Sirzechs' index and middle finger of his right hand. Not many know of it, but it was his bad habit when he wanted to blow someone's head off, literally speaking. It did not come as a surprise to Ajuka to see whom Sirzechs was talking to. Closing his eyes, he turned away from the discussion. He did not need to listen until the end of the conversation since he already knew the outcome. Even though the term Satan means they should have full authority over the Underworld, the truth was very far from it. The four Satans did have some hold over the Underworld, but their roles were similar to that of celebrities. It was the Bael clan, along with a few other individuals who truly controlled Underworld through politics and connection.

If he were to put it in human terms, the four Satans were the powerful and honorable generals, while those old devils were the crafty and resourceful senators.

Ajuka turned to his side to see his friend sitting back down, and his wife stood on the other side of the chair. Although he looked like his usual self, Ajuka did not miss the exhaustion and regret in his eyes.

"Did they agree?" Ajuka knew the answer, but he still had to ask.

Just for a split second, Sirzechs' mask cracked. But he quickly composed himself. After all, his best friend had been handling situations such as these for around two hundred years. Putting back the fake smile, he looked down toward the middle of the stadium, "They did."

Ajuka did not say anything. He did not need to because he knew that there was a 'But' coming. And just like he thought, Sirzechs added the last part a moment later, "They want to put on a show first. They want me to intervene at the very last minute."

Usually, Ajuka did not care much about others if they were strangers to him. But as he looked down, he unknowingly let out a heavy sigh.

In the middle of this vast stadium, the devils created a small stage... just for her. The little Nekoshou girl was no more than eleven years old. Four powerful devil guards surrounded her, each holding a chain connected to her body. They were presenting her as if she was a notorious criminal. The girl was not crying anymore, but Ajuka could tell she was terrified... terrified to the point that she could not express her emotions. It would not be long before she would throw away all those emotions to stay sane.

That was not the worst part.

All the devils inside the stadium were booing or shouting at the little Nekoshou. Some were even making very crude and vulgar remarks. But Ajuka knew many of these devils had taken part in that heinous act the day before. Some should be the ones down there instead of that little girl. But unfortunately, most of these devils were heirs and heiresses, while quite a few lords participated as well.

In other words, their hands were tied for the time being. Fortunately, Falbium Asmodeus was personally leading the investigation. He just hoped Falbium would find anything concrete to bring all the guilty ones out in the open. As for punishment, of that, he did not have high hope.