The Daily Life of the Demon King

Chapter 168 - 168: The Prelude to the Battle

(The words of one of the readers made me wonder why Völundr works the way it does, and why the Valkyries take the form they use. So the author spent some time re

For a moment, Alex froze, processing what he had heard. Too much pomp, he thought. Even he, the Demon King, found such declarations excessive. For a second, he wondered if he should start acting like that too, but quickly dismissed the thought.

«Alright, I get it,» Alex said flatly, getting up from the railing. «But stop causing trouble. Let's go, it's time to return.»

Qin Shi Huangdi held his gaze on Alex for a moment, then calmly set his cup aside, ready to follow him.

Alex's words made Hermes and Ares exchange bewildered glances. Both were clearly thinking the same thing: «Are you serious? Did you just say that?»

In the past few hours, Alex had already caused a lot of trouble, angering dozens of gods, including not just lower-tier ones but also those like Zeus and Odin. However, the gods' stares didn't concern Alex—his focus was entirely on the Emperor of China.

«I refuse. I've already grown fond of this place,» Qin Shi Huangdi declared loudly, rejecting Alex's suggestion.

«And besides, it certainly won't be boring here,» he added with a self-satisfied smile

Alex's face darkened, with black lines seemingly appearing through his skin, expressing an extreme level of irritation. Leaping down from the railing, he walked over to the emperor, pondering how to get him to leave the box. His intense gaze began to cause discomfort even to Hermes, and Ares tensed up in response. Ares, though silent, couldn't deny that he was somewhat afraid of Alex—after all, Alex had effortlessly defeated Poseidon as if it were child's play.

But then, Alex's face lit up. He remembered a perfect item from his inventory for such situations—a foam mallet. It looked like an entirely harmless toy, but its true purpose was to knock out the target without any violence.

«Tell me, Qin, do you like tricks?» Alex asked innocently, looking at the emperor.

Qin Shi Huangdi paused for a moment, stroking his chin, then his face lit up with a childlike grin. This unexpected question caught even Hermes and Ares off guard, who were eavesdropping. Now, they were both curious about the trick Alex had planned to rid them of the emperor before Zeus arrived.

«Of course! This emperor has always loved street magicians!» Qin Shi Huangdi declared joyfully.

Alex grinned widely, his sunny smile briefly blinding everyone around him. However, those who knew Alex immediately realized that such a smile boded no good for his target. The Emperor of China had just become that target.

Before anyone could react, Alex swiftly grabbed the foam mallet and skillfully struck the emperor on the top of his head. Qin Shi Huangdi didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening before his consciousness dimmed, and he collapsed onto the couch, snoring loudly. The scene was so absurd that even Hermes had trouble believing his eyes. A foam toy had knocked out the first Emperor of China.

Ignoring the stunned gods, Alex lifted the unconscious Qin Shi Huangdi over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and made his way to the railing.

«Sorry for the inconvenience,» he said with a slight smirk.

Hermes was the first to recover, watching Alex, who was already standing on the railing, preparing to jump. It happened so quickly that even Hermes, the god of speed, couldn't grasp what had just occurred. Now Alex was looking at them with that same mysterious smile, even managing to apologize. This sharp contrast in his behavior left both gods bewildered.

«It's fine,» Hermes finally managed, forcing a professional smile. «I actually kind of liked him.»

«Well, then,» Alex said, waving his hand. «Enjoy the battle!»

With that, he jumped down, disappearing from their sight and leaving the gods to ponder what had just happened.

Alex landed softly on the steps between the tiers where the gods were seated, carrying the Emperor of China over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Whistling a simple tune, he began to descend, ignoring the hundreds of surprised and disapproving stares. However, one gaze stood out from the rest—Aphrodite's. She was staring at him intently, clearly displeased, but Alex paid her no attention. He could feel her gaze, but women like her never caught his interest. Alex couldn't stand arrogant people, especially women who thought they were above everyone else.

Descending the stairs, he continued walking along the stands, humming a tune as if nothing extraordinary had happened. The gods watching the spectacle were filled with questions, the main one being, «What the hell is he carrying, and why is he so cheerful?»

But Alex was pleased. After all, where else would he get the chance to knock out the First Emperor of China with a foam hammer?

Reaching the section where the representatives of humanity were seated, Alex began searching for the woman who had been the adoptive mother of Ying Zheng. Upon finding her, he smiled and made his way up the stairs. When he finally reached the right row, their gazes met. A light, friendly smile appeared on Alex's face.

«Miss Chun Yang, please accept this gift,» Alex said, shaking the Emperor of China's body on his shoulder as if offering it to her.

Chun Yang was completely bewildered. She, like everyone sitting nearby, couldn't understand what was happening. In this row were former emperors of China's provinces, yet none of them had recognized the «sack» on Alex's shoulder as the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

«What do you mean?» Chun Yang asked cautiously, trying not to reveal her anxiety.

Alex shook his head, realizing that she hadn't understood. He was even more surprised that none of the present emperors had recognized who was lying on his shoulder. Sighing, he slapped his forehead and decided to explain.

«Look, Miss Chun Yang, this is your adoptive son, Ying Zheng. He's been causing some trouble,» Alex said calmly, slightly tossing the body on his shoulder for emphasis. «And since you're his adoptive mother, I think it's your job to keep an eye on him.»

Chun Yang's eyes widened in shock when she heard Ying Zheng's name. She couldn't believe that the person Alex was carrying like a sack was her adoptive son. But what shocked her even more was that Alex had brought him here just because he was «causing trouble.» When the others heard Ying Zheng's name, a commotion began. Now everyone understood that the person on Alex's shoulder was none other than the First Emperor of China.

«In short, Miss Chun Yang, take care of him. I definitely don't have the time to keep track of everyone,» Alex finished, carefully handing the unconscious Qin Shi Huang to his adoptive mother.

Chun Yang, stunned, involuntarily accepted the «gift,» and chaos broke out around her. All the former emperors of China started murmuring among themselves, clearly shaken by the situation. But Alex ignored their commotion and headed down the stairs to the balcony, where Brunhilde was waiting for him.

He glanced her way and noticed her confused and almost empty gaze. She clearly hadn't expected such a turn of events.

Alex, as if nothing had happened, gave her a thumbs-up, as if saying, «Mission accomplished!»

After all, who better than an adoptive mother to tame the First Emperor of China? Alex smiled to himself, pleased with his perfect solution: not to worry about it himself, but to dump the responsibility on someone else.

With a satisfied smile, Alex slowly descended the stairs, pleased to be rid of the responsibility of watching over the Emperor of China, having entrusted the task to reliable hands. His thoughts involuntarily returned to a possible scenario if Ying Zheng had remained with him. Alex imagined how G.I.R., his loyal but overly principled robo-dog, would have declared a hunt for the First Emperor. After all, G.I.R. was convinced that there could only be one legitimate emperor—the Emperor of Humanity—and all other «pretenders» were subject to «purification.»

Alex even shuddered at the thought of G.I.R. chasing Ying Zheng around the Colosseum, shouting about heresy and demanding to «cleanse the soul.» It would definitely have been a disaster. Making a mental note to keep the robo-dog away from any monarchs, Alex dismissed these thoughts and focused on the present.

Reaching the balcony, he effortlessly jumped onto it, where Brunhilde and the returned Göll were already waiting. Along with her, Göll had brought G.I.R., who was enthusiastically setting up a camera tripod, intending to capture the upcoming battle between the god Hades and the god of Shinobi. Alex glanced at Brunhilde, whose unreadable expression clearly hinted at disapproval.

«Is something wrong?» Alex asked, slightly tilting his head, wondering what could have upset her.

«In what way 'is something wrong'? Why was Qin Shi Huang unconscious, and why were you carrying him like a sack of potatoes?» Brunhilde replied coldly.

Göll, standing next to G.I.R., cast a sideways glance at Alex, silently praying for his well-being. Alex, as usual, remained calm, ignoring the Valkyrie's frosty tone.

«Well, he just didn't want to leave, so I had to knock him out,» Alex answered innocently, as if it were the most mundane thing.

«And why did you leave him in the hands of some woman?» Brunhilde continued her interrogation, her voice still cold but now with clear notes of irritation.

«That 'some woman' is his adoptive mother, Miss Chun Yang. Isn't it the mother's job to keep an eye on her child, to make sure he doesn't get into trouble?» Alex explained, slightly tilting his head.

Brunhilde paused for a moment. Her irritation gave way to realization. It turned out that Alex had planned everything in advance. She understood that from the very beginning, he had intended to shift the responsibility for the First Emperor of China onto his adoptive mother.

«You did this on purpose, didn't you? You planned it from the start?» Brunhilde looked at him intently.

«Well, yeah. Why would I want to keep an eye on this troublesome emperor who could cause problems at any moment?» Alex admitted calmly, not even trying to justify himself.

«You're just unbearable,» Brunhilde sighed, placing her hand on her forehead.

Alex simply smiled and, stepping closer, wrapped his arm around her waist. Brunhilde, though somewhat calmed by his gesture, was still irritated. She wanted to lecture him again about his irresponsibility, but she was interrupted by sudden changes in the arena.

The walls began to move, transforming, signaling the start of the next Ragnarok battle. From the god's side of the stands, where Hades was supposed to appear, stone gates took on the shape of an entrance to the Underworld, emitting a dark and oppressive aura. On the other side, where humanity stood, a giant tree grew in place of the gates, with the symbol of the Senju clan engraved in its center.

Alex sighed in relief, realizing he had avoided yet another lecture from Brunhilde. His thoughts then shifted to the upcoming battle. What strategy would Hashirama choose? Would he only use the elemental techniques of Wood, or would he deploy his full arsenal of jutsu?

Mentally smiling, Alex focused on making sure he didn't miss the start of the fight.

To be continued...