"What.... was that?"

The carriage had stopped, and Niko found himself looking around in confusion.

It was not that the carriage had merely 'stopped'.

The carriage had been forced to the ground to the point where it's wheels could no longer press forward.

And for a moment, Niko felt it.

Death.

It lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt like an eternity to all those who experienced the sensation.

Looking around, it was obvious that Niko was not the only one.

Everyone around him was in a daze as if they had seen something horrific.

"What..... happened?"

"Why..... agh.... my ears are ringing....."

In that instant of torment, all sense had been lost.

All hearing had been stripped from Niko, and the very concept of perception was removed from his capabilities.

The only thing he felt was fear.

Pure, raw, fear.

Yet as if it were nothing more than a temporary nightmare, he sat here without any such feeling.

However, the reaction and state of those around him would suggest indeed that this was not merely some sort of dream, nor was it a hallucination.

Something had happened.

Standing up, Niko quickly fell to the ground.

Not even realizing it, he was too weak to even hold himself up.

"Wha-"

"Don't stand, boy. Rest for a minute."

"Boss?"

Turning to his side, Niko saw Richtor, who was sitting in a corner.

Closing his eyes, the man who resembled a tree merely let out a sigh.

"It looks like even after gaining power, we're still weak. Even with the assistance of Huberos..... a Host of Sin.... we are still this weak.... compared to whatever monsters he's trying to face."

Hanging his head low, Richtor begun to pick himself up.

"Well, I had a good run. But it looks like there's no getting out of this one. Same goes for you, boy. So what do you say we give it our all and go out in style?"

"Go out in style?"

Niko watched as the man stood up, stepping forward and exiting the carriage.

"What do you mean by that, boss? Nobody has to-"

"We've bit off more than we can chew. It's time to face that reality."

The man with the withered hand walked off with a grin, prepared to die.

"Are you coming? Or are you going to sit in there and wait for death to come to you?"

----

"It would appear that they are coming to their senses and lining their armies accordingly. They are.... quite efficient, if I do say so myself."

Trevor watched from afar as six units of 100 were formed quickly from the dazed groups.

All the while, the lizardmen which carried the unit continued forward, approaching said armies who remained in place, preparing for an attack.

"However, if efficiency were the only requirement to success, then I would have been the ruler of the last world long before I was in a situation where a mistake would be possible."

Grabbing the bow from his back, the elven figure lined seven arrows, all of which were then covered in a white energy before being shot directly into the sky.

They formed seven white lines that radiated in different directions before they all rapidly changed course, colliding in on each other and exploding into the air.

"Unfortunately, we live in a universe where outward appearance dictates everything. The media will report on even the slightest mishap when one reaches a certain level of notoriety."

With a smirk, Trevor chuckled as the white beams dissipated from the sky, allowing darkness to take over once more.

"They certainly do like to pride themselves on their findings. If they find the slightest mishap within the life of a middle class man, they publicize it and portray themselves as sacrificial victims who give their lives facing evil entities head on to uncover the truth."

Snapping his finger, the entire vehicle disappeared from existence as if it had been transformed into energy.

It reappeared before the armies, and facing this vehicle carried by lizardmen were four people who stood ahead of all.

The first, an indigo demon with hair which swirled about his head like a hurricane.

He wore a suit and tie, and his glasses made the figure resemble Trevor just a bit too much.

"Bullshit. The only truth that has been uncovered here has been your pettiness, and lack of ability to uncover anything truly worth covering. They spend their time ruining people yet not a moment is spent doing anything productive for the victims which they claim to be fighting for."

Jumping down from the platform, Trevor landed as his coattails fluttered.

Behind him, Garett and Samantha followed, yet the spiritual figure remained seated, lazily watching with bored eyes as the three stepped forth without her. Even so, the three could not step forth too far, for they were bound by the 3 meter range.

"I suppose that is another benefit which you have gained from this move which you have performed. Yet are you aware of this benefit yourselves? Ah, where are my manners?"

Standing beside the Indigo demon was another demon who had the wings of a dragon and skin covered in scales, though he still had horns, fangs, and claws similar to the demon beside him. Furthermore, in the arms of this blue scaled male was a magenta scaled female with lime green hair.

She barely lifted her head up, and her eyes were focused on Ashley as she looked up with a lazy grin.

And finally, standing to the other side of the indigo demon was a girl with green cellulose skin whose hair was made from leaves, her dress made from white petals.

She looked forward with serious expression, and behind her stood an army of plant people just like her.

Stepping forward, Trevor held out his hand for a handshake with an arrogant grin.

"Good..... morning, I suppose it is. The lack of sunlight certainly throws my internal clock for a loop. Does it trouble you as well, or are you accustomed to living without the light of day?"

The indigo demon stood forward with a grin just as arrogant, his own eye twitching as he held out his hand as well.

Firmly taking the hand of the elf, both squeezed their opponent tightly in an attempt to assert dominance.

"Our internal clocks are quite refined due to living in such conditions. Whether it is day or night, we can usually feel it without a need for the light of a star to tell us.", the demon stated.

"Is that so? That certainly must be quite useful."

The two let go of each other's hands, keeping eye contact with one another for the entire duration.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"So? Were you not about to introduce yourself?"

"Ah, how terribly unprofessional of me. Please forgive me and allow me to start again."

"Go on."

With a bow, Trevor pushed up his glasses as he spoke.

"I am known as Theo by all in this world, though I suppose I should use my official title here?"

As he raised himself from his bow, the grin which Trevor carried bore witness to his own confidence.

"I am known as the Overlord of Exploitation. The four here including myself make up the antiheroes. However as far as you are concerned..... you will soon be referring to me as your excellency."

----

Huberos felt a sensation which was ever so familiar, yet ever so different from anything which he had experienced.

In seeing this elven figure before him, he was irritated beyond belief.

Everything within Huberos told himself that this figure was someone he needed to beat.

This was the man he needed to overcome to become number 1 in every sense of the word.

He felt this man looking down on him as if he were nothing more than a skittering bug, running about trying to gather it's bearings only to be squashed underfoot.

And yet, the way in which this man looked down upon Huberos felt vastly different from what Huberos had experienced beforehand with Opus and Cespor.

"Quite a fancy title. Did you come up with it yourself?"

"It was assigned to me by the system which controls this universe. Do you understand that term, or should I explain it in a simpler manner?"

Thinning his eyes, Huberos was more and more irritated with each statement of the man before him.

They were all statements of extreme arrogance, yet they were nothing that he could directly use his [Humble] skill upon.

'It is as if he is purposely avoiding a direct brag about himself.'

The arrogance with which this man held was not arrogance due to a title or a position which had been granted to him through position and status.

It was pure, raw arrogance.

"If you are referring to the system as in the collective set of origins that define the rules of the universe, then I am well aware of such a thing. After all, I am Huberos Garefol..... Host of Pride."

It was arrogance which did not stem from high birth.

Unlike those nobles which mocked Huberos before, as a result of his incapability due to his natural condition and status, this man held no such arrogance.

The arrogance which he held was created through an utmost confidence in his own ability as a result of his experiences.

It was not that this man was arrogant due to the way he was born, or due to some abstract position of nobility or high status.

Nor was it due to the fact that he was granted a high level of intelligence or athletic ability at birth.

Rather, it was confidence in himself and his ability to overcome any opponent.

Confidence in his own ability to find a solution to any predicament, taking on any scenario with caution and planning.

It was an overconfidence which reminded Huberos of himself- or who he wanted to be.

"Host of Pride..... as expected. You certainly do carry yourself with pride, that much is obvious. I will now allow my comrades to take the stage, as they have yet to introduce themselves... yet it would seem that one of my comrades has been reduced to an unusable state."

Notioning up to the spiritual figure, the elf continued speaking.

"Therefore, I will introduce her myself. The woman who is currently lazing about in her seat up there is known as Ally. She has been granted the title of Archduchess of Calamity. And I am sure you all have already experienced a sliver of the calamity which she can produce? Or rather.... the calamity which she is."

With a chuckle, the elven figure mocked Huberos blatantly, causing a grimace on the expression not only of Huberos, but on all who were within hearing distance.

They had all experienced the temporary terror which had been produced by the spiritual creature, and as such were in no mood to see the elven figure laughing about such a matter.

'So that was the one.....'

'She is the reason why we had to go through all that....'

'She is dangerous. She.... needs to die.'

"Think that again and she won't be the one dying. Ah? But isn't that already the case? Hahaha...."

Stepping forth was a succubus with a gorgeous yet wicked smile- one which would reel a man in for her to sink her teeth into him, never allowing him to escape the grasp of her jaws again.

The people nearby became filled with surprise as the succubus made such a statement.

'Oi....'

'Did she just read our minds....'

"I don't know. Did I? Or maybe your expressions give away everything you think. You figure it out, geniuses. After all, I'm just a dumb college girl who got good grades, but not by studying."

Bopping her head and sticking her tongue out, the succubus winked as she spoke in a manner that none save those near her understood.

The succubus then did something which surpassed all expectation.

Taking the finger which held up her hair in a bun, she allowed her hair to fall to the ground as she flipped it around to straighten it out.

Placing the finger in her own mouth, she held back her hair and begun to string it together into a single ponytail, after which she returned the finger to a place where it once more held the hair in tact.

"Ah, I guess I really am a demon now. After all, if I were still my old self then I guess I would have been disgusted when I tasted this thing?"

With a mature laugh, the demon stepped forward.

She wore a gorgeous gown and her sharp eyes glared into the people around her as she smiled, revealing a small pair of fangs.

"Allow me to ask one single question before I introduce myself. Which one do your prefer? The first hairstyle, put up, or my current one with it hanging down?"

Huberos thinned his eyes at the question.

The woman grinned as she asked it, as if she was staring into his very soul, reading every thought which permeated his mind.

'This.... must be some sort of trick. I don't trust anything which she says. This woman..... she holds a similar arrogance to the male she stays beside.'

"It was a simple question. It's not a trick. I'm just trying to figure out what type of person you are. So? Which one do you prefer? 1 or 2?"

'She just perceived that I was suspicious of her. All four of these people... their arrogance is beyond anything which I have ever seen. Yet..... how irritating it is..... for their arrogance appears to be justified.'

With a grin, Huberos let out a chuckle himself as he boldly answered the question.

"I do not care for either hairstyle. A woman like you is not my type."

Closing his eyes, Huberos folded his hands behind his back, allowing the blood which formed on his lower lip to drip freely without wiping it.

'So these are the antiheroes.'

"How harsh. But I suppose there aren't many who can appreciate a woman like me. That is why I've given up on everyone else."

The woman turned around, jumping up to take her seat in one of the chairs.

Crossing one leg over the other, she now looked over all beside the spirit as she rested her head on her clawed hand.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am the Empress of Captivation. And if you want to know a little bit about me? Well, let's see..... let's go with a hobby of mine."

Placing her finger to her chin in thought, the succubus licked one fang as she grinned.

"I suppose crushing hearts?"

----

"I suppose I'm last, as usual. Ah, I don't have a title..... yet. So nothing fancy for me. Name's Gary. Occupation- craftsman. I'm not really a warrior or anything so I consider myself to be more of a practical addition to the group."

Shrugging his shoulders, Garett hopped up just as Samantha had, falling back into his seat.

Plucking the eyelid of the spiritual girl, this demon looked into her blank expression more intrigued than worried.

"So the Host of Sloth used her ability then? An ability which can only target a single entity yet completely robs them of the will to do anything, effectively removing them from battle. You were right to use it on her, but to use it before even allowing her to introduce herself..... that's kinda underhanded, don't you think?"

"Underhanded? Do you speak to me of underhanded tactics when she was the very one who unleashed an attack on us in the first place?"

"Did you think that was an attack?"

Garett glanced over to Huberos with a serious expression.

"Huberos Garefol. Answer me. Did you think that was an attack?"

The two eyes locked as Huberos diverted his attention from Trevor, meeting with Garett.

Kicking back with his arms behind his head, Garett merely laughed.

"That was a greeting. If my girl had attacked you, not a single one of you would be here speaking with us right now."

----

[Humble]

'He finally said something which I can use..... excellent. Speaking with them has caused them to fall right into my trap.'

[Error. Truth of statement coincides with egotistical perception of target. Inversion cannot be performed.]

'What? Inversion.... cannot be performed!? What does that mean?'

"Did you just try and do something? We've done more research on your abilities than you might think. A little birdie told us the exact workings of all the abilities. Yours works on two conditions, no?"

The first condition- the target must make a statement.

The second condition- the target must hold arrogance in their statement within their mind. It is their perception of the statement which is enacted upon in order to humble the person, however if their ego does not exceed reality, then this is not considered to be arrogance.

It is considered to be realism.

"Did you properly research your own abilities? You've been using it for hundreds of years, haven't you? And yet..... you weren't even able to understand that much?"

[Humble]

[The Understanding of Player Garett towards ability Humble has been reduced]

"What are you speaking of? Silence."

"I won't be silent."

[Humble]

[Player Garett has been silenced]

It was then that Garett ceased to speak.

Looking over at Garett with an arrogant grin, Trevor merely laughed.

"Condition number one. A statement must be made in order for your ability to be utilized. For your exalting ability, that is not an issue in the slightest. After all, if you are exalting someone, it would be simple to get them to play along, no? However.... to humble someone, you must first deceive them into making a statement which holds a condition that can be reversed."

Jumping up onto the set of thrones and taking his seat, Trevor laughed as he looked down upon the armies before him, the irritated demon standing at their front.

At this point the eyes of Huberos had gone red with irritation and his lip was drooling with purple blood.

His hands were balled into fists, for he had realized it himself.

"Yet there cannot be any statements from a man who has been silenced. Am I wrong?"

'He..... is not wrong....'

Huberos felt an immense wave of irritation come over him.

His mind became hazy, but it was then that some words entered his ears.

"Huberos."

It was the voice of Gormand.

"Calm down."

And then, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

It was a soft hand, yet it had light bristles on it.

It was the hand of Tera.

"It's alright. We are behind you."

Looking back to the girl and the others, Huberos witnessed the armies behind him.

As he did this, he smiled.

Taking his handkerchief from his coat pocket, he wiped the blood from his mouth and turned around with a grin.

[Release Humble]

"An interesting little trick. I presume the time for discussion is over then?"

"Indeed. It is now time that we get things started. Ah, but could I ask you to wait a moment? After all, we would like to bring in a few more people.", Trevor responded.

"Reinforcements? Bring an army if you wish. My warriors will not fall so easily no matter how powerful they are."

Filled with overconfidence, Huberos generously responded to Trevor's request, yet to this Trevor merely shook his head.

It was then that Huberos heard a voice inside his head.

It was the voice of that succubus.

[Testing, testing. Ah, hello! In order for your ability to work, the statement has to be spoken out loud.... which gives me perfect opportunity to say one thing to you.]

Glaring at the succubus, Huberos was overcome with both irritation and confusion as he heard her voice yet did not see her mouth move as she looked down on him from above.

[The people which we are bringing in are not reinforcements. They are spectators. After all, why would we need reinforcements to slaughter a pathetic little army like this?]