Two days later.
Rene and I were making our way through the throngs of people heading towards Sytan.
The entrance to Sytan was a scene of pandemonium as aspiring demons prepared to take the entrance exam.
They had come from all corners of the Demon Realm, united by their animosity towards humans.
There must have been over five hundred of them, a truly formidable crowd.
We squeezed our way through them and came to a halt before the entrance to a 'train'.
『 Applicants, please present your identification and board the train. 』
An announcement blared out from somewhere.
I followed the instructions and retrieved the identification card that Rene had given me.
'I never would have guessed that I'd need to take a train to get into that building I saw earlier.'
As far as I could tell, the entrance to Sytan was protected by a labyrinthine dimensional gate to prevent intruders from entering without taking the train.
I rather liked that.
Even if it was eventually breached, it would still serve as a fortress to protect me until then.
Whoosh-.
While I was lost in thought, a train pulled into the station.
It was a steam engine, quite different from the subways of my time, but it was just as large.
Rene and I showed our identification to the attendant as the train doors opened and stepped inside.
『 ...... The train is now departing. 』
The doors closed once all the applicants had boarded, and the train lurched into motion.
The peaceful scenery outside the window vanished, replaced by a dreamlike space filled with a mesmerizing purple hue.
The train picked up speed, and the scenery outside began to change.
『 The train will soon be passing through the entrance. Passengers, please brace yourselves for the impact. 』
Clang-.
The interior of the train shook as the announcement ended.
Then, a building even more colossal than the one I had seen at the entrance appeared.
I gasped as I realized that this was Sytan.
'So that enormous structure I saw at the entrance was just a part of it......'
Perhaps this was the scale required to be called the Demon Realm's ultimate fortress.
I was still admiring the exterior of Sytan when the train came to a halt.
Rene and I disembarked the train as instructed by the announcement and looked up.
"We're finally here."
"Indeed."
Sytan stood before us in all its majestic glory.
A moment later, the place we arrived at, guided by the attendant, was the auditorium of Sytan, where the entrance exam would take place.
I opened my mouth slightly and looked around the auditorium.
'This is overwhelming.'
Numerous young demons had gathered to take the entrance exam.
Strangely enough, there were demons emitting a powerful aura around them.
Judging by their attire and appearance, they didn't seem to be students... They were most likely instructors.
That meant that some of them would be teaching us, which is why the entrance exam was important.
The better impression we made on the instructors, the better treatment we would receive in the future.
However, it was uncertain whether I would be able to make a good impression...
While I was lost in thought.
"Time's up."
Rene muttered, looking at the wall clock in the auditorium.
That moment.
Thud.
Suddenly, the door of the auditorium slammed shut.
Fortunately, it seemed that no demons were left outside the auditorium.
Sytan had given them plenty of time, and the auditorium was spacious enough to accommodate all the demons.
- Is the exam about to start?
- How are we going to do it?
The demons began to stir as Sytan showed no reaction even after the door was closed.
...I was also nervous, so I felt like my throat was burning.
The chattering of the demons only made me more nervous, so I decided to spend this time as meaningfully as possible.
'Should I take a look at the Seven Deadly Sins while I wait?'
I turned my head and looked around.
However, no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find the Seven Deadly Sins among the large crowd.
That's a bit disappointing.
I wanted to see them if I had the chance, because there might be people I remember.
I was savoring the disappointment when suddenly.
Snap-.
The lights that had been brightly illuminating the auditorium suddenly disappeared.
All that filled my vision was pitch-black darkness.
The demons also began to stir even more at this phenomenon.
I quickly turned my brain to figure out the situation.
'Is it a blackout?'
I shook my head.
It was the middle of the day.
Even if there was a blackout, it was strange that the sunlight that had been pouring in through the windows until just now had disappeared.
This was definitely caused by something magical.
Woo-.
And then, a light began to shine down in the center of the auditorium.
The surroundings were still shrouded in darkness, but that one spot was bathed in light, reminiscent of a spotlight.
I blinked once more, and suddenly, a girl with pink hair and a body covered in tattoos was standing beneath the halo of light.
“…….”
The girl who had appeared out of nowhere scanned the crowd with an expressionless face.
The examinees began to stir at the sight.
- A child?
- Shh, look at those tattoos. She's a high-ranking demon.
The countless tattoos etched into the girl's body were a sign that she was favored by the Demon God.
The commotion among the demons grew even louder.
The girl, who had been silently observing the commotion, parted her lips.
“Silence.”
A voice laden with thick mana reverberated throughout the building.
The examinees fell silent, overwhelmed by the pressure emanating from her words.
They simply listened to her voice as if they were possessed.
“Welcome, you incredibly stupid fools who will either enter Sytan or fail.”
It was a provocative tone, but no one present dared to refute her words.
Merely listening to her voice made it difficult to maintain composure, let alone challenge her.
The voice continued to speak, paying no attention to the examinees who were breathing heavily.
“Let's see... About five hundred. Are there really this many who want to die this year?”
In an instant.
The flow of the air changed.
A pressure like that of a great mountain began to weigh down on the surroundings, and a chill like that of midwinter descended.
"Well, enough idle chatter."
And with those words.
“Let the entrance exam begin.”
A viscous killing intent descended, making it difficult to even breathe.
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