That Time I Got Sent to Another World Where All of the Girls Are Super Hot and Super Into Me Because I Am Super Strong and Have Very Powerful Abilities that God Gave to Me Because Me and Them Were Friends When I Was in Grade School and God Is Actually A Loli Who is Also in Love with Me Because I Am A Super Epic Person Who Will Defeat The Demon Lord Who Threatens The Entire World but the Demon Lord Actually is in Love With Me and the Demon Lord is a Super Hot Busty Babe Who is Actually Just Trying to Get My Attention Because I Have a Cellphone That Can Contact the Internet and Can Get Anything Shipped To Me Within 2 Days But I Barely Need It Because I Am Actually the Most Strongest Guy Alive Because I Have Super Strong Powers Like Being Able to Lift Your Mom Really Easily Which is Nearly Impossible Because Your Mom is So Fat But is Actually A Secret Anime Busty Babe Who is Really into Me Because I Am Super Cool and Better Than Your Dad Because He is Super Lame Which I Am Not:

Interlude 1.53D - In which the Demon Lord learns of a worthy foe

In a dark keep, a dark lord worked on dark plans, casting one dark look skyward.

"Hmm..." the [Demon Lord] mused. "The lights went out again."

A thin, claw-tipped finger aimed upwards, and the booming voice spoke again. "[Repair: Level 10]"

There was a sound like a lightbulb shattering in reverse, and soon, pillars of light speared through the darkness, illuminating a set of podiums, each topped by a protective shell of shimmering crystal. The pillars extended into the fathomless depths below (although this was just a trick of light and shadow, as the depths were approximately 3 fathoms deep), arranged in a semicircle pattern around a central, thermometer-shaped balcony.

A figure stood on the solid black marble (very expensive) balcony and appreciated the pillars and their contents like a collector appreciates figures of half-naked, potentially underage anime characters: respectfully. Of the twelve pillars, only four were filled, with no discernible pattern to their arrangement. It was as if there were a particular order in which the pillars must be fully arranged, known only to the one now scrutinizing them.

A burning set of eyes stared out from a cloak of shadows, falling upon the first of the figures contained in their hermetically sealed crystal display cases. A large sea turtle stared back, a wise expression on its face and a beard of seaweed trailing behind it as it surfed on an ornately-sculpted tidal wave. The parapets and guns of a battleship rose from the center of its shell, aiming this way and that. A placard below the case read "The Tempest Turtle".

"Surfalos," the [Demon Lord] said out loud, before turning to the next. A dark-skinned woman was frozen in an action pose, one foot lifted behind her as she reached one hand forwards. A swarm of vines and leaves was all that clothed her, wrapping strategically around her body and coursing up her arm to strike out at her command. The placard below read "The Lady of Vines."

"Sister Flora."

The [Demon Lord] turned to the next, but a sudden sound interrupted him, the absolutely deafening slam of a 20-foot-tall door being closed gently. Not for the first time, the [Demon Lord] sighed, regretting their design choices back when the [Demon Lord's Castle] had first been built. However, this was no time for pondering the past, because the figure that had entered the room was one whose return the [Demon Lord] had been eagerly awaiting.

"Taro!" the [Demon Lord] remarked, their voice lilting upwards. "How did it go? Did you find the Princess?"

Mentaro Ike walked confidently into the room, swinging his arms wide until he approached within ten feet of the Demon Lord, where he dropped smoothly to one knee. He raised two fingers up to touch the horn emerging from his brow.

"M'l...m'lord," he addressed the [Demon Lord]. His head was bowed in respect and his eyes were closed, but a knowing smile spread on his face. "I have not."

The [Demon Lord]'s eyes narrowed as he looked down on his Lieutenant. "And yet you don't have the look of one who has failed his mission."

In response, Taro simply grinned a smile further. The [Demon Lord] rolled his eyes.

"Out with it."

"The Princess is safe for the time being. But I also have something more important to tell you."

"More important than gathering the Icons?"

Mentaro chuckled and lifted his hands, spreading them wide and using the finger and thumb of each hand to frame a rectangle in the air.

"Request Administrative Access: [Candidate System: Surveillance]" he spoke, his voice coming out in a strange echoing monotone, Kamiko's voice overlaid onto his own.

"Granted," The Demon Lord replied, waving a hand.

[Granting Temporary Administrative Access to Probationary Administrator Mentaro Ike]

The voice of the [Candidate System] echoed out loud in Kamiko's voice, and a surge of blue energy shot through Taro. Taro gasped as the power rushed through his body, leaving his head buzzing. He shook his arms out before lifting them to frame a rectangle again.

The Demon Lord tilted his head, massive horns sweeping through the air as they regarded Taro with something approaching concern. "You know, you can't keep putting your decision off forever."

Taro shrugged, his eyes flashing as a holographic image of static sprang into being between his fingers. "Don't you go worrying about me," he replied. "You'll ruin your image."

The static clarified, showing the Tomb of Lowlevel Genericus, and two figures fighting within it. One of the figures was charging up, energy surging around them in a corona as an iconic power-up noise was playing.

"One of the [Candidates]?" the [Demon Lord] asked.

Taro nodded. "Juan Pluswan."

The Demon Lord cocked his head to the side, remembering.

"Juan... He was that copy guy, right? Brazilian?"

Taro shook his head. "No, m'lord. There was only one of him, nowhere near a Brazilian. He copied powers, not made copies of himself."

The [Demon Lord] narrowed his eyes at the smirking [Elitest Four]. "That joke was hardly funny the first time you told it."

Taro chuckled, giving a nonchalant shrug that ended at the shoulders so as not to disturb his hands. "Well, the good news is that that'll be the last time I tell it, on account of the bad news."

The [Demon Lord] watched the screen. They had a sneaking suspicion on what the bad news would be. The camera shifted focus to Juan's opponent. The [Demon Lord] let out a quiet gasp, and recognition flashed across their face, or at least it would have were it not for the cloak of shadows obscuring all the [Demon Lord]'s features.

"That's-" The [Demon Lord] glanced at Taro, who appeared not to have noticed the reaction. The [Demon Lord] recollected himself, clearing his throat. "This is... another [Candidate]?"

"More than that," Taro replied. "[Appraise] him."

The [Demon Lord] did so, and blinked rapidly as the massive, bright statblock casually flashbanged him as it popped into existence.

"What..."

"I know when we were discussing [Candidates], you mentioned something about Kamiko picking a champion." Taro mused, abusing his temporary [Administrative Privileges] to manifest a lit cigarette into his mouth. "Well, call me crazy, but I think this might be our guy."

"Not exactly subtle, is it?" The [Demon Lord] asked, his eyes flitting to the [God's Favorite] title and narrowing in irritation. "I should have expected as much."

"Suspected?" Taro asked, looking curiously up at the [Demon Lord] with one eye.

"Don't worry about it." The [Demon Lord] raised one hand and rubbed at the rough approximation of where his chin probably was. "This is more important than the Icons."

"Maybe," Taro shrugged. "But that isn't even the main thing I wanted to show you."

The Demon Lord glanced at Taro and started to speak, before the Hiro on-screen shouted out the name of a skill, instantly drawing the [Demon Lord]'s full attention. The dark lord watched intently as Hiro drew his hand out of his [Dimension Box] and shot Juan dead with a gun.

"Did he just..."

Taro nodded, pausing the image before it could show him running like a coward. The [Demon Lord] stared at the screen for a long while, before he turning and looking ponderously at the crystal plinths gathered in the room.

"Taro. Gather my Generals. It looks like we have much to discuss."

Taro smiled again, bowing even further, which was impressive considering he was already on one knee. "At once, m'lord." He rose, tipping his horn once again in a salute, before leaving and carefully slamming the door shut. The shockwave shattered the lightbulbs high overhead, plunging the room into darkness once more.

The [Demon Lord] looked up once more, but not because of the lights, this time.

"Kamiko... What are you planning?"