Chapter 4

Makai Hongi

There were times when memories of my past life were a hindrance.

It had to do with the different values that existed in Japan and the Demon World.

Think about it.

Would the residents here think similarly?

As someone who has experienced both, I can say that they are quite different.

For instance, if I was walking down the road and my shoulder bumped into someone else’s.

It didn’t matter if you knew them or not. In Japan, most people would react similarly.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“No, excuse me.”

It would not develop into a brawl or a fight to the death.

But it was different in the Demon World.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“Who the hell are you, bastard? You seem to have a death wish.”

And then you would be pummeled.

If you were lucky, anyway. That was the basics of the Demon World.

If you didn’t react with violence, then you were admitting that they were superior to you.

But even in Japan, very rough people might take out their aggression on you. But it would usually stop after one or two swings. They wouldn’t chase after you or anything.

Besides, the law would keep them in line. They could only go so far.

Not in the Demon World.

Strength was everything. If you were deemed inferior, you could be subservient for the rest of your life.

And it wasn’t easy stuff, like ‘go and buy me a sandwich and some coffee.’

Your relationship with that person would always be dangerous and life-threatening.

After all, you had to obey them completely.

You had two options. Serve someone else who was even stronger or challenge them to Gekokujyo.

All this over bumped shoulders!? One might wonder. But that was normal in the Demon World.

Obedience to the strong was absolute. That was the only way to survive.

It was hard for me at first.

I had a tendency of backing off during a confrontation.

Just a little. Half a step. But that was all it took for them to take two steps forward. And they would not stop.

That’s the way it was.

–It was no use.

I realized this when I was still very young. I was quick to catch on.

And so, ever since then, I reacted strongly and put myself forward when dealing with others, regardless of how I truly felt.

“That hurt, you bastard!”

“Eh!? Do you want to fight?”

“Of course, I do! Graagh! Come at me!”

That was how I acted. And then my opponent would think.

Was this guy stronger than me?

If they lost the fight, what kind of future awaited them?

Unless there was an obvious difference in power, the argument would almost always erupt into an actual fight.

But there were also many times when there was no clear winner. In the Demon World, the residents were very tough.

There were times when the Japanese person in me would jump out and think, ‘damn it, I might have just killed him,’ but then I’d hear a ‘that hurt!’ as the guy got up and slammed his fist into me.

Both sides were tough. In a battle like this, where there was no clear difference in strength, it seemed stupid to continue fighting.

After all, if there isn’t a difference in strength, then the smallest mistake could determine the victor.