I saw the two volumes of the Demon World Chronicle and thought quickly. While everyone wasn't paying attention, I swiftly grabbed one of them and tucked it away.
Then, after we all got our hands on the Demon World Chronicle, we hurried out of the cave. After all, Doraemon and Miyoko were still outside, and we needed to get out there to help them. This wasn't the time to stick around.
Once we got outside, I noticed that the red dragons and demons that had been attacking Doraemon and Miyoko were all gone.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked them, confused. "What happened to those demons?"
"It's weird—they all just ran away!" Doraemon said, scratching his head in confusion.
"It must be because they were scared of the Demon World Chronicle, so they fled. So, where are the Chronicles?" Miyoko asked us eagerly.
"I've got it right here! We got our hands on it!"
Seeing everyone's expectant faces, I opened the box containing the Demon World Chronicle and pulled out the scroll.
Just as everyone was getting excited, Miyoko suddenly got close to me, snatched the scroll from my hand, and jumped onto a distant boulder, looking down at us from above.
Shizuka and the others were stunned, not understanding why Miyoko, who now had the Demon World Chronicle, was doing this!
"Miyoko! What are you doing?" Doraemon asked, puzzled.
I saw her lips curl into a mysterious smile.
"I've finally got the Demon World Chronicle. This thing has to be dealt with—it's the biggest obstacle for us!"
"Who are you really? You're not Miyoko!" Gian yelled angrily, feeling betrayed.
"Hahaha! What a bunch of foolish humans!"
Right in front of us, she stopped hiding her true identity and slowly revealed her form—a snake-haired demon with a human body.
"You're a demon!"
We were all shocked, but it started to make sense. No wonder the demons attacked earlier, but then ran off when we came out.
This was all just an act to gain our trust.
"I get it now. The cave had a barrier, so demons couldn't get in. That's why you used us!" Doraemon said, his face darkening as he glared at the snake-haired demon.
It probably started when Doraemon and I went to find Miyoko. That magic delivery was likely part of their plot to lure us here. Even the chase near the barrier—it was all to get the Demon World Chronicle.
Doraemon suspected that the attack on Miyoko's manor, and even the black shooting star we encountered at the beginning, might have been planned. He'd heard of prophetic magic in the magic world—could that be it?
These demons are truly terrifying.
"Damn it, what happened to the real Miyoko?" Doraemon demanded angrily!
At that moment, the pink mouse in my pocket started squirming excitedly, as if saying she was right here.
But I didn't have time to calm her down, because the snake-haired demon's attack was coming.
"People who are about to die don't need to know that much!"
Unlike those clichéd villains who talk too much, she didn't reveal Miyoko's fate and just launched her attack right away.
She used magic to whip up a fierce wind, blowing us all around so we couldn't resist. Then she unleashed ice magic, creating massive ice blocks that formed like an iceberg.
She controlled those huge ice blocks and smashed them down on us!
With a massive boom! We were buried under the iceberg.
The snake-haired demon didn't know if we'd survived or not, but her top priority was to take the Demon World Chronicle back to the Demon Planet and report to Demon King Demaon. To avoid any complications, she flew off immediately to return to the Demon Planet.
Not long after she left, Doraemon used his Mole Gloves to dig a path out from under the iceberg.
It turned out that right before the iceberg came crashing down, I'd already activated my Telekinetic Barrier to shield everyone, protecting us from harm.
Then, Doraemon pulled out the Mole Gloves and dug us a way out.
Afterward, Doraemon took out the Anywhere Door, and we all returned to my house, looking totally dejected.
It was already evening when we got home.
We were all physically and mentally exhausted.
"I never thought a demon would disguise itself as Miyoko!" Doraemon said helplessly.
"That was really close!" Suneo said, still shaken.
"And they even stole the Demon World Chronicle!" Gian punched the tatami mat in anger.
"What about Miyoko now? I'm really worried!" Shizuka said with concern.
Seeing everyone looking so down, I smiled slightly and pulled a scroll out of my pocket.
"They only stole one volume of the Demon World Chronicle!"
"Wow!" Everyone looked at me in surprise.
I'd originally planned to hide both volumes, but then I thought about it. If I said we hadn't found them, Medusa and those demons—who hadn't seen the Chronicles yet—definitely wouldn't give up.
They'd put together such a meticulous plan and spent so much time on it; there's no way they'd back off.
If they found out I'd hidden the Demon World Chronicle, they'd come after me with everything they had to steal them.
That would be a mess to deal with.
So, I started my own plan.
The volume I gave to Medusa and her group only recorded the location of the Demon King's heart and the sealing place of Nirnaeth on the moon. That information is super important to the Demon King—maybe even more than the other volume—but I already knew all that.
Letting them have it was fine. What I saw as most important was the other volume of the Demon World Chronicle. It not only detailed the location and specifics of the Demon Planet but also contained a special silver weapon sealed inside for killing the Demon King.
That special silver weapon is what I need the most.
Plus, by giving them one volume, it reduces the pressure on us and keeps the Demon King's attention off our side for a bit.
Most importantly, from this whole thing with Medusa, I could tell this Demon King is way craftier than the villains from previous movie versions.
If I hadn't known the plot ahead of time, this conspiracy might have totally tripped us up.
Not to mention, after all those plot changes from before, I have no idea how this Demon King might be powered up this time.
A cunning Demon King who's great at schemes and has immense power—this is the biggest challenge I've faced yet.
While I've been powering up my own strength, the villains have been getting stronger too. This game difficulty really isn't newbie-friendly!
I sighed helplessly to myself!