Chapter 1: 1: Demon Queen, My Rival In Another World

“You’ll need good aim with a gun like that, boy. Ever heard about the 21-foot rule?“

Being at gunpoint was a regular occurrence for Ryder, the battle-hardened yakuza oyabun. She was currently sitting on a short stool, in a room littered with dead bodies dressed in suits. What’s more, she knew perfectly well that the one other living person holding her at gunpoint isn’t interested in talking. His shaking hands and bloodshot eyes clearly gave that away. He was scared, but determined.

Diplomacy, however, was the only viable weapon left of the table, as Ryder was armed with only a wooden training sword. An unfortunate predicament was unfolding in front of the infamous "Demon Queen" - the strongest, and probably the most influential single yakuza enforcer in the country. Known for her cunning leadership, unyielding resolve and strict rules, there was no one left to rival her in the arena of organized crime.

She held her weapon out in front of her like a cane, leaning on it with both hands. The bodies in business suits and bulletproof vests laying around her took up all of her ammo, as well as the hidden blades she stashed for situations such as this. She only had the wooden sword, and her wits, to save her.

“Do you really think I’m here alone? You know, even the ‘Demon Queen' needs her minions. You’re a fool if you thi- ”

Ah, that brat really pulled the trigger.

…

The bluff didn’t work out - unlucky.

No, no, luck had nothing to do with it, she thought, I should’ve planned more. Of course they’d have backup, they always do. Backup with a personal grudge, as it turns out. A personal grudge no amount of money or influence could fix.

Only one question filled Ryder’s head at this point.

I wonder why I can still think. Shouldn’t I be… feels weird to even think it - ‘dead’?

Suddenly, an incredibly bright light replaced the yakuza oyabun's vision.

 

As the glow faded, a completely new scene presented itself to Ryder. A large medieval throne room, with cloth banners of crimson lining the brick walls, torchlight fixtures along the incredibly tall stone pillars - it was truly a bizarre sight to behold. It had fireplaces, a throne, statues and everything. As if the small stuffy room she was just in had been replaced with a fully featured medieval castle set from a movie.

What was even more bizarre, were the people lining this hall. ‘People’ was an understatement - monsters, all of them. All huddled together, with scared looks on their faces, a couple dozens of mythical creatures of different kinds. Like straight out of a picture book, there were minotaurs, medusas, giants, gargoyles and vampires, as well as demons - there were quite a number of those here. Wings, horns, tails - the whole lot.

Sure, she’s been called the ‘Demon Queen’ in the yakuza circles, but that wasn’t literal. The only demons she knew of were the ones on her body tattoos. Tattoos were a hit with the ladies at the onsen, a symbol of power, a challenge to those that witnessed them - yet those game demonic onis from the ink tapestry were in front of her, in the flesh.

Being a person that came to terms with death long ago, accepting whatever came after life - Ryder was still befuddled over how she was transported to this place. She still had her wooden training sword, she even held it in the same position - leaning over it held in both hands, sitting on that same wooden stool, menacingly, wearing her unbuttoned jacket over a sarashi.

Is this… hell? She thought.

Quickly shifting her gaze around, trying to analyze the situation further, noticing the disarray and overall depressive atmosphere in the room, Ryder was about to say something. But an authoritative figure in front of the large throne addressed her first.

“Greetings, otherworldly monarch!“ spoke a thundering feminine voice. There was a clear desperation in that voice, as well as uncertainty - something that felt clearly uncharacteristic for the tone the woman was speaking with.

“Were not for the summoning spell cast here today, only certain death awaited you in your realm. Instead, you are now a guest in ours,“ she continued. The owner of that voice was none other than a menacing, goat-eyed Demon Queen, a real one. Resembling a satanic mural, her legs were shaped exactly like goat hooves, she had horns to match Baphomet too. A large winged silhouette stood in front of the throne - and similar to a chimera, her tail was that of a dragon. However, an air of elegance was propped up by her remaining mostly human looks, perhaps due to the aristocratic clothing she was wearing over it.

Observing her from the distance from which a servant were to address a monarch, Ryder now knew of why she sounded so desperate. The monstrous Demon Queen was injured - coughing up blood and holding onto bandages covering her chest. Not only her, in fact. The room was filled with monsters who were either injured, exhausted, or preparing for battle. The demonic castle throne room Ryder was summoned to, was, in fact, actively being besieged.

The silence wasn’t a quiet aristocratic welcoming ritual, it was a calm before the storm. A final act of desperation before certain death, much like what Ryder failed to salvage a few minutes prior in her own world.

“My name is Lilith, what you would call a Demon Lord in your realm. The summoning ritual referred to you as a ‘ruthless, calculating, powerful combatant; single strongest adversary of current time - other world’s Demon Queen… and my rival'. That is the hope by which I beg for your aid, in exchange for saving your life.“

Heh, that’s quite a compliment. Me, the strongest? Other world’s Demon Queen? Surely this was just a misunderstanding based on my unfortunate nickname. The winged missy seems pretty desperate, though. Her goons are injured, most of them. Ryder was deep in thought, her eyes hidden by her snow white hair and menacing posture.

Still, risking the life she just got back to fix this Demon Queen’s failings wasn’t a job that Ryder wanted. But what a yakuza wants in situations such as this wasn’t a part of the equation. She was on the hook - if it wasn’t for the summoning ritual, there would be a hole in Ryder’s skull and an urban fable about a yakuza legend who was killed by a brat. The debt has to be repaid. However, before agreeing, the summoned decided to test her summoner’s resolve.

For the first time, the throne room gave ear to the shadowy figure. A soothing, yet extremely heavy voice permeated the cracked walls of the throne room. Ryder spoke.

“It takes a big person to ask for help at a critical moment. I respect that,“ the woman slowly began rising from the wooden chair she was sitting on, speaking calmly. “But seeing as your outfit isn’t doing so well, I question if you’re fit to be their boss, young missy.“

Finally standing up at an intimidating one-ninety centimeters (or just over six feet), the menacing looking yakuza woman in a black blazer jacket and business pants threw a very resounding accusation, echoing through the throne room halls. Masses of ghouls, harpies, succubi and other monsters stood silent, perhaps agreeing, perhaps not having the resolve to voice their protest in their defeated state.

As the injured empress is about to kneel, about to prostrate herself to ask for the help she so desperately needs, one objection reigns loud and clear, coming from the right-hand side of Lilith.

“You take that back, human,“ a full-plate covered female knight with an authoritative voice spoke out, stepping in-between Demon Queen Lilith and her summoned yakuza counterpart. “It is thanks to her majesty’s leadership that we are even standing here today. And that includes you, wretch. So show some respect, immediately. Lily is the strongest-“

“Cease, Alex!“ Lilith tried to interject, biting her lip. Ryder however was very interested in the continuation of what the knight had to say. Was the demonic ruler really decided by might alone? Could anyone challenge the Demon Lord, or was there a system? With every second a myriad of scenarios and schemes were beginning to emerge in her head.

An almost imperceptible smirk emerged on Ryder’s face, hardly noticed by the armor-clad figure that continued her interjection.

“Your majesty, I am simply doubting if we were mistaken when choosing this lowly human as the summoned entity,“ the knight turned around and knelt alongside her halberd, lowering her head in front of the throne, “She does not look particularly strong, and I do not sense any magical ability from her.“ The monster-filled audience was starting to grow louder with discontent, agreeing with the armor-clad.

“How about a quick duel then? Might makes right in the demon realm, no?“, Ryder spoke out, before Lilith could respond. She had a feeling the demoness in full plate was a woman of action, not words, “I’ll try not to embarrass you too much, little knight.“

As if stepping on a landmine, a loud boom was heard emanating from the kneeling woman, sending air waves throughout the room. With walls visibly cracking and the monster crowd kneeling, the knight the empress referred to as Alex immediately stood up, immediately turning to Ryder.

“En Garde, pig. You just made the mistake of challenging Alessandra, her majesty’s primary war council member and general,“ the halberd-wielding combatant monologued. Her horns were visible through specially made holes in her helmet, and her full plate heavy armor presented no visible openings. Yet the speed with which she took her fighting stance was astonishing. Like a lightning strike, her halberd was immediately pointed at her new opponent’s feet, awaiting the start of the duel. Her stance was wide, with low center of gravity - like a tank.

Shit, she’s quick… with all that armor, too, thought Ryder, alright- I should think of something that will give me an edge against this full plate paladin cosplayer. Something… basic.

…right!

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“A warning then, little lady with the big ego - I fight dirty. I’m the the Demon Queen, after all“, the yakuza decided to spend the little time she had posturing. Then, without finishing the sentence, with an invisibly fast flick of her wrist, she used the wooden training sword to hook one of the legs of the stool that was transported with her, hurling it at the knight’s head.

~CRACK~

Of course, a simple ‘pocket-sand’ type maneuver was expected by the battle-hardened knight. What came after, however, was not. Slashing the stool in two, the next thing flying towards the knight’s halberd was… the wooden training sword itself.

~SLASH~

“You’re running out of things to-”,

~CLANK~

A flying knee kick to the face behind the full helm stopped the champion’s train of thought. With a metal ding, she was brought down to her knees, momentarily disoriented.

Failing to retake the advantage, the demonic knight by the name of Alessandra felt her body being manipulated in a rapid succession of holds, grapples and chokes. In a one-on-one situation against an armed opponent, grappling was the obvious choice, as well as Ryder’s preferred fighting style. Turns out, it is surprisingly hard to grapple someone into submission when they’re wearing full plate.

Alright… ugh, let’s borrow another honed skill set I have, Ryder decided.

Then, a series of quick clicks and snaps followed, and pieces of plate armor that were clipped onto Alessandra started flying away in random directions. The goal was clearly a win by submission, so access to more impactful chokes was necessary. She, although clearly not trained in grappling, was putting up a lot of resistance.

“Stop! Cease this at once! You hear me? Stand up and fight me like an equal!“, the knight struggled, trying to hold onto her halberd that was being knocked around in her grabbed hand.

“You’re too fast with that pointy stick of yours. I’d rather dominate you like this, little knight.“, a now-menacing voice spoke into knight Alessandra’s full helm from behind, Ryder now ready for a cobra choke. In a minute, almost all of her breastplate armor pieces were taken off, exposing the woolen underclothes.

“Ooh, no bra. Kinky,“ Ryder, now content with the neck access, placed the demoness into a final choke-hold, trying to knock her out.

I guess grappling isn’t very common in this world, seeing how helpless she was. I- Aw! Ryder immediately stopped her train of thought, noticing how injured her leg was. Even though it was probably the first time this knight saw jiu-jitsu grappling, the halberdier somehow found a way to get her blade dangerously close to Ryder’s femoral artery, slashing her thigh open. I wasn’t mistaken about her. I would have been dead if I tried to keep my distance.

“Please, now is not the time - you must help us” -begged the queen- ”the enemies are at our gates.”

With a final thud, the now unconscious Demon General Alessandra was defeated.

“Alright, clearly your people are willing to defend your honour with their lives. She was pretty strong, too. You’ve got my respect. Tell me how you got them into this mess, Demon Queen Lilith,“ Ryder stood up, trying to stop the bleeding on her leg. “What’s the sit-rep? How many men are besieging us?“

 

Fuck, fuck, fuck- Not enough time! While the yakuza usually operate on information, tactical advantage and sabotage, right now it looks like the slightly worn out summoned enforcer will have to throw all that away in favor of a simple brawl.

There were, however, some assumptions one could make before throwing themselves into a battle like that. Those assumptions could be either the key to victory, or a ticket to miserable failure.

Behind the barricaded door wasn’t an army-sized force, by the sounds of it. More of a warband. As the Demon Queen described it, it was a blitzkrieg-like formation that broke through the castle defenses, split off from the main force. In doing so, they lost most of their men, even leaving their injured behind. That notion meant that morale was probably very low. Nobody wants to be a part of a suicide mission.

From that knowledge, one could conclude those castle crashers don’t have meaningful siege weaponry or supplies either. Sacrificing reliability for efficiency, their actions were a successful gamble. That gamble paid off with 'shock and awe' present in the throne room right now, the entire inner castle interior being effectively held hostage, backed into a single room with no escape routes.

Those hostages, however, can’t be utilized against the outside army unless they are captured. So, until the warband gets inside the throne room, their goals are not met. Simple.

An estimated fifty, no, a mere hundred men, yet this organization’s boss and VIPs are completely at their mercy.

What a bold plan - like something I would’ve come up with on my own. Props to the enemy general, thought Ryder, I really want to meet them someday.

…

No time, too little resources, too much risk. There is no real escape plan here. Demon Queen stays.

…

Dying twice was a scary prospect, yet this time there was nothing to lose except pride.

A hundred tired linemen is hardly a challenge if none of them have guns, the experienced gangster with a training sword bargained with herself. Although the whole ‘magic' thing is a little scary. Well, as much as it hurts to say, I don’t need to win here - I need to not lose. The reinforcements should arrive soon, if I am to trust the horned goat-girlie.

“Hey boss! Demon Queen Lilith or whatever you’re called.”, Ryder took off her jacket, using it to cover Alessandra, the demon knight laying unconscious on the floor, “I will save your subordinates asses, but to do it I’ll need something from you.“

“I am ready to offer my body and soul for their safety,“ Lilith the Demon Queen answered immediately with eyes full of hope. She was desperate, clearly caring about her people more than herself.

Ryder, the now half-naked tattoo-covered woman in a sarashi binding admired that. A good boss should cover for their aides.

If I am to die here, this better be good.

“If I’m still alive after this, you’ll sleep with me,” The grinning yakuza woman turned to the barricade, swinging her sword vertically, completely breaking the deadbolt on the throne room gates.

There was no going back.

As the gates swung open, the only thing the enemy force saw on the other side of their own spearheads was a silhouette of a tall muscular woman with a wooden training sword. Somehow, the hundred-something men that were prepared to face demons a second ago felt that the battle ahead of them was much scarier, their opponent way more cruel than what they fought before. They had to face the Demon Queen from another world.

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