vol 7 ch 4

So That I Can Be Myself
―On that mountain of pale pink flesh, there was a
countless number of grotesque eyes and small arms
and legs. The demon general, Grallajearus. It was
neither a human shaped demon, or one which
walked on four legs like a beast. It was just a lump of
meat. An existence who could only be described in
such a way. It was like a tumour that had swollen
up without ever bein
opportunities to mount a counterattack.
“Shit, we can't get closer like this...”
If they got closer, they would fall prey to those
projectiles, but having said that, it wasn't a situation
where they could keep their distance. Even if they
took a wait and see approach, the moment they
stopped they would be pierced. Unable to advance,
unable to withdraw, they were unable to do
anything they wanted.
It was an opponent where it was unclear just how
it fought. Despite its sluggish appearance, they
couldn't even guess how well it could move around,
which only dragged them further into the
disadvantageous situation they found themselves in.
It felt like they were forced to confront a number of
machine guns that were never exhausted. However,
if they couldn't get closer, then it was fine to just
unleash their attacks from a distance.
“―Oh earth! I make a request of the solid lands!
Turn thy pulsations into a violent tremor and gather
below my feet! Exercise your authority and pierce
through the air before me and rupture evil with this
unavoidable stone! Grand Geyser!”
Reiji rapidly chanted a spell of the earth attribute
and unleashed his keyword with no delay. And as he
did, a countless number of enormous pillars shot up
from the ground around Grallajearus and took aim
at that mountain of flesh. Reiji didn't take the time
to properly aim all the pillars, but there was enough
of them covering a wide enough range that it didn't
matter. The pillars tapered to a point and pierced into
Grallajearus, however―
“Do you really think this kind of makeshift attack
could strike us down, hero!?”
As an unpleasant shriek reverberated like sheer
noise in the air, Grallajearus' mountain of meat
began bubbling and swelling as if to compensate for
the damaged portions. By the time the pillars of
earth brought about by Grand Geyser vanished,
Grallajearus' body looked like it had not received a
single wound and was just like it was before.
“So this guy can regenerate...?”
Reiji muttered as the impatience scorching his
back grew stronger. The menace of something which
could regenerate its wounds immediately dulled his
judgment. He couldn't just carelessly swing at it, and
any halfhearted attacks would surely be useless. As
he bit down at a loss of what to do next, Titania
called out from behind him.
“Reiji-sama. I will take the front for a moment.
While the demon general's is focused on me, go
around and attack him.”
“Got it―”
After accepting her suggestion, he distanced
himself from her. Taking advantage of the fact that
the demons were also keeping their distance because
of Grallajearus' attack, Reiji quickly began moving
to circle around his target as Titania resolutely cut in
straight from the front. While moving left and right
as if making sport of her opponent, Reiji felt like he
could see an optical illusion of her leaving behind an
afterimage like a blur. It seemed that even with its
many eyes, Grallajearus was unable to keep up with
her movements, and focused entirely on the front to
deal with her.
―It went just as planned.
Confirming that the plan was working, Reiji
circled around to Grallajearus' rear. Cutting down
the demons in his path, he ran up the cliff as if
drawing an arc, and spotted Titania retreating a
great distance.
“HAAAAAAAAA!”
Judging that the timing was right, Reiji let out his
fighting spirit with a single slash. As his orichalcum
blade plunged towards Grallajearus from behind, the
eyes that had been entirely focused on Titania as well
as all the other eyes buried deep within that body
moved and turned towards Reiji.
“Ku―!?”
Even the little arms and legs, as if following those
eyes, began to move chaotically. And then the iron
scraps came out at him―the pebbles of Isa. As if
escaping from the blast radius of buckshot, Reiji
twisted his body and threw himself to the floor in a
roll. However, even the place he rolled to was within
the extent of the pebbles of Isa's aim.
“―Ku, oh earth! Surround me and become a firm
bulwark! None shall pass and threaten this life!
Earth Wall Rising!”
Chanting a defensive spell, Reiji created a wall of
earth with his mana as he laid on the ground. That
wall which was supposed to be able to defend him
from any attacks fended off the first wave of the
pebbles of Isa just as he planned. However, just like a
machine gun, the attack was incessant. After
stopping the first wave, the iron scraps just kept
raining down and gradually wore away the wall of
earth. At that rate, it would only hold for a few
seconds. As Reiji intuitively perceived this, he
hurriedly stood back up to get away from there.
“What a relentless attack...”
“Don't underestimate us hero! Did you think we
would fall for such an infantile plan!?”
Grallajearus' angry shout came flying over.
... Reiji was bewildered by the failed attack to
Grallajearus' rear. Just how did it accomplish that?
Even though it was supposed to be entirely focused
on Titania to the front. Even all those eyes it had
were certainly pointed towards her. It was as if all its
organs were operating independently. As if it was an
existence made up of many beings.
“―I see.”
That was probably it―
“You're, a colony, right?”
“That's right! We are an army of hundreds, and we
are one! We will not be destroyed by such narrow
minded attacks by you damn humans!”
Grallajearus let out a loud shriek about the merits
of its body. This explained the mysterious way it
referred to itself as 'us' whenever speaking in first
person. It's arms, legs, eyes and those pieces of meat
were all independent of each other. When it fired out
the pebbles of Isa, it was a peerless opponent who
was difficult to approach.
... 'This is bad.' A bitter taste began to spread in
Reiji's mouth as he thought that. The fact that he
was in a hard fight with a demon general was one
thing, but it was also bad that the demon army was
digging deeper into the encampment. He had no
room to take his time.
“Reiji-sama! For now you should...” “Ku... Is it too
much of an opponent for me...?”
“Obviously. You will die in obscurity right here
bastard. Depart as you regret the fact that you made
light of us demons.”
And at Grallajearus' command, the demons in the
area attacked. It looked like they were planning to
surround and crush Reiji. However, it took all of
Reiji and Titania's efforts just to deal with
Grallajearus itself. Graziella was busy protecting
Reanat with the other members of the Elite Twelve,
so she wasn't there to support him. At the current
rate, they would be unable to do anything and defeat
would be inevitable.
“... Tch, Tia, what should we do?”
“It is vital that we withdraw from here for now.
The only choice is to breakthrough in the direction of
our allies.”
“But if we do that, we'll be showing our backs to
that demon general.”
“Yes. Therefore, I will serve as the rear guard.
Reiji-sama, break out of the circle of demons as fast
as you can and reorganize our position.”
“I can't do that! If I do that, Tia will...!”
Unable to accept her directions, he yelled back at
Titania. However...
“It is alright. Reiji-sama, please believe in me.”
“Tia...”
Reiji couldn't approve of using her as a shield and
running away, however it was also true that he was
unable to think of any other means of getting
through the current situation. At the current rate, it
was certain that they would just both die. Thus,
Titania proposed to carry the heavier burden. Reiji
ground his teeth. Once more, he had to go through
the feeling of being powerless. He had to be protected
by his companions. And just as he thought he had to
make a bitter decision...
“―Oh earth. I make a request of the solid lands.
Turn thy pulsations into a violent tremor and
threaten all from beneath. Exercise your authority
and become the foundation which supports all in
existence. And so, pierce through the air, rupture
evil, become an unavoidable stone and break
through. Grand Geyser Refinement!”
As a young girl's voice rang in the air, Reiji heard a
keyword he had never heard before. However, it was
magic which was far more powerful than the magic
Reiji used earlier. Immediately following that
keyword, the earth protruded outwards. The magic
Reiji used created enormous sharpened pillars, but
the magic which manifested here looked like the
needles of a porcupine as large swords of earth stuck
out diagonally from the ground.
And the demons were torn to pieces at the
excessively dense cloud of blades, and were
annihilated exceptionally easily. Before long, the
effect of the magic vanished, and the ground evened
back out. And from that cloud of dust, a single
young girl stepped over the pile of demon corpses
which made the ground seem uneven―Io Kuzami
appeared.
“... My goodness, do not create such a tightfisted
atmosphere on your own when you are right in front
of me.” “Io Kuzami-san...”
“Umu. Oh fiancé of mine. The fact that you had
forgotten about me is something I will be
questioning you about deeply, very deeply, deeper
than the Japan Trench. So stay there as you prepare
for that.”
As Io Kuzami thrust her index finger at him
vigorously, she laid bare her dissatisfaction. Despite
the situation being what it was, she was calm and
composed as she always was. However, in complete
contrast to her attitude, the demon encirclement was
still going strong. The path she created to them from
the direction of the Imperial soldiers had already
been sealed back up.
“Io Kuzami-dono, please take care of Reiji-sama. I
will take the rear and―”

“Like I've been saying, do not just decide it is a
disadvantageous situation on your own.” “But at this
rate!”
As Titania persisted, Io Kuzami let out a grand
sigh for some reason. It was as if she was tired of
them worrying about pointless matters―
“What kind of misunderstanding are you bastards
making? Even though we are not the only ones
fighting here. Do you seriously believe that you are
the only strong ones present?”
“Eh―?”
Bewildered by Io Kuzami's words, Reiji
inadvertently let out his voice. There were other
strong people. So she said, however in the current
situation, the only ones who could probably break
through were himself, Titania, Io Kuzami and
Graziella. Reiji and Titania were hard pressed
regardless of whether they advanced or retreated.
Graziella and the Elite Twelve had their hands full
with other matters. That was why Titania planned to
entrust Io Kuzami with protecting Reiji.
Was there somebody else that could break them
out of their predicament? While thinking about that,
Reiji could suddenly feel a tremendous agitation of
mana from the Imperial side. He could feel it in his
body along with the shaking earth. It felt just like the
resonance one felt before a tremendous power was
unleashed. Reiji wondered whether it was Graziella's
earth magic. And while making that guess, an
unnatural sound echoed in the air where there
should have been no walls for the sound to bounce
off of. It was the chant of a woman. And those
words were...
―Mana Furnace Core. White Fire, Immediate
Critical Load!”
A severe, yet gentle singing voice could be heard,
and immediately following that...
The agitated mana that had been shaking their
surroundings explosively swelled up. A wave of
mana which blew against them. Accompanied by an
intense heat, it felt like the very sun had descended
down to the ground. Faced with that mixture of a
shockwave and hot wind, let alone Reiji and the
others, even the demons were completely rooted to
the ground.
And then, a cruel chill suddenly assaulted Reiji's
body. It was a similar sensation to when he heard a
scary story, or when he went to supposedly haunted
locations, a sensation that something bad was going
to happen, that kind of trembling that anybody
would have felt in their lives at least once. And
everything that was making his body tremble,
changed into that cold sensation.
“Th-this is?”
“Suimei? No, just who...?”
“Kuku, I see. So that guy has drilled this much into
her. Though he's always playing the fool, he
unexpectedly does not miss a step, its an interaction
that makes me envious to the point where it
stimulates this curse of mine.”
Following after Reiji, Titania also showed her
bewilderment. And as if ignoring them completely,
Io Kuzami understood what was going on as she
made a bold smile. She knew something. And the
moment Reiji was about to ask her, the next chant
echoed in the air.
“―Rain, oh rain. Oh hot, hot rain of fire which
pours incessantly without exhausting my mysteries.
Just like the white smoke of clouds and fog worn by
the skies, cover the earth with a baptism of white fire
which pardons no evil. Show not the mercy of
compassion to those who disturb the world, to those
who soil the world. And so, purify the lands and
admonish them with the fires of judgment handed
down from the heavens.”
―Rainblaze Clouds. (Gather the Burning White
Rainy Clouds.)
The keyword that came out, was Rainblaze
Clouds. Those words sounded just like they made
apparent exactly what the characteristics of the
magic was.
A large white magic circle stretched out across the
ground, and acting in direct opposition of it, the
same magic circle formed in the blue sky. As they
revolved in opposite directions from each other, a
white electric current ran loose in between them.
And as those currents struck the clear sky, white
clouds gradually took shape, and swirled into a
vortex.
The sky was gradually becoming cloudy. However,
in complete contrast to that reality, the ground
below was still bright as day. As magic, its activation
was slow. Moreover, from what Reiji could see, it
only seemed like magic which created clouds.
However, as he thought, that wasn't all there was to
it. With a drip and a drop, raindrop like objects began
falling from the sky.
It began to rain incessantly in a drizzle over the
battlefield. Perhaps because of the white clouds
covering the sky, the small raindrops looked like they
were white. And as they left a thread like trail in the
sky, they fell towards the demons. They were all
headed straight for just the demons.
But those drops were not rain, they were plasma
which gave off a white light. What was pouring
down incessantly, was a rain of white hot threads. As
it came in contact with the demons, their bodies
turned into a mass of white flames. Naturally, they
had no way of resisting it. Even as they clad
themselves in the dark power they used to resist
magic, their bodies were completely exposed to the
rain, their defences destroyed, and eventually they
became fire. White fire. As they immediately tried to
brush it off, it spread to the other nearby demons.
The speed at which it did so could be described as the
blink of an eye. The white fire spread out like a blaze
in a field, and pretty much all the nearby demons
were annihilated.
“...”
Seeing that disastrous scene, Reiji was at a
complete loss for words. And at the same time, a
cruel chill assaulted his back. This was not because
of the power of the magic. The power of the magic
was certainly great, but the fear he felt from it was
only to that extent. Creating a large amount of
clouds in the sky, and bathing everything
underneath it in white fire, it was only surprise to
that extent. Moreover, the clouds hanging over the
skies still seemed to be spreading out, and soon it
would cover the entire encampment.
―The scale is too different.
At the unusual phenomenon that he wasn't even
sure whether it was even proper to call it magic
anymore, he lost his words, and Titania who was
standing next to him was also in complete surprise
while squinting her eyes and staying alert. Io
Kuzami was standing there with her brows knit in
dissatisfaction. And then, it was not just Reiji and the
two girls who were caught completely by surprise.
“Wh-what is this!? This magic!? Magic on this
kind of scale is impossible!?”
The one to raise that chorus of shock, was the
demon general Grallajearus. Even to a demon
general, it was the first time it saw this kind of
magic. When it faced off against Reiji and Titania it
always had a composed attitude, but right now it
was extremely perturbed. Before long, the one who
came walking up to them, was the caster of that
magic―Felmenia Stingray.
“―To call this level of magic impossible, that in
itself is the definition of foolishness. There are only a
small handful of things that are truly impossible in
the world. What I've done is none other than a
simple matter compared to those impossible feats.”
“This magic, was it your damn doing!?”
As Grallajearus raised its voice to ask her,
Felmenia quietly nodded. And Grallajearus only
questioned her with more bewilderment in its voice
in response.
“What the hell are you!? Despite not being a hero,
why can you use so much power!? Are you really a
damn human!?”
“No, that's―”
―Just the other day, I made my resolve to take
my leave of being one.
Quietly, and coldly, she declared this, and a sudden
mix of fear and cold ran up the backs of every single
being present. To take her leave. The one who was
caught on those words, was none other than the one
who asked her, Grallajearus.
“T-took your leave, you say...? Are you saying a
human stopped being a human...?”
“Regarding that, let us just say that it is of no
concern to a demon.”
“M-making light of me...”
“By the way, is it fine to only worry about me?
There are more of your enemies here than just
myself right?”
“What―?”
And what could be heard after Grallajearus'
confused voice, was a hearty war cry.
“ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
It was a very manly and violent cry, but the voice
was that of a woman.
DON―Along with that deep low frequency sound
which resounded in one's stomach, a mass of bodies
flew into the skies above the circle of demons who
were still burning in white flames. Their bodies were
extremely gruesomely scattered into pieces from the
shock of the strike.
Following that, the fence of burning demons were
blown back by the shockwave. And beyond that
fence, was a young girl carrying a gigantic halberd
with bright blue hair and a small stature. And that
young girl, as if she just touched something nasty,
grimaced and she shook her hand in the air. Her
expression was definitely not one of someone who
was fighting the sworn enemy of humanity, but one
of someone who was driving away an unpleasant
insect.
“Who is...”
As Titania was about to ask who it was, Felmenia
answered before she could finish.

“Your Royal Highness, that is an ally. But do note
to add, for now, in your mind...”
“For now?”
“Well, yeah.”
The one to reply to Titania was the young girl who
Felmenia called an ally. She must have heard their
conversation. She then thrust her halberd towards
Reiji and Titania.
“Yo, Hero of Salvation and the Twilight Beheading
Princess. My name is Jillbert Griga. Just for today
I'll be lending you a teensy hand alright? Aah, also, I
won't be answering uncouth questions like 'Why?' or
'What's your aim?' you hear? That's cause it's all
things there's no point in you knowing! Seiyah!”
After declaring that, she once more swung her
halberd and separated the axe portion from the grip.
And along with a chain which tied to two pieces
together, she began to scatter the remaining demons
around them.
Along with Felmenia's magic, pretty much all the
demons in the area were defeated and left powerless.
And the one to gnash down on their teeth in
response to that, was naturally Grallajearus.
“Th-that many, by just the two of them...”
“Hah!! You're naive for thinking you can just drag
along a mish mash of these damn powerless pests!
Don't look down on humans stupid! Idiot! Ah, I'm a
dwarf though...”
“Besides, it is not just our power. There are the
Imperial soldiers here as well.”
As Felmenia glanced behind her, Graziella had
already pulled together the soldiers, and were
exterminating the remaining demons.
“Everyone, show some spirit! We're going to
support Reiji!”
“HA!”
As Graziella gave her orders, the Imperial soldiers
shouted back in unison. They were thrown into
chaos and left at a disadvantage, but from the looks
of it, they quickly rearranged their position and were
now pushing back the ambush.
However, it could be said that what granted them
a means of survival, was without a doubt Felmenia's
magic. As Grallajearus also seemed to fully
understand that fact, it fired off the pebbles of Isa
towards her with rage.
“You damn little girl!”
“―Oh barrier. Deploy.”
In response, Felmenia muttered out a chant. And
immediately, a thick wall of mana appeared before
her, and obstructed the countless iron scraps sent
flying by Grallajearus.
“A magic shield cannot stand before our pebbles of
Isa!”
“Unfortunately, this is a barrier.”
“Nonsense!”
And after that, the pebbles of Isa were
continuously fired out, but the barrier put up by
Felmenia didn't crumble. Despite the fact that the
wall of earth Reiji used crumbled in an instant, with
a far shorter chant, using a spell he had never heard
before, with no keyword, she created a shield that
could withstand it.
Before long, Grallajearus could tell that the pebbles
of Isa would not work, and stopped the barrage. And
as he did, Felmenia's barrier also vanished.
“Demon general. That kind of attack will not work
on me. Resign yourself.”
“Gu...! This, kind of...”
Felmenia further increased the mana clad around
her, and threatened the demon with overwhelming
pressure. Seeing her like that, Titania let out her
admiration with a smile.
“As expected, White Flame-dono is quite reliable.”
“N-no, it was nothing much...”
In a complete change from her dreadful aura just
now, Felmenia began to feel embarrassed. Her
expression crumbled before the praise and
admiration of the princess of her own country,
however the mana she was accumulating remained
the same, she didn't show any signs of carelessness.
Before long, Graziella had finished cleaning up the
remaining demons and joined up with them.
“Is all that's left that monster?”
“Yes. A demon general, it named itself
Grallajearus.”
Titania answered her. Perhaps because of the
battle, her tone was somewhat gloomy, but Graziella
responded with a fearless laugh.
“With this much power gathered together, no
matter if its a demon general...”
“You're Imperial Highness, it is still dangerous to
be so careless.”
“I know that much without you telling me. Right,
Reiji.... Reiji?”
Though Graziella called out to him, Reiji didn't
respond. And as she was baffled by his unexpected
behaviour, Reiji suddenly stepped towards
Grallajearus.
“Reiji-sama!?”
“Oi! What are you being so impertinent for!?”
The two princesses began panicking as Reiji
stepped in on his own. Though they tried to restrain
him as they called out, Reiji did not turn to look at
them.
“I will defeat this guy on my own. I want all of
you to stay out of it.”
“But Reiji-sama―”
“I have to do this on my own.”
Reiji shook off Titania's voice. He had to do it
himself. The origin of that will was naturally
something that came from the battle just now.
Because he was worthless for having to decide to
cast away Titania as a sacrifice, so that he could
surpass that wall, he had to do this on his own.
Despite seeing that determined back, Titania still
insisted on stopping him, but before she could,
Jillbert thrust out her halberd to get in the way.
“―Let him do it. Anyone will feel like they got to
do it themselves once in a while.”
“What are you...”
“That's a ritual. For a man to become a warrior,
right? You're also, one of those aren't you?”
Saying that, Jillbert winked and smiled at Titania.
It was true that one had to stand firm to become a
warrior, so Titania was unable to say anything back.
As Reiji stepped forward on his path to becoming a
man, Grallajearus started making an uproar.
“You'll defeat us all on your own you say? It was
already proven that your damn power is not enough
to defeat us! Are you touched in the mind!?”
“I haven't gone crazy or anything. It's just
because, this is what I must do, so I will do it.”
“Don't get carried away you damn brat! Did you
misunderstand the power given to you beyond your
means by the Goddess as your own strength!?”
“I know full well that this is temporary power that
I was given. That's why... That's exactly why! I need
to surpass it!”
“Are you saying we're your damn stepping stone!?”
“That's right!! I will defeat you and step over that
boundary!!”
With a roar, Reiji advanced towards Grallajearus.
Just as he screamed, it was for the sake of surpassing
that wall. As he drew closer, the pebbles of Isa were
fired out in a flash. And Reiji began evading them as
he circled around Grallajearus.
“After howling so vigorously is all you can do
evade!? HEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Ku...”
A pebble of Isa grazed Reiji's face and left a cut on
his face. He stepped forward with authority, but as if
he was being toyed with, it took all his effort just to
keep moving, he couldn't spot any opportunity to
attack, let alone attaining victory. No, that kind of
thing never existed in the first place. Just by the fact
that he was immediately forced into a hard fight,
any hope of victory was wiped out.
But even so, Reiji had to surpass that wall. Even if
it was reckless, even if it was foolish. He was pushed
back by Rajas, Elliot took it easy on him, he was
completely subdued by Ilzarl, even here he was
completely half baked. He couldn't just resign
himself to being such a half baked hero from here on
out.
That was because he had companions he could
rely on. Even now, they were behind him calling out
to him in concern. Let's cooperate and defeat it.
Don't be reckless. All he heard was kind voices.
He was always being saved like that by someone.
But was that really what a hero was? Was it really
okay for him to call himself a hero like that?
Without saving anyone, while only being saved
himself, only to be placed on a pedestal and carried
above others like a buffoon.
He could not accept that. Ever. Being an
ostentatious show with no reality behind it held no
meaning. There was no way he could accept such
deception.
“I won't lose.”
“For the sake of the Goddess!? Or perhaps for the
sake of the people!?”
“Wrong! It has nothing to do with heroes,
goddesses or the people of this world! It is all for
myself!”
That was why. That was exactly why. The time to
make a great stride, was now. Up until now, he
remained the same and took advantage of the good
will of his companions. But it was time to separate
himself from that half baked self.
Even if he couldn't fly, as long as he never took the
leap on his own, he would in fact never fly. That was
why, he had to to step forward now. That was why―
“I will... I will become stronger! I want to become
stronger!!”
His thoughts, his desires, he yelled them all at
himself, and just at that time.
―If you desire it, then request it, and call out.
“Eh...?”
―The final gate which connects to a great power,
at all times, exists within you.
“Wh-who―?”
As a robotic pronouncement suddenly resounded
in his head, Reiji unexpectedly raised his voice to
question it. And when he realized it, he was standing
all alone in the middle of a mud like darkness.
“Wh-what? Where? Wh-why...?”
As a baffling situation presented itself around him,
Reiji was seized by surprise. He was definitely in the
military encampment of the Imperial army, and was
right in front of Grallajearus. And in spite of that, he
couldn't see those things anywhere. They were
nowhere to be found. Everywhere he looked, there
was only darkness, and something which looked like
a light far in the distance.
However, all of that was wiped away in an instant.
That was because the small light in the depths of the
darkness, became bluer, and bluer.
“Ah―”
As if entranced by the distant sparkling blue light,
an enraptured voice came out of his mouth. With no
intent to do so. His mind was the same as that
enraptured voice, simply dumbfounded. That passion
with which he was denying himself as he yelled was
wiped away, and all that remained was that blue
light.
He had seen that light before. It was none other
than the light given off by the gem installed in the
Sacrament.
And in that instant, he suddenly understood. That
light was something that he had to head towards no
matter what. Beyond that light, the answer to
everything was awaiting him.
That's why, he broke into a run. He ran and ran,
with all his strength―to grasp that blue light.
And immediately, words appeared in his head. A
voice with no voice, and that was...
―By my Lapis' blue brilliance.
―Crystallize the sword spirit.
And as those words repeated, the blue light grew
stronger. And as that light spread, it gathered in his
hand―but before he could hear the last words, the
dazzling light vanished.
... When he realized, that tunnel of darkness and
blue light were no longer there, and the scenery
returned to that of the Imperial military
encampment. And before his eyes, Grallajearus was
sneering.
“Fuu. Just as I was wondering what you were
doing, all that did was give off a bit of light.”
“...”
If it was as it said, he was likely giving off a blue
light just now. In his right hand, he was suddenly
gripping the Ishar Cluster. He had unconsciously
grabbed it, or perhaps that blue light he was grasping
was in fact the Sacrament itself.
As the Sacrament continued to give off a pale light,
it was like the trailing memory of that blue light he
was staring at. If it was just as Grallajearus said, all
it did was give off light. He was probably always
right there as a blue light overflowed from his hand.
As proof of that, unlike the time he fought Ilzarl, the
Sacrament didn't turn into a weapon. Because he
couldn't hear those last words to manifest the
weapon, it was only a natural conclusion.
However, even so, he was able to grasp that blue
light at that time. He could see the path. He could
see the door. He could hear the mysteries of that blue
light, the voice with no voice. Therefore, the amount
of power he grasped―wasn't zero.
“Wha―!?”
Grasping his orichalcum sword once more, he
moved with the same speed which overwhelmed
Ilzarl, and could hear a chorus of shock in front of
him. It was likely, that it looked like he vanished
before its many eyes.
This demon general, wasn't stronger than Ilzarl.
In every respect, it was inferior. It was remarkably
inferior. If Reiji was going to lose against such an
opponent, his suffering from this point would be
unfathomable. That was why―
The number of times he could deceive its eyes, was
only that one time. Winning against an enemy of
such at level straight from the front, was truly
suitable of a victory to be praised.
“...”
One step. With one step, in complete silence, he
swung his orichalcum sword. Repelling the pebble
which flew like a bullet. Trampling the earth under
his feet. With that tenacious single step, his boot
sank into the ground, and the ground around his
boot swelled up like goosebumps.
“...”
As he drew close, Grallajearus' voice―couldn't be
heard. He could no longer hear anything. It was
raising an uproar, but Reiji no longer perceived it as
sound. 'Ridiculous,' 'This kind of thing,' all those
sounds at the height of bewilderment were no longer
perceived by him along with his pity. His blood ran
cold from being pushed back by this opponent only a
moment ago, but he understood the ultimate reality.
However, there was not a particle of happiness in
him. He did not step forward to gain that sense of
superiority.
The demon general, was only a few more steps
away. It was in range if he stretched out his sword.
At that distance, the demon general abandoned hope
and poorly fired out the pebbles of Isa in desperation.
But it was too slow. Before they were even fired,
Reiji could see through all of it, and the march to
victory was determined before it began. As he drew
closer with his sword at the ready, Grallajearus
screamed.
“We are a colony! Know that an attack from a
sword is meaningless before us!”
He could hear, angry voices. No, there was a very
small of amount of bluffing mixed in. Having fallen
into an inferior position, it simply voiced the strong
point of its body to cheer itself up. Just as it said, the
fact that it was an army was a nuisance. However.
“―Is that so?”
“What?”
“Even if you are a colony, the fact that you have a
single consciousness, means there is a control tower
which houses that consciousness. If there wasn't,
you would be a disconnected mess of chaos. Isn't
that right?”
As the truth was thrust before it, Grallajearus'
voice became filled with panic.
“Wh-why, do you... Why do you know that!?”
“Light...”
“What?”
“That blue light, told me.”
What gave him that idea, was the blue light. When
he touched that blue light, the voice with no voice
whispered it to him. 'That is definitely, not an
opponent that you cannot defeat.'
And so, as Reiji swung downwards, he cut apart
the small vital deep within Grallajearus without
erring.
★
It was around the time that Lefille's fight with
Latora and Reiji and Titania's fight against
Grallajearus started. Having distanced himself from
the headquarters, Suimei was about halfway
between the headquarters and where Lefille was
positioned, and was clashing against a force of
demons.
“―Fiamma est lego. Vis Wizard.” (Assemble
flames. Like the cry of the magician's resentment.)
After his chant, he unleashed the fire magic of
Ashurbanipal's flame at the swarm of incoming
demons. With a curse from Assyrian legend as its
origin, the magic had particular efficiency against
living creatures. When the chant started, it formed
many small magic circles irregularly in midair. And
as the chant progressed, a sphere of fire formed in
the centre of that space. It burned like the shining
stone was its core, and clad in a complete
incandescence, it was no normal flame one could
normally see. Like a burner, the flames had
directionality as they shot out plasma, and destroyed
their target. An explosive blast danced in the centre
of the crowd of demons. The demons caught in the
incandescence didn't even have the opportunity to let
out a death cry, and turned to ashes and they fell to
the ground.
Even if he fell behind in numbers, the difference in
their war potential was evident. But even so, the
demons did not falter and still headed towards him.
As if they were faithfully devoted to a single order,
they were like machines that knew nothing of
adaptability.
Suimei was currently taking independent action
against the army of demons. His goal was a search
and destroy mission against the demon forces. A few
days had passed since the match at the headquarters,
and after the officers and soldiers of the Empire
managed to start raising their achievements, Reiji's
group was finally allowed to head towards the fight.
In a private conversation with Reanat, he asked
whether demons were coming along any paths that
the units sent out to stall them weren't positioned in,
and if he would to allow him to take independent
action to take care of them. Of course, since he was
acting alone, he added the words, 'to the extent that
I can.'
“―Originally I planned to get paid for this, but it
isn't so bad if I think about it as lowering the burden
on Lefille and Reiji huh...”
Before heading out, Suimei had made that
statement in the military encampment. In the other
world, the work of magicians was always
compensated with money, so it was perfectly natural
for him to think like that, but this time there was his
companions as well as the fact that he was supplied
with food and any provisions he needed, so he
thought he should at least work off that portion, and
took on such a responsibility.
Of course, it was also true that he thought it would
be unreasonable to do absolutely nothing after
sticking his neck in. For the time being, so that Reiji
didn't suspect him, he was supposedly taking action
together with Lefille who was asked to take on a
duty first. And after that, just as planned, he split off
to take on independent action.
Spreading out a map and confirming the position
of the stars, he determined where he was and where
the units sent out to stall the demons weren't located.
Staying away from the routes the Imperial troops
were using, he strengthened his body with magic
and advanced through the steep mountain paths as
he hummed, and eventually discovered a force of
demons.
They numbered around two hundred. They were
composed entirely of demons who moved along the
ground, an infantry unit. In a single clump, they
advanced through the forest. They looked just like
caterpillars moving along a leaf while devouring it.
The trees were mowed down as they pushed forward
like they owned the place.
And unlike the somewhat human shaped demons
which looked like demons one would see in stories,
these demons had the characteristics of beasts and
insects. They had large builds about twice the size of
foreign basketball players. The surface of their bodies
were covered in pitch black cuticles, they had
exoskeletons, and they looked to be quite robust. Like
they were talking among themselves, the spider like
mouths they had were clattering in an ominous way.
“Ugeh...”
It left an unrivalled feeling of revulsion. Compared
to that, the fantasy demons he met before were
much easier on the eyes. Their external appearance
was much better put together than these ones.
Suimei instinctively found it physiologically revolting
and unconsciously let out his voice. Now that he had
found them, he had to do something, and was now
at the crossroads where he had to decide how to
proceed.
Should he annihilate them? Or should he just deal
serious blow to them and then retreat? With that
number of them, if he used two or three grand
magics he could annihilate them, but thinking about
it from the perspective of the strategy the Empire
was putting into play, it would be fine if he didn't go
so far. Just like the other units, he could stall the
demons, if circumstances permit, he could lower
their numbers, and report in. However―
(If I think of the things to come, huh)
His sudden anxiety, wasn't about the fight before
him, it was about himself. He didn't have much in
term of apprehensions towards the current fight
against the demons, but right now he was in a
situation where the shadows of other threats were
flickering over him.
That would be the ones named the Universal
Apostles by that mirage man, Eanru's group. To
Suimei, they were without exaggeration, a serious
threat. There was Eanru's physical strength, and the
clear talent the mirage man displayed with his magic
even from Suimei's perspective as a magician.
Thinking about the inevitable conflict with them, he
would have to jump into danger on his own, and
build up his strength. So that the next time, he would
be able to stand up before the dilemma in front of
him.
“That's why, well, I know I need to sharpen my
battles senses, but...”
It just seemed like a poor plan to just thrust
himself in the middle of the demon army just to do
so. For a magician, it was obvious to find a way to
fight like a magician. There was nothing to be gained
from recklessly piling up battles, and above all else,
the goal he was hoping to obtain was very
ambiguous.
But, as he was right now, he felt pressured to take
on that reckless and ambiguous task deep in his
chest. Discontent with the current situation, if he
stood still without pursuing it, the day would once
more come where he would be smeared across the
earth.
Reaffirming the determination in his heart, he
jumped out from the shade of the tree, and the
demons immediately raised their ear grating voices
as they rushed in. With their claws and sharp insect
mouthpieces, they desired to tear apart and devour
the weak human body.
However, the power to grant the demons that
desire wasn't limited to just that. The chief source
could be said to be the dark coloured power wrapped
around their bodies. As if it was an aura, it was a
mysterious glimmering aura of authority. Different
from the negative powers behind dark magic, it was
the power which used the Evil God as a source. If
someone who did not possess the divine protection of
the Goddess which opposed the Evil God took that
with their bare flesh, it wouldn't end with a simple
wound.
“... However.”
―However, just what was there that he had to fear
about that? Certainly, the Evil God's power was
astounding. Since it had to do with divinity, it would
likely be classified in a powerful category. However,
if he had to say whether all the fights he had
experienced to date had fallen behind that power, it
was definitely not the case, fights he had beyond
them were a dime a dozen.
Naturally it was needless to say that those were
fights against those who wielded mystical powers.
No, it could be said that the common battles in the
other world simply surpassed the ones over in this
world. In the modern world, that applied to any
battle that broke out in any place. Using the tools of
science, they thoroughly came up with military
tactics which made full use of them.
Machine guns which could fire a hail of bullets.
Anti-tank grenades like the RPG-7 which granted an
individual the ability to deliver a tremendous blow.
Flying at mach 2, anti-ship missiles that could
accurately strike from two kilometres away and the
missile cruisers which housed them. Assault
helicopters which could suppress humans from the
sky, the Super Hind.
Remembering his fights against such things, just
how could fighting against demons even compare?
Remembering his battles where he fought against
opponents where attacks came in at basically the
speed of sound from unknown locations, the threat
of an attack right before his eyes at a much lower
speed was something with such a low difficulty level
to deal with that he could do so with his eyes shut.
Dodging the strike straight from the front and
defending against the claws swinging in from the
side with magic, he returned the attack with fire
magic. As the circle of demons narrowed in, he dealt
with it by blowing away the ground. And then,
jumping into the air at the same time...
“―Fiamma est lego. Vis Wizard. Hex agon Aestua
Sursum. Impedimentum Mors.” (Assemble flames.
Like the cry of the magician's resentment. Give form
to the agony of death and burst into flames, bestow
the one who obstructs me with a dreadful destiny.)
... After the chant, Ashurbanipal's flame burned
the demons.
Below the clear blue sky, flames burst into his
surroundings, white smoke from incinerated flesh
rose to the air, and the red world began to spread.
Looking at it from the side, it likely looked like
scenery out of a waking dream. Below that
refreshing blue sky that would calm anybody's heart,
a banquet of a burning hell was unfolding. The
impression didn't seem to change no matter how
many times he saw it. While knitting his brows at
the screams of carnage, Suimei indulged himself in
idle thoughts for a moment.
(... In any case, what does it mean that the
demons move in such a monotonous and
predetermined way?)
What came to mind was something he was
curious about for quite a while now. From what
Suimei had seen to date, the demons he fought used
the singular strategy of just pushing straight into
human territory. Even when Vuishta trapped
Hatsumi in his scheme, the force which attacked the
main army at that time also did so by just charging
head on.
With tactless frankness, simplicity, they at least
took up formations, but they didn't have a single hint
of the push and pull born of strategies. It was a tactic
which relied entirely on pushing in using the force of
numbers. If one had enough numbers, it was
certainly a useful method, and without intelligence,
it was naturally how they would end up fighting.
However, when there was a way to oppose that
method, that was no longer the case. To fight the
demons, the people of this world wielded magic and
strategies. They even summoned heroes from other
worlds. That was why, up until now, the demons
were pushed aside, and left to survive in a corner of
the world. And in spite of that, the demons still
single-mindedly attacked with such simple honesty.
(It's like...)
Yes, it was like, they were saying that they wanted
to be killed. In spite of the fact that their opponents
took countermeasures against them, all they did was
take up the same old fashioned fossil of a fighting
style they used before. It was like they were running
towards their own death.
Suimei incidentally recalled the story of the
famous hoax involving creatures which performed
mass suicide. It was an anecdote where lemmings
would strangely form into groups, and one after the
other, throw themselves off of a cliff into the ocean
to drown. In reality, there was no such thing as
mass suicides among lemmings, but in a sense, what
was happening before his eyes seemed like a similar
phenomenon.
“Or the demons attacks are so monotonous so that
their opponents become careless as a grand lure...
But there's no payoff to that. The stages they could
put that to use are severely limited, and it isn't
something that they can use to overturn the overall
situation of the war when it is going against their
favour. It isn't essential to the war either. I may be
just thinking about it too much, or perhaps their goal
is something else altogether...”
While fighting back the demons, Suimei gradually
fell deeper into thought. From what he was thinking,
it was possible that the main force attacking the
Empire was a decoy, and another force was slipping
under their sight to attack another location.
However, they attacked head on both in the Empire
and the Alliance, if a detached force was moving it
would be going to the Astel Kingdom, but the losses
they were taking just to send a force there left great
doubts as to what they could have to gain from
doing so.
Certainly, during the chaos where they had to
accept refugees from the other fallen nations to the
north, it was the right time to attack, but―they were
still extending the front far too much. It also had the
demerit where the offensive went beyond the supply
line.
Just what were they planning? No, maybe there
wasn't anything in particular. While he was deep in
thought, little by little his movements slowed, and
the encirclement of demons around him grew
thicker. The mob around him started to get in the
way of his thoughts as they moved around
irritatingly. Therefore, Suimei began a chant to blow
them all away.
―And then, the demons surrounding Suimei
suddenly vanished.
“...”
It was like they were grasped by a gigantic
invisible hand and crushed. Three. In three places.
In a nearby space. It looked like there were glass
spheres of mana which reflected the images of
demons within it. And without permitting any
resistance, it crushed them. And as Suimei turned
around and glared at the presence that appeared
behind him, he let out a question with a sharp
tongue.
“―What are you planning?”
“Nothing, they were gathered in a such nice
formation, so I just had them all blown away.”
As he turned around, he questioned the man with
silver horns standing in the middle of the pool of
demon blood and meat. Wearing clothing similar to
traditional Japanese garments, he had white
clothing wrapped around his body with his chest
exposed. He had a glossy back rosary like necklace
around his neck. His face always had that fearless
smile which found all phenomena in the world
enjoyable as he spread out a delightful atmosphere
around him. However, for that reason, as he stood in
that bloody scene, he transformed into the
incarnation of battle. The dragonnewt of the
Universal Apostles, Eanru.
As he stifled his laughter, the dragonnewt drew
nearer, he didn't seem to see the demons around
them. Or perhaps they just never entered in his field
of vision. As that man showed blindness to any sense
of danger, Suimei also showed the same blindness.
“I think it's a little early for a rematch though?”
“What are you saying? There's no early or late
when it comes to fighting right? As long as the two
are enemies, whether it be at the ends of the earth or
the end of time, the moment and place they meet is
the place they fight.”
“To turn a meeting place into a battlefield, are you
some kind of Maeda clan member...”
Suimei let out an exasperated voice, and Eanru let
his blood thirst rise as if coercing him. Even in this
situation where they were surrounded by an enemy
army, he looked to be dressing himself up for the
return match. It was certainly true that a conflict
wasn't something where one chose a time and place.
Even so, to do so in this kind of situation was slightly
too whimsical.
However, for a dragonnewt who held supremacy
in such a battle, even such an environment was
nothing to him. As long as fighting against the
demons was some worthless trifle to him, fighting
against Suimei in the middle of them was something
he could do in his spare time. Even Suimei also
wished for this. When two strong people fought on
the same stage, the moment they met, it was
something they desired.
The atmosphere gradually began screaming. The
demons who weren't stopped by Suimei's flames
were no longer moving. They were beings who knew
not the emotion of fear, but from the accumulation
of Suimei's mana and the immense power being let
out by Eanru clashing against each other, they were
physically bound in place.

However, Eanru's fearless smile suddenly changed
completely―
“Haha, it's a joke, a joke. As I thought, there are
many useless things that would come up upon
meeting you.”
“Ah?”
“It's nothing, it just means I didn't come here
today to fight with you.”
“Then―”
“Well listen. Today I came to here to defeat these
damn pests. And so, incidentally, I happened to find
you.”
“Incidentally?”
“Yes, incidentally.”
“You came all the way here just to defeat guys like
this?”
“The guest of honour comes after this. This is the
opening performance.”
“In other words, a demon general or something
will come huh. Abducting heroes then fighting
demons, the things you're doing are quite
mismatched you know?”
“That would only be from your point of view. For
the time being, from our point of view, it conforms
together.”
Eanru said that as he evaded the topic. Suimei
understood he was here to fight the demons.
However, despite the fact that he had no intention of
fighting against Suimei, he held doubts as to why
Eanru bothered to make contact in the first place.
“So, what do you really want to do?”
“You are also here to defeat those damn pests
correct? I just thought it would go faster if we did so
together.”
“You're saying since our goals are the same we
should cooperate? I don't have any intention of
getting along you know?”
“Neither do I. If we got along too well it would
only become a hindrance during our rematch after
all.”
“You seriously only care about crap like that huh.”
“So?”
In a change of tone, he asked. It was a question of
whether Suimei would go along with his suggestion.
That man was an enemy, However, he was one who
would definitely not be scheming something. That
was because that man was truly someone who
desired conflict. Even in the face of his duty, once he
met someone he deemed worthy, he would fling
aside said duty. That was just the type of personality
he had.
... If Suimei refused, it would prove a poor move to
have their fights overlap. There was no need to
deliberately increase the number of enemies, and
since it was also Suimei's goal to defeat the demons,
it would be an extra hand to do so. However, if they
fought together right there, no small amount of his
hidden hands would be exposed―but that was the
same for both parties. At any rate, they were both
hiding their secrets away, so there was no meaning
in refusing.
“... Alright.”
“Then it is decided. Just for now, I will entrust my
back to you.”
Suimei nodded silently back to Eanru. And then,
without saying anything, they turned their backs to
each other, and redirected the mana and fighting
spirit that had been crashing against each other
towards the demons.
―In an unexpected development, he now had a
united front with a dragonnewt.
In a sense, it was a massacre. From the very
beginning, it was a fight without a single sense of
danger, but now there was no more need to worry
about their backs, and the two of them only needed
to focus straight ahead and to their sides.
Using magic, Suimei reduced the demons to ashes.
But to his back, double the amount of demons were
scattered by Eanru's fist. There wasn't even the
slightest thought that they would lose. With such a
measly amount of demons, it would end in a flash.
When he realized, Eanru obliterated the demons to
the rear, and moved to crush the ones around
“No, it's just even with such worthless pests as
opponents, standing shoulder to shoulder with
someone strong while scattering them about, I just
felt like it was unexpectedly exhilarating is all.”
“Haah?”
“No, it is truly unexpected. Despite fighting for
several decades, to think a day where I would feel
like this would come. Even small fries have their
own use as small fries in their own little way.”
Suimei couldn't tell just what he was thinking
about. Perhaps it was like a game to defeat more
small fries, no, if he was pushed to say it, this would
be like a chain in puzzle games. Eanru had no
sadistic tendencies. In that case, the only example he
could think of, was something close to that pleasant
feeling of showing a bunch of them lining up
together, and having them vanish all at once.
★
Conquering the skies, was a flock of demons.
Just like a large large flock of black swans, they
looked to be painting the sky black as they moved
across it.
―The demon general Striga, was leading a single
portion of the demon army, his kin, through the
skies and was earnestly headed straight south.
“The human armies cannot ambush the skies,
thus, I would like you to charge straight in, was it?
―Fuu.”
While flapping his wings with composure in the
sky as he muttered to himself in discontent, those
were the words passed down to him by Lishbaum,
who had decided on the strategy.
―It was likely that in this battle, the human
armies will hold no doubts towards our simple
strategy.
―Using that against them, myself, Ilzarl-dono and
Grallajearus-dono will perform a surprise attack on
their headquarters, so I would like Latora-dono and
Striga-dono to serve as the decoys. That way, we'll be
able to deal a severe blow to the human army, and
defeat them easily.
That was the contents of their war council before
departing. It was certainly as he said, if they were
able to outwit the human army, they could expect to
deal a serious blow. The gathering of humans who
fell victim to a surprise attack would fall into chaos,
and the wall of bodies would collapse. It could be
said to be extremely obvious. However, the problem
was whether or not the humans they were
launching this surprise attack on were truly
something that they had to go to such lengths for.
“Even without using such strategies against mere
humans, isn't it fine to just trample them underfoot?
Just what is that guy afraid of from such worm like
creatures?”
Strategies were something reserved when faced
down with an opponent who truly required it. It was
the power of intelligence required when brute force
was not enough to defeat an enemy. However, the
enemies they were headed towards had none of
those qualities.
Human soldiers were absolutely nothing to be
feared. In truth, after the humans gathered their
soldiers and began moving, a few of their forces
managed to win, but whenever each and every one
of them was crushed, they begin to retreat. And the
way they ran away was by scurrying in shame.
It would be one thing if they were being pushed on
the back foot, but using a strategy in this case was
practically a joke. That was why Striga held doubts
towards such a plan, which only intensified his
doubts towards the one who brought it up,
Lishbaum.
“Did he lose his nerves? It's seriously ridiculous.
That damn fool.”
His dissatisfaction had surpassed the permissible
limits. Idle complaints were just overflowing from
his mouth naturally. At each and every opportunity,
Lishbaum would say, 'It's a plan,' 'Outwit them,' and
'Crush them before they become a threat,' as if he
was afraid of the humans' power, and had devoted
himself to tricks. And all that despite being a
newcomer among the demons. He spoke as if his
thoughts were the same as Nakshatra's thoughts,
and pushed those schemes on them with no
hesitation.
There was nothing more frustrating than that. If
he had abilities like Ilzarl and Latora it would be one
thing, but for someone with such uncertain abilities
to put on such a grand face, there was no way Striga
could accept it. Flying while throwing idle
complaints and curses at Lishbaum, one of his kin
that he sent ahead for reconnaissance returned.
―There are humans up ahead. They are probably
soldiers who got separated from their unit.
Reading its thoughts, he didn't get any particularly
good news. If they found a full human unit
deployed, he was planning to kick them around, but
it was only two mere stragglers. It would have been
perfectly fine to leave aside one or two worms, but
changing his course to ignore them would also leave
him with resentment.
He planned on just going on the same course,
trample the stragglers, and kill them while they
drowned in despair. This choice was also best for his
own mental health. The moment he found them, it
would be fine to take all the dissatisfaction he held in
his heart and unleash it on them. While thinking of
that...
―The force that he had sent ahead, was nowhere
to be found.
“Mu?”
Striga suddenly held doubts towards the
information brought back to him by his kin, but―he
immediately shook his head as he deemed it
worthless.
If they couldn't be found, then it likely meant they
just got lost somewhere. The force of demons he sent
ahead was composed of nothing but sentries that
had nothing resembling intelligence. Demons who
had wings had enough intelligence to understand
words, but those in the shape of beasts and insects
had none of that, all they were given was physical
strength. In which case, if they got loss in a twisting
mountain path, then they didn't have the intelligence
to correct their course, and would only loiter around.
―They couldn't possibly have been defeated by
those damn humans.
Striga rejected such worries over his kin with a
laugh. That in itself, was impossible.
If it was just as his kin saw, then there were no
human forces ahead. So there was no way that
something that could surpass the demons and wipe
them out was there. It wasn't surprising, if it was in
fact the case, it would mean an entire battalion
which could defeat demons was freely moving
around the mountains in a place where his eyes
couldn't reach. If they could fly through the skies it
would be one thing, but humans had no way of
accomplishing such a feat. Which only left the
possibility that the two stragglers did the deed, but
that was even more impossible.
Lowering his altitude, he continued proceeding
south. And as he did, an open area came into view.
Isolated in the craggy mountain area, it was
completely flat land without any trees. Just as he
saw from his kin's eyes, there was only two men
standing there. As he expected, they were pitiful
stranded soldiers. Naturally, he had no intention of
showing them mercy. The desire of the Evil God
Zekaraia and the Demon Lord Nakshatra was the
eradication of humans after all.
―The only mystery was the fact that in spite of
being discovered by him, the humans didn't show
any signs of surprise.
Despite having quite the large force in the sky,
they simply looked up calmly at him, a man in
white, and a man in black. Green hair, and black
hair. The combination of a human and one of the
races was somewhat unexpected, but―well, Striga
just left it at the possibility existing after all and
stopped thinking about it. Flapping his wings with
thuds much louder than necessary, he descended.
“―Humans. You truly are unfortunate bastards.
To be left behind in such a place, and to be found by
my forces.”
He made that declaration to overawe them, but
neither of them opened their mouths. One just stood
there calmly, and the other only looked at him with
an idiotic expression.
“What's the matter? Not going to let your voices
out? It's fine to cry and wail like the other humans
while begging for forgiveness. Show me that little
sideshow you bastards often do on the verge of
death.”
“No, I'll refrain from doing something so lame.”
As he poured on his scornful laughter, in no time
at all, the one with the idiotic expression shrugged
his shoulders as he replied. To speak so frivolously
despite being left in such a situation, the fact that his
attitude didn't change, this in itself was also
amusing.
“Kukuku... You sure can talk after seeing such a
large force. I'll give praise to your damn fake
stoicism.”
“No, it's not really fake stoicism or bluffing or
anything though...”
Saying that, the man in black grimaced. And as he
did, he tilted his head slightly and looked to the man
in white next to him.
“It seems the other side is making some kind of
misunderstanding or something, but what do you
think? Are they a threat?”
“―Fumu, then I shall ask you in return. Do you
feel any threat from such a medley of pests like that?
These things are pretty much the same as a
mosquito swarm on the side of the road right? Is
that not the case?”
At the question the man in white returned, for an
instant, Striga lost his words.
“―――― ”
Just what were those humans talking about? Was
their fear too strong and it affected their brains? Let
alone their composed attitude of being left behind,
they were insulting the demons like they were pests.
It wasn't something that such fragile beings like
humans should be uttering.
Since things were progressing in such an
unexpected way, he forgot what was going on, and
finally, he gradually caught wind of just what the
conversation before him meant. And in proportion to
that, the flames or rage were swelling up. They were
making fun of him, and as they did, those grand
flames of rage roared. While that was going on, as if
pouring more oil on the fire, the man in black spoke
up.
“They're certainly just annoying huh.”
From the man in black's words, the flames of rage
reached its peak. A mere small fry was showing such
contempt towards the demons. These humans could
not be left alive, it could absolutely not be permitted.
“You bastards, don't go thinking that you'll die
painlessly...”
What he practically squeezed out of his mouth as
he spat out, was a sentence of death and pain.
Matching that, he raised his arm to the sky. Once he
swung it down, his kin would take action. With a
single order, these humans would be swarmed by his
kin, and would be completely drained of blood as
they died.
But that was far too halfhearted. He wanted to
leave them right on the very brink of death, and
torment them. That was the punishment that had to
be bestowed on those who made a fool of demons.
All his dissatisfaction towards Lishbaum had
vanished. It had been completely painted over by his
anger, and he swung down his arm―but.
“What―?”
Immediately following that, Striga unintentionally
let out his voice at the completely unexpected
development in front of his eyes. After swinging
down his arm, his kin should have painted them
over in a black cloud, but in complete contrast to his
imagination, without any cause, all his kin
completely vanished right before his eyes.
―What just happened? Without understanding at
all, the two men in front of him spoke to each other.
“You sure defeated them easily.”
“Seriously. I was hoping to have to chew them
down a little, but... against such pests, that kind of
desire is useless I see.”
Their attitudes remained completely the same, and
they spoke to each other like they were merely
gossiping. They seemed to know exactly what
happened.
“Bastards, just what did you...?”
“Just as you saw. It's nothing, it was also just as I
saw though.”
Saying that, the man in black put on a bold smile.
He was repeating 'just as you saw,' like it was some
meaningful phrase. Just what meaning did those
words have? Striga couldn't deduce what those
words implied, but―
“Wh-what the hell are you bastards!? Aren't you
soldiers who were left behind!?”
As he let out his doubts and screamed, the man in
white knit his brows in a dubious manner.
“Fumu? That one seems to have been making a
misunderstanding for some time now.”
“We're just waiting here is all. For a demon
general to show up. But―”
―Hey, just when is something like that gonna
show up? Rather, is it really coming?
―Who knows. Maybe they won't come? This
world is nothing but events which go against one's
predictions after all.
The two of them had that kind of exchange. They
were speaking with an attitude as if they felt no
danger at all. They were likely only able to say such
things because they didn't know that Striga was a
demon general.
“These lowly humans... To make such a fool of
me...”
And so, his anger further surpassed its limits.
Letting out a voice as if transmitting the wrath that
was boiling deep in his blood, he unleashed it into the
surrounding air, and let out his blood thirst. As his
kin began trembling, his true nature was revealed.
Baring his fangs, spreading his wings wide, his face
also transformed to a pale figure. And, perhaps
because the man in black sensed something from
that―
“Ah? Wai―isn't this guy a vampire!?”
As his true nature was revealed to the man in
black, he suddenly began panicking. Noticing his
honourable bloodline, he finally felt the fear that he
should have felt from the very beginning.
“Fu, FUHAHAHAHA! It's too late to show your
fear now!”
“Ku... This is a little bad...”
The man in black muttered with a bitter
expression and took a stance. However, it was far too
late to take such action. Taking the dark power and
changing it into the form of his kin, he let loose
enough of it to cover one's entire field of vision.
“First will be you! DIIIIIIE!”
A pronouncement of execution. He fired off the
Bat Tide. The man in black's mana became highly
excited, but the pseudo-kin created by dark power
crushed even that―or they should have.
Ringing in the azure sky, was a snapping sound,
and it blew away his Bat Tide, and let out a strong
shockwave.
―With a snap. After such a casual sound, Striga's
body was blown backwards.
“Hmm?”
“G-guu... What the...”
Receiving a completely unexpected attack, Striga
was forced backwards, Just what happened? It was
a completely incomprehensible attack, and filled his
head with bewilderment. On the other hand, the
man in black had a posture like he just snapped his
fingers. His expression was like he was completely
befuddled, and it immediately changed to one of
bewilderment. In any case, his attitude was
completely out of place―
“Eh? Why are you getting damaged by attack
magic? What? You're a vampire right? You're not a
vampire? Eh? Eh?”
Gazing in wonderment with a bewildered voice,
the man in black looked left and right. Just what did
he find so mysterious? Just what was wrong with his
understanding? Was he expecting something more
chaotic? The man in white then turned towards him.
“What about it? It's certainly true that the one
there has more power compared to the other ones,
but... It's striking feature is only its ability to suck
blood you know?”
“No, just sucking blood you say... There's, like,
immortality, or like, the ancestor of gods.”
“I've never heard of that kind of thing though? In
the first place, that wouldn't be a demon right?”
“―EH?”
What the man in black finally spat out, was an
excessively puzzled voice. And the man in white also
looked at him with a curious expression.
“Just what are you misunderstanding that thing
as?”
“No no no no no. I mean! You know!? In our
world, vampires are beings classified as the highest
breed, they've lived since ancient times, and are
existences which would take several battalion scaled
groups of human heroes and magicians to take
down, so, you know...”
As the man in black was making some kind of
incomprehensible misunderstanding, the man in
white shook his head. Having such an unexpected
reply returned to him, the man in black stood there
perfectly still with his mouth partly open.
Eventually, completely ignoring Striga's own
surprise, the man in black's bewilderment turned
into irrational anger, and he turned it towards Striga.
“What the hell!? You're just a fucking imitation!?
Don't fucking scare me! I wasted my damn shock!
Are you that!? You just putting on a fake show like
that Vuishta or whatever guy!?”
The man in black seemed to be angry at the
difference between what he was thinking of and
reality. In any case, the name that came out of the
man in black's mouth was something important to
Striga.
“Bastard! You know Vuishta!?”
“I know him! I mean, I beat the crap out of him a
while ago!”
“Wh-what did you say!? You did!? You defeated
he who was a demon general like me!?”
As Striga demanded an explanation, the man in
black once more made a dumbfounded expression,
and―
“... Ha? Eh?”
“Wh-what is it?”
The man in black went from bewilderment, to an
even more unreasonable dumbfounded expression as
he looked at him.
“... What? You, were a demon general?”
Like it was completely unexpected, he threw out
that question. It was just like he had been looking for
something he lost all over the place and then it just
casually showed up where he wasn't expecting it, like
he was extremely disappointed in that flow of events.
As that man looked at Striga with that excessively
befuddled face, the man in white began laughing.
“See? Isn't it just as I said? If we wait here a
demon general would come.”
“No no no, why are you making such a
triumphant look? With this timing? Ain't it strange?”
As the man in black criticized him, the man in
white only stood there cackling with laughter.
Despite the fact that their enemy was right before
their eyes, they were acting like they couldn't even
see him, which once more boiled his anger.
―I'll kill them. I'll kill them with everything I
have.
Making that determination in his heart, he flew up
into the skies where he reigned supreme.
“You bastards humans cannot take to the skies!
From here you won't even be able to―”
Reach me. But, even with that truth thrust before
them, their attitudes remained unchanged, and―
★
The cool autumn wind that would refresh
anybody's heart blew through the air, and the
perfectly clear blue sky was overhead.
―While gazing up at such a sky, the reason he
may have found the demon flying there to be pitiful,
was likely because he was a magician of the Society.
Or perhaps it was because he received his father's
wish, and was walking down the path to save those
who could not be saved.
The magician Yakagi Suimei, watched the demon
general Striga fly up into the sky, and was suddenly
captured by a helpless feeling in his heart, and let out
a sigh.
“What's wrong?”
“... No, you know, I just felt bad getting rid of it.
From the way it talks, it's completely a villain proud
of its own success, but in the end, all those things
called demons are pawns moved around to fulfill the
Evil God's motives, puppets right? Whether or not
they have self awareness, no, precisely because they
have self awareness, I feel bad getting rid of it. Those
guys don't have any free will after all.”
While still looking up, Suimei let out his thoughts
with a hint of pity. If every single demon were
pawns in the hand of the Evil God atop the board
known as the world, then the thought of
exterminating humanity and all of their other goals,
were all something imprinted in them.
He couldn't help but see them as pitiful. From the
appearance to their thoughts, they were all just
designed to match the whims of the Evil God. And
since it was impossible to change the way they
thought, the only choice left was to put them to
death. It made him feel helpless.
Just how were they any different from puppets
and dolls? If he thought of dolls as pitiful, then he
would probably spend a week losing his speech from
the anger of one of his colleagues who was a doll,
but in this case there was no way to save them.
Therefore, such emotions sprouted. Perhaps because
his complex mental state showed on his face, the
dragonnewt next to him spoke with cynicism as he
laughed.
“Is that something you say after making such a
fool of him?”
“Well it's still an enemy, provoking them basically
just comes out automatically. This time, how do I
put it, I'm just being thrown into disorder on my
own...”
When he caught a glimpse of someone who
couldn't be saved like he did just now, regardless of
whether it was friend or foe, such feelings would
suddenly swell up inside him.
―Perhaps, just perhaps, this was also someone
that he had to save.
“What you are trying to say, well, I do understand
it. However, what we must do hasn't changed you
know?”
“...”
“Are you hesitating?”
“It's a habit. Whenever I see someone who can't
be saved like this, somehow...”
“In that case, you should instantly put them at
ease. In this world, without exception, there are―”
“Stop. Don't say anymore. If you put the rest into
words, I won't be able to kill that guy.”
Suimei interrupted Eanru's sentence. He couldn't
let him finish. Yes, without exception, there are
those who cannot be saved. If he heard that to the
end, he would no longer be able to reach out his
hand. The moment he did so, he would be putting
out his hand to go against his own dream. As he
warned Eanru, for some reason, the dragonnewt
began laughing. He was truly someone just filled
with joy.
“How green. You're so green it practically
mismatches the power you hold.”
“... I'm just one among a gathering of people like
that. It's exactly because I'm like that, that I―”
―Became strong.
As he put that into words, Eanru's smile became
bold. Just what did he find so pleasant? Suimei
wasn't sure what had him in such high spirits, but
Eanru suddenly stopped laughing.
“That is why. That is exactly why. To save or not
to save. Holding such thoughts like you are above
them is the exact definition of undeserved arrogance.
If you hold on to such thoughts where you do not
understand your own place in the world with such
religious zeal, one day, it will become the fire that
burns you, do you understand?”
“Unfortunately for you, I was given that warning
long ago. Above all else, I've been burned by such a
thing many times already and gone through painful
experiences because of it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Saying he would save them, he stuck his neck into
the affairs of others and always ended up covered in
wounds. That was the punishment and price for his
own arrogance. It was something he made his
resolve to face long ago without having to be told. As
the two of them silently came to an agreement with
those short words, they once more looked towards
the demon general.
It was likely planning to crush them in a single
strike. High up in the skies where their arms couldn't
reach, it was accumulating that dark power and
kneading it endlessly. In that position, they couldn't
just run over there. Since their attacks couldn't
reach, the demon was just steadily and assuredly
preparing the attack that would definitely kill their
opponent. In a sense, it was perfectly reasonable. But
that was only if their attacks really couldn't reach―
“You mere pest. Take my incandescent howl, and
depart without leaving even your bones―”
“―Permutatio. Coagulatio. Vis Lamina...”
(Transform, Solidify, Achieve Power...)
The words that came out of their mouths, were the
means to crush the demon general. On one hand,
was the terrifying pronouncement of a howl, and on
the other was the mercury sword formed by
alchemy. And the first to cause a change in the air,
was the dragonnewt's roar. In preparation for that
howl, the sound of a tremendous amount of air
being inhaled spread through the air.
“Hoooooooooooooooh...”
It was as if all the air in the surroundings was
being sucked into his chest. Seeing Eanru take that
posture, Suimei moved to his own position. And as
he was in the middle of walking―
“... If you're saying that you have no other goals in
life than eradicating humanity, then you are likely
all properly made puppets of the Evil God. So pitiful.
So pitiful, but if you plan on bringing harm to others,
regardless of whether or not you are demons, after
all, I think you are all something that cannot be left
to exist. After killing so many of them, I also think
I'm a bit of an idiot for saying it now of all times
though―My goodness, I didn't think that the
demons would be this far past redemption.”
As Suimei spoke with sorrow towards the sky, he
brought forth his mercury katana, and closed his
eyes.
“―The power to transform the perfectly clear blue
light into the heavenly sky. The indistinguishable
horizon over the ocean. For this single instant, that
boundary lies within my hand. Cut through the
azure sky. It's name is the dazzling blue among
blue.”
Holding the mercury katana in both hands, he
pointed it to the ground as he chanted his spell. As
the chant echoed out mysteriously in the air, a large
sky blue magic circle spread out at his feat, and blue
flashes of lightning were unleashed in the air due to
his mana. Debris rose from the ground, and began
soaring towards the sky.
Accompanied by his crackling mana extolling his
magic, Suimei's mercury sword inhaled the
spectrum from the sky, and his sword turned blue.
The enormous surplus of power gave rise to violent
gales around him. Trees, rocks and grass all jumbled
together as they were all uprooted and torn to shreds
as they were blown away. Looking up, the blue sky
had lost its colour, and appeared to be a completely
dark night. And so, the dragon's incandescent roar,
and the blue light from his sword took to the skies.
“―Breath Blade Distract!” (―Oh purifying blade
which plunders blue from the sky, expel evil!)
An incandescent roar, and a blue, ever blue and
pure brilliance. As the mixture of blue and crimson
threatened the pitch black skies, the flock of demons
and Striga were not permitted any resistance, and
were completely obliterated by the purple wave.
★
In the end, the demon general Striga and all the
kin he was leading were completely wiped out.
The curtain came down on them in such a way
that one could call it far too easy, but in that regard,
his opponents were simply just a bad match for him.
The winning technique was the dragon's roar, and
the purifying power of the Breath Blade. As the two
came together, it became a ruthless attack which
reminded Suimei of the violent torrent of lightning
breath. From Striga's point of view, all it would have
seemed like was a violent thunder assaulting his
ears. Without even having the time to plug his ears
from the reverberating lightning, Striga was unable
to do anything before such an enormous power.
“―How do I put it, that's just bad luck huh.”
“Seriously. That demon's misfortune is truly
excessive.”
Even though they found the curtain call to be
somewhat humorous, they still took lives, so Eanru
didn't show a smile either. It ended far too quickly.
With that, there was only four demon generals left.
That was only the case if another one hadn't been
defeated out there somewhere―but, there was still
something that Suimei found unconvincing. It was
what he was thinking about before Eanru showed
up. It was just stuck in the corner of his mind.
“What's wrong? Is there something with the back
of your neck?”
In response to Eanru's question, Suimei turned his
back to him. And the direction he faced, was where
the Imperial military encampment was.
“―I'm going back. I have a really bad hunch.”
“A bad hunch?”
“Yeah, a bad hunch that I get all the time.”
As he put it in an annoying way, he strengthened
his body with magic, but Eanru still had more to say.
“Fumu. Then I shall accompany you.”
“Ha?”
“It's nothing. If you have a bad hunch, then it
means something that I can enjoy is going to
happen is all.”
“―You really need to put a rest to that.”
As Suimei took on a resigned attitude as he spoke,
Eanru once more began letting out a pleasant laugh.

vol 7 ch 4 2018-12-13T04:49:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown