Chapter 503

======[Arvil Outskirts, Damien and Milia]======

On a road not far from the city walls. In the middle of a snowy field where the piled-up snow hasn’t melted yet, four men and women clash, unleashing their murderous intent.

– Kwaaaaang!

A deafening explosion shakes the earth, roars and battle cries intertwine, scattering blood.

Facing the leader of the Dream Paradise Society, the heretic Eljure, and her subordinates, Damien and Milia engage in a fierce battle, holding their ground.

A middle-aged man’s halberd slices through spiraling arrows, and blue magical wolves are torn apart by Damien’s greatsword.

“Kroooooo!”

A monster arm sprouting from the middle-aged man’s back reaches for Damien’s back, but two swiftly shot arrows intercept it, only grazing his armor.

The illusion of a flock of eagles conjured by Eljure swoops down like lightning toward Milia, who has left an opening.

“Damn it!”

Milia leaps to the side, dodging the eagles, and nocks a new arrow, firing it. The spiraling arrow’s airflow shatters the eagles into pieces, and the fragments dissipate into magical energy.

‘……’

It was a perfect defense, but Milia’s expression wasn’t bright. She only had thirty-four arrows left. Since she couldn’t retrieve the arrows she shot, each one lost was a painful blow.

Unlike Eljure, who could endlessly unleash attacks as long as she had mana, once Milia ran out of arrows, she’d have to resort to her short sword, which she hadn’t used in a while.

—

“Impressive, very impressive. Reaching the level of a master at such a young age is astonishing, and even among masters, you’re exceptional. Are the subordinates of monsters also monsters?”

Eljure floats slightly in the air, looking down at Milia with a slight frown.

Two children who’ve only been masters for half a year. She thought she could easily crush them like snacks, but it was taking longer than expected.

‘Letting Kist chase that half-elf was a mistake. I thought just me and Rabins would be enough. I didn’t expect it to drag on like this.’

The situation was still in her favor, but she lacked the power to completely overwhelm them.

Unlike Diraid, who poured all his strength into destructive power, Eljure focused more on illusions and mental magic, lacking a decisive blow.

Creating illusions with mana wasn’t enough to break through their defenses.

As for mental magic like fear or frenzy, they’d just drink holy water, rendering it almost useless.

They were more troublesome than expected.

“Haaaaaah!”

As soon as Eljure paused, Damien seized the opportunity, slashing Rabins’ halberd aside and using the monster arm as a stepping stone to leap toward Eljure, swinging his greatsword.

“How dare you!”

Eljure flies sideways to dodge the greatsword’s trajectory, but Damien uses levitation magic to change his course mid-air, chasing her like lightning drawn to a lightning rod. Damien’s greatsword pierces Eljure’s waist.

– Shwaaaak!

Eljure is torn in half without even screaming.

But instead of celebrating, Damien quickly turns his head. He didn’t feel the sensation of cutting through flesh and bone.

“Another illusion!”

“Of course.”

The voice of a woman echoes above Damien’s head as the illusion of Eljure, split in two, melts away like cotton candy thrown into water.

Changing her flight path while simultaneously casting an illusion spell. Damien had only slashed through empty air, fooled by Eljure’s illusion.

“A knight charging at a magician? That’s recklessness beyond measure!”

A torrent of magical energy follows. Eljure creates the illusion of a thunderbird and slams it down toward Damien.

“Then come down here!”

Damien swings his greatsword to counter, but the thunderbird, wrapped in lightning, flaps its wings and easily dodges the master’s blade.

– Kwa-jijijijik!

The thunderbird, circling around, strikes Damien’s side, scattering lightning across his armor.

“Kuuuugh…!”

Damien grits his teeth, enduring the pain of electrocution. Sparks crackle across his armor. Though the bird was an illusion, the pain of the lightning was real. It wasn’t on the level of Hashelle’s strikes, but the pain was enough to make him groan.

“Damien-!”

Milia screams as she sees Damien struck by lightning and falling. She wants to rush to catch him, but she’s too busy dodging Rabins’ halberd aimed at her limbs to help.

“Kuh…! Don’t worry, I can hold on!”

Damien spins his falling body, landing on the snowy ground, reassuring Milia. It wasn’t bravado. Though his whole body tingled, it was better than when he was struck by Hashelle’s fist.

Damien stands up, gripping his greatsword tightly, and charges at Rabins. Rabins turns to face him, and the greatsword and halberd clash once more.

“Hold on? How arrogant…!”

Perhaps Damien’s words struck a nerve with Eljure. She begins to unleash the mana she had been conserving, intensifying her assault.

Flame wolves charge, spewing steam, and wind-blade birds swoop from all directions.

The snowy field rises and transforms into a white bear, slamming the ground, while lightning snakes crawl across the ground, aiming for their ankles.

The fierce battle continues.

‘…This is dangerous. As long as she’s flying around like that, there’s no way to cut her down. Should I have practiced levitation magic more…!’

Damien glares at Eljure floating in the air, gritting his teeth. Even if he jumps to attack, she just flies away, leaving him no way to reach her.

Even if he tried to chase her with levitation magic, his skill level only allowed him to change direction once. Without wings, his greatsword would never touch Eljure.

‘I used too many arrows on the city walls. What do I do…?’

Milia bites her lip, suppressing her anxiety, and pulls a new arrow from her nearly empty quiver.

The limits of their chosen strategy were becoming painfully clear against a stronger opponent.

=======[Hashelle]=======

The massive bell tower in the city center. If Belcus was still here, he’d undoubtedly be there.

I half-heartedly listen to Lacey’s grumbling about how I should just talk and act, as I rush toward the distant bell tower.

Knocking out a naked man trying to drag a ten-year-old girl into an alley, or castrating men who try to force themselves on me, claiming I’ve been chosen to serve them.

It was a bit excessive for men who were just brainwashed, but I couldn’t help it—it was a reflex.

Lacey cast a healing miracle on them, so they’ll be fine. Probably.

“The Empire’s monster is after the cult leader! Stop him!”

“For Invidia!”

As the bell tower comes into view, a group of cultists serving Belcus begins to appear.

Invidia. The jealous evil god, worshipped by the cultists.

In the original story, they were completely annihilated by the paladins, so I never had to deal with them, but now, in this reality far removed from the original, they’re alive and well.

For now.

“Hold on tight, Lacey! We’re breaking through!”

“Yes. Leave the defense to me!”

Durandal, imbued with my anger, slices through them like tofu, and the icy claws of my gauntlets feast on the prepared banquet, drenching my body in their blood.

They throw themselves at me as if offering their lives, but even so, they can’t stop my advance.

Restraint magic and curses shatter against my demon resistance, and fireballs or ice spears are blocked by Lacey’s divine light.

I charge forward like a tank with blades, turning the cultists blocking my path into puddles of blood.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Keeeeek! My stomach! My stomachaaaaa!”

The cultists’ screams fill the city center, echoing loudly. It’s a sound that somehow makes me feel better.

After five minutes of carving a red river through the cultists, the towering bell tower finally comes into view. Blocking the entrance, a man cloaked in dark energy wields a longsword, glaring at me.

Dirty blonde hair, a short beard, and skin tone somewhere between brown and black. Narrow eyes and geometric tattoos covering his forehead and stretching below his eyes.

The demon, Belcus of Discord, was here.

—

“Belcus…!”

Lacey, who had gotten off my back, grits her teeth, glaring at Belcus. Her eyes looked as if she were staring at a maggot crawling out of a sewer.

“The Winter Slayer and Elpinel’s daughter… So the others went after Eljure? A shame. If Seilon and Damien were here, things would’ve been easier.”

Belcus glances at me and Lacey, clicking his tongue. It sounds like bravado, but it’s probably his true feelings.

Considering one of the three authorities he possesses, 「Alpha Mail」.

The authority granted to Belcus by Invidius, Alpha Mail, is a grotesque power that proves male superiority, as the name suggests. It’s the foundation of his combat strength.

But it would have no effect on me and Lacey.

I’m not sure how it would manifest in reality, but in the game, 「Alpha Mail」 was a composite authority with two effects.

The first effect is a blessing that strengthens his stats by the combined stats of all male enemies opposing him.

A power that proves he’s the most superior male, or something like that.

If the rest of the party were women of similar strength, it wouldn’t be a big issue, but if the party was all male, they could be wiped out in an instant.

That’s why I sent Seilon after Eljure. If Belcus’s base strength was combined with Seilon’s, it would be hard for the others to hold out.

The second effect? It’s the domination ability I saw earlier. The ability to dominate defeated enemies and turn them into pawns.

Male members would instantly become Belcus’s puppets, and female members, once defeated, would become his loyal slaves.

The brainwashing spell cast over the city was likely created using this authority.

Thanks to 「Alpha Mail」, the bad ending where you lose to Belcus was quite popular among certain players.

Specifically, players who got excited by the idea of their woman being taken by another man, and then that woman insulting them while being intimate with that man.

…I once lost a one-on-one fight as Damien, and the ending where Damien, now Belcus’s puppet, personally subdued all the heroines and offered them to Belcus played out.

Among players, it was called the ‘Defeat○Submission’ ending.

Anyway, the point is, if it’s just me and Lacey fighting, the 「Alpha Mail」 authority is meaningless.

In the game, since Damien is the protagonist, he had to be included, but here in reality, I could just leave him out.

Without the authority’s blessing, Belcus is just a master-level demon, so I have no fear of losing. Even if he’s grown stronger from this incident… at best, he’d be at the level of a semi-hero.

So, I just need to be careful of his other two authorities. Of course, I’ve already prepared for those.

—

“You thought you could hide like a rat, but you’re showing yourself openly. You must know hiding is pointless, huh?”

I swing Durandal, stained red, in the air, shaking off the blood, and step forward, shielding Lacey.

“Yeah. I know. I never planned to hide. It’s pointless anyway. The Empire’s dog has caught my scent, so hiding won’t save me.”

Belcus smirks, lighting a magical cigarette. It’s hard to tell if his calm demeanor comes from confidence or the resignation of a man with nothing left to lose.

Not that I care.

“Oh, really? Then… go ahead and get bitten to death by the dog.”

Durandal glows with golden runes. Gripping the sword that slays demons, I charge at Belcus like a beast.