The severed head of the vampire lord Cherpec falling in the mountains was the signal flare.
The Imperial Army charged toward the demon army.
The blade of Luke, the head of the White Night tribe, sliced through with tremendous force.
It was a decisive strike.
The heads of the demon army in front were swept away behind.
The crimson blade of the cat-folk swordsman, Hestia, ignited.
Bell’s sword and Hestia’s sword annihilated the demons.
“You’ve grown again, Bell.”
It was Haven’s voice. Haven stood beside Bell as they charged forward. The siblings exchanged glances.
“Brother, you’ve crossed your limits too.”
Haven grinned.
“How did you know?”
Bell turned her gaze from the demons in front of her and spoke.
“The density is different. The density of the blade.”
The blue flames blooming from Bell and Haven’s swords shot straight ahead.
Towards the densely packed demon army.
Every moment in this land was a crossfire.
And most of the decisive strikes in those crossfire moments were from the Imperial Army.
Of course, it wasn’t without casualties on the Imperial Army’s side. That would be impossible.
“Don’t let your comrades’ deaths be in vain!”
All she could resolve was not to waste those deaths.
In the mountains, the blood of the Imperial Army intertwined thickly with the blood of the demon army.
Bell swung her sword endlessly.
Brigitte’s power, [Royal Blood], allowed Bell’s physical abilities to be maintained at their peak.
Wrapped in protective energy, she swung her whole body fiercely.
Swish!
Elbow blow.
The head of the second-tier demon was struck directly by Bell’s elbow, bursting into a mist of brain matter without a trace.
Crack!
She kicked the massive jaw of a first-tier monster shaped like a giant lizard with her knee. And without hesitation, she swung her sword to behead the monster.
The monster’s head rolled away.
Whoosh!
The blue-flamed blade did not die down.
Bell continued to pile up the mountain of bodies.
Someone’s words kept echoing in her mind.
-Narrow your arms more.
It was the voice of her swordsmanship master, Yuma.
Clash!
She saw a black wolf responding to her sword with its massive claws. At first glance, it resembled the lycanthrope she had seen in the tribal council, but its lower body resembled that of a lizardman, suggesting a completely different race.
-When entering a power struggle with an opponent of similar strength, one must create a variable first.
Yuma’s direct advice surfaced at the right moments, even the calm tone of that voice.
Boom!
Bell lightly kicked off the ground and launched herself backward. In that instant, she erupted a flash of sword light from the sword making contact with the creature’s arm.
-Whatever that variable may be, it doesn’t matter.
The phenomenon enveloped their space like a flashbang exploding.
-The enemy falters. All you need to do is stay calm.
Groowwwl…!
The red eyes squinted shut at that moment. Bell’s sword traced a cross in an instant.
The body of the wolfman was sliced through by the cross-shaped strike.
The one who passed on the swordsmanship to her—
The ideals she pursued felt infinitely distant.
Bell continued to extend her sword path toward a world that was unseen and utterly unpredictable.
*
Demon World.
The staff in charge of the demon world’s invasion operation were in a daze.
The great demon Prod mumbled with his mouth agape.
“…When did humans become this strong?”
From the moment the vampire lord Blark Cherpec’s head fell to the ground, something had felt terribly off.
Of the four first-tier demons scheduled to participate today, three were dead.
Only one remained. And that one was the [Demon King] himself, a demi-god level being, who was the only remaining connection to the Intermediate World.
Only the one directly handled by the [Demon King] remains.
The demonic duke and vampire, Seliel, hurriedly got to his feet.
“I will ask if Lord Vefaron is ready.”
[King of All Monsters] Vefaron.
Vefaron was a Demon King with the power to completely dominate monsters that were so powerful that even 2nd-tier beings could get devoured if they tried to tame them.
“Lord Vefaron is preparing to set out.”
Seliel’s hardened face relaxed a bit.
If Vefaron was taking action himself, he could unleash a disaster even greater than the demons released until now upon the Astes Empire.
Creeeak—
The Great Demon, Prod, gritted his teeth.
“If we fail this time too, it would be as if we gained nothing on the first day of the Intermediate Realm invasion.”
Seliel shook his head. He agreed with Prod’s words but was certain that there would be gains this time.
A definite harvest in conquering the Astes Empire.
Divine Realm.
The evil god Malphas, shaped like a massive black crow, pondered while seated.
He received reports through the Evil God Church that the invasion of the Demon World had begun.
If he had his way, he wanted to fill the air with commands to kill Yuma. However, the Divine Realm and the Demon World had an inviolable treaty.
Each world would not interfere in the business of the other.
That was the basic structure. Of course, there were those who strayed from this framework in both realms.
“No… If I meddle unnecessarily, and the demons absorb too much world power using the Intermediate Realm as a sacrifice, that would be troublesome in its own way…”
The Great Demon King.
They were the very essence of the Demon World, unable to leave it.
Symbols that maintained the circulation of the Demon World. They were the cores of the world.
The Great Demon King of the Demon World had powers identical to those of a god, not as a demigod, but as one in the genuine 1st tier. Powers comparable to the Eight Evil Gods.
The difference between the Great Demon King and the gods of the Divine Realm was clear-cut.
The only place where the Great Demon King could hold equal power to the Eight Evil Gods was within the Demon World.
Gods of the Divine Realm could traverse even the Demon World, but the Great Demon King was entirely incapable of moving to other worlds.
And should the Demon World successfully dominate the Intermediate Realm.
If they fully devoured the world power of that Intermediate Realm, there was a chance the Great Demon King might awaken the strength needed to dedicate himself to another plane.
If he possessed such a power, the Great Demon King, who yearned to be a god even now, would not sit idle. He would invade the Divine Realm and seek divine power, yearning to truly become a god.
“If those demons could land a powerful hit… It would be wonderful to kill him.”
Malphas thought, recalling Yuma’s cool but expressionless face.
*
From the black gate, black clouds spread like fog. The spreading black clouds formed into a single shape. The thick black clouds above the sky manifested into the form of a black mountain goat.
On top of that massive mountain goat sat a giant man.
[King of All Monsters] Vefaron.
Vefaron, with his thick black hair swirling, looked down upon the land of the Astes Empire.
“Pathetic beings.”
That remark wasn’t directed at humans.
It was a voice of disdain aimed at his fellow demons. Hatred for his kin who dared to involve him.
Vefaron cast a contemptuous gaze at the scenery of the Astes Empire below, upon the 1st-tier monster, the black mountain goat, he was riding.
The Imperial Army was also struggling at the mountain’s foot.
People fought desperately to fend off countless monsters falling from the body of the black mountain goat.
Hestia rushed down the mountain with the members of the Hollow Mercenary Corps.
To quickly assist those engaged in battle below.
Hestia’s body moved violently. This was the moment to awaken her beast-like nature.
Kugugugugugugu──!!!
From the enormous body of the mountain goat, which resembled a dense mass of dark clouds in the sky, black tentacles plummeted. Thousands of gigantic tentacles descended.
The long and massive mountain goat monster, like a dark cloud, had black tentacles crashing down from its body. There were thousands of those gigantic tentacles.
It looked as if it intended to completely sweep away not only the imperial palace but the entire Astes Empire.
“Protect the Empire!”
With the shout of the Scarlet Magic Tower Master Eldrie, who was leading the mages in this war, more mana was poured into the curtain magic that was already spread across the sky of the imperial palace.
Among the mages continuously infusing mana into the dome-shaped gigantic barrier, there was also the former Holy Maiden Ermel.
This was because, just before the invasion of the demon realm, she had achieved the 3rd circle and earned the title of “War Mage.”
She desperately channeled her mana into the magic circle.
Ermel faced the mages who were also maintaining the barrier magic, Absolute Defense.
Everyone, dressed in various robes, was putting in their utmost effort to channel their mana.
The barrier artifacts overlapping with Absolute Defense were still intact, but it was essential to keep the magic active to block the tentacles and demon magic currently striking the Empire.
Boom─!!!
Despite desperately holding on, the barrier was cracking.
Absolute Defense also had gaps being pierced through.
Boom!!
The tentacles, spinning like drills, pierced through the barrier and Absolute Defense.
And beneath it was the former Holy Maiden Ermel.
“Ermel!!!”
Someone called her name and body-slammed into Ermel.
The one who saved Ermel from the brink of death was the crimson-haired cat-folk swordsman.
Hestia knocked Ermel down to save her life before immediately getting back up and moving forward.
She put her strength into the tips of her right foot and spun her entire body.
Then, at the end of that spin, she swung her sword.
Swish!
A red trajectory cut through two black tentacles.
This is the battlefield. It’s only natural for a war mage to live with such risks. So, she immediately stood back on the magic circle.
ZZA——AAAAANG!!!!
The Demon King Vefaron gazed at the magic Absolute Defense that withstood the attack from his subordinate, the living cloud, the black mountain goat Barphone.
“Looks like the mages have gathered quite a bit of strength.”
How ridiculous.
Vefaron placed his hand above Barphone’s head. The Demon King’s mark on his forehead glimmered. He was granting his magic power to his subordinate, Barphone.
“Crush that one. My servant.”
KIIIIIIIIIING!!!!
The gigantic black horn atop the black goat Barphone began to pulse with black sparks, and a dark sphere coalesced at the center of both horns.
ZZAAAAA——!
The Black Catastrophe that blows everything living away.
That tremendous power converged, ripping through the very fabric of the atmosphere.
The hemisphere barrier of Absolute Defense that perfectly surrounded the imperial palace trembled.
But in the skies above the Empire, there was not only the black mountain goat.
Swoooooosh!
Griffon, Ethan.
Duke Yuma and Cloney were riding atop Ethan.
Finally, they pierced through the vast seas and returned to the Astes Empire.
And they saw it. The overwhelming aura of death gathering in the distance.
Yuma urgently looked at Cloney.
He needed that attack to be directed at him.
“Do you know a spell that amplifies my voice, like a loudspeaker?”
“Yes, yes! It’s a spell called Cave Echo.”
The name was a bit lame.
“Cast it in front of me now.”
“Sure!”
Cloney’s right hand, gripping her magic staff, began to move quickly.
A translucent vortex appeared before Yuma.
Yuma opened his mouth immediately.
He opened his mouth right away.
“This is not your world, you little pest. If you don’t want to end up like your shattered race in that blue sea, stop your antics, tuck your tail, and go back home.”
Yuma’s voice thundered in the sky.
And those words reached Vefaron’s ears. Vefaron directed his gaze at the man, Yuma, who was perched upon the griffin.
“…So that’s the bastard they were talking about.”
Vefaron recalled the two advisors who dared to babble next to him right before he stepped through the gate of the demon realm.
– A human with grayish hair and wall-like eyes. That human possesses immense power. A dangerous individual.
– He can deflect and reflect any ordinary attack with an unknown technique. It’s not just a simple counterattack; he overlays the existing attack with something several times stronger, reflecting it back.
– Be careful, My Lord.
A dangerous individual.
That statement itself was contradictory. How could a mere human pose a threat to the Demon Lord, Vefaron?
‘Ordinary attacks?’
Did he think the attacks from his subordinates, boosted by his magic, were “ordinary”?
That power could obliterate an entire demon kingdom.
‘These young fools are so cowardly.’
Vefaron decided to change his target.
Not the [Absolute Fortress], but the human who had lost his fear.
And he conveyed that resolve to his trusted steed, the black mountain goat [Barphone].
Kukuku—!
In the sky.
Amidst a sky filled with clouds and fog, the two men were locked in a gaze.
Yuma and Vefaron sat upon their respective mounts, seeming to have promised to aim their attention at each other.
Vefaron, with black skin and a large red horn prominently in the center of his golden-haired forehead, opened his mouth.
“Regret the words you spat out while being consumed by the flames of the soul.”
In a flash───────
A beam of black magical energy shot forth from the massive horns of Barphone, concentrated at their center.
The black beam pierced the sky.
It was as if a paintbrush dipped in black ink was slammed onto a pristine white canvas, streaking back violently.
In an instant, the segmented sky trembled.
Swaeeeeek!!!!
The griffin Ethan, following Yuma’s command, executed a sharp maneuver to the right.
Yuma’s whole body was enveloped in the power of Balmung. It served as a defensive magic akin to a protective aura.
<Bullet Time>
The black magical beam slowed down.
<Indomitable Will>
Ka—kakakakakak…
The center point of the magical beam, marked as the parrying point, was aligned directly at the center of the beam.
Until Balmung’s blade reached that point, his balance remained intact. Even on the griffin, Ethan.
Kaa—ann!!!!!
A golden wave radiated outwards.
As Bullet Time ended, the world was engulfed in darkness, as if it had lost power.
Not a single one of the hundreds of mages pouring their magic into the magic circle and the thousand knights defending them could foresee the outcome.
That moment between Yuma and the Demon Lord was so unreal that it seemed like the world could vanish.
Grin.
Only one person.
One person, seated on the ground, was certain of the outcome of this battle.
“You don’t know? You’re bound to get hit.”
The ex-Holy Maiden, the battle mage Ermel, watched in real-time as the soul of her believed God Incrinew was crushed in Yuma’s hand.
Kwaaaaarrrrrr!!!!
The darkened world was painted white with a thunderous roar.
And in the sky, from what had just moments ago been the Demon Lord and his loyal mount—a black mountain goat—fell down, losing their forms and turning into mere chunks of meat.
With thick, gray smoke trailing behind.
“It’s the manifestation of the God of War. You demon bastards….”
All the strength drained from her body.
Ermel collapsed flat on the ground.
