kscans

Chapter 105 - The Conclusion and What's to Come

I activated True Inferno, Kagutsuchi.

The heat radiating from the blue flames was incomparable to when they were red—and so was the temperature.

From behind cover, Goltor stared in utter shock at the blue fire emanating from me. Flames of a color he had never seen before… Just who was this man? The question filled his mind.

The Behemoth sensed the danger in those flames. It knew that fire conjured by humans was supposed to be ineffective, yet for some reason, it felt a primal fear. It raised its right foreleg, intending to crush me.

I dodged backward, evading the attack.

A shockwave slammed into me from the front. I was blown away but somehow managed to right myself.

Sand swirled violently, completely obscuring my vision. And yet, a terrible premonition filled my chest.

When the dust settled, I saw lightning arcing from its three horns, converging to form a colossal sphere of energy.

They didn’t know.

Beyond its tough hide and immense strength, the Behemoth possessed another, more terrifying power.

A sphere of lightning, fired from its horns.

Once unleashed, it would obliterate the entire surrounding area, leaving nothing behind. Its destructive range was vast enough to wipe out a city the size of the royal capital.

I knew this was its trump card. Then again, anyone would realize that, seeing something like this.

The power unleashed by a blast of that size would be immense. Dodging or escaping was impossible. That left only one option: to meet it head-on. I poured every last bit of my strength into Kagutsuchi.

In my 'awakened' state, I could use magic to its absolute limit.

There wasn't much time left. This had to end here.

The blade of fire extended further, its surface area expanding until it was three times larger than before.

It was like a sword wielded by a giant.

The Triceratops-like beast stared straight at me, its gaze unwavering. And then, it fired the great ball of lightning. Its speed was about forty kilometers per hour.

To my current self, that was slow.

I took an upper stance, waiting for it to approach.

"Giant Blade… God-Slayer!!"

I yelled as I swung down.

The two techniques collided.

But I was being pushed back. My footing was unstable, and I was forced to retreat, step by step. After firing, the monster did nothing.

Was it exhausted, or was it unable to move while maintaining the attack? Either way, if I lost here, it was all over.

I put every ounce of my being into it.

"…Uuuugh… Cheeeeeeeeeeeryaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!"

With a final roar, I sliced through the ball of lightning.

The bisected sphere dissipated and vanished. The monster, seemingly stunned, didn't move. I wasn't about to miss this opening.

I flew toward the beast, aiming for its right eye—the one that was already injured and blind.

It was the only place where I could enter its blind spot. My blade pierced its right eye. The monster shrieked in agony.

Before it could counterattack, I yelled.

"Kagutsuchi, Flame Release!!!"

I unleashed the blue flames inside the monster's body.

From its right eye to its face, from its face to its body, the fire spread in an instant. Given its colossal size, it should have taken time for the flames to engulf it completely. But I forced it to happen in a fraction of the time.

My magic was running low, but thanks to the effects of 'awakening,' I didn't have to worry about magical limits or reserves.

All I had to do was fight until the very last drop was gone.

With that resolve, I continued to unleash the flames.

Within the monster's consciousness, a faint flicker of Grine's awareness remained.

She was in agony, surrounded by a malevolence as black as pitch, filled with the impulse to destroy. The feeling echoed endlessly around her.

She couldn't escape the suffering.

At first, she had been preoccupied with what Harynair the Corruptor had said at the end about 'two people.'

Believing she had been used for their sake, she managed to command her body just enough to head for the border. But as she progressed, she couldn't figure out who the 'two people' were, and she decided to destroy the entire base.

The humans who got in her way… they didn't matter. All she had to do was destroy everything.

Such thoughts now dominated Grine's mind. But even that will was beginning to fade.

The flames coursing through her body were burning everything away. The agonizing malevolence thinned, and she felt a little more at ease.

Grine looked at the fire and thought, Flames that heal me.

With that thought, Grine reached out to the fire.

And then, she turned to ash and vanished.

The monster fell to its knees.

All four of them. Then, it immediately toppled to its right.

Dosuuun!!

The violent sound and a cloud of dust obscured the area.

Goltor tried to grasp what had happened, but the dust was too thick to see anything. When the smoke cleared, the monster was lying on its side, motionless.

I pulled the sword from its right eye and descended to the ground.

The red light around me was fading. Time was up.

From a distance, I could hear a voice. A voice I always heard.

Immediately after, I was overcome by intense pain and lost consciousness.


High above.

The Seven Demon Lords, who had been observing the Behemoth's advance, were stunned.

When faced with such a shocking sight, one can be left speechless, frozen in place before even thinking to panic.

Rumby the Fateweaver spoke.

"What…? What was that? Was that Otherworlder really that strong?"

Daios the Sea General answered her question.

"At the very least, he was able to fight on par with my subordinate in the Republic. I would have said he was decent, even for an upper-class opponent. But not strong enough to defeat a legendary monster."

That was his assessment.

To this, Lates the Thousand Poisons added.

"B-but he actually won. Does this mean he has acquired a new skill? One that pushes his physical abilities to their absolute limit, perhaps?"

Everyone agreed with this speculation.

No matter how many skills one acquired, a power that could serve as a trump card was not easily mastered.

One would not be able to obtain a skill of that caliber unless they had severely underestimated their own strength.

Harynair the Corruptor mused.

"To think he would go this far. Perhaps I should have used Grine a little longer?"

She regretted her actions.

Redorza the Sage responded to her words.

"No, that course of action was a unanimous decision. Silencing her was essential. No one can know what the future holds."

His statement could be taken as a defense of their choice.

While everyone was sharing their opinions, Sidoor the Sword Demon spoke up.

"In any case, this matter can be considered a success, for the most part. We have witnessed that man's power, as well as Sage-dono's experiment. Lord Sea General bought us time, Lord Thousand Poisons provided the means, and Lady Corruptor devised the plan. Regardless of the outcome, I can say with confidence that it was a satisfying spectacle."

The other members fell silent at his words.

It was true that the humans had won, but the Demon Lords weren't fixated on winning or losing.

As long as it was entertaining to watch, that was enough. And in that respect, they were satisfied.

Bamhal the Dragon King then said.

"But, Sidoor, your compatriot suffered a rather serious injury. Does that not bother you?"

To this, Sidoor replied.

"To be wounded is the fate of a warrior. To use that as a reason to fight would only bring shame upon Danmes. If he had died, I would have avenged him, of course."

He stated it with a blank expression.

Bamhal thought to himself.

The Minotaur race was a species that valued pride above all else. Danmes had held a personal grudge, but Bamhal was relieved to see that Sidoor was different.

If Sidoor had also acted on a personal grudge, he could have destroyed a nation in a single day.

As a mediator, that was something he could not ignore.

Judging that the conversation had run its course, Bamhal announced.

"Well then, this plan is now concluded. While our existence has not been revealed, we cannot be entirely certain of our safety. Each of you will lay low for a while. Are there any objections?"

The other six remained silent.

Taking that as an affirmation, Bamhal said.

"Then, we are dismissed. You have done well."

With those final words, they were enveloped in a black mist, and all of the Seven Demon Lords vanished from the scene.


And so, the battle came to an end.

Numerous deaths. An incident that would go down in history.

And a hero who shone brightly.

These events would be deeply engraved in the legends of the Empire for generations to come.