“Listen carefully, Jiro. Miyagawa’s soul hasn’t been absorbed by the First Generation Lord’s soul yet.”
Before being handed over, Amelia had said that she could still be saved.
“It’s a stroke of luck. Miyagawa cohabited with First Generation Demon Lord’s soul in the same body for a short period. And this was while he held the lead. This has given Miyagawa’s soul resistance.”
Normally, given the difference in soul rank, it would be understandable for Amelia’s soul to be swallowed and disappear when the Demon Lord’s soul went berserk.
In fact, the Supervisor said that the fact that she hadn’t disappeared was strange.
“I know this will only buy time, but conversely, it means we have time. Listen, Jiro. What you need to do is extremely simple.”
Amelia and the Demon Lord’s soul were locked in a struggle.
No, in this case, it would be more accurate to call it a one-sided slaughter. If left unchecked, Amelia’s soul would disappear.
Time would solve nothing.
Therefore, interference from the outside was necessary.
“Completely drain her magic power. Drag her magic power outside her body so her consciousness can’t focus inward. The more she is depleted, the higher the probability that Miyagawa can regain control of the body. Don’t worry.”
Supervisor.
Easy for you to say, but do you know the saying “easier said than done”?
“Mere attacks won’t even leave a scratch. Give it your all.”
What exactly was reassuring about the concluding words of the explanation?
Attacks wouldn’t work, and if one hit me, it would be fatal.
I had never heard of such an impossible situation.
I had them prepare the best equipment possible, and I was also given equipment specifically for fighting the Demon Lord’s soul.
And as a bonus, the Supervisor kindly stated that *if* we started fighting, the High Angels and the Hero would be drawn out.
“Honestly, if the opponent wasn’t family, I’d want to go home right now.”
My true feelings spilled out, taking all the circumstances into account.
“I understand and agree, but why say that right before we jump in?”
I wanted to say that it was better than not sighing, but as Kitamiya said, it wasn’t the right time to say it.
“I just voiced my true feelings under the pretext of wanting to ease the tension. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“That’s something you shouldn’t say.”
“You’re right, but well, it did loosen the tension, didn’t it?”
Peering over the cliff, I could see Amelia walking through the moonlit valley.
She didn’t seem to have noticed us, but there was a possibility she had noticed and was ignoring us, so it was hard to say.
From this angle, Amelia’s expression was also invisible.
“Yes, let’s leave it at that.”
“Please do. Have Kaido and the others taken their positions?”
“Yes, they seem to have.”
Looking at the opposite bank, I could see Kaido and the others, who had been led by Himik, waving.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
Preparation complete.
Now all that was left was to act.
“Kitamiya, activate the magic tool.”
“Understood.”
The slender cylindrical magic tools that Kitamiya and the others were carrying had now changed shape into something resembling a telescope.
However, Amelia was in the direction where we should have been looking at the stars.
At my instruction, Kitamiya channeled magic into the tool and activated it.
The magic tool gradually responded to the magic and activated its functions.
It was the…
“Light Spirit Barrier, activated.”
A binding barrier made of light spirits, a natural enemy to the Demon Lord.
Normally, this would be enough to hold her back to some extent.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The opponent was the Demon Lord. She would break through such a barrier in a matter of minutes.
In fact, as if unaffected, she started walking again.
Having set the stage, we finally leaped before Amelia.
Just as Oda Nobunaga descended the cliff at the Battle of Okehazama, we relied on our physical abilities and rushed down.
Minami and the others on the opposite bank also activated the barrier, doubling its strength before descending.
“This is a test of endurance now!!”
While Himik took the lead, I too unsheathed my Ore Tree and charged at Amelia.
Amelia slowly raised her face, her eyes clouded to a degree that couldn’t be explained by the darkness alone.
As soon as she looked at us, dozens of magic bullets were generated.
“So, you realized dark magic was ineffective and prepared other elements.”
Despite the barrage of bullets aimed at me, I didn’t slow my speed.
Was the closest target Himik?
As Himik, dressed in a practical, unadorned black full-body armor, flew at low altitude, a storm of magic bullets descended upon her. However, Himik calmly deflected as many as she could with her halberd and closed the distance at once.
“But, you over there too…”
They came towards me like stray bullets, but even I could handle them, given their speed. I joined the battlefield, slashing them away with my Ore Tree and fighting using the reach of my weapon, playing into Himik’s fight.
“We’re dealing with it.”
The Demon Lord’s soul, using Amelia’s body, fought like a magic-user. A conventional style, using barriers and attack magic to maintain distance and defeat opponents.
But, if I may say so, even from my perspective, her movements were fast and her judgment quick, but lacking in finesse.
And that was to be expected, as that was precisely how we had planned it.
The Light Spirit Barrier exerted a power similar to that of the Sun God.
In other words, it had the effect of weakening those who were Moon familiars, like the members of the Demon Lord’s Army.
This applied to the Demon Lord herself.
Although this was originally a tool used to seal powerful criminals, the one brought out this time was a custom-made, highly potent version, not the usual one.
It had no effect on humans like us, or on Himik, who was a Fallen Angel but unaffected by light attributes.
However, if ordinary demons entered this barrier, they would collapse to the ground, a true one-of-a-kind item.
To think that even with two layers of this barrier, the opponent’s movements were only slightly dulled. This was truly the Soul of a Demon Lord.
However, while her body was fine thanks to Amelia, her soul seemed to be considerably affected, and the power of her magic had dropped significantly.
Nevertheless, if it hit, it would still be fatal.
The difference, if any, was that instead of annihilation upon impact in an unweakened state, the power had been reduced to a level where one could barely survive a hit.
“Hmph!”
Clang! My Ore Tree clashed against a barrier.
Still, it wasn’t a barrier that could be so easily cut through.
Amelia’s gaze shifted from Himik, the most dangerous opponent, towards me.
“Wake up already!! Amelia!!”
It might be cliche, but such appeals are said to be effective.
It didn’t matter if it reached her or not. We had to do it.
“Ngh!?”
Naturally, there was no immediate response. I dodged the magic that served as a reply and retreated.
“Master!”
“Any reaction?”
“Not yet.”
Himik, also wearing a full-face helmet, retreated and stood beside me. She herself had tried calling out to gauge her reaction, but it was too early for a positive turn of events.
“Geez, this is going to be a longer fight than I thought.”
“That was the assumption.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yeah, count on me.”
Without a word, we split to the left and right, charging to flank her. The Demon Lord’s soul immediately fired magic to prevent this.
But, ice spears falling from the sky intercepted the magic.
Glancing back, I saw Kitamiya and Minami had joined forces, and in front of them, Kaido had succeeded in creating a defensive position. With the magic tool Kaido carried on his back, defense was possible, allowing them to focus on attacking without moving.
With fixed artillery and support magic raining down, the fight became considerably easier.
“That’s a great help.”
I noticed shields floating around me, and saw similar ones floating around the defensive position. That was Minami’s shield magic. It could be moved freely and attached to others. Its durability was more than adequate.
That shield blocked a magic attack that came from behind, trying to flank me. We had managed to bring the fight to a stalemate, preventing an immediate wipeout with the first blow or a battle decided by near-equal strength. The combination of the enemy’s weakening, our equipment enhancement, and the opponent’s unfamiliar body and combat rustiness had yielded results. The enemy’s magic power stabilizing was also a factor in forming this situation. The Supervisor, in a state of rampant desperation to contain the surrounding damage, had made a miscalculation. Had that not happened, the outcome might have been slightly different, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
“No time for idle chatter, I suppose.”
A blade of wind whizzed past my face, so close it grazed my nose, sending a shiver down my spine and forcing me to refocus. From here on out, it was a battle of time and stamina. Time was limited by the disappearance of Amelia’s soul or the arrival of Carter and the others. Stamina was, quite literally, a matter of whether our strength would run out. We had to somehow pull Amelia’s soul out before reaching either dead end.
“Kaha, I can’t afford to lose!!”
We had played our cards. Now, we had to secure victory, even if it was a gamble with unfavorable odds! With a wry smile, I cast aside my anxieties and stepped forward with renewed determination, solely focused on finding a path to victory. Since time was limited, I wouldn’t waste a single second, and for now, I would fight without thinking of anything else.
From then on, we focused solely on making her cast magic, shattering her barriers, and depleting her magic power. But the opponent was the soul of a Demon Lord with seemingly inexhaustible magic power. Even as we attacked relentlessly to prevent her from using great magic, there was no sign of improvement. The word “conserve” was not applicable to us at this moment. How long had it been since I connected with the Ore Tree and started operating at full capacity? Himik still had some leeway. I could still continue fighting. But how long could the three behind us hold out? We were struggling by with potions, but the strain on our bodies was gradually increasing. Kitamiya’s magic frequency began to decrease, and the precision of Minami’s support magic started to wane. Even Kaido, to protect the other two and avoid overburdening the magic tool, continued to block incoming magic, and his body was covered in wounds. This endless work was mentally taxing. But if this was the only way, we had no choice but to continue this war of attrition. The light barrier formed in the valley. It was, at first glance, like a kind of arena. Fighting endlessly there, and fighting while wary of an end that might never come, was enough to wear down our nerves. And then…
“Master!!”
“Tch, they’ve come.”
A single curse, and two lights appeared in the sky. And the amount of magic power I felt from their radiance was equal to Himik’s. It wasn’t that time was up, but… we had been put in check. The Demon Lord’s soul also stopped its attack, looking up at the sky. Twin angels with identical faces, and on their backs, three pairs of brilliantly white wings. A Seraph had arrived.
Today’s Word: Even if the situation worsens, it is not over yet.
This concludes this installment. If you found it interesting, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume has been greenlit for publication by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume will be released on December 19. The content includes corrections and additions to the version posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, along with previously unpublished interlude chapters. We highly recommend the new releases!
Furthermore, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
