We live at the foothills of the Dragon Peak.
The Rain of Stars
It was a gentle rain of stars, unlike the stories Yunyun and Rinrin had told me.
It fell into the Heavenly Mountain Range, trailing tails of shooting stars as it descended like a merciful rain.
However, this rain of stardust possessed power beyond imagination.
One of the Black Ogres, upon touching the first fragment of a falling star, vanished in an instant without even a chance to scream his last.
The remaining ogres looked up at the sky in shock. Then, they frantically melted into their own shadows to escape.
But even that brief moment was not enough, and before they could fully escape into their shadows, two more Black Ogres were annihilated.
Slaton and the others looked up at the sky in stunned silence.
The rain of stardust gently showered overhead.
Yet, it seemed as though the stellar rain could distinguish its enemies from those it was meant to protect, for it was harmless to me, Slaton, Listea, and the Eastern Magician.
“Kuaaaah! Damn you, damn you!”
A sky full of stars, shining brilliantly in the daytime heavens. An infinite rain of shooting stars poured down.
Unlike us, who stood transfixed and watched, Kusharilla writhed in agony, battered by the rain.
Screaming and contorting in pain, her very existence seemed to warp.
Perhaps attempting to resist, Kusharilla deployed a 3D Magic Circle and tried to unleash magic. However, the stellar rain easily shattered the 3D Magic Circle and mercilessly rained down on Kusharilla.
Kusharilla’s scream echoed directly within my mind.
Not only that.
The air vibrated intensely, releasing shockwaves indiscriminately into the surroundings.
But the stellar rain shattered even these shockwaves, neutralizing them.
The shockwaves of her screams did not even reach me standing beside her.
Kusharilla, who had remained unfazed by the Giant Demon Lord’s lightning strikes, was now writhing in such agony and screaming.
The rain of stars, which was said to be completely ineffective against Kusharilla, was undeniably showing its power.
Nevertheless, even with its power to annihilate three of the Black Ogres with a single fragment, the rain of stars could not defeat Kusharilla.
She was in agony, but she endured.
This was Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla.
A demon of the Primogenitor Race, set apart from the multitude of demons.
I tightened my grip on the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword and the Spirit Sword.
After all, even with help, the final blow must be delivered by one’s own hand.
Even the Dragon Sword Dance was ineffective; no matter how much I danced, it was blocked. Such wavering thoughts could never be uttered in the face of the stellar rain.
The person who made the rain of stars fall would undoubtedly say that I should see the conclusion through myself.
I began to dance the Dragon Sword Dance anew.
Bathed in the stardust, the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword and the Spirit Sword shone energetically.
It’s strange. The rain of stars exhibited a terrifying power against the demons, but for some reason, it seemed to be a boon to those connected to the Spirit Tree.
And I was included among those receiving this boon.
Was it because I was also connected to the Spirit Tree?
That was probably something only the caster would understand.
But I was indeed receiving the benefit of the rain of stars.
My depleted Dragon Energy was recovering under the rain.
My stamina and mental strength also surged along with the recovery of my Dragon Energy.
I danced the Dragon Sword Dance, powerful yet imbued with both grace and refinement.
I swung the Spirit Sword, cornering the still-writhing Kusharilla.
Kusharilla moved to block the sword, but even that was shattered by the rain of stars.
The Spirit Sword sliced through Kusharilla.
Accompanied by the movements of the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, the path of the stellar rain changed.
Could I control it?
No. More accurately, was I being told to control it?
What a strict person. While they would offer help, it would not be without cost.
Surely, if I didn’t give my all, the stellar rain would mercilessly attack us too. That’s how strict the person who helped me was.
I focused my consciousness.
I should be able to do this too.
Just as Sefina, who possessed no magic power, skillfully parried spells. Just as Yufilia and Nina demonstrated their control.
I should be able to control a different type of art as well.
I delved deeper and deeper into my consciousness.
The rain of stars was not only falling upon the world I could see but also into the world of the spirits.
The world, painted in myriad colors by the spirits, shone brilliantly.
A radiance that couldn’t be described with any single color fell endlessly from the heavens like shooting stars.
The rain of stars, like the Spirit Tree, influenced all the layered worlds.
I guided the rain of stars.
Borrowing the power of the Spirit Tree, I gave direction to the falling stars.
Leading the rain of stars through the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, as if showing the flow of the world.
I swung the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword. The tip of the blade drew a beautiful arc.
Guided by the power of the Spirit Tree and my will, the stardust converged, tracing its path.
The rain of stars became a blade of stars, slicing through Kusharilla’s true body, which existed in another space.
I shifted my consciousness to the shooting stars that my sword couldn’t reach.
With the sensation of summoning a storm of Dragon Arts, I permeated all of the stellar rain with my consciousness.
Gradually, the stellar rain began to change its trajectory.
The shooting stars, which had been falling straight down, slowly began to move in a circular motion.
Then, drawing a spiral trajectory with their tails, they fell from the heavens to the ground.
The twinkling shooting stars swirled and converged.
The radiance of the stars, now a single, great river connecting heaven and earth, was guided by the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword and fell upon Kusharilla.
My vision was dominated by the light of the shooting stars, and I closed my eyes, blinded by its brilliance.
Kusharilla’s scream shook the world.
The air trembled, and the Heavenly Mountain Range quaked.
However, as if to counteract the negative energy, the rain of stars fell gently.
And then, as if nothing had happened, it softly healed the world.
“Damn… you…”
After the glittering stars and rain had passed, only a faint will and a near-death presence remained.
“To think that mere humans…”
I opened my eyes and pointed the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword at the seemingly visible yet invisible presence.
“Me, to the likes of you…”
I couldn’t help but fear that she still existed after enduring such an onslaught of arts.
But this was the end.
Not the end Kusharilla had spoken of, but the conclusion we had so desperately longed for was at hand.
One more strike.
With a swing of the Spirit Sword in my right hand, Kusharilla could be defeated.
Kusharilla, perhaps sensing her impending death, glared at the Spirit Sword pointed at her with hatred.
But she seemed to lack the strength to resist, only uttering curses, showing no sign of movement.
“Finish it!” Slaton shouted from afar.
Toris and Louvent also clamored for me to defeat Kusharilla.
I stared intently at Kusharilla.
Her overwhelming presence had faded, and I could only feel her weakened existence.
When I tried to perceive Kusharilla through the spirit world, she appeared as the being I wished to see.
During the fight, she had appeared as a beautiful woman. I had willed her to appear that way.
But now, even without trying, she looked like a weak, elderly grandmother.
I took a deep breath.
The next blow would be the end.
But I consciously refrained from bringing down the Spirit Tree Sword.
As my consciousness settled, the Spirit Tree Spirit Sword vanished from my right hand.
Kusharilla’s bewildered presence was transmitted to me as the sudden disappearance of the death sentence she had faced.
Cautiously probing Kusharilla’s presence, I spoke the words that would lead to the conclusion I desired.
“Now, Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla, let us form an agreement.”
“Wh-what are you saying…?”
Everyone was convinced of Kusharilla’s defeat.
She herself had undoubtedly prepared for death.
At my words, not only Kusharilla but also Slaton and everyone else was left stunned.
“H-hey! What are you babbling about? Just kill her already!”
Nevertheless, Slaton, the first to recover, berated me.
But I ignored Slaton’s words and spoke to the weak presence of Kusharilla before me once more.
“Kusharilla, you have lost. Therefore, you have no choice. Let us form an agreement.”
Kusharilla looked at me suspiciously, unable to comprehend my meaning.
We had won, and Kusharilla and the demons no longer possessed the strength to resist. Yet, I proposed forming an agreement.
Agreements are usually made between parties of equal standing. Thus, it was understandable that she found it baffling, given that I was the one proposing it from a position of overwhelming advantage.
So, I added a clarification.
“I do not wish for there to be fewer Demon Lords. I know firsthand how disastrous a situation can be when the position of Demon Lord becomes vacant.”
The eastern territory once ruled by Kusharilla was now under the dominion of the Giant Demon Lord. But the chaotic, lawless society that followed was a tragedy to behold.
It would be easy to deliver the final blow to Kusharilla here.
However, I did not desire the chaotic world that would follow.
Surely, demons too would prefer peace above all else.
For the other races enslaved by them, a world plunged into chaos would undoubtedly bring about hardships far greater than their current situation.
After all, it is the slaves, regarded as less than livestock, who are the first to be discarded in times of trouble.
In the eastern lands, the slaves suffered even more than the demons.
I was concerned about the ensuing chaos, rather than the immediate achievement of defeating Kusharilla.
Therefore, I proposed an agreement.
“Kusharilla, you and the demons under your rule shall never again invade the Heavenly Mountain Range. Furthermore, you shall not interfere with the human cultural sphere spreading to the west of the Heavenly Mountain Range. These are the minimum conditions for the agreement I desire.”
“Instead of taking my life, you ask me to swallow these humiliating conditions?”
“Whether it is humiliating is up to you. Besides, if you rephrase it, it doesn’t restrict anything else, so it’s an exceptionally cheap price for your life, isn’t it?”
After all, if you don’t aim for the Heavenly Mountain Range and the human cultural sphere beyond it, things remain as they were before.
You can fight with other Demon Lords, or contend with the Divine Race that holds dominion in the south; none of that would violate the terms of the agreement.
If it means saving your life and keeping your Demon Lord seat, it is an exceptionally generous offer for the defeated party.
Of course, I don’t know how much influence Kusharilla, who lost to humans, will be able to maintain as a Demon Lord going forward.
She will undoubtedly face considerable hardship, but that is Kusharilla’s and the demons’ problem.
“Of course, if we make an agreement, I will also accept conditions. If you find yourself in trouble, for example, if you are threatened by the Evil Race, who are enemies of the world, or if your country is struck by a natural disaster, how about I offer my assistance?”
It is precisely because I am in an absolutely advantageous position that I can state the conditions I am willing to accept.
My, aren’t I cunning!
Kusharilla glared at me, her face a mixture of frustration and hatred.
However, she could not object.
After all, Kusharilla currently lacks the power to alter the conditions I have set, nor is she in a position to propose her own.
Still, these truly are exceptional terms.
In fact, by including the condition of offering help when in trouble, I am the one bearing the greater burden.
But this is fine.
Regardless of the form it takes, establishing a connection with the demons will surely be useful in the future.
It is always better to walk hand in hand and be friendly rather than to fight every time we meet.
“Ah, however! If you break the agreement, you will face the consequences. This is an agreement officially forged between me, the Dragon King, and Demon Lord Kusharilla. Therefore, if you break the agreement, I will take your life in earnest. Let me tell you, I am the Meishu of the Dragon Peak Alliance. When I move, it means the entire Dragon Peak is moving. Furthermore, the Giant Demon Lord and I are on good terms. And so are Charlotte, who once led the Great Demon Race Army! You are not foolish enough not to understand what that implies.”
While it’s unlikely the Dragon Peak Alliance will launch a long-distance expedition, it’s possible.
After all, one must cross the demon realms to reach here.
So, this is close to a bluff.
However, if I show my seriousness, the Giant Demon Lord might grant passage. The Sage Demon Lord might also allow it if I prepare thoroughly beforehand.
Also, the Giant Demon Lord might not actively get involved. After all, it doesn’t align with national interests to fight a fellow Demon Lord like Kusharilla.
But, what about Charlotte? She would undoubtedly cooperate with glee, personally. And likely, in a way that chaotically stirs things up.
Kusharilla should be able to see through my bluff. But, at the same time, she must understand Charlotte’s terrifying nature.
Kusharilla writhed, muttering under her breath.
“Rather than enter into a humiliating agreement with you…”
“No! I will not take your life. I will not allow anyone else to harm you. And surely, a Demon Lord like yourself would not commit suicide?”
“What human-like cunning…”
“Hahaha. After all, I’ve been toyed with extensively by the Giant Demon Lord and Charlotte.”
Moreover, my master, Sleigsta (Old Man), was always a prankster and caused us trouble. It’s only natural that a disciple raised in such an environment would grow up cunning!
“So, what will it be? Will you agree to this proposal? Or perhaps the conditions are still insufficient? In that case then…”
Refusing to make an agreement is not an option.
The only right Kusharilla had was to decide at which point she would compromise and agree to the terms.
If she still refused, I would add even more conditions!
Of course, there’s no doubt that the number of conditions Kusharilla disliked would only increase.
Kusharilla, perhaps worn down by my villainous tactics, grudgingly nodded.
“Curse you, humans. No, Dragon King Elnea. However, I shall not abandon my ambitions.”
“You haven’t given up yet!?”
“I cannot abandon my ambitions. However, this time, I will accept your conditions. I shall never again attempt to invade the Heavenly Mountain Range for the sake of my ambitions. Nor shall I interfere with the human cultural sphere.”
“Even if not for your ambitions, interference is forbidden!”
“Tch,” Kusharilla clicked her tongue.
I almost fell into Kusharilla’s trap.
It would be problematic if she re-invaded with the excuse that it wasn’t for her ambitions.
Adding clauses to conditions or interpreting them in a simplified manner is strictly prohibited.
Heeding my warning, Kusharilla once again nodded with reluctance.
“I accept the agreement. However, I will not call upon you for help, even if I am in trouble.”
“You don’t need to be so reserved!”
“Hmph, you’re annoying!”
“Let’s become good friends,” I said with a smile, but Kusharilla spat curses at me with hatred as she vanished.
I carefully probed her presence, but I could neither confirm her existence in the visible world nor in the spirit world.
