Central Sea Region
“Ngu… guh…!”
Tristan, who had been sent flying nicely, activated Summoning Magic in mid-air. A large purple monster bird emerged from the magic circle. Uh, Demise Girrimot, was it? I think that’s it. Tristan landed on its back, looked up at me, spat blood, and smiled a creepy smile with a swollen cheek.
“F-fufufu…! Is the main character finally making an appearance? Lord Kelvin, I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival!”
“Unfortunately, you’re not the one I was eagerly awaiting. I just saw some damn guy who disappeared after borrowing money on my way to an important errand. And, I’ve recovered the borrowed money this time.”
“Oh? Certainly, your fist was incredibly effective, but as you can see, I’m far from being knocked out?”
“You don’t understand. That’s why I’m telling you. I have important business to attend to. And besides—”
I suddenly pointed behind Tristan. This was the greatest kindness I could offer him.
“—Your opponent is us!”
“Gah! Azgrad…!”
Azgrad, who had charged in with Seraphia, launched a fierce attack on Tristan, including the monster bird. This further pushed him away. By punching Tristan away from Zildragon, I had managed to get him outside of its strong shield. In other words, the separation was successful.
“Efil, Gerard, thanks for keeping me company.”
“No, it’s only natural!”
“Indeed. Deceiving Tristan has also cleared my mind a bit! Well, though it was a straightforward attack, I was a little shocked that I couldn’t break through the defense wall even when I went all out… ”
There was a possibility that Tristan might use Summoning Magic to recall that Zildragon, but it was just revealed that this was impossible. As expected of his prized subordinate, the MP consumed was immense. While it was easy to cancel the summon, the Magic Amount used to summon Zildragon was enormous. It seemed that even a specialized Unique Skill couldn’t fully compensate for it. Without the time to recover the magic power reduced by the decrease in maximum MP, Zildragon couldn’t be used so conveniently.
“Alright, I’ll leave Zildragon to you. But rather, I’m more reluctant to part with this one than Tristan. Ah, what a waste. To put it another way, it’s as regrettable as missing out on a first-place lottery ticket…”
It was a jackpot ticket of quadrillions, even.
“The King’s bad habit again… Come on, hurry up and go! Aren’t you waiting for someone!”
“Master, please leave this to us. I’m sure Kuromel-sama won’t let Master regret it!”
“…That’s true. Well then, I’m leaving it to you here!”
Shaking off distractions, I flew towards Elpis! Wait, hmm? Did a red shadow just pass by…?
“Efil, Gerard! We’ll help too!”
“Fuh, Papa will do his best too!”
For some reason, an unexpected group of demons had joined the battle against Zildragon. Hmm, hmm? Sera, I didn’t hear about this plan…!?
“Kelvin! You’re trying to distract me with Tristan’s suspiciousness, but this dragon is more formidable than I expected! So, my father and I will go to support them! This is all Sera’s intuition, okay!”
“If it’s Sera’s intuition, I can’t help it! Alright, understood!”
I was convinced like never before. Sera’s intuition, a trusted phrase that rivals Pritia-chan in my mind. I couldn’t argue with that.
“Call me if it gets dangerous! I’ll be recalled and go to you!”
“Before that, defeat that guy, okay? I want to hear your thoughts later!”
“Fufun! Leave it to me!”
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
“Uoooh!”
“How persistent you are!”
Tristan blocked Azgrad’s piercing flame spear with the talons of the large monster bird. Even though Seraphia was exhausted after her full-powered breath, its destructive power was not to be underestimated. Tristan, with his straightforward attack of strength and acceleration, was pushed far away from Elpis.
“Hmph!”
The prolonged charge stopped, and the flame spear was swept away. As if to reset, the two exchanged glances while maintaining a certain distance.
“So, I’ve been pushed this far. Honestly, Azgrad-sama is quite troublesome. A persistent man is disliked by ladies, you know?”
“Shut up! I’m dealing with you, the disliked one. You should be grateful for that.”
“My, my, I always thought you wouldn’t be swayed by women, but perhaps your affections…?”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Azu-chan, you’re getting hot-headed again. You shouldn’t listen to his nonsense.”
Seraphia urged me on. Azgrad seemed to have a personality clash with Tristan, and even though he knew it intellectually, his emotions tended to get the better of him. Even the mighty Azgrad would have struggled if he were alone.
“That’s right, Azgrad Onii-sama. Stay calm, okay?”
“Oh, this is surprising. Shutra-sama is with you too.”
From behind Azgrad, Shutra, in her young form, poked her head out. Azgrad, being large-sized, had completely hidden her small body, making her invisible.
“That’s why I told you, your opponent is us. We’ll clean up the mess Trisen caused!”
“You got away last time, but today, I’m definitely going to defeat you!”
“Magnificent patriotism, blinding brotherly love. I had some of the former, but absolutely none of the latter. My, I’m just envious.”
Tristan took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped around his eyes.
“—But, as expected, it’s not necessary. Not at all.”
A new magic circle was drawn in the air. This one was even larger than the one for the monster bird. In front of what was woven from light particles, several bright mirrors that reflected light were gathered. Rather than a dense collection of flat mirrors, it looked as if the entire body of a giant golem had turned into a mirror.
“Tyrantrigures, an evolved form of the Tyrant Mira I used to control. Not only is its size significantly increased, but its abilities have also been greatly enhanced. Additionally, please look over there.”
Despite being told so, neither of them looked that way.
“It would be faster to see it for yourself. Currently, angels are being deployed from Elpis. Do you understand? Not angel-type Monsters, but actual angels. This is also one of Zildra’s legacies. I didn’t understand the principle, but apparently, they mass-produced clones based on an angel’s blueprints. With their weak self-awareness and extremely short lifespan, they were flawed as weapons, but well, today is a special day. I’ve decided to have them fight magnificently by equipping them with specialized armor. They belong to the highest echelon of creatures alongside dragons and demons, so their power is undeniable, isn’t it? Hehe, it will also serve as a spectacular production for the Ark of God, and we shall have them live their lives to the fullest until their life’s end.”
“…Is that long-winded story over?”
“My, my, you waited for me? I wish you would just attack without reading the mood, like before.”
Faced with a mirror golem, it was now a situation where attacking rashly was impossible. He understood that. Tristan continued to smile an unpleasant smile.
“Now then… will I, who was brainwashed by a mere Demon King like Zel, and his son who accomplished nothing significant, be able to defeat you?”
“A foolish question. Shutra, tell him.”
“We can. The fact that Father became the Demon King means that this world acknowledged he had that much power. We inherit the blood of such a Father, a great King!”
