The sun’s heat was reproduced, and Jiro’s Ore Tree shone. Its activation timing was nothing short of exquisite.
By having the god attack and then catching it with the Ore Tree’s roots, a momentary pause in time was created.
However, this was not a weakness.
Even if the opponent’s attack could be stopped, even for a fraction of a second, it meant nothing against a god.
That was a certainty.
At best, it allowed for one attack to be launched.
But that one attack was crucial.
Jiro’s “Amaterasu” had wounded even the Demon Lord, it was the ultimate trump card.
Even if a god were within, their body was still that of a living human.
No matter how enhanced, that single stroke would cut through defenses without question.
“Humans truly love futile things.”
Or so it was thought.
“Did you think the sun’s power would wound me?”
The scorching blade indeed struck the god’s neck.
However, the blade did not penetrate even a millimeter, and was stopped by a white flame before its soft skin.
“Know your place, human.”
It was a full-power attack precisely because of its absolute confidence.
The price for that full power was the creation of an insurmountable opening.
The body, having expended all its energy, would stiffen and require a few milliseconds to move again.
Jiro’s body, which had been moving on instinct and reflex, was no exception.
“Decay.”
Therefore, Jiro had no means to evade the scorching sunlight.
The god, as if to say “so what if you fought me as an equal for a few tens of seconds,” judged the human male who had made the wrong choice, with no pity and no emotion.
For a brief moment, a white light illuminated the entrance.
However, its power scorched Jiro’s body, which had been enhanced by dragon’s blood.
“As expected of a dragon, known for its tenacity. You’re still breathing.”
Blown away by the light, Jiro crashed through the wall, was buried in rubble, and lay face down. The god disdained him for still breathing, as if it were an act of disrespect.
“Nisia, finish him.”
“Understood, Father.”
However, the god, judging that no action was necessary, gave instructions to his daughter and looked at his son’s back, who was farther away than expected.
“Are you turning your back on me? Disrespectful.”
In an instant, he leaped before him.
“!?”
“Run!”
Only Himik and Muil reacted to his movement, but Himik was frozen with fear.
Muil pushed Memoria, whom he was carrying, onto her and quickly formed a magic blade, striking without hesitation.
“Insolent.”
Unmoved by Muil’s action of throwing himself to protect his grandson, great-grandson, and son-in-law, the god swung his sword as he was presented with an opponent.
“Gah!?”
Muil, whose chest was deeply cut, his eyes wide open, like a hero cutting down a mere soldier without allowing any resistance.
The blade reached his lungs and wounded his heart.
It was undoubtedly a fatal wound, even if not instantly lethal.
A torrent of blood, far greater than imagined, gushed out as vital blood vessels were damaged.
“Do not spill that filth blood on me.”
He was not even allowed to collapse on the spot.
The shockwave, activated by mere gaze, sent Muil flying through the air. That attack also shattered the body of Muil, a veteran Dark Elf. His limbs were broken, his internal bones cracked, and a resounding pain echoed through his entire body. The damage was so severe that he would never be able to say, even if his mouth were torn off, that it was fortunate he wasn’t killed instantly.
“Aaaaaaaarrrrrggggghhh!!”
Witnessing the scene, Himik screamed to dispel her fear, clenched her fists tightly, and lunged with all her might.
“Raise your hand against my father? A wicked daughter.”
Her attack was neither slow nor weak. The speed surpassed sound, and any rock hit by her fist would have been pulverized. The god effortlessly caught such a powerful attack with one hand.
“You need discipline.”
An action that was far too excessive to be called discipline. The sound of flesh being crushed echoed, and Himik contorted her face in pain, but shouted, “Run! Suella!”
Himik, knowing what would happen next, shouted as if pushing Suella’s back as she turned for a moment, raised her remaining hand, and unleashed another powerful blow.
“Do not resist, daughter.”
She knew this blow would not buy her the time needed for Suella to escape.
But it was a blow imbued with the wish for her to run even one step further.
“Do not display your worthlessness before me.”
Such a blow probably appeared worthless to the god.
He brushed aside the hand he had crushed and, with his free hand, deflected Himik’s attack.
“Sleep, daughter.”
He clenched the hand stained by her own blood and punched Himik with enough force to bend her body in half.
However, Himik was not one to yield to such an extent. She spread her wings, reduced her momentum, and landed on the ground. Despite the unbearable pain and broken ribs, she tried to leap again, but…
“When we meet again, be the obedient child you once were.”
A magic circle unfolded on the ground where Himik had landed, and chains of light shot out from it.
“A sealing formation!? Damn it!?”
Himik panicked as she recognized where the magic circle led, the chains wrapped around her body, and she was gradually being pulled into the formation. She spread her wings and flapped them in resistance, but she was slowly losing. As she was gradually pulled into the magic circle, she felt a sense of urgency, but when her wings were also ensnared by the chains, she lost all means of resistance.
“Ngh! Not yet! I’m still…!”
Her lower body was already within the formation, but as she struggled, the god, who pitied her, tried to pursue Suella, who was the only one trying to escape the scene, but…
“I won’t let you go.”
Memoria, who had been connected to her consciousness, declared it her last desperate act.
“Blood Rose Garden.”
She formed a cage of blood thorns. The layers of crimson thorns obscured the god’s vision, making Suella’s figure disappear.
But that was irrelevant.
The god, as if saying the magic cast by the mortally wounded Memoria was of no consequence, shattered the barrier with a single sword strike. Without even a glance.
As he took another step forward, a presence stood before him.
“…”
It was Suella.
An act that wouldWaste the time bought by Muil, Himik, and Memoria. She, who was wished to run at least one step further, faced the god.
Without giving him time to think if it was a plea for mercy or a white flag.
“Manifest! Balrog!”
Suella summoned her ultimate trump card.
A Great Spirit, a composite of fire and shadow. A giant spirit formed of shadow flames, with multiple arms.
“Annihilate them!”
Suella’s trump card, which poured all of her wholehearted magical power into its arms. Balrog ferociously attacked, as if showering a barrage of blows.
“…”
Faced with attacks that could even damage a Seraph, the god’s expression did not change. Rather, as if uninterested, his gaze wandered. He was searching for the whereabouts of the two infants who had disappeared from Suella’s arms.
“You’re in the way.”
*Slash*
With a single swing, Balrog’s body was split in half. It seemed to disappear then and there.
But.
“Not yet!”
The composite spirit’s abilities were not for show. Shadow is akin to darkness, but it is a dual aspect of light. Fire is akin to light. In other words.
“You can withstand my attack?”
It could be said to be a spirit with strong resistance to light attributes. The severed parts were rejoined by fire and shadow, and Balrog once again swung its fists.
“But it’s still futile.”
As if questioning why she continued to resist, the god murmured and cut Balrog down again.
“Guh.”
Although Balrog had lost most of its body, it reappeared and resumed its attack, but its blows did not reach the god. Yes, Balrog was indeed a powerful spirit capable of damaging even a Seraph-class being. Furthermore, it had strong resistance to light attributes. But that was all. It could withstand the god’s attacks, but even that durability was limited once Suella’s magic supply was cut off. Consuming the vast amount of magic needed to regenerate most of its body. The god, without hesitation, struck the reassembled Balrog a third time, blowing it away along with Suella.
“Ngh!?”
Before she could even erect a barrier, Suella, who was blown away, attempted to summon the spirit again.
“Not yet!”
After summoning her trump card spirit, Suella’s remaining magic power was meager. Still, she did not give up. The wind spirit, connected to Suella, was carrying her child away from this place.
(Keiri, I’m sorry.)
She apologized in her heart to her best friend who was ahead. It meant she wouldn’t be able to witness her child’s growth. Suella, believing that they would be safe if they could escape to that place, had resolved to die here, just like Jiro.
“Soul Exchange!”
If magic power was insufficient, there were several means to create it. Many of these methods lacked immediate effect, but the method Suella chose was immediate. Her own soul was finite. She would shave it down to restore lost magic power, a method no one would use except in emergencies.
“Over Summon!”
In addition, by investing more magic power than the usual price through over-summoning, she manifested her trump card again. A desperate measure. She felt the plight of Himik, a Seraph, being defeated like a child. With that in mind, she resolved to fight until her life’s end. Her magic crest was nearing an overheat due to overuse, but still, Suella did not stop summoning. Not just Balrog. The Wind Hunter, the Earth Warrior, the Fire Thief, the Water Sorcerer. All were human-shaped spirits, the maximum fighting strength Suella possessed. Although even one of them would require an excessive amount of magic to summon, she summoned a total of five spirits at once.
“Ouch!”
Even so.
“Can you not understand that it is futile?”
It was powerless against the god. Her body screamed from the over-summoning, but she supported it with her spirit, desperately negating his words. Because his words would negate all the time-buying efforts that began with Jiro. Jiro had risked his life to protect Suella and the others. Muil had risked his life to desperately buy time. Himik had mustered her courage and risked her life. Memoria had risked her life even with her severe injuries. Suella had risked her life for her child.
“It’s not futile!”
Suella, unable to accept that, directly denied the god’s words. Balrog, the sole survivor, bristled with intent, responding to her will. Even after repeatedly taking the god’s blade, it continued to swing its fists without stopping. Whenever Balrog was injured, Suella healed the spirits, and if her magic power ran out, she would shave her soul to supplement it. “Just a little longer, just a little longer,” Suella told herself. Despite preparing abundant magic power, Suella’s consciousness began to blur due to Balrog’s reckless operation. She sensed that the spirit transporting her child was nearing safety, being carried by the contract. That fact alone supported Suella’s mind. Balrog, at the cost of great magic, blocked the blade aimed at Suella, the summoner, allowing other spirits to attack.
“My words are fact, and they do not err.”
However, the god easily shattered that support.
“Ah.”
The presence of the spirits contracted with Suella suddenly vanished. This was at a distance just short of safety. Suella did not want to understand what this implied.
“Everything you’ve done is in vain. Do you think anyone can escape the hands of a god?”
Nisia, the Seraph, Eshlee, Arben, Mages, all the hostile forces should have been here. That was why Suella could not believe what she was seeing.
“Yukiera! Sachiera!”
Why were her children in the god’s arms? Before questioning the fact, Suella’s body moved. To take them back. Her mind was filled with that thought, and she shifted from defense to offense.
“Be grateful.”
Even seeing that movement, the god’s attitude did not change. Rather, he looked down on Suella as if to say, “Rejoice.”
“Be grateful that you bore a child who can withstand my divine energy.”
Seeing that attitude, Suella realized that her children had been targeted. She knew. Knowing the fate of heroes, she became angry and said, “Don’t fool with me,” and that heat was transmitted to the spirits, but.
“Perish.”
Her anger did not reach them. The god had been holding back. To trace Suella’s connection with the spirits. He had intentionally fought to connect space. And with a single glance, recognizing the child as promising, the god had intentionally dealt blows that could be blocked in order to capture the child. Yukiera and Sachiera, held by a stranger, wept loudly, calling for their father and mother.
“Ogyaa! Ogyaa!”
Jiro and Suella, who should have responded to their cries.
“L-let go of that hand.”
“I’m coming now.”
Beyond mere serious injury, they were mortally wounded, yet they commanded their bodies to move and tried to stand up.
“Pathetic, Nisia.”
“Yes.”
The hearts of parents, unknown to gods. The god, deeming their figures unsightly, declared that he had obtained what he needed and ordered Nisia, who had descended beside him, to deal with them as eyesores.
“This is mercy. I will kill you without making you suffer.”
“Stop―――――――――――――!!”
Himik, already being pulled into the sealing formation up to her shoulders, shouted to stop it, but she could not.
“That was quite a pathetic mercy.”
Or so it was thought.
“!?”.
A torrent of darkness, not only erasing the white light of judgment but engulfing it and attempting to blow Nisia away. It was not even magic, just an outpouring of magic power. The beings capable of such an act were limited. Nisia looked at the source of the emanation with urgency, and the god slowly turned his face towards it.
“I consider myself relatively gentle. If I fail, I will reprimand and punish, but I believe I have enough capacity to give them another chance. Thanks to that, I rarely have opportunities to get truly angry. I suppose having many excellent subordinates also contributes.”
The sound of leather shoes hitting the ground was heard.
“I’ve been told various things by those around me. The gentlest Demon Lord in history, the strangest in history, a weak Demon Lord who employs humans. Thanks to such evaluations, I’ve heard enough lectures from the elders.”
A man descended into the already shapeless entrance. A handsome man with well-groomed blonde hair and clad in a suit.
“It’s not good to be underestimated. Because of that, the amount of work increases and increases. This time, for some reason, it took a lot of time to exterminate the pigeons who were making trouble in my country.”
The expression on his perfectly sculpted face was a smile. His voice was calm, as if he were talking to a friend.
“Now, I, who have just finished such a task, have only one question to ask you.”
However, without a doubt.
“Are you ready to fight me?”
The Demon Lord was angry.
“I am ready.”
Immeasurably so, to the point where it could not be subdued.
Today’s Word: It was insufficient, but it was in time.
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*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content is a revised and expanded version of the content posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of an unreleased interlude.
Please also consider the new releases!!
A comic adaptation is currently serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
We ask for your continued support for this work.
