The Doombringer Demon King, also known as the “Solitary King” and the final boss of this world, is drawing magic power from all over the country to increase his own strength.
Therefore, before directly confronting the Demon Lord, it is necessary to travel to various regions to strike at the sources of his power and weaken him. This is the official setting of this game.
This process of weakening the Demon Lord is essentially tied to the story quests, and the main story progresses with the aim of weakening the Demon Lord and ultimately defeating him.
The methods of weakening were diverse, not only reducing simple HP and attack power, but also sealing regeneration abilities, weakening resistances, and disabling ultimate skills.
Some of these weakening criteria changed depending on quest choices, presenting a player with dilemmas such as choosing between disabling a “wide shot that fires homing bullets multiplied by the number of party members” or a “spread shot that fires a fixed 30 homing bullets.”
While how to proceed with the weakening depends on playstyle and party composition, one thing is certain:
Even if weakened, the Demon Lord is strong.
I once defeated the Demon Lord at level 183, aiming for a low-level clear by effectively utilizing Torch Sisyo. However, this also means that even I, in my gaming days, needed to reach level 183 to defeat the Demon Lord.
Furthermore, at that time, I spent more time than in a normal playthrough and weakened the Demon Lord as much as possible. Other than a few quests that seemed to lead to level-ups, I completed all other weakening quests, utilized numerous bug skills, and challenged the Demon Lord in what was then considered the perfect state. Even then, it took dozens of attempts to defeat the Demon Lord without sacrificing any companions.
In the first place, this game is designed with an “S” (sadistic) difficulty throughout. When playing normally, even against bosses at the appropriate level, the balance is such that “even if you don’t give up when you lose and challenge them repeatedly, spitting blood, you still barely lose.” While perhaps unintended, the game balance is adjusted, for better or worse, with bugs in mind, making bug skills almost essential. It goes without saying that the final boss, the Demon Lord, awaits with even greater difficulty.
Of course, I am not the same person now as I was when I cleared the game. I have learned new techniques since defeating the Demon Lord, and in the game, I couldn’t utilize Torch Sisyo as I can now. However, even accounting for that, the difficulty of defeating the Demon Lord in ten days is immeasurable.
To have any chance of winning, I must weaken the Demon Lord as much as possible. For efficiency, I decided to divide the party into several groups and split up.
First, I will provide Mitsuki and Maki with all the strategy information I know and have them proceed with the game’s攻略. Mitsuki has high combat power and mobility, allowing her to go anywhere alone. In fact, she performs at her peak when acting independently.
Meanwhile, Maki’s strength lies not only in her combat ability but also in her ability to mobilize the Knights’ Order. It might seem odd from a real-world perspective that a Princess can command the Knights’ Order, but she says,
“For some reason, they’ll do it if I ask,”
so I will rely on her. Regardless, numbers and authority are often convenient. The extent to which the Demon Lord is weakened will depend on how much these two accomplish.
If the game is to be believed, Sahzan, despite her impudence, can use teleportation magic. Although it’s a type that only affects herself, making it unsuitable for party movement, it is certainly the most advantageous for traveling between towns. While I have some concerns, I will have Sahzan focus on gathering information, purchasing supplies in each town, and suppressing monster incursions in various areas.
The 7743 Report also contains information on palliative measures when the “Demon Lord’s Curse” is active. For instance, the increased monster incursions after the “Demon Lord’s Curse” can be lowered by deliberately multiplying slimes and then annihilating them using the “all-clear” method. This is merely a palliative measure and a method that, if mishandled, could lead to an accident. However, after the recent incident, countermeasures against Yellow Slimes have spread considerably. I plan to announce the methods for dealing with Yellow Slimes through Maki, and I have decided to proceed with this plan, accepting some level of risk.
Whether Sahzan is the best candidate for this role is questionable. But if asked what else I would have Sahzan do, honestly, I only feel anxious about anything she does. I’m truly afraid of having her undertake quests, so the truth is I’ve assigned her a role other than that for now.
To ensure Sahzan doesn’t slack off or fail, I’ve assigned her a supervisor. Judging by Sahzan’s reaction when I informed her of this – trembling with joy and even shedding tears – I’m sure she will do her best to fulfill her role. If Kuma can fit inside a bag, they can teleport together, making them quite a good pair, don’t you think?
After discussing communication methods and other arrangements, everyone departed for their respective destinations.
First, with tears welling up, Sahzan said,
“If you want to keep me here, now’s your chance! If you absolutely insist, this excellent me might deign to accompany you… Hikh! Fine, fine! Alright, let’s go, Lord Kuma!”
She then left, escorted by Kuma as if being led away. Next, Maki said,
“Well then, I’m off too. If you need anything, just tell someone at the castle. …Don’t fret too much, okay?”
With a surprisingly worried expression for Maki, she returned to the castle. Lastly, Mitsuki. Without any apparent strain, she moved gracefully.
“Then, I shall go as well.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you. But don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”
When I said that, Mitsuki twitched her ears and replied, “Don’t worry!”
“Please don’t overexert yourself either. …And,”
She suddenly approached and hugged me.
“Wh-what!?”
Caught off guard, I was unable to move as she whispered in my ear.
“Once it’s all over, please tell me your secret soon.”
With that said, as abruptly as she had begun, Mitsuki pulled away. I thought about asking what that was all about, but seeing Mitsuki’s face flushed a deeper red than I had ever seen, I swallowed my words. Seeing her cat ears twitching uncontrollably, it was evident Mitsuki was incredibly embarrassed. Even so, Mitsuki being Mitsuki, aside from her blushing face, she maintained a perfect poker face.
“…Well then,”
She said briefly and vanished like the wind. I couldn’t help but admire her resolute departure, her swift and clean hit-and-run tactic.
“Now then,”
I muttered, as if to cover the sudden heat on my own face. Everyone else was gone. It was finally the turn of myself, or rather, us.
“…Let’s go, too.”
As I said that and turned to look, Ringo, my last remaining companion, gave a small nod, as usual.
There’s a reason things have turned out this way. I intended to go to Deus Plain alone, but unexpected objections arose. Ringo and Mitsuki vehemently opposed it. Ringo’s condition for me going to Deus Plain was “going with Mitsuki.” And Mitsuki’s condition was “going with Ringo.” Both of them seemed determined to stop me from leaving alone at all costs. After consideration, I decided to bring Ringo along. Neither Ringo nor Mitsuki showed any signs of backing down. If I had to choose one to bring, Ringo seemed the more logical choice. As I mentioned earlier, Mitsuki’s Explorer’s Ring, her mobility, and her extensive connections among adventurers make her the most suitable for completing quests among our companions. It wasn’t feasible to leave Mitsuki idle in this situation. On the other hand, the taciturn and sheltered Ringo is not suited for completing quests. Her level is similar to mine, so the option of her coming with me and leveling up together isn’t out of the question. I quickly decided to bring Ringo. When I announced my decision, Ringo nodded with her usual blank expression, and Mitsuki murmured something in a rare, low voice, “I’ll be relieved if Ringo-san is by your side. …My sister, so that’s reassuring in another sense too.” This became the final decision. I really wanted to go alone, but there was no helping it. It’s not impossible to level up Ringo, so I decided to compromise.
“…Shall we go?”
As I was lost in thought, Ringo urged me on.
“Ah. …No, wait a moment.”
Since all items can be stored in a bag, preparing to depart in this world doesn’t take much time. However, there was one thing I had left unfinished.
I had Ringo wait there and returned to the mansion. Then, I opened a certain room.
In the center of the room was a chair, and a girl sat on it. However, the girl seated on the chair didn’t move a muscle. If I did nothing, she probably would…
“I’m leaving, Ena.”
I spoke to her doll-like form. Naturally, there was no reply. The girl, who used to be so boisterous, had changed so much that it pained me slightly, but I pushed the feeling down.
“I’m leaving Ena in your care.”
I might not be able to return to this mansion for some time. While Ena, who was cursed, would not be harmed, I spoke to the mansion’s mechanisms and left the room, shaking off my lingering regrets.
When I returned to the mansion’s entrance, Ringo was waiting in the exact same posture as when we parted.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go.”
However, as I started to walk, Ringo didn’t move. Instead,
“Ringo, why are you doing that…?”
Ringo suddenly pinched my cheek and pulled it hard to the side. It was more ticklish than painful, but I couldn’t move. But Ringo’s response to my protest was
“…Smile.”
It was an unreasonable demand. And while she told me to smile, Ringo herself wasn’t smiling at all.
“Look, I…”
“…Smile.”
There was no room for argument. Reluctantly, with my cheek still being pulled, I forced a semblance of a smile.
“Is this good enough?”
“…Mm, barely.”
Ringo said that and gave a small nod. Well, that’s fine, but…
“Then, why aren’t you letting go?”
My cheek was still being pulled. When I asked the obvious question, Ringo nonchalantly replied,
“…Barely, not passing.”
“You said I barely passed!”
Forgetting the situation, I couldn’t help but retort loudly. Then,
“…Mm, that’s fine.”
This time, Ringo nodded with satisfaction and finally let go of my hand. I don’t quite understand why, but Ringo seems to be in top form today. I wish I could catch some of that energy. To me, who was thinking this, Ringo said again, the same words she spoke in the underwater city,
“…Soma, don’t rush.”
But this time, it didn’t end there.
“…We’re here.”
She looked directly at me with a serious expression, and
“We… I…”
As if trying to convey something she absolutely had to tell me,
“…For Soma, I’ll do anything.”
She earnestly appealed to me.
“Rin-go…”
Those words conveyed a stronger affection from Ringo than ever before. It made me realize, more than anything, that I have been supported by them. So, I nodded deeply.
“Yeah. I know. It’s thanks to Ringo and the others that I’ve gotten this far.”
I haven’t lost everything. Rather, to prevent that, now is the time to grit my teeth and persevere.
“…That’s right. There’s no time to feel down. Especially now, I have to be strong.”
Upon hearing this, however, Ringo’s mouth twitched as if troubled. Then,
“…Once more.”
She reached for my cheek again, but I gently caught her hand and stopped her.
“Come on, we don’t have much time to play around. We need to leave soon.”
Without giving her a chance to protest, I pulled her hand and started walking towards the south gate leading to Deus Plain. Ringo, whose hand I had forcibly taken, I faintly heard her mutter,
“…Idiot Soma.”
Cat ears: “No need to worry.”
Soma: “Rapidly hitting the dojo to become Tenkaichi!”
Demon Lord: “Under the night sky~ ♪ (Female voice)”
I considered writing material like this, but decided against it.
