“It’s my turn!”
Auraniess declared deliberately, cocking her head slightly backward. Marius readied his magic upon seeing the familiar preparatory movement.
“GUOOOOOOO!”
A sonic tempest roared, accompanied by thunder. It was Auraniess’s bellow, “Tempest Roar.” The attack, a sonic physical assault and lightning, required separate defensive methods. It was also fast and incredibly destructive, which, combined with “Juggernaut,” earned it the title of “the worst close-combat killer.”
“【Silent】【Dimension Shield】”
However, the attack always had a preparatory move of cocking the head backward and inhaling, making it relatively easy to counter. The two spells Marius cast were effortlessly broken, but he managed to defend against them by combining them with “Refrain.”
“I knew you wouldn’t do that!”
Auraniess shouted, her body flashing for an instant as five orbs of light appeared around her head. It was “Brynhildr,” which fired light in laser-like beams. Each orb was as large as Auraniess’s head, and their compressed, released piercing power surpassed even “Juggernaut.”
“<...Become one destructive force>【Agni】”
He countered with a forbidden flame spell, but only two were neutralized. The remaining three pierced through and attacked Marius. Marius distanced himself with Warp, but the remaining three magically curved and pursued him. Indeed, the most troublesome aspect of “Brynhildr” was its homing ability.
“Here, have another one!”
Five more shots were added, increasing the number of light beams targeting Marius to eight. However, Marius remained unruffled. The drawback of “Brynhildr” was its inability to perform fine adjustments. Thus, he evaded by Warping just before impact. The beams then collided with each other and canceled out. Seeing Marius effortlessly escape the crisis, Auraniess let out a puzzled sound.
“Hmm? It feels like you’re reading my attacks and countermeasures, don’t you think?”
Marius flinched. Everything he knew was from the game, which allowed him to act with composure, but that had evidently made Auraniess suspicious. Still, it wasn’t an attack he could afford to be complacent about, so he couldn’t change his approach regardless.
“Oh well, it’s probably like my Six Sense.”
Auraniess didn’t seem bothered and performed a backstep, cocking her head back.
(That’s it!)
Tension coursed through Marius’s body. Based on the preparatory movement, Auraniess was about to unleash his ultimate finishing move, “Fimbulvetr.” Auraniess opened his mouth wide and unleashed a breath. “Fimbulvetr” was an icy breath that had equipment-destroying effects, an ice-freezing effect, and, even if those failed, a forced coma effect. Its raw power alone could lead to permanent sleep if directly hit.
“<...Become one destructive force>【Agni】”
He attempted to neutralize it with the forbidden flame spell, but it was instantly consumed by the intense blizzard, and a white tempest engulfed Marius’s body.
“Huh? Did Marius die?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Auraniess froze, bewildered. A voice then echoed from his feet.
“No, I’m alive?”
Before Auraniess could react, a destructive black wind struck his entire body once more. Auraniess stumbled but managed to stay on his feet this time, not falling down.
“I see, a delusion…”
Someone had apparently switched places with him unnoticed.
“That’s right.”
Marius, having taken distance with Warp, nodded. There was no need to hide it, as it wouldn’t work on Auraniess a second time. He had secretly used the illusion magic “Mirage” without incantation, and further deceived the Demon Lord’s eyes with “Stealth” and “Invisible.” If he only engaged in direct attacks, and Auraniess wasn’t getting hit, some form of strategy was necessary. In this case, Marius had showcased the existence of a hidden capability he hadn’t used before. However, Auraniess simply rejoiced upon realizing this.
“Nice! This is fun!”
Even if he was preoccupied with a power contest, it had been a while since he’d been so thoroughly tricked. It had been since Melinda had carelessly sealed him. Marius felt like sighing. The combination of illusion and attack magic, which he hadn’t used before – no, hadn’t needed to use – still wasn’t enough to defeat Auraniess. It could be considered an effective blow, but not a decisive one.
“Finally decided to use your hidden tricks? I’ll use mine too!”
Auraniess, who faithfully announced his intentions, made Marius feel a near smile. Pulled along, Marius declared so.
“Then, I’ll teach you the terror of illusion magic.”
“Melinda was quite good at that!”
Auraniess fired Brynhildr, parrying with a retort that wasn’t funny. The attack, launched to pierce Marius, passed through his body. It was another illusion, but Auraniess instinctively turned and attacked.
“There!”
He slammed Juggernaut into seemingly empty space. Marius, who had been hidden, had no choice but to evade. While he could have reflected Brynhildr or Tempest Roar with magic, Juggernaut could not be reflected.
“I knew it! I just had a feeling Juggernaut would be better!”
Auraniess casually said something outrageous. In other words, he had found Marius’s location purely by intuition and prevented counterattacks. “Six Sense,” which increases intuition accuracy to nearly 100%, might be Auraniess’s most terrifying skill.
“Hahaha! Still, amazing, Marius! You haven’t landed a single hit on me yet!”
Auraniess seemed genuinely amused, but Marius was starting to get worn out. While his opponent was a Demon Lord, Marius was merely human. He could match him in attack power, but stamina depended on race. Furthermore, Auraniess had survived countless life-or-death battles and had a personality that saw such battles as his reason for living. On the other hand, Marius had no experience of struggling and was originally from a peaceful nation. The difference in race and experience was becoming distinctly apparent.
(If this continues, I’ll be in a losing battle.)
He knew it and was prepared for it, but Marius truly felt the gap between himself and Auraniess. Marius was the only one to land a hit, and he had succeeded in unleashing forbidden spells multiple times. However, Auraniess was still energetic and seemed to be enjoying himself. His original plan was to finish the fight before his stamina started to wane, but the strongest Demon Lord was not that weak.
(How on earth could someone seal away such a monster?)
Marius sincerely admired Melinda Guilford as a truly great person. He apparently had companions with Demon Lord-level strength, but that didn’t diminish her greatness. Merely Demon Lord-level individuals would likely be instantly killed by this Auraniess.
“Marius, are you getting tired? Shall we call it a day?”
Auraniess’s proposal was a welcome one for Marius. However, he couldn’t accept it right now.
“I haven’t used my trump card yet.”
“Oh?”
Hearing Marius’s words, Auraniess’s eyes shone with maximum intensity. As things stood, he could challenge this combat fanatic at any time. At the very least, he needed to take the initiative and make it easier to decide when they would fight.
“Is that so! I haven’t either! We’re the same!”
Marius felt dizzy at those words.
(Seriously… And here I thought Fimbulvetr was your strongest technique.)
This meant there was a more powerful technique that Marius didn’t know about. Of course, Marius’s own trump card was something that didn’t exist during his game days. While the success rate wasn’t 100%, if prioritizing not getting hit by Auraniess’s attacks, it might be acceptable. At the very least, he wanted to establish a relationship where Auraniess would lend an ear to his reasoning to some extent. To do that, he needed to withstand Auraniess’s strongest attack and make sure his own attack wasn’t something to be dismissed. Fortunately, this was not a fight to the death, but merely a power contest. That was why they were fighting while exchanging words, and he could exploit that aspect of Auraniess’s attitude.
“My trump card is difficult to use and takes time to activate. That’s why I haven’t used it until now…”
He paused, waiting for Auraniess’s response meaningfully. This way, it would be easier to guide the conversation.
“Alright! My ultimate move also requires charging!”
“Then, shall we have a match to see which technique wins?”
Marius provoked him, attempting to guide Auraniess’s focus. If he concentrated on a simple contest, it would be easier to evade when the time came.
“Yeah, a match it is!”
Whether he knew it or not, Auraniess took the bait.
“<...Become one destructive force>【Agni】”
First, he used Agni, summoning a divine white flame hovering above his right shoulder.
“<...Become power>【Vajra】”
Next, he chanted Vajra, creating the Spear of the Thunder God above his left shoulder. This was Marius’s trump card, the fusion of two forbidden spells. Having expended all his magic power twice, he was swaying, but gritting his teeth, he held his ground with sheer will. Auraniess, in turn, converted all his power and unleashed a breath. It was Auraniess’s greatest technique, “Ragnarok.” A nightmare blow that once annihilated an entire continent. Marius’s forbidden strike clashed against it. The two extremely powerful lights collided and wrestled at a midpoint between them.
“W-What is it?”
Iris’s voice trembled with shock. The black barrier, “Gae Bolg,” unfolding before her eyes was creaking loudly.
“G-Gae Bolg…?”
Sophia couldn’t hide her surprise either. Such a creaking of the barrier was unheard of in her memory. Yet, as if mocking their astonishment, the barrier creaked repeatedly and then shattered with a sound. As the countless scattered black fragments disappeared, the figures of Auraniess and Marius became visible. Marius was panting, and Auraniess, unusually, wore a look of astonishment on his face.
“My Ragnarok and Gae Bolg…”
It was an unprecedented experience for him to have both of these broken by the same opponent. Hence, his surprise quickly turned into joy.
“Even so, it’s a draw…?”
Marius felt like clicking his tongue. The fused forbidden spell was his trump card. If even that was neutralized, he was almost out of options.
(Is the only remaining option… synthesizing Annihilation with Annihilation?)
The mere thought was terrifying. Their thoughts were contrasting, and Marius, in particular, was showing signs of fatigue. However, Auraniess overheard Marius’s words and denied them.
“A draw? I lost. You broke both the barrier and my ultimate move.”
Even as he claimed this, sounding somewhat pleased, Marius didn’t nod.
“If this were a fight to the death, I would have lost. So, we’ll call it a draw with that factored in.”
It seemed both were insisting the other was superior.
“If you are both unsatisfied, how about fighting until a conclusion is reached?”
Sofia suggested, a hint of exasperation in her voice. The two looked at each other.
“That’s one option, but can you create Gae Bolg again?”
“Impossible.”
Auraniess denied Marius’s question point-blank.
“Even I can only endure the full force of Ragnarok and high-tier magic once a day. The strength to withstand it is limited to once per day.”
“As I suspected.”
Marius wasn’t surprised. He had anticipated that a barrier capable of withstanding his ultimate move wouldn’t be easily erected.
“Let’s leave it at this for today.”
“Alright.”
Auraniess backed down surprisingly easily at Marius’s suggestion. Sofia and Iris, seeing their master return to human form, looked understanding. It had been a long time, but he wore a very contented expression. Apparently, all his pent-up frustration had vanished during his fight with Marius. For Marius, however, he was far from satisfied.
(Unless I can become a Saint, I have zero chance of winning.)
The result was a renewed realization of Auraniess’s strength. Since he seemed to have taken a liking to him, he probably wouldn’t die anytime soon. He wanted to somehow meet the conditions for the Saint class change, but the conditions themselves remained unknown. Marius had died in his previous life while searching for them.
(Crap, what do I do…)
As he was pondering, a familiar, mechanical female voice echoed in his mind.
“Conditions met. Changing class to Saint.”
“Huh?”
He thought, even if only in his mind, that it was too convenient. He gave a full-hearted mental retort. It couldn’t be that fighting two Demon Lords, a horde of Undead, and Auraniess was the condition, could it? Just as he was about to retort again, he noticed all eyes on him and cleared his throat to cover up.
“Well, for now, I need to train.”
“You’re still planning to get stronger?”
Marius reflexively retorted to Auraniess, who mentioned training.
“Who are you going to fight if you get even stronger?”
“Who…?”
Marius’s question surprised Auraniess, who then tilted his head. Behind him, Sofia and Iris nodded repeatedly as if to say, “Tell him more.”
“First, I’ll have a rematch with you.”
“If you get any stronger, I’ll die too. I’ll have trouble finding someone to fight again.”
“Hmm…?”
Remembering all the frustration he had accumulated, Auraniess scowled.
“If we fight with all our might, I’m worried it might break, so I want to increase its durability. But, but, I also don’t want to lose the ability to fight you…”
Marius wondered if the steam rising from Auraniess’s head as he muttered to himself was his imagination. Eventually, he stopped muttering and looked at Sofia.
“Do you have any good ideas?”
“None.”
Perhaps caught off guard by her loyal subordinate’s cold response, Auraniess’s eyes widened.
“W-Why not?”
“Given it’s you, Auraniess-sama, you might inadvertently become stronger than Marius. And if that happens, it’s a fact that we’ll be helpless.”
Auraniess faltered at her calm statement. Marius decided to keep quiet about the possibility that he had become stronger after changing his class and spoke.
“Learn some patience.”
Sofia and Iris, as if to say “You said it well,” smiled at Marius, then turned their gaze to their master.
“Please exercise some restraint.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to train those who have the potential to become strong, like before?”
Addressed in turn by the three, Auraniess complained with teary eyes.
“W-What are you guys saying? Am I going to sulk and act out, huh?”
Marius retorted, thinking, “Is this a temper tantrum?”
“I don’t have any energy left, so if you act out now, I’ll die.”
“Grrr…”
He could actually still fight, but he thought it would be more effective to pretend he couldn’t fight to prevent Auraniess from rampaging. As expected, Auraniess only grumbled resentfully.
“I’ll fight you again someday.”
“R-Really? I hate lies, you know? If you’re lying, I’ll really go berserk. I’ll unleash Ragnarok repeatedly!”
For some reason, Auraniess said something ominous with an expression that resembled a child trying to curry favor with a parent.
(One Ragnarok could jeopardize the entire country.)
At this rate, the continent might be in danger. It would be better to keep the promise vague and make it easier to talk his way out of it later. If he overtly broke his promise, Sofia and Iris, who seemed to be favorable to Marius, probably wouldn’t help him.
“However, I have many things I want to do, so it’ll be a while.”
“W-What do you mean? Besides fighting, what else is there?”
“That’s your problem. I have my own problems.”
“Grrr…”
Auraniess grumbled resentfully again, but this time with stronger displeasure. He seemed to need an outlet for his emotions.
(I should ask El to think of something.)
Auraniess was easy to handle, but he had a terrifying trap. If that could be managed, perhaps that loyal Scheming Succubus could come up with a better idea than himself.
“Shall we have lunch together for now?”
“Mmm, I’ll be your guest.”
Auraniess, who also had an appetite, replied immediately. As Sofia and Iris bowed, Marius looked at Zofi. She was sweating cold sweat, her body trembling, and she gritted her teeth, enduring the pressure emanating from Auraniess.
“Now that we’ve settled things, could you perhaps dispel that intimidation?”
“Ah, sorry. I forgot.”
“Haven’s Might,” once activated, wouldn’t stop unless Auraniess died or voluntarily dispelled it. As the oppressive aura that had covered the entire Royal Capital vanished, Zofi stood up, panting.
“Oh, you can stand already?”
Auraniess looked at Zofi, surprised.
“I believe she is quite talented.”
Sofia said, and Iris nodded in agreement.
“Not yet.”
The expression of the praised individual was stern.
“I want to be able to support my master.”
“Don’t say that, Zofi. You are my proud Familiar.”
As Marius said this and gently stroked her hair, Zofi blushed happily. Auraniess’s party was not so boorish as to tease the two. That is, Sofia and Iris were truly not boorish; Auraniess was just busy wondering if Zofi could become a Demon Lord if trained.
