We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Running away is the best option.
“Ruilala!”
I cried out involuntarily, but my feet didn’t move.
Although I was flustered by the unexpected turn of events, my mind calmly understood.
Facing the jet-black beam of light emanating from the magic sword user’s entire body, I would not be able to defend against it.
If the line of sight of the jet-black beam were to turn towards us like this…!
Along with Ruilala’s worry, I felt a sense of crisis regarding our situation.
“Elnea!”
“Yes.”
Uncharacteristically, there was a hint of urgency in Mistral’s voice.
We had to leave this place quickly!
Whether by luck or not, the beam that attacked Ruilala soon began to converge.
Was its charge insufficient? Regardless, we had to evacuate the hostages to a safe place quickly!
“Everyone, take the hostages!”
“What about Elnea-kun!?”
“What is Elnea-kun going to do!?”
“I’ll buy us some time!”
Saying so, I activated Spatial Jump. In an instant, I appeared behind the magic sword user and slashed with my white sword.
“Hahaha! Hahaha!”
A laugh that sounded genuinely amused echoed from the magic sword user before me.
“Nice! It’s been a while since I’ve felt such pain!”
It was Ruilala’s voice, filled with joy.
I shuddered at Ruilala, who could still laugh after receiving that beam of immense power. But this was not the time to be concerned about such things.
If the magic sword user decided to unleash the beam on the hostages…
No matter what, I had to divert the magic sword user’s attention elsewhere to avoid danger!
My white sword, unleashed not as a starting point for Dragon Sword Dance but as a finishing blow from the very beginning, approached the magic sword user, leaving a white afterimage.
The magic sword user’s attention and gaze were fixed on Ruilala, who stood laughing before him despite taking the beam.
I can defeat him!
The sword clash, which I was convinced would succeed, was nevertheless easily parried.
Despite it being a complete surprise, the magic sword user stopped my white sword without even turning towards me.
The ancient magic sword, with its chipped edge, firmly caught the sharp blade of my white sword.
The magic sword user, using brute force, deflected my white sword. Having advanced deeply, I was unable to transition into Dragon Sword Dance and was flung backward.
“Well, Elnea-kun, you jumped in at the perfect moment. Thanks to you, I’m saved.”
“Ruilala…!”
The distance between me and the magic sword user had increased for a moment. Thanks to that, I could see Ruilala standing in front of the magic sword user.
Her entire body was scorched, as if burned.
It was a truly pitiable sight. Her noble appearance was gone, replaced by a countenance so ghastly it made one want to look away.
“Ruilala, retreat!”
I suspected Ruilala could no longer fight.
I regained my posture and leaped towards the magic sword user’s core. Closing the distance, I initiated Dragon Sword Dance.
The jet-black beam was a powerful move that required charging. Therefore, I would not give him an opening to gather his strength!
The magic sword user countered the barrage of attacks from Dragon Sword Dance with skillful swordsmanship. However, it seemed that, as I intended, he did not have the space to unleash beams from his full armor.
The magic sword user blocked a downward strike from my white sword with his long magic sword. Following the flow, I immediately followed up with strikes from the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword.
Perhaps underestimating the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, the magic sword user did not attempt to block it with his magic sword. Moreover, he didn’t even try to evade.
The Spirit Tree Wooden Sword struck the magic sword user without any interference.
“Gah!?”
The sensation of hitting something hard transmitted to my left hand.
“Elnea-kun, it’s useless. That armor will deflect anything but a legendary-tier famous sword.”
“Is that even possible!?”
Ruilala, emitting a foul smoke from her entire body, shrugged her seared shoulders.
“Even though I’m a demon, I have to say, the combination of the God-Slayer Magic Sword and the armor of the legendary Nine Demon Generals is the worst. I don’t think we can win.”
“Ehhhhhhhh!?”
Ruilala raised both hands in surrender.
Judging that she had lost the will to fight, the magic sword user ignored her and focused solely on me.
“Is there any weakness or anything!?”
“Well, there is a weakness. You just need to make him fire that beam more. It drains the life force of those wearing armor, you see. If the person inside is human, they’ll soon wither away. But he has the God-Slayer Magic Sword, so…”
“What do you mean!?”
Due to the relentless assault of Dragon Sword Dance, the magic sword user was driven into a defensive battle. However, I couldn’t land a decisive blow.
He seemed to believe that blocking only the white sword was sufficient, and that judgment was correct. My kicks and attacks with the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword were all rendered ineffective by the formidable defense of his full armor.
Perhaps because his focus was solely on the white sword, the magic sword user couldn’t land a decisive blow on me.
I desperately wanted to break through this situation. I wished I could at least find a weakness, but it seemed the combination of the magic sword and armor was truly troublesome.
“This relates to his ability to retain self-awareness even with a magic sword. The magic sword that human is holding drinks blood.”
Despite being heavily wounded, Ruilala stood without fleeing and explained casually.
“Blood is life, you see. In other words, if there is a reserve of blood in the God-Slayer Magic Sword, that power flows to the armor of the Nine Demon Generals.”
“So, does that mean the life within isn’t depleted!?”
“That’s right.”
“No way!”
How much blood could this ancient magic sword possibly hold? Without even knowing that, it was dangerous to recklessly unleash jet-black beams.
More importantly, the hostages had still not escaped.
While I was keeping the magic sword user occupied, Mistral and the others had begun to move.
They urged the trembling court ladies to flee the grand hall. All that remained were those who had lost consciousness or were in a state of panic and unable to escape on their own.
And among those remaining was the Queen.
“Your Majesty, we must flee.”
“No! Let go! I cannot leave this place… I would only cause trouble for him…”
The Queen brushed away the offered hand.
She stubbornly refused to leave the detached palace, rejecting Lyra.
She had caused chaos. She had betrayed the King. For that sin, she was confined to the detached palace. She had been aware of her mistakes and lived honestly in the detached palace. However, that might have twisted into a distorted interpretation.
Escaping this dangerous situation meant thinking “leaving the detached palace,” and further, “if I leave the detached palace, I will cause trouble for the King.”
And she seemed to harbor fear or apprehension towards Lyra, who was speaking to her.
“Lyra, there’s no time. Take her by force.”
“Y-Yes…”
Lyra looked sad, but urged by Mistral, she reluctantly grabbed the Queen’s arm.
The Queen struggled to break free from Lyra’s grip, but Lyra held on.
“Come on, let’s flee.”
“Come on, let’s escape.”
Yufilia and Nina carried the unconscious people, while Mistral forcibly moved those in a panic. And Lyra hoisted the Queen.
“…A demon interfering with me?”
At that moment, the magic sword user spoke to Ruilala.
It seemed he had deduced that Ruilala was a demon from her incredible life force and our conversation.
“That’s right. We’re not friends, so I’ll side with Elnea-kun and the others here.”
Ruilala smiled, her scarred face breaking into a smile.
“Hmph. You will eventually learn that decision was a mistake. But, more importantly than that, for now.”
The magic sword user turned his body.
“No, everyone!”
While parrying the white sword, his gaze turned towards those who had not yet escaped!
“Yun, Rin!”
Mistral shouted.
“My, this is troublesome.”
Ruilala muttered, sounding unconcerned.
“Ngh…”
If we could just keep him busy here, it would be alright – that was too naive!
I abandoned my attack on the magic sword user and activated Spatial Jump.
At this rate, I had no choice but to take all the hostages and perform a Spatial Jump without thinking about the consequences!
Mistral intended to hold him off by summoning Yun and Rin, but whether their powers as sages could block him was unknown.
I plunged into the midst of the remaining hostages.
My vision was already filled with the magic sword user’s full armor absorbing light and turning dark.
Will I make it in time?!
No, please let me make it!
I spread my arms.
Yufilia and Nina, judging that they couldn’t escape on their own, leaped towards me with the hostages they were carrying. Lyra also extended a hand different from the one holding the Queen.
Mistral, still glaring at the magic sword user, nevertheless touched my outstretched hand.
Maximum output. I conjured Dragon Energy to release the Dragon Jewel and envelop everyone in Spatial Jump.
Yun and Rin’s barrier wouldn’t be in time.
As expected, running away was the best option without thinking about what came after.
The magic sword user’s fate would be decided after moving the hostages to a safe place.
I attempted to activate Spatial Jump.
The magic sword user was about to unleash a jet-black beam.
It was then that a third force intervened in the battle within the detached palace.
“Gusferus, defend!”
Responding to the royal aura-filled cry, a deep roar echoed. Simultaneously, a black, giant mass burst through the wall of the detached palace and wedged itself between us and the magic sword user.
My vision turned dark.
The giant mass, obscuring our vision, acted as a shield, and the jet-black beam was dispersed radially.
“How can a mere human’s technique defeat me with darkness?”
“Y-Your Majesty!? And Gusferus!”
Yes. What protected us was the King of the Yorttenitos Kingdom and his beloved dragon, Gusferus.
Gusferus, the black, giant mass, roared again triumphantly.
The magic sword user, hit by the dragon’s roar at close range, took a step back from the terrifying power. The beam he had been emitting from his entire body was interrupted.
“Everyone, are you all unharmed!?”
The King, mounted on Gusferus, looked down at us from above.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
It seemed I wouldn’t need to perform Spatial Jump.
Slightly delayed, Yun and Rin’s barrier activated.
A strong barrier enveloped us.
Combined with Gusferus’s barrier, this should be able to block the jet-black beam. Besides, Gusferus alone had already blocked it.
“Now, villain, accept your fate!”
Seeing that we, along with the Queen, were safe, the King confronted the magic sword user, wielding a fearsome halberd.
“……!”
The magic sword user took another step back from the King’s overwhelming presence.
The situation was completely in our favor.
The beam aimed at the hostages could be blocked by Gusferus and the two sages’ barriers. Now, all that remained was to finish him off.
Perhaps sensing his disadvantage, the magic sword user, showing a hint of irritation for the first time, retreated further.
“I won’t let you escape!”
I leaped out from behind Gusferus. Mistral, Yufilia, and Nina also stepped forward, brandishing their respective weapons.
“…Is this the end for me.”
The magic sword user spat out with hatred, flipping his dark cloak.
A mist more profound than darkness seemed to spread around the magic sword user.
“Gah!?”
I won’t let him escape! My vision, which approached with Spatial Jump, caught sight of a different creature than the magic sword user.
Startled by the unexpected creature, my footwork faltered.
In that brief opening, the magic sword user moved.
What emerged from the dark mist was a completely black horse.
However, it had an eerie appearance, like an undead creature. Its eyes were sunken, and its sinewy body looked like a decaying being.
The magic sword user quickly mounted the suddenly appeared black horse. Then, without hesitation, he turned and leaped with the black horse.
“Wha-what!?”
What a leap!
We were left behind in the detached palace, powerless against the horse’s unexpected jumping power.
You can express your support by clicking the heart. (Login required)
Support
Login if you have an account
Learn more about the reading experience on Kakuyomu
