Where the Battle Goes
The upper echelon of the united front army is watching the Demon King's attack from the main camp. Even after a group of demon-like beings marched out from the Northern Alliance's camp, there was no major movement on the united front forces. They are just happy that the demons are crushing each other.
Even so, it's not completely motionless. The Northern Alliance forces, which had been holed up in their positions, sent out a group of demons who they had rarely seen before. Sensing a change in the war situation there, they had been scouting frequently.
"…Kaiser won't come out?"
Only 100 soldiers went out from the Northern Alliance. Still, all of them seemed to be demons, so King Luine thought that Ren had gone out, but it was a mistake. There is no sign of Ren in the group, and even if the number of people they see is reduced due to the overwhelming difference in strength, there is no sign of reinforcements coming.
"There’s no way he can go out. He may already be dead."
The man who spoke proudly was the sorcerer. He has a proud expression, as if he thinks that the current situation is thanks to him.
"You don't even know if a person is alive or dead. You foolish sorcerer."
The necromancer Darren criticized the sorcerer. He looks pretty grumpy, the exact opposite of the sorcerer.
"What did you say?"
"If someone like the Nord Emperor dies, I'll know it right away. In the first place, there's no way he'll die with your magic."
"Which one is the fool? Actually, the Nord emperor is suffering from my technique. My magic has surpassed the Nord emperor."
The sorcerer responds with dissatisfaction to Darren, who denies his power.
"Haa... comparing you two. As expected, you don't understand anything."
"Stop being jealous. The current situation proves that my magic is superior. It is useless to try to deny it."
"I am not jealous. I'm just amazed at your stupidity."
"What did you say!?"
The two have been at odds with each other for a long time. The reason for this is that Darren is constantly denying the sorcerer. A stupid argument. It is, but some people care about the content of it. Heinz is an example.
Darren definitely knows something about Ren that others do not. Heinz is curious about what it is.
Heinz is about to open his mouth to ask him about it.
"There is movement in the Northern Alliance!"
But the report did not allow him to do so.
"…Are they going to withdraw?"
The Northern Alliance forces are moving rapidly in their positions. King Luine saw that it was a retreat.
"Prepare for the pursuit! Hurry up!"
Without waiting for King Luine's instructions, Harrisman, the Platinum Knight Commander issued an order. First of all, you must promptly prepare for the pursuit. Instructions should be given at the time of the sortie.
The hustle and bustle spread to the united front army position. Then came the voice.
"The traitor has been killed! Everyone! Continue on, bring the Nord False King to a bloody mess!"
It was the voice of the Demon King.
"...That's, no way?"
The body is held high by the Demon King. From the main camp of the united front army, they cannot identify the face, but they can tell by the silhouette that it is a woman. She also has silver hair. Seeing that, Heinz remembers one woman.
At that moment―― a dazzling light and a roar spread across the battlefield.
"Lightning... Thunder Emperor! Ren!?"
Only Ren should be able to use lightning magic. Ren, who was supposed to be immobile, had come out at this moment. The eyes of the people who understood this gathered on the sorcerer.
But the sorcerer was lying on the ground with blood gushing from every hole in his body. And right next to him.
"Please forgive me... Please forgive me. Your Majesty, please have mercy on this foolish Darren..."
There was Darren, crawling on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
"...What do you mean? Why is the sorcerer dead?"
"Forgive me... Your Majesty... I was forced. Please have mercy..."
"His Majesty is asking what happened! Answer him!"
Darren, who ignored King Luine's question, was yelled at by Harisman, the Platinum Knight Commander. However, Darren is not afraid of such a thing.
"If I die because of this, it's all your fault."
Darren still responded. However, he reacted by glaring at the commander of the Platinum Knights with a hateful look.
"What happened to the sorcerer? Why is he dead?"
Parrying Darren's gaze, Harrisman, the platinum knight commander asked a question.
"He has incurred the wrath of the king."
"Who is that king?"
"His Majesty the Nord Emperor, of course."
"...The emperor is king?"
Ren is the Emperor of the Nord Empire. Darren recognizes him as the emperor, but he also calls him king. The commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, does not understand the meaning of this.
"That person is not only the ruler of the living, but also of the dead...... never mind. You would not understand it even if I told you."
"If you don’t talk about it, we won’t understand even more!"
Darren, who stopped the explanation halfway through, was struck by the commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman's voice again. However, Darren's demeanor remains the same.
"What do you think of that?"
Darren pointed at the battlefield. It's the front line where the Demon King's army is.
"...Even if you say that."
The Demon King's army is there, waiting for the cavalry who have gone out from the position of the Northern Alliance. When asked what he thinks about it, the Platinum Knight Commander, Harrisman, is at a loss for an answer.
"You wouldn't understand, would you? That's what I mean."
Darren sees things that other people don't. Ren astride the magical beast Ran and rushes toward the demon king. Kneeling on either side of Ren, countless rows of spirits bowing their heads for forgiveness.
◇◇◇
Ren's magic shot down many demons. Even demons with magic resistance couldn't withstand a lightning strike that was powerful enough to crush a giant with a single blow.
Ran, ridden by Ren, runs through the battlefield where many demons are lying on the ground. Towards the Demon King standing ahead.
"You've finally come out! You coward!"
The Demon King sneers at Ren.
However, Ren didn't show any reaction to it, and approached the Demon King in silence.
"Come! Next one, is――"
The Demon King was unable to speak until the end.
Silently, without taking any particular stance, Ren suddenly swung his sword. To avoid it, he jumped backward.
"...You coward. Did you ignore the manners of duels?"
"Duel? What are you talking about? I have no intention of dueling you."
"Then, are you begging for your life? I'll consider it if you get down on your knees and apologize."
He only thinks about it, but he has no intention of actually forgiving him. The Demon King is only trying to humiliate Ren. But that would be a big mistake.
"Are you stupid?"
"What did you say!?"
"I'm just saying that I can't do something like a duel. My goal is to kill you all."
"...Don't get cocky!"
Even though many of them have been wounded and fallen due to the battle with the Vampires and Ren's magic, there are still more than five hundred demons. There was no way that Ren alone could beat them.
But such numbers don't matter to Ren. He will kill them all. That is all he has decided.
"I'll start with you."
The Demon King should be defeated first. Ren decided that he would absolutely kill the Demon King. If so, he should fight while he is still in this condition.
"I'll take you on."
The Demon King has no intention of losing at all. He accepted Ren's challenge, even though Ren had no desire to duel him, and stepped forward.
Ren thrust his sword toward the Demon King. The Demon King avoided this by twisting his body and tried to grab Ren's arm which was stretched out in front of him. But that was Ren's invitation. A small bolt of lightning emitted from the sword extends out as if it is being drawn to the Demon King's body.
"Ugh!"
A groan escapes from the Demon King's mouth. Ren thrusts the sword in his other hand toward the Demon King.
The Demon King somehow manages to avoid it, this time flying right behind him. Ren then closes the distance between them, kicking the ground and closing the gap.
"Don't underestimate me!"
The Demon King swung his sword at Ren, who had closed the gap between them. Ren caught it with his sword, which he drew back. But the force of the Demon King's sword was so great that Ren was blown to the side.
"With this!"
The Demon King jumped in front of Ren and swung his sword down at him. Ren catches it with two swords. The Demon King then kicks Ren in the abdomen, where Ren is unprotected. Ren was blown backward again by the kick.
The Demon King comes after him again.
"What?"
However, the pursuit was stopped by Ren's sword thrust into the ground. The Demon King stopped his movement to avoid the sword.
In that instant, Ren's sword was driven into the Demon King's body.
"……Are you kidding me?"
Certainly, Ren's sword reached the Demon King. However, the sword did not hurt the Demon King. Ren stares blankly at the broken sword.
"An ordinary sword can't hurt me."
"You tell people that they were cowardly?"
"It's not cowardly. This is a skill. Do you understand? You can't beat me."
The sword can't even hurt the Demon King. Ren was deprived of one means of killing the Demon King.
"...If a sword is no good."
If a sword doesn't work, there's magic. Thinking so, Ren fires a lightning strike at the Demon King.
"Uoooohhh!!"
The Demon King lets out a roar. Ren's magic, which attacked the Demon King a little later, hit directly. However, the Demon King remained standing.
"If I know it's coming, I can withstand magic as much as I want."
"...As much is a lie"
"Even so, I can withstand your magic."
"I see. As expected of a Demon King."
"It's your loss. Prepare yourself."
Neither sword nor magic will work. Ren will not give up even if he's lost the means to defeat the Demon King.
"How about this?"
With these words, Ren closes the gap between himself and the Demon King and jumps up high. He put one hand on the Demon King's face and tried to cast [Bind], but...
"Too late!"
"Guh..."
Before that, the Demon King's sword pierced Ren's abdomen.
"Hahaha! This is the end of the false king! Die!"
The Demon King lifted Ren's body with his sword still stuck in it and laughed loudly.
"...A-as planned."
"Wha... guh... gah..."
Ren thrust his sword into the Demon King's mouth. Ren pushes the sword even more forcefully.
"...E-eat this... s-strike..."
A sphere of light floated above their heads. A bolt of lightning emanating from that sphere strikes the sword held in the demon king's mouth at close range. A flash of light enveloped their bodies, and thunder roared.
When it subsided―― Ren and the demon king's bodies lay motionless on the ground.
"...Y-you're aiming to kill each other? Are you stupid?"
Seeing that spectacle, it was Baat who let out a surprised voice. He never expected that the Demon King would be defeated, and that Ren would come up with a counterattack.
But that is a premature assumption. At the very least, there is no way that Ren would end up just trying to make it a trade. Even if Ren accepts it, the people around him will not allow it.
"...The power to protect everything! Wings of compassion!"
As the chanting ended, wings of light wrapped Ren's body on the ground. It's the magic [Wings of Compassion] released by Shizuku.
"Shizuku! Spread your wings!"
"But I can't find Rin-san!"
She can't find Rin, who should have been lying nearby. Shizuku thought that she would not know where to spread her wings, but that was not the case.
"No! It's an enemy attack!"
"Eh!?"
"Hurry up!"
"Got it!"
Shizuku spreads her wings wide at Luna's command. Immediately after that, a shock hits those wings. The magic was released from the united front army's position. It came down on Ren, but rather, it was pouring down indiscriminately.
"Shizuru. Don't do anything unnecessary."
Seeing that the magic she shot was blocked, Mei let out a frustrated mutter.
"Keep going. Defense magic will end at some point."
The head of the Mage Order, Tenniel of the Izrim Magic Kingdom instructed Mei to continue the attack. Even absolute defensive magic will always break at some point. The strategy is to continue the attack so as not to miss that moment.
"I know. Even if I don't do it, other Mages will continue to attack."
"Even so, it is better to have as much power as possible. The target is not only the Nord emperor."
The magic attack wasn't just aimed at Ren, it also targeted the demons around him. It means to erase them altogether.
"And you, too."
"I know"
Tenniel, the head of the Mages of the Izrim Magic Kingdom. His power is comparable to that of Mei on this battlefield. With the addition of William Sefa, the commander of the royal guard mages of the Luine Kingdom, with those two, the strongest mages of the three countries are assembled.
Their magic attack is probably the greatest on the battlefield, even going back to the past. Even if it is [Wings of Compassion], which is said to be absolute defensive magic, it is not something that can be prevented.
Magic poured into the front lines without interruption. Just when it seemed that the [Wings of Compassion] had reached its limit―― a huge jet-black sphere floated in the air.
"W-what is that thing?"
"I'd like to ask that. I don't know any magic like that."
A magic that even Mei, who has mastered advanced magic of all four attributes, does not know. In other words, it is not an attribute magic.
"...Spirit magic."
The best mages on this continent, aside from the Elected King of Izrim, who is not here, don't know about this magic. The only way to do that, they believe, is through spirit magic.
In fact, they are right. The magic is the magic that Luna unleashed. The jet-black sphere sucks in all the magic released by the united front forces.
"So that's defensive magic, too."
Mei, seeing this, judged Luna's magic to be defensive magic. But this was premature. Luna's magic is not that passive.
A jet-black sphere that grows larger each time it absorbs the magic of the united front army. Eventually, it scatters as if a balloon burst, pouring onto the battlefield and obliterating the soldiers in the vanguard and the demons that received it.
"Deploy defensive magic! Hurry up!"
Seeing that, Tenniel hurriedly ordered the activation of defensive magic.
"Send forward the vanguard troops! Don't let the enemy escape!"
At the same time, the commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, orders the pursuit of the Northern Alliance. Seeing their disadvantage in a magic fight, they decided to move to a hand-to-hand battle. He also knew that the Northern Alliance was trying to retreat.
"Send a signal! Block the rear of the Nord army!"
Furthermore, he also instructed them to send a signal to the armies within the Northern Alliance. This is where they will settle the matter at once. The Knight Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, and King Luine had made that decision.
Before Luna's magic attack has completely stopped, the vanguard of the united front army begins to move. They had begun their assault on the Northern Alliance's position. In response, an intercepting force came out from the Northern Alliance forces, or rather the Nord forces.
The cavalry charged out. However, the cavalry did not even form up and charge into the united front forces. It was a poor attack, even if they were prepared to sacrifice to stall the attack. The united front forces thought so, but they soon learned the reason why. An explosion echoed through the battlefield.
"...N-no way... t-the Anti-Hero Alliance?"
The Nord army has set up a suicide attack. They also used a magic tool that was far more powerful than the one they used on the Hero Candidates.
Furthermore, it is a suicide bombing that rushes into the army that is marching in formation. Hundreds instead of dozens of soldiers were blown away by a single suicide bomber.
"Don't let them escape! Move forward!"
Harisman, the Platinum Knight Commander's order resounds, but a considerable number of people at the main camp had given up hope that it would have any effect. Seeing the explosion that occurred behind the Northern Alliance position.
Thinking that the Northern Alliance forces that were moving to block their retreat were also blown to pieces by the suicide bombing attack.
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