Chapter 103: Knight of Light・Aquim Bonvoul
Aquim Bonvoul. The eldest son of one of the three families, he is probably the most famous man in the current Kingdom of Light. However, the reason for his fame is not the praise given to a man who has risen to the position of Knight of Light or a man who has risen to be the leader of his country, but rather the opposite.
He is a man who has managed to become a Knight of Light through despicable means. He is the worst kind of man, a young lad who mistook the power of his family for his own power.
That was the majority's opinion of Aquim Bonvoul, and it did not change even after his extraordinary feat of defeating the dragon, but rather people pointed and ridiculed him behind his back.
Another failure of the Bonvoul family is blowing the whistle in the face of power.
It is very difficult, even for a skilled magician to tell a lie while we were connected. The shared emotions began to show a strong tinge of mockery, pity, and dismay.
The Demon King's jewel-like eyes turn blank and half-lidded.
(Well, a lot of things have been said and thought...... no, but really, why did you come forth? You don't seem you want to surrender.)
"Oi, oi. Maou-san, what is it? What's with that question? Since a Knight of Light has come out like this, there's only one thing to do. I'm here to protect it. I'm here to protect my hometown."
One of Aquim Bonvoul's rings glowed, and he was wrapped in silver armor.
The sun and the moon. The silver plate armor with the Bonvoul family's crest engraved on its chest part is a magnificent piece of workmanship that even the untrained eye can tell at a glance of its high quality. And the silver-haired, silver-eyed man wears it with dignity.
The knight looked as if he had come out of a story.
(Well, dressing up like that makes you look like a knight. But a brave man without any ability is more ridiculous than a clown, you know?)
"Shut up, you're too noisy. Try and see if it's fake."
(I don't mind the bluster, but the prestige of the house is of no use here on the battlefield, you know? In general, your holy sword seems to be specialized for recovery, doesn't it? How do you plan to reverse this desperate situation? Ah, or maybe you can't count the numbers... do you?)
The Demon King shakes her shoulders in amusement. The open mockery, however, did not elicit a backlash from the people, but rather a number of appreciative responses. The few expectations for the Knights of Light turned to disappointment and anger as soon as word got out that Aquim Bonvoul's Holy Sword was not suited for battle.
(Can you tell? No one believes in you. No one needs you. Now stop your foolishness and bring me five heads. Then I will give you the leader position to unite all the slaves. You can fuck all the women you want and kill all the men you don't like. How's that sound? Isn't it attractive?)
"Ha? No, that's nonsense. I can get any woman I want with my own power, and I can beat the shit out of anyone who pisses me off. Why do I have to ask you, the Maou, to give me a favor, you idiot?"
(You would turn your blade against me for the sake of the people who point a finger at your back and ridicule you?)
"Keh, You're making a big deal out of a stupid thing. What's the matter with being laughed at? Unfortunately, I'm not an honor student. I'm used to being ridiculed, and I'm not going to abandon the country where I was born and raised just because of that."
Regardless of his tone of voice, his attitude of not giving a second thought to the Demon King's temptation is truly a model of a knight. A slight sense of favoritism begins to arise in the connected minds.
The direction of the wind... may change soon.
Should I raise my voice here? As I was thinking thatーー
(Onii-chan, do your best!)
(Onii-sama, I believe in you.)
It is a feeling without any distortion. While most people's emotions were clouded by distrust of the infamous Knight of Light, the voice, which reminded me of clear blue water, resonated surprisingly well.
The owner of this voice believes. That Aquim Bonvoul will defeat the hordes in front of him like the hero of a story.
For a moment, the image of a blue-haired child and a girl with silver eyes flashed in my mind.
(Yare, yare. It seems that some foolish lambs have mistaken you for a hero or something. Don't you feel sorry for them? To be shown a clown's one-man show before the end of his life? No matter how much people hate their enemies, I pity them for how ridiculous this is.)
"You talk too much, but do you really think you can take this from me and get away with it? Ah!?"
The sword was pulled out, and its tip was pointed at the Demon King's Castle. The double-edged blade catches the sunlight and emits a dull light.
A holy sword. A magic tool created by the Founder-sama. It is undoubtedly the most powerful weapon that an individual can use, but now, in the face of thousands and thousands of troops, it looks like a tiny weapon, and I find myself clutching the hilt of my own holy sword.
(I see. I didn't realize that you couldn't read the situation even after saying all this. As the others think, you must be a fool. Enough is enough. My servants, eat that fool as fast as you can.)
It is like the arrogance of a king who makes his guests put down their plates without even taking a bite, just because he doesn't like the way they look. With such a noble attitude, the Demon King gave the order, and the numerous demons surrounding the capital, some of them attacked Aquim Bonvoul.
The army of demons was so numerous that it could surround the capital. Even though it was only a part of the army, it looked like a black tsunami of more than a hundred demons, and everyone who was shown it had a vision of Aquim Bonvoul disappearing into the sea of demons in a few seconds.
The corners of the knight's mouth lifted in a grin as he faced the onrushing black tsunami.
"Knight of Light, Aquim Bonvoul... here I come!"
Immediately after, a wave of silver light runs through the place and the black tsunami stopped. After the huge energy stops, all that remains is Aquim Bonvoul, which looked like he was about to be cut by claws and fangs.
(Hoh, this is...)
The Demon King's face broke out in surprise at the unexpected performance.
Andーー Slash*, slash*. Thump*, thump*. The ground is littered with shredded pieces of flesh. The number of them must have exceeded a hundred.
(Splendid, splendid. Wave slashing. But, what? Wasn't there a knight like that in the past?)
Unlike the Demon King who was searching her memory, we knew at a glance what Aquim Bonvoul had done. Because we are the people of the Kingdom of Light. We have grown up hearing many legends from books and plays since childhood. It is only natural that we know more about the legends of the Knights of Light than anyone else. Yes, that wasーー
"H-holy sword that releases slashes as waves, [Sword Wave]?"
This sword is said to have belonged to the legendary Knight of Light who defeated numerous demons during the turmoil in the Kingdom of Light. The legend of the knight who is said to have defeated a thousand armies single-handedly during the fierce battle between Floria-sama and the Demon King is still told to many people through plays and books.
A legend revived before the crisis of the Kingdom of Light. Before we could accept this fact, Aquim Bonvoul ran.
His speed was just like a gale as he charged head-on into the crowd of demons, trampling on the shredded flesh and blood. Before the demons even noticed the wind, Aquim Bonvoul approached them.
And then the holy sword was swung twice. Once again, a wave of silver light seemed to overrun the crowd of demonsーー
"Rise up, wind!"
A huge tornado blows the demons to the sky.
A holy sword that transforms one's mana into a tornado, [Propeller].
Its effect is simple, yet powerful. Above all, the tornado created by Aquim Bonvoul was gigantic, even exceeding the power of the knight in the stories.
The fury of the wind reaching the heavens laid waste to the demons. No matter how strong their claws are or how hard their scales are, how fragile and ephemeral is the resistance of living creatures in the face of a raging natural disaster?
If he kept making tornadoes like this, he can win, right?
Not only I but many other people's emotions were filled with such expectations, whenーー
"GAAAAHHH!”
A fist with immense mass shattered the tornado.
The earth shook at the sound of the footsteps of the absolute being. The blow from his huge body, which surpasses that of a large tree, shatters the walls without any mana, and its muscles, which had been raised to their full potential, repel all kinds of weapons and metal.
It is powerful yet simple. The reddish-black eye monster destroyed the tornado. For this absolute being, we were just like insects compared to it.
Giant. They are the natural enemy of the human race, along with dragons. However, unlike dragons, giants are not necessarily hostile to humans, and in some countries, they are even classified as a race. Their intelligence varies greatly, with some being no different from animals and others acquiring an intelligence that surpasses that of many races. They are a very difficult race to deal with, as they are normally distinguished between demons and humans, but no one would bring up such a delicate issue in front of those eyes filled with the will to fight.
"GUOOOHH!"
It roared and ran. With that alone, the earth was discolored with the blood of the demons that had failed to escape.
The spectators who were not on the battlefield were overwhelmed by its power, and the surrounding area was filled with people who ducked down as quickly as possible or stumbled as they tried to run away.
The giant arrived at the knight of light, trampling on the lives of many. A rock-like fist is raised. In the face of it, Aquim Bonvoul did not move.
No way... did he get nervous?
The fact that he was not taking evasive action, a scream was heard in the connection.
Then, the power stored in the huge arm is released and falls to the earth's surface like a meteorite from the sky.
[Death.]
In the face of this absolute fist, which could be called a natural disaster at this point, Aquim Bonvoul said.
"You're already in the center. You'll be cut off by your own mass."
And then the giant's armーー flew off.
The huge arm flew high into the sky in an arc, splattering blood. What made this happen was a single thread connected to the space above Aquim Bonvoul's head as if to protect him.
“GAAAAHH!?”
Whether it was because of pain or anger, the rampaging giant soon became aware of it. But before it knew it, the thread was wrapped around its entire body.
"GAA!? GAA! GAAAAAHH!!"
Compared to its own massive body, the giant desperately moved its body to tear off the tiny threads. However, the more it struggled, the more the threads dug into the giant's entire body.
“A Holy Sword that transforms the blade into threads with all kinds of properties, [Heaven Fall]?”
This is the sword used by the Knight of Light, who is known as the strongest in one-on-one combat. The sword is used in conjunction with spatial magic to display its greatest power, and it is as powerful as legend has it, and is used to hunt down giants.
There is no longer any doubt. Aquim Bonvoul's Holy Sword. Its true power isーー
(......I see. It seems that the true power of your holy sword is not recovery, but the ability to use the power of the knights of light of the past.)
At the same time that the Demon King affirmed my thoughts, the dismembered body of the giant fell to the ground. The tip of the holy sword, which had returned from thread to blade, was once again pointed at the Demon King.
"That's right. I have everyone who has protected the Kingdom of Light with me. There's no way I can lose to you."
His arrogant attitude, reminiscent of a thug, remained unchanged, but we did indeed see a vision. Behind Aquim, who pointed his holy sword at the Demon King, we saw the knights who once fought for this kingdom with their lives on the line.
Whoa!? Ooooohhh!!
Disbelief. Doubt. Pity. Anger. Fear. The emotions that had been filled with various negative thoughts were now filled with only one emotion.
The name of the emotion that gave the people who were sinking into a swamp of despair the strength to rise againーー
(Who would have thought that someone could give hope to these sheep under these circumstances? Brilliant, brilliant, clown. No, you are a hero who could not be a hero.)
The Demon King smiled. It was a beautiful yet wicked smile full of sadism. The hearts of the people, excited with hope, instantly become quiet. Furthermoreーー
"Haa!? Oi, oi. I couldn't!? Don't talk nonsense. I'm a hero who will save the country from this crisis, no matter how you look at it."
The people's anxiety increased even more as Aquim Bonvoul spoke like a beaten man in a story.
(I recognize your power, hero. Your personality may be a little rough, but you are a man of great ability, worthy of marking the end of the Kingdom of Light. Therefore, I will show you. I will show you the strongest card in my hand, of which I am proud.)
With a snap of her fingers. I wondered how long they had been there. Behind the throne were three terrifying shadows.
One of the shadows had black, lustrous hair and horns like a bull's. Dressed elegantly in a black dress, she looked like a widow, but at the same time, she had the bearing of a king who would bring others to their knees. The black cloth wrapped around her eyes obscured her true face, but no one could doubt her beauty.
One of the shadows had shining golden hair tied up on either side and fascinating purple eyes that could rival those of the Demon King. She was wearing a short jacket over an underwear-like breastplate, hot pants underneath, and cuirasses and boots that were instantly recognizable as magic tools. The look on her face was one of condescending derision toward all but herself. Is it because of her beauty, or is it because of our instincts as weak people who cannot resist the predator? The fangs of her thin smile were showing from her mouth.
One of the shadows had hair and eyes like snow, and its unblemished appearance wore a fantastic beauty that transcended gender. Wearing a sailor uniform with a white tie and skirt, she looked like a little girl as she stood there quietly. She was beautiful but not intimidating at all. However, that is why her appearance, standing side by side with the others, was so extraordinary.
(These are the strongest soldiers in the Demon Kingdom who defeated your King.)
Four generals. At the same time that this information was shared in everyone's mind, hope once again fell to despair.
Aquim Bonvoul changed his stance from one-handed to two-handed. His expression was somewhat tense, as though all the composure that had been there just a moment before had vanished.
It was only natural. The four generals, no matter what means they use, are the ones who defeated Floria-sama. No ordinary person...... would be able to stand up to them nor would anyone else in the Kingdom of Light. Therefore, if and when the Aquim Bonvoul is defeated, that will be the end of the Kingdom of Light.
There was no one here who did not understand it. Whether they loved or hated Aquim Bonvoul, whether they were aware of it or not, they were all praying to the new protector of the kingdom of light.
Please! Please win.
What did he think of our strong but fleeting wish? A sinister smile appeared on the Demon King's face again. Andーー
"Now, go. With the blood of the hero, let us stain the ground on this victory."
Finally, the order was given to the greatest and strongest demons.
""As you wish, Maou-sama.""
The demon and spirit bowed their heads reverently. The floor collapses beside them, unable to withstand the force of their leap.
“Kyahahahaha!!”
A loud laugh echoes through the air. The single demon, considered the strongest in the world, leaps over all distances and attacks Aquim Bonvoul in a straight line.
Combat scenes are welcome.
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