The Great White Winged Demon God 1
(Siegfried the Great Hawk, leader of the [Band of the Great Hawk of Salvation])
Melvina breaks out in a cold sweat as she checks out Siegfried, whose blue falcon wings sprout from his back across the flattened forest square.
Beside him is the deputy commander, Tiger Black.
Although he is not a member of the regular army, he is the head of a mercenary group that is in close contact with the Holy Tree Church.
If Melvina fights with them, Christo's social status will surely be in jeopardy.
It would be a good idea to leave the battlefield immediately.
However, she could not leave Ulrika, who was slumped to the ground.
(I made a mistake in judgment)
She shouldn't have brought Pontus and Ulrika with her, and since she did, she had to be on her guard at all times to protect them.
Because of Melvina's foolishness, Pontus dies, and Ulrika is about to be drawn into the battle.
Melvina tugged on Ulrika's arm, who was mumbling something.
The gruesome corpse of Pontus, which she had been carrying in her lap, slides to the ground.
"Ah... Pontus."
"Urrika-san, please stand up! ――!?"
"Don't touch her!"
Eltharion's left hand waved carelessly.
Melvina flicked it with her unsheathed sword.
A tremendous shock hit the sword, and even though the blade of the sword didn't receive the impact directly, the sword's body was severely crushed.
"......You can't protect Ulrika-san on your own!"
"Don't touch her! If you take her away from me, I will follow you wherever you go and kill――."
Eltharion's words were cut off in the middle.
Across the square, Siegfried and Tiger summoned their respective holy sword maidens and thrust their hands into their bellies. The young elf spits out, [Damn it!] and steps away from Melvina's side and steps forward. He held out his left hand, glowing blue, in front of him and drew a holy symbol.
Melvina's eyes widened.
"[God Sword]...!"
The surprise spreads to Siegfried and Tiger as well.
No, everyone there was astonished at Eltharion's use of holy art.
"Ridiculous." "...[God Sword]?" "He's a demon." "But the [Wood Woman] can use it." "Can he use the same technique?" "Was he hiding it?"
Tiger pulls out the [Pseudo-Holy Sword], a holy sword with a twisted, wavy blade, and licks his lips.
"Aryaa, is that a [God Sword]? Hehehe, it's getting interesting. He's my prey!"
"Damn you!"
Siegfried flapped his blue wings, scattering the ashes of the holy tree like powder.
"That precious light is a holy radiance that can only be used by those of us who have been chosen by the holy tree! It cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of filthy demons! It's a purge! Die!"
With his face twisted in anger, Siegfried pointed his holy sword at him.
White particles shot out from the sword, forming an intricate pattern in the sky.
In the darkness of the forest, the white light shone through the clouds like an angel's ladder, dazzling the square.
Blue particles cling to Eltharion.
Eltharion's eyes light up with a physiological aversion to it.
He reflexively tries to fight them off―― and immediately his eyes light up with the color of determination.
"I will not be tainted by such unholy light."
[Blue ash] stuck to Eltharion's cheeks, neck, shoulders, hands, and feet, slowly eroding him. Eltharion did not resist, but his handsome face shone with unyielding faith as he glared back at the birdman fluttering in the sky.
"Aha! You stupid demon! You will receive the judgment of the holy tree! Ahahahaha!"
"Ora, ora, let's go! Tigeeeeerr Puuuuunchh!"
Tiger attacks.
Melvina was trying to pull Ulrika away from the battlefield, but there was no time to take it easy anymore, so she forcefully took her in her arms and made a big leap.
She might have injured Ulrika's arm in the process, but there was nothing else she could do.
"Ulrika-san!"
The forest was already filled with troops.
The members are not just the [Band of the Great Hawk of Salvation].
Also mixed in are the church knights from the Holy Tree Church who were brought in by the new bishop who had been arguing with Netzel.
All of them, their eyes glaring under their helmets, seemed to be waiting for Eltharion, who was steadily dodging Siegfried and Tiger's attacks one by one, to reveal a fatal opening.
(The army is moving too fast. Was Eltharion being watched the whole time? Did Pontus leak the information? I don't know, but this is a critical juncture.)
Melvina looked down at Ulrika, who was hugging the remains of Pontus and crying.
There are four options.
One is to run back to the village.
If the Band of Great Hawk wins, Ulrika's life will be saved. However, if Eltharion wins, there is a possibility that he will become enraged and charge into the village, resulting in the loss of a tremendous number of villagers.
Second, stay where they are.
If she made a bad move, they might be mistaken for a monster lurking in the forest and sniped at by the army. They would hide in the shade of a tree somewhere and wait for the fighting to subside. Ulrika's safety would be at risk, but at least the pioneer village would not be involved even if Eltharion won the battle.
Third, Ulrika should be handed over to the Band of Great Hawk, and Melvina should join in to defeat Eltharion.
If she wants to do something fundamental about the struggle here, she has two choices: either she sides with Eltharion and annihilates the Band of Great Hawk, or she sides with the Band of Great Hawk and kills Eltharion.
However, there is nothing good about siding with Eltharion. If he wins, Melvina, the rest of the army in the wilderness, and the adventurers will be his next targets. Since Melvina also opposed the Holy Tree Church, there is a high possibility that she will be excommunicated from the church.
The only way to quell the conflict is to kill Eltharion.
Fourth, give up everything and run away alone.
It's not something that Ulrika, Eltharion, or the Band of Great Hawk don't care about.
They should just fight on their own.
Even if a lot of people die, it doesn't matter to Melvina.
Perhaps there is no right answer among these four.
There are many people who choose the fourth, which seems the most cowardly, despicable, and irresponsible.
In fact, the fourth one is probably the majority.
It does not matter to her.
It doesn't matter who or what happens.
She was the one who brought Pontus and Ulrika this far, so why does she have to take care of them until the end?
As long as it's good enough with her, that's fine.
This way of thinking is probably instinctive as a living thing, and no one can blame it.
(But, I.)
"Ulrika-san"
Melvina bends over to Ulrika, who just keeps crying like a little child.
She is a naive girl in her twenties.
She was a vivid representation of what would happen if a normal person got caught up in such a messed-up situation.
"Please listen, Ulrika-san."
"Uee, hick, uwaaa!"
"Ulrika-san!"
She lightly slapped Ulrika's cheek.
Ulrika was blown away, rolling on the rotten ground.
Melvina walked up to the freckled woman who was vomiting, [O-oeee...], grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, and looked straight at her.
"There are three options. Please choose."
"Eh……"
"One, go back to the village."
Melvina bends her finger.
"Two, stay here."
"Stay here...?"
Ulrika trembled as she heard Eltharion's terrifying roar echoing from the square and smelled the blood of the slain mercenaries.
"Third, I will help them kill Eltharion-san."
"N-no! Please help Eltharion! I'll do anything in return!"
"I can’t do that. If he wins, the army in the wilderness and adventurers in the village will be sacrificed. ――I feel tremendous hatred from him. He will kill every combatant in the area.”
"Eltharion wouldn't do something like that! He's a kind person!"
(What is this person saying? From that elf's point of view, he should not even know who is his ally and who is his enemy. The first priority would be to act to ensure our safety. In that case, he is likely to move in the direction of annihilating those who might try to kill him...... This is a problem before kindness and compassion.)
However, even if she tried to explain this to her, this woman would not understand.
Melvina decided to change her words.
"Even though Eltharion-san killed Pontus-san, who apologized?"
"―――― ......P-Pontus. Pontus..."
"Then he called Pontus-san a filthy monkey."
"Eltharion won't say such things!"
"He said. Please wake up."
Slap*. She slaps her cheeks.
That alone made Ulrika [Boheee].
Melvina instantly came close to Ulrika, who was blown away, took her slender body and lowered her to the ground as gently as possible.
"Are you awake?"
"That's terrible violence..."
"I can't read the battle situation. If we return to the village, if Eltharion-san wins, even the innocent villagers could be harmed. It is not a good bet. I suggest you choose to stay here or we kill Eltharion-san."
"I-I want to help Eltharion!"
"Then do as you wish."
"I can't do it. But... you're strong, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not strong. I've only learned some martial arts, but I can still lose to ordinary soldiers."
"That's a lie!"
Melvina makes Ulrika sit in the shade of a tree.
At the same time, she also spread runes around them.
"I don't understand. Why are you protecting Eltharion-san. He killed Pontus-san, right?"
"It's... it's some sort of mistake. Something... Pontus might just be unconscious and still be alive."
(Is the strong mental stress confusing her memory? If Pontus-san had been Christo-san, I would have lost my mind, too. It would be harsh to ask Ulrika to have normal judgment now.)
Melvina looked at Ulrika again.
"If I fight to help Eltharion-san, I will become an enemy of the Holy Tree Church. I can't erase all the witnesses. You understand, right?"
"Yeah……"
"In that case, I will be excommunicated from the church and branded as a [criminal]. Not only that, but the social reputation of Christo-san and sister-in-law, Patricia, will also be damaged."
"That's no good. Everyone needs to be happy. If you and Christo are excommunicated, there will be no place for you in this world."
"Yes. I will be in the same situation as Schneizel, who wrote [Parasitic Tree Theory]. Therefore, I cannot kill the apostles of the Holy Tree Church who hunt demons. ――I'm sorry."
"Look up! I'm sorry I asked you to help without thinking."
"No, I understand exactly how you feel."
Melvina wiped Ulrika's face and gave her a reassuring smile.
(With my power, I can only comfort Ulrika-san in this way... What a small existence.)
Melvina feels a deep sense of frustration as she hugs Ulrika.
She can't help but think that Christo was here...
She is sure he would be able to solve such a difficult situation in an instant, in a smart and surprisingly simple way.
Or, she thought, if she were Setanta.
If it were his brother whom she respected, he would not have conflicts like Melvina and would act according to his heart.
Well, he'll probably move on to killing Eltharion after punching Ulrika away.
At least he doesn't make the mistake of worrying, conflicting, and just stopping like Melvina.
(I……)
"Hey, who's there?"
"――――!"
Melvina turned around, sweat pouring out of her body.
From behind, more than a dozen members of the [Band of the Great Hawk of Salvation] were coming toward them.
"It's Ulrika. I've found her."
"Are you sure? Who's the other one? It's probably a woman named Melvina. She sent the letter."
A mercenary wearing silver armor shakes a dead owl.
(A blunder. Is it the bird I sent to ask sister-in-law Patricia for help?)
This is also Melvina's failure.
Everything isn't going well...
Melvina stood up, gritting her teeth.
(The barrier to avoiding people is not working. This is due to the influence of the [Blue Ash] being scattered in the square, which is enough to suppress the authority of a demon.)
"Ulrika. Come this way."
"W-what? What is it?"
"You must not go. These men intend to use you as bait to stop Eltharion-san. If you follow them, you will die."
"I will take care of your safety, but I can't guarantee it, though."
A man who was the leader of the group held out his hand.
"Come on, come over here."
"Hii..."
"What are you doing involving civilians in the battle? If you are going to fight a demon, please fight only with combatants!"
"By using you as a shield, Commander Siegfried will strike the demon with a killing blow! This is an honorable role, woman!"
"Kuku... even if you're not a combatant, you're still a citizen of the Holy Tree. Dedicate yourself to the Holy Tree, come on."
"N-no way. I don't want to!"
"Does your military code require you to actively involve civilians? If you bring her into it, you will incur the wrath of the Frontier Count."
"You're noisy, shut up."
The large mercenary next to the captain flashed his fist.
Since Ulrika was behind her, Melvina didn't avoid it and just accepted it.
"It hurts!? Ha? It's hard!?"
"You, get out of the way, you idiot!"
This time, the mercenary with enhanced physical abilities punched Melvina in the face.
As expected, Melvina's right eyelid where she had been hit dripped blood.
The wound closed quickly.
But the pain continued to linger.
"You! Oraaa!"
"Get out of the way, little girl!"
Two men hit her.
Melvina spreads her arms wide and protects Ulrika.
She was kicked in the stomach as hard as they could, and as expected, her internal organs were damaged.
However, she suppresses her reactions with a steely will.
Ironically, the training of the teacher she hated to death helped Melvina.
"You!"
"――――"
A man reached out from the side, and Melvina shook off the three men with force.
"Tch"
"Damn it."
"Wha... s-stupid, this armor... it's steel, right?"
The mercenary who hit her looks at his own fingers.
The armor protecting his hands was severely crumpled.
The captain's eyes lit up with murderous intent in his visor.
"You're not human, are you?"
"...I'm human."
She spit the blood from her mouth.
She wiped the blood dripping from the gash on her cheek with the back of her hand.
Melvina glared up at the men with a light of unbreakable will shining in her light blue eyes.
"I'm a human. Look at this red blood. If I get hit, I feel pain, and if I'm used as a bait, I get caught up in the fight and die―― I'm a human just like you."
"M-Melvina."
"Quiet. Please stay behind and hide."
Everything went wrong.
Melvina's eyes distort.
It's all her fault.
She brought this situation on because she wasn't good enough.
Now that this has happened, she must at least protect Ulrika's life at all costs.
With determination in her heart, she just continued to endure without resisting.
A hero would definitely do that.
Setanta and her father Leroy.
If it's Finn, she doesn't know, but other past heroes must have done the same.
(I'm not a hero)
Even if she wanted to be a hero, she couldn't, she was born a failure.
She was abandoned by both her mother and brother.
Just a worthless woman.
However.
She can at least play the role of a hero.
(I won't let you throw Ulrika-san into the battlefield.)
Light blue eyes shining in the darkness.
The mercenaries stepped back in fear.
"H-hey. Those eyes. This hair color, maybe."
"Melvina... I see, you're the failure, Melvina Lou."
"Does that regeneration ability come from Lou’s blood?"
"Captain, what should we do?"
In response to the mercenary's question, the captain looked toward the group that was fighting in the center of the square.
Eltharion cannot use his authority.
However, for some reason, he gradually became faster and stronger.
He was mutating into the form of a quadrupedal demon while his body was eroded by blue light.
Along with this, Siegfried and Tiger are becoming inferior.
"If I remember correctly, this person has been expelled from the Lou family."
"Then."
"Anyone who opposes the holy tree is an enemy. I don't care, just kill Melvina Lou."
"Understood. [God Sword]"
The mercenary's sword is enveloped in blue light.
[God Sword] is the most powerful of the holy arts.
Melvina was a little stronger than a human, but she couldn't survive being hit by the [God Sword], which could cut through the flesh of demons. If she is not able to regenerate after being cut, she will bleed to death.
"Melvina!"
"It's okay. It'll work out somehow."
The only option is to use the [Northern Flame Wall] to deviate the attack's direction.
However, she doesn't know how effective magic will be on this battlefield where [Blue Ash] is scattered.
In the worst-case scenario, sacrifice her left hand and flick the sword away.
She doesn't know what to do after that.
In any case, she has no choice but to continue choosing the option to stay alive.
"Ora, die."
The [God Sword] is brandished.
She did not run away.
She looked directly at the attack for a moment to react.
Melvina reacted perfectly to the mercenary's movement.
(Now!)
"[Immortal Gold]"
"Ha――――?"
"Hagyo!?" "Boe?" "Gyaa..."
The moment she activated the rune magic at the perfect time, an unexpected golden glow appeared in Melvina's vision.
Golden crystals suddenly grow from the dark ground.
They impaled the five mercenaries who were surrounding Melvina and Ulrika from the crotch to the skull.
Melvina rolled her eyes at the soldiers, who in a moment had become a strange work of art in bad taste.
But soon her whole body tensed at the sight of a lone white figure creeping up from the sky above.
White despair descends――.
In the dark forest, an elderly man with gray hair tied up in an old-fashioned hairstyle landed slowly, as if being drawn to the ground.
"W-what?"
"Please stand back! This man is dangerous!"
She grabs Ulrika's elbow and makes her stand up, then pushes her away until the last possible moment.
Just before he could see the woman being blown away, Melvina raised her sword at the intruder in front of her.
"――――"
The old man with white hair stood up against the skewered objects, which seemed to be a motif of cruelty, and turned toward her with graceful gestures.
She felt a shock as if her heart had been grabbed, and sweat broke out from her whole body.
Her mouth went dry, and Melvina instinctively tried to run away, but her legs were somehow sewn to the spot.
He was an old man with an ominous atmosphere.
He wore a mask.
His lips are purple.
Eyes, perhaps red.
He smelled strongly of cologne.
The man was dressed like an old noble with a cravat tied around his neck.
"Vampire"
The old man's mouth twisted in response to Melvina's muttering.
Sharp canine teeth peeked out.
The man's vertically split pupils, like those of a cat tribe, narrowed.
[Immortal gold] ――When the man muttered that, the transmutation reaction occurred again, and a golden wall was created around Melvina.
"――――!"
She rushes to get out of the enclosure.
However, Melvina was completely caught off guard and was surrounded on all sides by an unbreakable golden wall.
Melvina clings to the small air window and shouts to the man.
"Wait! Who are you!?"
Without answering, the man lightly kicked the ground and went to the center of the forest square where a fierce battle was being fought.
× × ×
Eltharion felt his body getting lighter with each blue erosion.
This will work out somehow.
I can kill all the monkeys in front of him――.
But he didn't know what would happen after that.
The blue particles covered Eltharion's entire body at a tremendous rate, even more so than before the erosion was removed, assimilating with his regenerating skin and seemingly transforming him into something else.
An enhanced state of life in exchange for life―― there could be no more apt description of Eltharion's condition than that.
He was now running toward death in order to win life.
(The bird)
"Damn it, you're so persistent...! Take the holy sword!"
A blue bird human wields the holy sword in the sky.
The white particles drew a complicated pattern, and the particles around Eltharion were tightly clinging to him.
Without rejecting them, he embraces them.
Coexist...
The blue particles that invade the flesh of Eltharion's cheeks immediately stop decomposing the flesh and begin to assimilate with him.
The ranged attack with the pseudo-holy sword was no longer causing any damage to the young elf.
"Something like this!"
Siegfried grits his claw-shaped [God Sword] in the air above.
Below him, he saw his fellow mercenaries lying on top of each other.
"Such foolishness, this can't be!"
"Hyaaaaaa! The battle is about to start! Tiger, chaaaaargee!"
He deployed his [God Shield] to avoid Tiger that was coming at him like a heavy tank.
This tiger beastman is easy to dodge because he shouts out at the moment of attack.
Eltharion had already seen Tiger's attack pattern perfectly after several battles.
"[God Spear]...!"
One drew a holy seal.
The person who drew it was not Siegfried or Tiger, but Eltharion.
The young elf holds a spear in his left hand that glows blue.
There was a blue erosion in the shape of a thunder on his cheek.
Not just one.
Countless [God Spears] are needed――.
Eltharion spreads his arms.
His blonde hair was tinged with blue phosphorescence and stood out.
White light overflowed from the wound on his shoulder, and the [Blue Ash] that had been disguised as the rotten leaves in the square flew up into particles as if responding to his call.
They form countless spear shapes on the ground.
Siegfried shouts to the mercenaries in the rear, [Not good, use the [God Shield!]
Before that, Eltharion had fired all the [God Spears] at once, but as the countless spears shot up into the sky, they unraveled and turned into sparkling particles, scattering into the darkness.
"A chance!"
Tiger roars.
Eltharion was on his knees, in so much pain that the blue erosion had reached his entire face, especially his nose and eyes. He breathed heavily and tried desperately to adapt, but before he could, Siegfried and Tiger, who had recovered, began to rush forward.
"Kuh……"
Eltharion raised his head and gave them an unyielding gaze, but his body immediately stopped moving.
If he is directly hit by the Holy Sword, there is no telling what will happen next.
Will he be able to adapt even if he is implanted with white particles?
What will happen if his brain is also invaded?
(No, it's already been invaded)
Eltharion was smiling in the face of death.
Tonight, he was supposed to surpass his destiny.
But he loses the bet and dies.
It was reckless of him to end his adaptation in battle in the first place.
(Sorry, Ulrika)
However, before Tiger and Siegfried's holy swords could pierce Eltharion's head, a golden glow exploded in front of him.
“――――!?” "Guaaahh!"
Siegfried is thrown away, and Tiger is unable to block the golden crystal and falls backward, his entire body covered in blood.
"......What do you think you're doing?"
In front of the muttering young elf man, an elderly man with gray hair tied up in an old-fashioned hairstyle swoops down.
Without saying a word, the man stared at the Band of Great Hawk.
"Who are you!?"
"Damn it, healing! Support me!"
"Yes!"
Siegfried floats in the air again and Tiger is being healed.
The man, who looked like an elderly vampire, twisted his lips upwards to reveal his sharp canine teeth.
"Vampire……"
Someone murmured and the elderly man muttered [Immortal gold] at the same time.
The man was holding a cane with a red jewel in his hand, and the red jewel pulsed at the sound of the man's voice. The purple electricity scatters and the transmutation reaction begins.
A golden wall is deployed behind Siegfried, separating the ranks of the Band of Great Hawk and the Church Knights.
"Hey, you, Chris――"
"Shut up. I'll kill you first."
The old man said in a cold voice and looked at the holy sword maidens who were waiting behind Siegfried.
"A demon? A vampire?"
"……"
"It's a very old-fashioned look, isn't it? It's as if he had come back from over a hundred years ago."
"Fuu."
The old man's mouth turned up.
His body suddenly distorts without warning.
A black haze covers him, obscuring their vision.
While everyone present looks on in alarm, shining white wings sprout from the haze.
The man's shadow swells.
The mass increased and the ground tore apart.
Blue particles spring up to try to hold back his body, but before they can, a strong wind blows away the [Blue Ash].
White and gold.
Wings cover the sky.
White, white――
――Angel's, devil's.
The demon god, whose gigantic body easily exceeded that of an oak tree, spread its beautiful yet deceptive wings and smiled bewitchingly.
"[Love, me]"
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