Part 8
Fort Bridge Ulg——
It was on top of the large stone bridge that hung over the river that separated the Man-Eating Forest and the town of Faltra.
In front of Diablo, there were defeated Demonic Being tumbled about.
Several of them had already turned into particles and disappeared. He had stopped counting the number of defeated enemies around the time it passed twenty-something.
Making the other Demonic Being step back, the commander-looking Dragon Knight came forward.
Its body was clad in a jet-black, full-body armor that even covered its face.
It body was short when compared to the Races but that wasn’t enough to make Diablo become negligent and half-heartedly fight.
——Is it about time for the big boss to make their appearance?
The Dragon Knight came down from the riding dragon.
Still holding onto the jousting lance, it came until it was on top of the stone bridge with a slow manner of walking.
「Why did you get down from the Demonic Beast?」
「Because, won’t move?」
It was the voice of woman.
It was a mature type of voice, but because of its timid sounding tone, it also sounded young.
The commander took off her helmet.
Her silver hair gently spread out. Its length going all the way to her waist, it was fairly long.
The exposed face was that of a brown-skinned beautiful girl. Because her eyes were big, even a childish ambiance was felt.
In those golden eyes of hers, there were vertically torn pupils like that of a reptile.
Her violet lips opened.
「Usually, good child that does as told......But~, after look at you, won’t move. Probably, your fault? That why, got down.」
「Hmph, doesn’t the Demonic Beast understand better than you who nonchalantly approached? The fact that you can’t win against me.」
「Won’t know until try? Edelgart is~ strongest spear-user among Demonic Beings. Won’t lose, to some Demon Magician.」
The commander——Edelgart prepared her jousting lance.
There was a distance of about eight meters and five centimeters from the enemy. It was already an interval that was way too close, but it was the result of making intelligence gathering through dialogue the priority.
——I had intended on holding back my MP consumption as much as possible, but there’s already a strange sleepiness.
As if he had just stayed up all night, there was a moment where his concentration was broken.
Against this opponent, things would not likely become fatal.
However, there was a high possibility that the enemy army would withdraw if he defeated the commander. This was the turning point.
「Let us test you to see if you really aren’t weak!」
「Fight? Not fight?......Fight!」
She kept the jousting spear at the ready.
Then she charged with a speed that were as if she were riding the Demonic Beast she should have gotten down from. It was with a speed like that of a fired arrow.
——《Lance Charge》 huh.
It was a charging-type Martial Art similar to 《Sword Smite》 which used a sword. When using a spear, it was the number one often used standard technique.
After getting close, it would fire two thrusts. The need to cancel that was also the same.
Diablo dodged by moving to the side of the attack.
They were on top of the stone bridge, but there was enough space for him to do that.
Against any attack, first dodging it to the side was a basic of battle.
Seeing the attack being dodged ahead of time, Edelgart canceled the charge.
Almost simultaneously, she came with a side-sweeping blow.
——To use 《Swing Spike》 next, she’s surprisingly devoted to the basics, isn’t she?
Rotating the whole body, it was a technique that swung the spear. There was a gap before it would occur but one she started turning, it was possible to turn many times.
Since he knew the trajectory, dodging it wasn’t difficult.
「Hmph......Do you only possess Martial Arts of that level? For a Demonic Being that uses a weapon, you don’t amount to much, do you?」
「Still more. Then, use it!」
Edelgart pointed her jousting spear to the sky and thrust it up.
A black mist rose up from the jousting lance. Before long, it was clad in a black aura that made it look like it became bigger.
——Hou! So she’s going to use 《Sacrifice Charge》!
Consuming the user’s HP, it was a big technique that is unleashed.
It was learnable above level 80.
Not only did it have power that was in a different league, the aura that the weapon was clad in also determined the attack. Having an inconsistent shape, evasion was difficult.
As for the technique’s movements, she’d charge in with a thrust. Swing around with a side sweep. And then, she’d jump up and do a downward slash, but——he didn’t know if she would use it just like that.
Running around and giving her a barrage of magic would bring him closer to victory. However, the opponent wouldn’t lose their fighting spirit with that.
To go against the Demonic Beings that still had more than half of their original number, his MP wouldn’t last.
——I need to endure this one!
Diablo stopped his feet, and spread out both arms.
「Interesting! That technique, I shall dare to take it! See if you can bestow damage upon me!」
「’Kay, go. 《Sacrifice——」
With the spear clad in the jet-black aura, Edelgart thrust forward.
「——Charge》ッ!」
A massive pain ran through Diablo’s abdomen.
He took the thrust.
Before he could put up his guard, the side sweeping blow struck the side of his head.
——It’s fast!?
And then, Edelgart jumped up. She swung the spear that she greatly held aloft down with all her might.
It looked like he was going to step back from the incoming pain but——
Diablo stopped his step, and dared to take the technique on his collar.
*Zun*, his body became heavy.
It felt as if a lead weight or something was placed on his back.
On his abdomen, there was a dull pain. He couldn’t tell from above his equipment but there might have been some hemorrhaging.
「So this is, damage......!」
Having come to this other world, this was the first time he received damage that he couldn’t ignore from another person.
It might be different from the cases of the normal striking and cutting, but from the damage due to the 《Martial Art》, the sensation that his physical strength was snatched away was stronger than the external wounds he received.
It’s not like he became unable to move from the pain but there was a possibility that it gave him enough fatigue to make him not want to move.
Preserving until his HP was barely hanging on like in the game was dangerous. It would probably be better to move with more composure.
Diablo was satisfied with the information he obtained, and even expressed a smile.
Edelgart was breathing roughly.
「......It, unbelievable. Even though, hit straight on......You, standing, incomprehensible.」
《Sacrifice Charge》 was a Martial Art that used 15% of one’s HP to fire.
In the game, it was merely 15%, but if one’s physical strength were to be completely carried off in an instant, there might be that much of a tired feeling.
As for Diablo, he was in the mood of wanting her to accompany him in more experiments.
However——
「Diablo-sa~n!」
All of a sudden, there was someone running to him from Fort Bridge Ulg.
No matter how much he had stopped the enemy’s movements, they did something reckless.
It was Boris.
He was making a desperate expression.
Diablo shouted at him at a distance where his voice could be heard.
「Don’t get any closer!」
Boris stopped his feet, and replied with a loud voice.
「Some time ago! There was a messenger from town! It seems that Rem-san, and Celestine-sama! Were attacked by a Demonic Being! Within the town! There’s a Demonic Being!」
「What was that?」
Diablo felt a chill run down his spine.
Edelgart narrowed her reptilian-like eyes, and smiled.
「Gregor did well? Even though idiot, worked hard.」
Diablo guessed the situation.
There was the barrier in the town of Faltra, and if the gate used for passage were to be closed, the Demonic Beings wouldn’t be able to enter.
Even if the army of Demonic Beings were to invade all the way up to the town like this, it would only become a siege battle.
That’s why the Demonic Beings sent the one called Gregor ahead to infiltrate the town.
The enemy was naturally targeting Celes.
But what about Rem?
Did the Demonic Beings realize that the soul of the Demon King was within her? No, if they did know, they should have attacked when they went near the Man-Eating Forest.
In any case, he needed to quickly return to town!
Diablo looked at the enemy.
Edelgart was putting her breath in order.
「Since, Gregor did well~......if you, brought down, it Demonic Beings’ win? You play bit longer?」
「Boris!」
Diablo yelled with a low voice.
「Y, yes!」
「Immediately have the people that are watching get their heads down! I’m going to use a maximum magic! You as well, if you don’t want to die, you should roll into a ball on the other side of the stone wall!」
「Ha, hahi! Right away!」
While shouting with a loud voice, Boris went back.
「Get your heads down! If you don’t want to die, hide behind the wall! Hurry!」
Diablo raised 《The Staff of Tenma》.
Edelgart glared at him.
「Sorry......but the time to experiment has disappeared.」
「Experiment?」
「I have no sympathy for Demonic Beings, but as praise for placing a wound on me in our fight, if you withdraw from here, I’ll overlook it, alright?」
The strongest magic that Diablo could use needed thirtysomething seconds until it would be invoked.
Actually, he had started charging it ever since he heard Boris’ words, but it would still take some time.
After worrying for a bit, Edelgart talked.
「Save Demon King-sama is, Edelgart’s mission? That, why~, persist. Even if die.」
「Hmph, save the Demon King you say? You will?」
Diablo laughed.
Edelgart inflated her cheeks.
「......Hate, that laughing.」
「You know nothing. The true Demon King, is me——No one other than Demon King Diablo! So, not knowing that, you’ve devoted your loyalty to a fake Demon King!」
「True, Demon King......Diablo?」
「That ignorance, is deserving of certain death!」
——I made it in time.
During the time he was saying random things, the preparations of his magic were completed.
「《White Nova》」
On the tip of his staff, a pure white fireball about the size of a pingpong ball was produced. That fireball, fell to the ground at a lax speed.
The instant the fireball touched the stone paving——
It split open in pure white.
His sense of hearing was painted out from the thunderous roar.
His field of vision became pure white, sound was inaudible, and he couldn’t move due to the magic’s petrification. Maybe it was that kind of magic, or maybe it was the effect of 《The Demon King’s Ring》, damage didn’t come to him but——a disintegrating annihilation due to magic power should have been repeatedly happening in the effect range.
It was the final Fire and Light attribute magic that Diablo learned when he became level 150.
How the MP consumption was huge and how it took time until it invoked were weaknesses but——Its power was tremendous. It was enough that even a large high level monster would be defeated in one hit.
The effect range was a semi-circle that went about twenty-something meters forward from the user’s feet, and although Fort Bridge Ulg was out of the range, since the magic’s power was too large, he didn’t know what could happen.
For an instant, he thought about Shera.
——Please let her be properly hidden!
Since she was a child whose head didn’t function very well, he was uneasy.
Color came back to the world that was dyed white.
「Uoh......」
The game’s magic wouldn’t change the terrain, but in this world, it carved a definite scar.
The stone bridge that was in front of Fort Bridge Ulg had been erased.
The area ahead of where Diablo was standing had completely disappeared, enough to make one think that it was before the bridge was constructed.
Rather, the area under feet started to crumble.
Hurriedly, he pulled back all the way to the fortress.
In the game, the ground being gouged out was just an effect and once the magic finished, its traces wouldn’t remain. But it wasn’t like that in this world. Even if he didn’t intend to destroy something, if it gets hit, it will break.
The fortress was safe.
At first, he was startled by the guards that weren’t moving, but they were just trembling from the sound and shock, and it seemed that there weren’t any casualties.
A majority of the Demonic Beings were annihilated.
Surprisingly, despite having received 《White Nova》 immediately after using 15% of her HP, Edelgart was standing.
Was she a Demonic Being that would appear in the back regions of Demon King territory?
Should he praise her with “As expected of a commander”? Should he claim abuse with “Don’t come out in a place like the Man-Eating Forest. What are you? A Bugged Character?”
She had lost her armor, lost her riding dragon, and lost her spear.
「......Un......Unbelievable......For......almost everything, disappear.」
「Bring me down? Play around you say? Don’t push your luck too far, you lowly Demonic Being. I’m sure I said that I am a Demon King.」
「......Demon King......Diablo.」
It looked like she could move, but she probably didn’t have the strength to continue the battle anymore.
「If you still wish to fight, then come to the town. I have another maximum magic, so next time for sure, I’ll annihilate you.」
Just to be sure, he threatened her.
Maybe because they were outside of the effect range, there were still some Demonic Beings remaining but he had no choice but to leave them to the fort bridge’s guards.
The town was the problem.
Diablo passed through Fort Bridge Ulg, and glared in the direction of the town.
Shera rushed over.
「Diablo! Are you alright!?」
「Worrying about me is pointless.」
「Then, let’s hurry! The town is in trouble!」
「Umu......I’ll attempt Return magic.」
He tightly gripped Shera’s hand, who got surprised and stiffened up.
Returning to the last town he had visited with the entire party, it was magic that was the basic of the basics.
There was no scientific basis.
——However, if Divine Beings and the Magicians of the Royal Capital are able to use it, it should be alright for me to use!
Diablo precisely imagined the process of using Return magic inside his brain.
Every time he used magic up until now, he was never this anxious.
——I’m begging you, please let me be able to use it!
Be invoked!
「《Return》!」