"Lady Lapirier!"
"What?!"
"Monsters!!"
At the urgent shout, Lapirier turned her gaze to the worm-like monsters that had emerged from the mine.
They had risen from the ground, kicking up a dense cloud of dust, but unlike moments ago when they had been rampaging to destroy the city, they were now frozen in place.
'What is this? Why have they stopped?'
Just moments ago, these monsters had been moving with fierce aggression.
Why had they suddenly come to a standstill?
'Now that I think about it... that barrier protecting the city... That must have been Louis’s doing, right?'
Thanks to her, Lapirier had been able to save a mother and child who hadn’t yet evacuated from the commercial district.
The only thing left to do now was to eliminate these troublesome worms and kill that gigantic monster.
But now that their final target had come to a halt, several thoughts naturally bubbled up.
'Could this be related to Louis?'
Perhaps Louis had used magic to paralyze that giant creature.
It seemed plausible, knowing what Louis was capable of.
But what if—though the chance was slim—Louis hadn’t stopped it, and the creature had halted on its own?
'...Something might have happened to Louis.'
Louis wouldn’t just stand by and let a monster like that roam free.
For it to be stopped like this meant that no one was obstructing it.
"...No, that's not it."
Lapirier slapped her cheeks lightly, regaining her focus.
She had faith that Louis was alright.
With that belief in her heart, she drew her bowstring again.
Just as a worm lunged toward her, it was sliced cleanly in half.
But she hadn’t done it.
There was no way she could slice it in two with just an arrow.
So, there was only one explanation.
Someone with a sword had arrived.
Lapirier looked past the worm and smiled with joy as she saw the approaching figure.
Boom!!
'Something’s wrong.'
Serlin barely dodged a devastating strike that could have leveled a building, quickly readjusting her sword.
The massive worm-like monsters—about ten of them—were towering over the city.
Although she had easily cut down the first one, the monsters’ carapaces were hardening as time went on.
'...Is that thing affecting them?'
She glanced toward the massive creature that had risen from the ground and now stood still like a mountain.
It seemed as though that creature was somehow empowering the worms.
'Louis...'
Serlin noticed that the protective barrier Louis had set up over the commercial district had disappeared.
What could have happened to her?
Kiiiiiing-!
In order to find out, Serlin would first have to deal with these monsters.
Once more, her sword was enveloped in a layer of freezing blue ice.
----!!
Thud, thud.
One of the monsters nearby screeched and charged toward Serlin, its jaws snapping as it destroyed everything in its path.
But its attack never reached her.
Slash!
----!!
The monster was cleaved in two by the icy sword aura that shot from Serlin’s blade.
Though it appeared unharmed at first, ice blossomed from within, tearing apart the monster’s insides and carapace.
'I’m using up too much stamina.'
At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to hold out until the Hero arrived.
'At least I need to regroup with Lapirier...'
But then, Serlin spotted something that made her smile.
Three figures were racing toward her.
An arrow flew from one of their bows, piercing through the mouth of a worm and killing it instantly.
Click.
Serlin sheathed her sword and called out to the group.
For the first time in a while, the worry on her face eased.
"Haa... haa... Everyone! Don’t worry! I won’t let them through, even if it costs my life...!"
Nia Bella was panting heavily as she unleashed another blast of flame toward the endless tide of worms pouring out from beyond the mansion.
She had never used magic for this long, or this continuously.
Her mana, tied to the power of the moon and her innate talent as a witch, kept her from running dry, but the mental strain was immense.
"Nia Bella, drink some water!"
"Hold the line! We need to reduce her burden!"
"Yes, ma’am!"
Thanks to the mansion’s servants and guards assisting her, she had managed to keep herself from collapsing.
But still...
'How long can I hold out?'
Despite their help, exhaustion was creeping up on her.
And something else was troubling her—the lack of news about her.
'...Why has my heart been racing like this?'
It felt like something terrible had happened.
Especially since that massive monster had appeared, the feeling had only intensified.
'...She’ll be fine.'
She was Nia Bella’s mentor, her savior, and her trusted friend.
There was no way she wouldn’t be alright.
'I just have to hold on a little longer.'
Until the Hero arrived. Or until the others showed up.
Then, from the opposite side of the worm horde, a massive storm of ice suddenly erupted.
"Huh?"
Nia Bella, momentarily stunned, quickly located the source of the storm and saw four figures approaching.
She collapsed onto the ground, overwhelmed with relief.
"Aah..."
But realizing her disheveled appearance, she forced herself to her feet and waved at them.
Then, noticing one person was missing, she asked them about her.
"..."
Rage.
When Mercadia felt rage, she became more silent than ever.
From the moment she had learned the concept of self-control, she had adopted this approach.
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Otherwise, everything in the area would be annihilated.
Yet she couldn’t completely suppress the anger bubbling up within her.
Boom! Boom!
Just a small stomp from her foot caused the rocks around her to explode.
At that moment, someone arrived, someone capable of calming Mercadia’s fury.
"...So, you’ve come."
A sly grin spread across her face.
All her rage dissipated in an instant, replaced by a new emotion.
Joy.
In the distance, near the gates of the crumbling city, he had arrived.
The savior of humanity, and the one who would become the destroyer of the demon realm.
Hero Aswell.
He rode his horse through the city, radiating a blinding holy light that made it impossible to look directly at him.
As the Hero paused and moved, new figures appeared at his side.
Someone with an aura similar to his, or perhaps even stronger.
Someone with a clear and pure energy, unlike anything else.
Someone with a coldness that could freeze anything.
And someone with a heat that could burn everything.
Five of them were now approaching this place.
"Oh, magician. It seems there’s no place for you."
Mercadia sneered as she glanced at the magician who had been swallowed by Behirastok.
The Hero’s party was already perfect with five members.
One more could join, but it wouldn’t be that magician.
"In a way, getting eaten might have saved you."
Heh.
Compared to the pure, strong auras of the Hero’s party, that magician had felt like an anomaly.
As if a being that didn’t belong in this world had been forcibly stitched into it.
A pitiful creature, with a soul that didn’t fit in the demon realm, the mortal world, or anywhere in between.
Perhaps it would be better for that magician to sleep forever in Behirastok’s belly.
"Behir. Get ready. The real prize has arrived."
----!!!
"Why don’t you greet them first? Yes, that’s a good idea."
At Mercadia’s command, Behirastok’s maw opened wide.
In the distance, they could hear the Hero’s party shouting as they galloped up the mountainside.
Biiiiiing.
A piercing noise rang out as a black beam of energy shot from Behirastok’s mouth.
Clang-!
"That shield is starting to get on my nerves."
But the beam was deflected by a hastily erected barrier from the party’s saintess.
Where the beam struck, it left nothing but a viscous black substance behind, staining the ground and the buildings.
Having evaded the attack, the Hero’s party reached the mine and confronted Mercadia.
"Where is Louis?!"
"Louis? Oh, you mean the magician? Aren’t you curious about who I am first?"
She had been planning to introduce herself grandly, but the Hero’s party showed no reaction.
Since they weren’t interested, she supposed she’d give them the answer they wanted.
"I ate her. She was delicious."
Mercadia grinned wickedly as the party briefly faltered in shock.
But they quickly regained their composure.
"Everyone, calm down. If it’s Louis, she’s still alright."
Starting with the Hero, they all radiated an unshakable trust in the magician who had been swallowed.
For some reason, Mercadia found their confidence irksome, but it didn’t matter.
They’d soon be joining the magician anyway.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Behirastok, summon your children."
As the Hero’s party took up their battle stances, Behirastok let out a low growl, calling for its offspring.
Each member of the Hero’s party radiated a distinct aura, and Mercadia, too, began to release her immense demonic energy.
"Ugh...!"
"This is no ordinary demon...!"
"I am Mercadia Karaccion, the Blood Gold Duke. And this is Behirastok, the Thousand-Worm Sovereign. We will kill and devour you."
"I am Hero Aswell. I will defeat you and rescue our companion."
With the introductions over, the two sides finally clashed.