T*ash of the Count's Family

It truly was a sea.

“There's no—”

There was no end to it.

A massive tidal wave surged up, high enough to hide even the mountains.

General Mol realized.

It had been a joke.

So the wave that had destroyed the old castle last time had not been the third Emperor’s full power.

For the third Emperor, that must have been a moderate attack aimed at a weak enemy.

The third Emperor had only become enraged because Cale had blocked that attack and escaped.

No.

Cale Henituse had escaped that attack, but he had not blocked it.

In the end, the castle had been completely shattered by that enormous seawater.

“Ah.”

Now, before his eyes, an even greater wave than that time—no, a sea—was surging toward them.

SHAAAAAA—

The rain falling from the sky merged into that wave, and the more it did, the larger the sea grew.

This city will disappear.

General Mol understood it instinctively.

If that sea swallowed this city, it would never hold.

Cale Henituse was right.

His Majesty the Demon King—

His Majesty, who was now heading toward the third Emperor with a smile, would not be touched by that sea.

“O third Emperor.”

The Demon King looked rather amused.

“A petty trick like this will not work on me.”

SHAAAAAA—

The third Emperor, who had created a massive sea behind his back, snorted at the sight of the Demon King.

“Hmph. Of course it won’t work on you!”

The Demon King and the third Emperor both knew exactly what the other was aiming for.

But the third Emperor still did not know the Demon King well.

“You will lose what you possess today!”

Just as I lost the water dragon.

You too, Demon King, will lose your subordinates and your people!

You will lose your land and your ancient site too.

And Cale Henituse will try to stop it, just like last time.

The third Emperor knew a little about Cale Henituse.

He had experienced him.

Hero.

The man was mad for that name.

Just looking at the path he had walked proved it.

A man like that would step forward with some half-baked notion of saving everyone, and in the end, he would die.

The same stroke of luck as last time would be impossible here.

Even if only for an instant.

The moment Cale Henituse hesitated, the instant he tried to stand in the way—

He will die.

You will not be able to escape the sea.

Because this time, it was a proper sea.

The third Emperor did not conserve the power he possessed.

That is the only way not to die.

He was someone who knew how to fight.

When facing the danger of death, only by pouring out everything could one create an opening to escape.

And the Demon King will hesitate too.

Were his precious comrades, the ones who had been with him until he became the Demon King, not over there?

Would the Demon King not eventually hesitate when the moment came for him to lose them?

The third Emperor looked at the approaching Demon King, then past his shoulder at Mika, the ancient site, and Midi, and at the demons and people standing on the city walls, before opening his mouth.

“Sea, sweep them away.”

Sea.

For you, all the water in this world will move.

Was the sea not the pinnacle of all water?

It was the largest, possessed the most, and could exert the greatest power.

SHAAAAAA—

The sea began to move.

At first, it was slow.

But—

KWAAAAAAA—

The enormous tidal wave, whose end could not be seen, surged toward the third Emperor’s enemies at high speed.

KWAAAAAAA—

And as the Demon King watched the approaching sea, he thought.

He does not know me well.

The third Emperor did not know him well.

A smile formed on the Demon King’s lips.

You will lose what you possess today!

The third Emperor’s words were amusing.

What I possess?

Do I possess anything?

He did not.

What could he possess when nothing could be held in his heart?

The Demon King.

Nothing was precious to him. No, nothing had become precious to him anymore.

KWAAAAAAA—

He walked toward the approaching sea.

A path formed.

It did not touch the Demon King.

But the sea flowed.

Perhaps because the third Emperor had poured out his full strength, the massive current did not shatter against the Demon King’s rejection. It simply flowed past him.

To his left, his right, and even above him.

The Demon King did not look at the immense sea flowing past him.

He simply moved forward.

Toward the third Emperor.

“!”

Toward the third Emperor, whose face went pale at the sight of him smiling.

The Demon King simply walked.

Because his task was to catch the third Emperor.

“...You lunatic—”

At the words the third Emperor spat while looking at him, the Demon King’s smile deepened.

KWAAAAAAA—

This sea was passing him by and heading toward the two cities.

He knew what would happen.

But that was none of the Demon King’s concern.

Strategist Ed.

General Mol.

The commander of the royal guard.

The subordinates who had been with him until he became the Demon King.

Mika. Midi. The ancient site.

The demons, the Demon King’s army, and the territorial soldiers in those three places.

And even Cale Henituse’s group.

They were not things the Demon King possessed.

Even Cale Henituse had merely interested him so far. He had not entered the Demon King’s heart.

Because the Demon King possessed nothing, he had nothing to lose.

Though it is interesting.

Cale Henituse.

What would that interesting man do?

If he could see that, would it not be fine to leave this sea to head toward him?

To escape this boredom, the Demon King honestly did not care if anything that was not his disappeared.

KWAAAAAAA—

And so, nothing blocked the sea.

KWAAAAAAA—

It was a sound made by a colossal force of nature, one the sound of rain could not drown out.

THUD. THUD.

The ground shook under that force, and even the air seemed to change.

BANG!

CLANG, CLANK!

From Mika and Midi to the Gray Tree village near the ancient site.

Lights came on everywhere.

They could not sleep.

Before, it had been because of the gray sickness and purification.

After that, it was because of the sudden roar that had begun.

And when that roar grew incomparably louder than before and even the ground began to tremble, everyone looked outside through their windows and doors.

“!”

“The sky—!”

The first thing they saw was the sky.

It was dark.

Darker than before.

Because all the rain clouds had gathered here, the sky was truly black.

And the rain falling from it was heavier than ever, as though countless white lines were stabbing down toward the ground.

KWAAAAAAA—

Then they turned their heads.

“...A wave?”

“A sea?”

They could not believe what they were seeing.

Beyond the city wall, they saw a sea larger than the wall itself approaching.

It could not simply be called a wave.

That endless, enormous thing could only be described as a sea.

“Ah, ah—”

Someone collapsed to the ground.

That sea.

It looked far too ferocious.

It was different from the beautiful sea they had once seen when they had gone to the shore for fun.

The waves advancing toward them seemed to carry a will to sweep this place away, to kill every living thing, and because no light touched them, they rolled in like a black curtain.

“Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!”

Even in that situation, there was someone who had to move.

“Mages, deploy shields immediately!”

“Stra-Strategist, will the shields hold?”

Strategist Ed, who had come up onto Midi’s city wall, shouted at his subordinate’s words.

“Is now the time to worry about that?”

That sea.

The third Emperor’s power.

That would erase everything here.

And as always, His Majesty would only aim for the enemy. He would not think of the allies who would be harmed by that enemy.

“We have to protect them somehow!”

So I have to protect this place.

“Contact General Mol too!”

Mika and Midi.

“...The ancient site—”

And the ancient site as well.

How were they supposed to protect all three places from that sea?

For a moment, Ed could not think of what to say.

“Damn it!”

The curse came out on its own.

But they had to hold.

For His Majesty to become the demon god, for the Demon World to stand above the heavenly realm and the divine realm.

The Demon World had to regard His Majesty as a true god, and His Majesty could not gain another stain on his name.

The Demon King who lost two cities and the ancient site.

That title could not be attached to His Majesty.

Strategist Ed existed for the Demon King.

“Block it as much as you can!”

He had to protect them.

He had to stop that wave.

No matter what.

“Strategist—”

“The shields won’t be enough!”

But his subordinates and the mages spoke.

“It’s impossible!”

One of his subordinates cried out desperately.

“We need to run!”

“...Run?”

Expression vanished from Strategist Ed’s face.

“Yes! Run! Didn’t you say running is best in situations like this? Shouldn’t we preserve as much of Demon King’s castle’s forces as possible?”

Yes.

Strategist Ed realized it.

“That’s how it’s always been.”

He saw the demons around him who had heard his subordinate’s words.

His own hands and feet agreed with those words.

But the moment he saw the expressions of the Demon King’s army and the territorial soldiers on the wall—

Strategist Ed—

“Haha—”

A laugh slipped out.

Until now, he had always sacrificed the small for the greater good.

And to him, that “greater good” had been the Demon King and preserving the forces of the Demon King’s castle.

Yet this time, he had fabricated all sorts of ridiculous reasons and tried to save the demons here—demons who were useless and only full of resentment.

Why?

“......”

Ed’s gaze turned toward Mika.

And soon, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, haha—”

The demons on Mika’s city wall were all looking at one place.

Not the Demon King, and not the third Emperor.

Their eyes were fixed on one person standing in the same position as them.

On one person who was not even a demon.

“Cale Henituse—”

He had climbed onto the railing of the city wall.

As though he were about to face the rapidly approaching sea alone.

“...I’ve been infected.”

Only then did Strategist Ed understand.

Why he had tried to protect this place.

Cale Henituse.

It was because of that man.

He had watched that human, who was not even a demon, save demons from the gray sickness all day long. The man acted as though he had something to gain from it, but what could he possibly gain?

The Demon King’s assistance?

Cale Henituse had probably grasped the Demon King’s nature to some degree.

A Demon King with neither allies nor enemies, who existed only alone.

His assistance was not of much help.

And yet Cale Henituse had saved the demons.

The result was the lit houses on the night streets of the two cities and the ancient site, places that had resented the Demon King, forming a path wherever he went.

“How could I stay still after seeing that?”

Strategist Ed was also a demon.

“Deploy the shields!”

Yes. He would try until he could not.

He would hold as long as possible.

“And activate the teleportation circle at the lord’s castle! Evacuate the residents first, as many as possible! Hurry!”

WOOOONG—WOOOONG—!

The moment the shields had barely been deployed, Strategist Ed realized that his choice might not necessarily lead to a good result.

He lifted his head.

The tidal wave surged up to a height far above the city wall.

Perhaps because it reflected the night, or perhaps because it held the dark clouds.

The rippling water was black.

The black tidal wave looked down from the sky.

“Ah.”

I’m going to die.

I might die today.

Not fighting the previous Demon King.

Not fighting the heavenly realm.

Am I going to die trying to save these insignificant demons?

It was absurd.

Would His Majesty at least let out a hollow laugh at my death?

What about my goal?

Strategist Ed could only laugh as all sorts of thoughts filled his head.

“!”

But his laughter soon vanished.

Goosebumps rose all over his body.

He felt an enormous aura.

A different enormous aura from anything he had felt from His Majesty the Demon King or the third Emperor.

“H-how—”

His voice trembled on its own.

Cale Henituse was standing on the railing of Mika’s city wall.

An immense aura was radiating from him.

But it was not ferocious.

Nor was it violent.

And yet it was unquestionably a power that made his entire body tremble.

What was it?

He soon learned the answer to that question.

“......”

Cale, who had been standing with his eyes closed, felt the rain soaking his entire body and opened his mouth.

At the same time, the Water that Devours the Sky spoke as well.

“Stop it.”

—Let’s stop it.

While the things on the ground fought.

The existences that had simply watched everything while falling from the sky began to move.

“......!”

Strategist Ed realized that the enormous power that had made him tremble was the rain soaking him.

“!!”

And all the demons could see the existence blocking the path of the enormous, black-rippling sea that was approaching them.

The third Emperor had thought this.

That the sea was the pinnacle of all water.

That because it was the largest and possessed the most, it could exert the greatest power.

That for such a sea, all the water in the world would move.

—Cale.

The Water that Devours the Sky spoke with a smile in her voice.

Her tone sounded somehow refreshed.

—I like rain.

The Water that Devours the Sky, who had been bound inside a lake for a very long time.

—Rain falls everywhere in the world, whether it’s the sea, the land, or rivers. It drops its own body down.

It was a voice that had found an answer.

—Only those who have fallen know where they must rise to.

The Water that Devours the Sky had been dragged down and imprisoned at the very bottom of a lake, and because of that, she had been able to bare her edge toward the sky.

—And rain is a natural disaster too.

The sea was not the only frightening thing.

Even those who did not know the sea, even those who had never seen it in their lives, knew the fear of rain.

—What do you think will happen if two disasters collide?

Cale read the boiling heat beneath that calm voice and answered indifferently as he stretched both hands forward.

“If blocking it isn’t enough, try pushing it back.”

—Can it be a little hard on you?

“As long as it’s not indigestion.”

The rain moved.

“Ah.”

“...Ah—”

Gasps burst out from every direction.

The rain falling from the black sky no longer fell straight down.

It twisted in a strange direction and headed somewhere else.

All the rain that had been falling so heavily and fiercely it drew white lines moved in one direction.

The rain followed Cale’s will.

It chose the Water that Devours the Sky over the third Emperor’s sea.

Because the Water that Devours the Sky knew what it meant to fall.

SHAAAAAAA—!

A white curtain descended from the black-stained sky.

Before Mika, Midi, and the ancient site.

Before the people facing the sea, a white curtain dropped down from the sky.

KWAAAAAAA—!

The sea and rain began to collide.

One side to sweep everything away.

The other to stop that sea.

“...How can this be?”

The Wanderer Ryeon could not believe the sight before her eyes.

“What is that power?”

As she watched the rain stand against the third Emperor’s sea and saw the immense power pouring from Cale, a shiver ran through her.

The Water that Devours the Sky.

She had been a power the God of War, a god, had needed to imprison.

A power that strong.

Beneath the God of War.

Beneath the lake.

The Water that Devours the Sky, who had been trapped beneath someone else, still did not know herself well.

The Water that Devours the Sky.

She did not yet understand the meaning of the name she had given herself, or what it meant that she had declared she would devour a god.

No one had yet reached the end of the potential the Water that Devours the Sky possessed.

No one had seen it.

—...I think I understand.

And today.

After experiencing the third Emperor all this time, and now, as she faced the third Emperor’s sea, a power comparable to a god, the Water that Devours the Sky was sensing her own potential.

Mm.

And Cale—

...I feel like I’m going to throw up again.

Of course, it would not be water this time. It felt like he might shed some blood for the first time in a while.

If the glutton was a problem because she overate, then the Water that Devours the Sky—

This one seems like she’s going to use way too much power, doesn’t she?

But he could not tell her to stop.

For some reason, the Water that Devours the Sky seemed to be realizing something right now. Rather than growing, it felt as though she was discovering something she had originally possessed.

Is this okay? Can we keep going like this?

For some reason, the back of Cale’s neck began to feel cold.

He had an ominous feeling.

KWAAAAAAA—

The sea and the rain.

And Cale, who had created that curtain of rain.

Contrary to his °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° complicated thoughts, Cale’s face looked undaunted, and awe settled over the faces of the demons watching him.

Because a white curtain had descended from the sky for the city, and for the demons.