* * *
Dont be afraid of the teors! They wont hit us! Lets ignore them and charge!
The fighting spirit of the soldiers, who had been helpless until a mont ago by the demons onslaught, was ignited. They banded together to defend the city, slashing at the demonic energy that ca at them from all directions. Unfortunately, the soldiers attacks didnt do much damage to the demons, but it didnt matter. Their role was sufficient: to distract the enemy and disrupt their attacks.
Kkuargh!
Vincen! Damn it, where the hell did that monster co from.
A red circle of magic quickly filled the sky, and when he spotted an unearthly amount of mana writhing within it. He should have taken cover then and there.
Daya, a High Demon who had invaded Rania, gritted his teeth as he watched his kinsn fall one by one. The square where they stood had long since burned to the ground. The pit created by the falling teors isolated them, and an endless stream of ager sword energy flew around them.
They had wings, but they could not fly; the falling teors followed their trajectory like guided missiles. The first of their kind to fly were blown to smithereens by dozens of orbiting teor bundles. No one dared speak for so ti after witnessing such a simple and futile death.
How is such magic possible?
At first, they thought it was a coordinated effort by a group of magicians, and the power was baffling enough. As far as they could tell, there werent enough magicians in the Empire to complete a wide-area spell of that caliber. Most of the magicians were scattered across the land, struggling to keep the great magic circle at bay.
It didnt take long to prove them wrong.
Ive never heard of such a magician in the Empire!
The enemy magician was alone, making the attack impossible otherwise. The trajectory of all the teors was consistent, and they moved in unison. The control to deflect all humans and target only demons was beyond even the most coordinated of magicians.
It was unbelievable. Between the screams of their own kind, who were falling too quickly, the teors echoed in a cacophony of sound.
Da, Daya. Send a report to the Princess, informing her of the magicians presence.
Vincen, sprawled on the ground with both arms torn from his body, blinked his bloodshot eyes as Daya, who had unleashed a shield of demonic energy to desperately ward off the teors, suddenly frowned.
I know! But how do I get out of here? Theres no sign of that damn magic ending!
The range and power alone were surreal, but the persistence didnt make sense. The teors beca more persistent over ti, and their firepower was consistent from start to finish.
Daya was growing impatient on the battlefield with no way out.
To the victory, of the Demon Realm.
Vincen rolled over on the ground and jerked his head. Then, with a grim, life-gnawing groan, dark demonic energy began to leak from his parted lips.
* * *
Cadels left eye twitched. His left pupil was as sharply constricted as it had been when he shattered the magic circle.
His eye, imbued with Kunras power, could see dozens of tis farther than his normal vision. It was how his magic was able to target demons so perfectly despite the distance from the square.
A self-destructor.
Cadel mumbled sothing low and clicked his tongue in frustration.
Is it Vincen? I shouldve killed him for sure. Hes a lot tougher than I thought.
The five demons that invaded Rania. Cadel already knew about them. If it werent for the surprise arrival of Sol and Berry, they would have been the first enemies he would have faced. Vincen, Daya, Lucan, Starley, and Holiar.
With the Demon War, the troop ranks on the stage were entirely made up of demons, so he drew on Kunras power from the very beginning to fire off wide-range attacks.
Lucan, with his annoying healing, was the first to go down, followed by Holiar, who specializes in guarding allies. Next up was Starley, who specializes in using wide-range attacks, followed by Vincen with the self-destruct. Vincens self-destruct was triggered when his blood levels dropped below a certain point. Worried about that, Cadel fired a heavy bombardnt but missed by a hair.
Garuel, I need you to issue evacuation orders for . If you can, create a wide area barrier. Sothing big is coming.
Cadel, who had thrown [Ullo] to Garuel, retrieved the magic circle that covered the sky. A languid voice, with a trailing edge, drifted through the soldiers, bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the teors.
[Im the harmless black magician of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order. How did you enjoy my healing? Ive restored you to health, so in return, please follow my instructions. Move away from the square. I suggest you move as quickly as possible.]
After a monts stunned silence, the soldiers began to stir; their spirits were still high, but the na of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order was absolute, having turned the tide of such a hopeless situation in a single strike.
Cadel condensed the recovered mana to create a barrier of fire. It was not a barrier to protect his allies. A do-shaped barrier that enveloped the square. It was a barrier to trap the enemies.
Anyway, Im going to finish Daya in one fell swoop.
Any self-destructors that fail to breach the barrier shall wipe out their non-human kind. Cadel could feel the demonic energy rising from within the barrier. The demonic energy, bubbling like hot lava, began to expand as if it would break through Cadels barrier at any mont.
Can I help you with that, Knight Commander?
Garuel, who had been spreading a thin stream of demonic energy over the retreating soldiers, turned to Cadel. Cadel was silent for a mont, then slowly shook his head. Garuel assud it was Cadels confidence that he could handle this alone, but the truth was different.
Its done.
Hmm? Its faster than I thought. Is it also thanks to the tily response of our talented Knight Commander?
It would be nice if it was, but it wasnt. Cadel lifted the barrier and peered into the center of the square, where Vincens body lay, the result of a failed self-destruct.
Cadels left eye slid shut. Just before the self-destruct, Vincen had taken his last breath. It might have been a fateful end to his life, but it wasnt often that a self-destructor ended in such a futile manner.
Soone had deliberately killed Vincen just before the detonation, and there was only one person who could have done it.
Daya is missing.
However, there was no sign of Daya, who might have stopped the self-destruction from Vincents imdiate vicinity. He couldnt have broken through the barrier. Nor did they see him fleeing after the barrier was lifted. Where, then, had Daya gone?
Behind Cadels rapidly growing concern, he heard the voices of his subordinates, who had returned from killing Sol and Berry.
Demon Realm Summoning Progress: 20%
Human Realm Invasion Progress: 69%
All progress had been halted. The destruction of the great magic circle and the extermination of the demons were proof that things were going well. But still, what was this strange prickle that kept creeping up his spine?
Cadel tore his gaze away from the system window that dominated one side of his vision and looked back at his subordinates.
Everyone, please dont bear any minor bruises and ask Garuel to heal them, because if I find a scar the size of a fingernail, Ill have you strapped to the bed.
He couldnt have been prouder of them for defeating the High Demon without further instructions from their commander, but he deliberately kept his voice stiff. If he didnt act decisively, these guys would simply shrug it off as small scratches, even if they were bleeding.
The sa goes for you, Lydon.
Huh?
Stop hugging and go to Garuel.
Cadel patted Lydons arm, which clung to him like a turtles carapace, and an innocent-looking face rested on his shoulder.
Im not hurt, Im competent.
Are you sure? If I inspected you and found a wound, I would be angry.
Ugh, dont be mad at , Cadel, Im scared.
If youre scared, get healing treatnt in advance. We dont know when well et the demons again.
The magic circle in the area of responsibility had been disard, and the demons that raided the city had been slain. Unless an urgent call for help ca in, Cadel planned to keep an eye on the vicinity and restore his power. In a ti of war, even a lull like this should be utilized to ones advantage.
But Lydon was unperturbed by Cadels continued insistence. In his own words, his Cadel blood level was low and needed to be replenished, but it was clear that he was stubbornly refusing to accept Garuels healing.
No, Sir Lydon. If you stick around like that, youll be in trouble.
Then Garuel stepped in front of Lydon. Having healed the wounds of the rest of his comrades, he held his palms together with a sly grin. He had the look of a crafty swindler.
What? Stay away from and my darling.
I cant do that. Theres sothing I need to receive. Am I right, Knight Commander?
Its sothing you deserve. Cadel looked at Garuel with a puzzled look for a mont, then rembered a promise he had forgotten.
Its a physical contact you like better than words of encouragent, and if you succeed, Ill give you one more.
Ah. That.
Now? Here?
Yes, now. Here.
Troubled eyes swept over his surroundings. The gazes focused on Cadel were unlikely to lift until they found out what it was that Garuel was supposed to be getting from their commander. Lydon, clinging to Cadels back, already looked uncomfortable, as if he sensed sothing ominous.
In this atmosphere, even a kiss on a strand of hair instead of Garuels cheek would be enough to spark a riot. Cadel, who had endured countless checks from his subordinates, smiled.
Now its a little bit. Ill do that later.
Thats unfortunate. I wonder when Ill have ti like this again.
Uh, wait!
To a half-demon with regenerative powers, the enmity of his comrades seed to matter little. Garuel gripped Cadels chin firmly as he tried to pull away, pulling him closer and kissing him on the lips. Not on the cheek, but on the lips.
Huh?
Behind Cadel, who closed his eyes tightly at the anticipated giddy future. Lydon, who was closest to Cadel and intuitively recognized the others kiss, made a stupid sound.
Have you lost your mind?
If you wanted to die, you should have said so, Sir Garuel.
Van and Luns faces hardened murderously as if they had witnessed Cadel being attacked by a beast. They stepped forward with arms folded, their bodies restored to health by Garuels healing, but Lydon was quicker.
What are you doing to my human?!
His crimson eyes narrowed, and he began to smash down on Garuels head with fierce force. The crunching blow was reminiscent of whack-a-mole, and Garuels lips parted in uncontrollable laughter.
Arent you hitting too seriously, Sir Lydon? I just received my promised kiss.
Once Garuel was out of striking range, Lydon went after him, pushing Cadel as well. With Van and Lun on the other side, Garuel was quickly surrounded and in danger.
And all the while the three n were punishing the daredevil who had taken Cadels lips right before their very eyes.
Yozen?
Wordlessly, Yozen strode over and stood in front of Cadel, his hand brushing across Cadels face with an uncharacteristically impatient touch, and soon he was tugging at the long sleeve of his robe to press his lips against Cadels.
Oof! Yo, Yozen? Wait!
The friction was so intense that it felt like his epidermis was peeling off. Cadel, unable to withstand the burning pain, grabbed Yozens wrist, and only then did his passionate movents stop. He gently traced Cadels red, swollen lips with his fingertips and spoke in a rather firm tone.
Better be careful in the future.
Yeah. Id go without my lips if I had to go through that twice.
Cadel let out a low sigh, his lips twitching in a way that was more than tingling, it was burning. The cause of this ss was surrounded by his own comrades, being tortured and persecuted, and yet the smiling figure seed to be enjoying the whole thing.
When I look at him like that, he really looks like a pervert.
Shaking his head, Cadel paused, hesitant to diate the squabbling of his subordinates. In his slow-moving vision, the numbers in the system window changed rapidly.
Demon Realm Summoning Progress: 11%
Human Realm Invasion Progress: 71%
The progress of summoning the Demon Realm was decreasing at an absurd rate.
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