《The Misfit of Demon King Academy (WN)》 Chapter 0 - Prologue Hi everyone. I saw this on the request forum of NU and decided to take it up as a side project. I looked around and could not see anyone else doing it nor a page on NU for this WN. If somebody is doing this please get in touch and I will stop. Enjoy (hopefully). The age of myth The destruction of countries, reducing the spirits forest to ash and even killing the gods. This was the man feared as the demon king. The name was Arnos Voldigod ¡°¡­.So how about it?¡± The demon king Arnos uttered these words whilst sitting on his throne with his arms crossed. With just that a normal human being would be in fear from the power of his words, however, the people in front of him right now do not have that worry. The severer of fate, the hero chosen by the holy sword Kanon. The mother of all spirits, the grand spirit Reno. And the creator of this world, the creation God Militeia. Including Arnos, they control this worlds fate. Four people will be handed down these names in later times but now they gather in the hall of the demon kings castle Deruzogedo. ¡°I understand the story. It¡¯s not a ridiculous condition either. But now, when we are trying to reconcile?¡± the hero Kanon said. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Demon king Arnos. How many people have you killed until now?¡± Arnos answered with a gaze now turned cold. ¡°Let me reverse that hero Kanon. How many mazoku have you killed so far?¡± he returned to words of Kanon back to him. Who struck first? The humans or the mazoku? There was no way to know. No, it doesn¡¯t matter. Even knowing the answer would not make the past disappear. The reason would no doubt be trivial. Both sides killed and those who survived got revenge on those that were killed. After that, the cycle just repeated. Because they were killed they were avenged and then those that got revenge were killed for revenge. Hatred accumulated endlessly for both races and the chain of tragedies accelerated to a pace that could not be stopped. Both humans and mazoku are the same in that they hate things different from themselves. ¡°After all your brutality do you think you can say those words?¡± ¡°What would have happened without my cruelty? If you did not fear the demon king Arnos you human beings would have calmly slaughtered the mazoku. It was a just cause. I do not remember even feeling one bit of guilt. I even praised the humans I killed as heroes.¡± ¡°That was because the mazoku committed atrocious acts.¡± ¡°And I say you humans also did.¡± ¡°Are you saying the mazoku are faultless?¡± ¡°It means that in war there is neither good nor bad.¡± With a glint in his eye, the demon king Arnos glared at the hero. ¡°Kanon. You are a human. Don¡¯t you believe that the world will become peaceful if the demon king Arnos is defeated?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°No. You should actually understand it. Stop being a fool. In the place where the demon king Arnos was defeated a new fire will be born. Both humans and mazoku. If the other side is not exterminated the fighting will not end. No¡­¡­¡± Arnos is just talking but he is also a being of immense magical power. Word by word each one had a compulsion like magic. ¡°Even if the mazoku perish human beings will just make a new enemy again. Next will be the spirits that are different to yourselves. If you eradicate the spirits next will be the gods that made you. And if you defeat the gods you will turn on each other.¡± ¡°Certainly, people have weak parts to themselves, however, I want to believe in people. I want to trust in people¡¯s kindness.¡± *Kuukuuku* and so Arnos laughed. The hero Kanon is a good person. He knows of humanities ugliness but has the courage to believe in the goodness of people. ¡°Then, Kanon. How about trying to believe in the goodness of the demon king Arnos?¡± Kanon does not answer immediately. Is this offer true? Should he doubt it? ¡°As I said earlier. Divide the world into four. The world of humans, the demon world, the spirit world and the world of the gods. Put up a wall between the worlds and don¡¯t open the doors for a thousand years.¡± If the bond disappears for a thousand years the grudges against each other will also disappear. ¡°I can change my life force into magical power if you three cooperate and I can activate the grand magic.¡± ¡°So you die for peace? You who are called the demon king.¡± ¡°You and the others called me that without permission. I will not die. I will find a handy container and reincarnate. Though it will be two thousand years before I next wake up.¡± Kanon falls silent. After a while he steeled himself. ¡°¡­.All right¡­¡­..I¡¯ll believe in you¡­¡­..¡± Even though he had suggested it the demon king Arnos could not hide his surprise. He had explained it in good faith. Humans, spirits and gods were shown evidence without any demerit. The remaining problem was emotion. Hatred stacked on top of hatred, constantly repeating. That is why those words needed courage. For the first time, the demon king Arnos understood why he is called a hero. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kanon laughs a little. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see a day when the demon king thanked me.¡± ¡°And I did not think a day would come when I could thank the hero.¡± The two of them locked gazes. Their viewpoints are different but they acknowledged the power and strength in each other¡¯s hearts. Now, at last, the long battle is about to be rewarded. ¡°Let¡¯s get started then.¡± The demon king Arnos stands slowly up from his throne and hold his hands in front of his eyes. At that moment countless particles of black light began to rise from the castle. Many magic letters appeared on the walls, floors, ceilings etc. The words being drawn are cramped together. The demon kings castle is a huge magic circle that Arnos had prepared. ¡°This body is the entrance for the magical power.¡± Arnos steps forward and exposes his defenceless body. First, the grand spirit Reno and then the creation god Militeia turned their palms towards him and loosed an extremely pure white wave. It was like looking at a star, it was dazzling. A bundle of infinite magic power. No matter how much magic power was poured into his body the demon king Arnos absorbed it all. Finally Kanon pulled out the holy sword. ¡°The preparations for the reincarnation?¡± ¡°Already done. You can do it.¡± The torrent of magic power was intense, crackling and scattering sparks everywhere. It was loud enough to rupture your ears. It could not endure the use of the grand magic that was absorbing all the magical power of the world and the demon kings castle began to collapse. Kanon kicks the floor and thrusts the holy sword forward. Magic is fed into it and the blade becomes pure white before piercing through the heart of the demon king Arnos. ¡°Gofuu¡­..¡± Blood drips from the chest of Arnos. His lips become wet and red. With this, his ambition was finally fulfilled. He was fed up. The fighting, this barren world. He was tired. ¡°¡­¡­Hero Kanon. Thank you once again. If you are also reborn in two thousand years¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It will be as friends.¡± Demon king Arnos laughed. ¡°Farewell.¡± His body disappeared with the light. *** Two thousand years later. A baby was born in a human house. ¡°Dear¡­..I saw him born. Our baby¡­¡­¡± Looking happy Isabella was holding her baby. Standing at her side was her husband Gusta. ¡°He¡¯s cute. He will become an excellent man.¡± Gusta pokes the babies cheek. ¡°Dear, have you thought about a name?¡± ¡°Aah. His name is¡ª¡± At that moment when Gusta was about to speak. ¡°The name is Arnos. Arnos Voldigod.¡± Their mouths fall open and their eyes look like they are about to pop out. Gusta and Isabella have expressions of complete surprise. ¡°Fumu. Even though it has been two thousand years it was only a moment.¡± Forgetting himself he turned his attention back to the surprised couple. ¡°Aah, sorry. Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen a baby who reincarnated? I was surprised. It seems that even in this age childbirth has not changed. My best regards.¡± ¡°Ta¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ta¡­..¡± ¡°Ta?¡± The couple yelled out together ¡°He talkeeeeeeeeeed!!?¡± Arnos floats a look on his face that says, of course a reincarnated baby can talk. ¡°It¡¯s hard to talk in this body. Should I grow up a little?¡± A magic formation appears on Arnos¡¯ baby body. Instantly he got bigger and grew up to about 6 years old. ¡°For the time being will such a place do?¡± Arnos places his feet on the floor. ¡°Na¡­¡­.o¡­¡­¡­a¡­..¡± ¡°E¡­¡­..a¡­¡­.u¡­¡­.¡± While he looks himself over and stamps his feet Gusta and Isabella have expressions of extreme surprise again. Again they scream out together. ¡°H¡­¡­..he¡­¡­¡­.he grew biiiiiiiiiiiiiig!!¡± Arnos the reincarnated baby that had used the crest floated a face that said, of course it would be natural to use this magic. Authors note: Because it was a prologue it was third person but it will become first person from now onwards. Chapter 1.1 A month has passed since I reincarnated. I¡¯ve spent the time looking into the world that is now two thousand years further on. It seems the magical arts have degenerated to a much lower level than I thought. Human¡¯s don¡¯t seem to know about reincarnation magic at all. (1) It was a rather common magic in the age of myths that I had lived in. For high ranking magic users, reincarnating was not unusual, however, in the present times that age has been called the era of magic. Reincarnation magic does not seem to be known in the present age. I can talk from birth and have magical talent. My parents Gusta and Isabella have interpreted it that I¡¯m just a very smart baby. Growth is considered an advanced magic in the present era but it is still generally known about. (2) Oh well. If the existence of reincarnation is not acknowledged I guess it can¡¯t be helped. The most surprising thing though was that I reincarnated as a human. two thousand years ago I sowed my own seeds. With magic, I created 7 subordinates using my own blood and commanded them to have children and expand their bloodline. I needed a container that contained my blood for a successful reincarnation. As I expected, over two thousand years the blood of the demon king Arnos did not die out, however, I did not expect it to mix with humans. No, thinking about it I suppose that since the mazoku and the humans stopped fighting its probably natural that those with mixed blood are born. I guess deep down I thought that the mazoku and the humans were fundamentally incompatible but after a thousand years of being separated by the walls, their troubles were diluted and eventually lost. Humans don¡¯t seem to know much about the mazoku anymore. I asked my parents but they didn¡¯t know anything either. All they knew was that the mazoku tribe were really far away on the other side of a wall. They had no further information beyond that. The demon country, the home of the mazoku is apparently called Deiruheido. ¡°Hmm?¡± I felt the slight flow of magic power and out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. Moving over to the window I open it and an owl jumps in before dropping a letter in my hand. It¡¯s a letter of invitation from the demon king academy Deruzogedo. ¡°Demon king academy?¡­¡­¡­.¡± Deruzogedo is the name of my castle. I don¡¯t remember hearing about this demon king academy. I guess it was founded sometime during these last two thousand years. While I was thinking the owl opened its mouth. ¡°Deruzogedo is a school to raise the demon emperor. The person who inherited the traits of the demon king of tyranny. In other words amongst the mazoku we were founded to find people descended from the imperial family and make them into a fine demon emperor.¡± The demon king of tyranny? What a nostalgic name for myself, although I was generally just called demon king Arnos during those times but perhaps it¡¯s not bad having those 2 names handed down. ¡°The demon king of tyranny was the founder and it is the role of the academy to find the person closest to the founder and make them the demon emperor. You also carry the blood of the founder and therefore we invite you to Deruzogedo. We await your admission into the demon king academy.¡± I inherited the traits and talents of the founder? I am the founder. Even if it followed the unique magical signature overflowing from my blood it seems the familiar cannot look any deeper into the abyss. At first glance, having reincarnated, the blood of the founder flowing in my body is diluted. However, if I analyse it carefully with demonic sight I can understand that the blood has changed into the blood of the demon king Arnos. ¡°It is said that this is the year that the founder will be reincarnated.¡± They knew that. It seems that the year of my rebirth was handed down throughout the years. ¡°This year the students planning to enter the demon kings academy are really promising. They are already called the chaos generation. Amongst them are many people regarded as the potential founder reborn. Deruzogedo will be filled with joy when the founder demon king returns.¡± I see. The entire purpose of the academy is to look for the reincarnated demon king. For me. Should I go then? This chaos generation of the mazoku. I want to see my descendants with my own eyes. ¡°I have received your invitation.¡± ¡°We are looking forward to seeing you. You who has inherited the talents of the founder.¡± With that, the owl flew off. I¡¯ve decided. Strike while the iron is hot. I¡¯ll go to Deruzogedo. It¡¯ll be inconvenient with this body though. I use the growth magic. My body was wrapped in light and grew up to the age of 16. This should do. Leaving my room I head to the front door. It¡¯s midnight now. Because both my parents are asleep I won¡¯t have any issue leaving. Or so I thought as I placed my hand on the door handle. ¡°Who!?¡± I hear my mothers voice from behind. Crap, did you get up? Moreover, in this form, she won¡¯t understand that it¡¯s me. I better turn round and explain. ¡°Arnos-chan? You grew up again!¡± my mother said while looking at my face. ¡°You understood well.¡± ¡°Of course I did. Even if you grew up a bit Arnos-chan is still Arnos-chan.¡± It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to be called chan when I¡¯m the demon king. Oh well, there¡¯s no help for it. No point minding it. ¡°Where are you going this late at night? It¡¯s dangerous outside.¡± Even though I¡¯m a reincarnated being it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m her son. Since I was found I guess I can¡¯t leave silently now. Chapter 1.2 ¡°Do you know of the demon king academy Mother?¡± My mother tilts her head to side showing she doesn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Never heard of it. Where is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite far away. It¡¯s in Deiruheido.¡± ¡°A school in such a far off place. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°An invitation arrived to enter the school. I intend to go.¡± ¡°You, you cant. Such a far-off school? It¡¯s dangerous! Arnos-chan is only a month old.¡± ¡­..No. Even if you say a month. As a reincarnated person it¡¯s a bit troubling being treated like a baby. Unfortunately, they don¡¯t believe the reincarnated story at all. My mother doesn¡¯t know anything about my character as the demon king either. ¡°Also mother cant travel such a distance to Deiruheido. There¡¯s a magic school nearby. Is that no good?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to learn from a magic school. Besides, I¡¯ll be going alone so mother is safe here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no good. Arnos-chan is only a month old. I can¡¯t let you live alone. What about money?¡± ¡°I can make money myself.¡± ¡°How? The world isn¡¯t so nice as-¡± Magic power gathers in my palm and lumps of gold appear. ¡°Eh¡­¡­¡­? No way¡­¡­¡­this¡­¡­¡­.it¡¯s not a fake made by magic¡­¡­. its real.¡± My mother makes her living as an expert appraiser. She very good at judging precious metals. She can no see how easy it is for me to make money. ¡°How did you do this Arnos-chan? Such magic. Even the sage at the castle can¡¯t do this.¡± It seems my mother is surprised. It¡¯s no wonder. Speaking of the sage at the castle, they are a master of magic and compete for the top spot in the country. If you couldn¡¯t even use this low-level type of magic back in the age of myths you would have died but apparently, the world has become very peaceful. ¡°It¡¯s the most basics of creation magic to produce things that already exist in the world. The beginners class teaches you to create mithril and orichalcum. For the demon king Arnos this is mere child play.¡± Do you believe me even a little that I¡¯m a reincarnated being now? ¡°No matter how great a magic you can use no means no. Also, you shouldn¡¯t call your own name like that if you are an adult. Okay?¡± Tch. She¡¯s got a point¡­¡­¡­. ¡°What is this school then? What would you be studying?¡± What should I do? I can easily leave by force. ¡°It¡¯s alright Isabella.¡± My father comes over from the depths of the house. ¡°There¡¯s no holding a man back from the road he¡¯s decided on.¡± ¡°But dear, Arnos-chan is only a month old and I don¡¯t know anything about this school.¡± ¡°They say if you don¡¯t see a boy for 3 days they grow. Arnos is already a month old. In that case, we will have to observe him 10 times more but father doesn¡¯t have eyes that big.¡±(3) Ah, un. It¡¯s been a month. Having lived together for a month with my parents I understand them. My mother is a worrywart and my dad is a bit of a fool. ¡°Father knows Arnos. The demon king academy is a school a raises the wizard king isn¡¯t it? Arnos is so good at magic I¡¯m sure he wants to study there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I guess it¡¯s roughly like that¡­¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s totally different but let¡¯s keep that to myself. ¡°Go Arnos.¡± My dad said in a powerful voice. ¡°Is it okay?¡± My father nods. ¡°However, we will all go together.¡± ¡­¡­.What? ¡°It¡¯s the duty of a parent to support their child. You are still young. You are only a month old after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.So fathers worried as well.¡± *chichichi* my father wags his finger. ¡°It¡¯s Arnos that doesn¡¯t understand. Listen up. Parents are always sad and lonely when a child leaves home. You are a newborn. We will be very lonely.¡± My father is using difficult words to explain it. I think you should use simpler words. ¡°Isabella¡¯s lonely too right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­..you grew up so fast. I didn¡¯t think¡­..sorry. Maybe Arnos-chan is a child given great power by God and you think your mother is obstructive but I want to be together a little longer.¡± I¡¯m at a loss for words. In my old life, I didn¡¯t have parents. My mother died. Did my father die? Did he throw me away? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember ever talking to my parents. I never thought about it. ¡°If you will be lonely I guess there¡¯s no help for it.¡± My mothers face lit up when I said this. ¡°Alright, its decided! We¡¯ll prepare to move house straight away. Don¡¯t worry about anything. Father is a blacksmith. No matter where we go we won¡¯t have to worry about eating!¡± And like this, the three-person family will move to Deiruheido. (1) Kanji reads reincarnation but the furigana reads silica. (2) Kanji reads growth but the furigana reads crest. (3) The three days thing is part of an old proverb but I couldn¡¯t find a good English source to explain it better. Chapter 2.1 Several days later. In front of my eyes is the nostalgic view of my castles front gate. My castle was made from a 3d solid magic formation so even after 2000 years it¡¯s still in good shape. Though in some odd places it is showing it¡¯s age compared to when I was last alive. The only thing that¡¯s really changed is that its name has been changed to demon king academy. Looking around my surroundings I can see people entering the gate one after another. Are these people taking the entrance exam? ¡°Arnos-chan, stay strong.¡± Although I said it wasn¡¯t necessary my parents found out about the exam and came with me to school. ¡°You, that, he, he, hehe, retain a calm mind!¡± My father is muttering nonsensical things. ¡°No, can you calm down father.¡± ¡°A, ou, you seem to be okay.¡± ¡°Un un. Our Arnos-chan is so strong after only a month. He will definitely pass!¡± Naturally, no other mazoku have turned up with their parents. I¡¯m slightly ashamed by the surrounding gazes. ¡°I¡¯m off then.¡± I turn and head off towards the row of mazoku queued up in front of the front gate. ¡°Good luck, do your best Arnos! Good luck, do your best Arnos!¡± Hmmm. My father is embarrassing¡­¡­¡­. Is this what human parents are like? I must admit it doesn¡¯t feel bad at all, just a bit embarrassing. ¡°Hurray, hurray Misha! Fighto, fighto Misha!¡± Another embarrassing cheer that wasn¡¯t from my father could be heard from behind. A quick glance showed me a bearded, stern-faced man raising his fists in the air and yelling. The blood of the mazoku is mixed but seems quite weak in him. About the same as my dad maybe? That means he could be a human being as well. Trudging away from the embarrassing man is an expressionless girl. She¡¯s very pretty with blue eyes, a straight nose and an innocent facial expression. Long platinum blonde hair with fluffy ringlets cascades from her head. She¡¯s wearing robes coloured in black and white. The embroidery and design seem to be of mazoku origin. If that¡¯s the case perhaps my parents are mazoku and not human as well. Well, my mother might be mazoku anyway. ¡°Good luck, do your best Arnos! Good luck, do your best Arnos!¡± Just as I enter the main gate I can hear my father again. That girl turns to look at my father and follows his gaze to me. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Our eye¡¯s just met. ¡°Were both troubled it seems.¡± When I speak she lets out a shy little laugh. ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡­..¡± The girl let out a short agreement. Is she a poor talker? Taciturn perhaps? Doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯ll say anything more. She doesn¡¯t seem to be wary of me though. ¡°I¡¯m Arnos. Arnos Voldigod.¡± After I spoke I wondered if I had done the right thing. That¡¯s the name of the founder demon king. On one hand I don¡¯t want to cause a scene but on the other hand, I don¡¯t see any reason to hide it either. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Now or later, it makes little difference. ¡°¡­¡­..Misha¡­¡­.¡± Unexpectedly she didn¡¯t react to my name. ¡°¡­¡­.Misha Necron¡­¡­..¡± I wonder why she didn¡¯t show any interest? Saying that, it¡¯s better this way. 2000 years have passed. I can¡¯t imagine anyone here will be interested in demon king Arnos. ¡°My best regards Misha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­¡­.¡± Another short reply. As I was about to enter the gate a man stepped in front of me. He had swarthy skin, a forged steel like body, short cut white hair and appeared to be somewhere in his 20¡¯s. He had a smile that just screamed bad intentions. ¡°Ha? Taking the admission test with your parents. When did the demon king academy become a playground for children?¡± Hmmm. Who¡¯s this fellow? ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Oi, is that?¡± ¡°Aah¡­.this is bad¡­¡­They¡¯ve caught the arrogant gaze of Zepes. I wonder if that guy will keep all his limbs¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Apparently, this chap is famous. Putting him aside for the moment, does this queue extend all along the right-hand side? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s where the arena was. I see. They must be doing the entrance exam in there. ¡°Are you good at fighting Misha?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Not really¡­¡­.¡± I guess fighting¡¯s not her strong point. Well, since things have become peaceful that¡¯s fine. We headed over to the right and joined the queue. Chapter 2.2 ¡°You¡­¡­..!! Oi, bastard, bastard!!¡± I turned around to look since it was so noisy behind. That man from a while ago was glaring at me. ¡°Hmph. You finally turned around.¡± Yare yare. My descendants appear to be lacking in manners. (1) Should I chastise him a little? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Your magical power was so weak I didn¡¯t see you.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡­.what did you say!?¡± The man¡¯s eyes turned furious almost immediately. ¡°This one is the Demon duke Zepes Endou and you knowingly insult me?¡± ¡°Demon duke¡­¡­..? No, I¡¯ve never heard of you. Are you famous?¡± Aah, I see. This nickname must have been born sometime during the last 2000 years. ¡°Oi you bastard. Apologise now.¡± What an awfully cold voice. Zepes glares at me with merciless eyes and makes a fist. Particles of magic power gather and a magic formation is drawn. two, three, four¡­five magic formations. He opened his hand and condensed jet back flame sprang from his palm. ¡°Wha¡­¡­..!?¡± ¡°Were you surprised? Good. Will you beg for your life? I¡¯ll forgive you if you lick my boots. If not I¡¯ll use this dark flame that can burn even the gods called Demon Fire and turn that ojou-chans face into a skeleton. Hyahahahahaha!!¡± Wha, wha¡­¡­.what type of low-level magic is this? What was the point of drawing five magic formations to make this demon flame ? Of course I¡¯m surprised. He spoke in such an exaggerated and grand manner yet I¡¯ve just been shown magic that¡¯s inferior to a child playing with matches. Despite being my descendant he¡¯s not blessed with magic power at all. Poor chap. ¡°Fuu.¡± ¡°¡­.What¡­.the¡­¡­.Impossible!! That¡¯s impossible!!¡± I blew the demon flame out with my breath. ¡°Bastard, Bastaaaaaard¡­¡­..What did you do!!¡± ¡°Why are you surprised? I just blew a match flame out with my breath.¡± ¡°My demon flame is a match flame!?¡­¡­¡­..¡± In the first place, the usage of magic power is fundamentally different between me and Zepes. This fellow frantically scrapes together magic power and forcefully uses it. I naturally have it all around and can spontaneously use it. If you couldn¡¯t do that in the age of mythology your death was certain. No, I suppose that the peace at any price mindset has caused the degradation of magic, however, this could be a good age to live in. Mazoku that were weak can speak in such a grand manner now. ¡°Bastard¡­¡­such an insult¡­¡­don¡¯t think that you can return alive now.¡± Doesn¡¯t this fellow understand the difference in our levels? ¡°Wait a minute.¡± When I spoke, the body of Zepes stiffened like he¡¯d been paralysed. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Wha¡­.I can¡¯t move¡­¡­what have you done!?¡± Oh, I see. Magic power is naturally attached to my words so I must have cast compulsion on him. To be this easily caught by the power of words. He must have very weak anti-magic abilities. ¡°Oh well. Please stand there and reflect for a while.¡± Zepes looked apologetic as soon as I finished speaking. ¡°All those things I said¡­¡­.It was not words that should have been spoken when meeting someone for the first time¡­¡­..If there is a hole¡­¡­I want to climb in. How can I apologise for what I¡¯ve done?¡± Zepes carried on reflecting while standing there like a scarecrow. The voices of the other applicants from earlier were murmuring again. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. That guy made Zepes apologise.¡± ¡°Aah, did you see? He extinguished that demon flame. He must be a master at anti-magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen his face before. He might be the dark horse of the chaos generation.¡± So exaggerated. I moderated my voice though. Even that fellow should be able to undo my compulsion in about 10 minutes or so. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go?¡± I called out to Misha who was waiting for me and we began walking. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos¡­¡­.¡± She calls out to me in a small voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Strong¡­¡­.?¡± I couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, but in this case, it¡¯s not appropriate.¡± She leans her head to one side in puzzlement. ¡°¡­¡­..Why not appropriate?¡± ¡°That guy was too weak.¡± We passed into the arena where the examination was taking place. (1) Yare yare is usually translated as something along the lines of ¡®oh boy, here we go, my my¡¯ and so on. It¡¯s an expression of relief or disappointment usually. I didn¡¯t translate it because I like the sound of it, sorry. Same with Fighto. Chapter 3.1 The arena has been split into various sections. An owl is perched on one of the bronze statues of knights that are lined up nearby and speaks. ¡°Please line up by the letter that was printed on your invitation card.¡± Looking at my invitation I could see the letter F printed on it. ¡°Misha¡¯s is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.E¡­¡­.¡± she says while showing me the invitation. An owl flies to the end of each line carrying a piece of parchment with a letter on it. ¡°Well then. My best regards on entering this school.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± Separating from Misha I line up in the F row. It¡¯s a long line but I peer ahead using my demon eye. It looks like we enter a waiting room one at a time. It looks like my turn will take some time. At a rough count, there are about 100 people ahead of me. All 7 lines are the same though so there¡¯s about 700 people here. I know it¡¯s been 2000 years but my decedents have increased well. It seems my worry about my bloodline dying out was unnecessary. While idly thinking such things I wait for time to pass. After a while, I¡¯m finally at the front of the line looking at the waiting room. Entering inside there¡¯s another owl waiting again. Who¡¯s familiar is this? I can¡¯t feel any traces of magic power so I can¡¯t see who it¡¯s master is. They have hidden themselves well. It seems there are some decent magic users in this age after all. ¡°Welcome, please come in. I¡¯ll explain the contents of this practical exam.¡± Inviting me and examining me. I can¡¯t judge if the admission for this school is right or wrong though their first purpose is to find the reincarnated demon king. This is the first time I reincarnated but reincarnating with your memories intact is supposed to be quite rare. How aware are they that they are the reincarnation of the demon king Arnos. The mazoku of now probably have no idea. If I stepped forward and introduced myself I could finish it. Saying that, it was arranged for me to come here so it¡¯s only common courtesy that I hear them out first. ¡°In this practical test, we have students duel each other in the arena. After beating 5 people your magic power is measured, we examine you and if you pass you are admitted into Deruzogedo. If you lose you will be unable to gain admission.¡± I am the first demon king. There¡¯s no chance of me losing. Also, by watching the magic that a person uses it is possible to tell if someone is the founder. I think that the test is a bit simple but it might be right for this time and place. ¡°All weapons, armour and spells are allowed. Any questions?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Well then, I wish you the blessing of the founder.¡± I opened the door at the back of the waiting room and proceeded down a dim and long passageway. Even though it¡¯s my castle this is the first time I¡¯ve used this corridor. The arena was originally a place where people fought to show off their skills for combat. A light appeared as I neared the end of the corridor and I exited out into a round stadium with high walls. Above the wall was the spectator seats filled here and there with mazoku. Looking closer I can see that they are all wearing the same uniform. Are they students at this school? ¡°Yo! We meet again.¡± A man with swarthy skin was standing at the opposite end. It was Zepes who I easily dealt with last time. Fumu. My partner is a small fry. It will be difficult to prove I¡¯m the founder fighting him. What should I do? ¡°You. Oi! Are you listening.¡± Without answering I walk forward 3 steps and the passage behind me closes with a magic barrier. ¡°Oops. You retreat has been blocked. Are you nervous?¡± Zepes said in a proud tone of voice. ¡°You thought I was thinking of running away? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you so feel at ease.¡± Zepes clicks his tongue. Yare yare. I was being polite but this guy has no manners. Is he really a fool who can¡¯t tell the difference in our power? ¡°Let me tell you I won¡¯t go easy on you. I¡¯ll change your proud face into a soggy, tearful face full of horror then I¡¯ll kill you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help it. I burst out into laughter. ¡°Kukuku, Haahaahaahaa. Nonono. Kill me? Who? This me?¡± I glare at Zepes. ¡°Know your place you buffoon.¡± Power can be put into words but it didn¡¯t effect Zepes this time. The dull coloured armour he was wearing flashed anti-magic formations across its surface. ¡°Hou, I won¡¯t eat from that hand anymore. This armour contains the power to block any magic cast at it.¡± I see. Because he relies on that armour his own personal anti-magic power is weak. Despite being my descendent he¡¯s a completely pitiable man. Chapter 3.2 ¡°All weapons, armour and spells are allowed. Victory or defeat leads to death for someone but you can give up and I¡¯ll determine the winner.¡± The voice of the owl flying above fills the arena. ¡°Practical exam, start!¡± Zepes immediately whips out the sword that was hanging from his waist. The blade was burning brightly. ¡°Are you surprised? demon sword Zefried. A sword born from an ancient fire that¡¯s been passed down through the Endou family. It will amplify my magic power tenfold. You seem to be good at anti-magic but the flame of this sword cannot be erased.¡± ¡°Fumu. Are you perhaps bad at maths?¡± Zepes openly shows his anger while cutting down the distance between us. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°One multiplied tenfold will still only be ten.¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± Zepes kicks the ground and in the next moment appears in front of me putting me in range of Zefried. ¡°Die.¡± Fuwaa. I suppress a yawn. He¡¯s extremely slow. If I had a sword I¡¯d have done 100 slashes by now. Well, adults should pay attention to children when they are playing. Oh, it came. The weapon aside, he¡¯s no sword master so I have no real need to avoid it. The demon sword Zefried was swung in a horizontal flash and was about to connect with my neck when I absentmindedly looked properly at the sword for the first time. This is bad! I quickly dodge out of the way. ¡°Hou. You did well to avoid it.¡± That was dangerous. Several more millimetres and it would have connected with the weak anti-magic field I always have active on myself. It would have snapped the sword in half. It¡¯s the Endou family¡¯s treasure that¡¯s been passed down through the generations. Even though its blunt I don¡¯t want to break such an important item of theirs. Truly a pang of conscience. However. ¡°Is that a demon sword?¡± ¡°Indeed. Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen one? It¡¯s different from modern magic. It¡¯s true magic. It¡¯s an old sword from the time of the gods. Demon sword Zefried!¡± ¡­¡­¡­This is a demon sword? If I had to compare it to the time of the gods just pick up any old stick from the ground and it would have more magic power than this. If you were told that this is a product from the time of the gods you got a fake. A true demon sword has its own will and such vast power that even it¡¯s user would be ruined eventually. The words demon sword are being used too carelessly as well. ¡°Fuu.¡± I blow and the fire from the demon sword Zefried goes out. ¡°Geh, Geeeeeeeeh!?¡± A wordless scream comes from Zepes and a surprised voice leaks out from the spectators. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. That person erased the flame from Zefried!¡± ¡°That old flame is said to not disappear until the end of the world. Also, I didn¡¯t see the activation of any magic!!¡± Zepes grits his teeth. ¡°Bastard. Possibly¡­..sealing magic!?¡± ¡°What? I just blew it out. With the amount of power hidden in that sword, it should reignite itself in a couple of years.¡± Zepes has a bitter expression. ¡°¡­¡­Sealing magic, compulsion magic, you certainly seem to have acquired magic power at a terrible level. The magic that you use is not suitable for battle however, so how are you going to break through my anti-magic armour?¡± Fumu. That armour will break if I simply pat it though that would be a bit childish on my part. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can feel proud if I break it though.¡± ¡°Hmm. Have you lost your nerve?¡± ¡°No, but I do have an interesting proposal. In the first place, it¡¯s wrong that we are fighting over the same viewpoint.¡± Zepes stares at me cautiously. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a handicap. I will not move a single step from here. I won¡¯t use magic and I won¡¯t empower my words or breath with magic. I won¡¯t move my limbs and I won¡¯t even use my eyes or hair. I¡¯ll defeat you without even blinking.¡± ¡°Ha! There should be a limit to bluffing. Is that your excuse for when you lose? Apparently, your magic really isn¡¯t suited for battle. Ha¡­..¡± Zepes vomits out blood. ¡°¡­Imposs¡­¡­ible¡­¡­this is¡­..¡± ¡°Can you hear it?¡± Dokun. A sound echoes. ¡°It¡¯s a heartbeat.¡± Magic power was infused in the beating and the sound shook Zepes violently. Even though its an anti-demon armour its not a particularly good item. There are a number of gaps in the anti-magic formations. My heartbeat passed through them. ¡°Ka¡­..ha¡­¡­..¡± With blood seeping out from his whole body Zepes fell to his knees and then fell forward. ¡°Fumu. I give up. So weak. If I get excited my heartbeat will kill everyone.¡± Chapter 4.1 I turn around to leave but a voice calls out from behind. ¡°¡­..Wait¡­..bastard¡­¡­¡± Zepes tries to unsteadily get up but his body is too wounded so he crawls on the ground. ¡°You can be saved if you get treated immediately. Give up.¡± ¡°Ha. To inherit the blood of the founder but not being able to deliver the finishing blow to an enemy¡­¡­¡­. to think such a thing is to bring disgrace to this demon king tribe¡­¡­.¡± Does the demon king tribe mean they inherited the blood of the demon king? I didn¡¯t inherit any skills though since I¡¯m the founder. ¡°Stop talking so much. You¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°Kill me.¡± ¡°Hmmm. A small fry like you is not worth killing.¡± What¡¯s his problem? ¡°Ha! You can¡¯t do it, can you? Then you fail. Try to make me give up if you can. Even if I die, I won¡¯t give up!!¡± I can make him give up if I order him to but¡­. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. You¡¯ll use compulsion magic on me. That¡¯s fine. Try it. I won¡¯t give up!! Haahaahaa¡­.fuhahahahah!! Gah!¡± I stamp on Zepes¡¯ head pushing his face into the stone floor. ¡°Yare yare. You¡¯re too full of yourself. Such an odd sense of superiority you¡¯ve got.¡± He did say one interesting thing though. ¡°If I don¡¯t use compulsion magic I can¡¯t make you give up was it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ha¡­¡­..it¡¯s true¡­¡­¡­.you piece of shit¡­¡­¡­!¡± Even with me standing on his head Zepes is still talking big. ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re pretty amusing. Very well. It¡¯s my victory if I make you give up without using compulsion magic and you win if I cant.¡± ¡°Haaa? You sure? You sure do talk big. Even if I die I won¡¯t give up!¡± I blink my eyes and invoke the magic contract If I can make Zepes give up without using compulsion I win and if not he wins is written down. Contract is absolute. The contract is signed with the users magic power. It is impossible to change the contract. Zepes signs it without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot. No matter how much you hurt me I won¡¯t give up. At best I¡¯ll feel sorry for you. Hyahahahahaha!¡± I place my forefinger near Zepes forehead. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that going to d¡ª-¡° I flick his forehead with my finger. ¡°Gah¡­¡­.¡± Zepes whole body disappears. ¡°Oops? I thought I¡¯d reduced the power enough. Did he die?¡­¡­.I see.¡± Yare yare. This is my loss. I guess there¡¯s no help for it. I cut the tip of my index finger with my nail and let a single drop of blood fall. Resurrection magic. Zepes whole body is rebuilt and comes back to life. His armour and sword were a little bit more difficult. ¡°Wha!¡­¡­.. What¡¯s that magic? The dead Zepes revived!!¡± ¡°He brought the dead back to life! Such magic surpasses common sense!!¡± Why are they surprised? The spectators are getting noisy over Zepes being revived. If I couldn¡¯t use this magic, death would really mean death. ¡°Wha¡­..I¡­¡­¡­¡± Zepes looks at me with a confused face ¡°How¡¯s it feel dying once? Feel like giving up yet?¡± ¡°Id¡­.idiot¡­¡­.who¡¯s giving up¡ªgya!¡± I flick his forehead and he dies again. ¡°Oops, I killed him again. Oh well. As long as it¡¯s within 3 seconds, Resurrection can bring him back without any risk. It¡¯s the 3-second rule.¡± The silence from the arena washed over me like a wave. Chapter 4.2 Hmmm. Something I¡¯ve done has silenced them. I¡¯m following the 3 seconds rule where it¡¯s safe to kill someone. This was a common joke during the age of myths. They don¡¯t seem amused. As expected after 2000 years of change. Has humour changed as well? Actually, looking closer, everyone looks terrified. Is my joke that bad? Hmm. I¡¯ll have to restrain my jokes until I understand this ages humour. ¡°Haa¡­¡­.!¡± Resurrection . After reviving again Zepes look at me with a face filled with fear. Is he starting to feel it? This much shouldn¡¯t become a trauma for him. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t give up even if you died. Surely you didn¡¯t think your life would end with only one death?¡± There¡¯s no reply from Zepes. He¡¯s just trembling. ¡°Well then. Shall I ask you again? Do you want to give up?¡± A hopeless expression floats across Zepes¡¯ face for an instant, however, a weak voice comes out. ¡°Wh¡­..who¡¯s giv¡ª-!¡± Another flick and he¡¯s dead again. Resurrection . Having to use a drop of blood each time is a pain. Again Zepes¡¯ body is rebuilt. He¡¯s watching me with a fear stained face now. ¡°By the way, Resurrection magic has an interesting philosophy behind it. After you revive are you the original or are you a copy of the original with the same personality and memories? Could you be a completely new person? What do you think?¡± A sound of chattering teeth can be heard from Zepes shaking lips. His face is completely pale. ¡°B¡­¡­..ba¡­¡­¡­.bastard¡­¡­..such cruel behaviour¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Fumu, not interested I see. In my era, this was a hot topic for debate.¡± Well, if their humour is different I guess philosophical arguments will be different as well. ¡°Right, time to kill you again.¡± ¡°Y¡­.you¡­¡­.talk about¡­¡­.killing so easily¡­¡­.¡± Haha, I have a really refreshed smile right now. ¡°What¡¯s this? You said something so modest all of a sudden. Being dead doesn¡¯t really mean death you know.¡± I extend my finger towards Zepes. ¡°P¡­.pl¡­.pl¡­..please wait¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oops.¡± Crap. My finger slipped and I killed him by mistake. He was trying to say something as well. Oh dear. Let¡¯s revive him again. ¡°Ba¡­Bastard!! I told you to wait!!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. My bad. I was careless.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha my ass! Shit! How do you kill someone carelessly?!¡± ¡°Oh. You seem a lot better now. Well then, one more time.¡± I bring my finger to Zepes forehead again and his eyes immediately lose all colour and shine. ¡°¡­..Please wait¡­.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­..¡± With an expression stained with humiliation, he said ¡°It¡¯s my defeat. I give up.¡± What? What a boring ending. ¡°You didn¡¯t last long playing our game. I was intending to kill you at least 10,000 times.¡± I crack this little joke with a smile to show there¡¯s no hostility but Zepes trembles like I¡¯ve just threatened him. ¡°¡­..That Zepes¡­¡­.. was handled like a child¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.To overwhelming¡­¡­.who is that guy? I¡¯ve never seen his face before.¡± Voices started leaking out from the seating area. Chapter 5.1 ¡°I accept the surrender of Zepes Endou. Winner Arnos Voldigod.¡± Along with the owl¡¯s words the barrier disappears as well. Somethings strange though. My name has been declared which is the same as the demon king Arnos, but nobody is reacting at all. Have a lot of foolish people taken the name of the demon king in the past so nobody thinks anything of it anymore? It would be troublesome if I became too famous but I also want to prove my abilities. ¡°It was a good match.¡± I hold out my hand to Zepes and praise him but his body twitches and shakes like he¡¯s frightened. ¡°Ba, bastard! Stop looking down on me! I¡¯ll remember this!!¡± Zepes runs off while shouting out a line an underling would say. Fumu. Once a match is over there should be no grudge. What¡¯s he so angry about? He certainly failed because of me but I didn¡¯t kill him. Can¡¯t he just try again next year? He will return home healthy and come back to fight me again. During the age of myth, many mazoku found happiness and shed tears of gratitude in this place. ¡°After a 10-minute break, you will fight your next opponent.¡± ¡°Unnecessary.¡± I don¡¯t need a 10-minute break. That last fight wasn¡¯t even a warm up. I¡¯ll actually get tired from so much free time. I¡¯ve got another 4 people to beat. I hope they are not all small fry. ¡°By proposal of Arnos Voldigod the break will be omitted.¡± At that moment I sense a flow of magic power from the passageway that Zepes escaped down. ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± A scream echoes from the passageway then a long haired mazoku appears. His brow is wrinkled and he has a nervous look on his face. Then the source of the scream becomes apparent. He¡¯s dragging Zepes along by his throat. ¡°Eld, elder brother¡­¡­¡­I was wrong¡­¡­¡­please forgive me. Next time I¡¯ll definitely¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Shameless.¡± The long-haired mazoku crushes Zepes throat. Magical particles gather and black lighting burns Zepes¡¯ whole body. ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± Zepes turns into charcoal immediately. The long-haired mazoku throws him away like garbage and walks towards me. ¡°I see you were taking care of my younger brother.¡± I see. Zepes older brother. He seems a better opponent than Zepes. ¡°Avenging your younger brother? It¡¯s a good story.¡± ¡°To be defeated by a mongrel. He¡¯s bought shame on our bloodline. Helping him to die is the only sympathy I can offer.¡± Am I the mongrel? Oh well. No point getting upset. I suppose I am a mongrel but since I¡¯m descended from myself isn¡¯t that fine? It¡¯s actually quite funny. I feel like a mother watching the fight between two sons. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t brothers help each other?¡± ¡°Naive. Power is everything to the demon king families.¡± Yare yare. Who¡¯s the naive one here? I don¡¯t want to spoil their fun though. What I will say though is killing your own allies is stupid. If you did this in the age of myths you wouldn¡¯t live long. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand what power is.¡± ¡°What a boring sense of justice you have using such grand magic like resurrection just to make someone give up. Everything is settled if you kill them.¡± While he¡¯s talking I cast an interested gaze up to the spectators. I see. Over there? Seats in the third row have mazoku not wearing a uniform. Are they also examinee¡¯s. Is my next opponent there? It doesn¡¯t make sense. I was in row F but I passed straight through into the arena and started my practical test suddenly. I didn¡¯t have a chance to go into the audience seats. ¡°Apparently you don¡¯t know. We demon king tribe are purebloods. We are royalty and as such we can choose our opponents. We are treated differently to you mongrels who have the founder¡¯s blood mixed in.¡± Fumu. That letter on the invitation must have classified us on how much our blood was mixed. I don¡¯t know who came up with it but it¡¯s hilarious. My power doesn¡¯t care how mixed your blood is. It¡¯s completely unrelated to how much you inherit. Why would they do something so stupid? It¡¯s like trying to kill me before I reincarnated. In the first place, the idea that pure blood is strong and mixed is weak is fundamentally flawed. A single drop of demon king blood is all that is required. I¡¯m absolutely amazed that something this simple hasn¡¯t been realised. ¡°You finally seem to understand your position.¡± ¡°No, not really. I couldn¡¯t care less about such stupid things.¡± *Piku* The man¡¯s temple twitches. ¡°¡­¡­..Stupid things¡­¡­was it?¡± ¡°Yeah, stupid. Because he was strong he was called the demon king by others without his permission. Pureblood? His position? Ha. Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± Chapter 5.2 The long-haired mazoku¡¯s face distorts at my ridicule. You might be my direct descendant but your pride is boring. ¡°I don¡¯t care that a privileged class was made particularly. Such a thing has existed in all ages, however, the demon king is someone who surpasses all laws and authority by their own power and forces other to acknowledge it. It¡¯s not to be passed down as a privilege to the offspring.¡± The long-haired mazoku¡¯s eyes were now thirsting for blood at the way I was talking. ¡°You words this day, disregarding the founder¡¯s great exploits and criticising the royalty means your death. This great demon emperor Liorg Endou will put you to death.¡± ¡°How did I disregard my own exploits when I was talking?¡± ¡°¡­..What?¡± ¡°Your perception is really poor. I am the founder.¡± The hatred flairs up in Liorg¡¯s eyes and he glares at me. ¡°Bastard. Do you even know what you are saying?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I told you who I was.¡± Liorg cried out as he reached the limits of his patience. ¡°That disrespectful attitude to declare yourself the founder. Die 10,000 times!!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Your thinking is that the demon king will reincarnate but will be an idiot that doesn¡¯t understand who they are?¡± ¡°Shut up! To doubt the 7 royal demon families is a grave sin!!¡± (1) The 7 royal demon families. Another strange alias came out. I¡¯d better look it up. ¡°What you are saying is lacking any ground but I don¡¯t blame you because the demon king is not something that is proven by words.¡± ¡°You!! Mocking the 7 royal demon families again!!¡± That wasn¡¯t my intention at all. This guy is really troublesome. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s make it quick. I¡¯ll teach your body that I¡¯m the founder.¡± I provoked him and wondered if he¡¯d jump at me right away but unexpectedly he looked up at the spectator¡¯s seats. ¡°Show this guy what happens to people who criticise the royalty.¡± As he speaks 3 mazoku get up from the seats and jump into the arena. ¡°Fumu. Is that okay? Should you do this in the middle of an entrance exam?¡± Liorg answered me in a normal tone of voice. ¡°Have you lost your nerve? This is a respected entrance exam. It will be a pain to have to defeat them one by one. Let¡¯s just save the time and effort. Perhaps this will prove who the founder is.¡± The owl referee flying overhead doesn¡¯t point out that this is a rule violation. I see. This must also be one of their privileges. I guess the power of the royalty means I can only pass by such means. ¡°About these 4 people¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late now. Just regret your own remarks and die.¡± ¡°No, you misunderstand me. There¡¯s not enough of them.¡± Liorg¡¯s expression turns grim. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that these 4 small fry are not enough to prove I¡¯m the founder. Get everyone to come down here and line them up.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­¡­..¡± Liorg didn¡¯t even need to order it. The mazoku watching started jumping down one after the other. I guess they are all purebloods as everyone looking at me looks dissatisfied. I guess there¡¯s about 80 of them. ¡°It¡¯s often said that the mouth is the source of misfortune.¡± ¡°Good grief. That¡¯s too many. I don¡¯t need to sacrifice 80 people.¡± Liorg started to frown then appeared to change his mind and laughed. ¡°Even though you are an outrageous person who pretends to be the founder if we one-sidedly destroy you the royal families name will be tarnished. We won¡¯t do anything for 10 seconds so use that time wisely and prepare a powerful magic.¡± ¡°Hou. You gained a very big mouth as your number of allies increased. You shouldn¡¯t look down on people.¡± Though he was raging a little while ago Liorg was now laughing. Is it because he¡¯s got numerical superiority? ¡°Do you have time to talk? Several seconds have already passed.¡± Liorg was talking like he¡¯d already won. I had to laugh. ¡°Kuukuukuu. Hahaha.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Have you gone mad from fear?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed yet? Use your demon eyes.¡± Demon eyes are eyes that can see magical power. After being told Liorg finally see¡¯s the flow of magic power as he puts magic into his eyes. As soon as he did he was taken aback. Has he finally noticed that his own magical power was running out of control? The mazoku surrounding me raised a voice that was almost a scream. ¡°Wha, what is this! My magic power is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­..he hasn¡¯t deployed a single magic formation¡­¡­..this¡­¡­stop it!!¡± ¡°This fellow¡­¡­.80 people from the royal families¡­¡­.at the same time¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°Wha, what did you do? What the hell did you do!!¡± Yare yare, getting so undisciplined over this much. ¡°Hey. You¡¯d better take control of your magic power quickly. Otherwise¡­¡­.¡± The faces of the mazoku surrounding me became a deep blue. They are desperately trying to control their magic power but they are too late. ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡± At that moment a loud noise rings out. The 80 people that jumped down into the arena exploded like a powder magazine that had been set on fire. (2) (1) This is subject to change. 7 royal demon families is a very literal translation and I¡¯m not sure it sounds right in English. The author uses Æßħ»Ê×å and the furigana ¤·¤Á¤Þ¤³¤¦¤¾¤¯ so 7, demon and Imperial family/royalty. I wondered if ¡°the 7 imperial families¡± sounded better. Yes, it omits the demon part but we know that anyway. Possibly could also go with ¡°the 7 demon emperor families.¡± Let me know what you think. (2) A powder magazine was a building designed to hold gunpowder in wooden barrels. Chapter 6.1 After the explosion settles the arena is littered with heaps of bodies. However, I think I can tentatively say that they are all still alive for the time being. I expressly warned them. It¡¯s so sad that these people are my direct descendants yet they are on the verge of death. No, let¡¯s think positive. They aren¡¯t dead yet. ¡°¡­¡­Bastard. What did you do?¡± Liorg unsteadily gets to his feet. His right arm is dyed red. If he¡¯s not careful that arm will be useless for the rest of his life. On the plus side, he¡¯s less wounded that I thought he would be. He must have judged that he wouldn¡¯t be in time to stop it so he sent all the power to his right arm. ¡°What? I only threatened you a little. Your core, your source of power was scared of me and went wild.¡± ¡°What a joke¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s actually the truth but Liorg doesn¡¯t seem to believe me. To begin with, magic is created from the core of our being, our root if you will. If the core is altered or scared, the magic produced by it can go out of control. ¡°Well, whatever. Care to admit that I¡¯m the founder? Even a little?¡± Liorg¡¯s hatred returned as soon as I spoke. Should I praise him that he can still show such great hostility towards me or should I admonish him that he¡¯s that stupid he can¡¯t tell the ability of his opponent? ¡°Not in the slightest.¡± ¡°I see. However, the fact is that I¡¯m perfectly fine and you are not. I am closer to the founder than you.¡± ¡°Sealing magic, compulsion magic, recovery magic, magic of an unknown origin that causes other powers to run wild. There¡¯s no way to handle multiple magics¡¯ at such a high level. You are using a special tool to use your magic.¡± Kukuku. Laughter rises up from deep in my stomach. ¡°Yare yare. Did you see me come with a magic tool or use one? I understand that you don¡¯t want to admit my ability but your argument is hilarious.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way a mongrel can obtain such power!¡± ¡°Mongrel¡­¡­..¡± Where¡¯s this obsession with pure blood come from? It wasn¡¯t like this 2000 years ago. ¡°I am royalty. It¡¯s ridiculous to fall behind a mongrel. Defeat is not permitted even if I die!¡± Liorg thrust out his mostly dead right arm and a magic formation appears. That is¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­? ¡°I¡¯ll let you see it. The difference between you and me. The origin magic that is only conveyed to royalty.¡± That¡¯s origin magic? Three-dimensional formations have appeared. What magic is he going to use? I don¡¯t know yet but he seems happy with it so I¡¯ll stop hindering him for a bit. Chapter 6.2 ¡°The amount of magic power has exceeded the regulatory limits.¡± The voice of the owl comes down from the sky. ¡°Magic barriers have been deployed in the auditorium. All spectators please evacuate immediately. The magic being exercised by the examinee may cause death amongst the spectators.¡± Screams come from the seats. ¡°This is bad!! Liorg-sama is going to use that!!¡± ¡°Everyone run away!! The barriers won¡¯t hold!!¡± Liorg grins and laughs. ¡°You should be sorry. This origin magic is a forbidden spell. It¡¯s over for you.¡± Black lightning gathers and crackles on Liorgs right hand. It increases and soon covers a 1-meter radius. The radius doubles and the black lightning increases in power. Finally, half the stadium is covered in black lightning. Intense sparks scatter as the lightning and the barriers react to each other. ¡°Do you understand? This is genuine magic that cannot be imitated by you mongrels.¡± After speaking in a haughty tone Liorg raises his right arm to the sky, aimed and swang it down with all his might. ¡°Origin magic Demonic Black Thunder Emperor !!¡± The black lightning swells several hundred times, gathers like a typhoon or whirlpool and blows everything up in the stadium. *thud thud thud* fragments from the spectator gallery come raining down while a cloud of smoke billows up. The figure of Liorg emerges from the debris. His magical power is almost exhausted but he seemed to have escaped death somehow. In the next moment, he looked up and saw me. A surprised expression appeared on his face. ¡°Impossible!! you received a direct hit from ¡­.you¡¯re¡­..unhurt¡­¡­..!!¡± To be fair, it was pretty powerful but he made a fatal mistake. ¡°Magical power dwells in old things and origin magic is a magic that borrows its power from a source with greater magical power than yourself.¡± ¡°Wh¡­..where did you learn that¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Liorg is astonished. It¡¯s hardly a secret. I developed it after all. Of course I¡¯d know about it. ¡°If you deal with origin magic it¡¯s the standard strategy to borrow the power from an old existence with more powerful magic. However, the older it is the more uncertain its existence becomes and the control to borrow its power becomes increasingly difficult. This is why it becomes unmanageable to borrow vast amounts of magic power.¡± In short, to use origin magic you must clearly know the existence that you are borrowing power from, however, the older it gets the more information is lost about it and eventually what is known about it will be different from the original thing. You should try to borrow power from an existence that is reliable even if its old. It¡¯s common to use famous legends or folklore. Also if the object has an affinity with you the success rate of origin magic rises as well. To use this time that fellow used magic power deeply related to him. An owner of huge magical power that even killed gods 2000 years ago. He borrowed power from the Demon King of Tyranny Arnos Voldigod otherwise known as me. Certainly, to use origin magic in this age they will struggle to find a suitable origin. However ¡°I¡¯m sorry but when you use origin magic the item you are borrowing the power from cannot be affected by it. Did you not know that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Bullshit¡­¡­¡­still calling yourself the founder¡­¡­¡­..you fool¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± While Liorg was talking to me in an upset voice I was thinking about the best way to cook this fellow. Chapter 7.1 He¡¯s not as weak as Zepes but Liorg is still weak. To me the difference is so little it¡¯s basically the same, however, I¡¯ll give him a bit of a good evaluation due to his enthusiasm to risk his life using origin magic. I¡¯ll teach him what a magic battle is all about. He¡¯s nothing but a sapling in my eyes but I¡¯ll favour him a bit. Is this parental affection on my part as the founder? ¡°Though you are very inexperienced it was pretty good of you to stake your life on it. In consideration of that, I¡¯ll give you one chance.¡± While speaking I walked to a certain place. ¡°A¡­¡­¡­chance¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And the chance is¡­..this¡± I draw a magic formation using the charcoal that was Zepes. I put my hand in the centre of the formation, grasp something and strongly pull it up. Zepes¡¯ body appears in the formation but it¡¯s not Ingaru this time. The meat is too rotten for that. ¡°What¡­..this magic¡­¡­.? What¡¯s this ominous magic power? What the hell is this?¡± ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen it? This is Decaying Death . Put simply, it resurrects the dead person as a zombie.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­.it¡¯s moving¡­¡­.it¡¯s moving like its alive?! Such magic¡­¡­¡­you monster!¡± ¡°What? Such an exaggeration. This is really easy magic.¡± Zepes who had revived as a zombie gets up and moves towards Liorg. His eyes are dead and drool is falling from his mouth. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!! It hurts¡­..ithurtsithurtsithurts¡­¡­¡­..elder brother¡­¡­why did you kill me¡­¡­..why was I killed¡­¡­¡­..elder brothter¡­¡­¡­why¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­.Stay back¡­¡­.you¡¯re dead¡­¡­..begone!!¡± Without hesitation, Liorg casts Demon Lightning at Zepes. ¡°Noisy!!¡± The demon lightning was wrapped up in black flame as it approached Zepes. His Demon Flame burnt it out completely. ¡°What¡­¡­!? Zepes¡¯ beat my ¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°That¡¯s due to . Those who are resurrected by it gain great magical power. As compensation for receiving those powers, they burn with the hatred they had when killed and are tormented by the pain of their wounds which will never heal.¡± Liorg¡¯s brows knit together ¡°¡­¡­..Is it Zepes¡¯ purpose to kill me¡­¡­..?¡± His pride as a pureblood would not let him live with the disgrace of being hurt by his younger brother who he looked down on. Knowing this I used on purpose to mess with Liorg. ¡°Unfortunately my tastes are not that bad. I told you I¡¯d give you a chance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What is this chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that your idea of power is misplaced. You killed Zepes because you thought him useless and weak but now he¡¯s stronger than you as a zombie. First off, amend your idea about your brother being useless.¡± Liorg is carefully taking distance from Zepes while I¡¯m talking. ¡°What does changing my mind have to do with anything!?¡± ¡°Do I have to explain everything to you? Accept your younger brother, combine your powers and face me.¡± Chapter 7.2 ¡°Wh¡­..what¡­¡­!?¡± He looks very surprised. It seems Liorg didn¡¯t know that you can combine powers so he would never even have thought about relying on his younger brother. He must only have seen him as an enemy that was now a zombie. ¡°Bullshit! You said that those that became zombies burned with hatred for when they were killed and suffer unending pain!! There¡¯s no way this thing is sane!¡± ¡°Aah, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s a never-ending hell. It would be better if you died, however-¡° It seems Liorg still hasn¡¯t noticed. ¡°It can still be done if you brothers get along.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Wh¡­¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Show it. Show me the bond between you brothers. Match your powers and come at me.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­.are you serious? Rather than living as a zombie, the best thing I can do for him is to kill him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just running away and making it easier for yourself. Believe in it. Your brothers¡¯ bond. Forget your positions, forget younger and older and just accept it.¡± Liorg groaned while frowning Fumu. He¡¯s running out of time. ¡°Hate¡­¡­..hate¡­¡­kill¡­¡­¡­kill¡­¡­.kill¡­¡­¡­!!¡± While muttering in a trance Zepes summons a jet black flame in his hand. ¡°Aaaaaaaah¡­.aaaaaaaaaah¡­.pain¡­¡­pain¡­¡­.pain¡­¡­kill¡­¡­kill¡­¡­.I¡¯ll kill you!¡± burns even hotter as Zepes grudge intensifies. Pretty sure Liorg is dead if that hits him. ¡°So, what will it be? Will you make up?¡± Their bond as brothers should wake up if I drive him here. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry but I never saw him as my brother.¡± ¡°How naive! Then now is the time to get along. Clear away your feeling and hatred. Now, call it. Call your younger brothers name. I suggest you be quick and honest because if you fail to show your bond you will die!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!¡± has now turned into a huge fireball. It¡¯s going to be released at Liorg any time now. I know it though. Their bond of brotherhood is strong. In the age of myths, mazoku would do this if one sibling died so they could carry on protecting the other one as a zombie. In the current age, the mazoku have become weak. Magic has degenerated and become weak, however, a brothers bond is something that will not change with time. ¡°You¡¯d better say it!!¡± Liorg shouts out having made up his mind. ¡°Uaaaaaaargh!! Zepeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!¡± flies straight towards Liorg and envelopes him in black flames. ¡°Guahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡± Liorg turned into charcoal ¡°Hmmm¡± What¡¯s happened to the bond between brothers in this era? Chapter 8.1 ¡°The practical exam is complete. Arnos Voldigod has passed. Please move on to the mirror room.¡± The owl¡¯s voice calls down from the sky. After confirming that the barrier has gone I retrace my steps to the entrance where I came in. ¡°Aaaaaah¡­.waiiiiiiit¡­¡­..it hurts¡­¡­it hurts¡­..it hurts¡­¡­.kill¡­.kill¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oops. I forgot about you.¡± I turn around and return to zombie Zepes. He¡¯s pretty pitiable. I use resurrection to undo his zombie state and bring Liorg back as well. ¡°Good grief. You actually killed each other. You became a zombie and lost all reason. You¡¯re a troublesome pair.¡± Liorg and Zepes watch me like they want to say something but nothing comes out. I guess they don¡¯t have a valid argument. ¡°See you. Come again when you get stronger. I¡¯ll play with you anytime.¡± With that, I walk out of the arena. ¡°¡­..Never again¡­¡­¡­monster¡­¡­.¡± A voice reached my ears from behind. As the owl instructed I move to the mirror room. It¡¯s a room with a great number of full-length large mirrors installed in it. There¡¯s already a number of mazoku in there. About a 100 I¡¯d say. Presumably, all people who have passed the practical exam. Aah, there¡¯s a familiar face. ¡°Yo Misha.¡± The girl turns around with her long platinum blonde hair shaking gently. ¡°Although you said you were not good at fighting you seem to have broken through the practical test.¡± ¡°¡­..By chance¡­¡­¡± So Misha says but it would be impossible to beat 5 people by chance. Unexpectedly, she might be more powerful than Zepes and Liorg. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s happening now?¡± I¡¯ve got the vague feeling that this was explained but I wasn¡¯t interested so I didn¡¯t listen. ¡°If you pass the practical exam you are admitted. All that¡¯s left is magic power measurement and an aptitude test.¡± ¡°Then all these people are our classmates?¡± I look around but everyone¡¯s state is odd. Nobody will make eye contact with me. The moment I meet their eyes they look away as if frightened. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is everyone so shy?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But nobody will look at me.¡± ¡°They are frightened by your magic Arnos.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Decaying Death ¡± I see. ¡°If you know that were you in the audience seats Misha?¡± With her usual expressionless look, Misha shook her head from side to side. ¡°Successful applicants can watch the exams of other applicants.¡± Misha points to a large mirror in front of us. Aah, I see. Got it. All the mirrors in this room project images from all around Deruzogedo so Misha watched my match from here. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why are they frightened of ? It¡¯s not much of a spell really.¡± Misha stares at me expressionlessly. ¡°¡­¡­..Is it bad?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Misha thinks about it without changing her expression. ¡°¡­..Something a brutal demon would use¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Haha. No. It¡¯s ultimately a good magic to restore a body.¡± I let out a refreshing voice. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha thinks carefully and lets out a small voice. ¡°¡­¡­.I take it back¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You get it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the magic at fault. Arnos is a brutal demon.¡± ¡°Surely you jest.¡± I need to correct this to avoid being labelled as a brutal demon. Some lies will be unavoidable. I¡¯ve only just reincarnated so I don¡¯t understand the values of this age. ¡°¡­..Got it¡­¡­.¡± I heave a sigh of relief that Misha has accepted it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you frightened Misha?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t scary.¡± That¡¯s a very very unexpected line. Despite her appearance, she¡¯s obviously very courageous. ¡°Normal.¡± It¡¯s hard to imagine what exactly could scare Misha. Though she seems absentminded she¡¯s not timid. An owl flew in while I was thinking this. ¡°We will now be performing the magic power measurement. Please line up before the magic crystals. After you are done please move to the next room for the aptitude test.¡± Chapter 8.2 Magic crystal? I¡¯ve never heard of this magic tool. In the age of myths, there was no way to measure magic power. It seems like not everything has degraded. Some things have moved forward. ¡°And? Where is this magic crystal?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Misha starts to walk off so I follow her. The other examinees seem to know the place as well. Several lines begin to form. Apparently, there are several of these magic crystals. I try to see what¡¯s going on. The magic crystal is a huge purple crystal paired up with a large mirror. When you touch the crystal it reads your magic and displays the number on the mirror. [126] [218] [98] [145] The owl sits in front of the mirror and reads out the numbers. To be able to turn into numbers something that I could only tell through my senses before. This is truly a convenient age. It only takes several seconds to get a reading. Soon enough it was Misha¡¯s turn. ¡°Do your best.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Same result¡­¡­..¡± Doesn¡¯t magic power increases or decrease through effort? ¡°Well, good luck anyway.¡± The everpresent deadpan expression looks at me. ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± Touching the crystal her power is displayed after several seconds. [100246] Instinctively I was impressed. It was only 3 digit figures until now but Misha is in the hundred thousands. She¡¯s got even more talent for magic than I thought. ¡°That¡¯s great Misha.¡± After praising her a little she became a bit shy and looked down. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos¡­¡­..more amazing¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± I touched the magic crystal. This is my first experience of having my magic power measured. I wonder what it will be? Perhaps it will exceed a hundred million? If that¡¯s the case then the people of this age have severely dulled. With this, they should understand that I am the founder. [0] As the owl speaks a noise rings out and the crystal breaks into pieces. ¡°The measurements have finished. Please proceed to the aptitude tests.¡± Hmm. The crystal broke but they don¡¯t seem to care. ¡°I know I¡¯m the one saying it but I think 0 is impossible¡­¡­¡­¡± That would mean that I would be unable to use magic at all. That should be easy to understand but the owl said. ¡°The measurements have finished. Please proceed to the aptitude test.¡± *tsk* This useless familiar. ¡°The familiar is just obeying orders.¡± Misha says to me. ¡°Well, I guess so.¡± Misha stares at my face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.First time I¡¯ve seen it¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where the magic power is so strong the crystal broke.¡± Oh, I see. I use my demon eyes on the broken crystal fragments. After analysing its structure it seems that it enlarges in response to the power of the person touching it. The volume that it has enlarged by is then measured and converted into a numerical value. I exceeded its limit causing an intense magic reaction which led to it shattering. Though it is a convenient thing it¡¯s not possible to use it to measure my power. ¡°It¡¯s not 0. The decision should have been immeasurable.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The magic crystal does not break.¡± ¡°It broke.¡± Misha responded in an indifferent tone of voice. ¡°Arnos is out of the norm.¡± ¡°Why do you know this Misha?¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud of my demon eyes. It is impossible for other people to do it.¡± My magic power was too strong causing the crystal to break but other people won¡¯t understand this. Also, all decisions have been left to these familiars, but they can only act as instructed. There¡¯s no way the familiar would know what to do when it broke. At best and if I was lucky it might have prepared a new one. The fact that it broke and that an impossible reading of 0 was given was irrelevant. ¡°Some people will understand what it means but even so it¡¯s still supposed to be almost impossible.¡± Yare yare. There¡¯s supposed to be talented people running this academy. If I¡¯m being fair, I suppose they would never have guessed that someone with enough power to break the crystal would turn up for the entrance exam. On the other hand the story of the founder demon king reincarnating has been passed down. Also, Misha said it was the first time she¡¯d seen it. My breaking it may actually count for something. Another thing I¡¯ve found out is that the demon eyes of the current mazoku are also weak. If they had even a bit of talent anyone looking at the crystal using their demon eyes could have seen what happened. Has the thought not occurred to anyone that the demon king Arnos would be outside of the standards of magic power? I¡¯m going to be looked down on here. I¡¯m probably being a bit childish getting obsessed over these numbers. My magic power has not decreased at all. ¡°Oh well. It¡¯s fine because Misha knows.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thank you.¡± After thinking in her usual deadpan expression Misha says. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Chapter 9.1 ¡°Do we need to go to that room over there now?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. After entering the room an owl perched on a stone statue opens its mouth. ¡°Please stand in the centre of the magic formation to start the aptitude test.¡± A large number of magic formations are drawn on the floor with students standing in them taking the test. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well then¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ou. Later.¡± Misha walked over to an empty circle. I also find a suitable circle and stand inside. As soon as I have a voice echoes in my head. ¡°In this aptitude test, we measure your thoughts against the cruelty of the demon king. In addition, we perform a simple test on your knowledge of the demon king. We are reading your thoughts so cheating will not be permitted.¡± Fumu. They are using Thought Transmission . Whoever thought that lying is impossible is inexperienced in the use Thought Transmission. It¡¯s not hard to lie while using it. I don¡¯t have a reason to lie though. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin. It is said to be wrong to call the name of the demon king but please state the demon kings name.¡± No need to think this one through. It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod. ¡°In the age of myth, the founder destroyed Deiruheido using Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon . As a result, all of Deiruheido was burnt to the ground and many mazoku lives were lost. Why did he perform such an act of violence? What were the founder¡¯s feelings at the time?¡± Fumu. What a nostalgic story. The answer to why I used on Deiruheido was that I was half-asleep. At that time I was in the middle of a long battle with the hero Kanon. I wanted to sleep but I couldn¡¯t relax for even a moment. I had to be in a state constant battle readiness. Thanks to that I fell into a half-sleep state and thought I was fighting Kanon and used by accident. This question is slightly wrong however. Certainly, Deiruheido turned into scorched earth but not a single mazoku died. Even though I was half-asleep my magic control was still perfect. I turned the country into ash but made it so the mazoku were not affected by the spell. If you can¡¯t even do that much then you are not worthy of being called the demon king. ¡°You defy mass murder even though that was the creed of the founder. Describe why this was the correct reason for the demon king.¡± A trick question. A person who defies mass murder. I don¡¯t remember ever making mass murder my creed. If I don¡¯t have to kill someone I won¡¯t, however, in that age helping people usually involved killing. That was the only reason. ¡°Moving on. Next question-¡° And so the aptitude test continues, however, all the questions are about me. Naturally, I know the answers so I answer without any hesitation. 30 minutes later the aptitude test is finished and I leave the room. I half listen to the owl explaining about the admission on my way back. Passing through the mirror room I go outside and find Misha standing there. Without doing anything she staring off into empty space. ¡°What are you doing?¡± After hearing my voice Misha turns to me. As expressionless as ever I see. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..I waited¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°For me?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°You told me later.¡± Chapter 9.2 Oh yeah, I did say that. ¡°Sorry. Is the day over now we¡¯ve done the aptitude test?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­¡­¡± She took the trouble to wait so it would be awkward to leave now. I can¡¯t do something like that. ¡°Well then, as a celebration for passing do you want to go out and have some fun?¡± Though she¡¯s as deadpan as ever it appears like she¡¯s puzzled a bit. ¡°With me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m inviting you.¡± What are you thinking? Misha looks down and remains silent. ¡°If you¡¯ve got some business to take care of don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯ll go¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Really? Okay then, do you want to come to my house first? I¡¯m sure my mother is making a feast and waiting.¡± Misha nods again. ¡°All right then. Hold on.¡± I hold out my hand and Misha holds it without any hesitation. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Let¡¯s leave.¡± Flight like the name implies it allows you to fly. It¡¯s pretty easy to use but there¡¯s a better magic for moving around. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Hold my hand harder.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Misha strengthened her grip on my hand. A magic circle is drawn on the ground and the scenery in front of us is dyed a pure white. The next moment a blacksmith and appraisers shop called [Solar Wind] appears before us. It¡¯s a wooden house with the 2nd floor being our living area. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. This is my house.¡± I say this but Misha is still staring at the signboard in front of us. Her face hasn¡¯t changed but it appears like she¡¯s surprised somehow. ¡°¡­¡­.Magic?¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, Transfer . A very brief explanation is that it connects two spaces and allows for instantaneous movement.¡± Misha closes her mouth then opens it again and mutters some words. ¡°¡­¡­Lost magic¡­¡­..¡± Fumu. Seem¡¯s she¡¯s unfamiliar with it. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a magic that no one knows how to use anymore. It was lost back in the age of myths.¡± I see. Magic seems to have degenerated more than I thought over the last 2000 years. Though it¡¯s existence is known those who can use it have disappeared. I can sort of understand it though. is a magic that I created and even in the age of myths, those that could use it were few. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos is a genius¡­..?¡± *Haha* I laugh unintentionally. ¡°¡­..Serious¡­¡­.¡± ¡°No no, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing being called a genius for just this much.¡± I won¡¯t deny I¡¯m a genius though. Anyway, I only want to be told this when I use magic no one else can use. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Who are you Arnos¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the founder. The demon king.¡± Misha¡¯s expressionless face suddenly showed surprise. ¡°¡­¡­Reincarnated¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You believe me?¡± Misha thought about it and said ¡°¡­.You have proof¡­.?¡± After all, she doesn¡¯t believe me. ¡°I am proof. This is my power but the people in this time have weak demon eyes and don¡¯t have the ability to stare into the abyss that is my power.¡± Misha falls silent and seems troubled. Originally the demon king proved his existence by power but in this era, they are obsessed with pure blood, royalty and other superficial things. If I¡¯m honest this era is a bit different from my original idea. ¡°Arnos¡¯ magic power is enormous. I cannot see the bottom of it either.¡± If Misha can¡¯t see it then pretty much everyone else will have no idea. If I press it any more than this it will become an annoyance for her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You will understand soon enough. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± I opened the door to my house. Chapter 10.1 The doorbell of the shop sounded with a *clang-clang* ¡°Welcom¡­..ah, Arnos-chan welcome back.¡± My mother who was tending the store walked towards me. Dad¡¯s probably making something in his workshop. ¡°How¡­¡­ how¡¯d it go?¡± my mother asks with a nervous look. ¡°I passed.¡± My mothers face lit up and she hugged me tightly. ¡°Congratulations! Congratulations Arnos-chan! That¡¯s amazing! To get into the academy after just one month. You¡¯re so clever Arnos-channnn! I¡¯ll make a feast tonight!!¡± Yare yare. She wasn¡¯t the one that passed so how can she get so much pleasure from this? Is this a parent thing? Good grief, I can¡¯t understand it at all. Though I can¡¯t understand it¡­¡­..It doesn¡¯t feel bad at all. ¡°What do you want to eat Arnos-chan?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. If possible mushroom gratin would be nice.¡± It¡¯s been my favourite for 2000 years now. There are more luxurious things and my aides used to tell me all the time to eat foods more befitting of a demon king. It can¡¯t be helped though. I like what I like. When I used to ask what a demon king should eat I used to get the frightening answer back of [humans]. What idiocy. It¡¯s impossible for me to eat humans. They used to get loud saying that the demon king eating gratin was setting a bad example for others. Idiots. Demon King is the name of the person who can be as selfish as they want. In other words, I eat what I want to eat. I¡¯m going to eat mushroom gratin. ¡°Fufu, got it. Arnos-chan loves mushroom gratin. I knew you¡¯d say that so I prepared it in advance.¡± As expected of my mother. She¡¯s different from my old subordinates. ¡°Aah, mother we have a guest.¡± ¡°Nn? A guest? Who?¡± I turn around and introduce Misha who was hiding behind my back. ¡°Misha Necron. I met her today at the academy.¡± Misha takes a step forward and speaks in her deadpan tone. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Nice to meet you¡­¡­..¡± Misha bows her head. For some reason, my mothers got a surprised expression on her face and put her hand to her mouth. ¡°Arnos-chan has¡­¡­¡­Arnos-chan has¡­¡­¡­¡± Then in a surprised voice, she yells out ¡°My Arnos-chan has already bought a bride homeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!¡± Her voice echoes throughout the house. Misha tilts her head to one side. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Is that me¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°No, sorry about this. Hey, mother stop jumping to misleading conclusions.¡± No matter how you look at it she¡¯s misunderstood way too much. ¡°¡­..I see¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine Arnos-chan. Arnos-chan¡¯s happiness is my happiness. Mother does not object¡­¡­¡­¡± she says in tears before wiping the corner of her eyes. What on earth is going on in your head mother? What delusions are running around in there? I¡¯m afraid to hear the answer. ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t get so excited¡­.¡± The door to the workshop was thrown open with a bang. ¡°Arnos! Good job. As expected. You¡¯re a man now!¡± Kuh. It¡¯s my father now. I need to calm these 2 down. ¡°Looking back I remember that you were just born the other day.¡± My father puts on a pose and stares out of the window. ¡°Pappa knew that this day would come but the time still feels a little short.¡± *Haha* my father laughs refreshingly. It is short. It¡¯s only been a month. ¡°No, this is a joyous occasion. Isabella, tonight is a feast. Let¡¯s celebrate loudly.¡± ¡°Un, I know that dear. Arnos-chan is starting his new life.¡± My father has a full smile on his face and my mother is filled with tears again. They face each other and nod *un-un.* ¡°¡­¡­¡­Father too¡­¡­.misleading conclusion¡­¡­¡­?¡± Misha turns her eyes to me. ¡°Yeah¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s start cooking right away. C¡¯mon Isabella smile, smile.¡± ¡°Un, you¡¯re right. On Arnos-chan¡¯s happy day mother shouldn¡¯t cry. It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s laugh properly!¡± While we stand here dumbfounded my parents get excited. ¡°Mother, Father can I just say something.¡± ¡°Aah, it¡¯s alright Arnos. You don¡¯t have to help today. Papa will help.¡± Father, even if you say such a thing I¡¯ve never helped. Chapter 10.2 ¡°C¡¯mon show Misha-chan to your room.¡± My father starts pushing my back to make me go up the stairs to the second floor where my room is. Once we are in my room my dad closes the door but just before he shuts it his face tightens. ¡°Listen up Arnos. The cooking will take about 2 hours. Even if you let out a loud voice your mom won¡¯t hear it so do a good job.¡± (1) Fumu. Dad, what are you saying. ¡°Um, father.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave this to papa.¡± My father then closes the door and just as it closes he says in an indecent voice. ¡°Take your time.¡± Yare yare. My fathers truly embarrassing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Misha. I¡¯ll talk to them later when they¡¯ve calmed down.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± Though not scary it was uncomfortable but Misha¡¯s not bothered by this situation either. She¡¯s gazing around my room. ¡°¡­..Empty room¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve only just moved in.¡± So I say but I don¡¯t intend to increase my possessions much anyway. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for my noisy parents.¡± Misha shakes her head back and forth. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m used to it¡­¡­¡± Oh yeah, I remember the human who was seeing Misha off this morning. ¡°I guess there are some similarities with Misha¡¯s father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Different¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah sorry, my bad. As expected it¡¯s not.¡± Misha shakes her head again. ¡°¡­¡­..Not my father¡­¡­¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t your father this morning?¡± Misha nods. ¡°¡­..My foster parent¡­..¡± ¡°What about your biological parents?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Busy¡­¡­¡± I see. It was something like that. In my old life, I didn¡¯t even have a foster parent. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos has siblings¡­¡­?¡± ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Good terms with siblings¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aah, those things I said to Zepes and Liorg?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°¡­..Gentle¡­¡­¡± ¡°Me?¡± *Haha* My laughter leaks out. ¡°¡­..That was funny¡­..?¡± ¡°No no, sorry. It¡¯s just the first time I¡¯ve been called that.¡± ¡°¡­..Why is that¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­..¡± I look back on my past life. ¡°For the sake of bringing about this world you now live in I was an oni, a demon, a heretic, what colour is your blood? I was them all.¡± Misha stared at me. ¡°Were you tormented?¡± ¡°Me? No way.¡± Though it was under the pressure of necessity if anything I¡¯d say I was rewarded. I have no intention of making excuses. ¡°Meh. I had a cause.¡± Misha denied it flatly. ¡°¡­..People who torment others are bad¡­¡­Arnos is not bad¡­..¡± ¡°No, even if you say that.¡± Misha stretches up and gently touches my head. ¡°There there.¡± (2) Fumu. I seem to have been misunderstood. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing and ticklish. ¡°I was tormenting them as well. In what way am I gentle? Anyway, it seems that my care was unnecessary for those two.¡± That guy Zepes did his best to turn his brother to cinders. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s a result¡­..¡± ¡°It is?¡± Misha nods ¡°¡­¡­Arnos is gentle¡­..¡± They were completely unexpected words but it didn¡¯t feel bad at all. ¡°Do you have siblings Misha?¡± After thinking a little she replied. ¡°¡­..Older sister¡­..¡± ¡°Are you close?¡± Misha was silent for a while. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t know? That¡¯s a mysterious answer. Is that good or bad? Could be either. Are there some circumstances? ¡°¡­.Worry¡­..?¡± ¡°Aah, a little.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Gentle¡­¡­¡± I thought she might tell me about her older sister but Misha just smiled a little. While waiting for the cooking to be done we chatted about random things. (1) I love his dad ???? (2) Okay. Now, this is cute. Chapter 11.1 Dinner was finally ready so Misha and I moved to the living room. Luxurious dishes were lined up on the table as well as the mushroom gratin which is my favourite. ¡°Now then, eat up¡± my mother said setting down a large platter full of mushroom gratin before serving it out onto smaller plates. Kuu, this savoury smell is unbearable. I¡¯m ready to start drooling at any moment. ¡°Misha-chan as well. Please eat lots.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯m not bragging but my mother¡¯s food is delicious. I cannot remember eating any food that was this good back in the age of myths. In a peaceful world where magic has degraded cooking seems to have evolved. This was the conclusion I had arrived at after eating my mothers cooking for the last month. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± I scoop the gratin up with a spoon. ¡°This is¡­¡­.?¡± What the¡­..!? This gratin has 3 kinds of mushrooms in it! (1) Eryngii, Porcini and one I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s always only one type of mushroom! ¡°Mom got excited.¡± she said while laughing. She saw right through me. ¡°Hurry up. Eat.¡± Nodding I put the gratin in my mouth. ¡°Uuh¡­¡­¡­¡­!!¡± Delicious¡­¡­ The creamy flavour spreads through my mouth with a slight hint of salt. The rich tastes condensed tightly and fell into my stomach. This is so good. I just want to keep going. Aah. It was good to reincarnate. Really good. ¡°Fufu. Though Arnos-chan grew so big right away your face is still like a child when eating.¡± My mother said such a thing while I was in a trance eating the gratin. ¡°By the way, mother would like to ask something¡­¡­¡­¡± My mothers face becomes serious while she¡¯s talking. ¡°What part of Arnos-chan do you like Misha-chan?¡± *Cough**cough**cough* I choked when I heard that. ¡°Ah? You okay Arnos-chan?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­aah¡­..yeah¡± I was careless. The surprise made the gratin go down the wrong way. I was so absorbed in the gratin I forgot to tell my mother the truth. To make me, the one called the demon king lose his calm. My mother¡¯s gratin has terrible power. What being can oppose me in this era? My mother apparently. ¡°So which part¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Misha sits there expressionlessly deep in thought ¡°¡­¡­¡­.His kindness¡­¡­¡­¡± The moment Misha finishes speaking my mother strongly makes a fist. ¡°Right, that¡¯s right! Arnos-chan is so gentle! Arnos-chan was going to come to Deiruheido by himself but knowing I would be lonely we all came together!!¡± Fumu. I see. Is this what¡¯s called a doting parent? It¡¯s my first time experiencing it. It¡¯s quite embarrassing. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Filial piety¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Right, right! Misha-chan understands. As expected of the one Arnos-chan chose.¡± All right. Right here and now lets lightly correct this. ¡°Please listen, mother¡± ¡°Do you want some more mushroom gratin Arnos-chan?¡± ¡°What? There¡¯s some left? Let¡¯s have it.¡± My mother came back with some more gratin and I started to devour it. ¡°And with that sorted. How did your love with Arnos-chan begin Misha-chan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­The beginning of our love¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°How did you meet? Who called out to who?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I was spoken to by Arnos¡­¡­¡± ¡°Arnos-chan calling out to girls. That womaniser!¡± Mother is all excited and whistling *Hyuu-hyuu* now. Good grief. ¡°And? What did Arnos-chan say?¡± Misha looks down and starts thinking. Did you remember my words? ¡°¡­¡­¡­.We¡¯re both troubled it seems¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaaa! Very good!! Arnos-chan if girls are told such a thing they will fall in one shot.¡± How is that cool? Trying to talk to my mother at the moment seems pointless. Let¡¯s look for another opening. Besides, there¡¯s still some gratin left. I have to eat it while it¡¯s still hot. ¡°And? What was your answer Misha-chan?¡± Chapter 11.2 ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Mouuuuu! Telepathy! Perfect affinity right from the beginning! Fated love¡­..¡± My mother is now in her own world with an entranced expression on her face and does not appear to be coming out of it any time soon. ¡°Then, then¡­..have you¡­¡­.you know¡­..two people¡­¡­.have you kissed?¡± Alright. This is the question I need. I can explain the truth with this. If you¡¯ve never kissed how can you be lovers? ¡°¡­¡­¡­.We haven¡¯t¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ehhhhhhhhhh, are you waiting for marriage? Romantiiiiiiiic!!¡± *Chi* so that¡¯s what it came to. ¡°What will you do? Arnos-chan is only 1 month old. It¡¯s a while until he¡¯s of marriageable age. It¡¯s quite a wait.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­1 month¡­¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Are you surprised? Arnos-chan¡¯s really smart. He could talk as soon as he was born. He could use magic too. He grew big using Growth .¡± Misha quietly stares at me. (2) Even amongst mazoku, those that can use magic in their first month are quite rare. In other words, it¡¯s another piece of proof that I¡¯m the reincarnated demon lord. It will still take more than that to make people believe though. Resurrection magic wasn¡¯t something only the demon lord could use after all. ¡°¡­¡­.Eh? possibly? Misha-chan¡­¡­.are you worried about the age difference?¡± My mother¡¯s thoughts are completely off the mark. ¡°¡­¡­..I don¡¯t mind¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Is that so? My husband is also younger. It¡¯s a good thing. Arnos-chan is so cute.¡± Misha turns to me. ¡°¡­..Cute¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with such eyes.¡± At this exchange, my mother pumps both her fists up and down. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Nee nee, just now I heard it, I did [cute] and [don¡¯t look at me with such eyes]. You said it! Middle-aged couple? Are you a middle-aged coupleeeeeee!?¡± My mothers incredibly excited while my dad is sitting there silently drinking his sake while nodding to my mother and staring off into the distance. I had hoped that my mother would calm down soon but she¡¯s getting even more excited. She hasn¡¯t stopped to draw breath so I¡¯ve had no chance to correct her about Misha. Before anyone knew it dinner was over. Everyone was talking lively so it had become quite late. I was taking Misha home halfway so we went outside. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Misha grabs my hand obediently. ¡°I¡¯ll send you home with Transfer ¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Though you don¡¯t know where it is¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Think of your home. I¡¯ll read your mind and send you there.¡± ¡°¡­.Can do that¡­..?¡± ¡°Easily.¡± Misha stares at me. ¡°¡­¡­..Amazing¡­¡­..¡± The place Misha was thinking of was transmitted to my head. ¡°Sorry about today.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°¡­¡­..Was fun¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Even so. After my parents calm down I¡¯ll correct them and let them know we are only friends.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Friends¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Aah. You still have friends in this era right?¡± Misha points to herself? ¡°¡­..Friend¡­..?¡± ¡°Am I wrong? Don¡¯t we have such a relationship?¡± Misha shakes her head then smiles a pretty smile. ¡°¡­¡­..Happy¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­¡­¡± I send power into my hand and use ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll see you at school.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Goodbye¡­¡­..¡± Misha disappeared. (1) Shocking truth! (2) A bit late in the day but I want to point out Arno¡¯s speech and thoughts. It¡¯s hard to translate properly but he speaks and thinks in a very manly/rough/arrogant/rude manner normally. The exceptions are generally his parents and Misha who he¡¯s mostly polite with and shows respect. In this thought, he calls himself ¡°this me¡± or ¡°me-sama¡±. A more direct but stilted translation would be Misha looks at me-sama. Moving forward I¡¯ll be looking how to make this more obvious with his speech and thoughts but it¡¯s hard thanks to Japanese and its different forms of address etc that just don¡¯t translate well or at all into English. Chapter 12.1 A few days later¡­¡­¡­.. I headed towards the entrance of Deruzogedo Demon Kind Academy wearing the uniform that an owl delivered to me yesterday. Today is the first day of school and many students are passing through the front gate. On my way in I noticed that there were 2 kinds of uniforms. I¡¯m wearing a white uniform but some others are wearing black. At first glance, I¡¯d say its split about 50-50 and does not seem to be affected by school year. There also appear to be a number of different school badges. My badge is a cross but I¡¯ve also seen a triangle, a rectangle, a pentagram and a hexagram. The thing is I haven¡¯t seen anyone else apart from me with a cross. Also, it feels like I¡¯m being stared at. Most of the people looking seemed human and their gazes seemed interested. It didn¡¯t seem like I was stared at this much during the entrance exam. Whatever, no point thinking about it too deeply. If there actually is something I¡¯ll find out soon enough. As I enter the grounds I spot a huge bulletin board and head on over. Aah, its the listings for the freshmen. There¡¯s my name and my classroom is in the 2nd training ground. This is my castle after all so I know where it is. I head off up the stairs towards my classroom. I open the door and enter the 2nd training ground. Desks and chairs are lined up and all the students look at me. Fumu. As expected, I¡¯m attracting attention. Whatever. We¡¯ll all be studying together from now on in the same class. I¡¯m not accustomed to such things but I heard that first greeting are very important. Let¡¯s impress them with how good natured and friendly I am. With a full on smile and a fresh voice, I speak out. ¡°Good morning everyone! I¡¯ll be ruling this class! Anyone who defies me will be slaughtered!¡± Fumu. Something like that? Hmm. Somehow it feels like everyone is pulling away from me and the air has become heavy. Was my voice not friendly enough? Me of all people? Perhaps I¡¯m a bit more nervous than I thought on my first day? Out of all the gazes being sneaked in my direction, there was one set of dignified eyes that were not timid at all. Platinum blonde hair and a body wrapped in a white uniform. It was Misha. I walk over to her seat. ¡°Yo.¡± When I greeted her, Misha turned her cold gaze to me and paid me attention. ¡°¡­¡­Morning¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Is next to you okay?¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± Pulling up a chair I sit down next to Misha. There¡¯s something I want to ask her. ¡°My joke just. How was it?¡± Misha tilted her head to one side. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Joke?¡± ¡°Killing anyone who defies me.¡± Of course, I wasn¡¯t serious. In the age of myths, it lightened many a rooms mood. [A joke¡­¡­.] My subordinates used to talk about it all the time. ¡°¡­¡­.I think it will be misunderstood¡­¡­..¡± Damn, I see. A different era strikes again. I should have learnt from the entrance exam and taken more care but it just came out. ¡°Should I better familiarise myself with the class a bit more first?¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± I can still feel peoples gazes though. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been looked at all morning. Do you know why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Because of the rumour¡­¡­¡± ¡°About me? What is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Not angry¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Do I look angry? What have I got to be angry over?¡± ¡°¡­..Your mark¡­..¡± Misha points to my school badge. ¡°It shows the results of your magic power measurement and aptitude test.¡± ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s why they are different. How are they classified?¡± ¡°Polygon. The more sides the better the result.¡± I see. So triangle, rectangle and pentagram being the best? (1) ¡°My badge doesn¡¯t have a hexagram at all and its a cross?¡± I don¡¯t even get a triangle? ¡°¡­..It¡¯s the first time in the history of the Demon King Academy that mark has been given¡­..¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°Inept person¡­¡­..¡± Misha says in an indifferent tone. (2) ¡°The Demon King Academy is an institute that raises the next generation of Demon Emperors. Only those from the Demon King Tribe are admitted.¡± Because I had the time I checked up on the school. Only the original Demon King which is me can be called Demon King. Others must be called Demon Emperors. The Demon King Tribe is those mazoku that have the blood of the founder in them. ¡°No one from the Demon King Tribe has been judged inept until now. Arnos is the first.¡± Misha stopped for a moment and then continued. ¡°Therefore, the rumour.¡± Fumu. I don¡¯t understand how you can judge the aptitude of the Demon King but to push the mark of an inept person onto the genuine founder can only mean that the inspection method is wrong. I had thought that I would be found out by the other side as soon as I entered the academy. It seems the mazoku have degenerated much much further than I thought. ¡°I can understand failing the magic power measurement as my magic power is too much and it broke the machine but I should have got a perfect score on the aptitude test.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Confident¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Answer the name of the founder, the feelings of the founder, all the questions were about me. How can I make a mistake? No¡­..wait. ¡°Hey, Misha. Can you tell me the founders name?¡± Misha is still expressionless but she blinked at me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.You must not call out the awe-inspiring name of the founder¡­¡­.¡± ¡°My name?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Full name?¡± ¡°Arnos Voldigod.¡± I see. ¡°Hang on.¡± I put my hand on Misha¡¯s head. She doesn¡¯t seem to mind particularly and is looking at me in curiosity. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Please think of the name of the founder.¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± I read Misha¡¯s thoughts. A name emerged. Demon King of Tyranny Avos Dillheavia ¡°¡­¡­¡­Who¡¯s that¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Strange?¡± ¡°That name is wrong.¡± Misha shook her head. ¡°¡­¡­..Is correct. There is no one from the Demon King Tribe who would get the name of the Demon King wrong.¡± ¡°Do you fear the name of your founder that much?¡± Misha nods. ¡°I see.¡± In other words, because they were afraid to say my name over 2000 years they have forgotten my true name and handed down the wrong name. What a stupid story. Thinking carefully Liorg said that origin magic risked your life. I understand what he meant now. He used me as his origin but because my name is wrong he truly did risk his life. Because my name has changed when I thought it I was wrong. Chapter 12.2 My feelings. I was half asleep and used Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon but nobody died. That fact must not have been passed down. My answers were wrong to them. ¡°How do you judge whether someone is suitable as a Demon King?¡± ¡°The closer they are to the thoughts and feelings of the Demon King of Tyranny.¡± I see. ¡°By the way. What type of person was the Demon King of Tyranny?¡± ¡°He combined cruelty with philanthropy. A perfect existence. He always only ever thought about the mazoku and cared not for himself. Without greed and a noble heart. Even his tyranny came from an immeasurable depth of caring for others.¡± Who¡¯s that? A perfect superhuman? Such a person could never exist. How stupid. I don¡¯t care about being a legend but at least keep it true. In this state, it¡¯s no wonder I¡¯ve been branded inept. I was judged as not even knowing the name of the Demon King. ¡°Okay. I get the badges but whats with the two uniforms?¡± Even in this class half wear white and half wear black. ¡°Black clothes are for scholarship students. Purebloods of the Demon King Tribe.¡± ¡°Like Liorg?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Scholarship students are exempt from the entrance exams.¡± ¡°Then, why was that fellow in the exam?¡± ¡°Those that want to do it still can if they want.¡± I see. Basically, there are those that want to show off their power at the entrance exam. That explains why there was only small fry there. Those that are truly strong have no need to show off. At that moment a bell rang in the distance. ¡°Everyone, please be seated.¡± I look up and see a woman wearing a black robe enter the classroom. She writes on the blackboard using magic. [Emilia Roodwell] ¡°I¡¯m Emilia, the homeroom teacher of class 2. My best regards for this year.¡± Fumu. As expected of a teacher, her magic power is pretty good. At least, she would be too difficult for Liorg to handle. ¡°Right, let¡¯s not waste any time. First off we will split into groups. If you want to become a team leader please announce your candidacy, however, the condition is you have to be able to use magic to teach from now on.¡± Did the lesson just start? Emilia draws a magic formation on the board. That¡¯s the magic Demon King Army . ¡°This is probably the first time you¡¯ve seen it but this is the magic for Demon King Army . Briefly put, under the hand of the king it gives strength to the subordinates in his army. We¡¯ll be practising this in class. You will attempt to draw this formation and if it¡¯s judged that you can then you have the qualification to be a team leader.¡± It¡¯s basically diving the class, not into those who can be team leaders but those that have the qualification to aim at being a Demon Emperor. ¡°Right. Please raise your hand if you want to run.¡± I raise my hand without hesitation. Because I am judged as inept they don¡¯t understand that I am the Demon King. Well, I don¡¯t blame them. Since they are my decedents half the responsibility lies with me. Even if they don¡¯t understand yet the important part is I prove my ability. However, or should I say as expected, my classmate¡¯s reaction is not good. They are looking at me with a startled look. Yare yare. Just because I¡¯ve been branded as inept and announced my candidacy they react like this? ¡°White clothes cannot run.¡± Misha whispered to me Certainly, looking around, all the hands raised are black clothes except me. In other words purebloods. Yet another stupid story. ¡°Arnos-kun was it? I¡¯m sorry but you don¡¯t qualify.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you are mixed blood.¡± ¡°Mixed blood does not mean inferior to pure blood.¡± Emilia got angry when I said that. ¡°Is that a royal criticism?¡± Yare yare. Every single one of them. He that knows little often repeats it. ¡°I didn¡¯t say such a stupid thing. I¡¯ll prove mixed blood surpasses pureblood. If I can prove it you will accept me.¡± Emilia sighs. ¡°It¡¯s actually the opposite. Proof of superiority was given by the founder. As for proving mixed blood is superior to pure blood that would mean that you are superior to royalty.¡± ¡°Fumu. Then if I can do it will you accept my candidacy?¡± ¡°Prove your talk if you can.¡± I suddenly laugh. ¡°Your words. I will accept them with Contract .¡± ¡°Eh¡­.such a¡­¡­when¡­.did you use magic¡­..?¡± A verbal promise, Contract . It was common sense in the age of myth to seal a deal with this. To be unaware of this disqualifies you as a teacher. Anyway, I stand up and walk over to the blackboard. ¡°This Demon King Army . Was it developed by royalty?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s got a defect in the technique.¡± ¡°No way. That¡¯s impossible. goes back 2000 years in this form. No one has ever found a defect.¡± ¡°I found it 2000 years ago but never got around to fixing it before I reincarnated.¡± I rewrote 3 parts of the formula on the blackboard. ¡°This is its perfect form. If you call yourself a teacher tell me what you see.¡± Emilia looks at the formation with an expression that says she cannot believe it. ¡°Such a thing¡­¡­¡­just by rewriting three places this¡­¡­ Magical efficiency has increased by 10% and its magical effect is 1 no 5 times more? ¡­¡­¡­This is.¡± A stir leaks from the classroom. ¡°¡­..That fellow¡­¡­who is he¡­¡­?¡± ¡°To point out the defect in a formation the first time you¡¯ve seen it¡­¡­.and then rewrite it. Such a thing. I¡¯ve never heard of it before. We haven¡¯t even touched the basics of magic foundation yet.¡± ¡°This could be the greatest discovery of the century¡­¡­..¡± Fumu. To be surprised by something like this. It¡¯s an incredibly low-level story. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable.¡± Emilia turns to me. ¡°The magic effect was doubled before. The magic gate interfered with 3 characters causing it to double up on itself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­..¡± Has she finally noticed? Emilia shrank slightly in embarrassment. ¡°If you want I¡¯ll take over teaching instead?¡± ¡°¡­..I¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I approve your candidacy¡­¡­please return to your seat.¡± Emilia said in a very quiet voice. (1) I had trouble with the badges bit but I think that all the badges have a hexagram on them and then a further triangle, rectangle or pentagram to show your ability. (2) A more direct translation would be a nonconformist or incompatible person. Chapter 13.1 When I returned to my seat Emilia said ¡°Candidates please stand up.¡± All the students who had previously raised their hands stood up. 5 people including me. At a quick glance none of them particularity interested me but upon closer inspection one of the girls caught my eye. A blonde twin tail with blue eyes. She looks strong minded with good features and a good stature. She¡¯s actually similar to Misha but most importantly their magical wavelengths are similar. ¡°Well then, before you start grouping up, students who are running as team leaders please introduce yourselves. We¡¯ll start with¡­¡­¡­Sasha-san.¡± The twin tail from earlier huh. She smiles with a determined expression. ¡°I¡¯m from the Necron family and a direct descendant of one of the original 7 demon emperors Aivis Necron. I¡¯m Sahsa Necron the witch of ruin. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± She grips the edge of her skirt and bows elegantly. Though Misha appears to only be absentmindedly listening to Sasha her eyes are locked on her. ¡°When she says Necron?¡± ¡°¡­..Older sister¡­¡­¡± I see. The older sister she doesn¡¯t know if she¡¯s on good terms with or not. Sasha¡¯s in black clothes so she¡¯s a pureblood while Misha is in white. That means. ¡°Different mothers?¡± When I asked Misha shook he head. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Same parents¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Then aren¡¯t you a pureblood as well Misha?¡± ¡°There are other reasons apart from pedigree for someone to be in white clothes.¡± ¡°What?¡± Misha is silent for a moment before speaking. ¡°¡­¡­.My family decided it¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Your family?¡± ¡°The Necron family.¡± Fumu. What kind of circumstances do you have to treat only one of your daughters as royalty? Pedigree is a very important thing in this era. It¡¯s strange. It¡¯s bothering me now. ¡°Arnos-kun. It¡¯s your turn.¡± While talking to Misha the others have done their introduction and it¡¯s my turn now. Whatever, I guess I¡¯ll hear about it in due course. First off let¡¯s introduce myself. I turn towards the students and declare in a dignified manner ¡°I¡¯m the Demon King of Tyranny Arnos Voldigod. I¡¯ll tell you all right now that the name of the demon king you believe in is wrong. The real name is Arnos Voldigod. Not that any of you will believe me. I don¡¯t blame you though. In time, you will understand. Pleased to meet you.¡± The classroom falls silent at my self-introduction. Liorg told me that to call myself the founder was disrespectful. Now I¡¯ve told them that the name is wrong as well. Nobody looks directly at me but keeps sneaking glances and whispering about what¡¯s this inept person saying. Even Emilia who is in a position to tell me off ignored it and carried on talking. Was it because of what I did a while back? (1) ¡°Okay, your self-introductions have ended. All students who didn¡¯t run please go to the team leader who you prefer. You don¡¯t know each other yet so don¡¯t mind first impressions. There are no number restrictions for the teams so don¡¯t worry about being too large.¡± The students stand up at her words and move to the people they like. ¡°It¡¯s possible to change groups at any time, however, it¡¯s up to the team leader to accept a new member or not. Also, if a team leader loses all their members they will lose their position.¡± Seems like another mechanism to test the ability of those that would lead. ¡°Hey, oi. What will you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be Sasha-sama after all.¡± ¡°It seems so. The witch of ruin. Another hopeful in the chaos generation. Some people are saying that she¡¯s the founder reincarnated.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d heard that too. The owner of huge magic power and powerful magic.¡± Fumu. That girl Sasha is also one of the chaos generation? Whatever. The founder is me though she does seem to have a lot of magic power like rumoured. On that token evidence, most of the students move to Sasha. Misha who was sitting next to me stands up. For a moment she looks at Sasha then looks at me with her usual deadpan expression. ¡°If you want to go to your older sister, you may go.¡± *Furufuru* Misha shakes her head. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Arnos¡¯ group is good¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m saved.¡± Misha looks a little bit shy and says ¡°¡­¡­.Because we¡¯re friends¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± It seems Misha is my only member though we are still qualified as a group. (2) What¡¯s happened to the others? I could just use magic to gather and compel more members but wheres the fun in that? While thinking along those lines a blonde girl pushes through the crowds. It¡¯s Sasha. ¡°Arnos Voldigod was it? Nice to meet you.¡± (3) ¡°Aah.¡± She gazed at Misha for a moment. Chapter 13.2 ¡°You only seem to have one member and its a defective doll-san at that.¡± Fumu. Suddenly picking a fight with this me-sama. It seems this woman¡¯s not right in the head. ¡°When you say defective doll, are you referring to Misha?¡± ¡°Is there anyone else in your group?¡± *Fufu* Sasha looks down on me while laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? That child isn¡¯t a mazoku but she¡¯s not human either. Like I said earlier she¡¯s a defective doll-san. No life, no soul, no will. Just a trash doll that only works due to magic.¡± A magic doll? She said their parents were the same. Was she created using their blood? Well, whatever. There are many, many ways of creating magic dolls. There¡¯s even a way of creating a magic doll by a mazoku actually giving birth to it. If you are any good the doll will really be alive. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What do you mean?¡­..¡± ¡°If you think that a magic doll has no life nor soul then your understanding of magic is pitifully shallow. Concentrate your demon eyes even further and stare into the abyss.¡± A surprised expression quickly crossed her face before she laughed fearlessly. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some advice. If you stay by such a cursed doll-san something bad will happen. Nee, you understand that right?¡± I snort through my nose and laugh. ¡°Kukuku, kuhahahaha. What¡­that¡­..is that a threat? To this me?¡± Sasha starts to glare at me. ¡°Nee. You. Do you want to die?¡± Magic formations appear in Sasha¡¯s blue eyes. The students watching on in interest start to panic. ¡°Oi, this is bad. That fellow meeting eyes with Sasha-sama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? The demon eyes of Sasha-sama are special. . If she invokes them then everything in her field of vision will turn to ruin if she wills it. You disintegrate. That¡¯s why Sasha-sama is called the witch of ruin.¡± (4) I see. Is it an idiosyncrasy? Misha is good with it and Sasha is good with it. It seems the Necron family has the magical characteristic to specialise in demon eyes. Anyway, it won¡¯t work against me. ¡°¡­..No way¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Have you got bored of this staring game?¡± I glare back at Sasha. My eyes fill with magic and spell formations appear in them. ¡°Your eye¡¯s¡­..no way¡­¡­.you¡­..¡± ¡°What¡¯s up? Did you think you could do something I couldn¡¯t do? Let me give you some pointers on how to use .¡± I was saying some good lines but Sasha¡¯s magic technique is still immature. I¡¯ll teach her something for future reference. ¡°Let me show you the true ¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Ah¡­¡­¡­.ah¡­¡­.¡± No one in the classroom disintegrates and at a glance, Sasha is fine as well. What I destroyed with my demon eyes is her impertinent mind. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡­that fellow matched eyes with Sasha-sama and he¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°¡­..I. Years ago I matched eyes with Sasha-sama by mistake while she had them invoked. I was in a coma for a year¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°That fellows a white clothes plus he¡¯s an inept person, however, he has exceptional knowledge of magic ceremonies and excellent anti-magic capabilities.¡± Fumu. This classroom sure is noisy. ¡°¡­..In fact. There¡¯s a gag order in place so the story won¡¯t spread but I was watching that fellows entrance exam. Arnos was performing instant death spells on Liorg-sama.¡± ¡°Eeeeeh!? On that great demon emperor¡­¡­..instant death!?¡± ¡°Before that, he was trivially killing Zepes.¡± ¡°Killed? Seriously? He killed them!?¡± ¡°Aah, and after that, he revived them.¡± ¡°Revived!?¡± ¡°And killed them again.¡± ¡°Killed them again¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Zepes was then turned into a zombie and made to kill Liorg-sama. He turned him into charcoal.¡± ¡°Suc¡­.such a thing.¡± ¡°¡­..Eh? I¡¯m sure I saw Liorg-sama after the entrance exam though.¡± ¡°Yeah, he revived them both afterwards.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t keep up¡­¡­.¡± Whatever. This is enough for now. ¡°How long are you going to stay senile? It¡¯s only the outer layer of your mind I disintegrated. The core of your mind is still firm.¡± I lightly touch Sasha¡¯s head and waken her mind. Suddenly her eyes moved and caught mine. ¡°¡­..You. Who are you?¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I already introduce myself?¡± I laugh a bold laugh and she glares at me in vexation. ¡°By the way Sasha, you have pretty good magic power. Won¡¯t you join my group?¡± Was it an unexpected line? Her eyes open widely and she appeared to be at a loss for words. (1) I guess at the moment everyone is seeing him as this worlds equivalent of Megumin. Powerful but an oddball. (2) Quality, not quantity. (3) She uses Gokigenyou to great Arnos which (in anime and manga anyway) is normally heard from rich and privileged ladies in private schools. (4) Thank you random exposition student. Chapter 14.1 ¡°Wh¡­¡­What are you saying? You¡­..I don¡¯t understand what you are saying.¡± After finally opening her mouth a boring answer comes out. ¡°I¡¯m inviting you to join my group. What¡¯s hard to understand about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not on about that. I¡¯m a group leader.¡± ¡°Quit then.¡± ¡°Haaaaa!?¡± Sasha¡¯s mouth falls open again and she looks at me in amazement. ¡°Stop saying such foolish things. I have no reason to quit being a group leader.¡± ¡°If you join my group you can patch up your relationship with Misha.¡± Did my words irritate her? Sasha starts glaring at me. ¡°I have never thought of that doll as my younger sister.¡± Making a parting remark Sasha returns to her seat. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­.¡± Misha murmured next to me. ¡°You do not need to apologise. It was that fellow that picked a fight with me.¡± *Furufuru* Misha shakes her head. ¡°¡­¡­..Sasha is a good person¡­..¡± Are you defending her because she¡¯s your older sister or do you really think that? It¡¯s hard to judge due to Misha¡¯s deadpan expression. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s my fault¡­¡­¡± Fumu. Even after being called a trash doll, Misha doesn¡¯t seem to hate her sister. ¡°Well then, let me correct myself. I was suddenly attacked by though I¡¯m perfectly fine. That is not your fault.¡± Misha stared at me. ¡°¡­..Gentle¡­¡­¡± I admit I am a little worried. ¡°What did she mean by doll?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Misha closes her mouth and doesn¡¯t answer. ¡°¡­¡­..I can¡¯t say¡­¡­¡­¡± You don¡¯t want to tell me? Whatever. Whether Misha is a doll or not is irrelevant. She is still my friend. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not particularly interested.¡± Misha smiled a relieved smile. ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­¡­¡± Signalling a fresh start a sharp clap rang out suddenly. ¡°Okay then. It seems that the groups have been decided. I¡¯ll continue with my explanation so everyone please return to your seats.¡± At the sound of Emilia¡¯s voice, all the students return to their seats. ¡°From this point on I will be teaching you all magic and we will be starting with Demon King Army . This magic is especially suited for warfare so in 1 week there will be a test. All groups will fight each other so please study hard for it.¡± Emilia begins by explaining the test to us. When fighting in a group, Demon King Army raises your overall fighting ability. It¡¯s a bit of strange magic though. Depending on the user and their subordinates it has 7 classes and changes. Demon King (King) Castle Lord (Guardian) Sorcerer (Mage) Therapist (Healer) Summoner (Summoner) Demon Swordsman (Cavalier) Shaman (Shaman) Each of these 7 classes bestows a particular trait. For example, the Castle Lord (Guardian) excels in building castles and dungeons, barriers and anti-magic walls. Reinforcement magic is bestowed. On the other hand weapon magic and attack magic is forcibly weakened. As long as the class characteristic is adhered to, the general magic power of your group will improve. The caster of the spell will always be the Demon King (King) and supply the magic effects to their subordinates. It¡¯s also possible to supply magic power as well. Naturally, if the Demon King (King) dies or runs out of magic power then the spell is cancelled and the magic effect disappears. ¡°I¡¯ll now judge if the team leaders can use this magic.¡± If the team leaders can¡¯t use this magic then their members will have chosen poorly. In order, each team leader cast Demon King Army . None of them failed or seemed to have a particular problem. If I¡¯m honest, in an actual war none of these fellows would be usable. Only Sasha performed well casting a very stable spell. I guess that¡¯s why she¡¯s one of the chaos generation. ¡°Very good. I¡¯ll now give a detailed explanation of the spell. First off¡ª¨C¡° Emilia restarts the class, however, because this is the magic that I developed I already know it all. Also, she makes mistakes in her grand explanation but if I pointed them out it would be never-ending. Let¡¯s just ignore it. I started to feel sleepy from such a boring lesson and before I noticed it I had nodded off. Chapter 14.2 While my consciousness was absent the class bell rang and the lesson ended. ¡°Misha.¡± A harsh voice caresses my ear. It¡¯s Sasha. ¡°Will you tell him?¡± Is this about me? ¡°¡­..Wake up¡­..?¡± ¡°No need.¡± I thought they¡¯d start talking but there¡¯s nothing but silence for some reason. ¡°Nee. Why are you with him?¡± After a brief pause Misha says ¡°¡­¡­Friend¡­..¡± ¡°I see. Is it fun?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I see, Hmph. Good for you.¡± Sasha¡¯s words are stinging but she also seems to be happy somehow. Misha said that she did not know if they were on good terms or not. She doesn¡¯t seem to hate Sasha and that remark about her being a trash doll. Are there some circumstances behind it? Well, they are sisters. Quarrelling is inevitable. ¡°And? What¡¯s your business?¡± ¡°Kyaaa!!¡± Sasha jumped back surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t get up so suddenly! I was surprised.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you tell from my magic power flow that I was awake? You truly are a pitiable person.¡± Sasha starts glaring at me again. ¡°So? What do you want?¡± appear in Sasha¡¯s eyes. By choice, changes in your emotions along with intensity can cause demon eyes to appear. In other words, it¡¯s not always controllable. Although she can¡¯t control it her are beautiful and that beauty is a manifestation of her talent. ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡± It was an unexpected proposal. 2000 years ago those with the courage to say that to me in such a dignified manner were rare amongst both the humans and mazoku. ¡°With me? What type of game is it?¡± *Kuukuu* I laugh. No matter the game I don¡¯t feel like losing at all. ¡°Emilia-sensei said so right? In one week we will be tested by fighting each other. How about the loser has to do what the winner asks?¡± I see. ¡°Most amusing.¡± ¡°If you win I¡¯ll step down as team leader and join your group.¡± ¡°What if you win?¡± Sasha smiles and says ¡°I get you.¡± ¡°You want me to join your team?¡± ¡°No. You will cut all ties with that doll over there and become my thing. You will offer your absolute obedience to what I say. I won¡¯t permit any back talk.¡± With a prideful look, Sasha looks down on her sister. ¡°Misha, remember this. All of your things are mine. Even your friends. I will not give anything to you at all. Such an interesting toy is wasted on you.¡± Yare yare. I don¡¯t know where these spiteful remarks to Misha are coming from, also, Why am I being treated like a toy? ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m fine with that.¡± ¡°Oh? You agreed very easily. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to win anyway so yeah.¡± Sasha glares at me some more. ¡°I was careless earlier. Wash your neck and wait a week. Sasha left with a flutter of her skirt. ¡°When she joins us you can make up.¡± Misha¡¯s eyes blinked in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­So you invited Sasha¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It might be unwanted interference.¡± Misha shakes her head and smiles faintly. ¡°¡­¡­..Thank you¡­¡­..¡± It felt like Misha wanted to be friends with Sasha. Was I right? Well, one way or the other it will work out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best against the other teams next week. *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡­¡± Chapter 15.1 -One week later- For the group opposition test, I headed to the Demon Wood Forest behind Deruzogedo Demon King Academy. It¡¯s a deep forest covering valleys and mountains with an eerie feeling flowing out of it. It¡¯s a perfect spot to train magic. ¡°Now then. Divide into 2 teams and we will begin the test immediately. Sasha¡¯s team will go first.¡± At Emilia¡¯s words, Sasha steps forward. ¡°Please be a role model for everyone.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Sasha suddenly smiles. ¡°My opponent will be¡­¡­..¡± I see Sasha¡¯s still glaring at me. I¡¯m not going to escape so there¡¯s no need to look at me that way. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I step forward with Misha. ¡°Then the first two groups will be Sasha and Arnos. Your results will affect your grades so don¡¯t hold back. Do your best.¡± Emilia then leaves the forest along with the other students. Are they observing us using familiars or the monitoring mirrors? Both sides are using Demon King Army so in effect, we are simulating a war. Even though its just a simulation I can¡¯t seem to get away from war. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Sasha glares at me with her I take it head-on in a dignified manner. ¡°To whom do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± ¡°An insolent guy as ever. Do you remember your promise properly?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t trust any verbal promise from you.¡± ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± I try to set up Contract but Sasha cancels it without agreeing. ¡°I thought you said I was the untrustworthy one?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of contract you drew with your so I didn¡¯t sign it.¡± Fumu. She isn¡¯t making light of me as an inept person. Seems like she¡¯s gazed at my core properly. ¡°Let that girl do it.¡± Sasha turns her gaze to Misha who¡¯s behind me. Even though she was being looked at by the Misha wasn¡¯t bothered and stared back at her older sister. ¡°¡­¡­Okay with me¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Aah, it doesn¡¯t matter who does it.¡± Misha holds up her palm and invokes the magic formation for . The conditions were written in magic and Sasha signed it. Unless both parties agree the magic contract can never be completed. ¡°Which position do you prefer?¡± ¡°You choose. It¡¯s all the same to me.¡± ¡°I see. Well then, I¡¯ll take the east side.¡± By default that makes mine the west then. ¡°Nee, you¡¯d better remember. That arrogant attitude of yours. You¡¯ll regret it later.¡± Saying her piece Sasha abruptly turns around and leads her members off to the east side of the demon tree forest. ¡°Shall we go too?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡­¡± Walking properly we arrive at the west side and wait for a while. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡± An owl flying in the sky uses Thought Transmission ¡°The test between Sasha group and Arnos group will now begin. Don¡¯t bring shame to the founder¡¯s name. Beat your enemy with your full power!!¡± Don¡¯t bring shame to the founder¡¯s name? I never willingly attacked any of my enemies you know. The age of myths was not peaceful like now so I only did what I did because it gave the best results. I was originally a pacifist. The people of this age have misunderstood me a lot for some reason. If I was such a warlike belligerent person from the beginning I would not have remained silent when branded as an inept person. Whatever, I guess I¡¯d better start. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Strategy¡­¡­¡­..?¡± Misha asked indifferently. ¡°We are only 2 people.¡± Sasha¡¯s team has 30 people which is about half the class. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion Misha?¡± She becomes lost in thought while wearing her usual deadpan expression. ¡°¡­..My class is Castle Lord (Guardian). I¡¯m good at Construction Creation ¡­¡­¡­¡± I¡¯d already cast Demon King Army I can freely assign classes to my subordinates. I made Misha Castle Lord (Guardian) because her magic control is very good so Construction Creation will suit her well. Castle Lord (Guardian) focuses on building castles and dungeons, imbuing walls with magic and making barriers. It¡¯s a class that requires precise magic formulas. If the user of Demon King Army is skilled they can raise the power even further. You build a Demon King castle using Construction Creation . Being in the castle will also raise the ability of the Demon King and protect them. It goes without saying but its extremely advantageous in sieges. The proper tactic will show the maximum power of me and Misha. ¡°I think that¡¯s what Sasha will expect us to do.¡± ¡°¡­..Then¡­¡­what should we do¡­..?¡± If I¡¯m honest, thinking about tactics in this place is pointless because I can¡¯t lose, however, I want to see Sasha¡¯s panicking face. I¡¯m going to do something that the other side would never expect. Misha looks at me with no expression like usual. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡­..?¡± ¡°The Demon King (King) class shares its power with its subordinates while becoming weak itself. The standard strategy is to build a demon king castle and stay inside for protection.¡± As long as they stay in the Demon King Castle the (King) can have its power raised. How well the (King) can perform and is protected is down to how skilful the (Guardian) is though. ¡°Let¡¯s do this then. We¡¯ll make a Demon King castle as a decoy and I¡¯ll march on over to their castle by myself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Misha¡¯s face doesn¡¯t change but her silence had a surprised element to it. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Reckless¡­¡­.¡± *Hahahaha* I let out a refreshing laugh. ¡°That¡¯s what the other side will think as well. We can completely outthink them like this.¡± Chapter 15.2 ¡°¡­¡­..Be okay¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Well, usually this tactic would lead to our defeat. I¡¯d be shot with that much magic fire I¡¯d look like a honeycomb but if there is enough power difference it will work.¡± Are you worried? Misha¡¯s face hardens. ¡°You worried?¡± When I ask her Misha shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯m anxious but¡­¡­Arnos is strong¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯m starting to understand Misha very well. She¡¯s staring at my core with her demon eyes and understands me as well. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the decoy to you.¡± Misha nods. ¡°¡­¡­..Be careful¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m not very good at going easy on someone after all.¡± Misha blinks at me a number of times. ¡°¡­¡­Talking about Arnos¡­¡­..¡± ¡°This me? Being careful?¡± I ask unintentionally Misha tilts her head at me. ¡°¡­¡­.Strange¡­..?¡± ¡°No.¡± *Fufufu* laughter comes deep from my stomach. I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be worried about me fighting. Is this what having a friend is like? It¡¯s a fresh feeling and unexpectedly doesn¡¯t feel too bad at all. ¡°You be careful too Misha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± Waving at Misha I head off into the east side of the forest where Sasha¡¯s group is. After a few minutes, a huge magical power flow comes from behind me. Turning around I see 3 huge castles have been built in separate places throughout the west side of the forest. They will probably be hollow shells as they are only decoys but even so. For Misha to construct 3 huge castles in such a short period of time is outstanding. Her magic power far exceeds others in her class. Excluding me of course. ¡°Now then. Hows the other side reacting¡­¡­?¡± I use my demon eyes and intercept their Thought Communication . Voices came through almost immediately. ¡°Sasha-sama. Three castles have been built on the enemies side.¡± ¡°Two are probably traps. The Demon King (King) will be hidden in the remaining one.¡± ¡°Do we destroy the castles one by one?¡± ¡°No. In such a short time Misha cannot create three complete Demon King castles. She will be buying time to complete and strengthen the real one. I¡¯ll swat them first.¡± ¡°Roger that. Please give us instructions.¡± ¡°Form units consisting of Demon Swordsman (Cavalier), Therapist (Healer), Sorcerer (Mage) and Summoner (Summoner) and head to each castle.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± I see. Assuming its one class per unit that 12 people heading off to the 3 castles. She¡¯s still got more than half her units at her position. She¡¯s being more cautious than I thought. Now then¡ª¡ª ¡°Fumu. Have you finally built your castle?¡± That took longer than expected. A huge Demon King castle has appeared on the enemies side. Until I had a destination I couldn¡¯t move out. Now then, let¡¯s begin. I use Transfer My field of vision turns pure white and the next moment Sasha¡¯s Demon King castle appears in front of me. I intercept their Thought Communication again and my head is filled with noise. ¡°Sa, Sasha-sama!?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The enemies Demon King (King) Arnos Voldigod has suddenly appeared in front of the castle!¡± ¡°What!? How¡¯d he do that¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The (Shaman) was watching very carefully for approaching magic power but he just suddenly appeared!! It¡¯s some type of magic we don¡¯t know!¡± I heard Sasha take in a sharp breath. ¡°¡­¡­..Possibly¡­¡­.the lost magic Transfer ¡­..? It must be¡­¡­.what else could it be¡­.?¡± Fumu. She¡¯s very flexible in her thinking and understood it without seeing it. ¡°If the Demon King (King) wants to come alone that¡¯s fine. He might as well beg me to kill him. He probably intended to surprise us but we¡¯ll teach him the folly of his reckless tactics!¡± ¡°I wonder about that?¡± I force my way into their causing Sasha¡¯s team to start panicking. ¡°What the¡­¡­.. Why can I hear that guys voice!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The magic formation has no problems. We shouldn¡¯t be able to hear him!¡± ¡°Well, we can!! Find the cause, quickly!! There¡¯s a chance that he might be able to hear us as well!!¡± Yare yare. They sure are noisy. ¡°The cause is the method in how you constructed the spell. The recall rate of the formation is 89%. That¡¯s pretty low so it enabled me to monitor you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid! If the recall rate is 89% then it can be used to conceal secret communications on a national level but you¡¯re saying it can be intercepted!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by his words! There must be some other reason! Good grief. I took the time to carefully teach them but they don¡¯t believe me. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡± At the sound of Sasha¡¯s voice, her subordinates regained their calm. I¡¯ll admit her charisma is pretty good. ¡°Even if he¡¯s monitoring our he¡¯s still the enemy (King) and he¡¯s here alone. This castle was constructed by 7 (Guardians). He won¡¯t be able to breach even the first layer.¡± 7 (Guardians) made this? I guess it will be pretty sturdy. There are a number of traps, dungeons, reinforcements for the (King) and plenty of protection. However¡­¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a very light castle.¡± I walk straight up to the castle and place my hand on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s useless. Multiple anti-magic formations are woven through it.¡± ¡°If you are only cautious of magic then you don¡¯t know what a real battle is.¡± I strongly grasp the wall and sink my fingers into it. ¡°Remember this. In the future make your castle heavier.¡± With a groaning sound, the Demon King castle is ripped from the ground. ¡°Shaman! Wha, what¡¯s going on!?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. That guy¡­..Arnos Voldigod, he¡¯s lifting the castle out of the ground!!¡± ¡°No¡­.way. Hows he doing that¡­¡­¡­!!¡± I completely lift the castle out of the ground using only one hand. ¡°¡­.No way¡­¡­ Where¡¯s he getting the power from? He¡¯s the (King) and he¡¯s not receiving any protection¡­.How¡­..?¡± ¡°Certainly, when using Demon King Army the power depends on the class, however, there¡¯s a big difference between our base strengths.¡± I slowly turn my body and start swinging the castle around. Centrifugal force slowly builds up as I start swinging faster and faster. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± ¡°Mon, monster! Not only lifting the castle but swinging it around as well!?¡± ¡°Stop! What are you going to do? Stoooooop!!¡± Fumu. Don¡¯t look for mercy here. The anti-magic was perfect but they ignored physics (1) In the first place, these people have gotten too used to peace and no longer train their bodies. Before starting to use strong magic you need to work on your physical strength. ¡°Hey, take care when falling otherwise you¡¯ll die.¡± I throw the castle away using the centrifugal force I¡¯d built up. The huge Demon King castle flies through the sky cutting through the air and then smashes into the ground. (1) Says the guy swinging around an entire castle one-handedly. Chapter 16.1 ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± Sasha¡¯s scream rang out through the Though Transmission . Fumu. Have I gone too easy on them? There¡¯s less impact than I thought and the castle has stuck in the ground in only a semi-ruined state. They can still fight it appears but how will they get out? As I slowly walk towards the Demon King castle I¡¯m still hearing voices from Thought Transmission. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯ll use Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon ¡±. Hou. She just said something interesting. ¡°Bu, but Sasha-sama. With the castle in this state even if you use all the magic power from the sorceress [mages] the success rate for is less than 20%!¡± ¡°If it fails the castle will collapse!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose your nerve! Recognise the power of our enemy. He¡¯s a mongrel and carries the mark of the inept but he¡¯s a monster! He threw a castle. Do you think halfhearted magics will work on him?¡± The members uttering complaints fell silent at Sasha¡¯s voice. As I thought, she¡¯s got quite the charisma. Though she¡¯s still immature its a shame to keep her as an enemy. ¡°The highest level of flame magic is Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon . Anything less will not defeat Arnos Voldigod.¡± No one else voices an objection. A subtle flow of magic power begins flowing through which tells me what their decision is. ¡°The enemy side is one person and we have 20 people! We can avoid the shame of loss with this. Do your best and face death. Show that mongrel the best magic of your lives and the pride of royalty!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± all the members shout out in one voice. Magic particles begin to rise from the Demon King castle and a three-dimensional magic formation appears. The Demon King castle itself is turned into a huge magical focus. Seven Castle Lords [Guardians] are building a spell formation that¡¯s hard to construct. In order to maintain it, 10 Sorcerer¡¯s [Mages] are pouring all their magic power into it and the two remaining Shamans will be responsible for aiming it. Sasha Necron is at the centre of it all, organising the various magics to make it work. She¡¯s worthy of her name the Witch of Ruin. She¡¯s got a rare talent. Even though she¡¯s borrowing her colleague¡¯s power it is not easy to develop such a large scale magic. Unlike origin magic that provides enormous power but with an attached risk, the highest level of flame magic is a technique that can only be used by those with the skill and power. It¡¯s impossible with Sasha¡¯s power alone but after training to use Demon King Army for a week she¡¯s now at a level where she could actually use it in a real war. ¡°Are you all prepared? All your power and all your feelings. Leave them to me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I believe in you Sasha-sama.¡± ¡°Please use all my power.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s win¡­..¡± ¡°We have the power of royalty.¡± 20 peoples feelings and power all converge on a single point. This is the true meaning of Demon King Army . Taking advantage of each class characteristic. A group magic that adds extra magic power. It increases it by a factor of 10. Even against a higher class opponent, you will be able to retaliate. The air itself strummed as if under tension. In the next moment, Sasha yells out. ¡°Gooooooo!! !!¡± The magic formation hangs above the castle and takes on a gunport type shape, Magical power concentrates in its centre. The magic power concentrates to its utmost then explodes in one go. A comet that looks like a black sun shoots at me. Fumu. For something that only had a 20% chance of working everything¡¯s gone well for them so far. ¡°How splendid. Let me give you a reward.¡± To attack I hold my hand up to it and a magic formation appears along with a small red flame. Thinking about it, this is my first time using attack magic in this era. ¡°Go.¡± The small flame that I fired collides with and in the next moment, a hole appears in the jet black sun. From the hole, a red flame rapidly wraps up the black sun and devours it. It only took an instant but the huge was burnt without a trace. ¡°¡­¡­.No way¡­¡­.. was cancelled¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sa, Sasha-sama! It wasn¡¯t cancelled! The other sides is heading for us!¡± The flame that I had fired plunged deeply into the castle and burst open. The castle is soon wrapped up in flames and burns down causing the walls and ceilings to collapse with a noisy rattle. It collapsed almost instantly. Sasha had a narrow escape. She escaped from the castle using Flight while carrying two Sorcerers [Mage¡¯s]. Is her magic running low? She unintentionally made an unsteady emergency landing right in front of me. ¡°¡­¡­..Impossible¡­¡­.all by yourself you can cast ?¡­.¡± Fumu. In the age of myths, it was natural to use by yourself. Not that I can point that out here. I¡¯ve only got one thing to say now. ¡°You saw how I cast it. What I used was not .¡± ¡°¡­..Eh¡­¡­?¡± Sasha¡¯s eye widen in surprise ¡°But there shouldn¡¯t be anything above .¡± one of the [Mages] protested ¡°No way¡­¡­possibly¡­.origin magic!? A taboo spell that threatens even royalty! In that case, no wonder was destroyed!¡± Yare yare. They don¡¯t get it at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you but it wasn¡¯t origin magic either.¡± Sasha just quietly stares at me. ¡°It was Flame .¡± Chapter 16.2 ¡°Wha¡­¡­..Gre¡­¡­ga¡­¡­..?¡± Flame magic is ranked in order of power from the strongest first. Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon , Scorching Black Flame , Demon Blaze , Grand Flame and¡­¡­¡­Flame . ¡°¡­..No way¡­¡­with the lowest level of flame magic¡­.our¡­..Sasha-sama¡¯s was burnt down and our Demon King castle¡­¡­..!¡± Hopeless voices break out. ¡°Impossible! Such a thing is impossible¡­¡­! There must be some secret¡­¡­¡­.An evolved !¡± I¡¯ve got nothing to hide so I¡¯ll teach them a bit. ¡°The secret is the difference in our magic powers. That was the only thing different between you, me and the other 20 people.¡± The [Mages] head shook like it has been kicked. ¡°¡­..What¡­.did¡­.you¡­.say¡­.¡± ¡°Such a thing¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an odd story or anything. If there are differences in magic power then could beat for example. However, if the difference in magic power is huge enough then this is what happens.¡± As I finish speaking I take one step forward and the [Mages] begin to tremble all over. They are crushed by despair and lose the will to fight completely causing them to lose consciousness. I carry on walking over to Sasha. ¡°¡­..Far superior¡­¡­monster¡­¡­¡± A mutter reaches my ears from behind. ¡°Do you remember our promise?¡± I ask Sasha. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Biting her lip Sasha looks at me with a humiliated expression. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡± Even if she says that it¡¯s not like we were really at war or something. It¡¯s not necessary to kill my classmates. Besides, its a pain to have to revive people all the time. ¡°You have potential. It would be a shame to kill you.¡± I hold my hand out to Sasha. ¡°Join me as a subordinate.¡± After thinking for a while Sasha reaches out to take my hand with no hesitation or fear. Just before she takes it she glares at me and activates her hitting me with their full strength. ¡°Die!!¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± I stare straight into Sasha¡¯s . ¡°Then kill me!¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± I hold out my hand to her again. ¡°How stubborn. It¡¯s fine though. Join me as a subordinate.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Such humiliation. I¡¯ll never forget this. Someday I¡¯ll be stronger and when I am I definitely kill you¡­¡­¡± I laughed. ¡°Let me tell you something, Sasha. If the end of killing someone was only death then I¡¯d have died 2000 years ago.¡± Sasha looked taken aback and then seemed to give up. ¡°Weird mongrel¡­¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°¡­¡­Fine. The present me cannot match you and besides, due to I cannot go against you anyway.¡± After making up an excuse Sasha demurely put the tips of her fingers on my hand. ¡°However, please remember this. This is a contract. I do not remember selling you my heart.¡± ¡°Aah. My best regards.¡± Sasha stared at me in wonder as I started laughing. ¡°Nee. I want to hear it once more.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Did you invite me because of that girl?¡± ¡°Well yeah. I¡¯m hoping you both get along. It would make Misha happy.¡± ¡°I see. Hmph.¡± She doesn¡¯t seem bothered and lost interest in me. ¡°Aah, there was one more reason.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Your demon eyes are beautiful.¡± Sasha¡¯s face was immediately dyed bright red. She turns around and tries to run away. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I have never seen such beautiful demon eyes.¡± Even during the age of myths I never saw anyone with such pure, calm and undefiled eyes like hers. If my eyes are to be trusted then she has great untapped magical power and talent. Well, at the moment she¡¯s still too immature though. ¡°Are you listening?¡± I ask Sasha who¡¯s facing the other way. She turns to face me again. ¡°¡­.I didn¡¯t hear it¡­..idiot¡­..!!¡± Is she shy? I was only trying to praise her. (1) (1)Tsuntsun and an airhead MC. This should go well ???? Chapter 17.1 Today¡¯s lesson came to an end. Explanations of different magic concepts and techniques that did nothing but make me sleepy. The test against Sasha barely qualified as light exercise. For the last week, I¡¯ve been going to Deruzogedo but nothing happened. No surprise raids by the humans, no petty tricks by the spirits, not even some conspiracy from the gods. Nothing at all. I must remain wary though and be ready to protect Deiruheido if it comes to it. I say this, but the greatly weakened Mazoku who should be vulnerable have prospered to this day. Is there no need for my protection? Total calm seems to have visited the Mazoku. Peace is boring, though that¡¯s no bad thing. ¡°What I mean is¡­¡­¡± Leaving the gates of Deruzogedo Demon King Academy Sasha walks behind me complaining. ¡°Why do I have to go back with you?¡± I tilt my head to the side as Misha looks at me as well, her eyes blinking rapidly. ¡°So we can deepen our friendship as members of the same group.¡± ¡°I joined as your subordinate. I have no recollection of saying I would be your friend.¡± ¡°Now, now. If it¡¯s that unpleasant you can go home.¡± ¡°Indeed? Well then, I¡¯m off. Have a nice day.¡± Turning around Sasha walks off in another direction from us. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha stares at her back. Despite being expressionless she seems a bit lonely. Can¡¯t be helped. ¡°In the group opposition test, I suddenly appeared in front of your castle.¡± Sasha stopped suddenly. ¡°What magic did I use? Shall I show you?¡± Twin-tails shaking gently Sasha looks back at us. ¡°I¡¯ll use Contract .¡± As I thought, she¡¯s interested. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Sasha used and I signed it with magic. ¡°Here.¡± I hold my hand out to Sasha. ¡°What¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d show you but it¡¯s faster to actually experience it.¡± ¡°Even so, why do I have to hold hands with you?¡± ¡°You obediently held it a while ago.¡± Sasha¡¯s face became red. ¡°Tha, that¡¯s was just part of the scene. This is¡­¡­..mongrel¡­¡­..¡± She makes an excuse that I don¡¯t understand at all. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter which hand you take but I can¡¯t show you if you don¡¯t hold my hand.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Sasha holds my hand with great reluctance. ¡°Misha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­..¡± Misha takes my other hand. I make Sasha and Misha hold each other¡¯s hand as well. ¡°What! Why!?¡± This fellow¡¯s expressions change an awful lot. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see it that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t be breaking the contract that way.¡± Sasha quietens down and holds out her hand to Misha again. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha takes her hand with no sign of hesitation. ¡°Hold it tighter.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± Sasha holds my hand tighter. Misha tightens her grip. ¡°Hey. Do it properly. Tighter. If you don¡¯t, I can¡¯t use the magic.¡± Sasha holds Misha¡¯s hand tighter. ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡± Misha also increased her grip. Somehow her expressionless face seemed really happy like she was smiling broadly. Thank you, Misha¡¯s eyes seemed to say to me. Don¡¯t worry about it I laugh back with my eyes. ¡°Nee, you. What are you talking about with your eyes?¡± Sasha glares at us. ¡°What? Do you want to join in?¡± I stare into Sasha¡¯s eyes and her face quickly turns red. ¡°Fumu. You are not used to meeting peoples gazes due to your are you Sasha?¡± ¡°No¡­..that¡¯s¡­¡­..not¡­.¡± Her words vanish. Bulls-eye? It¡¯s no wonder really if your control over the is lacking. If you carelessly meet someones gaze you could kill them by mistake. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just hurry up and show me the magic.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Stop being so annoying.¡± I use Transfer . Our view is dyed pure white and the next moment I¡¯m outside my house. Blacksmith/appraisers [Solar Wind]. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..After all. Lost magic ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.connecting 2 spaces¡­¡­.there¡¯s no doubt.¡± Chapter 17.2 Sasha is muttering to herself while trying to analyse the remaining magical residue though that¡¯s pretty much impossible. ¡°This is my house. Do you want to come in?¡± ¡°Rather than that, that magic just now was wasn¡¯t it? How did a mongrel learn a lost magic? Teach me!¡± Are you that interested? Sasha steadily edges up to me. ¡°If you want to know then come to my house.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Why do I have to enter a mongrels house¡­..?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so restrained.¡± Sasha glares at me and magic formations appear in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Really? Are you going home? See you tomorrow then.¡± I turn my back to Sasha and talk to Misha. ¡°Do you want to stop by Misha?¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­..¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then. Do you want to talk about lost magic today?¡± Saying something provocative I put my hand on the door handle. ¡°Please wait!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± When I turn around Sasha is muttering awkwardly. ¡°¡­I¡­¡­me too¡­¡­¡± She looks down embarrassed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­.So¡­..I¡¯ll go¡­¡­¡± Her words disappear again and I laugh unintentionally. ¡°Haah.¡± Sasha heaves a sigh of relief. ¡°You wanted to play?¡± ¡°No! My purpose is That¡¯s it. Will you stop it with your strange suspicions.¡± Looks like I was right with her getting so excited and denying it. Perhaps she unexpectedly wants to just hang out? Whatever. I should stop poking her. Misha gets depressed when I get too stubborn. *Klang-klang* I open the door. My mother who was tending the front of the store notices me and comes trotting over. ¡°Welcome back Arnos-chan. How was your group opposition exam today?¡± my mother ask with a nervous look. ¡°I won.¡± My mother smiles brilliantly and hugs me tightly. ¡°That¡¯s amazing Arnos-chan! A genius. Only a month old and surpassing great people! Too amazing! I¡¯ll make a feast tonight!¡± She¡¯s rubbing her cheek against mine now. Really puzzling behaviour. ¡°Aah, ou¡­¡­¡± The force of my mother is as great as ever. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve also brought guests over¡­¡­¡± ¡°Misha-chan again? Mouu, Arnos-chan is so lovey-dovey.¡± My mother pokes me in the stomach with her elbow several times before speaking to Misha who was behind me. ¡°Welcome Misha-chan¡­¡­.eh?¡± A question mark appears above my mothers head when she sees two people. ¡°Nice to meet you mother. I¡¯m Sasha Necron. I¡¯m pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± Sasha lifts the hem of her skirt and elegantly bows. ¡°¡­..Mother-sama¡­¡­.what¡­¡­?!¡± (1) My mother seems to have received a shock of some description. ¡°¡­..Arnos-chan has¡­¡­. Arnos-chan has¡­¡­.¡± My mother¡¯s complexion became pale and she shouted out. ¡°Arnos-chan has bought a second bride hoooooooooooooome!!!!¡± My mother is greatly overwhelmed and wound up while Sasha is dumbfounded. ¡°Errrm¡­¡­..what do you mean?¡± ¡°Hey, hey Sasha-chan, will you calmly listen?¡± My mother grabs Sasha by both her shoulders and appeals to her with a serious look. ¡°I¡¯m fine and calm.¡± Sasha tells my mother who¡¯s still wound up. ¡°Arnos-chan is only a month old. He doesn¡¯t know better. He doesn¡¯t mean any harm but he¡¯s already got a bride called Misha-chan.¡± ¡°Hmmm. It doesn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡± As expected of Sasha. She¡¯s calm. Surely my mother will pull herself together now. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡­it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡­a mistress is good too!! Arnos-chan, Arnos-chan, why are you so popular!!¡± As expected of my mother. She¡¯s able to twist anything and put a slant on it. ¡°Please wait a moment. You¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeehh! Then are you aiming for a stolen love!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Sasha looks at me with a troubled look. Since this is interesting I¡¯ll leave her alone a little longer. ¡°How about this. Do you know Misha¡¯s family name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Necron.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sasha Necron.¡± ¡°Ah, then¡­¡­¡± My mother was taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s right. Were sisters. We only got to know each other by chance, I¡ª.¡± ¡°Sisters are fighting over Arnos-channnnnn!! What should I do? What should I do!? Arnos-chan is too handsome. He¡¯s tearing up the close bond of sisterssssssss!!¡± At that time a door banged open and another troublesome one arrived. ¡°Arnos. Papa was, papa was also naughty in the old days though I did it through fencing hahahaha¡± Fumu. My father is going full power right from the beginning. Why did you start with an old tale suddenly? ¡°Therefore I understand your feelings well. I did dome stupid things as a boy and I¡¯m able to understand most of them. But.¡± My father¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°You. You¡¯ve got 2 women. I¡¯m so envious!¡± Fumu. Your true intentions are leaking out father. Turning amazed eyes to both parents and child Sasha sighs. ¡°Hey, Arnos. Take responsibility.¡± ¡°How? Should we get married?¡± Sasha¡¯s face turns crimson. ¡°How did you arrive at that conclusion? Are you stupid!¡± What a noisy fellow. ¡°Hey, Misha. You say something too.¡± Misha thinks about it and says. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Sasha likes Arnos¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Are you stupid!!¡± Fumu. Despite calling her a trash doll their relationship doesn¡¯t seem that bad. (1) Sasha uses the word for mother-in-law/stepmother here (gibo) Chapter 18.1 To celebrate our winning of the opposition team exam my mother used all her skills and cooked up a feast. It was very lively with 2 extra people and I must admit it didn¡¯t feel bad at all, though most of the noise came from my parents. Sasha stared complaining that celebrating her own loss was hard to swallow but as soon as she had some of my mother¡¯s homemade food she fell silent. It seems even in this age my mothers cooking is incredibly delicious. ¡°And and?? What did Arnos-chan say to invite Sasha-chan to the group?¡± Here we go again. It seems clearing up my mother¡¯s misunderstanding will be difficult. Sasha is facing the same question torture that Misha went through. ¡°It was nothing special. Become my subordinate. That was it, pretty much.¡± ¡°Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Become my subordinate? What¡¯s with that? If you act like a clumsy man, any girl will fall for itttttttttttttt!¡± Listening to my mother scream Sasha¡¯s face takes on a difficult look. ¡°The reason? Why did Arnos-chan invite Sasha-chan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No reason really. I¡¯m just good war potential. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s it? That¡¯s suspicious. What¡¯s the reason Misha-chan?¡± Misha swallowed the salad she was eating and said in an indifferent voice. ¡°¡­¡­.Your demon eyes are beautiful¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°If you say such a killing phrase any woman will definitely fall in looooooooooooooove!! Arnos-chan is a natural gigolo. The gap due to his awkwardness is too much.¡± How did Misha know that? Was she listening to me using Thought Transmission ? Whatever. It¡¯s a standard strategy for anyone using Demon King Army to activate without being ordered to anyway. ¡°Can you avoid saying unnecessary things please Misha¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Was it bad¡­¡­..?¡± Being directly asked caused Sasha to turn her face away in surprise. ¡°Not especially.¡± Fumu. It looks like my mother thinks they are arguing now. She has a nervous look on her face that says ¡®I was careless¡¯. My father casually catches my eyes and nods in a profound and farsighted way. It¡¯s a face that says ¡®I have nothing more to teach you¡¯. Yare yare. Like the time with Misha I¡¯ve been waiting for it to calm down so I can explain that she¡¯s not another bride but at the moment my mother¡¯s got a tearful face and seems ready to cry. Let¡¯s wait for another opportunity. Well, I don¡¯t suppose it matters. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die from a misunderstanding. The lively meal seems to finish in the blink of an eye. I¡¯ll send Sasha and Misha home. When I came back into the shop after talking to my father in his workshop I saw Sasha and Misha waiting for me standing side by side. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Silence. I understand Misha. She¡¯s originally a person of few words but Sasha does not have a silent personality. It was a weird feeling with no talking going on. At first, I thought that it was because she had to eat with a trash doll but Sasha¡¯s attitude doesn¡¯t seem to suggest that¡¯s the reason. Zepes and Liorg were also like this too. It¡¯s a story I don¡¯t understand. I decide to wait a little longer and watch the two of them from the shadows. The silence continued for 10 minutes but it became impossible for Sasha to endure it any longer and she started talking in a subdued voice. ¡°Late.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­.¡± The silence returns. ¡°Nee.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..We¡¯ve spoken a lot today. It¡¯s unusual.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± ¡°Do you like him Misha?¡± ¡°¡­..Him¡­..?¡± ¡°Oh for¡­¡­¡­him, Arnos.¡± Misha thinks about it for a while. ¡°¡­¡­Like¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Fuuun. What¡¯s good about him?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Kind¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where? He was like a demon in the group opposition test.¡± I am kind you know. ¡°¡­¡­.He¡¯s strict on his enemies¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I see. What an inconsistent fellow.¡± The silence returns for a while. ¡°¡­¡­..Sasha¡­..?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you like Arnos?¡± ¡°Haaaaa!? Such a thing is impossible.¡± Sasha denied it at full power while her face was red. ¡°¡­¡­..That so¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It is.¡± Misha stares into Sasha¡¯s eyes. Perhaps because she was excited had formed in her eyes. ¡°But¡­¡­.¡± Sasha mutters in a small voice. ¡°¡­¡­If its Arnos I can stare at him with these eyes¡­¡­.¡± Sasha trails off like she¡¯s speaking to herself. ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s truly crazy. My demon eyes are beautiful? Even though they are cursed to destroy whatever I look at without my permission. However-¡° Sasha cut off her own words then started speaking again. ¡°Someone with the same eye¡¯s as mine. I¡¯ve finally met that person for the first time.¡± It¡¯s only a bit but she smiles. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­..I understand¡­..¡± Sasha quietly watches Misha who does not look away. ¡°That reminds me. Misha is also the same.¡± ¡°¡­..The same¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°You can look me straight in the eyes.¡± Misha nods. Of course she can. Misha¡¯s demon eyes are strong as well. Sasha¡¯s will be resisted. ¡°Do you remember? Our childhood? I could not control these demon eyes at all and I was destroying everything so I was locked away in a prison made from magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I remember¡­¡­¡± Sasha looks down after remembering. ¡°While everybody else avoided entering my field of vision Misha was always by my side.¡± ¡°We practised together.¡± Sasha laughs a nostalgic laugh. ¡°That¡¯s right. Thanks to you, as long as I don¡¯t meet someone¡¯s gaze directly I don¡¯t carelessly injure people anymore.¡± ¡°Sasha tried hard.¡± Instead of answering Sasha just nods. ¡°Nee. A while ago. It felt nostalgic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hand¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Me too¡­¡­¡± In a timid voice, Sasha says ¡°Is again¡­..okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­¡­..¡± The two of them hold hands. ¡°We always used to do this. I wasn¡¯t let out of the prison so whenever I started crying Misha held my hand and made me smile.¡± Misha nods. ¡°Honestly. I don¡¯t know who¡¯s the older sister sometimes.¡± ¡°Sasha is the older sister.¡± Sasha smiles wryly at her. ¡°Misha. I¡¯m only going to say this once.¡± Misha nods. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­please forgive me¡­¡­..¡± Misha shakes her head from side to side. ¡°¡­¡­I wasn¡¯t angry¡­..¡± Sasha¡¯s eye¡¯s rounded in surprise. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­¡­¡± The two of them stare at each other and grasp each other¡¯s hand firmly. Fumu. I don¡¯t understand everything that¡¯s going on but at least they seem to have reconciled. Why were they originally fighting though? It¡¯s mysterious. Whatever. They are at a vigorous age. It could have been a worthless reason for all I know. I called out to them. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve kept you waiting. I send you home now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll walk home.¡± I look at Misha and she nods as well. ¡°Taking the time to walk home? How commendable.¡± Chapter 18.2 ¡°It¡¯s fine. Then have a good day.¡± Still holding hands the pair leave the house. I don¡¯t say anything but start walking next to them. ¡°Why are you coming as well?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d send you home. I stand by my word.¡± ¡°The story behind Transfer . Will you tell me while we walk?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also fun to waste time occasionally I suppose.¡± ¡°Fuuun.¡± Sahsa turns a look to me that says ¡®strange guy¡¯ but I brush it off lightly. In the end, I didn¡¯t talk about at all and Sasha seemed to forget about it after a bit. Perhaps the impact of my mother was too strong? ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Do you know?¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± She turns her gaze my way. What a dangerous fellow. If I wasn¡¯t me I¡¯d have passed out by now. ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for there to be something I don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°I see. Well then, even though you already know, our lecturer for tomorrows great magic formation is one of the old 7 Demon Emperors. Aivis Necron.¡± ¡°Fumu. Is that so? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Then say so from the beginning!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get so excited. I was joking.¡± One of the old 7 Demon Emperors? It¡¯s a name I¡¯m curious about. ¡°Sasha. Why are they called the old 7 Demon Emperors?¡± ¡°I¡¯m amazed. You just said that there was nothing you didn¡¯t know about. You don¡¯t know about the old 7 Demon Emperors? You truly are an inept person.¡± ¡°So? What is it?¡± ¡°2000 years ago the founder used his own blood and made 7 subordinates. They are the founders of the demon king tribe and inherited the traits and talents of the founder.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± because I did it after all. ¡°I don¡¯t really know much more apart from the followers of the 7 subordinates started calling them the old 7 Demon Emperors.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­.?¡± Those fellows are the old 7 Demon Emperors? Oh, that reminds me. I never did give them names. I was so absorbed in my reincarnation I never found the time to do it. So the old 7 Demon Emperors started Deruzogedo Demon King Academy and started raising the next generation of demon emperors. Also, they knew I¡¯d one day reincarnate as well so it was for that time as well. ¡°I see.¡± Then if I meet the old 7 Demon Emperors it should be really easy to prove I am the founder. Somethings strange though. Those fellows are mazoku who were born during the age of mythology but the management of Deruzogedo Demon King Academy is way too negligent when it shouldn¡¯t be. Also, they should know me above all others so how was I branded an inept person? Not to mention the mazoku have fallen into bloodline pedigree. I thought it must be because they became incompetent over the years but perhaps there¡¯s another reason? I¡¯m walking next to Misha while thinking darkly. Before long- ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­¡­..¡± I finally noticed that Sasha was calling me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Nothing. We¡¯ve arrived. This is our home.¡± There¡¯s a gate in front of me and a splendid mansion can be seen set further back. ¡°After learning about the old 7 Demon Emperors you fell silent. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Is that so. Well then, thank you for escorting us. Have a good day.¡± Turning on her heels Sasha leaves. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Ou. See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­.¡± Misha also heads towards the mansion. I still don¡¯t have enough information to work out how I have been branded inept. I can think of a few possibilities but they are all guesses at the end of the day. Never mind. Tomorrow I get to meet one of the old 7 Demon Emperors so I should understand more then. There¡¯s no hurry. Let¡¯s bide my time and wait. Should I return home? While still thinking Sasha came back to the gate. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nothing¡­¡­.¡± Then why did you come back? ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°You know.¡± She abruptly turns away while blushing bashfully. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you¡­¡­..¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°¡­..Because¡­¡­..thanks to you¡­¡­.I¡¯ve reconciled with Misha¡­¡­.¡± What? Did Sasha want to make up all this time but couldn¡¯t due to her stubborn character? ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything great.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Becoming your subordinate. Nobody would normally say such a reckless thing.¡± Sasha seems happy and laughs. ¡°Except for you.¡± Fumu. I wasn¡¯t in danger of dying at all so it was nothing much for me. ¡°By the way. Why were you fighting?¡± Sasha¡¯s expression clouds over. ¡°It¡¯s silly. A really trivial thing¡­¡­..however, there was something I could never hand over. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Did you settle it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yeah¡­.it seems so¡­¡­¡± Sasha¡¯s manner of speech is breaking down. ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What if fate has already decided on something. What would you do?¡± I answer immediately. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, change it. If you don¡¯t mind it, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Sasha¡¯s face had a blank expression before she asked me ¡°Do you think fate can be changed?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s easy.¡± ¡°What would you do?¡± ¡°Break it.¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes rounded a little before she smiled. ¡°Nee. Come here a moment.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°¡­.Why are you refusing? Just come here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like being ordered around.¡± ¡°Mou. How selfish are you?¡± Sasha sighs in amazement. ¡°Will you come over here?¡± ¡°Very good.¡± I move over to Sasha. ¡°More.¡± ¡°What are you doing-¡° When I step forward Sasha kisses me on the lips. Due to a conditioned reflex, I activate and try to read her mind. The reason being that there is a specific curse that activates through a kiss. Sasha¡¯s mind comes flowing in. ¡ª-This is the first and last kiss¡ª- There¡¯s no hostility but I feel a brave but tragic resolve. I don¡¯t know how long it took but she separates her body quickly. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s a kiss between friends. A mere thank you¡­¡­.¡± Blushing bashfully Sasha looks down. ¡°¡­..But you are my first. I¡¯ve never done that with anyone else¡­¡­.¡± I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking but I won¡¯t shame her. ¡°Fumu. I got something precious then. Thank you.¡± Sasha blinks in surprise and mutters ¡°strange mongrel¡± ¡°Then see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ou.¡± Waving my hand I activate my magic and use Just before my scenery turns white ¡°¡­Nee¡­.Arnos¡­..I¡¯m glad I met you¡­¡­¡± Sasha¡¯s voice echoes in my ears. Chapter 19.1 The next day ¡ª¡ª¡ª- When I arrive in Deruzogedo¡¯s 2nd training hall there¡¯s a different person than normal sitting in the seat to my right. ¡°Good morning¡± Sasha says to me with a natural expression on her face. ¡°Was your seat here before?¡± ¡°I changed it. It easier since we are in the same group. Right?¡± It does remove the trouble of having to get up and move any time we need to discuss something. I take my seat and call out to Misha who¡¯s on my left. ¡°Yo.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Good morning¡­¡­¡± Misha replies in her usual indifferent voice. ¡°That reminds me. What happened to the people that were my members?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Because I entered your group there should have been other people trying to join as well.¡± That¡¯s right, some people did call out to me. ¡°I refused.¡± ¡°Haaa!? Why? Isn¡¯t it better to have a large number of people?¡± Even if you ask why. ¡°None of them gave off the right feeling.¡± Sasha is dumbfounded. ¡°Not like it¡¯s a problem anyway. I can win with only you 2.¡± If I¡¯m blunt I only need myself to win. ¡°There will be other group tests. A lot are aimed at 5 people and when you move up a grade it can be for 7 or more people.¡± I see. Was there such a rule? I can¡¯t win if I cant participate. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have time. I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°You sure are easygoing.¡± Sasha said in amazement. As the bell starts ringing the classroom door opens and Emilia enters. Entering behind her is a man wearing a black robe, cloak and hat. Well, the word man is misleading. It¡¯s more of a skeleton. If I¡¯m not mistaken he¡¯s one of my 7 subordinates though apparently now an undead. So this is Aivis Necron. One of the old 7 demon emperors. They seem to wield considerable power and influence even in this age. The usually noisy students fell silent when Aivis appeared. No. That¡¯s not right. They got hit by the magic power this guy is emitting. It¡¯s pretty powerful. It¡¯s causing them to unconsciously fear him. The same thing would happen if I emitted my magic. Or rather, it would have done once but the mazoku in this era are way too weak. Now, if I emitted my magic it would cause their magic senses like their demon eyes to become temporarily paralysed and they would feel nothing at all. They wouldn¡¯t be able to sense my magic at all. Oh well. If they actually could sense my magic those with weak anti-magic capabilities would die. Perhaps this temporary paralysis to their senses is actually a defence mechanism now. ¡°As I said last time, today we will be training to use a grand magic. Please listen very carefully to the old Seven Demon Emperor Aivis Necron as this spell approaches the depths of the abyss of magic. Especially-¡° Emilia looks at me ¡°You Arnos Voldigod-kun. Please don¡¯t be rude.¡± Good grief. Did you really have to warn me expressly? Do they really think I¡¯m impolite? ¡°You didn¡¯t need to waste your breath. I know that much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­..¡± Yare yare. What are you worried about? Aah, this is an opportunity. Should I say hello? I stand up. ¡°Yo Aivis, long time no see.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.!!!!!!?¡± Emilia¡¯s mouth falls open like its ready to drop off. Seems like an extreme surprise. ¡°A¡­.A¡­..A¡­¡­A¡­¡­.Arnos Voldigod-kun! This is Aivis-sama! Don¡¯t speak so familiarly!!¡± I can hear the whispering of the students. ¡°¡­Crap!¡­¡­..This is bad! That fellow¡­¡­he¡¯s definitely dead now¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If Aivis-sama gets angry we will be caught up in it.¡± ¡°Ask for forgiveness inept person¡­¡­.¡± I ignore the noise and use my demon eyes on Aivis. The magic is familiar, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s one of my subordinates made from my blood. But, there¡¯s something¡­. ¡°Aivis-sama, I¡¯m sorry! Arnos Voldigod will be expelled immediately¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aivis said in a generous manner. ¡°You said it¡¯s been a long time?¡± Aivis turns to look at me. ¡°Aah, 2000 years in fact. Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± ¡°2000 years? I see, that explains it.¡± Aivis nods having reached an understanding. ¡°Unfortunately, I lost my memories from 2000 years ago. All I can remember is my lord the Demon King of Tyranny.¡± ¡°Then you should remember me.¡± Chapter 19.2 ¡°¡­¡­..Are you related to the founder?¡± Fumu, I see. He remembers the Demon King of Tyranny but doesn¡¯t understand who I am. In other words, he believes the Demon King of Tyranny is someone other than me. It might be related to his lost memory but it¡¯s certainly a strange story. The top of the academy is the old 7 Demon Emperors. Even if Aivis really lost his memory it¡¯s impossible for all 7 of them to lose their memories. This is no coincidence. Has his memory been tampered with? Or are you pretending not to remember? ¡°Certainly, I feel a sense of nostalgia from your magic.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Aah. I have no doubt that we were acquainted 2000 years ago.¡± In any event, I can¡¯t understand anything from this conversation only. ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± ¡°I do, but first I¡¯m going to try to make you remember.¡± All the students, Emilia, Sasha and Misha all watch me anxiously as I walk straight over to Aivis. I slowly grab the skeletons face causing the whole classroom to panic. ¡°Wha wha wha wha wha Arnos-kun!!¡± ¡°He¡¯s done it¡­..that fellow!!¡± While the noisy students yammer on I draw a magic formation in my palm. ¡°Remember. Your lord. My name is Arnos Voldigod.¡± The magic that I used was Recollection . It recalls distant and far off memories. However, there¡¯s no answer. ¡°¡­..It¡¯s no use. The memory no longer exists in my head. I can¡¯t remember it because it¡¯s gone. Recollection cannot return that which is lost.¡± ¡°Then how about this?¡± I develop multiple magic formations and use origin magic Time Manipulation and stack up multiple Recollections . ¡°¡­..This is¡­¡­.what are you doing¡­..? In my head¡­..an image is emerging¡­¡­¡± ¡°If the memory is completely gone from your head then Time Manipulation will go back in time in a limited way. In this case 2000 years ago then Recollection will recall the memory from there.¡± ¡°¡­.Impossible¡­..! To go back in time¡­¡­ Is there a grand magic to transcend time¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a type of origin magic though it¡¯s usability is quite strict.¡± The origin of Aivis¡¯ memory of the Demon King Arnos from 2000 years ago. By following the flow of time back using I can let it form. In the head of Aivis, the experiences from 2000 years ago should be flowing like a revolving lantern. ¡°¡­..Certainly, I¡¯ve gone back 2000 years in my memories¡­..¡± However, it¡¯s not there. Even 2000 years ago there is no memory in the head of Aivis of the Demon King Arnos Voldigod. Of course can only pull the memory out if it exists in the head of Aivis. I can only read the surface but my name should be there at the very least yet when I looked not even my name existed. What came out instead and it came out many times was the name Demon King of Cruelty Avos Dillheavia. ¡°Why? Why is my memory not returning?¡± ¡°Your memory from 2000 years ago has been beautifully erased and I don¡¯t know when from exactly.¡± Simply put, the past has been tampered with. In the head of Aivis, the memory of the Demon King Arnos was forgotten right from its start point. This was done by magic. Yare yare. What a nasty story. I can¡¯t fight it either. Not from 2000 years ago. ¡°I see, however, thank you Arnos. It¡¯s a fine crop just knowing this much. It means someone is hostile against me.¡± Are you serious or pretending ignorance? It¡¯s possible he tampered with the past himself. I have no way of knowing. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Let¡¯s start the class.¡± When I go back to my seat the students start whispering again. ¡°What was that¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! He grabbed the head on one of the old 7 Demon Emperors and got told thank you!!¡± ¡°Why a thank you¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°Perhaps that was his plan.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean he got thanked by one of the old 7 Demon Emperors!!¡± ¡°That fellow¡­¡­.Is he really an inept person?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Amazing¡­¡­.I have no idea what¡¯s going on at all¡­..it¡¯s too much!!¡± I pull out my chair and sit down. Misha leans over and speaks to me. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m glad you are okay¡­¡­¡± From my other side, Sasha says. ¡°I cannot believe you.¡± Yare yare. So much noise over the dullest of things like usual. However, Avos Dillheavia. I had thought that my name got corrupted by mistake over the years but it¡¯s darker than that. The old 7 Demon Emperors, this Academy and me being branded an inept person. All of it appears to be intended. I¡¯ve got no proof but I know it to be true. Avos Dillheavia. Someone is trying to replace me. Chapter 20.1 Ignoring the uproar Aivis spoke in a low voice ¡°Today I¡¯ll be lecturing you on the secret magic of the Necron family. Fusion magic.¡± Aivis draws the basic magic formation for fusion magic on the blackboard. It¡¯s a very large scale magic and seems to be a natural magic formation that requires moonlight to draw it. The magic gate and the characters are similar to those used in the mythological age. The students looked eager to copy the magic formation but it was nothing special for me, however, at least it was a magic similar to something that would be studied in the age of myths. In that sense, it was quite interesting for me. If the usual classes were like this I wouldn¡¯t be so sleepy all the time. ¡°Hey Arnos. Why aren¡¯t you copying it into your notebook? Are you using a recording crystal?¡± Sasha says from her seat next to me. ¡°I am recording it. Here.¡± I tap my temple with my finger. ¡°¡­¡­..That¡¯s a lie¡­¡­right? No way you can memorise a complicated magic formation like this just by looking at it.¡± Sasha mutters half in surprise and half in doubt. ¡°What about you? I don¡¯t see you taking any notes either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Necron families secret magic and I¡¯m a direct descendant. I learnt the basics of it long ago.¡± Oh yeah, I¡¯d forgotten about that. ¡°If you¡¯re a direct descendant, then are you close to Aivis?¡± ¡°No way. The old 7 demon emperors are an existence above the clouds. Even if I¡¯m a direct descendant I¡¯m the 16th generation. I¡¯m the lowest of the low. The amount of times I¡¯ve spoken to Aivis-sama is¡­¡­¡­once.¡± The mazoku have long lives. Apart from Sasha are other direct descendants still alive? ¡°¡ª¡ª-As I just explained. The advantage of fusion magic is the ability to fuse magics together. By combining different magics with different wavelengths it produces a strong magic reaction. It can raise the original magic power tenfold. That¡¯s the beginners class for fusion magic Mixed Assimilation .¡± While Aivis¡¯ lecture continues Sasha talks in a low voice. ¡°Nee. Did you really learn it? Didn¡¯t you just give a flippant answer?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a deeply sceptical person aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because it took me a month to learn this technique.¡± ¡°It took you a month but I understood the calculations in about 1 second.¡± Sasha glares at me angrily. She seems to be quite dissatisfied for some reason as her have formed. ¡°Do you want me to prove it?¡± ¡°How?¡± Aivis¡¯ explanation had ended. ¡°Does anyone have any questions?¡± There¡¯s a grateful atmosphere in the classroom but lots of fears as well. No one will raise their hands. ¡°Anyone?¡± To break the tension I raise my hand. ¡°Umu, go ahead.¡± Students start whispering as soon as I stand up. ¡°That fellow¡­¡­.What¡¯s he going to say this time?¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s unbelievable. Where¡¯s his courage come from?¡± ¡°If you say something wrong you¡¯ll be killed.¡± Yare yare. The mazoku of this era sure are shy. It¡¯s hard to think of them as my descendants. ¡°I have one about the magic formation for Mixed Assimilation . There¡¯s a defect in the basic structure for fusion magic.¡± Utter silence. Not a noise comes from the room. Fumu. Apparently, I can freeze my whole class with a simple sentence. ¡°H¡­.he¡­¡­.he¡­he¡¯s dead! It¡¯s over! This is completely different from that time with Emilia sensei!!¡± ¡°A defect in the Necron families secret magic. In other words, he¡¯s pointing out a mistake by one of the old 7 demon emperors. That goes beyond dangerous.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way there¡¯s a defect in the structure developed by one of the old 7 demon emperors.¡± Contrary to the noisy students Aivis is calm when he replies. ¡°What¡¯s the defect?¡± ¡°This is the basic method to fuse magic. The magic reaction causes the power to increases tenfold, however, judging by the structure of the formation the fusion does not last long at all.¡± The students had deployed magic barriers while I was talking. They seemed convinced Aivis was going to attack at any moments. ¡°That¡¯s very impressive, to notice that detail while only seeing the formation once.¡± The atmosphere in the class gave off the impression that the students were getting ready to dodge incoming magic. ¡°What the¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s right¡­..?¡± ¡°He¡¯s only just seen it¡­¡­¡± Chapter 20.2 Aivis writes the fusion time on the blackboard. ¡°It¡¯s true. Fusion magic has a defect in the sense that it¡¯s duration time is extremely short. It¡¯s in the basic structure itself. Even if I develop it into advanced magic I cannot erase this defect itself.¡± I point another thing out. ¡°If you are an average user then the fusion time is about 3 to 5 seconds. Basically, this makes it a flashy magic only and not worth remembering.¡± Aivis nods generously at my words. ¡°Certainly, there are limited scenarios where fusion magic would give you the advantage. In most cases using other magics would be better, however, if you look deeper into the abyss it is also a magic that can change.¡± Fumu. As expected of a subordinate that carries my blood. If you could complete the technique. Did your demon eyes arrive at the end point? ¡°I agree. When I looked into the abyss I understood the basic method of true fusion magic.¡± At that line, Aivis shakes in surprise. The sound of notebooks being hastily put away and a pen falling on the floor sounded throughout the classroom. ¡°Oooooooooh!! It¡¯s over! We¡¯re all dead¡­¡­¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­No! I don¡¯t want to die! Why am in the same class as that inept person!!¡± All the students were shivering as they prepared for death. ¡°Can you improve this technique?¡± A little bit of surprise was mixed into Aivis¡¯ low voice. ¡°Easily.¡± ¡°¡­¡­This is a magic I¡¯ve spent over a 1000 years making¡­..¡± ¡°Oh well. Look.¡± I stand up. ¡°Wait¡­.fusion magic is the secret art of the Necron family. I can understand you improving Demon King Army as you had probably seen it before but this¡­¡­?¡± Sasha tries to stop me. ¡°I¡¯m the best in this class. Are you that worried about me?¡± ¡°¡­.Not¡­¡­Not really¡­¡­..I¡¯m not worried about you¡­¡­.¡± Sasha turns away from me in a huff. ¡°Look.¡± I walk over to the blackboard, emanate magic power and redraw the formation. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Aivis gulped the moment he saw it, followed a few moments later by his whole body trembling. The redrawn formation is actually emanating magic. Though demon eyes are required to see it you need to actually think about it to understand it. Is the method correct? Does it work? It¡¯s obvious at a glance. ¡°¡­..This¡­¡­I can¡¯t believe it¡­..? The fusion time has increased several hundred times¡­¡­.I see you¡¯ve incorporated origin magic into it, however, you¡¯ve tied that origin magic into the technique itself¡­¡­..how¡­..?¡± While Aivis desperately tries to decode the magic I casually say. ¡°It¡¯s easy. Applying the technique of fusion magic I fused the two magics.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡­.!!¡± Aivis was at a loss for words. It was probably unexpected. Even though everyone has looked at it, no one had noticed. If you really look at it, it was actually an easy and very basic thing to do but no one considered it. Probably for that very reason. This is what true magic research is like. ¡°What an idea. You said your name was Arnos Voldigod¡­¡­..I did not think that anyone had studied fusion magic before me.¡± ¡°Aah, I see.¡± It seems I¡¯ve been misunderstood a little. ¡°No. This is your achievement Aivis.¡± ¡°What¡­..?¡± ¡°Today is the first time I¡¯ve seen fusion magic. Without your research, I could not have completed it. I just gave it the final push.¡± Aivis lets out an astonished voice. ¡°What¡­..? You completely understood the method of fusion magic after seeing it for the first time and then completed it¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Fast or slow, what does it matter? You would have noticed it yourself in another 1000 years or so.¡± Because I was finished I went back to my seat. ¡°¡­..Arnos Voldigod. Why is a monster like that attending this academy? There¡¯s nothing to teach him.¡± Aivis¡¯ words filled with awe reach my ears. The whole classroom starts to become noisy again. ¡°What happened¡­¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alive!!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t understand anything that just happened. Arnos somehow completed fusion magic!¡± ¡°¡­.That fellow¡­¡­what is he? Wasn¡¯t he an inept person¡­¡­¡­!¡± ¡°An inept person¡­..Isn¡¯t he a genius¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much¡­.I can¡¯t even follow the normal words!!¡± I sit back down and see Sasha looking at me with her mouth open. ¡°Did you understand all that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know what to say anymore¡­¡­¡­¡± Chapter 21.1 The grand magic training was over and now it was lunchtime. I¡¯m currently talking with Aivis in the corridor. ¡°¡­¡­..In other words, you are my lord, the Demon King of Tyranny?¡± ¡°Ahh. The name of the Demon King of Tyranny is Arnos Voldigod. Someone has rewritten it as Avos Dillheavia.¡± Aivis had listened to my story without interrupting or denying it. ¡°Who¡¯s the someone?¡± ¡°I have no idea, yet. But it will also be the person who erased your memory.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Aivis put a hand to his chin and appeared lost in thought. ¡°I understand that my memory was deliberately erased, however, is it not possible Arnos that you did this to me?¡± A thirst for blood appears and Aivis turns his demonic eyes to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have no proof that is wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°You have the ability. If you are indeed an enemy of my lord the Demon King of Tyranny then I cannot remain indifferent.¡± Aivis is no fool. Seeing it from his standpoint with no memories he has no way of telling if I am lying or not. It¡¯s natural that he sees me as a potential enemy. He saw me use Time Manipulation after all and as far as he knows only I can use it. 2000 years worth of memories erased and out of the blue, someone appears as an ally and proclaims himself as the Demon King of Tyranny as well as trying to fix his memories. No wonder he¡¯s suspicious. ¡°However, at the moment I shall remain neutral out of the nostalgic feeling I have from you.¡± ¡°It would be a help if you would.¡± ¡°Farewell.¡± Aivis walks off down the corridor. ¡°¡­¡­That person is Aivis Necron, one of the old 7 Demon Emperors¡­¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­..Yes¡­¡­It¡¯s not possible for us black clothes to speak to him¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­.What about the inept person?¡± ¡°Why¡¯s the inept person with one of the old 7 Demon Emperors?¡± The students here sure like rumours. Good thing I don¡¯t care about such things. ¡°Arnos-kun.¡± I turned around as Emilia called out to me. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lost article. Please take it.¡± Emilia gives me a school badge with a 6 sided star on it. It¡¯s certainly not mine. ¡°Whose is it?¡± ¡°A member of your group.¡± Sasha¡¯s or Misha¡¯s then but since I¡¯ve never looked at their badges I¡¯m not sure which one. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­It¡¯s not Sasha-san.¡± What strange wording. Why not say Misha¡¯s name? ¡°It¡¯s negligent to use me for this. You should hand it back yourself.¡± I thought she¡¯d be offended or get angry but she looks embarrassed. Whatever. Misha will be looking for this after all. ¡°I¡¯ll pass it on.¡± I turned around to put it in my bag and Emilia spoke to my back. ¡°There¡¯s a dungeon test this afternoon. Don¡¯t come here but go directly to the entrance of the underground dungeon.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I leave the classroom and follow Misha¡¯s magic to the courtyard. It¡¯s crowded when I arrive and in the centre of it all is Sasha and Misha. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t help you. If you want to join the group you¡¯ll have to speak to Arnos.¡± ¡°But Sasha-sama, I have no interest in speaking to that inept person at all. Please Sasha-sama. Can you speak to him¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be helped, anyway, he doesn¡¯t listen to anything anyone says.¡± They seem to be former members of Sasha¡¯s group and apparently they want to be in my group so they can be with Sasha again. Guess I¡¯ll intervene. Misha¡¯s there as well but no one is talking to her. If you want to be in my group then you¡¯ll have to deal with Misha as well though it¡¯s normal to think that Misha is closer to me since she¡¯s been in my group from the start. Is it because she¡¯s wearing white clothes? She¡¯s the logical choice to talk to if you want to get a message to me. Thinking about it, I¡¯ve never seen Misha talk with any other mazoku. She¡¯s not the most talkative of people to begin with. Maybe always being with me part of the reason. ¡°Sasha-sama. Are you satisfied being in that inept person¡¯s group? Don¡¯t you have a plan?¡± Sasha¡¯s has a bored expression on her face. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped since we have a contract. Are you sure you want to make light of Arnos just because he¡¯s branded as an inept person? He completed fusion magic after all.¡± All the students fell silent. Not a sound could be heard. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± The students reluctantly left. I call out to the sighing Sasha. ¡°You actually seemed like my subordinate there. Such a thrilling rejection.¡± She obviously wasn¡¯t aware I was there as her eyes rounded and she turned away. ¡°¡­..Shut up¡­¡­.they were annoying me, that¡¯s all¡­¡­..¡± Sasha says feebly. ¡°Misha, you dropped this.¡± I hold out her school badge. ¡°¡­..Thank you¡­.¡± Misha takes the badge and puts it back on. ¡°Did you come to pick me up?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..The dungeon test this afternoon¡­¡­¡­¡± Oh yeah, Emilia mentioned something about a dungeon test this afternoon. Basically, it¡¯s a test that challenges the dungeon that¡¯s built under Deruzogedo. It¡¯s similar to the group opposition test as you have to act as a unit. Magic tools and weapons are placed in the dungeon and you compete to score the highest. Although they try and sell it as a training exercise for labyrinth exploration it¡¯s basically a treasure hunt. ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here but you are right about the test.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± The meeting place is the entrance to the dungeon but since we are all here we can set off a bit earlier now. ¡°Arnos. Did you listen to the exam explanation properly?¡± ¡°Aah. You can get a perfect score if you get to the altar on the bottom floor and retrieve the king¡¯s sceptre. A simple matter.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t listening after all. Though there is a perfect score it¡¯s absolutely impossible. No student has ever made it to the bottom. Not even a teacher has ever made it. Nobody even knows if the king¡¯s sceptre is there. Some even doubt that the lowest floor even exists.¡± ¡°Then why is there a perfect score item?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Even if you ask such a thing me, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s probably tradition or myth that the king¡¯s sceptre is on the bottom floor.¡± Yare yare. Is this academy even fit for purpose? ¡°Is the king¡¯s sceptre an item that strengthens your magic like Demon King Army ?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s said that the sceptre was made by the founder.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s so then it exists.¡± Chapter 21.2 ¡°¡­..You always say such irresponsible things. Whatever, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time¡± As I started to move Misha came over to me and looked up. ¡°¡­.How do you know¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my castle.¡± Misha tilts her head to the side. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been in there. I set off for the dungeon thinking such things. Two sets of students are already gathered there. As we arrive the bell rings out signalling the start of class. ¡°Well then. The dungeon test starts now. Any items obtained in the dungeon belong to the group leader. The time limit is 9am tomorrow morning. Any students that return sooner than that can go home. Those that want to give up please use Thought Transmission and contact me.¡± Emilia opens the door to the underground dungeon. ¡°May you have the blessing of the founder.¡± With that signal, all the students rush forward at once. I walked slowly. I¡¯ve got no particular reason to rush. ¡°Wai, wait Arnos. Shouldn¡¯t we take the initiative!? The dungeon is a first come first served deal! We don¡¯t have time to leisurely saunter in!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can go ahead if you want.¡± ¡°We are not allowed to go alone.¡± Sasha is walking just ahead of us. It seems that the school has put monsters in the dungeon but the students running in front have defeated them so we were able to leisurely stroll through the dungeon. ¡°Right there.¡± ¡°Why do you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here before.¡± While giving me a look that says she doesn¡¯t believe me Sasha reluctantly walks the way I pointed out. About 10 floors down Misha talks to me. ¡°¡­.Can I ask something¡­¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What can I give for a birthday¡­..?¡± Misha looks at Sasha¡¯s back. ¡°Is it Sasha¡¯s?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°¡­..Tomorrow¡­¡­¡± I see. This is a sudden story. Well, it can¡¯t be helped. They only made up yesterday. ¡°Sasha?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is there anything that you desire right now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. I want to be the best in this exam.¡± It¡¯s an answer with no desire. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m troubled¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are the best present for her.¡± Misha shakes her head from side to side. ¡°Something that will never be forgotten for your entire life is the best.¡± The hurdle is very high all of a sudden. ¡°If it¡¯s something you thought of, wouldn¡¯t she be pleased with it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Really¡­¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°She was happy that you have made up.¡± Misha thinks with her usual expressionless manner. ¡°She likes clothes.¡± Clothes? Then there¡¯s something good at the bottom of this dungeon. ¡°Then there¡¯s something that Sasha will be pleased with.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s here on the lowest level. If it¡¯s still left that is.¡± Then Misha gave one of her rare smiles. ¡°¡­..Thank you¡­¡­¡± ¡°By the way, when is your birthday?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tomorrow¡­¡­¡± Really? Are they twins? They are very similar. ¡°What do you want?¡± Misha thinks for a while. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t need anything¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°¡­..We won¡¯t be able to meet¡­¡­¡± Even if I can¡¯t see her tomorrow I can still give her a birthday present or is there really nothing she wants? Should I push it? ¡°That reminds me. How old will you be Misha?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.15 tomorrow¡­¡­..¡± So Sasha is also 15. Born 15 years ago and this is the year that the demon king reincarnates. Sasha is still rumoured to be the reincarnation of the founder. In other words, my words were not taken verbatim. They didn¡¯t believe that I would be born as a baby but would transmigrate into a strong container already brimming with power. I didn¡¯t actually say how I would be reincarnated I guess. They may have thought that I would not go down the traditional route of reincarnating as a baby. There is also the possibility that the demon king academy was not searching for the founder at all. In fact, it could be the opposite. It¡¯s been made to not recognise me as the founder. ¡°Arnos? This is a dead end.¡± Sasha had stopped and was looking at a wall. ¡°Aah. It¡¯s a hidden passage.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked with my demon eyes. There¡¯s nothing there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s made so that it can¡¯t be detected with demon eyes.¡± Saying this I walk straight into the wall. ¡°Eh¡­.wai¡­.Arnos¡­¡­..?¡± *Thump* my head hits the wall and the wall is destroyed. I carry on walking and the wall collapses. *Gogogogogogogo* I keep on walking destroying the passage in front of me and leaving a hole in the shape of my body behind me. ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Strong¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a strong idiot alright. That¡¯s great and all but¡­¡­..Didn¡¯t he say that this was a hidden passageway?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Can¡¯t be seen with demon eyes¡­¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no magic device either¡­¡­..¡± I walk back to Misha and Sahsa who have dumbfounded looks on their faces. ¡°Hurry up.¡± Sasha began walking with a puzzled look still on her face. ¡°This is just walking through solid rock and destroying it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± Chapter 22.1 After a while of breaking through walls, a large space opens up in front of me. This is the hidden room that leads to the dungeons lowest layer. Sasha¡¯s face had an expression of surprise on it when she saw it. ¡°After breaking those walls a room appeared¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It was created using magic and was surprisingly easy. I only left the barest traces of magic to follow. A simple hidden passage that doesn¡¯t use magic. It¡¯s a blind spot for many people.¡± The only drawback to it is every time I come here I have to use Construction Creation and repair the hole I make. ¡°But the dungeon beneath Deruzogedo is closed to the public. Only students may enter. When did you find this hidden passage?¡± ¡°What if I said I made it?¡± Sasha is dissatisfied and pouts. ¡°Avoiding it. If you don¡¯t want to say, that¡¯s fine.¡± It¡¯s a fact though. Oh well, I can¡¯t make her believe me. ¡°Should we go? This room leads to the lowest layer.¡± A few minutes after we start walking we arrive at an especially bright room. The ceiling is very high and though we are in a dungeon it¡¯s overflowing with trees. There¡¯s a waterway running through the room causing the light to glitter and reflect off its surface. ¡°¡­¡­.Sunlight¡­¡­.¡± Misha mutters. ¡°Yeah. Sunlight during daytime and moonlight at night. It¡¯s made to draw in the outside light.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is it¡­¡­.for the activation of nature magic?¡± Fusion magic which is the secret art of the Necron family uses nature magic. Sasha and Misha who both specialise in it immediately noticed that this room is a catalyst. However, it¡¯s a little different from 2000 years ago. The position of the sunlight is different. Has somebody adjusted it using magic? It wasn¡¯t only me that used this dungeon, my subordinates did too so people would have been in here. Maybe one of them did it? Suddenly, I look up at the ceiling but there¡¯s nothing there. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s wrong¡­..?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Must have been my imagination.¡± We lave the nature magic room and carry on. On the way down a long flight of stairs, Sasha speaks to me. ¡°Nee, If Arnos has come here before then cant you use Transfer ?¡± ¡°This entire dungeon has an anti-magic spell woven into it to prevent Transfer working correctly. You could use it but you¡¯d have no idea where you¡¯d end up.¡± It¡¯s easy to cancel the anti-magic but the dungeon has a system in place that would collapse it if you did. It would have been easy to leave myself a loophole so only I could use in the dungeon, however, by setting it up so there were no exceptions it also made it the best way to stop intruders. ¡°We¡¯ve been walking for 2 hours now. How much further is it?¡± ¡°¡­..Look¡­..¡± Misha points ahead where the bottom of the stairs could be seen. ¡°Fumu. We¡¯ve reached the bottom.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sasha runs ahead down the stairs but stops and stares at something in utter amazement. Me and Misha catch up to her. There was a pair of huge, luxurious gates that even a giant could fit through. ¡°It¡¯s the gate to the altar room.¡± Misha looks at the gates with her demon eyes. ¡°¡­¡­.Anti-magic¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aah. To stop people trying to break in using magic.¡± Misha stares even further into the magic abyss. ¡°¡­¡­..Even Flame Prison Annihilation Canon could not destroy it¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haaaa!? Then how do we get in¡­¡­¡­?¡± Yare yare. They still don¡¯t understand who¡¯s here with them. ¡°Use your head a bit. If you intend to break it then you will fail. If magic doesn¡¯t work then open it without using magic.¡± I calmly step forward and place my hand on the gate. Using my strength I push and with a heavy, grating noise the gate opens. ¡°It opened.¡± Misha grumbled while having a dumbfounded look on her face. ¡°I thought this before when you lifted my demon king castle but what¡¯s going on with your body¡­¡­¡­¡­.? How can you open such a stupidly large door?¡± Sasha pushes on the door but of course, it doesn¡¯t move. I can¡¯t say this out loud but she looks really cute trying to move it. ¡°I train every day.¡± ¡°In what dimension would training allow you to do this?¡± Sasha starts muttering to herself. ¡°Does he come from a lineage with strong people in it?¡± ¡°More importantly, the thing you are after is over there.¡± At the back of the room is an altar with an ominous looking staff on it. ¡°Is that¡­¡­the Kings Scepter¡­¡­..?¡± If you look at it with your demon eyes you would tell straight away that it was loaded with great magic. It¡¯s completely different from the blunt demon sword that Zepes had. It¡¯s a genuine item from the age of myths. ¡°A perfect score in the dungeon test is certain with this.¡± I had wondered if somebody had removed it but I¡¯m happy that it¡¯s still here. ¡°Nee¡­¡­¡­.can I touch it¡­¡­?¡± Anything obtained in the dungeon is the possession of the group leader and a genuine tool from the age of myths is something rarely seen. Obviously, someone like Sasha with strong demon eyes would be interested. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Happily running to the altar Sasha picked up the kings sceptre and stared in fascination at the mysterious magic tool. Fumu. It¡¯s fine I guess. She¡¯ll be in a daze for a while now. ¡°Misha, over here.¡± I call Misha over to a door by the side of the altar. ¡°¡­¡­What¡­¡­?¡± ¡°This is the treasury.¡± I step into the room. At first glance it¡¯s empty but when I speak a few words the magic veil is lifted and magic tools such as demon swords and magic armour start to appear one by one. I collected all this during the age of myths. Chapter 22.2 Amongst them was the very rare thread called the demon dragon thread which was produced by dragons. A dress with moonlight sewn into it called . A robe woven with fur from the golden lion Sirius which was called the most beautiful in the world, the . There were a lot of other pretty costumes as well. ¡°You can choose something that will suit Sasha.¡± Misha stares at the clothes scattered around the treasury. I know her quite well now. I know that she is not looking at the outer clothes but rather at their abyss. Magic items made in the age of myths choose their own owners. You can¡¯t just give someone an item as you don¡¯t know if it will accept them or not. It¡¯s not easy. How¡¯s she doing? After a while, Misha began to walk. ¡°This is good.¡± The item she picked up was woven with feathers from the divine bird Phoenix . On one hand it grants you the blessing of the immortal fire but on the other hand, if you are not worthy of it it will turn you into ash. ¡°It looks beautiful but it can be difficult to wear.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­.¡± Do you understand? I know she has strong demon eyes but how can she be certain that it will accept Sasha? ¡°You should give it to her then.¡± With a happy smile on her face, Misha held in both hands. How she was holding it said how important it was to her. She heads back to the door where Sasha is but on the way she was distracted by a ring placed on a pedestal. The . It gives off a cold air and got its name after covering the seven seas with ice lotus leaves. It¡¯s no coincidence that Misha saw the ring. Magic items and their users are attracted to each other. ¡°Do you want it?¡± Misha stares at the ring expressionlessly. ¡°It¡¯s Misha¡¯s birthday tomorrow as well.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s fine¡­¡­.¡± Misha leaves the treasury as if running away. ¡°Fumu¡± There might be some circumstances. Whatever. On my way out I take the and go after Misha. ¡°Ah! Arnos, Misha, where¡¯d you go? When I looked up you were gone. I was worried.¡± Sasha hurries our way carrying the king¡¯s sceptre. ¡°My bad. Were you lonely?¡± ¡°I already said I was¡­¡­..worried.¡± Why say it again if you feel embarrassed? ¡°Please stop looking at me with that face. It feels like you are looking down on me.¡± ¡°What are you saying. The words ¡®looking down on someone¡¯ don¡¯t exist in my dictionary.¡± ¡°Please look in a mirror and then say that again.¡± What¡¯s she saying? I don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s getting at. ¡°Do we have any more business here?¡± Suddenly turning around Sasha looks back at the altar. All that¡¯s left is to return and complete the dungeon exam so we should finish our other business quickly. ¡°Are you going to give it to her?¡± I said to Misha who was hiding behind my back. ¡°¡­.Now¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Or are you going to hide it and give it her at home?¡± After thinking a little Misha shakes her head and steps out from behind my back. ¡°Sasha.¡± Sasha looks back and was surprised to see the in Misha¡¯s hands. ¡°What¡¯s that Misha?¡± ¡°¡­..I found it¡­¡­¡± ¡°Here?¡± Misha nods. ¡°For you.¡± ¡°¡­..Eh? for me? Is that okay?¡­¡­Because¡­..that¡¯s¡­¡­an outrageous magical tool.¡± She understood the huge magical power hidden within as she stares at it with her demon eyes. ¡°¡­¡­..Tomorrow. Because it¡¯s your birthday¡­¡­.¡± Sasha smiles softly and tears come to the corner of her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t got you anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I don¡¯t need anything¡­¡­¡± Sasha smile was troubled. ¡°Thank you Misha. I¡¯m so happy. I¡¯ll treasure it my entire life.¡± Misha smiles with joy. ¡°¡­.Nn¡­..¡± Magic circles form in her eyes as she looks at the . . There¡¯s no need for them here so has she become emotional causing them to come out? Somethings odd though. If it was overflowing joy then they should have come out after she was told it was for her birthday but they came out while staring at the . Something has made her excited. What¡¯s she come up with? ¡°Can I wear it?¡± Misha nods and hands over to Sasha. She puts her hands on her uniform buttons but then looks at me as if she¡¯s just noticed me. ¡°I¡¯m changing my clothes¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aah. I¡¯ll turn around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no good! Please go into that room over there!!¡± Good grief. She knows how to make work for people. Can¡¯t be helped. I listen to what she said and enter the treasury. As I was about to close the door Misha unexpectedly appeared. ¡°¡­.She was pleased¡­..¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Arnos¡¯ help¡­¡­¡± ¡°You were the one that chose it.¡± Misha looks shy. ¡°¡­.Today is the happiest day of my life¡­¡­¡± ¡°You exaggerate.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Thank you.¡± I nodded and softly closed the door. Chapter 23.1 While leaning against the wall of my treasure room I vacantly stare off into space. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯m still waiting. It¡¯s been at least 10 minutes. How long does it take to change clothes? I knocked on the door but my only answer was silence. ¡°¡­¡­Strange.¡± Even if Sasha was still busy Misha should have answered. Have they left without me? Or¡­¡­¡­.? ¡°Misha? Are you there? I¡¯m opening the door.¡± I opened the door having received no reply. The altar enters my view first. It¡¯s clearly different from before. It¡¯s red. In front of the altar is Misha, head slumped forward and kneeling in a pool of blood with a knife thrust into the right side of her chest. She¡¯s still alive but needs treating right away, except I can¡¯t. A magic barrier has been carefully set up around Misha. ¡°Oh? You finally appeared. You were very obedient there.¡± On the other side of the room by the entrance is Sasha. She¡¯s wearing the and is holding the king¡¯s sceptre. ¡°Fumu. What¡¯s with your behaviour Sasha?¡± Sahsa replied with a sneer. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re an idiot. Just because we got along a little you were so easily deceived. Did you really want this me to get along with that trash doll in this little play of ours while aiming for first position in the dungeon test?¡± A play huh? Reconciling with Misha, being happy, even crying over her birthday present. Was all of that a lie? ¡°Men are simple. A little kiss for only a moment and you fall for it. Did you honestly think I liked a mongrel like you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very good at acting Sasha.¡± Sasha flinched a little at my words before glaring at me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.What do you mean?¡± ¡°What do I mean? You were so skilful I didn¡¯t see it was an act.¡± ¡°I see. It was a fine performance on my part.¡± ¡°However, as betrayals go yours seems a bit tepid for some reason. You could have killed Misha, chopped up her body to make revival difficult, sealed those pieces in rocks and spread them around the world where I¡¯d never find them. Why didn¡¯t you do that?¡± Sasha frowns and draws back from the atmosphere I¡¯ve just created. I can¡¯t say any more. I can¡¯t show a complete lack of empathy. ¡°So far what you¡¯ve done is nothing but pure mischief. You might as well just patted Misha¡¯s breasts with that knife.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Shut up. My purpose is to come first in the dungeon exam.¡± This stories getting stranger. ¡°Even if you have the king¡¯ sceptre, it¡¯s meaningless as long as you are a member of my group.¡± Anything the group obtains is the property of the leader. ¡°Contract was cancelled.¡± The contract was made between Misha and Sasha and now it¡¯s disappeared. With this, she can leave anytime as it was only the contract that made her a member. However I look at it I can¡¯t see Misha agreeing to the cancellation. Unless both parts agree it cannot be cancelled. Even if one of them dies the effect will continue. I don¡¯t think Sasha has enough magic to forcibly break it either. There are a few other ways to break it but those are the most obvious. ¡°I see. Interesting.¡± Sasha probably thought she had the upper hand but instead she now had a cornered look on her face. ¡°You¡­..are you crazy? That girl will die if you don¡¯t help her. This isn¡¯t a situation where you can be composed! Don¡¯t you understand that!¡± ¡°Fumu. What¡¯s wrong with this situation? By all appearances, nothings changed. We have a tedious sleepy class this afternoon.¡± As I speak Sasha¡¯s face becomes more and more stern. ¡°It just seems like a small quarrel between sisters to me.¡± ¡°I told you I don¡¯t think of that trash doll as my sister!¡± Sasha puts all her anger into that shout. ¡°She was born to be used by me. Nothing more than a tool and when it became useless it was to be thrown away like a ragged dustcloth. A pitiful, miserable, magic doll.¡± Sasha is spitting out words loaded with hatred. ¡°Fufuu hahahaa hahahahahaha!! Please forgive me, but those words are the truth. How many times do you need to be deceived before you are happy? A really stupid doll. Did you really think we could get along all happy and nice? Aah, but it turned out alright. I thought I had no more use for you but you helped me deceive this mongrel.¡± She¡¯s not even looking at me. Her eyes are locked onto Misha. ¡°Nee, Misha. Are you still alive? Let me tell you this in your final moments. No matter how many times I deceived you, you still believed me. You always played the good little girl all helpless and cute. You disgust me! I hate you!¡± Sasha excitedly spits out words designed to hurt but the thing is, her have not formed. Not just now either. Not once have they formed since this began. ¡°And?¡± I take a step forward and Sasha takes a step back. ¡°Your true reason is?¡± Sasha glared at me. This time her formed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry I saw through you?¡± Chapter 23.2 Sasha carries on glaring at me but I smile back. ¡°Oh? Did you possibly think that I couldn¡¯t control my ?¡± Sasha closes her eyes and when she opens them again her are gone. ¡°As you can see, I can control them.¡± Sasha seems slightly relieved that she did it. ¡°Did you want me to say it was my misunderstanding? I see. Anyway¡­..¡± I take another step forward. ¡°Your true reason is?¡± Sasha presses her lips together. Is she cautious of my approach or is it something else? ¡°I heard the story about Zepes and Liorg. You put a lot of pressure on the brothers to get along. You¡¯re the same as that doll. A peaceful, easygoing, naive fool.¡± I¡¯m naive? Well, in this age I guess I am. However, she says I¡¯m peaceful? ¡°Even though you¡¯ve got a little bit of power you know nothing. Don¡¯t force your ideas on others!¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Sasha was at a loss for words at my reply. ¡°When I want to say something I¡¯ll say it. When I want to ask something I¡¯ll ask. Who can give me orders?¡± Of course I still need to know some courtesy, however, I don¡¯t need to hold my words back here. ¡°Sasha. While you were my subordinate I gave you the hand of friendship. Surely you didn¡¯t think it will end with this?¡± I walk right up to Sasha who¡¯s gripping the king sceptre firmly while being on her guard. ¡°If you hurt me even a little that girl dies.¡± Synchronisation magic Conditions . If I harm Sasha the barrier around Misha will shrink and crush her but before that happens it will push the knife in deeper and kill her. ¡°The knife will be pushed in and kill her. Even you will need at least 10 seconds to break the barrier and heal her. That¡¯s all the time I need.¡± Sasha¡¯s body starts to float. She rises up and starts to fly out of the exit. I was quicker though. I kicked the ground and rapidly approached Sasha grabbing her hand. Sasha¡¯s face was completely surprised. Because the conditions had been met activated, however, Misha was safe. There was no change to the barrier. ¡°¡­¡­Why¡­¡­..? definitely activated¡­¡­.¡± Sasha turned her demon eyes on Misha. If you looked into the abyss you would see that the knife, the barrier and the blood were all illusions made by my illusion magic. Misha was healed with recovery magic Healing a long time ago and the barrier was broken. Activating it does nothing. ¡°Illusion Mimicry ¡­¡­It¡¯s a lie right?¡­¡­.When¡­¡­?¡± ¡°The moment I saw it. My friend was dying. Of course I would act.¡± After that, I knew Sasha was planning something so I activated . ¡°By the way. I did that in 0.1 seconds. You had another 9.9 seconds to run away. What should I do with the remaining time?¡± I lay a little bit of emphasis on the hand I¡¯m grasping. Sasha frowns in pain. ¡°¡­..Wait¡­..¡± A voice was heard from the altar. I look back while grasping Sasha¡¯s hand. I released and Misha was standing there. ¡°¡­..Forgive her¡­¡­.¡± Fumu. Saying something like that. ¡°I don¡¯t mind forgiving her but it would be better if she tells me what she¡¯s really thinking instead of this lax betrayal and bad acting.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Force is not good.¡± Yare yare. She doesn¡¯t normally look at me with such serious eyes. ¡°¡­..No good¡­¡­?¡± Whatever. It¡¯s fine I guess. I won¡¯t take orders but it¡¯s different if its a request. I¡¯ll willingly accept the requests of this particular friend. ¡°You should thank Misha for this.¡± I release Sasha¡¯s hand and she flies away immediately. ¡°You are truly foolish Misha. Did you honestly think I¡¯d say thank you? Too bad. Your life exists to be used by me. In your last moments, you¡¯ll regret this!¡± Spitting out those words Sasha suddenly loses control of Flight causing her to fall to the floor doing a flashy roll along the ground as she hits it. ¡°¡­.Ouch¡­.Wha¡­¡­.This¡­..?¡± ¡°Aah, my bad. You were in such high spirits with your little speech I forgot to tell you but I disturbed the magic flow around here so you can¡¯t fly.¡± I laughed at the girl who¡¯s face showed humiliation. ¡°A loser is a loser. Give it your all and crawl on the ground all the way back, otherwise, I might change my mind.¡± ¡°¡­.Insolent fellow¡­..I¡¯ll remember this¡­¡­¡± *Hahaha* I instinctively release fresh laughter. ¡°I wanted to hear such lines. Do it, if you can.¡± Even though I was undoubtedly being glared at I turned my back to Sasha and walked off. Calling out over my shoulder I speak to Sasha. ¡°Sasha. I¡¯m tolerant of betrayal by my subordinates not to mention yours barely ranks as mischief. I¡¯ll forgive you if you show suitable manners and thanks.¡± Sasha didn¡¯t say anything and left without looking back. Chapter 24.1 ¡°Well then Misha.¡± I turn round by the altar and Misha walks over to me. ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡± She quietly watches me. ¡°¡­¡­.About Sasha¡­¡­?¡± ¡°About you.¡± Misha falls into her usual deadpan silence when I say that. ¡°¡­¡­..Want to know¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re my friend.¡± Misha looks down slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to say?¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Want to say.¡± ¡°You change your mind?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos is my friend. Is kind¡­..¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.¡± Misha looked at me with her usual eyes devoid of feelings. ¡°¡­¡­..At midnight on my 15th birthday, I¡¯ll disappear¡­¡­..¡± She delivered her confession in an indifferent tone. ¡°This related to you being a magic doll?¡± It¡¯s not a particularly surprising story from a technique like this. ¡°Magic doll is not correct.¡± Was it a metaphor then? ¡°Misha Necron does not exist.¡± Fumu. I see. Was it such a thing? I can see most of the circumstances now going by what I¡¯ve heard so far. ¡°In other words, you are originally Sasha?¡± When I said it Misha blinked at me in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­.How can you know that¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to cancel any contract made by Contract unless the difference in magic power is enormous. Yours and Sasha¡¯s magic power levels are very similar yet she cancelled the contract.¡± One of the few methods did come to mind. ¡°However, if you and Sasha are the same person then only one of you needs to cancel it since in effect you signed the contract with just one person.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Arnos is smart¡­¡­.¡± It¡¯s not something worthy of being praised. I guess the people of this time don¡¯t know that there is magic to split a person into two people. ¡°It¡¯s similar to a magic called Soul Fission . The body and soul are divided but they gradually return to their single original form.¡± Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯m a simulated personality created by magic. I don¡¯t originally exist. I¡¯ll return to Sasha on my 15th birthday. That¡¯s why that girl called me a magic doll.¡± Because she¡¯s a temporary life she¡¯s a magic doll huh? That explains the same magic power and why Misha is in white clothes despite the fact she has the same blood. They always knew she¡¯d disappear. ¡°Is this the work of Aivis Necron?¡± Misha is surprised again. Looks like I¡¯m right. ¡°¡­¡­How¡­..?¡± ¡°Soul Fission is not a simple magic. In this age, it has really limited use. Also, the success rate dramatically drops if it¡¯s not cast on a fetus. You carry Aivis¡¯ blood. It¡¯s not a big leap to suspect him.¡± And he has a reason. ¡° and fusion magic together have a purpose. Fusion magic can fuse together two magics but it has a flaw due to it¡¯s limited fusion time.¡± Even the fusion magic I improved still has a limited duration. ¡°However, it¡¯s a different story if you originally divide one thing into two. Using the power of Misha and Sasha who will return to one person Aivis came up with a way of eliminating the duration defect of fusion magic.¡± Use to divide then use fusion magic to amplify the magic power. The original magic power will increase many tens if not hundreds of times and because it was originally the same thing it will permanently fuse together and never separate again. I must admit even I find it quite an absurd thing to do. The complexity of the method, the difficulty of the magic and the risk to Sasha are all enormous. Even if she survived the fusion could her body withstand the power? Even if it did, would her mind survive? Well, even if Aivis is rotting he¡¯s still a mazoku I produced directly. It will probably be fine. ¡°There are other possibilities I thought about but how¡¯d I do?¡± Misha nods. Guess I was right after all. ¡°Separation Fusion Reincarnation ¡± ¡°That the magic cast on Sasha?¡± Misha nods again. It¡¯s a magic made by combining fusion magic and . It must have been developed to produce a stronger mazoku. This is probably the reason that he started studying fusion magic. ¡°That¡¯s why you said we can¡¯t meet on your birthday.¡± Misha nods. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry¡­..¡± ¡°Why are you apologising?¡± ¡°¡­..I was silent¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. When you want to say something you should just say it.¡± Misha looked down and muttered. ¡°I wanted to spend the time normally.¡± She says while raising her gaze to meet mine before continuing. ¡°Since I was born my fate was decided. I¡¯ll disappear and only Sasha will remain. Even so, those 15 years would be pretty good I thought.¡± Even compared to the short lives of humans her life is too short. For mazoku it¡¯s a life so short it will be an instant. ¡°With only that much time I wanted memories but no mazoku would talk to me. Half a Necron. I¡¯m not supposed to exist. Even in the school, it was the same.¡± Fumu. Certainly, I¡¯ve never seen Misha talking to another mazoku. Even Emilia will only do businesslike exchanges. ¡°I thought so.¡± Misha¡¯s eyes are strong and stare straight at me. ¡°Arnos spoke to me and became my friend. You took me to your house and your parents happily spoke to me.¡± Misha laughs. It was trivial but Misha cherishes those memories so much. ¡°A miracle happened in my life.¡± A girl I spoke to on a whim considers it a miracle. What kind of past have you walked until now? It¡¯s easy to imagine. This age is certainly peaceful but it¡¯s still not without tragedies. ¡°Arnos.¡± Misha calls me. ¡°Thank you for calling my name. I was happy.¡± Chapter 24.2 The thing I wanted to say tomorrow has arrived. I gently place my hand on the head of Misha who¡¯s saying such a silly thing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you happy? Are you really satisfied?¡± Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid because I never existed from the beginning.¡± Yare yare. This is quite the problem. ¡°You are here and you are my first friend. You didn¡¯t think I was going to let my friend die did you?¡± Misha¡¯s eyes rounded but she immediately shook her head. ¡°¡­¡­Impossible even for Arnos¡­¡­ I do not exist from the beginning. I¡¯m only returning to the original. I¡¯m not dying, I¡¯m disappearing. I cannot revive.¡± Resurrection . If the soul survives the death then by looking into the abyss at the origin of the soul they can be revived, however, the origin of Misha is Sasha. After Misha disappears, even if I use the origin of Misha which is the source of the resurrection won¡¯t exist anywhere. ¡°A body and soul cannot remain divided forever.¡± Originally one thing divided into two by magic. The time limit is 15 years. After 15 years the body and soul that is not restored cannot continue living. To begin with, the state of division between Misha and Sasha is unnatural. Magic can temporarily cause unnatural things to exist and can also restore unnatural things. That being said magic cannot indefinitely maintain artificial things caused by magic. If it does maintain it then a distortion will inevitably form somewhere. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Because Arnos is kind.¡± I don¡¯t understand at all. ¡°Kind words are good and all but just those won¡¯t save you.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°I was truly saved by you so it¡¯s alright now.¡± What do you mean its alright? While thinking Misha reached up and patted my head. ¡°There there.¡± Another action I don¡¯t understand. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Are you sad?¡± ¡°Sad? This me?¡± The sad one should be Misha. ¡°Do you regret becoming friends with me?¡± ¡°Why would you ask that?¡± Misha kept quiet for a moment the spoke. ¡°¡­.Misha Necron does not exist¡­..¡± She says it in her usual indifferent tone. Because she will disappear she¡¯s worried about me making friends with someone who will disappear. Stupid. This complete idiot. I grabbed her slender body and pulled her to me hugging her strongly. ¡°¡­.Arnos¡­..?¡± ¡°There are two things that I don¡¯t know.¡± Strongly. Strongly. I hug Misha. I will tell you that you are here. ¡°¡­.What¡­.?¡± ¡°Regret and impossibility.¡± While being hugged by me Misha turns her cold eyes to me. ¡°I told you. I am the founder, the Demon King. I will grant your wish.¡± Even with her usual deadpan expression Misha seems puzzled. ¡°I want to reconcile.¡± She must mean Sasha. ¡°That is my wish.¡± Is that what she wants in her last few hours? She still doesn¡¯t believe I¡¯m the founder. I won¡¯t let my words become lies. ¡°¡­¡­..Difficult¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told you I don¡¯t know what impossible is.¡± I release Misha. I began walking towards the large door out of the room. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To where Sasha is. I¡¯ll make sure you make up.¡± When I laughed Misha smiled happily. ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡± ¡°Misha. Will you make me one promise?¡± Misha looks at me. ¡°You must keep thinking that there is a tomorrow right up to the last moment.¡± She remains silent. ¡°Do you want to spend the time normally?¡± Misha nodded at my words. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go and quickly catch Sasha.¡± We start heading back the way we came. I stare ahead and the sound of Misha¡¯s steps follow me. There¡¯s nothing to be scared about she said. Because she doesn¡¯t exist. Is that really so? She may have just given up and accepted it. Take a good look Misha. I am Arnos Voldigod. Chapter 25.1 Me and Misha are heading up the stairs towards the upper levels of the dungeon. ¡°Catching up?¡± Misha asks. Sasha tried to use Flight but I prevented that. Walking normally we still haven¡¯t caught up though. Perhaps she¡¯s running? ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± I raise my foot slightly and stamp on the floor. With a rumbling noise, the dungeon begins to shake so violently even standing becomes difficult. ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­¡± Holding onto my hand Misha is able to stay upright somehow. After about a minute the shaking finally stops. ¡°You can let go now.¡± Misha gently lets go of my hand. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I changed the topography a little and made some dead ends. We can catch up now.¡± After advancing onward for a while a bright space appeared in front of us. The room where nature magic could be performed. Sasha was there though she appeared to be at a loss. The reason was probably the fact that the passage we came through was no longer there. When I stamped my foot the terrain changed dramatically and collapsed the tunnel. ¡°Yo Sasha.¡± When I spoke she jumped before turning around. She still grasping the king¡¯s sceptre. ¡°Is this your doing?¡± I assume she¡¯s on about the dead end. ¡°Why would I tell a traitor?¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes take on a grim look. She¡¯s being cautious since she doesn¡¯t know what my aim is. ¡°If you want the king sceptre you¡¯ll have to kill me.¡± ¡°What? No. Misha wants to make up with you.¡± Sasha rolled her eyes with irritation. ¡°Are you an idiot? Have you already forgotten what you did to me a while back?¡± Sharp words but Misha just stares at Sasha. ¡°I¡¯m amazed at this idiot doll as well as you Arnos. You take everything this child says so seriously. This child you are so enamoured with does not exist. It has no life and no soul. It¡¯s just a trash doll that will disappear tomorrow.¡± ¡°Fumu. I¡¯ve already heard about that. So what?¡± Were my words unexpected? Sasha appears to be at a loss. ¡°¡­..I see. She told you. Doll-san has been behaving like she¡¯s alive for a long time now. Is it afraid of disappearing?¡± ¡°Wrong.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s decided that I will disappear. There¡¯s nothing to be scared of.¡± Misha said indifferently. ¡°But before that, I want to make up with Sasha. That¡¯s all.¡± Sasha glares at Misha. ¡°I also want to know the truth.¡± ¡°About what?¡± In a rare moment of hesitation Misha stalls before asking Sasha ¡°Does Sasha hate me?¡± Sasha didn¡¯t answer the question and instead turned to me. ¡°Nee. Do you want to fight again?¡± She¡¯s a woman who obviously hasn¡¯t learnt her lesson. ¡°What kind of match?¡± ¡°I will draw a magic formation. If you can use it on your first attempt you win. If you can¡¯t it¡¯s my win.¡± Using the magic formation that another person has built is very difficult. You need to know what type of magic it is as well as understand the technique for using it. Normally the side drawing the formation will have an overwhelming advantage but that¡¯s only if their opponent is not me. ¡°That¡¯s all? It¡¯s quite advantageous for me. You can apply some more handicaps if you want.¡± Chapter 25.2 ¡°I¡¯m fine. Even you will find this impossible to do.¡± Fumu. She¡¯s confident. How interesting. ¡°What are you betting?¡± ¡°If you win I will answer that child¡¯s question.¡± ¡°And if you win?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll use a single magic of my choosing without refusing.¡± A strange condition. ¡°What magic?¡± ¡°Oh? You have to check? Are you too scared to play now?¡± Hou. This fellow knows how to rile someone up. The condition is to use one magic unquestioningly. It¡¯s a broad condition and the use of Contract will make sure it¡¯s absolute. cannot be cancelled by being halfhearted either. I need to be cautious due to my high magical power. If she makes the conditions simple and limited, using should be okay. ¡°Very well. I accept your challenge.¡± Sasha smiled in satisfaction and used . After checking the contents I sign it. ¡°Well then, whats the formation?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to start drawing it now.¡± Sasha turns around and walks off before stopping in the centre of the room. Closing her eyes she holds the king¡¯s sceptre with both hands and raises it up. Magic power particles begin to rise up and an original magic circle starts to form at her feet before gradually spreading out all over the room. It¡¯s a magical formation of considerable scale. Originally, this formation would be beyond what Sasha could cast due to her power levels but with the kings sceptre and the her magic power has risen enough to let her create this formation. Magic characters and gates form one after the other. Ten minutes or so pass and Sasha is still building it. I still have no idea what this magic is. For starters, I don¡¯t know this magic. It resembles no magic from the age of myths. This is either something developed in the last 2000 years or judging by Sasha confidence something she herself has created. Another reason is the formation is unfinished. By my guess its not even at 10% yet. There¡¯s too many options to guess at the moment. At this stage, even for me, it¡¯s impossible to narrow down what kind of magic it is. ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be done before that child disappears at midnight tomorrow.¡± At her current pace, it will only just be done by midnight tomorrow. I see. It¡¯s probably a strategy to delay me. Does she think I¡¯ll be in a hurry to save Misha before midnight so I¡¯ll rush and fail or is she planning something else entirely? ¡°Oh? Are you getting impatient a little?¡± ¡°You challenged me to a match so you should do your best. Don¡¯t ruin it with petty tricks.¡± ¡°What wonderful confidence. Take a look. I¡¯ll win this time.¡± During our last match, the differences in our abilities were clearly shown. Where¡¯s her confidence coming from? Sasha understands how powerful I am. ¡°Interesting. Out of respect for your reckless courage, I¡¯ll not look at all until you complete the formation.¡± I sit down and close my demon eyes before casting Magic Clock to see what time it was. Sasha is concentrating on constructing her formation. At this scale if she makes even a tiny mistake she won¡¯t finish in time though I don¡¯t think her pride will allow her to make a mistake. With considerable concentration, Sasha continues drawing without making any mistakes. As the sun goes down moonlight enters the room. Misha watches her sister figure desperately building the magic formation as if trying to burn the scene into her eyes. It¡¯s like she would regret even blinking and continues watching her. In this way, time passes and eventually shows the time 11:45 Chapter 26.1 Finally. ¡°Arnos.¡± Sasha called my name. I slowly got up, activated my demon eyes and looked at the magic formation only to find it still unfinished. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you couldn¡¯t finish it in time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s wrong. It will be completed by you.¡± Sasha raises her hands and invokes magic. The moonlight that was pouring into the room scatters off into countless rays of light and fills in the missing pieces of the formation. A huge completed nature magic circle fills the room. I immediately started analysing the formation. An accomplished mage in this age might need a whole day to decipher the hundreds of thousands of magic characters but I saw it all the moment I looked at it. This is easy, however¡­¡­. ¡°Kuku, kukukuku, kuhahahaha!! I see. Indeed I see it, Sasha. You never intended to win right from the beginning.¡± Sasha smiled at my words. ¡°I know your power. Even with such a game, I would never have won no matter how good I was, however, I refuse to lose to fate.¡± I see. She doesn¡¯t want to lose to fate. ¡°As you guessed, my purpose is to have you use this great magic.¡± ¡°You planned well. You have to activate this magic to win and if I lost you¡¯d order me to activate it anyway.¡± Since I¡¯m under I have to cast it. No matter who wins or loses the magic will still be cast which is what Sasha wants. Of course with my power it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t get out of it but¡­¡­¡­.that would be inelegant and tasteless. ¡°All right. In honour of your wisdom and courage, I¡¯ll accept the victory.¡± I hold my hand out to the circle, synchronise with the magic wavelength of Sasha and activate the formation. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen this magic. What is it?¡± ¡°Origin Tuning . It¡¯s a magic that I developed.¡± appears to be a magic that tampers with the wavelength of magic power. It¡¯s not a superficial synchronisation like I just did. It changes the actual origin and makes you like another person. Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon is a high level magic that Sasha could barely cast so this circle would be beyond her power levels so that¡¯s why she needed me to cast it. The target of is Sasha herself. ¡°Your resolution. You¡¯ve fully shown it to me.¡± I activate . Sasha body begins to shine while blue particles dance about like fireflies. The light gets stronger and stronger and the whole room is dyed blue before returning to its normal colour. ¡°¡­..is it over¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Aah, it¡¯s my win. Do you understand?¡± Sasha nods. ¡°You can¡¯t lie. I¡¯m going to use Though Domain .¡± conveys the thoughts of the person inside its effect. It can be prevented by using anti-magic but with me as her partner it¡¯s impossible. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± I look at Misha who nods as if to say no problem. I activate ¡°Misha.¡± At the centre of the huge room the Necron sisters face each other while moonlight is pouring down creating a fantastical scene. ¡°You¡¯ll disappear in a short while.¡± Misha nods. ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Misha answers as indifferently as always. ¡°It¡¯s not scary.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sasha stares straight at her younger sister. ¡°You want to know the truth?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Nn¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Because this is the end I¡¯ll answer.¡± Sasha takes a deep breath If you are conscious of your thoughts will be transmitted through the magic. [This is the end.] [You never existed since the beginning.] [You are only returning to the original form. Me.] [An existence similar to me, always by my side but never an eyesore.] [If I think about it, it was good.] [As a child I couldn¡¯t control my ¡­¡­¡­.] [Only you were by me. Only you looked in my eyes. Only you smiled at me.] [Because you helped me practise I ended up being able to control my eyes and stop hurting people.] [I could go out and laugh with other mazoku.] [But for you who doesn¡¯t exist, you were only a servant who followed. You were always alone.] [For 15 years I¡¯ve lived happily enough and that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s fine already so I give my remaining life to you.] [You said it was destiny but I will not acknowledge it.] [Our soul and body is divided in 2.] [I¡¯m the original but I always thought there should be a way to change it so I researched magic all this time.] [Separation Fusion Reincarnation . What distinguishes you from me is our magic wavelength so I created Origin Tuning .] [I changed the origin of my power to match yours so won¡¯t know who¡¯s the original.] [It was impossible for me but thanks to Arnos I succeeded.] [Another magic, Subject Alternation will make you the original.] [I can do it.] [ is the last piece to use. Please be aware that you are you.] [Reject me, reject Sasha Necron.] [Everything I¡¯ve done has been in preparation for this day.] [Everything was to make you hate me.] [You¡¯ll be okay.] [Here at the end I need to tell you that I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you the truth Misha.] [Since I¡¯m disappearing I don¡¯t have to worry about paying the price of lying while under .] ¡°Nee, doll-san.¡± [Nee, Misha.] ¡°I¡¯ve hated you so much all this time.¡± Chapter 26.2 [I¡¯ve always loved you so much.] Sasha betrays the contract but I destroyed right at that moment. ¡°Therefore¡± [Therefore] ¡°Have a nice day.¡± [Goodbye Misha. I love you so much my younger sister.] Sasha hugs her younger sister. She doesn¡¯t seem to have realised but she¡¯s smiling. [Are you smiling as well? I can¡¯t see your face.] [I will change it. You dying. Such a fate. I¡¯ll break it.] ¡°¡­¡­.Subject Alternation ¡­¡­.¡± [Stay healthy Misha. Bye-bye.] (1) The moment Sasha casts the magic both of them are engulfed in a dazzling light. The light begins to settle and the shadow of 2 people begins to appear. After another 20 seconds, the light disappears completely. The figures of 2 people who haven¡¯t changed are still there. With a surprised expression, Sasha stares at the face of her younger sister. ¡°¡­¡­..Such a¡­¡­¡± [I¡¯ve prepared all this time.] [I worked everything out so nothing would go wrong.] [However¡­¡­.] The thoughts of her heart flowed out. She spills words filled with despair. ¡°¡­¡­Why¡­¡­..?¡± Sasha¡¯s magic failed. She was ready to burst into tears at any moment. ¡°What kind of magic?¡± Even if Misha asks Sasha just makes a sad face. After staring at her older sister for a while Misha says ¡°Sasha is bad at lying.¡± It¡¯s an indifferent tone but kind at the same time. ¡°I didn¡¯t know why you were lying.¡± Nothing but good will comes from Misha¡¯s eyes while she looks at her older sister. ¡°But I like the clumsy Sasha.¡± Sasha bites her lip and strongly holds back her tears but a few drops begin to fall. Misha must reject Sasha or else won¡¯t take effect. Sasha plan was certainly perfect but she made one miscalculation. Misha loved her older sister more than she thought and her love was not affected by Sasha¡¯s acting. It¡¯s sad. Sasha entire plan to save Misha had failed. ¡°¡­..Idiot¡­¡­¡± A voice that sounded like it was being squeezed out resounded. ¡°¡­..You idiot¡­¡­you¡­¡­that much¡­..that much¡­¡­I¡­.I did so many terrible things¡­¡­.!¡± Sasha appeals to Misha ¡°I said some awful things¡­¡­.I hurt you¡­¡­.why?¡­¡­¡­why¡­¡­?¡± Sasha knees buckled under her despair and she buried her face into Misha¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­.Please¡­..Misha¡­¡­..hate me. Please reject me¡­¡­.¡± Sasha entreats Misha with tears spilling down her face. ¡°Otherwise I can¡¯t help you. I¡¯ll disappear in your place.¡± Misha places her hand on Sasha¡¯s head gently rubs it. ¡°There there.¡± Placing her other hand on Sash¡¯s shoulders Misha says. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I am the one who never existed from the beginning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! Misha is here! I want to protect you! I love you. You are important. You¡¯re my sister. I¡¯ll destroy your fate!¡± Sasha clings to Misha tightly. ¡°¡­.Please¡­¡­don¡¯t disappear¡­¡­.don¡¯t leave me¡­¡­.¡± Misha smiles a troubled smile. ¡°I¡¯m not disappearing. I¡¯m joining with Sasha. I¡¯ll always be with you.¡± Time is almost up. Misha¡¯s time as Misha was almost up but she looked satisfied while patting the crying Sasha. ¡°I was able to reconcile.¡± Misha looks back at me ¡°Arnos¡¯ help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Misha nods. ¡°Do you have any other requests?¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°I have no more regrets.¡± Looking me straight in the eyes she continues. ¡°I thought we could never reconcile but in my life, two miracles have happened.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Misha tilts her head at me. ¡°The real miracle happens now.¡± Holding up my hand I cast Demon King Army . (1) Misha hasn¡¯t spoken at all yet. This is all Sasha. Chapter 27.1 ¡°How long are you going to cry? Stand up Sasha.¡± She slowly turned to look at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying. ¡°It¡¯s still too early to give up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Can you erase me instead of Misha?¡± ¡°If you ask if I can do it or not, I can. was it? The reason you need to make Misha reject you is because you are inexperienced.¡± Now Misha turned to me with a begging look in her eyes. ¡°Not allowed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of doing it.¡± Sasha pipes up. ¡°Please Arnos! Kill me! I¡¯ve lived enough! I want to give the rest of my life to Misha.¡± ¡°I never existed from the beginning. It¡¯s weird if Sasha is the one to be sacrificed.¡± Both Sasha and Misha appeal to me. They both want to protect each other so much that they are each willing to disappear. Yare yare. How brave and admirable of them. Unfortunately, both of their requests are not my style. ¡°That reminds me. There was a question similar to this in the aptitude test.¡± I say while thinking back to the entrance exam. ¡°There is a daughter that is powerful but lacks the aptitude of the demon king and a son that has poor magic but a great aptitude to be the demon king. One day they both receive a gods curse and are fated to die together at a certain time but you are also given one holy grail to cure one of them. Which one should you save? Describe the thoughts of the founder at this time.¡± ¡°The one with the high aptitude.¡± Misha answers. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The demon king will not reincarnate into a mazoku that is not suitable regardless of how powerful they are.¡± I see. That¡¯s the thinking of this era. Nowadays they lay emphasis on pedigree and aptitude so that¡¯s the correct answer. ¡°Wrong.¡± Misha looks at me. ¡°Reincarnates into the one with power?¡± You could also look at it that the demon king would only reincarnate into someone powerful. However, ¡°Also wrong.¡± Misha blinked as if she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°In the first place who¡¯s the fellow asking which one should be saved? When was it said the founder could only save one of them? A gods curse? When would I lose against a god?¡± Turning towards Sasha and Misha I state in a grand manner ¡°The correct answer is to save both with the single grail.¡± They should understand what I¡¯m trying to say. Sasha stood up. It was without much force but she stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll help you both.¡± ¡°¡­..How¡­¡­? It doesn¡¯t require much thought to see that it¡¯s impossible. Originally our body and soul are one. We cannot remain divided forever. Even if you prepare a new body for Misha, a soul cannot live a long life when cut in half. Even if you reincarnate it will still only be half a soul and will still die young.¡± Sasha arranges her logic to prove its impossible, however, if you know its impossible, why did you stand up? Is she expecting it? Betting everything on a tiny sliver of hope? That I will overturn common sense like in our group opposition exam and replace her with Misha? To that expectation, I will not answer. ¡°In all cases, you are still the original one.¡± ¡°¡­..So it is impossible then¡­¡­?¡± ¡°No, not at all. There¡¯s a simple solution to this. Originally, there just needs to be 2 people.¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes open wide in surprise. ¡°Is such a thing possible? How?¡± ¡°Change the past.¡± Sasha was at a loss for words. Indeed, she probably thinks that the past cant be changed, however, true magic can transcend even time, to a light degree anyway. At this level, even for me, I can¡¯t say that it will be easy. ¡°Time Manipulation can trace back 15 years.¡± This time Misha speaks up. ¡°I won¡¯t be born if you change the past.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right. Misha was created by . If we were twins from the beginning the Misha who is here now will disappear. Even if she is a younger sister it won¡¯t be Misha¡­¡­..¡± If I change the past then Misha won¡¯t be born. It¡¯s blocked in all directions. A true impossibility. However, the demon king is one that destroys even the impossible. ¡°2 divided souls. Due to its origin, it is destined to return to being one. Don¡¯t you think there should be another origin?¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Originally there was a whole Sasha. Then Sasha is divided by and we get a Sasha and Misha whose origin is halved.¡± They are both listening to me with a half-stunned look. ¡°We simply fuse Sasha with Sasha and Misha with Misha. It¡¯s a simple addition and once done you will both have complete origins and will both be real people who were born.¡± ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t really get it¡­¡­¡­. If it was just me I can see it but is there such a magic to make the exact same person?¡± ¡°Sorry. No magic can produce the exact same person. There is only one origin for everything in this world.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s still impossible then?¡± ¡°No, I cannot make another person who¡¯s exactly the same but I don¡¯t need to. We¡¯ll go and meet the other person ourselves.¡± ¡°¡­.What does that even mean¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t explain myself properly. I should have said I¡¯ll go into the past and fuse the current you with the past you.¡± Both Sasha and Misha have looks on their faces that say they still don¡¯t understand. Origin magic . They don¡¯t know the time concept that occurs when using it. In the age of myths, I wonder how many mazoku could change the past by more than a few seconds? ¡°Basically, I will send the origins of the 2 people who are here now 15 years into the past to when you were born. There will be 2 origins each then. One for the past and one for the present. Misha and Sasha are the same person but past Misha and Sasha are also the same person. Both your origins will return to being one. Misha will fuse with Misha and Sahsa will fuse with Sasha.¡± ¡°¡­..What will happen then¡­..?¡± ¡°You would both have bodies and would basically be born as twins.¡± Chapter 27.2 Changing the past is subject to various laws and is very difficult. If someone notices that twins were born then contradictions in the timeline will occur and the past that was changed will not go well. Therefore, all I need to do is make sure that nobody realises or becomes aware of it. ¡°Although the past will be changed both of you as well as Aivis will continue to think that Misha was born due to . Nothing will change. Not world history, not even a speck of dust. The only thing that will change is that Misha will still be here at midnight.¡± Sasha looked at me with a face that said that she didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Can you really do such a thing¡­¡­.?¡± I nod silently. ¡°Can all royal families use origin magic?¡± ¡°I can use it¡­..¡± I looked at Misha and she nodded as well. ¡°Good. Both of you will be using . If I go back nothing will happen. Both of you need to go back and join up with your origins at the moment you were born.¡± ¡°¡­.Wait. I know the basics of origin magic but such a great magic is¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I used Demon King Army .¡± The origins of us 3 will be connected by . I can pour my magic into them through the magic lines as much as they need ¡°Leave the magic power and use of it to me. All you need to do is look at your origins with your demon eyes. Those will be your targets.¡± I raise 2 fingers. ¡°One. Make sure you get your own origin. Fix your eyes on the time that you were in your mother¡¯s stomach as the time stream you can travel back on is fixed then.¡± I can send them back 15 years but that¡¯s too general. I need an exact time. ¡°Two and this is important. The assumption of origin magic is that you are borrowing power from the founder, the demon king.¡± The origins of magic use the rule that the older you are the more magical you are. Should I lend them my power from now or let them borrow my power from 2000 years ago? It¡¯s not so simple a story. When using origin magic it would be much stronger using the me from 2000 years ago due to the 2000 year drift strengthening my magic and increasing my power. Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s a troublesome magical concept. I should just finish up. ¡°Okay? Listen up. I am the founder. The demon king of cruelty that you believe in is fake. He¡¯s an imitation. Believe that I am the founder when you use the origin magic otherwise will fail.¡± Misha and Sasha look at each other then nodded as they steeled themselves. ¡°Believe.¡± Misha said ¡°In any case, I¡¯m relying on you anyway. Even if it¡¯s only a little, there¡¯s a small chance that I believe you.¡± replied Sasha. ¡°Don¡¯t forget those words.¡± I hold up my hand and draw a three-dimensional magic formation in the room. In the blink of an eye magic that transcends time was built. I concentrate all my awareness on using the magic. At that moment a loud noise rings out and the ceiling collapses. Following the rules of gravity, a huge pile of rubble falls down. Mixed in with the rubble was a shadow which dropped straight down. The moment my eyes caught the face of a skeleton it was already only several centimetres away and in its hand was a jet black demon sword. It was like it was holding condensed night in its hand. It looks like a masterpiece from the age of myths. The ominous swords effortlessly breaks through my anti-magic barrier before tearing through my skin, splitting my flesh and piercing my heart. Fresh blood scatters. ¡°¡­..Arnos¡­..!!¡± Sasha raises a scream like voice. ¡°Goodbye, strong Mazoku who¡¯s name cannot be known.¡± One of the old seven demon emperors Avis Necron mutters in a low voice before pushing the rest of the sword into my chest. ¡°¡­.Sasha¡­..¡± ¡°¡­.I know!!¡± Misha uses Creation Construction to cover Aivis¡¯ body in a prison of steel while at the same time Sasha pours all her magical power into her . ¡°Die!!¡± Apart from the rubble that is still falling all the other debris, rubble and surrounding objects make a noise and shatter all at once. ¡°You should be quiet.¡± Aivis waves a hand and Sashas are suppressed while Misha¡¯s steel jail is broken. Aivis then activates Demon Binding Chain tying Sasha and Misha up in chains of magic. ¡°You are important containers. You should behave yourselves. It¡¯s almost time. will be completed and the founder will reincarnate here.¡± Aivis looks up at the sky where moonlight is now pouring through. ¡°Fumu. I see. was purely to make a container for the founder to reincarnate into.¡± An astonished Aivis turns to see me standing there with a demon sword sticking out of my heart. ¡°¡­..Impossible¡­¡­. wounds from the demon sword Gador cannot be healed¡­¡­.¡± It¡¯s true that recovery magic hasn¡¯t been working since I got stabbed. But that¡¯s it. ¡°Did you honestly think I die from just having my heart crushed?¡± I grab Aivis¡¯ face daring to take another blow from him at such close range. ¡°I thought it was about time for you to come, Aivis Necron. You studied fusion magic for over 1000 years and even gave it to your descendants. You couldn¡¯t allow a nuisance to ruin it.¡± I draw a magic circle inside this guys body. Superficial magic wouldn¡¯t work on someone from the age of myths. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have time to play with you so I¡¯ll have to ask you to leave early.¡± I smash condensed magic power into the inside of Aivis¡¯ body. ¡°Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon ¡± At that moment a jet black sun appeared inside Aivis and tore through the multiple layers of anti-magic he had built collapsing his body from the inside. Black light began to leak from Aivis¡¯ body as he began to split open. ¡°Gahh!¡­..thi¡­..this magical power¡­¡­. Impossible. Not only more knowledgeable than me but more powerful¡­.you¡­¡­are strong¡­.!!¡± Aivis was blown away while trying to resist rampaging inside his body. ¡°Fumu. As expected from a mazoku from the age of myths.¡± I pull the demon sword Gador from my heart ¡°I¡¯m not able to heal the wound caused by this demon sword.¡± I threw the demon sword Gador at Aivis causing the jet black sword to pierce his body as if it was sucked in. The force I threw it with was still in effect causing that guy¡¯s body to fly into the air and smash into the wall where he looked like he was crucified. ¡°Gu¡­..kaa¡­¡­aa..¡± He¡¯s not dead but he shouldn¡¯t be able to resist for a while. I cast anti-magic on Sasha and Misha freeing them from . ¡°Okay?¡± Misha asks I nod. 15 seconds left until midnight? I¡¯ve got time. It¡¯s time for the live performance. Time to change the past. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s now the final finish. Believe in me.¡± I pour magic into the formation I built and trigger Origin Magic . TN: Just a quick note and a request from me. I can appreciate people are eager to read more (I didn¡¯t think it would be this popular) but please don¡¯t post spoilers in any way shape or form in the comments please. There are plenty of forums where you can ask all the questions you want. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 28.1 The Magic Clock showed 11:59:55 Heading towards the origin that Sasha and Misha had fixed their eyes on invites them to the past. The time is now 11:59:56 and the world turned white. The floors, walls and ceiling everything went white. A further 2 seconds of time pass and the clock stops. This place is now isolated from the world. ¡°Did you come?¡± The point of a silver sword appears and the empty space in front of my eyes was suddenly cut. It looks a bit like a curtain for an actor to enter the stage. From just the tip you could think it was a sword but I know its actually a scythe. ¡°What¡­.is that¡­¡­.?¡± Sasha asks in a surprised voice. ¡°¡­¡­..I cannot see the bottom of its magic¡­¡­.¡± Misha adds. Other than me this must be her first time meeting someone who¡¯s power she couldn¡¯t see the bottom of. ¡°Concentrate on your origins. The magic hasn¡¯t fully formed yet. Besides, this guy isn¡¯t someone you can take on.¡± Enlarging the space that was cut a pair of hands wearing white gloves appear. Grasping the space they wrench it open further and a figure slowly appears. It¡¯s wearing a white robe with a hood and no matter how hard you stare with your demon eyes you won¡¯t be able to see its face. Of course, it¡¯s possible it doesn¡¯t even have a face to begin with. ¡°Nee. Arnos, what is that¡­¡­?¡± Sasha asks me again. ¡°Eugo Ra Raviaz the guardian deity of time. Simply put, its the god responsible for protecting and keeping the order and flow of time.¡± ¡°¡­.Go¡­¡­.God¡­¡­..!?¡± Stunned, Sasha leaks the word. ¡°He¡¯s here for business as a god. I¡¯m going to greatly alter the past and he doesn¡¯t forgive people that set out to do that.¡± Eugo Ra Raviaz turns to look at me. After a moment it appears to recognise me and says. ¡°¡ª¨CWon¡¯t permit¡ª¨C¡° A solemn voice shakes the air around it. ¡°Hou. This is the first time we¡¯ve met where you¡¯ve spoken.¡± In 2000 years will even gods change? ¡°¡ª¨CWon¡¯t forgive¡ª¨C¡° Again Eugo Ra Raviaz emits a voice that shakes the air around it ¡°Fumu. If possible could you look the other way on this? Even though I¡¯m changing the past I¡¯m only saving one mazoku. Or you could say only one tragedy is disappearing from this world. Can¡¯t a god allow this one thing?¡± ¡°¡ª¨CWon¡¯t permit¡ª¨C¡° If you try to change the past with magic other supernatural powers will act to prevent it. The order of the world, the law of the world or simply providence. The guardian deity embodies all of it. Eugo Ra Raviaz is here to remove the cause of whatever is trying to alter the past. In other words, he¡¯s here to kill the caster of . ¡°Yare yare. Even after 2000 years you lot are as narrow-minded as ever. You don¡¯t like people stepping on your speciality. You don¡¯t permit anyone other than gods to perform miracles.¡± Ignoring human prayers and stepping on the pride of the mazoku. What value is there to a god that saves the order of things but doesn¡¯t save anybody? ¡°The rules you and the other gods arbitrarily decided on are unjust. It might make me the bad one but I have no intention of following such things.¡± ¡°¡ª¨CWon¡¯t allow disruption to flow of time. I will hand down judgement upon thee¡ª¨C¡°(1) Eugo Ra Raviaz disappears with a flash of light. The next moment he appears next to Avis Necron who¡¯s still pinned to the wall. What¡¯s he doing? ¡°¡ª¨COld Seven Demon Emperor Avis Necron¡ª¨C¡° Eugo Ra Raviaz raises his hand and the demon sword Gador moves backwards out of Avis body and falls on the floor. Aivis face is healed in an instant. The wounds caused by the demon sword Gador cannot be healed but the guardian deity of time returned the time to Aivis. It was returned to before he was stabbed with Gador and burnt with Finally, his body was healed. No, not healed. The wounds never happened. ¡°¡ª¨CI grant thee the power of the god of time. Destroy Arnos Voldigod¡ª¨C¡° Eugo Ra Raviaz turns into light and is then sucked into the body of Aivis. What remained was a silver weapon in Aivis¡¯ hand. The Time Gods Scythe . ¡°Fufufufu¡­¡­¡­¡± Low laughter comes from Aivis. ¡°As expected from you. It¡¯s now come to this Arnos Voldigod¡± With the Time Gods Scythe in hand, Aivis¡¯ magic power cant even be compared to what it was before. ¡°¡­¡­..The power of a god¡­¡­.¡± Misha mutters. Indeed, she has good demon eyes. If you look into the abyss of this fellow you can see the power of Eugo Ra Raviaz overflowing from his source. ¡°I see the current Eugo Ra Raviaz has learnt to be more effective in his destroying of those that disturb the time flow by giving his power to them.¡± The power of Eugo Ra Raviaz has been added to the magic of Aivis but more importantly than that. ¡°What did you mean just then Aivis?¡± Aivis doesn¡¯t show any reaction to my words. He just stares at me in a grand manner. ¡°Have you seen Eugo Ra Raviaz do this before in the past?¡± Aivis shouldn¡¯t know about the existence of so naturally, neither should Eugo Ra Raviaz. Even if by some small chance I had used it in the past and one of the other Old Seven Demon Emperors had told Aivis about it his lines still don¡¯t add up. He had to have already known about it and lied to me. It¡¯s the most logical answer. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to someone who¡¯s about to die.¡± *Fu Kukuku.* Yare yare. It¡¯s so ridiculous it makes me laugh. ¡°Haha, kuhahahaha. Who¡¯s going to die after this? Don¡¯t get cocky over your borrowed power. Your ability is known to me.¡± I draw a magic formation and fire off a . A jet black comet fires out and hits Aivis, however, wielding the Time Gods Scythe he cuts it right in 2. The jet black sun disappears as its time is devoured. It wasn¡¯t even anti-magic or a counter attack. The time of was returned and it never existed. ¡°Any magic will have its time returned. Your attacks will not reach me.¡± ¡°You look so happy Aivis.¡± Aivis glared at me as I laughed. ¡°You prevented one magic. Is that it? If you intend to win try to make it look more natural.¡± I instantly made 6 formations and fired them. ¡°Upstream Barrier .¡± Waving his scythe Aivis sets up a magic barrier. . Any magic that touches it will have its time rewound. Even anti-magic won¡¯t help. It¡¯s an almost unbeatable shield. My 6 disappeared. ¡°A splendid display of bluffing but how do you intend to break through a magic barrier that returns time?¡± *Fuu* I laughed through my nose unintentionally. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already broken through it.¡± The moment I said it 6 appeared inside Aivis¡¯ barrier. ¡°What¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± His body is turned jet black as it¡¯s wrapped up in black flames. ¡° is a magic barrier that unwinds the time of magic that hits it. A normal would disappear as soon as it touched it so I made mine go against time.¡± A that goes against time would normally be useless. Because it goes against time it has no influence in the world at all. In other words, the magic itself doesn¡¯t occur. However, rewinds time so the magic has its time returned to it putting it in a state where the magic is now occurring and can affect the world. The first 6 shots of I fired were decoys. I fired another 6 but sent them 6 hours back in time with . caused their time to be returned. ¡°Although you¡¯ve borrowed the power of Eugo Ra Raviaz your knowledge and preparation regarding the concept of time is insufficient.¡± A low voice comes from the centre of the black flame. Chapter 28.2 ¡°It certainly looks like it. I guess I was taking thee too lightly.¡± disappears leaving behind a perfectly healthy and intact Aivis. ¡°However, I who received the power of Eugo Ra Raviaz am now invulnerable. I cannot be hurt.¡± Eugo Ra Raviaz is the god of time and can freely return a body¡¯s time with no penalties. It doesn¡¯t stop a bodies time as that would be unsuitable but if you ever get hurt you can just go back to before it happened. It¡¯s an eternally invulnerable existence and Aivis who now shares that power also benefits from that power. Taking on Eugo Ra Raviaz means I only have one aim. ¡°I already know what the aim of thou will be.¡± Aivis raises the Time Gods Scythe. My cannot manipulate the time of Eugo Ra Raviaz¡¯s main body but by using its own scythe against it I can. By using the Time Gods Scythe I can make the immortal time gods time finite. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable but I can¡¯t just let you do as you please.¡± Aivis turned the scythe on himself and stabbed himself in the stomach. ¡°Magic Tool Fusion .¡± A three-dimensional magic formation covers Aivis¡¯ entire body. As it settles his skeleton shines a silvery white and sharp blades appear on both arms. He¡¯s fused with the Time Gods Scythe. ¡°Well, what will you do now my weak point has disappeared?¡± There is a time limit to normal fusion magic but as long as Eugo Ra Raviaz is involved it doesn¡¯t matter. I can no longer beat Aivis using the Time Gods Scythe. Also, due to fusing with the scythe his magic power has swelled more than tenfold. ¡°Also, thy own weak point is in full view.¡± Aivis waves both his arms which have assimilated with the scythe as if he¡¯s trying to cut both the sky and the ground. Should I make a barrier against the huge slashes coming my way? I develop an anti-magic field filled with all my power. Fiery sparks like bees are scattered around as his magic and my anti-magic clash. His aim is Misha and Sasha. ¡°Fumu. How strange. Are you trying to destroy the important vessels for the founder¡¯s reincarnation? Can you easily make more? Or-¡° Aivis shows no reaction at my words and puts more power into his arms. ¡°Is breaking the container in which you put so much effort nothing compared to killing me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the luxury to be able to talk anymore. The situation has already been reversed.¡± With a snapping sound, the first layer of my anti-magic barrier is broken. ¡°Very Impressive. Thou art using the class¡¯ characteristic of which means thy magic power should have decreased by at least 30%. Though art also supplying magic power to as well as the 2 people using it and all the while controlling it. Despite all this, thou endured my blow suffused with a gods power.¡± Another sound echoed out and my second layer shattered. ¡°¡­.Arnos¡­..!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha and Sasha watch me with worried eyes. ¡°How kind. Is the past not yet changed? Although you have the help of skilled people origin magic is difficult to control. Just give up and throw away your burden.¡± As Aivis is talking the sources of Misha and Sasha which are travelling back in time by 15 years are still on their way. One reason the magic still hasn¡¯t completed is that those 2 still don¡¯t completely believe that I¡¯m the founder. No matter how much they think they believe if it¡¯s not from the bottom of their hearts the origin magic will not complete. ¡°Not that it matters. The result will still be the same even if you don¡¯t give up.¡± A louder sound rang out as my third layer was destroyed. I¡¯ve only got one layer left. ¡°It¡¯s fine already Arnos!! Were done. Even if it¡¯s you¡­¡­..!¡± ¡°Escape.¡± Misha and Sasha both appeal to me. ¡°Fumu. Yare yare. That¡¯s the reason. You seem to think there¡¯s a chance that I will lose so you don¡¯t believe that I¡¯m the founder.¡± ¡°Why are you saying such a thing in this situation¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll buy you the time you need to let the origin magic complete.¡± The loudest sound yet rings out and my last barrier is broken. ¡°It was a good bluff at the end there, however, this is the end.¡± Aivis raises both his arms up high. I immediately set up anti-magic on Sasha and Misha again. ¡°You protected those two people right up to the end Arnos Voldigod.¡± The voice of Aivis that had been far away was suddenly by my ear. Accelerating his own time Aivis approached me in almost .1 of a second and stuck his right arm into my abdomen. ¡°Thou hast been negligent with thy own anti-magic.¡± Using the Time Gods Scythe embedded in his body he makes my body¡¯s time go out of control. ¡°I will drink all thy time and make thee disappear.¡± Silver light surrounds me and time accelerates. 1 billion years¡ª¡ª-10 billion years¡ª¡ª-. Eternity piled up in an instant. Even the body of a demon king cannot survive forever. One day I will die and disappear. The light splits open and the body subjected to eternal time became extinct. ¡°Fu¡­¡­..fufufufu, fuhahahaha!! How¡¯s that? Did you realise it, stupid founder? Fate cannot be changed. When I became immortal, no, 2000 years ago when you fled from battle it was decided that this is what would happen on this day!!¡± Fumu. I see. Have I finally heard the truth? ¡°I don¡¯t know why you can remember since your past has been deleted but you seem to remember me somehow or another Aivis.¡± From behind, I put my hand on his shoulder. Aivis seems to be in a state that says he cannot believe it as he slowly turns around. ¡°¡­.Ho¡­¡­.w¡­¡­.? You certainly died¡­¡­¡­.¡± Aivis was born right at the end of the war. Despite being a mazoku from the age of myths he¡¯s never seen a true magic battle. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d die from just being killed?¡± Aivis uses his demon eyes but there¡¯s no trick. I was certainly killed earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. I just used Resurrection .¡± ¡°¡­..Only your origin remained¡­¡­and you still used magic¡­..!?¡± Even if the body is ruined the origin is also the source of magic power and it remains there. Those who have mastered magic can use it even if only their origin remains. That¡¯s why it¡¯s possible to resurrect even from there. If you¡¯re dead for less than 3 seconds you can revive yourself. ¡°But¡­¡­!!¡± Aivis teleports 10 meters behind me. A magic circle forms at his feet and a world of silver white spreads out from there. It¡¯s a grand magic that stops the time of all things. A silvery-white barrier extends spherically. If you step foot inside it everything stops, not temporarily but forever. ¡°Fumu. As expected, this is mythical magic.¡± Into the world of stopped time I step forward slowly. ¡°Wha¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only stopped my time. Did you think you¡¯d stopped my ability to walk as well?¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­!! Why haven¡¯t you stopped!? Why!?¡± Aivis desperately puts out more power but its useless. float on my pupils. Everything I can see as well as magic is destroyed. are the ultimate anti-magic. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s with this magic power¡­..? Using which drinks magic and still supporting those 2 dead weights? How can you still surpass me who¡¯s obtained the power of a god¡­..!? Impossible. How can such a thing¡­..!?¡± ¡°Did you forget where this is Aivis?¡± I walk straight up to him. ¡°I will teach you what it means to challenge the demon king in his own castle.¡± Black particles of light begin to fill the space. They soon increase to an uncountable number and fill the room. Many magical characters appear on the walls, floor and ceiling all crammed together. The true demon kings castle appears. The strongest magical tool that Arnos Voldigod owns. A huge three-dimensional magic formation¡ª¡ª- (1) As probably expected from a time god he speaks in a very archaic way and I¡¯m terrible at using ye olde English so I¡¯ll only throw in some odd words. Chapter 29.1 ¡°Come, Venuzdonoa.¡± In response to my call, countless black particles begin to rise up from my feet. A sword-shaped shadow begins to emerge. There¡¯s no object there, only a shadow exists. As I raise my hand the shadow sword slowly starts to float. As I grasp the handle the shadow reversed and in its place was a dark long sword. ¡°You said it was fated Aivis.¡± I lower the sword while talking ¡°Your body which houses the power of Eugo Ra Raviaz is timeless, permanent, immutable and immortal.¡± Aivis pours all of his power into the silvery white world. In the space where everything is stopped I step forward. ¡°I obtained the power of a god¡­¡­ I¡¯m a god¡­¡­¡± Because Aivis has used too much of his magic power the consciousness of Eugo Ra Raviaz has come to the surface. ¡°I am world providence. I am an immortal with the power of providence and invulnerability.¡± No, have they merged together? Is this the result of fusing with the Time God¡¯s Scythe ? The consciousness of Aivis and Eugo Ra Raviaz are beginning to merge. ¡°Altering the flow of time is the absolute territory of the gods.¡± ¡°You cannot simply overturn fate.¡± Aivis¡¯ right arm turns into a huge sickle and a huge amount of magic power flows out of it. ¡°Creating miracles is the work of the gods.¡± ¡°2 stunted mazoku with only 15 years to live will give no benefits.¡± Aivis and Eugo Ra Raviaz have started talking together. ¡°Fate? Providence? Miracles? Kukuku hahahaha.¡± Laughter comes deep from my stomach. ¡°To whom do you think you are talking to? Know your place servant.¡± I step another step forward. ¡°Sasha said she would destroy such a fate.¡± Another step forward. ¡°A miracle happened twice is what Misha said.¡± Another step forward. ¡°My subordinates souls and word are brave and admirable. I will not stand idly by as they are sneered and ridiculed at.¡± Aivis readies his scythe as I walk towards him in a grand manner. ¡°Foolish.¡± ¡°Do you still think of yourself as the demon king, stupid founder? No one believes in you! You should die in obscurity by yourself!¡± The scythe is swung down at me. A single blow and time-space is ruptured but I leisurely capture it with my bare hand. ¡°What is a demon king? Is it power? A title? Authority? A position?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of them. I am simply me. To completely annihilate those subordinates who rise up and rebel against this me no matter what their destiny or providence is. That is what a demon king is.¡± I raise my sword and speak to my 2 subordinates whose time has stopped. ¡°If you can¡¯t believe in me that¡¯s fine, however, I will break your destiny if you wish it Sasha. Misha. If you say a miracle has occurred then I will make it so.¡± Believe in me or don¡¯t. I don¡¯t care about things like that. ¡°Do not pray and do not wish. Simply walk behind my back. I will stand before you and block all unreasonableness. I will annihilate it all from now!¡± As I loudly declare this a voice rings out. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­.!¡± Sasha¡¯s mouth moved slightly in this world where time had stopped. Her were activated. She had poured all her magic into it and was desperately resisting the time stop. The power had also extended to Misha. ¡°¡­..Arnos¡­¡­¡± There¡¯s no more words but the thoughts of 2 people were flowing through Thought Domain . ¡°I wanted to change destiny.¡± Sasha¡¯s firm will and gentle heart floats across my mind. Chapter 29.2 Countless thoughts flow into my mind. [I wanted to save my younger sister.] [I was convinced I¡¯d lived enough but if I said I had no regrets I¡¯d be lying.] [I still didn¡¯t know love. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d die without even having a kiss but there was no help for it. I¡¯d run out of time.] [Then I met you. A person who could look me in the eye without using anti-magic and had the same eyes.] [Just that much was enough to make me laugh. But that¡¯s fine.] [Let¡¯s destroy that fate. Those words you said so very easily¡­¡­¡­] [To the me at that time they gave me courage.] [I gave you my first and last kiss. That should have cleared up my regrets.] [But¡­¡­but¡­¡­if¡­¡­.] [If it came true I wanted to see the continuation of that love.] A quiet voice enters my mind. [15 years is my life] Her determination and small wishes overflowed as Misha¡¯s calm and gentle heart touched my mind. [It¡¯s not scary because I never existed from the beginning but I still wanted to make memories.] [I wanted a friend but nobody would talk to me. No one called my name as I did not exist but then Arnos called my name.] [Misha. You called it.] [Whenever you said it my chest got hot. It made me feel like I was alive.] [Fun and warmth. I almost forgot I did not exist.] [I had nothing to regret. A miracle happened in my life.] [However.] [If there could be one more miracle.] [I want a birthday present.] ¡°¡­¡­.Help me¡­¡­¡± Misha says. The girl who should be preparing to disappear clearly says. ¡°Help me Arnos. I am here.¡± Tears spill from Sasha¡¯s eyes as she hears it then she cries out. ¡°¡­.Nee. Please. Help me Arnos. That only one can live¡­¡­..There¡¯s no such fate¡­¡­!!¡± I strongly grasp my sword as I¡¯m pushed by the voices from behind. ¡°Foolish. I am an immortal and indestructible being. I am this worlds providence.¡± ¡°Fumu. Then you should try to kill me.¡± I brush off the scythe with no difficulty and step forward right in front of Aivis. Jet black magic rises from my sword giving it the impression that it had grown into a huge blade. ¡°This is Venuzdonoa.¡± The countless anti-magic barriers Aivis had cast on himself all broke as my sword cut through them and him. ¡°¡­.Futile¡­..¡± ¡°This body controls time and providence itself¡­¡­.what can you do¡­¡­.¡± Aivis¡¯ right arm fell off and an astonished voice leaks out. ¡°¡­¡­What¡­..the¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­..Heal¡­heal¡­..heal¡­¡­.providence¡­¡­all collapsing¡­..¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you an immortal existence? This worlds providence is so fragile.¡± I swing my blade again and Aivis¡¯ left arm drops off. It was easily cut off and no matter how much you rewind it won¡¯t go back. ¡°Impossible¡­¡­.! Why? To be cut in stopped time and rewinding time is useless!? I swing again and both of Aivis¡¯ legs are cut. ¡°¡­.Impossible¡­..Impossible¡­..!! What is that sword? I¡¯ve never heard of the founder having a sword!¡± ¡°Naturally. I very rarely had the opportunity to draw Venuzdonoa. Those who saw it died without even leaving their origin behind. It¡¯s hard to create a legend when there¡¯s no one alive to tell it.¡± I point the blade at the throat of Aivis. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a pleasant memory to take into the afterlife. Principle destroying sword Venuzdonoa. It can destroy all things in creation and is the sword of the founder. Whether it be destiny, providence or a miracle. In front of me, they can do nothing but grovel and disappear.¡± No matter how strong, eternal or infinite Venuzdonoa will destroy them all. In front of this principle destroying sword all reason becomes illogical. ¡°I¡­¡­..!¡± Aivis tried to escape with Flight but I grabbed him by the face. ¡°You won¡¯t forget again. I¡¯ll engrave your skull with fear. I am the demon king Arnos Voldigod.¡± I plunge the principle destroying sword Venuzdonoa into Aivis¡¯ throat. At that moment his origin disappears. ¡°I¡­¡­I¡­¡­¡­¡­..I¡­¡­¡­¡­..!!¡± In his last moments, this fellow screams out Is it Aivis or is it Eugo Ra Raviaz? ¡°I¡­¡­.am¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.providence¡­¡­.inadequate¡­..person¡­¡­!!¡± With that both origins of Aivis and Eugo Ra Raviaz disappear. With a clanging noise, the Time Gods Scythe falls to the floor. Authors note: So OP! I¡¯ve made the MC so powerful. How am I going to enliven the story moving forward? Chapter 30 ¡°Fumu. This is the first time I¡¯ve obtained it without breaking it.¡± I pick up the Time Gods Scythe . A true magic tool chooses its owner and it seems I¡¯m not compatible with the scythe. Whenever I defeated Eugo Ra Raviaz in the past I always ended up breaking it. I hold up my hand and form a magic circle which sucks in. I sent it to my treasury. You never know, it might be useful for something. Now then. I turn my demon eyes to the place where Aivis perished. I see. I thought the flow of magic power was strange. ¡°Resurrection .¡± Magic circles form at the same time as the magic activates. The skeletal body shines with a bright light and was revived. It was Aivis Necron. If an origin is destroyed then can¡¯t bring them back so how did Aivis revive? There¡¯s only one answer. The principle destroying sword Venuzdonoa destroyed the origins of 2 beings that were hostile to me. One was a mazoku and another was Eugo Ra Raviaz, however, there appears to have been one more origin. Before fusing with Eugo Ra Raviaz it had already fused with Aivis. ¡°Wake up my flesh and blood subordinate.¡± Light appeared in the eyes of the skeleton when I gave it some magic power. It vaguely stared at me and said. ¡°¡­..I have been forgetful for a long time¡­¡­. My own lord¡­¡­ I remember now, however, my origin has learned fear. I finally returned to myself after seeing thy battle style¡­¡­¡± Aivis raised his body and knelt before me. ¡°Forgive me my beloved demon lord Arnos Voldigod-sama.¡± Apparently, this appears to be the real Aivis Necron. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°¡­.I do not know¡­.. My memory has been erased, however, it¡¯s probable that 2000 years ago after Arnos-sama had reincarnated I was murdered by someone. Our origins were fused and I was taken over¡­¡­¡± Is that just a guess on his part? Well, his memory was completely wiped after all. Guessing is all he¡¯s got. ¡°During the great magic training, I spoke to you in the classroom. Did they already know?¡± Aivis nods. Someone killed Aivis and fused with him. Is that someone one the Old Seven Demon Emperors? Was Aivis being played? That person knew I was the founder and decided to kill me. Time Manipulation and Recollection is only effective on those you designate. During the great magic training, I tried to read Aivis¡¯ memory but because it was gone I obviously could not read it. To read the past of the person who fused with Aivis would be impossible as I would need to know their origin. ¡°I see. They purposely showed me the unfinished fusion magic.¡± Because of its limited fusion time or maybe it was short on purpose they drew my attention away from Aivis and maybe noticing he was fused with someone else. ¡°Did the other Old Seven Demon Emperors lose their memories like you?¡± ¡°Possibly, or they might have deleted the knowledge of who did it from their own minds.¡± I was betrayed? Not an impossible story. Oh well, I¡¯ve got no way of knowing and guessing won¡¯t help. I touch Aivis¡¯ forehead with my fingertip. ¡°Receive this correct memory from me. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s from when you were born until I reincarnated.¡± I transmitted the memories to Aivis with Thought Transmission . ¡°Your orders?¡± ¡°The person who fused with you was probably an underling of this Avos Dillheavia though his existence is not yet confirmed. At the very least there is someone who is hostile to me and knows I¡¯m the founder.¡± Shame I couldn¡¯t get some information from the mazoku who was fused with Aivis. Oh well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. I was up against the power of Eugo Ra Raviaz so I couldn¡¯t take any chances. Besides, my top priority at the moment is Sasha & Misha. ¡°Avos Dillheavia will be watching me and dealing with a mazoku from the age of myths will be troublesome. Even if I kill them they can probably reincarnate and they won¡¯t be so stupid as to casually appear in the demon kings castle since I can turn them into rust on the blade of Venuzdonoa.¡± Aivis keeps his head lowered listening to my words. ¡°I¡¯ll ride on that fellow¡¯s expectations. I¡¯ll spend my time in the school as usual. If they are planning something they will show movement sooner or later. If I put on airs and declare myself they will make sure I¡¯ll spend my time chasing my tail and escape. If they escape it could be hundreds or thousands of years before they resurface.¡± A mazokus life is long and the person imitating me has already waited a long time. No matter how long it takes we can afford to wait for the perfect opportunity. ¡°Okay then. Since you died here Avos Dillheavia might relax a bit and be less cautious.¡± Now Aivis is believed dead he can investigate secretly from the shadows. ¡°Examine the rest of the Old Seven Demon Emperors.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± It¡¯s about time. Should I finish up here? ¡°Past Modification ¡± When I used that magic the white space began to quickly regain colour. The hands on the Magic Clock begin to go round and round then start moving correctly again. By defeating Eugo Ra Raviaz time has begun to move normally again. I noticed that Aivis had already disappeared. ¡°¡­..Wha¡­..?¡± Hearing a mutter from behind I turn around and see Sasha looking up at the ceiling. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s not moonlight. That¡¯s sunlight¡­¡­¡­¡± She sounds surprised. ¡°The space that Eugo Ra Raviaz created was isolated from the world and when I killed him we became unable to return to the time we left. As a result, we have arrived a few hours ahead.¡± ¡°Morning sun?¡± Misha says. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I thought yesterday was my last day¡­¡­¡± I laugh. ¡°I said there¡¯s no such thing as impossible.¡± Misha¡¯s face takes on a puzzled look for a moment before firmly nodding. ¡°¡­.Nn¡­¡­.¡± Sasha suddenly jumps on Misha forcefully and hugs her tightly. ¡°Misha. I¡¯m glad¡­¡­ I¡¯m so glad. You see¡­.. errrm¡­.¡± Sasha says while looking embarrassed. ¡°Saying that I hate you. I¡¯m so sorry. I love you. I want you to live Misha.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Misha takes Sasha¡¯s hand. ¡°I also want Sasha to live.¡± ¡°Un.¡± They happily hold hands then hug each other again. Misha gently strokes Sasha¡¯s head who¡¯s currently crying. Even though she¡¯s crying she¡¯s also laughing. Fumu. It¡¯s a very heartwarming scene. While I¡¯m looking at the 2 sisters they nod at each other like they¡¯ve made up their mind on something and turn to me. ¡°Errrm¡­.Arnos¡­¡­¡­..sama¡­¡­.?¡± I inadvertently laugh at Sasha¡¯s attitude. ¡°Wha, why are you laughing¡­.!? Ah, no errm¡­¡­¡± Sasha¡¯s face floats a grateful look. The origin magic had succeeded that¡¯s why I cast Past Modification. The past is now altered and those 2 are very much alive now. In other words, they now believe I¡¯m the founder demon king Arnos Voldigod from 2000 years ago and since they believed in me the origin magic succeeded. ¡°Sasha. Peace isn¡¯t bad at all.¡± I say to her causing her to look puzzled. ¡°In this place, a little rudeness does not lead to loss of life. I got tired of a deteriorating world that only had fighting. I reincarnated here and I must say its a good time. This is the world I wanted to create.¡± My decision and gamble to divide the world into 4 seems to have gone well even if there was a slight miscalculation. ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony so much. What about the time you forcefully kissed me?¡± ¡°Eh¡­.wha¡­wait¡­¡­don¡¯t say it¡­¡­!¡± Sasha¡¯s face turns bright red. Next to her Misha mutters ¡°¡­.Kiss¡­..?¡± ¡°No¡­.Wrong! Friend. It was a kiss between friends! Nothing more to it¡­..!¡± ¡°Hou. I see. While you were under Thought Domain I¡¯m sure I heard you say from your heart that you wanted a continuation of that lov¡ª¡° ¡°Aaaaaaah ahhhhhhhh aaaaaaahhhhhh ahhhhhhhh!!¡± To drown out my words Sasha keeps yelling loudly. ¡°What are you laughing at mongrel! I¡¯m telling you now you misheard it!! Because I was going to die I just said anything! That¡¯s all! Understand!!¡± I can¡¯t help but find it funny how this angry girl speaks to me. Aah. It¡¯s a good age after all. ¡°Are you calling the founder a mongrel?¡± ¡°Whether you are the founder or not is irrelevant. In this time you are a mongrel.¡± Her manner of speaking is funny so I laughed again. ¡°You can stay as you are.¡± ¡°I was going to even without you saying so.¡± Sasha looks the other way. ¡°Misha is fine as she is.¡± Misha nods. ¡°Arnos is my friend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The Magic Clock shows the time as 7:30am. ¡°Should we go back? It¡¯s a perfect score if we get back to the entrance by 9am.¡± I point to the Kings Sceptre Sasha was still holding. ¡°I¡¯m amazed. You¡¯ve just gone through all of that yet you¡¯re worried about an exam score?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve changed the past on a number of occasions but I¡¯ve never got a perfect score in a dungeon exam.¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes widen in surprise causing me to laugh again. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± ¡°¡­..Dead end¡­..¡± Misha points with her finger. ¡°Aah, that¡¯s true.¡± I stamp my foot making a loud noise and the topography changes again. After about a minute the dead end turns into a path again. ¡°After the exam is over do you want to come over to my house?¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s there?¡± ¡°My mother is sure to be preparing a feast and waiting. Also.¡± I start laughing. ¡°It¡¯s both of your birthdays.¡± Sasha smiles while listening to me. ¡°I¡¯ll accept that invitation.¡± Misha looked at me and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± The 3 of us walked back to the entrance of the dungeon. Chapter 30.1 - Epilogue We arrived at the entrance of the dungeon by 9am and I submitted the King¡¯s Sceptre to Emilia. They fed me some story about having to perform an inspection to see if it was genuine so they¡¯d be keeping it a while. Because the exam was planned to end at dawn on the 2nd day there were no classes planned so we could all rest. It was ideal for a birthday party. I cast Transfer and we arrive outside my home the blacksmith & appraisers shop . When I opened the door my mother who was inside turned to me immediately. ¡°Welcome back Arnos-chan!¡± My mother runs over with more force than normal and hugs me tightly. She¡¯s crying for some reason. ¡°Mother was worried because you didn¡¯t come home yesterday.¡± ¡°I said it might last all night through to the morning.¡± ¡°I know, but even so Arnos-chan is only a month old. I was still worried.¡± My mother smiled and said again ¡°Welcome back Arnos-chan. Welcome back.¡± Fumu. Worried so much just because I didn¡¯t come back for 1 day. My mother should know my magic power to some extent. It¡¯s an embarrassing feeling. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± My mothers face lit up with a big smile. ¡°Welcome back Arnos-chan.¡± My mother hugs me again. ¡°Ohh?¡± Did you finally notice mother? Her gaze turns to Sasha but for some reason, she seems startled. She has an expression like she¡¯s noticed something. ¡°Morning. It will take until morning. It will take until morning¡­¡­..¡± Now she looks upset. ¡°It was a staying out all night declarationnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!¡± What¡¯s that? ¡°But I already said I might not return until morning.¡± ¡°I think the meaning between your statement and your moms are different.¡± Sasha says in a quiet voice. Hmm. Is this another thing that¡¯s changed in this age? ¡°What other kinds of meaning can I¡¯ll return in the morning have?¡± ¡°What other you say? That is¡­errrm¡­¡­you know¡­.¡± Sasha becomes flustered all of a sudden. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­.It¡¯s¡­..It¡¯s a good thing¡­..¡± Fumu. I see. I don¡¯t understand at all. My mother rushed up to Sasha while I was thinking. ¡°Sasha-chan!¡± ¡°Wha¡­what is it?¡± My other hugged Sasha tightly. ¡°Sasha-chan!¡± ¡°What? What is it!?¡± Sasha shrinks back at the force of my mother. My mother pats Sasha¡¯s head and looks like she¡¯s made up her mind about something. ¡°Are¡­.are you okay? Was he properly gentle?¡± Sasha¡¯s face goes blank. ¡°¡­.You see, I want to avoid this misunderstanding. As for being gentle, it wasn¡¯t needed.¡± Sasha calmly corrects my mother however what my mother hears causes her to open her mouth like she¡¯s received a great shock. ¡°¡­.Eh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine Sasha-chan. Different people like different things. Un, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s alright.¡± My mother acts like she¡¯s understood something and is trying to convince herself she¡¯s happy with it. Sasha looks like she wants to know so she asks my mother again. ¡°What is it? What do you mean?¡± ¡°But¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just tell me.¡± Saying it can¡¯t be helped my mother whispers in Sasha¡¯s ear. ¡°Everyone has their own preferences. As long as you aren¡¯t too violent getting rough is a good thing.¡± ¡°Are you stupid!!¡± Sasha becomes bright red and yells out before putting her hands to her head and shaking it. ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. Coming home in the morning didn¡¯t have that kind of meaning. Misha is here too. See?¡± ¡°Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Coming home in the morning with 3 people!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡± The force that is my mother can¡¯t be contained today either it seems. ¡°Is Misha-chan fine as well?¡± Misha leans her head to the side. ¡°¡­¡­.fine?¡­.¡± Unlike Sasha, Misha doesn¡¯t seem to understand too well either. ¡°Umm errm. Would it be better if Sasha-chan wasn¡¯t here? I understand. I wonder¡­..? Should I¡­¡­.?¡± When my mother asked fearfully Misha just shakes her head. ¡°3 people was fine.¡± At that moment the door to the workshop opened with a crash and my father appeared and the first thing out of his mouth was. ¡°Arnos. Father was, even father was like this back in the day. You¡¯re too quick to climb the steps of adulthood. One of these days you could fall down Hahaha.¡± I didn¡¯t ask father. ¡°But when I heard you were with 2 people I was so jealous. You didn¡¯t do both at the same time did you!?¡± My father slaps his hands on my shoulders while yelling and looking upset. ¡°Arnos. This is advice from your father who actually fell down those stairs.¡± My fathers face now looks serious before he continues. ¡°How did you do it? Teach me.¡± Where did the advice go? ¡°Erm Misha-chan. How did you go up so many flights of adult stairs? How did Arnos do 2 people?¡± What are you asking your son¡¯s classmate about father? ¡°¡­.He was gentle¡­..¡± ¡°Anyone can do it as long as they¡¯re gentle? I s¡ª-¡± My father opened his mouth like he¡¯d realised something before looking at me like he¡¯d seen something horrible. ¡°Were you such a technician Arnos¡­¡­¡­?¡± My father seems to have greatly misunderstood something. ¡°Like I said its a misunderstanding. Today is our Birthday so Arnos invited us!¡± Sasha makes a desperate appeal. Hearing that my mother who was still in shock made a fist like she was determined. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if the people themselves say they are okay it¡¯s not something you can just openly talk about.¡± It seems the misunderstanding has not yet been resolved. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mother will always be an ally of Arnos-chan. I¡¯ll always support what Arnos-chan wants to do.¡± My father nods at my mother¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s right. If Arnos wants to do something it can¡¯t be helped. If you want to do it¡­..¡± Why does my father seem full of regret now? ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided then I¡¯ll start preparing a feast right away. It¡¯s Sasha-chan and Misha-chans birthday. Right, I¡¯ll bake a cake too.¡± When my mother was about to go into the kitchen I remembered something. ¡°Aah, that¡¯s right. Misha I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± Misha watches me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hold out your hand.¡± Misha puts out her left hand like I asked. ¡°Done.¡± Fumu. Her ring finger looks like the best fit. Whatever, any finger should be fine. I place the on her finger. Misha brought the ring to her eyes and looked at it in amazement. ¡°Happy Birthday Misha. How do you feel about turning 15?¡± Misha looks at me with her usual deadpan expression, however, a tear ran down her cheek. In a trembling voice, she said ¡°I was scared.¡± As I thought she would be. She endured it for a long time. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be strong anymore.¡± ¡°¡­..Nn¡­¡­¡± Misha nodded as tears continued to fall. Seeing this a smile bloomed on Sasha¡¯s face and she held Misha¡¯s shoulders. And¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°I understand Misha-chan. It was scary but you held out.¡± My mother who doesn¡¯t know anything speaks up. ¡°¡­¡­.Understand¡­..?¡± ¡°Un. I was also scared during my proposal. No matter how much you believe it will go okay it¡¯s scary until it¡¯s done. In Misha¡¯s case, there¡¯s also Sasha-chan too.¡± Misha¡¯s eyes go round. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. Arnos-chan will definitely go through with it. Misha-chan and Sasha-chan. I¡¯m sure he will make you both happy.¡± Me and Sasha didn¡¯t know what to do with those words. However. ¡°¡­Fufufu¡­¡­¡± Misha laughed ¡°Make us both happy?¡± ¡°Un, that¡¯s right. Is that okay?¡± Misha thinks a little and laughs again. It was like a flower had bloomed. ¡°Nn.¡± It was a heartfelt smile from a girl who had suppressed her own heart until now. TN. With this Chapter 1/Arc 1 is finished. The next chapter/arc is the demon sword tournament arc. Chapter 30.2 - Prologue 2000 years ago in the great spirits forest Ahartherun. An 8 headed water dragon was raging causing a huge downpour of rain to fall. Spirits have a temporary body and a true body. A temporary body can look very different from their true body but if they appear in their true body they become much more powerful. Spirits are strange creatures. It is said that they are created by the hearts of countless people. Traditions and legends, rumours, desires, fear and hope. Spirits are the embodiment of all those things. If peoples fear of fire is high enough then spirits of fire can be produced. If they have faith in water then it may produce water spirits. The 8 headed water dragon was born from the story that the tears of a god fell into Ahartherun and the legend arose that those waters gave birth to people. It is also the true body of the great guardian spirit of water Riniyon.(1) It¡¯s currently raging against the intruder who¡¯s trying to burn the forest. The name of the intruder is the demon king of tyranny Arnos Voldigod and he is not afraid of Riniyon. ¡°Fumu. Were half of my subordinates just taken out with one blow? It seems your power matches up to your legend pretty well.¡± Arnos takes a step forward and prepares to go into action but a mazoku steps forward and stops him. The mazoku is clad in armour and is carrying a sword at his waist. With white eyes and white hair, he surveys the battlefield with a cool look before kneeling in front of the demon king and bowing his head. ¡°My lord, I graciously seek permission to offer your august presence my council.¡± ¡°Granted.¡± ¡°You need not bother yourself with such a small fry. If you give the order I will slay it in a single moment.¡± Hearing those words Arnos laughs. ¡°Shall we have a bet then? If you take more than a moment you lose and I will have you drop that formal speech with me. If you beat it in a single moment as you say then I will give you any reward you want.¡± To that the mazoku said ¡°You are playful. You know I cannot resist a wager.¡± *Kin* a sound of a sword being sheathed was heard. The next moment The raging 8 headed dragon vanished as it was chopped up into countless pieces. Every single drop of water that was falling disappeared. After a long interval, the sun breaks through and begins to shine on the forest again. ¡°How was that?¡± ¡°Your mastery of the sword is as great as ever Shin.¡± Still kneeling the mazoku lowers his head again. While kneeling he destroyed the great guardian spirit Riniyon and even cut away the falling water. The owner of a thousand demon swords and the mazoku¡¯s strongest swordsman. The right hand of the demon king, Shin Reglia. A simple iron sword hangs at his waist. He didn¡¯t even draw a demon sword against Riniyon. ¡°If I ever fought against you the outcome would be uncertain.¡± ¡°No. Even with my thousand demon swords, I do not reach the feet of my lord.¡± Arnos laughs at the words of the too loyal Shin. ¡°Then how about a sword only match?¡± ¡°I might be able to scratch your most august presence.¡± ¡°What are you saying? You are the person I recognise as my right hand. I¡¯d be troubled if you couldn¡¯t take at least one of my arms.¡± With his head still bowed Shin says ¡°If that is your command.¡± *Kukuku* Arnos laughs from the depths of his stomach. The demon king knew even with those words his subordinate was so loyal he would not take his arm. Even if it was only a bit of fun or a play match, Shin Reglia would rather choose death than point a sword at his lord. ¡°Hey Shin. If peaceful times ever come I want to enjoy a sword fight against you without reserve.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± That era is not far off Arnos thought. ¡°Aah, that reminds me. The bet was my loss. What reward do you want?¡± ¡°I wish to be granted the honour of reincarnation.¡± ¡°After the wall is made?¡± ¡°These 1000 swords are dedicated to my lord. After the death of my lord through reincarnation I will not be able to live shamelessly nor even mimic living a long life.¡± Arnos was troubled by this mans nature. ¡°Weren¡¯t you bad at root magic?¡±(2) Root magic is magic that effects your root (origin). Reincarnation magic is the highest level of this magic. If its Arnos then his power and memories will be handed over to his next body. Those that are not so good at root magic will not be able to reincarnate in a complete state and they will suffer damage to their power and memories. ¡°It won¡¯t be so bad to start a new sword and start from scratch again in the new age.¡± Shin is a seeker who has single-mindedly sought truth by walking the path of the sword. Although he is said to be the mazokus strongest swordsman he was defeated by the hero Kanon who is also a sword user. He might be remembering the limit of his current vessel. If your reincarnation is incomplete then there is the possibility that you may get stronger in your new life. Perhaps he wanted to bet on it. ¡°Alright. Do as you like.¡± ¡°I am most grateful and happy. Once I reincarnate, even if I lose my memory, my origin will not forget my lord.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so uptight. You can do what you want.¡± Using Thought Transmission Arnos speaks to the whole of Ahartherun. ¡°How long are you going to play dead my subordinates? Burn this whole forest and reveal the great spirit Reno.¡± Responding to the call of Arnos, the subordinates that were killed by Riniyon begin moving thanks to Resurrection . From many places in the forest, back flames begin to rise. In an instant, the fire had spread to the whole of Ahartherun. ¡°Now then.¡± Arnos fixes his eyes in front of him. From the forest engulfed in black flames, a figure was coming straight to him. ¡°Did you come, hero Kanon?¡± Carrying the holy sword the hero Kanon is running towards Arnos from about 1 kilometre away. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t think you¡¯d obliterated his origin yesterday.¡± Shin says. If their origin is destroyed then that person dies. Resurrection will not work either, however, there is one exception. The hero Kanon. That guy revives again and again. Usually, it¡¯s one person one origin but Kanon has 7 of them. As long as one survives it can revive the other 6. The demon king Arnos has mastered almost all magic but in one area he loses to the hero and that is in root magic. That is also the reason Shin falls behind Kanon. No matter how many times he loses he revives again and again, however, if I destroy his origins in this place then it will be my victory. It¡¯s an unfair match but that¡¯s what happens when you make the demon king your enemy. Even if this game was repeated for eternity Arnos doesn¡¯t think that he will lose even once. ¡°Kanon will be my opponent Shin. You look for the great spirit Reno.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± After replying Shin disappeared. ¡°Well then Hero Kanon. How many times will I kill you today?¡± Arnos develops 6 magic formations and fires 6 Flame Prison Annihilation Cannons at the approaching hero. (1) It could also be Liniyon. I hate it when authors use names that begin with r in Japanese ????. I¡¯ll update it if we ever get an official name from the LN. (2) I¡¯ve been using origin whenever Arnos talks about roots/origins/sources but since we already have origin magic this one had to be root magic. Could have gone with source magic as well. Chapter 31.1 After our break, I went back to Deruzogedo demon king school like usual and since today is our first day back after the dungeon exam our results will also be announced. When I entered our classroom Misha and Sasha were already sitting down next to my seat. ¡°Yo,¡± I call out to them as I sit down. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Good morning¡­¡­.¡± Misha says in a modest voice. ¡°Good morning. Nee, did you manage to clear up the misunderstanding?¡± Sasha asks leaning forward over my desk. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± When I ask her Sasha gives me an amazed look. ¡°What am I on about? Your parents. Me and Misha and aren¡¯t going to marry you. Don¡¯t you get the importance of this? What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Fumu. Is it that unpleasant?¡± Sasha blushed when I asked her and looked away. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not saying that¡­..idiot¡­¡­¡± A feeble mutter leaked out. ¡°If you have any complaints, say it directly.¡± Sahsa turns back to me glaring while her had activated. ¡°Anyway. Because you put that ring on Misha left ring finger it¡¯s now complicated.¡± I look over at Misha and there on her left hand is the . ¡°Doesn¡¯t it fit on any other finger?¡± Misha blinks a couple of times then nods. ¡°It¡¯s significant¡± ¡°The left ring finger?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Engagement.¡± ¡°Aah, I see. Is that why my mother got so excited?¡± Thing is, my mother is always excited. I didn¡¯t know the reason but it was the ring. That¡¯s why she started talking about happiness and other things. ¡°I¡¯m amazed. How did you not know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only recently reincarnated. I haven¡¯t had the time to learn a lot of things.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t this exist two thousand years ago?¡± Misha asks. ¡°Aah. Engagements two thousand years ago were done under Contract so you didn¡¯t have to worry about being betrayed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? Were emotions broken two thousand years ago?¡± I laughed at Sasha¡¯s words and nodded. ¡°In the age of myths, everyone was involved in the whirlpool of war. If you showed love to someone they would be the first to die.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Then Arnos, errm¡­¡­¡± Sasha looks at my face with upturned eyes. ¡°¡­¡­..So there was no favourite girl¡­¡­¡­?¡± When I looked down at Sasha she lowered her face as if to hide. ¡°Wha, please say something¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just didn¡¯t expect to be asked such a question. It¡¯s quite fresh.¡± A favourite girl? This me? ¡°Were you never asked?¡± ¡°Aah. They probably thought the demon king of tyranny would never fall in love with someone. Well, actually, they were right. There were no easy times in that age.¡± Who to kill next and what to destroy next. I was doing my best to protect Deiruheido from the front. I¡¯m now talking about a favourite girl. I don¡¯t understand it. ¡°Fumu. I¡¯ve got some time until Avos Dillheavia shows some movement. This is my long-awaited peace. It might not be bad to try falling in love.¡± I looked into Sasha¡¯s eyes and she blushed a deep red. ¡°Wh¡­why are you telling me¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s¡­. it¡¯s not a problem particularly¡­¡­..¡± Sasha mutters feebly. ¡°Hey, Sasha.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your face is red.¡± Sasha hides her face in her arms. ¡°¡­.It¡¯s¡­..its not red, idiot¡­¡­.!!¡± She glared at me over the top of her arms but seeing that I wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest she turned the other was as if to escape. ¡°Arnos.¡± I turn around at the sound of Misha¡¯s voice. ¡°Take it off?¡± Misha shows me the on her left hand. ¡°Why?¡± Misha quietly looks into my eyes. ¡°Arnos wants to fall in love.¡± ¡°Well, I only said it on a whim.¡± ¡°Misunderstood.¡± I see. With me putting that ring on her left ring finger people might misunderstand and think we are engaged. She offered because I might be troubled if I try falling in love. ¡°Do you want to remove it?¡± Misha¡¯s eyes round when I ask her. After staring at me expressionlessly she shook her head. ¡°Then wear it until you get bored. I¡¯m not petty enough to tell someone how they should use a gift.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you be misunderstood?¡± I laugh at Misha¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m not bothered about misunderstandings Misha. A misunderstanding won¡¯t become true no matter how long you wait. It¡¯s fine if the other person is wrong.¡± ¡°You might be saying something cool but please be a little bit bothered. Especially in front of your parents.¡± Unnecessary interference comes from Sasha¡¯s side. ¡°Ah, that reminds me. There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you for ages¡ª¡± Just then the bell sounded and Emilia walked in. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll ask you later.¡± Sasha then turned to face the front. ¡°Good morning. Today I will announce the results of the dungeon test.¡± Emilia announces the scores of each group one by one. No other group reached the treasure room apart from us. Most got between 30 to 50 points. The highest score so far is 70 points. ¡°¡ªAnd finally the score of Arnos¡¯ group. Arnos¡¯ group was able to obtain the King¡¯s Sceptre that lay on the bottom floor.¡± When Emilia announced that the whole classroom became noisy. ¡°However, very regrettably, the King¡¯s Sceptre was stolen before we could verify it.¡± The classroom became even noisier. ¡°Right now the full power of Deruzogedo is looking for the criminal. Until its found Arnos¡¯ group will be given 70 points on a tentative basis until the sceptre is found.¡± I heard the sound of a desk being hit next to me. Chapter 31.2 ¡°I do not agree with this.¡± Sasha raises her voice and stands up. ¡°It¡¯s the school¡¯s fault that the King¡¯s Sceptre was stolen. If the score is provisional then why is it not 100 points until found and verified?¡± ¡°I can understand the feelings of Sasha-san. Various possibilities were discussed but in the end, it was decided this time it would be handled this way.¡± ¡°What various possibilities?¡± ¡°I will not explain it. This is the decision of the academy.¡± Sasha quietly stares at Emilia and her form. Mutters and subdued voices come from the classroom. ¡°It¡¯s conceivable that you stole it yourself to get a perfect score as you brought us a fake kings sceptre.¡± A voice leaks and as if triggered by it others also start. ¡°Ah¡­.I see. You could look at it that way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even though his magic is great he¡¯s still an inept person.¡± ¡°¡­.White clothes. Only royalty would be able to find the kings sceptre. It would be better to make one and present it¡­¡­¡± ¡°But Sasha-sama¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Sasha-sama entered that inept person¡¯s group. He must have done something to her.¡± Listening to all the noise Sasha turns around with her active. She emitting enough force to kill everyone in the room. ¡°Nee, all of you. I¡¯ll only say this once.¡± In the blink of an eye, the entire room is wrapped in tension. ¡°Arnos has done nothing wrong. Because he¡¯s not royalty, because he¡¯s an inept person. How long are you going to keep thinking this? If there is any doubt about his power that is constantly producing results then look me in the eyes and say it.¡± All of the students look away from Sasha and the room falls silent. ¡°Ku. Kukuku, hahahahah¡± I unintentionally laugh. ¡°Hey Arnos, why are you laughing?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. That¡¯s quite the change. As expected of one of my subordinates. You spoke well.¡± Sasha pouts like she¡¯s dissatisfied. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re making fun of me¡­¡­¡± ¡°Put your dangerous eyes away. If this is about the examination score then I wonder what will happen next?¡± Sasha mutters in a small voice. ¡°¡­¡­.You said you wanted full marks.¡± So that¡¯s why you were angry? What a cute fellow. As Sasha was about to sit down a hand on one of the desks behind us was raised. ¡°Me too. I also think the Academies decision is wrong!¡± A woman in white clothes stood up. She had shoulder length chestnut coloured hair in a quirky style, large round eyes and attractive features. ¡°What¡¯s your name¡­..?¡± ¡°Misa Iriologue.¡± Misha whispers her name to me. ¡°Emilia sensei mentioned various possibilities. Then if a student in black clothes bought the sceptre would they get the same response?¡± Misa speaks to Emilia in a brazen tone of voice. ¡°Aren¡¯t you discriminating against mixed races?¡± Following Misa¡¯s words calls of ¡°that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right¡± came from white clothed students. ¡°We are always being looked down on!¡± ¡°Is royalty so great!? Saying nothing of Sensei, could even the Old Seven Demon Emperors stand up to Arnos?¡± ¡°You just don¡¯t want to accept one of us could be the real demon king so you can protect your own positions¡± Students in white clothes raise their voices one after the other. However, Emilia was not moved at all and said in a cold tone. ¡°Misa-san. Royalty are the people who completely inherited the blood of the founder. Of course its right to favour the mazoku who might become the vessel for the founder. I think you understand about treating royalty and mixed blood equally. Are you criticising the royal families?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying its wrong. We are still Mazoku. Why should we treated coldly just because the blood of the founder is diluted in our veins?¡± Emilia sighs. ¡°The actions of united groups are not accepted by the academy. Sit down, or should I give you an appropriate punishment?¡± ¡°The royal family is right, the royal family doesn¡¯t do bad things. How can you say that? Even now you won¡¯t give full marks to white clothes. Maybe some royalty plotted this?¡± ¡°Absolutely impossible. Return home for today. I¡¯ll announce your punishment later.¡± ¡°How can you say it¡¯s absolutely impossible?¡± ¡°Were done. I¡¯m going to start class now.¡± ¡°Are you running away Emilia Sensei!?¡± Emilia completely ignores Misa and starts writing on the board. ¡°Lets starts today¡¯s class.¡± I raise my hand. ¡°What is it Arnos-kun? If it¡¯s about the King¡¯s Sceptre I¡¯ve already explained it. Your marks are tentative until the academy finds the culprit. That is the decision.¡± ¡°Fumu. In other words, I just need to find the criminal?¡± Emilia shows a confused expression. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Just in case something like this happened I enchanted the Kings Sceptre with Trace magic.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­.?¡± Whatever has enchanted on it leaves trace magic power behind that can be tracked using your demon eyes. With my magic and eyes, I can trace it to the ends of the world if I need to. ¡°I see. Over there?¡± I stand up and walk over to a certain students desk. ¡°Wha¡­what is it Arnos¡­¡­..?¡± A student in black clothes and if I¡¯m not mistaken it was this guy who said ¡°Stole it by yourself to get a full score¡± and ¡°bringing out a fake Kings sceptre.¡± ¡°Before you say anything I didn¡¯t steal it. If you think I have show me the eviden¡ª-gah!¡± I plunge my right arm into the abdomen of the black-clothed student. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad place to hide it but if you use your own body make sure your anti-magic is applied more strongly to compensate. You are completely exposed.¡± I pulled the king¡¯s sceptre out of the black clothes body before he collapses on the floor. *Thud* I stamp my foot on his head. ¡°Did you think you would you would be okay after touching my things, thief?¡± I cleaned the Kings Sceptre using magic and walk over to Emilia. ¡°No way royalty would do something like this was it? Fumu. It seems the impossible has happened then. Well, what are you going to do Emilia?¡± Emilia can¡¯t say anything. All she¡¯s doing is opening and closing her mouth. I make her hold the King¡¯s Sceptre. ¡°If you let it get stolen on purpose then do better next time.¡± Emilia¡¯s body trembles. Yare yare. Was that a bulls-eye? I was only firing off a leading question. ¡°I¡¯m joking. Begin your class.¡± I treat the stomach of that student with magic and then sit down. In a shrill tone, different voices from usual rang out from the back. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos-sama is too wonderful¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°He¡¯s super cool!! He¡¯s strong, level-headed and in the same white clothes as us!¡± ¡°He¡¯s also kind. He treated that guy.¡± ¡°I know but isn¡¯t he slightly enviable¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°He had Arnos-sama¡¯s hand in his stomach. I want it in me too!¡± ¡°Eeeeh? That would be really painful.¡± ¡°What is pain? Its the hand of Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Strange fellow. I would rather him step on me¡­¡­¡± Fumu. Though there¡¯s some strange ones mixed in there it looks like the winds have changed a little. Chapter 32.1 The class ends and it¡¯s now lunchtime. All the students stand up and leave the classroom to go and have lunch. The king¡¯s sceptre will be analysed by the school again and my score will be decided on. I doubt they will fake a theft again but the demon king academy definitely doesn¡¯t want to give an evaluation to an inept person like me. Part of the reason is probably related to that unification faction Emilia mentioned. (1) ¡°Arnos-sama.¡± When I stood up a woman in white clothes called out to me. It was Misa Iriologue who had stood up to Emilia earlier. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Thank you for protecting me back there.¡± ¡°Aah, don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t protect you anyway.¡± Misa laughed with a smile on her face at my words. ¡°However, thanks to what you did I avoided punishment. If Arnos-sama hadn¡¯t found the Kings Sceptre I probably wouldn¡¯t be coming to school for a while.¡± Fumu. Were you going to stand by your convictions even when faced with punishment? This fellow is someone I can respect. ¡°Misa was it?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an honour that you remembered my name.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know. What is the Unification group?¡± Still smiling Misa answers. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware but present-day Deiruheido is governed by royalty.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a rough idea but don¡¯t know the details. Can you tell me?¡± ¡°With pleasure.¡± Misa was more than happy to accept and started explaining. ¡°The Demon Emperors govern the various parts of Deiruheido and only royalty who completely inherit the blood of the founder can become demon emperors. The royalty has most of the power and us mixed races have no say in running Deiruheido. The mazoku are now divided into royalty and the others regardless of ability.¡± Well, I guessed this after hearing the remarks of various nobles. ¡°In contrast to the royal families that advocate the principle of royal supremacy the unificationists are trying to unify the mazoku properly with no regard to pure or mixed blood.¡± ¡°In the present situation where the royal families dominate Deiruhido is the activities of the unification faction even possible?¡± If the activities of the unification faction are banned in the school then nothing will change. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not easy but we have strong backing in the unification faction.¡± That¡¯s surprising but it makes sense. Without powerful backing, the unification faction would be branded as rebels even if they insist they are peaceful. ¡°Who¡¯s backing the unification faction?¡± ¡°One of the old seven demon emperors, Melheys Boran. Despite being one of the old seven demon emperors he agrees with the idea¡¯s of the unification faction.¡± One of the old seven demon emperors? It¡¯s a bit confusing if that¡¯s the case. The composition is easy enough though. All of the old seven demon emperors are members of the various royal families. The fellows running this academy have branded me, the demon king of tyranny as an inept person and are trying to replace me with another demon king of tyranny. However, the unificationists insist on treating royalty and mixed races equally. If they get their way then all the efforts that have been made to brand me as an inept person will have been for nothing. The old seven demon emperors do not appear to be monolithic either unless they have some purpose that will be easier to achieve if they support the unification faction. I¡¯ll need to wait for Aivis¡¯ report before reaching any conclusions. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos-sama. If you have an interest in the unification faction shall we introduce you to Melheys-sama?¡± I can¡¯t afford to accept this offer as just kindness. If one of the old seven demon emperors is trying to contact me then this could all be planned. Whatever, If you don¡¯t get on the hand offered then you will never reach the other side. ¡°I would be thankful if you could. Can we meet soon?¡± ¡°Yes. If it¡¯s Arnos-sama I can safely say it will be done.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Myself and the others in the unification faction believe that Arnos-sama is the demon king of tyranny. You showed overwhelming power in the group opposition test and you showed wisdom and knowledge relating to magic research when we did the grand magic training. No other mazoku can do this.¡± If you don¡¯t care about royalty then ability is everything. Following that logic, it¡¯s no surprise they think I¡¯m the demon king of tyranny, however, after everything I¡¯ve seen until now it¡¯s suspicious. I can¡¯t believe it too easily. If I look at it from the point of view of the unification faction then they may see me as an easy figure to carry on their shoulders. ¡°Errm¡­¡­..is everything okay?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s talk to Melheys.¡± Misa¡¯s face bloomed joyfully at my words. ¡°Understood. If now¡¯s a good time will you come to where my companions are gathered? I think everyone will be pleased to see Arnos-sama.¡± Should I take this opportunity and go? ¡°Will you guide me?¡± ¡°Yes! Please follow me!¡± Along with a joyful voice Misa moves along with a bounce in her step. We leave the building and head outside. ¡°¡ª¨CAre you also coming too?¡± I ask Misha and Sasha who are closely sticking to each side of me. ¡°Sasha wants to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bothered particularly but as a subordinate of Arnos we should follow you.¡± Yare yare. I guess they are both curious. ¡°Is it okay if they both come along Misa?¡± Misa turned around and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You both believe Arnos-sama is the demon king of tyranny don¡¯t you?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Don¡¯t lump us together. I don¡¯t need belief as I know he is.¡± Sasha says in a prickly manner. Good grief. What are you competing with? ¡°Is that so? If Sasha-sama who is one of the chaos generation says so then it is even more convincing. Thank you very much.¡± Misa smiles again. ¡°If possible, can you tell me how you know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to decide with.¡± Misa looked at me when I spoke. ¡°There¡¯s no evidence. If there was I wouldn¡¯t be branded as an inept person.¡± ¡°But Sasha-sama seems to know¡­¡­¡± ¡°These two are special.¡± Misa falls silent for a moment then mutters to herself ¡°Is that so?¡±. She wondered what was special about them but I wouldn¡¯t say more than that. For some reason, Sasha looks a little happy. ¡°Nee. The activities of you and your companions in the unification faction are forbidden here in school. Isn¡¯t it likely that you are being watched when you gather together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We were very troubled about this matter too but we came up with a good reason to exist that wouldn¡¯t cause any problems even if we are watched.¡± Misa stops in front of one of the union towers. Chapter 32.2 There¡¯s many towers built on the site of Deruzogedo and some of them seem to be sites for union activity. These are places where students with common hobbies and interests gather. There¡¯s a fencing union where students can train in the way of the sword, a magic research union. Various unions exist. There¡¯s a plate over the door into the tower that has the unions name on in large letters. [ARNOS FAN UNION] ¡°Fufufu. How¡¯s this? Us fans of Arnos-sama formed an Arnos fan union so we can support Arnos-sama. What we are doing here is not the activities of the Unificationists. We are making pure remarks about Arnos-sama¡¯s everyday life, his smart and manly figure and when he says something wonderful. We just talk about such things.¡± ¡°How stupid!¡± Sasha intensely retorted to the proud Misa. ¡°So you say but it conforms to the rules of the demon king academy and avoids punishment. As long as we follow the rules then the words of Melheys-sama are effective.¡± Misa then opens the door of the union tower and steps in. ¡°Anyway, the Arnos fan union is a temporary disguise to avoid public notice. Every day we are earnestly discussing ways to defeat the oppression of the royal families.¡± When we entered the tower all the students inside turned to Arnos at once. ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Arnos-sama! It¡¯s Arnos-samaaaaa!!¡± ¡°No way. It¡¯s a lie, right? Why? Why!?¡± ¡°What should I do? Right now? Maybe¡­.Aren¡¯t I breathing the same air as Arnos-sama!?¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s riiiiiight! A kiss! This is an indirect kiss!!¡± ¡°C¡­.ca¡­¡­.calm down! That means you¡¯re indirectly kissing everyone here!!¡± Sasha turned her gaze to Misa. ¡°What was that about earnest discussions?¡± ¡°Ah¡­..ahaha¡­..I¡¯m ashamed to say, but this union did start out as a temporary thing but before we noticed it everyone had been taken in by Arnos-sama¡¯s charm¡­¡­..¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be ashamed.¡± At that time a girl seemed to have resolved herself and stood in front of me. ¡°A¡­Arnos-sama! Could you sign this!?¡± The girl cast Contract and presented it to me. Fumu. It¡¯s a contract that states she will be my fan for her entire life. I have no disadvantages at all. Frankly speaking its a silly way of using Contract but I can¡¯t say that. ¡°Hey you, wait a minute. Stealing a march is no good. I want it too please!¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Students start gathering around me one by one casting Contract . No matter how much you examine it with your demon eyes its a contract that is only disadvantageous to them. ¡°Is this something common in this era?¡± When I asked Misha she shook her head. ¡°Only for popular people.¡± It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to be called a popular person. ¡°Just because it¡¯s popular you use . What does that even mean? Is that a good idea?¡± ¡°Were there no fan unions two thousand years ago?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of one.¡± Misha thought for a while then said. ¡°Everyone wants to show their loyalty.¡± Fumu. I see. Loyalty? It does remind me of the atmosphere that Shin used to have. Are they proud to offer their loyalty to me? I thought he was the only strange mazoku that thought like that. I guess times haven¡¯t changed that much after all. ¡°Ah, errm, everyone. You can¡¯t do something like this so suddenly. There¡¯s an order to things.¡± Misa broke through the women asking for my signature. ¡°Other than you it seems there are no other decent people. Is the unification faction going to be all right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Everyone will be all right when the time comes¡­..ahahaha¡­¡­.¡± Misa seems to have no other choice but to laugh. ¡°Whatever. Don¡¯t worry about it Misa. One or two signatures doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll do as many as they like.¡± ¡°Eeh? Really? Then me too please!¡± With incredible force and vigour Misa forms and bows her head. Sasha¡¯s eyes seem to say [you too?] when she looks at Misa. ¡°Ah¡­ahahaha¡­¡­..Is it no good¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Ah! Misa is unfair! Getting ahead like that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone here wants Arnos-sama¡¯s signature!¡± At the other women¡¯s protests Misa grandly says. ¡°No. In only this, I cannot back down. It was I that bought Arnos-sama here so I should have the honour of stealing the first signature! I will take the first issue!¡± Magic particles begin to rise from Misa¡¯s body. Is it because she¡¯s getting ready for a fight? Fumu. Her magic power wavelength is different from a normal mazoku. Is that the power of the spirits mixed in with her magic? ¡°Even so Misa, we won¡¯t let you get away with it so easily¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if I throw everything else away I won¡¯t hand over that first signature!¡± Other women begin releasing magic power and the atmosphere quickly becomes explosive. ¡°¡­¡­.Calm down everyone. Why are you fighting over such a silly thing?¡± When Sasha asked several women replied. ¡°The signature of Arnos-sama is worth betting your life on!¡± ¡°Indeed. Even if I die here I have no regrets. It may seem strange but this is something we cant hand over!¡± Misa smiled and had a philosophical look on her face. ¡°Please laugh if you like Sasha-san. If you like Arnos-sama then you cannot withdraw from this for we are the Arnos Fan Union.¡± Magic power rises and magic sparks begin to scatter. Just as they were all about to move in unison I said. ¡°Fumu. So the important thing here is that all members want the first signature?¡± At my voice, all the female students stand still. ¡°That¡¯s right, but everyone can¡¯t get the first signature. Even if you sign at the same time there will still be an error of 0.1 or 0.01 seconds. That difference will separate the first and the others¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why are you all getting so excited over the first signature¡­¡­.? 0.1 seconds for the first time¡­¡­..¡± Sasha complains. ¡°Well, such is their beliefs. I don¡¯t intend to laugh at them. If you believe me to be the demon king of tyranny then you should stop saying that something is impossible.¡± I signed everyone¡¯s at the same time. ¡°Eh? Eeeh? Kyaaaaa! Look ! Look! Signed it. He signed it!¡± ¡°Me too! Me too! I saw it! It didn¡¯t even have a 0.1 second error time. It wasn¡¯t even 0.00001 seconds. It¡¯s an identical time!!¡± ¡°Really!? Everyone gets the first issueeeeeee!¡± I said to the women that showed surprise. ¡°What? I used Time Manipulation to stop time for a moment and signed everyone¡¯s .¡± As soon as I finished speaking screams came out. ¡°Stopped time to give us a signature!! Super cooooooooool!¡± ¡°My heart stops if you do such a thing!!¡± Yare yare. ¡°So noisy over a signature.¡± ¡°If you think so then don¡¯t sign anything else.¡± Sasha mutters unneeded words from the side. (1) I¡¯ve changed united group to unification faction. Chapter 33.1 ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry for all the noise¡­..¡± Misa says to me after I signed everyone¡¯s . ¡°Everyone got worked up seeing the raw Arnos-sama up close for the first time.¡± ¡°That expression. How to say it¡­¡­.I don¡¯t like it.¡± Sasha says and next to her Misha nods. ¡°Like alcohol.¡± ¡°Fumu. Raw Arnos sake?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to read so much into my words.¡± She has a point. ¡°First of all, some off these people are in the same class as me so it¡¯s not their first time. I don¡¯t get the raw part either.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll clarify. Arnos-sama has this atmosphere that seems to separate him from the rest of the world. To us, he¡¯s in a place that we can¡¯t see. Even though we are in the same classroom, today feels like the first day that you accepted my existence.¡± ¡°Well, honestly, until today you were beneath my notice.¡± ¡°Ahahah¡­¡­..right¡­¡­¡± Misa seems slightly depressed. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s my principle to ignore things that don¡¯t interest me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even going to respond to that statement.¡± Misha nods in agreement with Sasha¡¯s statement. ¡°I¡¯ve learnt something today though. From now on you should fully taste the raw me to your heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°That expression¡­¡­..is obscene¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha leans her head to one side in puzzlement. ¡°Is raw Arnos obscene?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t need to know about that Misha.¡± Misha stared off into nothingness with her deadpan expression and muttered. ¡°¡­..Interested¡­..¡± ¡°Ah, if that¡¯s so Misha-san then why don¡¯t you join the Arnos fan union? I can teach you various things.¡± Sasha quickly jumped in before Misha could respond. ¡°Absolutely not! I won¡¯t let you teach weird things to my Misha! Can you stop your solicitation.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Why don¡¯t you join too Sasha-san?¡± ¡°Haaa!? Why would I?¡± Sasha¡¯s voice raises in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re worried about Misha-san aren¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t it be safer if you both joined?¡± Misa says with a bright smile. ¡°I refuse. I have no reason to enter such a place.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s disappointing.¡± Misa moved over to Sasha and whispered in her ear. ¡°¡­¡­.Right now, if you join, it comes with the magic photos of Arnos-sama I secretly took as a bonus.¡± ¡°Such a thing¡­¡­.¡± Sasha looks towards me for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not interested at all.¡± While saying this Sasha brings her face close to Misa and whispers ¡°¡­..What sort of photos are they?¡± ¡°Fufufu, do you want to see? There¡¯s one I took where he¡¯s changing his clothes so he¡¯s half-naked.¡± ¡°Half naked¡­.!? Tha¡­¡­that¡¯s unhealthy¡­¡­..Tha¡­¡­rude¡­.!!¡± With a red hot face, Sasha raises her voice. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t you like things like that? Well then, I¡¯ll prepare something more wholesome and cool looking.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Misa puts on a blank expression ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Just to be sure I¡¯ll take a look. Just to be sure.¡± Sasha repeats herself. Fumu. What are they talking about over there? If I listened hard I could hear what they were saying but I won¡¯t. They are whispering so they don¡¯t want me to hear. ¡°I understand. Well then, I¡¯ll guide you to the second floor. Arnos-sama could you wait a minute?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± It seems something has been decided between Sasha and Misa as they both head off up to the 2nd floor. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going Misha?¡± ¡°Because Arnos isn¡¯t going.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± After a few minutes, Sasha ran down the stairs. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± ¡°What happened to Sasha?¡± ¡°Fufufu. Something enjoyable.¡± Misa says it like its something significant. ¡°Errm¡­..Arnos-sama. Actually, I have a request¡­..¡± Misa asks, completely changing her expression to a serious one. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I understand its an impudent request but would Arnos-sama have us in his team?¡± I see. Actually, I think its a reasonable request. Other than me all the group leaders are royalty. I doubt they would be willing to have unificationists in their team. ¡°There¡¯s a condition for me to receive subordinates.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°They must be strong or interesting.¡± Misa laughs like she¡¯s troubled. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy after all then¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°One question. Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°When you say this, do you mean the unificationists?¡± ¡°Aah. Certainly, Deiruheido is ruled by the royalty and the mazoku are divided in two but there isn¡¯t actually that much trouble from this system. Deirueido is ruled well and is at peace. If you close your eyes to the point that you will never have power then life is very comfortable.¡± Even with the royal issue, this place is much better than 2000 years ago. Chapter 33.2 In the age of myths, powerless people died but now they can walk about freely. ¡°You don¡¯t have great power and to unify the mazoku will bring great danger your way.¡± ¡°¡­..It¡¯s just as Arnos-sama says.¡± Misa looks down for an instant, however, she raises her face back up with a smile like she had instantly recovered. ¡°If it¡¯s fine by you can I show you around the union tower? There¡¯s something I want you to see.¡± Misa looks at me earnestly. Doesn¡¯t seem like she wants to answer me. ¡°Very well, guide me then.¡± ¡°Yes! This way!¡± Misa starts climbing the stairs and explains about the union tower. On the 2nd and 3rd floors are things relating to the Arnos fan union. It¡¯s where they do their day to day activities. There¡¯s sculptures of me and diaries listing all my actions since I joined the school. The 4th floor is a living space where you can sleep and the 5th floor is full of Deiruheido history books and mazoku related books. I had a brief look but there were no true history books from 2000 years ago. Going up the stairs we come to the top floor. In the centre of the room was a stone pedestal with a demon sword stuck in it. Fumu. It¡¯s a strange structure. Potentially, it feels like its magic power could rival a masterpiece from the age of myths but its incomplete. The demon sword has been split in half vertically. ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Misa walked slowly forward and stopped in front of the sword staring at it. I was going to ask something but decided to wait in silence. Before long, Misa spoke up in a quiet voice. ¡°¡­.You may have noticed Arnos-sama but I¡¯m not a pure mazoku. My father is a mazoku but my mother is a spirit.¡± Part mazoku and part spirit. That explains why I felt the power of the spirits in her magic. The fact that the spirits and the mazoku have come together is even more surprising than the humans and mazoku coming together. ¡°My mother seems to have died soon after I was born.¡± Misa says a little sadly. ¡°I¡¯ve never talked to my father. I don¡¯t even know his face or his name.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°My father is royalty and seems to be in a very high position. He might even be one of the demon emperors ruling some part of Deiruheido.¡± I don¡¯t get it. ¡°Did he do something wrong?¡± Misha speaks up. ¡°The royal families are responsible for leaving descendants from the royal families. When they have children that have any blood other than a royal in them, that family is excluded from the royal family.¡± ¡°I see. As well as themselves it affects the entire family as well.¡± Even if the child is of mixed blood that blood doesn¡¯t get thinner and fade away. It¡¯s a very strange thought process. ¡°It¡¯s as Misha-san says. I think my father understood it well that he shouldn¡¯t fall in love with anyone other than a royal but he still seemed to have fallen in love with my mother anyway. Right?¡± *Fufufu* Misa laughs. ¡°That¡¯s just my delusion though. It would be nice to think so.¡± Misa says it like that but he must have liked her mother since it came with such big risks to himself and his family. ¡°My father cannot talk to me. If it became known that he had a half-spirit child he would lose everything. So we¡¯ve never met and I¡¯ve never seen his face or even know his name.¡± It¡¯s different for myself but I can see not wanting to involve the rest of your family. ¡°On my 10th birthday, an unknown spirit owl bought me this half a sword.¡± Misa gently touches the handle. ¡°In fact, it would be better to leave no trace at all but I think that this is a message from my father who cant say anything. The other half is surely owed by my father. Right now this sword is divided in 2 but one day it will become one. The day when royals and mixed blood will join hands will come. That is why my father is fighting. I¡¯ve always thought that he¡¯s waiting to pick me up and tell me so.¡± Misa looks over her shoulder at me. ¡°Deiruheido is peaceful. The rule of the royals is excellent and I can go to this academy and live with no problems even though I don¡¯t have any parents.¡± She briefly stops speaking and smiles sadly before continuing. ¡°But I have nothing more than a life without inconvenience. Even if I was poor all I want is to spend my days with my father and laugh.¡± Those last words were squeezed out and loaded with emotion. ¡°Father and daughter cannot even talk as they have been ripped apart. I want to end these sad things. Everyone¡¯s the same. All the unificationists have never met their parents or have lost their families under the peaceful reign of the royals.¡± Misa stares at me with an appealing look. ¡°Still, the gap between ideal and reality is deep. So when I saw Arnos-sama overwhelming the royal family with overwhelming power I thought that we had finally found our ray of hope. I¡¯m able to believe in you, the demon king of tyranny.¡± ¡°Fumu. What if I wasn¡¯t the founder, what would you do?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We will even fight against the founder to achieve even a small bit of happiness if we have to.¡± Misa firmly declared. ¡°What we believe is your words. You said you were the demon king of tyranny and we believe you.¡± They don¡¯t need the founder huh? Certainly, it¡¯s true that the unificationists don¡¯t need a founder who¡¯s royalty. ¡°Arnos-sama. Please forgive those of us who are weak but please lend us your strength. We will fight together¡­¡­..¡± I can grasp the general circumstances. ¡°When¡¯s the next group opposition test?¡± Was my question unexpected? Misa was not able to answer right away. ¡°Day after tomorrow.¡± Misha answers instead. ¡°Well then Misa. In 2 days time, you should challenge me.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to say you have to win but I don¡¯t need subordinates that rely on my power. You said that you were ready to fight the founder if you had to. Prove to me that those words weren¡¯t a lie and fight me.¡± Staying quiet Misa then nodded in determination. ¡°Understood. I will be sure to meet the expectations of Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Now then. Let¡¯s call Sasha and get some lunch.¡± We leave the room and head downstairs. ¡°Speaking of which, is Arnos-sama used to handling swords?¡± Misa asks. ¡°Not really. I just swing my sword around with brute strength. Why?¡± ¡°Because tomorrow is a large scale military sword drill. I wondered if I¡¯d see the cool figure of Arnos-sama.¡± I remember hearing such a story. ¡°Oh yeah. If I¡¯m not mistaken isn¡¯t a guest lecturer coming?¡± ¡°Yes. According to Melheys-sama any time a grand military drill is held there¡¯s a chance that one of the old seven demon emperors will turn up.¡± Fumu. Avos Dilheavia must know that I have an idea about him now. Will he appear? Will he turn up for an ability inspection? ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think many students know this yet but a transfer student is coming tomorrow as well.¡± I didn¡¯t notice the meaningful words Misa said. Chapter 34.1 The next day at the 2nd training ground classroom. Emilia enters along with the bell signalling the start of class. Behind her is a male student in black clothes. ¡°Good morning. Before we start I¡¯m going to introduce a new transfer student.¡± Emilia writes a name on the blackboard. Ray Grandori. The black-clothed student steps forward. ¡°Nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Ray Grandori. Actually, I was supposed to be here for the first day but due to certain circumstances, I¡¯m starting late. There¡¯s lots of things I don¡¯t know so I would appreciate it if people could help me when I¡¯m stuck. Thank you.¡± He had a transparent like voice with light blue eyes, white hair and a beautiful androgynous face that gave off a cool impression. ¡°¡­.Oi, oi¡­..he¡¯s a 7 sided star..¡± ¡°Idiot. Of course he is. He¡¯s Ray Grandori, one of the chaos generation. The tempering demon sword saint. He¡¯s a monster who can use any sword. Forget about demon swords, he can even use spirit swords and sacred swords that mazoku shouldn¡¯t be able to use.¡± (1) ¡°I¡¯d heard he¡¯d enrolled but since he hadn¡¯t come to school yet I thought it was just a made-up story.¡± One of the chaos generation huh. Like Sasha, he seems very famous. ¡°Ray-kun. Because you can use Demon King Army you are eligible to run as a group leader. What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Is that so? What should I do?¡± he says in a refreshing tone. He doesn¡¯t seem a warlike type. ¡°The groups have already been decided but I¡¯ll postpone the matches to give you time to prepare some members for the group opposition test. Of course, you can enter someone else¡¯s group this time if you want but next time you will be participating as a leader. A group with you as a leader with your ability¡­..¡± Apparently, Emilia really wants to make Ray a group leader for some reason. ¡°I haven¡¯t made friends with anyone yet so I¡¯m happy being in someone else¡¯s group.¡± ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± Emilia raises a puzzled voice. Was it an unexpected remark from a member of the chaos generation? ¡°I¡­I understand. You won¡¯t find members for your group so soon, so you are temporarily entering someone else¡¯s group. I think there will be a number of students who want to join Ray-kuns group when you become a leader though.¡± ¡°Being a leader is too much for me.¡± Ray says frankly. ¡°Even if you say such a thing, I¡¯m sure that those that enter your group will disagree.¡± Fumu. Emilia seems to be pushing Ray quite a bit. I wonder why? ¡°Well then. Since you need to choose a group, will the group leaders please stand up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need.¡± Emilia looks curiously at Ray ¡°Do you already know the group leaders names and faces?¡± ¡°Nope. Not at all.¡± Emilia starts looking at Ray suspiciously now. ¡°But I know the one.¡± Ray finishes talking and starts walking. The classrooms gaze was fixed on him and whispered voices started leaking out. ¡°¡­..Who¡¯s group is he entering¡­..?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the tempering demon sword saint. Did we have someone capable of controlling him in our class?¡± ¡°Maybe he thinks Sasha-sama is a leader?¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d think the witch of ruin was a member of a white clothes group.¡± Ray walks straight to Sasha¡¯s seat, walks past and stops in front of my seat. ¡°Yo. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ray Grandori.¡± Ray says while having a refreshing smile ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod.¡± ¡°Well, Arnos-kun will you let me join your group? I¡¯m pretty good at handling swords. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be of help to you.¡± Fumu. This is an unexpected offer. ¡°How do you know I was a leader?¡± Ray answered immediately. ¡°Because your magic is the strongest in this class.¡± He can sense my magic and remain unafraid? In other words, he has considerable magic power himself. ¡°Even though I¡¯m in white clothes?¡± Ray looks at my clothes and an expression that says he¡¯s just noticed appears on his face. ¡°Oh yeah. I only saw your magic power.¡± Ray laughs at his own mistake. ¡°Even so, Arnos-kun is great. Normally white clothes couldn¡¯t be leaders.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s rules, they can be broken.¡± Ray laughs. ¡°As I thought, I want to join your group. You¡¯re interesting.¡± Ray offers me a handshake. He¡¯s a very refreshing man. ¡°Ra¡­Ray-kun. You may join any group but Arnos-kuns mark is a stigma¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Stigma¡­..?¡± Ray looks at the brand of the inept on my uniform. ¡°Aah, so you¡¯re the rumoured one. The first person to be branded inept in the whole school¡¯s history.¡± ¡°So it seems.¡± ¡°I see. So even with your strong magic, you are still branded inept? What¡¯s the aptitude test for then?¡± Emilia seems to be surprised at Ray¡¯s simple question. ¡°Ra¡­Ray-kun. It that statement a royal critique?¡± ¡°Aah, sorry. Let¡¯s pretend you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear¡­¡­¡­.¡± I couldn¡¯t help laughing at Ray¡¯s attitude towards royalty. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty interesting guy.¡± ¡°Really? Is that okay? I¡¯ve often been told I can¡¯t read the air very well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amusing.¡± Ray lets out another refreshing smile. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been praised for that.¡± Ray turns towards Emilia. Chapter 34.2 ¡°Can I join the group of an inept person?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.it¡¯s allowed¡­¡­.but as one of the chaos generation that regarded as a potential reincarnation of the founder you should make a more suitable judgement regarding your position.¡± Emilia presses her view on Ray forcefully. ¡°Understood. A suitable judgement.¡± Ray tightness his expression and turns back to me. ¡°Well then, Can I join Arnos-kuns group?¡± Fumu. Did he think as long as he makes a face befitting a member of royalty he would be fine? He really can¡¯t read the air at all. Emilia seems to have had too many surprises for one day. Her eyes are wide open and her mouth is hanging open but she doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed at all. Actually, this is a masterpiece. ¡°¡­.What¡¯s going on? Why is the tempering demon sword saint going to the inept persons camp all of a sudden?¡± ¡°¡­.Even if it¡¯s temporary it¡¯s too much¡­..¡± ¡°Now that Ray Grandori had arrived I thought that finally, that inept person and his arrogance would be finished¡­¡­¡± The ruthless voices of the royal students leak out. ¡°As expected of Arnos-sama! He showed himself to be better without any fighting. How cool!¡± ¡°Yes! Arnos-sama¡¯s charm is so great even the tempering demon sword saint has fallen to it!¡± ¡°Wait! I noticed something enormous!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If he fell to Arnos-sama¡¯s charm then isn¡¯t this love at first sight!?¡± ¡°Eeeeh. Then isn¡¯t Ray-kun our rival?¡± ¡°Bu¡­But he¡¯s a man¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s powerless before love!!¡± The voices of the strange Arnos Fan Union ring out. ¡°Is that fine? It seems like there will be some disappointed people.¡± I hint about his royal colleagues. Yeah, he¡¯s thinking deeply over it now. ¡°If I¡¯m honest, I was wondering what I would do if there were no good leaders but isn¡¯t Arnos-kun absolutely stronger than me?¡± Ray says in a down-to-earth tone of voice. It seems he doesn¡¯t care that I¡¯m an inept person. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s his true intention but I don¡¯t hear any lies either. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Then please let me. It matches my nature to serve under a talented leader.¡± This freedom of not being bound to royalty is like the mazoku of 2000 years ago. ¡°That is my reason. Is it okay?¡± ¡°Fumu. In that case, I decline.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn?¡± Ray¡¯s expression turns blank. ¡°If you just want to blindly follow orders then join any group here. If you want to be one of my subordinates then, by all means, show me the corresponding power.¡± ¡°Arnos-kun.¡± Suddenly a striking expression floats on Ray¡¯s face and he says in a theatrical tone of voice. ¡°Even though I said I wanted to follow orders I¡¯m not that carefree to blindly follow them. I have something I must do at any cost. Yes, a mission. In order to do that I¡¯ll become your hands and feet and climb to the top of this academy. I want to be put in your group at any cost!!¡± ¡°Is that so? Then show me suitable power.¡± Ray returned to a refreshing smile again. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s strange. I thought that performance was pretty good¡­..¡± I can¡¯t get a grasp on this man. It feels like he¡¯s air. ¡°¡­¡­Eh? Did he just turn down the tempering demon sword saint!?¡± ¡°As expected of Arnos-sama! Haughty! He¡¯s so haughty!¡± ¡°Wait! I¡¯ve noticed enormous!¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°¡­.Ray -kun said he wanted to put it in¡­¡­¡± ¡°What about receiving!?¡± The Arnos Fan Union were having an incomprehensible conversation. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right Misa. You can enter Ray¡¯s group.¡± ¡°Eh? Errm¡­..yes. If you say so Arnos-sama then I will¡­¡­.¡± Misa says in a puzzled voice. ¡°Combine your strengths and challenge me in the test. If you do well I¡¯ll add you to my subordinates.¡± ¡°¡­..Understood.¡± I watched Ray. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°A leader is too out of character for me¡­¡­..¡± Fumu. He said that a while ago but I thought he was being modest but he doesn¡¯t seem to be. Being a leader is essential to becoming a demon emperor along with power. He has the power but doesn¡¯t seem interested in positions or politics. ¡°You¡¯re very interesting. I only wanted to play a little but if you aren¡¯t motivated I won¡¯t force you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m interested in you too.¡± Ray states his opinion and smiles his refreshing smile. ¡°Be gentle.¡± ¡°Nah. I¡¯m going to smash you with my full power.¡± Ray had a strange expression on his face before correcting himself. ¡°As a matter of fact, I have a one-year-old daughter waiting for my return.¡± ¡°My my. Then you will have to fight with your full power so you can return alive to her.¡± I laughed at Ray. That has to be a lie. He¡¯s an irresponsible man. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter. I feel like I can get along with Arnos-kun very well.¡± ¡°Fumu. That¡¯s strange. Even though this was a chance meeting I just had the same thought myself.¡± Even though I¡¯m just being whimsical my words seemed to fall into place and in my gut, I knew them to be right. (1) I¡¯m having trouble with his nickname/title. The author used åbħ¤Î„‡Â}. „‡Â} is sword saint, ħ is demon and åb is tempering, refine, drill, train, polish. I couldn¡¯t think of anything that sounded good in English so if anyone has a better suggestion I¡¯m all ears. I¡¯m starting to wonder if the author was playing around with the alchemist kanji and was going for something like demon alchemist sword saint? Chapter 35.1 ¡°Right. Now that Ray-kuns group has been decided I¡¯ll begin the class.¡± Emilia¡¯s in high spirits, no doubt due to Ray becoming a group leader. ¡°We¡¯ll be performing grand sword training today and since this is practical training we¡¯ll be moving to the arena. Since a special lecturer is here please don¡¯t be rude.¡± All the students stand up and leave for the 2nd training ground. ¡°Arnos.¡± Misha calls out to me as I start walking ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Do you know Ray?¡± She¡¯s asking something strange. ¡°No. Does it seem that way?¡± Misha nods ¡°Looked like you were having fun.¡± I see. ¡°Well, he¡¯s an interesting guy.¡± Do I know him? It wasn¡¯t only me who reincarnated. Some of my subordinates did as well. I wonder if that guy is one of them? I say reincarnation but there¡¯s various levels. Depending on the level of the source magic, it¡¯s not uncommon for the memories and magic power to be overwritten, however, something will always be remembered somewhere in the heart. ¡°It¡¯s possible we met 2000 years ago.¡± ¡°Nee. If we don¡¯t hurry up class will start without us.¡± Sasha calls out to us from the doorway. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Along with Misha I start walking again. When we enter the arena the students are standing in a circle around something. Getting closer I see it¡¯s Emilia and two other mazoku. One is a huge person, double the height of a normal person with dark skin, thick arms and legs knotted with muscles and sporting a beard. The other person is of normal height with long black hair and sharp eyes. ¡°Now then, the grand demon sword training will be conducted by 2 of the old seven demon emperors. Gaius Anzem-sama and Idol Anzeo-sama.¡± The huge one is Anzem and long hair is Idol. Their appearances are certainly the same as 2 mazoku that I made and their magical wavelengths are also similar, however, their origins and bodies may have been taken over by fusion magic as well. I didn¡¯t think 2 of them would come. ¡°Gaius-sama, Idol-sama, thank you for today.¡± After bowing her head, Emilia went over to a corner so as not to disturb us. ¡°Hmm. Well then. Instead of a greeting shall we do something different?¡± A deep voice is emitted. Gaius raises his hand overhead and dozens of magic circles form. ¡°Same amount as the number of students.¡± Misha mutters next to me ¡°Looks like it.¡± Magic gathers and sword blades appear from the centre of the formations. ¡°Wh¡­wha¡­..it¡¯s demon swords¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with this absurd magic power¡­¡­..? Why don¡¯t they fall¡­..?¡± While looking up the students edge back in fear from the demon swords overhead. ¡°Ooops. Stop moving little chicks.¡± The deep voice of Gaius echoes and the students stop while shaking. ¡°That¡¯s it. Be good and stay still. If you move you die.¡± Gaius makes a fist and swings it down with all his might. ¡°NOUUUUUUUU!!!¡± At the sound of his harsh voice demon swords pour down in a shower from the magic formations. ¡°UWAAAAAAA!!¡± ¡°KYAAAAAAAAA!!¡± Screams come from many places in the arena but all the students were unhurt. Demon swords pierced the ground at their feet. ¡°Well then. Take the sword at your feet and try it out.¡± The students fearfully laid their hands on the swords. ¡°Eh? It won¡¯t come out¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is¡­¡­.my magic powers being absorbed¡­¡­..!¡± ¡°Uwaaaa! I can¡¯t remove my hand! Help meeeeee!!¡± Screams ring out again from all over. ¡°Haahaahaa. Don¡¯t yell little chicks. That¡¯s what a demon sword is. A true demon sword chooses its user. If you don¡¯t show power appropriate to the demon sword you will have a bitter experience. Force your magic power in and force it to yield. If you half-ass it you might die.¡± Fumu. They don¡¯t seem to have been made with magic. They all appear to be the real thing. I ascertained the wavelength of magic power in an instant and could choose a demon sword appropriate for all the students here if I wanted. ¡°As everybody knows the Deruzogedo demon sword tournament will be held soon. It¡¯s a tournament to decide Deiruheido¡¯s best swordsman and participants from all over Deiruheido will gather. Unlike you chicks, everyone will be outstanding. You have to bring your own sword and if you don¡¯t have one then there¡¯s no point participating.¡± Gaius raises his voice to encourage the students. ¡°However, if you want to show off in the tournament then take out the sword! If you can do it then I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± I look over and Sasha is trying with all her might to pull out the sword but she¡¯s not getting anywhere. ¡°Ha. What¡¯s this Sasha? Can¡¯t you pull it out?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Noisy. Shut up¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha is also trying to pull out her sword but it¡¯s not going well either. ¡°Weak with swords.¡± Misha mutters. Well, irrelevant of magic there¡¯s strong and weak points. and are exceptional tools far superior to these swords and they are able to wear them no problem. That reminds me, Shin was able to handle any demon sword but was absolutely useless with any other magic tool, however, since he solved everything with his sword he perfected his swordsmanship at least. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos hasn¡¯t even tried to touch his sword. Surely¡­¡­can¡¯t you pull it out?¡± ¡°Ku¡­kukuku, hahahahah. That¡¯s a great joke Sasha.¡± I look at the demon sword in front of me and in the next moment it showed it¡¯s obedience to me by rising out of the ground by itself and moving to me. ¡°¡­.Oi, look. Arnos pulled the sword out without even touching it¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..Damn it. How? I feel like I¡¯ll lose just by touching it¡­¡­.. Is that guy a monster¡­¡­.?¡± I grab the floating demon sword with my hand Chapter 35.2 ¡°There¡¯s only one sword in this world that won¡¯t obey me.¡± ¡°¡­..I was sure you¡¯d say there were none¡­¡­¡± ¡°The holy sword the hero used in the age of myths. It was crafted by a master craftsman for the sole reason of killing me. Spirits dwell in the blade and the gods themselves blessed it. As you¡¯d expect from that, it won¡¯t obey me.¡± Well, the only person capable of wielding it at that time was the hero Kanon. Perhaps Shin might have been able to do it but there was never a chance for him to try. In the first place, mazoku and sacred swords are not compatible. Also, if it was a sword designed to kill me I¡¯d destroy it before it could be removed anyway. ¡°Now then.¡± I start walking forward. ¡°Hang on. Are you going to do something again?¡± Fumu. Sasha seems to understand me quite easily now. ¡°What? I¡¯m only going to enliven this boring class a little.¡± I walked over to Gaius who seemed impressed. ¡°Hmmm. You easily pulled out that demon sword. You have some promise.¡± ¡°This was disappointing. Because it was called grand demon sword training I thought there¡¯d be an outrageous lecture but you put together such a boring play.¡± Over in the distance, Emilia had a flustered look on her face while in front of me Gaius put his hand on his jaw in great interest. ¡°Haahaahaa. You¡¯re a funny little guy. In short, it will be such a thing. I¡¯ll teach you how to use a demon sword in actual battle!¡± Gaius holds out his big hand and a huge magic formation forms. What appeared from it was a thick and large demon sword 3 times the height of Gaius. Picking it up he swings it lightly with one hand causing students to step back from the wind pressure. ¡°¡­.Bad, this is bad. That¡¯s Gaius-sama¡¯s maximum sword Grajeshion¡­..¡± ¡°Certainly¡­..That guy split the Neil mountain range in two with that sword¡­¡­It¡¯s not even on the level of a sword anymore¡­¡­¡± ¡°As expected of Arnos but even he might not survive this time¡­..¡± Fumu. As expected of one of the old seven demon emperors. He¡¯s pretty powerful, however, my purpose is not to fight but just play a little. ¡°Idol. Do you want to play too?¡± I asked the long haired old seven demon emperor. An unpleasant look came my way. ¡°You want to fight us 2 old seven demon emperors by yourself?¡± ¡°What? There will be 2 of us as well.¡± Gaius showed a large smile at my words. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll do my best to match you. Who¡¯s the other one?¡± I glance over my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s Ray Grandori over there.¡± Ray who hadn¡¯t even touched the demon sword yet sent a curious look my way. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Everyone else should withdraw. Right now we will show you the true essence of a demon sword!!¡± Gaius sticks the large demon sword Grajeshion in the ground and a large magic circle appears on the floor of the arena. A magic barrier deployed covering me, Ray and the 2 old seven demon emperors. ¡°Yare yare. Every year for the last hundred years a least one person who doesn¡¯t know their place appears.¡± Idol opens both his hands and 2 magic formations appear forming 2 demon swords. One is a demon sword of ice and one is a demon sword of fire. ¡°Hou. Swords of ice and fire. Interesting. One turns its opponent to ash and the other freezes and shatters them.¡± I walk over to Ray while talking. He¡¯s still standing in front of the sword. ¡°¡­.Before that, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t get. We¡¯re fighting 2 of the old seven demon emperors. Is that okay¡­..?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s only a class. It¡¯s not like we will be killed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡± Ray says in a refreshing tone. ¡°Won¡¯t it be bad if we win though?¡± Fu, kukuku. Is that what you are worried about? After all, he¡¯s an interesting guy. In this era, there will be hardly any mazoku that think they can defeat one of the old seven demon emperors. ¡°Show me your full power. Which one do you want to fight?¡± Ray looks over at them. ¡°One of them is duel wielding ice and flame. One sword seems to be at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°Hou. Are you purposely choosing one that puts you at a disadvantage?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read the situation and I should have the harder fight.¡± Has the possibility of losing not entered his mind? Seems like it. ¡°Do you want to bet on who beats their opponent?¡± ¡°Then, Arnos-kun. If I win will you put me in your group?¡± I heard his words and smiled broadly. ¡°You¡¯re unexpectedly eager.¡± ¡°This seems easier than dealing with Arnos-kun directly in the group opposition test.¡± Ray grabs the demon sword and pulls it out. After waving it around a few times he throws it at Idol with all his might. ¡°¡­¡­.!?¡± Idol parried it with his flame blade turning the thrown demon sword into ash in an instant. ¡°I thought ¡®he who makes the first move wins¡¯ might work.¡± Rays pulls another sword out of the ground and throws it at Idol again. Ray begins running and immediately starts pulling swords out of the ground and throwing them at Idol. A demon sword chooses its owner. It¡¯s not normal to be able to use that many demon swords. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s the behaviour of a fool to look the other way on a battlefield.¡± Without a sound, Gaius appeared behind me swinging his demon sword Grajeshion. ¡°Dodge well little chick!!¡± Grajeshion swings down with great force and the tip of the blade hits my head directly. The pressure from the sword makes a hole in the floor and a plume of dust rises up violently. ¡°Wh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Gaius¡¯ voice leaks out. The tip of Grajeshion was broken off after hitting my head. ¡°You aimed at the wrong vital point Gaius. My heads pretty hard.¡± ¡°¡­.Hard¡­¡­such a level¡­¡­this¡­. How? My sword is capable of splitting a mountain range in two.¡± I slovenly set up my demon sword in a low position and said. ¡°Just because you split a mountain range you thought you could split my head?¡± I release some blood lust and Gaius instantly retreats, however, in that moment he lost sight of me. ¡°Where¡­..? Disappeared¡­¡­.there!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic so much Gaius. I¡¯m just taking a leisurely walk.¡± I cut both of his feet from behind. Gaius fell to his knees which caused his head to drop to a good height so I grabbed it with my left hand. ¡°Now then. How much do you remember?¡± I stack origin magic Time Manipulation and Recollection and examine the surface of this guys memories. They¡¯ve been wiped. There¡¯s no mention of the name Arnos Voldigod anywhere. I concentrate my demon eyes and look deeply into the abyss of Gaius. Should I say as expected? There¡¯s two origins. One is the one I¡¯ve just searched the memory of. The other one is probably a mazoku subordinate of Avos Dillheavia. Unfortunately, without knowing its origin I cannot check the memory of the other mazoku. Oh well. This is within my expectations. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d catch his tail so easily. ¡°Do you want to continue?¡± I release his head and place my sword against his neck instead. Gaius said with a bitter expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­It¡¯s my loss¡­¡­¡­¡± At the declaration of defeat from one of the old seven demon emperors, a big cheer rose up from the arena. Authors note: One chapter¡­¡­ One of the old seven demon emperors appeared and is defeated in one chapter¡­¡­¡­. Chapter 36.1 ¡°¡­..I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡­.Gaius-sama, one of the old seven demon emperors was handled like a child¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..Just now¡­¡­it wasn¡¯t even a match¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Maybe what Arnos is saying¡­..is true¡­..? Maybe he really is the Demon King of Tyr¡ª¡± ¡°Oi! What stupid crap are you saying!! No matter how strong he is, he¡¯s not a royal. An inept person can¡¯t be the demon king!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Neither wisdom nor power is important. It¡¯s the noble blood that flows through our bodies. Don¡¯t forget the pride of the royalty who inherited the blood of the founder. He¡¯s just a strong inept person. His power isn¡¯t noble.¡± Such joke like lines come from the audience seating. Though the founder¡¯s power as been witnessed it¡¯s turned into a joke. Is this the aim of Avos Dillheavia as well? If you do take over my position what do you intend to do? If they¡¯re a petty person who¡¯s only after power then I don¡¯t need to worry but what is their aim if not? ¡°Kuukuukuu.¡± I heard laughter coming from Izel so I looked over. (1) ¡°Is that the last one? It was pretty clever of you to throw them but you¡¯ve got none left.¡± I looked around and indeed, all the swords stuck in the arena are gone. The only one left is the one in Ray¡¯s hand. If he meets Izel¡¯s double swords his sword will shatter in an instant. If you think normally, that person would look defeated but Ray doesn¡¯t. What¡¯s he going to do? Let¡¯s watch. ¡°Well then. Shall I do it normally from now on?¡± After muttering to himself he heads straight towards Izel in a dignified manner. ¡°Hmph, have you finally prepared yourself? I¡¯ll teach a little s?h?i?t? like you that swords are not something to throw. Come. Let me show you how to properly use a demon sword.¡± Izel and Ray face each other. All that remains between them is a half step. In an exchange of blows Ray should be overwhelmed, however, he casually takes that half step forward. ¡°Careless behaviour.¡± The twin swords moved. Both Izel¡¯s arms moved like separate creatures. The blade of flame heads towards Ray¡¯s head while the blade of ice heads towards his chest. If he dodges the flame blade then he¡¯s open to the ice blade. Towards the certain kills coming his way, Ray raises the sword in his right hand. ¡°There.¡± The sounds of swords clashing are heard. ¡°Two.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± A grimm expression appears on Izel¡¯s face. Ray¡¯s sword brushed off Izel¡¯s double blades. Even though Ray had the ability to intercept the two swords, the more surprising thing was that the sword in his hand was still intact. By all rights, Ray¡¯s sword should have been destroyed by either the flame blade or the ice blade. ¡°¡­¡­Oooh¡­.!¡± Izel swings his swords again. The sound of swords rang again and Ray easily brushed them off. ¡°Four.¡± Ray mutters. ¡°¡­.What are you doing little boy¡­.?¡± *Gakii* swords sound again. ¡°Five.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tch¡­¡­this then¡­¡­!¡± The next moment Izel doubles his speed and then even more the next. Ray brushes off innumerable blows and still his sword is fine. ¡°Eighty seven.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­.How can you defend yourself with that poor demon sword? What trick are you using!?¡± *Gagagagaga* *Kikikikikiki* The sound of swords rang out incessantly. ¡°I see. Every time Izel deflected those swords Ray was throwing his swords got small nicks on their blades. The chips themselves don¡¯t mean much on their own but when added up they stop the swords from using their full power. Doing that means you¡¯ve tied them down a bit huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Such a¡­¡­ You aimed to chip my blades while I brushed those swords off at high speed¡­¡­!? Being able to do such a thing¡­¡­..!!¡± If I wanted to be more accurate Ray was aiming at the exact same spot on each blade when he threw the demon swords. Chapter 36.2 He controlled the power, angle and aim to a hairsbreadth to hit the exact same spot on each blade. Doing that many times over, even the demon swords will accrue damage. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything as revealing my secret would become disadvantageous.¡± Ray says without appearing to be worried. ¡°Plus it was a handicap.¡± Izel moves back and fixes his stance. ¡°¡­¡­Apparently, I¡¯ve made light of you little boy. From here on I won¡¯t hold back¡­¡­.¡± Magic formations appear on Izel¡¯s hands. Flames rise from the demon sword Zess and ice covers the blade of Ides. ¡°This is the true form of . Prepare yourself!¡± Izel¡¯s figure blurs and the next moment he steps forward swinging his blades at high speeds. 200 consecutive attacks in 1 second. There¡¯s no gap for Ray to escape the fire and ice flying at him. ¡°¡­¡­Fuu¡­¡­!¡± Ray breathes out and his sword flashes. Each flash equals the flashes from Izel¡¯s swords. ¡°Four hundred and forty two.¡± ¡°¡­Wha¡­..? How¡­..? It should have been useless trying to aim for the chips¡­¡­¡± Doesn¡¯t seem like Ray intends to answer so I answer instead. ¡°It¡¯s easy. Ray¡¯s sword isn¡¯t touching your swords at all. He¡¯s deflecting your blows with just pressure from his swings.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult though.¡± Ray says with a cool face ¡°I can only fight your twin swords using sword pressure.¡± After Ray¡¯s statement that sounded regretful Izel looks at Ray with a face full of anger. ¡°In that case, how long can your tightrope walk last! Show it to me!!¡± Izel¡¯s swords glitter and Ray brushes them off. ¡°Your sword style is certainly amazing but hows your stamina? I can go on for a century at this ra¡ª¡± Izel¡¯s words are cut off. The blades of flame and ice shattered with their tips flying thought he air before lodging in the ground. ¡°¡­..My double swords¡­¡­..broke¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Four hundred and forty four. That¡¯s pretty much what I estimated.¡± I wondered if that is what he was counting. The number of blows before the twin swords broke. ¡°By the way.¡± Ray says with a cool look ¡°When are you going to teach me how to use a demon sword?¡± Ray has a refreshing smile on his face but Izel shrinks back as if feeling fear. Izel turns my way as if to ask for help but finally notices that I¡¯d won too. ¡°¡­.After all¡­¡­ who are you guys¡­¡­.? There¡¯s never been anyone who could treat us old seven demon emperors like children¡­¡­¡± Izel says while bowing his head. I turned my eyes towards Ray. ¡°Ray. Were you holding back?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Drop the modesty. With your power, you could have crossed blades without them breaking.¡± Ray puts on a cool smile and answers. ¡°If I¡¯d done that then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to practise.¡± ¡°Hou?¡± ¡°I wondered if it was possible to break those swords using only skill and no magic. Only at the end, I managed it. I¡¯ve still got a long way to go.¡± Kukuku. Yare yare. He¡¯s a funny guy. You used one of the old seven demon emperors as a training partner. How interesting. By any means, I want to see how deep his power goes. ¡°Come at me seriously tomorrow.¡± Without breaking his smile Ray answers ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If you try and practise against me you will die.¡± ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to ask that I not die.¡± An easygoing answer as ever. ¡°Whatever, do as you like.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll survive then.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh before answering. ¡°You make me want to get serious.¡± After looking at me with a blank expression Ray laughed as well. ¡°Arnos-kun¡­¡­.you¡¯re a bit of a s?a?d?i?s?t? aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you on about? There¡¯s no mazoku more gentle than me.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d appreciate it if you went easy on me.¡± ¡°Ha. Don¡¯t say stupid things. Your body isn¡¯t saying that.¡± He¡¯s not as dissatisfied as he¡¯d have us believe. He¡¯s not warlike but he definitely doesn¡¯t dislike fighting otherwise he wouldn¡¯t practise the sword so much. ¡°At any rate, I¡¯m hungry after this bit of exercise.¡± ¡°The classrooms empty. Want to go back to class and eat?¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll sneak off.¡± ¡°Roger. Sneaky is it?¡± While chatting away we leave the barrier with all the students watching us. ¡°¡­.Nee. Hang on a sec. You both easily defeated two of the old seven demon emperors so what¡¯s with this everyday life feeling? Why are you sneaking off to eat¡­¡­.?¡± As usual, Sasha is complaining about something or another. (1) Not a mistake. The author appears to have changed his name from Idol. I just checked in case it was me but it was Idol all last chapter and now its Izel. Chapter 37.1 The next day in Deruzogedo¡¯s demon tree forest saw 2 sets of students gathered here for the exam taking place. When the bell to signal the start of class sounded Emilia spoke. ¡°Now then. We will start the exam with Ray¡¯s group and Arnos¡¯ group.¡± Ray walks towards me ¡°Did you sleep well yesterday?¡± ¡°Aah, I had a good night.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep very well.¡± ¡°Fumu. Did you find a good book? Staying up late is bad for your health.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Getting up was an effort this morning.¡± Ray lets out a yawn as if to prove his point. ¡°Hey hey hey hey!¡± Sasha butted in. What¡¯s she complaining about now? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯ me! The group test has started! This is an exam! What¡¯s with this lukewarm air? Are you going on a day trip somewhere?¡± Yare yare. It doesn¡¯t mean we have to kill each other. We don¡¯t have to be bloodthirsty about it, though there is a chance they may die accidentally. ¡°My bad. My subordinate nags a bit.¡± I place my hand on Sasha¡¯s head indirectly telling her to quieten down a bit. ¡°¡­¡­Eerm¡­¡­.hand¡­your hand¡­..I won¡¯t shut up because of that¡­¡­.¡± Even so, Sasha¡¯s loses her momentum and falls silent. ¡°Jealous?¡± Misha makes an appearance from behind Sasha. ¡°¡­.Wha¡­.what are you saying¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Because Arnos is different than when he¡¯s with Sasha.¡± I¡¯m different? ¡°Aah, I see Sasha. Are you envious because I talk peacefully with Ray but not with you?¡± ¡°Wha, what are you on about!? I¡¯m not envious¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°Really?¡± I look at Sasha¡¯s face but she turns away. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m not envious¡­¡­¡­..¡± A feeble murmur leaks out. ¡°In the first place, the rivalry in the last test all came from you.¡± Sasha looks my way and lets out a small groan. ¡°Sasha-san.¡± ¡°What!!¡± Misa who had called out to Sasha flinched at Sasha¡¯s angry look. ¡°¡­¡­.Well. Should we fight as well?¡± ¡°What? In the match?¡± ¡°Yeah. Arnos-sama and Ray-san have promised to fight each other but we will only get in their way. Should we not fight each other?¡± ¡°How astonishing. This exam is a mock-up of a real war. What war arranges its fights beforehand?¡± Misa smiled at Sasha¡¯s cold tone. ¡°It seems you really liked that magic photo from yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s¡­¡­.not really¡­..¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes are swimming. ¡°Fufufu. If you beat me I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± For a brief moment, Misa shows a photo in her breast pocket. ¡°¡­¡­Is that all you want to say?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s fight each other to our best ability.¡± Having given her message Misa returns to the Arnos Fan Union group. ¡°Aah, that¡¯s right. Yesterday¡¯s game was won by Arnos-kun right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Are you going to give me something?¡± Ray shows a cool smile. ¡°Well then, how about we enjoy ourselves in this test.¡± *Kuukuukuu* laughter leaks deep from my body It¡¯s a good line. Much better than those who strongly threaten and complain. ¡°Interesting. I look forward to it.¡± ¡°What about our base locations?¡± ¡°Choose wherever you like.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the east then.¡± Ray went back and called out to Misa. ¡°Shall we go? I may be an unreliable leader but I want you all to lend me your power.¡± A surprised expression showed on Misa¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that Ray-san is unusual to say something like that to us white clothes.¡± ¡°Aah, I¡¯m bad at stuff like royalty and whatnot. It¡¯s too difficult for me. I don¡¯t get it. Occasionally, I do think though.¡± ¡°Think what?¡± ¡°Did the founder really say that?¡± Misa stares at Ray with an astonished look. ¡°Did that person really say that royalty was so great?¡± ¡°¡­.That person?¡± ¡°Aah, that¡¯s a separate story but I¡¯ve always felt uncomfortable. That demon king of tyranny that everyone talks about seems like a different person. Well, I say such things but I¡¯m looked coldly on when I do since I¡¯m one of the chaos generation. If you can keep it a secret I¡¯d be really grateful.¡± Misa laughs a little happily. ¡°Fufufu, I understand. By the way. Are you interested in the activities of the unification faction Ray-san?¡± Judging by Ray¡¯s story Misa must have thought it was a good idea so she started trying to recruit him. ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s disappointing. Then are you interested in the Arnos-sama fan union?¡± Whilst having a peaceful conversation with Ray they head off over to the east side while we headed off to the west. After a while, an owl flew into the sky and used Thought Transmission . ¡°The match between Ray¡¯s group and Arno¡¯s group will begin. Don¡¯t bring shame to the founder and fight with all your might!!¡± With same words as before the match began. ¡°¡­.Strategy¡­..?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Misa and the other students.¡± Misha stares at Sasha¡¯s face. ¡°Want photo?¡± ¡°No! I want to show my power to that woman who thinks she can beat me.¡± Even though it¡¯s just a mock skirmish she seems fired up. ¡°Sasha. I want to say one thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even though you will be outnumbered you are one of my subordinates. Don¡¯t run away.¡± She smiled at me in an aloof manner. ¡°That goes without saying. Please watch. I¡¯ll knock them all down.¡± ¡°Fumu. Well then, I¡¯ll give you a reward if you do your best.¡± ¡°What reward?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do anything. Think about your favourite thing.¡± Sasha suddenly looks shy. What are you thinking about? ¡°¡­¡­Anything¡­..?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± Sasha leans in close. ¡°Anything? Really? Anything at all?¡± ¡°Aah. What do you want?¡± Her face went red hot and she turned away. ¡°¡­¡­Nothing¡­¡­.. I mean¡­¡­.I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Apparently, there¡¯s something she wants. ¡°Build a castle?¡± Misha asks. ¡°I guess. Can you build one for the time being?¡± Misha nods and clasps her hands like she¡¯s praying. A great number of ice crystals appeared from the before forming a magic circle and begin to shine. ¡°Ice Castle¡± Misha uses Construction Creation . In the blink of an eye, the ground freezes and outer walls appear. After that, an ice throne, a bronze statue and a mirror appear. Next, the ice floor rises into the sky carrying our bodies upwards with force. Finally, the ceiling is constructed and a huge demon king castle made of ice appeared. The throne stands between us. ¡°¡­¡­How were you able to construct the castle so fast using Misha?¡± Sasha asks. Chapter 37.2 Misha tilted her head. ¡°Because the ?¡± ¡°Well, there is that too.¡± When I said that Sasha looks at me curiously. ¡°What else is there?¡± ¡°Listen to your own origin.¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes say she is dissatisfied with my light answer. ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to hit the other side before they make their castle?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait. I want to beat them in perfect condition so no complaints appear.¡± Even though she¡¯s competing with Misa I¡¯m glad they seem close. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at the situation over there.¡± Like before I activate my demon eyes and intercept their . I was also listening to Misha and Sasha as well. ¡°Aah, I think I can hear them now.¡± ¡°Eh? You can understand them?¡± I heard the communication between Ray and Misa. ¡°Yo, Arnos-kun. You listening?¡± Did you notice? It¡¯s also possible Misa told him I can intercept . ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got some free time. How¡¯s your castle coming along?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take a bit more time I think.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Well then. Do you want to meet at the largest waterfall in the valley to kill some time?¡± Hou ¡°Just the two of us?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better without obstacles?¡± I knew he wasn¡¯t the type to escape and hide but to challenge me this impressively is great. What¡¯s even better is he¡¯s doing this despite knowing my power. ¡°I¡¯ll head there now.¡± ¡°See you in a bit.¡± is cut off. Misa must have stopped using it. ¡°I¡¯m off to play a little.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± Misha says. ¡°It¡¯s good to play about but don¡¯t end it before I beat Misa.¡± If the leader of the group the Demon King is beaten then it¡¯s over. ¡°I¡¯ll wait 30 minutes but I can¡¯t guarantee any longer than that. Do your best.¡± After saying that I use Transfer . The world turns white then immediately regains colour. The waterfall I appeared by is quite high at approximately 300 meters. As expected he¡¯s not here yet. I sit on a handy rock and wait. Before long a huge castle appeared in the east forest. It looks pretty robust. I heard footstep in the grass while I was checking out the castle. I looked over and there was Ray. ¡°Yo. Been waiting long?¡± ¡°I just arrived.¡± Ray walks over and stops just outside sword range. ¡°It¡¯s a bit wearisome to start suddenly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind particularly but have you any more interesting ideas?¡± Ray smiles a mischievous smile. ¡°Who do you think will win between your subordinates and the children of the fan union?¡± I see. ¡°That look on your face. You¡¯ve taught them something.¡± ¡°Misa was it? She said she wanted to join Arnos-kuns group plus I felt an affinity for her so I decided to give her some help.¡± Interesting. A skirmish between subordinates. ¡°Of course my subordinates will win.¡± I expand a magic circle on the waterfall and cast Remote Clairvoyance . Rays group and my group are both projected on the large waterfall which is acting as a huge screen. ¡°Did you hear that Sasha? Good news. I¡¯ll wait until you conclude things with Misa.¡± ¡°That so. Thank you. Well, let¡¯s get this done quickly.¡± Sasha casts Flight and heads straight to the other demon king castle where the fan union await. It¡¯s not a good thing really, to expose yourself in the sky like that but considering the difference between Misa¡¯s and Sasha¡¯s ability it¡¯s not a problem this time. ¡°I came as requested Misa Iriologue. Come out or should I come in?¡± ¡°Fufufu. Thank you Sasha-san. To thank you for the trouble of coming here I¡¯ll show you something interesting.¡± *Zuzuzu* *Goaaaaaaa* the sound of an earthquake rings out. Arms made out of rock extend from the castle and then legs. Before long it stands up. A huge stone soldier imitating a castle stands there. ¡°¡­¡­.I see. Physical Body ¡­¡­however, to cast it on your castle¡­¡­.¡± Physical Body is a magic that lets you manipulate objects and make them act like a living being. The bigger the object, the harder it is to operate and the more magic it requires. The operation is probably shared by the entire fan union, however, even if you make all the members Shaman so they can benefit from magic strengthening they still won¡¯t have enough magic. ¡°Are you lending them magic?¡± Ray smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not good at magic and because I don¡¯t use it I¡¯ve got power to spare.¡± Thanks to Demon King Army his excess power is being sent to the fan union. ¡°Here I go Sasha-san!¡± The huge soldier raised an enormous sword over its head then cut down at Sasha. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­..this thing¡­¡­..!!¡± Despite its huge size, it¡¯s very quick. Due to the wind pressure generated by the sword, Sasha can¡¯t fly like she¡¯d wish and barely avoided the attack. ¡°It¡¯s useless without a body!!¡± Sasha activates her and glares at the soldier. The outer walls crumble and fall off but the soldier is just too big. Sasha can¡¯t see all of it due to its size so she can¡¯t completely destroy it. ¡°Should I have not lent my power?¡± Ray asks. In addition to numbers, Ray has lent them his power so the disadvantage to Sasha is obvious However. ¡°Don¡¯t take my subordinates lightly.¡± I talked to Sasha via ¡°Do you want a hand Sasha?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Even though I¡¯m outnumbered, if I borrow your power over just this much then I can¡¯t call myself a subordinate of the demon king.¡± ¡°Well said. Then use Flame Prison Annihilation Canon ¡± It was probably an unexpected proposal as Sasha response was delayed. ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s impossible. I could barely cast it with 20 people last time. Even though my current class is Sorcerer my magic is still insufficient.¡± The Sorcerer class benefits from having its attack magic buffed as well as having its magic increased. The trade-off is recovery magic and physical ability are decreased. ¡°You can borrow power from Misha.¡± ¡°¡­.But that¡¯s only two people¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I trust you?¡± After a moment of silence, Sasha said. ¡°¡­¡­..Understood. Is that okay Misha?¡± While dodging the swings from the huge soldier Sasha used to call Misha. ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll develop a three-dimensional magic formation and give it to Sasha.¡± Far away from the giant soldier in the western castle glittering crystals float above the ice castle and build a magic formation. A huge magic circle appeared in front of the castle and takes on the shape of a gunport. The powers of Misha and Sasha combine through . Sasha clings to the huge sword being swung down and holds up her hand. Is she establishing an aim? ¡°GOOOOOO !!!¡± The magic formation changes again and takes on the shape of a gun turret. A black sun appears. It boasts a huge amount of magic power. It shot out in a straight line towards the giant soldier leaving a trail of light behind it. ¡°Misa! Dodge!¡± ¡°Impossible! This size is!!¡± *GOOOOOOOOO* The huge soldier is wrapped in a black sun. It makes a rattling sound and an arm falls off, the feet collapse and the outer walls peel off. The voices of the fan union scream out. ¡°KYAAAAAAAA!!¡± ¡°As expected from the subordinates of Arnos-sama. To destroy such a huge soldier in just one shot. They¡¯re too stroooooooooooong!!¡± ¡°Wait! I noticed something enormous!¡± ¡°Were about to die! What now!?¡± ¡°If we die like this it was because we were killed on the instruction of Arnos-sama. It¡¯s indirect killing!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill yoooooooooou!¡± Another huge noise and the soldiers head fell off. Authors note: Misha and Sasha are getting stronger for some reason. Chapter 38.1 ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve shot before but this was so strong¡­¡­..even though the magic power was only me and Misha¡­¡­¡­¡± Sasha mutters to herself in amazement as the huge soldier falls to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­..Surprising¡­¡­¡± Misha¡¯s voice can also be heard from the ice castle. ¡°Nee Arnos, what did you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Listen to your own origin¡± ¡°Even if you say my own origin what does that¡­¡­¡­.ahh¡­¡­¡­¡± Sasha raised a sound that says she¡¯s noticed. ¡°Separation Fusion Reincarnation ?¡± Misha asks ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Originally Sasha and Misha were one person but was applied to Sasha and her origin was divided in two and from that Misha was born. They were supposed to return to one being on their 15th birthday with their magic power increased by a factor of 10, however, I sent Misha¡¯s and Sasha¡¯s origins to the past and had them merge with the 2 origins existing in the past and from that they became 2 separate people. It¡¯s not perfect however due to the fact the origins are newly born but even so, their magic power cannot be compared to their past selves. Until now Sasha and Misha were unaware of this due to Past Modification so they believed that their power was the same as before. This was, however, necessary. Thanks to Time Manipulation if they were made aware beforehand it would cause a contradiction between the past and the present and if that happened then altering the past would not go well. However, the conditions of are now met so the power limiter has disappeared. That is the reason Misha could use fast and highly accurate Construction Creation . ¡°Say so earlier. I might have realised too late and died here.¡± Sasha lands in the forest and looks around. ¡°Nee. If anyone¡¯s still alive, please answer. I¡¯ll help you.¡± She calls out but there¡¯s no reply. I can still feel magic power everywhere so I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s died. ¡°How¡¯s that? Seems your prided castle has been crushed.¡± I take my eyes of Remote Clairvoyance and turn to Ray. ¡°Though it¡¯s disappointing I guess this is my defeat¡­.¡± He smiled his refreshing smile ¡°Or so your subordinates probably think.¡± Then through I heard Sasha¡¯s voice. ¡°Aww enough already. Raining at such a time¡­.¡± Rain? It¡¯s a clear sky without any clouds even. ¡°Be careful.¡± Misha¡¯s voice calls out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not raining here. It¡¯s only raining over Sasha.¡± The colour of Sasha¡¯s complexion changes. The rain had now turned into a downpour and severely limited her field of vision, however, even if your view is limited it has no impact on demon eyes that can see magic. ¡°¡­..What¡¯s this¡­¡­this rain¡­.it¡¯s not ordinary rain Misha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Every single drop of rain has the same wavelength as Misa¡¯s magic. I can¡¯t find her main body¡­..¡± Misha replied. Sasha¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°What¡¯s with that? This magic¡­¡­? It¡¯s not lost magic. I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± Fumu. Isn¡¯t this spirit magic? This is the same magic that Riniyon the grand water spirit used in the great spirit forest Ahartherun. Misa is half-demon half-spirit. Is she linked to Riniyon somehow? The magic of spirits is special since they are magic themselves. From the beginning, exchanges between the mazoku and the spirits were uncommon so after a thousand years of no interaction, the knowledge and traditions of the spirits that the mazoku did know would have disappeared. Well, maybe not completely. Unlike me, the true demon king of tyranny who¡¯s been wiped from history some documents on the spirits should exist somewhere. Neither Sasha nor Misha knew what this was so Misa must have hidden her spirit magic until today. To reveal it here means she must want to win. Though its a familiar magic to me if Sasha can¡¯t deal with the source of it then she¡¯ll struggle to cope. For Misa, it¡¯s a rare chance to beat the superior Sasha. Sasha must understand this as well. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll strike first. You¡¯d better be prepared though. If you can¡¯t stop it you¡¯ll die.¡± Sasha erects an anti-magic barrier and a magic barrier on top of herself. Sasha¡¯s power had improved dramatically from and on top of that, she¡¯s got the Sorcerer class as well which further boosts her magic power. Misa and the fan union will have a hard time breaking through Sasha¡¯s defence. ¡°Here we go!!¡± From the downpour, the girls from the fan union appear and attack Sasha. Eight people in total, all with spears in their hands. They must have judged they couldn¡¯t break through Sasha¡¯s anti-magic. They attacked from all directions and struck with all their might. ¡°You finally showed up.¡± Sasha¡¯s barrier blocked all the attacks without a single scratch. Sasha looked at all eight of them with her demon eyes. ¡°Please sleep for a while.¡± ¡°¡­.Aah¡­¡­.¡± All eight of the girls staggered and fell down unconscious. ¡°I went easy on you. You should all be up in a day or so.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Not yet¡­¡­¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes open wide at a voice. One of the fan union girls who should have been unconscious was crawling along the ground. ¡°¡­¡­.I will enter¡­¡­..Arnos-sama¡¯s group¡­¡­¡± The opponent is overwhelmingly inferior in magic power, however, they resisted the through sheer willpower. In this moment Sasha was distracted. The raindrops falling down took on the figure of a person and suddenly Misa appeared over Sasha¡¯s head wielding a pure white demon sword. ¡°I¡¯ve got you Sasha-san!¡± ¡°Naive.¡± Sasha deploys full power anti-magic barriers and magic barriers overhead. Misa swings her demon sword down. ¡°Haaaaaa!!¡± The snow-white demon sword easily broke through Sasha¡¯s barriers and cut her down from head to abdomen. Fresh blood flows out and Sasha collapses. ¡°¡­..Haaa¡­¡­¡­haaa¡­¡­.¡± Misa landed on the ground breathing heavily. She must have put all her effort into that attack. ¡°Fumu. I see. Is that your demon sword?¡± I ask Ray. No matter how good the surprise attack, Misa herself lacked the power to break through Sasha¡¯s defences. ¡°Though a demon sword chooses its owner there¡¯s a magic connection through Demon King Army and because of that I can lend it temporarily.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t normally do that.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± If I¡¯m not mistaken, wasn¡¯t there a story that he could handle holy swords and divine swords as well? Even if that¡¯s the case, its well outside the norm to subjugate a demon sword and lend it to other people. Chapter 38.2 He resembles Shin a little. ¡°Hadn¡¯t you better go and heal her? She¡¯s currently Sorcerer class. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to heal the wound from that demon sword.¡± I snorted at Ray¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you once. Don¡¯t underestimate my subordinates.¡± Sasha is reflected in the waterfall monitor and the next moment her body is wrapped up in a golden flame. Misa was surprised and backed off reflexively. ¡°That was unexpected. I didn¡¯t think you could use a demon sword.¡± Sasha gets up and flies in the sky. Her entire body is still wrapped in golden flames as she gradually embodies the she¡¯s wearing. The robe grants the benefits of immortality. As long as your magic does not run out it will heal all wounds over and over again. ¡°¡­..Then my next step is to cut off that robe¡­¡­..¡± Misa sets up her pure white demon sword. As expected. Sasha still needs to be wary of that sword. ¡°I¡¯ll help. I feel Ray¡¯s power coming from that demon sword. One person is at a disadvantage.¡± Misha¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°¡­Though I¡¯m glad I think it will be decided before Misha arrives.¡± Misha can¡¯t fire a from the castle as Sasha will be hit but Misa will not wait for Misha to arrive either is probably what Sasha thought but suddenly a magic formation appeared right by Sasha and standing there was a platinum blonde haired girl. It¡¯s Misha. Sasha can¡¯t hide her surprise. ¡°Misha¡­¡­..was that Transfer ?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve seen it many times now I thought I could do it.¡± Fumu. I¡¯ve certainly shown it many times but you can¡¯t just imitate with that alone. must have strengthened her demon eyes as well. ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s fine. Fill me in on the details after we beat that woman.¡± ¡°Nn¡± ¡°¡­.Both Misha-san and Sasha-san are amazing¡­¡­but I cannot afford to lose here¡­¡­¡­¡± Looking up at Misha and Sasha who are standing side by side Misa puts all her power into the demon sword. Despite Ray¡¯s help, that demon sword is not suitable for Misa. The fight cant be dragged out much longer. ¡°¡­..Here I go.¡± Misa readies her stance and kicks the ground. ¡°Sasha.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sasha forms a magic circle and readies Scorching Black Flame . The golden flames from the are still wrapped around Sasha¡¯s body. They mix with and turn it a golden colour before Sasha fires it at Misa. ¡°Haaa!!¡± Misa cuts the golden flame with her pure white sword extinguishing it. ¡°As I thought.¡± ¡°A demon sword that cuts magic.¡± The foundation of magic is the technique used to cast it. A magic blueprint so to speak. That pure white sword cuts though magic by cutting through the technique itself thus nullifying the magic. ¡°¡­..Have you understood it? Neither magic nor anti-magic works on this sword¡­¡­.In addition¡­..¡± The body of Misa turned into raindrops and disappeared completely. She became rain itself by using her spirit magic. ¡°Misha.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Standing back to back Sasha and Misha connect both their hands from behind. They don¡¯t know where Misa will appear from and in front of that sword, both defence and offence are invalidated. Almost. However ¡°Fufuu.¡± Sasha laughed. ¡°Whats is it?¡± ¡°I never thought a day like this would come.¡± In a normal school and in a normal exam it wouldn¡¯t be unusual for sisters to work together and challenge it, however, for them, this is an irreplaceable miracle they could only have dreamed of. ¡°We¡¯ll show you the secret art of the Necrons.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Misha smiled a light smile. ¡°Here I coooooome!!¡± Out of the raindrops Misa suddenly appeared in front of them. She¡¯s 3 steps away from reaching them with her sword and Sasha creates a magic circle to meet her. ¡°Wrong.¡± Misha mutters. Misa doesn¡¯t have the demon sword she¡¯s only pretending to. Sasha quickly looks up startled. Overhead the raindrops changed into a pure white demon sword that was falling towards them at a tremendous speed. It was so fast Misa must have thought it was unavoidable but the bodies of two people disappeared. The falling sword cuts through the empty air and pierces the ground. ¡°That¡¯s regrettable.¡± Misha had used to avoid the falling sword. They both reappeared with one pair of hands clasped together and their other hands pointing at Misa. ¡°Demon Flame ¡± ¡°Demon Ice ¡± They then both spoke at the same time ¡°Demon Ice Demon Fire Rivalry Wave ¡± The Necron secret arts. Fusion magic. They combined and . Golden fire and silvery-white ice combine into a glacial fire that attacks Misa. Misa immediately pulls the pure white demon sword from the ground and prepares to cut . ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡­.!!¡± Demon sword and magic wave collide, however, even though momentum was reduced it wasn¡¯t stopped. The magic technique constructed by fusion magic is complex with the techniques overlapping in layers. Even if the surface technique is nullified the two magics underneath would just separate but still exist. Misa didn¡¯t have the skill to cut all the techniques at once. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± Wrapped in flames and ice Misa¡¯s body is blown away. After hitting the ground she didn¡¯t move. Has she lost consciousness? The effects of the spirit magic is over and the rain disappears. Light abruptly broke through the clouds overhead. ¡°Though we had practised alone¡­¡­.we matched our breathing pretty well for our first time.¡± Misha smiled lightly at Sasha¡¯s words. ¡°I am the same as Sasha.¡± Sasha laughed happily. Fusion magic is difficult due to trying to match the magic wavelengths but for these two it¡¯s as easy as breathing. Probably because they were originally the same existence. ¡°I¡¯m the same as Misha too.¡± While speaking Sasha raises her hand and Misha high-fives her. Chapter 39.1 That¡¯s that settled. Neither Misa nor the fan union can fight any more. With the entertainment over I turn to Ray. ¡°¡­¡­ huh? Could I cut it?¡± Ray mutters to himself. ¡°If you beat me I¡¯ll let you have a go at it.¡± Ray returned a cool smile at my provocation. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to collect that sword you lent to Misa?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take me too long to go and get it. Anyway, I¡¯ve got another sword besides Initeio.¡± Ray showed me the sword hanging at his waist but as far I can tell it¡¯s got no magic. It¡¯s a simple iron sword. ¡°Are you using that poor looking sword to play with me? I can wait until you get Initeio.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy but is that true?¡± ¡°Is what true?¡± Ray unsheathes his sword. ¡°Your face is saying you want to start now.¡± Yare yare. I give up. That fellow sees straight through me. ¡°I¡¯m fine with this sword.¡± Apparently, he¡¯s serious. He¡¯s a thoroughly interesting guy. ¡°Then to return the favour I¡¯ll only use a sword as well.¡± I pick up a handy tree branch that had fallen nearby. ¡°Even for Arnos-kun I think you¡¯d be better using a normal sword¡± ¡°Why? You think you¡¯re going to cut this branch in two with one strike?¡± No denial or affirmation. Ray just smiled. ¡°If you have the confidence then try it.¡± I take a step towards Ray with no hesitation or caution. His hand disappeared and the iron sword flashed momentarily. ¡°¡­..Fuu¡­..!?¡± ¡°Naive.¡± I swing the branch with all my strength colliding with Ray¡¯s sword and overwhelming it completely. A loud sound rings out and Ray is blown away. He¡¯s sent rolling across the rumbling ground. ¡°What happened? I thought you were easily going to cut this branch?¡± I say to the fallen Ray. This tree branch is reinforced with my magic. It¡¯s much stronger than iron at the moment. ¡°¡­.Yeah¡­¡­that¡¯s right.¡± Ray stands up like nothing had happened. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve lost a point to an opponent with an inferior weapon.¡± ¡°You look happy though.¡± ¡°Do I? I¡¯m completely afraid you know.¡± ¡°Stop lying. Your mouth¡¯s gone all loose.¡± Ray lets out a laugh and at the same time, he steps to the side but appears before me as if he¡¯d used magic. Besides its speed its a movement technique that cuts waste to the limit. ¡°Fuuuuu!!¡± I could only see a flash of his blade like a trail of light. ¡°Fumu. A perfectly good blow.¡± I use all my strength to react to Ray¡¯s strike. Sword and branch collide and again Ray is blown away. ¡°Was that your limit just now?¡± I ask the fallen Ray who gets up easily again. ¡°Overwhelmed again. I thought I¡¯d exceeded my limit then.¡± There¡¯s no anger or offence in his voice only pure fun. I felt like I could understand Ray¡¯s feelings somehow. ¡°Is it okay to have another go?¡± Ray sets his sword up. The movements so natural it¡¯s like his sword is just another limb. ¡°Come at me again and again if you want.¡± Ray breathed in and stopped. He concentrated his power in his feet and this time it wasn¡¯t just his sword that turned into a flash of light but his entire body. Ray accelerates at such a speed that even my demon eyes can barely see him. ¡°Fumu. This speed is far superior.¡± I up my power a level and strike Ray¡¯s sword. As they collide their powers struggle against each other. Ray had been one-sidedly taking my attacks for a while now and getting blown away. ¡°Splendid.¡± This time however, despite the fact I¡¯d doubled my power he only fell to the ground in a defensive stance. ¡°Amazing. Your plan just now went very well.¡± First stage then the second stage and now the present which is better than the second stage. I¡¯m having to put more and more power into the branch. Ray seems to be getting gradually better at handling my attacks. I¡¯m not hiding my ability. It¡¯s a real iron sword against me. I don¡¯t have that much room to play around. His words about surpassing his limit don¡¯t seem to be a lie. In other words, in the small intervals between our clashes, Ray is growing at a fearsome rate. ¡°¡­¡­It almost feels like I¡¯m remembering something¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How to use the sword.¡± Ray comes again but this time there¡¯s no speed instead there¡¯s a strange thirst for blood in his eyes. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°Slow.¡± I release my strike against Ray¡¯s strangely gentle blow. His sword takes my power and wards it off. That blow was probably strong enough to destroy a castle but Rays no longer receiving it head-on and is instead parrying and diverting the force of the blow. Yare yare. I¡¯m actually surprised at how quickly he¡¯s adapting. ¡°You¡¯re actually a big deal huh?¡± He can¡¯t divert all the force of my second blow though and loses his balance. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a reward.¡± ¡°¡­.Haaa¡­¡­.!!¡± A crashing sound rings out and Ray parries my blow again. This time he doesn¡¯t lose his posture at all. He smiled his refreshing smile. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I cant cut that branch next.¡± ¡°Interesting. Then I¡¯ll break your sword.¡± Explosive sounds that sound nothing like sword strikes ring out. Me and Ray are trying to break each other¡¯s sword. Chapter 39.2 Even though I¡¯m gradually raising my power, Rays growth is so incredible I have to up it a level after each strike. His swords so sharp and crisp. He¡¯s a natural genius with the sword. I could end this now by putting in so much power that Rays growth couldn¡¯t keep up but I want to see how strong this man will become. ¡°You should come quickly to the heights I dwell in. Don¡¯t give up on the way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be troubled if you expect that much.¡± 10 strikes 20 strikes Gradually our swordsmanship is approaching that of the age of myths. If our blades cross the earth shakes and if the blow is deflected the trees are blown away from the force. We stood in the centre of a typhoon of force where everything around us was mown down by our sword pressure. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this!? What¡¯s with this natural disaster!?¡± ¡°Wha¡­wait Arnos. What are you doing!? A mountain just vanished!¡± ¡°The rivers dried up.¡± ¡°Earthquakes are still happening¡­¡­.¡± Screams and pandemonium came through but I answered them lightly. ¡°Just a bit of intense swordplay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can you endure it a bit more?¡± (Ray) Once again Ray and I cross swords. The plants and even roots are now blown away. The whole region is turning into an empty wasteland. It¡¯s not really an issue though. The soil of the demon tree forest is full of magic. No matter how much you go wild it will be restored in one night. Basically, we can go full power as much as we want. ¡°You look happy Arnos-kun.¡± ¡°I am. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve used this much power. Even though I exercise my frustration still builds up.¡± Again our blades clash and the tornado we¡¯ve created blows away all the clouds. ¡°The look on your face is the same as mine.¡± ¡°Because this is the first time I¡¯ve been able to cross blades with someone for this long.¡± If you have his type of natural ability even with a superior opponent or against high numbers he will catch up in no time and overtake them. ¡°You seem to like the sword.¡± ¡°Only in that, it¡¯s my only redeeming feature.¡± Because of his ability, Ray would not have been blessed with a worthy rival until now. Everyone would have been worthless to him. There¡¯s nothing more boring than that. ¡°I understand your feelings well.¡± ¡°I feel like I understand the feelings of Arnos-kun as well.¡± Fumu. What is this feeling? Even though our swords are being swung at full power the inside of my chest is hot. This is the first time. Is it because you don¡¯t have to compete for your life in this age? ¡°Shall we end this soon?¡± Ray completely wards off my branch with perfect skill and send the tip of his sword towards my throat. ¡°Fuuu!!¡± He released a thrust that he hadn¡¯t used at all until now. As soon as I tried to parry it the orbit of the thrust changed and he pierced my branch. If I push or pull it will probably be broken. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s here¡­¡­.!!¡± The orbit of the thrust changes again and Ray cuts the branch. I determined the timing and pushed the branch upwards as he started to cut. The tip of his sword breaks and flies off while at the same time half of my branch fell to the ground. I thrust the shortened branch at Ray¡¯s head. ¡°Fumu. As you declared. I really didn¡¯t think you could cut my weapon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s still my loss however. Not only was my sword broken by a branch I was also stabbed in the end.¡± Ray dropped his broken sword on the ground and raised his hands. ¡°Can I say something strange?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I felt it while we were exchanging blows. It doesn¡¯t feel like this is the first time we¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. We may have met two thousand years ago. I knew a man like you as well.¡± Ray looks at me with interest in his eyes. ¡°Ray. If I told you I was the Demon King of Tyranny would you believe it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but with your power, it does make me wonder.¡± Is he someone who¡¯s reincarnated? I can¡¯t say for definite, but I feel like I know Ray well. ¡°By the way. Because I lost, can I not join Arnos-kun¡¯s group?¡± I reincarnated on purpose. There¡¯s no need for me to remain a prisoner of the past. ¡°It¡¯s Arnos.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°The man who can exchange swords equally with me doesn¡¯t need to add kun to the end of my name. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± As Ray first did to me I presented him my right hand and asked for a handshake. ¡°Arnos then.¡± Ray takes my hand and firmly shakes it. ¡°I¡¯ll win next time.¡± ¡°Likewise, and I won¡¯t let you break my sword next time.¡± He smiles his refreshing smile and I laugh. I looked behind that refreshing smile and saw a huge zone of desolation that was formerly the location of the demon tree forest. Chapter 40.1 TN: Sorry, but this is a bit of moan on my part. I normally like to leave anything I have to say until the end of the chapter but this time it will have to go to the top I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯ve noticed people are starting to posts spoilers in the comments, so to all the people posting spoilers can you please stop. There are forums you can go and post your spoilers on which people can look up if they want. You are free to post the links to whatever forum or other places you choose in the comments so people can find them but I do not like nor tolerate spoilers. I do not read ahead and part of the fun for me is reading as I translate and reading the comments section where people put out their ideas and discuss them. Spoilers ruin all that and really hit my motivation hard so please do not post spoilers. Thank you. I woke up with the bell signalling the end of the class. ¡°Today¡¯s classes are now over. Everyone, please be on time tomorrow.¡± Emilia leaves the classroom and all the students start getting ready leave. Ray who sits in front of me leaned his chair back and tilted his head my way. ¡°Should we get something to eat?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always hungry.¡± ¡°My bodies efficiency is bad.¡± I push my chair back and stand up. ¡°Do you want to come to my house and have a victory celebration? My mothers home-cooked food is the best.¡± ¡°Sounds good. It¡¯s your treat then.¡± Ray says before standing up Next to me, Sasha has a doubtful look on her face. ¡°Nee. Just this morning we were cruelly fighting for our lives in the demon tree forest. Why are you both so friendly? Also, isn¡¯t it humiliating to celebrate with the person you lost to?¡± Ray and I look at each other. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It was my complete defeat and I don¡¯t feel bad about it because I¡¯ll win next time.¡± Ray smiles at me. He¡¯s a funny guy. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got a grasp of my power with just that one match?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never lost to the same opponent twice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never lost.¡± In response to my gaze that looks down from the high place I¡¯m in Ray smiles his refreshing smile. ¡°¡­¡­.Why are you competing against each other again? I thought you were going for a victory celebration? I don¡¯t understand at all.¡± Sasha¡¯s complaint seems to come from the bottom of her heart. ¡°What don¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a difficult thing for girls to understand.¡± ¡°Aah, I see.¡± We laugh together as we reach an understanding. It felt like we could understand each other¡¯s thoughts and feelings without speaking. There¡¯s some similarities to the master-servant relationship from the age of myths but there¡¯s more a sense of equality between us here. Is this what friendship between men is like? It¡¯s not bad. ¡°Jealous?¡± Misha said to Sasha. ¡°I¡¯ve said before but I¡¯m not even though Misha keeps saying it.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s good you speak your mind.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t answer for me! Misha asked me not you!¡± What are you getting so excited for? ¡°I say what I want to say when I want to say it.¡± Sasha seems dissatisfied but I lightly brush her off. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a guy over there who¡¯s face is saying he¡¯s hungry.¡± ¡°That would be me, but I can last another 10 seconds if needed.¡± ¡°Is that your limit?¡± Me and Ray laugh. ¡°¡­¡­..What are those two laughing at¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Relations are good¡­¡­.¡± Sasha and Misha mutter something to each other. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer us.¡± I hold out my hand and Sasha takes it firmly while Misha takes Sasha¡¯s hand. I offer my other hand to Ray. ¡°¡­Aah, could you wait a moment?¡± Ray seems to have remembered something and calls out to a girl who¡¯s about to leave the classroom. ¡°Misa-san.¡± Misa stops and comes over to us. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have a celebration at Arnos¡¯ house. Do you want to come with us?¡± ¡°Eh¡­that¡¯s. I¡¯m happy to be invited but isn¡¯t it better for just your group to go?¡± Ray makes a meaningful face at me. Is he just being kindhearted or is he interested in Misa? Either way is fine I guess. ¡°What are you talking about? You are already one of my subordinates.¡± ¡°Eeh¡­..? But I completely lost to Sasha-san and Misha-san. I borrowed the power of Ray-san.¡± ¡°Victory or defeat is irrelevant. You showed great promise. Also, mazoku cannot use spirit magic but you can and it was the same magic as the great spirit Riniyon.¡± ¡°¡­..Riniyon¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Misa shakes her head. If I remember right she did say that her mother was dead. No wonder she doesn¡¯t know anything. ¡°It¡¯s one of the great spirits that protected the spirits forest during the age of myths. You probably have some kind of link to it. A spirits magic is deeply related to its existence.¡± Misa was seriously listening to my words. She must be interested in her deceased mother. ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting that you can use the true power of a spirit.¡± There were no half spirit half mazoku in the age of myths so I have no idea if Misa will be able to completely use the power of a spirit yet. ¡°¡­.Thank you¡­¡­.I¡¯d love to be one of your subordinates but¡­¡­¡± Chapter 40.2 ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What about the others in the Arnos Fan Union¡­¡­.?¡± Aah, that¡¯s right. ¡°For the time being it¡¯s only you. It seems like it would be too noisy if the others joined my group.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡­.that¡¯s right¡­..¡± Misa looks uncertain. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it that hard to join by yourself?¡± ¡°More like I feel sorry for them¡­¡­Their reactions will be scary. I might be attacked in the dark if things don¡¯t go well¡­..Ahaha¡­¡­..¡± Fumu. Those fellows are a little crazy. ¡°But that¡¯s my problem. Please don¡¯t worry about it Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°Fast! What a heartless response.¡± Sasha pokes fun at me again. ¡°Aah Sasha-san, that reminds me¡­.¡± Misa sneakily beckoned her over. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Fufufu. Because I lost the match.¡± Misa takes out the magic photo and gives it to Sasha who looks hard at it. ¡°¡­¡­..Tentatively, I¡¯ll take it as loot¡­.for now¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s on the photo?¡± ¡°Kyaaa!¡± Misha suddenly appeared surprising Sasha and causing her to drop the photo. ¡°Fumu. What are you making noises over?¡± I pick up the fallen photo. ¡°Don, don¡¯t look! You mustn¡¯t look!!¡± ¡°What are you so panicked about? It¡¯s only a photo. What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Turning the photo around I saw a boy with black hair and eyes. He¡¯s also naked. Because it was necessary to change clothes for class the photo was taken in the few moments when changing clothes with magic that you are naked. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Sasha¡¯s face is red hot and she shrinks into herself. ¡°Even though its a voyeur photo Arnos would be aware of the magic.¡± Ray says while looking at the photo over my shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t notice. Loads were taken after all but I left it alone because it seemed harmless.¡± I present the photo to Sasha. ¡°It¡¯s a very cute thing to do. Did you always want to see my figure?¡± Sasha raises her eyes and glares at me. Her cheeks are red hot and her have formed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so conceited! Okay? Listen up. I like naked men! Your body just happens to be my preference! It¡¯s only your body I¡¯m after!!¡± Fumu. Is that so? Even I¡¯m a little troubled by her words. The classroom has fallen silent and everyone is pulling back a little. ¡°I also like Arnos¡¯ naked body.¡± Misha says throwing Sasha a lifeline. ¡°Misha. You don¡¯t have to support Sasha you know?¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Arnos¡¯ naked body is artistic. I like it.¡± Misha stares into my eyes. Yare yare. How brave, but isn¡¯t it shameful? ¡°Truly? I had no idea my nakedness was so attractive. I¡¯m really sinful.¡± I let out a laugh. ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll fulfil the wishes of my subordinates. If you want to see it that much Sasha, I¡¯ll show you. Not with a photo but directly!¡± ¡°Eeh¡­.? Directly¡­..eeeh¡­¡­! Ah¡­..errrm¡­¡­¡± Sasha is completely confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Wasn¡¯t my body your aim? I¡¯ll give you today¡¯s reward.¡± ¡°Tha, that¡¯s right¡­.I did say that¡­¡­¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t you want to?¡± Sasha looks down. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.I do¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°All right. Here you go.¡± I strongly clench my fists and flex my muscles. The upper half of my uniform explodes. ¡°Look at it!¡± ¡°Why are you taking it off here!? You idiot!!¡± Sasha regained her full form and yelled at me. It¡¯s not bad to play the fool once in a while. Chapter 41.1 My view was dyed white momentarily then the familiar view of our my parent¡¯s blacksmith and appraiser shop appeared. Opening the door I stepped inside. The familiar doorbell rang out and my mother who was standing inside turned around. ¡°Welcome home Arnos-chan!¡± my mother says happily jumping on me. ¡°How was today¡¯s test?¡± ¡°I won.¡± My mother smiles happily at me and pulls my head into her chest. ¡°Mouu, Arnos-chan¡¯s a genius! You¡¯ll be a splendid demon emperor when you grow up. If Arnos-chan becomes a demon emperor you¡¯ll surely make a wonderful town. Mother will definitely live there! I look forward to it!¡± Nn? ¡°You know about demon emperors mother?¡± ¡°Of course. Because it¡¯s Arnos-chan¡¯s dream, mother examined it thoroughly! It¡¯s where you govern an area of Deiruheido. I went to that castle that¡¯s nearby and listened to various stories. I was also able to have a short audience with the demon emperor Erio Roodwell-sama.¡± Because I said I wanted to go to the demon king academy did you think I wanted to become a demon emperor? You even investigated them and met one. Is this a parent? No, it¡¯s more like my mother¡¯s ability to take action is amazing. I¡¯ve no real desire to become a demon emperor. If I think about Avos Dillheavia then eventually I¡¯ll need to prove that I¡¯m the real demon king of tyranny. Oh well, it¡¯s close enough to the truth to be mostly correct. ¡°That demon emperors family name was Roodwell? Where have I heard that before?¡± ¡°Un. Arnos-chan¡¯s teacher Emilia-sensei is Erio Roodwell¡¯s daughter.¡± Aah, I see. That Emilia is huh? That explains why she gets so uptight about royal criticism. ¡°What did you talk about when you had your audience?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group audience but it was a great opportunity to listen, also only people with special permission may talk.¡± Fumu. Is that so? I guess if a demon emperor was to listen to every single person there wouldn¡¯t be enough hours in the day. ¡°By the way mother, the number of people have increased today. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­..?¡± My mothers face becomes serious as she timidly peeks behind me. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos-chan¡­..by any chance¡­¡­..is your third bride¡­¡­a boy!!¡± my mother shouted in surprise when she saw Ray¡¯s face. ¡°Is that right? A boy? That is a boy¡¯s uniform right? Like Arnos-chan¡¯s?¡± ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m Ray Grandori. I just started yesterday but were friends.¡± My mother¡¯s expression suddenly brightened. ¡°That¡¯s good. Mother was worried. Arnos-chan has only bought girls home so I was concerned he couldn¡¯t get along with other boys. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s okay. Arnos-chan isn¡¯t the type of person who just seduces girls!¡± Were you worried that much mother? ¡°I can see why you¡¯d think that. I didn¡¯t know until today how good it was to spend time with a man.¡± 2000 years ago I didn¡¯t care about gender. If they matched personality-wise with me I¡¯d show them my disposition. Well, it did depend on the other party but I¡¯m strangely matched with Ray. ¡°¡­¡­.A man¡­¡­¡­¡­is fine¡­¡­.?¡± my mother muttered under her breath with a blank look on her face. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­A¡­¡­¡­.Ar¡­¡­¡­Arnos-chan is¡­..Arnos-chan is¡­¡­¡­¡± My mother stepped back, staggered a bit and shouted out ¡°What should I doooooooooooo!? Arnos-chan has come ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!!!¡± My mother¡¯s switch has been flipped again. ¡°Is something about this situation strange?¡± ¡°Eh¡­.? No no no, nothing is strange. Nothing is wrong with Arnos-chan.¡± ¡°So far, rather than saying its strange I think this is normal.¡± I never minded if the other party was a man or a woman but I think I¡¯m finally starting to understand normal feelings somewhat. ¡°I made it strange?¡­..Really¡­¡­.? Right, it¡¯s normal¡­..normal. You like boys. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. There¡¯s nothing wrong. Please wait a minute.¡± My mothers grabs Misha and Sasha with tremendous force. ¡°Did you both know?¡± Sasha spoke calmly to my upset mother. Chapter 41.2 ¡°¡­¡­.Errm, can you calm down first?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Mother shouldn¡¯t become useless and panic. Arnos-chan showed courage in coming out. I must accept it!!¡± Sasha¡¯s face became expressionless and Misha¡¯s face that is always expressionless somehow became even more so. ¡°Though he said he didn¡¯t know until today I¡¯m sure Arnos-chan was deeply troubled by it. He¡¯s said before he was different. Was he rushing to marry Sasha-chan and Misha-chan because of that? He tried to trick his own feelings. Because Misha-chan wasn¡¯t enough he started dating Sasha-chan as well¡­¡­he proposed¡­¡­..and drove himself into a corner¡­¡­but¡­..you can¡¯t lie to your hearrrrrrrrrt¡­¡­¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Misha, do you have anything to say¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Magnificent story¡­¡­¡­..¡± My mother turned around to Ray. ¡°Ray-kun!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Mother supports you. Even men are fine! Your feelings of love are the most important thing. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to lie about your feelings. It¡¯s okay!¡± Ray smiles. ¡°Arnos. May I ask what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Just a small misunderstanding on my mother¡¯s part. Well, I guess I¡¯ll explain¡­¡­¡± At that moment the studio door opens with a bang and my father appears but for some reason, he stands still in the doorway. ¡°¡­.Arnos, it was hard¡­¡­.but you did well.¡± Suddenly my father appears to be overcome with emotion. ¡°I understand your feelings a bit. In fact, long ago, I had my eye on a cute little boy¡­¡­..!¡± Isn¡¯t that a crime? ¡°There¡¯s no help for what you like. Father can understand you. You¡­¡­how did you do it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Eh?¡± ¡°I mean, did you put it in!? In that case, father can really understand you! But if you let it be put in, that¡¯s beyond fathers understanding¡­¡­¡­I want to understand¡­¡­¡­I want to understand and do it¡ª¡± My father speaks in a quiet but earnest voice. ¡°Did it feel good?¡± Father¡­¡­.. He seems to have stopped after confessing. Whatever, this is my usual father after all. Let¡¯s just ignore it. ¡°By the way. You both don¡¯t seem to have noticed but there¡¯s another person besides Ray.¡± ¡°Wait Arnos! Are you mad? This situations already out of control.¡± Sasha quickly jumps in. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll explain it all later.¡± Misha leans her head to one side in doubt. ¡°You haven¡¯t given a proper explanation even once!¡± Misha nods deeply at Sasha¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me Sasha.¡± Misha blinked a few times. ¡°You¡¯ve been useless regarding this matter so far.¡± Misha nods in agreement again. ¡°¡­¡­Ahaha¡­¡­should I hide¡­..?¡± When Misa spoke my mother and father seemed to notice her for the first time then they both smiled. ¡°Ah, welcome. I¡¯m sorry for not greeting one of Arnos¡¯ friends.¡± ¡°Ouu. We showed you something a little strange. Please relax. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Why is Misa the only one who gets a normal conversation!? Where did the two-timing, bigamous homosexuality go!?¡± (1) Sasha¡¯s cry of protest rang out throughout the house. (1) Misa didn¡¯t get hazed by his parents so she¡¯s not in his harem ???? Chapter 42.1 We all gather in the kitchen while dinners being made. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking you to help me. You must be tired from the exam but the store was very busy today so I didn¡¯t have time to prepare dinner.¡± My mothers preparing mushroom gratin while speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Your food is always a feast.¡± ¡°Cooking¡¯s fun¡± Misha¡¯s washing a large quantity of mushrooms and then Sasha is cutting them into bite-sized chunks. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve washed all the vegetables. Do you want me to start on the potatoes?¡± I put the potatoes that my dad had washed in a bowl and carried them over. ¡°Because its curry just peel them and cut them into bite-sized chunks.¡± ¡°There¡¯s quite a few. Should I help you? Ah, there¡¯s only one knife though¡­¡­..¡± Misa says. ¡°Oops, is that so? There¡¯s one in the workshop though. I made it for a customer but he never came for it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Can you lend me your kitchen knife?¡± Ray stops my father and borrows his kitchen knife before grabbing the bowl of potatoes and throwing them into the air. ¡°¡­¡­Fuu¡­¡­¡­..!¡± Rays hand glittered and the skins from the large amount of the potatoes instantly peeled off before the peeled potatoes fell back down into the cooking pot while the skins landed back in the bowl. ¡°Fumu. Not bad Ray. Shall the next bout be with the carrots?¡± I point to the bowl I was carrying which was full of carrots. ¡°How about we see who can peel more carrots?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Misa who was listening in smiled wryly. ¡°There¡¯s still only one knife.¡± ¡°This is enough.¡± I picked up a peeler. ¡°I think you might regret it.¡± ¡°Shall we start?¡± Mine and Rays glances connected and sparks scattered. With a signal, I scattered the carrots in the air. ¡°¡­¡­.Here¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Naive¡± The knife and peeler flash and in the next instant all the peeled carrots fall onto nearby plates. ¡°Misa. The count.¡± ¡°Errm let¡¯s see. Arnos-sama has¡­¡­.ten. Ray-san has¡­¡­10. It¡¯s a draw.¡± Ray flashes his refreshing smile and holds his plate full of carrots out to Misa. ¡°Look closely.¡± Misa stares at the carrots. ¡°¡­..Ooh!¡± She raises her voice and touches the carrots which promptly fall apart. At first glance, the carrots just looked peeled but they were also chopped into bite-sized pieces. All ten of them. ¡°They¡¯ve¡­¡­..been cut into heart shapes as well¡­¡­.¡± Misa louts out a surprised voice. Instantly peeling, cutting and carving carrots in bite-sized chunks while in the air is not an ordinary skill. ¡°How about mine?¡± I offered the smiling Ray my plate of carrots. His smile said he thought he¡¯d won. ¡°¡­¡­..They¡¯re¡­¡­..star-shaped¡­¡­¡± Yes, all the carrots I¡¯d peeled were cut into star shapes. Chapter 42.2 ¡°How did you carve them with a peeler¡­¡­..?¡± Misa¡¯s face had an amazed expression. It¡¯s no wonder, I mean a peeler only really has one job. You wouldn¡¯t think you could cut and shape carrots with one. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. If you can only use a tool for its original purpose then you are not fit to be the founder.¡± Well, it was more of a necessity 2000 years ago to use tools for other purposes but now its peaceful and knives are readily available you don¡¯t need to be able to cut and carve items with a peeler. ¡°That¡¯s one each.¡± Ray mutters while picking up another bowl. ¡°Hou. Are we going to settle this with the onions?¡± Many onions fly into the air and me and Ray move at the same time. ¡°What stupid things are you doing over there¡­¡­?¡± Sasha looks up from preparing the mushroom gratin and turned her gaze our way. ¡°Fufuu. Arnos-chan is good at peeling. It¡¯s amazing you¡¯ve prepared the onions so quickly.¡± Sasha casts a doubtful look at my mother who¡¯s praising me. ¡°¡­¡­Mother-sama, why does nothing shock you? What¡¯s with your impregnable guard?¡± Bit by bit Sasha¡¯s getting used to talking to my mother and is not minding her words so much. ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± My mother smiled at Sasha and Misha. ¡°Fufu. I am surprised. Every day brings astonishment. He grew so big after just being born, he can use amazing magic, he¡¯s so smart, telling us he wanted to go to the demon king academy and bringing so many classmates home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Did you never find it scary¡­¡­?¡± When Sasha asked her my mother¡¯s face took on a tender expression. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± My mother¡¯s expression caused Sasha to forget what she was about to say. ¡°Sasha¡¯s power was very strong and scared people.¡± Misha says. ¡°Your parents?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± ¡°I see.¡± My mother pulls Sasha¡¯s head to her and hugs her tightly. ¡°It must have been painful Sasha-chan.¡± ¡°¡­.Not¡­not really¡­¡­¡­.it wasn¡¯t a problem¡­¡­..I had Misha¡­¡­..¡± *Pat pat* Sasha buries her face in my mother¡¯s chest while she pats her back. ¡°¡­¡­I was told by the doctor that due to my constitution I could never carry a child to term¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± ¡°¡­¡­When I became pregnant with Arnos-chan I was examined with magic and was told that even if by some miracle I gave birth the child would not be normal and healthy. I was told it would be best if I gave up on having children¡­¡­.Even if that child would be happy¡­¡­.¡± My mother smiled gently. ¡°But Arnos-chan was in my stomach and was living so I couldn¡¯t give up. Even if he was different from other people, even if he couldn¡¯t study, even if his body was weak. I thought I would love that child as much as possible and make them happy.¡± When I noticed my father was standing by my mother. ¡°My dear said that we would have this child and would never cause him unhappiness. There would be no such thing as it couldn¡¯t be done or unable to find happiness.¡± My father nods. ¡°But when Arnos-chan was in his mother¡¯s stomach his state was worse than we thought. He was already close to death.¡± ¡°The doctors couldn¡¯t do anything with magic. I prayed to God every day. No matter what, I wanted him to be born. As long as he was born, no matter what happened, he would grow up completely happy. That was all I asked.¡± ¡°¡­..What happened?¡± Sasha asked. ¡°While he was sleeping his heart stopped and the doctors said he was dead but I couldn¡¯t give up. It didn¡¯t have to be a god. Even a demon was fine as long as they helped my child. I prayed and prayed and then his heart started to beat again.¡± To be precise the child in my mother¡¯s stomach was dead or perhaps it might be better to say it never really lived from the beginning. According to the doctors, my mother¡¯s constitution would not allow for an origin to fully form and thus a consciousness could not appear. It was already decided the child would die before being born, however, due to me reincarnating into it I breathed life back into the vessel. At times willpower can greatly affect magic. Rarely, even humans who cannot use magic or have very weak magic can, by sheer force of will, affect magic and attract a demon. It¡¯s very possible the strength of my mother¡¯s prayer called to me. ¡°After that Arnos-chan regained his energy and grew bigger and bigger. The doctors said it was a miracle.¡± My mother laughed while crying a little. ¡°Therefore, I have never once been scared because Arnos-chan is living so energetically. There¡¯s nothing I want more than that.¡± Both Misha and Sasha are crying at my mother¡¯s story while Misa wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and even Ray had a solemn expression. Everyone must be thinking the same as me. That¡¯s why my parents accept even two-timing, bigamous homosexuality. Chapter 43.1 I¡¯m currently sitting down by myself taking a short break after our meal. Today¡¯s dinner was better than normal though my mothers mushroom gratin is still the best. I ate a bit too much though and it¡¯s lying a bit heavy in my stomach, however, this feeling of fullness is pretty good. Everyone else has gone into the workshop. My father learnt Ray was interested in making swords so he enthusiastically took him to the workshop. Misha and Sasha also disappeared. It¡¯s been a while and they still haven¡¯t come back, however, I can hear laughter from time to time so they are still chatting away. Leaning back in my chair I can hear noises from the kitchen. My mother? Let¡¯s take a look. It was actually Misha inside. ¡°What you doing?¡± Misha turned around with her usual deadpan expression. ¡°Gratin.¡± I can see the stone ovens lit. Is she actually making gratin? We¡¯ve finished eating though. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Making it.¡± ¡°You are?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°Arnos¡¯ mother is good.¡± ¡°Well I won¡¯t argue with that but why?¡± Misha blinked a couple times. ¡°Taught me.¡± Sasha and Misha did help out when preparing dinner. Did my mother teach them how to cook it at the same time? ¡°Practising by myself.¡± I see. ¡°You wanted more practice making gratin?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± ¡°Well, my mothers mushroom gratin is the best there is.¡± Misha nods again. ¡°Arnos¡¯ favourite food.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Does that mean you are practising because it¡¯s my favourite food?¡± It¡¯s only a little bit but Misha suddenly looks shy. ¡°I like Arnos¡¯s happy face.¡± She¡¯s saying something cute. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Misha smiles at my words. ¡°Arnos is close with Sasha.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Sasha exposes all her emotions without holding back and talks to me rudely. She¡¯s also meddlesome and unintentionally amusing at times. I had no such subordinate 2000 years ago. ¡°Something wrong with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± Misha stares into my eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m a little lonely.¡± ¡°I see. Does it feel like I¡¯ve stolen your older sister?¡± Misha¡¯s eyes opened slightly and she shook her head. ¡°Opposite.¡± Misha suddenly points at me. ¡°Me? By Sasha?¡± Misha nods slightly. Unusually for Misha, she¡¯s assertively looking me in the eyes. ¡°I made friends first.¡± Her voice becomes thinner. ¡°¡­¡­.But Sasha is closer now¡­¡­.¡± I unintentionally laugh. ¡°So even Misha can think like that.¡± She looks down and says in a small voice. ¡°¡­¡­..Jealously is not good¡­¡­¡­¡± Our feelings don¡¯t always go the way we want them too. ¡°I¡¯m not on better terms with Sasha than you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Misha stares doubtfully at me. ¡°She just talks more¡± ¡°¡­..I speak less¡­¡­¡± Misha¡¯s voice gets even quieter. ¡°That¡¯s one of your good points Misha.¡± Her face relaxes slightly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can feel calm when I¡¯m talking to you.¡± *Fufu* Misha laughs shyly. ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡± Fumu. This misunderstanding seems to have been solved. ¡°Ah.¡± Misha suddenly notices something and puts on some mittens before fetching a pot from the oven. A delicious scent of white sauce and cheese drifts out. ¡°I did it.¡± Misha joyfully puts the pot on the table before taking a wooden spoon and scooping up some gratin, blowing on it to cool it down and then eating it in one gulp. Did it go well? Misha¡¯s nodding while tasting her gratin. ¡°Is it delicious?¡± Misha turns around to face me with her deadpan expression before scooping up some more gratin and pointing the spoon at me. ¡°Eat?¡± ¡°Ah, no, I just ate a while ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..I see¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Misha stares at the gratin on the spoon. She somehow looks lonely. Oh, she did say she liked seeing my happy face so that¡¯s why she was practising. In that case, no matter how full I am I will eat it. ¡°Fumu. Actually, I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯m a bit peckish. Can I have it?¡± Misha smiled happily and nodded before blowing on the gratin. Moving forward she brought the spoon to my mouth. ¡°Here.¡± Misha¡¯s demanding that I open my mouth. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± I¡¯m not a baby. I can eat by myself. When I didn¡¯t open my mouth she tilted her head to one side. ¡°¡­..Aaahn¡­¡­¡± Did she think her intention wasn¡¯t communicated? She¡¯s asking me to open my mouth again. Whatever. It¡¯s fine I guess. Do what you want. I opened my mouth and Misha fed me the gratin. Umu, this is exquisite. She¡¯s only just learnt from my mother but she can already perfectly replicate my mother¡¯s mushroom gratin taste. ¡°¡­..How is it¡­¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Exquisite.¡± *Fufu* Misha laughed. ¡°One more?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have it.¡± Misha brings it to my mouth again. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Aahn¡­¡­.¡± Did you think I wouldn¡¯t open my mouth if you didn¡¯t do that? Misha feeds me the same way again. I was already stuffed but in the next 10 minutes, I managed to eat another dish of gratin. ¡°It was delicious. Misha¡¯s good at cooking.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Normal¡­¡­¡± She says a little shyly. ¡°I¡¯ll make it again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. You don¡¯t need to make it to remain friends with me.¡± Chapter 43.2 Misha falls silent and looks troubled. ¡°No good?¡± Apparently, it was an unnecessary concern on my part. ¡°If you actually want to make it then please do.¡± ¡°I like making it.¡± She must be a creative person. She¡¯s also good at Construction Creation . ¡°Will you let me eat it again?¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Yeah. I look forward to it.¡± I touch the plate and spoon and activate my magic. They¡¯re quickly washed before floating in the air and returning to the cupboard. ¡°Did you go to the workshop?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Shall we go then?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± I head to the workshop with Misha but inside there¡¯s only my mother. No one else is in sight. ¡°Where¡¯s Ray?¡± My mother raises her index finger and puts it in front of her mouth in a shushing motion. Near to her is Sasha wrapped up in a blanket and sleeping. ¡°Sasha-chan became tired.¡± To be fair she used a lot of magic power in the test. ¡°Ray-kun and the others have gone to the garden to enjoy some night air.¡± My mother says in a quiet voice. Shall we go to the garden? We leave the workshop and head outside. The sun may have gone down but the moons pretty bright tonight. Where we live is very densely packed with houses so light spills out from them as well. ¡°But thank you for today.¡± From our garden, I heard the voice of Misa. Peeking into the garden I see Misa sitting down amongst the roots of a tree with Ray standing by her side. ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°Fufufuu. You invited me. If Ray-san hadn¡¯t spoken up I don¡¯t think Arnos-sama would have let me join the group so thank you for that.¡± Ray smiled. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± ¡°Ah, how modest. You¡¯re kind.¡± Misa laughs then smiles. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met someone like Ray-san¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Like me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Hmmm. How to put it. You don¡¯t care about being royalty at all¡­¡­¡­?¡± Ray laughs. ¡°I think both those Necrons are also the same though.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­..but it¡¯s a bit different with you, right? Sasha-san and Misha -san know about the meaning of royalty and understand it but still became Arnos-sama¡¯s subordinates.¡± ¡°I¡¯m different?¡± ¡°Yes, you are. Royal lineage or mixed blood. Neither matter to you. You don¡¯t seem to be interested in the blood of the founder. I can¡¯t find the right words but what I¡¯m trying to say is you just don¡¯t seem to care?¡± Ray laughs again. ¡°You might be right. Like I said in the group test I¡¯m not good at it.¡± Ray looked away from Misa and stared into the distance. ¡°I only really want to think about the sword. How can I swing faster? How can I cut something that can¡¯t be cut? Anything beyond that is troublesome.¡± ¡°Anything beyond that? Are there no circumstances where you¡¯ll think about anything but the sword?¡± Misa asks a simple question. ¡°Well, there¡¯s various things if you are alive. There¡¯s eating for example.¡± Misa burst into laughter. ¡°You¡¯re just lazy Ray-san.¡± ¡°My origin is an easygoing fellow.¡± Ray turns his eyes back to Misa. ¡°Therefore I won¡¯t be entering the unification faction. The royalty aren¡¯t in the right though.¡± ¡°Ah, no. I had no such intention.¡± Misa panicked and waved her hands before putting on a serious face. ¡°I did think it though. A person like Ray-san might be the ideal person for the unificationists. Whether you are royalty or not, the mazoku are split in two. It¡¯s troublesome and I don¡¯t care. The person who can say that is surely someone who doesn¡¯t discriminate against people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing if you lift me up that much. If you say that then there¡¯s Arnos. He really doesn¡¯t seem to care about anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos-sama¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Since you want him to be the face of your cause can¡¯t you see him with calm eyes?¡± Misa looks at Ray in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s very forthright.¡± Ray doesn¡¯t answer back. He just looks at Misa who looks away awkwardly. ¡°¡­¡­For us, there¡¯s no other way than to believe in Arnos-sama. I know it might not be a good thing for Arnos-sama¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s okay.¡± Misa¡¯s face took on a surprised look again. ¡°No matter what Misa-san does he won¡¯t be influenced even the slightest bit.¡± Misa buried her face in her knee¡¯s having no answer to give back. ¡°He truly doesn¡¯t care. I honestly believe that. Is it useful? Is it bad or poor looking? Arnos doesn¡¯t have that perspective at all. A bucket of water thrown into the ocean will not make a wave. To me, he¡¯s transcended all that.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only just met him. How can you be so sure?¡± Ray laughs again. ¡°It¡¯s just my intuition. I¡¯m not good at thinking about difficult things.¡± Misa laughs. ¡°I feel a bit more easy somehow.¡± ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Misa¡¯s face takes on a curious expression. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Is Misa-san a half spirit half demon? ¡°Yeah¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Is your bodies condition not worsening?¡± As if not understanding Misa c?o?c?k?s? her head to the side. ¡°Errrm¡­.well¡­¡­there¡¯s times when I feel a little unwell but basically I¡¯m always fine. Why do you ask?¡± Ray closes his mouth for a moment then speaks with an unusually earnest expression. ¡°I¡¯d heard that half spirits half demons don¡¯t have very long lives.¡± ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± ¡°But as far as I knew there were no lively half spirits who could use spirit magic. I think Misa-san is special.¡± ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t know myself¡­¡­¡­¡± Ray stretches his hand out to Misa. ¡°Shall we head back? My bodies getting cold.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Misa took Ray¡¯s hand and stood up. ¡°Thank you very much for today. I will do my best to make a society where people like Ray-san are the norm.¡± As soon as she spoke Misa made a face like she¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said something so bothersome.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ray laughs. ¡°I¡¯ll support you. Because I¡¯m a royal and a member of the chaos generation I¡¯m honestly tired of being pushed around all the time.¡± Misa¡¯s face blooms into joy and she makes a fist. ¡°Please leave it to me. I¡¯ll do my best so the day Ray-san can relax will come.¡± Authors note: Recently Sasha has been prominent but I strongly believe in the Misha faction! Expect the hot support for Misha to increase! Chapter 44.1 A while later in Deruzogedo demon king academy. ¡°On that note, I¡¯ve got something to tell you all. The Deiruheido demon sword tournament will be held soon and excellent students from this school can also enter. First-year students are rarely recommended but there are students in this class who have been recommended.¡± The classroom gets noisy at Emilia¡¯s words. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Idiot. There¡¯s only one guy here who can go to the demon sword tournament.¡± Emilia watched the chatting students with a relaxed look. ¡°The nominee is Ray Grandori-kun. Congratulations. As a student of Deruzogedo I expect great achievements.¡± Emilia starts clapping and other students follow suit. Ray doesn¡¯t look particularity enthusiastic but he smiles anyway. ¡°He might win the championship. He is the demonic sword saint after all.¡± (1) ¡°Aah. He did overwhelm that old seven demon emperor.¡± ¡°If the winner of the demon sword tournament comes from our class we can all be proud.¡± Because they know Ray¡¯s ability with the sword, words about winning are flying around. ¡°And one other person.¡± When Emilia said that the classroom got even noisier. ¡°¡­¡­.Another person¡­¡­.? Was there someone else in this class who could enter a demon sword tournament?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so. There¡¯s Sasha-sama who¡¯s also from the chaos generation but she doesn¡¯t use a sword.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.There is though. There¡¯s a guy who can overwhelm even Ray with the sword¡­..¡± ¡°That guy huh¡­¡­..¡± All the student¡¯s eyes gather on me. ¡°Arnos Voldigod-kun. You are also entered into the demon sword tournament. As a student of Deruzogedo please don¡¯t fight in a shameful manner.¡± At that moment shrill screams came from the classroom. ¡°IT CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME! ARNOS-SAMA¡¯S ERA IS HERE!!¡± ¡°If Arnos-sama has been entered then isn¡¯t it already a win?¡± ¡°Yeah! Not only will he win but he¡¯ll end up in the hall of fame!¡± ¡°What do I do? I¡¯m nervous¡± ¡°Why are you nervous?¡± ¡°We need to make a cheering squad for Arnos-sama! Arnos-sama can¡¯t fight alone!¡± My fan union raises its voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I¡¯ve never heard of white clothes entering a demon sword tournament.¡± ¡°Yeah. Even for regular or special participants, mixed bloods have to have their documents examined first and get rejected.¡± ¡°No matter how strong Arnos is whats the head of the academy thinking?¡± Some of the royals express their dissatisfaction. Without bothering to explain Emilia carried on talking. ¡°To participate in the demon sword tournament you need your own sword so please prepare it. I¡¯m sure you know the rules but you can¡¯t exchange your sword along the way. If your sword is broken or destroyed you lose. Use of magic to harm your opponent is forbidden. You fight with your sword only. There¡¯s more detailed regulations so please check with the officials in charge of the tournament.¡± I see. Fighting with your own sword huh? With this, the key to winning is not only your own skill but the performance and durability of your demon sword. ¡°That¡¯s all. Class dismissed.¡± Finishing speaking Emilia left the classroom and all the students started packing up to go home. ¡°I hope we¡¯re the pair who meet in the finals.¡± Ray says while leaning back in his chair and turning his head my way. ¡°Let¡¯s settle our dispute properly next time with our swords¡± ¡°I completely agree. I want to do it until I¡¯m satisfied.¡± Ray smiles in complete satisfaction. ¡°Some of the pairings might be a problem though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be defeated.¡± Ray stands up and turns around. ¡°Why was I recommended to the sword tournament though? Do they think I¡¯ll win?¡± Ray can¡¯t answer that question. When it comes to royalty and mixed races hes basically clueless. ¡°The royals shouldn¡¯t want a mixed-race to win the tournament. They should have jumped on my parentage and banned my entry but instead, a mixed-race has been entered. A being that normally shouldn¡¯t be able to enter.¡± I need to think about the motive behind this all. ¡°It¡¯s strange alright.¡± Misa says coming over to us. ¡°Do you know anything?¡± ¡°No and to go that far¡­¡­ However, I believe I know a well-informed person you should probably talk to if you want answers.¡± A well-informed person? ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The person I spoke about the other day and promised you could meet. One of the old seven demon emperors, Melheys-sama.¡± That reminds me, she did make such a promise. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°In our union tower. I know its sudden but one of his plans fell through and he¡¯s free at the moment. If it¡¯s convenient do you want to go now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s go then.¡± We leave the classroom and head over to the Arnos fan union tower. After entering and approaching the 2nd floor I start hearing happy voices. ¡°Let¡¯s start Arnos-sama¡¯s support song! Jyanjyanjyanjyanjyan ?¡± ¡°Strongest! In history! Arnos-sama¡«? Instant death with a beautiful sword¡«?¡± ¡°Kill, kill, want to be killed¡«? Want to be rust on his sword¡«?¡± ¡°His fighting figure is beautiful¡«? The compassionate Arnos-sama¡«?¡± ¡°Affection in bed¡«? His manly sword pierces the heavens¡«?¡± ¡°Kill, kill, want to fall down¡«? Want to be rust on his sword¡«?¡± ¡°Arnos-sama ? With his manly sword ? Infinitely spreads his mixed blood¡«?¡± ¡°A world without royalty ? Is the only solution ¡«?¡± ¡°Kill, kill, want to fall down ¡«? Instant death with a beautiful sword ¡«? Fumu. Let¡¯s pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything. Hang on. The cheering group just said they needed to make a support song so how is the song already completed? I think this is probably something I shouldn¡¯t think too deeply about. Shall I just put it down to daily training? I continued up to the top floor, all the while trying to expel those lyrics from my brain but failing. ¡°Melheys-sama, I¡¯ve brought Arnos-sama.¡± Chapter 44.2 Waiting in the half-sword room was an old man with a long grey moustache, wearing a robe and leaning on a cane. Melheys Boran, one of the old seven demon emperors. Judging by the wavelength of his magic power he¡¯s definitely one of the mazoku I made. He¡¯s also a survival type that focuses on magic the most. He¡¯s different from Aivis and Idol. He¡¯s got the power to defeat strong veterans from the age of myths. Melheys slowly walks over to me, activated his demon eyes and stared into my eyes. Several seconds later a single tear spilled down his face and he kneeled in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting all this time for your reincarnation my lord demon king, Arnos Voldigod-sama.¡± Fumu. This, I did not expect. ¡°Do you remember me Melheys?¡± Melhey¡¯s shook his head. ¡°I have no such honour. I was defeated by someone and my memorises were erased but my origin remembers you. After meeting you I am finally convinced.¡± The same as Aivis and the others. ¡°I want to check for myself.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± I place my hand on Melhey¡¯s head and activate Time Manipulation and Recollection . I explore the outer layer of memories and just like Aivis and the others the memories are gone. Next, I look into the abyss and confirm Melhey¡¯s origin. Only one. Melheys doesn¡¯t appear to have fused with one of Avos Dillheavia¡¯s subordinates. His body hasn¡¯t been taken over. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°2000 years ago after Arnos-sama reincarnated I was attacked by someone and my memory was erased. When I regained consciousness I found myself in Ahartherun.¡± The great spirit forest? ¡°Did you cross the wall?¡± 2000 years ago Deiruheido and Ahartherun were separated by the magic wall. ¡°Probably. My memory of it is vague but I think I used the wall as a way to escape from whoever was attacking me.¡± Even though the wall was a grand magic that used my life force to activate, a mazoku from the age of myths with powerful magic and enough desperation could cross the wall though with significant risk to their life. I can only think of 20 people from the age of myths that could do that and even then the compensation would have been huge. ¡°I¡¯m assuming they didn¡¯t follow you because crossing over the wall in pursuit of you would have exhausted most of their magic powers and it would have taken a considerable time for their powers to come back before they could return to Deiruheido.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I believe. It took me over a hundred years to restore my magic power to a level where I could cross back over the wall.¡± Unlike Aivis, Melheys had enough power to cross the wall. Erasing his memory would be one thing but it would have been extremely difficult to take over his origin. ¡°When I returned to Deiruheido the name of the demon king of tyranny had already changed to Avos Dillheavia. Though I had no memories I wasn¡¯t able to wipe out the sense of wrongness with that name. The other old seven demon emperors didn¡¯t seem to doubt the name Avos Dillheavia but I always had my doubts until now¡± ¡°Has it changed to belief now?¡± ¡°Indeed it has. My origin says that you are the true demon king.¡± There¡¯s no strange points in Melheys¡¯ story. I¡¯ve also learnt that Avos Dillheavia existed right back in the age of myths. There were a lot of people hostile to me 2000 years ago but there were 3 beings who had outstanding power. The hero Kanon, the great spirit Reno and the creation god Militeia. Those 3 helped me build the wall and they were all seeking peace, however, it¡¯s not strange to think that they would deem me unnecessary in peaceful times. Would they do something so roundabout though? I don¡¯t think any of them wanted the throne of the demon king of tyranny either. Is it the work of someone else? ¡°Do you know what Avos Dillheavia is planning?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Well, not unexpected. There¡¯s a limit to what you can do fighting alone with no allies. ¡°Report back to me if you find anything.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± As expected it¡¯s only possible to follow a trail when it¡¯s close by. ¡°Let me ask something else. Do you know the aim of the person who recommended me for the sword tournament?¡± Melheys thought for a while before answering. ¡°Does Arnos-sama know the royal faction?¡± ¡°Is that different from royalty?¡± Melheys nods. ¡°The royal faction is a group that wants to extend the rights of the royal families. They are making the radical claim that if you are not a pureblood royal then you are not a mazoku.¡± Fumu. A group with a few screws loose it seems. ¡°There are many royal factions in Deruzogedo. I think this is the work of one of them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of recommending me?¡± ¡°It may be a check against the unification faction. Arnos-sama is the main topic of talk between the unification faction and the royal faction due to your trampling of the school system. Arnos-sama is mixed blood yet no royal or even any of the old seven demon emperors can stand up to you. You have become the driving force of the unification faction and the royal factions are taking interest in you now.¡± ¡°In other words, by defeating me in the demon sword tournament it will damage the unification factions momentum?¡± Melheys nods his agreement. ¡°The royal faction seem to be unable to ignore you now. As long as Arnos-sama is involved, when you win the tournament the unification faction will tighten its bonds. There are more mixed blooded mazoku than there is royalty. The royal factions are afraid of mixed-bloods.¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m no fool. They intend to defeat me by any means in the tournament.¡± Melheys face took on a determined expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Arnos-sama but could you please not participate in the demon sword tournament?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To you, it is a trivial thing but to the unification faction, Arnos-sama is their light. We cannot afford to turn off that light.¡± Melheys is the unification faction. He may be considering that Avos Dillheavia might make a move during the tournament as well. At his core, he doesn¡¯t think well of the royals who rule Deiruheido. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to poke the royal faction.¡± ¡°You will win. No matter what happens I can never see you losing, however, you may win this one game but you might not win the whole game.¡± I see. ¡°Will they beat me by using the rules?¡± ¡°It may seem funny but even if you achieve overall victory, as long as you lose even one match that will be enough for the royal faction¡­¡­¡­..¡± Those who give priority to blood over ability. It¡¯s no wonder they take such actions. ¡°The thing is, even if I decline I don¡¯t think they will cancel the recommendation. They may even say I tried to escape.¡± ¡°We will do something afterwards if we don¡¯t appear in the match. I plead for your benevolence.¡± He is one of the old seven demon emperors. He has the power to do that much. Yare yare. This has become troublesome. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m actually bothered if I¡¯m in the tournament or not. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Melheys lowers his head deeply. (1) I dropped the tempering part of his title and just kept the demonic sword saint part. Chapter 45.1 After speaking to Melheys I returned home. Usually, my mother is tending the front but since the shop is closed there¡¯s no one there. ¡°Welcome back.¡± A quiet, indifferent sounding voice calls out to me. Misha unexpectedly appeared from the kitchen. Honestly, I was a little surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Cooking practise.¡± My mother also appears from the kitchen. ¡°Welcome back Arnos-chan. Dinner will be done soon. I made it with Misha-chan today.¡± I see. ¡°You taking lessons from my mother?¡± *Kokuri* Misha nods. ¡°Misha-chan said she wanted to make delicious food for Arnos-chan. I¡¯m teaching her when we both have the time.¡± When did they make this promise? ¡°Mother¡¯s going to go finish dinner.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Thank you but it¡¯s okay now Misha-chan. What¡¯s left is easy thanks to you. Why don¡¯t you stay and chat with Arnos-chan?¡± Misha thought a little and nodded. ¡°Ou, welcome back Arnos.¡± My father who had just finished his work came out of the studio. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done something great again it seems. The demon sword tournament was it?¡± My mother smiled at my father¡¯s words. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Congratulations Arnos-chan. Emilia-sensei came by today to tell us. Arnos-chan is truly a genius. One of only 2 people chosen from the class!¡± My mother hugs me tightly. It seems they really want me to participate in the demon sword tournament if they¡¯ve gone as far as to tell my mother and father. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to enter or not yet.¡± ¡°Eh? Why? If you get a good result in the demon sword tournament it¡¯s easier to become a demon emperor.¡± That¡¯s news to me. ¡°Really?¡± Misha nods at my question. ¡°Achievements are required to become a demon emperor and results from the tournament count.¡± I see. Even in this peaceful era you still need strength to some extent. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword anyway.¡± I¡¯ll just go with that. ¡°If it¡¯s a sword leave it to your father. What type of sword do you want?¡± Even if I intended to enter it¡¯s not something I can entrust to my father¡­¡­ ¡°A normal sword is impossible as it would break in one blow. All participants need a demon sword.¡± My father folds his arms and starts thinking. ¡°A demon sword was it? Papa¡¯s heard of them. Aren¡¯t they made with a special metal? A type of iron that can cut anything?¡± My father¡¯s blacksmith knowledge is from a human country. Even if you say a demon sword, they are not always magical. A demon sword only needs recognition to cut well. ¡°Alright. Papa¡¯s going out.¡± My fathers face shows a proud expression. I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this. ¡°Now? It¡¯s dinner time¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll just be for a couple days Isabella. Can you mind the shop?¡± My mother laughs and smiles at my fathers who¡¯s acting manly. ¡°Yes. Take care dear.¡± Though he seems excited, whatever sword my dad makes will be destroyed by a demon sword. It¡¯s also a bit premature. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m entering the tournament yet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about a sword father.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not about a sword. Papa just remembered he has a little bit of business to attend to.¡± Really? What business do you have that requires you to be away for a couple days? His excuse is just absurd. ¡°Even with a sword its a demon sword tournament.¡± ¡°I know that. Well then, papa is off.¡± My father laughs while clapping my shoulder. ¡°Right. Protect your mother for me while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°No, wait father.¡± My father just laughs and claps my shoulder again. ¡°Right. Protect your mother for me while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± What was that? ¡°Father, please listen. I¡ª¡± My father laughs again and claps my shoulder. ¡°Right. Protect your mother for me while I¡¯m gone.¡± Is he a broken magic doll? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.Aah. Leave it to me¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± My father gives me a big thumbs up at my words. Yare yare. I can¡¯t keep up with my father at all. ¡°See you later.¡± My father opened the door and left. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Fumu¡­¡­.It¡¯s fine I guess? Even though I can¡¯t use it in the tournament if its a good sword it will still be a good showpiece for the shop. Though my father wants to grow the store he seems to have no intention of actually making any good money. He does work hard though. Firstly, how can I stop my father¡¯s misunderstanding? ¡°Well then. Mama will finish dinner.¡± My mother returns to the kitchen. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to participate in the tournament?¡± Misha asks. ¡°The royal faction is planning to beat me by using the rules though I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose even if the rules are not in my favour. There¡¯s nothing to gain if I do a participate though.¡± Is this part of Avos Dillheavia¡¯s plan? I¡¯m hoping he shows his tail if things go well. If he¡¯s got nothing to do with it there¡¯s no point me participating because I couldn¡¯t care less about the royal factions. Chapter 45.2 If it¡¯s a worthless game I might as well heed Melheys advice. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡­ ¡°Come.¡± At my words, a familiar spirit owl entered through the window. ¡°Go.¡± The immediately flew away after I gave it the order through Thought Transmission ¡°Is the academy closed tomorrow Misha?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Do you have any plans?¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Do you want to go out somewhere then?¡± Misha looks at me with her deadpan expression. ¡°¡­..Go out?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± Misha falls silent and thinks. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Us two?¡± ¡°That a problem?¡± Misha shook her head frantically. ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± She says while smiling. ¡°Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± ¡°Anywhere.¡± ¡°Is there anything you want to do?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± Fumu. She really has no desires. Saying that, this is Misha. She may just be holding back. ¡°What does Arnos want to do?¡± ¡°Anything is good. You can be a bit more forceful Misha.¡± Misha blinks a little as if she¡¯s surprised. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Must think I¡¯m boring¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Even doing something dull can be fun.¡± Misha smiled happily. ¡°Arnos is kind.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Mishas eyes meet mine ¡°My favourite thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Not yet. Secret.¡± Is tomorrow going to be fun after all? ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Nn? Misha is still staring at me. She¡¯s not saying anything but she doesn¡¯t seem to be waiting for me to say anything either. I think she wants to ask me something. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can ask anything.¡± Misha suddenly looks a little embarrassed. ¡°¡­¡­..What kind of clothes does Arnos like?¡± ¡°Clothes? Let¡¯s see. I don¡¯t really care about appearance. If I had to say then probably a frock coat.¡± ¡°Frock coat?¡± Misha looked a little surprised then spoke in a slightly uneasy voice. ¡°¡­¡­..Suit me¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± We both realised our conversations had gone in opposite directions. ¡°Are you talking about clothes for you to wear Misha?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Even if you ask me I don¡¯t really understand women¡¯s clothes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What colour do you like?¡± Were talking about clothes for Misha to wear. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­. White is good. Your uniform looks good on you.¡± Misha eyes round a little bit. ¡°Prefer trousers or skirts?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever been asked that.¡± Misha steps closer to me and stares into my face. ¡°Which one?¡± Fumu. She¡¯s being unusually insistent. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand either of them¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Trousers?¡± Misha stares into my eyes while asking. ¡°Skirt?¡± Misha keeps asking. ¡°Hard clothes?¡± Hard clothes? Does she mean a formal dress? Formal dresses aren¡¯t bad but I wouldn¡¯t say I like them. ¡°Light clothes then?¡± I¡¯ve never thought about any of this. She¡¯s asking questions quickly so I have no time to form an answer. ¡°I got it.¡± I still haven¡¯t answered anything but Misha withdraws. ¡°Arnos-chan, Misha-chan, dinners ready¡ª.¡± My mother¡¯s voice comes from the dining room. ¡°Go?¡± ¡°¡­..Have you finished with your questions?¡± *Fufuu* Misha laughs. I went to the dining room together and with a happier than normal Misha. Chapter 46.1 My father didn¡¯t come home yesterday after all. Since he¡¯s a blacksmith he knows about swords but I¡¯m still vaguely anxious. ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s a strange feeling.¡± If anything happens I¡¯m sure I can do something about it so there¡¯s no reason to worry about it. ¡°Misha-chan¡¯s come you pick you up Arnos-chan.¡± My mother¡¯s voice comes from the entrance so I leave my room and head down to the front. Sure enough, there was my mother and Misha. ¡°Good morning.¡± Misha says. She¡¯s wearing a white one-piece dress decorated with fluffy ringlet type ribbons. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen those clothes before.¡± ¡°¡­.New clothes¡­¡­¡± I see. That explains the new look. ¡°¡­¡­Strange?¡± Misha asks looking at me with upturned eyes. ¡°Not at all. They¡¯re nice clothes. You look good.¡± Misha starts looking a little shy at my words. ¡°Arnos¡¯ taste.¡± ¡°Mine? I certainly think you look good but in the end, I didn¡¯t answer any of your questions.¡± Just like yesterday, Misha lets out a little *fufuu* laugh. ¡°I can tell by looking.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Though I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d given any conclusive answers it appears she saw right to the bottom of my heart. As expected of Misha, she¡¯s a good demon eyes. ¡°You saw well Misha. I¡¯m happy.¡± Misha¡¯s talent is considerable. If her growth is handled correctly she has the potential to approach the level of mazoku from the age of myths. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Misha is happy at my words. ¡°Right, we¡¯re off then mother.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± My mother sent us off with a smile. ¡°Now then. Will you teach me your favourite thing Misha?¡± Misha nods. ¡°This way.¡± Misha starts guiding me. Walking together I was looking forward to seeing where Misha was taking me. Eventually, we came to an area filled with shops known as the Midhayes shopping district. It¡¯s probably the busiest neighbourhood in the city with many people and travellers coming and going. ¡°Here.¡± Misha stopped in front of a certain store. Magic model shop [Hometown Of The Wounded Dragon]. It¡¯s huge. A female shopkeeper wearing a hat turned to us as we entered. ¡°Oh? Welcome, Misha-chan. Have you come to make something today?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± ¡°Thank you as always. That magic model castle you made the other day has already sold. You really helped me out.¡± The shopkeeper opens a door leading further inside the shop. ¡°Is that onii-san your boyfriend Misha-chan?¡± Misha glanced at me then shook her head. ¡°Friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Arnos Voldigod.¡± The shopkeeper laughs then smiles at me. ¡°I¡¯m Melissa Nomad. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Aah. By the way, whats a magic model?¡± Melissa¡¯s face took on a surprised expression when I asked her. ¡°¡­¡­.There¡¯s nobody who doesn¡¯t know what a magic model is. Are you not from Deiruheido, onii-san? Where are you from?¡± If I said from 2000 years ago I wouldn¡¯t be believed. ¡°From a remote region on the human continent of Azesion.¡± ¡°Heee. I see. Then Misha-chan came to show onii-san magic models.¡± Misha nods ¡°Then feel free. No one is using the workshop at the moment.¡± I follow Misha and Melissa into the workshop where I see several magic formations drawn on the floor. Looking closer I see that they are restricted formations. Restricted formations limit the type of magic that can be used and where they can be placed but offer high precision when used. The room also contains shelves and a long table with a glass globes on top. Inside the glass globes were all sorts of scenes like miniature buildings, trees and flowers. It was like someone has cut out landscapes and miniaturised them. ¡°These are magic models. What do you think? Aren¡¯t they great? Also, Misha-chan made this one.¡± Amongst all the glass spheres Melissa pointed to one that showed an ice castle built in a forest. It¡¯s an exact replica on the one Misha made during the team battle with the demon forest in the background. A piece of paper with the word [sold] on it is placed underneath it. ¡°I see. They are made with Construction Creation .¡± Misha nods. To make a huge structure using requires considerable magic power and understanding of the magic method used. Even more power and understanding is required to make small detailed things and that¡¯s where the restricted formations come in. ¡°This model is excellent. To be this small and precise is great.¡± It would be very difficult. The model Misha made fits in the palm of your hand yet the details are superb wherever you look. ¡°Is this your favourite thing Misha?¡± ¡°I like making small detailed pieces.¡± Misha¡¯s voice which is usually monotonous seems more lively than usual. ¡°Look.¡± Misha holds out a hand and activates the restricted formation. ¡°Everyone eating together.¡± Using the glass ball appears first followed by the dining room in my house. Food appears on the table then Misha, Sasha, Ray, Misa, my mother and father appear. Its the exact scene of all of us eating in my house the other day. Misha makes it look easy but it¡¯s actually quite difficult to create such detailed models from a mental image alone. She may have a photographic memory. She looks really happy. Her face which is usually expressionless is faintly breaking and smiling though she is also concentrating with her eyes firmly fixed on the model. She suddenly stops working on the model and turns to me. ¡°Boring?¡± She looks a bit uneasy. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s interesting. Even though it¡¯s only for fun, pursuing smaller and finer details means you are approaching the abyss of .¡± Misha laughs her little *fufu* laugh again. ¡°Arnos likes magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never really thought so¡­¡­.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Likes.¡± Fumu. I¡¯ve never thought about it. For me, magic is like breathing. ¡°Does it look that way?¡± Misha nods. ¡°Then perhaps I do.¡± I don¡¯t really understand myself in a lot of ways. If Misha says it is so then perhaps it¡¯s worth considering? She starts using again. After a few minutes, my figure finally appears at the table and the magic model is complete. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very good.¡± I examine the magic model Misha made. The dining room is intricately detailed. I cannot imagine anyone else born in this era that is able to use like this. ¡°Try?¡± ¡°If I do, I¡¯ll make a masterpiece like no other in this world.¡± Chapter 46.2 A laugh came from behind me. ¡°Big words onii-san but magic models have been around for 500 years. It won¡¯t be that easy.¡± ¡°Really? Then can you show me the best magic model?¡± ¡°¡­.Ahh. As you¡¯d expected, the best model in the world is not in this store. There is a great one here though. Some say it is the best but that¡¯s subjective. Follow me.¡± I followed a happy looking Melissa over to where a lot of models were displayed. The store is larger than expected and full of people. Magic models appear to be popular in Deiruheido. ¡°Through here is the magic model that¡¯s counted in the top ten. Its creator is unknown though. It¡¯s called the phantom gem and is supposed to have been made by a famous mazoku over the course of a decade.¡± Melissa takes me further into the depths of the store where beautiful magic models are lined up. I¡¯m sure these are the expensive ones. Further down a luxuriously decorated section comes into view with an elderly gentleman wearing a monocle standing there. Presumably, he¡¯s looking at the magic models. A man who seems to be a clerk is accompanying him. ¡°Aah, sorry that was careless of me. Can you wait a moment.¡± Is only one person at a time allowed to look at these models? If I don¡¯t feel like waiting can¡¯t I just peep anyway? ¡°Is that what I¡¯m supposed to aim for? Shall we come back when it¡¯s quiet?¡± ¡°Wait just a bit. That¡¯s the famous appraiser-sensei Demir Grahate. Everyone in this neighbourhood knows him. He¡¯s a legendary appraiser. If you are recognised by him you are called a first-class magic model maker. Well, it¡¯s a little rude but let¡¯s watch him.¡± Is this special treatment? Whatever I can see well from here anyway. ¡°¡­.Hou. As expected of something called the phantom gem.¡± Demir says while looking at the model. ¡°It¡¯s about the size of a little finger but it¡¯s so precisely built and faithfully reproduced inside. This is old Deruzogedo. Are the rumours of it being hundreds of years old true? It¡¯s splendid. There¡¯s probably only 5 people in history who can use this well.¡± I became slightly interested so I enhanced my eyes and looked at the magic model. ¡°Is that the magic model that¡¯s counted as one of the best ten?¡± ¡°You can see it onii-san? That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t it amazing? Are you regretting your remarks from a little while ago?¡± Melissa starts teasing me. ¡°Regret? What are you saying? I could easily make that.¡± ¡°Demir who was eagerly looking at the magic model turned around and sent a sharp glance into the people around. ¡°Who was it? Who just profaned this splendid work?¡± At his scolding tone, the lively shop falls silent. ¡°Good grief. If you don¡¯t have the courage to come forward then don¡¯t say such thoughtless remarks. To have no respect for such a great work and to look down on it with such a remark is deplorable for lovers of magic models.¡± I called out to Demir who turned back to the model. ¡°It was me who said it.¡± Demir turned to glare at me. ¡°I¡¯m not diminishing that work at all. I¡¯m just stating facts.¡± Demir frowns at my remark. Melissa who was standing next to me starts getting upset. ¡°Errm, onii-san¡­¡­.? Let¡¯s leave this area¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Be fine? Nee Misha-chan please stop him.¡± Misha stared at Melissa. ¡°Be fine.¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­¡­..be fine¡­¡­..¡± Demir takes step towards me. ¡°Are you a magic modeler?¡± ¡°No, but this level of is easy.¡± Demir laughs at my words. ¡°Yare yare. A rank amateur. Listen up. Making a small model like this is harder than you think. If you can do it then go to the workshop and show me. Nn?¡± ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Demir laughs. ¡°That¡¯s it then. Be careful with your big mouth in the future. You should show more respect for great works and modelers.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I can make it here without going to the workshop.¡± I hold out my hand and draw a formation. The next moment a stone no smaller than a speck appeared in my hand. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡­!¡± Demir trembled and stared at the tiny pebble in my hand. An upset Melissa rushed over and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! This onii-san is an amateur that knows nothing about magic models. Please forgive him¡­¡­¡­¡± Did she think Demir was angry? Demir answers Melissa. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± Melissa¡¯s face shows a blank expression. ¡°You¡¯re the owner of a magic model shop but you¡¯ve said nothing at all about this work. If you don¡¯t understand the splendour of it then keep silent.¡± Melissa is stunned at the transformation of Demir. Demir stares at the tiny stone I¡¯ve made. Magic power fills the monocle and he activates his demon eyes. ¡°¡­.Aah¡­.as I thought¡­¡­no, more than I thought¡­¡­. It¡¯s incredible¡­¡­..if someone told me I wouldn¡¯t believe it¡­¡­.. What¡¯s this¡­¡­!? This tiny grain is Deruzogedo castle¡­¡­! No, no it¡¯s different. Not just Deruzogedo¡­¡­¡­is this the entire city? At 10,000 times magnification, no even a million and I still can¡¯t see all the details¡­¡­..¡± ¡°If you make it a billion times magnification you should be able to see it fine.¡± ¡°A billion! You built a billionth scale magic model!?¡± ¡°It was easy.¡± Demir has an amazed expression on his face while his whole body shakes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡­¡­. A billionth scale magic model, without using a restricted formation done in an instant¡­¡­¡± Demir uses even more power and desperately stares at the very small model. The monocle enlarges whatever he¡¯s looking at so it should be fine now. ¡°¡­¡­..Wonderful¡­¡­it¡¯s too splendid¡­¡­.!! What precision. How is such a thing even possible? You¡­..no¡­..! Sensei! Please tell me your name!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod.¡± ¡°Arnos-sensei! I want to see more of your work! I¡¯ll make sensei the worlds best magic model maker! Please. Will you show me your work in the future? I¡¯ll pay any price you ask.¡± Yare yare. Such an exaggerated thing. Because Demir is being noisy a crowd has gathered and seems to be interested in whats going on. Should I leave quickly? ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t intend to be a magic modeler.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡­¡­even with all this talent¡­¡­why is that? Think of the wealth and fame!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not interested in that.¡± ¡°Not interested!?¡± Demir¡¯s voice is going wild now. When I point at the model which is floating in the air it moves to my palm and drops down. ¡°Then sensei, would you at least sell this wonderful work? I¡¯ll pay whatever you want!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ve still got a use for it. ¡°No way! Sensei! Arnos dai-sensei!¡±(1) I turn around and talk to Misha. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve caused a bit of a disturbance.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°What about the uproar?¡± ¡°Arnos like thing to do.¡± Fumu. Misha isn¡¯t bothered. ¡°Should we move on?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Moving through the hustle and bustle of our surroundings we left the magic model shop. (1) Dai-sensei = Great teacher/great master etc. Usually reserved for those at the top of their field. Authors note: What¡¯s with this date that¡¯s not a date¡­.? Chapter 47.1 While walking down the road Misha said to me. ¡°What do you need the magic model for?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± I put the magic model on my fingertip and hold it out to Misha. ¡°This is the first magic model I¡¯ve made so I want you to have it Misha.¡± Misha blinked a couple of times then smiled happily. ¡°Thank you.¡± she says while staring at the model. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Amazing¡­¡­..¡± Misha changes the angles and takes a long slow look at my magic model. After several minutes pass she¡¯s still looking intently at the model. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Misha so engrossed in something. It seems she¡¯s not only interested in making them but in the models themselves. ¡°Beautiful.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Even the places you don¡¯t normally see are created.¡± Did she notice? As expected of Misha. ¡°It¡¯s the structure that¡¯s important to Construction Creation . If you create a sword without thinking about the structure of it then the end result will be a pretty poor sword. Magic models are the same. Just making the appearance of it won¡¯t work well.¡± Misha nods at my words with a serious look on her face. ¡°When you create stone, don¡¯t create the stone. Create the atoms that make up the stone. This was something often said in the age of myths.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s words?¡± ¡°Mine.¡± It¡¯s easy for me to say that but not many people can do it. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Misha stares at the magic model again. ¡°Like I said it¡¯s yours if you like it.¡± Misha¡¯s eyes round. ¡°Is that okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my gift to you for going out with me today.¡± Using I created a ring band and used the magic model like a gem and placed the ring on Misha¡¯s right-hand index finger. ¡°With this, you can look at it whenever you want though it¡¯s a bit insipid as a gem since it doesn¡¯t sparkle.¡± Misha shook her head from side to side and showed off a very happy smile. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Misha nods. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos can do anything¡­¡­.¡± While looking at the ring Misha says those words in a manner close to a monologue. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing impossible for me.¡± When I said that Misha looked a little discouraged. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I can¡¯t do anything¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Misha looks at me. ¡°Arnos helped me.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°So I want to help you in return.¡± After falling silent for a little while Misha continues. ¡°Avos Dillheavia is a fake. I want to help Arnos too.¡± She¡¯s saying an admirable thing. ¡°But I¡¯m not necessary for Arnos who can do anything.¡± I see. So you¡¯ve lost heart huh? Misha is as kind as ever. ¡°Perhaps, but even I have limits.¡± Misha blinks at me. ¡°You have good demon eyes and you¡¯re good at creation magic. If you focus on those two things alone you may even surpass me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not omnipotent. An unforeseen impossibility may appear. The only thing I will never be surpassed in is my power to destroy.¡± I destroyed, ruined and destroyed again to change the impossible into the possible, however, I¡¯m not stupid nor blind enough to make a habit of doing it for every situation that arises. The more you prepare the better. ¡°The time may come when your creation magic will prove very useful.¡± Naturally, the growth of Misha is essential for that. ¡°If you want to be my power then get closer to the abyss of magic.¡± Misha nods in determination. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Misha¡¯s eyes fill with a strong will ¡°I¡¯ve only taken from Arnos but someday I¡¯ll give back.¡± ¡°Aah, I look forward to it.¡± At that time a *nyaa* sounded out. A black cat stuck its head out of a nearby window with a signboard underneath for cat cafe [Silver Vine Pavilion]. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Nyaa¡­..nyaa¡­¡­..¡± Misha imitated the cats call but the cat ignored her and went back in the cafe. ¡°¡­¡­Nyaa¡­¡­..¡± Misha¡¯s shoulders dropped a little. ¡°Shall we go in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.That okay?¡± ¡°Aah. Here¡¯s where I was going anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos likes cats as well¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± We entered [Silver Vine Pavilion] and were greeted with a cheerful ¡°Welcome¡± from the staff. Many cats were walking around and Misha was calling out to them ¡°Nyaa nyaa.¡± After sitting down a white cat jumped into Misha¡¯s lap. ¡°Look Arnos.¡± Misha said happily ¡°Cute.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Misha nodded with a smile. ¡°Nyaa? Nyaa?¡± Misha says while stroking the head of the white cat. Of course, the cat doesn¡¯t reply. It just relaxes in Misha¡¯s lap. Chapter 47.2 After ordering tea a black cat jumped on the shelf behind me. It¡¯s the cat that stuck its head out of the window. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble Aivis.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Misha looked at the black cat in surprise which then started talking. ¡°Please forgive the disgrace of showing myself to you in such a form my lord.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Because we can¡¯t have people knowing that Aivis is alive he¡¯s taken this form. We also don¡¯t want Avos Dillheavia to notice either so we are meeting up in person and not talking through magic. Yesterday Aivis flew through the city disguised as an owl which was our signal to meet. When I transferred my memories to him using Thought Transmission I also gave him these instructions. That¡¯s why me and Misha were wandering around the city today until Aivis contacted us. ¡°Have you found anything out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the old seven demon emperors Melheys Boran. He belongs to the unification faction but he¡¯s not the leader.¡± Fumu. That certainly is strange. He supports the unification faction but the most powerful of the old seven demon emperors is not at the top? ¡°So who is at the top?¡± ¡°I investigated but never found them. The leader never appears at meetings. From what I can find no one in the unification faction knows who they are.¡± ¡°Even Melheys?¡± ¡°So it seems.¡± Even more suspicious. ¡°Well, it could turn out to be another one of the old seven demon emperors. If it was known you were the head of the unification faction you might lose your seat as one of them.¡± Just because you are one of the old seven demon emperors it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be replaced. ¡°If it¡¯s a mazoku from the age of myths it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if you couldn¡¯t catch their identity.¡± Could it be Avos Dillheavia? If that¡¯s the case what could they be plotting? Could they be trying to control the balance of power between the royal factions and the unification faction? ¡°I learnt something as well. Melheys has also lost his memory and only had one origin.¡± ¡°Have you made contact?¡± ¡°Aah. After examining my origin directly he recognised me as the demon king of tyranny. It¡¯s very likely that he¡¯s an ally but I didn¡¯t mention you to him.¡± Aivis waits for my orders. ¡°Investigate Melheys and try to find the head of the unification faction. Play it safe and only investigate the top layer of his memories. It¡¯s possible his origin is still fused but with a method unknown to me so I couldn¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± ¡°Have you learnt anything else?¡± ¡°Just one thing. It might possibly lead to the leader of the unification faction.¡± Our tea was bought over by the clerk so Aivis waited until they had left before continuing. ¡°There¡¯s a magic clinic called [Lognoss] in this town. One of the demon emperors called Elio built this with their own money and it has the reputation of providing the best treatment in Deiruheido. Demon emperor Elio is just a puppet though. There¡¯s another Mazoku pulling the strings from behind¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Even after investigating you cant find them huh?¡± Aivis nods. ¡°It¡¯s the same wall I encountered when investigating the leader of the unification faction.¡± ¡°Understood. Anything else?¡± ¡°There is but I haven¡¯t confirmed the information yet.¡± ¡°One more thing. Investigate the demon sword tournament and especially any of the old seven demon emperors involved in it.¡± ¡°You will.¡± Aivis left through the window. An unidentified mazoku, an unknown leader for the unification faction and a magic clinic with unknown purposes. Are they connected or different people? I don¡¯t know but either way, I must make sure I don¡¯t underestimate them. After finishing our tea Misha leads me to the Lognoss magic clinic. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Fumu. It¡¯s a pretty big building.¡± ¡°It has a lot of patients.¡± I see. It also doesn¡¯t appear to be suspicious. I looked the building over with my demon eyes but I could only see weak magic power. ¡°Arnos.¡± Misha points off to one side. It¡¯s Ray. He seems to have just come out of the clinic. ¡°Yo.¡± Ray saw us and came over calling out to us. ¡°That you Arnos? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just passing by. Have you caught a cold or something?¡± Ray smiles as if troubled. ¡°I¡¯ve just visited my mother.¡± Is she hospitalised? ¡°Is it bad?¡± ¡°She was born with a weak body. It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± He doesn¡¯t look particularly down. ¡°If the doctors can¡¯t do anything I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Ooh. Are you good at healing magic as well Arnos?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it was a strength of mine but I could make a seriously ill patient healthy enough to conquer the Neil mountain range tomorrow.¡± Ray smiled a bright smile. ¡°That might be a bit too healthy.¡± ¡°Genuine medical magic not only heals the patient but makes them healthier than they were before.¡± ¡°In all honesty that a bit scary so I¡¯ll just accept your feelings at the moment.¡± Fumu. It can¡¯t too bad an illness then. ¡°Aah. That¡¯s what I wanted to tell you. I might not be participating in the demon sword tournament.¡± Ray¡¯s expression becomes cloudy for an instant before his smile returns almost immediately. ¡°I see. Well then, we can settle our match another time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Don¡¯t you want to know the reason?¡± ¡°Eh?¡­¡­why?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d be interested.¡± I appear to have caught Ray off guard. ¡°¡­..I just thought you were doing what you wanted like always.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d call me out on it by saying I was trying to get out of settling our match or something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like forcing other people.¡± Fumu. Seems like that¡¯s the story he¡¯s going with. ¡°See you at school.¡± Ray left. ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked Misha ¡°¡­..Different than normal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± He was acting very suspiciously. What¡¯s going on? Normally I wouldn¡¯t be too bothered but Ray acting like that at this place bothers me. Let¡¯s have Aivis check on him just to make sure. Chapter 48.1 On the day of the demon sword tournament, my mother rushed up to me as I tried to leave the house. ¡°Wait Arnos-chan! Mothers coming with you!¡± My mothers all dressed up in her going out clothes. ¡°You¡¯re coming to Deruzogedo?¡± ¡°Un. The school sent me a ticket and anyone with a ticket to the tournament can enter the grounds.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t decided if I¡¯m taking part yet.¡± I¡¯ve arranged to meet Aivis at the school and get his report first. I¡¯ll make my decision based on what he tells me. ¡°You still not sure if you can get a good enough sword?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± If I explain my true reasons my mother wouldn¡¯t really understand so I¡¯ll stick to my previous story. ¡°You might get your sword so mothers coming along. Also, I want to see the school Arnos-chan goes to.¡± I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s expecting to see but its fine. ¡°Shall we go then?¡± ¡°Unn.¡± We lock up and as we start walking my mothers links her arm with mine. ¡°Fufufu. I rarely get a chance to go out with Arnos-chan. Mother¡¯s happy.¡± It¡¯s a bit hard to walk with you sticking to me like this though¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Nee, Arnos-chan.¡± My mother looks very happy. ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s true.¡± It¡¯s fine I suppose. Hanging on to my arm so I can¡¯t escape my mother seems so happy. I¡¯m not going to pour cold water on her mood. ¡°Have you seen father recently?¡± After dashing out he came back once then left again and hasn¡¯t been back since. I guess he¡¯s still working hard on obtaining a demon sword. ¡°He¡¯s helping out at other blacksmiths since they are short-staffed.¡± I see. Is that price he paid for knowledge on demon swords? ¡°He¡¯s only troubling you though.¡± My mother laughs happily. ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t mind. That person is a hard worker so it¡¯s okay.¡± I¡¯ve never seen my father work. To be honest, I can¡¯t imagine it at all when I think about his usual everyday figure. ¡°Speaking of which Arnos-chan, is the other person chosen from your class Ray-kun?¡± Walking leisurely I answer my mother¡¯s questions and after arriving at school I lead her to the arena. ¡°If you carry straight on you will get to the audience seats.¡± ¡°Un, thank you Arnos-chan. Do your best.¡± ¡°Aah. We shall see.¡± ¡°Mother supports you!¡± My mother left without listening to my words. Since we walked quite slowly the tournament should be ready to start. The very first match is also my match so I really don¡¯t have much time left. I didn¡¯t head to the waiting room though. I left the arena and headed to the demon tree forest. The forest had completely recovered after our matches and wash now lush and green again. After walking for a while a *nyaa* came from above. Looking up a black cat is perched on a branch. With a light gait, it comes down the tree. It¡¯s Aivis. ¡°What have you found?¡± The black cat opens its mouth. ¡°Gaius and Idol, two of the old seven demon emperors are involved in the tournament behind the scenes.¡± Those two? Gaius¡¯ memories were erased and his body taken over by a subordinate of Avos Dillheavia. I never checked Idol but its very likely its the same with him as well. ¡°What¡¯s their aim?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s you Arnos-sama. I think they are trying to trap you somehow.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then they are probably trying to beat me by using the rules.¡± Aivis agrees. ¡°They will probably try to reduce your power by using the rules against you Arnos-sama.¡± Fumu. This is probably the most likely scenario. ¡°What¡¯s the location of Gaius and Idol?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I found out that they will be coming to watch the finals tomorrow.¡± I don¡¯t think they will just be watching though. It seems like they have anticipated me wining today and going through to the finals. ¡°What about Melheys?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a hard one to catch sight of, but from what I can find he doesn¡¯t seem to be involved in the management side of the tournament. There¡¯s no sign that he¡¯s intending to defy you Arnos-sama.¡± Is he innocent? Oh well. I still can¡¯t confirm either way so no point worrying about it. ¡°What about Ray?¡± ¡°Ray Grandori¡¯s mother is hospitalised in the Lognoss magic clinic. Her condition isn¡¯t good. She¡¯s close to death and healing magic is barely effective. Somehow the hospital has managed to at least stabilise her though.¡± That¡¯s why he looked so down. Why didn¡¯t he depend on me though? ¡°What¡¯s the disease?¡± ¡°The doctor¡¯s notes state its spirit sickness.¡± Fumu. I¡¯ve never heard of it. ¡°What kind of disease is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never heard of it. I had to look it up and apparently, it¡¯s very rare.¡± So that¡¯s why she¡¯s admitted to the best magic clinic in Deiruheido. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve managed to find.¡± To understand his mother¡¯s illness I¡¯ll have to examine her directly. It doesn¡¯t sound like a disease associated with mazoku though. ¡°Sorry for the trouble I¡¯ve put you through. I¡¯ll be depending on you again.¡± ¡°Your will.¡± Aivis walks off into the forest. I return to the arena but head to the audience seats and not the waiting room for the participants. I¡¯ll wait here for a while. ¡°Without further ado, the first round of the Deiruheido demon sword tournament shall begin!¡± A voice comes from the owl flying in the sky. ¡°First up is Kurt Roodwell from the Lognoss demon sword association!!¡± A long-haired man with delicate features appears on the arena along with a great cheer. A thin rapier type demon sword hangs from his waist. ¡°He¡¯s here! The winner of the last tournament! Deiruheido¡¯s strongest swordsman Kurt Roodwell!!¡± ¡°Shocking! The first match and he¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Aah. At only 20 years old he rapidly cut down all his opponents. He can only have gotten better. I look forward to it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s over 300 now. I wonder how much more polished his sword techniques are? It¡¯s scary just thinking about it.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the unlucky fellow to get Kurt on the first round?¡± Apparently, he¡¯s some type of celebrity and the audience is excited. ¡°The Lognoss demon sword association is a famous group amongst the royal factions.¡± Chapter 48.2 Misa says while coming over to me. ¡°I see. By the way, is that the younger or older brother of Emilia?¡± ¡°Older.¡± Is her whole family in the royal faction? Not that unusual I suppose. ¡°Next up is Arnos Voldigod from the Deruzogedo demon king school!¡± Even though the owl says that no one shows up obviously since I¡¯m standing here. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m sorry. Because of us¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying? Me taking part only furthers the plan of Avos Dilheavia.¡± If I don¡¯t participate I¡¯m sure that guys plans will start to unravel. If I do this I may catch them by surprise. Now then. How do you intend to proceed with this? They probably made this plan without even considering I¡¯d escape. Whatever their plan is, I doubt it will work without me taking part. I may be the demon king of tyranny but the person I¡¯m fighting is not that sword tournament participant but Avos Dillheavia. I say all that but that¡¯s assuming I¡¯ve read the situation correctly in the first place. ¡°¡­..Oi. Maybe his opponent isn¡¯t going to show up¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Because their opponent is Kurt it might be a bit heavy for a student. Perhaps they ran away?¡± ¡°But I heard that recently the unification faction is spreading the news around that the demon king of tyranny has been reborn and it¡¯s this Arnos Voldigod person.¡± ¡°Aah. There was such a rumour wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Haha, how ridiculous. He¡¯s supposed to be a mixed blood. Why are mixed bloods even in the academy? They should all work for the royals like most of the other mixed bloods.¡± ¡°How true. No matter how hard they try they can never become demon emperors. It¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°Good grief. That unification faction and this Arnos are all brats. Its nothing but a dream.¡± No doubt those raising their voices are a royal group since they are making sure a nearby group of white-clothed students can hear them. The students were obviously mixed races and were clenching their fists in anger while enduring it. They are surrounded by royalty so all they can do is endure it. Am I hope for the white-clothed students? If I don¡¯t go out there, their regrets won¡¯t go away. This situation though. Did Avos Dillheavia plan this provocation just in case I didn¡¯t show up? ¡°How do you know they can¡¯t become demon emperors!?¡± A familiar voice reaches my ears. Looking around I see her. My mother. ¡°Ahh? What was that Nee-chan? Don¡¯t you know? Demon emperors are royalty. That¡¯s the order of things.¡± My mother firmly brushes away the hand of a man that¡¯s reaching for her face. ¡°Arnos-chan will definitely become a demon emperor!¡± My mother doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m the demon king of tyranny. She should know from investigating the demon emperors that you have to be a royal to be a demon emperor but she declares it so without any hesitation. She doesn¡¯t seem to know I¡¯m here but I guess she couldn¡¯t keep silent when my dream was insulted. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Arnos.¡± Someone taps me on my shoulder and when I turn around it¡¯s my out of breath father. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Haa¡­¡­.haa¡­¡­.I was looking¡­¡­.for you¡­¡­.¡± My father offered me a sword. ¡°A demon sword papa forged himself using Kongo iron. Now you can join.¡± (1) Using my demon eyes I can see that my father has a lot of bandages under his clothes. ¡°Father¡­¡­.your injuries¡­.?¡± ¡°Oh? You can tell? Hahaha. I had to climb some pretty steep cliffs to get to the Kongo iron¡­¡­. I messed up and fell once though. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a scratch!¡± Even raising your arms should be painful. Every time he raised his arm to hammer the sword it would have been painful. Did you complete this sword with your body like this? For me. ¡°Anyway, off you go. If you win this tournament even mixed races might be able to become demon emperors.¡± He just said something sensible. Both my parents are being optimistic and my father knew mixed races couldn¡¯t be demon emperors but he¡¯s still trying his best to support his son¡¯s dream. ¡°Misa. Please tell Melheys that the arrangements he¡¯s making are not necessary.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Understood¡­¡­.¡± By not taking part in this tournament I know Avos Dillheavia will show himself, however¡­¡­¡­. Yare yare. Why should I of all people have to be careful about a small fry that can¡¯t be bothered to confront me directly? I¡¯ve got more important matters to deal with. ¡°Participant Arnos Voldigod! Are you coming? You have 10 seconds to come to the stage or else you will be disqualified.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me. I¡¯m here.¡± I walk to the edge of the audience seats and jump to the arena stage. Even though its a misunderstanding I still lied as a result of it. I want to be a demon emperor. I don¡¯t have a demon sword. However, I can¡¯t tell the truth to my mother and father. At the very least, let¡¯s change this lie. Even if there¡¯s some things I can¡¯t talk to them about right now, the feeling of wanting to see the happy faces of my parents is not a lie. Compared to that, the plots of Avos Dillheavia are trivial. No matter how many tricks you come at me with I¡¯ll smash them right in front of you. ¡°I thought you¡¯d run away hero-dono of the unification faction.¡± (2) Kurt turns a cold gaze towards me. ¡°Fumu. I got lost a little bit. Did you wait long?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll forgive it out of respect for your courage in appearing in front of me instead of running away.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness. How very tolerant of you.¡± Kurt watches me with alert eyes. I have no doubt he¡¯s a master swordsman. Speaking of his sword arm alone he¡¯s probably better than the old seven demon emperor Gaius. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯ve wasted your time but¡­¡­..¡± I set up the Kongo iron sword my father made for me. ¡°I¡¯ll end this in one minute.¡± (1)Kongo in this context means an indestructible substance. (2) Kurt calls him eiyuu and not yuusha. For those that don¡¯t know both mean hero but yuusha is more of a ¡°chosen one¡± type of hero where eiyuu is more of a great general, war hero, great leader etc. Chapter 49.1 Kurt looks at my sword with a cold expression. ¡°Do you intend to fight with that sword?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°By all appearances, it doesn¡¯t appear to be a demon sword. I don¡¯t feel like fighting against an opponent who¡¯s only using a block of metal that doesn¡¯t allow magic.¡± ¡°Fumu. How about this then?¡± I draw a magic formation on the sword and cast Arms Strengthening . The kongo iron sword wears my enormous magic power and emits a chaotic glow like a demon sword from the age of myths. ¡°If your sword has no magic then you can make up for it with your own magic power.¡± The tournament doesn¡¯t allow magic that can harm your opponent but is an exception. When using demon swords it¡¯s common sense that you use this magic because your power adds to the sword¡¯s power and increases its sharpness. Because my demon sword has no magic it would disadvantageous for me not to use this spell. Its a bit of a handicap for me though. ¡°Before the first game starts the organisers of the tournament have an announcement.¡± The owl flying overhead states. ¡°There were changes to the tournament rules but the were not communicated in time so I will inform you here. In this tournament and other similar magics have been banned. It is also forbidden to attack in any other way other than by your sword.¡± As the owl was speaking 16 men wearing official robes appeared around the stage. ¡°The watchmen will be closely examining the match. Severe penalties will be imposed on anyone violating the rules. Depending on the circumstances you may even be disqualified.¡± I see. So that¡¯s how it is. As long as I am banned from using the kongo iron sword will be unable to break through Kurt¡¯s magic barrier and will break. I could easily break through his barrier with my bare hands but any attack other than with a sword is also prohibited. In other words, my chances of winning have been sealed and Kurt will break my sword with his. It looks like they saw my sword before the match started and changed the rules to fit. I have the feeling that even if I¡¯d brought out Venuzdonoa they have found a way to ban it. ¡°Yare yare. I¡¯m impressed by the groundwork of my father.¡± Kurt says ¡°Not that I¡¯d lose against such a petty trick anyway. The result would have been the same.¡± Kurt draws his demon sword. The blade appears to be transparent, however, on a closer look, the blade is actually rippling as if made from water. ¡°That¡¯s Kurts demon water sword [Eishas]¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to destroy other demons swords since his blade is made from water but that doesn¡¯t mean its sharpness is half-hearted either¡­..¡± ¡°That other sword is just metal so even Kurt¡¯s sword will be able to break it in a blow or two¡­¡­¡± Whispers were leaking from the audience seating. ¡°Without further ado, the first match of the Deiruheido demon sword tournament shall commence!! Begin!!¡± The owl signals the start of the match. At that moment Kurt moved. His style of movement resembled flowing water and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of me and thrust out Eishas. In one breath he moved 3 steps, then 9 and then 27 steps. Uncountable blades of water came at me from all sides. ¡°It¡¯s here! Kurt¡¯s secret technique! Water Fang Connected Demon Thrust !!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over!! There¡¯s no one in this world who can doge that.¡± ¡°Serves you right mixed-blood!!¡± Fumu. It¡¯s a very tepid attack. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­What¡­¡­..!?¡± I evaded Kurt¡¯s attacks and looked down on him. ¡°That¡¯s a secret technique? My classmate is much quicker.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You only dodged once¡­¡­..Accept this next one¡­¡­.!!¡± I accept Kurts demon sword Eishas with my kongo iron sword. The sound of a violent collision rang out. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Tsu!?¡± Kurt couldn¡¯t even say anything. He just stood there with an astonished expression on his face. It¡¯s just a metal sword without any magic. A demon sword shouldn¡¯t be stopped. ¡°Oi! Watchmen! Look properly! He must be cheating!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Eishas should have cut right through that sword!¡± ¡°Cheating! It¡¯s a foul!¡± ¡°That mixed-bloods cheating! It¡¯s an unfair act! Disqualification! Disqualification!¡± A large chorus of ¡°Cheat! Cheat!¡± rang out from the audience. Chapter 49.2 The 16 watchmen carefully observe me with their demon eyes and then start to panic. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s going on? He¡¯s not using any magic¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible! How can he stop Eishas without any magic¡­¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no magic at all!¡± ¡°There¡¯s definitely no magic being used!¡± ¡°¡­..In other words that sword does have power¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Idiots!! Look for it!! There¡¯s definitely some trick to it!!¡± Fumu. It¡¯s useless so don¡¯t bother. What I¡¯m using right now is Hiding Magic . It¡¯s a magic that hides all magic power. Right now is hiding . Even in the age of myths, the people that could see through this were few in number so I¡¯m sure the mazoku of now will not be able to see through it. Without proof, they can¡¯t call foul and with Melheys being in the unification faction they can¡¯t push it too much or they risk a situation reversal. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Oi, the watchmen aren¡¯t calling foul¡­¡­.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no magic being used¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°That sword¡­¡­.. At first glance you can¡¯t feel any magic from it but¡­¡­ is it equal to Eishas?¡± The thickness of the blade in front of me increases as the water flow seems to become more intense. Kurt throws all of his magic power into Eishas but the sword in my hand doesn¡¯t move an inch and seems to be taking is leisurely. ¡°¡­..How¡­¡­to a sword without any magic¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Certainly, it has no magic power.¡± I put strength in my arm and strongly push Kurt back. ¡°But the thoughts of my father are packed into this blade. Don¡¯t think you can break this blade that my father put all his heart into.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What a foolish thing to say¡­¡­¡± I grin and start to provoke Kurt ¡°Don¡¯t you understand it Kurt? A sword lovingly forged by a master craftsman has something different to magic.¡± I swing my sword and Kurt is easily overpowered and thrown away. He quickly thrust Eishas into the ground and barely managed a defensive fall. ¡°¡­¡­What was that¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°A sword of the heart¡­¡­¡­? A sword strengthened by desires¡­¡­does such a thing exist?¡± ¡°Impossible. It should be impossible but how else can you explain it?¡± ¡°A phenomenon that can only be said as impossible is taking place right in front of our eyes¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°¡­¡­A sword not inferior to Eishas can be forged by a true master craftsman¡­¡­.!? Who¡¯s the father of that fellow!?¡± Fumu. It seems to have worked well. ¡°Apparently I need to get serious.¡± Kurt turned a gaze that was now filled with excitement my way. ¡°I wanted to keep this secret until the finals but let me show it now. This body that I dedicated to the sword and the land I finally arrived at. This swordsmanship. The essence of Kurt swordsmanship¡ª¡± The blade of Eishas disappears and all Kurt is left holding is the hilt. ¡°Fumu. This looks a bit interesting, however.¡± ¡°Kurt style swordsmanship secret move¡ª¡± Kurt puts his centre of gravity on one leg but at that moment his entire body was cut by countless sword flashes. ¡°¡­.Wha¡­¡­gah¡­¡­¡± He falls to his knees without knowing whats happened. Kurt shoves Eishas in the ground and tries to stand back up using it as a cane. ¡°Any second now.¡± Eishas shatters into pieces and Kurt falls flat on his face onto the stone ground before attempting to crawl towards the pieces of his demon sword. ¡°¡­..Wh¡­¡­.what¡­¡­happened¡­¡­.? I¡­..lost¡­¡­..?¡± Kurt still doesn¡¯t seem to understand what happened. It was nothing special. I simply walked leisurely towards him and slowly slashed him a few times with my sword. ¡°¡­¡­This is impossible¡­¡­¡­! I don¡¯t care if the sword was made by a true master, that Kurt was taken down in less than a minute¡­¡­!¡± ¡°In the last tournament, Kurt didn¡¯t receive a single wound the entire time¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kurt¡¯s over 300 years old now. Where¡¯d the terrible strength I came to see go¡­..?¡±(1) ¡°¡­.He didn¡¯t even get a chance to show off his secret move¡­¡­..Their stats are too different.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that? Isn¡¯t that fellow just a student at Deruzogeddo? Who is he!?¡± Puzzled voices are now coming from the audience seats. ¡°Fumu. Damn it¡­¡­.. I should have waited to see what his secret move was.¡± (1) The author has made a mistake either here or the last chapter. I went back and checked and last chapter he had him winning the tournament at 20 and now he¡¯s 300 but this one has him winning the last tournament when he was less than 200 years old and now he¡¯s 300. I believe that the 200 and 300 years old is probably more correct. Either way, these tournaments have some weird gaps of time between them. Chapter 50.1 The owl flying in the sky raises its voice. ¡°I have confirmed the destruction of Kurt¡¯s demon sword. The winner of the first match is Arnos Voldigod!¡± The auditorium falls silent. I guess most of them are royalty. Looks like there¡¯s no recognition for a mixed-race who doesn¡¯t technically even qualify for participation. I turn around and start returning to the waiting room just as a voice is raised from the corner of the auditorium. ¡°As expected of Arnos-chan!! He¡¯s a genius!!¡± ¡°Well done Arnos! This will be an easy victory for you!!¡± It¡¯s the voices of my parents. Encouraged by my parents the voices of the mixed-bloods rise up in cheer. ¡°What should we do!? The match finished before we could sing our cheer song!¡± ¡°Arnos-sama is so strong we might not get a chance to sing at all!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sing now!¡± ¡°About what? He¡¯s already won. It¡¯s a support song. What are we supporting!?¡± ¡°We can use support song No.2 [The noble Arnos-sama¡¯s honourable sword]¡± ¡°Are you listening to me!?¡± ¡°Jyanjyanjyanjyanjyan ?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Fine. It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s celebrate the victory of Arnos-sama!¡± The sound of drums and wind instruments brought by the fan union start to play out.¡± ¡°I am the top and you are the bottom ?¡± ¡°Shuu shuushuushuu instant death ? Fuuhaaaaa ?¡± ¡°I am the top and you are the bottom ?¡± ¡°La lalalalala easy victory ? Uuuahaaaa ?¡± ¡°The noble Arnos-sama¡¯s gift ?¡± ¡°Women dancing on the bed are his trophies ?¡± ¡°Arnos-sama put it in ? Make them pregnant with magical power ?¡± ¡°Strong man in one shot ?¡± ¡°Pregnant ? Pregnant ? Pregnant ?¡± ¡°I am the top and you are the bottom ?¡± ¡°Byuu Dobyuubyuu, instant kill ? Fuahaaa ?¡± (1) ¡°I am the top and you are the bottom ?¡± ¡°Ahh, aaahan relief ? Uuahaaa ?¡± ¡°Hey, struggle ? Accept it in ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª?¡± It didn¡¯t rhyme and the vibrato was useless, however, it was kind of exciting as I watched the humiliated faces of the royals as the song was sung. It was the final coating of shame applied to them after I overwhelmingly showed off my abilities. Also, I doubt they factored into their calculations that I had a song made for me purely to make fun of the enemy. My fan union might actually have a rare talent. After leaving the arena I left the waiting room and headed to the audience seats. ¡°Unun that¡¯s it. I think these lyrics are good too. Listen to this.¡± I hear my mothers voice as I enter the seating area. ¡°Eat Arnos-chan¡¯s honourable sword and be conquered ? The sword tip jumps ahead ? Dye it pure white ? Jyuu jyuujyuujyuu, violation ? Ahaa ufuuu ?¡± (2) Fumu. What awful lyrics, however, my fan union are looking at my mother with total respect. ¡°As expected of Arnos-sama¡¯s mother!¡± ¡°Amazing! It¡¯s amazing! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard such a beautiful singing voice!¡± ¡°Un unn! The lyrics are bold but delicate and clearly represent the surging heart of Arnos-sama. Tears have come out!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡­*sniffle* I¡¯m deeply moved¡­¡­¡± The fan union seems to be deeply impressed. Where¡¯s the moving element in those lyrics? I don¡¯t understand it at all. Is this what happens with a 2000 year gap? ¡°Honoured mother, if you have the time would you please visit the fan union as an outside lecturer. Please give us special singing training!¡± ¡°Me too! Please visit us!¡± The fan union all lower their heads at the same time. Fumu. I have a very bad feeling about this. If I don¡¯t stop it here I¡¯m sure difficulties will arise later. ¡°Sorry, but my mother is usually very busy.¡± ¡°A¡­Arnos-sama¡­¡­! Kyaaa!!¡± The entire fan union retreated 3 steps down and bowed while still screaming. ¡°kya kyaa! If Arnos-sama says so kyaa!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so impudent. Kyaa!¡± Make a noise or bow. Pick one. I don¡¯t want both. ¡°It¡¯s fine Arnos-chan. The shop is closed sometimes. May I visit when I¡¯m free?¡± ¡°With pleasure! Thank you! We did it!¡± The fan union is shaking hands with my mother. My mother is smiling in a meaningful way while I¡¯m filled with a vague feeling of uneasiness. ¡°Leave it to your mother Arnos-chan. With this, I can be at school with you sometimes as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Chapter 50.2 Fumu. Mother. Is she going to lay the groundwork so it¡¯s easy to come out with Ray? I need to stop this. I can¡¯t trust the expression on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the second match. Appearing on the stage is Madra Shenson from the Einas sword school!¡± A man steps onto the stage. His whole body is covered in scars and he looks like a beast. ¡°¡­¡­.That person. Isn¡¯t that Madra of the gale? He¡¯s Deiruhido¡¯s fastest swordsman¡­¡­¡­Wasn¡¯t he the runner up in the last tournament¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Aah¡­..He¡¯s changed a lot.¡± ¡°He said he¡¯d do anything to avenge his loss to Kurt. It seems that he went to the underground labyrinth of Goranuhelia.¡± ¡°The labyrinth of Goranuhelia!? It¡¯s said that even getting past the first floor is difficult.¡± ¡°Aah. Rumour has it that he spent 200 years in there and reached the 250th floor.¡± ¡°¡­..That¡­¡­.that¡¯s not sane¡­¡­..¡± ¡°This is what happens when someone drives themselves insane and seek only strength. In this area, he has surpassed Kurt.¡± Hou. The underground labyrinth of Goranuhelia? How nostalgic. I remember wondering how deep it was and headed for the bottom floor. Turns out it has 2500 floors. The owl¡¯s voice rings out again. ¡°Next up is a member of the Lognoss demon sword association, Ray Grandori!!¡± Ray was a member of the Lognoss demon sword association? ¡°Ray Grandori¡­¡­.the demonic sword saint huh?¡± ¡°Aah, one of the chaos generation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good matchup for the second round but Madra will win.¡± ¡°If Ray had even 50 years more experience it would be a hard match to call but as it stands their experience is too different.¡± ¡°Was the demonic sword saint a member of the Lognoss demon sword association though? Ray steps into the arena. The demon sword he¡¯s using is Initeio. That¡¯s the sword he lent Misa. It can cut through magic formations. ¡°Second match of the first round, begin!!¡± The signal sounds out and Madra and Ray walk towards each other. The moment they entered sword range they stopped. ¡°Withdraw.¡± Madra says in a serious voice ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± As usual, Ray had a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not threatening you. You may have heard of the demonic wind sword Refresia. Once drawn it becomes a gale. I will wait three seconds for you to withdraw. If you don¡¯t, you will die.¡± Madra scowls at Ray. ¡°Three.¡± Ray doesn¡¯t move. ¡°Two.¡± Ray still doesn¡¯t move. ¡°One.¡± Madra puts his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Die.¡± The demon sword was drawn in a lighting quick action and flashed towards Ray¡¯s neck. ¡°Wha¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Madra is surprised. Instead of cutting Ray¡¯s neck his sword was broken instead. Bits of sword sprinkled against Ray¡¯s neck but the rest was gone. ¡°¡­¡­When¡­¡­.I drew my sword¡­¡­?¡± Ray¡¯s sword is still in its sheath. ¡°After you drew it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.You drew after me yet you are faster than my demon sword Refresia of the wind¡­¡­..¡± The moment Ray drew his sword and then sheathed it was not even registered by Madra¡¯s eyes. Ray smiles. ¡°My friend was much faster than you using only a tree branch.¡± ¡°¡­¡­A tree¡­¡­.branch¡­¡­¡­..?¡± Ray turns his back since the winner is determined. ¡°The destruction of Madra¡¯s sword has been confirmed. The winner of the second match of the first round is Ray Grandori!!¡± The cheer¡¯s of the crowd was full of surprise. ¡°Amazing. That Madra was done in an instant.¡± ¡°Did anybody see him draw his sword? I didn¡¯t see anything at all!¡± ¡°I wondered what was going to happen after Kurt was defeated but there are some reliable royals after all.¡± ¡°Aah. He is one of the chaos generation. He might even be the demon king of tyranny.¡± The girl standing behind me stares at Ray¡¯s back with a sad expression. Well, the Lognoss demon sword association is a royal group after all. I wonder why Ray belongs to them? ¡°Are you worried Misa?¡± She nods. ¡°Shall we go and ask.¡± ¡°Eh¡­.?¡± ¡°Come. Ask him directly and confirm it yourself.¡± Misa followed me as I started walking. (1) Anyone familiar with hentai sound effects should know what byuu and dobyuu are ???? (2) Quite a few of the words in both songs can have more than one meaning like violation can also mean beat down or trample so you could take it in a fight term or it can mean violation so it can be sexual but my skills are not up to the task of conveying it properly, sorry. Chapter 51.1 I waited in front of the waiting room and soon enough the door opened and Ray came out. ¡°Yo.¡± Ray¡¯s smile seemed a bit troubled after seeing me and Misa. ¡°I thought you might turn a blind eye Arnos.¡± ¡°I was going to. Whatever your circumstances are, you have decided not to rely on me and it would have been rude to ask, however, my subordinate wants to know.¡± Misa walked in front of me and spoke to Ray. ¡°Has the royal faction said something to you?¡± ¡°Who knows? Perhaps they offered me enough money to last a lifetime or perhaps they recommended me to be a demon emperor.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t believe you to be a person that would move for such things.¡± Ray laughs. ¡°You overestimate me. You should be careful with that. A lot of people say crap that the world wants to hear.¡± Misa doesn¡¯t seem convinced by Ray¡¯s words. ¡°¡­.I know that. But you Ray-san¡­¡­¡­¡­you aren¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve not long met. I wouldn¡¯t trust me that much.¡± Ray says with a gentle smile. Doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s going to say what his real intention is. Misa bites her lip in vexation. Looks like she¡¯s got nothing more to say. ¡°The Lognoss magic clinic was built by Elio Roodwell using his own money so it¡¯s basically a facility belonging to the royal faction.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ray answers without breaking his smile. ¡°Is your mother healthy?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like I said before it¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯s getting better.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to meet her at least once.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be leaving the hospital soon. You can meet her then.¡± Fumu. Is that so. ¡°That reminds me. After looking at the upcoming matches it seems like we¡¯ll be meeting in the finals.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t fight at our full power.¡± Ray looks at my sword. ¡°You might not be able to feel any magic power but this sword was forged by a true master craftsman. It¡¯s power rivals that of your demon sword so you should challenge me without holding back.¡± Ray laughs. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± Ray starts heading to the audience seats. ¡°Ray-san¡­errrm¡­.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m part of the royal faction now. Seem¡¯s like we won¡¯t be able to get along any more.¡± Ray walks past us then stops. ¡°Oh, I forgot something Arnos.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ray looks over his shoulder. ¡°¡­..I¡¯ll kill you.¡± I just laughed. ¡°If you want to kill me then you¡¯d better prepare yourself for death .¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a threat. I¡¯m already prepared for death.¡± ¡°Hou. If you¡¯re already prepared then want to try?¡± As I finished speaking I disappeared and reappeared behind Ray. ¡°I can see you Arnos.¡± Ray swings Initeio around in a circular strike. Although I¡¯ve applied anti-magic and magic barriers his sword easily slashes through them and bites into my left arm. Chapter 51.2 A pure white blade digs into my left arm and blood flows. ¡°Fumu. To be able to cut my arm. How wonderful.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I had intended to get your head at the same time as your arm¡­¡­¡± Ray vomits blood due to my right arm that¡¯s pierced his chest. ¡°And I had intended to crush your heart but your body is pretty robust as well.¡± Misa shouted out after watching our battle. ¡°Arnos-sama, Ray-san¡­.! You don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡­!!¡± Misa looks really worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m only checking his resolution. I don¡¯t forgive anyone who challenges me no matter who they are. If you¡¯re looking for mercy from a friend then you won¡¯t find it here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved. If you are that serious then I can cut you down with no hesitation.¡± Ray smiles his refreshing smile. ¡°Well then.¡± ¡°Ahh, see you in the finals.¡± Ray left and headed to the audience seating. ¡°Arnos-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°It seems he¡¯s been collared somehow.¡± Misa¡¯s eyes rounded as she looks at me. ¡°I tried to confirm it through direct contact. Some type of magic tool has been embedded in his body.¡± ¡°¡­..It was only an instant. Did something like that happen¡­.?¡± ¡°That was the point of our little exchange.¡± The magic tool buried in his body is synced with his magic so it¡¯s hard to see. I can tell by using my demon eyes that whatever is stuffed into Ray is quite a powerful thing. ¡°¡­..When did you notice a magic tool was embedded in him¡­.?¡± ¡°Ray gave out some hints like when he said he was already prepared for death. I had thought that he meant he was ready to die when we fought but he meant his actions are being limited by a tool that can kill him. I¡¯m guessing that if he was to ask for help he¡¯ll be killed.¡± Ray is most likely being monitored by magic or by that tool. If he was to ask for help his observer will probably activate that device in his body and kill him. ¡°I know he said he was prepared to die but that¡¯s it¡­..?¡± ¡°He also said we couldn¡¯t fight at our full power and that he was going to kill me. Those bits bothered me as well. He¡¯s the type that doesn¡¯t get wound up by his enemy and just nonchalantly cuts them down. It was too provocative so I started thinking. Also, when he cut my arm he deliberately left his chest open so I pretended to go for his heart and checked.¡± Due to that, I was able to find the tool. It must have been the only tactic he could come up with to let me know something was wrong without alerting his observer. If it had gone wrong would his life have ended? ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m amazed¡­¡­..all I saw was Arnos-sama and Ray-san quarrelling¡­¡­..both of you are amazing¡­¡­¡± ¡°These type of things used to happen a lot back in the old days.¡± Things were a lot more sly and tricky 2000 years ago. ¡°¡­¡­.Is it the work of the royal faction¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s reasonable to think so.¡± Or is it the work of Avos Dillheavia? ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you have to be a skilled master to embed a magic tool in Ray-sans body?¡± There is that possibility, however. ¡°Ray¡¯s mother must be involved.¡± ¡°I thought she was in that magic clinic?¡± ¡°Aah, she is. Thinking about his words though it was probably a message for me to do something.¡± It adds up if you assume his mother is a hostage and that¡¯s the reason he allowed the tool to be embedded in his body. That man asked for my help in a very tight situation. There¡¯s no reason not to respond to his request. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Misa asks with words loaded with anger. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive people who act this way. I¡¯ll show them they can¡¯t do what they want just because they are royalty.¡± ¡°Then come with me. I don¡¯t know who they are but they put their hands on my friend. They will not get away with this.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As I start to head off to the magic clinic I remember something and stop. ¡°That reminds me, isn¡¯t the second round about to begin?¡± If I recall correctly, everything except the final match will be held today. ¡°Fumu. Please wait a while. I need to clean up the remaining small fry first.¡± Chapter 52.1 I won all my matches easily and proceeded to the finals. Even for me, Hiding Magic has a large power consumption and I had to leave it permanently on but all my opponents were even smaller fry than Kurt so my average match times were less than 3 seconds. Due to this, I didn¡¯t have to worry about exhausting my magic power. ¡°I have confirmed the destruction of Noiria¡¯s sword. The victor is Arnos Voldigod.¡± Cheers came from one corner of the auditorium where my fan union and the white clothes have gathered while a different commotion was coming from elsewhere. ¡°Seriously¡­¡­.again¡­¡­.another one defeated¡­¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got to the finals unhurt¡­¡­..? It¡¯s a strength you wouldn¡¯t expect from a mixed-race¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then all we can do is trust in the demon sword saint.¡± ¡°Aah, Ray Grandori also has flawless victories. I¡¯m sure he will meet our expectations.¡± I headed back to the waiting room with the words of the royal faction lingering behind me. Misa is waiting for me. ¡°Are you going now?¡± ¡°Aah. Straight after I talk to my parents.¡± I then leave the waiting room and head to the auditorium bumping into my father on the way. ¡°Aah Arnos. Father has to go to work now but I¡¯ll definitely come to watch you tomorrow.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re busy don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s the magic broadcast as well.¡± The demon sword tournament is being broadcast across Deiruheido with Remote Clairvoyance . The equipment to broadcast it has spread to about 50% of Deiruheido so quite a few people can now watch it and that is one of the reasons the royal factions don¡¯t want me winning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is your big moment. Even if I¡¯m busy I¡¯ll still come watch you.¡± My father slaps me on the shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­Uh¡­¡­..!¡± He probably forgot he was injured. He really overworked himself. I heal my father¡¯s injuries with Healing . ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± ¡°O¡­..Oooh I¡¯m healed! As expected from Arnos. There¡¯s no pain at all no matter how much I move!¡± My father makes some useless movement back and forward and side to side and¡ª ¡°Uoohh¡­.!!¡± He stumbled and hit his head against the wall. My father crouches down cradling his head. ¡°Ugugu¡­.sorry. Healing once more please¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯ll heal even if I leave it.¡± The spell should still be active. It doesn¡¯t require using again. ¡°¡­..Oh. It really did heal.¡± My father stands up. ¡°See you.¡± Shaking my hand my father runs away quickly. ¡°Sorry your father is so busy. He¡¯s overworked but he still made time to come see you.¡± My mother comes over to me while speaking. ¡°What¡¯s father working on right now?¡± ¡°Your father told me to keep it a secret.¡± My mother laughs while smiling sweetly. ¡°It was impossible for your father to forge a Kongo iron sword at our house so he went and bowed his head to an acquaintance and borrowed their faculties. He¡¯s working to pay them back now.¡± I see. So that¡¯s why he¡¯s not been at home recently. ¡°Arnos-chan is clever so you surely didn¡¯t want to trouble us to buy you a sword. We didn¡¯t want that to stop you so your dad made you a sword.¡± Fumu. I¡¯ve been completely misunderstood. If I win the tournament should I say it was thanks to my father¡¯s sword? ¡°It¡¯s a secret that mother told you though okay.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯m done for today so I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you going to watch the rest of the matches Arnos-chan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got something to take care of. Ray will win anyway.¡± ¡°I see. If you¡¯ve got something to do, do you want me to look after your sword?¡± My mother tries to take my Kongo iron sword. ¡°It¡¯s not really a problem to keep it.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s heavy. Arnos-chan needs to rest for tomorrow.¡± She forcibly takes my sword. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Without this sword, Arnos-chan can¡¯t participate in the finals tomorrow. Mother will protect this sword at all costs.¡± Chapter 52.2 It¡¯s true that a spare sword cannot be used in the tournament but Avos Dillheavia will probably want me in the finals so he can lay his trap. I don¡¯t believe he will try to stop me from participating. My mother holds my sword tightly to her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust it to you then.¡± ¡°Un. I¡¯ll carefully take it home¡± Sasha and Misha are somewhere in the arena as well so everything will be fine. ¡°See you later.¡± Saying bye to my mother I left the areas and as soon as I did girls voices rang out. ¡°Can you give us some advice for our new cheer song honoured mother.¡± ¡°Yes. Well then, listen up.¡± She seems completely fine with my fans. What kind of song will they make? Honestly, I don¡¯t want to think too much about it. ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± I call out to Misa waiting by the entrance. ¡°No problem.¡± Taking Misa¡¯s hand I use Transfer and arrive at the Lognoss magic clinic. ¡°What can I do?¡± ¡°Can you use that thing you used in the team based exam?¡± ¡°Rain Spirit Mist ? It¡¯s spirit magic to make it rain though.¡± ¡°Aah. I¡¯ll lend you the magic power so make it as wide as possible.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Using Demon King Army I send magic power to Misa. Gradually a rain cloud covering the entire city appeared and it started raining. Using we melted into the rain and fog. Opening the door to the clinic a slight fog entered. We boldly walk through the corridors filled with people but thanks to they can¡¯t see us. Using my demon eyes I use my distance vision and check the list of inpatients. Sheila Grandori. That will be Ray¡¯s mother. It seems she¡¯s in a special room on the 10th underground floor. We head downstairs and arrive at the 10th floor. There¡¯s nothing strange looking about it. It looks like a normal hospital ward. I opened the door without any hesitation. The first thing to catch my eye was the magic circle covering the entire room. It was a magic formation used for healing and Sheila was sleeping on a bed in the centre of it. Me and Misa walk to her side. ¡°¡­.Her body is¡­¡­¡± Misa let out a surprised voice. Sheila body was so transparent it looked like she was about to disappear. She showed no sign of waking up and her vitality was so low I wasn¡¯t even sure that she was alive. ¡°Fumu. So this is a spirit disease?¡± I touch Sheila¡¯s head with my finger and diagnose her body with my demon eyes, however, no matter how much I look into her abyss I cannot find the source of her illness. Apart from being weak, her magic power is stable as well. It¡¯s not strange that her body is deteriorating with how weak her magic is but her condition seems to in a lull at the moment. ¡°¡­¡­Have you understood it¡­..?¡± ¡°It¡¯s similar to someone getting old¡­¡­.¡± Her body is normal. It looks like her life is ending due to natural causes and she¡¯s weakening, however, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s still quite young. Wait¡­is this? ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what they are calling spirit disease.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This woman is a half spirit half demon like you.¡± Misa¡¯s eyes open in surprise. ¡°But Ray-san is a royal¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really much of a mystery. She¡¯s probably his adoptive mother and not his birth mother.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes¡­¡­.that¡¯s probably it¡­¡­.¡± ¡°This disease is probably related to her spirit side. The lives of spirits are slightly complex. The common sense of the mazoku won¡¯t apply to them.¡± If it was related to her mazoku side my demon eyes would have picked up her illness. ¡°That reminds me. Ray-san did say half-demon spirits didn¡¯t live long and they were not lively.¡± Wasn¡¯t that when they were talking in my garden? ¡°Have you got any ideas?¡± ¡°No¡­..Even though I¡¯m a half I don¡¯t know anything about spirits¡­..sorry¡­¡­¡± So his mother was taken hostage and Ray allowed a magic tool to be embedded in his body. I assume the royal faction offered him a cure for his mother as a trade-off. How are they keeping her stable? The magic circle is having no effect on her whatsoever. I don¡¯t believe Ray is trusting the royals blindly either though. Can this clinic really perform effective treatments on spirits? That would require a mazoku to be very knowledgeable about spirits and that means there is a very high chance they are from the age of myths. What should I do? Once I¡¯ve helped his mother all I need to do is remove that tool from his body. Should I search for the cure? No, let¡¯s try something else first. ¡°Misa, I have a request.¡± ¡°Yes. What do you need?¡± ¡°Ask Ray about his circumstances, particularly his mother. If I can understand her past and in particular her origin I can use Time Manipulation on her. If I can rewind her time then she will be cured even if I can¡¯t find the source of her illness. Of course, if you mess up both you and Ray will be at risk.¡± Misa nods in determination. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Chapter 53.1 We decided to wait in the hospital room and before long the sound of a door being opened could be heard. Ray enters and walks straight over to his mother and quietly watches her face. ¡°¡­¡­.Mother¡­..¡± There¡¯s no reply as Sheila continues to sleep. ¡°I won the tournament¡­¡­.tomorrow is the finals.¡± He reports to the silent Sheila. ¡°¡­¡­.Can you wait until tomorrow? I¡¯ll help you by any means¡­..¡± Ray¡¯s face doesn¡¯t carry his usual smile as he stares sadly at his mothers face. ¡°What¡¯s happening tomorrow?¡± Ray turns in the direction of the voice and the slightly drifting mist parts to show Misa. Looking like he¡¯d understood something Ray speaks to Misa. ¡°I thought it was strange how it suddenly started raining. I didn¡¯t expect you to come here though.¡± ¡°I came because I didn¡¯t believe Ray-san would join the royals by his own free will.¡± Ray puts on a smile that¡¯s hard to read. ¡°I¡¯m a liar.¡± ¡°¡­.Liar¡¯s don¡¯t admit they are liars¡­..¡± Rays expression didn¡¯t change as he continues talking to Misa. ¡°Are you alone?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Of course, that¡¯s a lie. I¡¯m currently hidden by Rain Spirit Mist . If I don¡¯t move I should remain hidden. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t talk to Arnos.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s a weird comment. Have you been told not to talk to Arnos-sama? Are you being threatened?¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°I think that Arnos-sama can help you.¡± ¡°Neither me nor my mother will survive if he knows.¡± Not that there was much doubt but now we know he is being threatened. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°As you can see, my mother is sick. Because she¡¯s half spirit ordinary doctors cant help.¡± Misa looks over at Sheila. ¡°¡­¡­What kind of disease is it?¡± ¡°Her magic power weakens and her origin becomes thin and will disappear after a while.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the cure?¡± Ray shakes his head. ¡°If they¡¯d told me I wouldn¡¯t have joined the royal faction.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Can this hospital really cure her?¡± ¡°After she developed the spirit disease my mothers magic power weakened day by day but when she came to this clinic it went into remission. It seems like they can cure it. Even if its a lie I¡¯ve got no choice but to believe it.¡± If they have a way to put it into remission then have they identified the cause? If they know that then they can cure it. ¡°To cure my mother there were a few things I had to do for them. One of them was to fight Arnos in the tournament. A contracted demon sword has been buried in my body. If I make a mistake, I will be killed. If I die they have no reason to keep my mother alive.¡± A contracted demon sword huh? Its a magic tool with more compelling force than Contract . If you break the contract then certain death awaits you as it erases your origin. ¡°Even if you tell Arnos this the contract will still be broken.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you hadn¡¯t told me¡­..?¡± ¡°I believe you won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡± Ray approaches Misa in an instant. Misa melts into the mist and was just about to disappear before Ray slashed her magic with Initeio. is cut and loses its effect. The mist disappears and the rain outside stops. Ray looks around the room. ¡°¡­..It seems you really are alone¡­..¡± It seems Ray was sure that someone else was hiding in the mist. More than likely he thought it was me. As was cut I activated Illusion Mimicry to become transparent and hid my magic with Hiding Magic . My magic is hidden and so am I. As long as I control my breathing he won¡¯t find me. The reason I had Misa use when I could do this is so that when is dispelled nobody would think anything else would be hidden behind a second layer. ¡°Well then.¡± Ray grabs both of Misa¡¯s arms and pins her down while drawing a dagger from his inside breast pocket. Ray hesitates a moment before swinging the dagger down at Misa. Misa closes her eyes unintentionally but no dagger enters her body, instead, Ray had pierced her shadow with his dagger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ll have you stay here until after the finals tomorrow.¡± Misa tries to use and melt into the mist but it seems her shadow is sewn to the floor and she is unable to manipulate magic. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s this dagger¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a shadow sewing dagger. You sew someone¡¯s shadow in place and they can only move in the range of their shadow. Magic is also rendered unusable.¡± So its come down to this. It must be part of his contract to silence those who know about his circumstances. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a contract where he has to kill them though. This is what happens when you don¡¯t think your contracts through. You only have to silence them but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to kill them. ¡°This room has an anti-magic field that interferes with magic communication. Even Thought Transmission is useless. You can¡¯t call for help.¡± ¡°If I disappear then the unification faction will come looking for me.¡± ¡°They will but it won¡¯t be in time for tomorrows finals and that¡¯s all I need.¡± Misa stops for a moment then asks ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Chapter 53.2 ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t say.¡± The demon contract sword would probably activate if he did. ¡°Who did this to you Ray-san?¡± ¡°As far as I know its the demon emperor Elio.¡± Elio is just a puppet. My guess is its the unidentified mazoku who runs this clinic. Judging from this situation I¡¯m pretty certain that he¡¯s involved with Avos Dillheavia. Ray walked over to a chair and carried it back to Misa. Seeing Misa¡¯s suspicious face he just smiles thinly and indicates for her to sit down. Misa calmly takes a seat. ¡°Shame you got involved.¡± Misa laughs at Ray¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Ray looks at Misa like he¡¯s asking what she means. ¡°It¡¯s you Ray-san. You got dragged into the battle between the royals and the unification faction. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s sorry.¡± Was it an unexpected line? Ray¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be the one apologised to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re softhearted Ray-san.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no such thing. I¡¯m a liar.¡± Making a little joke he smiles his usual refreshing smile. ¡°If the two factions weren¡¯t fighting my mother would have died long ago.¡± That may be so. It¡¯s thanks to the mazoku that¡¯s taken over this clinic that Sheila¡¯s condition has gone into remission. If not for the quarrels between the two factions Avos Dillheavia would have had no use for Ray¡¯s mother. ¡°¡­..May I ask something?¡± ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t tell you what you want to know.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s about your mother.¡± ¡°My mom?¡± It seems he wasn¡¯t expecting that. ¡°I don¡¯t think anything you hear will help you.¡± ¡°Why not tell me then?¡± Misa laughs and smiles at Ray who smiles wryly like he¡¯s defeated. ¡°You¡¯re pretty strange to ask such a thing at a time like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­She¡¯s not your real mother?¡± ¡°Correct. I was originally born in the Iesta family.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a prestigious family of magic users?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In the Iesta family, they hand secret magics down from generation to generation. Children born in the Iesta family can use magic right away but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t inherit their magic.¡± Its a kind of origin magic to pass magic on to your children. It works by the parents sharing part of their origin with their child but there are rare occasions where it doesn¡¯t work. The usual reason is that the child¡¯s origin is being influenced by a stronger magic already in their origin. An example would be someone under the influence of Reincarnation . ¡°I who spoiled a magic that had been passed down from generation to generation was branded a failure and cast out.¡± ¡°When were you cast out?¡± ¡°I was about 5 years old or so. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to do. In my home town, the Iesta family held total power so no one would help me. The family expected me to die. I wondered the town with nothing to eat and after a few days, I collapsed and couldn¡¯t move. At that time a single person reached out their hand.¡± ¡°Ray-san¡¯s mother?¡± Ray nodded. ¡°She took me home and prepared a warm meal and a bed and just let me stay there. But with that, my mother bought the anger of the Iesta family upon herself. They threatened to fire her if she fed me again. My mother never kicked me out and eventually, we moved to a city where the Iesta family couldn¡¯t reach us.¡± ¡°Your mother is a kind person Ray-san.¡± When Misa said that Ray smiled happily. ¡°When I got older I asked her why she helped me.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°My mother was abandoned by her father as well. He was part of the royal faction and my mother is a half spirit. I think you can guess why she was abandoned.¡± Misa nodded with a sad face. If it became known that someone from the royal faction had a child of mixed blood they would be finished. That¡¯s why they abandon their own children to save their own necks. ¡°She said that¡¯s why she would never let go of someone who was abandoned.¡± Misa gently nods. ¡°My mother raised me like I was her own flesh and blood but her body is weak by nature. Without knowing the cause her magical power is steadily decreasing and her origin is becoming thin. She finally developed spirit disease and hasn¡¯t woken up for over a year now.¡± If magic power is steadily decreasing then usually there¡¯s an abnormality in the origin that¡¯s making the magic unstable but in Sheila¡¯s case, her origin is normal. ¡°I visited a number of clinics and finally arrived here.¡± He must have thought if they could maintain this state of remission then he could strike a deal. When me and Misha met him that time I wonder if that was when the deal was made? ¡°¡­..Unforgivable¡­¡­¡± Misa mutters. Her resentment can plainly be seen. ¡°¡­¡­.Taking your mother as a hostage, threatening you, to force others against their will¡­¡­.I will absolutely never forgive them¡­¡­¡­!¡± Ray smiles a troubled smile and says ¡°Thank you for being angry for me.¡± Ray turns around and heads out of the door. ¡°Sorry.¡± he said over his shoulder and left the room. Authors note: Arnos is always eavesdropping¡­¡­¡­¡­. Chapter 54.1 ¡°Well done.¡± I dispel Illusion Mimicry and appear. ¡°Ah¡­..no, I only managed to get something useful in the middle of the conversation¡­¡­ahahaha¡­..¡± Fumu. Doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s being humble. I¡¯m interested in Ray¡¯s background and circumstances as well. ¡°The result is the same.¡± I put my fingertip on Sheila¡¯s head and activate Time Manipulation . I go back to the time in her origin where she picked up Ray. Though there are many vague parts in Ray¡¯s story no two people are the same. I only restore her body to the time where she picked up Ray. Even if you don¡¯t know the source of the illness or how to treat it most illness can be cured by turning back that persons time. Her body is enveloped in the magic formation and goes back in time. But¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Nothing happened. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Did it fail?¡± ¡°No.¡± was successful. Her body has surely become like it was before her illness but her magic power is as feeble as ever. This needs more thought. What else is different from her body and her origin? Something that isn¡¯t here is affecting her life and leading to death. How can such a thing be possible? I¡¯m almost certain it¡¯s not her mazoku half but her spirit half that¡¯s the problem. Is her weak body the result of being half spirit and half mazoku or due to the spirit disease? The thing is, Misa¡¯s the same but she¡¯s very lively. Spirits are very strange beings. ¡°How are they keeping the spirit disease in a state of remission? I¡¯ve got no choice but to investigate it.¡± I begin walking to the door. The unidentified mazoku running this clinic is the key. I wish I had more clues. ¡°Arnos-sama¡­¡­.!¡± Misa calls out to me in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Misa is looking at Sheila. Her eyelids are slightly open. As I returned to the bed her eyes opened fully and looked at me. ¡°¡­..You are Arnos-kun¡­¡­?¡± ¡°How do you know of me?¡± Sheila should have been unconscious and sleeping for over a year now. She shouldn¡¯t know me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ve always been conscious. When Ray comes to visit he talks about you and how he¡¯s made a friend.¡± I see. Not as much of a mystery as I thought. ¡°Then do you know of the contracted demon sword placed in Ray¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Due to that contracted demon sword if I cure you Ray will disappear but I¡¯ll do something about it What can you tell me about this spirit disease?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Someone was in here once talking about it. I think it was a doctor. It¡¯s not a disease. Spirits are born from peoples hearts¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know. Traditions and legends, rumours, desires, fears and hopes. These are the concrete things that are the embodiment of spirits.¡± Sheila nods slightly then leaks a painful sigh. ¡°¡­¡­..Spirits are born from the strong wishes of many hearts so they are fully mature from the moment of birth but half spirits are different. They are born as babies. It¡¯s probably because of that they said.¡± Fumu. I¡¯ve got a rough outline to read now. ¡°So in other words, newborn rumours, weak desires and faint hopes fill in the spirit side of your dual nature.¡± Chapter 54.2 ¡°That¡¯s right. For a half spirit to grow up its necessary to nurture new rumours and faint hopes.¡± As time goes on the rumours, traditions and hopes will spread to more and more people. If this is done then you can probably lead a normal and comfortable life like Misa. ¡°Newborn rumours easily fade away and many people will have their hopes crushed. Its the equivalent to losing half your body so many half spirits are physically weak people.¡± This also explains why was ineffective. The source of a spirits magic is the hearts of others so rewinding Sheila time was pointless as the rumours and traditions that are the source of her magic are weakening. ¡°What¡¯s the lore that forms the spirit half of your body?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..I don¡¯t know. Unlike spirits, us half spirits do not know what legends or traditions are ours so to us its normal to have short lives.¡± So due to the collapse of rumours and beliefs many half spirits die. If their rumours and lore are spread throughout the world then they can be treated. But if you don¡¯t know their lore then you can¡¯t save them. Since Sheila¡¯s condition is currently in remission does that mean the Lognoss clinic knows what her lore is? They may be controlling the rumours and beliefs so it doesn¡¯t get too big but doesn¡¯t get too small that it disappears. ¡°Did the doctor talking about the spirit disease say anything?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I didn¡¯t hear them saying anything about rumours and legends¡­¡­.¡± So only a few people probably know then. No, it¡¯s probably reasonable to think that the unidentified mazoku is the only one that knows. If that¡¯s the case then searching this clinic won¡¯t turn up anything. I doubt they are idiots who won¡¯t prepare for my assault either. ¡°How come you are able to talk?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I don¡¯t know. A little bit of power returned today but I don¡¯t think it will last long¡­¡­¡± Was there a slight increase in Sheila¡¯s lore? People will just think that it was the treatment of the clinic. Though I think its a blunder on their part that she¡¯s got enough power to talk, their ability to fine-tune the lore is pretty good. Or is it possible that something unexpected happened? ¡°Before my power goes I want to tell you something.¡± ¡°To me? Not Ray?¡± ¡°To you.¡± Sheila looks straight at me. ¡°Ray has always loved the sword. Whenever he had a spare moment he was swinging his sword outside. I wanted him to enjoy it more so I enrolled him in the biggest sword dojo in the city but he quit after 3 days.¡± ¡°¡­..Why?¡± Misa says behind my back. ¡°He couldn¡¯t find an opponent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He said it was awkward after he beat his master.¡± That sounds like Ray. ¡°After that, he participated in various competitions but he hardly ever lost. Even if he did lose, the next time he fought them he won. Before we knew it he was being called the demonic sword saint and was recommended to the demon king academy.¡± After taking a breath Sheila continued. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought him to be splendid and honourable but whenever he was praised he would always laugh and act like it was boring. One day that child said ¡®I wonder if I was more unskilled with the sword I could make friends¡¯. He¡¯s clumsy and only interested in swordsmanship and learning about swords but no one could keep up with his talent and because of that he built up a lot of grudges and jealousy.¡± Fumu. Well, it¡¯s a common thing to happen. ¡°If that child wanted status and fame it would be fine but all he wants is actually a very small thing. How can I use this sword more with my power? If he didn¡¯t have his talent with the sword then surely he would have worked together with a friend in competitions and spent his days happily.¡± Few people have such a pure love for the sword and practising it. Most are drawn to the fame and position of a swordsman or they just want to hurt or kill people. At the end of the day, the sword is a weapon. For the sake of the sword, he swings the sword. Few people will be able to understand Ray¡¯s thoughts on this. ¡°Since I became ill Ray has become more and more lonely. He used to come and visit and talk about his day but he always sounded bored, however, one day recently his voice changed.¡± Sheila says in a happy voice. ¡°He said he¡¯d found an amazing guy. No matter how much he wielded his sword that guy wasn¡¯t bothered a bit. He not only lost but was completely defeated. It¡¯s strange but he sounded so happy to have lost. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that child¡¯s voice sound so happy.¡± It¡¯s not unreasonable for Ray to feel that way due to his abilities in this age. For me, it¡¯s only been 2 months since I reincarnated but even in that short time I was becoming frustrated. ¡°Arnos-kun. From that day that was the name of the person that that child began to keep saying over and over again. Aah, I thought he had finally found a best friend. It really was the right choice to go to Deruzogedo.¡± The smile disappears off Sheila¡¯s face and she continues in a serious tone. ¡°That child wanted to fight you in the sword tournament with every bit of strength he had. I don¡¯t know what the royals told him but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s something that goes against his beliefs.¡± I nodded at her words in agreement. ¡°Please Arnos-kun. Please let that child fight you with everything he has.¡± ¡°You know, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ll die even if I remove that contracted demon sword.¡± ¡°Originally, us half spirits don¡¯t live long anyway. I thought that I would do my best until that child became an adult but it¡¯s okay now because he¡¯s made a friend who¡¯s worried about him without worrying about the danger.¡± Sheilas face becomes gentle. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to keep living if all I¡¯m doing is holding that child back.¡± Mothers are strong. I suddenly started thinking of my mother. Chapter 55.1 ¡°Are you prepared?¡± Sheila nods at my question. ¡°Then there¡¯s a magic I want to try.¡± I draw a magic formation on the floor. ¡°¡­¡­¡­A magic you want to try?¡± ¡°Rumours and legends are the source of a spirit¡¯s power or more precisely rumours and legends form the spirits origin so even if you give them magic power directly their condition won¡¯t improve.¡± As a trial, I poured my power directly into Sheila but nothing happened. It¡¯s also not possible to physically go back in time and fix it either. Also, since their origins are fully formed even using Reincarnation would have no effect since they would be just as weak after being reborn. ¡°However, a spirits magic is incredibly flexible.¡± ¡°Did you give some of your power to Ray¡¯s mother?¡± Misa asks. ¡°Yeah but it¡¯s impossible with normal magic. I¡¯d hoped being half-demon would have helped but there was no change.¡± ¡°Then what magic do you want to try¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Rumours and legends form her origin. Rumours and legends also form your origin. I¡¯ll join your two origins and transfer some of your power to Sheila but since your origins are different I¡¯ll alter your power during the transfer to Sheila so it matches her origin. Hopefully, she¡¯ll recover to some extent.¡± They are both half-spirit half-demon. The possibility isn¡¯t zero. ¡°¡­¡­.Was there a magic like that for half-spirit half-demons¡­..?¡± Mazoku don¡¯t have the ability to change their origins so to Misa it¡¯s strange that such a magic exists. ¡°There wasn¡¯t until a few minutes ago.¡± Misa¡¯s face took on a strange expression. ¡°I just made it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.mad¡­.made it¡­..? Now!?¡± Misa looks astonished. ¡°Aah.¡± After my casual answer, Misa sounded like she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­¡­.Developing a new magic usually takes years or even decades if you aren¡¯t very good at it. Arnos-sama is really amazing¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Making it is easy. The problem is it¡¯s my first time using it. If I don¡¯t manage the different rumours and legends correctly the power will adversely affect Sheila.¡± In the worst-case scenario she¡¯ll die. It¡¯s worth trying though if they are prepared for it. ¡°It will also be dangerous for your body Misa. There¡¯s a chance the spirit side will consume your origin along with your magic.¡± Misa is very lively and I¡¯ve seen her use spirit magic Rain Spirit Mist a few times now with no ill effects so she should be fine. ¡°Your rumours and legends will revive Sheila¡¯s spirit side power that¡¯s been consumed. In other words Misa, I¡¯m gambling on the strength and resilience of your rumours and legends to restore your power after draining it and giving it to Sheila.¡± If my gamble fails Misa won¡¯t be able to recover her exhausted origin and will end up like Sheila. If I really mess up I could kill her. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I can¡¯t let you do that¡­¡­¡± Sheila says, however, Misa looks determined. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°But¡­..¡± ¡°I want to do it¡­¡­. Ray-san isn¡¯t a person who actually cares what¡¯s going on between the unification faction and the royals. Also, I want to frustrate the royal¡¯s plans.¡± Misa says whilst laughing. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. The worst-case scenario will never happen with Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say my first failure won¡¯t be today so don¡¯t relax.¡± I activate the magic formation and send my power into it. ¡°For the time being I¡¯ll call this magic Origin Conversion . Are you both ready?¡± ¡°Yes. Please do it.¡± I activate and connect Misa¡¯s origin to Sheila¡¯s with a magic line. ¡°Use spirit magic.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Misa activates so it¡¯s probably raining outside again now. Gradually Misa¡¯s origin starts to show signs of exhaustion but if I use my demon eyes I can see that power is flowing into it trying to restore it. The power flows from Misa to Sheila via the magic line. Chapter 55.2 ¡°¡­¡­.Ku¡­¡­¡­.ah¡­¡­..¡± Misa leaks a pained sigh. ¡°Fumu. As expected, the wavelengths from your rumours and legends don¡¯t match.¡± Different forces are mixing into Sheila¡¯s origin and making her worse. ¡°¡­..Wha¡­.what should I do¡­..?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. Concentrate on your magic or you can¡¯t save her.¡± While watching Sheila¡¯s symptoms I start altering magic formula bit by bit. It starts to convert the power produced by the rumours and legends into Sheila¡¯s wavelength. Since I have virtually no knowledge about spirits my only choice is to go by the round robin method. I focused my demon eyes into abyss so as not to miss even the tiniest of variations. One minute passes. The body of Sheila is even more thinner and transparent than when we started. She can¡¯t speak anymore. Three more minutes pass. Sheila is about to disappear. ¡°¡­¡­.God¡­¡­.¡± Misa joins her hands and starts praying. ¡°If you are going to pray then pray to me. Those fellows have never given the miracles that people wanted.¡± At that time the transparency of Sheila¡¯s body that was getting worse had stopped. ¡°Fumu. Somewhere around here? I¡¯ve finally found it.¡± I zero in on that wavelength and start fine-tuning it. ¡°Ah¡­¡­.¡± Misa¡¯s voice leaks out. Ever so slightly Sheila¡¯s body begins to regain colour. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.As expected¡­¡­. When you came you didn¡¯t even know what the illness was let alone how to cure it.¡± Misa¡¯s spilt words like she couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t relax. If you aren¡¯t careful it will be over in an instant.¡± I very carefully rearrange the formula of . Bit by bit the body of Sheila gradually recovers, however, Misa had a pained expression. Her origin continues to be depleted of spirit magic. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Yes. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡­¡­I can still go on¡­¡­¡­..¡± Misa smiles. I can clearly see she¡¯s overdoing it but we cannot guarantee the stabilisation of Sheila if we stop now. A number of minutes pass and it finally feels like its starting to settle down. It¡¯s still a bit of a tightrope walk but its only a matter of time now. I honestly don¡¯t know what would happen if I mess up the magic even a little bit here. At that moment I noticed something and turned my consciousness to another place. ¡°¡­¡­..What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My mother is being followed.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­.?¡± It seems like it¡¯s on the road back to my home. This part of the route home is still busy with people but just after this, it will go much quieter. ¡°It would be fine if she was only being followed but this seems different.¡± The magical power of the mazoku following my mother is strangely excited. Its most likely motivation. What¡¯s their aim? My sword or my mother? If they are intending to take my mother hostage their hostility is very low. ¡°Let¡¯s go help.¡± ¡°Of course but let¡¯s wait a few minutes. I need to keep my eyes on Sheila.¡± There are a number of fan union girls near my mother but the magical power of the mazoku following them is much stronger. Even though there¡¯s a number of them they won¡¯t even be classed as opponents. I¡¯m familiar with the wavelength of this proud but disturbed magical power. Yeah, there¡¯s no doubt¡­.. ¡°Emilia.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Yare yare. What are you doing? Using my distance sight I stare at the place where my mother is. Chapter 56.1 Heading back home my mother is talking to the fan union girls. They¡¯ve left the more popular streets and the area they are in now is already dark and deserted. ¡°Isabella-san.¡± My mother turns around and see¡¯s Emilia standing there. ¡°Good evening Emilia sensei. It¡¯s amazing that the two students from your class are in the finals.¡± ¡°Indeed. Thank you. Both of them are my prided students.¡± Emilia smiles but something about the expression gives off a dark feeling. ¡°Is your home this way Emilia sensei?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m here because the regulations say that the finalist¡¯s swords are kept the day before the finals so I rushed after you.¡± The fan union members seem to be wary of Emilia and whisper amongst themselves ¡°Was there such a rule¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡­but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? I wasn¡¯t aware. Does the tournament committee keep them?¡± My mother asks without displaying any cautious behaviour. ¡°Yes. Its to stop swords being switched. It¡¯s just a formality though.¡± Fumu. So Emilia¡¯s aim is my sword. Do you intend to alter it or just break it? ¡°I see. I feel bad asking sensei to do it so I¡¯ll go and hand it to the tournament committee directly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m going back to the school anyway.¡± ¡°Funnily enough, I¡¯ve left something at the school as well. Should we go together?¡± My mother laughs while smiling but Emilia is starting to panic a little. ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange though. I read through all the tournament rules but having to leave the sword behind wasn¡¯t written down anywhere. It did say though that each person was responsible for managing their sword.¡± My mother¡¯s smile doesn¡¯t break. Even if she¡¯s not suspicious of Emilia directly she¡¯s not accepting her words either. Since she investigated about becoming a demon emperor she must be aware of the feud between the royals and the unification faction. She¡¯s also aware that Emilia is in the royal faction. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t believe I missed that rule. I need to confirm it properly.¡± Emilia¡¯s really confused now. At first glance, my mother seems like she¡¯s easy to deceive, however, compared to mazoku society human society has a lot more scammers, swindlers and fraud in general. As such, even if you read a manual on a product you¡¯ve bought you¡¯ll get a headache from the level of detail written. Humans, in particular, are very noisy and troublesome when it comes to rules and regulations. It looks like it hasn¡¯t changed after 2000 years either. No, it might actually be worse. Even if my mother trusts Emilia she will want to check just in case. Emilia seems to have made light of the common sense of human society. I guess due to that wall I made there would have been almost no interactions between the humans and the mazoku. Oh well. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m troubled¡­¡­¡± That said, Emilia grabs the sheath of my sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Emilia sensei¡­..?¡± ¡°Please give me the sword Isabella-san otherwise you¡¯ll get hurt.¡± My mother pulls the sword from its sheath and backs off. ¡°Are you okay with that? If you don¡¯t listen to me then you might end up dying together with that sword.¡± The magic formation for Grand Heat Blaze appears on Emilia¡¯s palm but my mother still doesn¡¯t let go of my sword. ¡°Shall I burn that filthy body that gave birth to that child that defies royalty?¡± A large dark red flame that was burning vigorously attacks my mother. ¡°Mother! Please escape!¡± The 8 fan union girls all deploy anti-magic fields at the same time. For a moment the barriers seemed to block but they were burnt down the next moment. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± Wounded by the intense flames the fan union girls collapsed. Though they managed to avoid death thanks to their anti-magic fields they had suffered extreme burns. ¡°Everyone¡­..!¡± My mother screams out. ¡°Why¡­¡­¡­Emilia sensei? Aren¡¯t they your important students?¡± ¡°No. Lowly mixed-race peasants are not my students. They are just leftovers begging for the scraps left in my class.¡± Emilia lets out a smile full of dark feelings. ¡°Will you hand me that sword now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Why¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Why? Please don¡¯t say such a shameless thing.¡± Emilia says in an upright and innocent tone. ¡°My brother Kurt Roodwell is a swordsman representing the royal faction. More than anyone, he had a noble power and a noble heart but that unforgivable cowardly great criminal Arnos Voldigod broke that. I cant silently allow that man to brazenly stand on the final stage.¡± ¡°Arnos-chan fought fairly! Your older brother won¡¯t be pleased even if you do something like this!¡± Emilia scowls at my mother in anger. ¡°Fighting fairly are words only allowed by the royals. There is nothing honourable in the power of Arnos Voldigod. No matter how strong he is, he is still a feeble coward of low birth. Such contemptible powers cannot be allowed to defeat royalty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Don¡¯t you find it strange that you intend to break Arnos-chans sword so he can¡¯t appear in the finals? If you say royalty are honourable and noble then do the right thing and act like it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong Isabella-san. The royals don¡¯t have to do the right thing because anything the royals do is always the right thing. Your arrogant words of doing the right thing is a direct criticism of the royals!!¡± appears in Emilia¡¯s hand again. Anti-magic appeared again to counter it. ¡°¡­¡­.Mother¡­¡­.please run away¡­¡­.¡± The 8 badly burnt fan union girls stood up again. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t.¡± ¡°If we relax the anti-magic everyone will be burnt again. Please run as far away as possible. Arnos-sama will surely come.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡­..! If you are all burnt by that flame you will all die! ¡­¡­¡­¡­.You¡¯re all already badly burnt¡­¡­¡­!!¡± Emilia intensifies the flame. was already twice the size of the last one and it was getting bigger. The fan unions magic cannot prevent it. It¡¯s hopeless against the power difference but they all laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fiiiiine! There¡¯s eight of us but only one over there.¡± ¡°Fumu. I held back a little last time.¡± ¡°Oi! Are you imitating Arnos-sama!?¡± ¡°By imitating Arnos-sama I can borrow one one-millionth of his power! That¡¯s fan union magic!¡± ¡°Was there such a magic!?¡± ¡°If we can borrow one one-millionth then this will be easy!¡± Despite the crisis in front of them, they are fooling around trying to calm my mother¡¯s anxiety. ¡°Please hurry up and go mother. If mother is here then we cant get serious!¡± My mother nodded immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll call for help! Please wait!¡± My mothers starts to run while carrying my sword. Chapter 56.2 ¡°As usual I don¡¯t know what any of you are thinking. Even doing this won¡¯t buy you any extra time. No honour, no power no wisdom. There¡¯s a word for all of you. Stupid.¡± In Emilia¡¯s other hand another appears. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s not useless¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s not stupid¡­¡­¡± They say it like they are persuading themselves as well. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll protect¡­¡­the important Arnos-sama¡­..¡± ¡°¡­..Protect¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go!!¡± The fan union match their magic power together and deploy their anti-magic but the from Emilia¡¯s right-hand burns it away instantly. All eight people had spread out and dodged the flames. They quickly used Construction Creation and created spears before attacking Emilia all together, however, Emilia exploded the in her left hand releasing flames in all directions. The fan union was surrounded by flames and blown away. ¡°¡­..Kyaaaaaa¡­¡­..!!¡± ¡°Like I said, you can¡¯t buy any time by doing this.¡± My mothers figure is still reflected in Emilia¡¯s eyes. Another appears in her hand. If she releases it my mother has no way of dodging it. At that time I heard a faint melody. ¡°¡­¡­.You are under and I am above¡­¡­ ?¡± Singing. The fan union girls lying on the ground are singing. ¡°¡­¡­.Shuu, shushushu, Instant death¡­¡­? ¡­¡­..Fuuhaa¡­¡­..?¡± They unsteadily start to get up but there¡¯s no power to resist. If Emilia ignored them it would be over. ¡°¡­..You are under and I am above¡­¡­?¡± Emilia¡¯s face distorts and she says in a low voice. ¡°Would you please stop?¡± Another fan union girl gets up. ¡°¡­¡­.La lalaala easy victory? ¡­¡­¡­.Uuuahaaaa?¡± Emila shouts out like she can¡¯t bear it. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what the word stop means!!¡± Emilia¡¯s burns one of the fan union girls but she continues singing whilst on fire. ¡°¡­..The noble Arnos-sama¡¯s gift~¡­¡­..?¡± They are doing anything to attract the attention of Emilia. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Attentive in bed. The prey dances~¡­¡­.?¡± The remaining seven people rush Emilia empty-handed. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos-sama will put it? ¡­¡­¡­.Get filled with the best magic power?¡± ¡°Stop it!! Stop it right now!!¡± Another girl burns but still the singing continues. ¡°¡­¡­..Strong m-a-n in one shot~?¡± Another girl collapsed. If they are singing they are burnt but still, they continue. ¡°¡­¡­Geeeet filled with? ¡­¡­..geeeet filled with? ¡­¡­¡­. geeeet filled with?¡± Gasps for breath and a weak melody sounds. ¡°¡­¡­.You are under and I am above¡­..?¡± ¡°You are all underneath!! You are all under the royals!! Stop this stupid song!! It¡¯s royal criticism!!¡± Emilia furiously burns the fan union girls. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Byuu, dobyuuu, instant kill? ¡­¡­¡­fuu ahaaa?¡± One by one the girls fall to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­You are under and I am above¡­¡­?¡± Two people are left. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ahh, Aaahah relief? ¡­¡­.Uuahaaaa?¡± One falls, another and the last person falls. ¡°¡­..Hey, struggle¡­¡­..receive the¡­¡­.noble gift¡­¡­¡± Still, she sings. A painful voice comes out from the flames. ¡°Making me go through this extra trouble¡­¡­!¡± Emilia clicked her tongue. ¡°But like I said it was useless after all.¡± Emila cast Flight and rises into the sky. Scanning around she quickly caught sight of my mother. ¡°¡­.Die¡­¡­..!¡± burnt violently in her hand and then shot towards my mother in an instant. The next second a huge pillar of flame shot up into the sky. ¡°¡­¡­Fufu, aha, ahahahahah!¡± Emilia descends to the ground with a laugh. ¡°Haa. I finally feel refreshed. Should I send her corpse to that in inept person?¡± She begins walking then begins to skip. ¡°Fumu. You¡¯re in a good mood. Did something good happen?¡± She stopped moving and turned around. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos-chan¡­..¡± I moved to my mothers side using Transfer and became her shield. ¡°Mother, are you injured?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± My mother hides her hands behind her back. They are slightly burnt. Because I arrived right at the last minute I wasn¡¯t able to protect her. I healed her using Healing and turned to my teacher. ¡°Hey Emilia.¡± I take step forward. Despite the fact we are quite far away from each other Emilia steps back like she¡¯s been struck. ¡°I¡¯m a tolerant person. I can¡¯t remember a single time I ever got angry in my past life. Fools used to buzz around me all the time but if they changed their attitude I forgave them. I thought that it was narrow-minded to get angry over such small things.¡± I stare straight at Emilia. I wonder what type of face I have right now? I can¡¯t even imagine it. ¡°The thing is I¡¯m sure that was a mistake now.¡± I take another step forward. My voice sounded much colder than I would have thought. ¡°Emilia. You, I do not forgive.¡± Chapter 57.1 Were you frightened by my bloodlust? Emilia trembles while backing away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is this low born mixed-blood so scary?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Yeah, don¡¯t flatter yourself¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I¡¯m not scared!¡± While speaking Emilia is falling back while looking for an opportunity to escape. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± When I say that Emilia casts Flight and flew into the sky. ¡°I said, don¡¯t move.¡± Emilia¡¯s body immediately stopped moving and even manipulating magic became impossible so she crashed back down to the ground. My words which were filled with anger and magic power carried a compulsion within them. They broke through Emilia¡¯s anti-magic without any difficulty and restrained her body and magic power. Emilia was still trying to escape but she was no better than a Daruma doll now and could only roll around on the ground shamefully. (1) I walk slowly over to Emilia and stop. Her expression was a mixture of humiliation and fear. ¡°Fumu.¡± I casually grab Emilia by the scruff of her neck and pick her up one-handed. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Release me¡­¡­.! What are you doing?¡± Ignoring her question I walk over the where the fan union girls have fallen and throw her on the ground. ¡°¡­Gah¡­¡­.¡± Even though she can¡¯t move Emilia still tries to get away by rolling around on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m going to play around a bit. It would be best if you remain afraid of me.¡± I approach the fan union girls and activate a magic formation over every one of them. Looking them over with my demon eyes I can see that all of them are barely breathing. Activating Healing I heal all their bodies at once then create new clothing for them using Construction Creation . ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos-sama¡­¡­.¡± They slowly wake up and look at me. Even though I¡¯ve healed their wounds their consciousness are still hazy and they look at me in a daze. ¡°¡­¡­We intended to protect your mother¡­¡­..but¡­..¡± Did you think you didn¡¯t protect her? She makes a regretful face. ¡°Let¡¯s hear your name.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Your name. What is it?¡± ¡°¡­..Elen. Elen Mihais¡­¡­¡± I ask the next girl. ¡°You are?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Jessica Arnet¡­¡­¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°¡­..Maia Zemut¡­¡­¡± One after the other I ask all their names. ¡°Nono Inota.¡± ¡°Shia Minshen.¡± ¡°Himuka Houra.¡± ¡°Casa Krenoa.¡± ¡°Shelia Nijem.¡± ¡°Elen, Jessica, Maia, Nono, Shia, Himuka, Casa, Shelia.¡± I said each name one by one. ¡°I will remember all your names for the rest of my life.¡± The fan union girls didn¡¯t seem to be able to talk and just started crying silently. ¡°You should all rest now.¡± Turning around I return to Emilia. ¡°Now then. Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± I grab Emilia by the scruff of her neck again. ¡°¡­.Wha¡­..what are you going to do with me¡­¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°My mother will get worried if I do it here so let¡¯s change places.¡± I used Transfer and after the pure white had faded an Arena appeared before us. I throw Emilia on the floor and say. ¡°You may move.¡± I create a demon sword using and throw it towards Emilia where it lodges right next to her head. ¡°Use it. I¡¯m going to beat you down until your rotten character is fixed.¡± Emilia stood up and turned her gaze to me. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me you inept mixed-blood¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°Hou. You seem energetic. Come.¡± Emilia pulls out the demon sword and slashes me. As soon as she does an electric current runs down the blade and eats into her body. ¡°¡­¡­Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡­..!!¡± Emilia instinctively let¡¯s go and the sword falls to the floor. ¡°Ku. Kukuku. What was that Emilia? Can¡¯t you handle the demon sword? Weren¡¯t you part of the great royalty?¡± Emilia glares at me while grovelling on the floor. ¡°¡­..You inept person, amongst the lowest of the low. So self-important so¡­¡­gokaa¡­¡­!!¡± I step on Emilia¡¯s head and press it against the floor. ¡°Watch your mouth Emilia. I am not feeling kind today.¡± Holding my hand out the demon sword rises off the floor and floats to my hand. ¡°How about begging for your life?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Admit I am the demon king of tyranny. If you do, I might have a change of heart.¡± Anger enters Emilia¡¯s eyes as she speaks to me. ¡°¡­¡­.How laughable. No matter how smart you try to appear you are not the demon king of tyranny. You can¡¯t even become a demon emperor. You are just an inept person of vulgar low birth who¡ª¡ª.¡± I stab my demon sword in her back pinning her to the ground. ¡°¡­Ah¡­..kafu¡­..¡± ¡°I guess I can admire that attitude. Now then, I¡¯ll say it again. Beg for your life.¡± ¡°Who wou¡ª¡ªGyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± An electric current runs through the blade again causing intense pain for Emilia. ¡°¡­..Haa¡­..haa¡­¡­.. No matter what you do your blood will never be noble¡­¡­ That will not change¡­..¡± ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t really care. By the way, this demon sword is poisonous. It¡¯s a magic tool with some interesting effects. The host body that¡¯s stabbed with this sword becomes a seedbed for a hundred poisonous rice worms that will fight and eat each other. Because they are poisonous, the bigger they get the more pain the host is in and eventually the host¡¯s internal organs will be eaten.¡± ¡°¡­.Wha¡­..aaaa¡­¡­a¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Listen. Can you hear it? The sound of them crawling through your body.¡± ¡°Gyaaa¡­..Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­.Gieeeeeeeeeeeeeee¡­¡­..!!!¡± I put more weight on Emilia¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you another interesting thing as well. When one poisonous rice worm is left it merges with the power of the host.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­What do you mean¡­¡­..?¡± Chapter 57.2 ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? I mean that you will become the rice worm. It¡¯s a strong curse. You will never be able to revert to your original body.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­you..how much of a coward are you? Do you think the prestige of the royal families will be diminished by such an act¡­¡­..!?¡± I look down at Emilia. ¡°Your pain seems to have disappeared Emilia.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Eh?¡± ¡°Its evidence that your body is getting closer to merging.¡± Her face turned pale. ¡°¡­..Sto¡­..stop¡­¡­¡± ¡°What wrong? You should continue. Something about the nobility of royalty and so on.¡± Emilia leaked a voice while he face was filled with humiliation. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Please stop it¡­¡­.. please¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Fumu. I guess you have about a minute left. How is it? The feeling of being reborn?¡± ¡°Please! Please stop it!! Please help me!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad actually. You will obtain stronger magic than you have now. You can take revenge on me then. Eh?¡± Emilia¡¯s body starts shaking. ¡°¡­.You¡­¡­How cold-blooded are you¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Ku, kukuku. Hahahahahaha. Cold-blooded? This me?¡± I vigorously stamp on Emilia¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh woman. Not after what you did to my mother.¡± Emilia falls silent at my stone-cold voice. ¡°Now then. It¡¯s about time.¡± I fall silent and wait for the time to pass. Looking down at Emilia¡¯s face I can see tears falling non-stop. ¡°¡­¡­..Under¡­¡­I understand¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What do you understand?¡± Emilia forces out a thin voice while gritting her teeth and twisting her face in humiliation. ¡°¡­¡­Demon King of tyranny Arnos Voldigod-sama¡­¡­.. Please grant me mercy¡­¡­¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Emilia begins weeping like a child. ¡°¡­..Lie¡­¡­ did you lie¡­¡­.? When I begged for my life¡­..¡± ¡°I said I might change my mind. I decided not to.¡± Finding no words to say tears come out of her eyes again. ¡°Five seconds left.¡± Emilia couldn¡¯t speak anymore and just looked in despair. ¡°Three, two, one.¡± She closes her eyes. ¡°Zero.¡± There¡¯s no change in the body of Emilia. Ten seconds pass, then another twenty and still she remains the same. She opens her eyes. ¡°Why¡­..?¡± ¡°Kukukuku. Hahahahaha. Haven¡¯t you noticed yet? The poisonous rice worms were a lie. No, actually it was hilarious. Did you think you had received mercy? You can let out a surprisingly modest voice.¡± Emilia¡¯s face dyes red. ¡°I spared your life.¡± ¡°¡­.I¡­..wont¡­..forgive you¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± Emilia grabs my foot with pure hatred on her face. ¡°¡­..I¡¯ll never forgive you!! No matter how strong you are your power has no nobility! It¡¯s the power of a vile, vulgar mixed race! The disgrace you have given to the royalty here, someday, sometime¡­¡­.you¡¯ll regret it¡­.!! Even if I can¡¯t do it, my child will and if they cant do it their children will and their children and their children. Each generation will bear a grudge against you!!¡± ¡°Emilia.¡± I return her glare with tens of times more hatred than she is sending at me. ¡°It is this me that does not forgive you. Let me teach you the reason I spared your life.¡± I kick Emilia onto her back and thrust my hand into her chest grabbing her heart. ¡°¡­..Ka¡­¡­ha¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Receive my curse until the end of time.¡± Emilia who was kicking her feet stopped breathing after several seconds and then stopped moving. ¡°Realise it. Your arrogance.¡± I draw a magic formation on the floor and use Mazoku Training . A girl with brown hair and brown eyes appears on the formation. The girl opens her eyes and stares at the body of Emilia in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m dead¡­..but this is¡­¡­.?¡± I tell the confused looking girl. ¡°How does it feel being reborn Emilia?¡± ¡°What is this? My body¡­¡­. My magic power¡­¡­¡± Emilia seems to be unable to hide her surprise at the weakness of her new body. ¡°¡­.Like this¡­.. Do you intend to humiliate me with this magic? With such low born power¡­¡­¡­¡­!?¡± Laughter leaks deep from within my body. ¡°Kukukuku. Hahahahahaha. I see. Low born power? This is great. Listen up Emilia.¡± I told her to look down. ¡°You still think of yourself as royalty?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Eh?¡± ¡°I reincarnated you using Reincarnation . I bought you back with the mixed blood of humans and mazoku. Look into your own abyss with your demon eyes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.A lie¡­¡­..¡± Emilia falls to her knees. Her whole body is shaking and she keeps muttering ¡°a lie¡­..a lie¡­¡­¡± in an incoherent manner. She keeps checking the blood flowing through her body again and again. There¡¯s no mistake. She¡¯s a mixed-blood no matter how much she looks. Far from royalty, she¡¯s not even a pure mazoku anymore. Emilia stands up with a crazy look on her face and grabs the demon sword near to her. ¡°Wrong¡­¡­ It¡¯s wrong¡­.. It¡¯s not me.¡± Struggling she strongly puts the blade to her neck. ¡°You can die Emilia but I¡¯ve cursed your origin. No matter how many times you die, until the end of time, you are cursed to be reborn as a mixed-blood mazoku.¡± Blood flows from Emilia¡¯s neck. The demon sword falls from her hands and clangs to the floor. ¡°¡­..I¡¯ll study this curse¡­¡­¡± ¡°You cannot escape my curse.¡± Did my words crush her hope? Emilia collapses in place. ¡°¡­¡­¡­No¡­¡­¡­¡­..No¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Emilia shook her head again and again while her eyes were empty. ¡°Take a good look at Deiruheido from your new position. You might notice your opinions were unexpectedly biased.¡± ¡°No¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Such a thing¡­¡­no¡­¡­..¡± I use to leave this place and as my world dies pure white ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo¡­.!!!!¡± A crazy sounding scream rings out. (1) A daruma doll is a traditional Japanese hollow round doll. I¡¯m sure pretty much everyone has seen them before. Chapter 58.1 Returning to my original location I pick up my sword sheath dropped by Emilia. ¡°Arnos-chan¡± Spotting me my mother rushes over and hugs me tightly. ¡°Are you okay? Are you injured?¡± Fumu. That should be my line. ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you mother?¡± ¡°Arnos-chan healed me so I¡¯m fine. What about Emilia-sensei?¡± ¡°I lightly chastised her. She won¡¯t be able to work in the school anymore after this scandal.¡± Emilia intended to destroy my sword so I couldn¡¯t participate in the finals. It wasn¡¯t a plot by Avos Dilheavia. If you don¡¯t like the result then don¡¯t have me join the tournament to begin with. This was purely her own decision. Avos Dilheavia named himself the demon king of tyranny and instilled the idea of royal superiority amongst the mazoku but he doesn¡¯t hold total authority. Other people like Emilia who went against his wishes will certainly appear. ¡°I see¡­¡­¡­. I¡¯m really happy that Arnos-chan is safe.¡± My mother seems relived. ¡°Ah, of course. Here you go Arnos-chan.¡± My mother hands me my sword. ¡°Ahh, thanks.¡± ¡°Fufuu. I promised Arnos-chan I¡¯d protect it no matter what.¡± I sheath my sword and ask my mother. ¡°You going home?¡± ¡°Un.¡± My mother takes my hand I held out and I turned to the fan union girls. ¡°See you.¡± ¡°Yes! Good night Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Aah. I hope you all have good dreams.¡± Using I return home. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit mother.¡± ¡°Eh? What is it? What about dinner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m needed at the magic clinic. I was in the middle of my visit. I¡¯ll eat when I come back.¡± ¡°I see. Who are you visiting?¡± ¡°Ray¡¯s mother.¡± My mother has a worried expression. ¡°Is she sick?¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s past the worst of it now.¡± ¡°I understand. Off you go.¡± Waving at my mother I use again and transfer to the special sickroom in the Lognoss clinic. Misa is by Ray¡¯s mother¡¯s side who¡¯s currently sleeping. Root Conversion was completed in time and Sheila¡¯s condition is currently stable so I was able to help my mother but I¡¯m not optimistic about Sheila. Misa noticed me and was about to speak when I held up my hand. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming.¡± I say in a low voice I cast Illusion Mimicry to become invisible and Hiding Magic to conceal my magic power. The door opened and Ray came in carrying a bag in one hand and a cup in the other. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d be hungry so I brought some bread.¡± Ray went to give the bread to Misa and noticed something. ¡°What¡¯s this magic¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Root Conversion . Because I¡¯m a half spirit like your mother I can share my magic powers with her. It¡¯s difficult and inefficient but¡­¡­¡± Originally it would have been considered absurd to convert the traditions and rumours from one kind to another so even with the formula now optimally arranged it has its limits. ¡°I wondered if it might be effective with half spirits and it seems I was right.¡± Misa lies for me. ¡°Is it helping?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely help her¡­¡­..then Ray-san can stop listening to the royal factions¡­¡­¡­¡± If Ray is being monitored then they should have heard this line. If I move quickly I might get the other persons identity but the current situation is also convenient. Although stable, Sheila is still in danger. This technique is not efficient in the slightest and truth be told Misa¡¯s origin won¡¯t last either. The other side has no reason to hurry things up yet. ¡°Don¡¯t forget I have the contracted demon sword implanted in me.¡± Ray took the bread from the bag and gave it to Misa. Chapter 58.2 ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take a break? Your body won¡¯t last at this rate.¡± He must have seen that Misa¡¯s magic power has decreased considerably. ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s okay¡­¡­.because the finals are tomorrow¡­¡­.¡± ¡°My mother¡¯s power certainly seems to have recovered a little but you won¡¯t make it at this pace. Your body will collapse first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine even if I collapse.¡± ¡°Is that magic shaving your origin away? Even I can understand that your magic power is steadily decreasing.¡± Misa nods. ¡°Will you die?¡± ¡°¡­..It¡¯s a possibility¡­¡­¡± ¡°You should think carefully. Your work for the unification faction is important. Is it okay if such a silly sentiment makes it impossible for you to fulfil your goal?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Is it a silly sentiment?¡± ¡°I think so. Even if you stake your life now you can only save one person. Someday you will really need to stake your life on the line and that time will be when you need to fight to save many people.¡± Listening to it Misa laughed. ¡°Such a time won¡¯t come.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Ray-san. I¡¯ve never met my father due to the current Deiruheido and the royals. Someday I want to meet my father. I stared the unification faction so that one day there won¡¯t be any more children like me.¡± Ray has a serious face listening to Misa. ¡°If so, then even more reason to keep your life for that time.¡± ¡°Right now there is a person who is unable to see their mother due to the royals. Abandoning such a person to save others is not something the unification faction will do.¡± Letting the few die to save the many would be the correct action. In fact, that¡¯s how I¡¯ve worked all this time. As the demon king of tyranny, there were things that couldn¡¯t be protected without me destroying something else first. ¡°¡­¡­.I can¡¯t wait for that ¡®sometime¡¯. I want to save now. I want to help those that are suffering now. If I don¡¯t think like that then I won¡¯t be able to put my life on the line when that ¡®sometime¡¯ arrives.¡± Ray relaxes his shoulders and speaks to Misa in a gentle voice. ¡°You are strong.¡± ¡°¡­..I¡¯m stupid¡­¡­..I¡¯m not smart like Ray-san¡­¡­¡± ¡°Not at all. You have courage, unlike me.¡± Misa laughs then quickly hides a pained expression. Ray slowly walks over to Misa and stands by her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s no big dea¡ª¡± Ray strikes Misa on the back of the neck causing her to faint. At the same time I cancelled . ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If I didn¡¯t stop you now, you¡¯d have died.¡± Ray mutters as if regretting his lack of courage. Putting his hand on his head his shoulders drop as if wondering what to do now. He seems lost. After a while, Rays straightens up and a small voice rings out. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Ray¡­¡­¡­.¡± His head raises. ¡°¡­¡­Ray¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Mom¡­¡­¡­?¡± Ray immediately approaches the bed and bought his face closer to Sheila who opened her eyes slightly. ¡°Mom.¡± Ray smiled in front of his mother who had regained consciousness after a long time, however, it was a smile that threatened to turn into tears at any moment. ¡°Please wait mom, I¡¯ll cure you soon.¡± ¡°¡­..It¡¯s okay¡­..¡± ¡°¡­..Mom?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve been conscious all this time. I know everything. It¡¯s fine Ray. You are you and you do what you want to do¡­¡­.. You are carefree, absentminded and only think about swords but you are also a very kind child. Mother will be happy if you live freely and happily.¡± Tears fall on Sheila¡¯s cheek. ¡°What are you saying mom? I¡¯ll help you so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose¡­¡­Ray. Mother is always by your side. Take care of your important friends.¡± As if using up all her power Sheila closes her eyes. ¡°¡­¡­Mom¡­¡­..?¡± Ray calls her. ¡°Mom¡­..!¡± Sheila didn¡¯t respond and seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Chapter 59.1 The next morning I returned to the Lognoss Clinic. ¡°Nn¡­¡­¡­..¡± Misa, who had fallen asleep wakes up and looks sleepily at me. ¡°¡­¡­..Arnos-sama¡­¡­.Ray-san is¡­¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Heading to Deruzogedo.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡­.it¡¯s morning already¡­..?¡± Misa looks at Sheila. Her condition is a bit more stable but could get worse at any time. I had hoped that by morning would have helped her recover to some extent but it didn¡¯t. Misa¡¯s and Sheila¡¯s wavelengths are just too different and due to the inefficiency of the spell Misa¡¯s body won¡¯t last. If Ray hadn¡¯t stopped Misa I would have. ¡°Stay here until the finals are over.¡± Using Construction Creation I made a small glass ball appear on my fingertip. ¡°If something comes up break this glass ball. It will allow you to escape from the shadow sewing dagger.¡± I cast Light Source and Conditions so it activates when the ball is broken. simply makes light but it will cover the entire room in light and remove all the shadows so the shadow sewing dagger has no effect. ¡°See you.¡± ¡°Errm¡­¡­Arnos-sama¡­..!¡± Misa stops me. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Misa looks at me with a serious look. ¡°Can you use on me one more time?¡± ¡°For what purpose?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help Ray-sans mother revive before the end of the finals. After that Arnos-sama can just pull the contracted demon sword from Ray-san.¡± ¡° doesn¡¯t have the efficiency to help her before the end of the finals.¡± It will take at least a day for sheila to get to the point where she can even walk. Also, continuing to use the power will put Misa in danger. ¡°It¡¯s better than doing nothing.¡± ¡°Even if you pray to the gods a miracle won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°¡­..Perhaps. But I won¡¯t give up just because no miracles will happen.¡± Misa¡¯s face carries a serious expression. ¡°I don¡¯t want to regret it. I don¡¯t want to look back later and think I could have done more. Even if nothing happens I still want to do the best I can.¡± Fumu. Can¡¯t she understand the current situation? ¡°I understand your resolution.¡± I use and merge their roots together again. ¡°If you can make a miracle happen then come to the arena with Sheila. Even if the person who collared Ray notices I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± Misa firmly nods. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°See you.¡± I move to the school using I told Misa Sheila wouldn¡¯t recover enough to be in time. That there¡¯s no use expecting miracles. I think about the finals as I head to the waiting room. Ray has been told to set up some type of trap for me in the finals but he¡¯s not good at magic. The use of other demon swords is not accepted either. Ray¡¯s weapon Initeio is a sword that slashes magic formula. It¡¯s strong but there¡¯s not a lot he can do with it beyond that. What is Avos Dillheavia plotting? Well, I¡¯m not that bothered by whatever he¡¯s plotting. My aims are to treat Sheila, remove the contracted demon sword from Ray and turn the tables on whoever planned this. Anything beyond that is not worth considering at the moment. I arrive in the waiting room and Ray is waiting on the other side of the room. Like Ray, I also wanted to fight without worrying about such a boring plot. While we waited for the start of the finals Ray kept staring at my sword. A knock sounded from the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± After a slight delay, a voice answered. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s me¡­¡­.¡± Misha¡¯s voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The door opened and Misha¡¯s face peeped through the opening. ¡°Supporting.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Misha nodded. ¡°I see. By the way, why are you only showing your face?¡± ¡°Can I enter?¡± ¡°Of course¡± The door fully opened and Misha stepped through. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Nervous? Fumu. I want to try being nervous at least once but I¡¯ve got no experience.¡± Misha blinked a couple of times. Chapter 59.2 ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Arnos like.¡± Misha said with a laugh. ¡°Sasha not with you?¡± ¡°With Arno¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Hou? That¡¯s unusual.¡± I know that Misha learned cooking from my mother but Sasha isn¡¯t that close to her. ¡°Heard she was attacked yesterday.¡± ¡°From my mother?¡± Misha nods ¡°Sasha sent a message. I will protect her so devote yourself to the final.¡± She¡¯s a thoughtful person. ¡°Have you changed anything in the arena?¡± Misha looks puzzled. ¡°There was evidence that someone sneaked in.¡± ¡°Same as usual.¡± Fumu. I left Emilia¡¯s corpse from before her reincarnation on the floor but someone¡¯s cleaned it up. Emilia¡¯s reckless actions yesterday were unplanned by Avos Dillheavia. If they made a fuss over it his plan might end up being hindered. The likelihood of them going after my mother again is very low but it never hurts to be careful. If Sasha¡¯s there, there¡¯s no problem. ¡°¡­¡­Something wrong?¡± Misha looks at my face. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing serious.¡± ¡°Anything I can do?¡± I said it was nothing serious but¡­. ¡°In that case then, you can cheer for me.¡± Misha leans her head to one side. ¡°Cheering?¡± ¡°You said you came to support me. That¡¯s enough.¡± Misha nods. ¡°Understood.¡± She walked to my side and took my hand. Her small hand overlaps mine. ¡°Not nervous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been nervous right from the beginning.¡± Misha looks down in thought then raises her head. ¡°Arnos can win.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never lost before.¡± Misha thinks again like she¡¯s troubled about something. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy when Arnos wins.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any interest in the demon king of tyranny winning.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Arnos is a classmate and friend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So is Ray. Two members of the same team will fight in the finals to determine the best swordsman in Deiruheido.¡± Misha is speaking in her usual flat tone. ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± At that time Thought Transmission was activated in the room. ¡°Thank you all for waiting. Let¡¯s start the final game of the tournament! The first participant is Arnos Voldigod belonging to the Deruzogedo demon king school!!¡± Apparently its time. ¡°I¡¯m off.¡± Heading towards the arena Misha speaks to my back. ¡°Arnos was reborn.¡± Looking back Misha stares into my eyes. ¡°You are a student now.¡± Misha smiled slightly. ¡°Have fun.¡± Fumu. That doesn¡¯t sound too bad. Is this feeling welling up from Misha¡¯s support? It¡¯s not a bad feeling at all. I¡¯m known as the demon king of tyranny but Misha is looking at the present me and not the past me. I who was reborn into a boring, dull school life with too weak descendants and degraded magic formulas. There¡¯s nothing to learn. No matter what I¡¯ve done nothings come of it yet despite all this, this is what I wanted. This wasted time of idleness. ¡°Misha.¡± Misha looks puzzled and her face seems to say ¡®what?¡¯ I laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll win the tournament.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± I head out of the passage to the final stage where my friend awaits. TN. Hi everyone. I¡¯m sorry for no updates last week but I¡¯ve been ill. Truth be told I¡¯m not much better now but I can bang out at least one chapter. Christmas might be a bit sporadic with posts as well but it should settle and go back to normal in the new year. I will do my best with posting though. Chapter 60.1 A loud cheer rang out as I walked through the passage from the waiting room to the arena. ¡°Do your best Arnos-chan!¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve come this far you¡¯ve won this Arnos! Get fired up!¡± My parents voices ring out. ¡°You¡¯re looking cool today Arnos-sama!¡± ¡°Instant death as usual please!¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s instant death we won¡¯t see Arnos-sama¡¯s gallant figure which we haven¡¯t seen in ages!¡± ¡°Then please take your time Arnos-sama!¡± The voices of my fan union ring out like always. ¡°Next to appear is a member of the Lognos Demon Sword Association! The player who attained perfect victories without getting hurt! Ray Grandori!¡± Ray appears out of the other passage. Cheers ring out from the seats. ¡°He¡¯s here! I¡¯ve been waiting! The demonic sword saint!¡± ¡°Show that mixed-race brat the order of things!¡± ¡°Yeah! Show those unification faction idiots who are getting all excited how it is!¡± The royal faction is rooting for Ray. It¡¯s turned into a proxy war between the unification faction and the royalist faction. ¡°Fumu. Sure is noisy.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just.¡± Ray smiles his usual refreshing smile. It was a natural smile that was full of eagerness. Has he made a breakthrough of some sort? ¡°Before the match starts the tournament organisers have something to inform you.¡± I thought they would use some petty tricks and here it comes. ¡°The finals will be performed under special rules. Firstly, each player must wear a bracelet.¡± While the owl is talking guards come over to me and Ray. ¡°Left hand.¡± I hold out my hand and I¡¯m given a glittering bracelet. ¡°Not only the sword but if the bracelet is destroyed you lose.¡± Fumu. It doesn¡¯t seem like it cuts off your magic. I take a closer look. The . A tool from the age of myths. It continuously absorbs the magic power of the person wearing it. For a normal person, this would make using magic almost impossible. I¡¯d have to break it to stop it but then I¡¯d lose. They are trying to chip away at my power I see. ¡°That bracelet isn¡¯t a poor copy Arnos Voldigod.¡± A voice addressed only to me echoes directly in my head via Thought Transmission . Following the magic trail, I look up and see it coming from the owl. ¡°That will continuously absorb your power and send it to another location.¡± It¡¯s telling the truth. After activating my demon eyes I can see a magic line sending the magic somewhere. ¡°If you cut off your magic power Sheila¡¯s spirit disease will worsen and she¡¯ll die.¡± I see. Are you ready to wipe out the rumours that give Sheila life? ¡°And if you win Ray Grandori will have his origin erased.¡± Fumu. I have no doubt the contracted demon sword will work if it¡¯s activated. ¡°Well then.¡± Did you say what you wanted to say? The owl cuts off . We wear the bracelets under the eyes of the guards. Looking over at Ray¡¯s bracelet I can see that its a fake. It¡¯s not a magic tool. ¡°We can now begin the final match of the Deiruheido demon sword tournament! Begin!!¡± Ray unsheathes Initeio and raises the pure white sword towards me. Drawing my sword a light metal sound rings out as I place it on Initeio in place of a greeting. ¡°I would have been so happy if I could have just swung my sword around without thinking.¡± ¡°Fumu. I wouldn¡¯t say its totally impossible though.¡± Ray lets out a vague smile. ¡°Can you fight with your magic being drained?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be reserved. If you go easy on me you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Ray sets up his sword an I lower mine like usual. We are already in each others strike zone but neither of us could move. There¡¯s no gap in Ray¡¯s defence. No matter where I strike I¡¯ll be countered by that pure white sword. It¡¯s my style to break open any defence no matter how robust by sheer force but this time that won¡¯t work since Initeio will cancel Hiding Magic and Arms Strengthening . I have no choice but to avoid direct attacks and I can¡¯t win anyway since Ray will disappear if I do. What can I do? I¡¯m not in a deadlock but it¡¯s still a very troublesome situation. I was waiting to see how Ray would move but he also was standing still. Several minutes pass as we stare at each other but Ray suddenly relaxes. ¡°I was told to play for time in the finals.¡± Ray mutters. I¡¯m a little surprised he¡¯s exposed that. ¡°It¡¯s more advantageous the longer I wait.¡± and consume a lot of magic power plus my magic is also being drained by that bracelet. Chapter 60.2 If Ray goes on the defensive then beating him with my sword will be difficult. Me not moving is certainly disadvantageous. ¡°But I¡¯m bored with that now.¡± At the same time as his words Initeio¡¯s tip blurred and grazes my cheek at a speed that cannot be followed with your eyes. In order to separate us I swing my sword at Ray¡¯s left hand. I had thought that Ray would avoid it but he steps forward and our bodies come into contact forcefully stopping my arm. At this range it¡¯s impossible to swing my sword. ¡°¡­¡­Fuu¡­..!¡± What kind of technique is this? In the small area that impossible for a sword to strike a fist approaches my chin. Pulling back to dodge it, the snow-white blade approaches my face as I¡¯m off balance. If I receive that I¡¯ll be torn up. In that case¡ª¡ª ¡°¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± Rays sword cuts into my left arm. My flesh tears and the blade reaches my bone where it stops. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say but my bones are very hard.¡± ¡°Your body is as random as usual Arnos.¡± Ray pulls Initieo out and retreats setting up his stance again. Looking at him his left arm is hanging unnaturally. Thinking about it Ray was also slower than usual and he only used one hand. If he¡¯s used both he would have severed my arm. ¡°What¡¯s with your arm?¡± Ray smiles. ¡°I want our match to be as equal as possible.¡± ¡°Did you cut the tendons yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s pretty painful though.¡± Ray holds Initeio in his right hand like its nothing. ¡°Is that okay?¡± Giving up on playing for time and cutting his own arm are both acts of betrayal against the royal faction. The contract to treat his mother will be broken. ¡°Arnos. In the group competition I thought I¡¯d finally met you. The opponent I cannot beat even if I stake my all on this sword. I wanted to clash against you with everything I had.¡± He keeps his guard up as he continues talking quietly. ¡°However, as long as me and my mom are held hostage you cant give it your all.¡± Ray is surely being watched. The mazoku who implanted the contacted demon sword is surely aware of what he¡¯s saying. ¡°I thought a lot but all I have is the sword.¡± Ray speaks in a determined tone. ¡°I betrayed the contract and now the contract sword is cutting into my origin.¡± As expected, however, an ordinary person would have already been destroyed at this point after having their origin cut. It¡¯s still only a matter of time for Ray though. ¡°I¡¯ll be dead soon and my mother can¡¯t be saved either. You don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Ray points his sword tip at my left arm. ¡°I will win to protect my friendship with you.¡± If Ray destroys the bracelet he wins and if the owl was telling the truth then the loss of magic will kill Sheila. If I don¡¯t break it it will continue to absorb my magic forever. He must have judged that I wouldn¡¯t abandon Sheila so he will end his own mother¡¯s life himself. To protect me you offer your own life then? ¡°Won¡¯t you ask for my help?¡± (A) ¡°You might die.¡± (R) ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± (A) ¡°Maybe, but maybe not. No matter how much of a transcended being you are, what type of friend would I be if I keep putting you in danger?¡± (R) Ray laughs. ¡°This is the best solution for me as well. I get to finally beat you and protect you.¡± (R) So that it. It¡¯s a story based on me losing on purpose though. If this bracelet is destroyed then Sheila¡¯s safety cannot be assured, however, the owl said nothing about my sword getting broken. In other words their purpose is my magic power. They don¡¯t care about who wins this tournament. I could lose on purpose, pull out the contracted demon sword from Ray and fight again after crushing this plot by Avos Dillheavia. A smart person would do this. But I can¡¯t do it. Even in this situation where his origin is being cut Ray wants to fight me. He wants neither fame nor status he only wants the sword. In his last moments Ray is giving his all to the sword. You might think him a stupid person but its what he wants. If I put it off then I¡¯m not qualified to be this mans friend. ¡°Don¡¯t surrender to the enemy and don¡¯t rely on me, just stick to your beliefs. That¡¯s what my friend does.¡± I take one step forward. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about anything anymore Ray. Unification faction or the royalists. Forget about your mother even. There¡¯s only me and you now.¡± Ray smiles a genuine smile. ¡°Now come. Let¡¯s play.¡± I¡¯ll get in the way of whatever Avos Dillheavia is planning later. My parents are supporting me, I promised Misha I¡¯d win and Ray is challenging me to a fight. This has nothing to do with the reborn demon king of tyranny. This is the final match between us two. Chapter 61.1 ¡°Let¡¯s go Arnos.¡± Ray aims the tip of Initeio at me and kicks the ground. Like an arrow, Ray shoots straight towards me and stabs at my throat. ¡°Slow.¡± I push my sword against the tip of the incoming Initeio. Against a sword that can cut magic Hiding Magic and Arms Strengthening my Kongo Iron sword itself will be destroyed. Or it should have but halfway through his thrust Ray changed the trajectory of his sword and aimed at my left hand. When the tip of Initeio was about to stab my hand I opened it and Ray stopped his thrust. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? With your momentum, you could have pierced my palm.¡± ¡°If you catch my sword I¡¯ll lose.¡± Fumu. As expected. I was going to let my hand be pierced and grab his sword. In pure sword techniques, Ray is better than me but in terms of strength, you can¡¯t compare us. I could have completely sealed his sword if he had pierced my palm but it seems that won¡¯t be easy to do. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now then.¡± I casually extend my left hand and grab at Initeio but Ray retracted his sword and avoided it. As I¡¯m grabbing for his sword I also swing my sword down at his head with all my might. Ray should have no choice but to block with Initeio, however, my sword will break if he does so he would both win and lose this match at the same time. If Ray doesn¡¯t win by destroying the (1) he¡¯ll be burdening me further. In other words, Ray cannot destroy my sword. What¡¯s he going to do? If he doesn¡¯t take this blow it will be a fatal injury. ¡°Fuu¡­¡­.!¡± Ray intercepts my sword with Initeio but at the moment they collided I felt a strange response. It¡¯s soft. Ray absorbed the shock by not going against the power and skilfully diverting the direction of my force. ¡°Ohh. Show me that again.¡± ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Our swords cross and again a surprisingly quiet sound is heard and my sword is brushed off. I changed the angles, power and even fired a barrage of them but Ray parried them perfectly every time. At first glance Ray made it seem easy but it was no exaggeration to say that it bordered on godlike. How many mazoku could do this even in the age of myths? ¡°You¡¯re a frightening man you know? Several times now you could have broken my sword.¡± ¡°Your sword is a demon sword. If not for the this would be a different story.¡± We both have disadvantages. I¡¯m using a normal Kongo Iron sword and I need to keep using so I¡¯m not disqualified but the bracelet keeps absorbing my power. Ray can¡¯t use his left arm and can¡¯t take my sword on directly either. Our handicaps are probably about even. I can¡¯t say either of our hearts are content with this but at least we don¡¯t have to worry about the disadvantages. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡­..that sword. It can fight evenly with Initeio¡­..!¡± ¡°Initeio slashes magical techniques and it should sever any magic applied to swords as well¡­¡­! In fact the other demon swords he fought against all broke. What¡¯s going on¡­¡­¡­.?!¡± ¡± ¡°¡­¡­Perhaps because its a sword without magic Initeio is ineffective¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Idiot! If it¡¯s just a plain metal sword it would break on the first strike¡­¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Perhaps it¡¯s true then¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..A sword of the heart forged by a true master craftsman¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.How¡¯s it different to magic power¡­¡­..?¡± Irrelevant words flew about from the seating area. The battle between me and Ray is intense. I doubt more than a few people can accurately grasp whats going on. ¡°Are they going for an endurance match?¡± Ray parries my blade again. Because he¡¯s watching out for me trying to grab Initeio he¡¯s on the defensive. ¡°I won¡¯t take advantage of your handicap. If I stall for time it¡¯s going along with the expectations of the royal faction.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. No matter how much power is absorbed there¡¯s no problem. Think more about winning than me.¡± I forcibly cut down the distance between us as Ray is trying for a quick time out. At that moment Initeio flashes. ¡°Of course that¡¯s my intention¡­¡­!¡± Ray¡¯s blade turned into a fierce attack and went straight for my left hand. ¡°Naive.¡± I try to catch Initeio again but its path changes to my left arm so I stiffen my muscles and ready my sword. Fresh blood scatters. Ray cuts my left arm and I pierced Ray¡¯s shoulder. Chapter 61.2 ¡°Haa¡­¡­..!¡± Ray spins around and adding rotational power to his thrust Initeio reaches right down to the bone. ¡°I failed. I thought I¡¯d found a chink in your defence.¡± I flicked my sword but due to his posture, Ray couldn¡¯t fully avoid it. My blade grazed his neck causing fresh blood to scatter. No, I¡¯m wrong. With his usual cool face, he had dodged all he wanted to. He could have fully avoided it but chose not to. Initeio draws more blood from my left arm and I swung again drawing blood this time from Ray¡¯s waist. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me in a contest of endurance.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t know unless I try.¡± We slash at each other¡¯s bodies again. Compared to our previous matches our wounds increase with each blow. Meat and bones are cut. That is what Ray is trying on me. We keep slashing at each other while avoiding any fatal wounds. Every moment our wounds increase and more of our blood flows but we were laughing. ¡°As expected Ray. From our last fight I knew this was something we¡¯d have to do again.¡± ¡°You too Arnos. I thought you might have exceeded your power from that fight but you hadn¡¯t actually shown your full power.¡± There¡¯s no grudge between us and neither of us want honour. It¡¯s just fun. Swinging our blades, crossing swords and shedding blood. It was all pleasure for us. Ray seems to feel respect for my bottomless power that he has never seen the end of no matter how much he pushes me and I am pleased with the frightening talent of Ray who surpasses his old self every moment he fights. I don¡¯t care about the royal faction, the sword tournament or even Avos Dillheavia. I¡¯m only concerned with dancing brilliantly in this majestic sword fight. Longer and longer the battle carries on. The audience can no longer speak and watch our battle breathlessly. Half an hour passes and then an hour we still fight on. Probably one thing that me and Ray are both hoping for is that this fight goes on forever. With that said, the end is coming and we both know it. ¡°¡­¡­Ku¡­¡­¡­¡± My blow slashes Ray¡¯s right leg causing him to fall to his knees and in exchange, I received a severe wound to my left arm. ¡°Fumu. I can barely move my arm.¡± Ray slowly rises up using his sword as a cane. ¡°It¡¯s over Ray. I had fun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. This is the end for me as well.¡± Holding our swords we step forward at the same time. Ray aims at my left arm. Is he still after that bracelet? My aim is one thing only. The moment our swords enter each other¡¯s spaces ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ray¡­¡­¡­.!¡± A voice rang out. Her figure appears at the edge of our vision. Alongside Misa at the entrance to the centre seats is Ray¡¯s mother Sheila. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­..!!¡± In Ray¡¯s hand, Initeio glitters. I forcibly raise my numb arm to avoid it but the demon sword suddenly changes its direction and cuts my left arm off. The timing was perfect. Perfect swordsmanship aimed at the gap when my breathing and muscles relaxed after an attack. My arm flew through the air and Ray stares at it. Was that his aim from the beginning? ¡°Taking my arm is a huge achievement Ray.¡± Ray slashes at the bracelet attached to my severed arm faster than when he was attacking me but I thrust out my sword and Ray immediately blocks it with his sword. ¡°But this is my win.¡± The moment the tip of my sword touches Initeio I strengthen and push with all my strength. Just then a huge magic circle emerges from the arena and quickly deploys some type of magic. This is¡ª? ¡°¡­¡­Kaa¡­¡­.a¡­¡­¡­¡± Initeio breaks in half and my sword pierces Ray¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­¡­¡­As expected from Arnos¡­¡­¡­..This time I thought I¡¯d won¡­¡­..¡± Smiling with satisfaction Ray pulls himself off my sword and falls onto his back. There¡¯s no cheers. That magic circle that appeared was Dimensional Prison . The place we were standing had been isolated from the rest of Deruzogedo and sent to another dimension. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for many years.¡± A hoarse voice rings out. ¡°At last I can finally get rid of you.¡± An old man with a white beard appeared. One of the old seven demon emperors Melheys Boran. (1) I changed the name from imbibing to absorption. Chapter 62.1 ¡°Fumu. So that¡¯s how it was Melheys.¡± I said to the man that appeared. ¡°You stuck that contracted demon sword in Ray and even the tournament was your idea. Your Unification Faction is simply a power balancer for the royal factions. If the royal factions get too big a lot more reckless royals like Emilia will appear.¡± Melheys nods in a polite manner. ¡°It is as you say.¡± ¡°Your origin has not been taken over so who¡¯s orders are you following or is it your own will?¡± Melheys doesn¡¯t answer. Because he lost his memory did that make it easier to betray me? Is it possible he actually has his memory but managed to hide it from me? It could be neither of those options as well. ¡°The Unification leader is said to be an unknown mazoku. Is it Avos Dillheavia?¡± ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Oh well. It was worth a shot. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make you confess by force then.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, that will be impossible Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Oh? Because a large Dimensional Prison was deployed you think you can beat me since I¡¯m locked in?¡± ¡°No, since I had already won when the match started. Victory was decided while you were playing around in the demon sword tournament. Your loss was caused by your lack of attention when you lapsed into sentimentality.¡± Melheys draws a magic formation and pulls out the Kings Scepter. It should have been kept at the academy but one of the old seven demon emperors would have no trouble getting it. ¡°Your left arm that was amputated by Initeio will not heal so easily.¡± What Melheys is saying is true. Initeio cuts all magic formulas and the effect remains for a while afterwards so I¡¯ll have to wait to use recovery magic. I can heal it but it will take a while and Melheys won¡¯t be stupid enough to allow me that time since he appeared the moment my arm was severed. ¡°Moreover, thanks to the your magic has been reduced by over half now. Being trapped in also means your subordinates can no longer help you.¡± Magic particles gather on either side of me and two men appear. It¡¯s two of the old seven demon emperors. Gaius Anzem and Idol Anzeo. ¡°Fuumu. Apparently, its time to return the debt.¡± Gaius carries his extremely large demon sword Grajeshion on his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be careless Gaius. Even if he¡¯s weakened he¡¯s still the founder.¡± Idol grips both his swords of ice and fire . All three swords were destroyed by Ray and me but they seem to have been repaired. ¡°Have you understood? It¡¯s three on one with three being old seven demon emperors. No matter what you do there¡¯s no winning for you in this situation.¡± I laugh through my nose at the words of Melheys. ¡°Fu. Kukuku. Three on one? Can you not count Melheys?¡± ¡°What are you say¡ª¡± A noise rings out and Grajeshion leaves Gaius¡¯ hand and pierces the ground followed by Gauis as he collapses on the spot. ¡°¡­¡­.Gaius?¡± Next Idol¡¯s head falls to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Wha, this is¡­¡­.!?¡± A blade flashes but Melheys quickly unfolded a magic gate and disappeared only to reappear again a short distance away. ¡°As expected I still can¡¯t cut three people at the same time.¡± Melheys looks in the direction of the voice and see¡¯s Ray standing there holding my Kongo Iron sword in his hand. ¡°Ray Grandori¡­¡­.you should have died¡­¡­¡± ¡°If Ray was beaten by me in the finals he was supposed to die. I guess the contracted demon sword was supposed to cut even deeper into his origin. If that were to happen not even I could revive him, however, the sword was embedded in Ray¡¯s body.¡± Melheys seems to have noticed something ¡°¡­¡­..Did you pretend to stab Ray Grandori in the heart but instead destroyed the sword that was embedded in him¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I set out to do from the start but I knew I would be aimed at the moment I relaxed which would be right at the end of the fight and I was right. As soon as was deployed you stopped watching Ray with your demon eyes and that allowed me to act.¡± Melheys stares at me and Ray with a grim expression. ¡°Weren¡¯t you one-sidedly observing me Melheys?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t have been a chance to make arrangements between yourselves in advance. Ray Grandori was fighting against you seriously.¡± ¡°I was serious.¡± Ray says. ¡°I fought against Arnos seriously to protect him. I was also serious about destroying the bracelet and losing my mother as well. It wasn¡¯t a lie when I said I wanted to fight him with all my might.¡± ¡°Then how was it possible the moment I released my demon eyes for you to destroy the contract sword?¡± ¡°¡­¡­We didn¡¯t make any advanced arrangements. I just thought he would transcend it all with his strength and it seems he did. ¡°Wha¡­¡­.¡± Melheys is lost for words at Ray¡¯s response. ¡°It seems you made a miscalculation. Usually, if there is a handicap you protect your body. Did you think I¡¯d protect my body and the bracelet but be defeated by Ray?¡± Melheys doesn¡¯t answer and just quietly gazes back. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal though. I took all of Ray¡¯s energy and fought against you outside the stage at the same time. I actually won two matches.¡± Melheys¡¯ expression told me all I needed to know. ¡°You said I didn¡¯t notice because I was playing Melheys. You got in the way of my match with Ray and you tried to kill both Sheila and Ray. Why did you think I needed to stop my fun over such a trivial trick? Insignificant and worthless. That¡¯s all your plan was.¡± Chapter 62.2 I take one step forward. ¡°It seems like I did make a small mistake.¡± Melheys says ¡°However, that¡¯s not all my plan was. Preparation is key to any strategy and I did have a contingency plan in place.¡± Melheys creates another magic gate. If you know the structure of the prison you can still connect two different spaces and transfer between them. ¡°Do you think you can run away from me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not escaping. Certainly, I did miscalculate, however, the end result hasn¡¯t changed. I¡¯ve still won.¡± The magic gate slowly opens and a person appears from it. Ray¡¯s gaze becomes stern. ¡°¡­¡­..Mother¡­..¡± What appeared was Sheila who had been in the stadium moments ago. She was restrained by Demon Binding Chain . She seemed unconscious. Has her spirit disease worsened again? ¡°Why do you think her condition got better after coming to Deruzogedo?¡± Melheys draws another circle and dozens of red precious stones emerged from it. ¡°Destroying one of these jewels will erase one of the rumours and traditions that sustain her life.¡± Melhey¡¯s flicks a finger and destroys one of the jewels. I checked with my demon eyes and Sheila was certainly weaker. Conditions . By destroying the jewels the magic Forgetfulness will activate and wipe the rumours from the memories of those who know what Sheilas rumours and traditions are. There¡¯s 46 jewels. Presumably, that¡¯s all the people that know Sheila¡¯s rumours. ¡°Now that you understand shall we get on with the negotiations?¡± Ray quickly glanced in my direction. ¡°If I want to save Sheila¡¯s life you mean?¡± Melheys nods graciously ¡°Indeed.¡± Melheys opens a gate over the jewels and another one over Sheila which sucks them both in and they disappear. ¡°Sign this Contract if you wish to help her.¡± Even if its difficult to kill me can still tie me down. ¡°Fumu. Then you should kill her.¡± Melheys looks confused at my words. ¡°¡­¡­..I think I misheard that. What did you say?¡± ¡°I said if you are going to kill her then do it.¡± I say it again to threaten him and Melheys falls silent. ¡°Bear this in mind though. There¡¯s nothing to protect you if you kill the hostage.¡± Melheys looks at Ray. ¡°Ray Grandori. Are you sure you want to sacrifice your mother?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already prepared. My mother doesn¡¯t want me to be sacrificed for her sake.¡± Melheys didn¡¯t respond right away. He probably didn¡¯t expect us to ignore the hostage so easily. ¡°¡­..Do you think such a bluff will really work?¡± ¡°Try it and see then.¡± Melheys keeps looking at me like he¡¯s trying to see my real intent. ¡°Well? Hurry up. You didn¡¯t take a hostage if you had no intention of killing them did you?¡± I take another step forward towards Melheys and raise my right hand forming a magic circle. ¡°Apparently, it seems I¡¯ll have to show you how serious I am.¡± Melheys takes 5 gems out of the magic gate and destroys them. ¡°I wonder how long her body will last?¡± he says without seeming to care. ¡°Only five?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What?¡± ¡°What are you so afraid of? If you are going to break something you break it all and do it quickly. Are you afraid of what I¡¯ll do when they are all gone?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.How regretful¡­..¡± Melheys takes another 20 gems out of the gate. ¡°With this that¡¯s more than half.¡± ¡°What about the other 21?¡± Melheys doesn¡¯t answer and just stares at me. ¡°Who are you going to fight Melheys?¡± I send a huge amount of blood lust his way. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d roll over just because you took a hostage?¡± I put magic power into the formation in my palm and a black sun appears. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have noticed so I¡¯ll teach you. When you decided to face me you¡¯d already given up your life.¡± Melheys took up a fighting posture. At that moment Ray threw his sword at him. ¡°Fuu¡­..!¡± ¡°¡­.Ku¡­¡­how futile¡­¡­¡± Melheys brushed the sword off without any difficulty. ¡°If you struggle any more your mother¡¯s life will real¡ª¡± In the brief moment that Melheys was distracted Ray jumped into the gate Sheila had disappeared into and I jumped into the one that the jewels had disappeared into. Chapter 63.1 As I passed through the magic gate I found myself on another arena stage with a large magic circle drawn on the floor. Looking around neither Ray nor Melheys were here. Ray¡¯s gate must have connected to another dimension. Taking in the full view I saw the red jewels scattered around everywhere. ¡°It¡¯s a big mistake on your part if you think you¡¯ve outwitted me Arnos-sama.¡± Melhey¡¯s voice rings out but his body is nowhere to be seen. It¡¯s not surprising though since that fellow created this space using . It would be easy to send your voice from another place. ¡°Traps are set up all around this place and have been doubled and redoubled just in case.¡± Magic gates appear all around me and start leaking a black aurora. It gives off a brutal light and forms a ruinous barrier that hides a bottomless magic power. As if showing its fangs it enveloped the whole arena in one go. I quickly cast anti-magic on myself and the 21 scattered jewels. As the two powers collided they gave off an intense sound. The first layer of anti-magic pops in an instant. I immediately restore it and reinforce it, however, as soon as I do it shatters again. This magic is much stronger than Aivis was when he fused with the god of time Eugo Ra Raviaz. The only way I can protect the jewels is to constantly cast anti-magic on them. ¡°Fumu. This is a magic I¡¯m extremely familiar with.¡± I feel nostalgia from the magic wavelength of this black aurora which isn¡¯t surprising considering it¡¯s mine from 2000 years ago. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the ¡°wall¡± I made to divide the world into four?¡± ¡°It is indeed. It¡¯s the magic you used your life to cast. An accomplishment made possible for the first time by combining the powers of the god of creation, the great spirit, a hero and the demon king. The Four Boundaries Barrier .¡± That explains why it¡¯s so strong. refuses all things and destroys them. If I¡¯m swallowed by this wall even I will have trouble escaping. ¡°Did you absorb the wall using before it disappeared?¡± If it was kept on being fed magic power it wouldn¡¯t disappear. Melheys had the power to make it through the wall so it¡¯s not impossible. ¡°Indeed. But as expected of I was barely able to maintain it and certainly could not control it. Because of that, your magic was necessary.¡± I see. The reason he used the was not to reduce my power but to get the power to control . Originally its not a magic that¡¯s designed to be moved but if it¡¯s trapped in then by using magic gates it can be transferred freely anywhere. Using it like this turns it into an attack magic. ¡°As expected of Arnos-sama though. Usually, a mazoku that has just reincarnated cant even use a tenth of their old powers but you regained your strength in just a couple of months which is fortunate for you otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect yourself from .¡± ¡°Your mouth is running very smoothly there Melheys but do you really think I¡¯d be bought down by my own magic?¡± ¡°If you were in top condition then no, however, you have lost your left arm and used up more than half your magic. On top of that, you have to protect not only your own body with anti-magic but those 21 jewels as well. Even for the demon king of tyranny that¡¯s a disadvantage.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll strike another blow shall I?¡± Melheys casts Remote Clairvoyance and a picture appears in front of me. Standing on an arena in another dimension was Ray holding Sheila. ¡°¡± When Melheys spoke a black aurora rose up around Ray whose hand immediately went to his waist but he didn¡¯t have a sword. I broke Initeio and my sword was thrown a while ago. ¡°He¡¯s not very good at magic. Without a sword, he¡¯s finished.¡± The jet black aurora attacks Ray and without a sword, he¡¯s powerless to prevent it, however, just as is about to strike anti-magic envelopes Ray and Sheila. ¡°Wonderful Arnos-sama. You cast anti-magic on them by tracing their location using my magic power from , however, there¡¯s nothing else you can do. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you use up all your strength.¡± Fumu. He does have a point. Just using anti-magic by itself doesn¡¯t really help. ¡°Can you hear me Ray?¡± Using I speak to Ray in the other dimension. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos? Is this anti-magic yours?¡± ¡°Yeah but I¡¯ve used up a bit too much magic. That black aurora is called . Can you manage it?¡± Ray nods with a serious expression. ¡°Can you get me a sword?¡± ¡°Yeah, it won¡¯t take long.¡± Using Construction Creation I create a demon sword in front of Ray who reaches out and grabs it. Looking at the aurora before him Ray sharpened all his senses and released a slash as if he was aiming at someone¡¯s vital point. ¡°¡­¡­.Fu¡­¡­..!¡± The black aurora split in half before rejoining and attacking Ray. Another flash of the blade and Ray intercepted it, however, when the two collide the sword shatters. As expected. While I have to keep casting this much anti-magic it¡¯s hard to create a decent demon blade. ¡°It appears that¡¯s as far as you go Arnos-sama. It¡¯s only adding to the denseness of .¡± Melheys voice rings out in triumph. The speed that the anti-magic is being destroyed is accelerating. Wave after wave is being sent at me and like Melheys said the density of that jet black aurora is increasing accordingly. ¡°¡­.This magic was it? I can feel your magic power coming from it. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the detailed explanation for another time but this is the magic that I gave up my life to use 2000 years ago. Melheys has quite skilfully taken it.¡± ¡°That explains why it¡¯s so formidable.¡± Ray carefully examines the jet black aurora surrounding him. ¡°Arnos. If you stop the anti-magic can you make a stronger demon sword?¡± ¡°I can, but if you are exposed to without the anti-magic you¡¯ll die.¡± Ray smiles his refreshing smile. ¡°If I¡¯m going to die anyway I¡¯d rather cut it first.¡± The more he hits the wall the more he grows. He might have already begun to grasp it after those two strikes he landed earlier. ¡°You¡¯ve got 0.5 seconds to cut it. I can¡¯t guarantee anything beyond that.¡± I make demon sword in front of Ray again and he grasps it. ¡°You good?¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I remove the anti-magic and Ray pours his power into the sword increasing the toughness of the blade. ¡°¡­.Haaaa¡­¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± In that moment the sword gleams as the anti-magic faded and Ray swings his sword. Again the jet black aurora is cut in two before it immediately rejoins and attacks Ray. ¡°¡­¡­Fuu¡­¡­¡­..!!¡± Ray cuts the Aurora again and before it can rejoin he cuts it again into four this time. It¡¯s then cut into eight, then sixteen then even more finer. Unfortunately, no matter how fine he chops it the magic power of doesn¡¯t decline in the slightest. In fact, it gets stronger as it tries to rejoin itself. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Ku¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± One. Ray missed a single strike on the aurora. In that moment the situation reversed itself and the aurora cracks Ray¡¯s sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Ka¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­haa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Ray falls to his knees and I cover him in ant-magic again. ¡°¡­¡­.I only needed a little more¡­¡­..¡± Ray tries to stand up while breathing heavily. ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± Ray collapsed as his power suddenly left him. ¡°¡­¡­.My body¡­¡­¡­.feels strange¡­¡­¡± Of course it does. You are trying to do this after using your all to fight me earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t relax. The anti-magic is weakening.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.I know¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Ray tries to get up but he can¡¯t even turn over on the floor let alone stand up. ¡°¡­¡­..C¡¯mon power¡­¡­..it¡¯s no good¡­¡­¡± Ray tried to make a fist but couldn¡¯t even do that before spitting out a huge breath. Chapter 63.2 ¡°Arnos.¡± Ray says while staring into space. ¡°That¡¯s it for me. Can I entrust my mother to you?¡± I strengthen the anti-magic around Ray. I mean to get out of this mess. ¡°It¡¯s too early for you to be whining. Stand up.¡± ¡°My body won¡¯t move. In this place, I can¡¯t even cut . After all, it seems like I¡¯m no match for you.¡± Ray closes his eyes like he¡¯s given up. Is this that mans limit? No. ¡°¡­¡­.You can do it¡­¡­¡­¡± A faint voice calls out. ¡°¡­..Mo¡­..m¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­.You can do it¡­¡­Ray¡­¡­.I believe in you¡­¡­.because you love swords very much¡­¡­¡± Sheila speaks like she¡¯s delirious. Her rumours and traditions have been steadily erased so her spirit disease will be progressing. However. ¡°¡­..Sorry, mom. My body is already¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay Ray. Mother will protect you. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.My strength is¡­..?¡± Sheila¡¯s body is wrapped in a pale light then her outline suddenly distorted and changed into something else. Spirits have a temporary body and true body. I wasn¡¯t sure if a half-demon half-spirit would have a true body but it appears like it¡¯s about to manifest. Sheila was suffering from advanced spirit disease and her magic was about to disappear. Thinking logically she shouldn¡¯t have any power in reserves to show her true body. She must have squeezed all the remaining strength that was left in her origin to help her beloved son. The light settled and Sheila¡¯s true form was revealed. A sword¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I guess if the true form of Riniyon was an eight-headed water dragon then there¡¯s no reason Sheila¡¯s can¡¯t be a sword. Her appearance is incredibly similar to the blade my father made but the magic power she is giving off can¡¯t be compared. I see. So it was something like that. In that case, I don¡¯t need to act. ¡°Stand up Ray. You can still fight. Mother doesn¡¯t remember raising you as a weak child who gives up halfway.¡± Ray slowly forces his body up. ¡°¡­¡­..M¡­¡­..om¡­¡­..¡± He desperately reaches out his weak body and grabs ahold of Sheila¡¯s sword. Light from the sword washes over him like its protecting him. ¡°¡­.You can do it¡­¡­..Ray. Mother knows there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t cut.¡± Ray nodded and stood up before readying Sheila¡¯s sword and facing ¡°Are you sure Ray Grandori? If you use that sword you won¡¯t get away with an easy price with her spirit disease. Your mother will surely disappear from this world.¡± Melheys speaks in a threatening tone to Ray. He¡¯s not lying. Sheila is so weak the result is clear. ¡°The reason that a half spirit with an unstable origin can show its true power is because it is a once in a lifetime power. Are you okay killing your mother with your own hands?¡± The reason Melheys is threatening Ray so much is because he¡¯s wary of the spirit power coming from the sword Sheila changed into. I guess her power can cut . Sheila¡¯s calm voice calls out. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m protecting him. I¡¯ll protect this sweet child by giving up my life as many times as is needed.¡± Sheila¡¯s sword glows even brighter. At first, it¡¯s strong, then it becomes blindly intense and finally, it¡¯s like looking at a comet. ¡°Nee Ray. Do you remember?¡± Sheila talks kindly like she¡¯s reminiscing. It¡¯s a really gentle voice that doesn¡¯t seem like its a final conversation. ¡°Remember what?¡± ¡°When you were a child I tried teaching you cooking and when you got a knife you tried to cut the pan.¡± Ray smiled. ¡°I guess there was such a thing.¡± ¡°Mother said you couldn¡¯t cut it but you tried with that kitchen knife again and again and suddenly the pot split in two. Mother was really surprised.¡± Even though Sheila was a sword you could tell she was smiling. ¡°I was really angry but you were so happy. Ray would surely be good with swords. I remember thinking that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ray gently nods. ¡°Nee. What can you cut now that you¡¯re bigger? Will you show your mother?¡± Ray slowly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll show you mom.¡± Ray closed his eyes in concentration and held his sword in a natural pose. Like his sword was a toy Ray lets out an innocent childlike smile. In his mind has he returned home to when he was young? That child who was attracted to swords was following his memories with his mother. Ray inhales and holds his breath then takes one step forward and exhales. The sword pulsed in his hand with each breath. His sword shines, a ray of light in the darkness and slashes . He cuts faster and faster and disperses the black aurora quicker than it can return. How many slashes was that in one breath? To the naked eye, it looks like a barrage of meteors. was cut and disappeared. Still, Ray doesn¡¯t stop. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Arnosss!¡± At the sound of Ray¡¯s voice, I used magic and connected our two dimensions. ¡°Haaaaaa!!¡± The light sparkles and the blade-like meteors pour into this dimension and destroy the black aurora. In a few seconds was wiped out from my dimension as well. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Ray breathes out calmly. Sheila¡¯s sword was now only a faint light that had almost gone out. ¡°¡­.How was that mom?¡± As he speaks the outline of the sword distorts and changes back into Sheila. Her body was so thin and transparent that it was about ready to disappear and she was floating slightly above the ground. Sheila put her hand on Ray¡¯s cheek. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.It was splendid Ray¡­¡­¡­Thank you for being my child¡­¡­.¡± Sheila¡¯s body turned into particles of light but she showed a full smile on her face. ¡°¡­.I love you¡­..¡± Ray reaches out to hug her but there was nothing he could hold on to. As if suddenly exposed to a gust of wind Ray¡¯s mother disappeared. ¡°¡­¡­.Mom¡­¡­.¡± Ray started to cry at the particles of light that still remained in his hands. ¡°¡­..There were still things I wanted to do¡­..¡± He says in a voice that comes from the bottom of his heart. ¡°¡­¡­Things I wanted us to do together¡­.¡± Ray looks down and his voice becomes so thin it almost disappears. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­.we can¡¯t do anything together any more¡­¡­¡± Tears spill down Ray¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I understand your feelings Ray but its too early for you to cry yet.¡± Ray looks up at my words. ¡°Keep those tears for your emotional reunion. You can do your filial piety later without reserve.¡± Chapter 64.1 ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos my mom is¡ª¡± Ray is cut off in the middle of speaking as Melheys cancels . ¡°Fumu. Bit of panic there Melheys cutting the magic like that but it¡¯s already too late.¡± ¡°Really? I wonder about that? Everything inside is my territory. Even you cannot travel back and forth between different dimensions without a landmark.¡± appears all around me again. ¡°As you can see I have more of in storage. Do you think Ray Grandori who¡¯s lost his sword can defeat this? Now I¡¯ve cancelled how are you going to follow my magic power to the dimension he¡¯s in and cast anti-magic?¡± ¡°Your point is?¡± ¡°Surely you can see that only the hostage has changed? Your actions and the actions of Ray Grandori were all meaningless. Even his mother¡¯s death was meaningless.¡± ¡°Really? The thing is, thanks to that meaningless waste I now have the means to attack you.¡± ¡°Another bluff like last time. I won¡¯t be fooled again. Act like an adult and sign the Contract and save the life of Ray Grandori.¡± magic is deployed in front of my eyes. In exchange for all my remaining magic, Ray will not be touched is written on it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds. Three.¡± Melheys starts counting down as if to threaten me. ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Fumu. Look behind you Melheys.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not playing your games. One.¡± Ignoring my words he continues. ¡°Zer¡ª¡ª¡ªGuhaa¡­¡­¡­Gaaaa¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°I told you to turn around Melheys. I¡¯ve captured you now.¡± I immediately capture his magic by force and cross dimensions using Transfer . My world dyes white and the figure of Melheys appears before me. My left arm that had been severed was now grasping onto his right shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­..Impossible¡­¡­¡­Your arm was severed by Initeio. Magic shouldn¡¯t be working yet¡­¡­¡­How the hell have you managed to cast magic on it¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Magic? What are you saying? Did you think my arm would stop moving just because it was cut off?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Kuu. You¡¯ve strayed quite far from common sense there¡­¡­¡± Opening a magic gate Melhey¡¯s tries to escape but I follow him with . Melheys appears in another dimension and I appear soon after. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where you run to. As long as my arm is attached to you I can follow you anywhere.¡± I¡¯ve marked my arm with magic so no matter where he goes in his I¡¯ll just follow him with . I mean it would be a real pain if he ran away. After seeing that he wasn¡¯t cautious about my arm at all I waited for an opportunity to grab him with it. ¡°Now then. What now?¡± I tried to provoke Melhey¡¯s but he disappeared into his gate magic again so I just followed with . The next moment a jet black aurora appeared in front of my eyes. A large amount of was here and it immediately attacked me. Wearing anti-magic I confronted the raging wave and an intense sound of magical powers rang out. ¡°This is where I store all the I acquired.¡± Using my demon eyes I can see Melheys standing behind the black aurora. Only the corner he was standing in was a safe zone. ¡°Because you blindly believed that my only option left was to escape you followed me with no caution. This is the end Arnos-sama. Preparations to defeat you are finally complete.¡± Melheys waves the Kings Sceptre. All the magic power in the surroundings is compressed around me. The wall that divided the world is now trying to crush me. ¡°Your pride ends here. It never occurred to you that your power would be below the level of magic I had stored here did it?. You were always going on about how you would beat me. Let me teach you something nice to take into your next life. That arrogance of yours is why you lost.¡± Is there a reason he has to speak in such an exaggerated manner? It is true though that if I relaxed my anti-magic I¡¯d disappear in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s good if you think like that. I absorbed half of your magic with the absorption bracelet and if we add on what you¡¯ve expended since then you¡¯re down to about 30%. Half of the power I absorbed from you is stored in this sceptre.¡± My magic power pops and my anti-magic layers are destroyed one after another. ¡°If we assume two people fight and they are the same but one has 50% and the other has 30% then even a child will understand the outcome. If I then add my magic to that 50% you have no chance of winning!!¡± Though I put all my power into my anti-magic is constantly crushing it by condensing itself over me. The aura of darkness has become a shrinking globe that completely covers me and is getting smaller every moment. ¡°Well well. I thought you¡¯d disappear in an instant but you really live up to the name of the demon king of tyranny, however, you have almost no magic left.¡± In a coup de grace Melheys pours all his power and the power from the sceptre into in one go. The black sphere emits an ominous light and causes my anti-magic to shrink. ¡°Goodbye demon king of tyranny Arnos Voldigod-sama.¡± The globe compressed so much it was unable to keep its shape and cracked letting out more streaks of ominous light. The next moment a black explosion detonated. ¡°Your era is over. No, it was already over 2000 years ago.¡± The black explosion settles and the aurora fades away. Melheys was gazing at the spectacle and soaking in the lingering feeling of victory. ¡°Fumu. I¡¯d like to hear more about that.¡± Melhey¡¯s eyes open wide at that voice. Chapter 64.2 ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Wha¡­¡­¡­¡­.!?¡± Eventually, the light and aurora completely disappear and I stood calmly in the centre of without a single wound. ¡°Ho¡­.how¡­.?¡± Melheys cannot understand the situation and stands there stunned and muttering to himself. ¡°What? I finally got used to this body after reincarnating. That¡¯s all¡± Melheys has an astonished expression and his mouth falls open. ¡°¡­.Im¡­¡­pos¡­.sible¡­¡­¡± Weak words leaked out of his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­..Did he not show his true worth?¡­¡­¡­maybe¡­..no that¡¯s absurd¡­¡­.!? Until now, while using all that magic¡­¡­while showing off all that power¡­¡­.he had not regained the strength he had from before his reincarnation¡­.!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you said earlier. Newly reincarnated Mazoku only have about one-tenth of their old strength and I am no exception.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.One-tenth¡­¡­.¡± Melheys has such a hopeless expression on his face that even I feel pity for him. In short, the power Melheys robbed doesn¡¯t even come to 10%. ¡°You should have stopped playing around and just finished me before I got used to this body.¡± I hold up my hand and release magic power. Particles of black light fill my palm and the next moment expand and fill the whole room. ¡°¡­¡­.Is this a three-dimensional magic formation of Deruzogedo¡­.? How?¡­¡­.This should be isolated in a different dimension¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come, Venuzdonoa.¡± In response to my call, countless black particles rise up and gather at my feet. What appeared was a sword-shaped shadow. No object was there only a shadow. ¡°I was thinking about when you said it was a waste Melheys.¡± The shadow sword rises up as if drawn to my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what the real waste is.¡± Is he even listening to me? He¡¯s just staring at me like he can¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­..What¡­¡­..the hell is that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t follow reason nor anything number related or things related to distance whether it be magical or conventional. Anything that can be reasoned returns to nothing before this principle destroying sword. It¡¯s useless to think about what it can or can¡¯t do.¡± As I grasp the handle the shadow reversed and a dark coloured long sword appeared there. ¡°Enemies in front of me are simply destroyed. That is the only principle that Venuzdonoa allows to exist.¡± ¡°¡­¡­How much of a demon king of tyranny are you trying to be!! There can¡¯t be such an irrational magic¡­¡­.!!¡± Melheys made a gate in front of him that¡¯s different to the ones from before. It¡¯s much more extravagant. ¡°Oh? An absolute space?¡± ¡°Indeed. This space is an absolute territory that only the caster can enter. It¡¯s an that makes it impossible to defeat the person inside.¡± The gate opens and Melheys steps inside. ¡°I¡¯ll withdraw for now Arnos-sama. After calculating your new strength I will come up with a new strategy to defeat you and return. Please look forward to it.¡± I set Venuzdonoa up in a low stance. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable Melheys.¡± I slash in front of me with my sword. The space in front of me is split in half and falls apart revealing Melheys. ¡°¡­.How¡­¡­? Absolute space is a space completely isolated from the world¡­¡­It¡¯s not possible to interfere from the outside but it was broken¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Reason does not exist before this sword.¡± I calmly step forward and swing Venuzdonoa at Melheys who barely avoids it, however, both his feet are cut off and he falls to the ground. ¡°How¡­¡­.how¡­¡­.I definitely dodged¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Did you think avoiding it meant you¡¯d avoided it?¡± ¡°¡­.Such¡­¡­.such a reason¡­¡­¡± He creates a magic gate again but not just one this time but thousands. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.It¡¯s a dreadful demon sword but it can¡¯t escape from the fact its a sword. It can¡¯t cut all these gates at once¡­.!!¡± Simple but effective. Spam a lot of decoy gates and escape in one of them, however, the next moment they were all cut and shatter. ¡°¡­.This¡­.how¡­¡­.when did you cut them all¡­..?¡± ¡°Did you think if I didn¡¯t cut them all they couldn¡¯t be cut?¡± ¡°¡­.Im¡­¡­pos¡­.sible¡­¡­¡± I slowly approach Melheys who seems to be in a state where he can¡¯t understand anything. ¡°¡­¡­Impossible¡­..such a thing¡­¡­shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­.¡± Standing beside Melheys I look down at him from a height. His expression is stained with fear and despair. ¡°Carve this into your crafty mind. This is a true waste.¡± I pierce Melheys¡¯ head with Venuzdonoa. Chapter 65 ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Ga¡­¡­ka¡­¡­.ha¡­..a¡­¡­¡± Melheys lets out a painful breath. Venuzdonoa has pierced his head but he¡¯s still alive. ¡°Fumu. It seems a troublesome thing has been embedded in you.¡± A demon slavery sword has been placed in Melheys brain. Even a persons thoughts can be controlled by the owner of the slavery sword. ¡°Perish.¡± Venuzdonoa destroys the slavery sword placed in Melhys brain. When I pull venuzdonoa out of Melhey¡¯s head he turns vacant eyes towards me. Gradually they begin to regain colour and life. ¡°Have you returned to sanity Melheys?¡± He lowers his head in gratitude. ¡°¡­¡­.I am extremely sorry Arnos-sama¡­¡­¡­I was careless¡­¡­.¡± When I checked him in the union tower he definitely had no memory of me. I found it hard to believe that he had waited patiently all those years to only to try and kill me. Of course, it was possible he had successfully hidden his memories from me. Now though it seems that the aim of Avos Dillheavia was to make me think Melheys was an enemy so I¡¯d kill one of my allies. Since Ray had had a contract sword stabbed in his body I had toyed with the idea that Melheys might also be in a similar situation. ¡°Who attacked you?¡± Melheys shook his head with an apologetic expression. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know. Even using magic I couldn¡¯t see their face. That night I met Arnos-sama I was attacked by someone and stabbed with the demon slavery sword. I never even noticed they were there until it was too late. Two thousand years ago I stored and prepared myself but I didn¡¯t even have the chance to use it.¡± I see, that¡¯s why he stored . 2000 years ago after being attacked by subordinates of Avos Dillhevaia he stored to defend himself if he was attacked again. The other side knew Melheys was a tough opponent who prepared elaborate plans so they used him to try and kill me this time. Sticking Venuzdonoa in the ground the sword turned back into a shadow and sinks into the shadows under my feet. It is, so to speak, now in its sheath. ¡°I¡¯d better reconnect that.¡± I take my left hand that¡¯s still grabbing onto Melheys and stick in back onto the stump where it fuses back to my body. I try moving my fingers. Fumu. No problems. ¡°Bring Gaius and Idol here.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Melheys creates 2 magic gates and the bodies of Gaius and Idol are transported to me. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Apart from you, it seems that all the other seven demon emperors have had their origins fused and their bodies taken over.¡± Melheys face turns serious as he considers this information. ¡°Are they subordinates of Avos Dillhevaia?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± When I was dealing with Aivis I had no choice but to exterminate the other origin but it¡¯s different this time. ¡°There are another two origins serving under Avos Dilheavia here.¡± I draw and activate the magic formation for Origin Separation on the corpses of Gaius and Idol separating the two origins fused with their original origins. ¡°Avos Dillheavia trusted them enough to have them take over the bodies of the old seven demon emperors so they should be familiar with his plans.¡± Taking over the bodies of the old seven demon emperors meant that they were in direct control of the myths and legends of the demon king of tyranny. That type of position wouldn¡¯t be given to strangers or subordinates they didn¡¯t trust. Even on the off chance they are clueless, there¡¯s a chance that when I bring them back with Resurrection I might know their faces. After separating their origins I drip two drops of blood. ¡°Revive and bow before me fools. Show me your identities.¡± As I activate two shock waves smash and cut their way through into this space and come flying towards us cutting the two origins in half right as they are about to be revived eliminating them and leaving nothing behind. ¡°Wha¡­¡­..!¡± As Melheys let out an exclamation of surprise I turn my eyes in the direction of the attack. A man wearing a sinister-looking mask was standing there with his whole body covered in jet black armour. Is the mask a magic tool? Even using my demon eyes I can¡¯t feel any magic power coming from him. That also explains why I didn¡¯t notice his attack until it was too late. ¡°¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s impossible. Entering from the outside¡­¡­¡­.¡± Melheys says in a confused voice. It certainly is unexpected. Forcing your way in to from the outside is not easy. ¡°Fumu. Are you Avos Dillheavia?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± No answer. ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk? Let¡¯s see what we can do about that.¡± I hold out my hand and the shadow underneath my feet moves revealing a shadow sword that rises up towards my hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± The hand of the masked man moved slightly and ripped a hole in which he disappeared into. ¡°Melheys.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I can¡¯t sense his magic power so it¡¯s difficult to follow him. I can¡¯t find him anywhere in so he¡¯s probably escaped.¡± Did he judge he couldn¡¯t win against Venuzdonoa? He must have seen the fight between me and Melheys. Only one more second and he would have been rust on my sword. Seems he¡¯s no fool. He had one purpose only it seems. To dispose of the origins of the subordinates possessing Gaius and Idol. If the origins are destroyed it¡¯s impossible to get any information from them. ¡°What should I do? I may still be able to follow him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Leave it.¡± It¡¯s not the time to chase the masked man. I have no doubt he accounted for being followed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you instructions later. For now, revive Gaius and Idol.¡± The only origins that masked man destroyed were the subordinates of Avos Dillheavia. He left the original origins of Gaius and Idol alone for some reason. As per usual they will have no memories but they can revive in a normal state now. ¡°Your will.¡± I sheathe Venuzdonoa in the shadows again and open a gate in front of me from which my Kongo Iron sword emerges. ¡°Are you done here?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± I pick up my Kongo Iron sword. ¡°Please enter my lord. I have connected it to the arena stage. Ray Grandori will also appear there.¡± Nodding I enter the magic gate. As I walk through the distorted passage I started to hear voices. ¡°¡­¡­Oi, what¡¯s happened¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no sound coming from the stage and you can¡¯t sense any magic either¡­¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no communication from the management either. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Oi, wait a moment. Look there! Is that a figure emerging?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Aah, it is¡­¡­Has the magic been cancelled¡­¡­.? One person¡¯s standing and the other is on the floor¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Has it been settled?¡± ¡°Who won?¡± The magic fades and disappears. What the audience saw was me standing there with my Kongo Iron sword and Ray on his back next to a broken Initeio. The owl¡¯s voice rings out. ¡°The destruction of player Ray Grandori¡¯s sword has been confirmed. Winner, Arnos Voldigod!¡± *WAAAAAAAAAAAA* A great cheer overflowed from the arena. ¡°Yes! Arnos-chan won!!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡­that¡¯s right. Our son¡¯s great after all.¡± I can hear my mother and father. ¡°As expected. Arnos-sama is the best in the world!¡± ¡°Indeed. Arnos-sama is super cool¡­¡­..*sniff*¡­¡­.Uuuuu¡­.¡± ¡°Wait, why are you crying?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m so impressed¡­¡­All the rules helped the royal faction and hindered Arnos-sama¡­¡­¡­..but he won without complaining¡­¡­¡± ¡°Enough already. Becoming so serious all of a sudden.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always serious!¡± The girls of my fan union are in tears. A grand applause comes from the audience seating. Most of them were mixed-bloods but they were all very happy. They were in such a state clapping and screaming it looks like they could go on forever. Eventually, the cheers settled and the owl spoke. ¡°The closing ceremony will be held later but right now player Arnos will be awarded a souvenir demon sword.¡± A girl wearing a dress enters the arena holding a demon sword in both hands. Blue eyes and with her blonde hair down the girl had a familiar face. Coming closer the girl smiles at me. ¡°Congratulations.¡± She presents me the souvenir magic sword. ¡°Fumu. What are you doing Sasha?¡± Sasha immediately looked a bit awkward. ¡°Misha is with Isabella so don¡¯t worry. Anyway, the match is over so you can do what you want now¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask that.¡± Sasha glares at me with dissatisfaction. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to know but the Necron family is a prestigious family. We are not very good with swords so we honour the champions of the tournament instead.¡± I see. Because Sasha is a direct descendant of one of the old seven demon emperors she¡¯s in the right social position to do it. It¡¯s all about giving prestige to the winner. ¡°Hey, just accept this sword already.¡± Sasha holds out the demon sword again. ¡°That¡¯s not the attitude someone who¡¯s supposed to be praising me should have is it?¡± I casually take the demon sword. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯ll do it properly¡­¡­.¡± Sasha blushes and looks at my face. ¡°Congratulations Arnos Voldigod and blessings to your sword.¡± Closing her eyes tightly Sasha stretches out towards me and lightly touches my cheek with her lips. Applause once again overflowed from the seats. ¡°I said it¡­..¡± Sasha says while looking down and not meeting my eyes. ¡°Was there such a rule? If you didn¡¯t want to do this they couldn¡¯t make you.¡± ¡°I know that. I don¡¯t need you telling me.¡± Sasha¡¯s face suddenly looked like she wanted to dodge the question before averting her eyes with a frustrated look. ¡°¡­¡­.I said I¡¯d do it because I thought you¡¯d win¡­¡­¡± Sasha mutters weakly. Her words faltered as she searched for the words she wanted. ¡°I have no intention of honouring any demon king¡­¡­¡­..apart from you¡­¡­¡± She¡¯s speaking some pretty cute words which make me smile unintentionally. ¡°That¡¯s a good intention.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Hmph¡­¡­.You¡¯re as self-important as ever¡­¡­.¡± Contrary to what she said Sasha¡¯s mouth softened. ¡°Ah.¡± Sasha let out a voice like she¡¯d remembered something and drew the magic formation for Thought Transmission in front of me. It was programmed to transmit to the audience. ¡°Arnos Voldigod. Can you tell us how you¡¯re feeling right now?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± There is something I need to say. ¡°I was able to win thanks to this sword.¡± I lift it over my head and show off my Kongo Iron sword. ¡°This sword that my father forged with his hopes and desires had the same strength as the demon sword Initeio. Its power comes from the heart and not magic. My father is a true master craftsman.¡± I turn my eyes to the seats. ¡°Thank you father.¡± Looking at my father I can see his face is strongly trying to endure something. I listened carefully to my father¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s he saying Isabella¡­¡­? Shouldn¡¯t he be saying something to the teachers of the school¡­¡­.? That swords no big deal. Everything he achieved was down to his own power and because he worked so hard¡ª¡ª¡± My father sheds tears while being deeply moved and my mother smiled a gentle smile with tears in her eyes. ¡°¡­¡­.He really is something¡­¡­I¡¯m not happy Isabella¡­¡­¡± My mother gently strokes my fathers trembling back. ¡°We are now ready for the closing ceremony. Can all spectators please move to the throne.¡± The owls voice rings out and the audience stand up and begin to move. Looking over at Ray he¡¯s surrounded by a number of doctors but they are struggling with his wounds. They are using recovery magic but it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s healing. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You can go¡± I cast Anti-magic Healing on Ray. His wounds heal in a moment and his eyes open slightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Is it over?¡± Did you lose consciousness for a while? Ray looks a bit absentminded. ¡°It was a good game.¡± I hold out my hand to the fallen Ray who reaches up and grabs it. ¡°It¡¯s the most frustrating feeling to lose.¡± Ray says to me while standing up. ¡°But next time I¡¯ll win and defend you at the same time.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Me and Ray exchange smiles. ¡°¡­¡­.Ray-san, Arnos-sama¡­¡­.!¡± A voice drew near to us. Looking up Misa is running down the seats towards us with lots of tears in her eyes. Her face is very pale and it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s very impressed with my victory. ¡°Are you okay¡­..Misa-san?¡± Ray is worried and calls out to her. ¡°¡­..Sorr¡­..¡± Misa attempts to talk but her voice catches in her throat. ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­..sorry¡­¡­¡± Misa¡¯s voice falteringly comes out full of apology and guilt. ¡°¡­¡­.Ray-sans mother¡­¡­I¡­¡­I¡­¡­a bit more¡­¡­just a bit¡­¡­she became energetic¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t protect her¡­¡­she recovered¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± When I said that Misa¡¯s eyes rounded and she looked at me with a questioning expression. ¡°Sheila¡¯s spirit disease is cured.¡± I drip a single drop of blood down and cast Resurrection . Chapter 65.1 Sheila appears in the magic formation before slowly opening her eyes and looking around. ¡°¡­¡­.Ray¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Ray reaches out to Sheila and hugs her tightly. ¡°¡­¡­..Happy¡­¡­.so happy¡­¡­¡­.Mom¡­¡­.I thought I¡¯d never see you again¡­¡­.¡± Ray¡¯s words turn into tears as Sheila kindly strokes his head. ¡°¡­¡­¡­A dream?¡­¡­¡­.if not, is this heaven¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s the real world. You protected your child by throwing away your life. It was a wonderful thing to see.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sheila carries on stroking Ray¡¯s head who¡¯s still crying. She seems more relieved at being able to protect her son than being alive. ¡°¡­¡­..But, how was her spirit disease cured? If the origin is weakened or gone it cannot be recovered by magic¡­¡­¡­¡± Misa asks me. ¡°It was a simple thing. I spread the rumours that formed Sheila¡¯s origin.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­? When did you do that Arnos-sama? You¡¯ve been fighting in the finals until just now¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°A few minutes ago when I talked about how I won. It was transmitted to the various places in Deiruheido by the magic broadcast.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­.!¡± Misa lets out a voice like she¡¯s just noticed. ¡°A true master craftsman that forged a sword that can rival a demon sword using something different to magic¡­¡­¡­?¡± I nod. ¡°That was the rumour that created Sheila¡¯s origin.¡± The impact from me breaking Initeio and winning the championship was great. Something different from magic power dwells in the sword that was forged with all the maker¡¯s heart. It¡¯s a rumour that¡¯s hard to believe so it was no wonder that the number of people believing it were few. It¡¯s different now though. The origin of Sheila that was about to disappear was quickly restored so bringing her back with Resurrection was easy. ¡°¡­¡­.How did you notice such a thing¡­¡­?¡± Misa asks me in a surprised voice. ¡°When I met Sheila yesterday she had recovered enough to talk to us. I wondered if the person managing the rumours and legends at the Lognoss Clinic was not in control as much as I thought but it was actually caused by me saying what I said in the first round.¡± Something different from magic residing in the sword that a master craftsman had poured his heart into making. That was the random thing I said to Kurt in the first match but several people had believed it and Sheila got slightly better. ¡°Needless to say that was hardly enough to come to any conclusion with. Next was the absorption bracelet that would cause Sheila¡¯s death if it was destroyed, however, there was no mention of her dying if my sword was broken or I lost.¡± They needed to show the audience that my sword was nothing special. It had to be out of the calculations of Avos Dillheavia that I would spread the rumours that supported Sheila¡¯s origin. Healing Sheila would make his plan collapse. ¡°After the finals began did Sheila¡¯s condition improve?¡± ¡°Yes. Even though I gave all my magic power via Root Conversion it still wasn¡¯t enough, however, all of a sudden Sheilas magic started to recover so we rushed here.¡± Melhey¡¯s said he had restored Sheila to take her hostage but he lied. He didn¡¯t want me to notice she had started to recover by herself. ¡°Because I was fighting evenly against Initeio with my Kongo Iron sword the audience started to believe more and more in the rumour.¡± It was probably because of that that Sheila was able to turn into her true body form. Her appearance was also very similar to my sword since a spirits true nature embodies its rumours and legends. The heart includes the origin after all. In the minds of the audience, they had a clear image of a sword that was forged by a master craftsman not by using magic but by his heart. They were looking at my sword so Sheila¡¯s appearance became that of my sword. If you look at them as a whole then it¡¯s not hard to deduce Sheila¡¯s origin. ¡°Thank you Arno-kun. You really are a great person just like Ray said. I thought I¡¯d never be able to see this child anymore¡­¡­.¡± Sheila says while hugging Ray. ¡°Thanks to you I can continue to see him growing up even more¡­¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I was only helping my friend out.¡± ¡°Well then Ray, I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± Ray answers me in a tearful voice. I decide to leave first so Ray doesn¡¯t have to worry about me seeing his crying figure. ¡°Arnos!¡± My dad, mom and Misha come down from the audience seats. ¡°What a guy!! You are indeed my son!¡± My dad rests his fist against my chest. ¡°Dad.¡± I show my dad my sword which I had sheathed. ¡°I was saved thanks to this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go saying stupid things to my face. I¡¯ll go all shy¡­¡­..¡± My dad¡¯s tone is pretty happy despite the tears in his eyes. I¡¯m not lying though. Certainly, the sword has no magic and was useless in a demon sword tournament but it was still able to save Sheila. My dad may not have intended it and it may have happened randomly but that¡¯s not the point. In the first round, I meant it. My dad did make this sword with all his heart and this lead to Sheila being cured. This sword that was forged by my dad has bought me nothing but good luck. ¡°Dear, if we don¡¯t go soon we won¡¯t get a good seat. Arnos-chan has preparations to do as well.¡± ¡°Aah, that¡¯s right. Later then Arnos.¡± My dad raises his right hand so we did a high five. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Thank you for today Arnos-chan. It was really amazing!! Even though it¡¯s small it¡¯s still a demon sword tournament. What¡¯s going to happen in the future?¡± My moms pretty happy as well. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt are you?¡± She¡¯s now looking worriedly at my wounds. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It¡¯s nothing serious. I quickly heal myself with healing . ¡°See? I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± My mom leans in and whispers in my ear. ¡°I¡¯ll say hello to Ray-kuns mother later.¡± Fumu. This is bad. If Sheila gets swallowed up in my mother¡¯s spacetime it will be like getting captured in and the chances of me stopping it at that point will be very slim. ¡°You should leave it for today.¡± ¡°Really? Is it because you haven¡¯t told her yet¡­¡­¡­..? I see!! Understood!!¡± My mom has convinced herself of something again. ¡°See you later.¡± My parents hurry off to the closing ceremony. ¡°Happy?¡± Misha was standing next to me before I realised it. ¡°Did you see it?¡± Misha nods. She¡¯s looked deep into my abyss with her demon eyes and right into my heart. ¡°Parents are good. I didn¡¯t have any in my past life. Someday, when I have a child I wonder if I can be like that too?¡± ¡°Eeeeh!?¡± I hear a surprised voice from behind. ¡°What are you surprised about Sasha?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised about anything¡­¡­..¡± Fumu. What¡¯s with that painful excuse? ¡°Do you want a child?¡± ¡°Someday it will happen.¡± ¡°I¡­I see. Hmph. Someday huh¡­..¡± The old seven demon emperors inherited my blood and so have all their descendants but when looking at my parents and Sheila I¡¯ve realised that alone is not enough for me to consider myself a parent. ¡°Fufufu.¡± Misha¡¯s laughing. ¡°Well I know it¡¯s probably impossible.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Arnos will surely make a good father.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± I don¡¯t feel like I will though. ¡°Uneasy?¡± ¡°No. If Misha says it¡¯s so then I¡¯ll believe it.¡± I look back over my shoulder at the girls that looking down at the floor and thinking. ¡°What are you doing Sasha? Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sasha hurries over to us in a fluster. ¡°That reminds me. I¡¯ve won the tournament.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? Wasn¡¯t it obvious with your power?¡± ¡°Well, there is that.¡± Misha speaks up. ¡°Was it fun?¡± ¡°It was.¡± Looking back it was a tepid tournament and my life was never in danger. I was involved in a proxy battle between the unification faction and the royalists and everyone was being very noisy. Basically, only troublesome things were happening. It was a bit like a two-day festival I guess. Clashing swords with Ray was quite meaningful though. Now it¡¯s over I feel a bit lonely. What is this feeling? It¡¯s one I never experienced 2000 years ago when my life really was in danger at times. ¡°It really was an enjoyable tournament.¡± There¡¯s hardly anyone in the seats now. It¡¯s the tranquillity after a festival. I looked around and then with great reluctance I slowly left the arena. TN: With this, the demon sword tournament arc is over. The next volume/arc/chapter is the Hero academy arc. On a side note, I want to apologise about the ads. At the moment I¡¯ve got them being auto managed as I¡¯m learning about manual ad creation and placement so I¡¯m sorry about them being in the middle of the text which is extremely annoying I know. Once I know what I¡¯m doing the ads in the middle will be removed or dramatically culled in number but until then if I can ask for your patience please. Many thanks to all my readers for sticking with me. Chapter 65.2 2000 years ago in the royal capital Gairadeite which is located in the centre of the human continent of Azeshion. Gairadeite is also the stronghold of the Gairadeite demon king subjugation forces as well as the hero chosen by the holy sword Kanon. Even though its the capital city Gairadeite is also a military city filled with anti-magic circles and weapons in case of a surprise mazoku attack. An ordinary mazoku would disappear as soon as they stepped one foot in the city but the one currently walking in a dignified manner through what had become a beehive of activity was not ordinary. He was the demon king of tyranny Arnos Voldigod. The barriers meant to repel enemies were useless against him. He may as well have been walking on weeds for they had the same effect on him. His eyes were focused on two men coming towards him. One is the Hero carrying the holy sword Kanon and the other is the commander of the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force and the king of Gairadeite Jerga. Jerga is about 60 years old but his vigour and magic power greatly exceed those of an average human. He is also the former hero and Kanons teacher. Before Kanon was born he was the one who desperately fought many mazoku to protect Azeshion. Even after retiring from the front lines he still causes huge amounts of damage to the mazoku with his leadership of the demon king subjugation forces. ¡°I¡¯ll go Kanon.¡± Jerga said in a determined voice. ¡°If I fire Sacred Fire Light Cannon at point-blank range even the demon king of tyranny won¡¯t be able to avoid it. It should stop his feet for an instant. In that instant run him through with the holy sword.¡± ¡°Sensei¡­..that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate Kanon. Have courage. Either way, I don¡¯t have long left and if the life of this old man helps bring about a peaceful world then it¡¯s a cheap price to pay.¡± A magic circle filled with holy light forms at Jerga¡¯s feet. It¡¯s a skill only usable by a hero. Sanctuary . It¡¯s a grand magic that unites peoples hearts and converts their hopes and wishes into magic. With this, humans who are inferior in magic to the mazoku can oppose them. ¡°Jerga-sama¡­¡­.Kanon-sama¡­¡­please¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Demon king¡­¡­.the demon king of tyranny has appeared today¡­.please¡­.¡± ¡°All our hopes and wishes are yours Jerga-sama¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Please bring about a peaceful world¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Protect our tomorrow¡­..!!¡± The overflowing thoughts of the people flow into Sanctuary and the sacred light begins to gather on Jerga. The royal capital of Gairadeite is the last stronghold of humanity so the strength of the prayers was enormous and continued swelling. ¡°Here I come you bastard! I¡¯ll clear up the sadness of all the people you¡¯ve killed!!¡± Wearing Sanctuary Jerga rushes the demon king of tyranny while Kanon readies his holy sword. The demon king Arnos deploys 50 gates and launches a barrage of Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon . The jet black suns hit Jerga one after the other. Even though has been turned into anti-magic the power of the demon king is tremendous and his life is shaved off in an instant. ¡°¡­¡­.This is¡­¡­.nothing¡­¡­¡­compared to the pain I felt when my wife and child were murdered by you¡­¡­!!¡± The former hero keeps moving forward while surrounded in loud black explosions. ¡°UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!¡± Jerga¡¯s hand approaches the demon king of tyranny, however. ¡°¡­¡­.Gu¡­¡­.fu¡­¡­¡­¡± With just one more step to go the right arm of the demon king pierces Jerga¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Fumu. You are not the only tragedy here King of the humans. Humans murdered my mother while she was still carrying me in her womb. The feeling of being born from a corpse was the worst.¡± Jerga laughs while spitting blood. ¡°¡­¡­.Fall into hell with me demon king of tyranny¡­¡­.¡± Jerga reaches for the demon king while still being impaled. ¡°Sacred Fire Light Cannon ¡± converts the feelings of the people into a magic shell and releases it. A large explosion rings out and wraps them in sacred light. ¡°Kanon! Do it n?¡± Jerga¡¯s words are cut off as his lung is crushed and the power leaves his body. ¡°¡­¡­.Bast¡­¡­..ard¡­¡­¡­our comrades¡­¡­..¡± The power of was insufficient. Originally, there was enough power to penetrate the demon kings anti-magic barrier but the prayers and wishes fell off dramatically. ¡°What? I simply intimidated people.¡± Before killing the formidable Jerga, Arnos chipped away at the power of by intimidating the demon king subjugation army which was supplying him with magic power via their prayers and wishes. If he wanted to, Arnos could neutralise all the humans in the city due to their inherently low anti-magic capabilities. Killing them would be just as easy. ¡°¡­¡­How dare¡­¡­never forgive¡­..only you will I never forgive you bastard!!¡± ¡°Fumu. Well, that¡¯s that then. From what I can see your origin is already at its limit. You¡¯ve fought well but your human body, once dead, can never be revived again. If you die now nobody will be able to bring you back.¡± Arnos finished speaking and then crushed Jerga¡¯s other lung. ¡°¡­..Ga¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Although you hadn¡¯t got long left anyway.¡± Jerga collapses on the spot. ¡°Now then hero Kanon.¡± The demon king said to Kanon who had readied his holy sword. ¡°Don¡¯t you want peace to come soon?¡± Kanon glares at the demon king. ¡°That¡¯s a nice line from the man who plunged the world into chaos.¡± ¡°From your point of view that may be so. I want peace in Deiruheido and if possible I¡¯d like to achieve it without destroying Azeshion.¡± Kanon stares at demon king with an alert look. ¡°If my words interest you at all come to Deruzogedo. I have also invited the great spirit and the creation god as well. If none of you likes what I¡¯ve got to say then you can all join powers and try to defeat me.¡± As soon as he finishes speaking the demon king of tyranny turns his back on Kanon and leaves using Transfer . ¡°¡­¡­Senseiii¡­¡­¡­!¡± Kanon immediately rushes over to Jerga and casts anti-magic healing on him. Although the wounds were made by the demon king they were surprisingly shallow so they didn¡¯t require much effort to heal. ¡°¡­¡­.Sorry¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jerga stands up and Kanon speaks. ¡°¡­..Shall I return your origin sensei?¡± The hero Kanon has 7 origins but he was not born that way. He obtained them by transferring them from other people using the power of the holy sword. By taking a little bit of origin from multiple people he obtained 7 origins that allowed him to compete with the demon king. Amongst those people that gave him some of their origin was Jerga. ¡°Such a thing is impossible now. Even with the holy sword, the origin that has been separated cannot be fully returned to its original state.¡± ¡°Even so. I can still restore some of your origin sensei. As it is now¡­¡­.sensei¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Kanon. It was a decision I made. I bet on you beating the demon king. Not only me either. Everyone that gave you some of their origin is the same.¡± Jerga says with a firm will. ¡°You are hope. Defeat the demon king and save the world. You are the only sun still shining in this world covered in darkness. Even if it doesn¡¯t come true now, someday, your hold sword will fulfil the longing of humanity. I will not lose that hope.¡± Listening to the words of Jerga, Kanon falls silent. After a while he says. ¡°¡­..What do you think sensei?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°What the demon king of tyranny said earlier.¡± Jerga answered immedaitely. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. Mazoku are creatures that live to kill humans. Do we destroy them or do they destroy us? It¡¯s one or the other. Coexistence is impossible.¡± Kanon nods but there¡¯s a shadow in his expression. ¡°Kanon. You are kind but the mazoku are creatures that do not deserve your kindness. They are a corrupt existence that do not belong in this world. You do not need to feel guilty about killing them. Slaughtering them will be salvation for them. Have courage for you are the hero chosen by the holy sword.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Yes.¡± When Kanon answered Jerga swayed and fell down on one knee. ¡°Sensei¡­¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Aah. Stop being so noisy. I¡¯m just tired. I¡¯m old¡­¡­¡­¡± Kanon stares at him anxiously. ¡°But¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Go and let everyone know that the demon king has left. Everyone is probably still feeling uneasy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Understood.¡± Jerga stares at Kanon¡¯s back as he runs towards the castle. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Is this my limit?¡­¡­¡­¡­Seems like it¡­¡­¡­¡± Jerga draws a magic formation on the ground and disappears using . He arrives in a dimly lit room covered everywhere with magic formations. Even the walls and ceiling are covered. They are probably maintaining the huge globe of water that¡¯s floating in the room. It¡¯s not just water though. It¡¯s a magic tool with no form. It¡¯s said to be Holy water cleansed by a god. ¡°¡­¡­..The mazoku must be destroyed¡­¡­.¡± Jerga looks at the holy water ball. ¡°¡­¡­..Even if this body turns into magic¡­¡­¡± he mutters with a dark look. Chapter 66.1 In the darkness, I felt a little hand touch me. ¡°Arnos.¡± I hear the voice of a familiar girl as I¡¯m gently shaken. ¡°Breakfast.¡± I open my eyes and see a girls face looking at me. Beautiful blue eyes and long platinum blonde hair with ringlets that tickle the tip of my nose. It¡¯s Misha. ¡°Woke up?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± Misha laughs happily and says ¡°Good morning.¡± Getting out of my bed I ask Misha ¡°Why are you here Misha?¡± I draw a magic circle under my feet and change my pyjamas into my uniform instantly. ¡°Practising making bento today.¡± I see. Was my mother teaching you how to make bento¡¯s while she was making mine? ¡°I also made breakfast.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Misha blinks several times and looks surprised at my words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Going to eat?¡± ¡°We are talking about breakfast right?¡± Misha nods a couple of times and points to herself. ¡°Mine?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Mother made Arnos¡¯ share.¡± I see. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Misha answers plainly like normal and opens the door. Her expression is as deadpan as ever but she seems depressed. ¡°I¡¯ll happily trade my breakfast for the one Misha made.¡± Misha stares into my eyes searching for my true intent. ¡°¡­¡­¡­That okay?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you.¡± Misha thought a little before answering. ¡°Arnos likes mothers cooking.¡± ¡°I do indeed, but I seldom get a chance to eat your cooking.¡± Misha looked down a little and smiled a shy but happy smile. ¡°Gentle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just whimsical.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°Did Arnos understand?¡± ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°My feelings?¡± ¡°That you were a bit disappointed?¡± Misha lowers her eyes slightly when I pointed it out. ¡°¡­¡­..Embarrassed¡­¡­..¡± ¡°You often look at me as well.¡± When it comes to seeing right to the bottom of my heart no one else comes close to matching Misha. ¡°However, my demon eyes won¡¯t lose to you.¡± When I say that Misha¡¯s eyes open a little and she laughs. ¡°Did I say something funny?¡± ¡°Have a guess¡± Why did she laugh? ¡°Are you happy?¡± (A) ¡°Look more.¡± (M) Misha answered me but didn¡¯t give me an actual answer. Misha heads down to the living room and I follow. Breakfast is set out ready on the table but only for two people. ¡°My parents?¡± ¡°Work.¡± My dad is still helping out the workshop that helped him with the Kongo Iron sword. Thanks to the demon sword tournament my dad seems to have been acknowledged as a superior craftsman now. He¡¯s even been told he can go and help out anytime he wants in the future. ¡°My mom?¡± ¡°A customer asked for an appraisal at their home but it¡¯s quite far away.¡± So she left early then. ¡°Arnos was tired from the tournament so they said they didn¡¯t want to wake you.¡± I wasn¡¯t actually tired but I guess it¡¯s a parent thing. ¡°Shall we eat?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± It¡¯s usually quite noisy thanks to my noisy parents but me and Misha had a quiet breakfast together. After finishing breakfast we tidy up and leave the house together. Walking side by side we take a leisurely walk to school. I could have used but we have plenty of time. There¡¯s no need to hurry. It¡¯s not a bad feeling at all attending school while slowly taking in the morning streets. ¡°That¡¯s¡­..?¡± We encounter a face we know well. It¡¯s Sasha and she¡¯s looking at us suspiciously. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Why are you coming to school with Misha?¡± ¡°Because we met this morning.¡± ¡°I can see that you¡¯ve met up. I was asking why. Don¡¯t you want to tell me? Is the explanation awkward?¡± ¡°Bento.¡± Misha says. ¡°I had Arnos¡¯ mother teach me.¡± ¡°I see. Hmph. You did say you were learning cooking. If you were going this morning you should have told me.¡± Sasha seems slightly dissatisfied. Do you feel left out? ¡°I said.¡± ¡°Eh? When?¡± ¡°When I went out this morning.¡± Chapter 66.2 Sasha looks down in thought but doesn¡¯t seem to remember at all. ¡°You¡¯d already gone when I got up though¡­¡­.¡± Misha shakes her head. ¡°That was the second time.¡± ¡°Lie¡­¡­.Really¡­¡­.?¡± I see. Sasha fell asleep again after Misha told her. ¡°Fumu. Sasha¡¯s weak in the mornings it seems.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really¡­¡­¡­.¡± Misha nods at me. ¡°Very weak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. It just takes me a while to get out of bed, my head is all fluffy and my memories a bit vague. That¡¯s all.¡± How is that not weak? Have you listened to yourself? ¡°What¡¯s with those triumphant eyes?¡± (S) ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed about. Being weak in the mornings isn¡¯t a problem. Your life isn¡¯t over because of it.¡± ¡°Can you stop talking like you¡¯re saying something really important?¡± (S) I told her she didn¡¯t have to be ashamed but it looks like she didn¡¯t understand what I was saying. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s fine. Let hurry up and get going.¡± (S) As soon as Sasha started walking Misha hurried after her. ¡°Angry?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I went alone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind that. It can¡¯t be helped that you expressly left early this morning and made a big detour to Arnos¡¯s house.¡± Misha looks down thinking. ¡°¡­¡­I won¡¯t go anymore¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why? I said I don¡¯t mind. If Misha wants to go then just go.¡± Misha falls silent and I start laughing. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± ¡°Nothing at all except you¡¯ve done nothing but lie since we met up Sasha. If you wanted to come to my house you should just say so.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t say I wanted to come or anything¡­¡­¡± Her words feebly drop off at the end. ¡°There¡¯s no point in being stubborn. You are weak in the mornings and couldn¡¯t come anyway but don¡¯t worry about it. In front of me, your morning weakness means nothing.¡± ¡°¡­..Errrm. You seem to be exaggerating a bit there but what do you intend to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come to you and wake you up myself.¡± ¡°¡­..Eh.¡± Sasha¡¯s face turns beet red. ¡°I¡¯m not as nice as Misha. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you fall asleep twice in front of me.¡± I look into Sasha¡¯s eyes while talking. ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s your answer?¡± Sasha couldn¡¯t meet my eyes and looks down. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Yes¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Sasha¡¯s answer is very faint. Is it really so embarrassing not being able to get up in the morning? ¡°We can all go together next time.¡± I say to Misha who nods happily. ¡°¡­..Bu¡­¡­.but¡­its weird that Arnos will come to wake me up just so I can go to Arnos¡¯ house.¡± Sasha starts mumbling to herself. ¡°Yo. Good morning.¡± I turned around and Ray was standing there. ¡°Yo.¡± Misha and Sahsa say good morning to Ray together. ¡°Have you always gone to school together?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just a coincidence this morning.¡± Ray walks over to my side. ¡°Oh, by the way. Do you have any idea where I can find a good demon sword?¡± ¡°Fumu. A stand-in for Initeio?¡± ¡°Because it was spectacularly broken it can be fixed but it will take quite a while so I need a replacement for the time being.¡± Fair enough. Not like he can have Sheila become his sword every time he needs one. I wonder if I¡¯ve got a suitable sword for Ray in my treasury? ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± In the distance, Misa waved at us and runs over to us where we greet her. ¡°This is unusual all of you attending school together.¡± ¡°Yeah. Apparently its a coincidence.¡± Ray says. ¡°That¡¯s right. *Fufufu* but it¡¯s nice being able to attend school this way since I was always alone in the mornings.¡± (Misa) ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I didn¡¯t think you were someone that got lonely easily.¡± ¡°Ahahaha¡­..That¡¯s a secret¡­¡­.¡± As two people make a little exchange we continue on our way to Deruzogedo enjoying the tranquil morning calm. Chapter 67.1 We enter our classroom and take our seats. ¡°Oh yeah Ray about that thing you mentioned before.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± Leaning back in his chair Ray looks over at me. ¡°Have you got time after school?¡± ¡°You going somewhere?¡± ¡°Somewhere secret. I¡¯ll give you a demon sword.¡± ¡°Ooh. I look forward to it.¡± Quiet voices come from the classroom. It¡¯s my fan union. ¡°Hey, hey, did you hear that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°After school Arnos-sama is going to give Ray-kun his demon sword¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°In other words¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Arnos-sama¡¯s sword has become a demon swoooooord!!¡± ¡°A demon sword, kyaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Should I report it to honoured mother¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°She might be shocked though¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­..but.¡± Fumu. Apparently, there seems to be another misunderstanding. I can¡¯t let this be reported to my mother or even more misunderstandings will arise. ¡°Elen, Jessica.¡± When I call their names they turn to look at me in surprise. ¡°Ye¡­..yesss Arnos-sama!¡± ¡°What is it!?¡± I¡¯ll gently persuade them. ¡°It¡¯s a secret from my mother.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Un¡­.understood.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect it with my life!¡± That should do it. It takes time to resolve misunderstandings but at least they shouldn¡¯t talk about it now. If you don¡¯t know something you can¡¯t misunderstand it. ¡°What should we do? We¡¯ve been sworn to secrecy¡­¡­..¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true after all¡­¡­..¡± Sasha sends an amazed look my way. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just wonder if this will work out like you hope.¡± I laughed at Sasha¡¯s words. ¡°This much is no big deal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got the margin you think you do. I¡¯m pretty sure this situation will be irreparable soon.¡± ¡°Are you worried?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m not worried particularly¡­¡­¡± Sasha murmurs. The bell to begin lessons rings out but no one comes. ¡°Strange.¡± Misha mutters from her seat next to me. ¡°Emilia-sensei is always on time.¡± Sasha speaks up as she notices something. ¡°Nee. Didn¡¯t Emilia-sensei attack your mother on the day of the tournament?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sasha asks me as I start laughing. ¡°What do you think happened to her?¡± Sasha pulled back a little at my words. ¡°Stop it. Don¡¯t laugh like a demon king¡­¡­¡­..¡± I only laughed normally though and I am the demon king so of course my laugh is a demon king laugh. ¡°Okay, everyone back in your seats.¡± A woman with long ears enters the classroom. She¡¯s wearing the same black academic robes that Emilia wore so she¡¯s obviously a teacher here. ¡°Right, it¡¯s nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Menou Historia and I¡¯m in charge of the 3rd year class 1. Though it¡¯s only temporary I¡¯ll also be in charge of this class.¡± The classroom becomes noisy. One of the female students raises her hand and asks. ¡°Sensei, what happened to Emilia-sensei?¡± Chapter 67.2 ¡°I haven¡¯t been told much myself so I don¡¯t know many details but it appears Emilia-sensei has resigned from the demon king academy.¡± The classroom got even noisier. ¡°Resigned!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Wasn¡¯t her resignation a bit quick?¡± ¡°Usually there¡¯d be a leaving speech. Is she sick or injured?¡± ¡°Without Emilia-sensei that inept person is going to become even more arrogant¡­¡­.¡± Menou claps her hands. ¡°Yes yes, everyone quieten down. I wasn¡¯t able to meet her so I don¡¯t know the circumstances hence I can¡¯t answer your questions. All I can say is it was so sudden we haven¡¯t been able to recruit a new teacher yet so I¡¯m filling in temporarily.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you teach a third-year class Menou-sensei?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it impossible to teach us both together?¡± ¡°Nn. Of course I can¡¯t do that but it was so sudden there¡¯s no other choice. I¡¯ll be making both you and my other class do self-study every other day and alternate between you both. It will only be for about a week though.¡± ¡°A week? Will a new teacher start next week?¡± ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s not actually due to Emilia-sensei. It had already been planned that there would be an exchange with Deruzogedo.¡± The whole classroom seems puzzled. Apparently, no one knew of this. ¡°What¡¯s an academy exchange sensei?¡± ¡°Simply put it means going to a different school and interacting with the students and teachers there, learning new things, new ways of doing things and working hard together.¡± The class still seems full of doubt. ¡°A different school¡­¡­?¡± ¡°In Deiruheido the demon king academy is the top school. There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be learnt here. Regardless of who it is, is there any merit in this exchange?¡± ¡°That true and until now Deruzogedo had no opportunity to interact with any other schools apart from those in Deiruheido.¡± (Menou) ¡°Where else is there apart from Deiruheido?¡± ¡°Azeshion. We¡¯ve been talking to the hero academy in the royal capital of Gairadeite for a number of years now trying to make it happen. Though it was a bit sudden they¡¯ve agreed to it this time for some reason.¡± (Menou) The students let out a surprised voice. ¡°Azeshion? Doesn¡¯t that mean its a human school?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a hero? Have you heard of it before?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve got no idea.¡± ¡°If I remember correctly weren¡¯t the heroes one of the groups fighting against the demon king of tyranny? I¡¯m sure in the past humans and mazoku were enemies with the mazoku being led by the demon king and the humans being led by the hero.¡± ¡°I see. Arent humans weak though? Is a hero strong?¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡­..but¡­¡­¡± Fumu. There seem to be records of the heroes but they are not well known in Deiruheido. After I created the wall all interactions with humans ceased. With the battles gone the fights with the heroes also became a thing of the past. It¡¯s no surprise really that the details of a 2000-year-old war with the humans is not discussed much. That being said, it seems to be relevant now. The fact that the heroes are treated as a small thing by the mazoku in Deiruheido coupled with this sudden hero academy exchange seems very much like a plan of Avos Dillheavia. Should I check in with Melhey¡¯s later? ¡°Everyone seems to be lacking in their studies. You should have lightly touched on the heroes in your history lessons.¡± Menou faces the blackboard and writes Hero Corps and 7 classes. ¡°I¡¯ll do a quick and easy review. It¡¯s said that the heroes developed army magic during the great war and that was the Hero Corp . The basic structure is the same as Demon King Army with 7 classes.¡± Menou turns to look at the students. ¡°Right. Does anyone remember them?¡± Nobody raises their hand so Menou looks at Misha questioningly. ¡°Haven¡¯t learnt it yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t this something the third years are taught?¡± (Menou) Fumu. Apparently, Menou was a bit careless and seems embarrassed now. I raise my hand while the teacher seems troubled. ¡°Hero , Sage, Mage , Priest , Summoner , Holy Knight and Spirit User . Those are the seven classes and they align with the classes of Demon King Army .¡± Menou seems really happy with my answer. ¡°Correct answer. Do you know the difference between and ?¡± ¡° is army magic just the same as , however, the biggest difference is the Demon King gives his magic power to his subordinates whereas with the subordinates give their power to the Hero . Also, focuses on castle building and defence whereas was developed to destroy the castle.¡± The hero gathers power and defeats the demon king. Cut off the head. It was the only way those with inferior power could beat the mazoku. If the mazoku lose their leader they very quickly become nothing more than a disorderly rabble. ¡°However, doesn¡¯t prove its worth by itself. Sanctuary turns your companion¡¯s hearts into magic power and enables you to fight against powerful mazoku with the power it gives you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s great. You are studying properly. Sanctuary is prayer magic and isn¡¯t something that can be taught at this academy. In that sense, I think this exchange will be meaningful for Deruzogedo as well.¡± Strange. 2000 years later they are going to teach each other the magic they developed to defeat each other. ¡°However, and are both magics only usable by the hero. The purpose of studying it is to learn the techniques and magic and peer deeper into its abyss. Eventually, I think the magic will be able to be applied and developed for the mazoku as well. That¡¯s why I think this exchange¡­¡­¡­¡± Menou¡¯s words trailed off and she turned to look at me with a questioning face. ¡°¡­..Eh? How do you know about ? You won¡¯t have been taught that yet.¡± ¡°Sensei, never mind and . We¡¯re first years. A lot of us are still practising and learning to cast .¡± When that was pointed out by one of the students Menou raised her voice and went ¡°Aah!¡±. ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry. I mistook you for my 3rd-year class¡­¡­..!¡± After apologising, Menou looked at me again with a questioning look. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..You. Why do you know about ? And as for not even the 3rd years have been taught about that yet¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because I saw it so much in the past I got tired of it. Also, Menou, your explanation is wrong.¡± I draw a magic formation and activate a certain magic. ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± Menou¡¯s face was full of surprise. ¡°¡­¡­No way¡­..that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Menou knew what looked like so I assume she must have seen it at the hero academy. ¡°This magic can be used by anyone, not just the hero but is more efficient for the mazoku to use.¡± Menou doesn¡¯t appear to be able to keep up with what¡¯s happening and can¡¯t speak. She just keeps staring at in utter amazement. Chapter 68.1 ¡°Amazing, you¡¯re amazing Arnos-sama! As noble as always!¡± ¡°Yes! If Arnos-sama teaches me the heroes magic then we don¡¯t need to go on this school exchange!¡± ¡°This school exchange means we have to go to Azeshion right? Will we be lodging somewhere?¡± ¡°Possibly¡­¡­¡­¡­.are you going to do a night raid!?¡± (1) ¡°I can¡¯t do something that shameful!¡± ¡°Why are you asking then?¡± ¡°Will we sleep in the same building as Arnos-sama? If so, isn¡¯t that the same as sleeping together? It¡¯s almost a hug right!?¡± ¡°You know¡­¡­.your strong delusions are quite embarrassing.¡± My fan union is being noisy as usual. ¡°¡­¡­.I see¡­¡­¡­ You¡¯re that inept person.¡± Has it finally clicked? Menou looked at my school badge. ¡°I thought something about you was familiar. You¡¯re Arnos-kun right? You won the sword tournament.¡± ¡°Aah.¡± ¡°Like the rumours say, you really can do incredible things.¡± You might hear about my power but to actually witness it. Can¡¯t you hide your surprise? Well, I¡¯m pretty sure Emilia wasn¡¯t saying anything good about me to the other teachers so Menou might have been doubting what she¡¯d heard. From what I¡¯ve seen of Menou she doesn¡¯t seem to be one of the stiff royals like Emilia either. ¡°Well then, as you can all see this is the heroes magic. Anyway, next week everyone in this class will be going to the royal capital of Gairadeite and studying at the hero academy. My third-year class will also be going. The owl will be delivering all the necessary paperwork to your houses today so keep an eye out for it.¡± Getting over her surprise Menou had started over again. ¡°Today is only a quick introduction from me so the rest of your day is self-study. Please try not to disturb the other classes.¡± Menou heads out of the room but stops as she remembers something. ¡°Oh right. I¡¯m sure the hero academy is also practising army magic so there might be a competition between them using and us using . The best mazoku from all over Deiruheido are gathered here in this school so I won¡¯t accept us losing.¡± Menou winks mischievously. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure the third years will uphold our honour but I expect no less from yourselves either. Please don¡¯t show any unseemly behaviour and all of you do your best with self-study.¡± Menou leaves the class. ¡°Fumu. Self-study huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to bother are you?¡± Sasha says looking over at me. ¡°Of course I am. It will be too boring otherwise.¡± I stand up ¡°Misha, Sasha, Ray, Misa come with me for a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± (Ray) ¡°What are we doing?¡± (Misha) ¡°Because its self-study I¡¯m going to teach you how to use your powers.¡± I hold out my hand and Misha takes it. The others also hold hands and I use . The place we arrived at was the demon forest. This is the best place for practising due to the magic soil that repairs anything so you can go wild without worrying. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this. What are we doing here¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you all.¡± Sasha had a faraway look in her eyes for a moment. ¡°You serious?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I said I¡¯d teach you all to use your power. The mock fight between us and the hero academy is also a certain thing too. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s just a possibility.¡± ¡°I guess, but you alone will be enough won¡¯t you?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡± ¡°I learnt something during the demon sword tournament.¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s face takes on a curious expression and Misha stares at me ¡°Learnt what?¡± (Misha) ¡°Even if its insignificant use everything you have. Doing your best is the highest thing you can do. Even if you have to overturn heaven and earth, push through with all your might. Doing that gives birth to something irreplaceable.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Why are you coming out with those springtime of youth lines when you have that insane power¡­¡­.?¡± Sasha complains while Misa has a bitter smile. ¡°¡­¡­Ahaha¡­¡­.Even if we know that, those things rarely work.¡± (Misa) ¡°I understand it though. Arnos¡¯ feelings.¡± Ray says with his refreshing smile. ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that Ray.¡± ¡°Good thing.¡± (Misha) ¡°Really?¡± Misha nodded. ¡°Do my best.¡± I glance over at Misa. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Sasha?¡± ¡°If everyone else is I will too. I¡¯ll come with you.¡± I laugh and start walking. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve got such understanding followers.¡± I activate a magic formation and turn back to face Sasha. Sasha¡¯s eye¡¯s round in surprise. Chapter 68.2 ¡°¡­..Wait a sec. You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Defend against it otherwise you¡¯ll die.¡± A jet black sun left a trail of light behind it as it shot towards Sasha. Sasha immediately dodges it by jumping up and activating Flight . The tree¡¯s behind her disappear in a jet black explosion. I ready another one. ¡°Hey! Wait wait! Isn¡¯t firing off Flame Prison Anhiliation Cannon a bit much for self-study?¡± ¡°What sort of self-study doesn¡¯t endanger your life?¡± ¡°What are you saying!? Are you an idiot!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Sasha. Your origin gives off its most demonic energy when your life is in danger. A light that is about to go out increases its light to stay lit. This is a solid guidepost to follow for those who study magic.¡± Sasha barely evades another while her face has the look of someone driven into a corner. The scenery behind her is burnt again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how strong my magic gets if I¡¯m dead does it!¡± ¡°Of course it does. Use that stronger light to avoid your lamp going out. Use your power right at the moment you are about to die to save yourself. Then the next time you are about to die your power will increase again.¡± The mazoku in this age are weak because there is no risk of death. In order to increase your power, it¡¯s essential to die to the extent where you don¡¯t die anymore. I ready another . ¡°¡­¡­.Saying such absurd things¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can do it¡± ¡°Such a reason.¡± ¡°You can do it. Don¡¯t you believe in me Sasha?¡± Sasha looks at me silently. ¡°Use your . They are the ultimate anti-magic. Remember when you resisted the time magic of Eugo Ra Raviaz?¡± I fire another . ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Erghh¡­¡­¡­¡­.Really¡­¡­..!!¡± Sasha deploys antimagic in front of her and slams the power of her demon eyes into the . ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Take responsibility if I die!!¡± The burns through Sasha¡¯s antimagic in no time but Sasha¡¯s reduce the momentum of the black sun. The black sun got smaller and smaller as well as the flames dimmed but it didn¡¯t lose all it power and slammed into Sasha. ¡°¡­¡­Geh¡­¡­..Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± Sasha was engulfed in black flames and got blown away right to the other side of the demon forest. ¡°Is¡­.Is she okay?¡±(Misa) ¡°Alive.¡±(Misha) Although not perfect she was prepared to die and as such her almost destroyed the . Thanks to the she won¡¯t die though. ¡°I would say I¡¯d fight you but I¡¯ve got no sword.¡± (Ray) ¡°Leave it to me.¡±(Misha) Misha uses Construction Creation and makes an ice demon sword for Ray. ¡°I¡¯m saved.¡± Ray picks up the sword and heads towards me. ¡°Here I come Arnos¡­¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Regrettable.¡± I catch the blade with my hand and shatter it. ¡°That was a poor use of Misha. When creating stones don¡¯t create the stone but create the atoms that make up the stone. What makes a demon sword? You should look into the abyss better for your answer.¡± While speaking I thrust my fist at Ray who tries to handle it barehanded. ¡°¡­¡­.Haa¡­¡­.¡± It seemed like he blocked it for a moment but my strike broke through and connected deep in the pit of his stomach. ¡°¡­¡­..Kuuuu¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°You need to think more about how to fight if you lose your sword Ray. If you have a sword you arent likely to be defeated by your opponent but if you lose your sword you have too many openings that can be exploited.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..That may be so but you feel stronger than before¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Even I don¡¯t stand in the same place for long. If you want to catch up with me you¡¯d better run with all your might.¡± Ray collapses on the spot as rain starts to fall on me. Misa is nowhere to be seen. Rain Spirit Mist . ¡°Don¡¯t keep showing me the same magic over and over again even if it is spirit magic.¡± I walk slowly forward and grab a single drop of rain. ¡°Aah¡­¡­..¡± It turned into the body of Misa. ¡°You are weak to begin with Misa but even the weak have their own way of fighting. Use your head more and make better use of your spirit magic.¡± I hit Misa with my magic power and she falls down unconscious. ¡°Arnos.¡± I turn around to look at Misha who¡¯s made a huge demon castle out of ice using ¡°Again.¡± (Misha) ¡°All right.¡± (Arnos) I create another demon castle on the spot using . Turning my palm upwards my castle rises into the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll try it.¡± (Arnos) I point at Misha¡¯s castle and my castle flies towards it colliding violently. A loud noise resounds and countless pieces of rubble fall down. After the dust settled only my castle remained. All that was left of Misha¡¯s castle was rubble. ¡°You¡¯ve still got a long way to go.¡± Misha suddenly falls down unconscious. Without any hesitation, she had poured every bit of magic she had into that castle. ¡°Fumu. Good resolve.¡± I draw a formation under everyone and cast Total Complete Demon Healing . All 4 people regained consciousness and slowly got up. Using I restore their lost magic power with my own. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s continue our self-study. I¡¯ll revive you all as many times as needed until school ends.¡± (1) The term used here is Yobai which roughly means night crawling. Chapter 69.1 After performing meaningful self-study all day I took Ray to my treasure vault hidden in the underground dungeon of Deruzogedo after school ended. Ray was looking around in astonishment after seeing the sheer amount of magic tools and weapons. ¡°All ¡°these yours Arnos?¡± ¡°I collected them all 2000 years ago.¡± ¡°Hou. The story of you being the demon king of tyranny is gradually starting to feel more real.¡± Ray¡¯s voice is definitely distracted as he talks to me while looking around. To this man, the demon swords in front of him are far more important than the demon king of tyranny from 2000 years ago. ¡°Choose whatever you like.¡± Ray starts looking at the demon swords one by one. All these swords are excellent articles from the age of myths but its hard to say if any of them are as good as Initeio to him. Initeio is a good demon sword but it¡¯s not very powerful. Even though it can slash magic formulas it doesn¡¯t mean it can negate all magic. The user must use their own ability to cut the magic. One example would be if you shot a mass of magic attacks and the user couldn¡¯t cut them all. Or the time when Misa used Initeio and was unable to cut the complicated formula of Demon Ice Demon Fire Rivalry Wave . You could also just fire a wave of pure magic with no formula which would be very hard to cut with Initeio. Even though it can cut through anti-magic, barriers and formulas its pretty mediocre as a sword due to its power being greatly dependent on its user. In the hands of Ray, it becomes a fearsome demon sword that can defeat both offensive and defensive magics. The slashing of all its opponents magic at the sword tournament was due to Ray¡¯s skill. Initeio was a good matchup for Ray due to him not being very good at magic but good with a sword. ¡°Nn¡­¡­.?¡± Ray stopped and turned his eyes to the corner of the vault. ¡°Can I try that one?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± Ray draws a demon sword from its sheath. The sword¡¯s body is a silver so beautiful its enough to fascinate the eye. ¡°Nice.¡± Fumu. Has that one attracted your eye? It¡¯s quite a strange one. ¡°Unique sword Sigshesta. It¡¯s a very troublesome demon sword.¡± So Ray can try it out I create a statue in front of him using . ¡°Try to cut it.¡± Ray steps in front of the statue and swings Sigshesta down faster than the eye can follow. ¡°¡­..Fuuu¡­¡­!!¡± The sword passes through the statue cleanly but nothing happens. It¡¯s fully intact. ¡°Oh.¡± Ray smiles at the sword with interest. ¡°Sigshesta¡¯s blade changes for the demon using it but it¡¯s a tricky sword to use. If you don¡¯t focus your mind and heart completely it won¡¯t cut anything.¡± Even one stray thought or idle idea and the sword won¡¯t show its full potential. Sigshesta only turns into a demon sword when your mind, body and soul are concentrating on one thing and that¡¯s easier said than done. That¡¯s not something that can be easily achieved. Not to mention such single-mindedness on the battlefield will get you killed right away. To make matters worse, preparing wholly for your opponent¡¯s attack doesn¡¯t mean the sword will acknowledge it as single-minded dedication. ¡°Can you use it Arnos?¡± ¡°I can, but in my case I just force it to obey me. As far as I know, only one person has ever been able to truly master Sigshesta.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to fight that a person. Is that demon sword user still around Arnos?¡± I laughed. ¡°No. He said he wanted to reincarnate. He gave me that magic sword to put here.¡± Sigshesta is the demon sword my right-hand man Shin used 2000 years ago. ¡°If it¡¯s you though, you might be able to use that sword.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you resemble that fellow a lot.¡± Ray smiles his refreshing smile ¡°Am I that reincarnated person?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Are you aware of anything from back then?¡± Ray thinks about it while staring at the sword. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve lived in another age apart from this one but I don¡¯t have any memory of it.¡± I see. ¡°If you master that sword you might remember something.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A unique sword changes with its owner but the spirit of a previous owner can reside in the blade. If you were that previous owner you should be able to sync with the thoughts left in the blade.¡± Chapter 69.2 It¡¯s possible Shin foresaw this and that¡¯s the reason he had me put it here so he could get it back someday when he reincarnated. ¡°Well, even if you remember your past life not much would change. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any real need to remember it.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but for now I¡¯ll take this sword.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to carry on looking?¡± ¡°I like this sword.¡± The sword is probably calling him but even if it¡¯s not, deliberately choosing the most troublesome sword possible is something Shin would do. ¡°Shall we go back then?¡± After reaching the surface me and Ray parted ways with me heading off to the Arnos fan union tower. I enter the tower and start to head on up. I¡¯d promised Melheys we¡¯d talk. As I approached the 2nd-floor familiar voices could be heard. ¡°Okay then. Now onto the lyrics of the Arnos-sama support song number 3. Anyone with any ideas please raise your hand.¡± ¡°Yes! I think this one should be about the feelings associated with the lines Arnos-sama has said.¡± ¡°What lines has he said?¡± ¡°Like the one he said during the demon sword training class [Did you think my head would break just because you cut a mountain in two?] that one.¡± ¡°Ohh. I like it.¡± ¡°That it? In the case of Arnos-sama, his head not breaking is nothing special. Doesn¡¯t that line lack a good direction?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°If we do make lyrics like that then what would be the Arnos-sama style?¡± The girls of the fan union fall into silence as they think but no one seems to have a good idea. After a while, a subdued voice spoke up. ¡°[Did you think we were dating because we kissed?]¡± The girls let out a scream. ¡°Fiend! Arnos-sama you brute! But it sounds so good!! It¡¯s cool! It¡¯s definitely something Arnos-sama would say!¡± That not something I¡¯d say. ¡°Then how about this? [Did you think you took my heart just because I held you?]¡± ¡°Nooooo!! The brute!! But I definitely want to be told that!!¡± ¡°[Just because we¡¯ve met at noon did you think I wouldn¡¯t want your body?]¡± ¡°A straight delivery! That¡¯s too fast Arnos-sama! Being active from lunch!¡± ¡°How about this? [Did you think I¡¯d marry you just because you love me?]¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anymoooooore! It¡¯s too mysterious! My brain is overheating!¡± ¡°The last line could be [Did you think you stopped being my thing just because I threw you away?]¡± ¡°Noo! I don¡¯t want to be thrown away! Stop it, stop it Arnos-sama. You say it like I¡¯m a convenient girl¡­¡­..its cruel¡­¡­¡± Fumu. What the hell is going on? ¡°This has a good feeling now. Is the storyline any good?¡± ¡°I think so, yes. Let¡¯s go for a love song for the 3rd Arnos-sama support song!¡± ¡°Wait a minute. A love song isn¡¯t a support song is it? How are we supposed to sing that when Arnos-sama is fighting?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°It would be odd¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What if we think of it this way? Because Arnos-sama is so strong and all fights are trivial to him, he hears our song and his heart burns with love and desire to spend the night with his chosen one!?¡± For a moment total silence came and then. ¡°Ge¡­.geniuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!! Have you seen through the heart of Arnos-sama!?¡± You didn¡¯t see through my heart. ¡°Ehehe¡­¡­¡­.Just because it¡¯s a support song it doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t also be a love song.¡± A giant scream sounded throughout the tower. Fumu. Whatever. Let¡¯s just pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything. I need to talk to Melheys and they are happy and having fun. I carry on up the tower. Chapter 70.1 Melheys was waiting for me when I arrived at the top floor. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you Arnos-sama.¡± Melhys kneels before me and bows his head. ¡°What about Gaius and Idol?¡± ¡°They were successfully revived and like the others, someone attacked them 2000 years ago and took over their origins and bodies.¡± The same as Aivis then. I think its safe to say that that the other elder demon emperors will be the same. ¡°Out of the seven elder demon emperors, there is now three on our side. Do you want me to strengthen the unification faction with this?¡± (M) It doesn¡¯t appear that Avos Dillheavia knows that Aivis is alive yet so only Melheys, Gaius and Idol can move openly on the table as my subordinates. Each side now has three of the seven elder demon emperors that they can use. In political terms, the unification faction now rivals the royal faction so I should be able the place some of Avos Dillheavia¡¯s plans in checkmate. However. ¡°You can leave it as it is. No matter how much you try to change it the thoughts of the Mazoku will not change so easily. If we try to force it, Deiruheido will be split in two.¡± Because the royals and the royal faction hold so much power the mixed races and the unification faction keep a low profile. The power of the royals allows people like Emilia to come out of the woodwork. If the unification faction learns they have the power to oppose them now, they will act. I could easily take control of Deiruheido again but it¡¯s not all about power. How many people would I have to kill to silence the royals and bring them into line? Say I do unite the mazoku then what of Avos Dillhevaia? He would probably hesitate and run away and then it¡¯s just another problem deferred to a later date. Saying that I doubt he has any intention of losing. He¡¯s been preparing for 2000 years after all. For now, let¡¯s just let the other side carry on. If they believe things are going their way they might appear before me and that is the time to kill them. ¡°Certainly my lord. I have one final question if I may?¡± ¡°Why was it only you who didn¡¯t have his origin taken over?¡± Melheys nods with a serious look on his face. ¡°Indeed. The other seven elder demon emperors had their origins fused and their bodies taken over, but in my case, I was only stabbed with the demon slavery sword. This difference is quite significant.¡± ¡°Perhaps they thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to see through it or more likely they didn¡¯t have enough subordinates.¡± ¡°Do you believe they only have a handful of subordinates?¡± ¡°If you are letting them take over someone¡¯s body you have to really trust them unless you are throwing them away then, in that case, you can have as many as you want but it will be hard to build up trusted retainers doing that.¡± If I follow that line of thinking then they only have 3 trusted retainers left in the remaining demon emperors. ¡°It could be they want me to think they only have 3 pieces left to play.¡± At the very least Avos Dillheavia is not stupid and is careful as well. They have placed double and triple traps and are probably waiting for me to walk into one. ¡°I have questions for the leader of the unification faction but that doesn¡¯t appear to be you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.You saw that as well? As expected of Arnos-sama¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡­. They are probably a royal though since they¡¯ve gone to great lengths to hide their identity. If its a demon emperor or someone close to that position and its found out they support the unification faction then they will be driven out and the unification faction will crumble.¡± That¡¯s a good reason to hide your identity. Saying that, if you are not a demon emperor or a person close to one then you can easily hide your identity. Avos Dillhevia fits that description. ¡°I checked and checked but they are brilliant at hiding their identity. Even their magic trace has been erased. I¡¯m of the opinion that its a mazoku from the age of myths like myself.¡± A logical conclusion. They could have seen what the current Deiruheido was turning into and formed the unification faction. ¡°However, if that is the case then now that Arnos-sama has been reincarnated they should appear before you.¡± It is reasonable to think that since its hard to imagine any mazoku from 2000 years ago ignoring the demon king of tyranny. ¡°It might be they aren¡¯t showing themselves yet because they can¡¯t.¡± ¡°That is a strong possibility, my lord.¡± Chapter 70.2 Judging by the events of the tournament that masked man was not the leader either. Another subordinate of Avos Dillheavia? ¡°Let me ask about something else Melheys. Do you know anything about the hero academy?¡± Melheys¡¯ expression changed. ¡°¡­¡­.Has something happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going on an academy exchange. It happened very quickly and it¡¯s more than a little suspicious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if the hero academy is under the patronage of Avos Dillheavia or not but I found no traces of Mazoku involvement when I investigated it.¡± Melheys voice turned heavy ¡°Despite that please be careful around them. Since they were once our mortal enemies I investigated the royal capital of Gairadeite. The humans have certainly become peaceful and have had hardly any wars over the years, however, Gairadeite spends 10% of Azeshions entire tax revenue on the hero academy.¡± 10% of your entire tax revenue on one institution? That¡¯s an extraordinary feat. ¡°What was the hero academy made to do?¡± ¡°Officially its to train heroes in the use of magic and weapons as well as to give them a high standard of education. After they graduate they show the fruits of their labour by contributing to the growth of the whole of Azeshion.¡± Sounds like they take up similar roles to the demon emperors here in Deiruheido. ¡°It smelt suspicious to me though. In the school, there¡¯s an elite class called [Jergakanon] and they are the ones that get a considerable amount of the budget. The thing is when I tried to investigate them I couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± Fumu. Jergakanon? It could simply be they took the name of two legendary heroes though. ¡°A hero is someone who fights in great wars. Unlike the demon king who influences the mazoku, a hero is not needed in peaceful times. Of course, that¡¯s not to say that you can¡¯t use the power of a hero to further your countries development in peacetime¡­¡­¡± ¡°In other words, you don¡¯t believe its a normal academy?¡± Melheys nods. ¡°Jergakanon appears to be the class where reincarnated heroes go. Even if it¡¯s got nothing to do with Avos Dillheavia you should still be cautious.¡± The humans are plotting something then. Due to them being inferior in magic humans plans are usually far more insidious and nasty than any plan a mazoku comes up with. ¡°Humans live short lives. The only reason the humans can have to be hostile to the mazoku 2000 years later is because the reincarnated heroes are trapped in past grudges.¡± (A) Even though I say that, when I created the wall I settled things with Kanon and that guy would definitely not leave any grudges for future generations to have against the mazoku. I don¡¯t remember any other heroes that I believe could reincarnate with their old memories fully intact though. ¡°I don¡¯t know the answer but it possible someone reincarnated from 2000 years ago with their memories fully intact. Like you say my lord, humans lead short lives so if they have reincarnated with their 2000-year-old memories intact that means they have successfully reincarnated many times before to get to this point.¡± (M) It depends on the situation but generally speaking Reincarnation depends on the users magic and lifespan. Humans reincarnate relatively quickly but for a mazoku, it¡¯s not uncommon for it to take 2000 years like me. ¡°Deruzogedo has had limited interaction with Gairadeite and the Hero academy for quite some time now and the humans don¡¯t appear to have any hostility towards the mazoku though.¡± (M) Well if you are going to start a war you aren¡¯t going to declare it before you are ready. ¡°Fumu. Then I¡¯ll search the academy while I¡¯m there. It¡¯s highly unlikely they will believe that the demon king of tyranny will be there on an academy exchange.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Keep a close eye on the movement of the 7 elder demon emperors here in Deiruheido. If anything happens let me know immediately and I¡¯ll return right away.¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± I head back on down the tower. A selection class called [Jergakanon]. If it¡¯s for reincarnated heroes then even if he doesn¡¯t have any memories I want to meet the hero Kanon if he¡¯s there. Chapter 71.1 Next week in the second training room all the students had gathered. A lot of luggage had been brought and was placed around the room. It had the feel of preparing for a long journey. As the bell rings signalling the start of lessons an owl flies through the window. ¡°Good morning everyone.¡± Menou¡¯s voice came from the owl¡¯s mouth. I guess she¡¯s talking through the owl using magic. ¡°Today you are departing for Azeshion for the academy exchange. Your destination is the royal capital of Gairadeite. As previously announced there is no guide provided by the school for this journey. The 3rd years have already been briefed so I¡¯ll explain to the first years now.¡± I perform a quick check and find another owl in the 3rd year¡¯s classroom as well. Presumably, we are all hearing Menou speak. ¡°In Deruzogedo we don¡¯t have guides. If you are aiming to be a demon emperor then you must get to your destination by your own power. Aah, I don¡¯t mind you helping each other out as students though.¡± Part of the lesson is getting to your destination? ¡°There are various obstacles between here and Azeshion. If you chose to go by sea then you have to cross the Eluga Straights. If you chose to go overland then you have to beat the Deltest mountains or you could detour around the mountains and go through the Tora forest. Finally, if you attempt to fly there then be warned that the magic field when you enter Azeshion airspace is disturbed and causes issues with flying.¡± Which route is the quickest? Of course, the ability to chose the correct route is also part of the test. ¡°Azeshion is different to Deiruheido. I¡¯m sure everyone here will come across things you¡¯ve never seen before. We want you to learn not only the things that will be taught in the academy but also how to deal with unknown things during your journey there.¡± This seems more interesting compared to previous classes but unfortunately, I¡¯ve been to the Eluga Straights, the Deltest mountains and the Tora forest a number of times now. I suppose they could be different from 2000 years ago though. ¡°You have 10 days to make it there and those that don¡¯t arrive in the allotted time will fail and will not be allowed to take part in the exchange. Of course, the time you take to arrive will affect your grades. 1st years who arrive before 3rd years will also get more points so everyone do your best.¡± 10 days? That sounds about right. Even if you go overland, if you keep running at a reasonable pace you will arrive in plenty of time. ¡°By the way, sensei arrived in 2 days so 3rd years please use this as a guide as to how long it should take you.¡± 2 days? That¡¯s pretty fast by herself. I wonder if she only teaches 3rd years? Her magic power is higher than Emilia¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s it everyone. The Gairadeite expedition exam starts now!¡± At her signal about half of the students immediately left the room and the remaining half were checking maps and talking about which route to take. ¡°Nee Arnos. You¡¯ve actually been a bit interested in all of this but you haven¡¯t brought any luggage.¡± (Sasha) Sasha hasn¡¯t brought much luggage herself. Only a few days worth. I guess she intends to arrive in 2 or 3 days. ¡°Why would I? It¡¯s only a day trip to Gairadeite. I went a number of times in the old days.¡± Whenever the humans were showing signs of some type of shrewd plan I had to go over and crush them each time. ¡°A day trip¡­¡­..As unreasonable as ever I see¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What route should we take?¡± (Misha) ¡°The sky is no good due to the magic in the airspace as you enter Azeshion being disturbed. You might be okay after our self-study session though Sasha.¡± (Arnos) Sasha likes to use Flight so during our self-study I deliberately affected the magic in the air and made it hard for her to fly. As a result, she can fly pretty good even in disturbed magical currents now. ¡°Ray and Misa?¡± Misha looks over at them. ¡°Ahaha. I can¡¯t fly but if I use Rain Spirit Mist I think I can keep up.¡± (Misa) Misa can move freely anywhere in range. Its efficiency is poor but its speed is respectable. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just run. I¡¯m not very good at .¡± (Ray) ¡°Then isn¡¯t overland better? If I fly low then we can all travel together.¡± (Sasha) Sasha creates a map using magic and shows the 3 routes with a red line. ¡°The shortest route is through the forest of Tula and after that there are 3 routes you could go. The quickest of those is through the Mireinu desert. If we don¡¯t encounter any problems it will take one day to arrive.¡± (Sasha) Because Menou said that the 3rd years should use the 2 days as a guide Sasha is competing with them. ¡°If we were intending to walk there then that is a very accurate assessment Sasha but why are you opening a map to go to Gairadeite?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Eh?¡± A few different expressions cross Sasha¡¯s face ¡°I¡¯ve already said I¡¯ve been before. What magic do I use to go home with?¡± ¡°Transfer ¡­¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Can it be used over such long distances?¡± (Misha) ¡°It can. If I was to put it in modern-day terms it was originally developed for busy mazoku to travel long distances multiple times a day on business.¡± ¡°¡­..I understand and you didn¡¯t need to put it in modern terms.¡±(Misha) I explained it clearly though? ¡°Anyway, forget one day. It will take us one second.¡± (Arnos) I reach out to Sasha and we all take hands before I use . Chapter 71.2 The pure white landscape regains its colour and a vast lake appears before us. A cityscape surrounded by walls is situated on the lake. The royal fortress city of Gairadeite was built on an island in the centre of the lake. The vast lake is called Lake Seimei (1) and is said to be a holy lake which acts as a natural magic circle and has the power to seal evil. It seems the holy water is still flowing strongly but do they have anyone that can use it after 2000 years? ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a let down to arrive so easily.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Heroes are said to be good with swords. It would be interesting to have a sword exchange with some of them.¡± (Ray) Sasha looks at Ray with an amazed look. I can see her thinking, how do you intend to ask for a sword exchange when we haven¡¯t even started the academy exchange yet. ¡°You only ever think about swords Ray.¡± (Sasha) Ray laughs. ¡°Maybe so. Just like you only ever think about the demon king.¡± (Ray) ¡°Wha¡­¡­what are you saying¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s face goes bright red. ¡°Students of the demon king academy are supposed to only think about the demon king though. You look like an honour student.¡± (Ray) Sasha glares at Ray. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ll remember this sword fetishist¡­¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Unusually, Sasha and Ray are trading barbs with each other as we saunter over to the castle gates. Seeing our uniforms and badges the soldiers on the gates let us right in. As we went through the gate a voice came from behind me asking something even I didn¡¯t know the answer to. ¡°By the way, where is the 3rd hero academy dorm located?¡± ¡°To the east of the hero academy near the wall.¡± (Misha) ¡°Fumu. And where is the hero academy?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Arno¡¯s doesn¡¯t know either?¡± (Misha) ¡°It didn¡¯t exist 2000 years ago.¡± (Arnos) Misha points to a tall building in the distance. ¡°There. Hero academy Arclaniska. It was in the material we were given.¡± (Misha) Fumu. That was the name of the royal castle 2000 years ago. Did they turn it into the hero academy? I guess even though its a peaceful world and military facilities are no longer required its a shame to lose magical facilities. Not a bad decision actually. It would make a good place of learning. My castle of Deruzogedo was turned into an academy as well. On the surface, it seems a good idea but it feels suspicious to me. ¡°For now let¡¯s go and meet Menou Sensei.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Will she be there? She won¡¯t think anyone will be arriving today.¡± (Misa) ¡°¡­¡­You have a point¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) We might as well go anyway so we head over to the 3rd hero dorms. After walking for a while and taking in the unfamiliar cityscape we arrive in front of a beautifully decorated stone building. It¡¯s pretty big. I¡¯d say it houses around 200 people. A sign above the gate says [Arclaniska 3rd Dorm]. ¡°Here.¡± (Misha) Misha points and Menou comes out of the dorm. ¡°Fumu. We¡¯ve arrived Menou.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± Menou stiffened like time had stopped for her. ¡°It should be a pretty good new record.¡± (Arnos) Menou is still stunned as she listens to my words. After a few seconds she opens her mouth. ¡°Wha¡­ just a moment¡­. impossible¡­.right¡­¡­? A day¡­¡­not even one day¡­.. Hardly any time has passed¡­¡­How did you get here¡­¡­.!?¡± (Menou) Menou keeps talking like she can¡¯t believe it. She would have seen through the owl that we were indeed at Deiruheido just a little while ago so there can¡¯t be any doubt that we cheated or anything. ¡°I¡¯ve been to Gairadeite before so I used .¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯d heard that you can use lost magic but I never believed that it could connect to a space so far away¡­¡­¡± (Menou) From the bottom of her heart, Menou looks truly astonished. ¡°¡­¡­I knew you had a talent for magic¡­.. Since I¡¯m a teacher I¡¯ve seen many children called geniuses and even many mixed-bloods who had superior magic but you are in a dimension where the words genius means nothing.¡± Menou stared straight into my face and used her demon eyes. ¡°Arnos-kun¡­¡­..who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the same answer I¡¯ve given everyone else. If you trust in the words of others but don¡¯t trust your own demon eyes then you will never learn the truth no matter how long you live.¡± Demon king of tyranny. Did those words appear in your head? Menou falls silent. (1) Means something like sacred brightness. Chapter 72.1 The five of us got first place in the Gairadeite expedition test. Though clearly troubled Menou announced it to the other students who had not even left Deiruheido yet. The test determines your grade by relative evaluation so we scored 100 points, however, there is such a big difference between our points and the all the others that the other student¡¯s grades have dropped. It was unavoidable though considering our speed. I didn¡¯t care about the points at all but the teacher was bothered by it. I was guided to my dorm room and offloaded my luggage. The rooms are divided into male and female with me and Ray sharing a twin room. Misha, Sasha and Misa are sharing a triple room. ¡°Haven¡¯t we got 10 days free time now?¡± (Ray) ¡°So they said.¡± (Arnos) Only after the 10 days are up can the students who made it to Gairadeite start taking lessons. Until then we are free. ¡°I¡¯m going to go around the city for a while. What will you do?¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s a good idea but I think I¡¯m off to the dining room.¡± (Ray) The dorm dining room is open from morning to evening and apparently, you can go and eat at any time. It¡¯s breakfast time at the moment. ¡°I see your appetite is as huge as ever.¡± (Arnos) He ate breakfast before we left Deruzogedo. ¡°I¡¯m interested in Azeshion cooking.¡± (Ray) ¡°Later then.¡± (Arnos) Ray raises his hand from the bed as I leave the room. ¡°Ah¡­¡­..¡± I¡¯ve just met Sasha. ¡°You going somewhere?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk around the city. Do you want to come with me?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­¡­? Yes¡­¡­.that¡¯s fine¡­¡± (Sasha) I left the dorm with Sasha. ¡°What are Misha and Misa doing?¡± (Arnos) ¡°They are contacting the members of the fan union using Thought Transmission . It seems they are giving advice on the best route to get to Gairadeite.¡± (Sasha) I see. They are taking good care of them. ¡°We should have brought them with us as well.¡± (Sasha) ¡°They¡¯re weak. It will do them good to earnestly do the exam. There¡¯s no point raising your grades without the ability to back them up.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hmmmm.¡± Sasha looks at me meaningfully. ¡°What?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I thought you just went around doing crazy things but you actually consider things as well.¡± (Sasha) ¡°What are you saying? I always think about the right thing to do.¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s face becomes as expressionless. ¡°Even though you tried to kill me yesterday during self-study?¡± (Sasha) ¡°You never actually died though. That¡¯s something to be proud of.¡± (Arnos) Sasha didn¡¯t appear to be expecting that counterattack and seems lost at what to say back to me. ¡°¡­¡­.Did you think you can fool me by praising me? Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m not that simple.¡± (Sasha) Sasha turns to the side in a huff. ¡°I¡¯m not deceiving you though. Three times you surpassed the magic I was sure would kill you. You carry the same demon eyes as me.¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s ears turned red and she looked down. ¡°I said I won¡¯t be fooled even if you praise me. You were honestly trying to kill me.¡± (Sasha) Yare yare. Why aren¡¯t you pleased? I rarely praise you. ¡°Sasha. I told you before that your demon eyes are beautiful. I wasn¡¯t lying about that either.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wha¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Sasha slowly turns around. ¡°What are you saying so suddenly?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s not sudden. I¡¯ve thought it since we first met. Your demon eyes are tranquil and uncorrupted. Yesterday¡¯s self-study only reinforced that belief.¡± (Arnos) Demon eyes are used to look at other demons. By continuing to do that you can improve your skill level and look even deeper into the abyss, however, by doing so your eyes eventually become tainted. Peaceful and clear demon eyes mean you are strongly resistant to magic. Even if you are exposed to ominous magic power your eyes remain untainted. ¡°What were you thinking about during our self-study¡­¡­.concentrate properly¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°What else did I need to think about? I was concentrating on staring into your abyss.¡± (Arnos) By trying to prevent my magic Sasha polished her even further. Even after all that I still can¡¯t see the bottom of her power. Speaking of pure talent Sasha easily surpasses even the mazoku from the age of myths. ¡°Nee¡­¡­.¡± Sasha looks down in embarrassment. ¡°¡­¡­Show me your demon eyes¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Fumu. You want to use my eyes as a reference? ¡°This okay?¡± (Arnos) I activated my and stared at Sasha. ¡°¡­¡­I think your demon eyes are more beautiful than mine¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°No, they aren¡¯t.¡± (Arnos) Sasha became speechless at my firm declaration. ¡°Your eyes are more beautiful. Listen carefully Sasha as I¡¯ll only say this once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Ye¡­¡­.yes¡­¡­..¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes seemed to be sucked into mine. ¡°I want your demon eyes.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Eh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I rarely say such things.¡± (Arnos) Sasha is talented. Her have the potential to one day surpass mine. If she doesn¡¯t neglect her training that is. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand my meaning?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 72.2 ¡°¡­¡­Errm¡­..wait a moment¡­¡­I need to think¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha is confused though its no wonder. I¡¯ve just told her that she might surpass the demon king of tyranny. ¡°Is that right?¡± (Sasha) She must be hesitating being told she could surpass me. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I asserted clearly. ¡°¡­.You¡­¡­.. to think Arnos would say that¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Can¡¯t you believe it?¡± (Arnos) Sasha nods. She¡¯s pretty cute with her defiant attitude. ¡°Having you talk like that when I haven¡¯t done anything is a bit¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯m not on about the top layer. I looked deep into your abyss. Deep, deep within you is a sleeping but majestic shining light.¡± (Arnos) Sasha is at a loss for words. Her that should be controllable now start rampaging and the surroundings start to shake. ¡°Look into my eyes.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­.?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look away.¡± ¡°¡­..Yes¡­..¡± ¡°More.¡± ¡°Even if you say more¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come closer.¡± Sasha approaches me like she¡¯s told and as she comes right up to me I suppress her eyes with mine. Fumu. Even this close I can¡¯t completely suppress her eyes. As I thought. Her eyes are hiding a tremendous power. ¡°Do you understand?¡± (Arnos) Sasha nods in embarrassment. ¡°¡­¡­..Haven¡¯t you gone on a date with Misha already though?¡± (Sasha) A date? That time we went out together? ¡°What about it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well, Arnos with Misha¡­¡­¡± Sasha seems to be struggling to get her words out. ¡°¡­..and¡­..well¡­¡­didn¡¯t you want Misha¡¯s demon eyes¡­¡­..?¡± I see. Sasha must have seen Misha¡¯s talent as well. ¡°It¡¯s true that Misha has good demon eyes and they are in no way inferior to yours.¡± Sasha looks up at me with upturned eyes. ¡°¡­..Arnos¡­¡­..who¡¯s are better¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Impossible to choose.¡± Who¡¯s better? A question people will always be interested in especially if they are close to that person, however, their demon eyes have very different qualities. They can¡¯t be compared. ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t you know?¡± (Sasha) Fumu. Was my choice of words confusing? ¡°I want both of you.¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeeh¡­¡­..!? Both of us?¡± Sasha raises her voice in surprise. ¡°Are you unhappy with both of you? ¡°¡­¡­.Isn¡¯t it a bit strange¡­¡­..?¡± I laughed unintentionally. ¡°Why are you laughing? What¡¯s wrong with wanting to be number one. Is that strange¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s good Sasha. You should aim for the top. When you compete with others you shine even more.¡± ¡°¡­..I see¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯m not sure if her murmur was relief or disappointment. ¡°You know what?¡± (Sasha) Sasha speaks like she¡¯s given up. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯m only going to say this once as well¡­¡­.¡± Hearing her words I look at Sasha with a serious expression. ¡°If you want, I¡¯ll give you these demon eyes.¡± Fumu. Certainly, demon eyes can be taken by force but the light will never return to the person who¡¯s had them taken. I won¡¯t take them though it¡¯s admirable to show such loyalty. ¡°I won¡¯t take them but I want you to make a promise with me.¡± (Arnos) Sasha has a questioning look in her eyes. ¡°Someday, I might find myself in a situation that is out of my control. At that time I might not be able to protect those I want to protect.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t think that will ever happen¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°Probably not but there¡¯s no absolutes. Anyway, in that instance, I¡¯ll depend on you to protect me Sasha. Your eyes have that power.¡± ¡°If that happens and I keep my promise will you listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°You can say anything to me.¡± Sasha looks happy and nods bashfully. ¡°You promise?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Do you want to use ?¡± (Arnos) Sasha shakes her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. A promise is better than a contract.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I see.¡± Her have settled and when we start walking she seems in a good mood. ¡°By the way, where were you going?¡± (Sasha) ¡°To find out what type of traditions have been handed down about the heroes.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Well then. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll get that information from the hero academy?¡± (Sasha) Sasha points down one of the paths up ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aiming for the hero academy Arclaniska that can be seen in the distance we start walking. Chapter 73.1 In front of me is the hero academy. It¡¯s a beautiful and majestic castle emitting a strong magic power. There must be old magic tools and formations inside. The power I¡¯m feeling from it now is no different from 2000 years ago. ¡°I know you just decided to come here on a whim but is it okay to enter without permission?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good or bad but there are no places I can¡¯t enter.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looks at me in amazement. ¡°¡­.You know¡­¡­ Can you stop trying to cause problems before the exchange even starts?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± (Arnos) I walk straight forward and stand in front of the gates. I give them a light push but they remain closed. ¡°Lock Barrier . Only authorised people are allowed to enter.¡± (Arnos) It seems that only teachers and students affiliated with the academy can enter, however, as magic goes it¡¯s neither strong nor special. ¡°If you try to force it we¡¯ll probably get reported. It¡¯s impossible to enter at the moment so let¡¯s¡ª¡ª¡± (Sasha) ¡°Open.¡± (Arnos) At my command, a key can be heard turning and a lock clunking open. My words had residual magic left on them and so was forced open and allowed us entry. ¡°Fumu. It seems we are allowed to pass after all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Opening without casting magic¡­¡­¡­ As out of the norm as always.¡± (Sasha) Sasha used her demon eyes on the gate trying to see what I did. Leaving her to it I pushed them open. ¡°Hang on. Are you serious? What are you going to do if we get found?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Shall I tell you one of the things I¡¯m particularly good at?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Go on.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Silencing people.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looks at me in extreme disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t make such a face. I¡¯m half-joking.¡± (Arnos) ¡°So half was serious? Can you please stop. If you do that then this exchange will never happen again. You didn¡¯t even need to come here to see what lore and traditions had been passed down about the heroes. You¡¯d find out anyway in another 10 days.¡± (Sasha) ¡°So noisy. If you act like you belong here everything will work out.¡± (Arnos) As I touch the gate again I hear a voice from behind. ¡°Okay. Please be quiet you two.¡± Sasha twitched and glared at me. Her eyes are saying you turn around. Without caring I turn and look back to see a woman in a scarlet uniform. Her hair goes past her waist and her face has a gentle expression. What caught my attention the most though were the 2 bulges in her uniform. Fumu. They¡¯re huge. There were no owners of such huge breasts 2000 years ago. Has this been brought about by human dietary changes or changes to their sleeping habits? Humans lived harsh lives 2000 years ago. With the exception of a few of them, most humans could only eat at irregular times and most were afraid to sleep at night. Humans today though have a nutritious diet and live in an environment where they can sleep in peace. There¡¯s no longer any obstacles to their growth. In other words, this is the true ecology of humans. Are those bulges the proof of the peace that I sought? (1) ¡°It¡¯s no good. The academy is closed to outsiders.¡± The women addressed us in a laid back tone of voice. ¡°Fumu. I didn¡¯t know that. We¡¯ve only just arrived from Deiruheido you see.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Deiruheido?¡± The women must have noticed something and looked at our uniforms. ¡°Aah. Are you the people from the demon king academy by any chance?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I see I see. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Eleonor Bianca a third-year student here at the hero academy. I believe we¡¯ll be doing the academy exchange together.¡± Eleonor holds out her hand in welcome. ¡°Arnos Voldigod.¡± ¡°Sasha Necron. First-year student at the demon king academy. Arnos is the same.¡± We all give our names and shake hands. ¡°What did Arnos-kun and Sasha-chan come to do? Isn¡¯t the exchange due to happen next week?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯m interested in the traditions of the heroes.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wow. You¡¯re keen on studying Arnos-kun. Are you going inside?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Didn¡¯t you say its off-limits to outsiders?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yup. Outsiders only though. It¡¯s fine if I¡¯m with you.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor walked over and touched the gate. ¡°Eh?¡± (Eleonor) She looked at the gate in concentration. Has she realised I had broken through and unlocked it? Eleonor turns around while Sasha has an awkward look on her face. Chapter 73.2 ¡°Heeey. I won¡¯t say anything today but don¡¯t do it again. Okay?¡± (Eleonor) She speaks like she¡¯s telling off a child. ¡°Fumu. Are you listening Sasha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Haaaaaa! How many people are you trying to blame!? I tried to stop you!¡± (Sasha) I laughed. ¡°I¡¯m only playing. I think it good to do it occasionally.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Why are you dragging me into your occasional play?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Because it¡¯s my first meeting with Eleonor I thought I¡¯d show off my playful side.¡± (Arnos) ¡°What! Such natural responsibility shifting only shows off your darkness.¡± (Sasha) Eleonor seems taken aback watching our interaction but it soon changes to a smile and she laughs. ¡°That¡¯s no good Arnos-kun. You need to be kind to girls.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Unfortunately the mazoku don¡¯t have such values.¡± (Arnos) ¡°We do.¡± Sasha says in a flash. ¡°What?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Don¡¯t what me. I said we do.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Fumu. However, unlike humans, the mazoku have no difference in ability due to genders. Why does such a thing exist now?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t know much about humans so I can¡¯t comment on them but such manners amongst the mazoku are commonplace now.¡± (Sasha) Fumu. I guess a lot changes in 2000 years. ¡°Perhaps¡­.¡± Eleonor starts speaking as she pushes open the gates and enters the academy. ¡± You¡¯re a reincarnated person Arnos-kun?¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Following along behind her I answer. ¡°Wow. So there are reincarnated people amongst the mazoku as well?¡± (Eleonor) Her tone of voice is almost trivial. It seems reincarnated people are not rare. Human¡¯s didn¡¯t know the magic of Reincarnation but perhaps it¡¯s different in Gairadeite? It¡¯s also possible it¡¯s limited to the academy only. ¡°Arent reincarnated people rare here?¡± (Arnos) ¡°All the people in [Jergakanon] are reincarnated. Aah¡­¡­!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah¡­errrm¡­.we weren¡¯t supposed to mention reincarnation to outsiders. A lot of normal humans find it creepy.¡± (Eleonor) I see. I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s the only reason though. ¡°Bu¡­but its fine. We¡¯re doing an exchange with the demon king academy and they have reincarnated people as well. I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s alright.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor makes a fist. She seems to be trying hard to convince herself. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t say anything to anyone.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really? I¡¯m grateful. Thank you.¡± (Eleonor) Her face bursts into smile like a flower. ¡°Are you like that in the demon king academy as well? Are you all excited about people reincarnating? Here at home, stories about the hero Kanon reincarnating are the most popular.¡± (Eleonor) Popularity is a very human concept. ¡°Has the hero Kanon reincarnated?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yup. Four of them. Oh, that¡¯s a secret as well.¡± (Eleonor) Sasha looks puzzled. ¡°Four of them¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Kanon had seven origins. If each of them reincarnated into different bodies it wouldn¡¯t be strange to have four of them.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods at my words. ¡°That¡¯s it. Are the heroes well known in the demon king academy or is it because Arnos-kun is a reincarnated person?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Well, they are known in the demon king academy.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really? I¡¯ve wanted to ask a mazoku for a while now if it¡¯s true but isn¡¯t the most popular reincarnated person in the demon king academy the demon king?¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor stops and raises her finger. ¡°The demon king of tyranny Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Eleonor) Sasha silently looks at me. Fumu. The name has even changed in the hero academy. I can¡¯t say much yet but I¡¯m certain that it¡¯s not only the humans who are plotting something. (1) I believe this is the first time Arnos has commented on women beyond their faces or hair so there we go peeps. Our boy Arnos does have a sex drive after all. Turns out he likes huge breasts, he just never saw them ???? Chapter 74.1 ¡°Aah¡­¡­¡­sorry.¡± Eleonor suddenly bows her head in apology. ¡°What for?¡± (Arnos) A questioning look appeared on her face. ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t the name of the demon king of tyranny something that shouldn¡¯t be said out loud?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± (Arnos) She¡¯s on about that. It seems they do have information about the mazoku even though we haven¡¯t had any official exchanges. Who found that information out and for what reason? ¡°Errm, well, you don¡¯t like other people speaking his name out, right?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor looks at Sasha. ¡°I¡¯m not bothered either but it¡¯s probably best if you don¡¯t say it out loud when we start the exchange. If you rile the royals up it will become a pain.¡± (Sasha) Eleonor exhaled in relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad both of you aren¡¯t bothered. I was told to never say it out loud as it would cause a big problem. What if a mazoku says it though? Is that okay?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Well, sort of.¡± (Sasha) It seems she has quite a loose character since she easily came out and said it despite being warned. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sorry for being careless.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor sticks her tongue out slightly at her failure. ¡°Ah, hang on a sec.¡± Eleonor stops suddenly ¡°We¡¯ve passed it. Sorry, this is where you want to go.¡± Turning around Elenor walks back a bit and opens a door we¡¯ve just passed. Inside is a well ventilated circular atrium. You can see stairs in various places leading upwards to the top floor and as far as the eye can see are bookshelves filled to the brim with books. ¡°This is the magic library that the hero academy is proud of. Books on magic are collected from all over Azeshion. The only lore you cant find here is regarding Deiruheido and other countries.¡± (Eleonor) As soon as Eleonor finished talking she walked over to a certain shelf. ¡°Lore on the heroes should be somewhere around here. Which hero are you interested in?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Kanon.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wow! The hero Kanon is even popular in Deiruheido!¡± (Eleonor) She looks happy though she¡¯s being serious and has stopped playing around. ¡°Is it because he beat the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Eleonor) At her words, Sasha gave her a sharp gaze. ¡°Aah¡­¡­..so..sorry. Please forget I said that¡­¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor seems quite apologetic. ¡°What do you mean? When did the hero Kanon beat the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Sasha) Sasha moves closer to Eleonor step by step. In the past, I¡¯m sure her would have appeared by now. ¡°Sorry¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯m not asking if you¡¯re sorry, I¡¯m asking what you meant. Is the lore here that the hero Kanon beat the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Sasha) Elenor nods while still looking apologetic. ¡°Who made the wall?¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­¡­.Errm, what wall?¡± (Eleanor) ¡°. The wall that dived the world into four.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Do you mean the Four Great Sages Barrier ?¡± (Eleonor) Sasha¡¯s face takes on a dubious expression. ¡°?¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s the barrier the hero Kanon created to protect the humans, spirits and gods from the mazoku counterattack after killing the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Stop screwing around¡± (Sasha) Speaking in a low angry voice, Sasha glares at Eleonor. Fumu. This is troublesome. I lightly put my hand on Sasha¡¯s head to calm her down. ¡°Wha¡­..wait¡­..Arnos¡­¡­.hand. What are you doing suddenly?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Don¡¯t get angry Sasha. This is hardly surprising.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looks the other way sulking slightly. ¡°¡­¡­But it was the wall you made using your own life¡­..¡± (Sasha) Sasha muttered it so low only I could hear it. ¡°I¡¯m happy about your feelings but humans are creatures that modify history whenever it¡¯s convenient for them. If you get serious about each and every little thing your body won¡¯t last.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..If you¡¯re fine with it then so am I¡­¡­. Your hand¡­..let go¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) I let go like asked and Sasha lets out a little ¡°Aah¡±. I look to see what¡¯s wrong. ¡°¡­..It¡¯s nothing¡­..¡± (Sasha) Sasha looks down ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor apologised again. ¡°Was that another thing you weren¡¯t supposed to speak about?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods. ¡°How is the history of that event told in Deiruheido?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°The demon king of tyranny gathered the hero, the great spirit and the god of creation in Deruzogedo where they combined their powers to create the wall and divide the world into four. Unable to withstand the enormous magic power the demon king lost his body and said he would reincarnate two thousand years in the future which is this era.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor listens to my explanation with a blank look on her face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t believe it. Since the moment you were born you¡¯ve been taught that the hero beat the demon king after all.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods at my words while still looking puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled Eleonor.¡± A cold, sharp voice calls out. Looking over at a desk I saw a man with an open book wearing the same scarlet uniform as Eleonor. Blue hair and cold eyes like ice look out sharply from behind a pair of glasses. ¡°It¡¯s the way of the mazoku to manipulate words so they seem genuine and deceive people.¡± Fumu. Unlike Eleonor, the wind of hostility blows from this one. It seems the hero academy has very mixed students. ¡°To begin with.¡± The man closes the book and slowly comes over to us. ¡°Why would the demon king who committed many acts of atrocity make a wall that would protect humans at the cost of his own life? It¡¯s totally nonsensical. They worship their ancestors too much and refuse to accept defeat. So much so in fact, it can only be called stupidity as it stops them from thinking properly.¡± The man stops and turns to me. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so guest from the demon king academy?¡± ¡°Fumu. I have the exact same opinion human. Then, in your free and forward-thinking way you should think about it a bit as well. The world wall was it? How was it possible to create and sustain such a huge magic barrier with only you humans magic power?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 74.2 The man puts his index finger to his glasses and casually said. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. But doing the impossible is what a hero does. It¡¯s no wonder you can¡¯t understand it mazoku. The hearts and prayers of us humans wishing for peace allows the hero to perform miracles.¡± ¡°Fu¡­.kukuku.¡± laughter leaks deep from my stomach. ¡°Kuhahahahahah. A miracle huh? That¡¯s not a nice way to put it. It seems even now just like in the old days you humans can still amaze me. A word of advice human. There¡¯s no such convenient thing in this world as a miracle that will come true if you simply pray.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would understand it.¡± The man brushes me off with his words. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t let yourself be deceived by the gods.¡± (Arnos) The man shows a reaction to my words. ¡°Are you a reincarnated person?¡± (Arnos) While still looking at me with a cold expression the man says. ¡°Hero academy selection class [Jergakanon] 2nd rank, reincarnated from the first origin of the hero Kanon. Holy water guardian knight Ledoriano Kanon Azeschen.¡± This person has reincarnated from the first origin and the hero Kanon? ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t think so.¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano makes a stern expression. ¡°What was that?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°I said there¡¯s no way I can believe that you are a reincarnation of Kanon. That, or with having seven origins some of them will turn out to be losers.¡± (Arnos) Of the seven origins Kanon had, six were collected from others. The original origin would be Kanon¡¯s own. It¡¯s no wonder that since the other six origins would not fully inherit the existence known as Kanon there would be some change in quality after all these years. ¡°¡­¡­I suggest you take your words back.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Which ones?¡± (Arnos) ¡°The remark about me not being the hero Kanon. You may not know but inheriting the origin of the legendary Kanon is something we humans bear with great pride. We will not stand idly by when someone denies it.¡± (Ledoriano) Pride? ¡°Nope, don¡¯t get it. Buring with pride and boasting about yourself? It doesn¡¯t matter who your ancestors are or how legendary the hero was, what¡¯s the point sticking to those boring things?¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano sighs. ¡°Just for you, I¡¯ll explain it again.¡± (Ledoriano) Putting his fingertip to his glasses again he threatens me in his cool tone. ¡°Slow down already Ledoriano.¡± I hear a voice coming from the second floor. Looking up I can see someone sitting on the edge of the window. It¡¯s a red-haired man also in a scarlet uniform. ¡°I sensed mazoku magic power so I came to check it out. What¡¯s going on?¡± The red-haired man jumped from the second floor and landed in front of Ledoriano. ¡°Let me give you my name first. Hero academy selection class [Jergakanon] 4th rank, reincarnated from the third origin of the hero Kanon. Holy flame destruction knight Laos Kanon Jillfou.¡± Laos takes a step forward. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± (Laos) ¡°Fumu. You seem to be a failure as well.¡± (Arnos) ¡°What¡­..?¡± (Laos) Laos frowned at my remark. ¡°You seem to have poor hearing. I said that I didn¡¯t think that you were Kanon.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hey, mazoku whose name I don¡¯t know.¡± Laos speaks with anger in his words. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the name of the person who defeated your leader?¡± ¡°Are you trying to appear smart? If you want to believe in false history that¡¯s up to you but you should observe the other party first before speaking.¡± (Arnos) Laos face takes on an irritated expression. ¡°It¡¯s still not too late. I¡¯m not an ogre and anyone can make a mistake¡± (Laos) Laos releases magic power from his whole body in a threatening manner. ¡°Admit that the demon king of tyranny was defeated by the hero and that the wall was built by the hero and then I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± (Laos) I can help but laugh at his words. ¡°Hou. Are you looking down on me?¡± (Laos) ¡°Fumu. I understand.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± (Laos) ¡°The hero defeated the demon king of tyranny? You really shouldn¡¯t blindly believe in things you haven¡¯t personally seen.¡± (Arnos) Laos glares at me, his eyes full of bloodlust. ¡°Fine. Then let me teach you the power of the hero kanon who defeated the demon king of tyranny. Perhaps then you will understand.¡± (Laos) ¡°Stop it Laos. He¡¯s a guest. It¡¯ll be troublesome if you hurt him.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°I¡¯m not going to use my sacred sword but this guy doesn¡¯t seem to know anything about heroes so as a substitute for a greeting I¡¯m going to lightly show him the power of a hero.¡± (Laos) ¡°Stop it. Are you really going to go wild in such a plac¡ª¡± (Ledoriano) I laughed and cut him off. ¡°By all means, I would love to be taught it. This power of a hero.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hey, this guys motivated as well.¡± (Laos) Ledoriano sighs and gives up. ¡°Be prepared to be punished later then.¡± (Ledoriano) Laos steps forward totally ignoring Ledoriano¡¯s words and makes two fists. Fire ignites from both his fists and wraps around them. ¡°Don¡¯t blink. I¡¯ll show you something amazing!!!¡± (Laos) Laos throws out a fist without moving from the spot and holy flames slam into me. ¡°Fumu. When it comes to blinking ¡ª¡± I close my eyes and the next moment the holy flames go out and Laos is blown backwards through a number of bookshelves before finally stopping embedded in the wall. ¡°What was that?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Wha¡­¡­..ga¡­.ha¡­¡­what was that¡­¡­.?¡± (Laos) Laos doesn¡¯t seem to understand what happened. ¡°¡­..What¡­..did you do¡­¡­?¡± (Laos) ¡°What did I do? I blinked.¡± (Arnos) The wind pressure generated by my blink that I had poured magic power into blew out the holy flames and tore the anti-magic of Laos into shreds. ¡°¡­.Imp¡­..ossi¡­¡­ble¡­¡­! Such¡­¡­an absurd¡­..thing¡­¡­!¡± It doesn¡¯t seem like Laos can move at the moment. ¡°Add that to your history textbooks. A descendent of the hero Kanon was done in by a blink.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 75.1 Are you upset by my words? Laos puts his hands on the floor and puts power in his feet but his body is pretty tattered and he is unable to stand up. ¡°You¡­¡­.!!¡± (Laos) Gritting his teeth Laos glares at me. ¡°It¡¯s fine Laos. This is your defeat.¡± (Ledoriano) While speaking Ledoriano stands in front of me. ¡°I apologise for his rudeness. As a consideration for me would you consider forgiving him?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°I¡¯ll think about it if you apologise for being rude as well. (Arnos) Ledoriano speaks without any hesitation. ¡°As you say, the hero Kanon may not have defeated the demon king of tyranny. It happened 2000 years ago after all and we have no way knowing the truth.¡± (Ledoriano) I was actually a little surprised. ¡°You changed your attitude pretty quickly.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Of course I did. Why not? When shown such a difference in power I¡¯ll do what you say.¡± (Ledoriano) It¡¯s a calm judgement after witnessing my power but it doesn¡¯t sit right in my gut for some reason. Why be so hostile if you are going to back down that quickly? ¡°What happened to your pride? Is that all right for a reincarnation of the hero Kanon?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Pride is never more important than a life. If bowing my head will resolve a situation then I¡¯ll do it as many times as needed.¡± (Ledoriano) Fumu. It¡¯s a believable reason. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go Sasha.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­¡­? You done? I thought you¡¯d rampage a bit more.¡± (Sasha) ¡°There¡¯s no point tormenting an opponent who¡¯s lost their hostility.¡± (Arnos) We head for the door. ¡°Aah, please wait. Can you tell me your name?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod.¡± Opening the door we left the library. ¡°Wait wait.¡± Eleonor rushes after us. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the gate.¡± As we move quickly to the gate Eleonor raises her finger. ¡°You leaving right away?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I don¡¯t mind and I¡¯m sorry for any trouble I¡¯ve caused you.¡± (Arnos) After that, we continued to the gate with Elenor following us to see us off. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I know you got into a quarrel but Arnos-kun is really strong. I was surprised.¡± Eleonor said as we reached the gate. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. There are energetic people wherever you go. It¡¯s a bit troubling though when people think pure power can solve all their problems.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.That line has zero persuasive power coming from you¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Fumu. What do you mean Sasha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all.¡± (Sasha) Eleonor laughs at our interactions. ¡°Arnos-kun and Sasha-chan are close. Are you dating?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Eh¡­..no¡­¡­.such a thing¡­¡­isn¡¯t¡­..!!¡± (Sasha) ¡°Hmm? What are you getting so flustered over?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What! I¡¯m not flustered.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I see, I see. Hmm. Not flustered huh?¡± (Eleonor) *Unun* Eleonor nods. After looking at me Sasha looks down. ¡°What¡¯s with that¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) Eleonor smiles softly. ¡°Could you come here Arnos-kun?¡± (Elenor) ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± (Arnos) Going up to her she puts her lips near my ear. ¡°You¡¯d be better off skipping this academy exchange. The hero academy hasn¡¯t changed in 2000 years.¡± (Eleonor) After whispering that to me Elenor separated her body from mine. ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Arnos) She laughs and smiles at me. ¡°You¡¯d be better off not knowing any more. Bye-bye.¡± (Elenor) Elenor returns and heads back into the academy. ¡°What did she say?¡± (Sasha) It hasn¡¯t changed in 2000 years huh? ¡°Open.¡± (Arnos) I force open Lock Barrier and open the gate. ¡°Hey hey, Arnos. What are you going to do?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯ll behave myself properly this time. Why don¡¯t you go and play around in the city?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡­..!?¡± (Sasha) Ignoring Sasha¡¯s raised voice I cast Illusion Mimicry and hide my magic with Hiding Magic . Walking through the gate I head through the garden and come to the outside wall of the library. Looking up I see the second-floor window which Laos entered through is still open. Jumping lightly I entered through there and heard voices. ¡°I left you with the bad guy role there Laos.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± (Laos) Looking down I could see Laos who was covered in the light of recovery magic. ¡°But damn that mazoku was strong.¡± (Laos) He stood up as if nothing had happened. ¡°What level was that guy?¡± Ledoriano says quietly. ¡°Five students have made it to Gairadeite so far and I think he¡¯s one of them. He¡¯s probably one of the top class ones from the demon king academy. Is he a 3rd year or one of those chaos generations we¡¯ve heard about?¡± Chapter 75.2 ¡°Is he the reincarnation of the demon king of tyranny?¡± ¡°If so then¡ª¡ª¡± A clear voice echoes in the magic library. Appearing in view is a boy in a scarlet uniform. He¡¯s got blonde hair with red eyes and nice facial features. ¡°The mazoku are not our enemy.¡± Laos laughs and shows his agreement. ¡°Aah, I agree. I somewhat understand opponent-sans ability. He¡¯s certainly strong, frighteningly so but I¡¯m not saying I couldn¡¯t win in a fight against him though. To them we humans are small fish after all.¡± (Laos) ¡°Was he fooled by your acting?¡± (Ledoriano) Laos nods. The blonde boy speaks. ¡°The day of the academy exchange is coming up. From now on well be able to see the surprised faces of the mazoku.¡± Fumu. Looks like he pretended to be beaten by me so they could hide their strength for the upcoming competitive tests with the academy exchange. Looks like the humans are still good at trickery. Is this related to what Eleonor said about them not changing even after 2000 years? Thinking about it, you could think that it looks like the grudge against the mazoku has not diminished but to me, I¡¯m finding it hard to see it as anything other than people being in high spirits about the upcoming academy exchange and the competitive tests. ¡°After all, we have the holy mother on our side. Don¡¯t we Eleonor.¡± The blonde boy calls out to Eleonor who has returned, however, she remains silent. ¡°Eleonor?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± (Eleonor) Elenor heads up the stairs alone. ¡°As usual I don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s thinking.¡± (Ledoriano) The blonde boy smiles wryly. Eleonor comes straight upstairs and walks to the window where I am before staring outside. No, it¡¯s different. Her eyes meet mine. Fumu. Can she see me? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Elenor opens her mouth and silently mouths some words. *Here is no good* she says Eleonor then smiles and points outside before casting Flight and flying out of the window. I follow after her. Eleonor stops in the shade of a tree a little way away from the magic library. ¡°I remember giving you some advice. I¡¯m sure I said you mustn¡¯t enter without permission.¡± (Eleonor) Looks like she can see me. I cancel and appear. ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive. There¡¯s hardly anyone that¡¯s ever seen through this.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hahaha. I can¡¯t see your figure or your magic at all, however, your origin can¡¯t be hidden.¡± (Eleonor) I see. That is true but usually, you can only see someone¡¯s origin due to their magic power. Average demon eyes cannot see someone¡¯s origin directly. There are exceptions however. The hero Kanon who was good at root magic was able to do so. ¡°Now you¡¯ve understood you should leave. Nothing good will come from getting involved with the hero academy.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Aren¡¯t you a student here at the hero academy?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I am and I¡¯m also not lying.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Evidence?¡± (Arnos) ¡°None.¡± Eleanor says without hesitation. I unintentionally laugh at her dignified manner. ¡°Aah. You don¡¯t believe me?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°No, I just think you¡¯re a funny person. I¡¯ll withdraw today out of consideration for you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really? In that case, out of consideration for me would you tell me something?¡± Eleonor asks in a happy tone of voice. Yare yare. What a shameless fellow. I like it. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll answer anything.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do you have any memories from your past life Arnos-kun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do you know about the hero Kanon?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°That¡¯s two things.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah.¡± (Eleonor) Eleanor¡¯s face takes on a *Damn it* look. ¡°I was careless.¡± (Elenor) She sticks her tongue out in embarrassment. ¡°I knew Kanon. I made him a promise before I reincarnated and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I came to see if he¡¯s been reborn.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± (Eleonor) Eleanor¡¯s face takes on a strange look. Is she wondering why I told her? ¡°Then I¡¯ll also teach you something as well but its a secret between us two.¡± (Elenor) Eleonor raises a finger. ¡°I promise.¡± (Arnos) Her usual relaxed expression became serious. ¡°The hero Kanon doesn¡¯t exist anymore. At least not the Kanon you¡¯re looking for.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Fumu. What do you mean?¡± (Arnos) ¡°2000 years ago he was killed. Despite his origin, he¡¯s no longer a hero. If you look for him you¡¯ll probably regret it.¡± (Eleonor) I heard a voice from the distance. ¡°Oiiii! Eleonor! What are you doing over there? Heine is gathering everyone!¡± I instantly hide with . ¡°Sorry. I need to go.¡± Eleonor says and starts heading to the magic library. ¡°Eleonor.¡± (Arnos) She turns around when I called her. ¡°Who killed him?¡± (Arnos) With a sad look she says ¡°¡­¡­..Humans.¡± Eleonor leaves with those parting words. Chapter 76.1 Leaving the hero academy I found Sasha standing by the side of the gate. ¡°Were you waiting for me Sasha?¡± (Arnos) Upon hearing my voice she turns towards me with a smile but she appears to change her mind and starts glaring at me instead. ¡°I wasn¡¯t waiting for you. You were so slow I wondered if something had happened and came back.¡± (Sasha) ¡°You were worried about me?¡± (Arnos) ¡°What are y¡­..¡± Sasha stopped and thought about what she was saying and started again ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d killed them all before the academy exchange had even started.¡± (Sasha) I laughed. Even I know that much. ¡°Even though we are told that this exchange is to learn each other¡¯s magic methods its main goal is to foster friendship between Deiruheido and Azeshion which would be very difficult if you go rampaging like you do in Deruzogedo.¡± (Sasha) ¡°The other side doesn¡¯t appear to know that.¡± (Arnos) As if losing her momentum Sasha falls silent. ¡°¡­¡­Certainly, given our histories together I wonder if we can become friends¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) When I start walking Sasha starts walking next to me. ¡°Well, like I said earlier its only false history that the hero Kanon defeated me that¡¯s been passed on. It¡¯s probably premature to think that all humans are hostile to the mazoku.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Why?¡± (Sasha) ¡°The uncontrollable and unimaginably powerful demon king brought peace to the world on a whim. The humans can¡¯t forget their fear of the demon king with that story since if he reincarnates he might decide to destroy the world on a whim this time.¡± (Arnos) Sasha nods. ¡°Even if he knew it was a lie did the hero decide to say that he did to reassure the people?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It would be the best thing to do. It¡¯s a true fact that the demon king of tyranny did die after all. Besides, even if your enemy who committed all kinds of atrocities said he wanted peace few would believe it.¡± (Arnos) That¡¯s why the great war started 2000 years ago. Grudges on top of grudges swirling together before finally overflowing. I hated it. ¡°They strongly believe that legend that¡¯s been passed down and since they believe themselves to be descendants of heroes as well it¡¯s obvious they will have a strong opinion of the mazoku. It¡¯s pretty adorable actually.¡± (Arnos) ¡°And who was the one who childishly hit that human who was trying to appear clever a while ago?¡± (Sasha) Sasha stares at me. ¡°I was only playing with him. It was cute.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Ahh¡­.I see. Giving people lifetime traumas is cute¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) He seemed fine about it. There¡¯s no need to worry. ¡°Apart from saying that friendship is not the goal what else did you find out?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Nothing I can understand and the mysteries have increased.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Okay?¡± (Sasha) 2000 years ago the hero Kanon was killed by humans. It was obviously after I had died and started my process of reincarnation so what exactly happened? Why would humans kill the hero who saved humanity by fighting the demon king of tyranny all his life? Was he involved in a power struggle or was Avos Dillheavia involved? At the moment the quickest way appears to be asking Eleonor what happened. ¡°Apparently that Laos guy was just pretending to be beaten by me.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Were they testing us or do we need to be wary?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It seems they wanted to test my strength so they openly picked a quarrel.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hmph. How impertinent.¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s eyes become sharp. Looks like she¡¯s getting angry. It¡¯s probably been building up since the trouble a little while ago. I wonder if they will have another little play for me to act out the next time we meet in the exams? ¡°Nee Arnos.¡± (Sasha) Sasha notices something and pulls on my sleeve. ¡°Over there.¡± (Sasha) Following Sasha¡¯s gaze, I see an androgynous white-haired man and a quirky looking brown-haired girl. It¡¯s Ray and Misa. They are both walking together down the road and seem to have a nice atmosphere around them ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve finished giving advice to the fan union.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wait.¡± (Sasha) As I was about to call out Sasha grabbed my hand. ¡°What?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Errm¡­¡­it would be bad to disturb them.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Why?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Well, we might not be disturbing them but I think we would be disturbing them.¡± (Sasha) Fumu. What a roundabout comment. ¡°Errgh! What are your eyes for? Put simply Misa likes Ray.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Oh.¡± (Arnos) When did this happen? How interesting. ¡°What about Ray?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­I can never tell what that guys thinking but he talks to Misa a lot. You¡¯re a man. Don¡¯t you talk about these things? Can¡¯t you understand this through your male bond or something?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯ve never had such a talk.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.I see.¡± (Sasha) Turning a corner Ray and Misa enter the main central street. ¡°Let¡¯s follow them.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Haaa!? We can¡¯t! That would be shameless.¡± (Sasha) ¡°You don¡¯t have to come if you¡¯re not interested.¡± (Arnos) Following Ray, I enter the main central street. It¡¯s very crowded but with my demon eyes, I¡¯ll never lose sight of them and listening really hard I could hear their conversation. ¡°Fufufu it¡¯s great. There¡¯s so many stalls around.¡± (Misa) ¡°Is there a festival going on as well?¡± (Ray) Ray and Misa are smiling and laughing together as usual. ¡°If I remember correctly I think this is the birthday of the great hero Jerga. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what it said on the guide we were given by the academy. They celebrate the day Jerga was born and it seems to go on for a whole month.¡± (Misa) ¡°Ohh.¡± (Ray) Ray happily walks down the street watching the street performers and looking at the stands. Suddenly they stop and look at a stall. ¡°Want to try it?¡± (Ray) ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll give it a go.¡± (Misa) They both head over to a stall that looks like an archery stall. There¡¯s wooden bows on the stand and it looks like there¡¯s different prizes depending on what you hit. Deiruheido and Azeshion have different currencies but our money was converted before we left. After paying Misa picked up a bow. I¡¯d say the targets were about 8 meters away and you get three arrows. Misa aimed at the targets and missed all three times. ¡°Ahahaha. No good at all.¡± (Misa) Although she failed Misa looked like she was having fun. ¡°You having a go Ray?¡± (Misa) Chapter 76.2 ¡°I¡¯ve never used a bow before.¡± (Ray) Ray pays the shopkeeper and takes the bow from Misa. ¡°What were you aiming for?¡± (Ray) ¡°That target there.¡± (Misa) The prize Misa was pointing at was a shell necklace. ¡°Can you hit it?¡± (Misa) Ray draws the bow and aims. His first arrow grazes the target. ¡°Almost. Only a bit more.¡± (Misa) ¡°I¡¯ll hit it next time.¡± Ray says and smiles his refreshing smile ¡°Eh? You sure about saying that? Won¡¯t you be ashamed if you miss?¡± (Misa) ¡°Want to bet?¡± (Ray) ¡°Then please treat me to something when you miss.¡± (Misa) ¡°Fine.¡± (Ray) As Ray said fine his arrow had already been planted right in the middle of the target. ¡°Waaa! I should have expected that and right in the centre no less. Amazing.¡± (Misa) That¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve used a bow? Even when it¡¯s not a sword I see his fast growth is still present. ¡°¡­¡­..What¡¯s with this? All that flirting going on between them¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Standing behind me and peeking out from my back is Sasha. It seems she was interested after all. ¡°Arent those two always like this though?¡± (Arnos) ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This atmosphere is at least 3 times more sweeter than usual.¡± (Sasha) Sasha has an envious look on her face. ¡°Congratulations. With that level of skill even if the deep darkness comes you¡¯ll be safe.¡± (shopkeeper) ¡°¡­¡­.Deep darkness?¡± ¡°Ooops. Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t say such things during a birthday celebration. Now, which one would you like?¡± (shopkeeper) The shopkeeper shows them a selection of necklaces. ¡°Do you have a single shellfish?¡± (Ray) The shopkeeper picks up a shellfish necklace. ¡°I do indeed. Are you going to put it on her?¡± (Shopkeeper) The shopkeeper passes a necklace with two shells on it to Ray. ¡°Thank you.¡± (Ray) Ray and Misa leave the stall. ¡°Ahahaha. We¡¯ve been misunderstood. Sorry.¡± (Misa) ¡°Why? I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­¡­I¡­.I see¡­¡­ahaha¡­¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa laughs shyly. ¡°Were you happy?¡± (Ray) ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± (Misa) ¡°Don¡¯t you like Arnos? You might be misunderstood if you¡¯re with me.¡± (Ray) Misa hurriedly shook her head and her hands. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s a misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Arnos-sama but just thinking about it is scary. I say it because I¡¯m a member of the fan union which is a cover for us unificationists. Besides¡­..¡± (Misa) Ray smiles a bright smile. ¡°In that case it¡¯s fine.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­Errm, what¡¯s fine¡­.?¡± (Misa) Ray holds out the necklace. ¡°It¡¯s fine because I was going to give this to you.¡± (Ray) ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± (Misa) Misa looks surprised as she looks at Ray. ¡°It¡¯s my thanks for taking care of my mother. I¡¯m sorry its nothing special.¡± (Ray) ¡°No¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t do anything useful at all. Ray-sans mother was saved by Arnos-sama.¡± (Misa) ¡°You tried to save my mother at the risk of your own life. For someone who you didn¡¯t know very well, this is nowhere near enough to repay you.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..If you say it like that I¡¯ll go shy again¡­¡­¡± (Misa) ¡°Me too.¡± (Ray) Ray stares into Misa¡¯s eyes. ¡°But¡­¡­is it okay¡­.?¡± (Misa) ¡°Wasnt the bet my win?¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­¡­..that¡¯s right¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Misa blushed a deep red. ¡°Will you take it?¡± (Ray) Misa nods with a shy smile Taking the necklace from Ray she tries to put it on. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s with this clasp? How do you open it? It¡¯s different from Deiruheido.¡± (Misa) ¡°Here, let me.¡± (Ray) Ray takes the necklace and easily undoes the clasp before reaching over to Misa and putting the necklace on her. ¡°Ahaha¡­..sorry¡­¡­¡­.well¡­..?¡± (Misa) ¡°It suits you.¡± (Ray) Misa shyly looks down. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. This necklace has two shells and two strings. Is this design popular in Azeshion?¡± (Misa) ¡°Looks like it.¡± (Ray) Their conversation stops and even in the hustle and bustle off the main street time seems to have stopped for them. How long did they stand there before Ray says ¡°Shall we go and see what else is going on?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± (Misa) The two of them set-off side by side, however, the street is getting even busier and Misa is struggling to stay by Ray. ¡°Misa-san.¡± (Ray) Ray grabs her hand. ¡°¡­¡­.Errm¡­.that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± (Misa) ¡°I can¡¯t use Though Transmission very well and I¡¯d be troubled if I lost sight of you.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­¡­that¡¯s right¡­¡­¡­yes¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Holding hands the two of them enjoy the festival with smiles on their faces. Authors note: Isn¡¯t Ray surprisingly quick? I¡¯m afraid this time it¡¯s not another harem member but the other heroines are safe! Misa had a flag with Ray since the beginning and she wasn¡¯t treated as a heroine too much. I hope you can pray for their happiness. TN: I guess the author was worried some people might see this as NTR or something lol. Translators rant corner: Okay time for me to go on a rant. It¡¯s been a while since the last one and I shouldn¡¯t have to especially after such a lovely and heartwarming chapter but here we go. I DO NO TOLERATE SPOILERS!!! I¡¯m sick of having to repeat this time after time. I am just deleting any spoiler comments now. I¡¯m sick of it. There have been a number of people doing it but one individual, in particular, has revealed 2 major plot points of this arc and ruined it for me when replying to multiple people. I don¡¯t read ahead so I feel like what¡¯s the point in this arc now. I was close to dropping the translations and just reading ahead by myself. I get people want faster releases, hell, I want faster releases but life isn¡¯t that nice. I work in a pharmacy dispensing medicines for care homes and as such, I am not on lockdown. I have been at work through all of this and thanks to self-isolation my team of 10 people is down to 4 trying to make sure 12 care homes of elderly and vulnerable people get their medications. That¡¯s a lot of people, requiring a lot of shifts from me and my colleagues so I don¡¯t have the time to release a lot. Hopefully, I¡¯ll calm down for the next release but I¡¯m just one spoiler away from saying screw this. I really am. On a lighter note this is for all you awesome readers who don¡¯t spoil and do loads of theory crafting in the comments or just generally comment please know that you all make me smile (and laugh at some of them) and you people are the only reason this chapter was released so thank you all and please enjoy this fluffy nice chapter. Chapter 77.1 10 days later. The academy exchange starts today. Me and Ray returned to our room from the dining room and Ray immediately collapsed on the bed. ¡°Going to sleep?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve still got time.¡± (Ray) After eating so much Ray must have become sleepy because he immediately fell asleep. At the same time, a tapping sound started coming from somewhere. The window? ¡°Nn?¡± Opening the window I could see Misha outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Cat-san. Nyaa.¡± (Misha) When Misha called out a familiar black cat came running over. After jumping on Misha¡¯s shoulder it then jumps onto my window sill. One of the old seven demon emperors Aivis Necron. ¡°What¡¯s happened in Deiruheido?¡± (Arnos) Like Melheys I instructed Aivis to investigate Avos Dillheavia in Deiruheido. He must have urgent business after coming all the way out here. ¡°Three of the old seven demon emperors have disappeared from Deiruheido.¡± (Aivis) ¡°Oh. Where have they gone?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed that they¡¯ve entered Gairadeite but I lost them in this city. They definitely haven¡¯t left it though. They¡¯re hiding here somewhere.¡± (Aivis) This happened at the exact same time as the exchange? No way this is anything other than planned. ¡°Any relationship with the hero academy?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. I have a network of human contacts in the hero academy but none of them has seen the missing emperors yet.¡± (Aivis) If Avos Dillheavia and the hero academy are colluding together that makes for a plain but understandable situation. ¡°Understood. Continue looking for any movement of the missing emperors.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Your will. I have one more thing I¡¯d like to tell you. It may not be related to Avos Dillheavia but it¡¯s still worrisome.¡± (Aivis) ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± (Arnos) ¡°On my arrival here I overheard some humans talking about the legend of the deep darkness.¡± (Aivis) Fumu. Didn¡¯t that storekeeper say something about that as well? ¡°What is that anyway?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s an oral tradition passed down amongst the humans for a long time now. It says that soon the deep darkness will once again swallow Azeshion but don¡¯t be afraid and offer prayers and hope to our legendary hero. If you do, he will return and the light of hope will clear away the darkness.¡± (Aivis) That¡¯s a very common legend. ¡°This deep darkness could be the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Aivis) ¡°You think its a legend prophesising my reincarnation?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I do. It could have been handed down so they know to kill you when you are reborn.¡± (Aivis) ¡°Fumu. What¡¯s your basis for that thought?¡± (Arnos) ¡°After it piqued my interest I looked into it and found that this tale had been passed down and spread to the whole of Azeshion from the students and graduates of the hero academy. The deep darkness is said to bring despair to the humans but the heroes never explained exactly what it is.¡± (Aivis) It¡¯s probably only the deep trust that they have in the heroes that allowed such a vague rumour to spread. Humans have always believed in the strangest of things. ¡°In other words, since the hero academy is mostly unknown to the mazoku they are plotting to kill the reincarnated demon king again and this time around they even want to destroy his origin so he can¡¯t revive.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I believe it was done that way on purpose because if it specifically mentioned the demon king of tyranny us old seven demon emperors would have heard about it. This way they can avoid a confrontation with Deiruheido by calling it the deep darkness.¡± (Aivis) The world became peaceful and interactions between the humans and the mazoku were cut off. Were they waiting in the shadows while publicly pretending to forget? ¡°It¡¯s not an impossible story but there¡¯s some inconsistencies. For one, the name of the demon king even here in the hero academy is Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really? Are you certain?¡± (Aivis) ¡°There seems to be a gag order on that information but one of the students let it slip out. I¡¯m not going to say I¡¯m definitely correct as they may be lying about the name but let¡¯s just say I¡¯m very sure it¡¯s correct.¡± (Arnos) Aivis falls into silence while thinking. If they had managed to keep a legend about the resurrection of the demon king of tyranny going for 2000 years all the while looking for ways to defeat him you wouldn¡¯t have thought they¡¯d get his name wrong. The hero academy will never fight me because they are looking to fight the false demon king. ¡°Is it possible the plans of Avos and the hero academy are connected with each other to create this situation?¡± (Aivis) ¡°Possibly and three of the old seven demon emperors have come here.¡± (Arnos) There¡¯s three camps in Gairadeite now each with different expectations. There¡¯s Avos, the heroes and this me. The chances of nothing happening is none existent. There¡¯s also the chance of other unexpected situations appearing as well. ¡°You chase after the demon emperors whereabouts and I¡¯m going to search the academy since today is the start of the exchange.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Your will.¡± (Aivis) Aivis jumps out of the window. ¡°Work?¡± (Misha) Misha grabbed onto the window sill and pulled herself up but only enough for her face to peep in for some reason. ¡°Work?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Demon king work?¡± (Misha) Ahh, I see. ¡°Pretty much. Looks like we¡¯ve come to a troublesome place.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 77.2 ¡°Help?¡± (Misha) ¡°If it¡¯s necessary. What were you doing outside?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Going to school.¡± Misha says in her usual indifferent tone. ¡°Isn¡¯t it still early?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Because its the first day.¡± (Misha) Indeed. That¡¯s very Misha I threw my body through the open window and landed outside. Misha looks at me with a curious look. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nn.¡± Misha nodded happily. Taking a leisurely walk me and Misha arrive at the hero academy. Putting my hand on the door I go to unlock but its opens automatically. Have the opening conditions been altered? ¡°That reminds me. Where do we actually need to go to?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Grand auditorium.¡± (Misha) Looking around Misha points ¡°There.¡± (Misha) Looking over I see a signboard with the words grand auditorium on it and pointing us in the direction of it. I assume this has been prepared for us? Following the instructions of the signboards, we go up some stairs and follow a passage to the back of the academy. Arriving at the end of the corridor we find a pair of double doors and a plate saying Grand Auditorium. Opening the door a very large space greets my eyes. The seats tier upwards and the blackboard is on the lowest platform so everyone can see. ¡°Big.¡± (Misha) ¡°There¡¯s a lot of students between us and the hero academy.¡± (Arnos) There¡¯s two whole classes of just us mazoku alone then there¡¯s the heroes. If you count us all it will probably need a classroom this big. ¡°Wooo its Arnos-kun. Good morning.¡± In the front row is a girl with long black hair waving at me. Its Eleonor. She runs up the stairs and comes over to us. ¡°You¡¯re early Arnos-kun. That¡¯s unexpected. Are you possibly an honour student?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°It was just on a whim.¡± (Arnos) Misha cocked her head in curiosity. ¡°Acquaintance?¡± (Misha) ¡°Aah, sorry I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet. Hero academy 3rd year Eleonor Bianca.¡± Misha bowed her head. ¡°Demon king academy first year Misha Necron.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you Misha-chan. I¡¯m fine with Eleonor.¡± Misha nods. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Is now okay? I have a question about the hero Kanon¡ª¡± (Arnos) Just then a voice sounded from the entrance. ¡°Hee. I wonder what it is? I¡¯ll answer if you like demon king academy onii-san.¡± (1) The blonde boy I saw in the library comes over. Ledoriano and Laos were also with him. ¡°Pleasure to meet you. Hero academy selection class [Jergakanon] 3rd rank, reincarnated from the second origin of the hero Kanon. Holy ground creation knight Heine Kanon Iorg.¡± Fumu. Every single one of them has a long self-introduction. ¡°I heard that Laos was bothering you. I¡¯m sorry about that. He¡¯s a little too quick to quarrel with people.¡± (Heine) ¡°No need to apologise. I was just lightly playing with him.¡± (Arnos) Standing next to Heine Laos frowns. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for you saying that. Aah, do you want to play something with me as well?¡± (Heine) Hou. He just said something amusing. ¡°What kind of play?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Today¡¯s class is a lecture. For a bit of recreation, I¡¯m planning on doing something like a rivalry between Deruzogedo and Arclaniska. How about if the loser answers whatever the winner asks?¡± (Heine) I see ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Well then.¡± (Heine) Heine casts Those who lose in today¡¯s game answer the questions of the winner without lying. ¡°By the way, one of my questions is I want to know who the demon king of tyranny is.¡± (Heine) Heine starts probing a little with his question trying to sound us out. ¡°Of course, even if you ask about the competition yo¡ª¡± (Heine) I stop listening to him and just signed ¡°Hee. Is that okay? You signed it so easily. This is different from going all out with magic you know.¡± (Heine) ¡°There¡¯s no problem even if you find out who the demon king of tyranny is. Anyway¡­..¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ll teach Heine and the others the obvious truth. ¡°No matter what the conditions are, I¡¯ll never lose.¡± (Arnos) (1) A stylistic choice on my part here leaving it as onii-san. I¡¯ve never thought translating onii-san as older brother works very well in English when they actually aren¡¯t the older brother so I left it as onii-san. I could¡¯ve gone with demon king academy bro but I feel that gives off a different vibe than onii-san. TN: The author left a little note at the end saying how nervous they were about writing Misa and Ray together but they were pleased that the bookmark count didn¡¯t go down much. I guess they were really worried about that for some reason lol. Chapter 78.1 Heine makes an innocent smile ¡°If you look down on humans too much you¡¯ll regret it onii-san.¡± (Heine) With those parting words, they left for the front row of the auditorium. ¡°Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor makes as small beckoning gesture and whispers to me ¡°Hey. Did you forget my advice?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Humans haven¡¯t changed in 2000 years?¡± (Arnos) She nods. ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem. Humans are always plotting something and they soon realise its pointless. It will be the same now as it was then.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor¡¯s face goes blank listening to my words. ¡°What was your name in your past life Arnos-kun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°The same as it is now.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Arnos Voldigod?¡± (Elenor) When I nodded Eleonor tilted her head like she was trying to remember. ¡°It seems humans have completely forgotten my name.¡± (Arnos) ¡°No matter how famous you were then you should still be careful now.¡± (Eleonor) Giving me a warning Eleonor heads back down to the seats. ¡°Eleonor.¡± (Arnos) She turns around with a questioning look. ¡°What was your name before you reincarnated?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Same as you Arnos-kun. I¡¯ve been Eleonor for a long time.¡± (Eleonor) I knew all the important people in Azeshion but I¡¯m not familiar with that name. Even looking directly at her origin I¡¯m sure I never met her in the age of myths. ¡°I don¡¯t think we ever met as I don¡¯t recognise you.¡± (Arnos) If she has her memory from her previous lives then there¡¯s a very high probability that she was born after I died. It was probably some time after the demon king of tyranny was renamed to Avos Dillheavia. ¡°Later then.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor heads of to Heine and the others. ¡°When did you meet?¡± (Misha) ¡°We met by chance on the day we arrived in Gairadeite.¡± (Arnos) Misha stares at Eleonor sitting down in the front row. ¡°¡­¡­..Looks sad¡­¡­¡± (Misha) ¡°Eleonor?¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°She seems very carefree though.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Surface appearance.¡± (Misha) I look at Eleonor but I can only see a carefree person with a no tension expression on her face. ¡°Could be something else.¡± (Misha) ¡°Is it hard to explain?¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°Forget about it.¡± (Misha) ¡°No.¡± (Arnos) At the very least Eleonor knows what the Academies scheme is and it seems that she doesn¡¯t agree with it otherwise there would be no reason to give me any advice. If that is the case then its no wonder she¡¯s suffering even with her laid back personality. Misha¡¯s demon eyes see through people more than most. ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind.¡± (Arnos) Misha blinks a couple of times. ¡°Arnos is kind.¡± (Misha) ¡°No. It¡¯s because you have excellent demon eyes.¡± (Arnos) Misha shakes her head. ¡°On about Eleonor.¡± (Misha) ¡°Does it seem like I¡¯m being meddlesome?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Something else?¡± (Misha) ¡°She seems to know what happened in the years after I died. It¡¯s possible she might have a lead on Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Arnos) Misha looks at me while I¡¯m talking. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if I end up helping her while dealing with this dull plot.¡± (Arnos) *Fufufu* Misha laughs softly. ¡°Arnos like.¡± (Misha) Misha sees straight through to my true motive. Yare yare. This is actually a bit embarrassing. ¡°Sit down?¡± (Misha) ¡°Aah.¡± (Arnos) The seating in the auditorium is roughly divided into two and according to the sign the hero academy is to the right of the blackboard and the demon king academy is to the left of the blackboard. Moving over to the left side we sit in the middle. While waiting students slowly start filtering into the room. After a while, Misa, Sasha, various royals and members of my fan union also enter. Are all the students of the hero academy attending? All the seats bar one are taken on their side. Just like our school is divided into black and white clothes their¡¯s is divided into scarlet and indigo blue. Scarlet is for those belonging to Jergakanon and looking around the room there¡¯s not many of them. My back was tapped with a finger just as class was about to start. ¡°Arnos-sama, what¡¯s happened to Ray-san?¡± Misa asks in an anxious voice. Oh yeah, that guy hasn¡¯t come yet. ¡°He fell asleep again.¡± (Arnos) He¡¯s a shameless guy sleeping through the first day. ¡°Well. Not like he¡¯d get much out of the class anyway. He¡¯ll turn up later with an innocent look on his face no doubt.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ahahah¡­¡­.that¡¯s true¡­..¡± (Misa) The bell rang out and unlike our school, this one gives off a gentle tone. Menou and a stern-looking man in the prime of his life entered the auditorium. The man is wearing a red robe and looks very inflexible. A teacher from the hero academy I assume. ¡°Sit down everyone.¡± The man spoke in a low voice and all the students still standing immediately sat down. ¡°As we¡¯ve been telling you for a while the academy exchange starts today. For those of you from the demon king academy I am Diego Kanon Ijayshka. I¡¯m the headteacher here at the hero academy and I¡¯m also the teacher in charge of the selection class Jergakanon.¡± (Diego) The headteacher of the selection class. They¡¯re pulling out all the stops for this exchange. By his name, Diego is also one of the Kanon reincarnations and he¡¯s no doubt a graduate of his academy. It seems some of them who studied here now teach the next generation of heroes and pass on their teachings. Looking at him I can¡¯t see the Kanon from 2000 years ago. Another miss. Chapter 78.2 ¡°Let me introduce my disciple. This is Menou Historia Sensei who teaches at the demon king academy. She¡¯s an excellent person who¡¯s been teaching 3rd-year students at the demon king academy for many years. Make sure you aren¡¯t rude to her.¡± (Diego) (1) Menou takes one step forward. ¡°I¡¯m Menou Historia and I¡¯ll be in your care during this exchange. Nice to meet you all.¡± Menou says with a smile. ¡°Now then since this is the first day and we don¡¯t know each other very well yet this class will be a simple recreation class to help us get along.¡± (Diego) Using magic Diego writes on the blackboard. ¡ª¨CCompetetive academy class¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Competetive academy class. It¡¯s an exaggerated name though. The students of each school give questions and the other side answers them. The rule is to compete for the highest score.¡± (Diego) I see. By asking and answering questions you can see the level of knowledge between each school. ¡°Now then let¡¯s begin. Let¡¯s have the hero side set the tone. 2nd place Ledoriano.¡± (Diego) Ledoriano stood up when called. ¡°Ask a question.¡± (Diego) ¡°Certainly.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano pushes his glasses up with his index finger. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a beginner question. Please explain what the effect of the magic Consecration is and show the formula.¡± (Ledoriano) The demon king seat side was suddenly noisy. ¡°Eh¡­¡­? I have no idea what that is¡­..¡± ¡°Same here. We haven¡¯t learnt that.¡± ¡°Ah, but the 3rd years might know.¡± Menou claps her hands. ¡°Yes yes everyone quieten down. 3rd-year Libest-kun.¡± (Menou) Libest stands up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but¡­¡­.do you know the answer?¡± (Menou) ¡°¡­..No, I don¡¯t. Isn¡¯t this fundamentally flawed though Menou sensei? How can I know what they are taught at other schools? How can this be a proper ice-breaker unless the questions are limited to general knowledge?¡± (Libest) ¡°I think this is general knowledge though. You say the class itself is at fault for not being taught it but isn¡¯t it actually your own fault for not studying enough?¡± (Ledoriano) Libest starts to look angry. ¡°Alright then. In that case, can you describe and show the effects of Demonization .¡± (Libest) You can see Libest thinks there¡¯s no way he will know, however, Ledoriano simply smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± (Ledoriano) Drawing the formula on the board he begins to explain. ¡° is a magic that is mainly used to transform animals. Basically, it¡¯s physical abilities are strengthened but the changes vary depending on the caster and the animal. Sometimes its intelligence decreases, other times it increases and sometimes it increases enough that they become able to understand human language. Also, the animal that has cast on it changes its appearance into that of a demon. In the current Deiruheido unless certain conditions are met is forbidden from being used.¡± (Ledoraino) Libest just looks and has nothing to come back with. ¡°How was that?¡± (Ledoraino) ¡°¡­..Correct answer¡­¡­¡± (Libest) Menou seems really impressed with Ledoriano after seeing the formula and listening to his explanation. ¡°Hmmm. It seems the 3rd year students are offended by my beginner problem. Considering the level difference between us it might be better to cancel this competition or would you like a handicap?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Umu, you might be right. It¡¯s true none of them seem to know what is¡­..¡± Diego speaks in a troubled voice though a sly expression was creeping onto his face. ¡°Diego sensei can you come here a minute¡­..¡± (Menou) They both move over to the corner of the platform. ¡°¡­..This isn¡¯t what you said before. You said this competition was intended to let each side know what they have learnt and what they don¡¯t know.¡± (Menou) I doubt the other students could hear what was being said but I could hear them. ¡°It was but that was because I assumed they knew at least common level things. I honestly didn¡¯t think the level of the demon king academy was this low¡­¡­.No, sorry. This was outside my calculations¡­¡­.¡± (Diego) Laughter leaks from the hero academy side. Unlike Menou who was whispering Diego was speaking at full volume. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s rude to laugh. No matter how low level they are they¡¯re doing their best.¡± (Diego) Turing his back to Menou, Diego address the students. I didn¡¯t miss the contemptuous look that briefly crossed his face. On the surface, it looks like he¡¯s rebuking the students but he¡¯s just treating us with contempt. He doesn¡¯t dare to insult the demon king academy directly so he does it this way by saying we are doing our best. ¡°Let¡¯s think of a method to match our levels as much as possible.¡± Menou bites her lip. It must be frustrating for her. Officially they are playing innocent but this hostility is barely dressed up. It¡¯s pretty nasty. It¡¯s almost as if all the students at the demon king academy are considered lower beings than the hero academy students. If by some miracle Diego doesn¡¯t feel that way there was still no need to be that rude. In this nasty battle, the humans are one step above the mazoku. The art of belittling others without fighting is not something the Mazoku can imitate since as a race they are honest to a fault. The humans are starting to get a little intolerable with this. ¡° is a magic that gives sacred power to weapons, armour and tools.¡± (Arnos) I stand up and start answering. ¡°Simply put promotes the function of an object. A sword, for example, would cut better. Taken to its extreme its possible to create simple objects or turn existing objects into magic tools. Practically though that would require the magic power of over 100 sages so it¡¯s not really possible.¡± (Arnos) I draw the magic formula on the blackboard using magic without leaving my seat. ¡°Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Menou) Menou¡¯s face broke into a broad smile looking at me. ¡°How was that?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Correct answer¡­¡­..the magic formula is also correct¡­¡­¡± Diego says almost in a growl. ¡°However, the part where you say that in its extreme can make tools or turn them into magic tools is a gross exaggeration. At best it would have the power near to that of a magic tool but it wouldn¡¯t be one. It is factually wrong to say it can be used for that. It seems you have studied reasonably well but have been misled by exaggerated research results.¡± (Diego) Laughter leaks from the hero side at Diego¡¯s words. ¡°I thought he might be slightly better than the others but it seems he¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°Magic tools don¡¯t work like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. A magic tool is something that has its magic built into it so it¡¯s origin is different.¡± ¡°It seems like he has misunderstood the basics of magic.¡± Yare yare. Humans and their common sense. They always get too caught up in it. To be honest I saw this coming though. ¡°Fumu. If you don¡¯t know how then let me show you.¡± (Arnos) I stand back up and walk over to the platform. On my way down I point to a sword that¡¯s hung on the wall near the ceiling and pull it down slowly in front of Diego using magic. Stepping up on the platform I hold my hand over the sword and the magic formation for appears. I finish and turn the sword around and present the hilt to Diego. ¡°¡­¡­.This is¡­¡­..no way¡­¡­..¡± (Diego) Diego touches the sword without any fear and when he does the blade emits the glow of magic. All the students of the hero academy leaned forward. ¡°Oi¡­¡­.! It¡¯s a lie right!? That glow¡­¡­..!¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­..! That¡¯s¡­¡­..that¡¯s a holy sword¡­¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­¡­..He said could create magic tools! That¡¯s not a magic tool, that¡¯s a holy sword!¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡­.that¡¯s not the problem here. Isn¡¯t he a mazoku! They cant use in the first place!! That¡¯s a magic only allowed to be used by a hero!!¡± Diego stares at the holy sword in amazement. It seems like he can¡¯t believe whats happened. ¡°You need to discard that common sense and stare deeper into the abyss Diego. If the headteacher in charge of the school doesn¡¯t know the answer then all the students will be ridiculed.¡± (Arnos) (1) Yes, he does call her his disciple. Not sure why though. The only other translation would be pupil or follower. Chapter 79.1 Heading back to my seat I can see my fan union looking on with faces filled with rapture. ¡°Arnos-sama is the best!¡± ¡°Yeah! He can do anything he wants! I¡¯ll follow him for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°Me too! That teacher though. Isn¡¯t he the best and highest ranked teacher here who even teachers the heroes? My opinion of him is ruined now. How bad is it when your understanding of hero magic is less than a student from the demon king academy?¡± ¡°Arnos-sama might have done too much. I actually feel a little sorry for those students.¡± ¡°What should I do!? I¡¯ve just noticed something amazing!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I have a bad feeling about this but I¡¯ll ask. What have you noticed?¡± ¡°Demon swords are also a boys thing right? They are all about their demon sword.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I don¡¯t think demon sword really has that meaning¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What about holy swords then?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­!? Arnos-sama dual-wields!¡± Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! Their voices ring out. Looking over at the hero students half look confused at the sudden overwhelming momentum coming from our side and the other half look humiliated as well as confused. ¡°That surprised me a bit.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano pushed his glasses up with his index finger ¡°But thanks to your display I understand it now. Overwhelming magic knowledge, a tremendous amount of magic power, and the technique to manipulate magic only meant for the heroes.¡± (Ledoriano) Looking at me with his cold look Ledoriano speaks confidently ¡°Arnos Voldigod. You are the demon king of tyranny reborn.¡± (Ledoriano) Laughter breaks out from the demon king academy side. ¡°Fuhahaha. Oi, what are you saying? Stop looking for an excuse just because Arnos answered your question.¡± ¡°Aah. He can¡¯t tell the difference between black clothes and white clothes. How embarrassing.¡± ¡°Lay off hero side. Don¡¯t you know anything about the demon king academy?¡± ¡°If you know then stop talking.¡± ¡°No matter how amazing it is Arnos¡¯ magic has no value. I suppose a human like you wouldn¡¯t get it.¡± Ledoriano¡¯s face starts to take on a dubious look. It seems this was outside of his expectations. ¡°If you say that he is not the demon king of tyranny then who is he?¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano pursues it sharpy but even that question is ridiculed. ¡°Ledoriano-kun was it?¡± The 3rd year student Libest speaks up. ¡°You seem somewhat familiar with the magic of the mazoku but do you know what the academy badges we wear represent?¡± (Libest) ¡°Of course. They represent your ability to be a demon emperor after taking the magic power and aptitude tests. The shape is always either polygonal or a star in a circle and the more sides or points there are the better you are.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Heeee. So its always a star or a pentagram huh? Then tell me what shape is Arnos¡¯ badge?¡± (Libest) Ledoriano looks at my badge and its not a star or a polygon. ¡°¡­¡­.A cross¡­¡­.I don¡¯t have any information on that¡­¡­¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°That, Ledoriano-kun is the brand of the inept. In the entire history of the demon king academy, Arnos is the most distant from the existence known as the demon king of tyranny. If you call him the demon king in Deiruheido everyone will laugh at you.¡± (Libest) Following on from Libest some of the other 3rd years speak up. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even the headmaster of the demon king academy has never bothered to meet him.¡± ¡°How embarrassing to mistake that inept person for the demon king of tyranny.¡± ¡°Arnos is not accepted by anybody back home.¡± Perhaps they were still angry about their treatment earlier but all the royals were riled up and getting even angrier about me being called the demon king of tyranny. ¡°¡­¡­You are branding him inept when he has all that power? If that¡¯s the case then what are the top students like?¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano gulps and starts to look a bit scared. It looks like the atmosphere created between me and the royals these last 2 months hasn¡¯t been investigated by the hero academy yet. Looking at it from the sides like the heroes it must be difficult to grasp the current situation. Chapter 79.2 ¡°¡­¡­..Arent they just bluffing to hide him¡­..?¡± Laos whispers to Ledoriano who shakes his head. ¡°The demon king of tyranny is held in such high regard in Deiruheido that they won¡¯t even speak his name. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d insult him even if acting and they would definitely never give him the brand of the inept even to hide him¡­¡­.¡± (Ledoraino) ¡°Then what are you saying? That Deigo-sensei is inferior in magic knowledge to an inept non-conformist?¡± (Laos) ¡°Even if it¡¯s only this one time please calm down Laos.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Calm down! It¡¯s not just magic its a heroes magic!¡± Laos stands up and addresses me. ¡°Oi, you. Arnos Voldigod. Are you the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Laos) ¡°I am.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wha¡­¡­¡± Laos suddenly turns cautious at my acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you something. The name of the demon king of tyranny is Arnos Voldigod. Your history books and textbooks are wrong so you¡¯d better rewrite them.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­..What did¡­¡­you just say¡­..¡± (Laos) Laos looks confused which is to be expected since they were taught another name and now I¡¯ve told him to doubt that. ¡°Oi oi. Look at him. That lie of yours is growing old now Arnos.¡± ¡°You should understand with this. Don¡¯t believe that inept persons lie.¡± ¡°First off he¡¯s not even a royal. He can¡¯t be the reincarnation of the demon king because he hasn¡¯t fully inherited his blood for the founder to reincarnate into!¡± The royals begin jeering. ¡°Fumu. Don¡¯t worry about what those fellows are saying. Also, I¡¯m not bothered if you acknowledge me as the demon king of tyranny or not.¡± (Arnos) Laos gets angry again. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s going on!?¡­¡­¡­I don¡¯t understand any of this¡­¡­!¡± (Laos) Fumu. I guess if people don¡¯t have an answer they selfishly decide on one and look away from the truth that is all around them. No. Actually, it¡¯s quite a funny spectacle. ¡°Alright alright. Everyone stop being noisy.¡± (Menou) Menou claps her hands and calms the students down. ¡°Diego sensei the question about was ours so its the hero classes next.¡± (Menou) ¡°Aah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Diego) Diego turns to the class to select someone. ¡°Fumu. Don¡¯t get too excited about the next question. Try not to give the wrong answer this time okay¡± (Arnos) Diego stiffened at my words. ¡°You can¡¯t say that Arnos-kun. It was just a mistake by Diego-sensei. It¡¯s impossible for the dean of the hero academy to make a mistake with hero magic. Right sensei?¡± (Menou) Menou gets a little revenge on Diego in return for earlier. ¡°*Cough* It seems we might have to change our plans a little. I want to continue this little ice breaker but it seems better to move on to the next class.¡± (Diego) Escape while there¡¯s still chance huh? ¡°Eeh? is the hero academy running away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Things were getting good.¡± ¡°We both have a draw with one correct answer each. Any more than this and they¡¯ll lose.¡± ¡°How can we lose if even their sensei gives the wrong answer?¡± As expected from my fellow mazoku, they just blast away with a straight delivery. ¡°¡­.Don¡¯t be stupid. As if we can lose in our own school. Let¡¯s continue for a while sensei. The pride of the hero academy needs to be shown a little.¡± (Heine) Deigo walks over to Heine and scolds him in a whisper. ¡°Are you going to shame me even further in front of the mazoku¡­.!¡± (Diego) Heine has a confused expression on his face. Deigo shrugs his shoulders like he¡¯s given up and returns. ¡°Class is resumed.¡± (Diego) Kuhahaha. What was that? I¡¯m starting to feel sorry for Heine and the others having such a small fry teacher. Compared to this guy even Emilia felt more like a teacher. Chapter 80.1 There was almost a tingling to the air in the auditorium. The royals from our side are angry with the heroes and they, in turn, are angry due to the humiliation they just received. Does this class even have a point any more? The low voice of Diego echoed out in the heavy atmosphere coating the auditorium. ¡°Holy swords are swords blessed mainly by the gods. They have magic power and chose their owners. Swords can also become holy swords if a spirit inhabits the blade. Apart from those two cases, there is no other way to create holy swords.¡± (Diego) Diego looked like someone being made to swallow boiling water as he talked. At his words, murmurings came from the demon king academy side causing Diego to stop and clear his throat. ¡°Of course, there are exceptions to everything.¡± (Diego) Throwing out that line in desperation Diego continues. ¡°Holy swords are very rare items that you cannot just make more of even if you want to. Demon swords are great in that they can be mass-produced but holy swords are of a higher quality. That¡¯s because on top of their own magic power they can also have the power of the gods and spirits reside within them. That is also what gives them their holy radiance.¡± (Diego) He¡¯s not wrong per se in saying that holy swords are of a higher quality. There are demon swords with weak magic powers whereas all holy swords have strong magic. Also, most holy swords can seal a mazoku¡¯s power. That ability is the main reason for most of the mazoku deaths. It¡¯s one of the reasons that humans who are inferior to the mazoku in both strength and magic were barely able to oppose the mazoku. ¡°It¡¯s said that the number of holy swords existing in the world is 88. Amongst those 88 the legendary holy sword used by the hero Kanon is regarded as the finest. The spirit god sword Evance Mana. 2000 years ago a master craftsman forged it before the gods blessed it and spirits dwelled within it.¡± (Diego) Fumu. There¡¯s a nostalgic name. It was a ridiculously powerful magic sword. So much so it wasn¡¯t even possible to think of it as a sword. Well, it was a sword made exclusively to kill me after all. ¡°It was lost 2000 years ago but it¡¯s said that when a great disaster comes to this world it will reveal itself along with the hero of legend and bring light back to this world.¡± (Diego) So it was lost. 2000 years ago in the whole of Azeshion, only Kanon could wield Evance Mana. With its owner gone it possible the holy sword that picks its own user disappeared. After all, the demon king it was supposed to kill hasn¡¯t existed for 2000 years. I¡¯m suspicious about it really being lost though. If Aivis¡¯ expectations are correct then whoever is trying to kill me now I¡¯ve reincarnated will need Evance Mana or there¡¯s no point even bothering. ¡°Speaking of 2000 years ago there¡¯s an interesting anecdote that comes from that time about Mishens necklace. It¡¯s a story about love and reincarnation. Does anyone from the demon king academy know of it?¡± (Diego) There¡¯s no way a mazoku from Deiruheido will anything about an Azeshion anecdote. Naturally, no one raised their hand and after seeing this Deigo started gloating. Yare yare. What a petty person. Even I¡¯m starting to feel embarrassed for him. ¡°So nobody knows? Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Then can somebody from the hero academy side please expl¡ª¡ª¡± (Diego) ¡°Mishens necklace is said to have been given to lovers when one of them went to the battlefield.¡± (Arnos) Deigo gritted his teeth when I answered. Fumu. A hit. Looks like the story didn¡¯t change but then again there¡¯d be no point changing a common myth like this. If it wasn¡¯t magic related then I wouldn¡¯t have known it but luckily this a story from before I reincarnated so naturally, I know it. ¡°2000 years ago in the early days of the war, most of the humans that went to the battlefield did not survive. Therefore they made a wish on Mishens necklace that they would be tied together with their lovers and would be reborn in the same era. The shell of the Mishens shellfish that lives in Gairadeite lake is broken in two and made into two necklaces. One was worn by the lover staying behind and the other was worn by the one that went to the battlefield.¡± (Arnos) Diego just glares at me. It seems all he really wants to do it make us mazoku look like idiots. ¡°The Mishens shellfish live by drinking the sacred water of the lake and are said to be messengers of the gods. The humans of the time believed that the divided shells would guide the two origins to each other after death so they could meet.¡± (Arnos) From my perspective, the Mishens shell doesn¡¯t have the power to act on someone¡¯s origin though I understand there may be times when people want to cling to something. Whenever I killed a human that wore a Mishens necklace I always cast Reincarnation on them. Magic is greatly controlled by the heart after all. If their desires were genuine then they may very well meet each other again when they are reborn. Of course, it could have been that me doing that was just a way for me to soothe my conscience a little bit. ¡°In the latter half of the war hope arose in Gairadeite due to the activities of the hero Kanon. Many more people returned from the battlefield wearing Mishens necklaces and married their lovers. After that, the necklaces were simply called shellfish necklaces and the custom of combining the two shells into one and presenting it to your lover was born.¡± (Arnos) As peace approached people began to see hope which sounds good but some were simply trying to turn away from reality. Only Gairadeite who had the hero was barely able to hold back the invasion of the mazoku. In the rest of Azeshion, the humans were being steadily hunted down. ¡°In addition, if someone was seeking marriage the tradition was born of dividing the necklace and only wearing one half to signal their desire for marriage. That tradition still persists to this day.¡± (Arnos) Finishing my explanation Deigo simply grumbles. ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± The bell rings signalling the end of class. ¡°Okay then. Next class starts in 10 minutes.¡± (Diego) Diego leaves the hall in a hurry. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable that our competition couldn¡¯t be completed Demon king academy onii-san.¡± (Heine) Heine smiled at me with a generous smile. ¡°What are you talking about? This game is my win. You teacher acknowledged your loss.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Tch. How shrewd.¡± Heine said without a hint a shyness or timidity. If I believed that this game had no winner then becomes invalid. Which one of us is the shrewd one Heine? ¡°Do you want to know about the hero Kanon?¡± (Heine) Chapter 80.2 ¡°No.¡± (Arnos) Kanon was killed by the humans and there¡¯s a mountain of things I want to ask about that but Eleonor says its a secret. I won¡¯t be asking you. was only valid for one answer per question. If I ask too ambiguous a question then the answer can be just as ambiguous. ¡°I¡¯ll ask another question. Do you know the name of the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­..Is that okay? You want me to say it here?¡± (Heine) ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Avos Dilleavia.¡± (Heine) You can¡¯t lie under the effect of and I can¡¯t see any evidence that the contract has been forcibly altered or destroyed. It seems he really doesn¡¯t know the name of the demon king of tyranny. ¡°Something wrong?¡± (Heine) ¡°No, I just wanted to confirm something.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ohh.¡± (Heine) Heine flashes a mischievous smile. ¡°By the way, do you know about tomorrow? Were going to have a test between our two schools.¡± (Heine) ¡°Fumu. Do you want to bet again?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yeah. Tomorrow¡¯s test is going to be a good honest fight all fair and square.¡± (Heine) Heine holds out his hand with an innocent look on his face. ¡°My my. It doesn¡¯t sound like you are saying to you are going to cheat and be underhanded at all.¡± (Arnos) I smile back at Heine while shaking his hand. ¡°No way. Please look forward to tomorrow onii-san. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised.¡± (Heine) Heine and the other two head back to their side. What¡¯s he planning? Not that it matters as the result will be the same as today. ¡°Hey hey, Misa. Is that the shellfish necklace Arnos-sama was on about earlier?¡± The fan union girls are gathering around Misa¡¯s seat. ¡°Ah¡­.it looks like it¡­¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa¡¯s words become vague. ¡°Hang on. This reaction is suspicious. Really suspicious Misa. Did someone buy it for you?¡± Fumu. How sharp. ¡°Ah¡­ahahaha¡­..that¡¯s not true¡­..I bought this myself.¡± (Misa) ¡°Hmmm. Is that so?¡± ¡°Did someone give it to you who bought it themselves?¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be.¡± ¡°No way! Did you get it from Arnos-sama!?¡± ¡°Traitor¡­¡­.!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I really bought it myself!¡± (Misa) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Will you bet your life on that statement?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ye¡­..yes¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa answers while being pressured. ¡°Eh? Has the first lesson finished already?¡± Turning around I see Ray standing there. ¡°It¡¯s just finished.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really? Guess I overslept a little.¡± (Ray) Without caring in the slightest Ray searches for a free seat. ¡°Is here free Misa?¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s fine.¡± (Misa) Ray sits next to Misa and looks at the necklace she¡¯s wearing. ¡°You¡¯re wearing it? I¡¯m glad.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­¡­erm¡­¡­ah¡­ahahaha¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Misa looks really awkward and looks around at the fan union girls who are now looking at Misa with great interest. All their eyes are asking the same question. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Yes¡­¡­¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa answers like she¡¯s given up and all the fan union girls lean back in surprise before they all move away from Misa and face each other. ¡°Yes! She said yes!¡± ¡°That means Ray-kun gave it to Misa!?¡± ¡°Eh? But Ray-kun is with Arnos-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then that means¡­¡­.¡± ¡°In other words¡­¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s keeping indirect company with Arnos-samaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± It seems they reached their conclusion from a rather slanted angle. Chapter 81.1 The next day. We have come to lake Seimei outside the castle walls for the test. Students from both academies are carefully checking their equipment and magic tools in preparation for the test. Students from both academies got angry yesterday and even though neither side is looking at the other they are both giving off a tense atmosphere. Both sides might as well be saying I¡¯ll show you. The bell signalling the start of lessons rings out and Diego starts talking. ¡°Today we have an opposition test. As you already know opposition tests are done using army magic. The hero academy will be using Hero Unit while the demon king academy will be using Demon King Army . It should prove to be meaningful training since the characteristics of each spell are different.¡± (Diego) Even though Diego is explaining in a simple manner his eyes are giving off an eerie light. ¡°Dark feeling¡± Misha murmurs next to me. ¡°Fumu. He certainly doesn¡¯t seem too sane. It¡¯s a face I saw a lot of 2000 years ago.¡± (Arnos) ¡°In a cage of hatred.¡± (Misha) It¡¯s strange though this hatred for the mazoku. How can you be so hostile to an opponent which you have had no interaction with? And after yesterday events it¡¯s an even lower boiling point it seems. ¡°The location for the test is lake Seimei. In other words, it¡¯s an underwater battle. This is a measure to prevent damage to Gairadeite from magic. The surface of the water forms a natural anti-magic barrier and minimises the power of attack magic cast in it. Please do not cast magic above the water.¡± (Diego) There are normal humans in Gairadeite after all. Unlike the mazoku their bodies are weak so they are prone to magical influences. ¡°In addition, because lake Seimei is a testing ground there are buildings as well as caves in it. Making good use of them will be the key to victory. Now, any questions?¡± (Diego) No one raised their hand. ¡°Menou-sensei I¡¯ll have the selection class take part as they are used to using army magic and training in lake Seimei. Does the demon king academy have any 3rd-year students that have combat training and knowledge of army magic?¡± (Diego) Menou looked at me for an instant. ¡°Or the chaos generation was it? Even reincarnated people will be fine. I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Diego) ¡°We¡¯ll use 3rd-year students.¡± (Menou) ¡°Understood¡± (Diego) A weird smile crossed Diego¡¯s face for an instant. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on us.¡± (Diego) ¡°Same here.¡± (Menou) Menou and Diego walk away from each other. ¡°Gather here everyone.¡± (Menou) All the demon king academy students gather around Menou. ¡°As explained by Diego-sensei we will be doing an opposition exam. The 3rd-year students will be going out. The first-year students haven¡¯t trained in underwater warfare and it¡¯s only Arnos-kuns team that is likely to have the land advantage over there.¡± (Menou) This is true. Two of the chaos generation Sasha and Ray are in my group. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that the remaining students are nothing but a disorganised mob. ¡°However, there are only five members in Arnos-kuns team and at the moment the school rules say that teams with less than 10 people cannot participate.¡± (Menou) Fumu. I think I remember Sasha saying something about that before. ¡°You can borrow the remaining five people from other teams but such a sudden change would not make for very good group coordination.¡± (Menou) ¡°Matching the numbers is enough. I¡¯ll take on the students from the heroes side by myself if you like?¡± (Arnos) Sasha made a disapproving look at my words. ¡°Hang on. Why by yourself? I¡¯ll be troubled if you don¡¯t leave me my share.¡± Ray nods at her words. ¡°It¡¯s about time I tried out this sword.¡± Misa laughs. ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡­.. I might not be very helpful but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Misha looks at me ¡°Help you.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s you Menou you can see the power of me and my subordinates.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I can.¡± (Menou) After affirming it Menou shows an unusually mischievous look. ¡°Sensei is a little angry here too.¡± (Menou) ¡°Oh?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It will certainly be an easy win for Arnos-kun but I want to show those hero academy boys the power of my students.¡± (Menou) Fumu. Is that how it was? Chapter 81.2 It¡¯s true that my easy victory will do little to calm down Menou¡¯s sour feelings and that¡¯s why she wants to show the power of the students she raised with her own hands. ¡°I understand your feelings Menou but do your 3rd-year students know how to deal with heroes?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Do you know Arnos-kun?¡± (Menou) ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± (Arnos) Menou didn¡¯t answer and fell silent. ¡°In the old days those guys were sly and that class yesterday showed that they haven¡¯t changed. If you don¡¯t know what they have planned in this test then using my team would be the wisest move.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Then why not think about it this way?¡± It was the 3rd-year Libest. ¡°If we don¡¯t know what they have planned then why not let us third-years go out and see what they are planning?¡± (Libest) Fumu. One of the royals has said something unusual. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they found the information from but the hero academy knows a lot about the mazoku. We are at a disadvantage in this test just from that. More than anything we need to know their intentions.¡± (Libest) It¡¯s a pretty standard strategy plus 2000 years have passed since we¡¯ve had to fight the humans. If they really want to destroy the demon king of tyranny then they have probably developed magic I don¡¯t know anything about. If they have developed such magic I doubt they would be stupid enough to use it here though. It will probably be the same fighting methods from 2000 years ago. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t know anything I won¡¯t lose.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I see you¡¯re as arrogant as the rumours say though most just say you are an inept person.¡± (Libest) Libest sighs. ¡°Arnos Voldigod, I am from one of the royal families and frankly speaking I will never forgive you for saying you are the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Libest) With a strong will, he continues ¡°However, when you made that holy sword yesterday in my chest I felt satisfied.¡± (Libest) ¡°Hou.¡± (Arnos) ¡°You¡¯re a disagreeable man but you¡¯re a mazoku. They are different however. To insult the demon king academy is to insult the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Libest) I suppose you could look at it that way. To assume the identity of the demon king of tyranny could also be called a form of respect, however, I don¡¯t particularly need to take that worthless title back up. ¡°You should leave the first match to us. If you¡¯re the demon king of tyranny then why don¡¯t you stand dignified at our backs?¡± (Libest) He¡¯s said something I¡¯ve been told before and know very well. ¡°Is that okay? Doing this is the same as being my herald.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Today is an opposition test. I don¡¯t remember being taught in Deruzogedo to have an internal dispute when fighting an enemy. Of course you take the best action to win.¡± (Libest) That is a mazoku-like way of thinking or perhaps it¡¯s the result of Menou¡¯s education? 2000 years ago the mazoku were not monolithic. Some were as loyal as Shin and others didn¡¯t like me, however, when faced with a common foe such as the humans and spirits they forgot whatever quarrels they had and united to defeat the enemy in front of them. Thanks to Avos Dillheavia they have been distorted somewhat but it seems some underlying values have not changed. ¡°The founder whom we respect fought for the weak and I have pride as his decedent. If I have to sacrifice myself to an inept person then so be it.¡± (Libest) For all that the royals say it doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t care. In other words, to meet the expectations of his teacher this man will humble himself to this inept person. ¡°All right. Despite not knowing their intentions show me your resolve senpai.¡± (Arnos) Libest makes a fearless smile. ¡°Indeed. I don¡¯t need you to tell me that.¡± (Libest) Fumu. What a loveable fellow. Well, if he suddenly became obedient I¡¯d find it a bit creepy actually. ¡°Well then. Is your team ready Libest?¡± (Menou) All of Libest¡¯s team nodded. ¡°Like sensei said earlier it¡¯s a little ridiculous. If they have something to say they should just say it. As for that Diego with his constant prickling at us. If he¡¯s an adult he should behave himself.¡± (Menou) When Menou says this in a low voice the eyes of Libests team glaze over in anger. Their whole demeanour says they will get revenge for their teacher. ¡°It¡¯s good! We will win! Let¡¯s show these humans the power of the demon king school!¡± (Libest) At Libest¡¯s words, their voices rang out ¡°OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Chapter 82.1 ¡°The hero academy selection class [Jerga Kanon] and the Libest team from the demon king academy 3rd years will now start the opposition test. Keep the honour and pride of your ancestors and fight fairly.¡± (Diego) Diego signals the start of the test. Those of us on the lakeshore will be watching the test via Remote Clairvoyance . The images are being sent by falcons used by the hero academy flying over the lake and swimming in the lake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Arnos-kun.¡± Menou says coming over to me. ¡°What for?¡± (Arnos) ¡°About Libest-kun. He said some bad things about you.¡± (Menou) ¡°Hardly the first time I¡¯ve had royals complaining about me.¡± (Arnos) Menou¡¯s face takes on an apologetic look. ¡°Libest-kun is usually a gentle child but most people take great pride in their blood and deeply respect the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Menou) Menou keeps watching while talking. ¡°Libest-kun has the ability to compete for the top spot amongst the 3rd years now but when he entered the school he was close to dropping out. He was unable to use Demon King Army so he couldn¡¯t become a group leader.¡± (Menou) ¡°That does surprise me.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I know right? Libest-kun doesn¡¯t like fighting so somewhere in his heart he refused to develop his army magic or any offensive magic.¡± (Menou) ¡°He doesn¡¯t sound like a mazoku.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Perhaps. He hated the demon king who committed all kinds of atrocious acts and hated admitting that he shared the same blood.¡± (Menou) That¡¯s an unnecessary concern. It doesn¡¯t matter who your ancestors were, you are you regardless of what blood you share. Well, in this current era perhaps they now have the chance to think like that? ¡°What changed him?¡± (Arnos) Menou¡¯s expression became nostalgic. Do you remember that time? ¡°When he was in his 2nd year I was in charge of his class and he confided in me that he didn¡¯t like fighting. He consulted with me because he was considering leaving the academy.¡± (Menou) The classes in the demon king academy are biased towards combat so if you hate fighting dropping out would be natural. ¡°So I said to him that was certainly developed for war but the founder probably developed the magic to protect the mazoku, otherwise, why would the demon king of tyranny whose life was being targetted by many enemies create a magic that shares his power out and weakens him?¡± (Menou) Oh. ¡°Is that written in a textbook?¡± (Arnos) ¡°If you only teach what¡¯s written in textbooks then you don¡¯t need teachers.¡± (Menou) That certainly a teacher like thing to say. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so Arnos-kun?¡± (Menou) ¡°Who knows.¡± (Arnos) I caught Misha looking at me with a smile that said she¡¯d seen right through me. ¡°Even if you hate fighting, power is sometimes needed to protect something. Maybe the founder was like Libest-kun and never really wanted to fight? I think this became important to him because Libest-kun now respects the founder and has pride in the royalty.¡± (Menou) ¡°He went too far though and joined the royal faction.¡± (Arnos) Menou smiles wryly. ¡°A little bit. I think the demon king of tyranny became a special existence to him more than anyone else.¡± (Menou) That would explain why he really didn¡¯t like me calling myself the demon king of tyranny more than most. He probably also holds respect for the teacher that set him on that path and that¡¯s why he wants to put right how Menou has been treated himself. ¡°I see him, my prided student. He will surely win.¡± (Menou) Menou lets out a little laugh. Looking at both sides are about to move. The Jerga Kanon team are located in the underwater city filled with buildings and temples whilst the Libest team are located near the underwater caves and mountains. Both teams have Underwater Activity cast on them which allows them to breath underwater and lasts as long as you have magic power left. ¡°Preparations are ready Libest-sama!¡± All his subordinates have a resolute attitude. Is Libest from a good family or highly capable? You can see respect from all his members. Perhaps it¡¯s simply the result of an outcast fighting his way to the top position. ¡°Do it!¡± (Libest) ¡°Ha!¡± Following standard tactics, Libest built his demon king castle where he was standing. It¡¯s a long and narrow castle like a tower. The water flowing around it started swirling violently forming a wall preventing access to the demon king castle. Due to the change in water flow the fish and even the huge rocks caught in it are sucked in and torn to pieces. Apparently, there¡¯s a terrain effect that strengthens water magic. Libest¡¯s guardian team seems to be excellent. Normally you wouldn¡¯t be able to build a castle and set up those whirling currents with the magic of just 2 people. ¡°Beautiful demon king castle.¡± Misha mutters while watching ¡°He¡¯s not just a 3rd year for show. 1st years could never make a castle like that.¡± (Misha) Misha tilts her head to one side in wonder. ¡°Except for you.¡± (Arnos) Misha nodded. ¡°First of all the will scout the enemy. The big difference between and is the Heroes and the Sages . In exchange for not being able to build a castle the can use special support magic.¡± (Libest) Fumu. As expected of the 3rd year students. They actually studied a little. Libest¡¯s group has 3 shamans. One casts a net of magic power over a wide area and confirms the position of the heroes. One investigates any changes in magic power using their demon eyes and the last one magically manipulates the fish swimming in the lake to investigate the enemy in detail. They are looking for the who can strengthen the . They can also buff the attack magic of the and buff the healing magic of the . They support everyone basically. Using the caster receives the demerits that would normally apply to the and but under the are a little different in that they can buff the entire unit with no backlash. All the heroes are strengthened by the so the first thing to do is eliminate the . ¡°Libest-sama.¡± One of the reports in. ¡°It¡¯s strange. The fish familiars are not operating as expected.¡± ¡°Same here. Every time I try to cast the magic net it gets interrupted.¡± ¡°My demon eyes are the same. I can¡¯t see any magic power over there.¡± In other words, it¡¯s not possible to scout the enemy at all. Libest thinks carefully. ¡°It could be an application of anti-magic that¡¯s hindering our magic.¡± ¡°A formation of , and will go out and scout the enemy. Avoid fighting as much as possible. If you find something strange report in immediately using .¡± (Libest) ¡°Acknowledged.¡± 3 teams of 3 leave the demon king castle and take different routes to the city where Jerga Kanon is based. Chapter 82.2 They carefully advance into enemy territory. ¡°I see we have summer bugs flying into the fire.¡± Laos appears in front of one of the units. ¡°Libest-sama one of the Heroes has appeared!¡± One of the immediately report in but there is no reply. ¡°Libest-sama? Libest-sama¡­¡­!?¡± There¡¯s no answer no matter how many times they try to call. appears to have been cut off. ¡°Haaa. You can¡¯t use . You do get that right?¡± (Laos) Laos fist is wrapped in flames giving off a holy glow. Despite being underwater the flames are still burning. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you time. Get back to the demon king castle!¡± The tries to pull his sword from its sheath but it won¡¯t come out. ¡°Wha¡­¡­?¡± In that instant, Laos approaches close to the ¡°Oraa!¡± (Laos) ¡°Shi¡ª¡± Laos fist connects with the stomach. ¡°Tch¡­.!¡± The immediately uses Anti-magic Healing but as soon as the magic circle forms it disappears. ¡°¡­¡­¡­What the¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Did you finally notice? Your magic power is weakening.¡± (Laos) Laos approaches the who tries to get away but their legs are getting slower and slower. ¡°Not only your magic power but your physical abilities as well. You are now weaker than a human!¡± (Laos) The was wrapped in flames and the followed soon after. ¡°Haa. I don¡¯t even need my holy sword in this fight.¡± (Laos) Laos uses ¡°Heine, Ledoriano. I¡¯m done over here.¡± (Laos) ¡°Same here.¡± ¡°They will be aware that somethings up now. I¡¯m going to head straight to the demon kings castle and invade it.¡± (Laos) Laos left the city and headed straight towards the castle. ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­¡­¡± (Menou) Menou mutters while watching ¡°If its a magic field that stagnates magic power and causes weakness then the heroes should be affected as well but they are fine and can use as well¡­¡­ I know the difference in magic power is normally great but today it¡¯s feeble at best¡­¡­¡± (Menou) Menou gets lost in thought. ¡°The magic power of Libests team is being sealed but there¡¯s no sign that it¡¯s coming from the heroes side¡­¡­¡­. If it¡¯s not being cast on them directly then how because no matter how you look at it the range is just too wide otherwise¡­¡­.¡± (Menou) Menou makes a bitter look while mumbling to herself. ¡°Fumu. In other words, are you saying that the hero side is doing something wrong or cheating?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s suspicious but there¡¯s no evidence¡­¡­ It could also be that they are just really good¡­¡­¡± (Menou) Her expression says that she finds that last part hard to swallow. ¡°I have proof.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­.?¡± ¡°They are using holy water that been dissolved in the lake. It¡¯s a kind of special magic tool which doesn¡¯t have a form. If you use its power it gives magic to the humans but for the mazoku it¡¯s poisonous.¡± (Arnos) The gods created holy water to seal the mazoku. 2000 years ago there were only a few people that could use it but it seems its been successfully passed down. Holy water is a high-grade magic ingredient. Even for me, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen it being used. It seems they¡¯ve successfully devised a method to conceal the existence of the holy water. ¡°Holy water mixed in with normal water creates a magic formation.¡± (Arnos) When I told her Menou stares at the lake with her demon eyes. ¡°¡­¡­..I don¡¯t understand¡­¡­. How can you tell different kinds of water that have mixed together¡­..?¡± (Menou) It will be hard to spot since the magic power is very well concealed. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± (Arnos) I touch one of Menou¡¯s eyes, draw a formation on it and pour my magic power into it strengthening her demon eyes. ¡°Eh¡­..? This is¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°You can see magic power much better now. This is the world I see.¡± (Arnos) This was only possible because Menou¡¯s demon eyes were of a sufficiently high level to begin with. If they weren¡¯t this would have destroyed her eyes. ¡°¡­..Incredible¡­¡­. I can see magic power far more clearly than the materials themselves¡­.¡± (Menou) Menou gazes into the water projected by . She should be able to clearly see the holy water forming a magic formation in the lake. ¡°This is¡­¡­. a formula for a barrier system technique¡­..? I don¡¯t understand its specific effects though¡­.¡± (Menou) ¡°It draws out the power of the holy water, raises the humans magic power and seals the power of the mazoku. Holy water naturally flows into Lake Seimei. The hero side is supplied with unlimited magic power and the mazoku will endlessly have their power chipped away at.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.With that¡­.. As expected there never was a geographical advantage for us. It¡¯s a power source only usable by the heroes side.¡± (Menou) Menou¡¯s voice is filled with resentment. If you know that holy water is flowing out as long as you don¡¯t draw on your magic power it becomes neither poison nor medicine. I had wondered if they¡¯d use the power of the holy water under the guise of some kind of test. Do you want to win that much you¡¯d be willing to have a grudge along with any future relationship? Or did you think it would go unnoticed? ¡°What will you do? With this its not even a game.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Thank you. With this, there is enough evidence. I¡¯m going to go and protest.¡± (Menou) With an angry look, Menou heads over to Diego. Chapter 83.1 ¡°There¡¯s no reply from any of the units Libest-sama.¡± In the demon kings castle, Libests subordinates are starting to panic over the loss of communications through ¡°If we can¡¯t communicate with what are we supposed to do? Have they already been beaten in battle? Should we attack with the main unit instead of the scouts?¡± ¡°No. This is very strange. No way were they all beaten without at least one of them using to inform us. We should consider that they have set up traps outside. Carelessly moving about out there is probably what they want.¡± (Libest) Libest seems to have decided that staying put is the best course of action since they can¡¯t see the enemies hand. ¡°It¡¯s vexing but let them siege us. It¡¯s not too late for them to underestimate us and give us the chance to strike back.¡± (Libest) There¡¯s also the terrain effect of being in the demon king castle. If Libest [King] is in the castle then his power is strengthened. The true value of comes from siege warfare. ¡°Save your magic and the moment they show up really give them something to look at.¡± (Libest) ¡°Understood!¡± They still don¡¯t seem to have realised what¡¯s going on while they stay in the castle and store up magic power. After a short while. ¡°Hmph. Finally here? Let¡¯s finish it.¡± (Laos) Laos emerges from the east and confirms the castle. ¡°You¡¯re too hasty Laos. It¡¯s boring if you don¡¯t play around a little¡±. (Heine) Heine appears from the west. ¡°Both of you are too careless. We still don¡¯t know what will appear from the castle. Please proceed more cautiously.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano appears from the north. ¡°I see them. North, east and west. It¡¯s three heroes [Braves]!¡± Libest¡¯s subordinates raise their voices. ¡°Did they split up instead of acting as one group? I don¡¯t suppose it matters now. Let¡¯s go! Show those guys the power of the demon king academy!¡± (Libest) ¡°Roger that! Preparing Absolute Water Annihilation Cannon !¡± ¡° preparing! Magic formation begin!¡± A huge magic formation appears on the castle and turns into a turret above one of the gates. ¡°Start supplying magic power!!¡± The formation activates as is receives magic and light gathers in the turret. ¡°Ready to fire!!¡± Magic sights are aimed at Heine, Laos and Ledoriano. ¡°Here we go. fire!!¡± (Libest) At that moment the lake turns white and is wrapped in holy light. With Heine, Laos and Ledoraiano as the tip, a triangle formed of magic lines appears. From the centre, a huge magic formation appears and covers the demon king castle in light. ¡°¡­¡­Libest-sama. Magic power and the power supply itself is decreasing rapidly. We can¡¯t maintain the formation!¡± The formation deployed on the castle disappears and even the whirlpools created around the castle have disappeared. ¡°¡­¡­.Wha¡­. We can¡¯t draw any magic out. At this rate, the demon king castle will¡­.!!¡± As soon as the [Guardian] speaks a sound rings out and the castle breaks in half and gets swept away in the water. ¡°UAAAAAAAAAAAAH¡­..!!¡± The outer walls, floors and ceilings come apart and everyone inside was dragged out. Due to the castle collapse, the water becomes stormy. Libest casts Flight and flew through the water somehow managing to regain control and begins re-establishing order. ¡°Everyone calm down and prepare for the enemies attack. I¡¯ll help you!¡± (Libest) ¡°Ohh? Can you do that?¡± (Heine) Heine appears behind Libest. ¡°Is onii-san a demon king [king] who will become a demon emperor in the future?¡± (Heine) ¡°What about it?¡± (Libest) *Fufu* Heine laughs. ¡°Look at that. Do you understand?¡± (Heine) Libest turns to look at where Heine was pointing and a flash of light appears. The rubble from the collapsed castle is scattered in the water along with the other students and from the lake floor countless flashes of holy fire are firing out. ¡°It¡¯s no good!¡­¡­¡­ Anti-magic can¡¯t be used!¡­¡­¡­GUAAAAAAA!!¡± ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAA!!¡± The lake had become complete pandemonium. To the listening Libest, Underwater Activity is barely working as their voices augmented by magic are becoming feeble. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re weak! If this happens you Mazoku are weak!!¡± Laos fires off multiple Holy Flames burning one student after another. Both anti-magic and recovery magic were sealed by the barrier scattering the magic for them into the water and making them useless. ¡°Ahahahaha, how unsightly. I have to laugh if such a pitiful person is a future demon emperor. What is the demon king academy teaching you? How to let your comrades die without helping them?¡± (Heine) Libest¡¯s eyes sharpen at Heines words. He tries to pull his demon sword out but he can¡¯t due to his low magic power. ¡°Why is your magic weakening? Would you like me to tell you?¡± (Heine) Heine was totally playing with Libest now. ¡°The holy water that mixes with this lake creates a special barrier. You can use it as a source of magic power if you can draw it out but if not it will hinder your use of magic power. I say that but you cant use it at all so it would be hard for you to do.¡± (Heine) Heine deliberately exposes the holy water magic tool to Libest. ¡°So it was such a thing¡­¡­ Even so, you should have remained quiet to the end!!¡± (Libest) Libest accurately analysed the flow of Heine¡¯s magic power and uses the holy water as a magic tool in the same way. And that was the trap. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ah¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Libest) The power of the holy water penetrates directly into Libest¡¯s origin. Holy water benefits humans but is poisonous to mazoku. The holy power tears his body inside to shreds. Libest bleeds from his whole body. ¡°Ahahahaha! Failure failure! The students of the demon king academy can¡¯t do such a difficult thing.¡± (Heine) Heine mocks Libest and raises his right hand. ¡°Come my holy sword. Great sacred ground sword Zeele.¡± Light gathers in his palm and instantly materialises. A holy sword emitting a deep green glow appears in Heine¡¯s hand. Chapter 83.2 ¡°Hey, you¡¯d better use anti-magic quickly. If you don¡¯t do your best you¡¯ll die!!¡± (Heine) Heine swings his sword down and the water is split in half due to the pressure and amazing torrent of magical power it¡¯s emitting. The video suddenly broke off. Was the falcon familiar caught up in it? ¡°¡­.Libest-kun¡­¡­!?¡± (Menou) Menou screams and the next moment she glares at Diego. ¡°Rescue all the students quickly! If anything happens the hero academy will not escape responsibility!!¡± Diego sighed at the angry Menou. ¡°So you say but I didn¡¯t think the students of the demon king academy were this weak. There hasn¡¯t been a single student in the last two hundred years who couldn¡¯t bring themselves back from this test. Of course they will be immediately rescued but I fail to see how we are at fault for your student¡¯s cowardice.¡± (Diego) Menou grits her teeth. It¡¯s obvious she has many things she wants to say but the first thing to do is help her students. ¡°Stop talking and help faster! What are you doing!?¡± (Menou) ¡°I¡¯ve already sent out familiars to collect them. It¡¯s still going to take a couple of minutes. Just wait a while.¡± (Diego) Menou was stunned. This test is a simulated fight so of course injuries happen and accidents occur. In the worst-case scenario, you even have to assume the worst so there¡¯s no way Menou could have imagined that they didn¡¯t have any emergency preparations prepared. Not willing to wait any longer Menou ran to the edge of the lake. ¡°Don¡¯t be so impatient.¡± (Arnos) I grab her shoulder as she tries to jump in. ¡°There¡¯s little a mazoku can do in that barrier.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t wait!¡± (Menou) ¡°Not even 5 seconds?¡± (Arnos) Her eyes go round at my words. Students fly out of the lake one after the other before gently landing on the ground. ¡°Is this you Arnos-kun¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to pull someone up if they are not fighting.¡± (Arnos) All the students have been pulled out of the lake and placed gently on the lakeshore. ¡°¡­..Libest-kun¡­¡­.!!¡± Menou runs over to Libest who¡¯s the most seriously injured and casts Anti-Magic healing but the wounds won¡¯t heal at all. ¡°¡­¡­.Why¡­¡­.? What¡¯s wrong¡­¡­?¡± Menou pours in even more magic power but the blood continues flowing from Libests body. ¡°¡­.Why?¡­¡­ Please work¡­¡­.. Please¡­¡­!!¡± (Menou) ¡°Menou-sensei it¡¯s useless. He has a stigmata.¡± (Diego) Menou looks at Diego who had remained silent until now. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asks him sharply as she continues using magic. ¡°When deeply injured by holy magic a stigmata appears like on that student. If that happens healing won¡¯t work anymore and all you can do it bet on their life force being strong enough for them to recover.¡± (Diego) ¡°Heal him!¡± (Menou) ¡°Did you not hear my explanation? Recovery magic doesn¡¯t work.¡± (Diego) ¡°This is the responsibility of the hero academy! What was your intention of using such dangerous magic in a simple test? You¡¯ve been saying holy water over and over again!¡± (Menou) ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous magic and no student of the hero academy has ever received a stigmata from it. It¡¯s probably because the students of the demon king academy are too weak. You say holy water like its magic but it¡¯s not as I explained earlier. In this environment, it causes troublesome fluctuations in magic fields. It¡¯s just simply that your students couldn¡¯t adapt to it.¡± (Diego) ¡°Show me proof that its a magic tool!!¡± (Menou) ¡°That¡¯s fine but we didn¡¯t know. I could understand if we knew and intentionally did this but we didn¡¯t so I¡¯m a bit troubled being unjustly accused. Well, it¡¯s an unfortunate accident. Lessons have been learned so going forward let¡¯s learn from each other.¡± (Diego) He¡¯s good at spouting crap that¡¯s for sure. ¡°It¡¯s fine discussing holy water but shouldn¡¯t something be done about the students first?¡± (Diego) When Menou didn¡¯t answer back Diego left. Menou continues pouring magic power in but no matter how much she uses Libest¡¯s wounds won¡¯t heal. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Menou) Menou turns pleading eyes to me. ¡°Why are you so worried? I can heal stigmata¡¯s.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really?¡± (Menou) I nod and kneel besides Libest. I put my hand on the part of Libest¡¯s chest where he had been stabbed by Zeele and the stigmata had formed. As I do Libests hand slowly moved and grabbed my arm. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­. sensei¡­¡­.. I couldn¡¯t meet your expectations¡­¡­¡± (Libest) Menou looks like she¡¯s about to cry at his words. ¡°Uuun, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­.Libest-kun. Sensei was bad. I got worked up over a stupid thing and put my student in danger¡­.. I¡¯m disqualified as a teacher¡­..¡± (Menou) ¡°¡­..That¡¯s not¡­.true¡­.. sensei. Sensei is a teacher more splendid than anyone¡­¡­.. and I wanted to¡­. prove it¡­..¡± (Libest) Libest¡¯s words trail off. ¡°Here¡­¡­¡± (Libest) Libest opens his other hand and in it is a hero academy school badge. ¡°Why do you have this¡­.?¡± (Menou) ¡°¡­.Those guys¡­¡­¡­ It¡¯s a tool to control the holy water¡­¡­¡­.. Without it, their power would be halved¡­¡­¡± (Libest) I see. ¡°On the verge of being stabbed by the holy sword did you put all your power into your demon eyes and not anti-magic?¡± (Arnos) So instead of protecting himself, he left himself defenceless to look for the tool controlling the water. He could have died. Such splendid resolution. ¡°¡­¡­Inept person¡­.¡± (Libest) Libest calls me. ¡°You¡¯re a disagreeable man¡­¡­ In fact, I hate you a lot¡­..¡± (Libest) ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± (Arnos) Libest puts more strength into the hand grabbing my arm. ¡°¡­¡­ But for the first time today, I think¡­¡­.. you have the power¡­¡­.. even if you lack respect¡­¡­.. If I only had ¡­¡­. your strength¡­¡­¡± (Libest) ¡°It¡¯s okay Libest-kun. The hero academy is cheating. The holy water is an unfair magic tool. I¡¯m going to officially protest to the old seven demon emperors.¡± (Menou) Libest grits his teeth and shakes his head spilling tears. ¡°¡­¡­. I¡¯ll bear the shame and ask¡­¡­. Please Arnos¡­¡­¡± (Libest) ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything Libest.¡± (Arnos) I understand his feeling well. We are both mazoku after all. You don¡¯t want a protest and complaint lodged. ¡°You played your role splendidly. We know there is a barrier using holy water and a tool to control it.¡± (Arnos) I erased Libest¡¯s stigmata and stood up. ¡°Leave everything to me. Without cheating, I¡¯ll show them hell.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 84.1 I calmly step forward and head towards the heroes. Forming a line next to me is Ray with his sword Sigshesta and Sasha wearing her is on the other side. Misha also silently joins the line while Misa and eight members of the fan union follow behind. Misa casts a questioning look at me with her eyes and I nod. That makes 13 people in total. We now meet the number of required people. ¡°Heine¡± (Arnos) Like someone unwinding after finishing their work he sits on a rock by the lakeshore and casts an innocent smile at me. ¡°Yo, Onii-san. That senpai was really weak. If that¡¯s a third years student then the mazoku are no big deal.¡± (Heine) Heine laughs trying to provoke me. ¡°If you were the genuine hero Kanon you wouldn¡¯t have needed to use that barrier.¡± (Arnos) The expression of Heine who was smiling comfortably distorted slightly. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± (Heine) ¡°No matter what you do or how far you go you¡¯re just a fake. A hero is someone who holds both strength and courage. At the height of the great war that man even gave mercy to the mazoku. Even if you look-alike you are nothing like that man that lived his life in constant conflict.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Heee. Are you saying I¡¯m not a hero? You speak like you knew him.¡± (Heine) Heine spits his words out. ¡°What do you know of humans Onii-san? Are you a reincarnated person? You may have met the hero but we still hear his voice to this day.¡± (Heine) Fumu. Now that¡¯s something interesting he¡¯s just said. Let¡¯s talk about it in detail after I beat them up. ¡°And? Are you playing with us next Onii-san?¡± (Heine) ¡°Aah. Do your best to hang on. I¡¯m going to twist and crush that boring pride of yours.¡± (Arnos) Standing behind Heine, Ledoriano pushes his glasses up with his index finger while Laos stands up and cracks his knuckles. All the Jergakanon guys are motivated now. ¡°Sorry to interrupt all the excitement but your opponents are not Jergakanon.¡± (Diego) Diego walks over to us. ¡°To begin with if they fight now Jergakanon will be fighting consecutive battles. You might think you can win if they are exhausted but that¡¯s just cowardly or is that how you are taught in the demon king academy?¡± (Diego) Deigo sneers at us while talking. ¡°Sorry, but this is the hero academy. You will refrain from using such tricks while here.¡± (Diego) This fellow is number one at getting caught up in the moment and getting all cocky. ¡°The next opposition exam with Jergakanon will be held later. I really don¡¯t know what you are trying to achieve with your insults. If you want to fight them then how about you fight my 3rd years first? The battle will start in five minutes. How about it?¡± (Diego) I see. You want to let Jergakanon rest while we expose our power. After fighting his 3rd years it will become a consecutive battle for us instead and he¡¯s using lack of time to start the battle right away. Such tedious little tricks he¡¯s using. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. Send out the small fries.¡± (Arnos) Diego grins and laughs. Looks like he thinks everything¡¯s going his way. The holy water barrier can be used even by non reincarnated humans so does he intend to cut our power down as much as possible and let Jergakanon finish us off in the end? ¡°Then let¡¯s begin immediately. Where do you want your base?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Give us the underwater city.¡± (Diego) We turn around and head towards the lake. ¡°Aah, first of all, can I just say I can¡¯t use Underwater Activity magic.¡± Ray says while flashing his refreshing smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Okay. It¡¯s an underwater battle. What do intend to do?¡± Sasha says while seeming surprised. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can hold my breath for a long time.¡± (Ray) ¡°Huh?¡± (Sasha) Chapter 84.2 ¡°Who else can¡¯t use it?¡± (Arnos) Awkwardly all eight members of the fan union raise their hands. ¡°¡­¡­.I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll die if I leave them alone¡­¡­¡­ Should I just let them float in the lake?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Should I support them?¡± (Misha) If Misha uses on them then all 8 members of the fan union should be able to manage. ¡°That would be a heavy burden on you though Misha.¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s not a problem you need to worry about.¡± (Arnos) I cast on myself and dive into the lake. Using I fly through the water and head to the caves that¡¯s our base area. ¡°Hang on. Aren¡¯t you being a bit irresponsible?¡± (Sasha) Sasha and the others soon follow after me. When we arrive at the base we hear Diego¡¯s voice through . ¡°Are both forces ready? Let¡¯s begin the test between the demon king academy 1st years and the hero academy 3rd years. Keep the honour and pride of your ancestors and fight fairly.¡± (Diego) Diego signals the start of the test. ¡°First of all, we need to do something about the holy barrier. While in it the power of the mazoku is halved.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Take away the heroes badges?¡± (Misha) Misha and Sasha look at me. ¡°The holy water barrier is established and freely moved through the flow of the lake water that in turn is controlled by the school badges. All it really is is a magic technique. We only have to stop the water flow.¡± (Arnos) ¡°But how do we do that?¡± (Misa) ¡°Very easily.¡± (Arnos) I hold my hand in front of me and form a magic circle. It rapidly expands and causes particles of magic power to rise. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Eh¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Sasha who¡¯s seen this magic many times lets out a surprised voice. ¡°Wai¡­wait¡­.hang on¡­¡­what¡­ this magic is not normal¡­..! Even when we were self-studying¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°You probably learned this in history class Sasha. The name of the magic that the demon king of tyranny used to burn all of Deiruheido 2000 years ago?¡± (Arnos) Sasha lets out an astonished voice. ¡°Weren¡¯t you being serious before¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Of course I was, but if I don¡¯t suppress it properly entire countries will disappear but due to this holy water barrier the power should be just about right now.¡± (Arnos) The black sun appears from the magic formation. ¡°Perish humans. Bear witness to the power of the demon king.¡± (Arnos) The dark light emitted from the jet back sun covered the entire bottom of the lake. I fire and in an instant, both the normal water and the holy water are vaporised. As if total night had come the holy lake continued to burn under the jet black sun. ¡°Fumu. You don¡¯t need to hold your breath anymore Ray.¡± (Arnos) Before long, light begins to penetrate the darkness and it starts to clear up. The water from lake Seimei had completely dried up and the students from the hero side were lying on the floor of what was once an underwater city. ¡°If there¡¯s no water there¡¯s no point worrying about controlling the water flow. No matter how much holy water flows in now they cant re-establish the barrier.¡± (Arnos) I cast my eye over to the far lakeshore to see Diego trembling with fear. ¡°¡­¡­.Ridiculous¡­¡­ the water from lake Seimei¡­¡­.. The water given by the gods has dried up¡­¡­.. with just one spell¡­¡­¡± (Diego) He looks at the empty lake Seimei with surprise. None of the prostrate 3rd years tried to move. Have you given up on the battle already? I use magic and pick up the fallen heroes and deposit them on the lakeshore. ¡°Fumu. Was the match over with my opening move? Even if they are called heroes the 3rd year¡¯s don¡¯t amount to much.¡± (Arnos) I fling those word at Jergakanon using Heine, Laos and Ledoraino all have Grimm expressions on their faces. ¡°¡­¡­What¡­that¡­.. was it possible to completely evaporate the lake with just one spell?¡­¡­. That bastard¡­¡­ Isn¡¯t he actually a monster? Even if he¡¯s not the demon king is this really the level of a reincarnated person¡­¡­?¡± (Laos) ¡°¡­¡­Apparently, he¡¯s clearly different from the 3rd years over there¡­¡­. To think our ancestors were dealing with these guys¡­¡­ Well, humans managed to survive to this day¡­¡­¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°But the stronger they are the better it feels when they give up right? If we contain them in a barrier then they should be manageable right?¡± (Heine) The 3 of them let out words like that. ¡°What are you playing around at? It¡¯s your turn now so get down here quickly.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 85.1 Ledoriano and the others head down into the dried-up lake. ¡°Oi¡­¡­.you guys¡­¡­.¡± Diego speaks up, his voice barely hiding his surprise. ¡°It¡¯s fine Diego-sensei. We¡¯ll use that.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Wait. I won¡¯t permit unauthorised use of that.¡± (Diego) ¡°You¡¯re starting to look silly up there. Please be quiet.¡± Laos says while cracking his knuckles ¡°Just watch. I¡¯m going to beat him up good.¡± Heine jumps down and Ledoriano and Laos follow him. All the Jergakanon scarlet uniforms landed at the bottom of the lake. ¡°Wait. I haven¡¯t authorised it. Do you think you can start this test without permission?¡± (Diego) ¡°We will now begin the interschool test between the hero academy Jergakanon class and the demon king academy 1st years Arnos group.¡± It wasn¡¯t Diego that made that announcement but Menou using . ¡°Keep the honour and pride of your ancestors and please fight fairly.¡± (Menou) ¡°Menou-sensei could you please refrain from mimicking me.¡± (Diego) ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d permit this if they won the last match or are you trying to stop it because you are afraid you¡¯ll lose?¡± (Menou) ¡°Not at all, but now the lake barrier is gone damage may occur to Gairadeite.¡± (Diego) In the middle of Diego¡¯s speech I developed a large scale anti-magic barrier over the whole lake. ¡°I¡¯ve made it even safer than it was before.¡± I tell him via ¡°Fighting while deploying large scale magic makes puts our students at quite the disadvantage. Even with this handicap are you still trying to escape?¡± (Menou) Diego glares at Menou whos openly provoking him. ¡°Do what you want.¡± (Diego) Diego talks to Jergakanon via ¡°Oi Ledoriano. You know what the purpose is right? You absolutely have to win. Put that condescending mouth of yours to work.¡± (Diego) ¡°Understood.¡± (Ledoriano) is cut off. ¡°Now then.¡± (Arnos) I develop another magic circle. ¡°And I asked you to save a portion for me.¡± Sasha complains next to me. ¡°I¡¯m sure those fellows said the same thing.¡± (Arnos) I develop another on the same scale as the last one. A huge jet black sun was launched pouring down and burning the underwater city. ¡°Four Genus Barrier Seal ¡± Four huge magic formations appear to the north, east, south and west of the city with each one representing the different elements of water, fire, earth and wind. The four formations activate as anti-magic and synergistically amplify each other dampening the power of as it approaches. A loud crackling sound can be heard as the two collide followed by a raging storm from the aftermath of the two powers meeting. At that moment a figure jumped and a vertical light appeared. The jet back sun is cut in two by that vertical light before quickly disappearing. The figure of the person who cut landed on the ground. My demon eyes pick out a girl with purple hair gathered at the back of her head and carrying a shining holy sword. ¡°Fumu. Even though their barrier reduced the power of my it still wouldn¡¯t be easy to slash it like that.¡± (Arnos) Thinking about it I haven¡¯t seen the 1st ranked student in the hero academy yet. You would assume they¡¯d be in Jergakanon but is that girl it? ¡°This might get interesting.¡± (Arnos) ¡°And? What are you going to do? Fire off a more powerful ?¡± Sasha looks over at me. ¡°I could, but if I make it any more powerful I won¡¯t be able to adjust it anymore. I could end up obliterating even their origins.¡± (Arnos) This isn¡¯t a war. I cant go doing something like that for a mere school test. ¡°I¡¯ll enter this fight.¡± (Arnos) I step forward and slowly start walking towards the city. ¡°Don¡¯t you want a demon king castle building?¡± (Misha) ¡°From what I can tell the barrier they¡¯ve set up over the city is powerful but has a narrow range. Its power to seal mazoku is probably due to the 4 different elements developed and overlapping in multiple layers. As long as its there they won¡¯t come out in case I use another .¡± (Arnos) Even if I build a demon king castle and wait for them they won¡¯t appear. It will just descend into a boring stalemate. ¡°But isn¡¯t it a disadvantage to fight in there? It could go the same way as Libest¡¯s team.¡± ¡°The barrier will disappear if the caster is incapacitated.¡± Ray says with a fresh smile on his face. ¡°What if they are Kanon¡¯s reincarnations though?¡± ¡°Either way the caster is inside the barrier so we will have to fight in there.¡± Misa says with a serious expression. The fan union girls nod. ¡°Should I build the demon king castle in the city centre?¡± Misha makes a proposal. ¡°The demon kings castle terrain effect will offset the barriers effect.¡± Creating a demon king castle that spans the entire city will certainly counterbalance the barrier seal but it would depend on the caster. Depending on the person¡¯s magical power this could certainly turn to our advantage. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it take time to build a castle that specialises in such a terrain effect? Especially when under the effect of that barrier seal.¡± Mishas nods. ¡°Create in 3 minutes.¡± (Misha) ¡°Shall we go then? I¡¯ll protect Misha and the castle for those 3 minutes. Everyone else wait outside the barrier. Once the castle is built Sasha and Ray will enter and defeat the barrier caster. Misa you¡¯ll handle the remaining small fry.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Got it.¡± (Ray) ¡°Understood.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I can¡¯t bring shame to Arnos-sama. I¡¯ll wait for the proper timing¡­¡­.¡± Elen, one of the fan union girls clenches her fist with a serious look. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. You¡¯ll be able to easily see when the castles built. No need to be so tense.¡± (Misa) ¡°No, I mean the time for the support song.¡± (Elen) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ah¡­¡­ahaha¡­¡­ I think its better if you don¡¯t sing¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Fumu. Apart from Ray and the others, I had thought the fan union would feel pressured but they seem the same as ever. I guess they have more guts than I give them credit for. ¡°If the opportunity comes, sing as much as you want. You¡¯ll break the hearts of the enemy in your own way.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­..Yes!!¡± Elen nodded as if suddenly motivated. ¡°Then I¡¯m off.¡± (Arnos) I stretch out my hand to Misha and we touch fingertips. I set my gaze on the distant city centre and cast Chapter 85.2 The landscape dyes white for a moment then turns into the plaza. Here would be the perfect spot to build our castle. I can feel the influence of the barrier but apart from that, there¡¯s no particular problems. ¡°¡± Misha clasps her hands as if in prayer. Shining ice crystals appear from the on her ring finger and form a magic circle. ¡°A castle and town of ice¡± (Misha) Ice crystals spread across the plaza freezing the ground before forming a demon king castle that reached to the heavens. It¡¯s still unfinished though. doesn¡¯t finish with this though. The crystals carry on growing in number and rapidly cover the ground of the entire city. ¡°Heee. So large scale magic can still be used even under the influence of ¡± Heine appeared in the square. ¡°But it appears to be unfinished.¡± Ledoriano appears next. ¡°Really? Do you think we¡¯ll let you build it in our territory?¡± Laos appears. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± The girl with the shining sword from a while ago stood silently behind them. ¡°Although it was reduced from it was still splendid how you destroyed my . Can I ask your name?¡± (Arnos) The girl doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Please excuse her. She can¡¯t talk so I¡¯ll answer in her stead. Hero Academy 1st place belonging to the selection class [Jergakanon]. Reincarnated from the 4th origin of the hero Kanon, Sacred Wind Advent Knight Zeshia Kanon Ijeishka.¡± (Ledoriano) Ranked 1st but reincarnated from the 4th origin? If you exclude the teacher that¡¯s why Eleonor said 4 people. Fumu. I must say this is a rare event for this me but I can¡¯t see the bottom of the abyss for this person. ¡°That¡¯s a good holy sword. What¡¯s its name?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s the holy sword of light [Enhalle]. It rejects all demons. In front of this sword they return to nothing. It can probably cut this unfinished castle in two.¡± (Ledoriano) I wanted to see if she was Kanon but it looks like I¡¯ll have to deal with this holy sword first as it¡¯s light is covering my demon eyes. ¡°Nee Ledoraino, enough with the talking.¡± (Heine) Heine holds his hand up and a magic circle appears. ¡°Let¡¯s clean up before the castle is built.¡± (Heine) Ledoriano, Laos and Zeshia also develop magic circles. ¡°Four Genus Barrier Chain ¡± Magic formations formed of earth, wind, fire and water come flying from all sides at the castle Misha hasn¡¯t finished yet. ¡°Fumu. It¡¯s not me you are trying to clear up?¡± (Arnos) I develop anti-magic and block and in that moment the magic formations broke and scattered and in their place chains of magic tied to my hands and feet appeared. Each chain had the attributes of earth, wind, fire and water. ¡°Fumu. Apparently also has the effect of holy magic.¡± (Arnos) This is a holy curse used by heroes. has a curse like side effect for anyone caught in it. For example, this curse was triggered when a spell was prevented with anti-magic and the magic chains bind that person. ¡°No need to bluff onii-chan. With connected to you, your power is less than one-tenth onii-chan.¡± (Heine) Heine raises his hand above his head. ¡°Come, my holy greatsword Zeele.¡± (Heine) Light gathers in his palm and a holy sword emitting a dark green glow appears. ¡°Fufufu. Wouldnt it be better to beg for your life? I¡¯ll help you.¡± (Heine) ¡°Fumu. Begging for life? That¡¯s fine. Bow before me and I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± (Arnos) Despite my limbs being tied with I look down on Heine. ¡°You know something?¡± (Heine) Heines expression distorts in displeasure. ¡°I hate that kind of joke!!¡± (Heine) Heine kicks the ground and comes close in a moment. Swinging the holy greatsword Zeel overhead Heine swings downwards with all his might. The slash filled with holy power hits me directly and droplets of holy light flew off and scattered in every direction. ¡°Fufufu, ahahahahaa. How¡¯s that? How do you feel without your ability now? What¡¯s that? I can¡¯t hear you anymore.¡± (Heine) ¡°That¡¯s quite a good sword. With sealing demonic power it allows the sword to cut easily.¡± (Arnos) I used the slash from the holy sword to cut the chains binding me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­!?¡± The droplets of light covering the area fade and everyone could now see. Everyone stares dumbfounded at me standing there unharmed. ¡°When you¡¯ve captured your enemy think about your attack method a bit more.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Shut up! Then I¡¯ll just keep doing it until I cut you!! Ledoriano, Laos, Zeshia!¡± (Heine) ¡°Understood.¡± Again, each of them develop elemental formations and fire them at the castle. ¡°Hey, go on. Prevent it with your anti-magic. Do you want your castle stolen?¡± (Heine) ¡°Fumu. That¡¯s right.¡± (Arnos) I develop anti-magic and block the spells. ¡°Hey, next time I¡¯ll use a stronger magic slash¡­¡­.wha¡­..¡± (Heine) Heine loses his words. My libs are not chained. I prevented the activation of with anti-magic. ¡°¡­.What¡­.. How¡­..?¡± (Heine) ¡°Did you think the same attack would work on me twice?¡± (Arnos) I take a step forward and Heine takes a step back in fear. ¡°Such a thing¡­. our magic¡­¡­ the magic we trained so hard in every day to defeat the mazoku being broken so easily¡ª¡± (Heine) Heine theatrically falls to one knee and punches the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Did you think I¡¯d say that?¡± (Heine) Fumu. Did he think he¡¯d seen through me? I wouldn¡¯t do such a shameful act though. Looking up with a mocking expression Heine develops a magic formation on the ground. The other 3 also draw a magic formation on the ground. ¡°Four Genus Barrier Cage .¡± The ground moves and the earth swells up and completely covers me. ¡°We don¡¯t expect the same magic to work multiple times either. With those great demon eyes and analytical ability, no attack will work twice. We¡¯ll teach you just how many magic barriers we Jergakanon have.¡± (Ledoriano) The cage of earth surrounds me completely. ¡°It¡¯s 1088.¡± (Ledorino) ¡°Haahaahaa! Oops. Make that 1087 now. No matter how much you talk that¡¯s not something you can endure.¡± Laos says in a triumphant voice. At that moment black lighting overflows from the cage of earth. ¡°¡­.Wh¡­..at¡­..?¡± Making a popping sound jet black lighting spreads around the entire cage. ¡°Everyone dodge¡ª¡± (Ledoriano) At that moment just as Ledoriano is speaking the 4 of them are caught up in the black lighting which tears their anti-magic up. ¡°¡­.This¡­.power. Even under the influence of ¡­¡­. Such huge magic¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless¡­¡­¡­. even though we stacked layering barrier magic, pinned him down¡­¡­.and cut him¡­¡­. Why why why why why¡­¡­ This stupid amount of magic power¡­¡­!¡± ¡°UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!¡± Heine, Ledoriano, Laos and Zeshia were swallowed by origin magic Demonic Black Lighting Emperor and blown away. ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something.¡± (Arnos) Thanks to the well-weathered cage of earth crumbled leaving no traces behind. ¡°Just because the same attack won¡¯t work twice it doesn¡¯t mean it will work the first time either.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 86.1 Laos received a direct hit from the black lightning blowing him clean across the plaza and slamming him into a building before finally stopping. Laos was now burnt black and slumped on the floor. Objectively, it seemed difficult for him to continue the fight but the next moment he was enveloped in the dazzling light of recovery magic. ¡°Fumu. I thought those four were maintaining but it seems I was wrong.¡± (Arnos) chips away at a mazoku¡¯s power while enhancing a humans power. Recovery magic is also one of its effects. As long as they don¡¯t outright die and stay inside the barrier their wounds will be healed instantly as many times as needed. In order to maintain the barrier, magic power must be constantly supplied to it. If those 4 were maintaining it then would have finished them and broken the barrier. ¡°Other students maintaining the barrier?¡± (Misha) ¡°Looks like it.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯ll look.¡± (Misha) Misha completed the demon king castle in the city plaza. Countless ice crystals were growing on the ground and spread throughout the entire city. Ice trees, flowers and buildings had sprung up throughout the entire castle town. Misha puts a fingertip on the demon king castle and focuses on her demon eyes. The castle, as well as the ice town she had made, were in a sense a barrier of their own. As such, Misha¡¯s magic had permeated the entire area. With this, she¡¯ll be able to find the caster so we can neutralise them. ¡°Can¡¯t find them.¡± (Misha) They must be very good to escape Misha¡¯s demon eyes. ¡°But I understand.¡± She says in her indifferent tone of voice. ¡°Only one of the Jergakanon students can hide from me.¡± Fumu. As expected of Misha. She probably has the name and face of every Jergakanon student firmly stored away in her head. In other words, the one student she can¡¯t find is the caster of the barrier. ¡°Who?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eleonor.¡± (Misha) I see. Well, no surprise really after I looked at her origin. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± (Misha) ¡°It will be a tough fight.¡± (Arnos) Her rank is below Ledoriano¡¯s but her ability is not necessarily below his. Look at me. I¡¯m branded inept after all. ¡°Do my best.¡± (Misha) Misha raises her left hand with the ring on and injects magic in the ice town. The barrier being projected by the demon king castle is now competing with . It¡¯s quite a sight to see actually. ¡°¡­..Tch¡­¡­.. what a monster. I might have died without .¡± (Laos) The formerly blackened Laos stood up like nothing had happened. ¡°¡­¡­..Don¡¯t get angry. It¡¯s a bit unfair that the barrier isn¡¯t working despite them being mazoku though.¡± (Heine) Similarly, Heine stood up from the position he¡¯d been blown away to. ¡°¡­.It doesn¡¯t matter how strong he is or how many times we¡¯re knocked down we just keep going until he runs out of steam.¡± (Laos) ¡°I¡¯m sorry for you¡­¡­¡± A girl descends from the sky and stands in front of Laos. Now that Misha has completed the demon king castle the effects of are almost completely offset. ¡°But Arnos doesn¡¯t need to bother with small fry like you.¡± Sasha grabs the hem of her dress and curtsies elegantly. ¡°The eldest daughter of the Necron family, directly descended from the old seven demon emperor Aivis Necron, Sasha Necron the witch of ruin at your service. Remember it, for its the name of the one who¡¯ll drive you to the edge of despair.¡± (Sasha) Laos enters his battle stance and holds a fist up. ¡°Haa! Bring it on! Oi Heine, one of the chaos generation has appeared. I¡¯m going to play with her a bit so go and meet up with Ledoriano first.¡± (Laos) Laos talks to Heine via , however, their thoughts spill out. ¡°That¡¯s fine but make it quick otherwise I¡¯m going to beat that guy by myself.¡± (Heine) ¡°Isn¡¯t that impossible?¡± Hein¡¯s eyes sharpen because until just a moment ago there was no one in front of him. There was no evidence of any magic being used but a white-haired mazoku was suddenly there as if by teleportation. ¡°You cannot beat him. Not by yourself and not with others. I¡¯m not sure there is anyone who can beat him.¡± With his refreshing smile, Ray stands there with the unique sword Sigshesta. ¡°Ohh. It¡¯s a black-suited onii-san with a seven-pointed star badge.¡± (Heine) Heine¡¯s lips curl up cheerfully. ¡°I know you. One of the chaos generation, the demonic sword saint Ray Grandori right? It¡¯s said your swordsmanship is your pride.¡± (Heine) ¡°I¡¯m okay but I¡¯m better than you.¡± (Ray) Heines smile freezes in offence. ¡°If that¡¯s the case.¡± (Heine) Heine leaps into motion with his holy sword Zeele gathering magic in its dark green blade. ¡°Block everything from this Zeele!!¡± (Heine) Heine swings his holy sword down and at that moment it seemed like Ray¡¯s hand glittered and a flash of light appeared. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Eh¡­¡­..?¡± (Heine) While still holding Zeele, Heines right arm was severed and was now flying through the air. Heine couldn¡¯t even grasp the moment his arm was cut. ¡°With that skill level, your sword is crying. It¡¯s such a good sword as well.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­.Youuu¡­¡­¡­ You¡¯re only a subordinate but you¡¯re pissing me off¡­¡­!! (Heine) Heine¡¯s arm immediately regenerated due to and he drew a triple gated magic formation at his feet. ¡°I know your weak point demonic sword saint. You¡¯re no good at magic. Your class would be demon swordsman wouldn¡¯t it? Your physical ability is improved so you can probably move faster than me but you can¡¯t use any magic you aren¡¯t familiar with.¡± (Heine) ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± (Ray) Ray flashes his refreshing smile. ¡°Why are you laughing? You really are pissing me off. Are you stupid? Don¡¯t you understand? You have no way of preventing our magic barriers!!¡± (Heine) Holy water springs out from Heine¡¯s feet and he absorbs its power. ¡°Earthquake Barrier !!¡± (Heine) The ground starts shaking unnaturally in a 30-meter radius around Heine. It¡¯s a barrier that resembles an earthquake but its not. It robs mazoku of movement by binding their feet and takes away their power. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t move can you onii-san? Now it doesn¡¯t matter how good your sword arm is.¡± (Heine) In the midst of the seemingly bad earthquake, Heine leisurely walks over to Zeele and picks it up. ¡°I¡¯ll show you another good thing.¡± (Heine) Heine raises his left hand and holy light gathers there before becoming another sword. ¡°Come my other holy sword. Holy earth greatsword Zereo.¡± Heine holds Zeele in his right hand and Zereo in his left. ¡°Let me teach you something. If any wound that¡¯s made by Zereo is also cut by Zeele then that wound becomes a stigmata and recovery magic won¡¯t work anymore. Everyone who¡¯s wounded like that cries for help. Kyahahahaha¡± (Heine) Heine¡¯s face distorts in laughter. ¡°But no matter how much you beg I can¡¯t help you because I can¡¯t cure stigmata¡¯s.¡± (Heine) Heine casually approaches Ray with his twin swords. ¡°Hey listen. I can use these holy swords the best which is good because otherwise onii-san might have a hard time right?¡± (Heine) Heine stared at Ray while making fun of him. ¡°It was Heine-kun right?¡± (Ray) ¡°Yes, what of it?¡± (Heine) Chapter 86.2 ¡°I was right after all. Your sword is crying.¡± (Ray) Sigshesta glitters and Heine¡¯s left arm is cut off sending Zereo flying off and piercing the ground. ¡°¡­..Aaah¡­¡­¡­.. Ouch¡­¡­. You¡­¡­¡­ How¡­¡­!?¡± (Heine) Heine jumps back in surprise with his arm regrowing instantly. ¡°¡­¡­.. How¡¯d you do that¡­..!?¡± (Heine) Ray takes a step forward with a nonchalant look on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Ray) ¡°How are you moving in ¡­..!? You aren¡¯t even wearing anti-magic¡­..!¡± (Heine) ¡°I wondered how you could move freely in . I thought it was probably because of holy power so I decided to use holy power as well.¡± (Ray) Heine¡¯s face distorts. ¡°This demon sword is unique in that is changes in response to its user¡¯s wishes so I tried giving it holy power. I¡¯m glad it went well.¡± (Ray) Holy light overflows from the unique sword. Ray has become one with his sword and is receiving the benefits from it. Due to that even though he¡¯s a mazoku he¡¯s not affected by . ¡°Ah, I see. Hmph. But that just makes it a fake holy sword. Can you beat me with that?¡± (Heine) ¡°Let¡¯s use the real thing then.¡± (Ray) Ray picks up the holy earth greatsword Zereo causing Heine to laugh. ¡°Ahahahahaa! What are you doing onii-san? It¡¯s a big problem if a mazoku uses a holy sword you know? Your body will be eroded. Didn¡¯t you see what happened to that 3rd year with the holy water? Time to finish t¡ª.¡± (Heine) Using Zereo Ray cuts off Heines right arm. ¡°Ugyaaaaaaa¡­¡­!!¡± (Heine) Heine retreats again holding his wounded arm and screaming. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Why¡­.? Why. Impossible!¡± (Heine) Ray follows after the retreating Heine. ¡°Return my holy sword. Return to your true owner!!¡± (Heine) Holding his hand out Heine called his sword but nothing happened. His expression is dyed in despair. ¡°¡­¡­Why¡­..!?¡± (Heine) ¡°It seems that this holy sword likes me.¡± (Ray) ¡°Why don¡¯t you return!? Zereo! Oi, are you listening?¡± (Heine) The holy sword doesn¡¯t respond to Heine at all. Holy swords chose suitable owners and this holy sword has chosen. ¡°No way¡­¡­.. its a lie lie lie¡­¡­. It has to be a lie! It¡¯s¡­.. It¡¯s a holy sword right¡­..? It¡¯s not any old holy sword either. It¡¯s the holy earth greatsword belonging to Jergakanon. No other heroes apart from me can use it¡­¡­.!! Mazoku definitely cannot use it!!¡± (Heine) Heine swings Zeele down. Using Zereo Ray blocks Zeele. ¡°¡­¡­.Wh¡­¡­!?¡± (Heine) ¡°You seem to be lacking in understanding here. Should I teach you how to use holy swords?¡± (Ray) Ray sticks the holy earth greatsword Zereo in the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Fuu!¡± (Ray) A flash appears from Zereo that¡¯s stuck in the ground and in an instant, a huge area of earth appears as if gouged out and dumped. Heine¡¯s body is blown away due to the rapidly rising earth. ¡°¡­¡­Uwaaaa¡­..!!¡± (Heine) The ground, stones and even trees attacked Heine as if they had a will of their own. All of them were given power by the holy earth greatsword. Heine was barely able to prevent it with anti-magic and barriers. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t know Zereo had this much power¡ª¡± (Heine) Heine¡¯s eyes show amazement. Ray sheathed Shigshesta and picked up Zeele that had fallen to the ground. ¡°If you get injured by Zereo and then that same wound gets cut by Zeele it forms a stigmata that magic can¡¯t heal. That¡¯s right isn¡¯t it?¡± (Ray) ¡°This is impossible¡­¡­. This is completely impossible. How many years do you think I had to train to use two holy swords at the same time!! Why can this mazoku u¡ª!¡± (Heine) Two swords glittered at the same time. ¡°Ugyaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Heine) Stigmata¡¯s formed on both of Heines arms that had been cut off. ¡°¡­¡­..Fu¡­. Fuuuuck¡­¡­¡­ Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck¡­..!!¡± (Heine) Heine forms magic circles over his stigmata¡¯s and attempts to cut them off from the stumps, however, the stigmata don¡¯t remain stationary and rapidly expand. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Why!? This is strange. Zereo and Zeele didn¡¯t have such power¡­.!! What did you do to my holy swords!?¡± (Heine) ¡°These swords have always had this power you just weren¡¯t able to master them.¡± (Ray) ¡°Shut up! Shit¡­¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­¡­ Why have I lost¡­..? I can¡¯t lose to a mazokuuuuuuuu!!!¡± (Heine) Heine puts all his magic power into judging that since Ray had sheathed Shigsheta he would be affected by it again, however, Ray simply stabs both swords into the ground and immediately stops. ¡°This is the correct way to use them.¡± (Ray) Heine¡¯s body is skewered by 44 blades. ¡°Uu¡­¡­¡­..Gyaaaaaaaaaaa¡­..!!!!¡± (Heine) A high pitched scream rings out. The twin swords of Zeele and Zereo had multiplied underground and sprouted 44 blades from the ground. Every wound changed into a stigmata rendering the healing from useless. ¡°¡­..Aaaah¡­¡­.. Help¡­¡­. It hurts¡­.. Aaaaaah¡­¡­. Healing¡­¡­. Why do I look like this¡­¡­? Aaaaaaah¡­. It hurts¡­.!!!¡± (Heine) Unable to withstand the pain Heine just screams. ¡°Oi. You! I surrender! Heal me quickly! This is just a school test. Don¡¯t you think this is too much?¡± (Heine) Ray gave his refreshing smile to Heines haughty objection. ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m not very good at magic but since you¡¯ve surrendered I won¡¯t interfere while you heal yourself.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..Idiot¡­¡­. I can¡¯t¡­¡­!! Ah¡­¡­aaaaaah. It hurts¡­¡­ It hurts¡­¡­. help¡­¡­.. Help me¡­..!!¡± (Heine) ¡°Is it really that painful? They¡¯re not very big wounds you know? I think there¡¯s far more hellish suffering to be had in this world.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­Where¡­¡­¡­!?¡± Ray laughs and then smiles. ¡°Who knows. It was a thought that just popped into my head.¡± (Ray) Turning his back on Heine Ray walks off. ¡°Oi, wait¡­¡­.where are you going!? Help me! Help, help meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡± (Heine) Heine¡¯s screams echo throughout the city. Chapter 87.1 Sasha and Laos faced each other on a road that leads away from the plaza. ¡°According to rumours, the witch of ruin has demon eyes that can destroy anything.¡± (Laos) Laos covers both his fists with holy flames while talking. ¡°Hmm. So you know of it then. Got a problem with that?¡± (Sasha) Sasha smile at Laos. ¡°I¡¯m called the holy flame destruction knight ya know. Destroying things is my strong point. Let¡¯s have a little strength competition.¡± (Laos) ¡°I see. You seem quite good at fire magic but can you evaporate an entire lake?¡± (Sasha) Laos clicks his tongue and makes a disgusted look. ¡°You know you can¡¯t win against Arnos but you think you can win against me in a contest of strength. I know the type of person you are¡± (Sasha) ¡°You mazoku are always so provocative.¡± (Laos) ¡°Nee. Let me tell you something.¡± (Sasha) Sasha smiled at him and then laughed. ¡°You¡¯re way too short-tempered.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Shut up!!¡±(Laos) Laos shoots holy fire from his fists but Sasha lightly waves her hand and easily brushes them away with anti-magic. ¡°Hou. Not bad. Let¡¯s try it at half power this time!!¡± (Laos) Laos crosses his fists and develops a magic formation. ¡°Grand Domination Holy Fire !!¡± (Laos) The holy flames break into 8 pieces and attack Sasha from all sides but she sees straight through to their vital points and slams anti-magic into their origins. Approaching Sasha¡¯s eye¡¯s the source of their magic was cut off and they were easily extinguished. ¡°Hurry up and come at me with your full might Mr pompous and weak idiot-san. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll die before putting out your full strength.¡± (Sasha) Laos grits his teeth. ¡°¡­¡­How did you know¡­..?¡± (Laos) ¡°That you¡¯re weak?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Stop screwing around! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯m asking how you knew I was trying to make a barrier using Grand Domination Holy Fire !?¡± (Laos) Sasha¡¯s face breaks into a broad smile. ¡°You really are an idiot to ask your enemy arent you.¡± (Sasha) ¡°What did you say¡­..!¡± (Laos) ¡°You were trying to cast Eight Holy Flame Barrier weren¡¯t you?¡± (Sasha) (1) Laos complexion changes. ¡°¡­¡­..How¡¯d you know that? I¡¯ve never used it while you were here.¡± (Laos) *Haaa* Sasha sighed. ¡°Use your head a little. Arnos taught me all the old magics. With him it was really hard defending against them all but at least with you as my partner, I can take it easy.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Stop talking crap!!¡± (Laos) Laos kicked the ground and charged straight at Sasha. ¡°Then how about this!!¡± (Laos) Laos covers his whole body in fire magic Holy Flame Armour . It pretends to be defence magic but it actually covers its opponents when it comes into contact with them and seals their magic. Any mazoku caught will have almost all their power sealed. Sasha didn¡¯t retreat however but stepped forward instead. ¡°Haa! Like a summer bug jumping into fire!!¡± (Laos) Laos spreads his arms wide and grabs Sasha. ¡°Demon Fire .¡± (Sasha) A black flame appeared in Sasha¡¯s hand before turning into a black fire blade which she plunged into Laos¡¯ stomach. ¡°Gaaa¡­¡­.¡± (Laos) ¡°Did I not say I¡¯d been taught everything Idiot-san? makes a barrier but to use it you have to grab your opponent. It might have worked as a surprise attack though. You¡¯re too full of openings.¡± (Sasha) (2) Sasha puts more magic into the black flame blade causing Laos¡¯ body to burn up inside. Laos jumps back. ¡°Tch¡­..!!¡± (Laos) Putting all his power into his anti-magic Laos shakes off. He quickly starts to counterattack before a startled expression crosses his face. ¡°Looking for this?¡± (Sasha) Sasha holds out his school badge which she¡¯d took when he grabbed her. ¡°Holy water constantly flows from this lake so I know it¡¯s not completely gone even though its currently evaporated. You should have used it right away but you wanted to play with me first so this is what you get.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Shut up! Let me show you what you want then!¡± (Laos) Laos draws a magic formation using the holy flames and a sword made of shadows appears from the centre. ¡°Show your justice Galifford!¡± (Laos) At Laos¡¯ words, the rising holy sword sucks all the fire into it and turned into a glittering scarlet sword. ¡°How¡¯s this then? Of the 88 holy swords it burns the hottest. It is said to have created the sun. What do you think of the magic power of the Holy Fire Kindling Sword Galifford?¡± (Laos) ¡°Idiot-san. No matter how amazing somethings magic power is, it¡¯s useless if the user messes up.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Haa! What was that? What was that? You scared?¡± (Laos) Sasha sighs gain. ¡°I¡¯m saying its a waste of a treasure because the user is an idiot. Is that any clearer?¡± (Sasha) Sasha launches a at Laos. ¡°That won¡¯t work!¡± (Laos) The flame wreathed Galifford wiped it out in an instant. ¡°Oh dear. What were you just saying? In a battle, you have to hit your opponent!!¡± (Laos) Wearing and wielding Galifford Laos rushes forward. ¡°Oraaaa!!¡± (Laos) Laos swings his holy sword down missing Sasha who¡¯d flown away using but the raging flames scattered from his sword turning the surrounding area into a sea of fire. A wall of flames formed to block Sasha¡¯s escape routes. ¡°And recovered.¡± (Laos) Laos holds his school badge in his hand. ¡°I take it that the fact that you wanted that back means you had no intention of using the magic barrier from the start?¡± (Sasha) Sasha tightened her lips while talking. ¡°Oh? bullseye. Hows it feel when the party you were looking down on sees through you?¡± Laos grabs his school badge and injects magic into it. Holy water gushes out at his feet and numerous floating balls of water formed. ¡°Seal her Galifford.¡± (Laos) The floating balls of holy water are wrapped in the holy flames of Galifford before drifting around Sasha and forming a magic circle that turns into a powerful barrier that blocks the power of the mazoku. ¡°How¡¯s the taste of that Holy Fire Ember Barrier ? Can you use your magic? Can you move? You can¡¯t can you?¡± (Laos) Laos points the tip of Galifford at Sasha. ¡°I¡¯m going to flashily break that impertinent mouth of yours so you can never speak again!!¡± (Laos) Chapter 87.2 Laos kicks the ground but the next moment he vomits blood from his mouth and falls to his knees. ¡°Ka¡­..fu¡­¡­..what¡­¡­the¡­¡­?¡± (Laos) ¡°Did you really think a stolen magic tool would come back and be safe to use?¡± (Sasha) Laos looks at his school badge. If you peer deeper into the abyss using your magic eyes you can see that the magic power wavelength is changing. ¡°I fused your badge with Cursed Poison Contamination .¡± (Sasha) Laos tries to put power in his legs but his body won¡¯t respond. ¡°I think you know this but is a poison that hides in magic. It erodes the origin of the person affected by it, eats into your body and shreds your internal magic power. Because you used your school badge polluted the holy water. If you use the power of the corrupted holy water in such a state then you will naturally absorb the poison from that as well.¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­..I didn¡¯t hear that you¡­¡­.could fuse magic tools and magic together¡­¡­.¡± (Laos) ¡°Idiot. This is a secret art of the Necrons. There¡¯s no way you humans would know. Even other mazoku only know the basics.¡± (Sasha) Laos crawls across the ground and reaches for Galifford. ¡°Hmmm. Are you still holding out?¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­Shut¡­.up¡­¡­ Even if the holy water is poisoned it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s lost its effect. The fact that is still active proves that. That barrier was only developed in the last 100 years. Whether you are reincarnated or not doesn¡¯t matter. You won¡¯t be able to break it. In other words, you can¡¯t move.¡± (Laos) The holy light of recovery magic envelops Laos. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, as long as we are in the effective range of we can come back again and gain. You did your best but there¡¯s no way you can win.¡± (Laos) Was the recovery powers of slightly better than the damage caused by ? Laos grabs his holy sword. Using his sword as a cane he slowly gets up. ¡°If you can¡¯t move and you don¡¯t know how to break free then that¡¯s it.¡± (Laos) ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say but I¡¯ve seen through it with my demon eyes.¡± (Sasha) Magic formations form on Sashas eyes. Wherever she looks, in an instant, the roaring flames died and the holy water balls wrapped in the holy flames shattered like glass and disappeared. ¡°Do you know the origin of the witch of ruin?¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­..That should be the¡­¡­... I hadn¡¯t heard that they could disrupt magic as well¡­¡­¡± (Laos) ¡°There are many things in this world you don¡¯t know about Idiot-san.¡± (Sasha) When Sasha glanced at Laos with her eyes he vomited more blood instantly. ¡°¡­Wh¡­¡­a¡­¡­.t¡­¡­?¡± (Laos) ¡°I¡¯m stopping before it can heal you.¡± (Sasha) are the ultimate anti-magic. They can even counter the powers of the god of time Eugo Ra Raviaz. Stopping something like from healing Laos is easy. Also, as long as she¡¯s looking at Laos the detoxifying powers will also be stopped. ¡°¡­..Gahaaa¡­.a¡­a¡­. Damn it¡­.. This poison¡­¡­.¡± (Laos) ¡°Did that really come out of your mouth? Have you forgotten what your partner did to Libest?¡± (Sasha) As long as Sasha is looking at Laos he won¡¯t recover and is making him weaker by the moment. ¡°¡­.That wasn¡¯t me¡­¡­. That was that bastard Heine¡­¡­¡± (Laos) ¡°I¡¯m amazed. You should really think about where you belong before fighting.¡± (Sasha) Laos vomits more blood and crouches down. ¡°Shall I teach you your sins? Or do you remember what you said in the magic library?¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s gaze turned cold and anger entered her voice. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d let you get away with talking to my demon king is such a rude manner?¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­..Bullshit¡­¡­all this¡­..for such a thing¡­¡­¡± (Laos) Sasha smiles coldly and puts more power into her . ¡°You deserve death.¡± (Sasha) Sasha further dampens the effect of and starts attacking him more. Black spots start to appear on Laos¡¯ body. ¡°¡­¡­.Ku¡­ah¡­¡­ Gahaaa¡­¡­.. Bastard¡­.. I¡¯ll remember this¡­ and the next time we meet¡­..¡± (Laos) ¡°Next time?¡± (Sasha) *Fufufu* Sasha laughs softly. ¡°Forever an idiot. You think there will be a next time? If that poison spreads to your whole body you will never be able to use magic again.¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­Wha¡­¡­¡­¡± (Laos) ¡°It can¡¯t be helped after all. Your headteacher said it himself. In these exams accidents sometimes happen. We fought each other fairly so there¡¯s no grudge to be had.¡± (Sasha) Laos tries to speak, his expression full of despair. ¡°¡­.Wa¡­.wait¡­¡­wai¡­¡­¡± (Laos) Sasha smiled and looked at him with her ¡°Oh, indeed I¡¯ll wait. I¡¯ll wait and watch you writhe about. I won¡¯t take my eyes off you as you slowly weaken and the poison spreads throughout your entire body.¡± (Sasha) (1) This could possibly be ¡°the guard¡± Za=the and Gaado=guard. A bit like Za Warudo lol. (2) Sasha¡¯s being really polite speaking to him. Even when calling him an idiot shes using the O honorific. Chapter 88.1 I speak to the blackened lump that had been hit by . ¡°How long are you going to play dead? I won¡¯t use anti-magic so I suggest you take this chance.¡± (Arnos) The blackened lump was wrapped in dazzling light and Ledoriano stood up brushing ash off himself. ¡°Yare yare. You do have a good eye. I was going to take you by surprise. How¡¯d you see through it? It seems I¡¯ll have to fight seriously against you.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano removes his glasses and his magic power swells up. ¡°Just to let you know but rank 1 and 2 in the hero academy are special existences compared to rank 3 and below. If I don¡¯t seal my magic power with that tool my own power is so great it will destroy my body.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano draws a magic formation and a huge amount of magic power is concentrated in it. At the same time, I feel killing intent from behind. A holy sword of light is swung down aiming at my head but I simply reach up with my right hand and catch it. ¡°Were you going to distract me by dumping a huge amount of magic power while someone else catches me by surprise? That¡¯s actually a pretty honest way of fighting. I¡¯m surprised.¡± (Arnos) Grabbing Enhalle I swing it downward smashing the still attached Zeshia into the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Tsu¡­..!!¡± The ground cracks open burying Zeshia in it from the force of the blow but she refuses to let go of Enhalle. She understands if she loses her holy sword they have no chance of winning. ¡°Fumu. You¡¯re pretty sturdy.¡± (Arnos) I raise my hand and smack her into the ground again but only the hole gets bigger while Zeshia looks unhurt. ¡°It¡¯s useless. She¡¯s protected by her anti-magic and the holy sword. Her double defensive barrier won¡¯t be so easy to break!¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano places his hand on a small puddle forming on the ground. ¡°Protect me and heal me my holy sword. Come Holy Sea Protection Sword Beiramente¡± (Ledoriano) (1) The puddle suddenly floats in the air and transforms into a blue sword reminiscent of the ocean. Ledoriano takes the blue floating holy sword. As soon as he has his sword I throw a at him. ¡°Holy Sea Protection Barrier !¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano covers his whole body with a magic barrier and receives a direct hit from . ¡°Holy Sea Protection Wall !¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano stacks a barrier on a barrier. ¡°Holy Sea Protection Curse Wall !¡± (Ledoriano) A holy curse to repel demons is now placed on the double barriers. ¡°Protect Holy Sea Protection Sword. Protector of life since the olden days Beiramente. Thine power and thine will show it now!!¡± The holy sword throws open all its power and Ledoriano amplifies the power of the barriers he¡¯s placed dozens of times. ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Ledoraino) Ledoriano waves Beiramente and the jet black lighting that had coiled around him was flung off and destroyed a nearby building. ¡°Did you think it would be over with one spell? I¡¯ll be troubled if you look down on humans that much.¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano kicks the ground and faces me setting up Beiramente. ¡°You might have sealed Zeshia¡¯s Enhalle but your right hand is now occupied!!¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Fumu. That¡¯s a good barrier. I really can¡¯t fault it.¡± (Arnos) I raise my right hand that¡¯s still holding Enhalle and the attached Zeshia causing Ledoriano to stare at me wide-eyed. ¡°Wha¡­¡­..¡± (Ledoriano) I brush off Beiramente and throw the Enhalle Zeshia combo. ¡°Now then. Rank 1 or rank 2. I wonder whose barrier is stronger?¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano and Zeshia collide before being blown several meters away. ¡°Fumu. I see. Rank 1 is indeed better.¡± (Arnos) At the moment of the crash, Zeshia let go of Enhalle because things would not have ended well for Ledoriano if the power of Enhalle had also entered the mix. Thanks to this I can also feel Zeshia¡¯s origin now as well. Last time I looked at her origin my eyes were dazzled by Enhalle so I couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Hou.¡± (Arnos) Enhalle that I was still holding the tip of turned into light particles and disappeared. Did Zeshia summon it? No, it¡¯s different. For a moment there was 2 Enhalle¡¯s then the one I was holding disappeared. ¡°¡­¡­Use that Zeshia. This fellow is looking down on us. This is a good chance to win. Let¡¯s finish it in one go.¡± (Ledoriano) Zeshia nods and both of them develop magic formations at their feet. Now, this is an awfully nostalgic magic feeling. 2000 years ago the heroes used this against me without fail. ¡°Sanctuary ¡± (Arnos) A grand magic that unites the people hearts as one and turns their hopes and wishes into magic. ¡°Do your best Jergakanon!¡± Lots of voices sounded in the underwater city. Chapter 88.2 ¡°The hope of Azeshion! Symbols of world peace!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be defeated by strangers.¡± ¡°Show your overwhelming might like always!¡± Is Gairadeite aware of this exam? I can hear the voices of the residents. ¡°¡­¡­As expected of a reincarnated person. You seem to know this magic, however, despite your knowledge of the past you look down on humans too much. There is one crucial difference between 2000 years ago and now.¡± (Ledoriano) A huge overflowing light comes from the town and gathers on Zeshia and Ledoriano. As the heroes 2000 years ago did those 2 people also wear . ¡°2000 years ago thanks to constant loses the population of Gairadeite was about 100,000 people but now along with the towns outside the walls the population is about 10 million people!!¡± (Ledoriano) Zeshia and Ledoriano glare at me as the gather light into themselves. ¡°We Jergakanon will never lose as long as we have the support of the people! I¡¯ll show it to you and you will learn it. Unlike you mazoku that only have your power we humans also have our hearts. This love from 2000 years ago that the hero Kanon used to bring world peace has expanded greatly.¡± (Ledoriano) The world became peaceful and the population increased? Are you trying to say that people¡¯s love and desire have also increased that much as well? ¡°Though humans and mazoku might have been equal 2000 years ago the peace that we achieved was different. The power of the hero Kanon that even killed the demon king of tyranny is now 100 times stronger. You can never compete with human beings. In this peaceful world you mazoku cannot win. (Ledoriano) Fumu. It was me that brought about peace though. I¡¯m not going to bother waiting for them to listen to me though. ¡°This love from 2000 years ago will again bring us victory!¡± (Ledoriano) 2000 years ago I dealt with the humans of Gairadeite that were supplying power to but doing that for a simple exam would be a bit¡­ These guys are using the power of the people who are offering them assistance unjustly. For starters, I need to break the pride of these two. ¡°Going on about love. You¡¯ve missed the point entirely.¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano laughs scornfully at my words. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand? You¡¯ve lost. A long-lived mazoku being driven to reincarnate is proof that human love won. If your brain has become dull from being reincarnated let me remind you of it again.¡± (Ledoriano) The 2 heroes kicked the ground at the same time. From the left Beiramente is thrust out and from the right, Enhalle is swung down. In response, I enveloped both my hands in holy light and received their blows head-on. ¡°Wh..at¡­.the¡­.? This is¡­.?¡± (Ledoriano) Ledorianos expression became grim due to the fact I was also using ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you honestly think the mazoku didn¡¯t have love as well?¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano looked amazed but he quickly regained his composer and laughed. ¡°Another stupid line. Even if you can use the magic there¡¯s no love in your hearts mazoku. All you have is the ugly desires of anger, jealousy and laziness. History proves this fact. You have no love.¡± (Ledoriano) So much conviction. Is that the gift of the hero academy education? ¡°Because of that, you cannot master the true power of . To begin with, we have 10 million people. Even with the full support of the demon king school, you have less than 100 people. We are overwhelmingly superior in both quality and quantity.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°10 million? What of it? 8 people are more than enough.¡± (Arnos) I use and talk to them. ¡°Misa. How it going?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve entered the city and are looking for Jergakanon members.¡± (Misa) ¡°You should wait there a while.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh? Yes. I understand.¡± (Misa) ¡°Elen. Can you hear me?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ye, yes Arnos-sama.¡± (Elen) ¡°Jessica?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes!¡± (Jessica) ¡°Maia.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Here!¡± (Maia) ¡°Nono, Shia, Himuka, Casa, Shellia.¡± (Arnos) Every time I call their name they answer loudly. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to do a single support battle.¡± (Arnos) The fan union listens carefully to my words. ¡°There are 10 million people over there but that is an insignificant amount. Your thoughts of me are worth at the very least those 10 million over there.¡± (Arnos) My fan union falls quite but a strong determination flows through . ¡°Now sing. Send your love to me.¡± (Arnos) When I said that that was surrounding me suddenly became like a raging tornado and shot to the heavens in a beam of light that connected heaven and earth. (1) The kanji reads holy sea protection sword but the furigana reads rule/control the sea Chapter 89.1 ¡°¡­.What do you think living is?¡± (Elen) ¡°Its Arnos-sama!¡± (fan union) ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of life?¡± (Elen) ¡°Its Arnos-sama!¡± (fan union) ¡°What is Arnos-sama?¡± (Elen) ¡°He is both zero and infinite. He is all the concepts of this world!¡± (fan union) Elen raises her voice ¡°Arnos-sama told us to sing. That Arnos-sama is waiting for our song! We can¡¯t lose, whether it¡¯s 10 million or 100 million!! If our song doesn¡¯t get through then there¡¯s no point us living anymore!!¡± (Elen) ¡°Arnos-sama! Arnos-sama! Arnos-sama!!¡± (fan union) ¡°Everyone! Let¡¯s do this!! Arnos-sama¡¯s 3rd support song [peerless demon king]!!!¡± (Elen) The area falls silent as everyone hones their concentration. The next moment overflowing feelings flowed from the song. ¡°Can¡¯t become serious ?¡± ¡°Uuuuuu©`?¡± (fan union) ¡°Peerless demon king ¡«¡«¡«¡«?¡± (fan union) ¡°Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Ledoriano) As if being judged by the light of Ledoriano and Zeshia were blown away. As if not being satisfied with just that turned into 2 rays of light and attacked those 2 again. ¡°At..that..time, this me was just whimsical©`?¡± (fan union) The barrier surrounding Ledoriano easily cracked. ¡°¡­¡­Wha¡­.!? Whats this¡­¡­!? My barrier blocked easily. Why is responding to the heartless mazoku¡­!?¡± (Ledoriano) You can hear the fan union song. As expected of today¡¯s mazoku. The volume of their voices is tremendous. There were no such singers amongst the mazoku 2000 years ago. ¡°To..you..a little? I was kind©`?¡± (fan union) In response to their song, their thoughts turned into magic power and grows stronger. ¡°Such a thing¡­.. Mazoku hearts cannot love¡­..!!¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°It..was..a..misunderstanding, what I diiiiiid?¡± (fan union) Even the holy light of Zeshia¡¯s sword Enhalle was pushed back by my and when she tried cutting it she couldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­¡­.To lose¡­¡­. to holy magic¡­¡­. I¡¯ll teach you the power of backed by 10 million people¡­..!!¡± (Ledoraino) As Ledoriano tried to pull more power out of the feelings contained in the song increased even more. Ah, the chorus is about to start. ¡°Know your place? This me is your ruler?¡± (fan union) ¡°Kuuuuuu¡­..¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Amusement? Uuuu? Shooow me your dance¡«?¡± (fan union) ¡°This¡­.!! Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Don¡¯t glaaare? Uuuu©`? I¡¯ll take you seriously¡«?¡± (fan union) ¡°Gaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Ledoriano) Swallowed by a raging tornado of light, the barrier that Ledoriano wore was torn to pieces. ¡°¡­..To..to be damaged like this¡­¡­.. We are the reincarnation of the hero Kanon. Gairadeite¡¯s future. We carry the expectations of an entire nation on our shoulders! Like this¡­¡­ I can¡¯t be defeated by such a stupid song¡­..!!¡± (Ledoriano) I see. Are you trying this out for the first time? ¡°A stupid song? You truly aren¡¯t Kanons reincarnation and even being one of the other seven origins is doubtful.¡± (Arnos) Ledoriano grits his teeth. ¡°I won¡¯t rise to such petty provocations.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°I¡¯m not provoking you at all. It¡¯s a fact. That man was more sensitive to the hearts of others than anyone else. It wasn¡¯t just the outward appearances people put on but the true feelings behind them he excelled at. That is why he mastered the heroes magic .¡± (Arnos) In an vs battle they cannot possibly compete with the hero Kanon. Don¡¯t call yourself the reincarnation of the hero Kanon if you cannot see through to the pure feelings of those girls. ¡°The mazoku can never have pure feelings!! You are heartless monsters! Demons that only hurt humans!¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°You¡¯re saying some strange things. Why did you agree to an academy exchange then?¡± (Arnos) Ledorianos expression becomes stern but he doesn¡¯t try to answer my question. ¡°What¡¯s your aim?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..It¡¯s my turn now. I¡¯ll show you the true power of using human feelings¡­..!!¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano and Zeshia draw a magic formation in front of them and the condensed holy light from gathers there. ¡°Fumu. Sacred Fire Light Cannon huh?¡± (Arnos) The holy power condensed and turned into a cannon shell. The heroes strongest light attribute magic that¡¯s fired in one go. ¡°This is much stronger than 2000 years ago. The thoughts of 10 million people are packed into this . Even if you are a mazoku from the age of myths how much of this can you endure?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°As I said earlier.¡± (Arnos) I draw a magic circle in front of me and like Ledoriano I gather holy power in it. ¡°8 people are enough.¡± (Arnos) *Aah, aaaaaaaa, aaaaaaah.* Tranquil voices echo in the area around us. At that moment the magic power that was gathering in front of me swelled up enormously. The magic power is even greater than last time. ¡°¡­Wha¡­.. What the hell¡­..!? Even though the number of people has not increased the feelings have suddenly changed¡­.¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± (Arnos) I aim my at Ledoriano. ¡°The second verse is about to start.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Can¡¯t become serious ?¡± ¡°Uuuuuu©`?¡± (fan union) ¡°Peerless demon king¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«?¡± (fan union) At that moment Ledoriano and Zeshia start to release their magic power. It seems they intend to end it before my preparations are fully complete. Chapter 89.2 ¡°!¡± (Ledoriano) A huge shell of light comes at me and I release my as well. Light and light collide turning the world completely white. As the 2 shells collide I¡¯m the one who¡¯s pushed slightly back. ¡°¡­.Fufufu. After all, mazoku cannot beat the hearts of us humans. They don¡¯t know love. Don¡¯t know true hope. Zeshia, let¡¯s finish this in one go. Human feelings. Let me remind you that they¡¯re hundreds of times stronger than the mazoku¡¯s!¡± (Ledoriano) Did they collect more human desires? The momentum of their has increased many times more. My light magic bullet is quickly pushed further back until their magic is right at the tip of my nose. ¡°This is the end!!¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano adds the last of the magic power just as it happened. The song sounds out. ¡°That..night.. was just on a whim©`?¡± (fan union) My slightly pushes Ledoriano¡¯s back. ¡°Your..body.. quietly? I caress©`?¡± (fan union) My gains more momentum. ¡°It..was..a..misunderstanding, what I diiiiiid?¡± (fan union) Our are now even. ¡°Oh! My desired approooach, was..it..fun¡«?¡± (fan union) My is now approaching those guys. ¡°Playing around and having a good time, only to be cast away is your fate?¡± (fan union) ¡°¡­¡­No¡­.way¡­¡­ I can¡¯t lose¡­.. to only eight people with the tiny hearts of the mazoku. Our human love¡­¡­. is it going to lose¡­¡­!?¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano is trying to extract more power but my is almost at his face. ¡°Alas, you didn¡¯t notice, you were only my plaything©`?¡± (fan union) ¡°Kuh, guuuuuuuu¡­¡­.. This¡­.. from such a song. These feelings from such a stupid song¡­¡­!!¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Please don¡¯t mourn ? Uuuuu ? I¡¯ll be serious¡«?¡± (fan union) ¡°¡­..Humans, our desires¡­.. Don¡¯t look down on theeeeeem¡­..!!¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano¡¯s and Zeshia¡¯s was swallowed by light. ¡°Can¡¯t be serious, uuuuu©`? Peerless demon king¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«?¡± (fan union) A huge explosion went off shining with the love of my fan union. Ledoriano and Zeshia were swallowed and blown away. Before the love of my fan union, they were scattered. Eventually, the flood of light calmed down and I turned my gaze to the body moving feebly on the ground. ¡°¡­.Wh¡­..why¡­..? Why¡­.to only 8 people¡­.?¡± (Ledoriano) A stunned Ledoriano was muttering in amazement. It seems he still can¡¯t understand why he lost. ¡° and combine peoples desires into one. 2000 years ago the people of Gairadeite were united in overthrowing the demon king of tyranny and had a great deal of trust in the hero Kanon. If it was him, people truly believed he would save the world. It was a strong desire above all others.¡± (Arnos) Humans were in danger of dying. In fact, it was an unprecedented situation where they were truly in danger of becoming extinct. Even in that situation because they were able to believe in the hero Kanon their feelings became one. They were stronger and nobler and as such, they turned into vast amounts of magic power. ¡°Do you understand? Compared to the very heavy expectations that Kanon was carrying at that time your expectations are worthless. 10 million or whatever, numbers don¡¯t come into it. In this peaceful world the hope that is sent to you, a student, is trivial. In fact, you aren¡¯t even able to unite their thoughts.¡± (Arnos) As they are, they cannot use the true power of . There¡¯s no point even comparing it to the thoughts of those 8 who were prepared to stake their very lives. ¡°I won¡¯t say that human love is inferior to mazoku love but the love sent is very different.¡± (Arnos) Without accepting reality but unable to refute it Ledoriano hangs his head. heals his wounds but he doesn¡¯t attempt to stand up. No matter how many times a body is healed you can¡¯t heal a crushed heart. He has realised that the love he believed in right up to today was nothing but an illusion. Now then¡­.. ¡°¡­.Nn?¡± I heard something. Didn¡¯t I? Did I mishear? No, it¡¯s different. It¡¯s not Ledoriano¡¯s nor Zeshia¡¯s voice. It¡¯s not the fan union singing. It¡¯s not either. This voice is directly entering my heart through ¡°¡­Zoku.¡± No ones talking anywhere. ¡°¡­..Kill mazoku¡­.¡± I used again and the voice was coming from the magic itself. Long ago I heard this familiar voice. Chapter 90.1 ¡°¡­.Mazoku¡­. Kill¡­¡­..?¡± (Elen) Elen said in amazement. ¡°¡­.Demon king of tyranny¡­¡­¡­kill¡­¡­?¡± (Jessica) Jessica muttered in an almost delirious tone. ¡°¡­..Kill?¡± (fan union) The girls in the fan union started murmuring almost incoherently. They¡¯re hearing it through the I have established with them. Fumu. This is slightly bad. Should I be careful? ¡°¡­¡­No, hang on. Everyone! Don¡¯t think about it! This voice is surely an enemy attack. Is it brainwashing magic¡­..!?¡± ¡°Ah¡­.yeah¡­really¡­¡­ What should we do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Think about Arnos-sama, that should overwrite that stinky old man¡¯s voice!¡± ¡°Un¡­.yeah¡­.Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Arnos-sama was so cool today¡­¡­¡± ¡°We were told to give our love¡­.. I won¡¯t wash my ears anymore!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Aah¡­. It¡¯s not good¡­¡­!¡± (Elen) ¡°Stay strong Elen. Wasn¡¯t it you who said to think of Arnos-sama!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I know Arnos-sama¡¯s voice is precious but even thinking about it makes me feel strange¡­¡­¡± (Elen) ¡°¡­¡­Is it an enemy attack?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but Arnos-sama is amazing.¡± Fumu. They have surprisingly strong willpower but it would be better to not let it go on any longer. I cancel ¡°Arnos. Just now.¡± (Misha) ¡°Did you hear it as well?¡± (Arnos) I feel her nod. It must be because they are connected through . ¡°Mass of hatred.¡± (Misha) That¡¯s a suitable way of describing it. ¡°Did you feel anything else?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I know a similar feeling.¡± (Misha) Misha was her usual calm self. ¡°Headteacher.¡± (Misha) Fumu. I see. Didn¡¯t Heine say they could hear the voice of the hero Kanon? I¡¯m assuming this is what he meant. It seems the hero academy has as much trouble as the demon king academy. ¡°¡­¡­.Arnos Voldigod¡­¡­¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano speaks in a gloomy voice. He¡¯s still got his lifeless eyes but somethings different. To borrow Misha¡¯s words he¡¯s in a cage of hatred. Looking over I see Zeshia who was blown away by stand up. Her holy sword Enhalle was emitting magical power on a scale way beyond anything it had before. It was shining as bright as a star just before it was ready to burn out. ¡°¡­¡­Even if you aren¡¯t the demon king of tyranny your power is still dangerous and someday, surely, that power will threaten humanity¡­..¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano voice sounds like someone who¡¯s let go of their sanity. Zeshia doesn¡¯t react to Ledorianos words and turns her eyes to me. Emotionless eyes. The eyes of a doll who only listens to commands. Despite that, and beyond the light of her holy sword her origin is still certainly there. ¡°¡­..That you came to this academy exchange¡­..for us, was the best thing to happen¡­..¡± (Ledoriano) As Ledoriano was talking Zeshia charged straight at me. ¡°Arnos.¡± (Misha) ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± (Arnos) While talking to Misha I step forward to meet Zeshia. Drawing closer she drew a magic formation over her heart. That spell¡ª ¡°Fall back Misha!¡± (Arnos) I quickly develop antimagic to protect Misha who¡¯s behind me. ¡°Zeshia listen. Stop that magic right now. You will not get the results you¡¯re expecting.¡± (Arnos) Ignoring my advice Zeshia rushes in. ¡°Are you finally scared? This is the end Arnos Voldigod. You should realize the resolve of a hero.¡± (Ledoriano) Zeshia closes in on me. You don¡¯t have to speak to use that magic but Ledoriano spoke out the name of the spell for the silent Zeshia. ¡°Origin Light Destruction Explosion !!¡± (Ledoriano) At point-blank range, Zeshia plunged Enhalle into the left-hand side of her chest. At that moment her body begins to collapse while her origin radiates an extreme amount of light. A heroes curse that forcibly releases all the magical power stored in your origin and causes an explosion of magic. It¡¯s also known as Origin Explosion and suicide magic. Let alone this life even your possible future lives are thrown away as the explosion consumes even the power of your future lives. Its power is well beyond anything a normal magic-user can deal with. Light covers the world and all sound stops. Chapter 90.2 Whiter than white, the pure radiance of life itself filled lake Seimei. ¡°¡­¡­.You made light of our resolution, our courage¡­¡­¡± (Ledoriano) The origin explosion begins to settle and the pure white world begins to regain its colour. ¡°I told you to stop it.¡± (Arnos) At the sound of my voice, Ledoriano¡¯s expression shows a mix of surprise and despair. ¡°Are you sane Ledoriano? That was nothing but a meaningless death.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Wh¡­¡­..at¡­¡­..¡± (Ledoriano) I hear his teeth click together as he snaps his mouth shut before he starts trembling and groaning. It looks like he can¡¯t even speak properly. ¡°Are you okay Misha?¡± (Arnos) Misha had fallen back to the demon king castle as I told her. ¡°Arnos protected me.¡± (Misha) I used my to suppress the origin explosion. has a wide range and normally I would have temporarily retreated using because as long as you are not at ground zero you can defend against it. It¡¯s still powerful but doable. The issue was that even if Ray and Sahsa managed to survive I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Misa and the girls in the fan union. ¡°¡­.W¡­..hy¡­¡­.?¡± (Ledoriano) Ledoriano finally speaks a coherent word. I turned my gaze to him. ¡°¡­.Why? You were at the centre of the explosion¡­.. How are you unhurt¡­.!?¡± (Ledoriano) ¡°Did you think you would reach me by throwing away the future?¡± (Arnos) I slowly walk towards Ledoriano. ¡°I certainly made light of you guys. But to go as far as to use for this test.¡± (Arnos) Another step forward. ¡°It was a splendid resolution, however, this life of mine of not that cheap that you can get it by using the future of all your members.¡± (Arnos) Another step forward. A flash of a sword attack appeared. I caught it with my right hand and brushed it off. ¡°¡­.Hou.¡± (Arnos) As expected they are surprised. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± What I blocked in front of me was the person who was supposed to have disappeared. Zeshia. After using origin explosion even resurrection won¡¯t help you. Enhalle which should have also disappeared was in her hand. ¡°You guys are doing something very interesting here. What is it Ledoriano?¡± (Arnos) He just quivered as if scared by something. Based on his personality he would normally start explaining things with goodwill. But not this time. Is there a reason for it? ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia kicks the ground and as soon as she approaches me she draws the formation on her chest again and immediately stabs herself with Enhalle. dyes the area white again and again I suppress it with my Zeshia dies and disappears along with her origin. However. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Zeshia who should no longer be alive appears out of nowhere and stands in front of me for the 3rd time. ¡°Fumu. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a limit.¡± (Arnos) isn¡¯t a magic I can deal with lightly. I must locate the reason this fellow keeps coming back. If she won¡¯t die from using then she¡¯s unlikely to die from anything I can do. This seems to have turned into a real fight against a real hero. ¡°¡­..Arnos-kun can you hear me?¡­..¡± I receive a concealed that isn¡¯t coming from the heroes side. ¡°Come to the temple. Please. Zeshia can only be stopped by me.¡± is cut off. ¡°Eleonor?¡± (Misha) ¡°I can¡¯t dismiss that this might be a trap.¡± (Arnos) Misha shakes her head. ¡°Not lying.¡± (Misha) Eleonor seems to be different from the others and if Misha says it¡¯s okay then it is. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± (Misha) ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll suppress this fellow.¡± (Arnos) Standing further away this time Zeshia stabs herself in the chest using but I quickly close the distance and stab my right hand into her chest. ¡°¡­..Tsu¡­.!¡± (Zeshia) ¡°You¡¯re a dull fellow. How many times are you going to blow yourself up?¡± (Arnos) I cast Time Manipulation on stopping the magic itself and preventing the origin explosion. ¡°Fumu. It hasn¡¯t completely stopped?¡± (Arnos) Well, I suppose it was a bit unreasonable using magic on a magic that was embedded in an origin. At least I¡¯ve bought some time. ¡°Be careful.¡± (Misha) ¡°You too.¡± (Arnos) Misha nods and uses Chapter 91.1 Misha teleported in front of the temple. Thanks to us being connected through the magic of whatever Misha sees with her demon eyes I can see as well. Misha restlessly looks around but Eleonor can¡¯t be seen. ¡ªIn here¡ª (Eleonor) A feeble voice using could be heard and using her demon eyes Misha traced the magic back into the temple causing her to blink a couple of times. She must feel the foreign nature of the temple. No magic power can be felt from inside. Eleonor can¡¯t be seen at all even though she¡¯s in the temple. ¡°Wait.¡± (Misha) Putting her hand on the door Misha finds it locked with Lock Barrier . ¡ªCan you open it?¡ª (Eleonor) ¡°No problem.¡± (Misha) Misha looks at the lock using her demon eyes. To turn the magic key you need to know the magic structure and need to accurately analyse the formula but for Misha that won¡¯t be a problem. In no time at all Misha analysed the lock and used the magic Unlock on it. Putting her hands on the door Misha gives it a strong push and with a rusty groan, the door opens. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± (Misha) As soon as she entered Misha¡¯s body felt heavy but she shook her head and moved forward. Inside the temple is lined with pillars and in the depths is a pair majestic looking double doors. The floor, walls and ceiling were all covered in magic formations and a large number of holy water spheres were floating in the air. In the centre of the room was a large floating ball of holy water and there floating inside was Eleonor. Her whole body is radiating magic power. So much so her outline is blurred. Uncountable magic characters were floating around her and on her body like she was wearing them. ¡°Eh? Is that Misha-chan¡­.?¡± (Eleonor) Elenor was surprised. Did she think I¡¯d come? ¡°Instead of Arnos. Shouldn¡¯t I?¡± (Misha) ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor laughed. ¡°Can you take me to Zeshia?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­¡­.Stop her?¡± (Misha) ¡°Yup. Only I can stop her. I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t move by myself at the moment.¡± (Eleonor) Misha tilts her head. ¡°Because you¡¯re using magic?¡± (Misha) ¡°More precisely I am magic.¡± (Eleonor) Misha blinked a couple of times. Doesn¡¯t seem like she understood what Eleonor said but it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I¡¯ll take you.¡± (Misha) Misha approaches Eleonor, touches the holy water sphere and a magic formation appears at her feet. Are you going to use ? ¡°I¡¯ll be troubled if you do something so selfish.¡± A voice echoed from the entrance of the temple and a bullet of light flew towards Misha. It was ¡°Ice shield.¡± (Misha) Misha instantly constructed a huge shield of ice using . The strength of the improvised shield soon becomes known as the light bullet easily smashed through the shield but Misha immediately creates another ice shield as soon as one is broken. The destructive power of vs Misha¡¯s soon leads to Misha wining as her creation speed is quicker than the bullet can destroy. The bullet of light soon disappears. ¡°Rule violation.¡± (Misha) The person who appeared in the entrance of the temple was the headteacher Diego. ¡°Close that contemptible mouth mazoku. This is Gairadeite and I decide the rules. I¡¯ll tell you now that what happens here won¡¯t leak outside.¡± (Diego) Diego fires another but this time it wasn¡¯t at Misha but into the depths of the temple. As soon as it hit the impressive-looking double doors it was absorbed by them. The next moment a magic formation emerges on the door and begins emitting light. ¡°Open holy gate and release the seal.¡± (Diego) The double doors slowly open and divine light containing a huge amount of magic power begins to leak through. White, white and more white comes out. It was a holy light that didn¡¯t permit the existence of demons. ¡°Misha-chan!!¡± (Elenor) Eleonor screams out as the holy light penetrates Misha¡¯s anti-magic barrier and pierces her body. Misha falls to her knees in extreme pain. ¡°In this sanctuary, the power of the mazoku turns to nothing. Forget you cant even use anti-magic can you? No help can come for you now.¡± (Diego) ¡°Stop it! Diego sensei! If you hurt Misha-chan I¡¯ll never forgive you!!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Shut up failure.¡± (Diego) Chapter 91.2 At Deigo¡¯s voice, the holy water sphere around Eleonor turns white and her voice along with her figure disappears. ¡°Now then.¡± (Diego) Diego stretches out a hand and light gathers there before becoming a sword. Its the same holy sword Enhalle that Zeshia had. ¡°It seems your friend has messed us around a bit.¡± (Diego) With a dark look on his face, Diego stands by Misha. ¡°Are you ready filthy mazoku?¡± (Diego) Diego puts Enhalle¡¯s blade against Misha¡¯s cheek. Due to the light leaking from the door Misha is unable to move. ¡°You should realise the grudge of the humans killed by you.¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­..Haven¡¯t killed anyone¡­..¡± (Misha) Did Diego find her words irritating? His face twists in disgust. ¡°It was 2000 years ago when mazoku fought human. Peaceful now. Everyone lives.¡± (Misha) ¡°Did you think we forgot just because time passed you rat!!¡± (Diego) Deigo kicked Misha in the face as hard as he could sending her sprawling to the floor. ¡°¡­..Tsu¡­¡­..¡± (Misha) Grasping Enhalle Diego walks slowly towards Misha. ¡°Make a wall, separate them for a thousand years and everyone forgets? Everyone can live in peace while forgetting everything? Aah¡­¡­ How arrogant your founder was. Never forget. Determined to never forget. 1000 years, 2000 years. Did you think your sins would be gone!!¡± (Diego) Diego thrust Enhalle down and pierces Misha¡¯s chest. Blood spurts out and her magic power disappeared. ¡°¡­..Apologise for accident¡­..?¡± (Misha) Even if someone dies the school will cover it up as an accident, however, its a big problem if a teacher kills a student, especially when they weren¡¯t even involved in the test to begin with. ¡°What about it? All along I planned to have one of you mazoku die anyway. In fact¡ª¡± (Diego) With a smiled stained with insanity Diego continues. ¡°I don¡¯t need you reviving either. Together with your origin, I¡¯ll have you disappear. I¡¯m sure the people of the demon king academy will be angry though.¡± (Diego) A magic formation appears on the tip of the sword that¡¯s piercing Misha¡¯s chest. Another was drawn. ¡°If you have a grudge then begrudge your ancestors and the demon king of tyranny you filthy mazoku.¡± (Diego) Light gathers on the tip of Enhalle. ¡°!!¡± (Diego) Along with his grudge, Deigo activates the magic. The next moment a black aura appears and swallows Enhalle¡¯s blade. A jet black aura appears over Misha¡¯s body protecting her. ¡°¡­.Wh¡­.at¡­..?¡± (Diego) ¡°Do you remember it? The wall that dived the world into four 2000 years ago. ¡± (Arnos) After transferring here using I grasped Diego¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­.Holy¡­¡­In this area¡­¡­No mazoku magic should be usable.¡± (Diego) ¡°Oh? Should I give it a try then?¡± (Arnos) For a moment the temple falls into total silence then Diego spins his body around and releases a . ¡°Die Mazoku!!¡± (Diego) I wiped it out with my and grabbed his face. ¡°Guu¡­¡­.Guoooo¡­¡­..!!¡± (Diego) I lay emphasis on my fingers and you can hear the bones in this guys head creaking. ¡°I hope you liked playing around with your boring tricks and strategies. According to your revised history, you wanted to show humans stood above mazoku. That¡¯s fine, it was still a peaceful method while getting all pleased with yourselves.¡± (Arnos) A magic circle is drawn on Diego¡¯s body and I inject power into it. ¡°But what did you try to do just now?¡± (Arnos) Diego grabs my arm with both hands and tries to shake it off but I don¡¯t budge at all. ¡°¡­.Shut¡­up¡­¡­¡± (Diego) ¡°I heard what you were going to do.¡± (Arnos) I inject directly into his body. ¡°Gu..aa¡­aa..aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Diego) Swallowed by the dark aura Diego disappears without a trace. Cutting my finger with my thumbnail I let loose a drop of blood and cast Resurrection . Deigo¡¯s body was revied. ¡°¡­Wha¡­¡­¡± (Diego) Diego stared at me in amazement. ¡°You think you can die without my permission? Even death will not free you from me, stupid human.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 92.1 Diego jumped back and turned his hate-filled eyes towards me. ¡°Wicked mazoku¡­¡­ Did you bring me back to find the secrets of the hero academy?¡± (Diego) ¡°Fumu. Deigo.¡± (Arnos) I was already approaching Diego and as I spoke I pierced through the left-hand side of his chest. ¡°Gaa¡­..haa¡­¡­a¡­¡­¡­!¡± (Diego) Diego vomits blood. ¡°Who gave you permission to talk? Too haughty.¡± (Arnos) Grabbing his heart I squeeze. ¡°¡­.Ka¡­.a¡­¡­¡­¡± (Diego) I pull out my arm and Diego collapses on the floor. He didn¡¯t move. He died before hitting the floor. ¡°I told you not to die without permission.¡± (Arnos) I bring Diego back with again. As soon as he revives he glares at me. ¡°Bastard you¡ª Gabuu!¡± (Diego) I stamp on Deigo¡¯s head pushing it against the floor. ¡°¡­.Youuuuu¡­! Mazoku¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning but this hero won¡¯t give in¡­.!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Are you still claiming to be a hero after looking down on them.¡± (Arnos) I created a demon sword and stabbed it into Diego¡¯s abdomen where his origin is located. ¡°¡­..Gaaa¡­.guu¡­¡­ It¡¯s pointless¡­.. This pain¡­¡­ is for humanities sake. We are fighting for peace! No matter how much pain I experience I¡¯ll endure it. What do you know of love and courage? You can¡¯t possibly understand it you filthy mazoku!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Take a good look at the magic formation being drawn on your body.¡± (Arnos) Through the tip of the sword, I draw a magic formation on Diego¡¯s whole body. As soon as he saw it he showed a startled look. ¡°¡­This is¡­¡­¡­. Demonization ¡­?¡± (Diego) This is the magic for turning animals into demons that Ledoriano explained about back in the lecture. ¡°Humans are also animals after all so this magic works well.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ha¡­.hahaha¡­.haahaaha¡­..! How stupid. Heroes that receive the blessing of a holy sword can¡¯t be turned into demons. I can¡¯t become a demon¡­.!¡± (Diego) ¡°Fumu. Well, you see, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± (Arnos) Black hair begins to grow from the chest wound where the sword is still stuck. Its as if a demon was eroding him. ¡°¡­..Uu¡­gu¡­ such a¡­¡­¡± (Diego) Deigo deploys a magic circle and suppresses the demonization with holy magic. ¡° uses an animals origin and the brutal nature of a demon. Humans with reason are hard to turn into demons but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be turned. There are individual differences of course. I¡¯m sure up to this point you know all this.¡± (Arnos) Diego is frantically releasing magic power with a face filled with desperation. ¡°The Reishinjin sword only accepts owners who have calm and cloudless light-filled origins. We good so far? Okay. The blessing of the Reishinijn sword isn¡¯t the reason that you can¡¯t become a demon. In actual fact, the sword only picks humans who can¡¯t become demons to begin with.¡± (1) (Arnos) Diego begins to grow claws and fangs start growing from his mouth. ¡°Fumu. Diego, are you really a reincarnation of Kanon?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­I am¡­ I am Diego Kanon Ijeishka. A descendent of heroes with the origin of Kanon¡­¡­ I will defeat the mazoku and save the world¡­.!¡± (Diego) ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Your personality changes if you reincarnate because you won¡¯t be the same person, however, your core remains the same. You are not like Kanon. Your core has become ugly and twisted.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut¡­up¡­.¡± (Diego) Suddenly he exploded in anger. ¡°Shut up shut up shut uuuuup!! I won¡¯t ride the hand of a mazoku! I¡¯m a hero! You guys, you mazoku are destruction. I¡¯ll save the world¡­¡­. I¡¯m the hero Kanon¡­.. To such despicable magiiiiiic¡­¡­.!!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Who said you could speak?¡± (Arnos) I put more magic into . ¡°Ugaaaa¡­.. this¡­. stupid¡­.. this me¡­¡­ This hero me won¡¯t become a demooooon¡­.!!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Probably because of their intelligence, when humans become demons they are a little different from other animals. The greed, malice and hatred of humans are promoted and shown in their appearance.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut up¡­. I am¡­.. hero¡­.. Gahyuu¡­. Gahyuaa¡­.. Gagaga¡­ Aaah¡­ Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Diego) The demonization accelerates and black hair appears on every part of Diego¡¯s body. Claws grew, fangs grew and thick horns sprouted from his head. The most striking characteristic is the face. It looks like a pulpy, smashed mess. ¡°This is your true nature Diego. It¡¯s as ugly and distorted as I thought.¡± (Arnos) Diego slowly raised his body and turned his ugly face to me. ¡°How¡¯s it feel to become a demon?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­This¡­¡­. Did you think this would break my heaaaaart!!!!¡± (Diego) Diego screams out something similar to a war cry. ¡°Being human isn¡¯t about appearance! It¡¯s not about lineage! It¡¯s heart!! No matter how much you change my shape my heart will always be human!! Even reduced to this ugly monster I¡¯m still a hero!!¡± (Diego) ¡°I hardly think your heart is that of a hero.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut uuuup¡­..!! Forgive¡­.. I won¡¯t forgive¡­. the cruel mazoku¡­.. It was a mistake to sympathise with you. I should have just exterminated you all right from the beginning!!¡± (Diego) Using Diego speaks out. ¡°All members of Jergakanon charge the mazoku.¡± (Diego) ¡°Fumu. What are you trying to do? My subordinates are not weak enough to fall to an all-out attack.¡± (Arnos) Not bothering to answer me Diego just smiles and touches the nearby holy wafter ball and develops a magic circle. ¡°Repent you dirty mazoku. It¡¯s now my turn to see your face in despair!!! Fufufu, hahahahaha, haaaahaahaahaahaa!!¡± (Diego) Did you just use holy water with a body that¡¯s become a demon? Half of his body received the holy poison but the magic did activate. ¡°I see. huh? You¡¯ve already placed magic on your student¡¯s origins then.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Wha¡­..!?¡± (Diego) Letting that slip out you can see that Deigo can¡¯t hide his confusion at me seeing through him in an instant. ¡°That formation is the detonation type formation. Perhaps your students who are attacking don¡¯t know anything about this? You¡¯ve even set it on your own origin.¡± (Arnos) How stupid can you get? How pathetic. ¡°Is that what a hero does Diego? I can¡¯t believe you want to kill mazoku so bad you are willing to kill your owns students.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Don¡¯t speak like you know everything. The mazoku took everything from us humans. This is a hero. This is the fight of the legendary hero Kanon! Those students who are too scared to achieve our ancestors wish of exterminating the mazoku are no students of mine!! The resolution to not fear death is what being a hero is all about!!¡± (Diego) Deigo speaks through again. ¡°Situation report.¡± (Diego) Chapter 92.2 ¡°Haa! We¡¯ve just located the demonic sword saint Ray Grandori!¡± ¡°Same here. We¡¯ve just caught the witch of ruin Sasha Necron.¡± ¡°9 members of the demon king academy confirmed. We also have 9 people and are ready to attack!¡± Diego¡¯s ugly face distorted even more. ¡°Jergakanon and descendants of the hero Kanon gooo!! Now is the time to show your power and courage!! Chaaaarge!!¡± (Diego) I shoved my right hand into Diego again ¡°Did you think I¡¯d let you go any further?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Gofuu¡­..ga¡­.¡± (Diego) He grins and laughs while vomiting blood. ¡°I¡¯ll avenge myself with this. Die mazoku.¡± (Diego) Did he finish the magic activation already? The holy water orb sends power to the magic formation that only has one purpose and that is in detonating the origins of the students. The bodies of the students who came close to Ray, Sasha and Misa were wrapped in the light of . A violent explosion rings out from the origins scattered around the city. Even this temple is blown away. Or it should have. ¡°¡­..Why¡­¡­.?¡± (Diego) Diego mutters in disbelief. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t everything exploded¡­..!? Why!?¡± (Diego) ¡°It did take a bit of work but I¡¯ve cast magic on the whole underwater city. I¡¯ve stopped the time of .¡± (Arnos) That¡¯s why I was late coming to help Misha. Making sure other people couldn¡¯t use ¡°¡­.Stopped¡­.time¡­¡­..?¡± (Diego) ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me when I said the same attack won¡¯t work on me twice?¡± (Arnos) Diego shook with a mixture of anger and hatred. ¡°This peace is very precious. I had planned on letting you live but now it seems it would be foolish to keep you alive.¡± (Arnos) When I pulled my hand out Diego stumbled back a couple of steps. Most of his power will be gone now. ¡°¡­.If you want to kill me then kill me¡­..but¡­. I¡¯ll revive again and again. If it doesn¡¯t come true in this life then the next life and if it doesn¡¯t come true in that one then the next one. No matter how many times it takes I¡¯ll never forget this grudge. Someday. I¡¯ll eradicate all mazoku!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Did you think you had another life to use Diego?¡± (Arnos) I open my right hand but what was in it could only be seen with demon eyes so I sent magic power to it and a faintly shining white ball appeared. If you looked closely the white globe is connected to Diego by a thin thread of magic. ¡°Do you know what this is? It¡¯s your origin.¡± (Arnos) I draw a magic formation on the end of my right hand. Origin Killer . When my right-hand goes through the formation my fingertips turn black. ¡°I cannot touch your origin. Even with magic, it¡¯s very difficult to interfere with an origin, however, can directly touch an origin.¡± (Arnos) I scratched the white ball with my fingertip. ¡°Agaaa¡­.aaah¡­ Agaaakyaaaaa¡­¡­. Gugyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Diego) An intense and violent death scream rang out. ¡°Do you get it now? A pain that surpasses death itself is felt when your origin is hurt. Try to condense every possible pain in this world and it wouldn¡¯t be enough to match this pain. Its the death of your next life, and the next one and so on into eternity. All your future reincarnations and deaths are packed into this one spot.¡± (Arnos) I scratch it again. ¡°Agyuu, gyuhyuaaaaa, gubeheeeeeeeeeee!!!!¡± (Diego) Shedding tears, snot, drooling and without regard for his appearance, Deigo screams like a beast. ¡°You said the fight of the hero Kanon. Is this how the hero academy defeats its enemies now? By suicide attacks?¡± (Arnos) I pierce the origin with my fingertips. Diegos eyes turn white and he issues a soundless scream. ¡°2000 years ago the hero Kanon had 7 origins. Even if an origin was erased as long as one remained that guy could revive again and again. It was the ultimate magic that the gods gave to you humans and only one person ever tried to use it both before and after. That was the hero Kanon.¡± (Arnos) I was talking to Diego but his eyes had long gone vacant. ¡°And why was that? Because nobody was able to endure the pain of their origins being hurt over and over nor the death of one. Apart from that guy. He accepted it all. I reduced his origins over and over and he confronted me again and again.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­St¡­¡­.stop¡­¡­stop¡­..it¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Diego) I swung my finger down and slashed Diegos origin. ¡°Sto¡­¡­¡­ Gugyaaaa, gubufuuuuuogyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Diego) ¡°Do you know the reason why?¡± (Arnos) At the chipped away origin of Diego, I point my jet black fingertips. ¡°¡­.Ah¡­ha¡­u..aa¡­.enough¡­..stop¡­¡­.¡± (Diego) Diego is already in a state where he¡¯s now crippled. ¡°It¡¯s better to die than to sacrifice someone. That man seriously thought that. And he did. He continued to die over and over again. His origin was slashed again and again, burnt and destroyed and still, he fought for you humans. That is your hero. A real hero with courage who defeated the mazoku many times. He was the true owner of courage.¡± (Arnos) Even though he was my enemy I was proud of him and his resolution. He always fought to protect something. Not once was he ever dominated by his greed. And he was killed? Some other humans killed that man that kept sacrificing himself for them. He would still resurrect but maybe it was enough to kill his heart? ¡°You say you are a reincarnation of Kanon so endure it. If you can do that then I¡¯ll let you reincarnate and you can come after me again in another life.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Just¡­..enough¡­.already¡­..aaah¡­¡­ah¡­¡± (Diego) I pierce right to the centre of the origin with my finger. ¡°Gugagagagagaga, gyahyuuu, gyfuaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Deigo) ¡°What¡¯s wrong Diego? Aren¡¯t you a hero? Don¡¯t cry out in that voice. Kanon will laugh at you.¡± (Arnos) I look at his face with my demon eyes. ¡°¡­.Ple¡­..¡± (Diego) Deeper than despair and with a look like he was swallowed by the abyss Diego spoke. ¡°¡­..Please¡­¡­..enough, forgive me¡­.kill me¡­¡­.please end it¡­..¡± (Diego) It was a begging voice. All that resentment and hatred was gone. All he wanted was a release from this pain. ¡°You are not the hero Kanon.¡± (Arnos) With over my hand, I grip Diego¡¯s origin and squeeze with all my might. The white ball shattered into pieces. Diegos body falls to the floor like a doll with all its strings cut. He doesn¡¯t move. Resurrection is impossible. His origin is completely gone from this body. ¡°You were a man who didn¡¯t understand anything, pretending to be Kanon. Now that man was truly strong. (1) Reishinjin means godlike spirit. Also, I have no idea where this sentence came from. Diego used the term holy sword and Arnos brings out this Reishinjin sword term that hasn¡¯t been mentioned before. I thought it might have been Deigo¡¯s sword name but that was said to be Enhalle last chapter so no idea. Just roll with it I guess. I¡¯ll reread it later when I¡¯m less tired and see if I¡¯ve missed something. Chapter 93.1 ¡°Now then.¡± (Arnos) I head over to Misha and cast Total Complete Demon Healing but the wound doesn¡¯t heal. At first, I thought it was just being slow but it wasn¡¯t. It must be due to the powerful barrier covering this temple. It¡¯s so strong it makes look weak. This barrier could even partly block ¡°That door at the back?¡± (Arnos) I look at the divine light leaking from the door with my demon eyes. It¡¯s only the aftermath of magic but its enough to limit my magic power. I¡¯ve got a feeling I know what¡¯s behind that door. ¡°¡­.Go¡­..¡± Misha mutters ¡°¡­.I¡¯m fine¡­¡­¡± Could you tell I¡¯m bothered by what¡¯s behind that door? How admirable. ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡± (Misha) ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re my top priority.¡± (Arnos) I block the doorway up with but there¡¯s still some light leaking through. It¡¯ll be quicker and easier to treat if we get away from here but I need to do something first. I look at the holy water ball with my and the holy water ball split open revealing Eleonor inside. ¡°¡­..Sorry for having you rescue me Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor tries to walk but she falls down. Have her legs gone weak? I support her body with my arm. ¡°Ah¡­..¡± (Eleonor) ¡°You okay?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods. ¡°Than¡­thank you.¡± (Eleonor) She doesn¡¯t seem to be injured. Looks like she was only locked in. ¡°He¡­hey¡­.. stop looking so much¡­.¡± (Eleonor) She¡¯s currently naked. Eleonor takes a step back and tries to hide her naked body but her large proof of peace can¡¯t be hidden by her arm and peek out. Fumu. I¡¯m not really sure why but is this situation bad? ¡°You seem to be okay anyway.¡± (Arnos) I reach out to her body. ¡°Eh¡­? Han¡­hang on¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) I touch her collarbone with my fingertip. ¡°Stay still. I don¡¯t remember the shape of your hero uniform so I need to ask your body.¡± (Arnos) ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã) I cast on Eleonor covering her body with the magic formula and the next instant she was wearing the hero academy uniform. ¡°Wa¡­¡­thank you¡­¡± (Eleonor) I go back over to Misha and hold her. ¡°Diego sensei? (Eleonor) ¡°Destroyed. Origin as well.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Eh?¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor who is normally carefree turned serious. She activates her demon eyes and looks around. She can also see peoples origins directly so she can clearly see Deigo¡¯s origin has completely disappeared. (1) ¡°¡­¡­Amazing Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Eleonor) That was an unexpected reaction. ¡°Your teacher is killed and your words to me are amazing?¡± (Arnos) She lowers her eyes slightly. ¡°I know everything. Diego sensei set the magic on everyone¡­.all of it¡­.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor¡¯s expression turned dark. ¡°In this hero academy only I know the correct history. Not all of it but still¡­¡­ But nobody believes me. Whenever I say that the hero Kanon was killed by humans they all say I¡¯m crazy¡­..¡± (Eleonor) It¡¯s not in any textbook so it¡¯s probably the proper reaction to being told that. ¡°Don¡¯t you find what I¡¯m saying strange Arnos-kun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°It¡¯s certainly unexpected meeting someone else.¡± (Arnos) Elenor gives me a puzzled look. ¡°The history of the mazoku has been rewritten as well which is giving me a bit of a hard time. No-one believes me even though I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor looks surprised hearing my words. ¡°¡­.The demon king of tyranny¡¯s name¡­..¡± Eleonor murmurs ¡°It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod. Sometime in the last 2000 years, it was changed to Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Arnos) A stunned looking Eleonor looks at my face. ¡°Can¡¯t you believe it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yeah. Though I thought it was strange¡­¡­ You Arnos-kun¡­ you¡¯re too strong¡­and not just your strength and yet the mazoku weren¡¯t accepting you. It was a very distorted scene to watch¡­.¡± (Eleonor) She¡¯s half talking to herself like she trying to convince herself of something. ¡°But this distortion led to me remembering something a little¡­..¡± (Eleonor) The correct history. A truth that is not recognised. Eleonor seems to have had the same experience as me. ¡°Arnos-kun is the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Why are you looking for the hero Kanon?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Because I promised that when I reincarnated we¡¯d be friends.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡­ that was the reason¡­.. It wasn¡¯t a lie¡­¡± Eleonor says in understanding. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I want to ask you but Misha¡¯s treatment is top priority now. She won¡¯t die but she¡¯s in pain.¡± (Arnos) In my arms, Misha shakes her head. Chapter 93.2 She¡¯s stouthearted. All the more reason to hurry up with treatment. ¡°I¡¯ve got to manage the students of the hero academy as well. I¡¯ve stopped time using but the effect doesn¡¯t last long. If left alone they will still explode.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll do something about it.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Oh?¡± (Arnos) Once activated is like lighting a fire in an ammo dump. Although I¡¯ve stopped its time and forcefully suppressed it, it¡¯s a difficult task to return it to normal. ¡°Can you do it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m good at origin magic.¡± Eleonor says while raising her index finger. ¡°What about your body?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m fine now. It¡¯s only because I was magic for a while that it took my legs a little time to adjust.¡± (Eleonor) You were magic? That¡¯s what I want to hear about the most but it sounds complicated. Anyway. I can leave the hero academy to her. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry then. You¡¯ve got a day to restore the origins of all those people.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor runs over to the temple doors. ¡°Ah, Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) As if remembering something she stops and turns around. ¡°Can you stop and talk after school tomorrow? There¡¯s something I need to ask you.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I don¡¯t mind but I think the hero academy will struggle with the teaching tomorrow.¡± (Arnos) The headteacher Diego has disappeared after all. Well, no one saw him being killed and there¡¯s no one who will be able to tell the demon corpse left in here was Diego. Even if they put his whereabouts down tomorrow as unknown it¡¯s not likely another teacher can just drop their own class and teach us. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine though they¡¯ll be noisy that Diego sensei isn¡¯t there. I¡¯m pretty sure the classes will go on tomorrow.¡± (Eleonor) Is there a substitute teacher already in the school? Whatever, not like I care about the classes anyway. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yup. bye-bye.¡± (Eleonor) Waving her hand Eleonor leaves the temple. I use and transfer inside the demon king castle Misha made. If it¡¯s here the recovery magic should work. I use and heal her wounds. ¡°Fumu.¡± (Arnos) Even though the wound caused by the light from the holy sword Enhalle was deep the effects from that light leaking from that door is even more troublesome. It passed through the wound made by Enhalle and entered Misha¡¯s origin where it¡¯s been eroding her magic power. This will make using magic unpredictable and might stop her from being able to even move. ¡°¡­.It¡¯s become a bit better¡­.¡± (Misha) Misha smiles in my arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get you moving right away.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Not worrying.¡± (Misha) Misha looked right at me. ¡°Because Arnos is here.¡± (Misha) ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°Depths of the temple.¡± Misha murmurs her words almost a sigh. ¡°¡­I saw a strong magic power¡­¡­. from Eugo Ra Raviaz¡­.¡± (Misha) You were looking that deep into the abyss? That would explain some of the erosion from the holy power. ¡°¡­¡­.My mistake¡­¡­¡­?¡± (Misha) ¡°No. That god is a mid-ranked god. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the thing in there is even more powerful than Eugo Ra Raviaz.¡± ¡°Thing in there?¡± (Misha) ¡°Possibly¡­¡­¡± (Arnos) No, I¡¯ll answer Misha¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s probably the spirit god sword Evans Mana.¡± (2) The supreme holy sword dominating the other 88 holy swords. The legendary holy sword forged to destroy the demon king of tyranny. (1) The author used demon eyes for Eleonor here and he used it with Diego last chapter as well so I¡¯m assuming that what Arnos is calling demon eyes is actually just magic vision that anyone with sufficient power/talent can use irrelevant of race and not just the mazoku. (2) There¡¯s my Reishinijn answer. I¡¯d forgotten that¡¯s how its called. You really shouldn¡¯t translate when tired ???? TN: If anyone¡¯s wondering why there¡¯s been a couple of double releases it¡¯s because a lot of my colleagues who were on 12-week isolation due to health issues (and other people) are now back at work. As such, the few of us that we¡¯re working and running around like headless chickens through all of this have finally got the chance to use some of our silly amounts of lieu time and have some random days off. I¡¯m hoping to bang out a few more chapters on my days off so look forward to them. Chapter 94.1 ¡ªThe next day¡ª As I opened the door to the Arclaniska Auditorium I could hear voices from the inside. ¡°¡­..Aah. All of Jergakanon are off today it seems. Well, that¡¯s nothing new for Zeshia though.¡± ¡°Well, they were crushed by the demon king academy lot. It seems Laos had to be admitted to the magic clinic because they couldn¡¯t remove the poison from his body.¡± ¡°Heine¡¯s even worse. His entire bodies covered in stigmata and healing magic won¡¯t work on those. They used holy water on him so he won¡¯t die but he might have been better off dying.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Ledoriano okay though?¡± ¡°Yeah but the guy who went to see him said he¡¯s staying in his room and won¡¯t come out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried¡­.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. That mazoku lot is full of monsters wh¡ª¡± ¡°Oi!¡± All the hero academy students turn around. The students who were standing in a block in front of me quickly scattered to the sides and made way for me. Without fail, every one of them looked scared. I walked down the now vacant aisle and headed to the demon king academy side. ¡°Did a certain someone overdo it yesterday?¡± (Sasha) Misha tilted her head to one side. ¡°Fumu. You thinking what I¡¯m thinking as well?¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. Sasha¡¯s expression took on a pained look. ¡°¡­¡­Ahaha¡­.. Everyone was amazing, right? Look at me. The exam was over before I noticed let alone did anything.¡± (Misa) Jergakanon surrendered as soon as Eleonor left. Presumably, she told them to. ¡°But I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± Ray says to Misa with a smile. Misa blushes and says ¡°Yes¡± in a small voice. ¡°By the way.¡± I say to Ray taking a set next to him. ¡°You seem to have mastered that unique sword.¡± ¡°Really? I feel like I can still draw out more power from it.¡± (Ray) This man constantly seems to be aiming at a higher place. ¡°Did you remember anything?¡± (Arnos) ¡°From my past life? No, nothing.¡± (Ray) ¡°Fumu. Since you used a holy sword I thought you might have remembered it.¡± (Arnos) Normally, a holy sword is impossible to use by a mazoku, however, if your magic power is well above the holy swords power then you can force it to surrender to you. The thing is Ray had the sword recognise him as its rightful owner and didn¡¯t force it. 2000 years ago Shin Reglia was known as the strongest mazoku swordsman but it¡¯s unknown if he could do what Ray has done. He said he would start a new sword in a new era. If so he may have succeeded. In any event, Ray is only going to grow more. ¡°Were you an acquaintance of Arnos-sama in your past life Ray-san?¡± (Misa) ¡°First time I¡¯m hearing this. That would explain why the sword idiot can use demon swords so well. Were all the mazoku from 2000 years ago monsters like you guys?¡± (Sasha) Sasha and Misa both have eyes full of interest. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know yet but it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± (Ray) ¡°Indeed.¡± (Arnos) Sasha makes a dissatisfied face when she realises neither of us is going to say anything further. ¡°¡­. Hmph. A secret between men is it¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°Ahaha¡­ well, if Arnos-sama doesn¡¯t want to say either then that¡¯s it¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Misa seems to be a little uneasy so Ray laughed at her. ¡°I won¡¯t change.¡± (Ray) ¡°Eh?¡± (Misa) ¡°I¡¯m me. Even if I remember everything that won¡¯t change.¡± (Ray) ¡°I¡­..see. That¡¯s right¡­.¡± (Misa) ¡°Am I wrong?¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..No¡­I¡¯m¡­¡­. I¡¯m happy¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa looked down in embarrassment. Looking at them sideways Sasha sighs. ¡°Enough already. Haven¡¯t you both been flirting way too much in the classroom lately?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Eh, ah, no, not really, that sort of thing¡­..! Ah, eh? We haven¡¯t, have we¡­.?¡± (Misa) While Misa was all flustered Ray wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest. ¡°If you¡¯re jealous then you do it too with my demon king.¡± (Ray) ¡°Wha¡­.. eh¡­.ah¡­..!!¡± (Sasha) Sasha quickly sneaks a peek at me then turns on Ray with a glare. ¡°Ray outside now! Were going to have a little talk.¡± (Sasha) Sasha stands up. ¡°Class is about to begin right?¡± (Ray) Chapter 94.2 ¡°Not a problem. I¡¯ll end it in 1 minute.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Oh? This¡¯ll be interesting with you.¡± (Ray) Ray also gets up and laughs cooly at the glaring Sasha. ¡°Are you fighting?¡± Misha says looking at them both. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say we were fighting¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°Just testing our strength.¡± (Ray) ¡°Tha.. that¡¯s right. It¡¯s just like that painful hell called self-study. We overcame it but these small fry heroes are too weak. It¡¯s boring if we can¡¯t get serious.¡± (Sasha) ¡°If you¡¯re my partner I¡¯m sure I can show the true power of this unique sword.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I was worried about that sword. Did you use holy magic?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Simply put I can do it if I want to.¡± (Ray) ¡°Haaa? Could you please explain a little more seriously?¡± (Sasha) *Fufufu* Misha laughs and the 2 of them look at her. ¡°Good friends.¡± (Misha) Sasha¡¯s eyes go soft. ¡°Looks like your sister won.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­Haaah.¡± (Sasha) Deprived of their venom the 2 of them sit down. The bell signalling the start of class rings. After a few minutes, Menou enters the classroom and another teacher enters the room and follows her to the platform. Misha¡¯s eyes went wide as she stared at the other teacher. ¡°It was a white-hot opposition test yesterday and both schools have found problems with their students. Let¡¯s continue working hard together in the future. Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s academy exchange.¡± It was Diego Kanon Ijeishka. The man whose origin I certainly destroyed yesterday so it¡¯s no wonder Misha is surprised. It¡¯s not another person disguised to look like him either. The wavelength of magic power is identical and so is the origin to the Diego I destroyed yesterday. The hero Kanon had 7 origins and could revive as long as one remained but Diego only had one origin. Is it possible to revive if the one remaining origin was divided amongst 7 people? No, and even if that were possible I don¡¯t think this guy is Kanon. Even if he used magic to divide his origin into 7 there¡¯s no way he could withstand the pain like Kanon. And even if all of it were true and he could revive I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d still be sane after the treatment he received. ¡°Oh yeah before I start I need to communicate something to the class. All members of Jergakanon are absent today due to fatigue. I¡¯ll let you know when they are coming back.¡± (Diego) Everyone? ¡°Wasnt one okay?¡± (Arnos) When I raised my hand Diego gazed at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Diego) It¡¯s certainly the same origin but somethings off. His reaction is like a different person. After everything he went through yesterday non of its showing in his behaviour at all. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that good of an actor. ¡°Eleonor seemed unharmed in yesterdays test. Is she not okay?¡± (Arnos) Deigo didn¡¯t even pause he just answered straight away. ¡°She¡¯s tired as well. It seems she used too much recovery magic on Jergakanon. It¡¯s not serious but she won¡¯t be coming to class. She needs to take care and rest.¡± (Diego) Certainly is no easy spell to stop, however, we promised to meet after school today and I don¡¯t think she resting from fatigue. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the class. Today we are talking about holy magic tools. You guys at the demon king academy might not remember but¡ª¡± (Diego) Yare yare. For some reason, the hero academy is more trouble than I thought. Chapter 95.1 ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s class.¡± (Diego) Eleonor didn¡¯t appear all day. I¡¯m sure something¡¯s wrong. When Eleonor was in the temple she said she couldn¡¯t move by her own will. If she¡¯s in the same condition as that time then she might not be able to come meet me. Should I go meet her? ¡°Um, Arnos-sama. Did anyone talk to you about going to the festival?¡± (Misa) ¡°Fumu. I¡¯ve got a bit of business to take care of but you should go and enjoy it.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I see.¡± (Misa) ¡°I¡¯ve going to give it a miss today as well. I¡¯m pretty tired.¡± (Ray) ¡°Were you up late?¡± (Misa) ¡°I not sleeping well due to the pillow being different.¡± (Ray) ¡°I see¡­¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa looks a bit disappointed so Ray goes over to her and whispers ¡°Do you want to join me taking a nap?¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..Eh, errm¡­..¡± (Misa) I see. You want to be alone with Misa. ¡°Don¡¯t want to?¡± (Ray) ¡°N..no. I mean yes I¡¯ll¡­.come with you.¡± (Misa) The girls in the fan union started whispering about them. ¡°¡­¡­Ray-kun is sleepy¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t Ray-kun and Arnos-sama share the same room¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Waiit, waiiit! What are you thinking about!?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not thinking about any special contact or anything¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say special contact!¡± ¡°¡­..Then, theeeen, in other words¡­..now¡­..Misa is¡­.¡± ¡°Going to indirectly share a bed!?!?¡± Leaving them to their talk I leave the auditorium. Using my demon eyes I try to locate Eleonors magic power but I can¡¯t find it anywhere. Are you erasing your magic power? Misha couldn¡¯t find Eleonor either when she was looking. What I can find and follow though is Diegos magic power. If the hero academy has done something to her then there¡¯s no way the head of the school doesn¡¯t know about it. I make myself invisible with , hide my magic power with and follow Diego. He leaves at a quick pace and heads to lake Seimei. Using Diego quickly moves through the empty lake and heads to a formerly underwater cave. I thought he would have headed to the temple. We proceed through the dim cave and as we approach the back a small spring gushing out holy water appears. Using Diego jumps into the spring. Following closely behind I find its both deep and very large. Its outside state is different from the inside. Using again Diego swims like a fish through the water and dives towards the bottom. Just as I was wondering how deep it was the bottom finally shows up and I see a huge door locked with . Diego opens the door and heads inside but I wait. Even with my magic and figure hidden he¡¯ll notice someone opening the door so I wait for him to leave. ¡°Open.¡± (Arnos) After waiting a few minutes I open the door to find a stone building inside. This side of the door is dry due to magic holding the water back behind the door. What on earth is he doing here? As I walk down the passage I find a collapsed wall and its new. Within a few days I¡¯d say. The further in the building I go the more internal destruction I find. Floors, ceilings and walls are crushed, cut or just fallen into holes. Fumu. It¡¯s like there was a battle here recently. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any clues yet!¡± An angry voice calls out and its Diego. It¡¯s coming from behind a nearby door. I stand behind it and listen carefully. ¡°¡­¡­.I know he¡¯s a masked man¡­.¡± ¡°I received that report this morning! I¡¯m telling you to give me something new!¡± (Diego) ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± ¡°Is this not the work of the demon king academy?¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­..I couldn¡¯t detect the thief¡¯s magic power. I can¡¯t even tell if it was a mazoku¡­¡± A masked man whose magic power you cant sense huh? That¡¯s a familiar story. ¡°Besides, our plan isn¡¯t known to the demon king academy so it¡¯s unlikely they attacked this facility. It¡¯s probably the work of the Virhia Empire to the west.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for those guys to do this! We¡¯ve been building up friendly relations with them for more than a 1000 years!¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­.As may be but it would be foolish to completely trust all of Azeshion. Is there a spy in the academy? They might have heard the rumours of the holy mother.¡± The room falls silent. Is Diego keeping quiet? Chapter 95.2 ¡°Could they have an inkling of the holy mother¡¯s location?¡± (Diego) ¡°It seems so. The masked man was rampaging but wasn¡¯t able to find it.¡± Everything went silent again. Eventually, Diego seems to come up with an idea. ¡°Okay then. This is what we¡¯ll do. Well, make this attack look like the mazoku did it.¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­.One of the demon king academy students? Shall I capture one?¡± ¡°Yeah and the method doesnt matter. People believe we are justice anyway so it¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll make a good cause to invade Deiruheido with.¡± (Diego) ¡°Then, finally?¡± ¡°Yes. The time has come to fulfil our long-cherished wish.¡± (Diego) ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave the spy to you. Find them and make them spit out everything they know. Use whatever means necessary.¡± (Diego) ¡°Ha!¡± What a stupid thing. Creating a fake fire to make a justification for war. Why are you so dissatisfied with peace? I could kill him right here but I destroyed his origin yesterday and here he stands. It would probably be quicker to stop their plans. I don¡¯t know who this holy mother is but she¡¯s important to the hero academy. Going on what I know so far its probably Eleonor. If the masked man couldn¡¯t find it then there¡¯s a hidden room around here somewhere. I look around with my demon eyes but there¡¯s nothing that could be a hidden magic device which makes sense since it¡¯s the first thing that would be noticed. That means it¡¯s like my dungeon back at the demon kings castle and it¡¯s hidden via normal means and not magic. I retraced my steps and came to the passage with the destroyed wall. I raise my foot slightly and tap the floor. Immediately afterwards the building shakes greatly with the vibration from my tap. ¡°Enemy attack! Deploy the entire squad!!¡± Soldiers come surging out but when they realise no one is there they stop and look around suspiciously. ¡°¡­¡­Was it an earthquake¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­..It¡¯s incredibly rare around lake Seimei. Is it because the waters gone¡­.?¡± While the soldiers are talking I search for their magic using my demon eyes and grasp all their locations. Fumu. There? I walk down the passage to my targeted place. After all the soldiers have gone I face a very ordinary-looking wall, place my fingertip on it and pushed. A normal non-magic hidden door swings slowly open. In an emergency its human nature to protect what you are supposed to protect and in doing so create an information leak. The answer became known when I compared the placement of the soldiers before and after the vibrations I caused. I walk down the straight and dimly lit passage easily avoiding an assortment of non-magic traps. Eventually, a faint blue light appears in front of me and I enter into a vast space. Several thousand floating, no, there¡¯s more than that. Over 10,000 floating holy water balls and all of them have a naked girl floating in them. Zeshia Kanon Ijeishka. It¡¯s her without a doubt. The school¡¯s number 1. Every single one of them. All of the over 10,000 girls have the exact same origin. And there in the centre of the vast room in the largest holy water ball was Eleonor. Her entire body is glowing with magic power and like yesterday it¡¯s causing her outline to become blurry. A number of magic characters emerged from her body and floated around it while her magic power was spread amongst the other holy water balls. ¡°Eleonor.¡± (Arnos) I cancelled and called her name. ¡°¡­¡­Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Eleonor) She looks at me joyfully but also surprised. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t come. This was a bit unexpected for me.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°According to our schedule, we were to meet after school and it¡¯s now after school so no problem.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor smiles. ¡°I knew for sure you¡¯d come.¡± (Eleonor) She raises her finger and stares at me with a gentle expression. ¡°Even though it¡¯s in a place like this will you hear my wish?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Gladly.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I want Arnos-kun to destroy an origin.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Fumu. Whose?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor responds in an eager tone of voice ¡°Mine.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor smiles a genuine smile with no hint of a lie. It was a heartfelt wish. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting a long time for the person who¡¯ll set me and Zeshia free from this endless hell. Arnos-kun end me.¡± (Eleonor) In this way she confesses. ¡°I¡¯m a taboo magic that should never have been created by humans.¡± (Eleonor) Chapter 96.1 Taboo magic. I¡¯m able to grasp the general circumstances from that. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re a human type magic?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor¡¯s eyes go round in surprise. ¡°¡­..That¡¯s amazing Arnos-kun. You really did understand.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I had also theorised about creating humanoid type magic. I even created the formula to experiment with.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Did it work?¡± Eleonor asks a bit timidly. ¡°I didn¡¯t try it.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Why?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°You¡¯ll understand if you consider it a bit. It would be an act of sheer madness.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor smiles in relief. ¡°That¡¯s right. It really is¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor was looking down as she uttered those words but now she looks up. ¡°But 2000 years ago there was a person that reached that height of madness. Did you know him Arnos-kun? The commander of the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force?¡± (Eleonor) Thats a nostalgic title. His power was inferior to Kanon but his obsession in defeating the mazoku was bottomless. ¡°Jerga.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods. ¡°Commander Jerga had a strong grudge against the mazoku and that didn¡¯t change after the demon king of tyranny died and the world was separated by the walls. Someday the wall will disappear. Someday the demon king of tyranny will reincarnate. He prepared for those times. He believed his fight would never end until the demon king of tyranny was completely destroyed, so he created the hero academy to preserve and pass on his grudge against the demon king to future generations of children.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Stupid is the only thing you can say to that.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s what I think as well. At that time there were also people who thought like Arnos-kun does.¡± (Eleonor) I don¡¯t even need to ask who that was. ¡°The hero Kanon.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Indeed. Kanon objected to the establishment of the academy. The demon king of tyranny only wants peace he kept saying. He only did what he did because it was a war and he was protecting his people. His position was no different from ours. Sadly, even though he was the hero not many people believed him¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) It¡¯s not hard to see why that was. It wouldn¡¯t be possible to count the number of humans I killed in the great war. If such persuasion was possible back then then I wouldn¡¯t have needed to create the wall. ¡°The hero Kanon insisted that the demon king laid down his life to create that wall but as expected everyone thought that was a lie. Kanon was kind about the mazoku and said he wanted the demon king of tyranny to be reborn and have a fresh start.¡± (Eleonor) Did everyone think the kind Kanon who killed the demon king was lied to and he believed it? It now seems that Eleonor was born after the demon king of tyranny was renamed to Avos Dillheavia. ¡°But after meeting Arnos-kun and learning you are the demon king of tyranny I thought Kanon wasn¡¯t lying after all.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor giggles. ¡°You don¡¯t kill for no reason and the incident. If you hadn¡¯t stopped its time everyone would have died.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°That was only by chance.¡± (Arnos) ¡°So that¡¯s the pretence you¡¯re going with.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor raises her finger. ¡°Anyway, in the end, the opinion of commander Jerga carried more weight and the hero academy was established.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What about Kanon?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..He seemed to give up and decided to believe in the future mazoku and humans. A future where the mazoku will not attack the humans and the humans wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to start a war with them.¡± (Eleonor) It¡¯s really naive but that was that mans determination. If no one draws the bow then no hatred can be born. Was that his belief? ¡°However, Commander Jerga was well aware of how easily hatred can fade with time. Anger too will also disappear one day. No matter how much you talk about it and establish the hero academy those that fought in the great war will one day die and that hatred for the mazoku will disappear.¡± (Eleonor) Humans don¡¯t live long. Forget 1000 years in just several hundred years hatred and the fact that there was even a war would disappear from peoples hearts. Nothing you write in a history book will alter that fact. ¡°And that was what commander Jerga was most afraid of.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°And that¡¯s why he turned his origin into ?¡± (Arnos) Eleanor¡¯s eyes widened and she laughed. ¡°¡­¡­You really are amazing. You¡¯ve understood everything¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hardly. When I used I heard a strange voice that¡¯s all.¡± (Arnos) I didn¡¯t remember right away because it gave off a different impression from his real voice but thinking back it was Jerga. ¡°2000 years ago the gods also meddled in the great war. It¡¯s not within the scope of human power to turn their origin into magic power but if the holy water and a gods power are combined it would be possible.¡± (Arnos) The formula for is 2000 years old but when I used it I got a different result. The only reason for that would be if the world¡¯s system was rewritten by a god. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like Arnos-kun says. Commander Jerga threw away his life and entrusted his feelings, resentment, hatred and revenge for the mazoku to . All the textbooks in the hero academy were altered to say that when you use you hear Kanons voice and if you follow it you can become a hero.¡± (Eleonor) So all the students think that¡¯s Kanon¡¯s voice? ¡°The more you use the more feelings of revenge and hatred against the mazoku will be planted in you by the magic. Those in Jergakanon will be told in detail how cruel the mazoku were to humans. With this, Jerga¡¯s thoughts and memories will never cease and will hold on until the rebirth of the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Eleonor) I knew that man held a grudge more than anyone else but peace was just around the corner. A humans life is short so I thought I would spare that life. All of this is probably due to my naivety. 2000 years ago I should have destroyed that man. ¡°I expect Kanon couldn¡¯t watch this happening?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor nods ¡°Kanon firmly opposed commander Jergas magic. Though their numbers were small Kanon did have supporters. Commander Jerga probably thought they might become difficult later on.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°So he had him killed?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 96.2 ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡­.. Many people started saying they wanted their children and grandchildren to live without those type of feelings. The number of people agreeing with Kanon gradually increased especially amongst those thinking of their families. Commander Jerga had many allies though and they waited for a chance for Kanon to drop his guard and killed him making sure he couldn¡¯t revive. Even though Kanon had 7 origins he couldn¡¯t revive if that method was taken away.¡± (Eleonor) This is a strange story. ¡°Even I couldn¡¯t kill that man. There¡¯s no way humans killed him no matter what gap they found in his armour.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s right¡­. After I investigated it I found Kanon did have a way to revive but he never did. I¡¯m sure he was disgusted by the humans.¡± (Eleonor) It¡¯s not an unreasonable thought for a man who fought and sacrificed everything for his people only to be cut down by them. Did that guy who stood up countless times against the demon king lose his willpower when stabbed from behind by his own allies? ¡°The hero Kanon who tried to save the humans was no longer a hero and never again appeared on the front stage of history. Because he wanted nothing to do with he never appeared at the hero academy either. He might have quietly disappeared without even bothering to reincarnate and even if he did reincarnate he¡¯s never fought as a hero again.¡± (Elenor) Is that why she said that the Kanon I knew no longer existed? ¡°Why were you born?¡± (Arnos) A pained expression momentarily crosses Eleonors face. ¡°¡­.Commander Jerga¡¯s origin became two magics. The first one was and the second one was me Origin Womb .¡± (Eleonor) If this happened directly after the war then she¡¯d know that the demon king of tyranny was called Arnos Voldigod. ¡°Did it take time for the magic to take form then?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m a failure. I don¡¯t know if took all the hatred and anger but even though I¡¯m a human type magic I have no hatred for the mazoku. I was supposed to inherit the personality of commander Jerga and teach here in the hero academy. They wiped my memories over and over and remade me many times but to no avail.¡± (Eleonor) I see. So Jergas plan didn¡¯t go as expected either. ¡°300 years later the heroes of that era finally made a decision. It was impossible to remake me how they wanted so they decided to use me only as magic.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor looks over at the holy water balls containing Zeshia. ¡° is a magic to make origin clones.¡± (Eleonor) Fumu. As I expected. ¡°So Zeshia and Diego are born by duplicating their origin with magic?¡± (Arnos) It¡¯s not that they revied after having their origin destroyed but its actually another person that¡¯s indistinguishable from the one that died. Strictly speaking, they are not exactly the same but the differences will be so small that even I with my demon eyes will not be able to tell. They will also have the same power as the original origin. ¡°From the heroes of that time, they picked the most suitable origins and refined them. Zeshia is an origin clone specialised in combat ability but the trade-off was her feelings and words were lost. Diego is an origin clone specialised in education. He has good affinity with magic but he¡¯s the most susceptible one to Jerga¡¯s voice.¡± (Eleonor) Zeshia is a soldier while Diego¡¯s role is to be the educator who implants the hatred in the new heroes. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching them live lifelessly for a long time. Because I¡¯m magic even if this body dies I¡¯ll be reincarnated immediately and can continue giving birth to them only for them to die full of hate.¡± (Eleonor) Elenor gazed into my eyes. ¡°As long as exists in this world neither Zeshia, Deigo nor the hero academy can find happiness. So Arnos-kun please.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor asks me earnestly. ¡°Kill me that is originally commander Jerga¡¯s origin. If Arnos-kun can destroy origins then he can kill me.¡± (Eleonor) I see. ¡°Well it should be possible but I do have one concern.¡± (Arnos) ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± (Eleonor) Even at this time, she¡¯s smiling at me without a care. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your happiness should also be taken into account? (Arnos) Eleonor was momentarily speechless before letting out a small laugh. ¡°¡­.Hey Arnos-kun¡­..¡± (Eleonor) She looks down sadly. ¡°¡­.I couldn¡¯t protect them. The children I gave birth to I couldn¡¯t protect even one of them. I couldn¡¯t even make one of them happy¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Slight tears appeared in her eyes. ¡°Again and again¡­.. over 1000 years, almost 1500 years¡­.. I just kept killing¡­.¡± (Eleonor) A transparent drop rolls down her cheek before mixing with the holy water and disappearing. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m magic that creates hatred and fosters misery¡­.. I don¡¯t want to give birth to these unhappy children anymore¡­.. also.¡± (Eleonor) Her voice is full of heartbreak as she pushes herself to talk like she¡¯s punishing herself. ¡°¡­¡­.I only gave birth to unhappiness. How can I ask to be happy¡­..¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Fumu. I understand.¡± (Arnos) She aimlessly looks at my face. I open both hands and point to the innumerable Zeshia¡¯s floating around us. ¡°In other words, all I have to do is make everyone here happy.¡± Chapter 97.1 Eleonor laughed while shedding tears. ¡°Thank you but its fine. I¡¯m magic created to fight the mazoku and I cannot resist if used. I¡¯ll just continue producing origin clones of Zeshia which will be used to invade Deiruheido.¡± (Eleonor) 10,000 Zeshias using will be an unbelievable amount of war potential. On top of that, each person can use to become a human bomb. It¡¯s a threat to Deiruheido that cannot be overlooked. ¡°You mazoku don¡¯t need to get caught up with human issues. Kill me and protect Deiruheido.¡± (Eleonor) Human circumstances huh? Half of that statement might be true. ¡°Eleonor. This is the battle I left behind 2000 years ago and the people living in this peaceful age shouldn¡¯t be involved in such a tedious war.¡± (Arnos) If I¡¯d destroyed Jerga at that time then none of this would have happened. ¡°You and Zeshia are also the same.¡± (Arnos) Diego is also seized by that hatred and is passing it on. ¡°I need to clear my debts. The Zeshia¡¯s that have already gone will not come back but the ones here can still lead a peaceful life.¡± (Arnos) ¡°If everyone forgot everything like they were supposed to then neither me nor Zeshia should even exist.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What¡¯s done is done.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor and Zeshia have already been born. ¡°I¡¯ve caused you pain for almost 2000 years.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor¡¯s body trembles. Suffering and more suffering. A life that did nothing but suffer with her only hope being that she might one day disappear. So much misfortune. ¡°This is my mistake, therefore I¡¯ll make sure your next 2000 years are happy.¡± (Arnos) Eleonrs smile disappears. ¡°I can¡¯t erase what happened but at the very least let me try and make it up to you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.I¡¯m human. Well not really since I¡¯m magic¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± (Arnos) A tear runs down her cheek. The tears that are melting into the holy water are clearly visible to my demon eyes. ¡°¡­..As long as exists the humans will continue to hold a grudge against the mazoku¡­.. We can only fight until one of use is destroyed¡­¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Then I just need to destroy .¡± (Arnos) Eleonor shakes her head with a sad expression and speaks in a feeble voice. ¡°¡­Hey¡­.. If you say something that gives me so much hope¡­..I might start to dream¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯ll grant it. For 2000 years you have suffered. Any dream I can¡¯t make come true is nothing but a lie.¡±(Arnos) Humans who continue to suffer and die without hope. If that¡¯s the world¡¯s system then I shall destroy it. ¡°I¡¯m in front of you now. You¡¯ve endured until today and that¡¯s more than enough.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.But¡­..¡± (Eleonor) At that time a dim voice leaked from somewhere. A faint desire. ¡°¡­He¡­.lp¡­..¡± It came from the 10 years old Zeshia in the holy water ball next to Eleonor. ¡°¡­..Zeshia¡­.?¡± (Eleonor) Elenor looks astonished. Zeshia who specialises in combat and shouldn¡¯t be able to speak was now speaking. ¡°¡­..Help¡­¡­¡­.mama¡­¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Unable to bear Zeshia¡¯s words Elenor starts sobbing. Endless tears fall from her eyes. ¡°¡­.Sorry, Arnos-kun¡­. I was saying something unfair. Please, I beg you.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor begs me like before but this time her wish is much stronger. ¡°Help. Zeshia and me¡­.. We¡¯ve already fought so much.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I promise. I won¡¯t say I¡¯ll do it right now but I will help you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Yes¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleanor¡¯s tears spill like rain. ¡°¡­¡­Absolutely promise¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯ll stake my name on it.¡± (Arnos) To liberate them I need to end 2000 years of hatred between the humans and the mazoku. Chapter 97.2 To erase Jerga¡¯s origin which has merged with I¡¯ll need to return to its original form, however, unlike Eleonor isn¡¯t humanoid type magic. That means there¡¯s no clear shape to Jerga¡¯s origin. It¡¯s become part of the worlds reason, order and concept. Correcting that will not be a trivial matter. I¡¯ll be changing the law that says something falls if you drop it. It¡¯s like taking a change done by my principle destroying sword and making it permanent. ¡°Eh¡­..?¡± (Eleonor) I just felt a big disturbance in magic power as well. It¡¯s not in this building but somewhere outside. It¡¯s not far though. Lake Seimei probably. ¡°¡­.I think its the temple¡­.¡± (Eleonor) I activate my demon eyes and send them into the building next door while also intercepting a . ¡°¡­.What¡¯s that!?¡± ¡°Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemies have invaded the temple!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the old seven demon emperors! The old seven demon emperors have appeared! Three members confirmed! Medin Gaasa, Zoro Angaat and Eldora Zaia! Requesting immediate support!!¡± ¡°Guh! So it really was the work of the Mazoku¡­¡­ We thought it was the holy mother they were after but it was the spirit god sword¡­¡­¡­..!!¡± Some of the old seven demon emperors have come here? ¡°¡­..What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Something a little troublesome. I¡¯ll go and check it out.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Be careful.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Aah.¡± (Arnos) I used to try and transfer to the temple, however, a magic formation was deployed at my exit point cancelling it. The spirit god sword must be reacting to the invasion of the old seven demon emperors since the barrier its deployed is much stronger than last time. I use again and transfer to outside the temple. ¡°Guaaaaaah¡­.!!¡± Several soldiers were thrown outside the temple. The doors were completely open so I marched right in. Holy light covers the entire area with pure white radiance. Looking around a number of soldiers had already fallen. I marched right to the back of the temple a saw a single holy sword stuck in a pedestal. Spirit god sword Evans Mana. It¡¯s emitting a godly glow with tremendous amounts of magic power while four mazoku are standing by it. One is a man with 2 horns, one is a man with huge bat wings, one is a man with red demon eyes and there in the centre was a man wearing a mask. The masked man reaches out his hand to Evans Mana. ¡°Idiot. That holy sword can only be used by the hero Kanon. You¡¯ll regret touching it!¡± One of the soldiers surrounding the mazoku speaks out but the masked man grasps Evans Mana and easily pulls it out. ¡°¡­Wh¡­..at¡­¡­¡± All the soldiers were startled and seemed unable to speak. ¡°¡­.The holy sword¡­..was¡­pulled out¡­.?¡± ¡°Impossible¡­..that¡¯s impossible! Has the holy sword that no ones been able to pull out for 2000 years accepted a mazoku as its owner!!? This shouldn¡¯t be possible!!¡± The masked man ignores the soldiers and looks at his most dangerous opponent in the room. Our eyes meet. ¡°Fumu. An average mazoku would disappear simply by touching it. You must have some extraordinary power.¡± (Arnos) Looking closely I can see that the mask is a little different from the one at the sword competition but I still can¡¯t sense any magic power. ¡°Excuses won¡¯t work anymore since you¡¯ve bought some of the old seven demon emperors with you. You really should name yourself.¡± (Arnos) The masked man raised the holy sword. ¡°I am the demon king of tyranny that destroys everything. I am Avos Dillheavia.¡± Evans Mana shines even brighter. ¡°Your name is a lie demon king of fiction.¡± (Arnos) I deploy six formations and fire off six . ¡°Foolish.¡± (Avos) Avos Dillheavia swings Evans Mana down and a divine flash of light fills the surroundings along with an uncountable amount of sword strikes. My six were easily torn apart and the sword strikes attack me directly. I dampen the power of the strikes with anti-magic and parry them all. The surrounding pillars were all cut apart without a sound and the temple begins to collapse. Fumu. Not only have they pulled out the holy sword they can actually use it. Did you force the holy sword that chooses its own owners to accept you by overpowering it? Or possibly¡­¡­ ¡°Listen up humans. The winner 2000 years ago was me.¡± (Avos) Evans Mana covered Avos along with the 3 demon emperors with light. ¡°Perish foolish humans and you stupid mazoku that fail to recognise me. I will remake this world. The correct world for the mazoku. A world swallowed up in deep darkness and chaos.¡± (Avos) The light flashed and burst open. When it cleared Avos Dillheavia was nowhere to be seen. Chapter 98.1 After Avos and the demon emperors left the Gairadeite soldiers were busy reporting the situation and taking care of the wounded soldiers. In addition to Deigo¡¯s plan they now have the demon king of tyranny stealing the spirit god sword. Matters are far from simple for them. I decide to go and see what state the dormitory is in. I had a quick look around town on my way back but it was noisier than normal as well as seeing some soldiers running around. Arriving at the dormitory it was even noisier with the Gairadeite soldiers surrounding the 3rd dormitory. They must have set this up beforehand as there was a magic barrier set up using holy water as well as 300 soldiers standing guard. Even with Avos appearing, they¡¯ve moved too fast. Was this set up beforehand? I get the feeling that even if the holy sword hadn¡¯t been stolen they were going to do this anyway. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡± (Menou) Menou is squaring off against what looks to be the soldier in charge even though they are separated by a barrier. ¡°As long as you behave yourselves I personally guarantee your safety.¡± ¡°Stop screwing around. Are you serious? You¡¯re imprisoning students who are here on an exchange. This will go far beyond just being a problem with Derugozedo.¡± (Menou) The soldier doesn¡¯t answer and merely stares at Menou. These are normal Gairadeite soldiers. They will simply be following orders and not asking any questions. ¡°Whose order is this?¡± (Menou) ¡°I can¡¯t answer that question.¡± With that, the soldier tries to leave. ¡°Wait!¡± (Menou) Menou reaches out but the barrier reacts emitting a crackling noise and burning her fingers. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. When any of the students outside come back I¡¯ll personally make sure they get inside.¡± The soldier speaks in a very serious but earnest tone to Menou. Yare yare. This is all very dramatic. ¡°Will you let me in?¡± (Arnos) When I call out to the soldiers they change their expression. ¡°We¡¯ve found one of the demon king academy students! It¡¯s Arnos Voldigod! He¡¯s classified as a special target! I repeat, Arnos Voldigod has appeared in front of the 3rd dormitory! Search party requesting immediate assistance!!¡± All the soldiers retreated inside the barrier obviously wary of me. Fumu. Those soldiers in the temple didn¡¯t seem to be aware of who I was but these ones are different. ¡°Why are you so scared? I¡¯m not going to fight puppets like yourselves.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down! Everyone prepare the barrier. That¡¯s right please come insi¡ª¡± I step into the barrier which tried to burn me with holy magic but my anti-magic blocked it and I continue my leisurely walk through it. ¡°What¡­the¡­hell¡­.?¡± ¡°He¡¯s surpassed the barrier!!¡± The soldiers raise their voices in surprise. ¡°¡­..We used so much holy water to make that barrier. He¡¯s more of a monster than reported¡­..! How does the top brass expect us to hold him down¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Stop whining. Can or cant doesn¡¯t matter. We just have to get the job done!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Understood!¡± I walk straight to Menou and leave the soldiers to their comedy like routine. Walking forward the soldiers part in front of me. ¡°¡­..Arnos-kun¡­..What¡¯s going on? Do you know?¡± (Menou) ¡°Aah, though it¡¯s up to you whether you believe me or not.¡± (Arnos) Libest came from the dormitory as I was speaking. ¡°Menou-sensei please come inside. There¡¯s a magical broadcast from the headteacher¡­..¡± (Libest) Exchanging looks with Menou we nod and head inside. In the large hall that set up for people to relax in is a big picture crystal for magical broadcasts. The crystal is showing an image of Diego in what looks to be the throne room of Arclaniska. ¡°I am the headteacher of the hero academy Diego Kanon Ijeishka and this is an announcement to all the people of Azeshion. All magical broadcast have been suspended as everyone in Azeshion must hear what I am about to say.¡± (Diego) Diego takes a quick pause and then continues in a solemn tone. ¡°The deep darkness has come.¡± (Diego) His expression is reminiscent of a soldier who¡¯s marching to his death. ¡°The legendary holy sword Evans Mana that we had secretly hidden away in the academy has been taken away by three of the old seven demon emperors namely Medin Gaasa, Zoro Angatt and Eldora Zaia. With them was the deep darkness itself that has returned after 2000 years. By his hand was the sword was taken away, by the hand of demon king of tyranny himself!!¡± (Diego) The great hall suddenly became noisy with complaints about the broadcast mainly coming from the royals. ¡°Our legendary ancestor the hero Kanon fought and won against the cruel mazoku 2000 years ago. For a long time, the mazoku were trapped behind the wall and even when it came down they didn¡¯t attack. I thought they were reflecting on their mistakes. I decided to let go of the old grudges and forgive the mazoku. I even held out my hand and offered them a chance with an academy exchange. The message was clear that we should all help each other and live together in peace.¡± (Diego) Diego¡¯s face takes on a regretable look then makes a fist and swings it down. ¡°Yet despite that, and through cowardly means they betrayed us!! Our guardian deity that has been guarding our lands in secret has been taken away. None of you needs telling what this means! The mazoku are going to invade Azeshion!! There is no other reason to steal the spirit god sword!!¡± (Diego) Diego raises his voice to a shout like he has justice on his side. ¡°But you need not worry! With permission from the king of Gairadeite, I declare the reformation of the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force!! In order to defeat Deriuheido who has carried away our spirit god sword and our ancestral pride I now declare war upon them!!!¡± (Diego) The soldiers in the throne room raised their voices in approval. ¡°You all know that Azeshio has an oral tradition that has been handed down for a long time now. That the deep darkness will one day swallow Azeshion but you need not be afraid. Pray with hope to our legendary hero. If you do he will reappear and clear the darkness with hope.¡± (Diego) Chapter 98.2 Diego slows down and speaks quietly now. ¡°My name is Diego Kanon Ijeishka and I am a reincarnation of the legendary hero Kanon! Graduates of the hero academy who are in Azeishion have been called back to Gairadeite and tomorrow we will begin our campaign preparations.¡± (Diego) No matter how much magic you use these preparations are way too quick. It¡¯s obvious that they were prepared for war already but most people won¡¯t care about such things. Unless you are actually caught up in a war you won¡¯t really have any deep feelings on the matter beyond perhaps worrying about yourself. ¡°Justice is on our side! Victory to the demon king subjugation force!!¡± (Diego) *Uooooooh!!* Soldiers raise their voices and yell out. ¡°The judgment of the heavens will fall on those foolish mazoku! Victory to us heroes!!¡± (Diego) *Uooooooh!!* The soldiers shouted again. The demon king academy students who were watching started grumbling quietly. ¡°What are these guys saying¡­.? Are they sane? Are they really intending to go to war¡­..¡± ¡°Aah. I have my doubts about their sanity¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s a reasonable line of thought, however, there are many who are frightened. If it really is a war between Azeshion and Deiruheido they are already captured. While listening I received a . ¡°Can you hear?¡± (Misha) ¡°Aah. Did you hear the broadcast?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes. Where are you?¡± (Misha) ¡°In the 3rd dormitory. Its currently surrounded by a barrier and soldiers. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t return here. The soldiers outside will be trying to arrest the students so be careful.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡± (Misha) Well, it would be impossible for a human soldier to capture Misha anyway. ¡°Are the others together?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Sasha is with me. The others are doing their own things.¡± (Misha) Weren¡¯t they saying something about a festival earlier? ¡°Thought Obstruction is being used but it¡¯s interfering with making it difficult to communicate with Ray.¡± (Misha) Ray is no good with magic and Misa has weak magic power. With the both of them using sending and receiving anything via will be troublesome. ¡°Ray and Misa are together so there¡¯s no problem leaving them alone. Look for the fan union first.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Okay.¡± (Misha) Another reaches me. ¡°If anything happens contact me again.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nn.¡± (Misha) I end the with Misha and respond to the one from Deiruheido. ¡°What¡¯s up Melheys?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Things have become troublesome.¡± (Melheys) Through Melheys sends me a and projects it in front of me. ¡°I am Avos Dillheavia.¡± The masked mazoku was there along with the 3 elder demon lords Eldora, Zoro and Medin who were showing their loyalty by kneeling. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± (Arnos) ¡°This is being broadcast all over Deiruheido. Medin, Zoro and Eldora have just announced they have discovered the reincarnation of the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Melheys) If the old seven demon emperors are saying so then the people will believe it. ¡°I have returned my descendants.¡± (Avos) Avos speaks in a powerful voice. ¡°2000 years ago I sacrificed myself and divided the world into four to end the great war. That was the best way to bring about peace and the most merciful way so as not to destroy the humans.¡± (Avos) Medin casts and broadcasts what was just seen in Azeshion. All of Deiruheido watches Deigo¡¯s speech. After it ended the masked man speaks. ¡°Until today those guys said that the spirit god sword was for destroying me. In this peaceful world, they have practised techniques for killing mazoku and strengthed their armaments in the name of the hero academy. You have forgotten the war. You have forgotten your grudge against the humans but the humans have not changed in 2000 years.¡± (Avos) The plain facts he is delivering come with some weight. ¡°I was wrong. 1000 years, 2000 years, the humans real nature hasn¡¯t changed. They fear, discriminate against and kill anything different from themselves. They are ugly, stupid and beyond saving.¡± (Avos) Avos raises his right hand. ¡°The time has come to correct my 2000-year-old mistake. Gather to my cause those of you who are strong. Entrust your lives and your backs to me.¡± (Avos) A holy light gathers around the masked man¡¯s right hand and turns into Evans Mana. ¡°This is their greatest weapon. Evans Mana was created to destroy me yet it is in my hand. There is nothing to fear. Entrust me with your all my descendants and I shall protect your lives and fulfil my oath. Run with me across the battlefield and destroy those stupid humans!¡± (Avos) It smells. That bloody smell I smelled many times. A battle is about to begin. The great war I should have left behind 2000 years ago has come again. Chapter 99.1 I transferred to the hidden room in the underwater cave. In the centre of the room, Eleonor is still floating in the holy water ball. ¡°Wow. Welcome Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor welcomed me with a laugh and a smile. ¡°Things have become a bit troublesome.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I know. Has Azeshion declared war on Deiruheido?¡± (Eleonor) I nod. ¡°My fake Avos Dillheavia appeared in Deiruheido. It seems his intention is to meet the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force on the fields of battle.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Is that so.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Avos is raising an army and heading to the border with Azeshion.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s quick. Were the soldiers gathering already?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°No, but Avos took the lead and left for the front showing them he would fight alone. They may live in a peaceful world now but they are not cowards who would let the founder go alone so mazoku from all over the country have rallied to him.¡± (Arnos) The demon king subjugation army has been preparing for some time so of course they are quick. The heroes gathering from all over Azeshion have been absorbed into the army and are marching on the border as well. It¡¯s all part of the plan. ¡°I can still let you go.¡± (Arnos) This is a good opportunity since the hero academy is focused on the demon king of tyranny. ¡°¡­..Will this war actually be fought?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Then we can¡¯t escape.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor states it matter-of-factly which is what I gathered she¡¯d do. Diego declared war on Deiruheido counting on the war potential of Zeshia that Eleonor can endlessly produce. Without them, the subjugation army would be overrun by the demon king army. ¡°I have to protect it. All of it. All of Gairadeite and all of Jergakanon.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor laughed. ¡°All of them are a bit stupid but they are not truly bad people. I can¡¯t let them die.¡± (Eleonor) Despite being in a very different form and very far from reincarnation her origin is still Jerga. Is this part of his sin? ¡°It¡¯s complicated being a hero.¡± (Arnos) You are forced to play an unreasonable role and still have to fight for what you need to protect. Was it like this for Kanon 2000 years ago? ¡°¡­..It seems we have become enemies Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) She laughs sadly. I reply back to her calmly. ¡°The things you said, the things you promised me. I don¡¯t think you lied to me.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m going to beat you. Deriuheido or Azeshion. There¡¯s no hard feelings whoever wins.¡± (Eleonor) Its probably because she still wants me to erase her origin. She probably believes if she disappears everything will be settled. If both sides are exhausted this war may not go any further. But. ¡°Let me tell you something Eleonor. Neither Deiruheido nor Azeshion is going to win.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor gives me a strange look. ¡°There won¡¯t be a victor?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Oh no. There will be a victor. Me. I¡¯ll stop this stupid war.¡± (Arnos) My longed-for peace from 2000 years ago has finally come. Everyone is laughing and neither the humans nor the mazoku fear what tomorrow will bring. I will not let them take away this irreplaceable time. ¡°Such a thing ever for you Arnos-kun is¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What? This is nothing. All I have to do is lightly kick the Deiruheido army around a bit, stop Avos Dillheavia and brush aside the demon king subjugation force.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ll neutralise both armies before they clash. After that let¡¯s give some long slow thought on how to get rid of the human¡¯s hatred for the mazoku. ¡°Some things cannot be protected unless you are on the Azeshions side. That¡¯s where you come in Eleonor. Don¡¯t kill anyone until the very last moment. Enemy and ally both. Just protect what you need to protect.¡± (Arnos) She still has a dubious look on her face as I talk. ¡°On my side, I¡¯ll protect your happiness.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor looks straight at me so I meet her gaze squarely and proudly. Eventually, she nodded in determination. ¡°¡­.All right. I¡¯ll believe in Arnos-kun. I promise.¡± (Eleonor) I turn to head back. ¡°Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor calls out to my back. ¡°I think I understand why Kanon believed in the demon king.¡± I turn to face her. ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) At the same time, I cast and appeared in Deiruheido outside the fan union tower. Waiting for me were Misha and Sasha along with Ray, Misa and the eight people from the fan union. Chapter 99.2 To one side also waiting for me were four of the old seven demon emperors consisting of Melheys, Aivis, Gaius and Idol. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Eleonor.¡± (Arnos) Everyone nodded with serious expressions. They have Eleonor and Zeshia along with . ¡°This is the battle I left behind 2000 years ago.¡± (Arnos) Both Avos Dillheavia and the hero academy caused this situation because I couldn¡¯t see through them. ¡°None of you need to be involved in this.¡± (Arnos) Melhey¡¯s and the other demon emperors kneel at my words. ¡°My lord, you are Arnos Voldigod-sama the demon king of tyranny. How can we seven demon emperors overlook the insolent fool claiming to be you?¡± (Melheys) The demon emperors bow their heads to me. ¡°Please. Give us your orders.¡± (Melheys) Each of the girls in my fan union spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ll also fight though we may be useless.¡± (fan union) ¡°War is unpleasant though¡­..¡± (fan union) ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± (fan union) I turn to look at Misa and she nodded. ¡°Avos Dillheavia has appeared which means the mixed-race mazoku will become increasingly more vulnerable¡­¡­ He¡¯s the fake demon king so this is also my fight.¡± (Misa) ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you now. You didn¡¯t tell me to become a subordinate so I don¡¯t have to listen to you. Did you think I¡¯d stop just because you¡¯re up against Deiruheido and Azeshion? I¡¯ll fight with you even if you antagonise the whole world.¡± (Sasha) Misha nods in agreement. ¡°Arnos is right.¡± (Misha) ¡°Not always.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Even if it was wrong Arnos gave me life. My life is always with Arnos.¡± (Misha) Finally, Ray speaks in a relaxed tone. ¡°You¡¯re my friend.¡± (Ray) I speak to that loyalty and friendship. ¡°I¡¯m blessed with good subordinates and good friends.¡± (Arnos) I don¡¯t belong to either army so I can turn two countries into my enemy. Over there is a mazoku from the age of myths that has the spirit god sword in his hands. It¡¯s also reasonable to think that the hero academy has one or two trump cards. You can¡¯t make this decision with light-hearted determination. ¡°Melheys, Aivis, Gaius and Idol. Suppress the enemies seven demon emperors Medin, Zoro and Eldora.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ll hit the Deiruheido forces first. I¡¯ve roughly grasped the hero academy war potential but Avos is still an unknown and since I don¡¯t know anything about him I¡¯ll defeat him first. The fight with the old seven demon emperors is 4 vs 3 but as long as we have Melheys we can¡¯t lose. ¡°Sasha and Misha. I want you to seal the feet of the mazoku gathering in the west before they join the main force. Since it¡¯s far from the border I don¡¯t think they will attack once the chain of command is severed.¡± (Arnos) The plains on the way there will be good for Sasha. She can limit their magic with her and Misha can create obstacles such as walls and cages using to hamper their progress. ¡°Misa and the fan union. Hide in , create disturbances and gather intelligence.¡± (Arnos) It¡¯s dangerous to have them on the front lines. I¡¯ll have them serve as logistical support. ¡°And me?¡± (Ray) ¡°You kick the army coming from the east around a bit. Don¡¯t let them cross the border.¡± (Arnos) That¡¯s the advance party made up of the royals who were the first to follow Avos. Even with the current Ray, this will be a tough fight but that man will crash through that wall during the battle. ¡°I¡¯ll hit their main headquarters. According to what I¡¯ve seen a huge demon king castle has been built on Eiyan hill. Avos is probably in it.¡± (Arnos) Aivis speaks up. ¡°If I go wild he¡¯ll have no choice but to show up.¡± (Aivis) If he doesn¡¯t come out I can go directly to the castle. It was worth letting Avos roam free as he¡¯s going for bold actions now. I won¡¯t let him escape anymore. ¡°This is an order. Don¡¯t die and don¡¯t kill. I don¡¯t want anyone dying in this pathetic battle.¡± (Arnos) You never know whats going to happen on the battlefield but this game won¡¯t be determined through simple power. I¡¯ve seen many powerful people die without doing anything. In all honesty, you should never go easy on your enemies but even though this is purely my selfishness they all nodded without hesitation. ¡°We will all meet here again and with no one missing.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 100.1 It¡¯s not long before dawn now and that will signal the start of the war. I headed towards the stairs to see how everyone was doing when I heard faint voices coming from upstairs. ¡°¡­.I had a look around Midhays today.¡± ¡°How was it?¡± Ray and Misa were talking in front of the half-demon sword. No one else seems to be there. ¡°For some reason, it was the same as usual. You wouldn¡¯t think a war was about to begin¡­¡­¡± (Misa) ¡°Sounds about right. I don¡¯t think its truly sunk in for people yet. People find it hard to believe that a war is going on and only when it spreads and they¡¯re caught up in it do they truly realise it¡¯s happening.¡± (Ray) Misa stares vaguely at the half-demon sword. ¡°At that point, it¡¯s probably too late.¡± (Misa) Ray calmly clenches his hand. ¡°As for Deiruheidos demon emperors, most seem to have gathered under Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Misa) ¡°I guess they can¡¯t just wait in their own castles when the demon king of tyranny is leading from the front. That¡¯s how the mazoku fight.¡± (Ray) The demon emperors that rule the country going to the front themselves. If something goes wrong it could bring down the country but that¡¯s the difficult world of the mazoku. Who would follow a ruler that hides in their castle during an emergency? Even though it¡¯s become peaceful I see some things haven¡¯t changed. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Remember what Arnos said? I have no intention of killing anyone.¡± (Ray) Misa eyes open wide. ¡°¡­¡­Wha¡­.¡± (Misa) ¡°Because your dad might be there.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa turns away in embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Misa) ¡°Why?¡± (Ray) ¡°Because Ray-san will be fighting alone against a Deiruhedo battalion¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Ray laughs a clear refreshing laugh to clear away her anxiety. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous in the slightest despite the fact we¡¯re off to stop a war.¡± (Ray) ¡°Really? Why¡­.?¡± (Misa) ¡°I think I was involved in the great war 2000 years ago. My body and my origin seem to know this. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± (Ray) Ray¡¯s his usual easygoing self. ¡°I¡¯ll come back. I¡¯ll come back to you.¡± (Ray) Misa¡¯s eyes are absorbed in Ray¡¯s. They slowly approach each other and she closes her eyes. Ray reaches up to Misa¡¯s neck and picks up the shellfish necklace. ¡°Ray-san?¡± (Misa) ¡°Can I have it?¡± (Ray) Misa¡¯s face goes bright red. One shellfish is divided into two from the necklace that was given. By dividing it and each of you wearing half has the meaning of proposing to that person. We learnt that in the hero class. ¡°It will certainly become a charm.¡± (Ray) Misa nods. Ray hangs the now divided necklace around his neck. ¡°What was it you said?¡± (Ray) Ray stops to recall something then continues. ¡°¡­.I can¡¯t wait for some time. I want to help now. If you don¡¯t want to help people who are suffering now then when that day actually comes you won¡¯t be willing to risk your life.¡± (Ray) Misa nods shyly. ¡°I fell in love with you at that time. You were so dazzling.¡± (Ray) Ray laughs his refreshing laugh. ¡°I thought everything would be fine to just swing my sword every day but I was just letting myself be swept along. I wasn¡¯t kind and I wasn¡¯t strong.¡± (Ray) Misa shakes her head. ¡°Ray-san doesn¡¯t know himself. You are kinder and stronger than anyone. You are always natural and treat everyone without discrimination.¡± (Misa) ¡°Really?¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s right and that¡¯s why I¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa looks down for a moment, bites her lip tightly and looks back up. ¡°That¡¯s why I love Ray-san.¡± (Misa) Ray stares in wonder at Misa then smiles. ¡°Thank you.¡± (Ray) Fumu. Seems they have the resolution to head to the battlefield. I turn around and head back downstairs and encounter Misha and Sasha coming up the other way. ¡°There¡¯s something going on upstairs so if you have any business up there I¡¯d wait a bit.¡± (Arnos) Misha shakes her head. ¡°Looking for Arnos.¡± (Misha) ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nothing particularly¡­¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha squeezes her hands together and I noticed they were trembling slightly. ¡°What¡¯s that Sahsa? Are you trembling?¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s¡­no not particularly¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. This is your first battle after all. I was the same.¡± (Arnos) I start heading down the stairs while talking with Misha and Sasha following behind. ¡°Really. Such a thing happened to Arnos?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Aah. It¡¯s shameful to admit but I just rushed in. I was so eager to show them what I could do I couldn¡¯t contain my excitement. I ended up being too ruthless though and killed way more enemies than we needed to.¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s legs stop so I turn around and all I can see is the whites of her eyes looking at me. Chapter 100.2 ¡°You know¡­¡­ Who told you to tell such a heroic story¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Huh?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Don¡¯t huh me. No, it¡¯s my fault. I was wrong to consult the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Sasha) I see ¡°Are you scared Sasha? Kuhahaa.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Why are you laughing? It¡¯s war. We¡¯re going to war.¡± (Sasha) ¡°How can¡¯t you laugh at this? Kukuku. What are you scared of? You¡¯re surprisingly cautious considering how much power you have within you.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looks at me dumbfounded. ¡°I trained you for a week so you might not have noticed since it was only against me, but no matter how outnumbered you are it¡¯s impossible for you to fall to any mazoku from this era.¡± (Arnos) All of Sasha¡¯s magic power was drawn out and amplified thanks to and now she can control her any mazoku will lose with just a glance. ¡°Also, you are not alone. There¡¯s someone with equal strength nearby.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looks at Misha and she nods. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let Sasha die.¡± (Misha) Sasha looks down in embarrassment. She probably thought she was the only one who was scared. ¡°Give me your hands.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­..wa¡­wait¡­..¡± (Sasha) I wrap Sasha¡¯s hands up with mine. ¡°Calm down.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Yes¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°Did you think I¡¯d send my subordinates off to die?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t think that¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°If you can¡¯t believe in yourself then believe in me. Don¡¯t hesitate. You won¡¯t die. To those morons who are late in joining the army show them the power of my subordinates.¡± (Arnos) Sasha firmly nods. ¡°All right.¡± (Sasha) When I let go of her hands her shaking had stopped. ¡°Fumu. Your cheeks are flushed. Are you still worried about something?¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s¡­.. it¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m just a bit excited.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I see. How brave.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..I need to wash my face¡­.¡± (Sasha) Sasha vigorously marches down the stairs. ¡°Thank you.¡± (Misha) ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as normal in war, however, if you are consumed by fear you will easily die no matter how strong you are.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ll never let them die though. ¡°How about you Misha?¡± (Arnos) I take her small hand and her finger tips are trembling slightly. ¡°¡­..Understand¡­.?¡± (Misha) ¡°How could I not?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Nn¡­..¡± (Misha) ¡°Are you scared?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Scary.¡± (Misha) ¡°What is?¡± (Arnos) Misha thinks and then replies. ¡°Everything.¡± (Misha) I don¡¯t think there¡¯s many people who aren¡¯t scared on the battlefield whether it¡¯s killing the enemy or having your friends killed. Everything is horrible. The only ones who say they arent are the truly strong ones. ¡°¡­.I won¡¯t tell you not to be afraid but overcome that fear and make it your friend. No one will die if your demon eyes are calmly surveying the battlefield.¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯ll protect. I¡¯ll protect the peace Arnos protected.¡± (Misha) Her trembling stopped. ¡°So we can settle this 2000-year-old dispute.¡± (Misha) I didn¡¯t say anything straight away but looked at her and as usual, she watched me back. ¡°Aah. I leave it to you.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 101.1 TN: Here we go folks. A big reveal chapter for those who haven¡¯t read ahead. Enjoy. Tora forest. A huge forest that spans across Deiruheido and Azeshion. The Gairadeite demon king subjugation force is camped next to it on the Azeshion side of the border and amongst them are the 10,000 Zeshia origin clones. All of them are fully armoured, their faces covered by helmets and equipped with the holy sword Enhalle ready to attack the Deiruheido forces. On the west side of the border were the Deiruheido advance units and the mazoku royals. With the demon emperors at the top of the chain, the units are organised under each of them. In the forest, many huge towering demon king castles had been created. The two forces are quite away from each other but both sides are still staring at the other with hostility. This stalemate will not last long however. The war will spread the very second its lit. I cannot let the 2 armies clash with each other. Ray is hidden on the border just within the Deiruheido side. That man will not allow the advance units to step foot across the border. Further to the west, the main Deiruheido forces are camped on Eiyan hill. I¡¯d say there¡¯s about 20,000 of them? Presumably, the seven elder demon emperors are there as well. I gaze at the jet black demon king castle built on Eiyan hill. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Ignore the small fries, always act together as four people and only aim at the other seven elder demon emperors.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Your will.¡± I walk straight towards the enemy with Melheys and the other elders following behind. ¡°¡­¡­Stop. Who are you?¡± Mazoku soldiers ready their demon swords at us since we came from the Azeshion side. ¡°Wait. Isn¡¯t that Melheys-sama¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It is. There¡¯s also Aivis-sama, Gaius-sama and Idol-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°Does that mean that all the seven elder demon emperors will be participating?¡± The faces of the mazoku soldiers brightened and they lowered their swords. Too naive. You¡¯re on the battlefield. I grabbed the face of the one who seemed to be the best amongst them. ¡°Guaa¡­..wh¡­.what¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down just because you know them. We are not your allies.¡± (Arnos) I cover the mans whole body in a barrier and lift him up. ¡°Let¡­.me¡­.. Release me¡­..¡± ¡°Aah. I¡¯ll let you go right now.¡± (Arnos) I easily lifted him up, aimed at the crowd of Deiruheido soldiers and powerfully threw him. ¡°Wha¡­¡­.Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?¡± The Deiruheido forces had set up a barrier but the man wrapped in my barrier shot through it like a cannonball and blew about 200 people away. ¡°Attack¡­. Enemy attack¡­..!!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Idiot. How the hell did the Azeshion army get here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the Azeshions its the mazoku!!¡± ¡°What? Have they betrayed the demon king of tyranny? Who are they!? Unificationists!¡± ¡°Th¡­thats¡­. Seven Demon Elders. Melheys-sama and others¡­..¡± ¡°What¡­.!?¡± I stand in front of the man who seems to be a commanding officer. ¡°Did you say betrayed?¡± (Arnos) The grimm faced commander readies his demon sword while his subordinates cautiously watch us. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This is the true demon king army. You should tell Avos Dillheavia the real things come.¡± (Arnos) ¡°A demon king army with 4 people!? Charge! Crush them!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s Melheys-sama and the others!!¡± ¡°The Seven Elder Demon Emperors would never defy the demon king of tyranny! They¡¯re fakes! Do it!¡± Yare yare. How embarrassing. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand so let me teach you. It¡¯s not four people. It¡¯s just me.¡± (Arnos) I raise my foot and stamp on the ground with all my might. ¡°I am the demon king army.¡± The ground shakes intensely and the soldiers are violently shaken and thrown to the floor in what has become an unprecedented major earthquake. The type of earthquake not felt in Deirouheido in over 2000 years. ¡°Guhaa¡­¡­Whats this¡­¡­!! ¡°Kyaaaaaaa¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Woah!!¡­¡­. The grounds breaking¡­..!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t falter¡­¡­. Get in the sky¡­.. Fly¡­¡­!!¡± The soldiers all flee to the sky at once using but they soon stall and crash back into the ground. ¡°Wha¡­flying is¡­.Guaaa¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°The magic has been disturbed over this area¡­..Uaaaa¡­.!!¡± ¡°Shit¡­¡­ Ouch¡­.. What¡¯s happening¡­.!?¡± I take a single step forward and speak. ¡°Did you think the impact of an earthquake would not reach the sky?¡± Every step I take transmits magic power to the ground and causes an earthquake. The quake is disrupting the atmosphere as well as disrupting the magic power in the air. ¡°Remember this. This is what the march of a demon king is.¡± (Arnos) I walk straight to Eiyan hill where the demon kings castle is located. Just that alone has caused the soldiers within a few kilometre radius to fall to the floor and bang their heads off the ground. Grovelling in front of me the mazoku army has fallen in an instant. Just then 3 shadows flew out of the demon king castle using Judging from the magic power I¡¯d say its the Seven Demon Elders. ¡°Fumu. They¡¯ve come Melheys.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Please leave it to me.¡± (Melheys) Melheys and the others also cast and headed to the 3 shadows. ¡°How¡¯s it going Misha?¡± I hear her voice through ¡°Going well.¡± (Misha) Using I can share her field of vision. A desert spreads before me with a group of mazoku on it off to join the Deiruheido army, or they would be but Misha was using to create quicksand and was swallowing groups of them one after another. Even if you use magic the desert is no place to hide and Sasha was using her to disperse any magic they were trying to make. use a lot of magic power and the current Sasha can¡¯t use them for a prolonged period of time, however, she¡¯s compensating for that by using them tactically. She¡¯s only wiping out part of the formations so they cant form instead of deleting the whole thing. If part of the formation is destroyed it¡¯s very difficult to repair so it naturally collapses. If you are skilled you can rebuild it before it collapses but there don¡¯t seem to be any capable people out there. Even so, there¡¯s still tens of thousands of soldiers out there. Those numbers will force us to retreat bit by bit. How long we respond for depends on the strength of those 2 and how they fight. ¡°Sasha. In the quicksand. I can confirm the formula of .¡± (Misha) ¡°They¡¯re trying to create an obstacle to block my . That¡¯s not going to happen¡± Sasha uses her eyes and destroys the formation. Even if you block their line of sight still work as long as you can see the magic power. Using the eyes does limit how far you can look into the abyss and right from the start Sasha was never any good at seeing magic power. But if you add Misha into the mix that blind spot is eliminated. Most of the mazoku are confused as their chain of command is not very clear so they cant get a firm grasp of the battle situation. Misha had built traps one after the other using and they were finding it hard to push forward. Chapter 101.2 ¡°Fumu. Is this it?¡± Bringing my vision back the mazoku soldiers are still rattling around on the ground. Some mazoku are standing but their feet don¡¯t work out of fear. Had this not been war some powerful people would have been able to stand up but Deiruheido has been peaceful for the last 2000 years so this is their first time seeing their allies collapse. Of course they¡¯re scared. If you see stronger people than you collapsed its understandable that your body won¡¯t move. Even the strongest of people can die swiftly if consumed by fear. What I¡¯d told Misha was happening now but it would have been a different story if not for Melheys and the others holding down the other Seven Elder Demon Emperors. Using I take off and land slowly in front of the demon king castle. ¡°How long do you intend to stay in there? Come out Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Arnos) I create a magic circle and pour magic into it. The moment the jet black sun appears in the formation the door to the castle makes a noise and opens. Looking into the depths of the castle holy light suddenly rushes out breaking my anti-magic and piercing my body. Without a doubt that was Evans Mana. ¡°Fumu. Should I come in?¡± (Arnos) Without hesitation, I step into the entrance of the demon king castle. ¡°Arnos-sama¡­..!¡± Misa¡¯s voice arrived through ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ray-sans has been lost¡­¡­!¡± (Misa) What? I activate my demon eyes and check. ¡°Fumu. seems to have been cut.¡± (Arnos) Just a while ago I could share Ray¡¯s vision as well. Something seems to have happened to Ray¡¯s body while I was concentrating on the castle. That man is no good with magic but he¡¯s not that easy to beat even without my magic from ¡°Arnos-sama we have captured the 3 elder demon emperors.¡± (Melheys) Strange. That was much quicker than I thought. ¡°What about the origins fused to their own?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­They abandoned the bodies and escaped.¡± (Melheys) They ran away? What¡¯s the reason for abandoning the bodies of demon elders at this time? ¡°Arnos-sama the advance team is about to cross the border!¡± ¡°Ray-kun can¡¯t be found anywhere.¡± Messages came from the fan union via ¡°We will take care of the border. My lord, you focus on Avos Dillheavia.¡± (Aivis) Nodding I turn my eyes back to the castle. Ray won¡¯t be killed that easily. He will break through even if backed into a corner. The biggest threat in this war is Avos and Evans Mana. There¡¯s no doubt the sword is in the castle. I can¡¯t take my eyes off it. In that case, I should leave the border to Ray, Melheys and the others. But¡­.. I feel uneasy. Somethings not right. What¡¯s the enemies aim? Why did the fused origins abandon the demon emperors bodies at this time? Why is Avos letting the soldiers he gathered lose spirit while he sits in silence? Why did you open the door to the castle and let me know Evans Mana is in there? What are you after¡­.? ¡°¡­.Fumu. I see. Something like that is it.¡± (Arnos) I deploy the formation for ¡°Melheys. Isolate the demon king castle along with the spirit god sword using Dimensional Prison . If there¡¯s any sign of Avos appearing run away immediately though in all probability this is a decoy.¡± (Arnos) My vision turned white and I transferred to the Tora forest on the Azesion side. There are no trees here. It¡¯s a large open piece of grassland devoid of trees in the forest. It¡¯s like there was a hole in the forest. If I pass through here I would soon encounter the demon king subjugation force. Listening carefully I can hear a voice. ¡°Advance my brethren. There¡¯s nothing to fear from the humans. I will not let any of you die. Follow this back!¡± It¡¯s Avos Dillheavia. I hear courageous shouts from the advance teams marching through the forest. As expected. Then his aim and purpose as well as who he is I think I understand it all now. I stood there silently and waited. Eventually, a man appears. Avos wearing his mask. When he noticed me he stopped and without saying anything stares at me. Then in an instant, his magic power swelled and he attacked me without words. I received the violent sword swing and thrust out my right finger but he avoids it at such a speed he seems to disappear and kicks me away. I landed a few meters back from where I started. Avos lowers his posture like he¡¯s about to pursue me and end it in one go but I speak to him. ¡°It¡¯s been 2000 years hero Kanon.¡± (Arnos) Avos¡¯ magic power shook for a moment so I knew he was surprised. Even with my demon eyes, I couldn¡¯t see the origin of the man in front of me. I thought it was the mask but it wasn¡¯t. Kanon excels at root magic. He¡¯s much better at it than me. Even in the flesh, he was able to stop me from seeing his true origin. ¡°Well, actually it hasn¡¯t has it?¡± (Arnos) I opened my hand. In the palm of my hand is half a shellfish necklace. I robbed this from Avos during our clash. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve come to fulfil your oath Ray.¡± Chapter 102.1 Everything went silent. Even though it was the middle of a battle the air around us was calm and quiet. Avos reaches up to his mask and removes it showing the undeniable face of Ray. ¡°How did you know?¡± (Ray) The usual voice of Ray comes out. I guess the mask was for changing his voice. ¡°Ray Grandori is a reincarnated person. The chances of that being true were very high due to the fact you didn¡¯t inherit the Iesta families secret techniques which was probably caused by the use of . Also, your sense of values are very different for this era and sometimes you showed me gestures that were familiar like you knew me.¡± (Arnos) At this point even though I was convinced he was a reincarnated person I simply assumed he had no memories. ¡°To hide the fact you were Kanon you played the part of a reincarnated person who would know me. You pretended to be my right hand Shin that you fought against in the past. You can probably also use magic quite well but if you did that your mazoku body would exhibit holy power which was another convenient reason to pretend to be Shin.¡± (Arnos) Shin was weak with magic so by pretending to be him he could hide his magic. Hiding his magic by keeping it weak would also make his holy power undetectable. Also, due to his skill in root magic which is superior to mine, he could hide his origin from my demon eyes. ¡°Shortly after we came to Gairadeite you gave Misa that shellfish necklace. Remember asking that shopkeeper if he had a single shell one? Thing is, they are one shell split into two necklaces normally yet you knew to ask for a single unbroken one. You shouldn¡¯t have known that.¡± (Arnos) At that point, it wasn¡¯t hard to assume that Ray had at least some memories from his past life. ¡°The clasp on the necklace as well. Its a design not found in Deiruheido yet you easily knew how to undo it. It was a bit odd since Shin couldn¡¯t care less about accessories. If it was a Deiruheido item he may have remembered but he wouldn¡¯t have considered an Azeshion item worth remembering.¡± (Arnos) I wrote it off at first because I didn¡¯t know everything about Shin so there was a small chance he could have known but it still surprised me. ¡°I asked you after that exam if you had remembered anything since you had mastered the unique sword.¡± (Arnos) But Ray said he hadn¡¯t. ¡°Shin¡¯s thoughts should have remained in the blade and once they encountered the same origin they would have transferred to you but you said they didn¡¯t. If you didn¡¯t receive any memories how did you know about the necklace?¡± (Arnos) The mazoku haven¡¯t had much interaction with the humans for almost 2000 years so it¡¯s hard to imagine Ray going to Azeshion to find a cure for his mother where he may have encountered the necklace. Also, I explained about it in class after Ray had given it to Misa plus he overslept and did turn up to that class anyway. ¡°In other words, you weren¡¯t Shin and you were obviously lying about not having any memories.¡± (Arnos) Ray once said to Misa that he was a liar. I¡¯m guessing he meant this. ¡°But if you weren¡¯t Shin then who were you? There was no one else on my side 2000 years ago who could use both holy swords and unique swords. However, what if the hero Kanon had reincarnated as a mazoku? I had no doubt that he could use both.¡± (Arnos) That was when I hypothesised that Ray was Kanon. ¡°What I didn¡¯t understand though was if you were the Hero Kanon then why not tell me? Now we have peace there was no reason to hide it from me.¡± (Arnos) I only realised the reason back on Eiyan hill. ¡°You realised that if you told me you were Kanon I would notice that you only had one origin.¡± (Arnos) No matter how good Kanon is with root magic some things can¡¯t be hidden and him only having one origin would be one of those things. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter what your excuse was I¡¯d still wonder where the other six went and it wouldn¡¯t take long to link it to the seven elder demon emperors. Out of the seven only Melheys wasn¡¯t taken over.¡± (Arnos) It wouldn¡¯t be enough for me to think they¡¯d simply been captured. ¡°Six of the demon elders fused with the origins of Avos Dillheavia leaving only one. The same number of origins the hero Kanon had. The numbers would match up exactly. Far too good to be a coincidence.¡± (Arnos) Ray was silently listening not denying a word. ¡°Therefore you couldn¡¯t confess to being Kanon because I¡¯d realise you were Avos.¡± (Arnos) Of course, there had been some unexpected situations. His mother¡¯s illness and the whole sword tournament competition for example. I¡¯ve got some doubts about the sword tournament but this isn¡¯t the time nor the place to ask about that. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the general outline Kanon but what happened 2000 years ago?¡± (Arnos) I ask him straight and Ray smiles with a far more mature look than he¡¯s ever had before. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as Eleonor told you Arnos. Jerga-sensei and the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force established the hero academy so they could destroy you when you reincarnated. I desperately opposed it but no one would listen to me. You were right that day. Killing the demon king didn¡¯t make the world peaceful. The battle was over but the war would begin again in 2000 years.¡± (Ray) The fighting would continue until one side eradicated the other. Those were the words I said to him. ¡°I was killed by a supporter of Jerga-sensei. I pretended to die and just revived immediately but I realised sensei¡¯s plan couldn¡¯t be stopped anymore¡­¡­unless I took their lives.¡± (Ray) I guess he couldn¡¯t do it. The hero Kanon didn¡¯t have a sword to wield against humans. ¡°Humans made a mistake 2000 years ago. They made a plan to completely destroy the demon king Arnos who threw his life away to bring peace to the world. I couldn¡¯t allow such an unjust story to unfold. I had to correct their mistake somehow.¡± (Ray) ¡°That¡¯s the reason¡­.?¡± (Arnos) Ray nods. ¡°I created the fictitious demon king Avos Dillheavia. A fake demon king for the humans to have their revenge on.¡± (Ray) ¡°How did you take my name away from the mazoku?¡± (Arnos) ¡°We talked and sometimes we fought but the mazoku were much more understanding than the humans. Or rather than understanding it was their deep love for you. Eventually, everyone believed me and decided to forget Arnos Voldigod.¡± (Ray) Voluntarily forget about me. ¡°Evans Mana is the sword made to destroy you. It can even sever fate so 2000 years ago I severed your fate. The fate of the reincarnating demon king of tyranny.¡± (Ray) ¡°Is that why you changed my name?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Only the gods know what will happen when you sever someone¡¯s fate but it seems everyone¡¯s thoughts were answered. Looks like I won the first bet.¡± (Ray) So my name was overwritten as well. That¡¯s why even when using Time Manipulation on Aivis I couldn¡¯t find my name. The spirit god sword severed my fate as the demon king of tyranny and even rewrote history. ¡°Your right hand Shin Reglia along with the rest of your trusted advisors didn¡¯t forget your name. Instead, they reincarnated and moved away from Deiruheido. Even the powerful mazoku tribes that didn¡¯t get along with you or follow you during the great war agreed to remain quiet until you¡¯d returned and everything was over.¡± (Ray) I see. So that¡¯s why the mazoku from 2000 years ago haven¡¯t appeared before me. So it was never the work of Avos Dillheavia but all done by their own will. He¡¯s as great as ever. Even though he was a human he gained the favour of the mazoku. ¡°¡­.On the other side of the wall, the hero academy learned that the name of the demon king had changed. They figured that Arnos Voldigod was trying to change his name and escape their scheme. Of course, that was exactly what I was after.¡± (Ray) Chapter 102.2 Humans live short lives. Over the course of the years, the name Arnos Voldigod would disappear and only Avos Dillheavia would remain. Normally that wouldn¡¯t completely work but the holy sword which severed my fate would have seen to that. ¡°I fused 6 of my origins with the seven elder demon emperors. Of course, it was with their consent and their memories were voluntarily wiped as well. 2000 years later they knew you¡¯d come into contact with them and notice the fusion so they wiped their own memories since they cannot lie to you.¡± (Ray) They did that to protect me from the human¡¯s plan? ¡°That left me with my own original origin. I reincarnated many times and little by little I obtained bodies with more and more mazoku blood. This is my first time being a pure-blooded mazoku though.¡± (Ray) The hero Kanon has reincarnated into a body that completely draws on my blood while I¡¯m in an almost human body. To completely inherit all his powers in a body that doesn¡¯t have a drop of his old blood is impressive. He is indeed far more skilled at root magic than me. ¡°And this war is a mop-up of your 2000-year-old plan?¡± (Arnos) Ray nods. ¡°Human hatred won¡¯t disappear. Demon King of tyranny? Humans? This war will continue until one side is destroyed. No matter how merciful you are you¡¯ll have no choice but to keep stamping out the falling embers and I can¡¯t take your life again¡­¡­¡± (Ray) Eleonor¡¯s predictions were wrong. Despite being killed by humans he¡¯s still a noble hero through and through. ¡°Therefore you¡¯ll be killed instead? As the demon king of tyranny by the humans.¡± (Arnos) Ray nods. ¡°Will that stop it?¡± (Arnos) ¡° may instil the hatred of the mazoku in its users but ultimately the source of that is Jerga-sensei¡¯s origin. What sensei bore a grudge against above all else was the demon king. If the demon king falls then so too will the magic disappear. I truly believe that. Sensei wasn¡¯t that stupid for it to remain.¡± (Ray) The serious look Ray is giving me really reminds me of Kanon. ¡°This may not be the road I wanted to be on but I¡¯m still a hero. As long as there are still people that call me a hero I will make up for their mistakes and make up for the mistakes of past heroes. You staked your life 2000 years ago and made this peace possible. It¡¯s a truly wonderful world now. It¡¯s almost unthinkable what it was like back when you were alive. Even now this world is getting better.¡± (Ray) Unlike me, Ray has seen the changing world as he repeatedly reincarnates. ¡°Demon king Arnos.¡± (Ray) Ray speaks like we spoke 2000 years ago. ¡°Humans are foolish but I still believe in humans. I want to show you the wonderfulness of humans and the true peace you craved.¡± (Ray) ¡°Hero Kanon.¡± (Arnos) I too, speak like its 2000 years ago. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to do that. You have fought enough. Are you going to continue sacrificing yourself for those boring humans?¡± (Arnos) Ray slowly shakes his head. ¡°I still remember our promise that day. This is the peace you pursued, created and protected. Though I¡¯m reluctant in this form I still want to fight but as your friend this time.¡± (Ray) What do you mean by that? I can¡¯t ask now though. ¡°It¡¯s taken a long time and you¡¯ve made some grand preparations but you must have been confused and anxious at times yet despite that, you carried on and made your plans come to fruition. Your thoughts these last 2000 years are not cheap enough to be swayed by my words I know that.¡± (Arnos) I won¡¯t tell him to stop. Those words will be too light in the face of Rays will. ¡°This isn¡¯t even a single shell necklace but a Mishens necklace.¡± (Arnos) My explanation in the academy flashes through my mind. 2000 years ago in the early days of the war, most humans never came back from battle so they wished upon Mishens necklace to be bound together with their lover and be reborn together in another age. The Mishens shellfish that lives in the Gairadeite lake was divided into two and made into two necklaces. One was given to the lover and the other was worn by themselves as they went to battle. The Mishens shellfish live by drinking the holy water of the lake and were said to be the messengers of the gods. The two shells were said to guide the origins of the dead to each other. The hero Kanon/Ray had feelings they couldn¡¯t convey so they entrusted them to the necklace and said goodbye to their loved one. ¡°If you want this necklace back you¡¯d better try with all your might.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that.¡± (Ray) Ray hangs his mask at his waist and draws a magic formation. A divine light overflowed and turned into a holy sword. Evans Mana that was in the demons kings castle was summoned here. This man also understands I can¡¯t move him with words. ¡°Let me go so I can protect you.¡± (Ray) The hero readies the spirit god sword. I spread my arms and stand in front of him. How many times have I fought this man? Still, this is the first time I¡¯ve felt like this while fighting him. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go so I can protect you.¡± (Arnos) Authors note: And the truth becomes clear. There are still some unclear points but they will be revealed later. Chapter 103.1 Without wasting a second Ray stepped forward and instantly appeared in front of me. ¡°¡­..Haaa¡­.!!¡± (Ray) The spirit god sword shined so brightly it even dazzled my demon eyes. Rays figure disappeared as if melting into the light but I felt bloodlust coming from my blindspot. In a flash of light, the blade of the holy sword swings down so quick my eyes can¡¯t follow it. ¡°There.¡± (Arnos) I condense on my left hand like a shield and block the attack coming from my blindspot. The sound of a magical explosion roared in my ears and the on my left hand was destroyed. ¡°Well spotted.¡± (Ray) ¡°Because I used your demon eyes.¡± (Arnos) I reconnected the cut magic line from and looked through Rays eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± (Ray) Ray cuts the magic line with Evans Mana but I immediately reconnected it. Until I cancel and at this distance, I can reconnect it as many times as I want. ¡°You don¡¯t have the benefit of now and even with your mazoku body you have no chance of winning.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Well as for you, your origin was pierced by this sword 2000 years ago. Even though the purpose was to inject magic power into you this swords true purpose has always been to destroy the demon king of tyranny. Isn¡¯t your origin still damaged?¡± (Ray) ¡°Let¡¯s see shall we.¡± (Arnos) Casting Origin Killer I put my right-hand fingertips through it dying them black. Looking at Ray with my demon eyes I can see he¡¯s got his 7 origins now. If I don¡¯t coat my hand with I won¡¯t be able to damage them. ¡°Demon Rock Falling Star Bullet ¡± (Arnos) A huge magic circle is drawn in the sky and equally huge jet black demon stones appear in it before pouring endlessly down. It was as if countless falling stars were heading towards Ray. ¡°¡­¡­.Haa¡­¡­.!!¡± (Ray) Using Evans Mana Ray cuts away all the rocks coming towards him. Even though Evans Mana is a holy sword it¡¯s still impressive for it to easily destroy falling stars, however, it did serve to keep Ray¡¯s hands busy. ¡°Water Prison Destruction Waterfall .¡± (Arnos) This time a huge formation covers the grasslands before spewing out water and transforming the place into a shallow black pond. Then like a fountain, a jet black waterfall erupted vigorously at Rays feet and shot towards the heavens. ¡°¡­..Seaa¡­.!!¡± (Ray) Ray stabs Evans Mana into the ground with all his strength causing the ground to split and drain away all the water. I immediately cast again and pour rocks down on Ray who proceeds to evade them all. ¡°Too slow.¡± (Arnos) I block his path forward by firing off 20 and as expected he couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was wrapped up in the black flames. ¡°Haa!!¡± (Ray) At the moment where he shook off my black flames using the blessing of Evans Mana, I pierced his chest right to his heart with my right hand. ¡°¡­.Guuuuh¡­¡­¡± (Ray) ¡°First one.¡± (Arnos) I crush one of his origins using . As long as one origin remains the rest will return but it does take time. As long as I can get 6 of his origins his resistance should stop. ¡°Give up. 2000 years ago you never beat me once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Certainly I never beat you.¡± (Ray) Ray strikes at my right arm with Evans Mana before it can destroy another origin forcing me to block with my clad left hand. As soon as I did Ray kicks the ground and separates himself from me. ¡°No matter how many times I fought you and stood up.¡± (Ray) Ray launches himself forward straight towards me. ¡°Fumu. Risking your life? Then I¡¯ll take it without hesitation.¡± (Arnos) I thrust my hand into Ray¡¯s stomach and crush his second origin. Normally you wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up from this much pain but Ray swings Evans Mana down at my shoulder. ¡°¡­..Haaa¡­¡­.!!¡± (Ray) I block again with which shatters with a loud sound. ¡°Third one.¡± (Arnos) I squeeze another origin with my right-hand that¡¯s still buried in his stomach. Ray flinched before closing the gap even more by forcing my hand right through his stomach so I couldn¡¯t grasp another origin. ¡°¡­.Haaaaaaaa!!¡± (Ray) Again Ray swings Evans Mana down and again I block with forcing Evans Mana to bounce off, however, using the force of the recoil Ray changed its trajectory and swung back down at my shoulder. Fast. Even though I coated my hand in I didn¡¯t have time to condense it so I switched to my and destroyed the magic power of Evans Mana. ¡°¡­.Fuuu!!!¡± (Ray) Evans Mana still pierced through my anti-magic and bit into my right shoulder scattering fresh blood and causing numerous stigmata¡¯s to appear in the wound. However ¡°Fourth one.¡± (Arnos) After Ray forced my hand through his stomach I managed to withdraw it and stab him in the chest again crushing another origin. Undaunted, Ray ignores me and digs Evans Mana even deeper into my body. ¡°I know what you¡¯re up to.¡± (Arnos) Covering my left hand in I grasp the blade while Ray puts all his strength into his arms. With our two powers colliding the grass is blown away and even the trees are knocked down. The blade I grasped stopped moving. ¡°Did you think you¡¯d win in a competition of strength now you¡¯ve got a mazoku body?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Gu¡­.haa¡­..!¡± (Ray) I squeezed my right fist and crushed the fifth origin. ¡°You¡¯ve only got two left. There¡¯s no way out for you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯ve continued to lose to you¡­.. and it was okay to lose because if I challenged you enough times then a miracle would happen and I¡¯d win.¡± (Ray) ¡°Miracles don¡¯t exist.¡± (Arnos) No matter how much power Ray puts in Evans Mana doesn¡¯t move. At close range my and have completely suppressed Evans Mana. This situation can¡¯t last and Ray will run out of energy in his state. ¡°One left.¡± (Arnos) I crushed the 6th origin and blood drips out of Ray¡¯s mouth. ¡°Retreat. You¡¯re not stupid enough to fight in this condition.¡± (Arnos) Once he was down to one origin Kanon always ran away. Even if it¡¯s impossible now I hope we can connect in the future. He understood he was the hope of the people and he should never die. ¡°¡­¡­Someday there will be peace in the world. That was my wish¡­¡­ so I ran away. Even though I kept losing I thought I only needed to win once. I believed that was the right thing to do.¡± (Ray) Ray stares at me as he talks. ¡°I was wrong. I was a coward. Right now is someone in front of me who needs help and I won¡¯t wait for that someday to come. I¡¯ll help them now. I want to help the people who are suffering now. If I can¡¯t think like that then I won¡¯t be able to risk my life when that someday arrives!¡± (Ray) I¡¯ve heard these words somewhere before. Where was it? Wherever it was they have made him make this decision. He who has 7 origins and never died is prepared for the end. ¡°Even if a miracle doesn¡¯t happen I can¡¯t lose today¡­¡­! If I lose here then someday, to put out those falling sparks you¡¯ll have to kill humans again¡­..!¡± (Ray) A small amount of deaths can save a lot of lives. That¡¯s correct, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s how I have always done things until now. As the demon king of tyranny if I hadn¡¯t destroyed that which should be destroyed then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect anything. Ray takes his left hand off Evans Mana. ¡°I won¡¯t let you do that¡­.. You who more than anyone else¡­..wanted peace¡­..!!¡± (Ray) The space on the left side of Ray distorted and the unique sword Sigshesta appeared emitting an ominous purple light. The unique sword has become a demon sword that¡¯s condensed its magic to its maximum extent. ¡°Haaaa!!¡± (Ray) Ray swings Sigshesta down against Evans Mana causing a great explosion of light as holy and demonic powers collide and repel each other. Most of the surrounding trees and myself were blown away. ¡°Fumu. That was some amazing magic power.¡± (Arnos) Ray slowly walks towards me. On his right is Evans Mana emitting a divine light and on his left is Sigshesta emitting an ominous brilliance. The lights are both mixing and repelling each other but they are also being controlled to their utmost limits and multiplying each other¡¯s powers. ¡°So you¡¯ve come this far.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 103.2 Unique swords demonstrate their true value only when they are devoted to uniqueness and the spirit god sword only accepts owners with a cloudless and serene heart. Ray wields the unique sword by filling his heart with the demonic while mastering the spirit god sword made to destroy the demonic. At first glance demonic and holy are contradictory to each other but to him, they must be different. The life of a hero and the life of a mazoku. Both exist within Ray. Holy and demonic do not contradict. No, it¡¯s not even that complicated. Humans and mazoku can coexist. That is his will and that means both swords have also acknowledged that will. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you die anymore.¡± (Arnos) I coat both arms with and stack up multiple Demonic Black Lighting Emperor before wearing it. The jet black aura becomes both an offensive and defensive magic. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll release you from the curse of being a hero.¡± (Arnos) Ray strongly digs his feet in the ground. ¡°¡­..Here I come Arnos.¡± (Ray) We both lunge directly at each other. My magic collides with Ray¡¯s twin swords and what¡¯s left of our surroundings is obliterated by the aftermath. While running through the forest Ray¡¯s swords and my magics clash many times. The Tora forest was shaking violently as if it was screaming at being unable to withstand the battle between the legendary hero and the demon king of tyranny. How many times have we clashed? Sigshesta flicks away my while Evans Mana breaks through my and . And then Evans Mana pierces my chest. ¡°¡­¡­¡­How¡­¡­.?¡± (Ray) Ray spills his words in obvious surprise. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have fallen for that¡­.and even if you did¡­..I wasn¡¯t aiming for your origin¡­¡­¡± (Ray) I laugh. I dared to receive the spirit god sword that can destroy the origin of the demon king. Everything is as I predicted. ¡°Take a look around.¡± (Arnos) Ray looks around. Though quite distant but clearly visible were the Gairadeite demon king subjugation force. They are watching us with extreme caution. While fighting I was guiding Ray to this place. ¡°The revived hero Kanon destroys the demon king of tyranny. According to your scenario, this will clear the humans hate.¡± (Arnos) I reach for Rays mask and put it on. ¡°My brethren.¡± (Arnos) I reach out and intercept the for the entire Deiruheido army and thanks to the mask my voice is now that of Avos Dillheavia. Using I duplicate the clothes worn by Ray and wear them on my own body while changing Ray¡¯s clothes to that of his hero self from 2000 years ago. Finally, I cast and send the image to the Deiruheido army. They need to see the moment Avos Dillheavia loses. ¡°¡­¡­All Deiruheido forces are to withdraw. I will not allow any retaliation against the Azeshion forces until I reincarnate again. Live. Until the day your demon king returns again¡­..¡± (Arnos) Ray intended to be defeated by the subjugation army and probably had a similar speech planned out. Even if they come to confirm the death of the demon king he has left his will behind and the royals will definitely protect that will and wait for his revival. ¡°¡­¡­.The spirit god sword is a holy sword made to defeat the demon king of tyranny¡­¡­ my origin is¡­¡­ already¡­..¡± (Arnos) Evans Mana is certainly piercing my body and it¡¯s definitely attacking my origin. That¡¯s not something that can be made up. Ray doesn¡¯t need to risk his life this way either. ¡°¡­.Arn¡ª.¡± (Ray) I touch Ray¡¯s lips with my bloody fingertips and gently close his mouth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Hero Kanon. You¡¯ve certainly defeated me. You should be proud.¡± (Arnos) Ray¡¯s glaring at me with a stern expression on his face but the demon king subjugation force is coming over to us. By now many of them will be able to confirm the body of the demon king pierced by Evans Mana. I need to show my strength. Evidence that I am the demon king of tyranny. ¡°Stupid humans!!¡± I shout to the subjugation army. It¡¯s a total farce but if this brings peace then let¡¯s play the clown. Like that man was. ¡°I will not die.¡± (Arnos) I pour a large amount of magic power into and huge demon stones appear in the sky before I coat them all in so the demon stones are now covered in black lightning. No matter how many barriers they put up this will still be enough to slaughter tens of thousands of soldiers. ¡°Fall together with this land.¡± (Arnos) Lighting clad black demon stones pour from the sky covering the soldiers below in darkness as they quickly cast multiple barriers. A huge noise rings out and a massive hole opens in the ground. It¡¯s so deep you can¡¯t see the bottom and it could lead to hell for how it looks. A quake follows quickly after. It¡¯s so strong you¡¯d think the world was ending. Two, three and more demon stones fall drilling into the ground. They all landed far away from the subjugation force but just surviving the aftermath was all they could do. Hundreds of demon stones were still floating above aiming at the subjugation force. If these fall we¡¯re all dead. Everyone should be thinking that. Seeing my intention Ray runs over to the subjugation force. ¡°Demon king Avos Dillheavia I won¡¯t let you do that!¡± (Ray) Ray calls out to the subjugation force. ¡°Everyone please lend me your power. I am the hero Kanon and with your power, we can put a stop to the cruel demon king!¡± (Ray) Ray casts and and his figure holding the holy sword, clad in holy light and slashing the despair that¡¯s falling down is indeed the perfect figure of the hero. Then someone¡¯s voice can be heard. ¡°¡­..Is that the hero Kanon¡­..?¡± ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t know but¡­.but¡­.. that holy light he¡¯s wrapped in is protecting us¡­¡­¡± ¡°Was he fighting the demon king of tyranny all alone to regain the holy sword¡­.?¡± Kanon always had this mysterious charm about him. Any human that saw him always felt hope. ¡°¡­Kanons come¡­.¡± Word quickly spread amongst the subjugation force that had fallen into despair over the stones overhead. ¡°The legendary hero has revied to save us!¡± ¡°Kanon!¡± ¡°Defeat the demon king!!¡± ¡°This time we can have world peace!!¡± Magic power and the thoughts of the subjugation force gather in Kanon causing the divine protection of Evans Mana to swells up dozens of times. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± I can hear a voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been tortured by it all this time.¡± Through the magic line created by , Ray¡¯s feelings that he can never put into words flow into my heart. ¡°Responsibility of the hero. Duty of the hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only ever been a country boy that likes to swing a sword around¡± ¡°I never wanted to kill anybody. I never wanted to go to war but someone said that if I don¡¯t fight even more people will die.¡± ¡°The hero is an illusion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m neither strong nor righteous and I never had the power to save people.¡± ¡°More life has spilt through my fingers than I ever managed to hold onto.¡± ¡°I was deceived by heartless words, toyed with by fate and ran around the battlefield in confusion.¡± ¡°I never had any courage only the fear of death.¡± ¡°I was threatened by it, frightened by it and prodded by it.¡± ¡°But even so.¡± ¡°I had to be the hero.¡± ¡°I had to continue playing the hero.¡± ¡°We must meet the expectations of the people even at the expense of ourselves.¡± ¡°We must be the hope of the people¡± ¡°A powerless person asks me to kill him.¡± ¡°The weak are begging me to end their suffering.¡± ¡°I guess it was inevitable. People need hope.¡± ¡°Rather than seeing someone else suffer, I¡¯d rather carry this fate and die.¡± ¡°Die again and again.¡± ¡°Revive again and again.¡± ¡°In this way, I merely fought for people.¡± ¡°Then one day I suddenly realised.¡± ¡°Then what is my hope?¡± ¡°They had the hero but what did I have? I didn¡¯t have the smallest of hope.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very common tragedy story.¡± ¡°Aah, but even now as in the past.¡± ¡°Finally someone reached out their hand to me and it was the very person who was supposed to be my enemy. The demon king of tyranny.¡± ¡°Arnos you were¡­.¡± ¡°My only hero.¡± Chapter 104.1 ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!¡± (Ray) With an uncountable number of sword flashes Ray rips apart the coated rocks overhead with Evans Mana banishing the darkness and denying the despair of those below. Dazzling light illuminates my body. ¡°¡­¡­Splendid¡­..¡± (Arnos) A body wrapped in light and the scar from Evans Mana continues to destroy my origin. ¡°Demon king-sama!!¡± The fastest of the Deiruheido advance units approach my position. About 500 mazoku soldiers arrive at my location. They may have come to save the demon king of tyranny but they are too late. The light that surrounded my body burst open and as it subsides my body disappears. ¡°You damn humans¡­¡­.¡± The captain of the advance unit pulls out his demon sword and raises it to the sky. ¡°I am Elio Roodwell the demon emperor charged with looking after Midheys for the demon king of tyranny! My Midheys unit will now escort the demon kings journey to hell! Come stupid humans and give my lord comfort!¡± (Elio) The Midheys unit and the subjugation force glare at each and just as they were about to start fighting Ray held up Evans Mana. ¡°My name is the hero Kanon. The demon king of tyranny Avos Dillheavia has been killed by me. This sword Evans Mana was created to destroy the very origin of the demon king himself. He will never revive!¡± (Ray) Proclaiming it loudly Ray appears in front of the advance team. ¡°Proud Deiruheido soldiers, this is a wonderful attempt to follow your lord but have you forgotten the last words of the demon king of tyranny himself?¡± (Ray) [All Deiruheido forces are to withdraw. I will not allow any retaliation against the Azeshion forces until I reincarnate again. Live. Until the day your demon king returns again.] The last words of the demon king of tyranny transmitted via . ¡°The words of your lord or the words of the hero wielding the sacred sword. Who do you believe?¡± (Ray) The demon kings origin was destroyed by the holy sword and could never revive but his own words said he would reincarnate and come again. Elio grits his teeth. Revenge is clearly in his eyes and on his mind but for him, a member of the royals, the words of the demon king of tyranny must take priority over anything else. Asked who to believe the answer was obvious. ¡°¡­..Withdraw all troops and wait for the demon kings return¡­..¡± (Elio) The Midheys unit starts to fall back. ¡°Chase them! Don¡¯t let them go!!¡± Ray stands in front of the subjugation forces blocking their way. ¡°Peaceful Gairadeite soldiers, Avos Dillheavia is gone. The mazoku follow the words of the demon king of tyranny. They will not attack until he is reincarnated but he is never coming back. Evans Mana has already destroyed his origin.¡± (Ray) There is no one in Gairadeite who doubts the power of the legendary holy sword given to them by the gods. ¡°They will wait for all eternity for the revival of the demon king of tyranny and still it will never happen. That is their punishment, my brethren. A commandment that will last forever.¡± (Ray) Ray raises his voice ¡°We have won. The fight is over. Right now, peace has come to Azeshion!¡± (Ray) Ray raises Evans Mana high up in the sky creating a magic circle and summoning a sheath. As he sheaths Evans Mana the soldiers let out a great shout of victory. The mazoku will not invade Azeshion until the demon king revives and this demon king will not revive for all eternity. As such, Azeshion will not invade Deiruheido either. ¡°¡­..This is the end¡­¡­Arnos.¡± Ray murmurs. As he speaks a shell of light was launched from the subjugation force towards the retreating mazoku forces. Ray snaps his hand out and flicks it away with his right hand. The next moment thousands of shells were launched towards the mazoku forces. ¡°¡­.Fuuu¡­..!¡± (Ray) Ray quickly whips Evans Mana out of its sheath and cuts down all the but his single breath delay due to him having to unsheathe his blade causes him to miss one. ¡°Ku¡ª¡± (Ray) The shell of light impacts the ground where a number of retreating Midheys units were causing an explosion followed by a dust storm. ¡°Wha¡­.!¡± The mazoku soldiers raise their voices. ¡°¡­.We were quietly withdrawing yet you cowards dare to shoot us in the back¡­.!¡± The mazoku forces shout their anger ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled! That¡¯s not the hero Kanon! He¡¯s a mazoku!! Kill the mazoku! Kill them all!!¡± Chapter 104.2 It was Diego, the commander of the subjugation army screaming to his troops. ¡°But commander the enemy has lost their fighting spirit and the demon king of tyranny has been destroyed. Our wish has been fulfilled! Even if by some small chance Kanon is a mazoku he¡¯s not hostile. Our reason to fight ha¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! Kill every last mazoku! Can¡¯t you hear my order!?¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­..This is a pointless battle that will do nothing but waste the lives of our soldi¡ª¡± The arm of the adjutant who was talking was suddenly cut off. ¡°Aaah¡­¡­uaaaa¡­..aaaaaaah¡­.!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you defy me anymore! Zeshia squad move out and use . Take out that fake Kanon along with all the mazoku!!¡± (Diego) The 10,000 fully armoured Zeshias¡¯ move forward and draw a magic formation over their hearts at the same time. ¡°¡­.All troops¡­stop¡­..! The demon king who became our shield would laugh at us for backing down after his people were killed. We will remind you humans of the pride the mazoku race!¡± (Elio) At Elio¡¯s command, the Midheys troops stop and turn to face the subjugation forces. At that time a voice rang out ¡°Wait¡­.!¡± Once the dust cleared the floating figure of Eleonor appeared. She had deployed and was protecting the mazoku troops. It seems she had stopped the as non of the mazoku were hurt. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Nobody has died.¡± (Eleonor) Elio stared at her with surprise and wariness. Eleonor is not a mazoku. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she was defending them. ¡°What are you doing you failure! Have you forgotten your hatred of the mazoku? Are you intending to betray the humans!?¡± (Diego) Diego speaks to Eleonor through his voice full of anger. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to fight anymore! The demon king of tyranny is dead and the Deiruheido army is about to withdraw! Any more than this and it¡¯s no longer a fight to protect ourselves. Instead, it will be nothing but a slaughter that kills enemies and allies alike. Not even the demon king of tyranny you hate so much would do this!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Silence!! Did you say that I am less than those dirty mazoku!? Impossible. This is revenge! This is the hammer of justice falling on those mazoku that took everything from us!¡± (Diego) ¡°You¡¯ve been robbed of nothing! What justice is in that hatred!? It¡¯s not even yours to begin with! It¡¯s foolish to fight! You¡¯re being controlled by the heart of another! None of us wanted to fight originally!!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I told you to shut up. Don¡¯t talk to me like that Origin Womb .¡± (Diego) Magic letters appear on Eleonors body before overflowing with holy water and turning into a sphere of water covering her. The magic has been activated limiting her actions. ¡°Just watch quietly.¡± (Diego) Diego raised Enhalle overhead releasing its holy light. ¡°Everyone charge at once firing and once you¡¯re in range of the mazoku self-destruct!¡± (Diego) 10,000 Zeshia¡¯s step forward. ¡°Zeshia please stop! This is pointless. There¡¯s no one to kill! You don¡¯t want to kill anyone do you!!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°They won¡¯t hear what you are saying. You are both nothing more than weapons for killing the mazoku. Now go!¡± (Diego) All 10,000 Zeshia draw out their holy sword Enhalle and head for the Deiruheido army. Ray slashes out with Evans Mana flicking away the and cutting the activated magic formations on the Zeshias¡¯ but even with him being Kanon who¡¯s wielding Evans Mana there is simply too many of them. He hasn¡¯t killed a single Zehia and its obvious that way of fighting will soon wear him out. Several Zeshias slipped through his defences and approached him at point-blank range. The origin explosion at this close range will heavily damage even Ray¡¯s origin. ¡°¡­¡­Zeshia!!¡± Eleonor screams out but the Zeshias¡¯ raise their arms to thrust Enhalle into their chests. And suddenly¡­¡­ They stop moving. It was as if time had stopped. All 10,000 Zeshia¡¯s are standing still not moving an inch. In the several seconds of silence that followed or perhaps it was even less than that she opened her mouth. ¡°¡­.Ple¡­.ase¡­¡­he¡­¡­lp¡­¡­..¡± (Zeshia) A child¡¯s voice echoes across the battlefield. Chapter 105.1 All the Enhalle¡¯s fall from the Zeshias hands and pierce the ground giving off a sad glow. ¡°What are you doing you idiots!? Go! Go and annihilate those mazoku!¡± (Diego) Diego gives the order but the Zeshia¡¯s don¡¯t move. The usually compliant girls were crying, tears running down their faces. ¡°What are you doing!? Go! Gooooo!!¡± (Diego) Diego continues to scream at them but they don¡¯t move. ¡°Since its come to this¡­¡­.¡± (Diego) Diego draws the formation for and starts activating the forced detonation formula. The moment he tried to inject his magic into the formula his hand was sliced off down to the wrist. ¡°¡­Guaaaaa¡­..Gaaaa¡­¡­..!!¡± (Diego) Diego cradles his arm in agony. ¡°I was wrong.¡± (Ray) Ray thrusts Evans Mana at Diego¡¯s neck. With the Zeshia¡¯s currently stopped Ray had taken the chance and left the front. ¡°¡­¡­What are you talking about?¡± (Diego) ¡°I mean some people can¡¯t be saved. Like you.¡± (Ray) Rays eyes stare sharply at Diego but he¡¯s not actually looking at him but at someplace far away. ¡°What are you doing!? All of you! Even if he¡¯s got Evans Mana he¡¯s only one man. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡± (Diego) Diego yells at the soldiers around him but they refuse to pull out their swords. ¡°¡­..Oi! Can you hear me!? I¡¯ve given you an order!!¡± (Diego) The soldiers just look down at the ground before one of them speaks up. ¡°¡­¡­.None of us wield a sword that will be pointed at the legendary hero Kanon¡­..¡± ¡°Idiots! What gibberish are you spouting! Are your demon eyes rotten!? That guys a mazoku! I¡¯m Kanon! I¡¯m the legendary hero reborn!¡± (Diego) ¡°¡­.You are¡­¡­?¡± The soldier starts muttering to himself before deciding on something. ¡°Did you lose the spirit god sword?¡± Diego is at a loss for words before he turns red and glares at the soldier. ¡°Here, try it.¡± (Ray) Ray stabs Evans Mana in the ground. ¡°The spirit god sword chooses those with honest hearts as its owner. If, as you say, I am a mazoku and you are a hero then Evans Mana will side with you.¡± (Ray) ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me.¡± (Diego) Diego immediately grasps the hilt of Evans Mana and the second he starts to pull it out of the ground. ¡°Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Diego) A white electric current runs over Diego¡¯s body judging him with holy light. ¡°¡­.Why?¡­¡­¡­ Why spirit god sword!? Why are you siding with the mazoku¡­.!?¡± (Diego) ¡°That is the spirit god swords answer. The demon king is gone. There¡¯s no more reason to fight.¡± (Ray) Diego¡¯s expression turns bitter at Ray¡¯s words. ¡°The mazoku are far more merciful than you.¡± (Adjutant) The adjutant whose arm was cut off earlier speaks up. ¡°¡­What was¡­.that¡­..you ¡­.bastard¡­..!¡± (Diego) ¡°This battle is over. Follow the will of our Guardian deity the spirit god sword. Follow the words of the legendary hero Kanon. Let¡¯s make our triumphant return to Gairadeite!¡± (Adjutant) ¡°Wait you bastards! I won¡¯t allow this. I don¡¯t give permission!¡± (Diego) Diego starts screaming out orders but no one is listening anymore. As tens of thousands of soldiers start to withdraw only Diego is left behind. Diego falls to the floor with hollow eyes and starts muttering. ¡°¡­..It¡¯s not over¡­¡­¡± (Diego) It was a hateful voice but more than that it was creepy and distorted. It was dyed with hatred and sinking into the abyss of despair. He sharply clenches his fist and draws blood. ¡°¡­.For 2000 years these seeds have been growing and now its time they bore fruit¡­¡­.¡± (Diego) The light of wraps around Diego¡¯s body and a voice speaks up out of nowhere. ¡°Kill¡± An eerie voice ¡°Kill the mazoku.¡± A hateful voice. ¡°¡­¡­Kill¡­¡­¡± An unpleasant voice bursting with hatred. ¡°This is regrettable but.¡± (Ray) Without any hesitation, Ray swings Evans Mana at Diego¡¯s head but it stops just before connecting. Diego who was still using lost consciousness and collapsed. If its caster loses consciousness should be cancelled but this time it stayed active. ¡°¡­.Urgh¡­¡­ah¡­.¡± The sound of people falling down could be heard. Ray looked over and the subjugation forces that had started withdrawing were collapsing one after another and all their bodies were wrapped in the light of . ¡°What¡¯s this¡­.?¡± (Ray) ¡°Zeshia¡­.!?¡± Eleonor raises her voice as the Zeshias also fall down and have their bodies wrapped up in the light of ¡°¡­..Dirty mazoku¡­¡­¡± The voice sounded out again but this time even the Deiruheido forces heard it and not just the people affected by . ¡°¡­..I am Jerga¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Jerga¡­¡­.?¡± (Ray) ¡°A magic made to destroy the mazoku. Mazoku Judgement .¡± From the direction of Azeshion the light of gathers in the sky before pouring down on the ground and tightly condensing. Eventually, a body emerged from the light. ¡°Sensei¡­..¡± (Ray) The condensed light formed a body made from magic. It was certainly Jerga. The 2000-year-old commander of the Gairadeite demon king subjugation forces who bore an intense grudge against the demon king and set up the hero academy whose aim was to destroy the mazoku. ¡°I said this 2000 years ago Kanon.¡± (Jerga) Ray¡¯s expression said he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°The mazoku are not the kind of creatures you give kindness to. They are a corrupt existence that don¡¯t belong in this world.¡± (Jerga) Jerga didn¡¯t move from the spot he was standing on. Was his body incomplete? ¡°Not only did you oppose the establishment of the hero academy it seems you never got tired defending the demon king of tyranny either. So much so you actually became a mazoku. That¡¯s unfortunate Kanon. I¡¯m very disappointed.¡± (Jerga) Ray looked at Jerga with a sad expression on his face. ¡°¡­.Indeed sensei. It is regrettable. It¡¯s regrettable you¡¯ve lost your heart to this extent.¡± (Ray) Ray points the cutting edge of Evans Mana at Jerga. ¡°You¡¯re a ghost from 2000 years ago sensei. That origin of yours should have disappeared by now. Its time to end this along with all that hatred of yours. (Ray) Jerga fires a shell of light but Ray easily dodges it and stabs him with Evans Mana. The divine light of Evans Mana cuts through Jerga but he immediately reforms and gains his original appearance. ¡°It¡¯s useless Kanon. The spirit god sword is a holy sword designed to destroy the demon king of tyranny. It¡¯s extremely effective against the mazoku but is the same kind of magic as the sword. A holy sword cannot destroy something that is truly holy.¡± (Jerga) Ray draws a magic circle with his left hand and withdraws Sigshesta. ¡°Unfortunately it¡¯s your turn now.¡± (Jerga) Though moving slowly more and more light was gathering on Jerga¡¯s left arm. He draws a magic formation and a magic circle emerges from Zeshia¡¯s left breast. ¡°The origin explosion of 10,000 people will wipe out the forest along with those mazoku in it. They won¡¯t be able to run away.¡± (Jerga) ¡°¡­..Kuh¡­..¡± (Ray) Flipping Evans Mana over Ray starts destroying the magic formations with the holy sword and Shigshesta. ¡°¡­..I won¡¯t let you¡­.!!¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor emits a strong surge of magic power and erases the on Zeshia but there¡¯s just too many. Not only are there 10,000 of them but they are scattered all around the forest. ¡°It¡¯s no use you know. You don¡¯t have enough time.¡± (Jerga) Chapter 105.2 ¡°Well how about this then?¡± A voice comes from the sky so Jerga looks up to see Sasha and Misha floating there. ¡°¡­¡­Subordinates of the demon king of tyranny? What are you going to do with that power? It¡¯s far too inferior to the mazoku of 2000 years ago. You can¡¯t do anything. Just lament your helplessness and die in sin.¡± (Jerga) ¡°Sorry to disappoint you but after 2000 years the mazoku haven¡¯t become weak.¡± A man with a skeletal body appears behind them. It¡¯s one of the old seven demon emperors Aivis Necron. ¡°These twins are my direct descendants who are favoured by the demon king of tyranny. Its time to show this fool who drew his sword against my lord the secret art of the Necrons.¡± (Aivis) Sasha exchanges a look with Misha and they hold hands. ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± (Misha) ¡°Me neither.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I am you.¡± (Misha) ¡°And you are me.¡± (Sasha) They each draw half a magic formation of their bodies and connect it together. Aivis holds both their hands and places another circle on top of theirs before pouring all his magic power into it. ¡°You should return to your rightful figure.¡± (Aivis) Following Aivis¡¯ words they both say at the same time. ¡°.¡± As the magic particles rise up their bodies slowly merge with each other as if melting. A girl with silver hair that was neither Sasha nor Misha was standing there. A fusion magic that unites two origins and amplifies their magic power. The that was meant to unify Sasha and Misha before was incomplete. Unlike origin clones, when two people are split from the same origin there¡¯s a force at work between them that wants the origin to reunite which was the case between Sasha and Misha. With Sasha and Misha as they are now has been bought closer to perfection. No, you could actually say that the amount of power they have now is perfect since instead of returning two origins to one, two separate origins are now fused. ¡°Disappear.¡± (Misha) ¡°.¡± (Sasha) Both Misha and Sasha¡¯s voice can be heard from the silver-haired girl. Misha¡¯s demon eyes scour the forest and capture the magic of for all 10,000 Zeshia scattered throughout the forest then Sasha¡¯s demon eyes destroy all the formations instantly. ¡°Clever bug. Now fall.¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s right arm glows even more then he looks at the silver-haired girl and fires a . ¡°Useless.¡± (Misha) ¡°I destroyed the formula for .¡± (Sasha) The shell of light disappears under the gaze of the but Jerga doesn¡¯t care and just keeps firing more. The formation at the end of his hand grows massively and the light shells were fired from it like a hail storm. ¡°Did you think increasing the numbers would do anything?¡± (Sasha) ¡°46 confirmed destroyed.¡± (Misha) Sasha and Misha destroy all the as well as the that Jerga reapplied to Zeshia¡¯s chest with their demon eyes. In front of those silver demon eyes all magic will be nullified. ¡°You seem to have some magical power but you don¡¯t seem to understand the situation. Those are great demon eyes but what will you do with them? You are on the defensive side here. They are only good for anti-magic and you will soon run out of magic power. I only have to waste time.¡± (Jerga) Light gathers on Jerga¡¯s body and his legs start to glow now as well. One of the uncountable number of light shells evade the demon eyes of the silver-haired girl and hit her directly but her anti-magic blocked it. Barely. ¡°¡­¡­If we can gain some time then that¡¯s enough¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°Waiting.¡± (Misha) ¡°What happens if you wait?¡± (Jerga) ¡°¡­..Arnos is coming to defeat you¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°Believe in him.¡± (Misha) Jerga¡¯s mouth distorts into a sneer. ¡°Kuhahahaha. You have those demon eyes yet you see nothing. The demon king of tyranny is dead!! Evans Mana is a sword made by the gods to destroy the demon king of tyranny. His origin disappeared without a trace!! He can¡¯t revive!¡± (Jerga) ¡°¡­..I wouldn¡¯t be so sure¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­..Even if I can¡¯t see it I believe it¡­..¡± (Misha) Light shells shoot at the silver-haired girl over and over again but she continues to watch the ground destroying any that appears. ¡°¡­.I¡¯ll protect it¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°The peace that Arnos wanted to protect¡­..¡± (Misha) ¡°¡­¡­I was told to protect it¡­..!!¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­.I won¡¯t let anyone die¡­¡­¡± (Misha) Light gathers on Jerga¡¯s head then his magic body materialised like it had substance. ¡°¡­.Did you think my demon king would die just by having his origin destroyed!?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Arnos won¡¯t just die by himself.¡± (Misha) The destroyed all the light shells. ¡°Pitiful mazoku. Did you become unable to understand common sense? Your anguish pleases me. Taste more despair. Let¡¯s multiply the pain I felt 2000 years ago and return it to you tenfold.¡± (Jerga) Four huge magic circles cover Tora forest composed of earth, wind, fire and water and form . At the same time the magic formula on Zeshia¡¯s left breast is completed. ¡°At first it will be one and then another one every ten seconds until you cry and beg me to stop. They¡¯ll explode one by one. Enjoy the sadness watching those whom you wanted to protect die in front of you.¡± (Jerga) Jerga clenches his left hand ¡°.¡± (Jerga) Ray ran. Sasha and Misha concentrated their demon eyes. Eleonor raises her voice. But none of them are in time. But even so, Zeshia doesn¡¯t explode. Everyone¡¯s eyes are concentrated there. ¡°¡­..Imposs¡­¡­ible¡­¡­.¡± (Jerga) Jerga leaks out a small voice as he looks at the demon king of tyranny. ¡°¡­..Arnos¡­¡­..Voldigod¡­¡­.¡± (Jerga) ¡°Fumu. Seems you know me.¡± (Arnos) I slowly step forward and move over to where some of the Zeshia¡¯s are. ¡°That was pretty troublesome. Ray, Sasha, Misha and Eleonor you held up well.¡± (Arnos) I cast Time Manipulation on all the Zeshias and stop the time of . ¡°¡­..Why¡­¡­? How¡­¡­.? What did you do¡­¡­.?¡± (Jerga) ¡°Even turning your body into magic hasn¡¯t stopped you being stupid I see Jerga. Don¡¯t try to measure me against common sense. Did you think just because my origin was destroyed I couldn¡¯t revive?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 106.1 I slowly walk towards Jerga. ¡°¡­.Ku¡­.¡± (Jerga) A sound leaks out from him. A dark, stagnant sound that eventually turns into laughter. ¡°¡­..Kukuku¡­¡­ Kukukukukuku¡­.¡± (Jerga) Jerga looks at me with a warped expression on his face. ¡°¡­..This is good, I can destroy you with my own hands¡­¡­. Actually, I would like to thank you for reviving¡­¡­.. Arnos Voldigod.¡± (Jerga) Even though he¡¯s become a being of magic even after 2000 years his hatred hasn¡¯t changed. ¡°Regret your revival and die!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga scatters particles of light from his body and attacks. ¡°Realise humanity¡¯s anger demon king of tyranny!!¡± (Jerga) Light gathers in the sky before pouring down on his hands and turns into a sword. ¡°Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!¡± (Jerga) ¡°For such exaggerated words you¡¯re still weak.¡± (Arnos) Jerga thrusts the sword straight at me but I parry it with and pierce his chest with my right hand. ¡°.¡± (Arnos) I squeeze his magical body with my Origin Killer coated hand. The light around my hand explodes and scatters causing Jerga to disappear without a trace. Almost instantly the light overhead gathers and pours down creating another Jerga magic body. ¡°Fumu. It seems I can¡¯t grasp his origin this way after all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Seems like you understand. This body is magic. It¡¯s the very order of the world itself. It cannot perish.¡± (Jerga) That matches up with my hypothesis. ¡°This game is over. Listen to me people of Azeshion.¡± (Jerga) Jerga speaks through the magic of and anyone affected by it will hear him directly in their hearts. ¡°The deep darkness is swallowing Azeshion. The demon king of tyranny has revived again after 2000 years but don¡¯t be afraid. Offer your hope-filled prayers to our legendary hero. He will return and the light of hope will clear away the darkness.¡± (Jerga) Diego said the seeds had been scattered for 2000 years. Was he referring to the ever-growing population and the oral tradition being passed down? More brilliant than the sun itself light gathers in the sky as the light of hope gathers from all over Azeshion. ¡°¡­.Uuu¡­..aaaah¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­..The darkness¡­¡­Aaaaaaaaaah! It¡¯s coming¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Sto¡­¡­¡­Stooooooooooop!!¡± The fallen soldiers of the subjugation force were writhing around on the floor in fear. The light of was rising from their bodies even more. I see. ¡°The magic was hiding in and when gathered so much magic for the first time it allowed the will of to materialise and form that body.¡± (Arnos) Even as I was speaking Jerga¡¯s body was absorbing the light from and growing bigger. ¡°But to maximise the magic of you need to combine everyone¡¯s thoughts into one so the hero academy spread the rumour about the deep darkness. When the deep darkness brings despair the people of Azeshion will give their hope-filled prayers.¡± (Arnos) More light fell on Jerga blurring the outline of his body. ¡°You bastard Jerga. You¡¯re forcibly sucking the hope out of people.¡± (Arnos) If all hope is absorbed then their hearts will turn to despair. This is the meaning behind the deep darkness. The people of Azeshion will give hope-filled prayers to the legendary hero. That prayer will be absorbed in an instant and they will drop into despair again. They¡¯ll continue to wander in darkness never finding the exit and by doing so all their thought will be forcibly united as well. This is how is invoked. ¡°If they stay in that hopeless hell their minds will collapse. Do you want to destroy me that badly you¡¯ll kill your own people king of the humans?¡± (Arnos) ¡°What are you complaining about? Have you finally realised it demon king of tyranny? The grudge of us humans. They are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to destroy you. Their precious sacrifice won¡¯t be in vain.¡± (Jerga) I can only stare coldly at this guy preaching as if its the most noblest of things. ¡°Stupid.¡± (Arnos) ¡°You speak as if its someone else¡¯s problem king of the mazoku. This is your sin you piece of shit. You are the one who made us humans hold such a grudge Arnos Voldigod!! This would never have happened if you¡¯d never killed humans!! That sin, that stupidity, confess and regret it then rot away in misery!!¡± (Jerga) Is he absorbing more hope? The agonised cries of falling humans sounded across the battlefield. The light in the sky became even more brilliant lighting up the whole forest. Jerga¡¯s body began to collapse. It had already lost its original form while the divine light quickly spread across the forest. A huge person wearing armour started to appear from the light. It appeared to be imitating the hero and in its hand was a long, thick and brightly shining holy sword. ¡°Escape with the injured my subordinates. This whole area is going to be blown away.¡± (Arnos) The large holy sword is swung down so I stack along with my and accept it. The surrounding trees are blown away and the ground cracks from the aftermath of our power colliding. ¡°Know the power of justice.¡± (Jerga) Jerga takes a step forward and swings his sword down again. He¡¯s that big his step caused an earthquake binding the legs of the soldiers trying to flee. ¡°I¡¯ll create a demon king castle underground.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Ice Castle.¡± (Misha) The silver-haired girl casts and a robust ice castle is built deep underground a short distance away. ¡°I¡¯ll help you. Even a demon king castle won¡¯t last long against an opponent with that much magical power.¡± (Melheys) Melheys comes over and draws a magic formation on the castle. ¡°Dimensional Prison .¡± (Melheys) The underground demon king castle is isolated with . What happens outside cannot make it inside but it does have a weakness in that the entrance needs to be open so the soldiers can evacuate inside. With Jerga¡¯s current strength he might be able to break through but with the demon king castle as well this two-tiered defence should be able to withstand him to some extent. ¡°I can¡¯t let any of them escape.¡± (Jerga) Jerga tried to see the location of the demon king castle with his demon eyes but at that moment it started to drizzle. It spreads out blocking his view and obscuring the magical power of the mazoku as well as the demon king castle. It¡¯s Misa¡¯s . Jerga starts muttering. ¡°¡­¡­.Is this ¡­¡­.the ability of the great spirit forests guardian¡­¡­? Are the spirits siding with the mazoku¡­¡­.?¡± (Jerga) ¡°Times have changed Jerga. They changed long ago. There are no enemies anymore.¡± (Arnos) I concentrate my magic power and flick away the huge holy sword before firing a at that huge helmet. It was briefly wrapped in black flames before quickly being extinguished by anti-magic. Jerga turned his eyes to me as if nothing had happened. ¡°¡­..I won¡¯t be deceived demon king of tyranny. You! Using your strength to manipulate the spirits. How unjust!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga raises his sword in the sky and a magic formation appears. ¡°Know this mazoku. Your bodies shall pay for the sins your ancestors committed!¡± Countless pour down from the formation overhead. can¡¯t be aimed at by magic but this is just an indiscriminate bombardment. By sheer numbers, some of them will hit. From the ground, four magic formations appear comprising of earth, wind, fire and water and block the bombardment. ¡°¡­.Runaway quickly! Because they are holy magic I can block them to some extent but they won¡¯t last long against that huge person¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor sets up and protects the Midheys troops as they withdraw. The commander demon emperor Elio stops and looks at her. ¡°¡­.Brave human soldier¡­..¡± (Elio) He cuts straight to the point. ¡°¡­¡­.Earlier as well. Why have you helped us mazoku?¡± (Elio) She responds clearly. ¡°Our country declared war. I know that but this is different. We didn¡¯t want to fight. I want to protect. Also, that huge man is trying to kill both mazoku and humans.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor glares at the huge shadow that can vaguely be seen in the mist. On the other side of the Midheys unit, the subjugation forces were having their hope absorbed while lying on the ground. ¡°The Deiruheido forces started to withdraw and the demon king subjugation force also tried to withdraw. This war is over. I have no grudge against any of you.¡± (Eleonor) Chapter 106.2 The silver-haired fused Misha/Sasha girl was using to transfer the fallen Zeshia¡¯s to the demon king castle but how long would that take with 10,000 people? ¡°Let¡¯s gather them in one place using and then you can transfer them in one go.¡± (Melheys) Melheys casts drawing all the Zeshia¡¯s into one place and the silver-haired girl transfers them using . ¡°A demon king castle has been built underground over there so please evacuate to it.¡± (fan union) The fan union girls are guiding the Deiruheido forces to the entrance of the castle. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Jerga? Can you afford to look away?¡± (Arnos) I cast and flew into the sky before drawing a magic formation aimed at Jerga. ¡°How long do you intend to think you have the upper hand!?¡± (Jerga) Jerga swings the great holy sword trying to destroy the formation I¡¯d made. I evade the sword but my magic formation was cut up. ¡° can¡¯t be destroyed. The only way to stop me is to kill all the humans in Azeshion and even if you did that, would just stop working and wouldn¡¯t disappear from the world! Despair Arnos Voldigod! As long as there¡¯s magic in this world the mazoku are doomed to perish!¡± (Jerga) ¡°Fumu. Let me tell you Jerga. If you want me to despair then show me with power and not words.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut up you filthy arrogant mazoku!!¡± (Jerga) Hundreds of chains of light shot out from Jerga¡¯s body and the moment I avoided them a magical barrier activated. I guess the technique is activated by moving through the chains. As soon as I broke the chains the large holy sword was swung down. ¡°Periiiish!!¡± (Jerga) The holy sword slices through and smashes me into the ground bleeding and with my origin damaged. The large holy sword is stabbed into the ground chasing after the injured me. A loud roar sounds out and the ground is split in half as well as causing a storm from the aftermath of the magic power. The large holy sword created by can certainly destroy my origin. ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) In the blink of an eye, my origin was restored. ¡°Is that holy sword an origin killer?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Wh¡­..at¡­.the¡­..!?¡± (Jerga) Jerga is astonished by the fact that I, who should have been destroyed, was very much standing there. ¡°You should have killed me with that. The same attack won¡¯t work on me twice.¡± (Arnos) Origin magic Origin Regeneration . After receiving an attack on my origin it returns it to its state before it was injured. Normally, if your origin disappears so does your magic so just before an opponents attack you send to the future using where it regenerates your origin. Because you have to know your opponent¡¯s attack and you need to know they are targeting your origin it¡¯s only usable from the second attack onwards. Even if Evans Mana destroys my origin I could revive now because Evans Mana pierced my origin 2000 years ago to transfer magic to me. ¡°Prison Flame Chain Restraint Magic Square .¡± (Arnos) In the moment Jerga thought he¡¯d destroyed my origin I set up the magic formation. Jet black flames turn into chains and bind Jergas huge body and at the same time Prison Flame Chain also forms a magic circle. An origin magic put together to block the enemies movement and magic power as well as delivering the final blow. That is ¡°Be swallowed up in the flames of darkness.¡± (Arnos) The prison flame chains burn black and swallow up Jergas magic body in one go and in his place was a pillar of fire reaching to the heavens. ¡°Fumu. Oh well, I guess this is to be expected.¡± (Arnos) A divine light is leaking out of the black flame pillar. The flame pillar swells from the inside and an intact huge armoured figure walks out. ¡°I¡¯ve already said is immortal. Even if you had your sword you can¡¯t keep erasing its concept forever. The destruction of the mazoku is fated!!¡± (Jerga) ¡°What? Now that would just spoil the fun.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut your mouth!!¡± While still being connected to Jerga moved his body and swings his large holy sword. ¡°Your castle isn¡¯t here! You don¡¯t have Deruzogedo! Without it you can¡¯t pull out that demon sword trump card of yours!!¡± (Jerga) Oh? ¡°I¡¯ve never shown you my principle destroying sword. Who told you about it?¡± (Arnos) Those from the age of myths know that my demon king castle is a three-dimensional magic formation but everyone who knows of my swords existence should have died. ¡°You don¡¯t have the room to worry about that!¡± (Jerga) He swings the hold sword sideways dragging the chains with it. ¡°You can revive as many times as you want. I¡¯ll judge you until you run out of magic power and fall into the abyss of despair!!¡± (Jerga) The moment the large holy sword tried to crush me a gust of wind blew from the ground and the huge sword was cut in half and fell down. ¡°That was unexpected. It seems if I want to cut it I can cut it irrelevant of size.¡± (Ray) Ray appeared in front of Jerga wielding Sigshesta. ¡°Fumu. Have you recovered enough?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Thanks to you buying time all seven of my origins are back.¡± (Ray) Without all seven of his origins even Ray will struggle against this guy so I had to buy some time. ¡°¡­¡­Stupid¡­¡­stupid foolish man¡­¡­.¡± (Jerga) Hatred overflows. Huge armoured eyes glowed darkly while a voice filled with hatred spilled out. ¡°¡­.Hero¡­. You who was once called a hero. How far¡­. how far do you intend to fall until you¡¯re satisfied Kanon!!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga regenerates his holy sword while raising his voice in anger. On his left hand, he draws a magic formation and 108 gun ports appear there gathering light in the barrels. ¡°To think that such a day would come.¡± (Arnos) I fly in the sky and move over to Ray. ¡°I don¡¯t know what would have happened if you weren¡¯t here.¡± (Ray) I gently clench my fist and hold it out to Ray. This dirty hand has the blood of many thousands of humans on it. No, it¡¯s even more than that. Ray also makes a fist and sticks it out. He has killed countless mazoku with those hands. Both of us had the same thing we wanted to do we just had different positions. Both of us only wanted to protect. There¡¯s no grudge to be had in that. ¡°Let¡¯s go friend. Let¡¯s break these 2000-year-old chains of hatred.¡± (Arnos) Ray nods. ¡°Peace for Azeshion and Deiruheido.¡± (Ray) We both lightly bump fists. The next moment using Ray appeared behind Jerga. ¡°Clever move!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga tries to look back but I pour power into and hold him down. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d let you do that?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yoooooooou!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga fires off numerous but I approach him while dodging them. ¡°Yooooooooou!!!¡± (Jerga) The huge holy sword is swung with enough force to make the atmosphere howl but Ray cuts it off with Sigshesta. ¡°I won¡¯t let you.¡± (Ray) A ghost from 2000 years ago and hatred from 2000 years ago. Two heroes from the great war take to the skies to put an end to a battle that should have been over long ago. TN: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand cliffhanger lol. Also, I¡¯d love to know how the authors picking their spell names unless they are just headbutting their keyboard. Chapter 107 ¡°You said fate.¡± (Arnos) Black lighting from origin magic erodes Jergas huge body. ¡°As long as the magic exists it will bring about the end of the mazoku.¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s a fact. No matter what you do the end is already determined. If you want to gradually draw out your torment like being slowly strangled with a silk cord then carry on.¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s magical body shines brightly and shrugs off. ¡°My hatred has become part of the world¡¯s order!! The humans and heroes resent the mazoku and will destroy them. That is the correct order of this world! No matter what you do you have no choice but to atone for your sins!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s whole body glows even brighter and a shell of light is fired from his whole body. There¡¯s no space to dodge the huge so I use my and broke through it destroying it in the process. ¡°Then let¡¯s sever that fate Jerga. Did you forget that the legendary hero and the spirit god sword Evans Mana is here?¡± (Arnos) Ray hold out his right hand and divine light pours out shaping itself into a sword. ¡°¡­¡­Fufufu, hahahahahaha. Just think about what you just said. How many times are you going to make me repeat myself? Evans Mana is a holy sword created to destroy the demon king of tyranny! Its power is extremely effective against the mazoku but is the same kind of magic as the sword. Evans Mana cannot cut the fate of anything that is truly holy.¡± (Jerga) Grasping Evans Mana Ray heads straight for Jerga ¡°Struggle as much as you can! And when you realise you can¡¯t do anything true despair will come to yo¡ª eh¡­..?¡± (Jerga) Evans mana flashed brightly and cut Jergas arm off. His magical body that shouldn¡¯t be harmed by the spirit god sword was not regenerating. ¡°¡­..What¡­¡­the¡­¡­hell¡­¡­.?¡± (Jerga) ¡°Fumu. How long are you going to keep thinking you¡¯re a holy person Jerga?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.What did you do¡­.?¡± (Jerga) With a voice shaking with hatred Jerga turns on Ray with a glare. ¡°What did you do Kanon!!!¡± (Jerga) The arm that fell on the ground moves by itself and shoots towards Kanon like a cannonball but he easily chopped it up causing it to scatter and disappear into the sky. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m holy. I¡¯m the magic of order that will destroy the mazoku¡­.. Evans Mana shouldn¡¯t work!!¡± (Jerga) Slipping past the huge fist being swung down towards him Ray approaches Jerga¡¯s legs and cuts them down. Jerga¡¯s huge body tilts and he crashes down to his knees. Something has just entered his field of vision and caught his attention. ¡°¡­..That¡¯s¡­.?¡± (Jerga) ¡°You were so intent on looking down on the mazoku and what was beneath you that you didn¡¯t notice.¡± (Arnos) The demon king castle Deruzogedo was floating in the sky and this place is now located in the underground dungeon part of the castle. In other words my heart. ¡°Its true Venuzdonoa can only be used at the demon kings castle but I never said the castle cant move.¡± (Arnos) Origin magic Demon King Castle Summon . This grand magic to move Deruzogedo which was originally a fixed magic tool capable of emitting powerful magic power was impossible 2000 years ago, however, origin magic can produce extraordinary results if you borrow the power of an older and more powerful being. It was possible to summon the Deruzogedo of this era by borrowing the power of the closely related Derugozedo of 2000 years ago. The downside is this summon has consumed most of my power and its not a quick process either. I had to distract and tie up Jerga with to buy myself time to construct the formula. ¡°You are definitely not holy. You are a devil driven by your delusions who sucks the hope of people and kills mazoku. I won¡¯t even give you a heroes death. You shall be judged by the holy sword.¡± (Arnos) In front of Derugozedo, a floating dark coloured longsword shines darkly in the sky. Venuzdonoa is eroding the order of this place. ¡°¡­.I won¡¯t forgive you¡­..Arnos Voldigod¡­¡­ You take our pride, our loved ones and even justice from us humans! I won¡¯t forgive you. Only you will I not forgive!!¡± (Jerga) Such is his hatred the amputated Jerga stands up on his stumps his magical body glowing brighter than ever. Swords of light emerge from all over his body. Every one of them is a holy sword and he fires them all at once. The swords of light that shot towards me suddenly flipped around and shot towards Jerga piercing his body instead. ¡°¡­..Guaaa¡­¡­¡± (Jerga) ¡°Did you think your swords would do what you wanted?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­Won¡¯t forgive¡­.. I¡¯ll destroy¡­. destroy¡­..¡± (Jerga) The outline of the armoured giant blurs as it scatters more swords over a wide area before revealing an even brighter glow. A large magic circle appears over his left breasts. huh. ¡°Fumu. Think I¡¯ll let you?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­I know it. Your principle destroying sword can¡¯t show its true value if you don¡¯t hold it in your hand¡­¡­ I also know you used up most of your magic power summoning Deruzogedo.¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s armoured eyes showed a dark, stagnant gleam. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t kill you, I¡¯ll destroy the very thing you wanted to protect! As many sacrifices as possible! As much despair as possible! Realise the grudge of us humans!!¡± (Jerga) It¡¯s true the power of Venuzdonoa is weak if I don¡¯t hold it and, though it¡¯s hard to admit, my magic power and control over Venuzdonoa are not perfect either. It¡¯s easy if I just want to destroy it but if I don¡¯t cut off all this hatred then the war will never end. ¡°If I lack magic power then I¡¯ll just import it from somewhere else.¡± (Arnos) Using I connect my heart together with the eight fan union girls. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes!¡± (fan union) ¡°Song number 4. Send this pathetic ghost off with a requiem at least.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes Arnos-sama!¡± (fan union) Their feelings gather in my body and quickly turn into a pillar of light that connects heaven and earth. The power I lost from summoning Derugozedo is completely refilled. ¡°¡­.You¡­¡­ Using while is activated¡­¡­.. How far are you and your demon sword planning to taunt us humans¡­¡­..!?¡± (Jerga) If you use your heart will be dyed with hatred for the mazoku. That¡¯s even more true now is activated. Looks like he thinks my sword is preventing this. However. ¡°Demon sword? What about it? Try using your magic eyes. The effect of hasn¡¯t been reduced.¡± (Arnos) ¡°The effects of the sword aren¡¯t touching ! is human grudge magic. It¡¯s a hatred that will never fade whether its 1000 or 2000 years. We humans vowed to overthrow the mazoku and relieve our resentment. Our thoughts have been connected for a long time. There can be no peace in a world with mazoku in it! It¡¯s the longing of all humanity to destroy you!! The minds of some incomplete mazoku can¡¯t withstand !!¡± (Jerga) gathered magic over the Tora forest from all over Azeshion and formed it into holy swords before they poured down like heavy rain. At a quick count, I¡¯d say it was about a million swords. Those holy swords disappeared as soon as they entered the realm of the demon kings castle but as expected it wasn¡¯t very good without holding Venudonoa. Thousands slipped through the demon king territory and rained down on me, Ray, the mazoku and the humans still on the ground so I had to use my to block them. A voice rises up from the ground and wraps the forest up in a gentle song. ¨C¡°When will the dawn come?¡±¨C ¨C¡°This demon king known as tyranny goes to sleep alone.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I took up the sword to protect. These blood-stained hands held their lives.¡±¨C ¨C¡°We didn¡¯t want to fight.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Killing and killing the night goes ever on.¡±¨C ¨C¡°But I will await the dawn as I go to sleep.¡±¨C ¨C¡°2000 years of sleep will surely change the world.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Yes, so I believed.¡±¨C I shoot a huge amount of light from and crush any holy sword I hit but a huge amount of debris still falls towards the ground aiming at the still collapsed subjugation forces that are having their hope absorbed. ¡°Everyone¡­.!?¡± (Eleonor) In the distance, Eleonor¡¯s voice calls out. As expected in her current state of being unable to move she can¡¯t protect everyone. ¡°All units deploy anti-magic! Isolate any magic that¡¯s coming from the sky!¡± Elio the commander of the Midheys unit appears issuing orders. At his command, his troops made anti-magic umbrellas to deflect the falling holy sword debris. ¡°Rescue the injured soldiers and evacuate to the underground demon king castle!¡± (Elio) The Midheys unit create boxes using and start carrying the fallen humans away using or other types of magic while some just lend their shoulders or lift and carry the humans away. ¡°¡­..Brave human warrior.¡± (Elio) Elio talks to Eleonor using ¡°We are evacuating the subjugation forces to our underground demon king castle. I promise to return them unharmed. Is that okay?¡± (Elio) ¡°¡­.But if you don¡¯t hurry up and get inside you guys will die too right?¡± (Eleonor) Elio looks up at the sky and over at the huge shadow along with the 2 small shadows. ¡°The founder fought for us mazoku. I¡¯m not so stupid as to not realise who he is. A destroyed origin who rose again and is now fighting. My name is Elio Roodwell the demon emperor of Midheys. A decedent of the demon king of tyranny Arnos Voldigod! With this blood and this pride, I will return the compassion I received from you!¡± (Elio) The holy sword debris continues to rain down on the ground but Elio desperately protects the humans while evacuating them to the demon king castle. ¡°Our founder said not to kill anyone. Rescue the humans and nobody dies. Now is the time to show our loyalty!¡± (Elio) ¡°Roger!!¡± To protect the Deiruheido forces who are still performing rescue operations the gentle singing continues to rise up from underground. ¨C¡°Love is stronger than hatred.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I put my hope in the future that we would understand each other.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I took up the sword to protect. These blood-stained hands held their lives.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Beaten down by a world without beauty.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Sorrow only increases no matter my wish.¡±¨C ¨C¡°2000 years of feelings will surely change the world.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Yes, so I believed.¡±¨C ¡°Fumu. How long do you intend to look away Jerga? Look at reality. The times have already changed. The world became peaceful long ago. Are your eyes so clouded with hatred that you can¡¯t see the humans and mazoku taking each others hands desperately trying to live?¡± (Arnos) I flew into the sky and headed towards my castle. ¡°You¡¯re now peaceful!? Don¡¯t make me laugh!! Peace hasn¡¯t come!! You crushed such a thing 2000 years ago!! I only have hatred!!! Leave out the lip service at this late hour!!!¡± (Jerga) The number of swords raining down from the sky increase tenfold while aiming for me but I continue to approach Deruzogedo while dodging them. ¡°Will you, who was deprived of peace, deprive your descendants of peace this time? If so, then you are no different to me.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Shut uuuuuuuuup!! I am different to you!! This is revenge!! This is humanity¡¯s grudge against the mazoku!!¡± (Jerga) ¡°If its revenge then do it alone. Humans don¡¯t resent the mazoku. It¡¯s you who hates me.¡± (Arnos) I destroy more of the swords and fly higher. ¡°Then hate, resent and be angry by yourself here at the end. You can even curse me for all eternity.¡± (Arnos) Just as my hand was about to grab Venuzdonoa the sky flashed and a huge holy sword appeared and attacked me. ¡°As if I¡¯ll let yoooooooou!!¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s sword is a sword of hatred . The concept itself was formed and attacked me. However. Ray cleaved it with Evans Mana as I grabbed my sword. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Ray) The two of us dive towards the huge armoured figure with our swords that were once pointed at each other now pointing in the same direction. ¨C¡°I waited 2000 years to laugh with you.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I waited 2000 years to take your hand.¡±¨C ¨C¡°It¡¯s almost dawn.¡±¨C ¨C¡°From his lonely sleep the demon king awakes.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Please, please, I only wished for one thing.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Show me the glorious morning sun.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Please, please, I only wished for one thing.¡±¨C ¨C¡°May the world be filled with love.¡±¨C Jerga fired a but it¡¯s erased without any meaning by my sword. Venuzdonoa was swung down on Jerga¡¯s head at the same time as Evans Mana was swung down so they¡¯d overlap. ¡°¡­.Gua¡­¡­.ah¡­¡­¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s huge armoured body disappears but the feelings of Azeshion are still being supplied. The magic power remains but the light fades away as it could not maintain its existence. fate has been cut and the magic is about to disappear. ¡°I have nothing to offer you. You¡¯ve lost your pride as a hero, your justice and even your hatred is empty. Just die in vain.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Disappear¡­¡­my hatred¡­¡­.is disappearing¡­¡­¡± (Jerga) Jerga¡¯s voice seems slightly sad. It seems as the magic faded away he regained something else. ¡°¡­¡­.Pride¡­¡­I don¡¯t desire it¡­¡­. Justice¡­¡­¡­. I don¡¯t need it¡­¡­¡± (Jerga) He gave off the feeling that if he had a body he would be vomiting blood. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡­¡­lost everything¡­¡­ Only hatred remained¡­¡­. It was the only thing I could do for my wife and child¡­¡­ I must never forget¡­. this resentment¡­¡­¡± (Jerga) ¡°Foolish man. You had more than hatred left.¡± (Arnos) The huge armoured figure disappears and Jerga¡¯s figure from 2000 years ago appears slightly. ¡°Eleonor is made from your origin. She continued to desire peace no matter how many times she was erased and remade.¡± (Arnos) His heart was divided in two. to kill the mazoku and to wish for the peace of his descendants. These two opposing things are nothing but the emotional conflict in Jerga¡¯s mind. He wanted to destroy the mazoku but at the same time, he had the desire to not let his descendants experience the same feelings and hatred as himself. ¡°I killed your wife and child with these hands. They were tough opponents so I remember them well.¡± (Arnos) I create a Mishens necklace using and place it on the disappearing Jerga¡¯s body. ¡°They were both wearing these.¡± (Arnos) I point Venuzdonoa at Jerga. ¡°Reincarnate as many times as you like and come to kill me. I¡¯ll keep you and your revenge company for all eternity.¡± (Arnos) I stick Venuzdonoa in Jerga¡¯s chest. ¡°For as long as even a fragment of the hatred you carried right to your death remains.¡± Just like I did with his wife and child I cast on his origin just as it was about to disappear. If you still feel hatred even after the magic has disappeared then come for revenge as many times as you like. And until you meet your wife and child again I¡¯ll cast as many times as required. Eventually, the light above Tora forest disappears. stopped absorbing hope and may have lost its effect too. ¡°Ray.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah.¡± (Ray) We raise Venuzdonoa and Evans Mana to the sky. I reverse the effect of for the whole of Azeshion and turn the magic power into hope returning it to the hearts of the desperate people. I can hear the song. A song sending hope to the world. ¨C¡°Love is stronger than hatred.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I put my hope in the future that we would understand each other.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I took up the sword to protect. These blood-stained hands held their lives.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Beaten down by a world without beauty.¨C¡± ¨C¡°Sorrow only increases no matter my wish.¡±¨C ¨C¡°2000 years of feelings will surely change the world.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Yes, so I believed.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I waited 2000 years to laugh with you.¡±¨C ¨C¡°I waited 2000 years to take your hand.¡±¨C ¨C¡°It¡¯s almost dawn.¡±¨C ¨C¡°From his lonely sleep the demon king awakes.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Please, please, I only wished for one thing.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Show me the glorious morning sun.¡±¨C ¨C¡°Please, please, I only wished for one thing.¡±¨C ¨C¡°May the world be filled with love.¡±¨C Chapter 107.1 As a result of reversing the soldiers that had been rescued by the Deiruheido forces were able to recover their exhausted spirits and get up. It looks like they¡¯ve regained their hope so I probably don¡¯t have to worry anymore. Me and Ray slowly land on the ground. ¡°Arnos!¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­¡± (Misha) As the silver-haired girl runs over to me her body shines and blurs before dividing into two. The effect of was finished. Misha and Sasha jump on me at the same time. ¡°¡­.Don¡¯t scare me like that¡­.. I thought you¡¯d really died¡­.¡± Sasha says while clinging tightly to me. ¡°Worried.¡± Misha murmurs while pressing her small body against mine. Both are crying. Has their tension finally broke? ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Did you think I¡¯d died?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.I just said that¡¯s what I thought¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­I said I was worried.¡± (Misha) I stroke both their heads to put them at ease. ¡°I won¡¯t sacrifice myself. Living is more peaceful.¡± (Arnos) Ray smiled while watching me. Even for me, letting Evans Mana destroy my origin was way too reckless. Of course, it was still the correct decision. needs extreme caution when being used and even more so when Evans Mana is involved. Even though the chances of success were in my favour it was still a risky life-threatening decision. I won this time. In front of us, the mazoku and humans are lending their shoulders to each other and carrying out the wounded. This is the scene I¡¯ve wanted to see for so long. As I walked through the forest a man appeared in front of me. Its the commander of the Midehys advance forces Elio Roodwell with some of his men trailing behind. ¡°Demon king-sama.¡± (Elio) Elio kneels in front of me and his men all bow their heads. ¡°I¡¯m the demon emperor who governs Midheys, Elio Roodwell. I¡¯m also Emilia¡¯s father¡­¡­¡± (Elio) He speaks to me humbly and respectfully. ¡°Everything that happened was due to my ignorance. I await your punishment.¡± (Elio) He¡¯s a pretty shrewd person to recognise me. Well, in this instance its natural for him to see that I am the demon king of tyranny. I summoned and used Deruzogedo which is the demon kings castle. There was also Jerga¡¯s hostility towards me. Now its calmed down it would be natural to come to this conclusion but he recognised me as the demon king while on the battlefield. It¡¯s also possible he had a vague suspicion before even coming here. ¡°Elio.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes!¡± (Elio) He lowered his head further and answered with resolve. ¡°Raise your head.¡± (Arnos) Elio looked up at me. There was no fear in his eyes only a strong faith dwelled within. ¡°It was good to offer me your head without making excuses, but I have no punishment for those that admit their mistakes. If you made a mistake then correct it going forward.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..With all due respect my lord¡­..I am from the royal family and I have done the unthinkable. I have drawn my bow against the demon king of tyranny himself. I humbly ask that you punish me¡­¡­ Or at the very least let me make amends to you as your subordinate until I die¡­¡­.¡± (Elio) ¡°Very well. Then I shall take that life and have you serve me with it until it ends. That is my punishment to you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Arnos-sama¡­¡­¡± (Elio) ¡°In the middle of that chaotic fight you honoured my will and reached out to hold hands with the humans. As expected of my descendant. I am proud of that loyalty and desire for peace.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Such words are wasted on me my lord¡­¡­¡± (Elio) Elio bows his head with tears in his eyes. ¡°Midheys is a good town with little trouble. Keep up the good work and continue to do your best.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes!¡± (Elio) Leaving them behind I soon come across some girls who are sitting on the ground. ¡°Are you tired Elen?¡± (Arnos) I reach a hand out to her and she looks at me with a face full of surprise. ¡°Aah, no¡­¡­¡­ I¡¯m absolutely fine!¡± (Elen) Elen continues looking at my hand without moving. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Arnos) ¡°But it¡¯s Arnos-sama¡¯s hand and it¡¯s being offered to me!¡± (Elen) ¡°You can take this hand without reservation.¡± (Arnos) As soon as I said that Elen fell flat on her back and started rolling away from me on the ground. ¡°¡­.What should I do? What should I do!? It¡¯s Arnos-sama¡¯s hand¡­. Should I take it with my right hand? What about my left hand!? Aaah perhaps both hands would be best!! But then I wouldn¡¯t be able to wash my hands for the rest of my life!!¡± (Elen) After raising her voice in a scream Elen rolled back across the ground towards me. ¡°Erm, wha, wha, wha, wha, wha what should I do!? I¡¯ve experienced this fantasy many times but that was a fantasy¡­..an impossible one¡­¡­ha! Maybe I¡¯m dreaming!?¡± (Elen) Fumu. It seems she can¡¯t suppress her excitement from the war. ¡°What happened in your fantasy?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Errrrrrm¡­.. I think you held me in your arms and cast recovery magic?¡± (Elen) ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) I make Elen float with and hold her in my arms. ¡°Eh, eeeeh¡­..a dream. It¡¯s a dream after all¡­¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to get up¡­¡­ I want to sleep forever¡­..!¡± (Elen) ¡°If a dream doesn¡¯t come true then its a lie.¡± (Arnos) I cast recovery magic and heal her fatigue. ¡°Elen. When I was last alive there weren¡¯t many songs around and I¡¯ve never heard the type of songs you guys sing at all. They¡¯re jokey, ridiculous and somehow disdainful of others. Such songs can only exist if it¡¯s peaceful.¡± (Arnos) Elen is stunned listening to my words. ¡°That song you just sang was also good. I¡¯m looking forward to new songs from you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Ah¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± (Elen) She starts crying. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Yes¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± (Elen) I gently lower her down and she stands there. Seems her tiredness has gone. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (fan union) The remaining seven members of the fan union gather around Elen. ¡°Hey Elen that¡¯s sly!!¡± ¡°Even if you say that it still feels like a dream.¡± (Elen) ¡°Prepare yourself!!¡± ¡°Indeed. You know what¡¯s going to happen right?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, wai¡­.wait a minute. Everyone¡¯s eyes are scary!!¡± (Elen) ¡°You won¡¯t be forgiven for stealing a march on us. Do it!¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± The girls in the fan union took turns princess carrying Elen while making a fuss. ¡°It¡¯s my turn.¡± and ¡°Indirect princess carry!!¡± Before long it turned into ¡°I¡¯ll play the part of Arnos-sama.¡± and ¡°I¡¯ll play the part of Elen.¡± It was a very mysterious scene with people carrying and hugging each other. Moving forward again I saw Eleonor still trapped in the holy water ball so I go over. ¡°¡­..Arnos-kun¡­¡­!!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯ve come to fulfil my promise Eleonor.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­.?¡± (Eleonor) I pull out Venuzdonoa and stab the holy water ball. Unlike , is a human type magic so I only need to affect her origin which is here. The holy water ball disappears and the magic characters around her body also disappear. Eleonor puts her feet on the ground. ¡°¡­.Wow¡­.. The magic¡¯s been cancelled¡­..?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°You¡¯re my magic now.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor looks at me with curiosity. ¡°I thought to destroy the magic but then you¡¯d lose your magic power. But if I make you my magic you won¡¯t be abused. You¡¯re free now.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..I see¡­..¡± (Eleonor) She looks down with tears collecting in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. Taking care of the 10,000 Zeshia¡¯s is going to be a lot of work. We¡¯ll deal with it though.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..This¡­..is unbelievable¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor starts to walk towards me but the influence from the magic still remained in her legs and she tumbled forward. ¡°Fumu. Same as last time.¡± (Arnos) I caught her and supported her body with my arms before Eleonor hugged me tightly. ¡°¡­¡­.Thank you¡­¡­.Arnos-kun. I love you¡­..¡± (1) (Eleonor) Sasha was staring at us. ¡°Do you have anything to say Misha?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± (Misha) ¡°Anything else?¡± (Sasha) Misha tilts her head to one side. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Naked?¡± (Misha) ¡°Wow! That¡¯s right. I forgot¡­.. Please Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Ah.¡± (Arnos) I use and dress Eleonor in the academy uniform. ¡°Thank you. That saved me.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor looks around. ¡°This is terrible though.¡± (Eleonor) The ground is full of holes, the trees have fallen down and the rivers are dry. The Tora forest looked like a natural disaster zone. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. The main thing is, no ones dead.¡± (Arnos) ¡°How do you know?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°To make sure no one died I was watching very carefully with these demon eyes.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor opened her eyes in surprise and then laughed. ¡°You¡¯re amazing Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What? This amount of people is fine. There¡¯s a lot of injured people though.¡± (Arnos) ¡°No problem. Please leave the rest to us old seven demon emperors.¡± (Melheys) Melheys comes over. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the wounded and clear up the battlefield. Please take it easy and rest.¡± (Melheys) ¡°Fumu. I¡¯ll leave it to you then. If you need anything let me know.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Your will.¡± (Melheys) Melheys leaves using ¡°Ray.¡± (Arnos) I show him the shellfish necklace I took from him earlier. ¡°Misa seems to be helping the wounded soldiers down in the demon king castle.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.I steeled myself and handed it over but looking at it now it doesn¡¯t shut very good¡­..¡± (Ray) ¡°Oh? Do you wish you¡¯d proposed normally now?¡± (Sasha) Sasha lightly makes fun of him. ¡°Congratulations.¡± (Misha) Misha gives a simple blessing. ¡°¡­.I give up.¡± (Ray) He smiles wryly and then trips on the rough ground and falls over. ¡°What¡¯s the legendary hero doing falling over?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I used Evans Mana too much. As expected it¡¯s tired me out.¡± (Ray) I speak to Ray who¡¯s now sitting on the floor. ¡°That reminds me. Do you need this anymore?¡± (Arnos) I throw the mask of Avos Dillheavia on the ground near his hand. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± (Ray) Ray destroys the mask with Sigshesta. Avos Dillheavia will no longer appear. Now that and has disappeared there¡¯s no reason for the humans to fight the mazoku. The world is now at peace. ¡°Oh yeah. What was that other mask of yours with the different shape?¡± (Arnos) I reach out my hand to Ray. ¡°Different shape?¡± (Ray) Ray cocks his head in confusion. ¡°I only had one mask.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Arnos) The masked man from the demon sword tournament wore a different mask to the one Ray wore today. There¡¯s a number of possibilities but none of them are good. ¡°Arnos?¡± (Ray) ¡°Fumu. let¡¯s leave it alone today but at least one powerful enemy remains.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Powerful enemy?¡± (Ray) Ray takes my hand. ¡°Speaking of which I went to war without telling my mom.¡± (Ray) Ray smiles wryly. ¡°You could lie.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I won¡¯t run away. I¡¯ll explain about the demon king to my mom today.¡± (Ray) Grasping his hand I pull him up. ¡°Let¡¯s fight together. Let¡¯s show our mothers the power of the hero and the demon king.¡± (Arnos) ¡°But your mom will just use her principle destroying sword.¡± Sasha teases me. ¡°There¡¯s probably 7 origins in there somewhere as well.¡± Ray continues it. ¡°Will she cut the demon kings fate?¡± Misha says while tilting her head. We all laugh and leave this place. There¡¯s one more powerful enemy waiting for me but I have nothing to fear. I have friends who I can join hands with. Friends who I can laugh with. And nobody got hurt in this fight. 2000 years ago we wanted it, we made it and we protected it. Nobody died. A peaceful battle that symbolises this era. (1) She used daisuki here which means love/like very much but it can mean love/like very much in a non-romantic way as well (though I¡¯m sure most people know this already). You could use daisuki when talking about your favourite food, hobby or even about your best friend for example. I went with the more romantic choice but I¡¯m wondering if ¡°I like you¡± fits the scene better than ¡°I love you¡±? TN: That¡¯s the end of Vol 3. Vol 4 is the great spirit arc but I¡¯m having a few days off now from Maou Gakuin. I¡¯m pretty worn out. Also going forward I¡¯ll be doing the odd ultimate porter chapter as well just to give me something different to translate (I know nobody apart from about 4 people like it but I¡¯d like to finish it anyway). It¡¯s like anything, no matter how much you love something you need to do something different at times or you¡¯ll get sick of it. Chapter 108.1 Blacksmith & appraiser [Solar Wind] After stopping the war between Deiruheido and Azeshion I went home to eat my mom¡¯s dinner. Ray, Misha and the others, as well as Eleonor, also came along. ¡°But it turned out fine in the end. Deiruheido and Azeshion went to war but didn¡¯t Arnos-chan and the others go to Gairadeite for an academy exchange? Mom was really anxious and worried¡­¡­ I thought you might have been caught up in the war¡­..¡± (Isabella) My mom has tears in her eyes and they are also red and swollen. She must have been crying a lot. ¡°See? I said he¡¯d be okay. We don¡¯t need to worry about Arnos.¡± (Gusta) ¡°Un, that¡¯s right. I believed Arnos-chan would certainly come back¡­¡­¡± (Isabella) My mom starts crying again and my dad just laughs with a look on his face that says it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°That reminds me, where were you during the war? You couldn¡¯t have been in the hero academy. Did you hide somewhere or have you just come back on your own? It is you after all.¡± (Gusta) Fumu. As expected father, you don¡¯t understand. ¡°I was in the Tora forest until a while ago.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Oh I see. The Tora forest¡­.hmm¡­?¡± (Gusta) Doubt enters my dad¡¯s face and he tilts his head. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken isn¡¯t the Tora forest the border between Deiruheido and Azeshion¡­..?¡± (Gusta) ¡°It said on the magic broadcast that the Tora forest had become the battlefront¡­.¡± (Isabella) My mom looked at me with a fearful expression. ¡°Mom. Dad. I want you both to listen to me calmly.¡± (Arnos) Now¡¯s a good a time as any. I¡¯ll calmly fill them in on the basics. ¡°Uuuuuuuu! Mother is always calm!!¡± (Isabella) My mom forcefully nods a number of times. You don¡¯t look very calm. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaah! Your dad is always calm and composed!¡± (Gusta) My dad¡¯s whole body is shaking. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s upset or its something else. ¡°Fumu. Do you both want to calm down a little bit more? You can¡¯t accept reality at the moment.¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Mother figured it out.¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s expression is that of someone who has prepared themselves. ¡°Mother already knows.¡± (Isabella) ¡°Knows what?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Arnos-chan isn¡¯t a normal child.¡± (Isabella) I see. A lot has happened in a short space of time after all. Even my mom can¡¯t fail to notice that. ¡°¡­..Why did Arnos-chan want to come to Deiruheido? Why did you want to go to the demon king academy? Why did you say your name as soon as you were born? It can¡¯t all be coincidental.¡± (Isabella) My mom seems to be persuading herself more than anything. ¡°So it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m prepared for anything.¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s strong. She doesn¡¯t understand anything but she¡¯s always watching me. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you then.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Okay.¡± (Isabella) ¡°It¡¯s not really important but first off I¡¯ll tell you where I was and what I was doing before I came here¡± (Arnos) My mom looks at me with eyes that say she is ready to accept anything. At the moment she shouldn¡¯t be daunted by my words. ¡°I stopped the war.¡± (Arnos) My mom fainted. ¡°Oi, hey, Isabella. You okay?¡± (Gusta) My dad supports her and desperately calls out to my unconscious mom. ¡°Ah¡­..yeah¡­..huh? What happened? Arnos-chan said something important and then¡­¡­ afterwards¡­?¡± (Isabella) Mom has lost her memory. ¡°But it feels like a bad dream. Arnos-chan went to war¡­. But that can¡¯t happen as Arnos-chan isn¡¯t even 3 months old yet¡­..¡± (Isabella) You can¡¯t accept reality at all. Was it wrong to talk about the war first? ¡°Let¡¯s change the story. You¡¯ve both lived in Deiruheido for a while now and have learnt about the mazoku and the great war from 2000 years ago.¡± (Arnos) My mom nods with a serious face. ¡°I¡¯m the reincarnated demon king of tyranny.¡± (Arnos) My mom faints. ¡°Oi, oii, again? You okay Isabella? Hey, stay strong. It¡¯s only a shallow wound.¡±(Gusta) There¡¯s no wounds dad. ¡°¡­.I had a dream¡­.¡± (Isabella) My mom comes round and starts muttering like she delirious. ¡°I dreamt Arnos-chan became the demon king of tyranny¡­.. The person who started the war between Deiruheido and Azeshion¡­.. Everyone was judging Arnos-chan as a war criminal¡­.¡± (Isabella) It seems the shock was so great her memory has been altered when she fainted. ¡°What are you going to do about this since the spirit god sword cut off your destiny?¡± (Sasha) Sasha complains to me while looking at Ray. ¡°Even if you look at me, I¡¯m troubled as well.¡± (Ray) Ray smiles bitterly. ¡°I thought heroes were good at talking? Can¡¯t you do something with that spirit god sword?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Evans Mana doesn¡¯t work on those who are holy. Can¡¯t you do something with your ?¡± (Ray) ¡°Unfortunately, I already tried that.¡± (Sasha) My subordinates have already raised the white flag and surrendered. It¡¯s pretty impressive that Ray¡¯s heart that couldn¡¯t be broken by any war was broken instantly here. I never had this much trouble 2000 years ago either. Now then. What can I do about this? ¡°I know what Arnos-chan wants to say.¡± (Isabella) What? While I was thinking about what to do my moms took the initiative and¡ª ¡°They¡¯ve increased. A new child.¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s eyes have latched onto Eleonor. ¡°Nn?¡± (Arnos) Eleonor looked around restlessly before realising my mom¡¯s eyes were on her. ¡°Wa? Do you mean me?¡± (Eleonor) My mom nods with a smile. This is bad. I¡¯ve lost the initiative. ¡°Mom I haven¡¯t told you my story ye¡ª¡± (Arnos) ¡°What did Eleonor-chan say to Arnos-chan to bring you here?¡± (Isabella) My mom is suspicious. ¡°Well, various things.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Various things¡­..!?¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s delusions take off. ¡°What like? For example?¡± (Isabella) Chapter 108.2 ¡°I was told ¡®You¡¯re my magic¡¯.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Noooooooooooooooooo!! Arnos-chan¡¯s pickup lines have been refined!!¡± (Isabella) While my mom is screaming my dad is trembling while looking at me. ¡°Y¡­yo¡­you you¡­¡­ When did you become such an advanced level¡­.!¡± (Gusta) My mom leans over the table and talks to Eleonor. ¡°Other than that what else did you talk about!?¡± (Isabella) ¡°Let¡¯s see. Briefly put I was told we could all be happy together. I knew Arnos-kun was being serious so I decided to follow him.¡± (Eleonor) My dad opens his mouth gapingly and looks at my mom fearfully. ¡°Everyone together¡­..?¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s eyes have become hollow. ¡°¡­..An illegitimate child¡­.!?¡± (Isabella) Here it comes. My mom¡¯s principle destroying sword. ¡°How many children are there!?¡± ¡°Eh? Children? Zeshia? Roughly around ten thousand at the moment.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!?¡± (Isabella) ¡°Ten thousaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand!!!¡± (Gusta) My parents went off in different directions. ¡°But, but 10,000 is strange right? They aren¡¯t by Arnos-chan right?¡± (Isabella) ¡°Aaaaaaah! 10,000. Even if it takes 10 times to conceive that¡¯s 100,000 times¡­.!? Such experience¡­¡­¡± (Gusta) My dad clenches his fist and grinds his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous¡­¡­¡± (Gusta) Fumu. Did they notice it? It¡¯s not even possible to conceive that many children so it can only be by magic. ¡°I was going to talk about it later but I¡¯m not going to make any excuses. It¡¯s my responsibility. I¡¯ll take care of everyone.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Acknowledge¡­¡­it¡­¡­.!?¡± (Isabella) My dad starts muttering. ¡°You¡­.you¡¯re a man Arnos¡­..¡± (Gusta) ¡°I will make up for the mistakes I¡¯ve made.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Mistakes¡­¡­Arnos-chan¡­¡­ mistakes¡­¡­. It¡¯s not even been 3 months¡­.¡± (Isabella) My mom¡¯s head sways and she staggers. ¡°¡­.What do you want Arnos-chan to do Eleonor-chan? You want Arnos-chan to take responsibility and get married right?¡± (Isabella) ¡°Eh? Responsibility? *giggle* I don¡¯t need that. I think you¡¯ve both misunderstood. Were not in that kind of relationship. It¡¯s just that Arnos-kun was kind to me.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Con¡­..Concubine¡­.!?¡± (Isabella) While leaking out a small voice my mom faints for the third time. ¡°Oi, oii¡­..!!¡± (Gusta) My dad quickly supports my mom who was about to fall out of her chair. ¡°Oh dear, this is troubling. Well, she¡¯s been under a lot of strain due to that war. I¡¯ll put her to bed for today¡± (Gusta) My dad picks up my mom and leaves the room. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± (Arnos) I chase after my dad but he says. ¡°No it¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve worked hard too. Take a rest.¡± (Gusta) ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) As I was about to head back my dad had an expression that said he wanted to say something. ¡°What is it dad?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah, no¡­¡­ Well. You don¡¯t seem bothered that you were dragged into that war and you¡¯ve said some strange things today. More so than normal. Don¡¯t worry. Your mom will be back to normal tomorrow.¡± (Gusta) ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) It feels like my mom was being her usual self though. However. ¡°In other words, you do understand it dad?¡± (Arnos) ¡°That you¡¯re the demon king of tyranny and that you stopped the war?¡± (Gusta) I nod. ¡°Arnos.¡± (Gusta) My dad has an unprecedented serious look on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you. Dad has been silent all this time.¡± (Gusta) ¡°Tell me what?¡± My dad has a painful expression on his face. The eyes looking at me are somehow different from my usual dad. ¡°¡­I was a soldier 2000 years ago¡­..¡± (Gusta) What? My dad is a reincarnated person. Even facing him this close though I can¡¯t feel any magic power. Is he using concealment magic that stops even my eyes from peering into his abyss? With that type of skill, it would be a name I was familiar with. I mean Ray ended up being Kanon so it¡¯s certainly possible. ¡°What was your name 2000 years ago?¡± (Arnos) My dad¡¯s face took on a shadowy expression. ¡°Annihilation sword king Gaderahipto.¡± (Gusta) Don¡¯t know it. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re going through is called in Azeshion?¡± (Gusta) My dad looks at me proudly and says. ¡°Chuunibyou.¡± (Gusta) I guess my parent¡¯s principle destroying sword came right here at the end. Authors note: It finally happened. Arnos is being treated like a chuuni. Chapter 109.1 In the end, neither of my parents learnt the truth, however, as my dad said they were worried about me being involved in the war so its probably to be expected. I¡¯ll let a bit of time pass and they should be able to listen calmly the next time. As long as my mom learns the truth since my dad¡¯s easy to persuade. No need to rush it. Let¡¯s wait for the right time. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± (Sasha) ¡°First off I¡¯m going to eat the mushroom gratin before it gets cold.¡± (Arnos) ¡°You know¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha looks at me in amazement while Misha serves out the mushroom gratin. ¡°Is this enough?¡± (Misha) ¡°Excellent.¡± (Arnos) I receive a plate from Misha and start eating my mushroom gratin. ¡°Fumu. Nothing beats this after stopping a war.¡± (Arnos) Misha looks down and seems lost in thought. ¡°Don¡¯t restrict it like that. I don¡¯t want you talking like that event will be an everyday thing.¡± (Sasha) Misha nods at Sasha¡¯s words. ¡°Hmm? That reminds me, do you have any alcohol?¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor looks around the table at us. ¡°At times like this, you have a victory drink right?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Unfortunately, neither of my parents seem to drink so there¡¯s none in the house.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wah? How healthy. Well then.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor draws a magic formation and pulls 3 bottles out of it. ¡°Ta-da! A speciality of Gairadeite called Holy Dimira. It¡¯s delicious¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hoh? How thoughtful.¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s eyes sparkle with greed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll pour a lot for you Sasha-chan.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor fills up Sasha¡¯s glass with the Holy Dimira. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor filled everyone¡¯s glass. ¡°Shall we have a toast?¡± (Eleonor) Everyone picks up their glass. ¡°Lead the toast?¡± Misha mutters. ¡°It can only be you.¡± Ray tells me. ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) I raise my glass. ¡°Thanks to the hard work of everyone here the war between Deiruheido and Azeshion was avoided. There¡¯s still some troublesome issues left, but for now, let¡¯s forget about all that and get drunk. Its a victory for our demon king forces.¡± (Arnos) Everyone smiles while watching me. ¡°Kanpai.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Kanpai!!!¡± (Everyone) I down my glass in one. It¡¯s really delicious. That taste after defending the peace is really special. ¡°Are you okay drinking all that in one go Arnos-kun? Holy Dimira is really strong.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What? For me this is no different to water.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wow that¡¯s amazing. Want another glass?¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor shows me the bottle. ¡°Of course.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor fills my glass. ¡°Hey Arnos, don¡¯t get too carried away and end up drunk.¡± Sasha says to me with a red face while trying to pick a fight. Her tongue doesn¡¯t seem to be moving quite how she wants it to. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s drunk?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Unfortunately for you I¡¯m the witch of ruin. I won¡¯t lose to alcohol.¡± (Sasha) While talking to me Sasha moves closer to Eleonor. ¡°Do you have any other alcohol?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯ve got wine.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Wine?¡± (Sasha) Eleonor drew the formation again and took out a bottle of wine. Why¡¯s she carrying so much alcohol around with her? ¡°This is great Arnos! I¡¯ll show you how far I can go and not get drunk!¡± (Sasha) While loudly declaring that to me she lifts the bottle of wine and bottle of holy Dimira up in both hands. ¡°This is a secret art of the Necrons. Fusion magic Holy Wine !¡± (Sasha) Sasha pours the wine and Holy Dimira into a glass. Isn¡¯t she totally drunk? No matter how strong the Holy Dimira is, getting this drunk after one glass is shocking. After using her newly made Sasha raises the glass to her mouth. ¡°Stop that.¡± (Arnos) I take the glass away from Sasha. ¡°Haaa why? Are you saying I¡¯ll get drunk?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Get? No matter how you look at it you are drunk.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m not drunk! Honestly. I even showed you fusion magic.¡± (Sasha) You wouldn¡¯t normally speak like this. ¡°I¡¯m not drunk!¡± (Sasha) ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s really tasty so can I have some?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nn? Is it? If you want it Arnos I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± (Sasha) While thinking about what to do with this problem I drank the . ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Terrible. I¡¯ve never tasted any alcohol this bad, not even 2000 years ago. These two things must never be mixed. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the Necron secret arts again!¡± (Sasha) Sasha starts pouring the Dimira and wine into a glass again. ¡°What are you doing Sasha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m going to get you drunk Arnos.¡± (Sasha) Sasha finishes her and brings the glass to her lips. ¡°Your words and actions don¡¯t match.¡± (Arnos) I take the glass away from her again. ¡°Uuu¡­¡­ Arnos won¡¯t let me drink¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha starts to sulk. ¡°You¡¯re a troublesome fellow.¡± (Arnos) A glass of water is held out to me by Misha. ¡°Here. Drink this liquor. It¡¯s good.¡± (Arnos) I handed the water to Sasha who took it in both hands and stared at it. ¡°This liquor looks like water.¡± (Sasha) Because it is. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really?¡± (Sasha) Sasha drinks about half and c?o?c?k?s? her head. ¡°¡­¡­. It is water after all¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Chapter 109.2 ¡°Drink it more slowly and taste it. It¡¯s very good liquor. If you can¡¯t tell by the taste then you must be drunk.¡± (Arnos) Sasha drinks the water slowly and tastes it before nodding as if understanding something. ¡°Yeah, its really good liquor. What¡¯s it called?¡± (Sasha) Water. ¡°Demon king sake. It¡¯s a liquor that not everyone can taste.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I like it.¡± (Sasha) Sasha takes her time drinking it like its high-class liquor. ¡°Sasha is a bad drunk.¡± Misha whispers to me. ¡°So it seems.¡± (Arnos) Misha holds her glass with both hands and keeps drinking from it. ¡°You okay Misha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Using Detoxification .¡± (Misha) I see. Because alcohol can be classed as a poison it¡¯s removed by the spell. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a no-no Misha-chan. Using detoxification magic when drinking is no fun.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor raises her finger and reproves her. Misha blinked as if embarrassed. ¡°Alcohol makes me go all light and fluffy.¡± (Misha) ¡°That¡¯s fine. Light and fluffy is cute.¡± (Eleonor) Misha looks at me. ¡°Really?¡± (Misha) ¡°First time I¡¯ve heard that.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hey Arnos-kun. You should have said it was cute.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯d be in trouble if I was drunk and an emergency happened. You don¡¯t need to force someone weak with alcohol to get drunk. I don¡¯t know what it means to become cute with alcohol but if they are already cute they don¡¯t need the power of alcohol.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wow how boring. Such a rejection from the demon king.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor laughs. She doesn¡¯t seem any different but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s drunk. ¡°Hey Misha-chan. Because its peaceful you can get drunk. Because Arnos-kun isn¡¯t used to peace we need to teach him.¡± (Eleonor) Misha looks at me for a moment then at Eleonor. ¡°¡­.Try to get drunk¡­..¡± (Misha) Misha began taking big gulps of the Holy Dimira and her face gradually turns red. ¡°Arnos.¡± (Misha) ¡°You okay?¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°Have you become peaceful?¡± (Misha) ¡°What?¡± (Arnos) Misha points at herself. ¡°I?¡± (Misha) Ahh, you¡¯re totally drunk. ¡°Feel foggy.¡± (Misha) ¡°Try to keep it in moderation.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­..Nn¡­..¡± (Misha) Following my words, Misha starts taking just little sips at a time. ¡°What are you drinking Misha? Is it delicious?¡± (Sasha) Sasha unsteadily totters over. ¡°Tasty.¡± (Misha) ¡°That liquor. Can I have some too?¡± (Sasha) Misha looks at me. ¡°Let Sasha have some more demon king sake.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nn.¡± (Misha) Misha fetched Sasha some more water. ¡°Here Sasha.¡± (Misha) ¡°Oh there was still some demon king sake left. Thank you.¡± (Sasha) Sasha drinks the water with great relish. On the opposite side of the table, Ray finished off a bottle of Holy Dimira. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be drinking. Don¡¯t you like alcohol?¡± (Ray) Ray addresses Misa who still has a full glass of Dimira. ¡°Ahaha. I¡¯m not sure. I accidentally drank some as a child and even now those memories make me feel sick so ever since then I tried not to drink¡­¡­¡± (Misa) ¡°Yeah might be better to not overdo it.¡± (Ray) Ray empties his glass. ¡°Shall I pour you some more?¡± (Misa) Misa takes the bottle of Holy Dimira and refills Rays glass. ¡°Do you like drinking Ray-san?¡± (Misa) ¡°Not really but I kind of miss it. A long time ago there were days when I couldn¡¯t sleep so I drank.¡± (Ray) Misa¡¯s face darkens. She pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something and looked down. Ray closed his mouth. Did he understand what Misa was thinking? After a few seconds of silence, he speaks. ¡°Misa-san.¡± (Ray) At that moment Misa drank the glass of Dimira in one go. Ray looked taken aback. ¡°¡­..Errm, are you okay drinking that much in one go¡­.?¡± (Ray) Misa stood up vigorously as Ray looked at her anxiously. Her face was pale. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry but¡­¡­I really shouldn¡¯t drink after all¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa held her hand over her mouth and ran outside. Chapter 110.1 ¡°I¡¯m going to check on her.¡± Ray said before quickly following after Misa. ¡°Is she okay?¡± Eleonor mutters. ¡°She¡¯s fine. The liquor didn¡¯t suit her that¡¯s all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nee Arnos what happened to Misa?¡± Sasha said to me while nursing a glass of demon king sake. ¡°The liquor hit her a bit too hard. She¡¯s fine, Ray¡¯s gone after her.¡± (Arnos) Sasha gulps her demon king sake. ¡°I¡¯m worried. Should I go check on her?¡± (Sasha) She¡¯s still drunk. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Rays gone.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nee Misha, aren¡¯t you worried?¡± (Sasha) Sasha sticks to Misha and coils around her. ¡°¡­.More worried about Sasha¡­..¡± (Misha) Misha¡¯s also drunk but she¡¯s in a much better state than Sasha. ¡°I¡¯m still worried. I¡¯m going to take a look.¡± (Sasha) Apparently, she hasn¡¯t listened to anyone at all and heads for the door. ¡°Wait. Where do you think you¡¯re going with those unsteady steps?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m not that drunk.¡± (Sasha) With a smack, Sasha hits her head off the door. ¡°¡­¡­It hurts¡­..¡± (Sasha) Sasha crouches down cradling her head. After a couple of minutes, she stands back up. Has her pain gone? ¡°I¡¯ve recovered. I¡¯m going now.¡± (Sasha) A noisy sound can be heard. Sasha can¡¯t open the door. ¡°Eh? This doors not fit very well. It¡¯s stuck¡± (Sasha) ¡°The door won¡¯t open unless you turn the handle Sasha.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Oh¡­..¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s face goes even redder but with shame this time. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m drunk Arnos?¡± (Sasha) ¡°If you¡¯re not drunk then there are no drunks in this world at all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m drunk?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Walk straight then.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Fine. That much is nothing. Please look!¡± (Sasha) Sasha walks in a perfectly straight line. So much so you wonder where her earlier tottering steps went. Sadly she ruins it by banging her head off the door again and crouching down in pain. I thought this might have made her understand but she stood up as if nothing had happened and smiled gracefully. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± (Arnos) ¡°You¡¯re totally drunk Sasha-chan.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor delivers a straight jab and Misha nods. ¡°Uuu¡­¡­ Why? I¡¯m fine but everyone¡¯s treating my like I¡¯m drunk. I¡¯m worried about Misa so I¡¯m going to check.¡± (Sasha) Sasha faces the door. ¡°Stand aside. Why are you obstructing me? Aren¡¯t you worried about Misa?¡± (Sasha) Sasha talks to the door in a serious tone. ¡°Are you a door?¡± (Sasha) It¡¯s a door. ¡°Say something.¡± (Sasha) The door remains silent. ¡°Sober up Sasha?¡± (Misha) Misha offers her detoxification magic. ¡°What? Tonight¡¯s a free for all party. I¡¯m drunk and in a good mood. I don¡¯t want to dampen this feeling. I might feel a bit better with a bit of fresh air though.¡± (Sasha) I stand up and walk over to Sasha. ¡°Sasha.¡± (Arnos) I call out to Sasha and her eyes fill with tears. ¡°Uuu¡­..Arnos¡­.. this door fellow is being stubborn. I¡¯m worried about Misa but he won¡¯t let me through¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll sort it.¡± (Arnos) I open the door. ¡°It opened.¡± Sasha says happily before jumping out of the house. ¡°Don¡¯t run or you¡¯ll fall over.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I won¡¯t fall over. I¡¯m not a child.¡± (Sasha) Sasha immediately falls over before looking up with tears in her eyes again. ¡°Uuu¡­¡­Arnos¡­¡­ The ground just jumped up and attacked me.¡± (Sasha) ¡°There are many enemies outside so don¡¯t let go of my hand.¡± (Arnos) I hold my hand out to the fallen Sasha. ¡°Yes.¡± (Sasha) *Fufuu* Sasha laughs and takes my hand before tightly clinging to my arm. ¡°Where¡¯s Misa?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Close.¡± (Arnos) I follow Misa¡¯s magic power and it leads to my garden. Similar to last time Misa is sitting at the root of the tree while Ray stands beside her. ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..Yes. I¡¯m sorry I surprised you¡­¡­ It really didn¡¯t suit me after all¡­.. I thought it wouldn¡¯t¡­.. ahaha¡­..¡± Misa laughs weakly. ¡°But I felt like drinking.¡± (Misa) She hugs her knees while staring at the ground. ¡°¡­..Your previous life 2000 years ago¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa buries her face in her knees. ¡°You remembered it all didn¡¯t you Ray-san?¡± (Misa) After a brief silence, Ray speaks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I lied.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­¡­I was happy when Ray-san gave me half of the necklace¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa picks up the necklace. ¡°Will you tell me the truth?¡± (Misa) ¡°About 2000 years ago?¡± (Ray) Misa shakes her head. ¡°About Ray-san. I already know the answer but I want to hear it from your mouth Ray-san.¡± (Misa) She stares at the shellfish necklace. ¡°¡­.You thought you were going to die Ray-san¡­..¡± (Misa) Chapter 110.2 Ray started to say something then closed his mouth. ¡°At that time did you intend to say goodbye to me¡­..?¡± (Misa) ¡°¡­.Yeah¡­.¡± (Ray) Ray looks up at the night sky in thought. The moon shone brightly nestled amongst the clouds. ¡°I was going to die for peace. As a hero I had to settle the war that had been going on for 2000 years. I was prepared and didn¡¯t intend to leave any regrets behind. However¡­¡­¡± (Ray) Ray strongly clenches his fist. ¡°I wanted to see you again.¡± (Ray) Ray looks at Misa. ¡°If we were reborn together I wanted to make you happy.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­.Ray-san¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa looked sad as she looked at Ray. ¡°¡­¡­.Happiness in the afterlife? I don¡¯t need that¡­..¡± (Misa) Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to make me happy. I fell in love with Ray-san and wanted to be near you no matter what¡¯s happening and whatever the situation is. (Misa) Misa appeals to him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take me with you?¡± (Misa) Ray¡¯s at a loss for words but doesn¡¯t break his gaze with Misa. ¡°¡­.You had nothing to do with that 2000-year-old war¡­¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t drag you into in my circumstances¡­.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­.I never considered myself dragged in at all¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Misa clearly informs him. ¡°So if I had a heavy fate like Ray-san or Arnos-sama should I say that Ray-san has nothing to do with me?¡± (Misa) Ray shook his head. ¡°¡­¡­I would definitely help you.¡± (Ray) With a clear tone, Ray strengthens his voice and continues. ¡°No matter where you are or what happens I¡¯ll help you.¡± (Ray) ¡°I¡¯m also the same. Unlike Ray-san I have no power, however, even if you are a 2000-year-old hero willing to die for a 2000-year-old war I¡¯m willing to fight with you.¡± (Misa) ¡°¡­..You could die.¡± (Ray) Misa laughs and smiles sweetly at him. ¡°What would you do when the person you love is about to die but you¡¯re afraid to die yourself?¡± (Misa) Ray¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°What?¡­¡­ Maybe I¡¯m just being stupid but Ray-san was going to die and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it nor did I have the strength or the trust from you to tell me. I only found out after the fact. That made me a little bit sad¡­..¡± (Misa) Misa expresses her feelings of frustration. ¡°What do you think the most important thing is Ray-san?¡± (Misa) ¡°¡­.When you can laugh from the very bottom of your heart and no one is threatening you. I think that¡¯s real freedom.¡± (Ray) ¡°My freedom is being near Ray-san.¡± (Misa) Eyes filled with both strength and kindness stare at Ray. ¡°Please don¡¯t take that away from me.¡± (Misa) Ray nods. ¡°I promise.¡± (Ray) Misa laughs in satisfaction. ¡°Will you sit?¡± (Misa) Patting the ground next to her Ray sits down. ¡°I thought you were angry.¡± Ray says quietly. ¡°Me? Oh I am angry. Angry because you didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± (Misa) Misa teases him. ¡°What Ray-san wished for and worked so hard for for 2000 years was peace. I don¡¯t think that feeling is wrong so the only thing I¡¯m angry about is the fact you didn¡¯t tell me.¡± (Misa) ¡°Sorry.¡± (Ray) ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you anymore okay? You came back.¡± (Misa) ¡°What if I didn¡¯t come back?¡± (Ray) Misa thought about it a little before answering. ¡°I¡¯d make sure to beat you to a pulp in the next life.¡± (Misa) Misa laughs while Ray smiles wryly. ¡°Misa.¡± (Ray) ¡°Eh?¡± (Misa) Misa stared at Ray in surprise as he called her by her name with no honorifics. ¡°I love you even more than I did before.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ah¡­.¡± (Misa) Misa looks down shyly. ¡°Me too¡­¡­.. All this time¡­¡­. I¡¯ve been in love with you Ray-san.¡± (Misa) Ray gently puts his hand over Misa¡¯s ¡°Wa¡­was it like this at that time?¡± (Misa) ¡°Before going to war?¡± (Ray) ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± (Misa) Ray and Misa are both absorbed in each others eyes. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m a little bit worried about what¡¯s going to happen from now on.¡± (Misa) ¡°Nothings going to happen anymore.¡± (Ray) ¡°Really¡­.?¡± (Misa) ¡°Shall I prove it?¡± (Ray) Misa nods slightly and closes her eyes. Their hands move and they intertwine their fingers. ¡°I love you.¡± (Ray) ¡°I love you too.¡± (Misa) They keep whispering I love you to each other before Ray slowly approaches Misa and his lips overlap her pale red ones. The moon came out from behind the clouds to softly bless the couple. Chapter 111.1 A while later¡ª¡ª¨C The postwar clean-up between Azeshion and Deiruheido was completed so the demon king academy that had been closed was now reopened. Upon entering the second classroom I was wrapped up in a strangely nostalgic atmosphere. As I take my seat Sasha who¡¯s next to me speaks up. ¡°Morning.¡± (Sasha) I look at her face. ¡°Wha¡­.what¡­.? What are you looking at?¡± (Sasha) Sasha covers her face with both arms to hide from my view. ¡°You¡¯ve got new hair ribbons.¡± (Arnos) The ribbons she ties her twin tails with are different to the usual ones. ¡°¡­¡­Well noticed¡­¡­¡± ¡°My demon eyes aren¡¯t that cloudy where they won¡¯t notice the equipment of my subordinates.¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s eyes look a little disappointed. ¡°Can you not call it equipment?¡± (Sasha) Sasha turns away in a huff, however, from the back she seems to be in a good mood. ¡°Sasha is shy because Arnos noticed.¡± Misha says from the seat to my other side. ¡°The hair ribbons?¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°I see. If that made you happy Sasha then why not say?¡± (Arnos) ¡°What are you saying? And don¡¯t go saying weird things either Misha.¡± (Sasha) Misha blinks a couple of times and looks at me. ¡°I got scolded.¡± (Misha) ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. She¡¯s always noisy over something.¡± (Arnos) Sasha glares at me with an offended expression. ¡°Hey Arnos. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You saying I flare up needlessly?¡± (Sasha) ¡°If you don¡¯t then why not try being honest Sasha? You won¡¯t get what you want if you don¡¯t.¡± (Arnos) Sasha falls silent for a moment. ¡°¡­..What do you mean when you say what I want¡­..?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Did you think I hadn¡¯t noticed?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Eh¡­¡­..ah¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡± (Arnos) Sasha blushes, turns her eyes away and looks down. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..I want it¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) I pointed to her hair ribbon. ¡°The material is silk and not just any silk. Its the Konginu silk (dark silk) expelled by the twilight gecko that only spits out the thread while it¡¯s twilight. They are a remnant from 2000 years ago. It was probably produced in the western Arileo region that has its origins in silk clothing. The silk is strong and it¡¯s easy to apply reinforcement magic to. Due to that, it was useful during the war but since there has been a long period of peace the techniques were probably converted to ornamental and accessory use. Is dying things using magic a product of this era? It¡¯s a dark colour when viewed with demon eyes but its not bad. I¡¯d rate it somewhere in the lower middle overall.¡± (Arnos) Sasha had been looking at me with a straight, serious face since halfway through. It¡¯s a different reaction to what I was expecting. I turn to Misha. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.It¡¯s not good to notice too much¡­..¡± (Misha) Fumu. Is that so? ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happy.¡± (Arnos) *Fufu* laughter leaks from my neighbour. ¡°I¡¯m not happy with it. Study peace more demon king-sama.¡± (Sasha) Sasha pokes fun at me. It¡¯s strange. Overall she still seems happy. ¡°Morning.¡± (Ray) ¡°Good morning!¡± (Misa) Ray and Misa enter and take their seats. ¡°I see you two are brazenly coming to school together.¡± Sasha says in a low voice. ¡°Eh? Ah, no you¡¯re wrong. We just met by chance.¡± (Misa) Misa quickly makes an excuse. ¡°Hmph. By chance huh.¡± (Sasha) ¡°That reminds me Arnos-sama. What happened to Eleonor-san and Zeshia-san since then?¡± (Misa) Misa forcibly changes the topic. ¡°Aah. Well, I thought about it in various ways an¡ª¡± (Arnos) Just then the bell signalling the start of lessons rang out. The door opens and Menou enters followed by 2 girls. ¡°There¡¯s your answer.¡± (Arnos) Misa looks over and there is Eleonor and Zeshia wearing the hero academy uniform. Apparently, Zeshia is 10 years old and this is the Zeshia that asked me to help [Mama]. Apart from this Zeshia, the rest would find it difficult to adapt to academy life so they are being looked after in a different way. ¡°Yes yes everyone take your seats. I¡¯m going to introduce two academy exchange students but I¡¯m sure everyone already knows who they are.¡± (Menou) Chapter 111.2 Eleonor smiles. ¡°I¡¯m Eleonor Bianca from the hero academy.¡± (Eleonor) Even though Eleonor had introduced herself Zeshia was looking around restlessly as if she didn¡¯t understand where she was. ¡°This child is Zeshia Bianca. She doesn¡¯t speak much but she understands perfectly fine. C¡¯mon Zeshia, say hello.¡± (Eleonor) After being told by Eleonor Zeshia faces the students. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­¡­Zeshia Bianca¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) She bows her head. The students start being noisy at the sight of these two people. ¡°Hero academy?¡­¡­ Are we still doing an exchange¡­.?¡± ¡°Aah¡­. Didn¡¯t Azeshion start the war?¡± ¡°Thanks to the demon king of tyranny the war was soon over but is now the time for an exchange?¡± Menou sternly responded to the students talking like that. ¡°I understand everyone¡¯s anxiety. Deiruheido and Azeshion just went to war after all, however, that was the plot of Diego Ijeishka the former headteacher of the hero academy. Not all humans had hostility towards the mazoku though.¡± (Menou) This has already been communicated to the people of Deiruheido. Since the war never reached any cities hardly anyone had the feeling that there had even been a war at all so many people happily accepted it. It¡¯s a bit different with the students here though since they had been imprisoned in the hero academy dormitories until the war had ended. Due to that some of them might find it hard to accept. ¡°Azeshion offered this exchange in a show of friendship towards Deiruheido again and that is why Deruzogedo decided to accept Eleonor-san and Zeshia-san.¡± (Menou) Some of the students still show dissatisfaction with Menou¡¯s explanation. ¡°¡­..Even if you say that, trust doesn¡¯t come that easily¡­¡­¡± ¡°They just made that Deigo guy look bad because they lost the war. It doesn¡¯t alter the fact the whole hero academy tried to start a war.¡± ¡°How do we know its just the academy? It could be the whole of Azeshion.¡± ¡°Yeah, I mean who said I would like to continue the academy exchange?¡± ¡°Aah, they insulted the demon king of tyranny. I don¡¯t think we can easily interact with each other.¡± ¡°As a member of the royals how can I accept someone who insults the founder?¡± It seems many of the royals are complaining, though rather than the whole of Azeshion it seems its the hero academy they mainly have issues with. ¡°Yes yes, I understand everyone¡¯s dissatisfaction an¡ª¡± (Menou) ¡°Hahaha.¡± Laughter echoes in the classroom. A tall man was standing in the doorway of the classroom looking in. He was a delicate-looking man with purple hair and eyes wearing a teachers robe though the robes were white which was unusual since it meant he wasn¡¯t a royal. This man is even older than the seven elder demon emperors. His face is known to me though I didn¡¯t hear anything about him coming. Also¡­¡­ ¡°You guys are funny.¡± The man walks to the podium. ¡°Aah, you can both sit down now.¡± At his words, Eleonor and Zeshia come over to me and take the two free seats behind me. ¡°Thanks for your help Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°You¡¯ve already thanked me once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°*Giggle* I can say it as much as I want. My best regards going forward.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Aah.¡± (Arnos) While answering Eleonor I was watching the man on the podium. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eleonor asks me with a curious voice. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± (Arnos) Menou goes to the blackboard and starts writing. ¡°As it stands the academy exchange is going forward. I know you¡¯re dissatisfied but they had nothing to do with it. If you actually spend the time and talk to them I think you¡¯ll find that Eleonor-san isn¡¯t someone who makes trouble.¡± (Menou) Menou finishes writing on the board. ¡ªEldomade Ditijon¡ª ¡°Well then, one more introduction for you all. I said before you¡¯d be getting a new teacher and they¡¯ve finally come.¡± (Menou) The man steps forward. ¡°I¡¯m Eldomade and I¡¯ll be granting knowledge to those of you who are ignorant about 2000 years ago.¡± (Eldomade) The students frown at his arrogant words. ¡°An incompetent teacher who¡¯s not a royal¡­¡­.¡± One of the students quietly mutters this and Menou quickly speaks up. ¡°Eldomade sensei is an excellent person and there¡¯s a reason he¡¯s not a member of the royalty. Sensei is a mazoku born even before the seven elder demon emperors. He both competed against and cooperated with the demon king of tyranny during the great war 2000 years ago. This person fought for the mazoku. I think you¡¯ll find the knowledge and magic of sensei to be very useful.¡± (Menou) The student¡¯s reaction is dull to the words of Menou. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the shallowness of you guys.¡± Eldomade says while looking down on the students. ¡°First of all, it was the demon king of tyranny that decided on this academy exchange.¡± (Eldomade) The students become noisy. ¡°And another thing. His name is not Avos Dillheavia. It¡¯s partly the fault of Deiruheido but that name and legend has been passed on by mistake.¡± (Eldomade) The students get even noisier. ¡°Finally, the reincarnated demon king is here in this classroom.¡± (Eldomade) ¡°Haaa!?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t think he is¡­¡­¡± Eldomade turned his gaze to me while the students complained. ¡°Yo, it¡¯s been a while. Your reincarnation seems to have gone well demon king Arnos Voldigod.¡± Chapter 112.1 At Eldomade¡¯s words, the classroom erupted into noise. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good to criticise the royals.¡± This was mixed in with other voices saying. ¡°It¡¯s come.¡± ¡°Arnos-sama¡¯s era has come.¡± ¡°Arnos-sama¡¯s legend is rising.¡± The classroom descended into chaos. A male student stood up and banged his desk. It¡¯s probably one of the royals. ¡°Wait a minute. Even if you are a teacher I can¡¯t let that go. Are you saying the demon king of tyranny is Arnos? He is the only person branded as inept in the whole academy. You must know the aptitude tests are there to determine the identity of the demon king of tyranny right?¡± The student from the royal faction made a logical statement. ¡°Good grief sensei. You might belong to the unification faction but don¡¯t teach your students false information!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t this an abuse of power?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of a sensei that wears the white clothes. I don¡¯t know if you are a 2000-year-old mazoku or not but the issues caused by you elder mazoku have been left behind.¡± The criticism from the royal faction comes thick and fast but when Menou starts to say something Eldomade stops her. ¡°Such ignorance.¡± Eldomade spits his words out. ¡°What is wrong is the history of the mazoku and the teachings of the demon king academy. The mazoku from 2000 years ago deliberately lied to protect the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Eldomade) The royals are of course sceptical. ¡°Even in your ignorance, the war we just had between Deiruheido and Azeshion must still be fresh in your memories. Azeshion was planning to destroy the reborn demon king of tyranny even after 2000 years. The mazoku created a fake demon king of tyranny to protect him. It¡¯s more complicated than that though so I¡¯ll finish there.¡± (Eldomade) Eldomade strongly speaks his factual words. ¡°That fake demon kings name was Avos Dillheavia which you all believed until today.¡± (Eldomade) Various emotions float around the room. Some brushed it off, some got angry and some laughed and snorted. The reactions were varied but the common theme was the royal students didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°The real demon king Arnos Voldigod was branded inept so even if he was discovered no one would believe it. It worked out very well and thanks to you royals, in particular, the humans never found out. Since the mastermind over on the Azeshion side was destroyed there¡¯s no need to hide the demon king anymore.¡± (Eldomade) Eldomade deploys a magic formation. ¡°Open your eyes and see reality. The one you have branded as inept is the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Eldomade) It was a Eldomade deployed. It stated that every word Eldomade had just spoken was the truth and the price of breaking this contract was the user¡¯s life. It had been signed by many famous mazoku as well. Particularly notable names on the list were all of the old seven demon emperors. ¡°Oi¡­.wait. That has been signed. Look. Melheys-sama, Aivis-sama¡­..Idol-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°All the old seven demon emperors have signed!¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be a lie¡­.. but the old seven demon emperors have signed it?¡± ¡°Impossible! This is impossible. That fellow is an inept white clothes¡­¡­!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not noble like us¡­¡­¡± Eldomade turned to me again. ¡°Arnos Voldigod.¡± (Eldomade) He pointed to the podium at the front. ¡°Here.¡± (Eldomade) Fumu. What¡¯s he planning? I stood up and walked over to the platform. ¡°Disappear.¡± (Eldomade) When Eldomade spoke all the chairs and desks in the classroom disappeared. The students who were sitting down managed to remain upright just about and regained their posture. ¡°I¡¯m not a subordinate of the demon king but I must say your behaviour is intolerable. It shows just how peaceful these times are.¡± (Eldomade) The girls in the fan union react immediately and kneel on the spot. Then Sasha, Misha, Ray and Misa also kneel. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eldomade says to the students who are standing there dumbfounded and unable to comprehend the current situation. ¡°You¡¯re in the presence of the demon king yet your heads are still high.¡± (Eldomade) Menou reacts to his words and kneels in front of me. She meets my eyes and whispers ¡°I heard everything from Melheys-sama.¡± (Menou) Because Menou knelt other students also followed suit. The only people left standing are the royals. The very reality they believed in right up to today has been upset. Of course they won¡¯t be able to easily accept it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you kneeling? Are you willing to commit treason against the demon king of tyranny?¡± Eldomade addresses the standing students. ¡°¡­N¡­no¡­..but¡­¡­everything that has been taught to us up to now¡­.¡± ¡°Ignorant man. I¡¯ve already told you it was a lie.¡± (Eldomade) Chapter 112.2 ¡°But having to suddenly believe it just because someone tells us its a lie¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant.¡± Eldomade flatly rejects the student¡¯s words. ¡°Everything is an illusion. You royals are not noble and irreplaceable. You have no privilege. The demon king believes those under his command are all equal.¡± (Eldomade) The student strongly grits his teeth. ¡°The curtain already came down long ago. As for the position known as royalty, that fictitious organisation will not be necessary for Deiruheido in the future either. There¡¯s nothing more ridiculous than still playing your role when the play is over is there? Hmm?¡± (Eldomade) The students look down in frustration but they couldn¡¯t escape the signed . They can¡¯t argue against the old seven demon emperors since the activities of the royals have always been supported by them. They slowly knelt in place their faces stained with humiliation and their hands and feet shaking. ¡°Your words.¡± (Eldomade) ¡°I guess.¡± (Arnos) I pointed with my finger and drew as many magic circles as there were students in the room. The chairs and desks that had disappeared earlier reappeared. ¡°Anyway, sit down.¡± (Arnos) The students were puzzled by my words. ¡°Deiruheido is peaceful now. There¡¯s no longer any need for the demon king of tyranny. If you want to recognise me then do so. If you don¡¯t then don¡¯t. Everyone should live as they like and this age is perfect for that. Let your beliefs alone be your master.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes Arnos-sama!!¡± The students raise their voices. My fan club played a key role but other students also raised their voices. The white-clothed students had faces that were free of any anxiety but in comparison, the royals had bitter expressions on their faces. Well, whatever. It can¡¯t be helped. The only thing Kanon told the mazoku in Deiruheido was the demon king would be reborn into a noble family. Unfortunately, they took that story and turned their society into one that valued blood and lineage giving special privileges to those that had it. The only reason the old seven demon emperors called themselves royals was so they could stand at the top of it and put at least some minimal restraints on the royals to stop them going too far overboard. The humiliation and anguish they are feeling is nothing but the result of their own ugly emotions. From now on whenever the history of the mazoku is corrected they will suffer but that is a natural consequence of their own self-made actions. The only choice they have is to overcome it themselves. ¡°You will all notice from now on that history will be corrected. I don¡¯t dare say this how I normally would but even so I need to make one correction.¡± (Arnos) I don¡¯t know if my words will reach them but I have to say it. ¡°My blood was never precious. It¡¯s the same as any other mazoku. There¡¯s no precious power in it. If its said there is then it dwells in my heart. Your thoughts and beliefs determine how noble your power is. Polish your heart and mind. Become troubled, lost and confused. What you call precious and honourable will never be obtained while sitting still.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes Arnos-sama!!¡± The royals look humiliated and can only stare at the floor. ¡°It¡¯s not unusual to believe something false. Though the scale is huge this situation is the same. Don¡¯t entrust your beliefs and values to others otherwise, you can easily find yourself undermined. Live as a mazoku and not as a royal or a mixed race.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes Arnos-sama!!¡± ¡°So as I said earlier sit down. I¡¯m just a student now.¡± (Arnos) The students finally rise to their feet as do Ray, Misha, Sasha and Misa. ¡°Right. Everyone pull yourselves together. Eldomade sensei will be teaching this class from now on. If any of you have any questions from our previous lessons please come to the 3rd year classroom. Also¡­.¡± (Menou) Menou¡¯s eyes meet mine. ¡°Errm¡­.Arnos-sama¡­..?¡± (Menou) ¡°Act like you always did. Even back then I never forced my subordinates to use honorifics.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Then will Arnos-kun still be attending classes?¡± (Menou) I turn my eyes to Eldomade but he¡¯s expressionless and I can¡¯t understand what he¡¯s thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing better to do so I¡¯ll enjoy the peace for a while longer.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Understood.¡± (Menou) Menou turned back to the students. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to be difficult for everyone but please do your best. If I¡¯m good enough for you then you can consult with me anytime. Oh and one final thing. The announcement about the demon king of tyranny is going out to all of Deiruheido soon but its a secret until then. Bye.¡± (Menou) Menou leaves the classroom. ¡°Then as she said the class is now started. If you would like to return to your seat demon king of tyranny.¡± (Eldomade) I turn to him. ¡°Fire death king Eldomade. Why did you come to the demon king academy?¡± (Arnos) (1) ¡°It was purely a whim.¡± (Eldomade) ¡°I see.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ve understood all too well. I move towards my seat and slowly pass Eldomade. ¡°That¡¯s a very poor disguise Nousgalia.¡± (Arnos) He doesn¡¯t break his expression at all. ¡°What¡¯s a god doing here hijacking a mazoku body?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Take your seat demon king of tyranny and I¡¯ll teach you directly.¡± (Eldomade) (1) His title directly means kindling fire death king but the author used all the onyomi readings for it which gives us Shishiou which means lion so hence the beast king/king of the beasts. Chapter 113.1 I look at Nousgalia with my demon eyes but there¡¯s no suspicious movement with his magic power. At the moment at least it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s preparing to do anything. ¡°Has the gods world changed as well these last 2000 years?¡± (Arnos) ¡°The world of the gods is always in order. Both now and 2000 years ago.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia didn¡¯t get worked up over my words and responded normally. I don¡¯t feel any hostility from him but I can¡¯t let my guard down. He wouldn¡¯t have taken over Eldomade¡¯s body and become a homeroom teacher here for no reason. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± (Arnos) I warn him and head back to my seat. I never take my eyes off him since I still don¡¯t know why he¡¯s here. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s begin the class.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia spreads his arms in an exaggerated manner. ¡°There is order in this world.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia¡¯s solemn voice spreads throughout the room ¡°The world is the world but it is also one of reason. Why is a bird a bird? Why is a mazoku a mazoku? The blessed rain descends from heaven enriches the ground and plant life comes forth. If I draw a magic formation and add my magic to it light springs forth. These are called natural law and magic law and it is these laws that bring order to the world.¡± (Nousgalia) His clear and confident voice fills the room. ¡°And the existences that maintain and embody that order are the higher existences known as the gods.¡± (Nousgalia) All the students are listening to him with a dumbfounded look on their faces. ¡°In the great war 2000 years ago the demon king of tyranny fought against the gods. Arnos Voldigod wanted to overturn the divine order. He desired the god¡¯s miracles. The world started to go wild. Mazoku died, humans died and spirits disappeared. To halt the destruction of the world the power that was used to change the very order of the world itself was needed. The demon king searched for that miracle and took it.¡± (Nousgalia) Fumu. What a nostalgic story. ¡°That miracle is this very demon king castle Deruzogedo. In the age of myths, in the country of the gods in the far off heavens was the god of destruction Aberniyu which lighted up the world with the order of destruction. The demon king made them fall to the ground and overwrote the name of god and so was one of the world orders lost.¡± (Nousgalia) In the age of myths, the god of destruction Aberniyu was the main cause of all death and destruction. That is why I defeated them first. ¡°All things without exception must eventually lead to destruction, however, because the demon king stole that order the destruction of the world has been limited. Those that should have died did not die, those that should have brought about ruin did not and thus was the natural law disturbed. Other gods stepped in to compensate for it but the order was not completely restored. The result is what we have now 2000 years later.¡± (Nousgalia) Resurrection and Origin Regeneration became magics with a high probability of success due to the god of destruction Aberniyu becoming Deruzogedo. Because I didn¡¯t want the great interference power of Aberniyu to affect the world I changed it with my magic and named it the principle destroying sword . Taking away the order of destruction made it harder for humans and mazoku to die. The orderly balance between life and death was tilted slightly towards life, giving more hope to the world. ¡°The mazoku have multiplied more than the order dictated and the humans have grown even more than that. Without destruction, there can be no new life. In order to protect his own people, the demon king took away the possibility of any new races being born. That is the reason Arnos Voldigod was called the demon king of tyranny even by the gods.¡± (Nousgalia) That is why all the gods know my name though the ones who¡¯s order I directly affect take more notice of me. ¡°At this rate the order of the world will carry on being disturbed. As we speak new life continues to be destroyed before it is even born. Because of this, the gods decided to create a new order to destroy the demon king of tyranny.¡± (Nousgalia) Didn¡¯t you say something about this 2000 years ago? If they wanted to they could have destroyed all my decedents but the loss of Aberniyu meant they could no longer do this. Gods are order. They have tremendous power but on the other hand, they cannot deviate from their own order. I knew this when I reincarnated of course. ¡°¡­¡­How to put this? Sensei, aren¡¯t you crazy?¡± One of the royals spoke up. ¡°Aah. Going on about gods all of a sudden.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the mention of gods in some of the history books dating back to the age of myths but they are nothing more than fairy tales.¡± ¡°Yeah, they are stories made up to praise the demon king of tyranny. It¡¯s a story every child is taught.¡± Fumu. I see. Certainly, in this day and age, the gods hardly ever appear. Misha and Sasha were certainly surprised when they met the god of time. It¡¯s no surprise the students are acting this way though back in the age of myths the gods appeared a lot. They kept coming out of the woodwork and popping up. ¡°If there¡¯s gods then you¡¯re going to have to bring one out first.¡± ¡°Aah though that¡¯s impossible hahaha!¡± The royals are all laughing loudly. Is this to help them clear their pent-up anger at having to recognise me as the demon king? ¡°I am granting knowledge to those of you who are ignorant.¡± (Nousgalia) The miracle of a god dwells in Nousgalias words. ¡°I am Nousgalia the heavenly father. The order that gives birth to the gods. The father of the gods.¡± (Nousgalia) The royal students stare at Nousgalia in astonishment as if they suddenly realised something. ¡°¡­..A god¡­¡­.. There¡¯s really one here.¡± ¡°¡­.I can¡¯t believe it¡­. why here in this academy¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­.Dunno¡­¡­ Arnos is the demon king of tyranny and sensei is a god. What¡¯s even happening¡­..?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Eldomade sensei a mazoku from 2000 years ago? What¡¯s this sky father Nousgalia thing all about?¡± Fumu. This is a bit pitiable. If you don¡¯t know anything its hard to follow the situation. ¡°Aah you mazoku over there. Don¡¯t be so hostile. You won¡¯t get away with disobeying god just because you think you can.¡± (Nousgalia) At that moment. ¡°¡­..Uuu¡­..gaaaa¡­¡­..!!¡± The royal students grabbed their throats all at once. ¡°¡­.Can¡¯t¡­¡­. breathe¡­¡­¡± Chapter 113.2 ¡°Ah¡­.uu¡­.ah¡­..a¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­.He¡­.lp¡­¡­..¡± Nousgalia glanced at the students that had fallen down with disinterest. ¡°Let me grant you the wisdom of god. Demon king of tyranny Arnos Voldigod. The new child of god is a new order. The order of your destruction wh¡ª¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°I¡¯m in this academy.¡± (Ray) While still sitting down Ray summons Sigshesta and grasps its hilt. Sasha and Misha turned their demon eyes on Nousgalia as well. I raise a hand to stop them and stand up slowly. ¡°That was foolishly honest of you to come all this way to tell me that.¡± (Arnos) I stand in front of Nousgalia and shield the students from him. ¡°But it certainly wasn¡¯t from the kindness of your heart. What are you plotting?¡± (Arnos) ¡°In order to regain complete order in this world, my child is born.¡± (Nousgalia) That which doesn¡¯t change. The existences known as the gods. Even after 2000 years, I can still understand them. ¡°Overlook those guys. There¡¯s no benefit in killing them.¡± (Arnos) ¡°The order does not change by words. It is the law of nature they die. It is called the wrath of heaven.¡± (Nousgalia) I hold my hand up and magic characters form in the classroom spilling forth countless magic particles. A sword of shadow appears at my feet and floats in the air. ¡°Would you like to try it?¡± (Arnos) I pull out Venuzdonoa and a dark coloured longsword appears in my hand. ¡°Let me grant wisdom to you who are uncivilised. I am the father of the gods. The father of this worlds order. If I perish, even temporarily, there will be no order to sustain this world. If you destroy me then you destroy this world.¡± (Nousgalia) The gods are not eternal either. They disappear according to the order and new ones are created and the one who produces them is the heavenly father Nousgalia. ¡°You who controls the power of the god of destruction certainly has that power but you who also loves this world cannot destroy the world either.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°Fumu. Indeed.¡± (Arnos) I walk forward letting Venuzdonoa loosely dangle from my hand before quickly stabbing Nousgalia with it. ¡°¡­¡­!?¡± The guy being pierced by Venuzdonoa stares at me in amazement. ¡°¡­..Haha¡­.. What thoughtless behaviour. That¡¯s enough threatening me. Any more and you really will endanger the world.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± (Arnos) I increase my strength and push Venuzdonoa in even deeper. ¡°Guu¡­.ha¡­..¡± Blood overflows from the god¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­¡­Stop demon king of tyranny. God¡¯s command is absolute¡­..¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°I take orders from nobody. Not even the gods.¡± (Arnos) I put magic power into the sword and pierce his origin. ¡°¡­..What a thoughtless¡­.man. Are you going¡­.to destroy¡­.the world¡­.?¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°The thoughtless one is you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Gu¡­fuuu¡­.!¡± Venuzdonoa shines darkly and Nousgalia is further destroyed. ¡°You¡­can¡¯t¡­to a god. Destroying me who is the heavenly father¡­. demon king of tyranny. The order set by god¡­¡­ the world is destroyed because of you¡­..¡± (Nousgalia) I pull Venuzdonoa out of Nousgalia and for a moment that fellows body is covered in darkness. ¡°Get lost in the darkness of destruction and disappear.¡± (Arnos) The darkness burst and he disappeared from the spot. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d overlook you if you used the world as a shield?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 114.1 I swing Venuzdonoa downwards cleaning the blood off it. ¡°¡­.Haa¡­¡­haa¡­..my breathing¡­.¡± ¡°Are we saved¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­..Looks like it¡­..¡± ¡°Did that guy save us¡­..?¡± The students who could all breathe again looked at me. There¡¯s some complicated looks coming my way. Whatever. I don¡¯t need to concern myself with them right now. If the heavenly father is destroyed then the world¡¯s order will be disrupted and eventually the world will be destroyed. ¡°Origin Regeneration .¡± (Arnos) I regenerate Nousgalia¡¯s origin. When used against an enemy it doesn¡¯t matter that it¡¯s not the second time since it originates from my attack. The body of Eldomade that had disappeared reappears and he regains consciousness. ¡°See? You can¡¯t destroy me.¡± Nousgalia laughs proudly. ¡°You fool who spits on the heavens. Receive you punishment for betraying the order. Look upon the figure of God.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia speaks the words of God that cause miracles. His body is wrapped in a dazzling light, however, he soon c?o?c?k?s? an eyebrow and a puzzled expression appears on his face. All of a sudden the light settled down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Nousgalia? According to your words you were going to show me the figure of God.¡± (Arnos) I let go of Venuzdonoa to show my victory and cancel the three-dimensional magic formation. ¡°Or could it be perhaps you¡¯ve noticed that the origin of God is only at 10%?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Don¡¯t speak so rudely. Gods dignity is absolute.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia speaks but the power in his words is weaker than before. ¡°It was a mistake to parasitize Eldomade¡¯s body and origin. While you¡¯re in it you can survive with only 10% of your origin. The worlds order won¡¯t collapse either even with the heavenly father only having 10% of his origin. You are a god, an immortal. It will be easy for you to regenerate your origin but not while Venuzdonoa is around.¡± (Arnos) I made it so any magic used to restore his origin would only restore 10% so even when I used myself he only came back at 10%. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The world would be destroyed if you couldn¡¯t carry out your order so I made so you can just about restore order and do your duty.¡± (Arnos) Nousgalia glares at me. There was pure hatred in his eyes for me who destroys order. ¡°¡­.When did you learn to completely control the power of the god of destruction¡­.?¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°2000 years ago I could only destroy with it but now in these peaceful times I was able to overcome that weakness.¡± (Arnos) I laugh before continuing. ¡°How does it feel to have a worthless mazoku go easy on you heavenly father?¡± (Arnos) The mazoku in this era are weak so I¡¯ve been having to constantly keep control of my magic at all times but this has had the benefit of improving my precision and control. Instead of destroying the god and his order, I can do this which protects the world while taking the power of a god away. Gods are order and because of that, they can only act in accordance with the rules of their order. ¡°With that half-god, half-mazoku body try behaving yourself a bit while in my presence and this cla?s?s?.¡± (Arnos) I turn my back on Nousgalia and head back to my seat. ¡°You are a foolish one demon king of tyranny. Did you think you¡¯d taken the power of God away from me with this? The order of your destruction will be born soon. Your end was determined long ago by the gods.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°Oh? So was it also decreed by the gods that the god of destruction would fall into my hands and that you¡¯d become a fragment of your old self?¡± (Arnos) Nousgalia is lost for words for a moment. ¡°Remember Nousgalia. This is what we call being a sore loser in this world.¡± (Arnos) I sit down after speaking over my shoulder to Nousgalia. ¡°I know that god.¡± Ray says leaning forward in his seat. ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re about to say but go on.¡± (Arnos) ¡°He talked to Jerga-sensei about making origin magic.¡± (Ray) I see. Apparently, he wants me dead at all costs. I¡¯ve sealed his power for the time being but my troubles haven¡¯t gotten any less. Chapter 114.2 Unfortunately, the world would be destroyed if I killed him. I¡¯ll have to keep my eyes on him for a while. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the class.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia carries on like nothing happened. Whether he was plotting something or simply following the order imposed on him he continued the class in a normal manner. *After school* ¡°I never thought a god would come to this academy.¡± (Eleonor) Everyone¡¯s gathered at my desk. ¡°Why¡¯s that guy teaching normally after having his ass smacked by Arnos? I don¡¯t get it.¡± (Sasha) Its a fair question by Sasha. ¡°Aah? Don¡¯t you know Sasha-chan? That¡¯s how the gods are.¡± (Eleonor) Since she¡¯s an old magic Eleonor is familiar with the gods. When she was born the gods still appeared regularly. She herself was born with the help of a god. ¡°You mean they¡¯re all stupid?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It means their sense of values are very different to ours. The gods are order and as such, they act accordingly.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°So he taught because of his order?¡± (Misha) ¡°I think so yes.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°But how will teaching in the demon king academy maintain order?¡± Misa asks puzzled. ¡°The gods keep their promises even with humans and mazoku.¡± (Ray) ¡°I don¡¯t know what the reason is but it seems to be part of his order.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°In exchange for that body, he may have promised to teach in the demon king academy and appear in front of me.¡± (Arnos) If that is what happened then its good. It means I can tie him up here for a while. Of course, that may be what he wants, keeping my eyes focused here on him. ¡°He said there was a new child of god here in Deruzogedo.¡± Sasha tilted her head to one side while remembering. ¡°What does that mean though? If there was such a dangerous student here then wouldn¡¯t Arnos have noticed ages ago?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Didn¡¯t he say they were going to be born soon?¡± (Misa) ¡°It means the vessel for that child of god is already here for when it awakens.¡± (Arnos) It¡¯s puzzling that they waited for the fight with Azeshion to be over though. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better for the gods to have taken advantage of that turmoil? Why didn¡¯t they? ¡°He could also be teaching here in this academy to wake up the child of god.¡± (Arnos) The heavenly father maintains the order that governs a gods birth so it would make sense that¡¯s why he¡¯s here. ¡°Lie? Are they really here in this academy?¡± (Misha) ¡°Fumu. I suppose it could be a lie. He could be making me concentrate here in this academy while he wakes up the child of god elsewhere.¡± (Arnos) ¡°In either case, you should look for it and do something before it awakens.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Yeah. Because Nousgalia¡¯s order is the birth of gods he won¡¯t attack you directly, or more like he can¡¯t attack you.¡± (Ray) If you obstruct them in performing their duties that¡¯s not the case. If you disturb their order they will bury you without mercy. ¡°It¡¯s a different story though if its a god whose sole purpose is to destroy Arnos. All the gods are powerful but that gods power must be something else.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­.If its a god whose sole purpose is to destroy Arnos then they will be born with the power to do it¡­.. If they aren¡¯t then they are outside their order¡­..¡± (Eleonor) Everyone falls silent at Eleonor¡¯s words. ¡°Stop getting worried over the exaggerated words of that god. There¡¯s no one in this world who kills but can¡¯t be killed and who destroys but cant be destroyed.¡± (Arnos) The reason they who are the order of this world are going out of their way to come after me is because I¡¯m out of their control. They won¡¯t just go after random powerful mazoku for no reason. ¡°The gods cannot leave me alone. They are going to destroy me by giving birth to a new god because they know I will destroy the order they have created.¡± (Arnos) That means there¡¯s only one thing to do. I need to find this child of god and put them in their place. ¡°He went out of his way to pick a fight with me when all he had to do was keep quiet and stay out of sight. I¡¯ll make sure he regrets that to the fullest.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 115.1 Misha raises her small hand. ¡°How to find the child of God?¡± (Misha) Eleonor let out an *Ah* sound and all eyes focused on her. ¡°Ah, sorry. It¡¯s something else. I¡¯ve just had a arrive. Can I take it?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°No problem.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I won¡¯t be long.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor walks a short distance away from our group. ¡°Sorry for the wait Ledoriano-kun. What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Eleonor) A message from the hero academy? Is something wrong? ¡°Can¡¯t you find the child of God with your demon eyes Arnos?¡± (Ray) ¡°Possibly, if I meet them face to face and look into the abyss but that¡¯s impossible since we don¡¯t even know where to start. I can¡¯t see what isn¡¯t there after all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Then should we investigate the backgrounds of the student¡¯s and teachers? If the gods have done something then shouldn¡¯t there be a connection somewhere?¡± (Ray) ¡°That will take a lot of time but that¡¯s probably the best action to take.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯m not even sure they are in the academy but without any further clues, we¡¯ll have to investigate here. Hmm, I can feel someone staring at me. I turn around to see a male student in black clothes standing there. His badge is a six-pointed star and he¡¯s got strong magic power but he¡¯s suppressing it. No. Isn¡¯t it a bit too strong for a mazoku of this time? He¡¯s got curly hair and an intelligent looking face. I don¡¯t know him. He¡¯s certainly not a student of this class. ¡°Fang of the cursed shield.¡± Misha mutters. ¡°What does a member of the chaos generation want with Arnos Gerard?¡± Sasha says as she moves up and stands by my side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this offends you but I¡¯m not here for him. I¡¯m here for her.¡± (Gerard) The boy called Gerad kneels politely in front of Misa. ¡°Misa Iriologue-sama, I am Gerard Azrema and I serve your father. I am here today on my lord¡¯s orders.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± (Misa) Misa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°May I tell you more?¡± (Gerard) Misa nods though her face looks puzzled. ¡°The time has finally come and your father has sent for you. If you have any desire to see your father I hope you will come with me.¡± (Gerard) ¡°¡­¡­..Where to?¡± (Misa) ¡°I cannot say it here as my lord, your father has enemies. It cannot be known that you are his daughter.¡± (Gerard) Misa turns around and looks at me with eyes that are asking for permission. ¡°Did you say you were called Gerard? When did you reincarnate?¡± (Arnos) The male student looks at me with a guarded gaze. He seems to be cautious of me. ¡°No matter how much you are suppressing it, your magic is well beyond the level of the current mazoku. Are you going to carry on hiding it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­As expected of the demon king of tyranny. You saw right through it¡­.¡± (Gerard) While still kneeling Gerard bowed his head to me. ¡°After the war between Deiruheido and Azeshion ended my reincarnation finally completed and my memories and power returned to this body.¡± (Gerard) I see. ¡°I hope you understand that I was not conspiring against the demon king¡­..¡± (Gerard) ¡°Who is your master?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I cannot say.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Do you think you can stay silent in front of me?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­I am prepared to die¡­¡­¡± (Gerard) Fumu. Who¡¯s his lord that he can command so much loyalty? ¡°Arnos-sama¡­..¡± Misa appeals to me. I don¡¯t need to ask her how she feels about it. ¡°I¡¯m not that unreasonable as to deny my subordinates heartfelt wishes. Go ahead. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Thank you very much!¡± (Misa) Gerard stands up and addresses Misa. ¡°Then I shall guide you.¡± (Gerard) Gerad heads off to the entrance. ¡°Aah, wait Gerard. My subordinate will be in your care. You understand right?¡± (Arnos) Gerard turned around and bowed. ¡°Of course.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Then you¡¯ll also be taking another one. You won¡¯t even tell me who you really are so I don¡¯t think this demand is too unreasonable. Do you?¡± (Arnos) Gerard was silent for a moment before answering. ¡°I understand.¡± (Gerard) I turn around and look at Ray. ¡°I owe you one.¡± (Ray) ¡°Tell me a story when you get back.¡± (Arnos) Ray stands up and moves to follow Misa. ¡°Am I being a hindrance?¡± (Ray) *Fufufu* Misa leaks a small laugh. ¡°It¡¯s reassuring. I¡¯m very nervous after all.¡± (Misa) They both smile at each other. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Gerard) All three of them leave the classroom. ¡°Eh? Where¡¯s Misa-chan and Kanon gone? A date?¡± (Eleonor) Chapter 115.2 Eleonor finished her and came back over. ¡°They went to speak to Misa¡¯s father.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor seemed surprised. ¡°Wow¡­¡­ greeting the father¡­.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hang on Arnos. Your way of speaking just creates misunderstanding.¡± Sasha butts in. ¡°Ask Ray when he comes back if you¡¯re interested.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Oh I will.¡± (Eleonor) Sasha watches us in amazement. ¡°What did the hero academy want?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Oh yeah. Ledoriano-kun contacted me. It seems they found a troublesome magic tool left behind by Jerga. It seems to be a previous version of . They tried to dispose of it but they couldn¡¯t.¡± (Eleonor) An inheritance from Jerga? Did he prepare it just in case he was destroyed? ¡°Would it be best to destroy it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I believe so. It seems he¡¯s coming to Midheys so me and Zeshia will go with him first. If we can¡¯t do it can I ask you Arnos-kun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s many magic tools you can¡¯t destroy but feel free to ask me if you can¡¯t.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Thanks. Ah¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better to look for this child of God though?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What? Why? If the worst happens and the child of god awakens it¡¯s me they will come after anyway. Go and destroy that magic tool first.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I see. In that case I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll be as quick as I can. Let¡¯s go Zeshia.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor calls out to Zeshia who was listening to everything in silence. ¡°¡­¡­ Bye-bye¡­¡­. see you later¡­¡­¡± (Misha) Misha waved at Zeshia who waved back. Misha looked at me when those two left. ¡°Are you going to the union tower?¡± (Misha) I was going to ask Melheys about the post-war clean-up today and decide my future plans based on that. He¡¯s probably already in the union tower. While we¡¯re at it I¡¯ll have him gather information on the mazoku in the academy and how Eldomade became a teacher. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± (Arnos) I leave the classroom with Misha and Sasha. I send a to Menou to inform her about Nousgalia but it doesn¡¯t connect. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Misha) ¡°I tried to send Menou a but it won¡¯t connect.¡± (Arnos) I quickly scour the academy with my demon eyes but I can¡¯t find Menou¡¯s magic power anywhere. There was an unnatural place though. The 3rd year classroom that Menou is in charge of. Its concealed very well but the flow of magic is a bit off. ¡°Hold out your hands.¡± (Arnos) I hold out my hands and Misha and Sasha hold them. Using I arrive in front of the 3rd year classroom. Misha opens the door. It¡¯s empty inside with no one to be seen. ¡°¡­¡­..Dimensional prison ¡­..¡± Misha tells me while using her demon eyes. A room of magic created in another dimension so no one can enter from the outside. ¡°Shall I break it Arnos?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Go ahead.¡± (Arnos) Sasha stares at with her demon eyes of ruin. A sound similar to glass breaking rings out and pieces of magic power scatters everywhere before collapses. The figures of the 3rd year students fell down when the other dimension collapsed. ¡°¡­.Aah¡­..Arnos¡­¡­¡± Libest lets out a feeble voice. I approach him and apply recovery magic. ¡°¡­..Menou-sensei was kidnapped¡­¡­.¡± (Libest) ¡°By who?¡± (Arnos) ¡°A first-year. One of the chaos generation, Hard Sword Linka Seourunes¡­..¡± (Libest) Libest draws a magic formation. ¡°I cast Tracking on them and I¡¯m sure it hasn¡¯t been noticed yet¡­.¡± (Libest) . A magic that tracks the location of whoever you¡¯ve attached it to. If whoever has abducted Menou uses their demon eyes they¡¯ll see it though. They¡¯re very fast. Are they flying? ¡°They will be easy to catch but this is all very strange.¡± (Arnos) A messenger from Misa¡¯s father turns up, the hero academy discovers a magic tool left by Jerga and Menou is kidnapped. What¡¯re the chances of all this happening at the same time? ¡°¡­.Then Linka is the child of god¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°A diversion¡­?¡± (Misha) ¡°Is Nousgalia intending to do something when Arnos takes his eyes off the demon king academy?¡± (Sasha) Are some mazoku cooperating with this guy or did he deceive them with the body of the fire death king Eldomade? ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡± (Arnos) ¡°We¡¯ll go.¡± (Sasha) Misha nods in agreement. ¡°Be careful. They are skilful enough to seal the 3rd years including Libest and carry Menou off. If they are not the child of God then they are more than likely a mazoku from 2000 years ago.¡± (Arnos) ¡°We¡¯ll be okay.¡± (Misha) ¡°Who do you think we were trained by?¡± Sasha says while smiling. They hold hands, confirm the position of Menou using and cast . Chapter 116.1 After following Nousgalia¡¯s magic power I see that he¡¯s still in Deruzogedo in the teacher¡¯s offices and doesn¡¯t appear to be doing anything suspicious either. While monitoring the flow of magic in Deruzogedo I headed to the union tower. On my way I see the girls from the fan union practising their singing outside. They seem to have just finished and have gathered in a circle chatting. ¡°Does anyone have any ideas for a new song?¡± ¡°¡­..Hmm¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­.It¡¯s difficult¡­¡­¡± Unusually for them, they seem a bit depressed. ¡°It¡¯s just another new song but didn¡¯t Arnos-sama say it might be used in the ceremony for the demon kings second coming?¡± The ceremony is intended to let the whole of Deiruheido know that the demon king of tyranny has reincarnated and to show them who it is. The position of the demon king of tyranny is not needed now but I need the title to do one final task which is to break down the barriers between the royals and those with mixed blood. Being formal about things is important. It¡¯s necessary to stick to the formalities when telling people something important. Even if the words remain the same when they are delivered formally people will accept the appearance of the demon king of tyranny easier. I¡¯ll introduce a few things in the ceremony including the discrimination about bloodlines. Whether they are royals or half-spirit mazoku or half-human mazoku if they want to live in Deiruheido they will have to honour that and they will also be protected by the law. It won¡¯t happen immediately but eventually, Deiruheido will return to its original form and it will be richer and peaceful in the true meaning of the word. I¡¯ll do all I can to make it that way. If I¡¯m honest though, making that a reality will be far more troublesome than dealing with this god and his order. I can¡¯t just destroy them like I can my enemies after all. ¡°A song for the ceremony¡­.. Can we create and sing such an excellent song¡­..?¡± ¡°What would we do if we shamed Arnos-sama¡­¡­?¡± ¡°All of Deriuheido will hear us¡­¡­..¡± ¡°But we have to do our best. It¡¯s a big day for Arnos-sama and we can¡¯t hold him back¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I think a proper choir or a trained minstrel would be better than us¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.It¡¯s an important ceremony. If this succeeds then Deiruheido will improve and mixed bloods like us will no longer be separated from their families¡­..¡± ¡°Yeah¡­.¡± ¡°More than anything else this is for Arnos-sama. It¡¯s important we tell him that we can¡¯t do what we can¡¯t do.¡± Fumu. Looks like they are at an impasse. ¡°I have no intention of letting anyone else other than you guys sing at my ceremony.¡± (Arnos) The girls turn around and look at me in surprise. ¡°Ah, Arnos-sama.¡± ¡°Eh¡­errrm¡­..¡± They all start to kneel. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes!¡± The girls stand there trying to keep a good posture. ¡°You seem to have run into difficulties.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Yes. Singing at Arnos-sama¡¯s ceremony is a heavy thing for us¡­..¡± (Elen) Elen reveals her uneasiness to me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Arnos) The fan union girls all look at each other then one speaks up. ¡°This ceremony means a new beginning for Deiruheido where those with mixed blood can join hands with the royals. It¡¯s not old traditions or a strict formal song that¡¯s needed for this.¡± ¡°A new wind will be needed to destroy this congealed blood supremacy that currently infests Deiruheido.¡± (Arnos) My fan union stares at me with eager expressions. ¡°And only you can sing that song. Laugh at the trivial customs, practises and stereotypes that have infested this country with your song.¡± (Arnos) None of the fan union speak but they all nod. ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about the people of Deriuheido. Dedicate that song to me. I want to hear it. At that peaceful ceremony I want to hear your version of that peace.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes Arnos-sama!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of the noise around you. You are the songstresses whom I have recognised. I want your melody to reach even the heavens and knock the gods down.¡± (Arnos) I smile at them and watch as their hesitation completely disappears. They¡¯re strong. Their magic power is weak and they have the same problems as everyone else but that is the very reason their songs are so impactful. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± (Arnos) I walk away and the voices of those girls who have regained their spirit ring out. ¡°Oooooh! My enthusiasm has returned! Let¡¯s start practising the fifth Arnos-sama support song!¡± The pure and happy voices of those girls float upwards towards the blue sky as I open the door to the union tower. There¡¯s no one inside as I head up to the top floor where Melheys is waiting. Fumu. This is strange. There¡¯s two lots of magic power there. One is Melheys but his magic power is considerably weaker than normal. I don¡¯t recognise the other one but its very strong. ¡°Did you notice demon king Arnos?¡± An unfamiliar voice calls out and as I enter the top floor I see a dark-skinned man with golden eyes standing there. His hair is swept back and tied up and his face gives off a fearless look. Chapter 116.2 ¡°Unfortunately you are a bit too late.¡± Melheys was in front of him but in an instant, his body was chopped up by countless blades of wind and disappeared. ¡°Fumu. Destruction Wind Beheading Extreme End .¡± (Arnos) I cut my fingertip and use a drop of blood on Melheys and cast , however, the man also cuts his fingertip and drips a drop of blood on Melheys like me and casts Anti-revival . It¡¯s a magic that does what it says and disrupts the revival. Even if there¡¯s a magic power difference as long as there¡¯s even a slight disturbance won¡¯t work. ¡°Hou.¡± (Arnos) I cast Time Manipulation and stop Melheys death time at 1 second. ¡°Choose. Name yourself and die or remain silent and die.¡± (Arnos) In a dignified voice, the man speaks. ¡°I am a subordinate of the fire death king Eldomade. Fire death king army advisor Zeke Ozma.¡± I see. ¡°Do you know that fellow has had his body taken over by a god?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Of course. It was the will of my master.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. So that¡¯s how it was. ¡°My lord had dared to surrender his body to God in order to defeat you.¡± (Zeke) ¡°2000 years have passed and the fire death king is still as childish as ever I see. It must be hard having to babysit someone like that. Why don¡¯t you serve me instead?¡± (Arnos) Zeke looks at me with a serious look on his face. ¡°I would have accepted the offer from the demon king of tyranny had it come before the one from my lord.¡± (Zeke) He unsheathes the demon sword that hung from his waist. ¡°However, I cannot do something as shameless as serve two lords. I only have one lord until I die.¡± (Zeke) Zeke extends his sword and thrusts it into destroying it and restarting the time of Melheys. Is it the same as the sword Initeio that Ray had that disrupts magic formations? When I look at it with my demon eyes the sword names itself. Anti-demon sword Gabreido. It¡¯s hiding a much stronger power than Initeio. ¡°So your purpose is to kill Melheys?¡± (Arnos) I cast on Melheys again. Though Gabreido is destroying the formation I¡¯m quicker and I keep constantly casting without pause. Due to this Melheys still has his 3 seconds resurrection window. ¡°You sure about this? If you keep paying attention to Melheys you¡¯ll die.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That¡¯s true, however, if you try to kill me demon king, in that moment, ever so slightly, you¡¯ll become negligent with and in exchange for this life I can push the time of your subordinate forward by 0.1 seconds.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. He¡¯s not bluffing. He¡¯s another mazoku from 2000 years ago and as such he excels in magic. Unfortunately, at the moment we are perfectly balanced and if I attempt to take his life that balance will be removed. ¡°If I manage to pass 3 seconds then you will not be able to revive him.¡± (Zeke) ¡°There¡¯s not even a one in ten thousand chance of that 0.1 second happening. If we go at this 100 million times then I may fail once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°But you will not compromise even that tiniest of chances.¡± (Zeke) Hou? He¡¯s not an advisor for nothing. Did he investigate me beforehand? That one in 100 million chance might actually come with this fellow. In exchange for his own life, he¡¯ll gamble on those odds to kill my subordinate. He¡¯s smart. He understands this method gives him the best chance of winning. There¡¯s no chance of arrogance here. This fellow won¡¯t relax his guard in the slightest. ¡°This is interesting. What do you intend to do? If you continue playing this staring game in enemy territory you must know you¡¯ll lose your advantage?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I can¡¯t possibly win against you in power so therefore, I challenge you to a battle of wits.¡± (Zeke) Zeke casts and reflected in the screens were Ray and Misa, Eleonor and Zeshia and Misha and Sasha. Chapter 117.1 It was a large mansion, but it doesn¡¯t look like its being used, or at the very least it¡¯s not visited often as the tree¡¯s and plants are all overgrown. You can see that the iron fence is all rusted and parts of the outer wall are loose and some parts of the walls have fallen over. Even the glass in the windows is cracked. Ray and Misa were walking through the dusty halls of the mansion with Gerard walking in front of them. Eventually, they stopped in what would have been the grand hall. In the hall was a pedestal with half a demon sword stuck in it. ¡°Do you understand?¡± (Gerard) Misa stares at the sword. ¡°¡­¡­.This is the sword my father gave me¡­.?¡± (Misa) Gerard nods. ¡°I intend to prove that I am a messenger sent by your father.¡± (Gerard) He glanced at Ray. ¡°You seem cautious.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Yet apparently you no longer seem worried.¡± (Ray) Ray smiled his usual refreshing smile at Gerard. Gerard pulls the half-sword out. ¡°You should check it directly to make sure.¡± (Gerard) Gerard walks towards Misa with the sword and slowly presents it to her. ¡°Thank yo¨C¡± (Misa) Just as Misa was about to reach for the sword in a fluid motion Gerard flipped the sword and thrust the tip into her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ve been ordered to kill you.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Oh?¡± (Ray) An unconcerned Ray speaks up. A few moments ago he had nothing in his hands but he now held the unique sword Sigshesta. ¡°¡­..That¡¯s ¡­¡­..?¡± (Gerard) Feeling something was off Gerard stopped and withdrew the sword from Misa. The tip of the sword that he thought he¡¯d thrust into Misa was missing leaving only a neat cut line on the sword. With a speed that no eye could follow Ray had cut and erased the tip of the sword. ¡°Ray-san¡­.¡± Misa says uneasily. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re safe. Fall back.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­.Yes¡­..¡± (Misa) Ray steps forward to protect Misa. ¡°Can I ask one thing?¡± (Ray) Without showing any concern Gerard answers in a dignified manner. ¡°What is it?¡± (Gerard) ¡°If your lord really is her father then why are you trying to kill her?¡± (Ray) Gerard drew a magic formation and took a small shield out. The shield had a blue jewel embedded in each corner. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry but that was a lie. It is the will of my master the curse king Kaihiram Jiste. My purpose is to take the origin of Misa Iriologue who carries the blood of the great spirit Reno.¡± (Gerad) Misa¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. ¡°¡­.Great spirit¡­..Reno¡­..?¡± (Misa) ¡°Yes. You are the biological child of the great spirit Reno the mother of all spirits. Unlike other spirits she bore you directly in her body. Your origin contains the power to subdue all spirits.¡± (Gerard) Due to being shocked Misa didn¡¯t answer right away. ¡°Assuming that¡¯s true.¡± Ray said calmly. ¡± Then why does the mazoku called Kaihiram Jiste have the sword that her father gave her?¡± (Ray) ¡°It¡¯s a fake.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Why are you lying?¡± (Ray) Gerard doesn¡¯t answer so Ray continues. ¡°My demon eyes aren¡¯t very good, but I do know a lot about swords and that demon sword is certainly the half-sword that was in the union tower.¡± (Ray) Ray sets his sword up. ¡°I¡¯ll have you tell me the truth.¡± (Ray) ** ** ** ** ** ** With Zeshia walking by her side Eleonor arrived at the castle of demon emperor Elio that governs Midheys. ¡°The people from the hero academy should be waiting here for me.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor addresses a butler who guides them to lodgings that are set apart in a separate part of the castle. After finding a magic tool left by Jerga, Ledoriano and the others might have relied on the demon emperor Elio who was actively involved in the post-war clean-up. ¡°This room here.¡± The butler stops in front of a luxurious door and knocks. ¡°Ledoriano-sama I have Eleonor-sama here.¡± There¡¯s no answer to his call so the butler dubiously knocks on the door again. ¡°Ledoriano-sama are you in there?¡± There¡¯s no answer so the butler puts his hand on the door handle. ¡°Wait.¡± Eleonor said in a rush. ¡°¡­..There¡¯s someone inside I don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­¡­..A person you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah. Withdraw. It might be dangerous.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor puts her hand on the handle and opens the door to see 3 men inside the room. It was Ledoriano, Laos and Heine. They had all fallen on the floor their bodies a stained blue colour. ¡°Everyone!!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hiihii. You¡¯re finally here.¡± An eerie sounding voice comes from the corner of the room. Turing around Eleonor see¡¯s a small boy standing there. ¡°¡­..Who are you?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°My name is Zabro Geeze and I serve the scarlet monument king Gilisris Dello as his adjutant. Don¡¯t you know of him?¡± (Zabro) (1) Contrary to his youthful face his gaze and mannerisms exude craftiness. ¡°What did you do to everyone?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I poisoned their meal a little bit. It seems to have worked very well.¡± (Zabro) Eleonor takes a fighting stance and Zeshia pulls out the holy sword Enhalle. ¡°Are you a mazoku from 2000 years ago?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°That I am.¡± (Zabro) Chapter 117.2 ¡°What¡¯s your purpose for doing this? Though it cost so much Azeshion and Deiruheido finally managed to take each other¡¯s hand. If you are aiming to spoil that peace then I will not allow it.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hihihi peace!¡± (Zabro) Zabro¡¯s face takes on an unpleasant smile. ¡°Things like that are not interesting. The purpose of the scarlet monument king is the research of magic and nothing else. You can see for yourself.¡± (Zabro) Where Zabro pointed in the room stood a stone monument. It was the size of two humans and had enough magic power in it to make it instantly recognisable as a magic tool. ¡°They said it was the legacy of Jerga but it isn¡¯t. This is the result of my research into the magic and .¡± (Zabro) A magic formation appears under the surface of the stone. ¡°Look¡± (Zabro) At the moment when Zabro applied his magic power a voice could be heard. ¡°Kill¡ª¡ª-¡± It was an unpleasant voice that resembled the former ¡°Kill Eleonor¡ª-¡± Ledoriano, Heine and Laos sit up slowly their bodies still stained blue and turn eyes filled with hatred at Eleonor. ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s certainly similar to and . It¡¯s quite the masterpiece.¡± (Zabro) ¡°I have nothing but hate for that magic.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor draws four magic formations creating and covers the stone with it sealing its power. Ledoriano and the others fall back down. Upon seeing this Zabro¡¯s face takes on a smile filled with insanity. A far cry from his boyish face. ¡°As expected of the magic . How interesting. Do you know why you were born?¡± (Zabro) Eleonor stares at Zabro. ¡°¡­¡­.To give birth to the soldiers that would fight against the mazoku¡­¡­?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°No that¡¯s wrong. That¡¯s not what Jerga had in mind but the hand of God had to enter Eleonor as humans don¡¯t have the power to enchant origins. Your purpose is the purpose of the gods and that was to make an excellent vessel.¡± (Zabro) ¡°¡­¡­..What do you mean¡­..?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? slow fellow. The more clones you created, thousands or tens of thousands would eventually lead to a mutation. Individuals with stronger magic and even individuals with stronger origins would not be surprising.¡± (Zabro) Eleonor was cautious and activated her magic eyes. ¡°That is what God wants. A being born with an origin so strong it can carry the power of a god. The gods have been waiting for over 1500 years now.¡± (Zabro) ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting as well?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Indeed. Come on, think about it. One must have been born with an origin distinctly different from the others.¡± (Zabro) Realising what was happening Eleonor stepped forward to protect Zeshia. ¡°A gods magic formula and a vessel made by a god. So interesting. I¡¯ll need to dissect it and have a good look inside.¡± (Zabro) ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve understood all too well.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor raises her hand and draws a magic formation. ¡°You¡¯re someone I can¡¯t forgive.¡± (Eleonor) ** ** ** ** ** ** Misha and Sasha went after the mazoku that had run away using . They had started using but getting too close resulted in anti-magic interfering with so they teleported a certain distance and started tracking them. They gradually began to catch up with the mazoku that was running away. ¡°Were being watched by .¡± (Misha) As expected of Misha. She noticed they were being observed. ¡°¡­.It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t know who it is but I¡¯ll show off to the guy who wants to look. More importantly were almost there.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Nn.¡± (Misha) A figure of a mazoku came into their view. One of the chaos generation the hard sword Linka Seourunes. A girl with jet black hair tied up in a ponytail was easily carrying the body of Menou with one hand while effortlessly flying through the sky. When they closed the distance Linka dove towards the ground and landed in a forest. Chasing after her Sasha and Misha also descended to the ground. ¡°Has this game of tag already ended or did you realise you couldn¡¯t run any further?¡± (Sasha) Linka turned a cutting look at Sasha and her provocation. ¡°What do you want with Menou-sensei?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Aah this? It was merely a tool to lure you out. I have no use for it anymore.¡± (Linka) Linka threw Menou away but she showed no sign of waking up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I am Ledane Ion a subordinate of the dark king Ejes Code though I am called Linka Seourunes in this life. It is my lords will that I kill you who were brought forth by a gods thoughts and feelings.¡± (Linka) Linka draws a magic formation and pulls out a large sword. It¡¯s a strange sword. The blade is so transparent you can see right through it. ¡°Nee, can I ask you something?¡± (Sasha) ¡°What?¡± (Linka) ¡°What do you mean by a god¡¯s thoughts and feelings? Me and Misha are direct descendants of one of the old seven demon emperors Aivis Necron.¡± (Sasha) Linka thrust the large transparent sword into the ground. ¡°Aivis Necron was fused with one of the origins of the hero Kanon until the demon king Arnos revived.¡± (Linka) ¡°I know that.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Then why did that naive man produce such children of tragedy like yourselves?¡± (Linka) Sasha found herself at a loss so Misha answered. ¡° divided the original origin into two but the personality was only supposed to go to one of them.¡± (Misha) When developing new magic its natural that the results may not be as good as the formula that you constructed. We have to believe in our own theories and test them. Sometimes, like in the case of an unexpected result will be produced. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± (Misha) ¡°You¡¯re half right and half wrong. The imperfection in the natural magic formation was due to the gods interfering. They altered the light of the moon and rewrote the magic circle at the moment of casting the spell and the result was that you were born.¡± (Linka) Misha stares at Linka with her usual deadpan expression. ¡°There is no need for divine intervention in the world of the mazoku. I¡¯ll get rid of you before you awaken.¡± (Linka) ¡°Really? Hmph.¡± Sasha smiles. ¡°Thank you for telling me but you¡¯re wrong.¡± (Sasha) Misha nods. Magic appears in Sasha¡¯s eyes and she activates her demon eyes of ruin. ¡°It was not God who gave us life.¡± (Sasha) (1)He speaks like an old man but there¡¯s no real way to convey that in English unless I start putting him using things like sonny boy or whippersnapper ???? Chapter 118.1 The two men face each other in the abandoned mansion. Without any hesitation, Ray heads straight towards Gerard who momentarily loses sight of him. ¡°Your back.¡± (Ray) ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say but I see you.¡± (Gerard) Gerard spins around and readies his shield to intercept the unique sword but at that moment he¡¯s slashed across his back. ¡°Guh¡­.!!¡± (Gerard) ¡°I told you your back.¡± (Ray) In the split second that Gerard had reacted and turned around Ray had moved behind him again and slashed him. A normal person would have died from that single slash but as expected from a mazoku from 2000 years ago his body was strong. ¡°¡­¡­As expected from someone from the chaos generation. For a mazoku from this time you¡¯re pretty good, however¡­..¡± (Gerard) Gerard¡¯s shield emits a gloomy blue light and Ray¡¯s back suddenly tears and spurts out blood. Ray¡¯s wound was obviously deeper than Gerards. ¡°Ray-san!¡± (Misa) ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± (Ray) Ignoring his wound Ray focussed on the shield. ¡°It¡¯s cursed I see.¡± (Ray) Gerard nodded. ¡°Majun Genias. Its a magic tool that curses the person who injures its user with the same wound and pain but doubled. As long as I hold this shield you will be injured more than me.¡± (Gerard) ¡°Really?¡± (Ray) Rays steps forward and swings Sigshesta down. ¡°Fuu¡­¡­!¡± (Ray) Turning his body Gerard blocks Sigshesta with Genias. Or rather he would have done but the blade changed its path halfway through. ¡°I¡¯ll have that first.¡± (Ray) Gerard¡¯s right hand was amputated at the wrist and falls down still holding Genias. ¡°Haaa!¡± (Ray) Quickly reversing his stroke Ray swings at Gerard¡¯s neck and fresh blood is scattered, however, Gerard¡¯s head is still attached as Ray¡¯s right hand still holding Sigshesta falls to the floor. ¡°I said as long as I hold the shield but that was a lie. You¡¯re a good swordsman but you¡¯re a little too honest. Even if I no longer hold it the curse won¡¯t be removed unless the shield is broken.¡± (Gerard) ¡°I see. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not much of a tactician.¡± (Ray) With a cool smile, Ray casts Total Complete Demon Healing on his wrist but it doesn¡¯t heal at all. ¡°It¡¯s useless. Due to the curse recovery magic won¡¯t work.¡± (Gerard) ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± (Ray) Ray picks up Sigshesta with his left hand. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you healing your hand and back though?¡± (Ray) ¡°I wonder why?¡± (Gerard) ¡°The curse amplifies and returns the wound its user receives but does it stop you from healing as well?¡± (Ray) ¡°Who knows? It might stop it or I could just be pretending and can heal myself at any time.¡± (Gerard) He¡¯s basically saying he has the overwhelming advantage here. ¡°Do you have the courage to test it?¡± (Gerard) ¡°Of course I¡¯ll test it.¡± (Ray) Stepping forward without caring Ray slashes at Gerard¡¯s left leg scattering more blood. The light on the shield increases and the curse activates cutting Ray¡¯s thigh more deeply than Gerard¡¯s. Without caring Ray carries on. ¡°Fuu!!¡± (Ray) As he¡¯s swinging his blade with all his might at Gerard¡¯s shoulder Gerard Raises Genias and Ray connects with the shield instead causing a strange sound to ring out. ¡°Finally got you.¡± (Gerard) As Gerard was talking the curse sliced through Ray¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­.Kuu¡­¡­..!¡± (Ray) Ray falls down on one knee. ¡°I never said the curse wouldn¡¯t activate if I blocked with the shield.¡± Gerard said never breaking his polite behaviour. ¡°You should have understood from this that you can¡¯t win here since you are no good with magic.¡± (Gerard) ¡°¡­¡­I wonder about that¡­¡­¡± (Ray) Ray stands up slowly. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± (Ray) ¡°Yes, I know you well. The demonic sword saint Ray Grandori. You are no good with magic but your skill with the sword and your ability to grow in the heat of battle is no less inferior than a mazoku from 2000 years ago. However.¡± (Gerard) Gerard drew a magic formation and pulled a sword out of it. It had the same blue jewel in it that the shield had. It was more than likely also a cursed item. ¡°No matter how much you grow, any wound you give me is returned to you. Unfortunately, you lack experience when fighting against the curse kings forces.¡± (Gerard) Gerard steps towards Ray and swings his cursed sword down with all his might at Ray¡¯s head who blocked it with Sigshesta. Where the two swords clashed Gerard¡¯s cursed sword chipped easily. Ray frowned as the cursed sword was too fragile. Immediately after a stab wound appeared in his chest. The curse moved the intended wound. ¡°¡­¡­.Guu¡­¡­¡± (Ray) ¡°How will you dodge this?¡± (Gerard) Chapter 118.2 In the instant that Ray flinched, Gerard swings his sword sideways. When Ray caught it with Sigshesta Gerard laughed as if it was his victory. ¡°Naive.¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­Wha¡­.¡± (Gerard) Ray took the full force of the blow and turned it aside without chipping the blade. ¡°¡­..Fuu¡­..!!¡± (Ray) Sigshesta flashes and Gerard ducks just in time to avoid being beheaded. ¡°Are you thinking that the curse will not work if you kill me in one blow?¡± (Gerard) ¡°It¡¯s worth a go.¡± (Ray) Gerard attempts to stand back up but Ray does a sweeping kick sending him tumbling to the floor. Since Ray caused no damage there was no damage to return but his posture was broken. Ray ran away from Gerard but his purpose was not to escape but the shield that Gerard had dropped. ¡°Kuu¡­.!!¡± (Ray) Gerard runs after him but he couldn¡¯t catch up to Ray before the shield was within range. ¡°¡­..Haa¡­¡­!!¡± (Ray) Using his whole body Ray thrusts Sigshesta at Genias and pierces through it. ¡°How unfortunate.¡± (Ray) Gerard laughed graciously at Ray¡¯s words. ¡°Yes it is because sadly this is your defeat.¡± (Gerard) One of the jewels in the shield shattered and Ray suddenly falls forward. ¡°I told you this earlier but you are too honest. When I said that the curse could only be broken if the shield was broken I was lying.¡± (Gerard) ¡°¡­Ray-san!¡± (Misa) Gerard picked the shield up that was lying on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s useless. If you damage the shield enough to destroy one of the jewels the curse will destroy your origin. His body might be fine but his origin has gone. He won¡¯t come back.¡± (Gerard) Gerard turns around to face Misa and starts walking towards her. ¡°¡­¡­..In other words.¡± (Ray) A voice calls out and it was not a voice Gerard expected to hear. ¡°If I break the other 3 jewels the curse will be broken?¡± (Ray) ¡°¡­..Wha¡­¡­!?¡± (Gerard) At the moment Gerard turned around three flashes of light shot out and all 3 jewels shattered. The curse activates and Ray falls to the floor again. The magic power of Genias disappeared and the gloomy light faded away. ¡°¡­¡­.His wounds are healing¡­.?¡± (Gerard) Gerard watches Rays hand, back and other wounds heal in astonishment. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? Most curses target the origin of the intended victim so the curse momentarily loses its effect when the origin is destroyed.¡± (Ray) Ray stands up like nothing had happened and in place of Sigshesta he was grasping a brilliantly glowing holy sword. ¡°You should be careful around people with more than one origin.¡± (Ray) Gerard gulps. ¡°¡­Impos¡­¡­.sible¡­¡­!?¡± (Gerard) Gerard edged away in fear from the man in front of him. Now that Ray has stopped hiding his origin¡¯s Gerard can see them clearly with his demon eyes. ¡°¡­¡­Seven origins¡­¡­.and the spirit god sword Evansmana¡­..¡± (Gerard) ¡°It was 2000 years ago when I last encountered the curse king. Does he think my plan was a complete success?¡± (Ray) Ray quietly readies Evansmana. The war between Azeshion and Deiruheido should be known to the curse king to some degree but he may not be fully aware of what happened due to fearing detection if he got too close. ¡°¡­..Hero¡­¡­Kanon¡­..you¡¯re aliv¡ª¡± (Gerard) Ray thrust Evansmana into Gerard¡¯s heart before he finished talking. ¡°Guhaa¡­..¡± (Gerard) ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing being told that I¡¯m too honest. Its probably because I¡¯ve been living a lie much longer than you have.¡± (Ray) If he puts any more power into Evansmana Gerard¡¯s origin will disappear. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again.¡± (Ray) Gerard looked at Ray with an expression that said he was ready for death. ¡°Where did you get that other half of the sword from?¡± (Ray) Gerard strongly grits his teeth before answering. ¡°¡­.It¡¯s not possible for me to answer that question¡­¡­¡± (Gerard) Gerard stabs his own sword into his chest. Quickly pulling Evansmana out Ray casts but Gerard didn¡¯t revive. Misa timidly approaches the fallen Gerard but there¡¯s no sign that he¡¯s getting up. ¡°¡­¡­Was his origin destroyed¡­?¡± (Misa) Ray shook his head. ¡°No. It seems he reincarnated.¡± (Ray) Chapter 119.1 The magic formation drawn by Eleonor containing earth, wind, fire and water covers every wall and turns into a barrier surrounding the room. seals the power of mazoku and weakens them while they are inside, however, Zabro didn¡¯t move at all. ¡°Useless, useless. Look¡± (Zabro) A magic formation forms at Zabro¡¯s feet and covers him in a black light barrier. ¡°Darkness Domain .¡± (Zabro) The dark domain Zabro created offset the effect of and raised his magic power more. ¡°The magic developed by humans is of little use here. Without holy water it is nothing.¡± (Zabro) Zabro thrusts his hands out in front of him and about 40 magic formations appear. Although a magics effect is amplified by layering on multiple magic formations it shouldn¡¯t be possible to develop so many magic circles in an instant. As expected of a 2000-year-old mazoku who is also the scarlet monument kings second in command. ¡°Here¡± (Zabro) Zabro raises his hands above his head and the multiple formations rise up and spread out. They continue to rise and reach the ceiling before destroying it and carrying on up into the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll gratefully have my fill.¡± (Zabro) Scarlet monuments appeared from the formations in the sky and at a rough count, there¡¯s hundreds of them before they rain down like hail on Midheys castle. A huge noise rings out from the castle. The walls, floors, ceilings and whatever was in the castle was destroyed by the falling stones. From start to finish it only lasted several seconds but the castle has been partially destroyed. ¡°Everyone could have died from that.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor protected Zeshia, Ledoriano and the others by stacking up 7 layers of . ¡°Hiihi. Stupid girl. Did you think this old man would do something as inefficient as killing?¡± (Zabro) Zabro lowers his hands and points them towards the ground. ¡°The monuments are magic tools that can store and contain magic power. Just now those monuments that rained down contained the power of the scarlet monument king. Have a read of the magic characters carved into them.¡± (Zabro) Eleonor glances at one of the monuments piercing the floor nearby. The monument has a magic formula inscribed into it similar to a magic formation which reads Rotting Dead Ogre Soldier . ¡°Decedents of the mazoku. You will rot while still alive and faithfully serve the scarlet monument king.¡± (Zabro) The stone emits a purple coloured light and shoots it out in a beam. The beams all connect to other monuments and form a huge magic formation. Footsteps that sound like they are dragging can be heard slowly moving around. A putrid smell filled the air and groans began to be heard from all over the castle. ¡°Here they come.¡± (Zabro) With a loud bang the steward who had guided Eleonor earlier burst through the door. His skin was rotting, his eyes were dyed red and two weird horns were growing from his head but most of all his magic power was so strong you wouldn¡¯t think it was the same person. ¡°¡­..Guuuuuu¡­..¡± A groan leaked from the steward¡¯s mouth as he turned his hostile gaze towards Eleonor. All traces of sanity was gone. Eleonor turned around at the sound of breaking glass to see five or six of the castle soldiers breaking in through the windows. Just like the steward they had rotting skin, red eyes and two weird horns growing from their heads. ¡°¡­..Though they resemble zombies there are some differences¡­..¡± Eleonor mutters to herself. ¡°Hiihi. This is probably your first time seeing them. They are ghouls. I improved that lukewarm spell Decaying Death that Arnos made. I created a magic that produces soldiers who are stronger and above all else loyal. Even their origin gets corrupted.¡± (Zabro) Eleonor turns eyes filled with pity towards the soldiers now turned into ghouls. ¡°¡­¡­.Such an awful magic¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Compared to the magic I still have a lot of research to do into origins. What technique do you use to create an origin clone? If I can understand that then I can approach the abyss of magic even more.¡± (Zabro) Zabro is talking like they are a couple of colleagues discussing magic research. ¡°Researching magic is not something that¡¯s done by sacrificing someone else.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Stupid girl. This old man has sacrificed nothing. Their origins still remain. In fact, they should be thanking me for increasing their magic power.¡± (Zabro) ¡°¡­..You¡¯re wrong.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I¡¯m wrong? This old man is? Hiihi. After all, a dumb little girl like you doesn¡¯t understand magic research.¡± (Zabro) Zabro points at Eleonor. ¡°Do it.¡± (Zabro) The ghouls slowly start moving forward. ¡°¡­Guaaaaaa¡­¡­¡± While letting out an eerie groan they raise their demon swords to attack. ¡°¡­.Fighting¡­..is not good¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia swings Enhalle down and as she does it shoots out light and creates another five copies of itself increasing the number to six. Enhalle is the holy sword of light. Its characteristic is to duplicate itself so it emits holy light using the original one as its source. It can even do it to the point where all 10,000 of the Zeshia¡¯s can have a copy. Five holy swords float in the air following Zeshia¡¯s will before slashing at the ghoul¡¯s demon swords and sending them flying. ¡°¡­..Ugaaaaa¡­¡­.!!¡± However, the ghouls were not bothered in the slightest and attacked barehanded. ¡°Let¡¯s get out in the open Zeshia.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor starts running and cancels the stacked on Ledoriano and the others. ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone. I¡¯ll do my utmost to help you!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Hiihi. It¡¯s futile. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they become ghouls. There¡¯s no escaping the scarlet monument kings .¡± (Zabro) Eleonor and Zeshia jump out of the room and run down the passage. As they turn the corner. ¡°¡­..Guuuu¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­..Gaaaa¡­¡­!!¡± Dozens of ghouls appear before their eyes crowding and blocking the passageway so much so that not even an ant would get through. ¡°We¡¯ll force our way through! Beat them just enough so they don¡¯t die!¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Skewer them¡­¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Using as their shields Eleonor and Zeshia plunge into the group of ghouls. Zeshia readies Enhalle and countless swords of light appear before her. Zeshia thrust out with Enhalle and at the same time the floating swords thrust out and skewered the ghouls in the chest. Zeshia¡¯s onslaught with Enhalle caused the ghouls to flinch and using the shields made from Eleonor and Zeshia broke through the crowd of ghouls sending them flying in all directions. ¡°There.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor headed towards the centre of Midheys castle while avoiding the approaching ghouls. ¡°¡­.It must be here somewhere¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) Constantly casting her gaze about Eleonor saw what she was looking for in the vast garden. ¡°¡­.Found it¡­.¡± (Eleonor) Chapter 119.2 A large scarlet monument stone. It¡¯s bigger than the others towering upwards and it¡¯s stored a vast amount of magic power. This stone is probably the core of . ¡°If we destroy this no more ghouls should be born.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor covers the monument with and dampens its magic. ¡°¡­.Break it¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia pours magic power into Enhalle causing the sword to shine brightly and increase greatly in length. ¡°¡­..Eiiiii¡­¡­!!¡± (Zeshia) A noise rings out as Enhalle and the monument collide and compete with each other. The particles of magic that scattered from the strike blew away everything around them, however, when everything settled the monument remained flawless. ¡°Hiihi. It¡¯s useless useless. The scarlet king has been pouring his magic into this for 2000 years. It¡¯s not the sort of thing two stupid little girls can break.¡± (Zabro) Zabro descends from the sky. ¡°No more running around.¡± (Zabro) Grunting and groaning a group of ghouls emerge. They must number around 500. Eleonor and Zeshia were completely surrounded but Eleonor was paying special attention to one in the group. ¡°¡­¡­Guuuuu¡­.¡± It was Ledoriano. He had completely lost all sanity and turned into a ghoul. ¡°¡­..Ledoriano-kun¡­¡­.¡± (Eleonor) From the group, Laos and Heine appeared as well. All had turned into ghouls and faced Eleonor with hostility. ¡°¡­.Laos-kun¡­..Heine-kun¡­¡­¡± (Eleonor) ¡°It¡¯s a pity but never mind. I¡¯ll break your body apart and make it so you don¡¯t feel pain or sorrow any more.¡± (Zabro) Zabro holds his hands out. ¡°First I¡¯ll have to block that obstructive magic.¡± (Zabro) The monuments in the vicinity were all covered in a black light. They emitted a black light that shot out and connected to all the other stones forming a magic formation. Though it was still daytime the castle was covered in darkness. The magic that formed was Absorption Magic Darkness Domain Enhalle¡¯s light weakened and the that was covering the monument disappeared. ¡°¡­¡­Magic power is taken¡­..¡± (Zeshia) ¡°Hiihi. How is my ? It has the effect of absorbing the magic of enemies within its darkness domain. How long until your magic empties? About a minute I suppose?¡± (Zabro) ¡°¡­.Forgive¡­¡­.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor mutters something. ¡°Nn? What? I can¡¯t hear you. Have you lost the power of speech already?¡± (Zabro) Eleonor looked up and stared sternly at Zabro. ¡°Even if you apologise I said I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± (Eleonor) The light of covers Eleonor and Zeshia¡¯s bodies. ¡°Hiihi. You don¡¯t know anything about magic do you? You should take a good look into the abyss. Magic doesn¡¯t reach beyond . No matter how much you try to use if you can¡¯t gather the important feelings then it¡¯s useless. I assume you were trying to get the help of those 10,000 Zeshia¡¯s?¡± (Zabro) ¡°If you¡¯re on about feelings then there¡¯s enough here.¡± (Eleonor) Magic letters appear around Eleonor floating in the air and drifting upwards. Holy water flows from the letters before turning into a sphere of water that covered her. ¡°.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What!?¡± (Zabro) Zabro looked astonished. ¡°¡­Wha¡­.how¡­..? The magic is using itself¡­..? Impossible¡­¡­. What type of method is that¡­.?¡± (Zabro) Zabro¡¯s doubt quickly faded as he was attacked by astonishment again. The light from swelled up dozens of times. ¡°¡­The magic of ¡­.!? What¡¯s going on¡­..!? Where the hell are you getting your magic from¡­.!?¡± (Zabro) ¡°Desire lives in our origins and I am . The magic that creates origins.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Don¡¯t deceive me! No origins are being created anywhere! There¡¯s no one here but you, the ghouls and me!¡± (Zabro) ¡°It¡¯s hard to create an origin so therefore all I¡¯ve done is create the desire within an origin.¡± (Eleonor) Zabro was momentarily lost for words. ¡°¡­.Such a thing¡­..impossible¡­¡­ with magic only created desire¡­.!? How is that even possible¡­.!?¡± (Zabro) Eleonor holds up her hand and the magic that¡¯s formed takes the shape of a gun port. The light of gathers in the gun port. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to be spanked.¡± (Eleonor) A shell of light is fired from the gun port. It shot right through the stone monument leaving a trail behind like a comet. Immediately after there was a bang and a burst of magic splitting open before everything subsided. The huge monument had completely broken into fragments and scattered everywhere. The effects of disappeared and the darkness faded away. ¡°¡­Guu¡­..impossible¡­.. This old man¡¯s anti-magic¡­.. broken in a single blow¡­.. such a thing¡­.¡± (Zabro) Zabro had been caught up in the aftermath of and was grovelling on the ground. It seems he had used up all his magic trying to use anti-magic so he couldn¡¯t get up off the ground. ¡°The barriers disappeared.¡± (Zeshia) Eleonor nods at Zeshia¡¯s words. ¡°Then let¡¯s cure everyone right away.¡± (Eleonor) The light of spreads all over the castle grounds and covers the entire castle before drawing a huge magic formation. ¡°Sanctuary Resurrection ¡± (Eleonor) A soft, warm light gently shines on the castle. The horns on the ghouls gradually disappear, their rotten skin is restored and their origins are healed. Everyone regained their original form before fainting and falling down. ¡°¡­Impossible¡­¡­impossible¡­..such a thing? Why¡­¡­? Those ghouls were made by the scarlet monument kings monument¡­..why? By a human type magic¡­..?¡± (Zabro) ¡°You¡¯d better study the basics of magic more.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­What¡­¡­. did you say!? Are you saying this old man doesn¡¯t know the basics of magic!?¡± (Zabro) ¡°Is the effect of magic the same when experienced users use it?¡± (Eleonor) Zabro raises an eyebrow and spits out his words. ¡°Those kind of things are decided by the magic power of the user. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so important for me to know why you were able to destroy the monument of the scarlet monument king¡ª¡± (Zabro) Zabro stopped himself as if he had noticed something. ¡°Hmm¡­ The scarlet monument kings monument might be great but.¡± (Eleonor) With a nonchalant smile, Eleonor raised her forefinger. ¡°I¡¯m the demon kings magic.¡± (Eleonor) Chapter 120.1 In the forest, Sasha and Misa are confronting the 2000 yeard old Mazoku under the commanded of the dark king Ejes Code. ¡°Okay, now then¡ª¡± (Linka) Linka pulls a large transparent sword out of the ground and carries it on her shoulder before pushing away from the ground so strongly she leaves a footprint in the earth. With a burst of speed, she rapidly closed in on them. ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± (Linka) Sasha turns her demon eyes of ruin on the sword. No matter if it was from the age of myths with her current power she should be able to destroy its magic but the next moment Sasha couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. The sword that was already transparent turned even more transparent then disappeared. No matter how hard she looked she could not see the sword with her demon eyes. Linka for her part swings what appeared to only be a handle sideways at Sasha. ¡°Ice shield.¡± (Misha) Misha points with a finger and uses . Her instantly constructed ice shield was cut by the invisible sword. Misha instantly builds a new ice shield but Linka¡¯s sword is too fast cutting through the ice shielded and slashing Sasha. Sasha drops to one knee blood gushing from her chest. ¡°Too shallow?¡± (Linka) Due to how the shield had been cut the angle of the sword slash could be inferred allowing Sahsa to dodge and avoid a fatal injury. Sasha is covered in the flames as the instantly healing her wound. ¡°Fall back.¡± (Misha) Hearing Misha¡¯s voice in her head Sasha casts and retreats. When they were both far enough away from Linka they stopped and turned their demon eyes to Linka. ¡°What¡¯s with that demon sword? I can¡¯t even see its magic.¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s demon eyes of ruin need to be able to see the magic formula to be able to destroy it so she was unable to stop the demon sword. ¡°It¡¯s not the sword its Hiding Magic .¡± (Misha) Misha¡¯s demon eyes can still see the hidden sword as well as the magic . ¡°The sword¡¯s power is transparency. Linka has cast and concealed the sword¡¯s power.¡± (Misha) ¡°¡­¡­.So that¡¯s how it is. Hard Sword is a bit of a fake name.¡± (Sasha) Linka slowly closes the gap between them. Sasha turns her demon eyes on Linka instead causing her to frown for an instant but she continues advancing without caring. The demon eyes of ruin are the ultimate anti-magic. The effect of destroying people and things is purely a by-product. A lesser magic-user might be defeated in a single glance but against a 2000-year-old mazoku, they would not be enough to win. Misha and Sasha continued to retreat keeping a distance between them. Those 2 were at a disadvantage against swords. ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡­¡± (Linka) Linka stops and puts her sword back on her shoulder. ¡°Hard Sword is the name I was given before my reincarnation was fully completed. The name I was given 2000 years ago was the Soft Sword.¡± (Linka) Though she¡¯s far outside of the sword¡¯s range she raises her sword anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on the distance my sword can cover!¡± (Linka) Linka slashes downwards with her sword. ¡°Sasha.¡± (Misha) ¡°I know!¡± (Sasha) Misha creates an ice shield while Sasha creates a magic barrier and an anti-magic barrier. Grabbing each others hands they both say together. ¡°Anti-Demon Construction Creation ¡± The ice shield strengthened many times by the fusion magic withstood Linka¡¯s sword, however, Linka stomped down with one foot and used all her body power swinging her sword down again. ¡°Oooooooooooooh!!!¡± (Linka) The ice shield cracks and shatters followed by the ground being split in two, however, both Sasha and Misha had fled to both sides using just before it happened. If either of them had been hit by that they¡¯d be in trouble. ¡°Free sword Gamest. The shape, material and colour change to whatever I like.¡± (Linka) Linka grasps the hilt with only one hand now instead of both. What form has she changed it to this time? ¡°All this power and its called a soft sword. As usual all you 2000-year-old mazoku do whatever you please.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Don¡¯t overestimate me too much. 2000 years ago I was not as strong as I am now. Well, in terms of physical strength anyway.¡± (Linka) Linka closes in on them while speaking. ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Sasha) Sasha talked to Linka while keeping an eye on the hand holding the sword. ¡°My reincarnation went well. This body has inherited the blood and traits of the demon king Arnos very well. I was called a member of the chaos generation before my power even fully awoke. With my origin fully awakened in it no wonder I¡¯m so strong now.¡± (Linka) Linka kicked the ground, however, Misha was one step ahead and a fence of ice blocked her way. ¡°Cage of ice.¡± (Misha) Walls sprang up on all sides and enclosed Linka in a cage of ice strengthened by Sasha¡¯s anti-magic and magic barrier. ¡°¡± (Sasha/Misha) ¡°Weak!!¡± (Linka) Rotating her body Linka swings her sword crushing the cage of ice, however, Misha had already made her next move. ¡°Ice castle.¡± (Misha) Demon King Castles are built to the north, south, east and west with Linka in the centre. Each castle has a gun port open and aimed at Linka. ¡°Eat this!¡± (Sasha) Jet black suns are fired from each castle at the same time. ¡°!!!¡± (Sasha/Misha) The area plunged into darkness as four jet black suns fired. There was no way to avoid but Linka took the full on. The area burst into black flames, while the surrounding trees around were blown away by the aftermath of the magic. If you took that on directly not even your bones would remain. ¡°That¡¯s really good magic for mazoku of this age.¡± (Linka) Linka ran through the black flames. She had turned the free sword Gamest into a shield and layered it with anti-magic thus blocking . ¡°But¡ª¡± (Linka) Linka closes in on Sasha with her invisible sword lowered. Sasha sets up a spherical magic barrier and as the sword cuts the barrier she reads the trajectory and dodges. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t see it I can still deal with it.¡± (Sasha) Chapter 120.2 Sasha retreats using Misha suddenly shouts. ¡°Sasha stop!¡± (Misha) Blood pours out of Sasha¡¯s mouth ¡°¡­¡­Eh¡­¡­?¡± (Sahsa) Blood spreads from her abdomen and coats the transparent demon sword making it visible. ¡°The free sword Gamest also has free number of places it can be placed. I put it in places where you might escape to.¡± (Linka) The phoenix vestment flares up again and heals Sasha but Linka thrust another Gamest into Sasha before she heals. ¡°So much for that. The wound is spreading faster than that magic tool can regenerate.¡± (Linka) Sasha collapses. As Linka said, with two demon swords stuck in her death is only a matter of time. ¡°It must be painful to die so slowly. I¡¯ll make it easier for you.¡± (Linka) Linka held Gamest as if to deliver the finishing blow. ¡°Chains of ice.¡± (Misha) An uncountable number of ice chains wrapped around Linka¡¯s body. ¡°Tch!¡± (Linka) In a single flash of Gamest Linka sliced through all the chains. Misha looks at Sasha. She might be trying to help Sasha but Linka is standing in front of her. ¡°The demon eyes of ruin have been sealed. All that¡¯s left is you.¡± (Linka) Although she was playing around with the invisible sword the demon eyes of ruin were a threat to Linka. Although not the finishing blow, the constant staring of Sasha restricted Linka¡¯s movements, however, those fetters are now gone. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Misha) Misha quietly watches Linka ¡°Let me pass.¡± (Misha). It was an indifferent voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± (Linka) Linka moves slightly. In the next moment, she had approached Misha. Even if Misha could see Linka with her demon eyes the physical ability difference was too much. Before she had a chance to retreat, Linka had plunged her free sword into Misha¡¯s abdomen. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the same place.¡± (Linka) When she pulled out her demon sword Misha fell down. ¡°This is the end.¡± (Linka) The shape of the free sword Garmest becomes clear. She puts the tip of Garmest against Misha¡¯s head and pours magic into it. ¡°Move.¡± (Misha) An inorganic voice rings out. ¡°It¡¯s very admirable to still be worrying about your elder sister at this point. At the very least I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t suffer.¡± (Linka) Linka grasps Garmest with her other hand and thrusts down with great strength. The tip of Garmest breaks the skin, cuts through the meat and touches Misha¡¯s skull but with a snapping sound the sword breaks. ¡°wh¡­¡­.at¡­¡­?¡± (Linka) Linka stared at her broken sword in disbelief. ¡°¡­..Retreat¡­..¡± (Misha) Misha¡¯s voice rings out. It was an inorganic voice but it was filled with deep anger. ¡°¡­.The moment I touched you with it¡­.you changed the free sword¡­..into a fragile material¡­¡­¡± Linka muttered to herself when she saw the free sword Garmest which had lost it magical power shatter into pieces. Linka looked up as a flash of light crossed her vision. ¡°¡­.What are you creating¡­.?¡± Linka says in a shaking voice. In front of Linka¡¯s eyes, an unbelievable thing was created. ¡°¡­.What are you even creating? Do you even understand..?¡± Linka shouted out almost in a scream A castle of ice was being built. Two thousand years ago, every mazoku looked up to the most powerful magic tool owned by the demon king Arnos Voldigod, the demon castle Deruzogedo. ¡°¡­..You can¡¯t¡­¡­¡­ That¡­¡­ Castle is a god! A mere mazoku¡­..can¡¯t¡­¡­.!¡±. (Linka) As if it¡¯s a bad dream she repeats it many times over. It was almost as if she was praying. Linka already knew. Misha¡¯s magic was so powerful that it could transform the demon sword Gamest into something fragile. Misha raised her body up slowly causing Linka to back away in fear. ¡°¡­¡­Have you awoken¡­¡­.?¡± (Linka) Misha shakes her head. ¡°I am me.¡± (Misha) The demon king¡¯s castle becomes a solid magic formation and uncountable magic formations floated on its surface. Magic particles rise up and a magic formation appeared in Misha¡¯s eyes. Deruzogedo was created using . The magic power it possessed compared to the original which housed the power of the god of destruction was completely inferior, however, it housed enough power to be considered a pseudo god. ¡°Ice crystals.¡± (Misha) Linka used all her power and developed an anti-magic field over her whole body, however, when Misha looked at her with her demon eyes Linka¡¯s body disappeared and all that remained was ice crystals. ¡°Sasha.¡± (Misha) Misha looks at the fallen Sasha and the two demon swords stuck in her turned into ice crystals and disappeared. Once the Free Swords disappeared the Phoenix Vestment healed Sasha¡¯s wounds and she opened her eyes slightly. ¡°Just in time.¡± (Sasha) Laughing happily Misha drops to her knees as if her power was exhausted. The Deruzogedo behind her scatters into ice crystals creating a beautiful view of icy snow. Chapter 121.1 Top floor of the union tower. The scenes where everyone beat their respective opponents were shown via . ¡°Fumu. Have the 4 wicked royal families formed an alliance?¡± (Arnos) Any of the 4 kings had the power to be the next demon king of tyranny 2000 years ago. In awe and respect of their abilities, the mazoku called them the 4 wicked royals. Due to their high pride, they were never compatible with the other mazoku and they never joined forces with each other apart from during the great war but now it¡¯s peaceful they join up? It¡¯s very strange. It would be nice if they had simply made friends with each other but that¡¯s unlikely to be the case. ¡°I believe you challenged me to a battle of wits but was it wise to wait until all those fellows had been beaten?¡± (Arnos) Zeke laughed at my question as if he had expected them to be beaten. ¡°You are looking for the child of god but it must have occurred to you, the wise demon king of tyranny, that the child of god was one of your subordinates.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. That¡¯s the reason huh? 2000 years ago Nousgalia was going to make the great spirit Reno bear the child of god. If I hadn¡¯t arrived in time or if I had waited until after my reincarnation to reach out to Reno she would have carried the child of god. If it¡¯s true that Misa is the child of Reno then there¡¯s a good chance that she¡¯s the child of god. Saying that, Nousgalia helped make the magic and so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she had given birth to the vessel for the child of god which in this case would be Zeshia. Also, let¡¯s not forget . If Misha was born due to the interference of god then that god had a purpose in doing so. Maybe the original purpose of the spell was to give birth to the child of god right after I reincarnated. If that¡¯s the case then isn¡¯t the being Sasha and Misha become when they combine the child of god? In the last war they used and fused thus increasing their divinity. When the origin faces death its magic power rises so perhaps Misha¡¯s magic power rose and awoke the power of god sleeping in her? That could explain why she was able to use extraordinary, almost divine, creation magic to create that pseudo-Deruzogedo. ¡°Well, it¡¯s as you say Zeke though if Nousgalia and the fire death king have made an alliance then it¡¯s strange that you have purposefully given me this information. Though it was only a matter of time before I figured it out anyway.¡± (Arnos) It doesn¡¯t make any sense just exposing the information about the child of god so if I look at Zeke¡¯s previous remarks then there is only one aim. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re going to use the information you have as your betting chips and challenge me to a battle of wits.¡± (Arnos) Zeke lets a small smile appear briefly. ¡°As expected of you demon king Arnos. There¡¯s more to you than just strength.¡± (Zeke) Zeke casts . ¡°Let me explain the rules. You ask a question and I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about it, however, I can specify one thing and lie about it.¡± (Zeke) ¡°So for example, the identity of the child of god?¡± (Arnos) Let¡¯s see if I can lightly unsettle Zeke with my question. ¡°Just so. So if I specify that I¡¯m going to lie about the identity of the child of God, then I¡¯ll only lie about questions that approach that identity.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. Not a single twitch. Well, it would be boring if he broke down too soon. ¡°However, I cannot answer truthfully about the thing I have picked to lie about.¡± (Zeke) I see. Depending on how you ask your questions it¡¯s possible to spot the lies. ¡°You get 15 questions and if you spot the thing I¡¯m lying about then you win. When you win my magic will be sealed for 5 seconds. That includes my demon sword etc.¡± (Zeke) 5 seconds is more than generous. I can revive Melheys, destroy this guy and still have time left over. ¡°On the other hand, if you can¡¯t spot my lie and use up all your questions and I win then you get sealed for 5 seconds and can¡¯t use magic. (Zeke) Even if I don¡¯t use magic for 5 seconds its impossible for this guy to destroy me though he can certainly wound me and destroy Melheys. He must have a trump card. It would be unwise to assume he doesn¡¯t. ¡°You can only claim I¡¯m lying 8 times.¡± (Zeke) It¡¯s written in the contract that when a lie is called Zeke cannot lie with his answer. Other than that, it seems that there are no strange loopholes in the outline that Zeke has just given. ¡°When can I point out a lie?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Whenever you want. Just say anytime you feel I¡¯ve lied.¡± (Zeke) It all sounds very reasonable and it feels like I have a slight advantage here. I wonder if he thought I wouldn¡¯t accept a battle of wits otherwise? ¡°How¡¯s it all sound demon king Arnos? There¡¯s a one in a hundred million chance that if you destroy me by force, Melheys won¡¯t be able to revive after all. This way you have the chance to win without losing anything. Thinking normally its wise to not take any risks.¡± (Zeke) Zeke delivers his lines calmly. Must be part of his strategy. ¡°Fumu. You¡¯re wrong about one thing Zeke. If you intended to provoke me then you didn¡¯t need to do all this. Whether it¡¯s a contest of wits or a contest of strength, it¡¯s the same thing to me. Don¡¯t think you can take even a hundred millionth of a win from me.¡± (Arnos) I signed . Zeke smiled slightly again as if sure of his victory. ¡°Then the game is on demon king Arnos.¡± (Zeke) I stop him by pointing to the contract. ¡°One thing first. I want to change a rule.¡± (Arnos) Zeke looked at me with a stern expression. ¡°¡­.In what way?¡± (Zeke) ¡°I only need 7 questions and the times I can point out a lie only needs to be 4 times.¡± (Arnos) Zeke frowned and raised an eyebrow in doubt. ¡°In trade leave that demon sword with me. This battle of wits is troublesome while using .¡± (Arnos) ¡°The contract already forbids the use of my anti-demon sword to destroy during our contest.¡± (Zeke) ¡°If you are already prepared to die though you can break the contract.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 121.2 ¡°In your case, your demon eyes will see it beforehand and you¡¯ll be able to prevent it. Don¡¯t these conditions only hider you?¡± (Zeke) ¡°If that¡¯s what you think then I¡¯d have thought you accept it with pleasure. You¡¯re challenging this me after all. You cannot handicap me enough for it to make any difference.¡± (Arnos) Zeke stares at me for a few minutes as if trying to determine my real intentions before finally speaking. ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll compete with my more skilful opponent.¡± (Zeke) (1) Zeke changes the conditions of . While handing his demon sword Gabreido over to me Zeke watches my every move with his demon eyes while also watching for even the slightest disturbance in magic power. He¡¯s obviously wary, not sure how I¡¯ll react. I casually receive the demon sword from him. ¡°The contract is formed.¡± (Arnos) I trust the sword into the ground and sign the new . Zeke lets out a small breath as if relieved. ¡°Then let¡¯s start. Your first question.¡± (Zeke) ¡°Tell me about the child of god.¡± (Arnos) After a moments pause, Zeke speaks. ¡°There are 3 possible people who can be the child of god. Misa Iriologue, Zeshia Bianca and the person the Necron twins Sasha and Misha become when the fuse.¡± (Zeke) So they think of Sasha and Misha as two people in one? ¡°15 years ago a child was born to the great spirit Reno and the demon kings right-hand man Shin Reglia. That child is Misa Iriologue and that is just what the heavenly father Nousgalia wanted. The rumours and traditions of Misa¡¯s spirit side is the destruction of the demon king and those legends are passed not amongst humans or mazoku but between the gods.¡± (Zeke) Is that why Misa has a strong origin despite being half spirit and why she doesn¡¯t suffer from spirit disease? I never thought I¡¯d see Shin being mentioned here. I left him guarding Reno 2000 years ago. I just can¡¯t see that man falling in love. If it¡¯s true then peace is truly a wonderful thing indeed. ¡°And now that your reincarnation is complete she has grown up and will awaken according to her order.¡± (Zeke) By waking up I assume he means her true spirit form will be revealed. If the hand of god was involved in this Misa has a very high chance of being it. ¡°2000 years ago the sky father Nousgalia exchanged a promise with the Azeshion hero Jerga. He would make him magic and give him an order next to god, however, Nousgalia is a god that gives birth to gods. He cannot betray that order therefore he made a bargain with Jerga. He would take part of his origin and turn it into Eleonor who would make a vessel for god.¡± (Zeke) If the end result was making a god then Nousgalia could probably accept Jerga¡¯s demands which makes sense. ¡°Jerga agreed and the contract was made. It took a long time but a vessel to house a god was finally born by having Eleonor mass-produce Zeshia and that Zeshia is the one who is currently here.¡± (Zeke) An excellent individual created from a mutation due to heavy origin cloning. It¡¯s certainly possible as there are very tiny differences between origin clones. This Zeshia certainly has a different hair colour from all the others but she¡¯s young. I¡¯m not sure the quality for a vessel of god is there yet and she¡¯s unlikely to awaken due to her age. ¡°One of the origins of the hero Kanon fused with Aivis Necron during the age of magic and studied fusion magic . By combining the power and wisdom of two people, the hero who excelled in origin magic and one of the Seven Demon Emperor¡¯s who excelled in fusion magic, the research progressed smoothly. Kanon¡¯s origin wanted to give power to the mazoku so none of them would die in the inevitable war between Azeshion and Deiruheido.¡± (Zeke) Even if you intend to die in their place, there is no guarantee that others will not be harmed in war. Giving power to just one mazoku would not have helped, but he still wanted to save as many people as possible it seems. ¡°After that, the origin and body of Sasha Necron was divided into 2 using . Originally, she was supposed to only have one personality, but due to divine intervention, the moonlight was disturbed and the natural magic circle was rewritten and the result was Misha Necron the person who was never meant to exist being born.¡± (Zeke) If that is true then Kanon¡¯s origin must have developed quite the headache. ¡°If left alone Misha would disappear. It was a helpless situation for the hero but all he could do was make sure at least one sister survived. His only sliver of hope was that the soon to be reincarnated demon king of tyranny appeared and saved them.¡± (Zeke) Thing is he couldn¡¯t let me know who he was so it had to happen how it happened. ¡°And appear you did. The demon king of tyranny saved the sisters which thwarted gods plan unexpectedly. The child, who should have been born with the will of God and great magical power, was born as just two girls. For now anyway.¡± (Zeke) This explanation also makes sense. The magic Misha showed a little while ago was not normal, however, the difficulty is that you don¡¯t have to be a child of God to have magical powers comparable to them. Look at me for example. ¡°As for my information, it came directly from Nousgalia who promised not to lie.¡± (Zeke) Gods keep their promises. If Zeke isn¡¯t lying then its all true. Some of the information is vague, which is understandable if you think that it is knowledge that Nousgalia dared to share for the sake of this contest of wits. ¡°Finally, the child of god born to destroy the demon king of tyranny is one of your subordinates.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. I got a rough grasp of the situation now but let¡¯s finish this battle of wits first. ¡°Then I¡¯ll use one of my points to point out a lie. You¡¯re telling a lie regarding the child of god.¡± (Arnos) Of course I¡¯ve got no idea if its a lie or not at this point so I¡¯m using this as a truth check. ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m not.¡± (Zeke) glows and then settles. The contracts still valid. So this fellow isn¡¯t lying about the child of god. (1) The phrase used here doesn¡¯t really have a direct English translation. It¡¯s usually seen regarding Sumo (but can be used anywhere) where a less skilful person is allowed to practise with a more skilful one. Its literal translation is I¡¯ll borrow your chest. Chapter 122.1 Zeke would have known I would point out a lie regarding the child of god because its the thing I want to know the most and the thing he has to hide the most so he would definitely pick something specific to lie about. If he didn¡¯t he would have lost already, however, winning this game in exchange for information about the child of god will not be of much benefit to him. At best he will be able to destroy Melheys. In other words, it¡¯s reasonable to assume that Zeke has not yet revealed what he really wants to hide. Zeke isn¡¯t lying about the child of God though I can¡¯t just believe everything he said because its possible to hide information about the child of God without setting the lie to be about the child of God. For example, let¡¯s say you¡¯ve specified a lie about the Great Spirit Reno. Because I saw in that Misa might be the child of god he had to answer so of course in response to my earlier question about whether or not Misa and the Great Spirit Reno are related to the child of God, he said that they are. If it¡¯s irrelevant, you have to say it is irrelevant and he can lie about the matter of the Great Spirit Reno. He could have lied about the Great Spirit Reno carrying the child of God in her body. In that case, the possibility remains that he is trying to misrepresent Misa as the child of God in order to hide the real child of God. ¡°Fumu. Then my next question.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ve got six questions left and 3 more times I can point out a lie. The question to uncover what¡¯s Zeke¡¯s lying about should be¡­.. ¡°Is there just one child of god?¡± (Arnos) The more you limit your questions you less you can lie. If you just answer the number of people, it¡¯s not relevant in any way except to the child of god and we have already confirmed that Zeke has not lied in matters relating to the child of God. The possibility of lying about this is low but you never know. ¡°Indeed. There is only one child of God. That¡¯s what Nousgalia told me, and he promised me it was true.¡± (Zeke) Misha and Sasha are being counted as one person when they fuse. At the very least, this means that out of Misa, Zeshia, Misha and Sasha, at least two of them, are not the child of God and that Zeke lied to make me think so. The question is, what would be the best answer to the question of lying about two or more people being the child of God? The simplest answer is that it should be about my subordinates. That way, Zeke can answer questions involving Misa, Eleonor, Zeshia, Misha and Sasha with lies. Basically, my next question will confirm it. ¡°Then are Misha and Sasha the same age?¡± (Arnos) I asked him a question to which the answerer is obvious. If Zeke specified the matter to be lied about as being about my acquaintances or subordinates then he cannot answer this question correctly and has no choice but to lie. ¡°Their ages are the same because they were born on the same day.¡± (Zeke) Zeke spoke the correct answer. Then he hasn¡¯t picked my subordinates or my acquaintances as the matter he can lie about. Could he have lied so that two or more of them were the child of God? The first answer, Zeke said, was that he had heard it directly from Nousgalia and that the fellow had promised not to lie. If we specify the matter to be lied about as being about Nousgalia, then we can answer the first question as if everyone were a child of God. ¡°I¡¯ll use my right to point out a lie. You¡¯re lying about Nousgalia.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Unfortunately that¡¯s wrong.¡± (Zeke) So it¡¯s correct that the child of god is just one person. But at the first question, Zeke spoke as if there were three children of God. It could be that he lied about two of them, or even all three, but it would have been difficult for him to tell such a lie, no matter what else he might have specified. There¡¯s no lie so far and in his first answer, he only alluded to the child of god and not that there was a child of god, only a possibility. Misa¡¯s tradition as a spirit was to be the person who would destroy the demon king of the tyranny as the child whom great spirit Reno was pregnant with and carried directly in her body. Eleonor is the magic that the heavenly father created in his negotiations with Jerga to create a divine vessel, and that vessel is little Zeshia. And Misha and Sasha if I hadn¡¯t stopped them, would have been born as God intended in one body carrying god¡¯s will and great magical power. Two of those are not the child of god or more precisely they weren¡¯t born in order to destroy the demon king of tyranny. If I go in order through the problem, finding out who the child of god is isn¡¯t very hard. ¡°Next question. Who¡¯s the child of god?¡± (Arnos) 3 questions left. ¡°It¡¯s Zeshia.¡± (Zeke) He cannot lie about the child of god. If I believe he just lied then he picked the identity of the child of god to lie about. If that¡¯s the case then not only who is the child of god but he could even lie about who the fire death king is or who the demon king of tyranny is. Going back to the great spirit Reno, she is the mother of all spirits. All spirits are her children not just Misa so if you think about it the right answer to give to my question would have been Misa, however, he cannot answer with Misa because this is what he¡¯s chosen to lie about. There¡¯s a good possibility he¡¯s lied with his answer of Zeshia because Misa is the child of God. Let¡¯s just confirm it. ¡°Who¡¯s the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Arnos) 2 questions left. ¡°My master Eldomade-sama.¡± (Zeke) Fumu. He¡¯s just about within the rules with this answer. ¡°You¡¯re lying about the identity.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Unfortunately that¡¯s wrong.¡± (Zeke) ¡°¡­..Oh?¡± (Arnos) Not lying about the identity? This means that he¡¯s answered the question of who the demon king of tyranny is with a lie. So he¡¯s specified that the matter to be lied about is related to me? Since who the child of god is cannot be lied about then it¡¯s decided that Zeshia is the child of god. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Arnos) This is strange. 2 questions left and 1 asking if he¡¯s lying left. The only way for me to win is to guess what Zeke has specified as the subject of his lie. He¡¯s singled out things about me as things to lie about but why would he designate such a lie? You can lie about me, you can lie about the demon king of tyranny, but you can¡¯t completely hide the child of God. If Zeke wins this contest of wits, he will, at best, have the right to destroy Melheys. What good does it do him to bury one of my subordinates in exchange for information about the child of God? I¡¯m having a hard time coming up with an answer. He has to win this contest of wits while completely concealing the true identity of the child of god. Either Zeshia isn¡¯t the child of god or perhaps, by destroying Melheys, he would have advantages that would rival the information about the child of God. No, if there was a benefit to destroying Melheys that was comparable to the information about the child of God, then he would not designate the lie to be about the demon king of tyranny, but would rather choose a more certain way to win. Then that means¡­¡­. ¡°Did you notice Demon King Arnos?¡± (Zeke) Zeke floats a bold smile. ¡°But it¡¯s already too late. You lost this battle of wits the moment you started it with me!¡± (Zeke) Zeke sets up magic and anti-magic barriers. Chapter 122.2 The sound of breaking glass rings out and 4 mazoku jump in through the windows. 2 of the mazoku have demon swords just like Gabreido while the other two have swords I¡¯ve never seen before. Using my demon eyes I identify them as death piercing sword Gidorest. It¡¯s a sword that can only be used for thrusting but it¡¯s giving off an ominous magic power similar to origin killing magic. Zeke¡¯s aim is obvious. To fight off the 4 mazoku I would need to interfere with the magic and anti-magic barriers Zeke¡¯s put up but due to I cannot attack Zeke until this competition is over. If I release any magic it will need to dissipate before it touches his barriers. To be honest I expected something like this to happen but it¡¯s still a little disappointing though. Of course, he could also be pretending to do something foolish like this since I¡¯m getting close to the truth. ¡°I¡¯m revoking all rights to ask questions and point out lies.¡± (Arnos) This will end the competition though due to I cannot use magic for 5 seconds. ¡°You¡¯ve misjudged me Demon King Arnos! It won¡¯t take 5 seconds either!¡± (Zeke) 2 of the mazoku thrust their Gabreido¡¯s into cancelling the magic formation before the other 2 quickly thrust their Gidorest¡¯s into the origin that was there. ¡°This is the end.¡± (Zeke) Zeke summons another Gidorest and also thrusts into the origin gouging it out. ¡°Alright, 2 seconds left! Now for my other order the demon king Arnos¡ª¡± (Zeke) As soon as Zeke turned around and caught sight of me his expression froze and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. ¡°Your other order? What was it?¡± (Arnos) The 4 mazoku were all dead. I killed them with my bare hands either by stamping on them, breaking their necks or thrusting my hand through their heart. Zeke answered with a voice that sounded like it was being wrung out of him. ¡°¡­Impo¡­.ssible¡­.. They were the elites hand-picked from our forces¡­..¡± (Zeke) ¡°Did you think you could beat me just because you had sealed off my magic?¡± (Arnos) I kick the last mazoku away from me. ¡°You however Zeke, have been lured in by me. You thought you had a chance of winning if you sealed my magic, but without hesitation, you destroyed Melheys origin. That¡¯s basically telling me that killing Melheys was your top priority.¡± I cancelled the game purposely to impose the penalty on myself to see what he¡¯d do and this guy fell for it. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of killing Melheys? He¡¯s worthless to Eldomade and Nousgalia.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Do you think I¡¯ll tell you¡­¡­?¡± (Zeke) ¡°Well, not at the moment.¡± (Arnos) I take a step forward. ¡°¡­..Just kill me. Even though it was only a battle of wits I still beat the demon king of tyranny. I have no regrets¡­.¡± (Zeke) ¡°Fumu. Is that what the staff officer of the fire death king is saying?¡± (Arnos) As I said this a voice comes from the stairs. ¡°Even though it was only a game it¡¯s still disrespectful to even have the delusion that you¡¯d beaten him.¡± An old man with a long white beard comes up the stairs. It¡¯s one of the old seven demon emperors Melheys Boran. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so chief staff officer of the fire death king Zeke Ozma-dono.¡± (Melheys) Zeke didn¡¯t answer straight away. He stared at Melheys using his demon eyes to examine his origin like he didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­I know I destroyed it¡­.. using the sword Gidorest that was made after you reincarnated¡­. Even Origin Regeneration shouldn¡¯t have been possible¡­¡­¡± (Zeke) ¡°It was just an imitation you destroyed. I secretly switched them out.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.You switched them out¡­.? There was no difference to Melheys origin¡­¡± (Zeke) Zeke keeps muttering to himself not understanding at all. ¡°It¡¯s a new magic I learnt recently. You¡¯ve already seen it through .¡± (Arnos) ¡°You don¡¯t mean ¡­¡­.!? No, but that means you used an innocent new life as a victim¡­.?¡± (Zeke) ¡°Indeed, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do that. I used to create a pseudo-origin without consciousness or will. Visually its the same but it¡¯s not a life.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Imposs¡­..ible¡­. The war has only just ended¡­. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ve studied to that extent¡­..¡± (Zeke) ¡°What? I only tried it because I thought about it. I haven¡¯t researched at all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Without even studying it¡­¡­ you learnt a new type of origin magic¡­¡­!?¡± (Zeke) Zeke¡¯s voice came out almost like a scream. ¡°If you¡¯ve been studying me then you¡¯d know that¡¯s common for me. Apparently you haven¡¯t done enough research on me prior to our meeting.¡± (Arnos) Zeke grits his teeth. It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s looking for a way to escape as he starts talking. ¡°When exactly did you substitute Melheys¡¯ origin¡­¡­¡­?¡± (Zeke) ¡°When you handed Gabreido to me. At that time you were cautious of 2 things. Had I noticed those 4 dead mazoku over there and would I use Gabreido to cut your spell blocking . Because you were cautious of those things I used to replace the origins.¡± (Arnos) Well, to be fair it was a blind spot on Zeke¡¯s side because he wasn¡¯t aware the magic existed. This is the reason I didn¡¯t care about the penalty. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I lost this battle of wits when I accepted?¡± (Arnos) I take another step forward. ¡°You already lost when you chose to fight against me.¡± (Arnos) Zeke¡¯s expression of regret shows that he¡¯s realised he¡¯s got nowhere to run to before suddenly falling to his knee¡¯s like a puppet with its strings cut. He committed suicide by using . Did you think I¡¯d let you go?¡± (Arnos) I interfered with part of the magic circle of and rearranged it. ¡°In this peaceful world, you have challenged me and lost. I hope you¡¯re prepared for that.¡± (Arnos) I draw a magic formation on the floor. Particles of magic power rise from formation and an owl appears from them. Mazoku Training . ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good vessel and I¡¯ve still got some questions for you.¡± (Arnos) Zeke¡¯s face shows his disappointment. ¡°¡­.Ku¡­.. I can¡¯t even answer you¡­. Permission needs to come from Eldomade-sama¡­.¡± (Zeke) Zeke falls forward and I cremate his body with Flame . ¡°Come Zeke.¡± (Arnos) The reincarnated owl perched on my arm like a faithful familiar. TN: Not gonna lie last chapter and this chapter was an exercise in boredom for me to translate. So many words and hardly anything to show for it. The whole game was pointless apart from the exposition on the child of god last chapter and the last bit of this chapter with Zeke plus the author keeps repeating themselves (it feels like word filling sometimes). I really hope next chapter is better. Chapter 123.1 The top floor of the union tower. After rescuing Menou and bringing her back Sasha was currently talking. ¡°Ok. So does this Zeke you¡¯ve made into your familiar know anything?¡± (Sasha) I nodded and addressed Zeke. ¡°Tell them your purpose for coming here Zeke.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Even if only a tiny bit my purpose was to reduce the war potential of the demon king of tyranny. That¡¯s why I challenged you to a battle of wits and targeted Melheys.¡± (Zeke) ¡°As he says.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hmm. So basically you¡¯re saying Nousgalia gave you half a story and used you?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Well¡­ He certainly did restrict me.¡± (Zeke) It¡¯s pretty poor to be given half-baked information and then used. Such foolishness would not be forgiven for the staff officer of the fire death king. ¡°You can¡¯t tell a lie because you¡¯re a familiar right?¡± (Sasha) ¡°That¡¯s true, however, my memories have also been investigated.¡± (Zeke) ¡°Have his memories been tampered with?¡± (Misha) ¡°Possibly. Just like Evans Mana completely erased Aivis¡¯ memories of the past, the gods can also do that.¡± (Arnos) It may have been one of the conditions for him to reincarnate. I still have my doubts about why he targeted Melheys as well. ¡°Well its also possible he knows nothing more than what he¡¯s said.¡± (Arnos) Looking over at the stairwell Eleonor and Zeshia enter and join us on the top floor of the union tower. Ray and Misa came back not long ago so all our group¡¯s members are now back. ¡°Wow. We¡¯re the last back. Everyone¡¯s so quick.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Sorry¡­¡­I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­late¡­¡­.¡± (Zeshia) I¡¯ve already informed everyone via that the four wicked royals have started a fight with us so everyone¡¯s up to speed. ¡°Well then Melheys. Let¡¯s hear about the post-war clean up as originally planned.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Certainly.¡± (Melheys) Melheys bows to me then starts speaking. ¡°I¡¯ll give a quick rundown about what we¡¯re doing but there will be some overlap with things I¡¯ve mentioned before. First off is Azeshion. Diego who led the Gairadeite Demon King Subjugation Force has been punished for what he did during the campaign as it was a serious violation of military law.¡± (Melheys) In a situation where the demon king of tyranny had been confirmed dead and the Deiruheido army had started to retreat, he tried to continue the war by cutting off his second-in-command¡¯s arm. Pretty much every soldier saw it. There¡¯s no way he could avoid it. ¡°Due to the magic and other things that have since come to light they found out that he had been planning his war against Deiruheido for quite some time. As such, Azeshion would like to settle this by declaring Diego a war criminal.¡± (Melheys) ¡°What happened to the Kanon reincarnations ?¡± Ray asks with some doubt in his voice. ¡°Since the real Kanon appeared wielding Evans Mana and defended the humans from the demon king of tyranny the other Kanon¡¯s were declared as fakes and are now simply recognised as normal reincarnated individuals. Apparently, there¡¯s been a constant voice of doubt both in and out of the academy for a long time since not one of them ever wielded Evans Mana.¡± (Melheys) Perfectly understandable. Because Kanon appeared during the war all that doubt would have come rushing to the surface in one go. ¡°The hero academy will remain but it¡¯s unlikely to receive the vast budget it used to have.¡± (Melheys) ¡°I see. Then the name Kanon will have been taken away from Zeshia and Ledoriano-kun as well then.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Will Zeshia take your family name then?¡± (Ray) Eleonor nods. ¡°I changed it though since I thought it would be troublesome to have the same family name as Diego.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Same¡­..as mama¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Eleonor nods while patting her head. ¡°That reminds me how are the other Zeshia¡¯s doing? There was about 10,000 right?¡± (Sasha) ¡°They are in the basement of this castle at the moment.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What?¡± Sasha lets out an almost wild voice ¡°The basement as in the underground dungeon? How can they live in such a place?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It seems really nice though?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..What do you mean?¡± (Sasha) Sasha looks to me for an explanation. ¡°Of course I extended it and redecorated it. I¡¯ve made the bottom level into a town where the Zeshia¡¯s can easily live. If you go by area I¡¯d say it¡¯s about the same size as Midheys.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Haaaa!?¡± Sasha raises her voice in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­Why are you building a town that¡¯s the same size as Midheys underground?¡± (Sasha) ¡°When 10,000 people go out they attract too much attention but it would inconvenient having nothing to do underground so I fixed the environment for them so they can enjoy themselves.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Arnos is kind.¡± (Misha) ¡°There are limits¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s only temporary. I intend to take them to the great spirit forest Ahartherun soon.¡± (Arnos) Misha looks puzzled at my words. ¡°Is that okay?¡± (Misha) ¡°10,000 Zeshia¡¯s will make both the mazoku and the humans question it but the spirits don¡¯t care plus the spirits and the humans get along well. The spirits will accept them and it¡¯s not a bad place to live at all.¡± (Arnos) That is if all the Zeshias agree to it of course. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a story for later anyway. Continue.¡± (Arnos) ¡°The Azeshion side has asked for information about the hero Kanon. How would you like me to handle it? At the moment Azshion doesn¡¯t seem to be aware that the Tora forest encounter was Kanon.¡± (Melheys) Melheys looked at Ray and me. ¡°Don¡¯t they remember my face?¡± (Ray) ¡°There¡¯s the possibility that some individuals remember but it¡¯s not widely known.¡± (Melheys) ¡°If possible I¡¯d appreciate it if my whereabouts remain unknown.¡± (Ray) There¡¯s not many good paints to them finding out he¡¯s the hero Kanon. It would probably bring more trouble than anything else. ¡°Certainly. Then I¡¯ll reply like that.¡± (Melheys) ¡°How are the people of Azeshion doing?¡± (Arnos) ¡°The after-effects of and are not that bad. Almost 90% of the people have recovered due to Arnos-sama and Ray-sama converting the magic of into hope and sending it back to them. The remaining 10% or so are still alive at least.¡± (Melheys) Fumu. At least we made it in time. ¡°But the experience of wandering in the dark, with hope forcibly absorbed, is not one to be forgotten. The oral tradition of the deep darkness remains deep-rooted amongst many Azeshion people and some even think that the magic was the work of the demon king.¡± (Melheys) It¡¯s understandable. Not many would believe that their own heroes would turn their fangs on them. I¡¯d even say it¡¯s natural to think that way. ¡°Is Avos Dillheavia still recognised as the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Indeed. The Hero Kanon killed Avos Dillheavia in the war, however, he might revive again and bring about the deep darkness. Such uneasiness still exists and is spreading through Azeshion.¡± (Melheys) Chapter 123.2 Well, after all that, it¡¯s no wonder they can¡¯t forget their fear. It¡¯s not going to happen any time soon, but it could be a trigger for humans to start hating the mazoku again. ¡°At the ceremony of the second coming of the demon king, it would be good if you could mention Avos Dillheavia and play a part in the friendship with Azeshion.¡± (Melheys) ¡°So I cooperated with Kanon and destroyed the false demon king of tyranny Avos Dillheavia?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Indeed. Plus in its own way, it is also the truth.¡± (Melheys) ¡°In that case wouldn¡¯t it be better to have Kanon attend the second coming of the demon king ceremony as well?¡± (Arnos) I watch Ray while I¡¯m talking. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stand out that much.¡± (Ray) ¡°Wear armour?¡± (Misha) ¡°That might be okay. We can use armour and a helmet to obscure my face. As long as I have Evans Mana they¡¯ll understand I¡¯m the hero Kanon.¡± (Ray) ¡°Then I¡¯ll steer it in that direction. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s the gist of what¡¯s going on. Is there anything else someone would like to add?¡± (Melheys) ¡°No, that¡¯s it for today. Let¡¯s proceed with the main issue.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Is this about the fire death king Eldomade?¡± (Melheys) ¡°Yeah. His body and origin have been taken over by Nousgalia but I¡¯m not sure when this happened.¡± (Arnos) Everyone falls silent and after a few moments, Melheys starts to speak. ¡°It was only several days ago that Eldomade did this and came to the academy. He said he wanted to become a teacher and even took the exam and interview and passed.¡± (Melheys) ¡°Did you meet him?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes. Because he knew Arnos-sama I met him directly and had a chat but he didn¡¯t say much. All he really said was that he wanted to train the next generation in this new age.¡± (Melheys) I did tell Melheys to be courteous to any mazoku from 2000 years ago who appeared and asked for me or enquired about me, however, it doesn¡¯t seem that it was out of friendship that they waited until now. ¡°Have all the teachers seen the signed proving that Arnos is the demon king of tyranny?¡± (Sasha) ¡°All the trustworthy teachers have been told and I signed it in front of them. Because Eldomade already knew Arnos-sama I gave him a copy.¡± (Melheys) There¡¯s nothing wrong with proving I¡¯m the demon king of tyranny now. ¡°When you met Eldomade had his body already been taken over by Nousgalia?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry but unfortunately I couldn¡¯t tell¡­¡­¡± (Melheys) Oh well. Never mind it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°I tried to tell Arnos-sama through even though it might be monitored but I couldn¡¯t find you or your magic power.¡± (Melheys) ¡°Aah sorry. I was absorbed in rebuilding the underground dungeon. I haven¡¯t even told Elio yet. I had to create it in secret because I didn¡¯t want people to find out and think someone had broken into the underground dungeon and cause a fuss.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..Then don¡¯t go sneaking off and making something outrageous then¡­..¡± Sasha muttered to herself. ¡°It might not be related to Nousgalia but there¡¯s something else I¡¯d like to mention.¡± (Melheys) ¡°What?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I quickly informed the unification faction that Arnos-sama was the demon king of tyranny and just now I received a message from the head of the Unificationists, the Founder.¡± (Melheys) Fumu. The mysterius mazoku that not even Melheys has met. ¡°And?¡± (Arnos) ¡°They said that they were a mazoku from 2000 years ago.¡± (Melheys) I see. This could explain why they were not able to appear. ¡°Their name?¡± (Arnos) ¡°The right hand of the demon king of tyranny Shin Reglia.¡± (Melheys) Shin huh? Did his reincarnation go well? Apparently, he has his memories back. ¡°He is in the great spirit forest Ahartherun. Apparently, all your former followers have been waiting there for your reincarnation.¡± (Melheys) He stayed away from Deiruheido so that I wouldn¡¯t notice him, however, the matter with Avos Dillheavia has already been settled. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he appeared?¡± (Arnos) ¡°He said some circumstances were stopping him from moving and that he awaits you in Ahartherun.¡± (Melheys) Shin has never asked me to go to him before. Even if the gods were standing in his way, that man would come to me himself, even if he had to cut them down. What are these serious circumstances that stop him from moving? ¡°¡­¡­Ahartherun¡­..¡± Misa muters to herself. She looks down. Is she worried about the great spirit Reno? ¡°That half-demon sword the subordinate of the curse king had.¡± (Ray) Ray picked up the half-sword with no tip with a serious look on his face. Misa¡¯s father was supposed to have the other half. ¡°When you look into its abyss you can see its original appearance.¡± (Ray) I turn my demon eyes to the sword Ray¡¯s holding. ¡°Fumu. I see. You can¡¯t understand with just half but when both are gathered you can. Even then you have to have seen the sword before.¡± (Arnos) Ray walks over to the plinth that contains the other half of the sword and pulls it out before pushing the 2 halves together. The next moment both swords are wrapped in a black light. The 2 halves unite and its shape distorts before forming its true appearance of a curved sword. ¡°I see. The plunder sword Gilionojes¡± (Arnos) A unique sword that only Shin used. Chapter 124.1 ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it a few times in the past 2,000 years, but this demon sword belongs to Shin Reglia, right?¡± (Ray) I nodded at Ray¡¯s question. ¡°No doubt about it.¡± (Arnos) ¡°So this Shin Reglia founded the unification faction and is also Misa¡¯s father?¡± (Sasha) Sasha¡¯s face had a thoughtful look on it. ¡°¡­..I was told that my father was a mazoku and a member of the royal faction ruling somewhere in Deiruheido¡­..¡± Misa mutters almost to herself. That¡¯s what she¡¯s been taught up to now. ¡°It¡¯s possible you were lied to. Any mazoku from 2000 years ago couldn¡¯t appear before me when I reincarnated. It¡¯s possible that if you¡¯d been told I could have found out about it. If you were simply told that he was one of the demon emperors ruling from somewhere then he had an excuse not to see you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Then this person was a close aide of Arnos-sama¡­..?¡± (Misa) ¡°We don¡¯t know if its Shin yet.¡± (Arnos) ¡°But the demon sword that Misa¡¯s father gave her was this Shin fellows sword right? Plus being the head of the unification faction would be for Misa¡¯s sake wouldn¡¯t it?¡± (Sasha) Misa is a mixed blood. It¡¯s natural to think that he formed the Unification faction for his daughter¡¯s sake, even if he didn¡¯t show up so that she could live in a slightly better society. ¡°The curse king had the other half.¡± (Misha) ¡°Ah¡­..yeah¡­¡­ That would mean that Shin was a subordinate of the curse king and tried to kill Misa wh¡ª¡± (Sasha) Sasha stops herself halfway through and looks apologetically at Misa. ¡°It¡¯s possible it was stolen. Look, Shin can¡¯t move from Ahartherun, right? It¡¯s possible he¡¯s fighting the four wicked royals and that¡¯s what¡¯s keeping him from moving. The curse king could have simply stolen the other half and used it this time.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Makes sense.¡± (Misha) ¡°It makes sense but it¡¯s hard to believe.¡± (Ray) ¡°Fumu. I¡¯m in agreement with Ray.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Errm, why can¡¯t you believe it?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°2000 years ago Shin Reglia was the mazoku¡¯s strongest swordsman. I can¡¯t believe anyone could steal his sword from him. Especially a sword so important it could expose his daughter to danger.¡± (Ray) Sasha objected to Ray¡¯s words. ¡°But the four wicked royals are second only to the demon king right? Based on the current situation, they¡¯re probably fighting together, so no matter how much of a close aide he was to Arnos, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he lost at least one sword, right?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯ve fought the four wicked royals myself. I don¡¯t think even if the four of them joined forces they could beat Shin Reglia.¡± (Ray) ¡°Haaaa!?¡± Sasha lets out a surprised voice. ¡°The four wicked royals are called that because they¡¯re strong right? You¡¯re saying even if they fought as one they¡¯d lose?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Do you honestly think any of my trusted aides would be inferior to any mazoku that weren¡¯t under my command?¡± (Arnos) Sasha¡¯s eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open in amazement. ¡°¡­..Why didn¡¯t this person become one of the wicked royals then?¡± (Sasha) ¡°He was always a man without ambition. He worshipped strength and dedicated his life to the sword. He and Ray will get along well.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looked at Ray with an expression that says ¡°that¡¯s you.¡± Ray just returned his refreshing smile. ¡°¡­..What does this mean then¡­.?¡± Misa says in an uneasy voice. ¡°I don¡¯t believe Shin has any hostility towards me. In the unlikely event that the sword was stolen then there¡¯s 2 possibilities. The first one is we are dealing with an enemy stronger than any of the four wicked royals.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Gods?¡± (Misha) ¡°The fire death king has been taken over by Nousgalia. It¡¯s no wonder the four wicked royals attacked at the same time if they were guided by him.¡± (Arnos) It makes sense that the three subordinates of the four wicked royals went out of their way to say they smelled the presence of the child of god under my command if they were fighting together. Actually, if they hadn¡¯t said that then there would have been no way I¡¯d have agreed to Zeke¡¯s battle of wits. ¡°What¡¯s the other one?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Shin might not have regained his full power after reincarnating¡± (Arnos) If that¡¯s the case then it makes sense that the sword was stolen from him. The thing is, Shin¡¯s no fool. If that was the case he¡¯d have taken the appropriate precautions though you could argue it could have been something that Shin couldn¡¯t have foreseen. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one thing though.¡± I address everyone in the room. ¡°The advisor to the fire death king says that the child of god is one of my subordinates.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor, Misha and Sasha all look like they have thoughts on the matter. ¡°The subordinate of the scarlet monument king said that the child of god is a vessel made by the gods.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor protectively holds Zeshia in her arms and because Eleonor seemed troubled Zeshia started patting Eleonor on the head. ¡°The subordinate of the dark king said that the gods interfered with and gave birth to Misha. Also¡ª¡± (Arnos) Sasha looked uncomfortable while Misha spoke. ¡°¡­¡­I was able to create Derugozedo with creation magic¡­..¡± (Misha) ¡°Demon eyes of creation. Just by looking you can create what you are thinking of. It¡¯s easy to reproduce something as long as you¡¯ve got a good image of it.¡± (Arnos) Misha looks at me expressionlessly but I can see that a hint of anxiety has broken through. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It doesn¡¯t make you the child of god and I¡¯ve destroyed gods before anyway. It¡¯s hardly surprising that you who excels at creation magic can create a castle with the power of a god.¡± (Arnos) Misha just blinks at me a few times. ¡°Also, that Deruzogedo wasn¡¯t a very powerful god of destruction. It was an imitation god. To do it properly you have to look deep into the abyss and create its order right from the beginning.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Why has this turned into a magic lecture¡­..?¡± (Sasha) Chapter 124.2 Sasha complained but Misha smiled in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± (Misha) Nevertheless, in terms of power alone, Misha is the closest thing to a child of god right now. I¡¯ll have to keep my eye on her for a while. ¡°Also, 2000 years ago Nousgalia targeted the great spirit Reno to be the womb that would give birth to the child of god.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eeh¡­.?¡± (Misa) Misa looked at me in surprise. She was probably surprised to find out she could also be the child of god. ¡°Of course this whole thing could be a lie. They could be trying to get me to keep my eyes on you all while they wake up another person somewhere else that¡¯s the child of god.¡± (Arnos) In the end, the only thing I could properly confirm was that they wanted to kill Melheys. We¡¯ve got some information but we still don¡¯t know a great deal. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± (Melheys) ¡°I¡¯m going to Ahartherun. The great spirit Reno should be there and the quickest way to find out if Misa is the child of god is to ask Reno directly.¡± (Arnos) I¡¯ve also got news about Shin. I can¡¯t not go. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s going to be a bit difficult though isn¡¯t it?¡± (Ray) Misha tilted her head to one side. ¡°Why?¡± (Misha) ¡°The great spirit forest is hard to find for one thing.¡± (Ray) ¡°But you¡¯ve been there before haven¡¯t you Arnos? Can¡¯t we just use ?¡± (Sahsa) ¡°Ahartherun is not a place but a spirit.¡± (Arnos) ¡°A spirit? Even though its a forest?¡± (Sahsa) ¡°The great spirit forest of Ahartherun was created by myths, rumours and folklore of a mysterious forest inhabited by the spirits. The forest is alive and is always moving. It can¡¯t be seen by the naked eye and because it doesn¡¯t have any magic you can¡¯t see it using your demon eyes either.¡± (Arnos) ¡°How can a forest move but not be visible to the naked eye?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Like I said, Ahartherun is a mysterious forest created by legends and myths. It appears out of fog and disappears into fog. There are also conditions to entering the forest but they change depending on the current rumour. The last time I entered the rumour was that you could only enter at midnight while there was a hazy moon and fog drifted along the shores of lake Seimei. At that point, if you offered a light blue candy to the air a mischievous fairy would appear and lead you to the forest.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wow. It¡¯s like a fairy tale.¡± Eleonor said happily. ¡°But that rumour is from 2000 years ago isn¡¯t it?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll be different now.¡± (Arnos) ¡°So we have to start listening to rumours? What a pain¡­..¡± (Sasha) ¡°How did you create then if it moves around?¡± (Misha) ¡°With the help of the great spirit Reno I created it directly inside Ahartherun. Even if they found the forest it wouldn¡¯t let anyone in.¡± (Arnos) As well as how to get in the entire home of the spirits is made up of rumours and traditions. With the help of Reno, I divided the world by building the wall inside it. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to find Ahartherun especially since we can¡¯t take our eyes off Nousgalia isn¡¯t it?¡±(Ray) ¡°It¡¯s also not desirable for you to be separated from Misa-sama, Zeshia-sama, Misha-sama and Sasha-sama my lord in case someone targets them as the child of god.¡± (Melheys) ¡°Even if me and Eleonor stay here we don¡¯t have the same demon eyes as Arnos. It¡¯s going to be difficult to completely keep an eye on Nousgalia. Even if it¡¯s you Arnos you can¡¯t fully grasp the situation in Deruzogedo from Ahartherun can you?¡± (Ray) ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± (Arnos) The farther away you are the less accurate demon eyes are. This is handing Nousgalia the perfect opportunity to take advantage of. ¡°It could be this is what they want. By thinking the child of god is one of my subordinates it makes it harder for us to act separately.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do you think the real goal is to let Shin fall while he¡¯s trapped in Ahartherun?¡± (Ray) ¡°It¡¯s a possibility.¡± (Arnos) Fumu. It¡¯s getting harder to move around that¡¯s for certain. ¡°Errm, so what do we do now? Is it best for me and Kanon to go to Ahartherun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°No.¡± (Arnos) Ray and Eleonor are a force to be reckoned with but if it¡¯s something that¡¯s giving Shin trouble then I¡¯m not optimistic about their chances. ¡°We¡¯ll all go.¡± (Arnos) ¡°But who will keep an eye on Nousgalia then?¡± (Sasha) I grin at Sasha. ¡°I said all of us and I meant all of us. I¡¯ll have him guide us to Ahartherun.¡± (Arnos) Everyone in the room and not just Sasha gives me a questioning look. ¡°How?¡± (Sasha) ¡°What do you mean how? It¡¯s easy. Gods keep their promises with people and Nousgalia promised to be a teacher at this school. He can¡¯t disobey an order if it¡¯s for his job.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ah!¡± Sasha raised her voice as she noticed. ¡°Our next class will be an expedition exam to Ahartherun.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 125.1 The next day in the second training grounds of Deruzogedo¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. The bell signalling the start of lessons rings out. ¡°Right, let¡¯s begin the class. Though it¡¯s short notice I believe that you all had an owl visit you yesterday and inform you of the Ahartherun expedition test today. I¡¯ll be supervising the test myself. It¡¯s a rare thing for a god to get involved in such mundane matters so all of you should be thankful and worship me.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia puts on an arrogant expression. You can easily guess what the student¡¯s reaction will be. ¡°¡­.What¡¯s with this sudden expedition exam?¡­¡­¡­. It¡¯s really sloppy¡­¡­¡± A student from the royal faction expressed his discontent. Perhaps it was because they had just been through a painful experience yesterday, but they didn¡¯t have the guts to complain directly to Nousgalia so they muttered it with voice was so faint that no one could hear them. Or so they thought anyway. I could hear them. Perhaps they thought it was some minor way of keeping their pride but they are too na?ve. ¡°That man over there. Do you have some dissatisfaction?¡± (Nousgalia) Surprised he¡¯d been heard the student shrank into himself. ¡°¡­.No¡­.. Nothing at all¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Nousgalia laughs at the student. ¡°God¡¯s hearing is absolute. Did you really think you could get away with such a sloppy lie right in front of me?¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia glares at the student and he shrinks back even more. ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away just because you are under the protection of the demon lord of tyranny. I have many ways of tormenting you that won¡¯t cause any injury at all.¡± (Nousgalia) The student looks at Nousgalia with a frightened look. ¡°This I declare in the name of God. I¡¯m lowering your grades for talking in class.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°¡­.Wha¡­¡­.!?¡± ¡°If you want to be promoted again then you should obediently worship me.¡± (Nousgalia) The student couldn¡¯t say anything else apart from ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s always talking about god this and god that but isn¡¯t the scale getting smaller and smaller?¡± Sasha mutters. *Kukuku* I let out an unintentional chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s probably judged that as long as it¡¯s within the scope of teaching he won¡¯t be disturbed by me. Either that or he¡¯s actually serious about being a teacher.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Did you not hear me Demon Lord of Tyranny? If you talk too much your grades will suffer.¡± (Nousgalia) A sharp look comes my way from the podium. ¡°Fumu. My bad. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± (Arnos) Nousgalia easily withdrew and continued with the lesson. Not that there¡¯s a lot he can do as an incomplete god in that body anyway. ¡°Now then. Let me grant wisdom to all you who are ignorant. Considering your levels I also think that this expedition is too sudden, however, this test came straight from the top of the school so my thoughts on it are irrelevant. Putting aside the hierarchy flaws in this demon king academy I¡¯m appalled at your attempts to place this blame on one teacher.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia made it clear it was not his fault. This was the only way he could protect the dignity of God. ¡°With your current strength and wisdom non of you apart from the Arnos team can reach Ahartherun. As it stands this test is terminally flawed, however, God is absolute. No matter how despotic those bosses above are there will be no failure in this classroom.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia spreads his hands in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Let God¡¯s blessing be on you all.¡± (Nousgalia) A glittering light covers all the students before quickly disappearing into their bodies. ¡°To arrive at Ahartherun power, wisdom and luck is needed. I have granted God¡¯s luck to those of you lacking in wisdom and power. Your fates are now connected to Ahartherun. Now even you ignorant people are qualified to go to the Great Spirit Forest.¡± (Nousgalia) I check with my demon eyes but it¡¯s not a problematic magic. He¡¯s not lying. It really is something that increases your luck. To go to these lengths just to make the class look good is very much something the gods would do. They defend order and the dignity of the gods is part of that. ¡°As you¡¯ve already been informed by the owls Ahartherun is a spirit. It is constantly moving around the world and was created by myths and legends as the home of the spirits that appears and disappears in a mist. Where it is now will be determined by the current rumours and hearsay.¡± Nousgalia explains in a rich sonorous voice. ¡°However, as it currently stands even if you went looking for a hundred years it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Therefore I will grant you more wisdom.¡± Nousgalia¡¯s voice turns solemn. ¡°Northwest of Midheys is the vast Risharis grasslands that surround the city of Zehenburg. When a mysterious fog rolls in a mischievous spirit appears lurking inside it. If you make them laugh they will reveal themselves to you and lead you to Ahartherun.¡± (Nousgalia) Mischievous spirits? Must be the fairy Titi. ¡°I shall be waiting for you all at the Risharis grasslands. The time limit is 10 days. If you haven¡¯t made it by then you won¡¯t be able to attend the class after the expedition. Try your hardest everyone.¡± (Nousgalia) The magic circle for forms at this feet and he disappears. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the heavenly father to tell us so much.¡± (Ray) ¡°I honestly don¡¯t understand the God tribe. He went to the trouble of becoming a teacher because he wants to do something in this school but he¡¯s honestly doing this expedition test.¡± Sasha has an amazed look on her face as she speaks. ¡°It is keeping him away from Deruzogedo for the duration of the exam though.¡± Eleonor says while holding up her index finger. ¡°And it¡¯s keeping him near to Arnos-kun.¡± (Eleonor) It¡¯s as she says. Since he is up to something at least he¡¯s within my sight while I¡¯m in Ahartherun. ¡°Should we go to the Risharis grasslands?¡± Misha asks when suddenly ¡°¡ªDamn iiiiit!!¡± Chapter 125.2 A desk was kicked away with a thud by the royal student Nousgalia put down earlier. ¡°What! Who¡¯s under the protection of the demon king of tyranny!! I don¡¯t need you to protect me. I don¡¯t approve of this!! Who the hell recognizes this guy!! Whooo!!¡± The white-clothed students looked at the rampaging man and backed away. ¡°Poor guy¡­¡­¡± someone muttered. ¡°Ahhhh!?¡± The royal student shouted out in rage. ¡°Oi! Who said that? Are you feeling sorry for me? You¡¯re nothing! You¡¯re not a noble! Do you still believe that crap! The demon lord of tyranny is Avos Dillheavia-sama!! Were you there at the war!?¡± The students avert their eyes from him. ¡°¡­.Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­..Yeah.¡± The white clothes ignore the man and leave the classroom to start the exam. ¡°¡­.Oi¡­¡­. What are you looking at Arnos¡­¡­?¡± The man focuses on me trying to pick a fight and Sasha starts to intervene but I tell her it¡¯s fine. Sasha steps back behind me with her dissatisfaction evident on her face. ¡°What? You may have gained the favour of the old seven demon emperors but who the hell are you to pretend to be the demon king? Haa!? You¡¯re a misfit! It¡¯s ridiculous!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you all it¡¯s your choice whether to believe it or not.¡± (Arnos) ¡°And I¡¯m saying I don¡¯t like it. You looking down on us! If you¡¯re the demon lord of tyranny then kill me! Hey! I said kill me!! You can¡¯t do it can you? Aah? Aaaah!?¡± I stare coldly at him and he stiffens his whole body as if bracing himself. ¡°Does trash like you really think you are worth this ones time?¡± (Arnos) The royal looks at me in frustration and bites his lip. ¡°How long are you going to throw a childish tantrum in front of me? No one is bothered about you. Why would the demon king of tyranny give you special treatment? Killing you as a miserable wretch will not make you a hero either. You are nothing but a mere mazoku that can be found anywhere.¡± (Arnos) His face took on a hopeless expression and he looked like he was about to burst into tears. ¡°If you want to die then do it on your own. Decide your death with your own will. It¡¯s nothing but a bother to have to have someone else¡¯s despairing life in my hands.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..I¡­¡­.¡± With no words to reply with the man just looked down. ¡°Soon word about the demon king of tyranny will spread throughout Deiruheido.¡± (Arnos) The man twitched at my words. ¡°I am not kind enough to save a spoilt child. Suffer as you will until you realise that all your pain is caused by your old self.¡± (Arnos) Leaving the broken man behind I head to a corner of the classroom. As I head over I hear the broken words of someone unable to face reality. ¡°¡­.Definitely¡­.. You weren¡¯t there¡­¡­ Avos Dillheavia¡­¡­ Definitely¡­¡­.¡± Without caring in the slightest I look at the girls from the fan union. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡­ Which route is the closest¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no further than Azeshion and there¡¯s not much danger so this route is probably the best¡­..?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s an expedition exam right?¡± The girls had an opened map in front of them and were trying to find the best way to get to the Risharis grasslands. ¡°You don¡¯t need that map. You can come with us to the Risharis grasslands.¡± (Arnos) When I spoke the girls turned around startled. ¡°What? Errrm?¡± ¡°But¡­..¡± ¡°Is that okay!?¡± The girls looked at me with a mixture of anticipation and surprise. ¡°Because your power may be necessary.¡± (Arnos) When I held out my hand the girls gasped then quickly reined themselves in and gave guarded looks at each other. For some reason, the air suddenly felt like conflict could kick off at any minute. ¡°¡­¡­Okay? Eight parts. Eight equal parts right?¡± ¡°I know¡­¡­.!¡± ¡°But we can choose the part we want right?¡± I have absolutely no idea what they are on about. The girls watched each other to see what they would do. A few seconds later one of them stepped forward boldly. ¡°Yes! Me! Me! Thumb!¡± ¡°Then little finger!¡± ¡°Forefinger!¡± ¡°Middle finger is good!¡± ¡°Ring fingeeeeer!!!¡± ¡°Palm!¡± ¡°Back of the hand! No one touches that part often so it¡¯s definitely valuable!¡± ¡°You guys forgot the wrist!¡± The girls gathered around my hand with exquisite positioning and grabbed my hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked Sasha and the others who were looking at us with opened mouths and blank stares. ¡°What are we doing? Were dumbfounded that¡¯s what¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Sasha comes over and takes my hand. The others come over and take each other¡¯s hands. Misha takes Sasha¡¯s other hand while Zeshia takes Misha¡¯s other hand and so on. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Arnos) I check everyone¡¯s together and cast . Chapter 126.1 As the white-washed landscape regained its colour, I saw a row of red-earth coloured brick houses in front of me. I wonder if it¡¯s the climate or the culture, but in this capital, it¡¯s customary to build with bricks. ¡°Eh? This isn¡¯t a meadow.¡± Eleonor looks around with curiosity. ¡°Where¡­..is this¡­¡­?¡± Zeshia asks looking up at me. ¡°The capital of Zehenburg.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wasn¡¯t the entrance to Ahartherun in the Risharis meadow?¡± Sasha asks while looking around in interest. ¡°Do you remember the rumour that Nousgalia mentioned?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Errm let¡¯s see. A mysterious fog hangs over the vast Risharis meadow that surrounds the city of Zehenburg and inside it, a mischievous spirit lurks. If you make them laugh, they will instantly reveal themselves and lead the way to Ahartherun, right?¡± (Sasha) I nod ¡°That information alone is not enough to get us into Ahartherun.¡± (Arnos) ¡°No mention of conditions for fog.¡± Misha says while looking at me with her usual cold eyes. ¡°Aah. I guess he left it out because it wouldn¡¯t be an exam if they taught you everything.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Looking for the fog rumour?¡± (Misha) ¡°Indeed. If there is a rumour about a mysterious fog that hangs over the Risharis Meadow then it is natural to assume that it is spreading in the capital of Zehenburg, which is the closest place to it. If we ask around we are sure to find someone who knows about it.¡± (Arnos) We have God¡¯s luck as well so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. ¡°Should we split up and ask around then?¡± (Sasha) Usually, it¡¯s not a good idea to be separated but it¡¯s not a problem in this city. A quick check with my demon eyes shows that Nousgalia is behaving himself in the Risharis meadow. Even if enemies show up they won¡¯t be an issue. ¡°Should we divide into four groups? Ray and Misa can take the north side of town. Eleonor and Zeshia take the east and fan union try the west. Well, I say that but don¡¯t be too concerned about staying in the area. Misha and Sahsa, you can come with me.¡± (Arnos) I cast on everyone so I could see what they were seeing. ¡°We¡¯re off then.¡± Ray and Misa wave and leave. ¡°We¡¯re going to ask around about the mysterious fog Zeshia. Understand?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Ask¡­¡­around¡­¡­ Do you know about the mysterious fog?¡± (Zeshia) ¡°Uh-huh, like that. That¡¯s great.¡± (Eleonor) They both set off with Eleonor running practise questions by Zeshia. ¡°We¡¯re off too, Arnos-sama!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s a Unification branch in this city, so let¡¯s go there.¡± ¡°They said in a previous correspondence that they wanted a picture of Arnos-sama, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get whatever information we need in exchange.¡± ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, I can always read this book about the saga of Arnos-sama to them¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that book heavily dramatised? Would that be okay?¡± ¡°This is the beginners one. You won¡¯t be embarrassed showing this to anyone.¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± ¡°Kyaaa! Ecchi!¡± ¡°What the hell are you writing!? Which part is for beginners!? Show me!¡± The fan union left in a cloud of noise. ¡°Arnos book?¡± Misha tilts her head to one side. ¡°You are someone who doesn¡¯t need to know anything about that for as long as you live Misha.¡± (Sasha) Misha and Sasha line up on either side of me. ¡°Nee. If you¡¯re coming with us does that mean you think one of us is most likely the child of God?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Not particularly and there¡¯s not much to choose between you. Misha created the power of a pseudo god and your demon eyes have the potential of looking even further into the abyss than they can now.¡± We talked as we walked and Sahsa looked like she wanted to say something further but she shut her mouth. ¡°If I¡¯m the child of God.¡± Misha stares darkly at the ground while talking ¡°and my orders are to destroy Arnos. Then I¡¯m ready¡± she says matter of factly. Sasha turns to me. ¡°It¡¯s not like Misha and I are going to give up anytime soon. But if it turns out there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, I¡¯ll return the life you gave me there.¡± (Sasha) *Kuhaha* I laughed ¡°We¡¯re serious you know.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I know and that¡¯s why I laughed.¡± (Arnos) Sasha pouts a little dissatisfied. ¡°Why?¡± (Misha) ¡°Did you honestly think I¡¯d forgotten the wishes you made that day.¡± (Arnos) Misha and Sasha fall silent at my words ¡°Let¡¯s say Misha was born with God¡¯s intention to destroy me, and you were caught up in that unreasonableness. Misha grew up as a child that didn¡¯t exist and Sasha continued to be heartbroken by it, however, finally, these last three months both of you have been able to laugh.¡± (Arnos) I stop walking so I can impart my words to them clearly. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to destroy that? Don¡¯t make me laugh. I¡¯m not going to spare a single thought on who should be destroyed.¡± (Arnos) I open both my hands and offer them to the girls. ¡°I told you. I will destroy the unreasonable things that stand in your way. If God brings tragedy to you, I will destroy him. If the order of this world is the source of tragedy, then I will destroy that order.¡± (Arnos) Misha and Sasha stare at my offered hands. Take my hand if you believe in me more than God.¡± (Arnos) Without hesitation, they both take my hands. ¡°Don¡¯t ever let go of me. As long as you hold my hand, I will always save you, no matter what happens.¡± (Arnos) Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯ll never let go.¡± (Misha) Sasha looks straight at me. ¡°I promise too.¡± (Sasha) I laugh again. ¡°Good answer. Don¡¯t forget it.¡± (Arnos) I let go of their hands and we begin walking again. After walking for a while we hear an angry voice. ¡°You¡¯re a little girl! I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re an informant or what, but don¡¯t interfere with our business by spreading bad rumours about us!!¡± I looked over and saw a small man who looked like a merchant, accompanied by several stern men, who had kicked a girl to the floor. Chapter 126.2 Her clear light blue hair was peeking out from the hood she wore. ¡°It¡¯s your own fault that bad rumours are spreading. You¡¯re running a scam-like business, and it¡¯s wrong because it¡¯s always cheating travellers¡­¡­.¡± (girl) The girl put her hands on the ground while firmly replying. Hearing this, the merchant¡¯s eyes peeled back in anger. ¡°You bitch! Oi! You¡¯ll pay for that. I¡¯ll make sure you never show your face again.¡± The people passing by looked at them for a moment to see what the commotion was about, but they turned their gazes away, not wanting to get involved, and quickly left the place. Apparently, they have a bad reputation in this town but more importantly, did he say informant? ¡°I guess that good luck just kicked in.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) I walked over to the merchant while Sasha looked at me blankly. ¡°I think that¡¯s far enough. If you are a merchant, go and engage in business. There is no money to be made by kicking those who have no will to fight.¡± (Arnos) The merchant looked at me sullenly as I stood between him and the girl. ¡°Who the hell are you? Do you know this informant?¡± (merchant) ¡°No. It¡¯s just that your behaviour is unbearable to watch.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hahaha. Since you don¡¯t know me you must be a visitor here. Just so you know that girl is a liar. After all, she¡¯s a ridiculous fraud who claims to have seen a forest that doesn¡¯t exist. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s Ahartherun or what but no one¡¯s ever seen it.¡± (merchant) The girl glares at the merchant. ¡°Ahartherun exits. You just don¡¯t believe it.¡± (girl) Fumu. Ahartherun on the first try. We¡¯ve got a winner somehow. ¡°Did you hear that? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to be on the side of this lying girl. I won¡¯t say anything more so just get the hell out of here.¡± (merchant) ¡°Sorry but I have business with that girl. You should disappear.¡± (Arnos) The merchant was momentarily taken aback by my words. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Walk away now, and I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­Tch¡­.. that¡¯s why these travellers are¡­¡­ Such a pain. I¡¯ll tell you abut the customs of this town.¡± (merchant) ¡°Hehe.¡± His group of thugs surround me. ¡°Sorry about this but you¡¯ll going to break a bone or two.¡± ¡°In this town, we have our own customs.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t kill you as long as you don¡¯t resist.¡± They all raise their voices at me. *Kuku* *Kukukuku* *Kuhahahahaha* These guys are the weakest people I¡¯ve fought since I reincarnated. What are they even doing with this much magic power? It¡¯s so low it feels like dust. ¡°What the hell you laughing a¡ª¡± ¡°Kuhahaha¡± (Arnos) ¡°Guuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± My laughter which I embued with magic power echoed in the air, swirling and blasting the three men about a hundred meters away. ¡°Urg¡­. ah¡­.. Geeeeh!?¡± The merchant¡¯s eyes widened, his nostrils flared, and his mouth gaped so wide that his jaw looked like it could touch the floor. He looked on at the scene with a look of utter astonishment. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. You said something so funny I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­. A laugh¡­.. flew away¡­¡­.No, their whole bodies¡­¡­¡± (merhcant) The merchant could barely speak. ¡°¡­.Yo¡­.yo¡­..you, what the hell are you guys doing!? Get up! Were gonna finish him off¡­.!!¡± (merchant) The thugs who fell down didn¡¯t move an inch though the merchant raised his voice at them. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll wake up for two or three days. ¡°Now then. You said you were going to teach me the customs of this city? (Arnos) The merchant backed away at my words. ¡°¡­..Please¡­¡­ For today¡­¡­ With this¡± (merchant) With an overwhelmingly quick change of attitude, the merchant took out dozens of gold coins from his pocket. ¡°Hou? Is that okay?¡± (Arnos) The merchant gave me an ingratiating smile ¡°Hehehe. Money is the key that opens all doors. You can do anything in this world as long as you have money. If you want you can be my bodyguard mister. With your skills this much is nothing.¡± (merchant) ¡°I think you¡¯ve got the wrong idea.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh?¡± (merchant) I drew a magic formation on the merchant who had a dumb look on his face. Once complete it was quickly absorbed into his body and almost immediately the gold coins in his hands began to crumble and rot away. ¡°¡­.Eh¡­ Geeeh!! What the hell¡­..!!?¡± (merchant) ¡°I¡¯ve cursed you. You will never be able to touch money again.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­.Wha¡­.what are you talking about!? That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡­.!!¡± (merchant) The merchants face flickers between different emotions as he takes more gold coins out of his pocket but every time he holds a gold coin in his hand, it crumbles to pieces. ¡°¡­¡­Crumbling¡­. My money¡­¡­.. crumbling¡­¡­ my money is crumbling¡­.. crumbling¡­.. crumbling!!¡± (merchant) The merchants face turned pale as all his gold crumbled away. I guess he¡¯s calculated what his future life will be like. ¡°Don¡¯t be so depressed. I¡¯ve got something good to tell you.¡± (Arnos) The merchant looks at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ¡°Money isn¡¯t the world.¡± Chapter 127.1 The merchant was muttering to himself with a look of despair plastered on his face. ¡°¡­¡­..A curse. What¡¯s with this curse¡­¡­ However many people it takes, I¡¯ll undo this curse¡­¡­..¡± Shaking all over the merchants backs away before running off. I laugh softly. ¡°Fumu. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when he finds out that the curse cannot be lifted.¡± (Arnos) ¡°You look like a demon king.¡± Sasha teases me. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re the one having fun to me.¡± (Arnos) When I pointed this out, she smiled at me. ¡°I feel refreshed. I don¡¯t like people like that who seem to think money is everything.¡± (Sasha) ¡°He¡¯ll never be able to handle money again. Perhaps he¡¯ll turn over a new leaf.¡± (Arnos) ¡°You being serious?¡± (Sasha) Obviously, Sasha doesn¡¯t think the merchant will change. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t it¡¯s just a slow death. Some people can¡¯t face themselves unless their lives depend on it. It¡¯s a minuscule chance though. Two thousand years ago, some people went through such experiences and they grew to the point where they were called saints.¡± (Arnos) After looking at me in amazement, Sasha shifted her gaze to her sister. ¡°What do you think Misha?¡± (Sasha) Misha thought about it for a while before answering. ¡°¡­¡­.Will die¡­¡­¡± (Misha) ¡°If he wants to die a martyr to his beliefs and money then that¡¯s up to him. That¡¯s his way of life.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looked speechless. ¡°I don¡¯t think that way of dying is as cool as you make it sound¡­¡­.. It¡¯s nothing but a miserable and tragic end.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Arnos like.¡± (Misha) ¡°¡­Errrm¡­¡­.¡± A voice called out to me and when I turned around the hooded girl from earlier was standing there. ¡°Thank you. You saved me.¡± (girl) She lets out a carefree laugh. ¡°Huh? No need to thank me. I do have a question for you though.¡± (Arnos) The girl looked at me puzzled. ¡°What is it?¡± (girl) ¡°Do you know how to get to the great spirit forest Ahartherun?¡± (Arnos) The girl quickly grabbed my hand with both of hers. ¡°You believe me?¡± (girl) Fumu. This is an unexpected reaction. ¡°I know for a fact that Ahartherun exists so of course I believe you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eeh¡­..?¡± (girl) The girl stared at me in amazement. ¡°By any chance¡­¡­ Have you been there?¡± (girl) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Arnos) The girl latched onto my words. ¡°Really? When?¡± (girl) ¡°The last time would be 2000 years ago now.¡± (Arnos) ¡°2000 years ago¡­¡­..?¡± (girl) The girl¡¯s eyes widened even further in surprise. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to believe me. I need to know the rumours to enter Ahartherun. If you know them can you tell me?¡± (Arnos) The girl looked down in thought. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not asking for free. I¡¯ll give you whatever you desire.¡± (Arnos) She looks up and directs a strong gaze at me. ¡°Then in exchange for telling you how to get there will you take me with you?¡± (girl) Hou? That¡¯s an unexpected offer. ¡°Well, it¡¯s easy enough to take you there but what do you want with Ahartherun?¡± (Arnos) She falls silent and her expression seems to sink somehow. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me I won¡¯t force you.¡± (Arnos) Still looking down the girl opens her mouth. ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t know¡­..¡± (girl) ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Arnos) She fell silent again before answering. ¡°¡­¡­This is going to sound strange but¡­¡­¡± (girl) ¡°I promise I¡¯ll never laugh at you.¡± (Arnos) The girl looked back up and met my eyes before smiling. ¡°You¡¯re a good man.¡± (girl) ¡°Is that so?¡± (Arnos) The girl nodded and took on a serious expression again. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­¡­¡­ lost my memory¡­..¡± (Girl) ¡°Oh? That must be difficult?¡± (Arnos) ¡°When I became aware I was already in this city¡­¡­. I think I had to do something, but I can¡¯t remember¡­¡­¡± (girl) She speaks haltingly. ¡°While I was walking around this city I heard about the great spirit forest of Ahartherun and I remembered one thing. I had to go there. I don¡¯t know why but I have a feeling that something very important is there.¡± (girl) ¡°Do you want to remember?¡± (Misha) Chapter 127.2 The girl nodded at Misha¡¯s question. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve forgotten something that I shouldn¡¯t have and the clue to that is in Ahartherun.¡± (girl) I see. In any case, she doesn¡¯t seem to be malicious and looking at her I don¡¯t see much magic power. I shouldn¡¯t be too lax but I don¡¯t see any harm in taking her with us either. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± (Sasha) ¡°All right. I¡¯ll take you to Ahartherun.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Really! Thank you!¡± (girl) While laughing innocently the girl vigorously shook my hand up and down. ¡°So, how do we get to Ahartherun in this time?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is completely correct but I¡¯ll explain step by step. First off, spirits are creatures born from rumours and traditions and Ahartherun is a spirit itself called the great spirit forest. It¡¯s also where the spirits live.¡± (girl) ¡°Hang on a sec.¡± (Arnos) I was curious about something so I interrupted her. ¡°Who told you that spirits are born from rumours and traditions?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh? That? No one told me. I¡¯ve always known it since I woke up here. That¡¯s part of the reason I¡¯m sure I have a connection to Ahartherun.¡± (girl) The mazoku had very little to do with the spirits back then and since the wall came down I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve had even less. I¡¯m sure the modern mazoku have no idea that spirits are born from traditions and rumours. ¡°Carry on.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ah sure. Ahartherun changes direction from time to time depending on the current rumours so I acted as an information broker and collected all kinds of rumours. One of the most common rumours was that Ahartherun was at the Risharis Grasslands. There was also one that said it was at the Gienus mines. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s one of those two¡± (girl) ¡°We know for a fact it¡¯s the Risharis grasslands. Was there a rumour about fog?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes there is. I think the most common rumour was that a mysterious mist hangs over the Risharis Grasslands while the moon obscures the sun and day turns to night.¡± (girl) ¡°Fumu. That sounds very plausible.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Errm, hold on.¡± (Sasha) Sasha puts a hand on her forehead. ¡°What do you mean when the moon obscures the sun?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Solar eclipse?¡± (Misha) ¡°They don¡¯t exactly come around very often, do they. Are you going to wait until then?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already looked into that. The next eclipse is nine days from now at 12:27 and will last for about 3 minutes.¡± (Arnos) The Risharis Grasslands are not far from Deruzogedo. I¡¯m assuming this is also the reason why Nousgalia set the time limit at 10 days. ¡°I see. In that case, we can wait and try it.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Can you make a fairy laugh in 3 minutes?¡± (Misha) ¡°That¡¯s the real problem isn¡¯t it. What would make them laugh?¡± (Sasha) Sasha looked at the girl while talking. ¡°You mean making the mischievous spirits laugh? I think the fairy is a spirit called Titi, and it¡¯s rumoured that they like new things, so if you show them something novel or innovative, they¡¯ll laugh.¡± (girl) ¡°Even if you say innovative¡­..¡± (Sasha) Then the question is what would be a novelty to the fairy Titi? ¡°Well, we can but try. Let¡¯s go. Misha let Ray and the others know we¡¯re going.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nn.¡± (Misha) I hold out my hands to the girls. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡­. You heard what I said right? The next eclipse is in nine days. There¡¯s nothing you can do if you go now.¡± (Sasha) ¡°No problem.¡± (Arnos) ¡°No problem you say¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) I turn my hand over so my palm is facing up and form a multi-layered magic formation with about a hundred formations and dip my fingertips into it. ¡°All Of Creation ¡± (Arnos) My right hand is covered in a pale glow. It¡¯s a magic that transcends distances and holds everything within its grasp. Using I grasp the sky tightly and slowly move my arm. ¡°¡­.. It¡¯s a lie¡­¡­ right¡­¡­?¡± (Sasha) Sasha gasped at the sight before her. A part of the sun was missing. ¡°¡­¡­Moon is moving¡­¡­..¡± (Misha) Misha stared at the moon in the sky. Using her demon eyes she must have seen that my hand was grasping the moon. ¡°Fumu. As you¡¯d expect it¡¯s pretty heavy.¡± (Arnos) I put magic power in my feet, sink my weight more firmly into the earth and slowly move my arm bit by bit until the moon is blocking the sun. The people passing by were all looking up at the sky, wondering what was going on. Day had turned into night. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± (Arnos) I offer my hand to Sasha again, who is still looking up at the sky in a daze. ¡°A single star will move before I do. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 128.1 When we appeared in the Risharis grasslands they were already covered in fog. Visibility was poor due to the eclipse and the fog covering the whole of the grasslands. The face of the information girl had a nostalgic look to it. ¡°I sure Ahartherun is on the other side of this fog.¡± The girl said with a strange air of certainty to her words. ¡°¡­.You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡± (Sasha) The girl tilted her head at Sasha¡¯s words ¡°Surprised? About what?¡± (girl) ¡° is a lost magic. I thought you¡¯d be surprised transferring from the city to here in an instant?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Oh, I see. That magic was certainly amazing.¡± Her face took on a thoughtful look like she was remembering something. ¡°However, it felt known to me. It didn¡¯t seem strange at all.¡± (girl) ¡°¡­..Hmm. That reminds me, we never asked your name.¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s Rina¡­.probably.¡± (Rina) ¡°You don¡¯t remember that either?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Yeah, not clearly but not having a name was inconvenient so I decided to call myself Rina. It felt right I think¡­¡­.?¡± (Rina) ¡°¡­.I see. Sorry. It was a bad question.¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s fine, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll probably remember in time.¡± (Rina) Sasha¡¯s face had a mix of astonishment and admiration. ¡°You¡¯re so vibrant for someone with amnesia.¡± (Sasha) ¡°Being depressed won¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s more important to do what you can do.¡± (Rina) While Sasha and Rina were talking Misha was looking into the depths of the fog. ¡°Do you understand?¡± (Arnos) ¡°There¡¯s a lot.¡± (Misha) Fumu. As expected of Misha. This fog is certainly the entrance to Ahartherun. If you use your demon eyes you can see many spirits lurking in the fog. ¡°I¡¯ve contacted everyone.¡± (Misha) It won¡¯t take them long to arrive. ¡°Are you going to give it a go Sasha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°What?¡± (Sasha) ¡°You should try it.¡± (Arnos) Sasha looked at me blankly. ¡°Try what?¡± (Sasha) ¡°If we don¡¯t make the fairy Titi laugh we can¡¯t get into Ahartherun.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah that¡¯s true¡­¡­. Why me though?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this for some time now but you¡¯ve got quite the talent for tsukkomi¡¯s.¡± (Arnos) (1) ¡°What goes through your brain!¡± (Sasha) Sasha starts to get sharp with me but I point to her face. ¡°That.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That what?¡± (Sasha) ¡°It¡¯s hard for anyone else to imitate that firework-like personality that ignites all at once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Who¡¯s a firework!?¡± (Sasha) ¡°That¡¯s good Sasha, keep it up. Now go. Make a big flower bloom in the sky.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..You know¡­¡­. I can¡¯t just do it on demand¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha seems to be shying away. ¡°I can¡¯t. Misha help.¡± (Sasha) Misha nods. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± (Misha) ¡°What are you going to do?¡± (Sasha) Misha and Sasha face each other. ¡°I have a plan.¡± (Misha) Though her voice was its usual monotone Misha¡¯s face was serious. She seems pretty confident. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯ll say something strange.¡± (Misha) ¡°Okay.¡± (Sasha) Sasha listens intently. ¡°Get ready to retort Sasha.¡± (Misha) Sasha nods ¡°And?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Laugh loudly.¡± (Misha) ¡°How am I supposed to retort to that!!¡± (Sasha) Sasha responded with as much force as she could. ¡°Did it work?¡± (Misha) Misha looks around but there¡¯s no change in the fog. The Titi¡¯s must be looking at us but I can¡¯t feel any reaction. ¡°Fumu. The Titi¡¯s seem to have missed our point. I¡¯m surprised they can hold in the laughter.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­.Really¡­..?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Everyone!¡± (Ray) Waving his hand Ray and Misa come over. ¡°It got foggy quick. I was really surprised when the eclipse suddenly happened¡± (Misa) ¡°Can we get into Ahartherun yet?¡± (Ray) ¡°We¡¯re having a hard time making the fairies laugh so good thing you showed up. Ray, Misa, its time for you to show off your best performance. Destroy the abs of those fairies.¡± (Arnos) Ray and Misa look at each other. ¡°Ah¡­ahaha¡­¡­ Even if you say that, what are we supposed to do?¡± (Misa) ¡°Hmm, Just make something up.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­I guess. Misha told me earlier they like and laugh at novel or unique things?¡± (Misa) I nod. ¡°Apparently so.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Okay, Ray-san I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Have you thought of something?¡± (Ray) ¡°Yes. But¡­errm¡­ I have a favour to ask.¡± (Misa) ¡°What?¡± (Ray) Misa looks down embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m going to do something weird so can you not look at me? I might show you something embarrassing and you might not like it¡­¡­¡­. Ahaha¡­¡­.¡± (Misa) ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± (Ray) Ray looks at her with a kind face. ¡°No matter what strange or funny things you do I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll always find them cute.¡± (Ray) ¡°Ray-san¡­..¡± (Misa) The two of them quickly get lost staring at each other in their newly constructed world. ¡°I¡¯m off then. Please pick up my remains¡­.!¡± (Misa) Ray smiles wryly and nods Misa walks off a short way into the fog. Misa stops, steels herself and breathes in. ¡°Mou, I have a question! I¡¯m always, always thinking only about Ray-san. Remember that and tell me what my favourite numbers are!?¡± (Misa) ¡°¡­..Why a quiz¡­¡­.?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Fumu. I wonder what the answer is?¡± (Arnos) Misha tilts her head to one side then speaks ¡°0 and 3?¡± (Misha) ¡°I see. 03 Ray-san.¡± (Arnos) (2) ¡°¡­..I really don¡¯t care¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) There was no change in the fog and I couldn¡¯t hear the fairies laughing. ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡­.ahaha¡­. I guess it didn¡¯t work¡­¡­.¡± (Misa) ¡°Doesn¡¯t appear so. However¡­..¡± (Ray) ¡°Errm¡­..however?¡± (Misa) Ray smiles sweetly at her. ¡°As for me I love 3 & 3 very much.¡± (Ray) (3) ¡°Ah¡­ahaha¡­.¡± (Misa) The two of them stare at each other again and create another new world just for them. ¡°Fumu. Is 33 Misa?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. Haven¡¯t they just been flirting the whole time?¡­¡­..¡± (Sasha) So not even Ray and Misa could crack it? What do we do now? Just then I saw Eleonor and Zeshia running towards us. ¡°Sorry for the wait. That took longer than expected.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­¡­Sorry¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia bows her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve been having trouble here anyway. The fog appeared but were having trouble making the fairies laugh. Any ideas?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do something interesting was it?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Something novel is apparently good.¡± (Arnos) Eleonor falls off into deep thought before giving up. Chapter 128.2 ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have a go.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor and Zeshia turn to face the thickest part of the fog. ¡°Okay Zeshia. Shall we try that thing we always play?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­.Under¡­..stood¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) Eleonor holds up a finger and says ¡°Arnos-kun copy time.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Fu¡­mu¡­.. Just because I¡¯m the demon king¡­¡­..did you think I was not nice¡­¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia speaks in a poor and slightly unclear tone. ¡°Now Ray-kun.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Fu¡­¡­ Me and Misa¡­¡­ I like Misa and¡­¡­.Misa likes me¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) Looking over I could see Ray and Misa taking a lot of damage. ¡°Now Sasha-chan.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..My Demon King¡­¡­. I love you¡­..¡± (Zeshia) ¡°Are you an idiot!?¡± (Sasha) The Sasha firework exploded in full force. ¡°Misha-chan time.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Misha do her best¡­¡­¡± (Zeshia) ¡°Who!?¡± (Sasha) While Sasha is retorting Misha points to herself and tilts her head. ¡°Me?¡± (Misha) ¡°Hmmmm. I¡¯m out of material.¡± (Eleonor) Eleonor looked troubled. There was still no change in the fog and no fairies could be seen. ¡°¡­.My lack¡­¡­of ability¡­¡­.¡± (Zeshia) ¡°Eleonor, Zeshia. Is that what you do for fun?¡± (Sasha) Eleonor smiles at Sasha ¡°Our copying? We practise that so Zeshia can talk more.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Nothing wrong with training but don¡¯t teach her weird things.¡± (Sasha) ¡°I didn¡¯t teach her that. That must be how Zeshia sees you Sasha-chan.¡± (Eleonor) Sasha opened her mouth but obviously couldn¡¯t think of anything to say so she walked away with a dejected look. ¡°This is troubling though. When you are told to make people laugh its really hard to think of anything.¡± (Misa) ¡°Fumu. Anyone else up for the challenge?¡± (Arnos) I asked around but no one seemed to have a good idea. If we can¡¯t make the Titi¡¯s laugh we can¡¯t get in but we can¡¯t think of how to do that. Could I make a new magic formula to make them laugh? Would forcing them to laugh work though? ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late Arnos-sama!¡± (Elen) I turned around at the sound of Elen¡¯s voice and saw the fan union girls approaching. For some reason, all eight of them are holding a club in their hands. ¡°¡­.What¡¯s that thing?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ah, this? We found it in Zehenburg. See?¡± ¡°Yes. You see, we were looking for rumours and found this. It¡¯s got such a good lucky name that we gave in to temptation and bought it.¡± A lucky name? ¡°Hou? What¡¯s it called?¡± (Arnos) After a slightly awkward look, Elen spoke up. ¡°Errrm¡­¡­ Arnos pole¡­¡­..¡± (Elen) ¡°Kyaa, kyaa! Elen you perv! What are you saying about an Arnos pole in front of Arnos-sama! Eiii!¡± (Jessica) Jessica hits Elen with the Arnos pole. ¡°Ah. You mustn¡¯t use the Arnos pole for anything obscene.¡± (Elen) ¡°Why do you look so happy when you say that? C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon get pregnant pregnant!¡± (Jessica) Jessica kept tapping Elen with the Arnos pole. ¡°Hey, stop. Arnos-sama is watching.¡± (Elen) Elen blocks Jessica¡¯s attack with her own pole. The Arnos poles keep smacking each other and suddenly all the fan union members stopped and gasped. As if a revelation had come to them, the girls let out a shrill scream and began to attack each other with their own Arnos poles. No matter how you look at it they are just hitting each other with sticks while shouting ¡°helmet helmet¡±. ¡°Do those sticks look like helmets to you Sasha?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t know idiot!!¡± (Sasha) ¡°What are you all excited about?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡­..I¡¯m not excited¡­¡­.!¡± (Sasha) At that moment Elen stumbled back after losing her battle and bumped into Sasha. ¡°Sorry Sasha-sama. Are you okay?¡± (Elen) ¡°I¡¯m fine. Are you oka-¡± (Sasha) As she righted herself Elen¡¯s Arnos pole tapped Sasha on the forehead. ¡°Kya, kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Sasha) Sasha ran away from me at great speed startling Elen in the process and causing her to drop her Arnos pole. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± (Elen) I pick it up and hand it back to Elen. ¡°If it¡¯s supposed to be lucky don¡¯t drop it.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Ye¡­yes¡­¡­¡± (Elen) For some reason, Elen clutched her Arnos pole tightly and ran towards the fan union. ¡°It¡¯s reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!¡± she yelled. The fan union girls all screamed ¡°Eight indirect helmets!¡± and started hitting each other again. At that moment *Giggle* I heard laughter come from the fog. Laughter that sounded like it came from a young girl *Giggle* *Giggle* *Indirect helmet indirect helmet* *Arnos pole Arnos pole, eight poles eight poles.* *Giggle* *Giggle* In a blur, a group of small young looking girls with wings appeared. The fairies Titi. (1) I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s aware of what a tsukkomi is but if not, it¡¯s the straight man in a comedy sketch that points out how stupid the other person is being. Look up Manzai for a much better explanation. (2) In Japanese numbers 0 = Rei and 3 = San (3) 3 can also be read as Mi so 3 & 3 = Mi & San so Misa Chapter 129.1 ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I know this person.¡± ¡°Know them.¡± The Titi fly around me while talking. ¡°It¡¯s the demon king.¡± ¡°Demon King of Tyranny.¡± ¡°Strong person.¡± ¡°Stronger than the gods.¡± Fumu. They apparently know me. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I¡¯d like to go to Ahartherun. Can you guide the way?¡± (Arnos) The Titi¡¯s gather around and whisper to each other. Eventually, they look my way and speak. ¡°Are those kids coming as well?¡± ¡°Interesting children.¡± ¡°Indirect helmet.¡± ¡°Eight poles eight poles.¡± Apparently, they like the fan union girls? ¡°Of course. They are my subordinates.¡± (Arnos) The Titi¡¯s fly around happily while cheering. ¡°Yay.¡± ¡°He said the indirect helmets are coming.¡± ¡°The demon kings subordinates are different from 2000 years ago.¡± ¡°Completely different.¡± I had thought that the fan union might possibly be on the same wavelength as the Titi but this has exceeded my expectations and then some. ¡°I¡¯ll give you something nice as thanks for showing us around.¡± (Arnos) I use to create miniature Arnos poles that fit the Titi and transferred them to their hands. ¡°Yay! Arnos pole Arnos pole.¡± ¡°Eii eii.¡± ¡°Pregnant pregnant.¡± ¡°Kyaa.¡± Fumu. It¡¯s like a small fan union now. It¡¯s a harmonious feeling. ¡°Guide you.¡± ¡°Over here over here.¡± ¡°Come come.¡± ¡°The great spirit forest awaits.¡± The glowing fairies made their way into the fog. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Arnos) I take a step forward and Ray stops me. ¡°It is okay leaving Nousgalia here?¡± (Ray) ¡°Fumu. He seems to still be in the meadow at the mome-¡± (Arnos) I stop talking mid-sentence and turn around as Nousgalia suddenly appears. ¡°Yo. I see you¡¯ve managed to make the Titi laugh.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°What do you want?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I¡¯m your escort. I can¡¯t grade you if you go on ahead. Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient for you too?¡± (Nousgalia) It would certainly be easier to keep an eye on him if he comes. ¡°Do as you like.¡± (Arnos) We head into the fog with Nousgalia trailing behind. We walk through the fog for a while following the glowing Titi. As I started to wonder how long we¡¯d been walking the view in the fog began to change. What was supposed to be a vast meadow suddenly had tree¡¯s in it. Not only tree¡¯s either. There were mushrooms with shapes not found in Deiruheido, flowers that emitted dim light and rocks with features that looked like human faces. As we continued the fog gradually lifted before disappearing completely. This was the fantastical deep forest Ahartherun. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Arrived we have.¡± ¡°The great spirit forest.¡± ¡°Ahartherun.¡± The Titi are happily flying around waving their Arnos poles about in mock swordfights. ¡°Titi. There¡¯s supposed to be a mazoku called Shin Reglia here. Do you know him?¡± (Arnos) The Titi gather into a group and start talking amongst themselves. ¡°Shin Reglia?¡± ¡°Do you know it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°No idea.¡± If Shin came to Ahartherun it¡¯s strange that the Titi don¡¯t know him. That being said, the Titi are extremely fickle and random. They could just as easily say they remember him later. ¡°Then one of my subordinates from 2000 years ago should be here. Do you know him?¡± (Arnos) When I asked this the Titi shouted out almost universally. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Mazoku from 2000 years ago.¡± ¡°Been here a lot.¡± ¡°At the spirit school.¡± Spirit school? Fumu. An unfamiliar name appeared. I say that but there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know about the spirits still. ¡°Can you take me there?¡± (Arnos) ¡°No problem. You gave me an Arnos pole.¡± ¡°Thank you thank you. ¡°Thank you for the helmet.¡± ¡°Eight poles eight poles!¡± The Titi set off showing us the way. ¡°Hey hey.¡± ¡°That person¡± ¡°Name.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The Titi are calling out to Rina. ¡°It¡¯s Rina.¡± (Rina) The Titi land on her shoulders and head to rest their wings. ¡°Rina?¡± ¡°What name is that?¡± ¡°It feels different.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s Rina?¡± Rina pouts for a moment then laughs. ¡°I have Amnesia. Do you Titi know anything about me?¡± (Rina) The fairies put their hands on their chins in thought. ¡°I feel like I know you.¡± ¡°It does.¡± ¡°But.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡± The Titi take off and happily fly around Rina. Misha stared at them. ¡°Arnos.¡± (Misha) ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± (Arnos) Misha looked at Rina. ¡°She¡¯s not a mazoku.¡± (Misha) ¡°So it seems.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Spirit?¡± (Misha) ¡°Aah.¡± (Arnos) It¡¯s hard to tell because her magic power is so small but her origin is definitely that of a spirit. The reason why Rina felt she had to go to Ahartherun is probably due to her being a spirit. ¡°That explains why I thought it was a little odd. But do spirits get amnesia?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Well, she could be a spirit born from the rumours and traditions surrounding a girl with amnesia.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Aah, I see¡­¡­¡± (Sasha) Rina gazed around the forest with a nostalgic expression. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± Chapter 129.2 ¡°Rina looks like her.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a similar person.¡± The Titi¡¯s raise their voices. ¡°Another person¡­.?¡± (Rina) The Titi¡¯s fly back to Rina again. ¡°Reno.¡± ¡°You look like Reno.¡± ¡°The great spirit.¡± ¡°Mother of all spirits.¡± Now that you mention it their atmosphere is similar, however, even my demon eyes cannot see the face behind the hood. It might not actually be a normal hood but could be part of her as a spirit. There¡¯s nothing in Reno¡¯s lore about her wearing a hood to hide her face though. ¡°But Reno¡¯s gone now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sad.¡± ¡°We can never see her again.¡± Misa stops in her tracks and Ray gently toucher her back. She smiles and says ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m okay.¡± before starting walking again. So the great spirit Reno is dead? If what Zeke said is true then Misa is the biological child of the great spirit Reno so she was alive at least 15 years ago How did she die in this peaceful world? She was called the great spirit because of the rumours and lore that persisted. Certainly, after 2000 years any rumour or tradition can be destroyed but if she survived up until 15 years ago then her lore and traditions had been passed down until then. I also don¡¯t think she could have been taken down easily in a fight either. ¡°When did she die?¡± (Arnos) The Titi drop their heads in thought. ¡°When was it?¡± ¡°A few years ago?¡± ¡°Maybe more?¡± ¡°2000 years ago?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten.¡± There¡¯s a big difference between a few years ago and 2000 years ago. Oh well. When it comes to the Titi it¡¯s best to take everything they say with a grain of salt anyway. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Smells like Reno.¡± ¡°The smell of Reno.¡± While saying this the Titi fly closer To Misa ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°What are you called?¡± ¡°Reno?¡± ¡°Did Reno revive?¡± Misa laughs in a troubled tone. ¡°Let¡¯s see. I¡¯m called Misa. I¡¯m not Reno.¡± (Misa) The Titi began flying around Misa happily waving their Arnos poles around. ¡°Are you Reno¡¯s child?¡± ¡°Her true child? Her own child?¡± ¡°Reno¡¯s child was called Misa.¡± ¡°It was. It was called Misa.¡± Misa jumps on their words. ¡°Are you sure!¡± (Misa) The Titi just look off into the distance and feign ignorance. ¡°It was Misa right?¡± ¡°Or was it Sami?¡± ¡°Meesa sounds more right.¡± ¡°It was something like that.¡± Misa looks down in disappointment but quickly shakes her head to regain her composure. ¡°Erm, do you know who the father of Reno¡¯s child is?¡± (Misa) A couple of Titi¡¯s come close to Misa¡¯s face and stare at her. ¡°Father is a secret.¡± ¡°Were not supposed to say.¡± ¡°The spirit king said so.¡± ¡°A good king who protects everyone.¡± ¡°Titi¡¯s like the king.¡± ¡°All spirits love the king.¡± It doesn¡¯t look like the Titit¡¯s will say who it is. Misa withdraws as if giving up. ¡°Who is the spirit king?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Eh?¡± The Titi¡¯s raise their voices and scatter. ¡°Who is the spirit king?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The king is the king.¡± ¡°A great man.¡± The Titi¡¯s break up and fly off towards an incredibly huge tree. ¡°Wow. It¡¯s huge and thick.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­.Amaz¡­.ing¡­.¡± (Zeshia) Eleonor and Zeshia stop and look up. It¡¯s so big there¡¯s no end in sight. It continues up, breaks through the clouds and looks like it will pierce the heavens. It¡¯s certainly an unusual tree. The trunk thickness is easily the same as Deruzogedo. It¡¯s hard to even contemplate that this is a normal tree. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Arrived.¡± ¡°Spirit school.¡± ¡°The great tree Eniyunien.¡± Scattering sparkling scales and phosphorescence the fairies fly to the front of the tree. There was a hole in the front of the tree with vines hanging down forming a sort of curtain. Following the fairies, we pass through the vines and enter the passageway behind. Inside was basically a wooden cave followed by a bunch of maze-like passageways. We follow our fairy guides through the maze-like area and eventually a large space opens up in front of us with a spiral staircase so long you can¡¯t see the end. It just seems to go up and up forever. The Titi flew right to the back of the space where a large door was located. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Classroom where everyone is.¡± ¡°I study here all the time.¡± ¡°Demon lords men are here?¡± ¡°Inside.¡± ¡°Mazoku from 2000 years ago.¡± I open the door and enter inside. At first glance, it looks like a courtyard. Stump-like chairs were arranged on the ground where grass and flowers grew, and a large tree grew where the podium was. However. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Empty?¡± ¡°Where is everyone?¡± ¡°Spirited away?¡± The mazoku from 2000 years ago was nowhere to be found. Chapter 130.1 The fairies were flying around the classroom in a panic. ¡°Has a spirit spirited them away?¡± (Arnos) The Titi fly up to my face as I ask the question. ¡°Yes. The spirit of spiriting away.¡± ¡°A wolf.¡± ¡°It has wings.¡± ¡°It hides everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Hiden Wolf Gennuru.¡± So there is a spirit born from the rumours and legends of people being spirited away. Why did it take my subordinates though? ¡°Have they really been spirited away?¡± Eleonor asks curiously. ¡°It¡¯s just that this Eniyunien tree is very big. Couldn¡¯t they just be somewhere else?¡± (Eleonor) The Titi all shake their heads. ¡°Not lying.¡± ¡°Titi never lie.¡± ¡°Sometimes we do.¡± ¡°Not now though.¡± Fumu. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m filled with confidence at their words. ¡°Go looking?¡± (Misha) Misha stares at me with her cold eyes. ¡°I guess.¡± (Arnos) I can sense magic power in this huge tree. Even if they¡¯ve been moved elsewhere they haven¡¯t disappeared. ¡°Dangerous¡­..¡± ¡°We¡¯re in trouble!¡± ¡°Coming.¡± ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± The Titi shivered in unison and looked at the entrance. They¡¯re frightened of what¡¯s behind it. ¡°What¡¯s coming?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Bad children.¡± ¡°Delinquents.¡± ¡°Bad students.¡± ¡°Four evil royals!¡± The Titi quickly flew away from the door and huddled in a corner of the classroom. ¡°Well, well, well.¡± A voice echoed from the other side of the door. ¡°I thought the Titis were being unusually noisy but it seems we have a rare guest.¡± A man wearing flashy clothes and a large hat entered the room. Though if you were being precise you can¡¯t tell it¡¯s a man from his appearance alone. His face is almost completely flat and featureless while his body looks like gel in the shape of a man. Fumu. This is a nostalgic sight. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here Scarlet Monument King.¡± (Arnos) *Fufufu* the scarlet monument king lets out a laugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here either. Why are you here Demon King?¡± (SMK) What a shameless guy. ¡°Fumu. This is certainly a coincidence, however, did you really not expect to see me again after you messed with my subordinates? I see that you are still talking nonsense, even after all this time.¡± (Arnos) I glare at Gilisris who¡¯s gel-like face distorts into what could be a wry smile. He¡¯s completely mocking me. ¡°¡­.Aah.¡± He speaks up like he¡¯s just remembered something. ¡°That? That wasn¡¯t my intention you know? There was a lot of noise coming from the top.¡± (Gilisris) Eleonor¡¯s face looked both offended and angry. ¡°Your adjutant did some terrible things. He said he was going to study me and Zeshia.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°What terrible things? Because I¡¯m being made to do things I don¡¯t want to do thanks to orders from above, I at least want to get some research materials. Isn¡¯t that just common sense?¡± (Gilisirs) ¡°I don¡¯t accept your common sense. Because you treat people like research materials Ledoriano-kun and the others went through awful experiences.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°There are always sacrifices attached to magic research. Everyone will die and fade away eventually anyway so why not have them become part of the foundations of magic?¡± (Gilisris) ¡°¡­¡­.Nothing you just said makes any sense.¡± (Eleonor) *Fufufu* The scarlet monument king lets out an eerie laugh. ¡°Yare yare, you really are an imbecile. I don¡¯t think we can get along. As expected from the demon kings magic.¡± (Gilisris) It doesn¡¯t look like the scarlet monument king is going to fight Eleonor as he brushes her statement off. ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t see you working under another mazoku though.¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s been 2000 years. Nothing stays the same Demon King. Because you leisurely took your time reincarnating over 2000 years you now can¡¯t keep up with the times.¡± (Gilisris) His voice is loaded with sarcasm which I took absolutely no notice of. Chapter 130.2 ¡°Who¡¯s at the top then Scarlet Monument King?¡± (Arnos) ¡°You¡¯ll find out by yourself. I told you 2000 years ago I hate you. You¡¯re a lazy guy who is fascinated by magic but doesn¡¯t want to contribute to the advancement of magic. Just looking at your face repulses me.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and take my origin right here and now then? You¡¯ve spent the last 2000 years preparing, haven¡¯t you? Or have the times changed that much your nature has changed too?¡± (Arnos) When I provoked him magic formations appeared in his eyes. He¡¯s invoked his demon eyes. ¡°That also isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡± (Gilisris) Gilisris¡¯ whole body glowed with a black light. His gelatinous body was magically altered by himself to make it easier for the magic emanating from his origin to pass through it. The particles of magic power run through his whole body, increasing the efficiency of magic power and making it easier to use. ¡°Come at me then Demon King Arnos. In the past 2000 years, this one has surpassed thee. Thy magic is nought but an outdated antique and this one will remind thee of that.¡± (Gilisris) The black glow increases and he takes up a fighting stance. However¡­¡­. Something is strange. There¡¯s no sign at all that he¡¯s going to attack us. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Getting scared?¡± (Gilisris) ¡°What are you actually after Scarlet Monument King?¡± (Arnos) Gilisris¡¯ face grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re not the type of man who would challenge me head on. Instead of saying come at me, you would normally set up a trap.¡± (Arnos) For some reason, he¡¯s trying to make me make the first move. In other words, the trap is already set. ¡°How shrewd.¡± (Gilisris) His whole body returned to its normal colour again as he relaxed his magic. ¡°Fumu. What are you after?¡± (Arnos) ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough anyway, so I might as well tell you. While inside the great tree Eniyunien you have to follow the rules of the school. If you enter this place it means you¡¯ve enrolled in the school and you can¡¯t leave until you graduate.¡± (Gilisris) I see. ¡°In other words, if I don¡¯t follow the rules of this school and harm others, I won¡¯t be allowed to leave?¡± (Arnos) Gilisris neither confirms nor denies my statement and says ¡°It¡¯s vexing that I can¡¯t take your origin but I¡¯ll get another chance. Something for you to look forward to.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°I don¡¯t mean to rain on your parade Scarlet Monument King but aren¡¯t you stuck here as well? Isn¡¯t that pretty dumb?¡± (Arnos) *Fufufu* (Gilisris) ¡°The great tree Eniyunien is a great place to study magic. I¡¯m here because of that. I don¡¯t want to be lumped together with the thoughtless thou.¡± (Gilisris) Having said his piece, Gilisris walks past me and takes a seat at the front of the classroom. ¡°Arnos.¡± Ray comes over to my side. ¡°Could this be what Nousgalia was after?¡± (Ray) Ray was whispering to me while looking at Nousgalia who was standing behind us. ¡°Locking me up in the spirit academy?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Maybe he¡¯s planning to do something in the meantime.¡± (Ray) ¡°But then, wouldn¡¯t he be trapped right now, too?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Well, Ray does have a point. Maybe they¡¯re just pretending to be trapped in here with us to catch us off guard.¡± (Arnos) I look over at the scarlet monument king. He hasn¡¯t shown any interest in Nousgalia, but considering what happened earlier, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s unrelated. In the first place, Nousgalia¡¯s body belongs to the fire death king Eldomade, one of the four evil kings. It would be unnatural for them not to respond at all. There¡¯s a good chance that he¡¯s in contact with Nousgalia, although he may be planning something else that he hasn¡¯t revealed yet. Whatever¡¯s going on, it¡¯s still more convenient to have both of them here with me. I was told that I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave without graduating, but I was able to get in. If I can get in then there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t get out if I want to. Anyway, first things first. I need to find my subordinates that have mysteriously disappeared. Especially Shin. I¡¯m also curious about the great spirit Reno. I wonder if the spirit king will be willing to talk to me about it. ¡°What shall we do?¡± Misha asks looking up at me. ¡°Let¡¯s start by looking in the other rooms. Some of my subordinates might be in them.¡± (Arnos) I head for the doorway but stop in front of it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Ehh¡­¡­..?¡± (Sasha) Sasha looked around me and stared in amazement. Where the doorway had been earlier was now just a smooth part of the tree. Chapter 131.1 The sound of bells rings out. ¡°The class is starting¡± ¡°The class is about to begin.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave while in class.¡± The titis flew around the class chattering away. ¡°Fumu. So that¡¯s why the entrance disappeared?¡± (Arnos) ¡°But we don¡¯t have time for classes, do we?¡± (Sasha) Ray stepped in front of the doorway that had been turned into a wall. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± (Ray) Ray draws a magic circle and takes out the unique sword Sigshesta before facing the wall and stepping forward. ¡°Fuhaa!¡± (Ray) Sigshesta flashes and in the space of one beath four trails of light can be seen. Ray stares at the wall in front of him. ¡°I cut it but¡­¡­¡± (Ray) Ray pushes the rectangular area he had cut out which fell through into the other side. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sasha asks in a surprised voice. The other side of the cut was pure white. There had been a long flight of stairs leading up but now there was nothing. As far as the eye could see was nothing but pure white. ¡°Magic space?¡± Misha mutters ¡°Looks like it. They must have quarantined the classroom so you can¡¯t leave during class.¡± (Arnos) That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t try to get out though. I look at the white space with my demon eyes. As soon as I did a crack appeared in the pure white space. A tearing sound could be heard and suddenly a red spear appeared and thrust out. Ray who was the closest to it jumped back and dodged it. ¡°¡­.What the?¡± (Ray) Ray stared at the tip of the red spear that was almost touching his nose. ¡°Crimson Blood Demon Spear. Dihidatem¡­..¡± (Arnos) The broken space around the spear cracked even further. The crack widened and the magical space shattered, making a sound like shattered glass. With the white veil lifted, the outside of the classroom had returned to its original wooden interior revealing a man who was thrusting the spear out. He had short cropped hair, a stern appearance, and a large eye patch that covers about half of his face. Fumu. Another familiar face. Can¡¯t be a coincidence. ¡°Even you¡¯re here Dark King Ejes. Don¡¯t tell me all four of the evil royals are here in this spirit school?¡± (Arnos) Ejes withdrew his spear and absorbed it into a magic formation before turning to me with a sharp look on his face. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed one bit after your reincarnation Demon King Arnos.¡± (Ejes) ¡°Fumu. I haven¡¯t changed?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Underestimating the gods and overestimating your own power. It will trip you up one of these days.¡± Ejes says in a serious voice as he gives me frank advice. ¡°And you¡¯re as nagging as ever. You mean since I have the child of god under my command I should get rid of them right?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It is unavoidable. Otherwise, if you just stand by and watch you will only increase your casualties.¡± (Ejes) *Kuhahaha* I laugh at the dark king¡¯s words. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not willing to make that sacrifice, even with the Gods as my opponent.¡± (Arnos) ¡°An arrogant thought. Don¡¯t you understand that if you don¡¯t make sacrifices, there will only be more sacrifices?¡± (Ejes) The dark king Ejes turns his eye to Misha and Sasha who both braced themselves. ¡°I have no intention of making trouble while in class. There¡¯s already enough trouble here without me adding to it.¡± (Ejes) Finishing his piece Ejes heads over to his seat. ¡°Dark King. When did join forces with the scarlet monument king and the curse king?¡± (Arnos) ¡°You could see it as the act of a spirit.¡± (Ejes) Giving out a deliberately mysterious answer the dark king sits down. ¡°There.¡± Misha points to an empty stump seat. As she pointed a black mist appeared and from within it, a man appeared. It was a mazoku with six horns growing from his head. He¡¯s not even interested in us, he¡¯s just staring blankly in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s also one of the four evil royals?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Aah. Curse King Kaihiram Jiste.¡± (Arnos) It was his subordinate that had half of the demon sword and is the candidate most likely to know what¡¯s going on with Shin. However, in the case of the curse king, it is a little difficult to get things out of him by force. ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk to him?¡± (Sasha) ¡°Fumu. I guess. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Arnos) I walk over to the curse king. ¡°It¡¯s been a while Kaihiram.¡± (Arnos) The curse king looked at me vaguely as I spoke to him but doesn¡¯t answer back. ¡°Oh, I see. It¡¯s Jiste at the moment?¡± (Arnos) He smiles at me now. ¡°Oh, I was thinking of you and you appeared demon king Arnos-sama. Its been 2000 years.¡± (Jiste) The voice of the curse king had no hostility in it at all. He spoke like a woman and at the moment his heart is truly female. ¡°Hows Kaihiram?¡± (Arnos) ¡°He¡¯s gone off again and hasn¡¯t come back at all. It¡¯s troublesome really. His wanderlust takes over and he leaves his lover behind.¡± (Jiste) ¡°I see. By the way, what are you doing here?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Studying. I¡¯ve got nothing to do until Kaihiram-sama returns. What about you Arnos-sama?¡± (Jiste) ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. My subordinate Shin. Have you seen him?¡± (Arnos) Chapter 131.2 ¡°Ah, he was here a little while ago. We were studying together but he disappeared like he was spirited away. The subordinates of the scarlet monument king and the dark king have also disappeared.¡± (Jiste) Oh? ¡°Is the spiriting away connected to the class here?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It seems you¡¯ll disappear if you fail tests here. It seems the only way to get them back is to ask the spirit king at the top of this great tree.¡± (Jiste) ¡°Is it easy to get to the top?¡± (Arnos) Jiste shook her head. ¡°I heard you have to take the class seriously and pass a test of spirits to get there. Oh, that reminds me. A subordinate of Kaihiram-sama was taken away and he told me to help them until he returned. It¡¯s causing me a bit of trouble actually.¡± (Jiste) Fumu. So the subordinates of the scarlet monument king and the dark king are being held hostage so they are seriously studying here?¡± I don¡¯t buy it. There must be more. ¡°Who is the spirit king?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Isn¡¯t he the king of the spirirts? I have no idea. I¡¯ve never met him.¡± (Jiste) It looks like the only way to meet the Spirit King is to pass the spirit trials. As long as I meet him I can get my subordinates back but what do I do now? For the time being, I¡¯ll finish up with Jiste. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you.¡± (Arnos) ¡°No problem. See you later Demon King-sama.¡± (Jiste) As we walked away Sasha whispered to me. ¡°¡­.Nee, what was that about?¡± (Sasha) ¡°As you¡¯ve no doubt figured out the curse king has a split personality. The main personality is the curse king Kaihiram but there¡¯s also his lover Jiste.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡­.¡± (Sasha) Sasha glances over at the curse king. Though his face is neutral his body is completely male. ¡°The fact that he has a split personality is nothing to be concerned about. The problem is that when the personality switch happens not only are his memories completely replaced but even his origin changes. If I was to search Jiste¡¯s memories I would not find a single memory of Kaihiram¡¯s.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Mysterious.¡± (Misha) ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s only one origin but not even Kaihiram is able to switch personalities at will. It just happens.¡± (Arnos) We¡¯ll have to wait until the curse king comes back to ask any further questions. ¡°Kukuku.¡± Nousgalia lets out a laugh ¡°What a funny scene. We¡¯ve got the demon king and the four evil royals who are second only to the demon king. You all influenced Deiruheido 2000 years ago and are now all gathered in this hall taking lessons.¡± (Nousgalia) ¡°You¡¯ve got room to talk.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Haha¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia laughs again and moves to an empty stump. ¡°God¡¯s plan is absolute. My actions are still within my order. You may think you have taken me out Demon King of Tyranny but there is no discrepancy in the worlds order. Even me having to take a class will not alter that.¡± (Nousgalia) Nousgalia sits down full of composure. At that moment bells ring out again. ¡°Book.¡± ¡°The book command has rung.¡± ¡°Coming.¡± ¡°Sensei is coming.¡± The Titi fly noisily around the classroom. ¡°Well, what should we do?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to take the class.¡± (Ray) ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that for now. I¡¯m curious who this spirit king is. This seems to be the quickest way to meet this fellow and ask him to release Shin and the others.¡± (Arnos) I sat down on a nearby stump. Misha and the others also picked seats and sat down. ¡°Its time for class¡± A voice sounded out of nowhere. ¡°Since we have some new students here today, let me introduce myself.¡± Eyes, nose, and a mouth appeared on a large tree that grew near to the classroom¡¯s podium. ¡°My name is the great tree Eniyunien and this is the spirit school.¡± (Eniyunien) The voice sounded over the whole classroom. Chapter 132.1 ¡°First of all, let me explain about this Spirit school for the new students.¡± (Eniyunien) Eniyuniens voice was like that of a hoarse old man but the voice was not heard from the large tree with the face but from the entire classroom. That¡¯s probably due to the fact that the tree by the podium is not its main body. As its name itself implies the great tree itself is Eniyunien. In other words, we are inside the great spirits body. ¡°Here, we teach you about the various spirits and their history. Of course, we have all kinds of other classes as well, but the one that is required is the spirit class.¡± (Eniyunien) Though horse sounding the voice is very calm and composed. ¡°All those who enter the Great Tree Eniyunien will be admitted into this spirit school and you won¡¯t be able to leave until you take the spirit class and graduate. That¡¯s because the most important factor to studying is continuance. You will be provided with food, clothing and shelter so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± (Eniyunien) That¡¯s some annoying rumours and legends. Someone must have first thought that if you wandered into the school of spirits, you would be stuck there until you graduated, and then the rumour spread. ¡°It is forbidden to use violence to injure or restrain others. If you do then you¡¯ll be punished, okay. You will be made to walk the entire length of the long serpent Epiteo on its back.¡± (Eniyunien) Fumu. So the scarlet monument king wanted me to attack and be punished for it? Saying that I¡¯ve never heard of this spirit before. ¡°What is the long serpent Epiteo?¡± (Arnos) *Fuoohohoho* Eniyunien laughs when I ask this. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± (Eniyunien) I didn¡¯t ask a profound question or anything but Eniyuniens voice was booming. He seemed very happy to be asked a question. ¡°Then I¡¯ll let the students answer. Can any of you answer about Epiteo the Long Serpent?¡± (Eniyunien) The scarlet monument king, dark king and curse king all raised their hands in competition with each other. ¡°Scarlet Monument King Gilisris you were first. Answer.¡± (Eniyunien) Gilisris quickly stands up. ¡°Epiteo, the Long Serpent, is a spirit born from the rumour and traditions about a serpent that is longer than anything else in the world. When it was born, it was big enough to wrap around the world once, but rumours now have it big enough to encircle the world 333 times. It is now so long that it can only live in the magic swamp here in this spirit school. That being said, it will from time to time appear in the Seven Seas though only it¡¯s head.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Umu. That is correct.¡± (Eniyunien) In other words, if you commit violence in this school, you will have to walk the equivalent of 333 laps around the world on the back of a giant snake. This might be the current punishment but it may change from time to time. Anyway, that is troublesome enough having to walk that entire distance. What troublesome circumstances. ¡°Well, as you can see, I occasionally ask questions related to spirits. If you can answer it successfully, it will be added to your grade. Of course, there are also quizzes and trials of the spirits that are graded and students with excellent grades will graduate with honours. As a memento of your graduation, you will also get a seal of graduation that will allow you to come and go from Ahartherun freely.¡± (Eniyunien) I see. That¡¯s useful. So I wouldn¡¯t need to find the new rumour every time I wanted to enter Ahartherun. ¡°You say excellent grades, but good is that exactly?¡± (Arnos) ¡°As the great tree of education, I will make a judgment based on my intuition of teaching over the years. It is more than simply getting good marks on a test, though of course it¡¯s best to get good marks on a test. As it stands the earliest I¡¯ve ever graduated someone was two weeks and the longest was fifty years.¡± (Eniyunien) So, there is no clear standard? No, it might be better to say that finding that standard is probably part of the lessons. ¡°Will I still be able to take classes after I get my seal of graduation?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Umu. Of course you can. As I said before, the spirit class is a requirement but besides that, there¡¯s a variety of other classes to take here. I can teach you all sorts of things: swords, magic, cooking, arithmetic, how to train and raise spirits, how to create spirits, you name it. I am Eniyunien the great tree of education.¡± (Eniyunien) Fumu. That¡¯s actually pretty useful. ¡°Then, for example, is it possible to teach a girl who can¡¯t speak to be able to speak?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Of course, of course, it¡¯s possible. Spirits have mysterious powers after all though the corresponding amount of effort from the student will also be required.¡± (Eniyunien) Eniyunien is huge and the fact there¡¯s a swap that can contain the long serpent Epiteo suggests there¡¯s also magic spaces inside it as well. ¡°This might be a good place to bring all 10,000 Zeshia¡¯s.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Uh-huh, I was thinking the same thing.¡± Eleonor happily agrees with my musings. ¡°How can you guys afford to think like that¡­¡­? Instead of thinking about what happens when you get out, maybe you should think about how you¡¯re going to graduate first?¡± (Sasha) Sasha has an astonished look on her face. ¡°Whats that Sasha? You afraid?¡± (Arnos) ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m afraid but your subordinates have been taken away and even the four evil royals are being docile. Eniyunien might be calming with his hoho old man¡¯s voice but I think he¡¯s actually very dangerous.¡± (Sasha) Misha was nodding her head in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know I¡¯ll graduate with good grades.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do you know a lot about spirits Arnos?¡± (Ray) ¡°Not really. How about you?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I know more about them than the mazoku do but spirits are still an existence that I don¡¯t understand very well. Unfortunately there¡¯s more I don¡¯t know than do know.¡± (Ray) Oh well. So be it. ¡°Absolutely amazing. So much confidence despite knowing nothing.¡± Sasha says giving me a sideways glance. ¡°What you don¡¯t know can be learnt. Come on, focus on the lesson.¡± (Arnos) ¡°I would if you hadn¡¯t gotten sidetracked first¡­¡­.¡± Sasha mutters under her breath ¡°Fuufuufuu. Has your talk finished? Let¡¯s start the lesson then.¡± (Eniyunien) It is indeed a spirit created by the rumours and lore of the Great Tree of Education. He doesn¡¯t care about the whispered conversations between students at all. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. First, we¡¯re going to have a week of classroom lectures on spirits followed by a test. You should be careful with the test because if you get a failing grade you¡¯ll be spirited away. After a couple of small tests, those with the best grades will be able to move on to the trial of the spirits. Students who pass the trial of spirits will be granted an audience with the spirit king. If you pass the spirit kings trial you graduate straight away.¡± (Eniyunien) As Eniyunien was talking letters appeared on the large tree wall by the side of him. ¡°Here¡¯s another question for you all. What¡¯s the name of the spirits that look like foxes or small bears that only appear during the daytime?¡± (Eniyunien) Fumu. No idea and not only me by the look of it as non of the four evil royals have raised their hands either. I bet Nousgalia knows but he seems to have fallen asleep. I guess he¡¯s not motivated in the slightest. ¡°FuuFuuFuu. I guess its too minor a spirit.¡± (Eniyunien) Chapter 132.2 ¡°Errm may I answer?¡± (Rina) The informant girl Rina raiser her hand timidly. ¡°Of course. What is the spirits name?¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°It¡¯s Fairy Dog Gauire right?¡± (Rina) ¡°Uumu¡­.. correct.¡± (Eniyunien) The scarlet monument king and dark king both look back at Rina. They both heard the answer but obviously the name meant nothing to them. They both use their demon eyes on Rina looking her up and down fully. ¡°I¡¯ll explain about that spirit later in another class. I have a few more questions first.¡± (Eniyunien) A new problem appeared on the wall. ¡°What is the name of the spirit¡¯s strongest swordsman who holds a broken shield in one hand and a broken pike in his other hand?¡± (Eniyunien) Again, the only one who raised her hand was Rina. ¡°Is the contradictory swordsman Baburoana right?¡± (Rina) ¡°Correct answer. There are few rumours about Baburoana. It¡¯s a rare fairy that hardly ever encountered. You are well informed.¡± (Eniyunien) Rina nods vaguely. Fumu. Is this information she got as an informant? ¡°Hmm, if it was a slightly older spirit I could possibly answer but at the moment I have no idea.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°Fuufuufuu. Then let¡¯s ask a question about a famous spirit. Call it a service question.¡± (Eniyunien) Instead of words, 3 pictures appeared but they are pretty poor. One is a stick man. One is something that could be a wriggling earthworm and the last one is a black circle with hairs on it. I¡¯m not even sure I¡¯d call them drawings. ¡°These drawings depict 3 famous spirits. What are their names?¡± (Eniyunien) Not a single person raised their hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you know either Rina-chan?¡± Eleonor asked Rina who shook her head. ¡°¡­..Well, no matter how famous these spirits are, these¡­.drawings are so bad its impossible to tell.¡± (Rina) Rina muttered in a subdued voice. The whole classroom shook like an earthquake was occurring. ¡°Whaaaaaaaat!!!!?¡± (Eniyunien) The great tree Eniyunien is shaking with anger. ¡°This ones education. This one is called the great tree of education. Are you trying to criticise my educaaaaation!!!¡± (Eniyunien) His angry voice echoed around the classroom. It¡¯s so loud it would hurt the ears of an ordinary person. ¡°Well well well. This isn¡¯t good. Eniyunien often throws a tantrum if you criticise his class.¡± (Gilisris) The scarlet monument king turned his gelatinous face towards me. ¡°Fumu. Any way to calm him down?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Just answer his questions correctly I guess. If you don¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if everyone got a score of 0.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Then why don¡¯t you answer?¡± (Arnos) The scarlet monument king shrugs his shoulders in an exaggerated manner. It¡¯s impossible to guess the spirits from drawings with such bad artistic ability. ¡°Arrogant demon king. Like I¡¯ve said before, you are too prideful.¡± The dark king Ejes said turning to me with a glint in his eye. ¡°And yet you can¡¯t answer either can you?¡± (Arnos) ¡°How would I know? Knowing the identity of that stick figure is like a river flowing backwards. There is reason in all things but doesn¡¯t mean you understand it.¡± (Ejes) ¡°Fumu. Reason in all things huh? Then watch and understand.¡± (Arnos) I raise my hand and stand up before pointing to the stick figure. ¡°The six wings on that stickman represent the great spirit Reno, the mother of all spirits.¡± (Arnos) I then point to the earthworm. ¡°The countless dots around it are rain representing the great spirit of water Riniyon.¡± (Arnos) I then point to the last picture of the furry black circle. ¡°Without a doubt that represents the round, cute eyes of the Titi¡¯s.¡± (Arnos) The classroom stops shaking. Eniyuniens anger calms down. ¡°Umu. All correct. Arnos Voldigod I grant you the seal of graduation.¡± (Eniyunien) My uniform glows and a medal in the shape of fairy wings appears. I graduated with only this? This may be the great tree of learning but it seems it¡¯s also the great tree of self-interest. What a mercenary place. Whatever. To be fair this could also be part of its character due to its rumours and legends for all I know. ¡°¡­.How did you get the great spirit Reno¡­¡­ from that stickman¡­.?¡± Ejes muttered in a puzzled tone of voice. ¡°¡­¡­.That crawling worm thing is Riniyon¡­¡­..?¡± Gilisris¡¯ gelatinous face is filled with extreme doubt. ¡°Just to let you know but it wasn¡¯t a fluke.¡± (Arnos) I address the 2 confused people ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand something like this that you¡¯ve never been able to defeat me.¡± (Arnos) Chapter 133.1 The bell rang, signalling the end of the class. ¡°Umu. That¡¯s all for today. Do you have any questions?¡± (Eniyunien) I raise my hand. ¡°I would like to ask you a few questions. Firstly, what kind of spirit is the Spirit King?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Fuufuufuu. The Spirit King is the ruler and protector of Ahartherun the Great Spirit Forest.¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°Fumu. What legend was he born from?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that yet as the Spirit King¡¯s situation is complicated. I think you should study the basics first. Now that you¡¯ve graduated, will you continue to take classes?¡± (Eniyunien) Since Shin and the others are here there¡¯s no point me leaving. ¡°Aah, there¡¯s still more to be learnt here. Let me ask about the spiriting away. My subordinates are supposed to have been spirited away. Do you know anything about it?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Umu. Those are the ones who have failed their tests after being admitted to this spirit school. They are taken away by the hidden wolf Gennuru to face terrible make-up classes. I say terrible, but don¡¯t worry. As long as they¡¯re diligent, they can usually return here in about five years.¡± (Eniyunien) Five years? I can¡¯t wait that long. ¡°What actually is the spiriting away?¡± (Arnos) ¡°What is it, hmmm. The rumours and legends state that they are either hidden at the borders of the world or eaten by Gennuru and hidden in its body. I don¡¯t know the logic behind it but Gennuru can bring them back here when it needs to.¡± (Eniyunien) Is it due to the strange properties of spirits due to them being based on rumours and folklore? If that¡¯s the case, it might be hard to get it back by force. ¡°I heard that if you ask the Spirit King, he can bring back those who have been spirited away?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Umu, that¡¯s right. Hidden Wolf Gennuru is the Spirit Kings watchdog. If he gives the order then he will return those taken away.¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°Is there any other way to meet the Spirit King other than going through the spirit trials?¡± (Arnos) ¡°No. Those are the rules of this school.¡± (Eniyunien) And I guess if you break those rules you¡¯ll be punished. How troublesome. ¡°You said earlier that I need to take a few tests in order to take the spirit trials. What¡¯s the minimum amount of tests I need to take?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Three tests are the absolute minimum and you need an average of 80 points across the three tests before you can take the trial.¡± (Eniyunien) Three tests? That¡¯s a lot. ¡°Make it one.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Hmm?¡± Eniyunien lets out a confused voice. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time so make it once.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Umuu. I¡¯ve given you the mark of graduation but the spirit trials are different. They are the only way to get an audience with the spirit king. I do not have the authority to make that decision.¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°Then just condense the thee tests into one for me. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem then.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Even though they are classed as short tests the number of questions are enormous. I cannot prepare that right away, I¡¯ll need some time. You¡¯ll have to leave for now.¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°Fumu. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d hear that.¡± (Arnos) Eniyunien showed interest in my statement. ¡°¡­¡­.What do you mean?¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°No, its nothing. I just thought it would be easy for a spirit who is also called the Great Tree of Education to do that.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Wha¡­¡­.!?¡± (Eniyunien) Eniyunien stares at me but his voice was filled with surprise and unconcealed joy. Like I thought. If you praise him, he will be motivated. ¡°Fumu. I thought if you put your mind to it, you could do ten or twenty such tests in a night, but I guess I was wrong. In today¡¯s class, I was convinced that I was in the right place when it came to education.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Umuuuuu¡­¡­¡± (Eniyunien) The classroom shakes slightly as Eniyunien hesitates. One more push. ¡°If it was a teacher at the Demon King Academy it wouldn¡¯t be impossible as they can season their approach with flexibility. I¡¯m not going to push you though, as each school has its own way of doing things.¡± (Arnos) I ended my conversation, stood up and headed towards the exit. As I was about to leave the door slammed shut in front of me. ¡°Very well. I am the spirit known as the Great Tree of Education. In one way or another I¡¯ll see it done.¡± (Eniyunien) ¡°I see. You¡¯ve really saved me.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Nevertheless, you have only been here a very short while Demon King Arnos. As such, you have to score 90 points minimum to qualify for the trial. (Eniyunien) ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Then your next class is in two hours. Until then, study hard.¡± (Eniyunien) The face disappeared from the large tree by the podium, and gradually the presence of Eniyunien disappeared as well. ¡°Fufufu.¡± The Scarlet Monument King Gilisris lets out a weird laugh and walks towards me. ¡°Well, well, well, thou has certainly made a big scene. I don¡¯t like the fact that you think you¡¯re so special. It hurts my feelings¡± (Gilisris) (1) Gilisris¡¯ gel-like face twists into a glare. ¡°Even for me, it took one month to challenge the trial of the spirits.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Hou? Looks like you¡¯ve had a hard time. That¡¯s not like you at all.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Remembering things is easy but finding those answers you need to remember is one of the characteristics of this school. Don¡¯t think it will be so easy.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Should we bet on it then Scarlet Monument King? After one week of tests all of us will qualify to take the spirit trial.¡± (Arnos) Gilisris reacts uncomfortably. ¡°All of them? Not just thee?¡± (Gilisris) ¡°Aah. All of them.¡± (Arnos) ¡°Do you think this me will fall behind inferior mazoku?¡± (Gilisirs) I laugh ¡°What are you saying Scarlet Monument King. Do you think you¡¯re a match for my subordinates?¡± (Arnos) Seems like my words offended him as magic circles appear in his eyes and he glares at me in anger. ¡°Interesting. What are you betting Demon King?¡± (Gilisris) So easy. His pride is as high as ever. ¡°If we all qualify for the spirit trials, I win and you¡¯ll to tell me who the ¡®higher-ups¡¯ are that ordered you to do this.¡± (Arnos) Gilisris face contorts into a sneer. ¡°Very well. If I win I¡¯ll have your origin.¡± (Gilisris) Fumu. That¡¯s quite the price to pay. Or perhaps not. Is it that you don¡¯t want people to know what¡¯s going on up there? ¡°It seems you can¡¯t accept my terms. Then I can¡¯t take the bet either.¡± (Gilisris) ¡°No, I don¡¯t really care. It¡¯s fine.¡± (Arnos) For a moment, Gilisris is lost for words. He probably didn¡¯t expect me to accept with my origin on the line. ¡°Have you lost your sanity or are you looking down on me?¡± (Gilisris) Chapter 133.2 ¡°You set the stakes. Losing your nerve now?¡± (Arnos) Gilisris glared at me again. ¡°Very well. We have a deal. Don¡¯t go regretting it, Demon King.¡± He walks past me and leaves the classroom. As he walked past we also signed with each other. ¡°You guys are the same as ever.¡± The Dark King Ejes mutters as he also starts to leave the room. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to bet anything Dark King?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Still talking crap as well I see. Have I ever fallen for your taunts?¡± (Ejes) ¡°Twice if I remember rightly.¡± (Arnos) ¡°And both of those were out of necessity. This situation is different.¡± (Ejes) With that Ejes left the room. Looking around I saw that Jiste had also left. She must have left in the same black mist she arrived in. ¡°What¡¯s our chances?¡± (Ray) ¡°No idea. I¡¯ll think about that now. Taking our time to up our chances of winning won¡¯t bring us any closer to Shin and the others.¡± (Arnos) ¡°That may be so, but what are you going to do if you lose? What if they take your origin? You¡¯ll die.¡± (Sasha) Sasha stares at me. ¡°I won¡¯t lose¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..That¡¯s not an answer even though losing is a possibility.¡± (Sasha) ¡°There¡¯s no point talking about the impossible.¡± (Arnos) Sasha pouted at my words. ¡°Self-study?¡± (Misha) Misha stares at me with her emotionless eyes. ¡°Aah. We only have a week.¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­..I¡¯m bad¡­¡­..at studying¡­¡­¡± Zeshia says with a dejected look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll teach Zeshia properly.¡± Eleonor says while stroking Zeshias head. Zeshia regained a bit of energy but still seemed down. ¡°Even if we say self-study what should we do? You¡¯re not familiar with spirits either are you Arnos-kun?¡± (Eleonor) ¡°True, but there¡¯s someone who seems to be well informed.¡± (Arnos) Everyone looks at where I was looking. Rina looks back when she realised everyone was looking at her. ¡°Are you possibly talking about me?¡± (Rina) ¡°You¡¯ve guessed the names of spirits that the Scarlet Monument Kings didn¡¯t know. Don¡¯t you know a lot about them?¡± (Arnos) Rina c?o?c?k?s? her head to one side and thinks about it. ¡°While I was working as an informant looking for information on Ahartherun, I also looked into the spirits, but I couldn¡¯t actually find that many¡­¡­.¡± (Rina) Makes sense. True rumours about the spirits are not that easy to come across after all. Just because there are rumours and folklore around it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a spirit. You can only find out if it¡¯s a spirit or not if you actually meet the spirit. Being an informant doesn¡¯t make you a spirit expert. ¡°Huh? Then how did you know the names of those rare spirits?¡± (Eleonor) Rina¡¯s face took on an unhappy expression. ¡°¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t know but when I was here I suddenly remembered¡­¡­.¡± (Rina) ¡°Before you lost your memory, you must have known a lot about spirits.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­..Is that so?¡± (Rina) ¡°Do you want to find out?¡± (Arnos) Rina looks at me curiously. ¡°How?¡± (Rina) ¡°I have a few spells that can bring back someone¡¯s memories. It would really help me with my studying if you remembered about the spirits.¡± (Arnos) Rina looked at me while lost in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think magic will work.¡± (Rina) ¡°Why do you say that?¡± (Arnos) ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­.but I know¡­¡­¡± (Rina) Fumu. What a strange thing to say. ¡°¡­¡­But can I try it? Of course I¡¯ll help you with your studies as I feel like I also need to meet the spirit king¡­¡­¡± (Rina) ¡°You just know again?¡± (Arnos) ¡°Yes.¡± (Rina) Rina actually looks confident with that statement but there¡¯s no point in me thinking too deeply about it. ¡°Try to think as little as possible.¡± (Arnos) I place my fingertip against Rina¡¯s forehead and draw the formation for Recollection before activating it. Ideally, I¡¯d have used Time Manipulation together with and reverted her time but since I don¡¯t know where her origin comes from I can¡¯t. However, if it¡¯s just normal memory loss then should be enough. ¡°Ah¡­..¡± (Rina) Rina raises her voice like she¡¯s remembered something and before long flashes and disappears. ¡°Well?¡± (Arnos) ¡°¡­¡­..I remembered a lot of spirits¡­¡­¡± Rina looks unhappy ¡°But I can¡¯t remember anything about myself¡­¡­.¡± (Rina) Fumu. Then its not just amnsesia. (1) Gilisris randomly uses archaic words at times. Chapter 134.1 Hi, everyone. We have taken over this novel as announced by previous translator. We will try to release 2 chapters per week. Each chapter will be split in 2 parts. If you notice any inconsistency, please use [Report] button beside Font Increase and Font Decrease button on top. The Book Fairy [Part 1] ¡°This way.¡± Rina made her way through the maze of the Spirit School building without hesitation. After that, she suddenly ran out and told us to follow her. It seems that this spirit school was still etched in her memories that she remembered from . We followed Rina as she ran ahead of us. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good place for us to study spirits. Maybe the Four Evil Kings haven¡¯t found that place either.¡± I saw a three-way street in front of me. With a gait like she had been there before, Rina immediately turned to the right there. But then, she stopped dead in her tracks. She waited for a while, but did not start to move. Rina¡¯s eyes were fixated on a stone statue in the passage. It was a humanoid frog wearing armor. The lower half of the shield in his hand was completely cut off. She muttered and reached for the severed shield. Then she gently placed her fingertips, slowly caressing. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± I asked, but she slowly shook her head from side to side. ¡°¡­Hmm. I can¡¯t remember anything¡­¡± She muttered, then stared at the stone shield again. ¡°But there¡¯s something about it that makes me feel nostalgic. I¡¯ve probably been here before. I must have done something here¡­¡± Rina pondered, as if diving deep, really deep into the depths of her memory. Since she knew about the Spirit School, it was only natural that she had been here before. It was possible that touching something so memorable would possibly recover her lost memories. Normally, that would be the case. Her memories didn¡¯t return that easily. ¡°¡­No good. I still can¡¯t remember anything¡­¡± Rina said and started walking again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s go.¡± I called out to the girl who was walking ahead of me with a cheerful look. ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry. If it were that easy to recall your memories, would have restored your lost memories by now.¡± ¡°¡­If I can¡¯t remember with that magic, what kind of situation is this?¡± Rina questioned as she continued onward. ¡°That could be when the memory is completely lost, or if there was a spell that was cast to seal the memory.¡± Or maybe she didn¡¯t have any memories to begin with. After a moment of silence, Rina continued. ¡°Which do you think it was?¡± ¡°Looking at you with my evil eye, it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re under a spell that seals your memories.¡± ¡°¡­So, is it completely gone?¡± Rina said dejectedly. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s probably a way to recover your memories.¡± Rina spun around and looked at me. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°If I can find out who you really are, I can use the magic of to pull your memories out of your past.¡± ¡°¡­But I don¡¯t know who I am¡­¡± ¡°There must be someone who recognizes you. We can ask that person.¡± ¡°Ah¡± Rina exclaimed. ¡°You mean the Spirit King¡­?¡± ¡°If we are going to meet, then it must be someone we know. If I can get him to tell me about you, I can use ¡± ¡°I see. Then I need to pass the Spirit Trials¡­¡± She muttered with an anxious look on her face. ¡°What, I just happen to have a lot of questions for the Spirit King too. Even if you don¡¯t pass, I¡¯ll ask him for you.¡± Rina¡¯s expression then brightened up. ¡°Thanks. I knew you were a good person, Anos. I wasn¡¯t wrong about you.¡± For a moment, I was at a loss for words. It was a strange statement for her to make. ¡°¡­Hmm. Why do you say that? Are you referring to the time we met in the capital of Zeichenburg?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? That¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? I kind of had a feeling that¡­¡± Rina looked down for a moment, then looked up as if something had occurred to her. ¡°I think I¡¯ve met you before.¡± ¡°I see.¡± If it was a spirit from two thousand years ago, there was a possibility. After getting Reno¡¯s cooperation, I would have to be involved with the spirits. ¡°Can you remove that Hood?¡± ¡°Eh? Hood?¡± Rina turned around, looking around for something. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my Hood?¡± I use to make a mirror for her. ¡°¡­That¡­?¡± Rina looks into the mirror. But there was no reflection of her. ¡°Hmm. I see.¡± When she used her magic eye, she couldn¡¯t see the face in the hood. However, it was not some kind of magic tool. ¡°There must be some kind of spirit power at work here. It may be the reason why you can¡¯t see your face.¡± ¡°¡­ So, the reason I can¡¯ t remember anything is?¡± ¡°It could be the work of a spirit. Or¡­¡± I stared at Rina as I continued. ¡°Do you know that you are a spirit?¡± See you in the next chapter. By the way, you can get bonus chapters by supporting us on Ko-fi. You can do so HERE . Chapter 134.2 The Book Fairy [Part 2] She nodded her head. ¡°¡­I kind of had a gut feeling¡­But I think I do for sure now¡­¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re one of those spirits.¡± ¡°A spirit that forgets its memories?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Then maybe I¡¯ll never be able to remember anything¡­?¡± If it was a spirit born from rumors and lore that wandered forever in search of memories, then it might not have any memories to recover. If that was the case, no matter what I did to help, the memories would remain unrecoverable. ¡°We don¡¯t know as of yet. If you feel like you know me, it¡¯s quite possible that you have simply forgotten your memories due to the work of another spirit.¡± As I said this, Eleonore, who was listening beside me, chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine. I think Rina-chan¡¯s memory will come back once we find out what kind of spirit did this.¡± ¡°¡­I hope so.¡± Rina smiled, but just a little. ¡°Do you have any idea?¡± ¡°You mean about the spirits that make you forget your memories? Hmm, not that I could remember¡­. But if we look around places we have visited, we might be able to find one.¡± With a hopeful expression, Rina smiled. ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t we taking the same path over and over again?¡± Lay said, and Rina nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the fourth time we¡¯ve been through here.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± Sasha asked, with a look of doubt on her face. ¡°There are places in the Spiritual Academy that you have to follow a set route to get through. It¡¯s not magic, so you won¡¯t be able to see it even with your magic eye, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to find it without knowing about it.¡± Rina stopped in front of a door she had passed many times. When she opened it, she found a small room inside. There was nothing special about it. It was a plain and simple room. ¡°Come in.¡± Rina walked into the room. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in there, you know?¡± Sasha walks into the room, contemplating the meaning of her words. Once she was sure everyone had entered the small room, Rina closed the door once and opened it again shortly after. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± A surprised voice leaked out from Sasha. What was spread out beyond the door was a vast forest. No, it wasn¡¯t just a forest. Instead of fruit, there were countless books on the trees that grew everywhere. ¡°This is our destination, the [Book Forest]. The books that grow on the trees in this forest contain a lot of information. The Green Book contains information about spirits, and the questions posed by the Great Tree of Eniyunien are based on this book.¡± ¡°So if you know what¡¯s in that book, you can get points?¡± Rina nodded. ¡°But aren¡¯t we supposed to do the test in class anyway?¡± Sasha asked, but Rina shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s Eniyunien¡¯s philosophy that classes are just remedial work and that you have to study on your own. That¡¯s why in the quizzes, you¡¯ll be asked questions that you didn¡¯t learn in class.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that¡­ that¡¯s not fair¡­¡± ¡°The Scarlet Monument King did said something to that effect, didn¡¯t he?¡± He must have been thinking that it would be impossible to cover the entire range of questions in a week. At the same time, it was also a confirmation that he didn¡¯t know this place. ¡°Are we collecting Green Books?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Misha reached for a green book that had fallen to the ground. Then, stick-like limbs sprouted from the book and moved around a bit. ¡°¡­It escaped¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Books with arms and legs were running around the forest. Then the books that had become trees all fell at once, sprouted limbs as well, and moved. ¡°Leeran, the book fairy. The books in this place are spirits.¡± Rina said. ¡°Wow. It looks like there¡¯s plenty of green books alone to capture!¡± ¡°¡­A game of tag, is it¡­¡± Eleonore chuckled, and Zeshia was enjoying the situation somehow. ¡°If it¡¯s a game of tag, I¡¯ve never lost.¡± With that, he unfolded a magic circle, stacking a hundred of them on top of each other. He quickly dipped his fingertips into multiple magic circles. The magic of was activated, and his right hand took on a pale glow. If you can cross the distance and hold everything in your hands, even numbers are meaningless. I beckoned to him with the hand of . Instantly, the limbs of the green books retracted, and they all flew towards me, lined up on the ground. There were 1799 of them. With a flick of my index finger, the pages of all 1799 books were flipped one after the other with tremendous speed. I fixed my evil eye on them all and watched closely. Eventually, I finished flipping through all the pages, and the Fairy Leeran books were closed. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve memorized it.¡± ¡°Huh? You memorized that?¡± Sasha exclaims in surprise. ¡°Anos is smart.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say he¡¯s smart, he¡¯s just weird¡­¡± ¡°I could only read half of it.¡± Sasha looks at her sister seriously with a stern gaze. She wanted to ask if they really had the same root. ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s half of what I remember.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t follow up¡­ you¡¯re making me feel sad¡­¡± I beckoned with my index finger to Sasha, who was lamenting about something. Then a book flew out and landed in my hand. ¡°Rina,I know the description of the kind of fairy that seals memories, but it wasn¡¯t in the book here.¡± ¡°¡­I see. But not all spirits are mentioned in the Green books either, so¡­¡± She looks down, a little disappointed. ¡°But there was one page that caught my attention.¡± Opening a green book labeled Volume 771, he shows Rina a certain page. ¡°¡­Fran the Love Fairy¡­? A spirit that gives form to unrequited love and binds it together¡­ it is said that there are as many of them as there are of devoid of love¡­¡± Rina reflected her eyes on the next page. But it was not the page of Fran, the fairy of love. Only there, the page had been torn out. ¡°It¡¯s possible that this page contained something about memories.¡± There are 1799 Green Books, which may not contain all the spirits. It would have covered most of the spirits involved, though. If that was the case, then there was no small chance that this torn page would have something about the spirits that seal memories. ¡°If it¡¯s within a hundred years, I¡¯ll be able to do something about it.¡± I applied on that book. The Book Fairy Leeran was mentioned in the Green Book, so we know its origin. The activates without any problem, and the book¡¯s time was sent back by several decades. But it didn¡¯t go back far enough. Using my magic power and the book¡¯s origin, I went back in time as far as I could, but the pages were still torn. ¡°¡­Looks like it was torn out a long time ago.¡± See you in next chapter. Chapter 135.1 The Demon King¡¯s Answer Sheet [Part 1] One week later¨C Eniyunien¡¯s classroom. A face floated on the large tree in the podium as the sound of bells and chimes was heard. The voice of the great tree Eniyunien sounded hoarse. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be giving you a quiz today.¡± Something fell from the large tree with a clatter. They were white books. They sprouted stick-like arms and legs and slowly started to walk. It was the Book Fairy Leeran. One by one, they came up to the students and opened the books themselves. On the first page, it was written, [Spirit School Quizzes]. ¡°As you can see, the questions for the quizzes are written in that Book, Fairy Leeran. You can use the special quill to write your answers directly on it. Cheating, such as looking at the answers of other students, is prohibited. If you are found cheating, you will be taken into the crater of the Volcanic Spirit Idoam.¡± Book Fairy Leeran removed the quill that had been attached to it, and held it out to each of the students. I picked up the quill. ¡°The time limit is one hour. You may begin.¡± Another bell rang, and the quiz began. I opened my question book, and there was the first question written on it. [Look carefully and think carefully. A Spirit is a Spirit, but what kind of Spirit isn¡¯t based on a rumor?] Hmm. I don¡¯t know why, but it seems to be more of a challenge than I thought. Rather than a question, it was more of a riddle. I memorized all the Spirits in the Green Book. Misha and the others had also memorized them, but for those who couldn¡¯t, such as Zeshia and the fan unions, I used magic to plant memories in their minds. At the very least, they would not forget until this test was over. In a normal test, it would have been easy to get a perfect score, but when it came to riddles, it was a completely different story. Even if you know the answer, you wouldn¡¯t be able to figure it out without using your brain to think and ponder. The answer to this first question is [There is no such thing as spirits], if you think about it normally. In the first place, the definition of a spirit is something whose origin was created based on rumor and folklore, and which (it) arose in this world. If it is not based on rumor, it therefore cannot be recognized as a spirit. But that in itself would be a mistake. The correct answer to this first question is therefore [Jijake, the Six-Legged Spirit]. Jijake is an ancient spirit word that means ¡°not a rumor¡±. In other words, it is a spirit that is not based on rumors in terms of language. Of course, it¡¯s just a pun. The best evidence that the answer is indeed [Jijake] is the mysterious cube drawn right below the question. There are six lines sticking out, though only slightly. It¡¯s definitely a bad drawing, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the foot of Jijake, the Six-Legged Spirit. I guess the phrase ¡°look carefully and think carefully¡± refers to this picture. Although I noticed it, I doubt if anyone else had noticed. The reason why the Scarlet Monument King took the bet so easily was probably because he knew that the test in the Spirit School was of this kind. He must have been quite certain that even if someone were to research the spirits within the scope of the questions and pass their memories to their subordinates, it would not be a problem that could not be solved. Should he apply to and tell everyone the answer? From what I had read in the Green book, the Great Tree of Eniyunien had a magical eye for detecting injustice and foul play, a characteristic of the Spirit of Education. In its body, it would be even more powerful. However, with my magic power, I would be able to deceive even that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Demon Lord. I can see your thoughts with my very eyes.¡± The Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris said as he ran his pen without hesitation. The next moment, a huge stone broke through the earth and grew groggily in the four corners of the classroom. A scarlet monument stone. It was a magical tool made by the Scarlet Monument King. ¡°It¡¯s a monument that has been saving up magic power for the past two thousand years.¡± On the scarlet inscription stone, magical characters float. It¡¯s the magic of . Its effect is to enhance the magic eye of the Enyunien¡¯s Great Tree, only in this classroom. If you add the power of the Scarlet King¡¯s inscription stone, which stored magical power for 2,000 years, to the magical eye of the Enyunien tree¡¯s ability to detect injustice, it would be difficult to deceive the magic eye. It would be easy to get away with it once or twice, but it would be extremely difficult to tell Misha and the others all the answers. ¡°Hmm. It seems that you haven¡¯t just been playing around for two thousand years, King Scarlet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have time to play around. With less than an hour left, your roots are mine.¡± The Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris distorted his gelatinous face as he said triumphantly. ¡°You are so quick-witted. You can dream at best.¡± ¡°Ah, my Lord. I hope you¡¯re concentrating on your test.¡± Eniyunien¡¯s large tree snapped to attention. For now, I should keep quiet. But what to do? It would be difficult to inform everyone under my command the answer. But there was little chance that all of them would be able to score more than ninety points on their own. So, there was only one way. If it were possible, I would have preferred to conserve my magic power, but in this case there was no choice. The magic eye of the Great Tree of Eniyunien was directed into its own body, the school house of the spirits. In other words, if you were physically outside it, it would not be possible for it to detect injustice. Well, I doubt it would make any difference even if they could detect by seeing through it. I turned my attention to the next question while deploying a magic circle outside the great tree of Eniyunien. [Love is memory, memory is love. What is the name of the spirit that wanders in search of love?] Hmm. I didn¡¯t figure this one out. There are no spirits in the Green Book that correspond to this question. If the scope of the question was the Green Book, then by process of elimination, the answer would be [Fran the Love Fairy]? See you in next chapter. Chapter 135.2 The Demon King¡¯s Answer Sheet [Part 2] There would have been a torn page with information about this. I decided to skip it for now and start with the other questions, but other than the second question, there was nothing else I didn¡¯t know the answer to. I wrote ¡°Fran the Love Fairy¡± as the answer to the second question and put down my pen. Misha and the others were still staring at the test, still moving their pens. I decided to wait lazily until the test was over. Soon, the sound of bells and bells rang out. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I will collect the quiz.¡± Book Fairy Leeran closed on its own, picked up a pen, and walked briskly towards the large tree again. It climbed up the tree and went into the leaves. The branches of the tree rocked and swayed loudly. ¡°Hmm. Now, let me announce the results of the test.¡± The great tree of Eniyunien said in a stern voice after quickly grading the results. ¡°Eges Code, eighty-five points.¡± Eges, the Dark Lord, looked at me as if this was it. ¡°Kaihilam Jiste, eighty-one points.¡± Kaihilam¡¯s other persona, Jiste, sighed in relief. ¡°Gilisiris Dello, ninety-seven points.¡± As if grinning, the Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris contorts his gelatinous face. ¡°Anos Voldigoad, that¡¯s brilliant. A perfect score of one hundred.¡± Hmm. I wasn¡¯t sure about the second question, but I guess it was a hit. ¡°Misha Necron, also brilliant, perfect score of one hundred.¡± Misha blinked her eyes. ¡°Sasha Necron is also a perfect 100.¡± Sasha gave me a dubious look. ¡°Eleonore Bianca, a score of 127.¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± The one who raised his voice was Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s see, 100 is the perfect score, and you got 127?¡± Eleonore looked surprised. ¡°Zeshia Bianca, that¡¯s a perfect score of 150. That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never gotten more than a perfect score¡­¡± Eniyunien¡¯s Great Tree continued to announce the scores of my subordinates, all of whom had more than a hundred points. ¡°Hmm. You are an excellent group of students to have achieved so much in such a short time. As promised, I shall grant you the qualification to participate in the trials of the spirits.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± The Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris stood up and shook his head from side to side as he said. ¡°It is indeed strange that all of them scored over 100 points. Isn¡¯t there some kind of cheating going on here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping a close eye on them, but there¡¯s no such thing as cheating.¡± ¡°No, no, no, this is unthinkable. Isn¡¯t the perfect score a hundred points?¡± ¡°Indeed. But if there are additional points, the score can exceed 100.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what kind of points were added to make that happen. For example, wasn¡¯t there some sort of a private deal?¡± The face that appeared on the large tree furrowed its brow. ¡°As a great tree of education, I would never commit an injustice.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure there¡¯s no cheating, why don¡¯t you show me your answers? I¡¯ll check for any irregularities. It doesn¡¯t make any sense to me.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. See for yourself.¡± As soon as Eniyunien¡¯s big tree said that, Book Fairy Leeran fell with a thud. ¡°It¡¯s no use, King Scarlet Monument. I haven¡¯t done anything dishonest.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s like admitting that you¡¯re being dishonest, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gilisiris uses his magic to open several books simultaneously. He flicked them with his fingertips and flipped through the pages. ¡°Mm¡­?¡± Gilisiris pointed to a page. It was Sasha¡¯s answer. ¡°Eniyunien, what does this mean? The answer to Q27 should be [dead man of lava]. Yet the answer written here is [Dietrich]. The two are completely different spirits, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Mm. But when I saw the answer, I thought that there was another interpretation. There are times in life when there is more than one answer. Sometimes you find a new answer. In that sense, [Dietrich] is also correct.¡± Gilisiris contorted his gelatinous face and pointed to another answer. It was Eleonore¡¯s. ¡°Now, can you explain this one to me? It¡¯s Q15, and it¡¯s about the number of spirits in relation to fishing. The correct answer is [17]. However, the answer says [21].¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, if you think about it, Gisla, Meto, Anouye, and Beulah are the four spirits of the ship. I decided that the spirits of the ship could be deemed countable to be related to fishing. Therefore, I have awarded 20 points for the correct answer and for bringing it to my attention.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ is that even worth awarding a point?¡± ¡°Is that strange?¡± ¡°Then what about this?!¡± Raising his voice, Gilisiris pointed at Zeshia¡¯s answer sheet. ¡°Qs. 7, 9, 17, 51, and 67 have [Understood] written on them. Isn¡¯t it strange that you granted 150 points for these?¡± ¡°That candidate is being honest about what they don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not easy to do that. It¡¯s also a good answer. I gave it fifty points for its sincerity.¡± ¡°¡­What¡­?¡± Gilisiris exclaimed. He must have realized that something was indeed wrong. ¡°¡­don¡¯t, tell, me¡­this is¡­?¡± Gilisiris slowly turns to me. ¡°Did you think you couldn¡¯t get a perfect score just because the answer was wrong?¡± The Scarlet Monument King¡¯s voice trembles in what could be described as astonishment. ¡°¡­Venuzudonoa¡­outside of combat¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember saying I couldn¡¯t use it.¡± Using Origin Magic , I summoned the Demon King¡¯s Castle above the Great Tree of Eniyunien while grading. Therefore this place is already under the influence of my private domain, the Sword of Annihilation. With its power, it destroyed the logic behind awarding marks for the wrong answers, only under my control. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m not cheating. I just destroyed the logic that just because you made a mistake doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get a point.¡± Even if he dodged the sword, in front of the sword of annihilation he would be cut down, even if he answered incorrectly, then it would be as good as a correct answer, and even easier to get points. Even a blank answer which supposedly gives zero points can be turned into a hundred points. ¡°¡­You bastard¡­¡± In humiliation, Gilisiris distorted his face into a squirming mess. However, he realized that there was nothing he could do about it, so he did not pursue the injustice any further. What a strange coincidence. I never showed Venuzudonoa to the Scarlet Monument King. Just like with Zelga, it seems that someone was leaking information about me. The only people who are alive right now after seeing the Sword of Annihilation are Nousgalia and the masked demon tribe that showed up at the Demon Sword Tournament. Either of them most likely told the Scarlet Monument King. ¡°Well, Scarlet Monument King. As per our agreement, you will answer me.¡± I asked Gilisiris, with his gelatinous face once again distorted as if it was stained with humiliation. ¡°Who is this [Superior] of yours?¡± ¡­ In a test with a perfect score of 100 points, I¡¯m going to make sure I get 150 points, and that¡¯s what the Demon King is all about¡­ Chapter 136.1 Stairs of Gunnier [Part1] At my question, Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, huffed and laughed. ¡°Very well. But please don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve won. If it weren¡¯t for the Sword of Annihilation, certainly you would have lost.¡± I asked Gilisiris mockingly, who looked relaxed. ¡°Is it because you tampered with the answer sheet?¡± Gilisiris was taken aback by these words. Then, he turned his magic eye on me. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t noticed that you can¡¯t cheat in the Great Tree of Eniyunien? That¡¯s what you made me believe, and that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been tampering with the answers of everyone except me. You made it so that they would never get the correct answer, and you tried to get less than ninety points.¡± As if trying to mock, Gilisiris deformed his gelatinous face with a limp. ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± I pick up the white book that was there. It¡¯s Zeshia¡¯s answer sheet. With a flick of my finger, the pages are flipped one after another. Gilisiris turned his evil eye on it. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any cheating, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you erased the evidence.¡± I held the page with my finger and used the magic to change the time on the answer sheet back to what it was during the exam. Then the questions on the page changed. The first question. [Look carefully and think carefully. A Spirit is a Spirit, but what is a Spirit based on a rumor?] The original question was: ¡°What kind of spirit is not based on rumors? The original question was, ¡°What is a spirit that is not [based on] a rumor?¡± The answer to this question is not clear. Some other sentences in the question have been changed, making it impossible to answer the original question correctly. ¡°Hoh. This is a surprise. But do you have any proof that I did it?¡± Gilisiris taunted bluntly. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who could pull off a trick like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not proof, is it? Isn¡¯t that right, the Great Tree of Eniyunien?¡± When the Scarlet Monument King asked that, Eniyunien snorted. ¡°¡­Hmmm¡­ even I can¡¯t see the injustice in it. I will take care to prevent such injustice from occurring in the future¡­¡± Then, with great pride, the Scarlet Monument King said. ¡°You heard him right, Demon Lord. That was a false accusation.¡± Oh dear, you remained the same sore loser. ¡°I can¡¯t keep up with your sour grapes. In any case, you¡¯ve lost. Just tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± As he glared at me, his magic eye flashed, and he said. ¡°My [Superior] is the Spirit King.¡± Hmm. I had a feeling that was the case. What was decisive was that he had crafted the Book Fairy Leeran so that the Great Tree of Eniyunien would not notice. Without the help of the Spirit King, it wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to work for a Spirit King.¡± ¡°As long as I can do my research, it doesn¡¯t matter to me if I¡¯m below or above. As I said before, this place is perfect for magic research. By studying the power of the spirits, my magic will be able to peer into even deeper abysses.¡± ¡°Huh. If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you stop being the Spirit King¡¯s subordinate and join my team? I will show you an abyss of magic that far surpasses the results of your two thousand years of research.¡± Gilisiris¡¯s gelatinous face contorted violently as if to show his anger. ¡°Do not patronize me, Demon Lord. Did you think I would join you in your disdain and desecration of the study of magic?¡± ¡°What, I thought I¡¯d ask you out. If you want to surpass me in magical research, the most direct way is to join me.¡± Gilisiris¡¯s body glowed black, and the surrounding plants and flowers burst into flames. In his body, particles of magic power were colliding with each other, causing violent sparks to fly. ¡°How long have you been looking down on me? I told you that in the past two thousand years, I¡¯ve surpassed your old magic by far.¡± ¡°If you think you¡¯ve surpassed me, you don¡¯t need to throw such a tantrum. If you¡¯re going to react to every little nonsense, you¡¯re not going to know what you¡¯re made of.¡± I received the gaze of the Scarlet Monument King, who glared at me without hiding his anger. ¡°Remember this. It is not you who will reach the bottom of the endless abyss. It¡¯s me.¡± Well, I don¡¯t dislike your enthusiasm for research. ¡°Interesting. But I have more on my mind right now than the depths of the abyss.¡± Gilisiris twisted his face languidly to show his annoyance. ¡°What kind of spirit is the Spirit King?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to find out for yourself. It¡¯s not within ¡¯s scope to answer that question.¡± After saying that, Gilisiris sat down in his seat. If he had targeted Eleonore and Zeshia for research purposes, then it could be assumed that he had been instructed by the Spirit King to say something that would lead to a contest of wits. If the Cursed King and the Dark Lord¡¯s subordinates also acted in such a way that a comparison of wits was possible, then the three parties must have been in an alliance at a certain point. If that was the case, then the whole thing might have been a plot by the Spirit King. Could the Spirit King be cooperating with Nousgalia? Or did they threaten it? In any case, it seemed that the reason why he hid my subordinate 2,000 years ago was not just because he was following the rules of this spirit school. ¡°Hmm. Then let us continue our studies.¡± The great tree of Eniyunien echoed his voice. ¡°Well. Aside from the new students who scored a hundred points, everyone in the classroom this time is eligible to take the trials of the spirits. All students who wish to take the trials must leave this classroom, go up the stairs, and go to the trial room before the next bell rings.¡± Then Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, Eges, the Underworld King, and Jiste, another personality of Kaihilam, the Curse King, all stood up at once and walked out of the classroom. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I called out to Misha and the others, and I too got up from my seat. Thanks for reading. Chapter 136.2 Stairs of Gunnier [Part 2] I left the classroom and walked up the stairs that were right there. On my way, I received a . It was from Melheis. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°We are finally ready to inform all of Dilhade of the ceremony for the second coming of the Demon King. As you said, at the time of notification, we will not reveal that the tyrannical demon lord is Anos-sama, and we will announce that Avos Dirhevia was a fake. At the ceremony, I will introduce the real you. The date is exactly one month from now, as planned. If everything goes smoothly, we will announce it today via magic broadcast.¡± Melheis was currently hiding in a different place from Midhaze. I don¡¯t know why, but it seems that he¡¯s being targeted. The people making the preparations are the Unification Faction and others who are under his command. The other seven demon princes have also been asked to lie low, just in case. As a result, there was a slight delay in notifying them of the ceremony. ¡°You are not to show yourself. You may let Elio do the notification of the ceremony.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± In a month¡¯s time, this mess would have to be settled. It was a peace ceremony. I want it to go off without a hitch. ¡°Speaking of which, it seems that Delzogaide¡¯s magic has disappeared from Midhaze?¡± ¡°Yes, I used it on an errand. It should be back where it belongs soon.¡± would only allow me to move the Demon King¡¯s Castle for five minutes. After that time, the Delzogaide will return to its original location. I summoned Delzogaide before the grading, so it should be about time for that to return. If I continue to summon it and use the Sword of Annihilation, it might be easy for me to get to the Spirit King, but the drain on my magic would be too great. I¡¯m not sure about what was in store for me yet, but I think it would be a good idea to save up some of my magic, so I don¡¯t run out of steam at a critical moment. It was not as if meeting the Spirit King would be the end of the story. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°No, sir. I¡¯ll have it forwarded to you via when the magic broadcast starts.¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± was disconnected. ¡°Hey.¡± Sasha suddenly called out as if an idea had occurred to her. ¡°I was just thinking, Delzogaide is in the middle of another student taking a class right now, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If we summon the Delzogaide, what happens to the students inside?¡± ¡°Oh, while it¡¯s being summoned, a fake Demon King¡¯s Castle made with will appear in its original location. There is no need to worry that those inside will be moved along with the real Delzogaide.¡± In short, the real and the fake were swapped, leaving those inside untouched. Unless you have very good magical eyes, you would even not notice that Delzogaide was summoned and replaced by a fake Demon King¡¯s Castle. ¡°I got it.¡± Misha said. As they finished climbing the stairs, they came to a wooden plaque with the words [Room of Trials] inscribed on it. Looking around, I saw that there were about 20 stairs leading to the top, and in front of them was a large tree that looked like a pillar. Suddenly, a face appeared on the tree, just like in the classroom. ¡°Hmm. Well, you have come. Now, let me explain to you about the trials of the spirits.¡± The voice of the Great Tree of Eniyunien echoed. ¡°If you try to go up to the upper floors, various spirits will block your way and impose various trials on you. If you can successfully pass through them and reach the top of Eniyunien where the Spirit King resides, you will pass. However, the rules of the trials imposed by the spirits must be followed. If you violate the rules, you will never reach the top of the mountain, and you will have to keep climbing the stairs.¡± So it¡¯s no use trying to find a loophole. ¡°Also, it is not against the rules for examiners to discuss with each other. They are free to cooperate with each other or cheat each other. That¡¯s part of the test.¡± The examiners could be my enemies or my allies, huh? I doubt that the Four Evil Kings would side with me, but it would be convenient to be able to discuss it. ¡°Now, let me introduce you to your first test: the Gunnier¡¯s Staircase. You will now choose one of these two staircases and proceed to the upper floor. However, one staircase per person. You cannot choose the same staircase.¡± Did each staircase have a different ordeal? ¡°Of the twenty stairs, only five lead to the top, where the Spirit King is.¡± ¡°Well, what happens to those who choose the other paths?¡± Eleonore asked curiously. ¡°Whoa, whoa, the wrong path will bring you back to this place. In which case, you will fail.¡± ¡°But then, you¡¯ll have to get lucky before trying to make it to the top.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The Great Tree of Eniyunien said matter-of-factly. ¡°The stairs of Gunnier are also known as the stairs of luck. The first test is, as the name implies, a test of luck.¡± Hmm. That sounded like a tough test right from the start. Trying my luck¡­as expected, I have a feeling that no matter how strong I am, I won¡¯t be able to handle this! Chapter 137.1 The Demon King¡¯s Luck [Part 1] ¡°Now, when I give you the signal, you may ascend the stairs of your choice. The sooner you choose the stairs, the better.¡± The voice of the great tree of Eniyunien echoed. The sooner we make a decision, the better, but as long as we¡¯re betting on our luck, it won¡¯t matter much even if we choose quickly. ¡°You may run, but it will be considered a foul to interfere with the others. In that case, you will be disqualified. If two people want to ascend the same stairs at the same time, please wait until I make a decision..¡± Everyone listened intently as the rules of the trials were explained. ¡°You are not permitted to follow any other path than the designated path during the trials of the spirits. Destroying the walls or will disqualify you, so be careful.¡± So it would be impossible to use to join up with the others after the correct path is found? Because otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to try our luck. ¡°Then, are you ready? The trials of the spirits will begin now!¡± The signal to begin the trials sounded. Of the twenty staircases, there were five that had been hit. If the words ¡°test your luck¡± are true, the chance of reaching the Spirit King is one in four. While everyone in the room was staring at the stairs, Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, was the first to start walking. ¡°This is ridiculous. There¡¯s nothing more ridiculous than getting lost while trying your luck.¡± As he said, he took the fifteenth staircase on the far left and climbed it without hesitation. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention¡­¡± Gilisiris turned around with his gelatinous neck, languidly, after a few steps up. ¡°Thou shalt not pass this test, Demon Lord. Because this is a test of luck, and thy luck has been bad.¡± Oh dear, he said meaningfully. ¡°Are you tampering with the stairs now that you¡¯ve finished with the answer sheet?¡± ¡°No way, no way, do you have proof? It¡¯s just that there¡¯s no mystery that you will fail the test. There is a three-fourths chance that you will fail. In fact, it¡¯s more dishonest to claim that the stairs you choose would be a hit.¡± Hmmm. What could you possibly have done to try my luck? ¡°Hmph.¡± Gilisiris sneered. ¡°It¡¯s all about using the annihilation sword, isn¡¯t it?¡± After saying that, Gilisiris walked up the stairs. At the end of the stairs, there was a door, and it was impossible to tell which was the correct path. ¡°What a boring ordeal.¡± Muttering this, The Dark Lord Eges took a quick look around the stairs with his Magic Eye. He went up the stairs on the far right. ¡°¡­Lord Kaihilam is good at this sort of thing, but I wonder if he¡¯ll come back¡­¡± Blurting, the Curse King¡¯s lover Jiste walked up the third staircase from the far left. ¡°There are sixteen of us in all, so the odds are that four of us can pull off the right path. It depends on how many of the four evil clans are drawing a hit, but at the very worst, we¡¯ll get one.¡± Sasha said. ¡°But what¡¯s the point if Master Anos doesn¡¯t go?¡± Lay smiled refreshingly at Misa¡¯s words. ¡°Worst case scenario, if someone can meet the Spirit King and free Shin Reglia and Anos¡¯s men, I think that would be fine.¡± ¡°But, I still think that Anos-kun should go.¡± Eleonor raised her finger. It would be better for me to go as long as I didn¡¯t know who the Spirit King was. ¡°Are you really leaving it to chance?¡± Misha stared at me and questioned. ¡°Well, judging by the unhindered movements of the Four Evil Kings, I¡¯m not so sure. I don¡¯t know how long they¡¯ve been here, but it¡¯s not like this is the first time they¡¯ve been tested by the spirits.¡± ¡°Is there a way to find the right path?¡± I nod. ¡°Or even if you¡¯ve taken the wrong path, there may be a way to fix it.¡± I looked at Rina as if asking her a question. ¡°¡­Oh, sorry¡­I remember seeing these stairs, but I can¡¯t recall them¡­but I think I know them¡­maybe I¡¯ll remember if I go up them.¡± Hmm. But if we get up there, it will be too late. ¡°Even if we go the right way, we won¡¯t necessarily be able to choose the right path. Judging from the way the Scarlet Monument King was talking, he¡¯s probably playing a trick on us. The stairs I climb up will always lead me to the wrong place.¡± Since the stairs were spirits, it was not impossible. And it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I choose the incorrect one. Even if we always miss the right stairs, they could just say it was due to bad luck. Using the Annihilation Sword would be an easy solution, but I¡¯m also concerned about what the Scarlet Monument King said. Or perhaps his goal was to keep making me use the sword and drain my power. Although the Delzogade is still in the sky above the Eniyunien tree, once pulled out, the drain on magic power could not be compared to other forms of magic. We couldn¡¯t afford to be so careless as to fall prey to their schemes. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll be in trouble if we win, won¡¯t we?¡± Ellen said. ¡°Yeah. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯d be able to make it through anything other than a test of luck¡­¡± ¡°It would be nice if we could give our winnings to Anos-sama.¡± The Fan Union girls say with a slightly anxious expression on their faces. ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good point. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I stepped forward and said to the big tree of education. ¡°Eniyunien, when will we know that the stairs we took were the right ones?¡± ¡°Hmm. If the stairs at the end of the door are up, then the path leads to the top. If it¡¯s down, it¡¯s a path back to this place.¡± Well, that sounds good to me. T/L: Guys, we have just launched Ko-fi page for Misfit. You can support us and read advance chapters at the same time. You can do so HERE . By the way, we are going to request NU to update novel¡¯s title to The Misfit of Demon King Academy so don¡¯t be surprised when it happens. Chapter 137.2 I held up my right hand and drew a magic circle on the entire floor. ¡°¡­Mmm¡­?¡± A questioning voice leaked out from the great tree of Eniyunien. It was probably because he used the magic of to hide all sixteen of them in darkness. Following that, I used to conceal the magic power of all of them. I used to tell everyone what I was going to do, so that the great tree of Eniyunien would not notice. ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do it!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± The girls of Fan Union shouted in high spirits. After using [a certain magic], I deactivated and erased the darkness in this place. ¡°¡­Nuuuuh¡­?¡± A surprised voice leaked out from the great tree of Eniyunien. I guess it was understandable. The darkness cleared, and sixteen Anos Voldigoad emerged from the darkness. They had all been transformed by the magic of . ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡± ¡± There¡¯s also the question I just asked you. I want to make sure that there is no cheating.¡± One of the sixteen of us stepped up and said. ¡°If Gunnier¡¯s stairs want to, they can intentionally fail me on this test.¡± ¡°I will do no such thing. I am the Great Tree of Education.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just an assumption. Let¡¯s say that the Great Spirit Reno was still alive. What if her life depended on it?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you, a spirit, would do anything to protect the Mother. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± The Great Tree of Eniyunien muttered with a heavy heart. ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Then it is possible that you would go rogue to protect the Spirit King.¡± ¡°¡­If we¡¯re talking about possibilities, I can¡¯t deny it¡­ but I have not done anything like that this time¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, I don¡¯t want to think that the spirits have turned against us either, since I thought I had built up a good amount of trust with Reno.¡± The mention of Reno¡¯s name seemed to have an extraordinary effect, and the great tree of Eniyunien snorted. ¡°There¡¯s no point in being suspicious all the time. This way, you won¡¯t be able to intentionally make me drop out of the trials. Whether I make it through the trials or not, we will leave no grudge against each other.¡± In , all sixteen of them are in my form. As long as they don¡¯t know who the real me is, they can¡¯t intentionally fail me, so it will truly be a test of luck. ¡°When I open the door, I will break the spell of and show you my original form. As long as you¡¯re not cheating, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. I understand. If it makes you feel any better, you can do whatever you want¡­¡± I grinned and called out, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±. The sixteen of us moved to our respective staircases and began to ascend in unison. After about ten minutes, we saw a door in front of us. All sixteen of us had arrived in front of the door. We breathed in unison as we opened the door. The next thing Ellen sees is a staircase leading down. ¡°Yay, it¡¯s out! I was able to imitate Anos-sama, I think I¡¯m on to something today.¡± The lifted, and Ellen returned to her original form. She clenched both fists and walked down the stairs happily. And in front of the real me, there was a staircase leading up. ¡°Hmm. Looks like we hit it.¡± I communicate to Misha and the others with . ¡°Who else won?¡± Then Lay¡¯s voice replied. ¡°Looks like we got lucky.¡± Misa¡¯s voice was heard next. ¡°Haha¡­ I won too¡­¡± So the three of us won. Since five out of two were correct, two out of Nousgalia, the Scarlet King, the Curse King, and the Dark King would be correct. It seems reasonable to assume that two of the three who went first knew about the winning staircase, but I can¡¯t be certain. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡± I walked up the stairs leading to the top. Of course, it wasn¡¯t luck that made me choose this path. Along with , I used the fusion magic . I divided all sixteen people¡¯s sources into sixteen equal divisions, collected one piece of each source, for a total of sixteen pieces, and fused them together. In other words, until just a moment ago, all sixteen of them were me. Or, more precisely, they were me, divided into sixteen equal parts. Of course, they were also me, Sasha, Misha, Lay, and the girls from the Fan Union. When was released, and I returned to the original one source, that source would gather somewhere within the sixteen equal divisions of sources. I had adjusted the magic so that it would converge on the source with the ascending staircase. There were sixteen staircases, and one in four had the correct path. Then all I had to do was become one of the sixteen. That way, I could draw all the winners and losers. All I had to do was choose the right one among them. ¡°Nn¡­?¡± On the way up the stairs, I felt an unnatural flow of magic. It was coming from behind the wall. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, and a familiar voice came back from the other side of the wall. ¡°Oh, is this it?¡± The wall of the big tree split in two, and I saw a passage at the end of it. There was a girl wearing a hood, Rina. T/L: Guys, we have just launched Ko-fi page for Misfit. You can support us and read advance chapters at the same time. You can do so HERE . By the way, we are going to request NU to update novel¡¯s title to The Misfit of Demon King Academy so don¡¯t be surprised when it happens. Chapter 138.1 Flower Garden of Memories [Part 1] ¡°Hmm, Rina, I take it that the stairs you chose were not the right ones?¡± There are five staircases in total that lead to the top of the big tree. We drew three of them, and me, Lay and Misa were the only ones who were going that way. The staircase Rina chose must have been the wrong one. ¡°Ah, yes. It was the wrong one. It was a staircase that went down.¡± If I had gone down those stairs, I would have been back in the Trials Room, just as the Great Tree of Eniyunien had said. There was no way she could have met me halfway, assuming the steps I was taking were correct. It was not permitted to destroy the walls and take any other path than the ones that had been permitted. So the only thing I can think of would be¡­ ¡°¡­A hidden passage?¡± I asked, and Rina nodded her head. I guess hidden passages can be counted as paths that can be taken. ¡°When I was going down the stairs, I remembered. I had a feeling that Gunnier¡¯s staircase wasn¡¯t a straight path, so I searched the walls and found a hidden passage, just like now.¡± I see. So it wasn¡¯t just luck that could cause me to fail the test. ¡°You hear me, right?¡± With , I talk to all members of my team. ¡°There seems to be a hidden passage in the stairs. If you find it, it will lead to a path that leads to the top. I suggest that you look all for it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Misha and the others replied that they would look for the passage. If everything went well, they would all be able to reach the top of the mountain. ¡°Now, Rina, if you¡¯ve been through here before, then you must have undergone the test of spirits, right?¡± She shook her head when I asked. ¡°¡­Hmmm, I don¡¯t remember taking a spirit test at all¡­but I think I went through Gunnier¡¯s Stairs to the top¡­¡± Was it just that she could not remember, or was she in a position to see the Spirit King without having to go through the trials? ¡°As I recall, there was a shortcut somewhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯d really like to find.¡± Using the magic of , I projected Lay and the others¡¯ vision onto it. After giving it to Rina, I decided to keep moving. ¡°If you remember anything, just let me know.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± We walked up the stairs. Rina followed behind me, her gaze fixed on Lay and the others in the . After a while, the end of the stairs was cut off. ¡°Hmm.¡± Looking up from there, I saw a dozen or so tube-shaped trees stretching toward the top. All of them were large enough to hold about three people. Probably inside those cylindrical trees were the stairs that Lay and Misa were climbing. Looking down, I could see the ordeal room. ¡°This looks like an ordeal, huh?¡± Rina exclaimed, pointing to a nearby wooden plaque. ¨D¨DTrials of Wisdom and Courage¨D¨D If you step into the void, a path will appear. This path would reject all but the most courageous and would lead them down into the abyss. ¡°Hmm. So you¡¯re telling me to keep going and believe there is a path here even if it¡¯s not visible to the naked eye. Perhaps if you try to play it safe with magic or something, you will fall and be rejected.¡± Without hesitation, I stepped out into the air. The sound of my footsteps echoed. There must be a staircase there, invisible to the eye. ¡°You can follow me.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Rina walked behind me, looking a little hesitant. After a while, I stopped. ¡°We¡¯ll turn around here.¡± Believing that the staircase floor was there, I turned. With a thump, my feet stepped in the air and I walked up the stairs that were turning around. ¡°¡­How do you know?¡± ¡°Think about it. Every staircase you¡¯ve ever been up has always turned around every hundred steps, right? Everything, from the size of the staircase floor to the size of the steps, was all the same. I can only assume that they were giving us a hint so as to help us tackle this ordeal.¡± It was a test of wisdom and courage. So along with courage, wisdom was also being tested to see if they would notice it. ¡°¡­When you asked me to try to remember, I didn¡¯t pay attention to the number of stairs, much less the size of each stair¡­¡± ¡°I see. Well, no matter. You just concentrate on remembering the shortcut.¡± Rina said, staring at my back. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. It appears that I am simply walking.¡± ¡°What, this level should be no more than a child¡¯s trick. The higher we go, the more difficult the ordeal will be.¡± Rina paused when she heard this. She turned her head to the side and stared into the void. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­I remember¡­I think¡­I think there¡¯s a path here¡­¡± The stairs turn around every hundred steps. Right now, we¡¯re just about 33 steps away from the first step. There shouldn¡¯t have been any particular clue that would allow us to proceed sideways, but if Rina says so, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if there was a path. ¡°A hidden passage?¡± ¡°Maybe. But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a shortcut¡­¡± Rina took a bold step forward. She should have completely fallen off the stairs, but she didn¡¯t. There was an invisible path there. ¡°¡­Can I go this way¡­? I feel like there¡¯s something important over there¡­¡± Rina said with an earnest expression. T/L: Guys, we have just launched Ko-fi page for Misfit. You can support us and read advance chapters at the same time. You can do so HERE . By the way, we are going to request NU to update novel¡¯s title to The Misfit of Demon King Academy so don¡¯t be surprised when it happens. Chapter 138.2 ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It might be a long way, you know?¡± ¡°I just feel like I should know who you are.¡± She knew about the Spirit School so far, and she was about to meet the Spirit King. If she can remember her memories, it might give her a clue as to who the Spirit King is. Since it was unclear whether the Spirit King was a friend or foe, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have that information. ¡°Thank you.¡± Smiling, Rina proceeded up the invisible stairs. I thought she would head up the stairs, but the stairs were going down. ¡°¡­I guess we¡¯ll have to take the long way around to get to the top¡­?¡± ¡°Well, Lay and the others are on their way. It¡¯s not a bad idea to find out what¡¯s here.¡± Rina suddenly came to a halt. Quickly, she reached out in front of her and touched something she couldn¡¯t see. ¡°I think there¡¯s probably a door here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to open it.¡± I switch positions with Rina and reach out into the empty space. Sure enough, I felt what seemed like a door. Groping, I find a knob and turn it. With an old-fashioned squeak, it opened. I stepped out through the door. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rina shouted. As if the world had been painted over with a brush, the entire area was transformed into a field of flowers. Reds, blues, yellows, flowers of every color I¡¯ve ever seen were blooming in profusion. A wooden door stood alone at the top of the hill where we were standing. If we opened it, we might find our way back to our original place. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± ¡°¡­Ummm¡­¡± Shaking her head, Rina stared dumbly at the flower garden in front of her. How long had she been doing that? A teardrop spills from her eye. ¡°¡­Ah, that¡­? That¡¯s strange¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Rina wipes it away with her hand, confused by the overflowing tears. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I can¡¯t remember at all¡­ but I feel like I¡¯ve been here many times before. ¡­¡± She walked away, as if sucked into the memories. ¡°Wait.¡± Rina stared back at me curiously as I grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°I know you¡¯re there. Show yourself.¡± I stare into the flower garden with my evil eye. Then, a black mist gathered in one place, and a six-horned demon tribe emerged from it. It was the Curse King, Kaihilam Jiste. ¡°Sorry for startling you, Demon King-sama.¡± Curse King said in a feminine tone. Was he still in his Jiste persona now? ¡°I was hoping someone would show up. Here, the great trees of Eniyunien will not notice us, and we can escape the watchful eye of the Spirit King-sama.¡± There was no sign of hostility. To begin with, his magical power was weaker than Kaihilam¡¯s when he was in his Jiste persona. No matter what he¡¯s planning, he can¡¯t harm me. ¡°Hmm. You sound like you¡¯re against the Spirit King.¡± Jiste replied with a nod. ¡°Curse King-sama, is in a hidden state. He didn¡¯t flunk, but Spirit King-sama ordered us to do what he wanted if we wanted to get Curse King-sama back, so Gerad-sama, who works for Curse King-sama, went to Delzogaide.¡± I was in a hidden place, huh? The body of Curse King Kaihilam is the same as Jiste¡¯s right now. How is it possible that only the root of the body could have gone into hiding? Well, the Curse King himself is special, and the other party is also a spirit. It¡¯s not impossible. It¡¯s also possible that Kaihilam¡¯s personality was sealed to prevent it from coming out. Regardless of his true intentions, the Scarlet Monument King is definitely under the control of the Spirit King at the moment. If the Spirit King threatened the Curse King¡¯s subordinates, it¡¯s reasonable to assume that the Spirit King¡¯s intentions influenced the three demon tribes that came to Delzogaide. ¡°Does Dark Lord Eges also have something to do with the Spirit King?¡± ¡°Dark Lord-sama probably has his men as hostages. I think that¡¯s why he¡¯s reluctantly staying in this Spirit School, just like me.¡± According to Dark Lord Eges, the Four Evil Kings were fighting together because of the work of the spirits. If he wanted to save his men, he should have explained the details to me, but then he would have put his men¡¯s lives in danger. Well, Eges is a proud man. In any case, he¡¯s not the kind of character to show me weakness. ¡°Gerad, a servant of the Curse King, had half a magical sword, the Looting Sword Gillionjess, which belonged to Shin Reglia. Do you know where he got it?¡± ¡°¡­Spirit King-sama gave it to him, I think. He told us to lure Misa Ilioroagu out.¡± Shin is in hiding. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the Spirit King took half of the magic sword and gave it to the Curse King¡¯s subordinates. ¡°Who is the Spirit King?¡± Jiste shook his head from side to side. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know¡­ But it seems he¡¯s been here in Aharthern for a long time, for two thousand years, and I heard that shortly after Demon King-sama was reincarnated, the Great Spirit Reno disappeared, and he replaced Reno, protecting the spirits.¡± Jiste draws a magic circle. Particles of magic gather and a human figure appears. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen Spirit King-sama once. He looks something like this.¡± Jiste used his magic to draw a jet-black full-body armor and a hideous mask. He was the man who had broken into the made by Merheis at that magic sword tournament. To his surprise, the man in the unidentified mask is an unidentified spirit king. (Oi¡­) T/L: Guys, we have just launched Ko-fi page for Misfit. You can support us and read advance chapters at the same time. You can do so HERE . By the way, we are going to request NU to update novel¡¯s title to The Misfit of Demon King Academy so don¡¯t be surprised when it happens. Chapter 139.1 Chapter 139 A Hero¡¯s Work ¡°Have you ever seen the Spirit King¡¯s face when he¡¯s not wearing his mask?¡± Jiste shook his head when I asked. Well, I suppose so. He had bothered to wear a mask that hid his magic, so I could only assume that he was hiding his true identity. ¡°Is there anything else you can remember?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, after I saw Spirit King-sama, I immediately fell into a daze¡­¡± He must have switched personalities to Curse King Kaihilam. And now he was hiding something. ¡°Please, Demon Lord-sama, save Lord Kaihilam. I know you two don¡¯t get along too well, but I have no one else to turn to¡­¡± Hmm. Although not all of it was true, the information about the masked man was useful. He could simply destroy it if it was a trap. ¡°Just as well, my men are in hiding. I¡¯ll help Kaihilam as well.¡± ¡°Thank you, Demon Lord-sama.¡± Jiste breaks into a big smile. It would be better and more peaceful if Kaihilam¡¯s personality never came out. Well, it was bound to happen anyway. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I said, looking at Rina. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± She walked through the flower garden, staring ahead, as though drawn by something. Then she stood in the center of the space. A single white flower was stuck in a vine grass wrapped around a kind of stick. Rina reached out and picked up the flower. Then, as if being forced against its will, the vine unraveled, revealing the stick-like thing it was wrapped around. It was a sword. It was a plain iron sword with no magic in it. It must have been used for a long time. The blade was rusted and tattered. The sword was stuck in the ground, and a flower was placed in front of it. It looked like a gravestone. ¡°¡­I feel so sad¡­¡± Rina muttered. Tears were spilling from her eyes again. ¡°¡­I have to go¡­¡± Strong emotions seeped into her words. ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t told you¡­there¡¯s something I have to tell you¡­¡± I approached her slowly and stood next to her. Rina turned to look at me. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t remember, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand when you see him¡­¡± ¡°The Spirit King?¡± With a chuckle, Rina nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± If the Spirit King was the man in the mask, what did he want? ¡°Lay, can you hear me?¡± I called out in . A few moments later, a voice answered. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°During the magic sword tournament, you were given the magic sword of contract in exchange for curing your mother¡¯s spirit disease, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°From what you knew, it was Demon Lord Elio who planned that, but he was only a puppet.¡± After the war for Azeshion, I had asked Elio about it, and he had said that he was threatened by an unidentified demon lord. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you this just to be sure, you didn¡¯t make this up yourself, did you?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t risk my mother¡¯s life, even for the sake of peace.¡± I knew that would be the case. In other words, there existed some unidentified person who threatened Lay and stabbed the magic sword of contract into his chest. Considering what had happened so far, there was a high possibility that it was the man in the mask. But even if that was the case, what was his purpose? When I tried to detach the root of Kanon, which was fused with the Seven Demon Emperors Gaios and Ydol, and see its true identity, the masked man prevented me from doing so. As a result, he hid the fact that Kanon was Avos Dirhevia. Why on earth would he need to do that? If I hadn¡¯t discovered Avos Dirhevia¡¯s true identity, Kanon would have died as a fake Demon Lord. So, was the goal to kill Kanon? Or was his goal to go through with Kanon¡¯s plan and save me? If it was the latter, then the masked man could be my subordinate, a demon from 2,000 years ago. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Shin, for example, had done it. If we only considered the magic sword tournament, that is. If it was Shin, then this situation was quite puzzling. Since I had survived, there was no reason for him not to show up. In addition, it was hard to imagine him calling himself the Spirit King, hiding his true identity, and imposing a test on me. If that was the case, was his goal to kill Kanon? If it was the work of someone who had a grudge against him, that was a possibility. ¡°Hey, can I talk to you for a second?¡± Rina called out to me. ¡°Um, I think I know where Lay is now. Maybe there is a shortcut to the top.¡± Rina says, looking at . ¡°Huh. Where is it?¡± ¡°Um, I think if we go a bit further, we¡¯ll probably meet up with Misa.¡± ¡°¡­eh, is that so?¡± Misa¡¯s voice could be heard coming from the . Misa and Lay were each walking up a staircase covered by a wooden wall, and they could not see each other¡¯s position. After a while, a circular space appeared in Lay¡¯s vision. Misa emerged from the passage on the other side. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really here! I was scared, imagining what would happen if I were left alone!¡± Misa rushed over to Lay. Just then, a voice echoed in the circular space. ¡°Hmm. Well done, you¡¯ve made it this far.¡± It was Eniyunien¡¯s voice. ¡°In this place, you will undergo a test of choice. As you can see, you must pass through that door in order to proceed.¡± There was only one sturdy looking door in the circular room. ¡°However, that door is locked. You have two choices to reach the top. You can fight each other in this place, and if one of you wins, the door to the sky will open. But the loser will have to return to the Trials Room.¡± T/L: Guys, we have just launched Ko-fi page for Misfit. You can support us and read advance chapters at the same time. You can do so HERE . By the way, we are going to request NU to update novel¡¯s title to The Misfit of Demon King Academy so don¡¯t be surprised when it happens. Chapter 139.2 Sorry for no updates for some time. We are sorting out our schedule. Here is the chapter. Enjoy~ ¡°And the other option?¡± Lay asked. ¡°The two of you must work together to find another way.¡± Lay and Misa looked at each other. ¡°So, if we fight, one of us can definitely go on, but if we try to go on together, we may not find a way?¡± ¡°That is correct, yes.¡± ¡°Well, um, what should we do?¡± Misa chuckled in annoyance. ¡°If I lose on purpose, Lay-san will be able to proceed without fail, so that might be a better option.¡± Rina then said to me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they can both go.¡± ¡°Both of you can go. I¡¯m pretty sure I know where the other road is.¡± I informed them through the . They both nodded. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to work together.¡± ¡°Mmm. Then I¡¯ll give you a hint. The way forward lies somewhere in between these choices. The time limit is five minutes. If you can¡¯t find it by then, you will fail. You will have to return to the Trials Room, so think carefully.¡± Eniyunien¡¯s presence disappeared as soon as he announced this. Rina immediately said. ¡°You see those two stone pedestals between the choices?¡± There were pedestals at the top and bottom of the circular room. ¡°I think one of the pedestals has a stone statue on it.¡± The pedestal at the bottom end had two stone statues on it. ¡°If they both get on the other pedestal and strike the same pose as the stone statues, it will open the most direct pathway to the Sky.¡± I sent those exact words to the two of them in . ¡°That seems to be the idea.¡± ¡°Eh, umm¡­¡± Misa stared at the stone statue, as if she was shying away. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You¡¯d both better hurry up.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, but¡­ but the pose of this stone statue¡­¡± The two stone statues on the pedestal at the bottom end are embracing. One had its hands around the other¡¯s waist, and the other had its hands softly resting on the other¡¯s face. Both of them had happy smiles on their faces. ¡°¡­Well, but I guess it¡¯s a good thing that Misa is the one who came here¡­¡± Lay said with a wry smile. ¡°Indeed. If I had been there, it would have been quite a challenge.¡± Huffing, Lay smiled refreshingly. ¡°I guess I would have had to go all out against Anos again.¡± ¡°Eh, let¡¯s see. Which tournament are you talking about again?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Misa waved her hand hurriedly, as if to get rid of her thoughts. ¡°Misa!¡± Lay jumped up on the pedestal and reached out his hand to her quickly. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ha, yes¡­¡± Misa grabbed Lay¡¯s hand and climbed up onto the pedestal. ¡°Um, guys, don¡¯t look, please¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Unfortunately, that¡¯s hard to do. There¡¯s no guarantee that he won¡¯t try to do something when I close my eyes.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes, that¡¯s right¡­I see¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t, so chill out.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­I know that, but¡­¡± Misa turned over with a bright red face, fidgeting and rubbing her hands together. Even while she was doing this, the time limit was ticking away. It looked like she couldn¡¯t make up her mind, so now she would have to leave it to Lay. Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing to worry about. That man, Hero Kanon, had given courage to others many times in the past. I¡¯m sure he would be very good at this kind of thing. ¡°How many times have I said that?¡± Lay said casually. ¡°I didn¡¯t count¡­¡± ¡°Forty-seven times.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Misa blushed. ¡°¡­isn¡¯t that Forty-eight times¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Well, forty¡­ eight times¡­ well, Lay-san¡­ if you count the time we passed each other in the hallway the other day, when we were light¡­¡± Lay quickly placed his hands gently on Misa¡¯s face. ¡°I knew it, I remembered.¡± Lay smiled at her. ¡°¡­Ta, it¡¯s not fair to test me¡­¡± Misa said, fearfully putting her hands around Lay¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You lied to me about not remembering, and I just wanted to be mean to you.¡± Misa hugged Lay even tighter. The two of them were in roughly the same position as the stone statue. ¡°¡­Oh, what? Nothing¡¯s happening, is it?¡± Then Rina¡¯s voice echoed in . ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the expression?¡± ¡°¡­Ah¡­¡± Misa¡¯s face tensed up, as if she was nervous. ¡°Is it okay if it¡¯s like this?¡± She tried to smile, but it didn¡¯t quite work. It was far from the happy smile of the stone statue. When I think about it, this ordeal was quite a challenge. Aside from the posture, a happy smile was something that not many actors could imitate. ¡°Misa.¡± Pulling her face closer, Lay stared into her eyes. ¡°Le, Lay-san¡­ aren¡¯t you too close¡­? This isn¡¯t like the posture of the stone statue¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just trying to make up for earlier.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Misa looked over at Lay with a puzzled expression. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much during this exam.¡± It couldn¡¯t have been more than an hour, though. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure I missed you a lot more¡­¡± Hmm. They do say that those who are in love don¡¯t want to be separated even for a moment, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be that much. Love was a profound thing. ¡°¡­Lay-san¡­¡± With those words, their shame seemed to have flown away, and their faces drew closer as if they were being sucked into each other¡¯s gaze. It was as if they were about to kiss. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let go.¡± With those words, Misa smiled a big smile. Lay smiled along with her and returned to the same position as the original stone statue. It was probably the path to the upper floor. That¡¯s what I call a brave man. I¡¯m not surprised you were able to break Misa¡¯s tension so easily. It was quite a brilliant move. Chapter 140.1 Chapter 140 Trial of the Hidden Wolf Gennuru Lay jumped down from the pedestal and reached out to Misa. She grabbed his hand and jumped down the pedestal, diving into Lay¡¯s chest. ¡°Will it be okay if we go up there?¡± Lay looked up at the large tree that grew in the middle of the circular room. Branches emerged at regular intervals, just long enough for us to hold onto a limb and climb. ¡°Yes. If they go up there, I think they¡¯ll be able to reach the top.¡± I convey Rina¡¯s words with . ¡°So the Spirit King is just up ahead.¡± Misa said. ¡°There¡¯s one troubling possibility about the Spirit King.¡± I told her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Spirit King is the masked guy who forced his way into Melhais¡¯ Dimensional Prison Azeisis during the Sword Tournament.¡± ¡°¡­The masked man Anos was talking about, Avos Dirhevia?¡± ¡°Yes. But that mask is a magical device that completely hides the power of magic. The design is a little different than the one you had.¡± Lay paused for a moment before asking. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose?¡± I guess he was wondering the same thing I was. Lay didn¡¯t seem to have any idea either. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. But it¡¯s possible that the man in the mask was the one who threatened you during the Sword Tournament.¡± Huffing, Lay lets out a small breath. ¡°¡­All in all, I thought it was over.¡± The Avos Dirhevia thing was supposed to be all taken care of. I and Lay had both believed that the world would be at peace now for sure. But I felt a tug in my chest. ¡°Do you mind if I go first?¡± ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t listen to me if I tell you to wait until I get there.¡± Lay smiled briskly. That was the kind of man he was. ¡°If he¡¯s not done with me, I¡¯ll go finish it. This time, with my own hands.¡± Judging from the situation, there was no guarantee that my followers who had been hidden would be safe forever. It was even possible that they weren¡¯t safe at this point. We need to figure out who the Spirit King was and what his purpose was as soon as possible. We can¡¯t leave him around if he was attempting to destroy the period¡¯s peace. ¡°¡®I¡¯ll be on my way as soon as I can. So there is no need to be worried.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine a situation where I have to borrow Anos¡¯ help.¡± It would be a little concerning if the Spirit King was such a formidable opponent. However, this was Aharthern, and the King of Spirits was not his opponent. Fighting the King of Spirits was not going to be a straightforward challenge, judging from his past trials. Even if Lay was superior to the Spirit King, he should not let his guard down. ¡°Misa.¡± Lay quickly reached out a hand to grab her. ¡°What, oh, Kya¡­¡± Lay smiled as he lifted her up quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s faster this way.¡± As soon as he said that, Lay leapt up, and with Misa in his arms, jumped from branch to branch, and quickly climbed up the large tree. After watching them through the ¡°Remote Clairvoyance Limnet¡±, I decided to go on as well. Jiste and I parted ways in the flower garden so that the Spirit King would not know that I was working with him. Rina and I went back and climbed up the original, invisible staircase. There were a few stumbling blocks along the road, but Rina¡¯s memory and my magical eye saw through them, and we made it past the hurdles without much difficulty. We were still on our way to the top when Rina raised her voice. ¡°Anos, look.¡± She then pointed out through . Lay had just finished climbing the large tree. The place was in the clouds. The white clouds formed the floor, walls, and ceiling of a vast room. Lay looked around and found a double door leading to the back. He began walking towards it, but then suddenly came to a halt. He must have felt a presence. The moment Lay drew his unique sword, the color of the surrounding clouds began to turn black. The next moment, there was a dazzling flash of lightning in front of his eyes, and a thunderous boom. Illuminated by countless thunderbolts, a huge wolf appeared on the scene. ¡°Hidden Wolf Gennul¡­¡± Misa muttered. She was familiar with its appearance, having learned it in the Forest of Books. It was the guard dog of the Spirit King, who had led the demons into hiding two thousand years ago. Gennul opened its mouth and let out a cracked voice. ¡°You may pass¡­¡± For a moment, Lay and Misa reacted as if they had been caught off guard. ¡°I thought there was going to be some kind of ordeal?¡± ¡°There will be no trials between us. You may pass.¡± Gennul sluggishly got up and moved out of the way to make way for the door. With a squeak, the double doors opened by themselves. Beyond it was a corridor of thick foliage and clouds, perhaps the top of the great tree. ¡°Stay close.¡± Lay said to Misa as he took a cautious step forward. Passing by Gennul, they stepped out into the cloud corridor. Again, with a squeak, the double doors closed. Gennul didn¡¯t attack them, nor did he issue any trials. ¡°¡­I thought he would be giving us a challenge, you know?¡± Misa said, sounding relieved. Lay, however, had an expression on his face that didn¡¯t appear to be happy. Chapter 140.2 ¡°It would be best if the Spirit King wasn¡¯t hostile to us and was just a spirit. If there were some pressing reasons for what happened at that magic sword tournament¡­¡± ¡°Is there any possibility of that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m hoping there is.¡± As they exchanged these words, they walked through the cloud corridor. After some time, they arrived at a break in the clouds. They could see the ground as they looked down from there On the other side of the break in the clouds, a lush green field was floating, and they could see a small castle on it. Lay and Misa flew with and headed for the castle. But no matter how far they moved forward, the castle never got any closer. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rina exclaimed. ¡°I remember. They just need to stand at the very edge of the clouds and wait.¡± Hearing those words sent by the , the two of them descend into the cloud corridor. Then they stood at the very edge and waited patiently. Then, little by little, the platform of clouds extended toward the castle, like a bridge. Lay and Misa walked slowly over the cloud bridge. After a while, they reached the front of the castle. Lay stood in front of the door and pressed his hand to it. ¡°I¡¯ll open it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He pushed the door and it opened easily. It was dimly lit inside. Most of the windows were blocked, and the only light came from a few rays of the sun. Lay and Misa walked straight into the castle. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve made it this far.¡± The voice of the great tree of Eniyunien echoed through the castle. ¡°As a reward for breaking through the Spirit¡¯s trials, I will allow you to see the Spirit King.¡± A part of the window was opened, and a flash of sunlight shone through. What was illuminated was a throne made of wood. A man wearing jet-black armor and a mask was sitting there. The man slowly opened his arms and clapped his hands as if to praise Lay and Misa. The Spirit King stood up and walked a few steps forward. ¡°I would like to pay a visit to the Spirit King.¡± Lay said proudly. ¡°Are you an avenger of the Demon King?¡± The Spirit King did not speak; instead, it was Eniyunien who said. ¡°If you wish to speak to the Spirit King, then you must challenge him in a trial.¡± Lay asked, clenching his teeth firmly. ¡°¡­What are the trials?¡± ¡°If you can fight the Spirit King and break his mask, you will pass the test. However, you are not allowed to use magic swords, holy swords, or magical tools. You can only use your own body and spirits.¡± Glittering lights gathered, and more than a dozen swords appeared in the air around him. ¡°The Spirit King is the ruler of the spirits, and all the spirits of Aharthern are on his side. Even if it is only to break the mask, it is a feat that no ordinary person can accomplish. If you declare defeat, the ordeal will end there.¡± ¡°Can I use that sword there?¡± ¡°They are all spirits. There is nothing wrong with using them. As long as you can control it.¡± The spirits that have been rumored and passed down as swords are not so different from demon swords and holy swords, unless they are half spirit and half demon like Lay¡¯s mother. It can choose its owner, but it does not speak. Even in front of the Spirit King, if Lay could lay his hands on one, he would be able to use it. Lay smiled coolly and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll take the trials.¡± ¡°Very well. Now, let the trials of the Spirit King begin.¡± * * * Then I suddenly paid attention to my surroundings. I was in a cloud. The white clouds had become the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, forming a vast room. On the other side of where I had come up, there was a demon. He was the Dark Lord Eges, a man with an eye patch covering half of his face. ¡°It¡¯s called fate, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eges said. The next moment, clouds in the area began to turn black. Thunder rumbled, and with countless thunderbolts, the Hidden Wolf Gennul appeared. The Hidden Wolf opened its jaws wide and let out a cracked voice. ¡°¨CIf you wish to pass through here, you must undergo the Hidden Wolf¡¯s ordeal¨C¡° That was odd. ¡°It seems Lay and the others were able to pass through unimpeded?¡± Again, Gennul¡¯s voice cracks. ¡°If you don¡¯t take the test, you won¡¯t be able to pass¨C¡° I see. So the Spirit King was after Lay or Misa. Or both of them? If not, it would be strange that he didn¡¯t impose the ordeal on those two. ¡°What are the trials of the Hidden Wolf like?¡± Eges said in a sharp tone. ¡°¨CCatch me. Only the first one to accomplish it will be allowed through¨C¡° An ordeal in which students compete against each other to catch the Hidden Wolf? If it weren¡¯t for the Dark Lord, this trial would have been easy to pass. And then¡­ ¨CDemon Lord Anos¡­ I heard something through the . It was Eges. He showed no visible reaction, his gaze fixed on the Hidden Wolf Gennul. I return through the to him. [What¡¯s up?] [Will you fight with me? I will let you go through the door.] [Huh. What about you?] [I¡¯ll help my men who have been hidden by the gods. I¡¯ll free the others as well.] [Hmm. Do you have any idea how to help those who are in hiding?] [If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to fight with me.] [Mm-hmm. You¡¯re right, it makes sense.] After a moment¡¯s pause, the Dark Lord Eges sends another thought. [Let me hear your answer.] I replied with a grin on my face. ¡°All right. We are wasting time here. Can we get on with the trials, Hidden Wolf, Gennul?¡± Chapter 141.1 Chapter 141 Spirited Away Gennul the Hidden Wolf turned its head towards the sky and let out a howl. With a roar of thunder, Gennul cloaked itself in lightning. The countless lightning bolts that gushed out were like armor protecting him. If you touch them, they will burn you instantly. ¡°It¡¯s no use.¡± Dark Lord Eges sharply extended the claws of his right hand. He then pierced his own left breast. When Eges pulled out his right hand, a great amount of red blood flowed out. It is the source of the Dark Lord¡¯s power. By mixing the magical power flowing from the source with blood, he created a magic spear. The blood transformed, and a red spear appeared. It was a spear that could pierce through dimensions, the red-blooded demon spear Dhid Atem. ¡°There is nothing that my demon spear can¡¯t pierce. No armor, no speed, there is nothing that cannot be penetrated by the Dhid Atem.¡± Eges held his spear with his center of gravity lowered and the tip of the spear pointed toward the target. The distance between him and Gennul was about 10 meters. No, there was no such thing as a ¡°distance¡± in Eges¡¯s magic spear. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Eges thrusts out Dhid Atem. The front half of the spear disappears, and it appeared inside the lightning that Gennul was clad in. Instantly, with lightning speed, Gennul flew directly to the side. ¡°No bad.¡± It would be extremely difficult to follow Junnur, who was running at high speed. However, the tip of Dhid Atem¡¯s ear did not leave no matter how quickly the hidden wolf moved, but pierced its huge body. ¡°Nnnn!¡± Eges swung his spear as hard as he could. Gennul¡¯s body was split in half as fresh blood overflowed. Eges, however, remains on his guard and raises his spear again. His all-seeing, evil eye peered into the abyss of the hidden wolf. ¡°I know that body is a trick. Reveal your true form.¡± Gennul¡¯s body, split in two, became particles of magical power and fizzled out. A voice cracked. ¡°I am Gennul, the hidden wolf, the spirit of the hidden god who was never seen¡± Thunder rumbled like earthquakes, and countless lightning bolts flashed across the area¡¯s dark skies. They all took the form of wolves and roared loudly. ¡°Hmm. There are hundreds of them.¡± He deployed anti-magic and magical barriers to protect Rina. ¡°Don¡¯t move from there.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Thunder rumbled, and countless thunderstorms that had turned into wolves pounced on them faster than sound. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many of them there are, it¡¯s all the same.¡± Eges used the middle of the magic spear as a fulcrum and spun it at high speed. The lightning wolf that jumped at him was slashed by the red spear, and the rest of the wolves behind it disappeared in the blink of an eye. But soon after, the thunder roared again, and this time, twice as many lightning wolves had appeared in front of him. ¡°Gennul, the hidden wolf, appears out of nowhere, unaccounted for, and snatches people away. It¡¯s often said that he¡¯s a spirit of the hidden gods.¡± None of the thunder wolves in front of them were the main body of Gennul. Nevertheless, even the Green book did not describe what Gennul¡¯s true identity was. ¡°So what if the clouds are gone?¡± He held up his hand and drew a multiple magic circle. The target was all the thunderclouds in the area. ¡°¡± A blade of wind blows and shreds every thundercloud. When the thunderclouds disappeared, the area was covered with countless branches of large trees. The clouds that had formed a foothold disappeared, and hence I descended onto a nearby branch with . He brought Rina to a branch a little further away and put her on it. ¡°Now, if the cloud appears again, it would have something to do with the main body, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± As soon as he said that, bam, one of the branches of the big tree burst into flames. One branch after another started to burn, and soon the flames took on the shape of a wolf and howled. ¡°Hmm. I suppose it doesn¡¯t have to be lightning in particular.¡± The flame wolves charge at the branches around them and set them ablaze. The flames then took the form of wolves and charged at the branches again. The number of flame wolves increased rapidly. ¡°You are so devious!¡± Dark Lord Eges gripped his left hand. He wounded it with his own claws, and blood dripped onto his hand. ¡°¡± A drizzle of blood descended all over the place. Chapter 141.2 A drizzle of blood descended all over the place. ¡ª ¡°¡­¡­The daughter of a spirit¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± There is no one on the branch where Rina was just now. Both the anti-magic and the magic barrier that had been deployed remained intact. No matter where he looked, Rina¡¯s figure had vanished without a shadow. ¡°Hmm. She was hidden.¡± He didn¡¯t let her escape his evil eye for even a second. Despite this, she disappeared. It must have been the work of Gennul the Hidden Wolf. At that moment, the wind blew and the wind wolves pounced on him, claws and fangs bared. ¡°Fire or wind, it is all the same.¡± Eges thrusts out Dhid Atem and finishes off all the wind wolves. But the wind did not abate, and the wind wolves only increased in number. If he builds a wall to block the wind, the wind wolves will disappear. But there will only be a different kind of wolf. Gennul, the hidden wolf, could be anywhere. The proof was Rina¡¯s disappearance. Her behavior before her disappearance should be a clue to the main body of Gennul. What was Rina doing just before she disappeared? She was in hiding just before she used to eliminate the countless light wolves that had jumped on her. She was not eaten by the light wolves. But she disappeared in spite of that. The reason for this is¨C ¡°Hmm. So that¡¯s how it is.¡± As he mumbled, Eges sent . [What are you up to, Demon King?] [Ah. I will now catch Gennul the Hidden Wolf. There must be something hidden in his body. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it must be some kind of magical space. Your magic spear can penetrate all dimensions. You should be able to create an entrance]. However, he could not believe that Gennul would be beaten so easily. They must do it without being noticed. [We will only have a little window of opportunity. If we fail, he will escape, and we will be finished.] [A moment is enough. If you can really catch them.] Holding up his hand, he draws a magic circle on the spot. Neither of them had the slightest doubt that the other would not fail. We both know the power of the other. The two of them were once enemies, and now they were allies. [Stop the wind, listen to the sound.] ¡°¡± The Dark Lord sprinkled blood from his left hand, and they turned into a thin ball that covered this vast space. The interior became a windless space and the wind wolves disappeared. At the same time, the was extinguished, and sunlight poured down from overhead, revealing the light wolves once again. Once again, he looked at them with his magical eyes, but it seemed that they were not the ones who made Gennul the Hidden Wolf appear. Then, why was Rina in a hidden state? At that time, the light wolf that attacked her was glowing with a dazzling light. Rina must have been struck by it and reflexively closed her eyes. The spirit of the hidden god, who could never be seen. If the words of Gennul, the hidden wolf, were taken as they were, he could not be seen. On the contrary, Gennul revealed himself only when he was not seen. And, somehow, only in front of the person whose eyes were closed. It was not that he was invisible, but that he was not really present while the Dark Lord¡¯s eyes were open. Perhaps that was the characteristic of the spirit of the hidden God. He closed his physical and demonic eyes. There was no sound, and no presence. But he was certain that he was there, right now. It was probably approaching me, eager to make me go into hiding. He reached out his hand and grabbed the . At that moment, he materialized. A cracked voice echoed in his head. ¡°¨CBrilliant, you have caught me, whom you can never see. Come along, Anos Voldigoad¨C¡° The sound of a door opening could be heard, and the touch of the hidden wolf disappeared from ¡¯s hand. When he opened his eyes, Gennul the Hidden Wolf was no longer there. Eges was standing there. [How¡¯s it going?] and sends . [I¡¯m not going to mess this up. I made a hole in the space of the hidden shrine and placed a marker there so that the dog Koro wouldn¡¯t notice me. You can use to get there.] If there was a hole in the magical space, it would be easy to rescue them. The ones pierced by Dhid Atem would not be so easy to fix. [Leave that Spirit¡¯s daughter and your men to me.] Eges may be inflexible, but unlike Girisiris, he was not a man who misspoke. Sneaky means would be the most abhorrent to the Dark Lord. [I hope I never have to fight you.] [That depends on how things go. The fact that our interests were the same this time is merely a coincidence.] Leaving Eges in his place, I headed for the other side of the door. On the way, I turn my eyes to Lay¡¯s view. I could see the Spirit King¨D¨D Chapter 142.1 Chapter 142 ¨C Ordeal of the Spirit King From the beginning of the Spirit King¡¯s ordeal, Lay had not made any progress. Even though there were a dozen or so spirit-based swords penetrating his body all around him, he was unable to detach them. He could not budge. The distance between the Spirit King and Lay is sufficiently far. With the sword at his waist still in its sheath, he made no sign of casting any magic spells. The Spirit King simply remains standing there with both hands hanging down. Nevertheless, he is not without any weak spots. Two thousand years ago, Lay had honed his swordsmanship as the hero, Kanon, and after his reincarnation, he further refined his skills as part of the demon race. It¡¯s unlikely that anyone else, even among the demon race of two thousand years ago, let alone the demon race of today, could match the man he has become. And that very same Lay was being cornered before even a single exchange of swords had ensued. The Spirit King¡¯s overall appearance exudes a bottomless horrificness. Once he reaches for his sword, he would be defeated. Lay may have fallen into such an illusion. Perspiration poured from Lay¡¯s forehead and trickled down his cheeks as a suffocating pressure enveloped the area. Lay broke into a faint smile. ¡°¡­ Are you not coming at me? Right now, aren¡¯t I unarmed?¡± Lay shot the words out as though to startle him. The Spirit King made no remark but slowly extended his hand to the hilt of his sword. When he drew his sword, the blade sparkled like a jewel. This is one of the spirit swords from the book of Midori. ¡°Treasure Sword Ailearrow, was that its name? It¡¯s a spirit that seals the target it slashes into a pentagram within the jewel.¡± As expected, no reply is forthcoming, and the Spirit King merely offers an icy glance back at him from behind his mask. As if resolved, Lay uttered, ¡°Well, I¡¯d better hit the road then.¡± In the following instant, his body vanished, leaving an afterimage. Lay shifted to the front of one of the spirit swords impaled in the floor, the Everlasting Sword Gielia. It is a spirit born from rumors and legends of a sword that could never be shattered, and even though it is simplistic, it would prove to be a formidable weapon if Lay wielded it. Lay reached for the Everlasting Sword, then his eyes widened. At a speed superior to his, the Spirit King rushed forward and faced the Everlasting Sword. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± The Treasure Sword Ailearrow is like a flash of light, brandished in a single sideways motion. Lay rushes back as the tip is about to rip through his skin. The moment Lay was planning to distance himself, his chest was severed open. A glittering magical line emerged across the wound. ¡°Whew,¡± he let out a breath. ¡°I have an idea of where the next slash will be if he¡¯s drawing a pentagram, but how can I be sure?¡± With both hands, Lay drew a magic circle and called forth a holy flame. . The holy flame that is unleashed split into sixteen pieces and assaults the Spirit King from all sides. However, the Spirit King¡¯s hands blurred and a magical pentagram was drawn at the base of the sixteen flames. In the blink of an eye, the holy flame is absorbed into the pentagram and is sealed. With a thump, a red jewel landed on the ground. ¡°At the very least, let me use the .¡± Once more, Lay draws a magic circle using both hands. This time, he constructed the formula for with his right hand and with his left hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works.¡± When Lay extended his right palm, thirty-two separate bursts of were hurled like hail at the Spirit King. ¡°¡­¡± The Spirit King wordlessly swept his sword. Within a fraction of a second, a vast number of pentagrams were drawn, and the dissipated. The only thing that was left was the thirty-two red jewels that enclosed it. Right then, with a thud, the floor ruptured. In a flash, the spot where the Spirit King had stood collapsed, causing all the rubble and debris from the collapsed floor to strike the Spirit King. The will disrupt the opponent¡¯s foothold, halting them in their tracks, before assaulting them with debris and sediment. Although it may not inflict substantial damage, it can buy a little time. The sent the Everlasting Sword Gielia flying toward Lay. The moment he attempted to grasp it¨D¨D ¡°Gu, ah¡­!!¡± Vivid blood spatters from his right hand, and the Everlasting Sword Gielia penetrates into the ground. The Spirit King stood in front of Lay, having passed through the unconcernedly. That isn¡¯t all, though. At the same moment as his fingers were cut, his chest was torn diagonally. That brought the total to three strokes. Two more strokes were to be made before the pentagram would be completed. With that, Lay would be sealed within the gem. Even though he would not die due to the characteristics of the spirit, his movement would be rendered utterly futile. Lay leaped back in time. ¡°Is this a coincidence?¡± Lay remarked as if to inquire. ¡°I have seven sources. Regardless of how mighty a spirit sword or magic may be, I am not likely to be annihilated. Yet you held the Treasure Sword Ailearrow in your grasp as if you were aware of me.¡± To eradicate Lay, who possesses seven sources, would be an immense feat. When it comes to confronting him in a fight, blocking his movements is more effective than attempting to annihilate him. ¡°¡­ Have we ever battled before somewhere?¡± Although Lay asked, the Spirit King made no response. Chapter 142.2 Although Lay asked, the Spirit King made no response. ¡°I have a feeling that from the beginning you recognized my moves. Perhaps it would be best not to fall into your trap.¡± After saying this, Lay brought his hands up. ¡°I surrender. Rather than undergo the ordeal as it is, I would prefer to wait for Anos to show up.¡± The Spirit King appeared in front of Lay¡¯s eyes the moment he said that. Without question, the Ailearrow is thrust forth. Having been on the alert, Lay evaded it in the nick of time and kept a safe distance between them. ¡°Unfortunately, the Spirit King seems to favor continuing the ordeal a little longer,¡± the voice of the great tree Eniyunien resonated. ¡°¡­ Since surrender is not allowed, does that mean he doesn¡¯t intend to bring me back in one piece?¡± Lay¡¯s words spill out, as if a negative prophecy has come true. While doing so, he attentively watches the Spirit King¡¯s each and every move. As expected, there is no opening for even a fraction of a second, and he is not an opponent who can be defeated with bare hands. Without even giving him the time to devise a countermeasure, the Spirit King advanced upon him. Lay retreats further, seeking to maintain their distance. However, as if to obstruct his path, innumerable thunderbolts abruptly landed behind him. Those took on the shape of a cage, blocking Lay¡¯s escape route. Out of the corner of his eye, Lay spotted a dwarf fairy carrying a small mallet. It is Gigadeas, the spirit of wind and thunder. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Lay¡¯s face contorts in anguish. His leg was impaled by a sharp tree branch. Every spirit is an ally of the Spirit King. Like the words of the great tree Eniyunien implied, uncountable branches rose from the ground as if to skewer Lay¡¯s body, pinning him on the spot. ¡°Gah¡­ hah¡­¡± Having seven sources, Lay nonetheless would not die, but the objective would be to halt him in his tracks. The Spirit King stands before him with his Treasure Sword Ailearrow. The sword shone like a glimmer of light. ¡°¡­¡± The Spirit King¡¯s gaze is tinged with a touch of astonishment. The Ailearrow slashed the sky. Lay¡¯s figure, which is supposed to be sewn to a branch, has disappeared from the spot. The area was shrouded in mist. ¡°Even though I am half spirit. You don¡¯t mind if I help, do you?¡± Misa¡¯s voice resounds from the mist. It is the magic. The mist formed a humanoid shape, revealing Lay and Misa at a distance from the Spirit King. There was no word from Eniyunien. However, since they were not sent back, it would imply that it was not an issue. Or did they never have any intention to send them back in the first place? ¡°Lay-san, here.¡± Misa offers the Everlasting Sword Gielia to Lay. ¡°¡­ It seems you¡¯ve learned to handle the magic of with greater proficiency as compared to before¡­¡± Misa nods. Earlier, she had transformed Lay into the mist with her and allowed him to escape. Up until now, she had been able to conceal her allies in the mist, but only she herself could change into the mist itself. ¡°I kind of did it in the heat of the moment, and I got it done¡­¡± Whether due to Lay¡¯s crisis or her arrival in Aharthern, Misa¡¯s power as a spirit seems to have grown more potent. ¡°I will fight as well.¡± At her words, Lay smiled refreshingly and took her hand in his. ¡°With you beside me right now, I feel like I can do it.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± At Misa¡¯s doubtful question, Lay replied, ¡°You are my sword. As long as you look at me, as long as I fight with you, I will not be defeated.¡± Even in the midst of the battle, Lay still asks Misa, ¡°Do you believe me?¡± Misa nodded. ¡°Yes, I believe in you.¡± Smiling, Lay immediately directed his gaze at the Spirit King. Instantly, he stomps the ground and approaches the King of Spirits straight away. As if to hinder his path, countless branches emerge from the walls, floor, and ceiling, their tips turning into keen blades, charging at him. ¡°Hmph¡­!!¡± Wielding his sword in all directions, Lay slew down all of those branches. The spirit of wind and thunder, Gigadeas, releases innumerable thunderbolts as if in pursuit. Spotting the slightest gap between them, Lay slips through and presses close to the Spirit King. ¡°¡­ Hah¡­!!¡± The Spirit King¡¯s treasure sword intercepts the sword blow that swings down from the upper stance. Since the sword¡¯s sharpness and durability prevailed, the blade, Ailearrow is slightly chipped off. At the exact spot where Lay stepped forward, there was another spirit sword thrusting. He launched it into the air with a kick and seized it with his left hand. With that, he lunges at the Spirit King¡¯s mask¨D¨D ¡°¡­ Ooohhhh¡­!!¡± There was the sound of a solid object breaking apart. Lay reveals his amazement. The spirit sword in his left hand and the Everlasting Sword in his right hand have both been severed by the Spirit King¡¯s treasure sword. Although he is swifter than Lay¡¯s sword and his arm that shattered the Spirit Sword is also extraordinary, it is no simple feat to smash the Everlasting Sword, which is handed down from generation to generation as a sword that can never be shattered. From within the mask, a deadly gaze sweeps over Lay. The Treasure Sword Ailearrow was drawn upon Lay, who had lost his sword. ¡°¡­!?¡± Perhaps due to a faint restlessness, the Spirit King¡¯s magic power leaked from his mask. With the Everlasting Sword, which should have snapped off at the base, Lay has caught the Ailearrow. No, the white holy light is converging on the sword, giving it the form of a blade. That was quite akin to the . Yet, the radiance was far more intense than that. With a sudden surge of power, Lay engaged the King of Spirits in a deadlock battle. ¡°Since you only have knowledge of who I was 2,000 years ago, you couldn¡¯t have foreseen this magic that I once failed to master, , could you?¡± Lay¡¯s whole figure is accompanied by light. When he applied the force, the Spirit King retreated slightly, sliding back on his feet. . That is the heroic innermost move of the hero, which amalgamated two individuals¡¯ love into one and converted it into monumental magical power. During the time he linked hands with Misa, it was already in effect. In the mythical era, the hero Kanon was incapable of utilizing this magic, whose power could only be manifested by combating together with the one you love and by uniting with your true love. It was not that his magical expertise was inferior. Rather, his heart was always in solitude under the weight of everyone¡¯s thoughts. However, things are different now. ¡°You are stronger than I am. But it¡¯s a shame.¡± The love of Misa and Lay unites and presses him back. is intended to reinforce the physical abilities and weapons of people who are originally vulnerable. The body of a demon clad in it can only be regarded as formidable. When Lay stepped forward and thrust the upraised sword of light, a crack crept across the Treasure Sword Ailearrow, caused by the force of the sword¡¯s sharpness and momentum. ¡°Now that peace has reigned, I¡¯ve¨D¨D¡± As the two of them are kindled by their feelings, the holy light engulfs him like a flame. ¡°¨D¨Dfinally realized what has replaced the place of the sword: love.¡± Broadly, Lay took a step forward and brandished the sword of love with all his might. ¡°!!¡± Instantaneously, the light and flame cloaked by Lay swell up, and he slashes the Spirit King with the Treasure Sword Ailearrow altogether. A moment later, the trace of that sword spark burst¨D¨D Chapter 143.1 Chapter 143 ¨C Omen As the jet black armor clad by the Spirit King is half destroyed, his blood spurts out rapidly. With one hand, the Spirit King hid a crack in his mask that had formed. To be able to sustain a direct hit from and yet still retain the ability to move is perhaps the result of the mask, armor, and anti-magic wrapped around the Spirit King himself. That being said, his armament is now practically bare. ¡°The odds are against you, aren¡¯t they? No matter how talented you are, I doubt you can fight without your sword and while pressing down on your mask.¡± Lay swung his light-filled love sword toward the tip of the Spirit King¡¯s nose. ¡°¡­ Yes, indeed¡­¡± For the first time, the Spirit King delivers his words. Gradually, he removed his hand from his mask. The cracks in the mask broaden and crumble away. His power began to leak out as his mouth became somewhat visible. Lay¡¯s eyes are locked onto his true identity at that exact moment. There was a warm breeze that swept by. Accompanied by it are fireflies producing a flickering green light that settled on the Spirit King¡¯s mask, armor, and broken treasure sword. Then, in a flash, the mask, armor, and treasure sword are restored to their former state. Flying along with the wind is the Healing Fireflies Senetero. Also known as the spirit doctor, who heals the wounds of spirits. Both the mask and armor are likely formed by spirits. Once all of those were restored to a flawless state, the Spirit King wielded his treasure sword. ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± Foreseeing the Spirit King¡¯s sword strike, Lay began to counter the Ailearrow with his love sword. For the completion of the pentagram, the trajectory of the sword would inevitably be restricted. However, the Spirit King anticipated this and shifted the sword¡¯s trajectory halfway through. The thrust of the Ailearrow is aimed at Lay¡¯s heart. Having seven sources, Lay would not be fatally wounded by the attack. Lay swung the sword of love across his face, intending to kill him and shatter his mask. In order to prevent the healing fireflies from recovering him, he most likely planned to kill him in the next instance with a single strike. With a whoosh, the treasure sword Ailearrow penetrates Lay¡¯s heart. Despite the blood seeping from his left chest, he swung the sword down with all his might. ¡°!!¡± The love sword, emitting an abundance of light accompanied by a burst of explosions, was swung down at the mask of the Spirit King¨D¨D ¡°¡­ Ugh¡­!¡± On the verge of ripping apart the mask, the love sword was brought to a halt. At the base of Lay¡¯s right arm is a small pentagram mark, and it forms a blue jewel. In the midst of the exchange, the Spirit King had pierced Lay¡¯s heart, and before he could sever the mask, he had imprinted a small pentagram mark at the base of his right arm. The love sword produces noises and tumbles on the spot. The light of disappeared, exposing only the broken, Everlasting Sword on the ground. As if lacking in energy, Lay¡¯s right arm slumps down. By drawing a small pentagram, it would be conceivable to deprive a person of the functions at the spot where the slash had landed, even if it could not seal the person in question. Nevertheless, to wound both the heart and the base of the right arm in the interval between Lay¡¯s selfless attack, he is by no means an ordinary foe. ¡°Assuming, of course, that you¡¯ve already engaged in a fight with me.¡± Lay focuses the power of on the fractured Spirit Sword in his left hand. As he readied the sword of love, which radiated a vast amount of light, he remarked. ¡°I only know a single person whose swordsmanship surpasses mine, though.¡± ¡°The Hero, Kanon,¡± the Spirit King stated. ¡°Nothing has remained the same in the last two thousand years.¡± Sparks fly everywhere as their gazes collide. As if driven by something, both sides brandished their swords. This is a pure showdown of speed and velocity. While Lay¡¯s attack is an attempt to smash apart the mask, the Spirit King¡¯s attack is an attempt to draw a pentagram. After all, it was the Spirit King who controlled the battle, so none of them had to consider who had more favourable conditions. Lay¡¯s sword falls to the ground, as his left arm slumps. Same as before, a pentagram was drawn on his left arm this time, and a blue jewel covered the base of it. ¡°This is the end.¡± The sword flashes sparks. The treasure sword Ailearrow was thrust forward to draw a perfect pentagram ¨C and right before it did, the trajectory shifted. Similar to arrows, several hundred bolts of lightning were hurtling toward the Spirit King. With his Ailearrow, he rips them all to bits. In mid-air, the lightning changed into red jewels and crashed down in disarray. ¡°Lay-san, please back off!¡± Misa shot a lightning arrow from her hand. It was the power of Gigadeas, the spirit of wind and thunder. ¡°Spirit Magic¨D¨D¡± As if having learned this long ago, Misa holds out her hands and draws a magic circle. Her magic power soars. Simultaneously, Misa¡¯s chestnut hair gradually changes to a deep, profound, oceanic color. Upon her back, six crystal-like wings materialise. The white uniform she was dressed in is replaced by a graceful black with a tinge of blue ¨C a binroujiguro dress. There was a necklace made of two shells that served as a pendant, with the design of a decagram. Chapter 143.2 There was a necklace made of two shells that served as a pendant, with the design of a decagram. Whether this is her true form as a spirit or not, her appearance resembles that of the Great Spirit Reno. ¡°.¡± From the magic circle, the leaves of a massive tree spring up, and when they affix themselves to Lay¡¯s retreating right and left arms, the blue jewels that bound his hands are shattered. Subsequently, the magic line of the pentagram that had been scribbled on his chest also faded away. ¡°¡­ Is that your true form¡­?¡± ¡°Aha¡­ I guess so¡­? It doesn¡¯t really feel like it, but I¡¯m relieved that¡­ I¡¯m in human form¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯s your body feeling?¡± Compared to spirits, half-spirits and half-demons often exhibit a dearth of rumours and legends, that their sources tend to diminish. This is especially the case for those in their true forms. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve always been energetic. Besides, I can¡¯t afford to say such a thing when Lay-san is in a pinch.¡± Misa draws a magic circle with both hands. This is a spirit magic technique. ¡°.¡± A myriad of lightning arrows are launched at the Spirit King. In pursuit, Lay rushed after them, grasping the sword of in both hands. As if to intercept them, Gigadeas, the spirit of wind and thunder, unleashed hundreds of arrows from the Spirit King¡¯s side as well. The thunder and lightning collide with each other, triggering a rumbling noise that reverberates throughout the room. ¡°Hah!!¡± As Lay approached the Spirit King, he boldly lured the attack to his chest as he waved his love sword in his right hand down on the Spirit King¡¯s mask. With his treasure sword Ailearrow, the Spirit King could draw a pentagram. Given the Spirit King¡¯s ability, he could do that within a split second of colliding with him. Lay presumably resolved to destroy his mask before the pentagram could be drawn all the way to the end. Narrowly evading the sword of that was swung at his mask, the Spirit King took the hit on his shoulder. His jet-black armor is torn open, and a blade of light sinks into that shoulder. The Spirit King advanced a step further. The treasure sword Ailearrow is lifted. At the same time, Lay swung the sword in his left hand. A spark of light gleamed, and Lay¡¯s eyes widened. Without bringing his sword down, the Spirit King steps ahead, and as if brushing past him, he dodges Lay¡¯s attack. There is only one aim. As swiftly as he could, Lay turned and was met with the sight of brilliant red blood pouring out. ¡°¡­ Ah¡­¡± The Spirit King¡¯s treasure sword pierced Misa¡¯s heart. The sword of light in Lay¡¯s hand extinguished. Even the , which converted love into magical power, would be rendered ineffective if the feelings were erased. Misa¡¯s life is about to disappear. ¡°¡­¡± Letting out a small breath, Lay dispassionately stared at the Spirit King. He had been through the ¡°Shuraba¡± (the fighting scene/scene of carnage) on many occasions. He is well aware that no one can be protected once they have been engulfed in a battle. Because of his concern for Misa, he silently and unflinchingly watched as her life faded away. With a single step, Lay faced the Spirit King and continued to take steps toward him. Then¨D¨D £ª£ª£ª My demon eye was disrupted and Lay¡¯s vision was cut off. ¡°Thou mustn¡¯t look away, Demon King. Thine anti-magic has been neglected.¡± I am running on a cloud bridge. The Spirit King¡¯s castle lies ahead of me. Standing in my way is the Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris. With his magic, he disconnected the magical line that shared Lay¡¯s vision. ¡°This is a good opportunity. I shalt show thou the fruits of my two thousand years of research.¡± The Scarlet Monument King draws gigantic multiple magic circles overhead. Abruptly, a scarlet monumental stone, perhaps the size of a mountain, surfaces. From there, glimpses of magical power that evoked a sense of eternity overflowed, sending violent tremors through the air. ¡°Now, watch keenly. Two thousand years of study, a feat of magic that looms over the depths of the abyss. Such is the greatness of the Scarlet Monument King Gilisiris¨D¨D¡± While he was delivering his exaggerated speech, I was penetrating his abdomen with my right hand. ¡°¡­ Argh¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t changed, Scarlet Monument King. A battle is not a research presentation. If you wish to utilize grand magic, you must ascertain your opponent¡¯s openings.¡± A magic circle is drawn within the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s internal body. Then the magic power flowing in his gelatinous body was seized up. ¡°.¡± This curse will induce the opponent¡¯s magic to run out of control on the spot and lead to their death. Gilisiris¡¯s body was coated in a black serpentine bruise, and he began to rampage violently as if he was about to be devoured. The gelatinous body of Gilisiris loses its primitive form and converts into water. As if under a curse, it blackens and decays. I withdrew my arm, and a magic circle of was left there. ¡°.¡± If one dips their fingertips into the magic circle, the right hand will be dyed pitch black. I gripped the magic circle of that was floating in the void and crushed it. Like water dissipating in all directions, Gilisiris and his source were shattered as well. Chapter 144.1 Chapter 144 ¨C Approaching the Bottom of the Abyss Promptly rushing out, after crossing the bridge, I reach the castle of the Spirit King. I moved ahead after opening the door. That place was awash in scarlet. From the walls to the floor, ceiling, and pillars, each and everything has been dyed in scarlet. This is the monumental stone of the Scarlet Monument King. This castle is not where Lay was. ¡°Welcome, Demon King. To my laboratory.¡± From behind, a voice called out to me. What emerged from behind the door was Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, whose source was supposed to have been eradicated earlier. His body glows black, morphing his gelatinous face into a distorted smile. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t it somewhat rash of thou to attempt to obliterate me with no questions asked, even though thou doth not abide by the rules of the Spirit School?¡± ¡°What, I figured you were trying to pull a prank on me when you floated that ridiculously massive monument stone across the sky without the knowledge of Eniyunien. As long as no one witnessed it, all is well.¡± ¡°Thou have no evidence of that.¡± ¡°What evidence? Your character is like that, isn¡¯t it? You were probably expecting to catch me off guard by giving me the impression that I couldn¡¯t attack you here, but you have failed.¡± Gilisiris¡¯s face twisted in discomfort at my words. ¡°Dost thou judge me based on my character? The same old, irresponsible man, huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve grown up fairly well. You couldn¡¯t have utilized , two thousand years ago.¡± In a mushy way, his gelatinous face deformed in a mocking manner. ¡°Is that all thou noticed?¡± ¡°Hmm. You are the first one to use both and on me.¡± By its very nature, the is only effective against attacks that have already been inflicted on it once. ¡°I have researched the source magic of the hero Kanon. As it is now, I possess seven sources.¡± Girisiris executed a magic flow through his body, causing his gelatinous body to glow black. If one owns seven sources, indeed, a glance is enough to recognize them. When I peered into the abyss with my magical eyes, I could see that his total number of sources was only one. ¡°I see. By dividing the sources into seven equal parts, they are made to function as seven in a pseudo sense. If so, at the moment one of the sources is eliminated, it is possible to cast .¡± ¡°Haha. Have I not mentioned that I have surpassed thy old magic beyond all measure?¡± ¡°Nothing but a trick. When you divide it into seven equal parts, the magic is weakened. Although you seem to have managed it by interfering with the seven sources, you are weaker than you originally are.¡± ¡°In the first place, the notion of having a superior magical power is wrong. Irrespective of what kind of magic I use, I shalt be revived over and over again. Do you understand? I am immortal now due to having , even more so than the hero Kanon whom thou didst not succeed in defeating.¡± Elated, Gilisiris describes the story. ¡°So what? I don¡¯t have the time to bother with you much. Would you be so kind as to ignore me now?¡± Girisiris laughed eerily. ¡°Alas, thou canst not disregard me. This is an ordeal of the abyss. Let¡¯s see who can reach the bottom of the abyss. Until the winner is determined, there is no escape from this place. If thou dashest forth with all thy force, thou shalt never reach the castle of the Spirit King.¡± The Scarlet Monument King is subservient to the Spirit King. It is not surprising that this is part of the Spirit¡¯s ordeal. ¡°What a man who, even after two thousand years, has not learned his lesson.¡± ¡°How long can thou afford to be leisurely? This is my domain.¡± The entire castle glows brightly, and magical letters can be seen in various places. There were myriads of scarlet particles rising up. Perhaps the similarity to the three-dimensional magic circle of Delsgade is attributed to the fact that he is imitating it. Oh well. Let¡¯s get this over with. ¡°What is the content of the ordeal?¡± As if smirking, Gilisiris gelatinous face distorted. ¡°Naturally, thou and I will be competing against each other in magic formulas and magical techniques.¡± At my and the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s feet, a magical circle is drawn. From there, three small monumental stones emerged. ¡°The only magic that can be cast is from these three monumental stones. Any attempt to employ thy own magic power will disqualify thy ordeal.¡± ¡°I see. So you are sealing the Reason Destroying Sword.¡± Since the monument is a stone of the Scarlet Monument King, its magic power has a certain level, but it is inadequate to utilize . ¡°As always, one cannot depend on magic power to force one¡¯s way through. This is a match of pure magical research ability alone. Now it will be evident which of us is closer to the bottom of the abyss.¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question.¡± I lifted my palm up and beckoned with my index finger, and swiftly the three monumental stones flew toward me. ¡°Do you think that the reason your magic is not as potent as mine is the result of our differences in magical power?¡± As if to express his fury, Gilisiris flashed his magic eye on the magic circle. ¡°Never have I been defeated by thee in the pursuit of magical research!¡± By utilizing one of the monumental stones and with the help of its magic power, I drew a magic circle in one hand. Gilisiris burst out laughing at the sight of that technique, as though he was pleased with himself for having won. ¡°Hmm, well, well, well. Is this the origin magic ? Oh my, this magic is exactly as I expected it to be. Though I suppose that is all there is to it. Ancient things are endowed with magical power. If it originated from the 2,000-year-old Demon King Anos, using the risk as a lever, it would be possible to borrow a huge amount of magical power with little magical power. Therefore, this is the utmost magic that can be released upon thee by utilizing the magical power in the stone.¡± Perhaps because the magic I used was predictable, Gilisiris speaks with eloquence. ¡°However, such ancient magic is far from adequate. My magic goes much deeper than that, much closer to the bottom of the abyss.¡± Likewise, Gilisiris expended one of the monumental stones and drew a magic circle. The technique is drawn in rare magical characters. ¡°Oh. Ancient magical character huh?¡± Ancient magical character is the predominant magic script of prehistoric times, which was still regarded as ancient even 2,000 years ago. Very few people studied them, and even in mythological eras, those who could use them to invoke magic were scarce. To be capable of handling them so effortlessly is indeed a feat of the Scarlet Monument King. ¡°For someone who calls my magic ancient, you have developed a rather old technique.¡± ¡°Oh dear, doth not thou understand that thou hast even been referred to as the Demon King of Tyranny? The ancient magic I have researched is closer to the bottom of the abyss than the origin magic thou hast invented. Those ancient magical characters that are difficult to be incorporated into techniques and ancient magic numbers that seem unreasonable, as long as one has a proper grasp of their significance, it is possible to draw a technique that amplifies a minimal degree of magical power to an infinite degree.¡± The magic circle drawn by Gilisiris glows and produces a series of ancient magical characters on the floor of the castle. ¡°Hmph, doth thee comprehend this? I have studied and drawn ancient magic techniques for the past 2,000 years. Ancient texts and ancient numbers are intertwined in a complex system that is exquisite in its aesthetic sense. Each character acts on the other, amplifying the magic to any extent. Ancient writing magic, which is incomprehensible to ordinary people, fell into disuse owing to its difficulties in use, and even the demons of the mythical age had forgotten about it.¡± Gilisiris spread his arms open and said in a proud, high-pitched tone. ¡°Now I have brought it back to life here!¡± The floor, covered with ancient magical writing, was transformed into a vast circle of magic. ¡°Hmm. Well, let¡¯s put it to the test.¡± Chapter 144.2 ¡°Hmm. Well, let¡¯s put it to the test.¡± The origin magic is invoked. A bolt of black lightning wrapped around my hands and it swelled up throughout the castle as if it were growing. ¡°Come. Let me show thy old-fashioned way of thinking what an abyss of magic is.¡± Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, raised his hand, and lightning in shades of scarlet congregated on his arm. This is amplified by the power of the ancient magical characters, covering the castle¡¯s interior instantaneously. ¡°You can eat this. Ancient Writing Magic .¡± From his arm a flash of scarlet lightning shot out, jolting the monumental stone castle. As if to intercept it, I unleashed the . Scarlet and jet-black, the two colors of lightning clashed against one another, resulting in an explosion that rattled. Following a brief moment of antagonism, the scarlet lightning cancelled out the . The momentum of the never ceases, its force escalating as it assaults me. ¡°Hmm. Fairly decent.¡± With another monumental stone, I borrowed the magical power from the 2,000-year-old demon king Anos via origin magic. In this way, the anti-magic was deployed and the scarlet lightning was blocked. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Gilisiris laughed creepily. ¡°How¡¯s that? About the power of ancient magic? Even this has only demonstrated the results of 800 years of research. This alone is a magic technique that involves tens of millions of characters.¡± I directed my magical eyes toward the interior of the castle. On the floor and walls covered with scarlet monumental stones, ancient writing magic technique is executed in response to the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s magic power. ¡°I see. So, for 2,000 years, you have been engraving magical techniques on the monuments within this castle.¡± ¡°No magic power is being used. As the rules are stated.¡± Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, is neither swift in constructing magical techniques nor strong in the magical power held by his source. Therefore, he has modified his own body for efficient application of magic power and uses monumental stones that can store magic power and engrave magic techniques. ¡°I understand that you are a dedicated researcher. However, you will never reach the bottom of the abyss with this.¡± When I said this, the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s face distorted, as if he was perturbed. ¡°Oh well. It¡¯s hilarious that thou, whose specialty is origin magic has been vanquished and who now hath naught but one monument, art such a sore loser, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Scarlet Monument King simultaneously procures magic power from the two monuments and draws a magic circle. ¡°Thy days are over. The Demon King is after all only a good for nothing who has been blessed with a source. Let me have that magic power, which is too much for thee, and use it to reach the bottom of the abyss.¡± Light emanates from the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s magic circle, and ancient magical letters float on the castle¡¯s monumental stones. Their number must be no less than one hundred million. ¡°Behold. This is the culmination of my 2,000 years, the ancient magic, . Have you understood it? Beyond the mastery of the ancient magic, the infinite magic power, that is precisely the bottom of the abyss. And right now, I am the one closest to the bottom of the abyss!¡± The scarlet lightning on his arms swells up and transforms as if it were the fangs of a colossal beast. Inch by inch, in the aftermath of the vast magical power, the whole castle trembles with the tumbling of small pieces of monumental stones. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I expend the last monumental stone and cast the origin magic . A black bolt of lightning blanketed my right arm. ¡°Let¡¯s see how advanced your magic is.¡± As I thrust out my right hand, a myriad of jet-black lightning rushed out at the Scarlet Monument King. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± The Scarlet Monument King waves his both arms clad in . Having been bitten by the scarlet thunder fangs, the easily bursts apart as if diffusing into the surrounding area. ¡°I pronounce the outcome of your ordeal, O Demon King of Tyranny.¡± Gilisiris twisted his gelatinous face in an amused manner and launched his at me. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a no-go.¡± With a thunderous roar, the bares its fangs. Like a jaw snapping open, the scarlet lightning split apart and swallowed me whole. With an intense rumbling, the thunderous fangs penetrate forth. Powerless to withstand that horrendous force, the floor cracked, the pillars collapsed, and the ceiling crashed down. Innumerable pieces of debris rained down, and a cloud of dust fluttered around. As they gradually faded away, the Scarlet Monument King¡¯s vision caught sight of a black shadow. ¡°¡­ What¡­?¡± What he spotted was me, unscathed, with the black fangs of lightning clad on my arm. ¡°Why¡­? Not even anti-magic could have worked¡­ from where comes the magic power¡­!?¡± ¡°You were pressing too aggressively simply for being able to exert more powerful magic than I could, Scarlet Monument King. I suggest you have a thorough look at what happened to the that you shot out.¡± Upon being told so, Gilisiris directed his magical eyes to his surroundings for the first time. On the other side of the dust, on the crumbling walls, ceiling, and even in the corners of the pillars, there were characters drawn in black lightning. It interfered with each other, forming a magic circle. The realization of the magic technique involved astounded Gilisiris. ¡°¡­ It couldn¡¯t be¡­ ancient magic characters¡­!?¡± Taking a step forward, I remarked, ¡°Ancient magic, as you put it, can continue to amplify even the tiniest bit of magical power if the technique is done correctly. Like this.¡± I display to him the black lightning fangs on my right arm. The magic power of infiltrated the magic circle drawn with ancient magic characters, triggering the ancient writing magic . ¡°Yet, unfortunately, ancient magic is not capable of continuously amplifying magical power indefinitely. If one deciphers the ancient writing of magic, they will eventually discover that there is a limitation to the amount of magical power that can be drawn from the technique. That is what this is.¡± Gilisiris is frantically attempting to analyze the ancient magic technique I have constructed with his magical eye. ¡°Although it is highly efficient in increasing the amount of small magical power, it reaches its limits quickly. In other words, this is the magic of weak people like you, lacking in source magic power. Presumably, the predecessors of the demon race realized this and, for the purpose of reaching the bottom of the abyss, they abandoned the ancient writing of magic and developed a new magic writing.¡± I saunter slowly over to Gilisiris, who stands there in a daze. ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t be¡­ such a¡­ thing¡­ ancient magic is designed to generate unlimited magical power¡­¡± With my right hand, I grab the gelatinous face of the Scarlet Monument King. At that moment, the that my arm was wrapped in, bared its fangs and tore his body to shreds. ¡°Gu, arrrrgggghhhhhhh!¡± The fangs of black lightning were sinking deep into Gilisiris¡¯ body. ¡°¡­ This..¡± His magic power, the source of it, was engulfed as if devoured by the . Instantly, the drifting-like air that had been hanging over the place vanished. The Scarlet Monument King must have died and the ordeal has ended. Now, I would be able to reach the Spirit King¡¯s castle. I headed directly for the door. ¡°¡­ W-wait¡­ Demon King¡­ this isn¡¯t over yet¡­¡± The Scarlet Monument King¡¯s voice resounded. His body, which should have melted into sludge and disappeared, was regenerating. Since all three monumental stones had been expended, the should not have been usable, but he must have cast aside his pride and utilized the magical power of the castle¡¯s monumental stones. ¡°Hmm. But sorry to say, ancient magic is only as efficient as the magic you use. Those fangs are still biting your source.¡± The regenerated body of Gilisiris is once more wrapped by , which begins to devour his source. ¡°Na¡­ ba¡­ guahhhh!!¡± ¡°You may revive as many times as you like. For 2,000 years, you have been accumulating magical power, and now, I hope the magical power of the monument will be enough until the extinguishes.¡± Leaving those words behind, I proceed to the door. ¡°Wait¡­. I have¡­ not lost¡­ to¡­ thou¡­ yet¡­¡± Halting my footsteps and without turning around, I remarked, ¡°Now is the time for you to accept defeat. The bottom of the abyss that you have set your sights on is nothing more than a small obstacle that I passed through 2,000 years ago.¡± Chapter 145.1 Chapter 145 ¨C Trinity The area in front of me was covered in clouds when I emerged from the monumental stone castle. With a sweeping glance around, a rift in the clouds can be distinguished, revealing a bridge. Beyond the bridge, the landscape is lush with flora, where a little castle has been erected. This time, there is no doubt that it is the genuine castle of the Spirit King. At the next instant, as soon as I step on the ground, my body appears before the castle. Reaching for the door, I opened it. As a result of the clash between Lay and the Spirit King, the interior of the castle is in shambles. The floor was cracked, the pillars were disintegrating, and the walls had various broken parts. The sound, on the other hand, is the most noticeable aspect. The place was deathly silent. Up until a couple of minutes ago, the Spirit King and Lay had been engaged in a heated battle. If the battle was still ongoing, the absence of even a single sound is improbable. Has the issue been settled? As I stepped forward, I made my way to where the throne of the Spirit King was positioned. Nobody is present. Neither Lay nor Misa nor the Spirit King are in sight. There is a massive amount of blood forming a puddle there. At the center of the puddle lies a red jewel. ¡°Hmm.¡± Holding my hand over the red gem, I cause it to levitate. I surrounded it with magic circles in all directions, enclosing it in a spherical magic circle. ¡°.¡± It is a magic that breaks seals, curses, and bindings. Little by little, the jewel begins to crack and shatter. Accompanied by a faint light, a battered and bruised Lay materialized on the spot. He collapses on the ground, as though he no longer had the strength to get to his feet. I supported his body with my arm. ¡°Even though you were sealed with the Spirit God Human Sword and the Unique Sword, I didn¡¯t expect you to lose.¡± I cast the magic of and heal Lay¡¯s injuries. ¡°What about Misa?¡± Lay had undoubtedly been imprisoned in the diamond before he could learn what had happened to Misa if he was asking that question. Had she died, her body would have remained here. Did you take her so that I wouldn¡¯t be able to use on her? Nonetheless, I don¡¯t see why the Spirit King would do such a thing. The reason he sought to eliminate Misa was that it would be easier for him to defeat Lay. But although he sealed Lay, he did not kill them. To destroy Lay thoroughly, with his seven sources, he likely lacked sufficient time. I suppose he had escaped before I arrived. If his objective was to eradicate Misa, there would be no necessity for him to resort to such a roundabout way of dealing with the situation. All he had to do was to inform her that he was her father and call her out before I could locate him. ¡°It is reasonable to assume that the Spirit King took her away.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ he¡¯s planning to take her as a hostage?¡± ¡°Alternatively, Misa may be a child of God. There is the possibility of using that power for some purpose.¡± Hmm. However, this is tricky. Am I overlooking something? No, something is amiss. If there is just a hint of insight, I have a feeling that I can figure it all out. ¡°¡­ Anos. The Spirit King, perhaps he is.¡± ¡°Shin?¡± Lay nodded. ¡°It seemed like he was concealing his swordsmanship, yet it looked somewhat similar to his. Perhaps due to the power of the spirits, he¡¯s significantly stronger than he was 2,000 years ago.¡± Shin is the only demon from 2,000 years ago who could have dominated the present Lay to such an extent. It is also understandable that the Cursed King¡¯s subordinates were in possession of half of the demon swords. According to Jiste, the Spirit King has existed since 2,000 years ago. If that is the case, Shin didn¡¯t reincarnate? I can¡¯t believe that guy didn¡¯t abide by the words he told me. Or were there circumstances under which he couldn¡¯t? This may have accounted for Shin¡¯s current conduct. What in the world had taken place after my reincarnation? How did you wind up in the position of the Spirit King? ¡°Anos!¡± When I turned around, both Sasha and Misha were rushing from the door. Following them are Eleonore and Zeshia. Apparently, they made it through the ordeal in one piece. ¡°Look! It¡¯s Dilhade¡¯s magic broadcast!¡± Misha shows me the image on . The location is the throne room of Delsgade, the Demon King¡¯s castle. There was someone seated there. He is clad in an ominous mask and a cloak that extends all the way down to his feet. ¡°My fellow demons.¡± That guy opens his mouth solemnly. It¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s impersonating the Demon King of Tyranny. ¡°In the last war, we learned the foolishness of mankind. It is not only human beings. This world is also corrupted. Therefore, we, the demon race, must correct it.¡± His voice matched Lay¡¯s voice during the time he was wearing the mask of Anos. ¡°Gather yourselves together, esteemed royalty of the blood of the Demon King of Tyranny, and join me. To Avos Dilhevia, the Demon King of Tyranny. Together with me, we shall rule this world righteously.¡± It was distinctly different. Those words are infused with a grudge that is incomparably different from that of the Spirit King from earlier. ¡°O ye humble half-breeds, descended from your founder! Bow down to me and be my sustenance. Here in this Dilhade, my lineage is the sole and absolute criterion.¡± Rising to his feet, the masked mozaku spread his arms wide. ¡°Come, my seven demons of my own creation.¡± On the spot, seven magic circles surfaced, and the seven demons were transported by the magic of . They are the Seven Elder Demon Emperors. Each of them kneels and hangs their heads in allegiance to the Masked Demon King. ¡°Answer me, Seven Elder Demon Emperors. Who am I?¡± The Seven Elder Demon Emperors collectively declared, ¡°The Demon King of Tyranny, Avos Dilhevia. The one who rules the world.¡± ¡°State our long-cherished wish.¡± The Seven Elder Demon Emperors unite their voices, ¡°Only the imperial family shall reign, and the ideal of righteousness shall be attained.¡± Taking a step forward, the Masked Demon King stepped forward. ¡°We have a foolish half-breed who defies our ideals.¡± With another step, the Masked Demon King strides forth and lifts his hands. ¡°Attention, all royalty!¡± In a stern and vengeful tone, the man said, ¡°Slay the misfit.¡± Once more, he commands, ¡°Kill Anos Voldigoad!¡± His words have a magical tinge to them, and they ensnare the Seven Elder Demon Emperors like a curse. No, even through the , curses were reaching out, turning into black shadows that intertwined with Lay, Misha, and Sasha. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A verbal curse.¡± ¡°I feel a compelling force, albeit not a very strong one,¡± Lay mutters. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about this.¡± When Sasha glared at it with her , the curse extinguished. I see. So that¡¯s how things are. ¡°This guy is not the Spirit King.¡± With the power of , he made an attempt to transport to the castle of the Dersogade Demon King, yet was rendered unsuccessful. It seems that an anti-magic was deployed to obstruct the . However, there is a small hole in the castle that allows allies to be transported. It¡¯s possible that the weaker magical power will be able to pass through. By using magic power, I constructed a magical body that resembled myself and flew it to the Demon King¡¯s castle with . My eyes turned white as I focused my attention, and the picture of Avos Dilhevia appeared in my field of vision within seconds. ¡°What¡­!?¡± the Seventh Elder Demon Emperor Gaios raised his voice at the sight of my magical body. ¡°This was quite a riddle. But now I have found the answer. ¡± I stride forward lazily while saying this. The Seven Elder Demon Emperors all spring to their feet at once, drawing a magic circle towards me. Holding them back with his hand, Avos Dilhevia looked down at me. Chapter 145.2 Holding them back with his hand, Avos Dilhevia looked down at me. I open my lips placidly, ¡°The great spirit Avos Dilhevia, originating from the rumors and folklore of the Demon King of Tyranny.¡± As I shot out the words, the Masked Demon King reacted with a jerk momentarily. ¡°That is your true identity, Misa.¡± Avos Dilhevia doesn¡¯t utter a word, but simply fixes his gaze on me. ¡°In a match of wisdom with Zeke, I asked him, ¡®Who is the Demon King of Tyranny?¡¯. His answer was Eldemade. That¡¯s obviously a lie. Yet he did not lie about the question of his identity.¡± If so, he was probably lying about matters regarding me. But that was inexplicable. There¡¯s no need for Zeke to fabricate information about me. ¡°And he also said this. ¡®Fifteen years ago, a child was born to Reno, the Great Spirit, and Shin Reglia, the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man. That was Misa Ilioroagu. But that was just as the Heavenly Father, Nousgalia, had intended. Misa¡¯s legacy as a spirit means that she is of the order that will terminate the Demon King. And that lore has spread among neither the humans nor the demons, but among the gods.¡¯¡± There was only one child of God who could wipe me out, and it was one of my own people. ¡°This was a lie. He lied ¡®about the child of the Great Spirit Reno¡¯. Between Reno and Shin, no child was born, nor is the lore of Misa as a spirit of the order that would annihilate the Demon King. For it was the rumors and lore of the Demon King of Tyranny, Avos Dilhevia, that constituted her very source.¡± As spirits, rumors and lore indicate, i.e., the Child of God. He deceived my mind by telling half the truth and the other half as the order that would put an end to the Demon King¡¯s reign. ¡°Had I known that Misa is the Demon King of Tyranny, I would have asked, ¡®Who is the Demon King of Tyranny?¡¯ and so, the answer to this question would be either me or Misa or Avos Dilhevia. Needless to say, both Misa and Avos Dilhevia are children of the Great Spirit Reno. In other words, the answer had to be a lie all along, for this answer involves an answer regarding Reno¡¯s child.¡± He couldn¡¯t even provide a half-correct answer of Anos Voldigord, so he lied about being Eldemade. ¡°When I questioned him about it, Zeke proceeded to end the match of wisdom so that I wouldn¡¯t find out.¡± Naturally, this match of wisdom isn¡¯t the only factor in getting the right answer. ¡°The purpose of trying to kill Melheis was to ensure that the news that Avos Dilhevia had been a fake would not spread throughout Dilhade when the ceremony of the second coming of the Demon King was notified to commence. Should the truth break forth and the rumors and lore fade away, Misa would suffer from spirit illness, rendering it impossible for her true identity to emerge.¡± That is, at worst, he did not necessarily have to kill Melheis. If the Seven Elder Demon Emperors were targeted, they would be driven to conceal themselves. If that turned out to be the scenario, the notification of the ceremony would be delayed, thus producing a reprieve until the rumors and lore of Avos Dilhevia could be erased. In fact, had it not been for that raid, a message would have been handed down prior to today that there is no such thing as Avos Dilhevia. ¡°The reason the Cursed King¡¯s subordinates and the Spirit King wanted to kill Misa was to force her to awaken her true body by endangering her temporary body.¡± Given that, having Lay in crisis would have contributed to it. In an effort to save her lover, Misa sought to release the power that lay dormant within her. And the power as Reno¡¯s own child was awakened. However, that was not yet complete. Being Reno¡¯s biological child was half of her power as a spirit. Simultaneously, her true body, that of the Demon King of Tyranny, Avos Dilhevia, was on the verge of awakening. ¡°That mask came to be because Avos Dilhevia, in the guise of Kanon, had once shown himself to the people of Dilhade. A spirit, shaped by rumor and lore, derives its manifestation from the people¡¯s vision of it.¡± From rumor and lore arise spirits. In this post-2,000 year period, nothing is more prevalent throughout the demon race and human beings than the rumors and lore of Avos Dilhevia, an entity that never truly existed. Thus, despite being a half-spirit and half-demon, Misa had a firm source that never afflicted her with spirit illnesses. ¡°Is there anything you have to say against this, Misa?¡± And then that person said, In the same voice she always used. ¡°Misa Ilioroagu is a temporary figure.¡± Avos Dilhevia loosely placed one hand on the mask and removed it. As if to reveal her true identity, her long, deep ocean-like hair appears in a swaying manner. When she took off her cloak, beneath it was a binroujiguro dress. Albeit more or less grown-up, her face is indisputably that of Misa Ilioroagu. ¡°I am Avos Dilhevia. The one who shall set Dilhade as the land of the Imperial Family and lead this world to its rightful place. For this purpose, the other Demon King of Tyranny, Anos Voldigord. I will execute you, the false one, the misfit.¡± A spirit has both a temporary and a real body. While the manifestation of a spirit¡¯s true body yields more formidable magical power, the spirit¡¯s heart is not really that different from its initial form. Upon the transformation into her true body, Misa¡¯s personality has been retracted to the inner part of her body, and the personality of Avos Dilhevia has surfaced. Until now, the personality of Avos Dilhevia, which has persisted in rumor and folklore in Dilhade and Azeshion, has risen to the forefront. ¡°Whatever action you may take, it is futile. This magical broadcast has circulated throughout Dilhade. Even so, the demon race has no alternative but to acknowledge me as the Demon King of Tyranny. For I am a spirit conceived according to the lore of the Demon King of Tyranny.¡± The Seven Elder Devil Emperors cast their magic into the magic circle. ¡°That¡¯s right. She is, beyond any doubt, the Demon King of Tyranny, Avos Dilhevia. Our king of the demon race,¡± Melheis says. The Great Spirit, the embodiment of the lore of the Demon King of Tyranny, possesses the force that actualizes being the Demon King of Tyranny. Just as Aharthern is the Mysterious Forest, and the Great Spirit Reno is the Mother of All Spirits, she is the Demon King of Tyranny, irrespective of what anyone claims. ¡°I see what you are up to. The Reason Destroying Sword huh. Since it will cost you time to seize it, that¡¯s why you won¡¯t let me shift to this place via . Or else, why don¡¯t you just kill me right now, since I am just a misfit?¡± ¡°Silence, you fool, who rebel against the Demon King of Tyranny!¡± Ivis lifted his voice, and the Seven Elder Demon Emperors unleashed at once. The reddish-black flame scorches my magic body that was sent to that place. A magical body is incapable of putting up much of a fight. Although it can converse, it does not have the requisite magical power to engage in combat. ¡°Hmm. You are a fool, Avos Dilhevia.¡± Upon hearing my words, she lets out a derisive laugh. ¡°You are the one being comical. Anos, you have been deprived of everything. Your name, your subordinates, even your castle. This time, you are really nothing, a mere demon race.¡± I raise my lips even as the flames engulf me. An involuntary laugh was rising from the pit of my stomach. ¡°Hahaha. All of it? Robbed from me? By who? You?¡± In front of me, Avos Dilhevia¡¯s magical power is quite extraordinary. She is after all a spirit born from the rumor and lore of the Demon King of Tyranny. That magical power may be equivalent to my own. Nevertheless, I mildly laughed at this great spirit, ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away, phony. You can snatch my name, snatch my subordinates, or snatch my castle, yet will never deprive me of what makes me who I am.¡± In the midst of the flames and the fading of the magical body, I majestically asserted. ¡°At best, you can dream of glory. Until the genuine Demon King returns, that is.¡± Chapter 146.1 Chapter 146 ¨C Aharthern Escape Once the magical body I had flown to Delsgade was thoroughly engulfed in flames, my consciousness was flung back to the Spirit King¡¯s castle. ¡°A barrier was imposed on us,¡± remarks Misha. Casting my magical eyes over to Delsgade, I could see that darkness had enveloped the whole region of Midhaze. Even though I have never encountered this sort of magic before, I suppose it is a form of barrier magic, according to Misha¡¯s words. Neither can the inner part of the Midhaze be glimpsed, even through my magical eyes. Not to mention that even the magical body that I succeeded in casting earlier seems to have been dealt with by the anti-magic. ¡°Hmm. As one would expect from rumors and folklore based on me. How remarkable, such preeminent magical power.¡± ¡°Anos-sama!¡± The Fan Union girls were rushing out the door when I turned in the direction of the voice. Given that they were all present, it can be concluded that the Hidden Wolf certainly did not subject them to the ordeal. ¡°We just watched it on ¡­¡± Even for them, the images of the magic broadcast were transmitted via . They¡¯ve probably got a rough idea of what¡¯s going on. Ellen uttered apprehensively. ¡°Has Misa ended up¡­ becoming a phony Demon King¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that she¡¯s transformed. In the beginning, half of Misa was simply composed of Avos Dilhevia¡¯s rumors and legends.¡± The girls wore a mystified countenance. Lay speaks up, ¡°If the¡­ rumors had faded away, Misa would be dead. If the rumors had not disappeared, it meant it would be her destiny to become Avos Dilhevia. To destroy you, as the Child of God.¡± For once, a smile failed to register on his face. ¡°Since I created¡­ a fictional Demon King, she¡¯s¡­¡± Lay clenches his teeth. His look is ice-cold as an unspoken emotion runs through his veins. ¡°That¡¯s already history. The past is not what we ought to be dwelling on in the present.¡± At the mention of this, Lay lifted his head and gave a nod. ¡°We must vanquish Avos Dilhevia before it¡¯s too late. Among the rumors and legends of the Demon King of Tyranny, many of those originated from the human side. Even those of the royalist faction. If his character is structured on that basis, he is by no means a benevolent king.¡± This can easily be concluded from Avos Dilhevia¡¯s speech in the magic broadcast. To begin with, it would be the half-breed demons who would be the first to be harmed. ¡°I bet the¡­ Spirit God Human Sword will be the trump card to defeat Avos Dilhevia¡­¡± Lay mentions this in a grave tone. The hero Kanon defeated the Demon King of Tyranny wielding the Spirit God Human Sword. Those rumors and folklore were attributed to the humans and were supposed to be the weak spot of the Avos Dilhevia. ¡°But if Avos Dilhevia is slain, Misa-chan will perish, right?¡± Eleonore says, and Zeshia gives a nod. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s pitiful¡­¡± With a grave expression on her face, Sasha contemplated. ¡°¡­ But Misa is a half-spirit, half-demon, isn¡¯t she? At least half of her is undoubtedly Avos Dilhevia, and once that ceases to exist, Misa won¡¯t be able to survive¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to succumb to the spirit disease,¡± Misha mutters. ¡°We need to figure out how to defeat only Avos Dilhevia. True, it may be impossible, but I¡¯m not going to be the one to say it can¡¯t be done as long as there¡¯s even a sliver of hope involved.¡± I turned to face Lay while saying this. ¡°Two thousand years ago, all I did was give up.¡± He says it with determination in his eyes. ¡°This time, I won¡¯t give up on anything.¡± At that moment, the castle was struck by a rumbling noise. No, it is not the castle that is shaking, but the Great Tree of Eniyunien himself. Then, a myriad of branches grows up within the room, sweeping across this place as if to build a cocoon. ¡°Hmm. Are you not planning to let me out of here, Eniyunien?¡± The Great Tree Eniyunien responds hoarsely. ¡°I am sorry. I cannot let the child of the mother of our spirits be slain. You shall be kept here in Aharthern.¡± Although I attempted to employ the magic of , I failed to link the spaces smoothly. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. This is a cocoon of supplementary education, designed to encourage students who have scored a failing grade to study. Unless they take supplementary lessons to the end, they will never be permitted to leave.¡± The spirits are allies of the Great Spirit Reno. It is only natural that they would side with her own child, Avos Dilhevia. ¡°I can understand your feelings. But I refuse to sit idly by and do as you say.¡± I draw a magic circle in front of me and imbue it with magic power. A jet-black sun was projected, followed by a black tail of light, striking the cocoon wall. Despite being somewhat scorched, the wall is intact. ¡°It¡¯s futile. All violence is forbidden in this cocoon of education.¡± ¡°Oh. But my violence is not to such an extent.¡± Once more, a magic circle is drawn, which turns into 100 cannonballs. The was unleashed, and every bit of it was concentrated on a single point on the wall. A rumbling sound resonates, accompanied by the intense tremor of the cocoon of supplementary education. ¡°It¡¯s futile¡­ it¡¯s futile¡­ such a thing is¡­¡± The cocoon was set ablaze as black flames swirled around it. ¡°How is this¡­ possible!?¡± The jet-black sun had penetrated the wall of the cocoon and created a wide windhole. ¡°Your power is absolute when it comes to education. Even those who are above you in magic power can be confined. Despite the fact that new branches grow and the cocoon attempts to close, the area surrounding the hole continues to proliferate in black, preventing the exit from being closed. ¡°Even so, Eniyunien. Imposing supplementary lessons on those who did not incur a failing grade is not education,¡± I said as if to confront him. ¡°That¡¯s corporal punishment. If it¡¯s a match of violence against violence, I won¡¯t lose.¡± ¡°¡­ U¡­ nuh¡­¡± Amidst the roar of Eniyunien, I head toward the hole I have made. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We ran and exited the Spirit King¡¯s castle. The clouds that hovered around us were closing in to thwart our path. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, just jump.¡± I flew through the clouds. Next, Lay, Misha, and Sasha jump. Zeshia and Eleonore followed, and finally, the girls of the Fan Union leaped. My vision swept by at breakneck speed, and we were falling down the great tree from which we had ascended. Soon, in the middle of the ordeal, I used on the girls of the Fan Union, and let them land smoothly. All the others landed safely as well. ¡°¡­ Who?¡± Misha directed her demon eyes at dozens of demon race members. Each of them possesses magical power unmatched by the demons of this era. They are my subordinates from 2,000 years ago. The Netherworld King must have succeeded in rescuing them. Chapter 146.2 The Netherworld King must have succeeded in rescuing them. However, things are looking strange. ¡°Anos Voldigoad.¡± One of the demons stepped forward and unsheathed his demonic sword. His name is Nigit. Under my rule, he was the second most skilled swordsman after Shin. ¡°At the command of my lord, I am here to obtain your source.¡± With their voices as a signal, the demons all charge in unison. At that moment, a crimson spear emerges from the void and strikes Nigit¡¯s body. He immediately deflects it with his magic sword and leaps back. The advance of the demons halted. ¡°What a hassle. That¡¯s why I said they underestimated the deity race.¡± The one who showed up to intervene between us is the Netherworld King Eges. ¡°It seems that the Child of God has seized your army of 2,000 years ago. Half of them have already been transported to Delsgade. Along with the deity race that has taken over the body of the Blaze Death King.¡± Does the fact that Melheis has joined the side of Avos Dilhevia mean that Nousgalia can also suspend the expedition test on administrative orders? Avos Dilhevia, the Great Spirit, is conceived from the rumors of the Demon King of Tyranny, and also bears the order of the Child of God. Siding with Nousgalia would not be out of place. ¡°This is not the time to stand idly by. Hurry up and get going.¡± Lowering the center of gravity, the Netherworld King leveled his demonic spear at the subordinates. ¡°I will take care of this. For your sake, naive one, I shall not annihilate them.¡± ¡°It seems that after two thousand years, you have grown a little more mature, Netherworld King.¡± Without turning around, Eges said, ¡°As I said before, it¡¯s simply because of the situation. You and I have the same goal.¡± Aiming his crimson magic spear at the floor, Eges pierced it. The penetration was not at the base of Eges¡¯ foot, but directly under mine. A hole was made in the floor by the Dihiddoatem, revealing the lower floor. ¡°Watch out. My subordinates are formidable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have not been playing around over the past 2,000 years.¡± With magical light and magic spears intersecting, we leaped into the hole and descended to the lower level. I was ready to keep going down the same path we¡¯d come up when I came to a halt. ¡°¡­ Hmm. The path has changed¡­¡± To get here, we have been through a labyrinth of paths. Needless to say, even though I memorized it, my recollection is of no help if the labyrinth is continuously changing. ¡°Anos.¡± I turned toward the voice and saw Lina there. ¡°We¡¯re going outside, aren¡¯t we? I know the way.¡± It must be Eges who rescued her from the concealment and told her to stay here to guide the way. For someone who is known as the Netherworld King, he is a witty man. ¡°Unfortunately, things are a bit rushed. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yeah. I have a rough idea about it. Come on, this way.¡± With those words, Lina started to run. She made her way through the intricate labyrinth without a trace of indecision. ¡°¡­ Wait, what¡¯s this¡­?¡± Once halfway through, I caught sight of the transformation of the labyrinth ahead of me. As new paths emerged, dead ends were formed, and the labyrinth was undergoing a rapid transformation. ¡°No problem. I can tell the way.¡± Even though the labyrinth is constantly changing, Lina continues to move through it seamlessly. Eventually, the floor begins to ripple and catches us off-guard. ¡°¡­ Kya¡­!¡± Lina loses her balance. A single white flower fell from her pocket, and the wall of the labyrinth swallowed it. ¡°Ah¡­!!¡± Lina reaches for the wall. However, she is marginally slower, for the white flower has disappeared into the wall. Lina came to a halt and stared at the wall. ¡°We must go quickly, or we will be trapped.¡± When Eleonore says this, Lina nods as if to shake off her hesitation. ¡°Y-yeah. I¡¯m sorry.¡± As she is about to start running, I grasp her shoulders. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± I transmit magical power to the wall front of me by touching my fingertips to it. A white flower can be seen behind the squishy, deformed wall. I use my fingertip to beckon it towards me, and I catch it in my hand as it flies toward me. ¡°It must be important, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Maybe. Thanks¡­¡± Lina took the white flower and slipped it back into her pocket. Then she started running again. She comes to a halt in front of a certain door as she makes her way through the ever-changing labyrinth. When she opened the door, beyond it was the entrance to the great tree with drooping vines. The sun is streaming down on the trees in the area. Although we managed to get out of the great tree of Eniyunien, it seems that cannot be used unless we pass through this forest. ¡°Can we get out of this forest?¡± ¡°Right now, I doubt we can get out via normal means since Aharthern is blocking the way out.¡± Lina casts her glance at her surroundings. ¡°Titi, are you there?¡± Lina calls out to the fairies. Yet, there is no reply. ¡°Please, I want to get out of here. There is someone I have to meet.¡± ¡°Even though they have their own personalities, Titi is also a spirit, isn¡¯t she? I doubt she¡¯ll cooperate with us in getting Anos out.¡± Sasha¡¯s expression suggests that it is not going to happen. But in the next moment, a voice was heard. ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in trouble?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lina.¡± ¡°Lina is in trouble.¡± The fairy Titi and her friends show up along with the mist. ¡°Titi, thank goodness. We need to get out of here. Can you help me?¡± Titi flies around Lina. ¡°I was told not to let you guys out.¡± ¡°Neither the Demon King nor any of his companions are to be let out.¡± ¡°For Avos Dilhevia has awakened.¡± ¡°Reno¡¯s children must be protected.¡± Titi and her friends do not appear to be ready to aid us. Nevertheless, Lina appealed once again with an earnest expression on her face. ¡°Please, Titi. Please help us. This is the last time I request your help.¡± Titi and the others gathered in one spot and stared at Lina¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll have to be sneaky, then.¡± ¡°Have to be stealthy.¡± ¡°No one can know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± With a broad smile, Lina nodded. ¡°Yes, I promise.¡± The fairies fly away to the inner part of the forest. ¡°This way.¡± ¡°This way, this way.¡± As we follow Titi and her friends, a mist gradually begins to drift over the area. The mist grows deeper and deeper, shrouding the trees and flowers of the forest. ¡°Can you see anything beyond the mist?¡± ¡°I see something.¡± ¡°Can you see the meadow?¡± ¡°A meadow!¡± Before my eyes, a familiar place presented itself. ¡°Bye, Lina.¡± ¡°See you.¡± ¡°See you later, Lina.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you again.¡± As Titi and the others disappeared, the mist gradually dissipated and they passed through the Great Spirit Forest. The area had changed to Richards Meadow. Chapter 147.1 Chapter 147 ¨C Midhaze Infiltration ¡°Hmm. I suppose I can shift to a location slightly further away from Midhaze. Walking into the city from there would be the quickest option.¡± With his magical eyes, he scanned the perimeter of Midhaze, searching for a route that was out of reach of the dark barrier and thus easy to access. Lay said, ¡°Perhaps the majority of the demons are unable to defy Avos Dilhevia¡¯s commands. I suspect they are waiting for you to show up.¡± ¡°I bet.¡± ¡°There is no sense in knocking them down. When possible, it is preferable to avoid combat.¡± That¡¯s a fair point. Dealing with anyone other than Avos Dilhevia, Nousgalia, and the Spirit King would be a fruitless endeavor. It¡¯s not like we can simply slay them. Although the royal family alone would be like twisting a baby¡¯s hand, my subordinates of 2,000 years ago are present there as well. ¡°Well, the other side probably can discern that I¡¯m planning to refrain from engaging in war. I can¡¯t afford to waste any more time with them. Depending on how things go, we may have no choice but to storm through head-on.¡± ¡°¡­Um?¡± Lina calls out to me. ¡°Would you please bring me with you?¡± She had such an earnest look on her face. If the Spirit King is Shin, then who is this amnesiac girl who is trying to meet him? The most obvious one is the Great Spirit Reno¡­ A spirit can rise anew even if their source has been exterminated, provided the rumors and lore have not been obliterated. Having said that, I don¡¯t recollect any stories of them experiencing amnesia. I also doubt that their faces can be seen. Furthermore, Titi mentioned that she would never meet Reno anymore. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that Reno has been utterly annihilated as a spirit? Notwithstanding the discovery of Avos Dilhevia¡¯s true identity, there are still several mysteries that remain unanswered. There was something that transpired 2,000 years ago surrounding the birth of Avos Dilhevia. It would be far too coincidental to believe that this girl had nothing to do with it. Alternatively, she may have had her memories sealed by the Spirit King or Nousgalia. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I have no doubt that you are the same as us.¡± ¡°The same?¡± ¡°That means we are here to tie up loose ends from 2,000 years ago.¡± Lina blinked and gave a nod. ¡°¡­I feel the same way¡­¡± Lina grasps the hand I offer. Lay, Misha, Eleonore, and other members of my party joined hands, and we all utilized . My vision went black for a moment, then brightened, revealing a road ahead of us. It is the road leading to Midhaze. Even if we could have gone closer, we would have had to be on the defensive if our position were to be discovered. This area seems to be the appropriate spot. We continued along the road, getting closer to our destination with the passage of time. Eventually, the castle walls came into view. The inner part of the wall is dark and has taken on the form of a barrier. Once we passed through the gate, entering Midhaze was possible, but the gate was closed. ¡°How do we get in?¡± Lay asks. ¡°I guess it would be quicker to barge through while nobody¡¯s around, right?¡± Misha, who stood next to Sasha, shook her head when she said this. ¡°Somebody¡¯s coming.¡± Misha directed her demon eyes at the gate. The interior of the gate was obscured by the dark barrier, but she could see the flow of magical energy at this close range. Indeed, a considerable number of demons are heading here. ¡°Shall we hide?¡± Using the magic of and , we blended in with the scenery of the place. After a short while, the gate of the castle opens. The demons, armed with magic swords, stepped out. These faces seem familiar to me. Is it the Midhaze army that served as the advance party during the war with Azeshion? One of them took a step forward and proclaimed in a loud voice. It was the Demon Lord Elio. ¡°The misfit and his followers who rebel against Avos Dilhevia are heading for this Midhaze. By the magic of Avos Dilhevia-sama¡¯s , the area surrounding Midhaze is impenetrable under the magic of . They are expected to appear at one of the city gates!¡± Elio issues the order to his men. ¡°While scouting the perimeter, the first and fourth squads are to move to the west gate, the second and third squads to the east gate, and the fifth squad to the north gate! Not even a single ant is allowed inside Midhaze!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Elio¡¯s troops were divided into three and moved along the city walls. All that remains is Elio and two demons, who are possibly his entourage. Elio stands still, not bothering to close the gate. This is an eccentric move. ¡°Misha, do you see anything?¡± ¡°A stout heart,¡± Misha mutters in my ear. ¡°I see conviction.¡± Conviction huh. ¡°Let me go check it out. You guys stay out of sight.¡± I undo the magic of that I cast on myself. Then I walked straight to Elio. ¡°E-elio-sama¡­!¡± One of the members of the group raises his voice. Chapter 147.2 One of the members of the group raises his voice. At once, Elio¡¯s eyes darted to me. ¡°You are too indiscreet to leave the gate open to hunt for thieves, Elio,¡± I said. Then he straightens his back and kneels in front of me, as if bowing to me. The two members of his entourage soon followed. ¡°How can I shut the gate upon your return?¡± ¡°Hmm. It appears that you are not under the control of Avos Dilhevia, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes. However, all of our troops, apart from the two present, have come to believe that he is the real Demon King of Tyranny. Apparently, those who are less loyal to Anos-sama are more susceptible to the influence.¡± Regarding the subordinates of 2,000 years ago, rumors and folklore persist heavily that they were under the control of the Demon King of Tyranny. In particular, the well-known Seven Elder Demon Emperors, even to this day, have not been able to extricate themselves from Avos Dilhevia¡¯s rule. Melheis and the others¡¯ anti-magic, in his opinion, is not of a significant scale. Nevertheless, there are no rumours or legends about my reign over the demons of this era. Therefore, my coercive influence over them is likely weaker. If I have a stout heart, as Lay, Misha, and the others do, I can overcome them. ¡°What is the situation in the city?¡± ¡°The magic of the has shrouded Midhaze in darkness. It seems that this is a magic to instill the will of Avos Dilhevia into the demon race. It may be the same as the former . The influence appears to be greater on those who believe the Demon King of Tyranny to be Avos Dilhevia.¡± The same as huh. Another troublesome magic has been cast out. If it¡¯s magic unknown to me, then it must have been conjured up on the spot. Well, it¡¯s certainly not something that can¡¯t be accomplished. ¡°I surveyed the city on my way here and saw that certain members of the royalist side were already behaving inappropriately, aggressively abusing the half-breed demon race. At this rate, the situation may develop into a riot, but as long as Avos Dilhevia¡¯s order is in place, the army cannot be mobilized¡­¡± They are probably intending to establish a country of royal supremacy, according to the rumors and folklore believed by the royalist faction. Most of the opponents of the royalists now believe that Anos Voldigoad, rather than Avos Dilhevia, is the Demon King of Tyranny. Hence, there are hardly any rumors and folklore to counter the royal supremacy. ¡°As long as Avos Dilhevia is defeated, that will be all that matters.¡± After Misha and the others lifted the magic of , they came rushing toward us. ¡°Close the gates after we¡¯re through. Keep up the pretense of hunting for the misfit.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Though, once inside the city, Avos Dilhevia will definitely notice us. But at least that would save us from having to engage Elio¡¯s army. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We cross through the castle gate with Lay and the others. ¡°Please be safe.¡± Elio calls out to my back. ¡°Um, so where are we headed to?¡± Eleonore asks, while following behind me. ¡°We¡¯re heading to my house first.¡± ¡°I see¡­ If the demons are under orders to kill you, Anos-kun, then your parents are in danger too¡­¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t leave the house, though, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They will have to take a long time to enter the house. I¡¯ve made arrangements so that if the door is locked, the house will be warded. No ordinary demon race will be able to penetrate it. If my mom and dad had been watching the magic broadcast, they should have closed their store and locked themselves in.¡± We rushed towards the house while saying that. I¡¯d be able to observe things in the vicinity after I got to this stage, thanks to my house¡¯s warding. I focus my attention on the house with my magical eyes. Then I saw the inside of my house¨D¨D My mother was there. Her lips are pursed in a tight line, with a worried expression plastered on her face. My father stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I don¡¯t know what has happened, but it must be a mistake. We know better than anyone that Anos has done nothing wrong. Isn¡¯t that right? Dad calls out softly. ¡°¡­ Yeah¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll come back safe and sound. Absolutely.¡± At that moment, a dull thud sounded outside the store. It was the shriek of a woman. ¡°What¡­?¡± My mother approaches the store window and softly peers out through a gap between the curtains. A girl with brown hair and eyes was slumped on the ground. She is surrounded by a group of demons. They are students of the royalist faction clad in the uniform of the Demon King¡¯s Academy. ¡°Hey, oi? Don¡¯t you dare look at us that way, you half-breed!¡± ¡°¡­ Kyaaaa¡­!¡± With all his force, the man kicks the girl. While crawling on the ground, the girl raised her head. She looked familiar. ¡°¡­ Stop¡­ it¡­ I am¡­ part of the¡­ royalty.¡± It is Emilia. ¡°Ha? Royalty? Ha ha ha ha. Quit your idiocy. Your magic power looks like that of a half-breed from any angle!¡± ¡°It is understandable that you long to be a member of the royal family. Unfortunately, you lack nobility. In this country ruled by Avos Dilhevia, you are as good as a slave!¡± With laughter, the students kick Emilia in the leg. Then a peculiar occurrence took place. Darkness enveloped Emilia and the students. And her magic power was absorbed by the students. Is that also an effect of the ? By inflicting pain on a half-breed, their magical power can be absorbed. As Avos Dilhevia said, the half-breeds will be the sustenance of the royal family. ¡°Stop it!¡± The students shifted their gaze in the direction of the voice. My mom emerged from the store. ¡°Ah? What, are you a half-breed too?¡± ¡°Oi, wait, is this woman Anos¡¯¡­?¡± One of the students smirked, a terrible grin on his face. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± With a filthy expression on his face, he looked at my mother as if licking her. ¡°Ha ha! What the hell. Looks like my luck is beginning to shine. I can already picture the look on that misfit¡¯s face now, hey! Isn¡¯t this the best!¡± The man disregards Emilia and advances toward my mother. She backs away slowly. Then the man pounced on her. ¡°Hee hee hee, don¡¯t you dare flee!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The royalist student fell flat on his face after being knocked sideways by a foot. It is my father. ¡°¡­ Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Izabella, now!¡± My mom hurries over to Emilia. ¡°Can you stand up? Get in, it¡¯s not safe here.¡± Taking Emilia¡¯s hand, my mother is about to return to the house. ¡°¡­ Why¡­?¡± Emilia halted and shook off her hand. ¡°Why are you helping me!?¡± ¡°Why?¡± She tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t comprehend. ¡°¡­ I am no longer¡­ a member of the royalty¡­¡± Emilia looks downcast, but my mother simply offers a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I am on your side. Being a half-breed is not an excuse to beat someone up. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Once more, my mother extends her hand to Emilia. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Emilia timidly attempts to grasp her hand. Suddenly, her eyes widen in surprise, and she casts an anti-magic spell the next moment. ¡°You have to avoid¡­!¡± A ball of black flame shot toward my mother. It is . Whether it is a spur-of-the-moment action or not, Emilia flicks it away with both hands as if to protect my mother. Her back went up in a black blaze. ¡°¡­ Ah¡­ Kya¡­!¡± Emilia drops to her knees. ¡°Oops, I guess I missed it. But running away isn¡¯t going to work,¡± One of the students who invoked the black flame in his hand remarked. He stepped on my bruised and battered father, who had collapsed on the ground. ¡°¡­ Run away¡­ Izabella¡­ if you¡¯re in the house¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!!¡± With a bang, the student kicked my father in the face. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if we can get you to behave. You know what will happen if you try anything stupid.¡± ¡°Hmm. What¡¯s going to happen?¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha, isn¡¯t it obvious? After chopping him up into pieces, I¡¯m going to confront the misfit with his dismembered corpse. Then I¡¯ll snicker at him in the midst of his anguish. Avos Dilhevia is here after all! Hyahaha¡­ haha¨D¨Deh¡­?¡± The man stiffens and stops speaking. Like a rusted iron puppet, he turned his head awkwardly. ¡°¡­ A¡­ Anos¡­?¡± He had a mournful expression on his face, as if he could foresee his tragic end. ¡°I see. You want to tear apart the body into pieces. As I recall, the execution was carried out by chaining the limbs to horses or oxen and letting them run free.¡± I seize the bodies of all the students with , attaches a thread of magic power to their entire body. The tips of the threads are all gripped by . And one more thing, I¡¯ll cast a certain magic spell on them. To avoid showing Mom something unsightly, I lift them even higher into the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not dismember you guys.¡± There are 888 threads tied to each of them. They were simultaneously pulled in different directions by . Instantly, the bodies of all the participants were torn to shreds as if they were bursting apart. ¡°Tearing from limb to limb.¡± Their bodies were reduced to shreds. ¡°I am dismayed by the feeble-mindedness of your hearts, but it is Avos Dilhevia who is the culprit of all this. I will neither blame you nor kill you.¡± I had applied to their source in advance. Even if they were to suffer enough damage to the brink of death, this magic would allow them to have a temporary death. It is an outstanding technique that retains the consciousness of the person and their five senses, and it can also be used for revival magic. Well, although it will hurt more or less, that was often the case 2,000 years ago. ¡°You¡¯ll be shredded for a while, but you¡¯ll survive.¡± Chapter 148.1 Chapter 148 ¨C Between the Royal Family and the Mixed Race ¡°Anos-chan!¡± My mother vigorously embraces me. ¡°Thank goodness, Anos-chan! You are in one piece¡­ After that magical broadcast, I had been worrying about you¡­ and I thought you might be¡­¡± My mother squeezed me tightly with tears in her eyes. ¡°¡­ Hey. Anos-chan. Do you have any clue why the Demon King would want to kill you?¡± My mother asked the question with a stern expression on her face. ¡°It¡¯s simply a misunderstanding, but explaining it in detail would make it more complicated¡­¡± To be honest, under the current circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for my mother to understand what¡¯s going on. While I was wondering what to do, she smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought so too. There must be some kind of mistake that the Demon King would try to kill Anos-chan. If you say it¡¯s a mistake, I¡¯ll believe every word you say.¡± The magical broadcast should also have captured what my magical body had said as well. My interaction with Avos Dilhevia would most certainly be full of things that my mother has never understood. As long as the Seven Elder Demon Emperors are on the other side, it should not be surprising that they think that I am a part of the rebellion¡­ believe, huh? Ordinarily, I¡¯m always misunderstood, yet at times like this, you chose to believe in me. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. The misunderstanding will be resolved as soon as possible. That is what I am aiming for at the moment.¡± ¡°I see. Of course. I¡¯m glad.¡± My mother wouldn¡¯t separate herself from me. ¡°I believe you, Anos. No matter what happens, I have faith that you will return to us. But you know what?¡± My father chuckled as he said. ¡°Haven¡¯t you grown up again somehow after going on the expedition?¡± It¡¯s all in your mind, Dad. ¡°Dad. I know that you like to put on a good face, but I don¡¯t think you should say that while crawling on the ground.¡± ¡°Ha-ha. It¡¯s called an honorable wound. For protecting your mother.¡± With that, my father stood up swiftly. ¡°Hmm? Unexpectedly, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Before I headed out, I cast on you. Although pain will be felt, it won¡¯t be lethal.¡± is a magic that protects the targeted person¡¯s life. The technique itself autonomously judges and executes anti-magic, magical barriers, physical strengthening, healing, and so forth. While it is convenient, the magic technique is highly convoluted. Furthermore, due to the fact that the subject¡¯s magical power is expended to maintain the , if the person who cast the spell attempts to manipulate the magic themselves, the technique will be disrupted resulting in the loss of its effectiveness. Back in the mythical era, there was scarcely anyone who could not manipulate magic, even if they were weak. This is the magic that I developed after my mother was attacked by Emilia. ¡°I see. I was under the impression that I was quite strong.¡± The reason I made sure he felt the normal amount of pain was to prevent my father from getting carried away like this. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± My mother suddenly remembers Emilia¡¯s presence and rushes over to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Thank you for protecting me. Come inside, it¡¯s not safe out here.¡± ¡°¡­ No¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t. Besides, you know, your back was wounded by the magic. Let me tend to it, okay?¡± My mother has no idea that she is Emilia, my homeroom teacher. Since her appearance and age are different, it¡¯s not unreasonable. ¡°But¡­¡± As if intimidated, Emilia shoots me a glance. ¡°Take it easy. Things will stabilize in the city over the next few days.¡± ¡°Look, don¡¯t be so modest. Let¡¯s go.¡± My mother pulls Emilia¡¯s hand and forcefully leads her away. ¡°Speaking of which, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m Emilia¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Emilia-chan. I¡¯m Izabella. Nice to meet you.¡± Both my mother and father made their way into the house. ¡°Looks like you made it just in time,¡± Lay, who had caught up with me, said. ¡°Well, I cast on them. I suppose those guys with that level couldn¡¯t have achieved anything.¡± ¡°But they had no idea that your magic was cast on them, right? I wouldn¡¯t have expected them to step out of the house under such circumstances.¡± Sasha and Misha flew over with . ¡°That¡¯s exactly the way your mother is.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so kind,¡± Misha mutters. ¡°Ah©`¡­ I have finally caught up.¡± ¡°Everyone is too fast¡­¡± Eleonore and Zeshia arrive. ¡°Where¡¯s Lina and the rest?¡± Sasha turns around. Although under the influence of the , the sight of the subordinates can be jointly observed as the magic field of vision is connected to it. The Fan Union girls and Lina are frantically running, but it appears that they are still far behind. ¡°Hmm.¡± I beckon with my index finger. A brief moment later, ¡°Kyaaaaaahhhh!,¡± the Fan Union girls and Lina flew through the air accompanied by a joyous shriek. ¡°E-excuse me!¡± ¡°We ran as hard as we could.¡± ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience!¡± The girls give a bow. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Lina stared at the Blacksmith/Appraiser Shop ¡°Wind of the Sun¡±. ¡°Come in.¡± The bell rings with a clang as I open the door to the house. My mother and father are not here. They are likely in the back room, treating Emilia. Although the treatment would have been instant if I had used my magic, I guessed my mother didn¡¯t want me to do it because she wanted to keep Emelia hidden in the house. Moreover, even if her magical power is weakened, Emilia should be able to heal a wound on her own. Though it would consume considerable time. ¡°I made this house a protective barrier. Even the magical eyes of Avos Dilhevia cannot penetrate it.¡± Nevertheless, my presence in this area is perhaps already known. She should have figured out that my house has been turned into a barrier. ¡°The question is, how do we break into Delsgade?¡± Sasha ponders this while saying. ¡°Once we try to enter through the gate, Anos-kun¡¯s subordinates from 2,000 years ago, as well as the royal family, will certainly be there waiting for us.¡± Eleonore remarked with a grave tone. ¡°Avos Dilhevia would have realized that we would be forced to hold back. Perhaps the aim is to drain Anos of his magic power as much as possible.¡± When Lay says this, Misha gives a small nod. ¡°Since the two of you are the same Demon King of Tyranny, does that mean that the one with the greater amount of magic power left has the upper hand?¡± ¡°At least, that¡¯s what I believe they¡¯d assume.¡± ¡°It also buys enough time to grab the Reason Destroying Sword.¡± Eleonore lifts her index finger. ¡°Since she is the Demon King of Tyranny, why can¡¯t she simply seize the Reason Destroying Sword at once?¡± Sasha asks curiously. ¡°When it comes to the Reason Destroying Sword, there are no rumors and legends about it.¡± On top of a demon sword that is rarely drawn, all those who have witnessed it have perished. ¡°Having said that, there is a legend that Delsgade is the castle of the Demon King of Tyranny. By using its power and his own magic, it is likely a method of securing Venuzdonoa.¡± Alternatively, if Nousgalia is a part of this, the goal may be to free Abernyu, the Goddess of Destruction, from the spell of the Reason Destroying Sword, and restore order to the world. ¡°I would be more than pleased to crush him head-on, but there are certain things that I would like to investigate first. Let¡¯s go in from another place.¡± ¡°Even if you say ¡®another place,¡¯ from where are we going to enter?¡± ¡°In Delsgade, there is an extension that is absent from the rumors and lore of Avos Dilhevia. Even her magical eyes will be unable to reach us there.¡± I draw a large magic circle around my feet. Chapter 148.2 I draw a large magic circle around my feet. Then, the floor of the store became transparent, revealing a staircase leading to the underground. ¡°Ah. I see. That¡¯s the underground where Zeshia and the others live!¡± Eleonore raises her voice. An underground city was constructed under this Midhaze as a place for 10,000 Zeshias¡¯ to reside. As this was created after the reincarnation, it is not among the rumors and legends of the Demon King of Tyranny. It is also the lowest level of Delsgade¡¯s underground dungeon. ¡°But with Melheis around, wouldn¡¯t he be aware of that?¡± Sasha expresses her concern. ¡°I haven¡¯t informed him of the structure of the underground city. If the demons are dispatched to the lowest level, that would be a favorable development. After all, it is my garden.¡± ¡°Yeah, even Zeshia and the others are willing to cooperate with us in disrupting them.¡± The underground district is about the same size as Midhaze. If troops were to be deployed to a place that is out of the reach of the , they would be at a pressure point. Well, they wouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to purposely scare off a snake by poking it with a brush. ¡°Shall we all go?¡± Misha gazes up at me. ¡°No.¡± While saying this, I turned my attention to the Fan Union girls. ¡°You guys stay here. Please watch over my mom and dad.¡± The girls all nodded in agreement. ¡°I understand!¡± ¡°We will protect them!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to mention it to your parents!¡± The girls promptly left for the back room. ¡°The rest of us are all going to Delsgade. Are you ready?¡± Lay and the others give a firm nod. I suppose it was pointless to ask them, but they all have determined expressions on their faces. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± The sound of a door opening was heard just as I was about to walk down the stairs. The person who appeared is Emilia. She sends me a downcast look. Hmm. She looks as if she has something to say. ¡°Go ahead and make your way downstairs. Eleonore, you¡¯re in charge of guiding the way.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± With Eleonore leading the way, Lay and the others descended the stairs. I shift my attention to Emilia, whose face remains downcast and her mouth shut. Even though roughly a minute has passed, she has not uttered a single word. ¡°My time is running out. If there is something you want to say, please go ahead.¡± When I mentioned this, Emilia looked at me. ¡°¡­ You¡­¡± Her voice shook to the point where her words didn¡¯t make sense. She appeared terrified, but her voice rang out once again, as if determined. ¡°¡­ You¡­ you are already satisfied, right? Please break the curse of reincarnation and kill me¡­ I beg you¡­¡± I wonder how long it had passed since Emilia turned into a half-breed. From her words, it is evident that she must have undergone a severe hardship. Even her animosity towards me seemed to have withered away, for her eyes were not hostile in the slightest, and she even looked as if she was sincerely pleading with me. ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re not going to ask for me to return you to the royal family?¡± After a moment of hesitation, Emilia says powerlessly. ¡°¡­ Return¡­?¡± ¡°Even if you do, it won¡¯t turn back time, though.¡± Her eyebrows furrowed as if she didn¡¯t comprehend what was being said. ¡°Avos Dilhevia has appeared. This Midhaze will be the ideal city for the royalty that you once longed for.¡± Emilia listens to my words with a vacant expression on her face. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s beautiful?¡± ¡°¡­ About what¡­?¡± ¡°Would you have been able to live in that beautiful city if you had been on the ruling side, even if you were royalty? Can you believe that after all of your days as a half-breed, if you could just return to the royal family, you would still be considered a noble person?¡± There is no reply from her, but rather she stares me straight in the eye. ¡°If you still truly believe that, I will restore you to your original form. You may go to Avos Dilhevia.¡± Emilia opened her mouth, yet did not speak, biting her lip firmly. Her eyes fall as she glares down at the floor. Tears well up in her eyes, staining the floor. Regardless of how long I waited, she uttered not a word. She could not say anything. Perhaps she has no answer. Her days passed as a half-breed are etched in her memory. If she were to return to the royal family and oppress the half-breeds, she would remember, whether she chose to or not, about how she had been oppressed. Nevertheless, she lacks the courage to live as a half-breed. Therefore, she begged me to kill her. Her pride was based solely on her royalty, but living as a half-breed has shattered her sense of values, leading her to thoroughly lose sight of herself. It is not surprising. Originally, being a member of the royal family is of no value to her. Ultimately, she began to recognize this. The whole thing had been a fiction. Unless she is conscious of herself as Emilia, rather than making up excuses for being a member of the royal family or a half-breed, she will not be able to progress. I am not that benevolent enough to save her. The only way for her to find answers to her problems and sufferings is through her own efforts. ¡°Emilia.¡± At my voice, she looks up briefly. ¡°You defended my mother.¡± As if she were embarrassed, Emilia averted her gaze. ¡°Thank you.¡± Stepping slowly, I descend the stairs. After a while, perhaps assuming I¡¯m no longer there, a muttering that shudders with disorientation can be heard from her.. ¡°¡­ What¡­ should I¡­ do¡­?¡± Eventually, a faint sob resonated from there. Chapter 149.1 Chapter 149 ¨C The Demon King He Believed In The ceiling of the underground city is high and topped by a massive magical crystal. Rays of sunshine from the ground settled on it as if it were a spurious sun, illuminating the underground. On the street, various stores are lined up in a row. The storefronts were all occupied by owl messengers. In the bakery, an owl grasps a small monumental stone and tosses it into the magic furnace. As it did so, a magic circle was drawn, and after a while, an aromatic scent began to pervade the air. The freshly baked loaves of bread were there when the magical furnace was opened. The owl carries them and places them in front of the store. Zeshia, about 15 years old, trots over and lowers her head to the owl. She then channels her magic power into the stone offered by the owl. Zeshia packed her bag with her favourite freshly baked bread and joyfully left after returning the stone to the owl. ¡°¡­ They are really developing the city¡­¡± Sasha¡¯s words escaped her lips, half in amazement and half in astonishment, as she observed the underground shopping mall. ¡°I¡¯m glad to learn that everyone seems to be having a good time.¡± Eleonore smiles nonchalantly. Misha was perusing the street with curiosity. ¡°Is this the structure that you thought of, Anos?¡± ¡°Yeah, back in the day, 2,000 years ago.¡± Misha tilted her head when I mentioned this. ¡°Since I¡¯ve recreated Dilhade¡¯s streets as they were 2,000 years ago.¡± The roofs, walls, and windows have been designed with magical writing, while the eaves of the buildings form a wide circle around each other. When you look up from this underground city, you can see that the buildings and trees form a massive magical circle. They also serve as barriers against enemy attacks. ¡°2,000 years ago¡­¡± Misha mutters and directs her gaze intently at the street. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder.¡± ¡°About this city?¡± Misha swayed her head. ¡°I have a feeling I¡¯ve seen this place somewhere before.¡± Hmm. Indeed, that¡¯s a strange story. ¡°You mean that somewhere in this time period, there are remnants of the city I built?¡± Misha pondered for a moment before tilting her head again. ¡°I can¡¯t recall it.¡± This is a rare occurrence for Misha, who has an excellent memory. ¡°Let me know if you remember.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I paused in front of a tower in the center of the city. It was so high that I had to look up, leading to the ceiling. This is the sole entrance to the original underground dungeon in Delsgade. ¡°Open.¡± As I utter the word, the door to the tower opens. Within the tower, a spiral staircase was visible. We ascended it. The sound of the door closing followed. The spiral staircase eventually reaches the top. There was only a fixed magic circle in that room. I stood in the center of the magic circle, while Lay and Misha and the others climbed on top of it. ¡°This magic circle is linked to the underground dungeon of the original Demon King¡¯s Castle. That is to say, we will be close to Avos Dilhevia. She will be expecting us to emerge from here.¡± Although she has no idea where we will appear in the dungeon, once we enter, she will be aware of our whereabouts. The demons are bound to swarm over us. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here briefly.¡± ¡°But if we don¡¯t hurry, the Reason Destroying Sword will be snatched away, right?¡± Eleonore said. ¡°She hasn¡¯t laid a hand on the sword yet.¡± ¡°You can tell?¡± Lay asks. ¡°Taking control of the sword is no easy task. It¡¯s not something that even I can do casually. It¡¯s difficult to do while keeping my magical eyes on the entire castle.¡± The same goes for Avos Dilhevia, who was conceived out of my rumors and legends. ¡°If she attempts to steal the Reason Destroying Sword, her magical eyes will have to concentrate solely on peering into the abyss of the Demon King¡¯s castle, Delsgade. In the meantime, surveillance on us will be loosened. We will wait for that time and infiltrate.¡± At the moment, Avos Dilhevia is constantly monitoring the Dilhade area. She¡¯ll probably be on the lookout to see if we¡¯re coming from underground or from the surface. ¡°She¡¯d like to see where we¡¯re coming from if possible, but if we wait too long, my magical power, which was depleted in Aharthern, will be restored. The other side will surely be the first to admit defeat.¡± As I sit there, I direct my magical eyes toward the interior of the underground dungeon. I sat and waited for time to pass slowly. Then, around 10 hours passed. ¡°Hmm. Finally, the movement took place.¡± The watchful eye of Avos Dilhevia, which had been surveying the Dilhade area, has vanished. She most likely realised that waiting would not result in any progress, so she decided to seize the Reason Destroying Sword. ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Lay and the others, who were taking a break and chowing down on bread obtained in the underground city, jumped to their feet quickly. Everyone applies magic to turn invisible. Then, the magic power was obscured with . The magic is cast into the fixed magic circle. Then, the surrounding scenery abruptly shifted. My eyes reflected the greenery of the trees as the ceiling rose higher. On the surface, there was a water channel that reflected gleaming light. This is the room of the nature magic circle. ¡°Anos.¡± Misha points a finger. In that direction, a wall and then a passageway had formed. ¡°This place used to be a secret passageway, didn¡¯t it? Anos destroyed it with a body blow.¡± ¡°I suppose they left it that way for anyone to pass through.¡± The demons under her command will be on high alert now that the castle is no longer visible to her magic eyes. Even if she was to send someone to search for us, with the walls blocked, it would not be easy for her to discover us. ¡°At any rate, we just have to reach the place where Avos Dilhevia is, right? I have no idea how you plan to get Misa back¨D¨D¡± I cover Sasha¡¯s mouth with my hand while she is speaking. Immediately, fly in. ¡°¡­ A¡­ a-anos¡­? What¡­ w-what is this¡­?¡± ¡°Calm down. Somebody¡¯s coming.¡± The footsteps echo from the passage to which Misha had previously pointed. A group of demons armed with swords and armor entered this room. There were 10 of them in total. Perhaps they were patrolling the area, or perhaps they were simply checking around the room. One of the demons drew a magic circle. It was a woman named Luche, my subordinate from 2,000 years ago. The magic invoked was . A wave of wind, suppressed to the level of a gentle breeze, sweeps across the room. Luche attentively directed her magical eyes at the room. Even with the use of and , it doesn¡¯t change the fact that there are people there. She is probably intending to find out by casting the wind. ¡°¡­ W-will things be alright¡­?¡± Sasha asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With and , we¡¯ll reproduce the wind flow that exists without us.¡± If the is cast, our existence will not be perceived. Luche sees that this place has no issues and leaves. If Avos Dilhevia could change their perception of her as the Demon King of Tyranny, it would imply that they are unaware of my power. If she did know, there would be nothing that could be done about it. The other demons also followed Luche and left the scene. Among them, there were familiar faces. It was Menou and Revest. Revest was still dressed in his usual uniform beneath his armour, with the school emblem faintly visible. It was a crossed brand. Hmm. This could be a trap. Chapter 149.2 Hmm. This could be a trap. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Misha mutters in . ¡°I¡¯m angry.¡± I suppose you mean Avos Dilhevia. I lightly brushed my fingertips against Revest¡¯s shoulder. He stopped and looked back wonderingly. He was staring intently in my direction. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Luche asks. Revest answered. ¡°Let me search here a little longer.¡± ¡°I have checked it out. There are no thieves here.¡± ¡°If they have already infiltrated, they may have left traces, even if we can¡¯t see them. It is possible that they may have left footprints here.¡± Luche thought for a moment and then said, ¡°I understand. Let me know if you find anything.¡± ¡°Would you help me too, sensei?¡± Revest appealed to her with his eyes. Menou nodded, a mysterious expression on her face, as if she had picked up on something. ¡°The rest of us will search down here. Let¡¯s go.¡± Luche left with the other demons in tow. ¡°¡­ Anos?¡± Revest says. I deactivate the and reveal myself. His eyes widened slightly, and he smiled. ¡°I knew you would recognize it.¡± Revest touches his fingertips to the crossed school crest. ¡°The majority of the students were affected by the . Even Melheis and the others. Those in white uniforms are imprisoned and used as sustenance for their magic,¡± Menou remarks with a worried look on her face. That would mean their lives are in danger. ¡°We need to do something about Avos Dilhevia quickly¡­¡± ¡°I know. For that, there are two things we need to do first.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Spirit King, the masked mazoku, and even Nousgalia, who has taken over the body of the Eldemade, must be here in this Demon King Castle. I want to know the whereabouts of all three, including Avos Dilhevia. Do you understand?¡± Menou nods. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it right away. I can move around freely within the academy to a certain extent.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the other one?¡± Revest asks. ¡°I am now going to cast the great magic spell on the treasury. As expected, even the cannot conceal the magic power. I want to draw the demons away from the treasury as much as possible so that they will not be aware of it.¡± Menou then wore a solemn expression on her face. ¡°In my current position, I can¡¯t issue orders¡­ Avos Dilhevia has granted authority to the demon race from 2000 years ago¡­¡± ¡°¡­ No, there is a way,¡± Revest said. He has a decisive look on his face. ¡°Judging by your expression, it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to be that easy, does it?¡± He nods coyly. ¡°¡­ Please use your offensive magic on me¡­ Be as flashy as possible, something that even recovery magic can¡¯t heal ¡­¡± Hmm. I see what you mean. ¡°That will be the most excruciating pain you¡¯ve ever tasted.¡± Revest nods. ¡°¡­ Yeah, I bet it would¡­ It has to be that much to fool them¡­¡± So you¡¯re prepared for that. He looks at Menou. ¡°I¡¯ll work it out. I won¡¯t let my student¡¯s resolve be in vain.¡± ¡°Well said.¡± At the same time as the words are spoken, I put my fingertips on Revest¡¯s left chest and apply magic power. ¡°¡­ Ah, gah¡­¡± ¡°.¡± A black, serpentine bruise appears on Revest¡¯s neck after the magic circle is drawn on the body. It began to rampage ferociously, as if it wanted to devour him. ¡°Ugh¡­ ah¡­ gaaaaaa¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on it. You won¡¯t die.¡± Furthermore, a magic circle is drawn and magic power is transmitted. The emerging jet-black sun scorches Revest¡¯s body black and sets it ablaze. ¡°Uaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!¡± He collapsed on the spot. Even though he appeared to be severely burned, he was still barely alive. Originally, he would have been extinguished; not even a bone would have remained. The sound of clattering footsteps can be heard. Using the , our figures were once more concealed. All that was left was Revest and Menou. ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± Luche, who has returned, asked. Menou said as she cast recovery magic on Revest. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s the intruder, Anos Voldigoad¡­! He¡¯s heading upstairs with his followers¡­!¡± Luche rushes over and focuses her magical eyes on Revest. ¡°¡­ The curse is too severe to be alleviated by recovery magic¡­¡± She sent to her subordinates. ¡°Attention all units. The misfit Anos Voldigoad has infiltrated from the underground dungeon. He is aiming for Avos Dilhevia-sama, and is presumably heading for the upper floors. Search every square inch of the place!¡± Luche immediately started running. ¡°Come on, you too. We can resuscitate him later!¡± ¡°¡­ I understand¡­!¡± Following behind Luche and the others, Menou leaves the place. They¡¯ll probably go straight to check on Avos Dilhevia and the others¡¯ whereabouts. ¡°I can¡¯t heal your wounds for a while,¡± I deactivate and said to Revest. If he is treated, it will raise suspicions in the unlikely event that Luche returns. ¡°¡­ Ugu¡­ urgh¡­ yeah¡­¡± Barely able to muster a voice, Revest said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you, a member of the royal family, to be unaffected by .¡± Revest should not be aware that I am the true Demon King of Tyranny. Nonetheless, he refused to be loyal to Avos Dilhevia. ¡°I thought you placed your faith in the Demon King of Tyranny?¡± I asked, kneeling by his side. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why¡­ Avos Dilhevia has brainwashed my squad members, my classmates, and fed off their magic¡­¡± Revest speaks up with certainty and conviction. ¡°¡­ The Demon King of Tyranny, whom I believed is the one who grasped the power to protect the weak¡­ who shared his power with the weak¡­ because he is a half-breed. Such a man who preys on his own people has no right to call himself a Demon King¡­ He is above all honourable and has always been on the side of the weak¡­¡± With vacant eyes, he stares at me, his breathing ragged. ¡°How can someone like¡­ Avos Dilhevia be a real Demon King who would do such an atrocious thing¡­!¡± As his battered body spits out blood, Revest accuses. ¡°¡­ Am I wrong¡­?¡± I meet Revest¡¯s questioning gaze squarely in the eyes. ¡°Of course you¡¯re right. Avos Dilhevia and the rest of them are not worthy of being compared to me, a misfit. I will prove to you that he is a phony.¡± Revest smiles slightly. Then he closed his eyes, seemingly unconscious. ¡°¡­ Gu¡­ ah¡­¡± Immediately a cry of anguish escapes his lips. It¡¯s a strong curse. Whether he faints or not, the nightmare will continue to torment him. However, I can¡¯t help him now. I got up and headed for the treasury. ¡°¡­ Demon¡­ King¡­¡± As if delirious, a voice slips out of Revest¡¯s mouth. Were those words for the Demon King of Tyranny, whom he believes in, or¨D¨D ¡°Please defeat the¡­ fake¡­ my squad members¡­ my classmates¡­ please save them¡­¡± Without turning back, I replied. ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯ll fulfil your wish.¡± Chapter 150.1 Chapter 150 ¨C 2,000 year old Investigation The door, which could be mistaken for a giant¡¯s, is pushed open firmly and quietly. Before my eyes is a spacious room with an altar in an underground dungeon. ¡°Hmm. It seems like everybody has left.¡± Even on the way here, I did not encounter any demon tribe on the lookout. They must all be searching for me on the upper floors. They have no reason to go down below the floor where I first appeared because they are aware that I am aiming for Avos Dilhevia. I stepped inside after opening the door on the side of the altar room. It is a treasury. ¡°You said you were planning to cast great magic, but what are you up to?¡± Sasha asked in wonder. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s something I need to investigate.¡± ¡°You mentioned it before coming here as well, but what can you find out in a place like this?¡± ¡°The first is the Great Spirit Reno. How did she perish?¡± Lina, who was scanning the vacant treasury, gazed in my direction. ¡°The other is the Spirit King. What happened to that man, who was most likely Shin?¡± Lina clenches her fist as if in response to these words. ¡°And the final one is about Misa. How was she born?¡± Eleonore casts a contemplative glance upward. ¡°Hmm, could you elaborate a little more on what you mean?¡± ¡°Perhaps all this transpired 2,000 years ago. When a half-spirit, half-demon is born, it draws half of its power from newborn rumours and legends. The rumours and legends of the Demon King of Tyranny first surfaced over 2,000 years ago. And after my reincarnation, the hero Kanon began disseminating these rumours and legends.¡± Lay¡¯s countenance reveals a grave expression. ¡°Then Misa ought to have been born 2,000 years ago as the biological child of the Great Spirit Reno.¡± Spirits are derived from rumours and legends. Nonetheless, because half-spirits and half-demons have both the body and the source of demons, they cannot be perceived solely through rumour and legend. Furthermore, the spirits claimed that Misa was Reno¡¯s biological child. All the spirits are Reno¡¯s children. Since they deliberately referred to her as Reno¡¯s biological child, she must certainly differ from the other spirits in the way she was born. That is to say, Reno conceived and gave birth to Misa in her body. Therefore, Misa has a father. A father of the demon race. ¡°She was meant to have been born¡­ 2,000 years ago, yet her memory is limited to only 15 years¡­¡± Lay says. ¡°Besides, she has no knowledge of any of the mythical ages. She believes she was born and raised in this magical age.¡± I nod at his words. ¡°There has to be an explanation for this. The same goes for Shin. That man was assigned to guard Reno, the Great Spirit. Something must have happened after my reincarnation that caused him to become Spirit King. I¡¯d also like to find out why he¡¯s working against me.¡± Misha tilts her head slightly and her words trail off. ¡°Was he trying to protect Misa?¡± ¡°I suppose the possibility exists. Should the rumors and legends of Avos Dilhevia recede, Misa will develop spirit illness, and ultimately cease to exist.¡± The Spirit King may have hoped to prevent that from happening. ¡°Hence, at the time of the magic sword tournament, he threatened Lay, lest he be known as Kanon and that he was the pseudo-Demon King Avos Dilhevia. He acted as if Avos Dilhevia did indeed exist.¡± During the war with Azeshion, Avos Dilhevia¡¯s true identity became evident, but the rumors and lore circulated among the humans as well. Thereby, the conditions were favourable enough for the awakening of the Great Spirit Avos Dilhevia. The Spirit King and Nousgalia had most likely already envisioned this. ¡°But, even if Misa is the Great Spirit Reno¡¯s child, she is not Shin¡¯s child, right? Would a man who has been faithful to you for all these years try to protect Misa more than you?¡± Lay asks. It makes sense that if she is Shin¡¯s child, he would have sought to protect her as a parent. However, in light of the results of the battle of wisdom with Zeke, Misa is not Shin¡¯s child. ¡°Perhaps he wasn¡¯t trying to protect Misa, but who knows? Something must have happened. There must be a reason why he had to deal with all of this 2,000 years ago.¡± He was a man devoid of aspiration. It is improbable that he would have been caught up in the schemes of the deity race. From what I am aware of, there is no way that Shin would have plotted something like this. Something must have taken place 2,000 years ago that changed him. ¡°The Great Spirit Reno is heavily involved in both Shin and Misa¡¯s affairs. Her death was most likely the catalyst for all of this.¡± Although I have no knowledge of what happened, it is by no means a positive development. Perhaps a tragedy has befallen them. A tragedy so great that even Reno, the Great Spirit, and Shin, my right-hand man, couldn¡¯t withstand it. In that era, this was not an unusual phenomenon. And that same tragedy perseveres even to this very day. I must know. ¡°Hmm, I understand. But how do you intend to look into it? All those things involving the Great Spirit Reno, the Spirit King, and Misa-chan happened 2,000 years ago, right? ¡° Eleonore voices her doubts. ¡°I will utilize the magic of to go back in time to 2,000 years ago.¡± With my remark, everyone exchanged a skeptical look. ¡°¡­ If you can do that, why did you struggle so much in the first place, Anos?¡± Lay said, followed by Sasha. ¡°You can only travel back in time about 100 years with , right?¡± Misha gives a nod. ¡°The range of subjects is also limited.¡± Chapter 150.2 ¡°The range of subjects is also limited.¡± ¡°Indeed, can only move back in time locally from its origin. The time limit is probably limited to 100 years. With , the time that can be traced back is even shorter. With only my own magical power, that is.¡± A magic circle of is depicted in the treasury. Using£¼Demon King Army Gyze>, I connected the magic line to everyone¡¯s source. ¡°Are we using our magic power as well?¡± I nod in reply to Misha¡¯s question. ¡°If we can muster the magical power of all of us, I can travel even further back in time than 100 years.¡± ¡°Even if we combined the power of the Spirit God Human Sword Evansmana, I doubt you could still reach 2,000 years ago, though, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not enough.¡± Taking a loose step forward, I mutter, ¡°Show yourself¡±. It is as though a veil of magic is being peeled away to expose a collection of magical items that have been stored in the treasury. When I beckoned with my fingertips, one of the magic tools flew into my hand. It is a scythe, resembling a spear. ¡°Let¡¯s use this one.¡± Misha blinked her eyes. ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± It has been in my possession since I vanquished Eugo La Raviaz, the Guardian God of Time. ¡°This is a time manipulating magical tool of the God of Time. By merging our magical power with the power of this scythe, I might just barely be able to fly back 2,000 years.¡± ¡°Then, if you could return to 2,000 years ago, why don¡¯t you simply alter the past there?¡± I shook my head at Eleonore¡¯s words. ¡°Unfortunately, changing the past is no easy feat. When there is a significant difference between the past and the present, the past will not be altered. Avos Dilhevia rumours are far too widespread. Pretending he was never born would be impossible, even if it was 2,000 years ago.¡± Then Misha shot me a look. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have a look?¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m heading back 2,000 years to determine what became of Misa, Shin, and Reno. That¡¯s about as far as I can go.¡± ¡°¡­ Um, I¡­¡± Lina said fearfully. ¡°Can I go too¡­?¡± She was reserved yet unequivocal. ¡°¡­ Things in Dilhade are a mess, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯m a mere outsider who can¡¯t help in any way, but¡­¡± Her pleading gaze fell on me. ¡°¡­ But I have a feeling that there¡­ are things out there that I¡¯ve forgotten¡­ two thousand years ago.¡± For some reason, after Avos Dilhevia awakened, Titi and the others who were supposed to obey her, Reno¡¯s own child, sided only with Lina. It cannot be assumed that they did it simply on a whim. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will all travel to the past together.¡± Lina let out a laugh as if she were relieved. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now then.¡± With my hand raised, I send magic power to the magic circle of the . After Lay draws the magic circle, he pulls out the Spirit God Human Sword Evansmana from it. The sword was thrust into the center of the magic circle that had been drawn. The vast amount of magic power from the holy sword, which severs even the predestined fate, is channelled into the . Zeshia withdrew the Holy Sword of Light Enhale, and plunged it into the center of the Spirit God Human Sword as if it were superimposed on it. Her magic power is likewise infused into that magic circle. Magical letters emerged around Eleonore. They float in midair and begin to drift around her as if tracing a spherical line. When holy water appears to overflow from the magical letters, it transforms into a sphere of water and covers Eleonore. Employing the magic of the , she wraps herself in the . Her feelings are converted into magical power. ¡°The magic line is connected. Collect the thoughts of Zeshia and the others in the basement.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As Eleonore shuts her eyes, the thoughts of the 10,000 Zeshia in the underground city are transmitted to her as well. These were converted into the magical power of the and directed into the . Misha and Sasha joined their hands and used fusion magic to multiply each other¡¯s magic power and send it to the magic circle. ¡°After all, this was your first attempt. If you inadvertently slip into a different time period, just wait until time returns to normal.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say such terrifying things¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll succeed.¡± These contrasting words spill out from Sasha and Misha¡¯s mouths. I apply magic to the and exert myself to dominate it through sheer force. Swinging it with a silvery white light, I slashed through the magic circle of the . The entire room has been transformed into a silvery-white world. It was as if the curtain of this world had been cut, forming a rift in the space where the scythe had been wielded. The world has been turned inside out, as if everything is backwards, with various landscapes dyed in silvery white flashing before our eyes. The time, it was flowing backward¨D¨D Chapter 151.1 Chapter 151 ¨C The Great Spirit of Mother and the Right Hand of the Demon King This was the center of a vast lake. With the surface of the water reflecting the dim moonlight, it serves as a natural magic circle, establishing a barrier to drive away the demons. It was Holy Light Lake. Within the center of this crystal clear lake was the fortress capital of the humans, the royal city of Gairadite. It is slightly differing from the city in the magical era. Its solid walls, which covered the city, were in ruins, and there were numerous holes in them. Even the houses beyond the gates are shabby, and their outer walls and roofs have been damaged. There appeared to be many traces of temporary repairs made with white stones made by£¼Construction and Creation Ivis>. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Gairadite!¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s unlike the¡­ usual¡­¡± Eleonore and Zeshia stare across the gate, slightly bemused by the spectacle. ¡°Hmm. It seems that we have arrived in one piece.¡± The in my hand crumbled and withered away. Misha stared at it. ¡°What? Once we go back in time, it will be trivial to return to our original timeline.¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Lay walks up to me. ¡°From the appearance of the city, it does seem like it must have been 2,000 years ago, but about what time?¡± ¡°I guess shortly after they constructed the wall and my reincarnation.¡± Misha and Sasha direct their magic eyes in the direction of Dilhade. ¡°¡­ I mean, the wall you erected is extraordinary¡­¡± Sasha muttered. ¡°This is the aftermath of the magic surging this far.¡± Misha blinks her eyes in amazement. ¡°With something like that, I can¡¯t even imagine heading to the border.¡± ¡°It would require much more than that to maintain those of this era apart. Nevertheless, some of the demons of 2,000 years ago were able to cross the wall.¡± One who possesses strong magic power, as Melheis did, can cross over the . ¡°Why did we end up in Gairadite?¡± Glancing toward the border, Sasha swept her blond twin-tail hair and turned around. ¡°After I erected the wall at Delsgade, the Great Spirit Reno is supposed to return to Aharthern. And Shin will be accompanying her under my command.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That reminds me, you mentioned that Aharthern in this time period is in Holy Light Lake.¡± As if convinced, Sasha says. ¡°When building the wall, Reno exhausted her magic power. In that condition, she won¡¯t be able to cross the , so it will probably be some time before her return. This should be right around that time now.¡± Are they already back? Or perhaps they are in the process of returning. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Aharthern and confirm it.¡± ¡°Even your magic eye doesn¡¯t know where they are, Anos?¡± ¡°In this era, there are various demon tribes and humans watching different places with their magic eyes. There are many magic to obstruct this. Of course, it does not mean that it is impossible to attempt to sight, but there is a risk that my magical power will be detected.¡± Then Sasha gives a huffing look of realization. ¡°The Demon King of Tyranny is presumably dead and reincarnated, so¡­?¡± ¡°If someone discovers they I am alive, this past will be utterly distinct from what it originally was.¡± ¡°Uh, this time, no matter what we might do in the past, it won¡¯t change the present history we were in, right?¡± Sasha asks as if to confirm. ¡°Yes. The deity race that reigns over time has an established rule that fixes the past as the past. Once the magic of this expires and we return to the present, the temporal order will be activated and the altered past will be restored to its original state. If it is a minor change, it may remain as it was. Therefore, whatever we may have done 2,000 years ago right now, it will have no effect on the present.¡± However, if the possibility arises, for example, that the Demon King of Tyranny is still alive in this past, it will be a drastically altered past from the one that originally existed. In that case, we may never be able to ascertain what happened to Reno, Shin, and Misa. ¡°Even so, this is not a coincidence, and it is likely to be the scheme of the divine race. Unless things turned out poorly, they would act in such a way that Avos Dilhevia, the Great Spirit, would be born.¡± ¡°All we have to do is avoid a major change in the past?¡± I nodded at Misha¡¯s question. ¡°That would make Anos the greatest issue of all, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Lay asks. ¡°I am in the body of a mazoku, and Eleonore has not yet been born. Of course, Misha, Sasha, and Zeshia are not well known in this time. Unless you do something spectacular, you can¡¯t influence the past.¡± ¡°Oh, indeed. If it¡¯s your magic, Anos, people who recognize you will recognize you.¡± Eleonore raises her index finger. Lay carried on. ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t look much different than you did 2,000 years ago. I suppose the fact that you look exactly like the Demon King of Tyranny is also a problem, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°For the time being, you can use your magic to disguise the root of the problem.¡± As he says this, Lay places two fingers on my neck and deploys a magic circle. There are hardly anyone who can distinguish the concealment magic of the hero Kanon, who excels in source magic. ¡°After that, all I need to do is conceal myself with£¼Illusion Mimicry Rainel£¾.¡± ¡°As long as you stay still, I don¡¯t think there will be any difficulty, but if your magic is cast nearby, it would be exposed to me of this era. You better watch out. As I recall, they should be back by now.¡± Is this the time when Jerga is attempting to establish the Hero Academy and Kanon is opposing it? If the hero Kanon believes that the Demon King Anos is still alive, the past will be vastly different. ¡°Hmm. I will be careful. And I have a word of advice. After the magical effect of the wears off, the past will return to normal. This means that the past we visited 2,000 years ago will never have occurred. However, our memories will never be erased. The same applies to everything else. If we were wounded 2,000 years ago, we will still be wounded when we return to our original time. We may even die. Be alert.¡± We of the present era cannot change the past. But someone in the past can intervene and influence us. This is human territory. If they find out we are demons, they will attack us without question. ¡°I get it. At any rate, we just have to be cautious not to alter the past as much as possible and hang in there so that we don¡¯t die.¡± Eleonore replied energetically. ¡°Tonight is a hazy moon.¡± Misha fixes her gaze on the moon overhead. ¡°Do they produce light blue candies?¡± The present rumor of Aharthern, as I mentioned earlier, is that at midnight when the hazy moon emerges, a mist drifts by the shores of Holy Light Lake. The rumor is that if you release a light blue candy into the mist, a mischievous fairy will materialize and guide you into the forest. It is not likely that this has changed after my reincarnation. ¡°Unfortunately, Titi is particular about her preferences. I tried it 2,000 years ago, but she wouldn¡¯t even bother looking at the magic candies I created.¡± ¡°Light blue candy means Holy Light candy, right? I believe they¡¯ve been around since this time?¡± When Eleonore twisted her head, Zeshia flashed a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite¡­ foods.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There should be a stall. Let¡¯s go buy some.¡± The magic of makes everyone but Eleonore and Zeshia invisible. Lay cast a concealment magic on Misha, Sasha, and himself so that their magic power would appear to be that of humans. Since Lina is a spirit, there should pose no problem. We pass through the walled gate and enter Gairadite. ¡°Kano¨Cah! Eleonore almost said ¡°Kanon,¡± but then hastily rephrased it. ¡°Lay-kun, do you remember which stall sells them?¡± ¡°It ought to be straight down this traffic.¡± There are people passing by in the area. Although the town, which had sustained numerous raids by the demon race, was in ruins, the people displayed liveliness and smiles. Despite it being nighttime, many stores are still open, and rows of stalls are lined up in the streets. ¡°¡­ It looks like they¡¯re back after all¡­¡± Lay mutters. ¡°Hmm. So this is a celebration of the triumphant return of the heroes who vanquished the Demon King.¡± The humans are wearing cheerful expressions, which is another sign of their nods. In this day and age, I have only seen expressions of sorrow, terror, and loathing, but they seem to be enjoying themselves. ¡°What¡¯s so enjoyable about watching the faces of people who are delighted to find out you¡¯ve been defeated?¡± Sasha asked. When I look over at her, Misha explains. ¡°You were smiling.¡± ¡°Was I?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Hmm. Did I look like I was enjoying myself that much? ¡°It was all worth it, I guess.¡± ¡°Is that so? Hmm. I kind of dislike it though¡­¡± And Sasha cast a sharp look at the humans, who were smiling gleefully. It seems that Sasha is not pleased that they are rejoicing that the Demon King has been conquered. ¡°Oh. I found a stall of Holy Light candies over there.¡± ¡°Is there enough for¡­ Zeshia to eat?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Eleonore is about to head for the food stall when she pauses. ¡°Come to think of it, we haven¡¯t got any money, do we?¡± When Eleonore looks back, I send a few gold coins flying with my magic. ¡°I grabbed some from the treasury. They are the currency of this time period.¡± ¡°Wow. I¡¯m going to be luxurious!¡± Eleonore linked hands with Zeshia and proceeded to the stall. ¡°Good evening. Uncle, I¡¯d like to buy some of your Holy Light candies.¡± ¡°Hey there. How many do you want?¡± Chapter 151.2 ¡°Hey there. How many do you want?¡± Eleonore counts with her fingers. ¡°Well, Anos-kun, Misha-chan, Sasha-chan¡­ do you have 10 pieces?¡± ¡°Yes. Just the right amount, this is the very last of them. I¡¯ll give you an additional one.¡± ¡°Wow. Uncle, you¡¯re so generous. Thank you!¡± Eleonore hands over the gold coins and receives change and 10 pieces of Holy Light candies. It is a spherical candy attached to the end of a stick, and is rather sizable. Although the claim is that it is a holy candy made with holy water, naturally no holy water is involved since it is not a food. ¡°Look, there it is. The Holy Light Candy.¡± A joyful voice was heard. Upon closer look, a woman in a jade green dress comes rushing over. Her hair was as clear as a lake and she had amber eyes. She was the Great Spirit Reno. The six wings on her back were obscured, perhaps indicating that her true identity had not yet been disclosed. Behind her was a demon tribe member with a piercing gaze. He is donning a familiar mask. ¡°Reno. Please do not stray more than five meters from me. If an enemy attacks you, you may not be able to handle them.¡± Turning around, Reno looked back and remarked to the masked man. ¡°Then come along running. If they sell out, it¡¯s Shin¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°The more you run, the more it distracts you. The proper speed to deal with any adversary is at walking speed.¡± ¡°We are already in Gairadite. There are no enemies in this place.¡± ¡°We must maintain our vigilance.¡± The man shifts his mask slightly and directs a stern gaze at his surroundings. The gray hair and unpigmented eyes that are peeking out are undoubtedly those of Shin Reglia himself. ¡°I have a feeling that someone with extraordinary magical power is lurking around here. Considering the lack of any reaction to my magic eye, I¡¯d say they¡¯re highly skilled.¡± Hmm. My magic power is supposed to be perfectly concealed by the . But to sense it not with the magic eye, but by the presence suggests that this is indeed Shin. Well, he can¡¯t tell the exact position anyway. ¡°I won¡¯t take off my mask. It would be a disaster if they find out I am a demon.¡± ¡°Rest assured. The moment someone is hostile toward me, their neck and torso will be separated for eternity.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Reno heaved a hefty sigh. ¡°Iyan, stick closer to Shin.¡± Then the mask¡¯s eyes lit up and adhered to Shin. His magic is totally hidden. The one called ¡°Iyan¡± was probably the spirit of the mask. ¡°Don¡¯t slay the humans. The only enemies are the divine race, right? They may never appear again anyway.¡± ¡°As long as it does you no harm, I will not slay them.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t take off my mask. It would be a disaster if they find out I am a demon.¡± ¡°¡­ Seriously. But that¡¯s fine. We¡¯re already in Aharthern.¡± Reno made her way over to the stall and addressed the owner. ¡°Good evening. Can I have a piece of Holy Light candy, please?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, little girl. I¡¯ve already sold out for the day.¡± ¡°No¡­ way¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Come back tomorrow.¡± Reno stands on the spot with a downcast look on her face. ¡°Even though Titi was looking forward to it¡­¡± ¡°What is not there is inevitable. Let¡¯s go.¡± Reno glares at Shin. ¡°If you had run, I could have bought it, Shin.¡± ¡°I apologize. I have prioritized the responsibility of guarding you.¡± ¡°¡­ You could have just run for a while¡­¡± ¡°I apologize. I have prioritized the responsibility of guarding you.¡± There is nothing that can be done about it. Reno bit her lip and turned away. She then lightly stomped on the ground as if to vent her unrestrained fury. ¡°You idiot, you idiot, Shin¡­!¡± Apparently at a loss for words, Shin pondered briefly before saying. ¡°I apologize. I have prioritized the responsibility of guarding you.¡± Like a broken magic doll, Shin repeats. ¡°It seems they¡¯ve gotten along pretty well on the road.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Next to me, Sasha wears an uncomprehending expression on her face. ¡°It is not often that he utters the same word twice, even though the answer is the same. On top of that, he said it thrice. After explaining once, that man will remain silent the next time.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Sasha¡¯s expression still remains unchanged as if she has no idea what I mean. ¡°¡­ Um¡­ here¡­ please take it¡­¡± Zeshia, who has been walking slowly, offers Reno two Holy Light candies. ¡°Eh..? But that¡¯s yours, right?¡± ¡°¡­ I have many of it¡­¡± Eleonore stood next to Zeshia and smiled nonchalantly. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I got an extra one, but we couldn¡¯t finish it.¡± ¡°Ah, then here you go. These are cookies I bought at Dilhade. They are tasty.¡± Reno places a package of cookies in Zeshia¡¯s palm. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Likewise, thank you.¡± ¡°Is the quarrel¡­ over¡­?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Zeshia glanced alternately at Reno and Shinn. ¡°Umm. We¡¯re not fighting. We are good friends, you know.¡± Reno said with a smile. ¡°Is that so?¡± Reno¡¯s smile tightened at Shin¡¯s icy words. ¡°Shin. You are good friends with me. That¡¯s an order. If you want to be my bodyguard, then do it properly.¡± ¡°I understand. I am good friends with her.¡± Then, as if reassured, Zeshia laughed. ¡°I am glad¡­ you both are getting along well¡­¡± ¡°Goodbye. Thanks for the candy.¡± Reno waves her hand and heads for the Gairadite gate. Following behind her, Shin shot a wary glance. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 ¨C The Targeted Aharthern ¡°Well said, Zeshia. You did excellently.¡± Eleonore gave Zeshia a tight hug while patting her on the head. She beamed in a jubilant manner. ¡°I did¡­ my best¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, here¡¯s a reward for being a good girl.¡± Eleonore presents her with a Holy Light candy. Zeshia took the stick and bit into it. ¡°Even so, this era¡¯s inhabitants are remarkable after all. Even though they were suppressing their magic power completely, those two people earlier were extremely formidable.¡± ¡°¡­They are¡­ strong¡­¡± Zeshia said, licking the candy. ¡°They are Reno and Shin. Despite being two thousand years ago, there aren¡¯t many who can parallel them.¡± I approach Eleonore and address her question. ¡°Wow¡­ so that was Shin and Reno¡­ come to think of it, she said idiot Shin or something like that¡­? That startled me¡­¡± Eleonore stares in the direction they left, as if in amazement. Even though the mask he was donning was different, I am sure he would have noticed our presence. ¡°They are probably on their way back to Aharthern. Let¡¯s follow them. But don¡¯t approach too closely. Shin will behead you.¡± I say as I make my way toward the gate. ¡°Are all your subordinates like that?¡± Sasha inquires. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®like that¡¯?¡± ¡°He¡¯s powerful, but he seems to be a bit difficult to communicate with¡­¡± ¡°Shin is different. Well, he¡¯s not a bad guy, just a little inflexible.¡± ¡°A little¡­¡± Sasha was eyeing me with an incredulous expression. ¡°Lina!¡± I called out to the girl who has been walking without saying anything since a while ago. ¡°The masked man earlier is Shin. Do you recall anything about the Spirit King you wanted to meet?¡± ¡°¡­I am¡­ still not clear on that¡­¡± Lina cast her eyes downward. ¡°But I have a feeling that something is about to unfold.¡± After a brief pause, she lifted her head. ¡°Something horrendous will arise.¡± It was as if she were prophesying the future. Perhaps her lost memory contains something that will transpire in the future. ¡°I see.¡± I also cast magic on Zeshia and Eleonore and conceals them from view. In this state, we passed through the castle gate of Gairadite and emerged at Lake Seimei. After heading out into the deserted area, a faint voice can be heard. ¡°I¡¯m back, Titi. I bought you some souvenirs.¡± In the distance, Reno and Shin could be spotted. A mist is drifting in the area, and small fairies have surfaced from the mist. However, things were different from usual. Titi and the others seem to have fallen into a state of turmoil and are flying around aimlessly. ¡°Reno, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Something¡¯s gone haywire.¡± ¡°Aharthern has been in deep trouble!¡± ¡°Liniyon has been killed!¡± Reno¡¯s expression grows stern. Liniyon, the eight-necked water dragon, is the guardian deity of Aharthern as well. If Liniyon has been vanquished, it means that someone has attacked the Spirit Forest. ¡°Who was behind the attack?¡± Titi and the others answered Reno¡¯s question. ¡°The silver beast.¡± ¡°The hound of the divine.¡± ¡°Gwen, the divine beast.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to be devoured!¡± ¡°Everyone is going to be eaten!¡± Reno held out her hand toward the mist, and the Great Spirit Forest Aharthern made its appearance. A black aurora envelope the place like a wall. It is magic. The wall that separates the spirit world is functioning. Nevertheless, the divine beast has invaded the forest. Both she and Shin are clad in anti-magic. Shin draws his demon sword and slashes at the wall with all his magical power. Within a fraction of a second, a narrow path is established, and the two of them cross over . The wall soon reverts back to its original state. While it may seem like a trivial endeavor, the two of them are expending a great deal of magical power. Can the divine beast really overcome them? ¡°What do we do?¡± Misha ask. ¡°We have no choice but to proceed. Otherwise, we will never learn what transpired.¡± ¡°¡­Um, are we crossing this thing?¡± Sasha cast a dazed glance at the black aurora in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s my magic.¡± I send magic power to and control it. After creating a seemingly invisible passageway in the jet-black aurora, we passed through it. Before our eyes lay a transformed spectacle. The lush vegetation of Aharthern is withering away. The screams of fleeing spirits could be heard. What was roaming around Aharthern were beasts with silver fur and huge, acute fangs. And they were not limited to just one or two. These beasts sink their fangs into the trees in Aharthern and devour them. Within a heartbeat, the vegetation begins to wither and die. They are feasting on the spirits. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Rumor and lore will be consumed.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to die! ¡°Even spirits would die!¡± Titi and the others fly around Reno. She glared at the divine beasts. ¡°Come here, Gigadeas, Gennul!¡± The massive, hidden wolf, Gennul, abruptly appears beside Reno. On his back stood Gigadeas, a dwarf elf with a mallet. ¡°I¡¯ll save you all!¡± Reno draws a magic circle in the palm of her hand. ¡°Spirit magic¨D¨D¡± Gigadeas swings down his mallet, and lightning strikes the divine beast Gwen. The figure of Gennul disappeared and then transformed into a myriad of thunder wolves. ¡°.¡± The thunder dropped by Gigadeal reinforces the innumerable arrows of lightning released by Reno, and together with the thunder wolves, they assail Gwen, the divine beast. One after another, the silver beasts were struck by lightning arrows. But they were not intimidated at all. On the contrary, with each lightning arrow, the divine beasts are growing in volume and size. ¡°¡­They are eating¡­ ¡­?¡± The divine beast Gwen pounces on the thunder wolves and sets his fangs on them. With each thunder wolf that was devoured, the divine beast also became more gigantic. ¡°Save me¡­!¡± ¡°I will be eaten¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared©`¡± ¡°This is dreadful!¡± Titi and the others were being pursued by the divine beast Gwen. Reno quickly attempts to unleash her spirit magic, but she stops herself in the nick of time. Spirit magic only empowers the divine beasts. ¡°¡­What should I do¡­?¡± Reno focuses her attention on the masked demon who is standing by her side. ¡°I apologize. Thank you for waiting.¡± After saying this, Shin placed his hand in the center of the magic circle he has drawn. The magic power is overflowing. When he pulls out his hand, a rusty magic sword is revealed. Shin holds one of a thousand swords, the God-Slashing Sword Guneodros. It is a god-killing demon sword that slays only gods. The divine beast is a messenger of the gods, possessing power akin to that of a god. They cannot be destroyed by mere force. Hence, he has taken the most effective weapon against the gods among his own demon swords. ¡°Now then.¡± At the moment Shin uttered these words, about a hundred of the divine beasts, Gwen, were split in half. It is so swift that it seems like a flash of light. ¡°We are saved!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thanks, uncle with the sword!¡± ¡°You¡¯re very strong, uncle with the sword.¡± Shin removed his mask and stepped forward. ¡°Do you know what you have done?¡± As if to rebuke Gwen, the divine beast, Shin releases his words. Taking a step forward, he saw the body of Gwen, the divine beast, lying on the ground. ¡°My master sought after peace,¡± he said..¡± His voice is icy, brimming with murderous intent. ¡°To allow an animal like you to tarnish that great ambition is tantamount to spitting in the face of the heavens.¡± In an instant, Shin disposed of all the divine beasts that had been chomping on the thunder wolves and the silver beasts that had been latching on to the fallen eight-necked water dragon, Liniyon. ¡°The divine beast deserved to die.¡± Shin walks slowly through the Spirit Forest. With each step he takes, 100 corpses of the divine beast Gwen tumble to the ground. In succession, Shin rescued the fleeing spirits. Even so, there are many divine beasts. Slaying them all would require considerable time. ¡°¡­Anos¡­¡± Misha mutters. ¡±I¡¯m watching.¡± Misha turned her magic eyes toward a few divine beasts, Gwen. They are flexing their ferocious muscles and eyeing us as if they were about to charge at us at any moment. ¡°¡­Why all of a sudden? Even though they were targeting the spirits just a moment ago¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm. As expected of the hounds of God, they have a sharp nose. Watch out for them. They seem to have recognized us as the enemy.¡± The moment I spoke, the divine beasts leaped at us. ¡°¡­W-What should we do¡­?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem if we kill one or two of them. In any case, they are just small fry to be discarded by Shin. But don¡¯t use any flamboyant magic. Destroy them quietly.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to defeat them¡­ without using flashy magic¡­ in the first place?¡± With my hand cast with thrust into Gwen, the divine beast that had lunged at me, I deliver a kick to him. Without even leaving a corpse, I crushed him and extinguished him. ¡°Do it like this.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s impossible for me¡­¡± I grasped Sasha¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­What¡­? U-Um¡­?¡± Sasha glanced at me with her magic eyes, her cheeks reddening. ¡°Let me show you how it¡¯s done. Even 2,000 years ago, I was the only one who could perform , but I think it would work well with you. With your current magical power, you should be able to control the technique.¡± Aligning my wavelength with Sasha¡¯s magical power, I construct the magic technique of as if I were teaching her. ¡°Breathe along with me. Peek deeper and deeper into the abyss.¡± As if tracing the magic circle I drew, Sasha draws the same magic circle with her own magic power. ¡°Hmm. For a first time, you did well. Give it a try.¡± Before her eyes, Sasha softly dips her fingertip into the magic circle that floats in front of her. Although it does not encompass her entire hand, her index finger is stained black. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± Gwen, the divine beast that pounced on her, is sent hurtling in Sasha¡¯s direction. ¡°¡­Ei¡­!¡± Notwithstanding her cute voice, the fingertip of the has made a brilliant penetration into the source of the divine beast Gwen, ending his life. ¡°¡­Ah¡­ I¡¯ve managed to do it¡­!¡± With her cheeks revealing a smile, Sasha gouges out the body of the divine beast with and annihilates him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She gazed gleefully at her black fingertip. ¡°A matching pair?¡± Misha popped up and stared into Sasha¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh, we have the same magic, so it¡¯s only natural¡­¡± As if to elude Misha¡¯s eyes, she abruptly turned away. ¡°¡­The sword isn¡¯t¡­ there¡­¡± Zeshia says. ¡°Speaking of which, I can¡¯t even get out my Spirit God Human Sword and my Unique Sword.¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot to mention that you can¡¯t bring any kind of magical equipment into the past. Well, even if we can¡¯t defeat them, Shin will take care of it if we run away.¡± Sasha glares at the divine beast with her . The divine beast was frightened slightly, but the messenger of God will not be exterminated by that degree of fear. Lay and the others spread out and run away from the divine beast. ¡°Hmm, this is the last of them.¡± I sneakily wiped out all of the several divine beasts that had assailed me. As I swept my eyes over the area, I noticed that they no longer seemed to be in the vicinity. ¡°¡­Huh, where¡¯s Lay-kun?¡± Eleonore remarked. Misha, Sasha, Zeshia, and Lina are nearby. ¡°He¡¯s unarmed. He must be struggling to deal with the divine beast.¡± Well, Lay would have no problem. If he wanted to, he could probably finish them off with his bare hands. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A piercing voice shot out. ¡°This is the Great Spirit Forest. You cannot deceive my eyes.¡± Hmm. I must have caused a bit too much commotion. But Reno must not have had a clear grasp of the situation either. After a few moments of holding my breath, her expression became grim. She is probably fooling me into revealing myself to her. But even if we kept laying low and keeping an eye on those two, how could we be there for them at the critical moment? If they suspect that we are pawns of the gods, they will be on the lookout for us. In that case¨D¨D [Hmm. I have a good idea.] I¡¯m going to send everyone messages with . [What¡¯s your good idea?] Sasha asked. [If we stay out of sight, we¡¯ll look suspicious. It is extremely difficult to get close to Shin and Reno and not be noticed. On the other hand, it is easier to approach them if someone shows up and speaks to them openly.] [S-Speak to them¡­ How are you even going to do that¡­? If you go there, you will be completely exposed as the Demon King of Tyranny.] [The root of the problem can be hidden by Lay¡¯s magic. As long as I change my appearance, there will be no problem. As a mere passing demon, the past will not change so much when we meet.] Once more, Reno¡¯s words are heard. ¡°¡­I will give you three seconds to show up and tell me your name and your purpose. If you don¡¯t, I will regard you as hostile¡­¡± ¡°I have no hostile intent. Let¡¯s go now.¡± I deactivated everyone¡¯s and stepped in front of Reno. ¡°What¡­?¡± Reno looks astonished and directs her gaze downwards. My current height is much shorter than hers. By using the magic of , I shrunk my body to that of a six-year-old child. ¡°My name is Anosh. Anosh Porticollo. I came here because I am interested in spirits.¡± Chapter 153 Chapter 153 : Traveling entertainers in the Spirit Forest T/N : Hi, I¡¯m Valiant, and I¡¯ll be taking over the translation of The Misfit of Demon King Academy. My other TLs are : The Best Assassin, Incarnated into a Different World¡¯s Aristocrat A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive I¡¯ll see if I can keep up the pace for this one. Enjoy! Reno turned her amber eyes in my direction. The reason she was making such a curious expression was probably because I looked like a small child. Even if it was possible for one to rejuvenate themself with the spell, anyone would be hard pressed to find a demon who would want to turn back into their physically underdeveloped six-year-old self. In the mythical era full of perpetual conflicts, doing this could cost you your life, after all. ¡°¡­Anosh, you¡¯re a demon, right?¡± (Reno) ¡°I am.¡± (Anos) Reno stared at me with her eyes full of vigilance. ¡°Are you a subordinate of the Demon King Anos?¡± (Reno) ¡°No, I don¡¯t belong to any side. I¡¯m something of a traveler. We¡¯re a troupe of traveling entertainers.¡± (Anos) ¡°Traveling entertainers¡­?¡± Reno muttered before turning her attention to Misha and the others. Zeshia was waving her small hand at her. Reno replied to her with a smile, and turned to me again. ¡°Is this true?¡± (Reno) ¡°It is. Show her, Sasha.¡± (Anos) ¡°Show her what!?¡± Sasha shouted in surprise. Reno looked even more doubtful. ¡°Fair enough, you do know such a great number of tricks. I can¡¯t blame you for asking me which one to showcase.¡± (Anos) While fooling Reno with this follow-up, I gave Sasha the time to think of something. In this day and age, there was one special performance only Sasha could pull off. ¡°I was thinking of that one. You know, the one that made your audience burst into laughter in Dilhade last month.¡± (Anos) Knowing her, she would realize that I wasn¡¯t asking her for anything unreasonable, and what was my intent behind it. ¡°A-Ahh, that. G-Got it.¡± (Sasha) Hmm. Sasha looked like she clearly had no idea what I meant. ¡°Brace yourselves for it!¡± Sasha exclaimed in desperation, raising her hands high in the sky. She was buying time. Next, she slowly brought her hands down to announce the beginning of her performance. Then, she turned to look at Reno, as if she had suddenly figured out what to do. ¡°Look at me, I¡¯ve got the Magic Eyes of the Demon King of Tyranny!¡± (Sasha) ¡°¡­Pfft!¡± (Reno) Upon seeing Sasha¡¯s Magic Eyes of Destruction, Reno unintentionally chuckled a bit. Originally, the weren¡¯t the kind of magic eyes the demon race possessed. Since it was something that could only be mastered thanks to my unique constitution, it couldn¡¯t be achieved, or even imitated, in the Mythical Age where I had no biological descendant. That being said, the Sasha just showed were so imperfect they looked nothing like the real deal. It was a superb imitation, not overdone, yet similar enough to be difficult for others to pull off. ¡°S-Success¡­¡± (Sasha) Sasha secretly clenched her fist. ¡°Gosh! What was that? They look just like the eyes of the Demon King Anos. It¡¯s feeble, but yours actually do have the power to bring about the destruction of everything around you. Your imitation was needlessly over-accurate. Wasn¡¯t it too inappropriate and offensive to do it in Dilhade?¡± (Reno) ¡°Not at all, the Demon King Anos is surprisingly fond of jokes. He appreciates comedy.¡± (Anos) ¡°Ah¡­ Now that you mention it, I feel like I did hear a rumor about it, but I thought it was nothing more than hearsay.¡± Reno said as she shifted her gaze to me. ¡°I¡¯ve had this impression for the past while, but don¡¯t you look kind of similar to the Demon King Anos¡­?¡± (Reno) ¡°Glad you noticed.¡± (Anos) I crossed my arms in a majestic fashion and adopted a standing posture most typical of the Demon King. ¡°I am none other than the Demon King of Tyranny in his juvenile form, Anosh Porticollo!¡± (Anos) ¡°Pfffft¡­!¡± (Reno) ¡°Did you think that just because I¡¯m a child, I can¡¯t be the Demon King?¡± (Anos) ¡°AHAHA¡­! You sound¡­! Exactly¡­! Like him¡­! If the Demon King Anos actually turned into a child, he would definitely say that¡­!¡± (Reno) Reno covered her own mouth as she laughed. ¡°Huff¡­ Okay¡­ That¡¯s enough¡­ laughing¡­ You look so much like him, and I¡¯m sure this is what the Demon King must¡¯ve sounded like in his childhood¡­¡± (Reno) Hmm. That went pretty smoothly. If I had tried to hide it instead, she would¡¯ve gotten suspicious. Therefore, by telling her the truth myself, I made her believe that it couldn¡¯t be true. ¡°But how did you all enter this place? No ordinary demon should¡¯ve been able to cross the wall at the entrance.¡± (Reno) ¡°The thing is, it takes a certain degree of strength to live in these times as traveling entertainers. We had this girl break through the wall for us.¡± (Anos) I shot a glance at Misha. ¡°¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± (Misha) She thought, then she said the following. ¡°¡­A traveling performer stronger than the Four Evil Kings¡­¡± (Misha) Reno tilted her head in confusion. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­ Come to think of it, the Demon King did say that a demon¡¯s strength is only matched by their desire to live as they want¡­ Maybe I should ask Shin about it¡­¡± (Reno) Living as traveling entertainers in this era wasn¡¯t something that could be achieved with half-baked strength. That¡¯s the answer Shin would give her. ¡°Still, your troupe is quite the unusual mishmash. You have demons, humans, and spirits in it. I wonder if that¡¯s part of being a band of traveling entertainers.¡± (Reno) Perhaps she had dropped her guard, but her speech was becoming more casual. ¡°Comedy knows no borders. Racial differences are but a trivial matter.¡± (Anos) Upon hearing that, Reno smiled gently. ¡°I see¡­ That sounds kinda nice. It would be great if this was the norm in this world¡­¡± (Reno) Reno let her own feelings show before asking me a question. ¡°You said that you were interested in spirits, right?¡± (Reno) ¡°Yeah. Lena.¡± (Anos) I called her name, and she walked up next to me. ¡°She¡¯s part of our troupe, but we¡¯re looking for her memories. Apparently, she¡¯s suffering from an unusual case of amnesia. And we heard that the Great Spirit Reno was the mother of all spirits. Do you know anything?¡± (Anos) Reno stared at Lena. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before. You¡¯ve lost your memories?¡± (Reno) Lena nodded. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know why.¡± (Lena) Reno tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t know either?¡± (Anos) ¡°Even if I¡¯m the mother of all spirits, that doesn¡¯t mean I understand everything about all of them. There are things I don¡¯t know.¡± (Reno) Hmm. Well, I guess that happens. ¡°Lena apparently remembers something about Aharthern. If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯d like to stay here for some time.¡± (Anos) ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but come here for a minute, Anosh.¡± (Reno) Reno pulled me by the hand, and we moved a little further away. ¡°What is it?¡± (Anos) ¡°That girl, Lena, is the Love Fairy Fran.¡± (Reno) I remembered seeing her in the green book. But the pages were torn out, so I couldn¡¯t find out the details about her. ¡°The spirit that emerges from unrequited love and brings people together?¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right. You know about her despite being a demon¡­?¡± Reno asked in a curious tone. The demons of this era hardly ever associated themselves with spirits, after all. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nothing. I simply studied under a spirit at one point.¡± (Anos) Two thousand years later, that is. ¡°But why did you pretend not to know about her earlier?¡± (Anos) ¡°The Love Fairy Fran is a spirit that wanders around, looking for her memories. If she ever realizes that she¡¯s the Love Fairy, she¡¯ll disappear, so she must never know.¡± (Reno) So that¡¯s why she lied. ¡°You have to remind her what love is first.¡± (Reno) Remind her what love is, huh. However, I had no idea how. ¡°Can you tell me more about Fran?¡± (Anos) As soon as I asked that, the ground trembled violently. With a tremor, a Divine Beast Gwen, so gigantic it was the size of a small castle, showed itself. ¡°¡­Where was that thing even hiding¡­?¡± (Reno) ¡°Heh, it doesn¡¯t matter how big it is. Shin would¡¯ve cut it down in a heartbeat.¡± (Anos) At that moment, Gwen opened its jaw wide, then bit into something that was on the ground, and held it in it. The was dispelled, revealing whom it bit into. It was Lay. He was bracing his arms and legs to prevent it from closing its jaw on him, and hanging on to it to avoid being swallowed. If he had a sword, he would surely manage to get away in a second, but at the moment, he was unarmed. ¡°Is he part of your troupe too?¡± (Reno) ¡°Yeah. Well, there¡¯s no need to worry about him, though¡­¡± (Anos) I had no doubt that Lay would survive even being devoured whole, but there was a chance it would reveal the existence of his seven sources. Well, in Shin¡¯s case, he would just cut the beast down and leave it at that. When I glanced at him, he was holding his God-Slaying Sword Guneodros at the ready. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Shin! That man who¡¯s about to be devoured is a demon. That makes him one of yours, no?¡± (Reno) Reno jumped at Shin¡¯s arms as he was about to slice the beast without question, regardless of Lay¡¯s predicament. ¡°¡­Your safety is my top priority, My Lady. If a stranger is caught up in the struggle and dies, then that was as far as his strength could take him. Him being there was a stroke of bad luck, and I believe the weak dying is part of the natural order.¡± (Shin) ¡°I don¡¯t like that kind of order. Do something about it!¡± (Reno) Shin cocked his eyebrows a bit. He was probably feeling troubled. His swordsmanship wasn¡¯t suited to save anyone. ¡°Shin. You should summon one of your unique swords.¡± (Anos) At my words, Shin turned his head my way for a moment. After ignoring me and turning his gaze back to the Divine Beast Gwen, he did a double take, as if he had just realized something. He was now staring at me, still and silent. ¡°¡­Could it be that¡­you are-?¡± (Shin) ¡°My name is Anosh Porticollo. I¡¯m just a traveling entertainer.¡± (Anos) Shin stayed silent. It wasn¡¯t too hard to stop him from realizing who I really was. For a moment, Shin may have thought that Anosh and the Demon King Anos were one and the same. But now that I had introduced myself as Anosh Porticollo, the man wouldn¡¯t pursue that matter any further. If he believed me to be the Demon King Anos, then he would interpret this as an order not to expose me. And if he didn¡¯t believe it, then he wouldn¡¯t need to pay attention to me in the first place. Either way, he would treat me as Anosh Porticollo. No matter how likely I was to be the Demon King Anos, he would stubbornly stick to it. ¡°He¡¯s my guest. But more importantly, we have to do something about his friend!¡± (Reno) After telling that to Shin, Reno looked back at me. ¡°Anosh. You said that if you had a unique sword, you could work something out?¡± (Reno) ¡°Yeah. Knowing Lay, as long as he has a sword, even the fangs of a divine beast will be nothing to him.¡± (Anos) After that, Reno held out her hand to Shin. ¡°Bring out one of your swords. What was it called, Sieg-something¡­?¡± (Reno) ¡°Siegsesta, My Lady.¡± (Shin) As he said that, Shin drew a magic circle, and summoned Siegsesta. ¡°Although, I have never met anyone capable of handling it other than My Lord and myself¡­¡± (Shin) ¡°Then that man will be the third.¡± (Anos) I took Siegsesta and threw it as hard as I could at Lay. ¡°The sword is coming your way, Lay! Now hurry up and get out of there!¡± (Anos) ¡°Thanks!¡± (Lay) Lay reached his hand out to Siegsesta flying his way. However, as if to avoid the incoming demon sword, the Divine Beast shook the ground and jumped back from his spot. The demon sword kept flying in an undesired direction. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Reno cried out. ¡°¡­No. It appears his claim about him being able to use that sword was the truth.¡± Shin muttered beside her. ¡°¡­Come to me, Siegsesta¡­!¡± (Lay) After Lay called out to it, Siegsesta¡¯s trajectory bent. The demon sword drew a large arc, and landed into his hand as if it was drawn to it. In an instant, a flash of light sparkled. ¡°Phew¡­!¡± (Lay) Four fangs were sliced off, and the Divine Beast Gwen groaned. At that same moment, Lay flew out of its jaw. ¡°How surprising.¡± (Shin) Shin smiled faintly. Just as Lay¡¯s hand seemed to blur due to motion, the next moment, the Divine Beast in front of him was cleanly sliced in half. Its giant body fell, and the ground trembled loudly. ¡°Dilhade truly is a wide place. Never would I have thought there would be a demon among civilians who could master Siegsesta.¡± (Shin) Before I knew it, Shin was standing right in front of Lay. ¡°Why did you not participate in the Great War despite possessing such skills? You might even have been able to slay the Four Evil Kings.¡± (Shin) I suppose it was typical of Shin to discern Lay¡¯s true potential just by witnessing a single of his sword strikes. ¡°I love swords, but I hate war.¡± (Lay) ¡°What an interesting thing to say.¡± (Shin) ¡°Shin, these people are a troupe of traveling entertainers.¡± (Reno) Reno called out to Shin from behind. Lay held out Siegsesta to return it to him. But instead of taking it back, Shin said the following. ¡°My name is Shin Reglia. May I ask your name?¡± (Shin) After hesitating for a moment, Lay replied. ¡°Lay.¡± (Lay) ¡°From the looks of it, you do not seem to carry any demon sword, do you?¡± (Shin) Lay smiled spontaneously. ¡°Sadly, I left mine in a far away place.¡± (Lay) At that moment, Shin suddenly turned on his heel. ¡°I shall lend you this demon sword during your stay here. In return, I request that you leave a scratch on me.¡± (Shin) For a moment, Lay was confused. Hmm. Shin seemed to be quite excited to find a demon whose swordsmanship could actually be a match to his. Thinking back on it, he did seem to be having a lot of fun when he crossed swords with Kanon. If the latter had been a demon as well, I think we would¡¯ve had a different future. ¡°Does this mean you want me to return the favor by fighting you in a duel?¡± (Lay) Shin didn¡¯t reply. Surely as a way of saying that he didn¡¯t even have to. ¡°I don¡¯t think a mere demon like me could stand a chance against the Demon King¡¯s right hand man, though.¡± (Lay) ¡°With your brute force swordsmanship, that may be true for now.¡± (Shin) Shin stored the God-Slaying Sword Guneodros back into its magic circle. ¡°Come at me whenever you wish.¡± (Shin) After saying that, he returned to Reno¡¯s side. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 : The Great War¡¯s Tree ¡°Come, Senetero.¡± (Reno) Reno muttered, and a myriad of flickering green lights rose up. Those fireflies, also known as spirit doctors, faintly illuminated the forest at night. Reno thrusted her hand forward and drew a magic circle. ¡°¡± (Reno) The Healing Fireflies Senetero emitted a stronger light. They flew throughout the forest, healing the wounded spirits. As they sprinkled their scale-like sparkles on the withered trees, grass and flowers, all the greenery quickly regained its original color. ¡°May all of you who are wounded come to me, I will heal you.¡± (Reno) Magic power emanated from the six wings that emerged on her back. Then, Reno¡¯s body levitated a bit. She proceeded to float around the forest. The spirits who came out were healed by the that she emitted. While doing so, she asked a question to Shin, who was walking beside her. ¡°How did those divine beasts break into this place despite the wall Anos built?¡± (Reno) ¡°I don¡¯t believe they broke in. That wall is a strong curse against the gods.¡± Shin said. Although the could be broken through with the appropriate amount of strength, it was an especially stronger defense against gods. If I had made it using humans and demons as a standard for its toughness, then most gods, even the low-ranked ones, would¡¯ve been able to cross it. In order to prevent any interference from the powerful gods, I combined the magic powers of the Hero, the Demon King, the Goddess of Creation, and the Great Spirit, to place a curse on the barrier that would corrode their divinity. Thanks to this, it was nearly impossible for divine beasts and divine keepers to break through it. Even the Heavenly Father Nosgalia had to be prepared to pay a reasonable price to cross it. ¡°Even if heaven and earth were to be turned upside down, the wall built by My Lord himself could have never let this many divine beasts come through.¡± (Shin) Shin was analyzing the situation as calmly as he could. The Divine Beasts Gwen could¡¯ve never crossed the that I had erected. From his perspective as someone who knew how powerful the Demon King Anos was, this was the obvious conclusion. ¡°But they did show up here anyway, right? Maybe they possessed mysterious powers like the Titi¡¯s that allowed them to cross the wall in spite of their low magic power¡­?¡± (Reno) ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t be. Even supposing they possessed such a power, no mere divine beasts would be of any use in the face of the divinity-eroding .¡± Shin said in a stern tone while keeping an eye on their surroundings. ¡°We should assume that they snuck in before the wall was built. It is natural to consider the possibility that after we left for Dilhade, they infiltrated Aharthern and have been lurking around since then.¡± (Shin) ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me that god who called himself Nosgalia is here?¡± (Reno) After thinking for a moment, Shin spoke up. ¡°Divine beasts are messengers of the gods. They rarely ever act without their lord¡¯s command. I cannot tell for certain if he¡¯s the one responsible for this, but a god may very well still be lurking about in this forest. We mustn¡¯t let our guard down.¡± (Shin) When he said that, Reno hung her head down with a gloomy expression on her face. ¡°Rest assured. My Lord gave me the order to escort the Great Spirit Reno back to Aharthern safe and sound. I will remain by your side until I¡¯ve slain that god.¡± (Shin) Reno shot a curious glance at Shin. He was still sporting a cold look on his face. ¡°But we¡¯ve already arrived in Aharthern.¡± (Reno) ¡°My Lord would surely say that Aharthern is supposed to be a paradise for spirits. And for the moment, I have yet to bring you there.¡± (Shin) When she heard that, Reno broke into a happy smile. ¡°You¡¯re stubborn, but you also have a caring side, huh.¡± (Reno) ¡°If you believe so, please consider this the benevolence of My Lord. I am but the sword of the Demon King, as well as his right hand man.¡± (Shin) After being at a loss for words, Reno said the following. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the Demon King of Tyranny could be so kind.¡± (Reno) Shin nodded with a hint of pride. Reno looked in front of her again, and carried on through the forest. ¡°Shin, what were you planning to do once this mission was over?¡± (Reno) ¡°For me, there is no point in living in an era where I have no one to serve. I will therefore follow My Lord and reincarnate in 2,000 years.¡± (Shin) ¡°I see. I guess there¡¯s also a bright side to the intrusion of a god in this forest.] (Reno) After a pause, Shin asked. ¡°How so?¡± (Shin) ¡°Because it allows me to spend more time with you, Shin.¡± (Reno) With a straight face, Shin stared at Reno¡¯s smile. ¡°I am merely fulfilling My Lord¡¯s command.¡± (Shin) ¡°I know. Still, thank you for escorting me here and protecting me to this day.¡± (Reno) ¡°If you wish to thank someone, please thank my esteemed Demon King, who died with honor.¡± (Shin) Reno giggled. ¡°I already did. And he said that I should thank you directly instead. Normally, you wouldn¡¯t act as a bodyguard for anyone other than Anos, right? In reality, you would be reluctant to listen to and be pushed around by a spirit like me, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± (Reno) ¡°Not at all. If such is My Lord¡¯s will, then I shall abide by it.¡± (Shin) ¡°Liar. It¡¯s written all over your face.¡± (Reno) Shin still had the same cold expression on his face as usual. Being able to see through the subtleties of his emotions was something she could only achieve by being with him for a long time. ¡°Reno¡­!¡± (Titi) A high-pitched voice rang out. It was the Titi, who emerged from beyond the trees and flew around Reno. ¡°It¡¯s granny¡­!¡± (Titi A) ¡°Granny is gonna die¡­!¡± (Titi B) ¡°It¡¯s terrible¡­!¡± (Titi C) ¡°She¡¯s falling apart¡­!¡± (Titi D) In contrast to the panicking fairies, Reno nodded with a grave expression that seemed to tell that she was prepared for this. It didn¡¯t seem that the spirit in question had been done in by the Divine Beast Gwen. ¡°Let¡¯s see her off together.¡± (Reno) Reno kept walking deeper into the forest. Soon, on the other end of the path between the trees, a clearing came into view. There stood a large old tree. The countless branches growing from its thick trunk had plenty of green foliage on them. And gathered there were the Hidden Wolf Genull, the Spirit of Wind and Thunder Gigadeas, and the Great Spirit of Water Lignon. Reno put her feet on the ground and gently touched the great tree. ¡°¡­Granny¡­¡± (Reno) When she said that, something like a face appeared on the tree. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re back, Reno.¡± (Granny) A hoarse voice echoed around the area. Reno acquiesced with a sad look on her face. ¡°I see you have quite the adorable guest with you today. What¡¯s your name?¡± (Granny) ¡°Anosh Porticollo.¡± (Anos) ¡°A nice name you have, Anosh. I am Migelonov. The Great War¡¯s Tree Migelonov. I¡¯m the spirit that gives humans the wisdom to survive the Great War.¡± (Granny/Migelonov) Migelonov turned her Magic Eyes my way. ¡°Come here, Anosh. Please tell me the names of your companions as well. Then put your hands on me.¡± (Migelonov) I walked up to the Great Tree Migelonov and touched her with my fingertips. Lay, Misha and the others named themselves and touched the tree like I did. Migelonov¡¯s magic power wrapped their bodies. The Great Tree spoke to Misha and Sasha first. ¡°Misha, Sasha. You two only hold half of your true power in your bodies. Fuse back into one being. If you do, you will awaken to your true magic power.¡± (Migelonov) Then, she addressed Eleonor. ¡°Eleonor. You should learn some new magic. You might be better at supporting others than fighting yourself. Think carefully about what you¡¯re better suited for.¡± (Migelonov) Next, she directed her Magic Eyes at Zeshia. ¡°Zeshia, you possess wonderful qualities. You have the makings of a Hero. And I see you also specialize in mirror magic.¡± (Migelonov) Migelonov also spoke to Lay. ¡°Lay, your role model is Shin-Boy over there. His sword will be your guide, then one day, I¡¯m sure you will reach new heights.¡± (Migelonov) Then, she spoke to Lena. ¡°Lena, you¡¯re not cut out for fighting. Look for what you should do. And follow your heart.¡± (Migelonov) Finally, Migelonov concentrated her magic power on me. But unlike the others, she didn¡¯t speak immediately. She only did after a pause. ¡°Ahh¡­ I have nothing. Anosh, I have no wisdom to impart to you. Sometimes there are people for whom even I can¡¯t see any advice to give. But I can tell that you possess a wonderful amount of power. It¡¯s impressive. Or perhaps it means that you don¡¯t need my wisdom.¡± Migelonov said with a hint of sadness. ¡°I heard you were falling apart.¡± (Anosh) ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s right. I am. And I doubt I will ever come back to life again.¡± (Migelonov) ¡°Does this mean that the rumor and legend about you have stopped?¡± (Anos) Her gentle laugh echoed throughout the forest. ¡°It looks outside of matters related to fighting, there are still things I can teach you.¡± Migelonov said happily. ¡°When rumors and legends cease, the spirits related to them die out. But there is another case where it can happen. And that¡¯s when they disobey their own rumor and legend.¡± (Migelonov) Spirits were creatures that were born from and abided by rumors and legends. Just as the Hidden Wolf Gennul was the Spirit of Vanishment and Enyunien was the Great Tree of Education, they acted in accordance with their rumors and legends. ¡°The Great War¡¯s Tree Migelonov is the spirit that gives humans the wisdom they need to survive the Great War. And defeat the demons. However, I cooperated with the demons and the Demon King of Tyranny instead. I used all my wisdom so they could survive, and live in harmony with the humans.¡± (Migelonov) So Migelonov, who was born to help defeat the demons, has gone against her own legend to save them? ¡°Anosh, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t make such a face. You¡¯re a demon, but this is not your fault at all. Besides, I¡¯ve lived long enough. And I¡¯m done with it. I won¡¯t give any more wisdom to kill anyone.¡± (Migelonov) Her leaves were scattering, swaying, and falling. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to the Demon King. For giving someone like me the chance to use my wisdom for peace¡­ I couldn¡¯t be any happier in my last moments¡­¡± (Migelonov) ¡°¡­Granny¡­¡± (Reno) Reno clung to Migelonov¡¯s trunk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was so selfish¡­¡± (Reno) ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Reno. Besides, the Great War¡¯s Tree was bound to be forgotten after the end of the war. Sooner or later, I was destined to disappear.¡± (Migelonov) One of Migelonov¡¯s branches gently touched Reno¡¯s head, as if stroking it. ¡°One day, the time for you to make a choice will come as well. This is the fate of spirits. As such, will you protect your own rumor and legend, or will you go against them to protect what¡¯s important to you?¡± (Migelonov) ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. ¡­What should I do?¡± (Reno) ¡°When you feel lost, Reno, following your heart is the right thing to do. Spirits are born from rumors and legends, and spend half of their lives being manipulated by them. They don¡¯t even realize it¡¯s happening to them. But their heart will always be theirs alone. You¡¯re a smart girl. I know you¡¯ll figure out your answer soon enough.¡± (Migelonov) Migelonov¡¯s body began to glow faintly. She gradually turned transparent, as if fading into thin air. ¡°Protect what you want to protect, Reno. I have no regrets. Because I know¡­ that peace¡­ will come soon¡­¡± (Migelonov) A strong light illuminated this place. As that light slowly faded, the tree that was standing in front of me was gone without a trace. The spirit known as the Great War¡¯s Tree had indeed passed away. Reno was standing still in a daze, and staring at the spot where Migelonov had been. After staying like that for who knows how long, Shin eventually walked up to her. ¡°How troubling.¡± (Shin) Upon hearing him, Reno turned to him. ¡°I was trying to think of a way to stop you from crying, but I could not find the right words.¡± (Shin) Reno, who looked like she was about to cry, smiled in response. ¡°Say, Shin. Did the Demon King tell you to console me?¡± (Reno) Shin was at a loss for a reply to her question. Reno gave him a happy smile. ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate it.¡± (Reno) Reno stared at Shin. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t cry when I feel sad. Because my tears turn into spirits.¡± (Reno) As she smiled happily, a teardrop dripped down from her eye. It was quickly absorbed into the ground. A sparkling light shone in that spot, and a tiny bud grew from the earth. ¡°I feel sorry for the spirits born that way. If children are going to be born, then I might as well cry tears of joy, right?¡± (Reno) The bud that sprouted from the earth grew rapidly and eventually became a trunk. The tree grew branches and countless leaves. Even after growing into a bigger tree than Migelonov, it didn¡¯t stop growing, and it kept extending far and wide with enough vigor to pierce the clouds. ¡°I¡¯ve found a wonderful rumor for it. A school building in a peaceful era, where all kinds of people can study all kinds of things. The teacher would be a slightly stubborn grandpa with no artistic sense, and he would teach them lots of things.¡± (Reno) In front of us stood a large tree we were familiar with. ¡°Let me introduce you, everyone. This is our new friend, the Great Tree of Education Enyunien.¡± (Reno) Chapter 155 Chapter 155 : The Tear Flowers After the Great Tree of Enyunien was born, Reno gave us a tour inside his body. It was already equipped with what it would have in the Magical Age, including the classroom, the Staircases of Guniel, and the cloud corridors. The small castle at the top of this great tree seemed to serve as Reno¡¯s residence. This was where we would find the Spirit King 2,000 years later, so this castle was probably the residence of whoever governed Aharthern. After we returned to the classroom lined up with stumps, she spoke to us. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ve seen most of it for now. It¡¯s spacious here, so there are still many other rooms, but you can try asking Eniyunien about them. Just so you know, he keeps his magic eyes active to make sure there¡¯s no violence inside the great tree, so even if a divine beast attacks, you¡¯ll have nothing to worry about.¡± (Reno) So the Great Tree of Enyunien is a spirit born in preparation for an attack from the gods? ¡°The Great Spirit Reno can give birth to any spirit at will, huh.¡± (Anos) When I said that, Reno squatted down so she could make eye contact with me. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can do it at will. Sure, as you saw earlier, my tears can turn rumors and legends into spirits. But it¡¯s only the spirits that I wish to give birth to from the bottom of my heart that will be born. Sometimes, spirits are born different from how I imagined them, and at other times, I give birth to them unconsciously.¡± (Reno) ¡°Hmm? But if spirits can be born when you deeply wish for them, can¡¯t you give birth to them at will?¡± Eleanor asked curiously. ¡°Ahh, well yes. That¡¯s half-right, and half-wrong. Because my wishes are made up of the rumors and legends spread by everyone. And as the Great Mother of all spirits, I give birth to spirits that suit those rumors.¡± (Reno) So even her own desires are influenced by rumors and legends, huh. Living as a spirit is pretty inconvenient, I see. ¡°Besides, spirits are more often born spontaneously than from my tears. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s how Lena was born as well.¡± (Reno) She made a good point. If all spirits could only be born from the tears of the Great Spirit Reno, then we would have to wonder how Reno herself was born. It¡¯s not like she was the oldest spirit alive, either. Perhaps it was reasonable to assume that the Love Fairy Fran was born naturally after Reno¡¯s death. I would ask her for more details, but Lena was nearby right now. Reno said she would disappear if she realized she was the love fairy. So I had no choice but to wait for another opportunity. ¡°Anosh, will you and your friends be staying in Aharthern for a while?¡± (Reno) ¡°We¡¯d like to be under your care, if possible.¡± (Anosh) ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine. I discussed it with Shin earlier, but you don¡¯t seem like particularly suspicious demons. And traveling entertainers don¡¯t come here very often, so everybody will be overjoyed. Feel free to use whatever you want here.¡± (Reno) ¡°We¡¯re in your debt.¡± (Anos) After saying that, Reno walked away. ¡°Shin, come with me.¡± (Reno) Shin followed Reno without saying a word. ¡°Now then.¡± (Anos) I stood up from my stump. ¡°Lay, Misha. Keep an eye on the two of them.¡± (Anos) ¡°Nh.¡± Misha acquiesced. ¡°What about you?¡± (Lay) ¡°I¡¯m just going to check on a few things. The rest of you can do as you please for the time being.¡± (Anos) I opened the classroom door and walked out. Then, I heard footsteps coming from behind me. It was Zeshia. ¡°You want to come along?¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­As your¡­bodyguard¡­¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia stood right next to me, as if to protect me. Why? Did Shin have an impact on her? ¡°It looks like now that you¡¯re so small, Anosh, she thinks of herself as your older sister.¡± Eleonore declared while walking up to us. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve become shorter, but not so much that I need Zeshia to protect me.¡± (Anos) ¡°Zeshia¡­ will be¡­ your big sister¡­!¡± (Zeshia) I had a feeling Zeshia¡¯s expression was shining brighter than ever. ¡°*Giggle* Looks like she¡¯s in high spirits because she¡¯s not the shortest of us for once.¡± (Eleonor) ¡°¡­Anosh¡­ Zeshia will look after you¡­ Be at ease¡­¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia patted my head. Good grief. Can¡¯t help it, then. She was asserting her emotions more than ever. I couldn¡¯t disregard that. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± (Anos) ¡°Leave it¡­ to me!¡± (Zeshia) Eleonor, Zeshia and I proceeded through the Great Tree of Enyunien. We followed the same directions Lena gave us two thousand years later, and passed the same places several times. As we turned right at the three-way junction, we found a statue in the passageway. It was the humanoid frog in armor. In our time period, it would¡¯ve been holding a shield sliced in half, but right now, it wasn¡¯t holding anything in its hands. Without paying any attention to it, we went ahead and opened a certain door. It led to a small room. There was nothing in there. I turned around and immediately reopened the door. What we found behind it was a vast forest. It was the ¡°Forest of Books,¡± where the Book Fairies Leelan resided. I briefly glanced at the green books that were growing in the trees. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯d say there¡¯s about a hundred of them.¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­Need to find¡­something?¡± (Zeshia) ¡°I thought it¡¯d be here, but apparently not.¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­It¡¯s¡­not here¡­?¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia casted her eyes down, looking dejected. ¡°Well, we can still look around, just in case. Can you find me the green book that has the Love Fairy Fran in it?¡± (Anos) Zeshia nodded happily. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do¡­ my best¡­!¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia dashed through the forest and started collecting the green books. ¡°If there are only about a hundred books, does this mean that the Leelan aren¡¯t born yet?¡± Eleonor asked curiously. ¡°In all likelihood. I thought I could find the book still intact in this era.¡± (Anos) After I said that, a hoarse voice echoed throughout the Forest of Books. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m not quite ready for your education yet. In due time, the Book Fairies Leelan and everything else should be ready. Then class may begin.¡± (Enyunien) It was Enyunien¡¯s voice. If everything was going to be ready later, then maybe we should investigate the Love Fairy Fran only then. ¡°Zeshia, how¡¯s the search coming along?¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t¡­ found it yet¡­¡± (Zeshia) Zeshia had a dozen or so books piled up on the top of her head, and was playing tag with the Book Fairies Leelan. She did so with impeccable balance, without actually dropping any book. ¡°I¡¯ve got business to attend to in a different place. What would you like to do?¡± (Anos) Zeshia looked at me and the Leelan alternatively, as if she couldn¡¯t decide. I had a feeling she still wanted to collect the books. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m putting you in charge of collecting the Leelan. This is a top secret mission. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­Very well¡­Sir¡­¡± (Zeshia) She knelt in a lovely manner, as if imitating someone. Looks like she was all up for it. And so, I let Zeshia take care of everything here. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look around here as well, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Eleonor said while raising her index finger. ¡°Let me know if anything happens.¡± (Anos) ¡°¡®Kay.¡± (Eleonor) I left the Forest of Books, and contacted Misha via . ¡°Are you guys with Shin and Reno?¡± (Anos) ¡ºYes. We¡¯ve crossed over the invisible stairs at the end of the Staircase of Guniel, and are on the other side of the invisible door.¡»(Misha) Over there, huh. I proceeded to walk through the Great Tree once again. After climbing the Staircase of Guniel, which would be used for the Spirit Trials two thousand years later, I proceeded up the invisible staircase and opened the invisible door. What I found on the other side was a wasteland. Two thousand years later, flowers would be blooming all over this land, but right now, there wasn¡¯t even a single blade of grass. ¡°Okay, Shin. Guess what these are.¡± (Reno) When Reno opened her arms, five flowers were floating in the air. Just like her hair, they were as bright blue as a lake. ¡°I do not know.¡± (Shin) ¡°These are called tear flowers, and they¡¯re the ones that absorbed my tear. You remember how earlier, there was a flower that gave birth to the Great Tree of Enyunien, right? Well, these are the flowers that were born from the remnants of that same tear.¡± (Reno) ¡°Does this mean that they will give birth to new spirits?¡± (Shin) ¡°They may, or they may not. If the tear flowers bear fruit without withering, they will turn rumors and legends into spirits. If they wither, then my tears will disappear along with them.¡± (Reno) In the center of the flower garden, Reno gently lowered the flowers with her magic power. In an instant, the flowers took root in the earth. ¡°You have to pour love into the tear flowers so they don¡¯t wither. Like this.¡± (Reno) A small ball of water appeared in Reno¡¯s palm. Like watering a flower, she used the water ball to sprinkle them. Upon doing so, the tear flowers grew quickly and gained large petals. In the blink of an eye, new buds sprouted from the ground, and the number of tear flowers increased. In no time flat, half of the wasteland had been turned into a flower garden. ¡°I guess this is about as far as it will extend. You should give it a try too, Shin.¡± Reno said with a pleasant smile. Shin turned to her with a sour look on his face. ¡°Me?¡± (Shin) ¡°Yup. Now let¡¯s see¡­¡± (Reno) Reno drew a magic circle and put her hand inside it. What she took out of it was an iron watering can. ¡°Here. I bought it on our way back.¡± (Reno) ¡°¡­Why would you¡­want me to¡­?¡± (Shin) ¡°Well you see, I think you should be a little more in touch with living beings, and with life. Once you do, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy yourself.¡± (Reno) Shin gently pulled out the iron sword at his waist and gazed down on its blade as he said the following. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the amount of times I¡¯ve touched the lives of living beings, then there are countless of them.¡± (Shin) ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­!¡± (Reno) Reno yelled at him, but Shin was being serious. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I fail to understand what you mean, My Lady.¡± (Shin) Shin sheathed his sword back. ¡°You¡¯ll understand if you give it a try. Come on, do it.¡± (Reno) Reno forcefully shoved the watering can into Shin¡¯s arms. Then she used magic to fill it with water. Reno smiled cheerfully. ¡°Very well, then.¡± (Shin) Overcome by the smile of the Great Mother of All Spirits, Shin used the watering can to sprinkle the flowers all around him. When he did, the flowers began to wither at an alarming rate. ¡°Wait, wait! Don¡¯t do that, Shin! What you need to nurture tear flowers is love. Love is the key. If you water them with such violence in your heart, they¡¯ll wither in the blink of an eye.¡± (Reno) ¡°Whatever should I do?¡± (Shin) ¡°Smile. First, you need to smile. It¡¯s a sign of affection.¡± (Reno) Shin showed a smile that could only be described as emotionless. ¡°Like so?¡± (Shin) The flowers withered even faster than before. ¡°Geez¡­! Like I said, you need to show love. Love, I tell you. Take this more seriously.¡± (Reno) ¡°I do not know anything about love.¡± (Shin) ¡°Ahh, you shouldn¡¯t be so stubborn. I mean, Shin, don¡¯t you love the Demon King Anos?¡± (Reno) Shin stared at her in wonder, as if surprised. ¡°That¡¯s what we call love. So just water the flowers while thinking of your love for the Demon King.¡± (Reno) Reno drew closer to him with an innocent look on her face. ¡°Even simply harboring feelings of affection toward My Lord would be disrespectful to him. I served him not out of love, but out of gratitude. I was nothing more than a blade, and His Majesty himself saved me. He¡¯s my one and only ally.¡± (Shin) ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Reno) ¡°Please do not pay it any mind. It¡¯s an irrelevant story.¡± (Shin) Reno glared at Shin in dissatisfaction. At that moment, I could hear some giggles. ¡°Reno and¡± (Titi A) ¡°Mr. Swordsman¡± (Titi B) ¡°are such¡± (Titi C) ¡°good buddies.¡± (Titi D) It was the Titi fairies who appeared. ¡°How nice.¡± (Titi A) ¡°I¡¯m so jealous.¡± (Titi B) ¡°I wanna play.¡± (Titi C) ¡°Titi wants to play with him too.¡± (Titi D) The fairies went to fly around Shin, and they all spoke up. ¡°I wanna play; I wanna play!¡± (Titi A) ¡°Hey, wanna play?¡± (Titi B) ¡°Mr. Swordsman!¡± (Titi C) ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± (Titi D) Shin glanced at the girls, looking slightly perplexed. Reno burst out laughing. ¡°They¡¯ve grown attached to you since you saved them earlier. Why not play with them?¡± (Reno) ¡°I do not know anything about games.¡± Shin said as he turned on his heel. ¡°Then, how about we play tag?¡± (Titi A) ¡°Let¡¯s play tag!¡± (Titi B) ¡°Spirit tag!¡± (Titi C) ¡°You¡®ll be it, Mr. Swordsman!¡± (Titi D) The Titi flew around while making a fuss. ¡°Come out, everyone!¡± (Titi A) ¡°Gennul!¡± (Titi B) ¡°Gigadeas!¡± (Titi C) ¡°Senetero!¡± (Titi D) The spirits gathered in the flower garden. They were all staring at Shin, wanting to play with him, as if trying to repay him for saving their lives. ¡°Do you guys want to play too, Anosh?¡± Reno asked. ¡°No thanks, we¡¯ll pass. We¡¯re still tired from our long trip.¡± (Anos) ¡°Okay. Then we¡¯ll be playing with all the spirits. Everyone! Shin said that if you can escape from him for a minute, he¡¯ll do whatever you say!¡± (Reno) As soon as Reno said that, all the spirits ran away at once. ¡°I will have to decline as well.¡± (Shin) Shin turned away and was about to leave. At that moment, Reno made a mischievous face. ¡°Well, well. So the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man isn¡¯t confident he can catch us, I see.¡± (Reno) Shin stopped right in his tracks. ¡°I cannot ignore that remark.¡± Shin said as he turned back. His gaze was still. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, then. Are you ready?¡± (Reno) Shin nodded. His entire body was exuding killing intent. I wasn¡¯t even sure he really knew how to play tag. ¡°You¡¯ve got one minute, okay? Now let¡¯s go! Run, everyone!¡± (Reno) ¡°Forgive me for this, but¡­¡± (Shin) As soon as Shin said that, he disappeared. ¡°Kyuuh!¡± (Titi A) A Titi trembled a bit, as if she had been hit by something. One after another, the other fairies reacted the same way. ¡°I¡¯ve been tagged!¡± (Titi B) ¡°He¡¯s so fast!¡± (Titi C) ¡°You¡¯re so fast, Mr. Swordsman!¡± (Titi D) The Titi laughed and cackled, like they were enjoying the game. In no time, both Gigadeas and Senetero were also tagged by Shin, who was running at blinding speed. ¡°It would not be a proper game of tag if I did not settle it in at least ten seconds.¡± (Shin) Shin came to a halt and closed his eyes. Probably to catch Gennul. The invisible spirit of vanishment was running through the flower garden. However, Shin easily caught him just by sensing his presence. ¡°I must say, you are quite fast on your paws.¡± (Shin) Shin put his hand on Gennul¡¯s head. The latter wagged his tail, like a dog receiving affection from its master. ¡°However, if it were My Lord, he would have surely caught all of you in less than half my time.¡± (Shin) ¡°Keep stroking him.¡± Reno said. Shin turned his head toward her, with his eyes still closed. ¡°There¡¯s hardly anyone who can run around with Gennul, after all.¡± (Reno) Indeed, there was hardly anyone who could run around with Gennul, who couldn¡¯t appear to you unless you closed your eyes. ¡°Like so?¡± (Shin) Shin stroked his head. The giant wolf sat down on the spot, as docile as a cat. ¡°You¡¯re like a spirit, Shin.¡± (Reno) ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± (Shin) ¡°A sword-wielding spirit who has forgotten how to love. That¡¯s the impression I get.¡± (Reno) Shin remained silent, without showing any interest. ¡°Say, Shin. Have you ever lost at a game of tag?¡± (Reno) ¡°I haven¡¯t played it much before, but I have never let a single bandit escape me.¡± (Shin) ¡°Then I guess you lose for the first time today.¡± (Reno) Shin turned a questioning look at her. ¡°Because this is a game of tag with all the spirits. Including myself.¡± (Reno) One minute had already passed. You could say that Reno won this game. ¡°I guess I cheated a bit, but a win is a win. Ah, of course, I do realize how incredible the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man is, though.¡± Reno said, as if knowing how to handle Shin. ¡°I have no excuse for this.¡± (Shin) ¡°Now then, what shall I have you do for me?¡± (Reno) At that moment, a hoarse voice echoed throughout the garden. ¡°¨D¨DReno, a visitor has appeared. It seems he wants to see you and Shin¨D¨D¡± (Enyunien) Reno immediately had a serious look on her face. If the guy was a visitor, then he couldn¡¯t be a spirit. ¡°Who?¡± (Reno) ¡°He calls himself the Conflagration King Eldmed, and apparently, he has something to tell you about the gods.¡± (Enyunien) Chapter 156 Chapter 156 : The proposition of the Conflagration King When Shin and Reno walked out of the Great Tree of Enyunien, they found the Conflagration King Eldmed waiting for them. He was a tall man of slender build with purple hair and eyes. He was wearing a long trench coat and a silk hat, and held a staff in his hand. ¡°Why hello, right-hand man of the Demon King, and Great Mother of All Spirits. Sorry to bother you at such a time.¡± Eldmed said in a lighthearted tone. I was observing the three of them from inside the Great Tree of Enyunien. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Shin asked straightforwardly. He vigilantly kept his eyes on the Conflagration King. The battle between humans and demons was over. The contract of alliance between the Four Evil Kings and the Demon King was now null and void. ¡°Hey now, no need to look so scared. I¡¯ve got some intel that should interest you guys as well.¡± (Eldmed) ¡°What is it?¡± (Shin) ¡°I, the Conflagration King, know the whereabouts of the Heavenly Father Nosgalia, the god hiding in the Great Spirit Forest.¡± (Eldmed) Shin¡¯s gaze turned grim. ¡°The Heavenly Father is after the Great Spirit Reno. That god is planning to conceive a Child of God using the Great Mother of All Spirits as a womb in order to destroy the Demon King Anos, who will reincarnate two thousand years later.¡± (Eldmed) A blade was thrust at the nose of the talkative Eldmed. It was Shin, who had drawn his Pillage Blade Gilionojes with blinding speed. ¡°Even Reno, who has the entire Great Spirit Forest as her ally, could not grasp the whereabouts of Nosgalia. So I don¡¯t believe you should¡¯ve ever been able to, Conflagration King.¡± (Shin) It was highly likely that the only reason Eldmed knew where Nosgalia was and what he was up to was because he was his accomplice. ¡°Well that makes things much easier. That¡¯s right, Nosgalia contacted me. He asked me if I was interested in the creation of a Child of God who would defeat the Demon King Anos. Obviously, my answer was ye¨D¨D¡± (Eldmed) As soon as Eldmed said that, fresh blood gushed out. Shin had sliced his limbs. The staff the Conflagration King was carrying fell to the ground. By slashing his arms, he deprived him of the ability to wield a weapon, and by slashing his legs, he deprived him of his mobility. Eldmed was immobilized, and as good as naked. But despite this, he was smiling in amusement. ¡°HAHAHA! Wonderful! Just wonderful! As expected of the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man.To think you¡¯d manage to take away the limbs of the Conflagration King without even giving me a chance to counterattack. This is my first time experiencing your sword slashes, and I must say, your lack of ambition despite possessing this much power is the reason why you can be content with being a mere lackey!¡± (Eldmed) With his eyes sparkling like those of a boy, Eldmed shouted in excitement. ¡°I see the Demon King Anos is not only a man of great power, but also a man of great popularity!¡± (Eldmed) I hadn¡¯t seen him in a while, but he looked like he was having a blast. I had a bit of a hard time understanding his feelings since he was praising me despite turning against me. ¡°But the Demon King has one fatal flaw. Surely you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± (Eldmed) ¡°My Lord has no flaw.¡± (Shin) The Conflagration King nodded to that in satisfaction. ¡°Exactly, and that, in itself, is a flaw. The Demon King of Tyranny is flawless. So flawless, no one can rival him. He needs an opponent. One that will urge him to become stronger than he already is so he¡¯ll become the true Demon King!¡± (Eldmed) Sasha, who was right next to me and listening to Eldmed¡¯s speech, looked puzzled. ¡°Hey, Anos. What¡¯s up with that guy?¡± (Sasha) ¡°I¡¯d say he¡¯s a manchild. Ever since I gave him a light pat on the head once, he started expecting things from me that I don¡¯t even understand. He would mess with me for no reason at all, and he always smiled with pleasure every time I beat him up.¡± (Anos) ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t get a read on that guy. What about you, Misha¡­?¡± (Sasha) Misha turned her Magic Eyes toward Eldmed. Now how would Misha, who excelled at discerning people¡¯s emotional subtleties, assess the mind of that man? ¡°¡­He¡¯s a creep¡­.¡± (Misha) ¡°¡­Agreed¡­¡± (Sasha) That¡¯s her assessment? Apparently, that man was beyond help. ¡°And that¡¯s why I antagonize the Demon King at all times. But I¡¯d never side with the gods!¡± Eldmed emphasized. As if to say that this was the one thing that mattered the most in the world. ¡°A Child of God who could defeat the Demon King does pique my interest, but I have my doubts whether it will actually have the power to rival the Demon King. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you about Nousgalia¡¯s schemes. If that Child of God is so favored by fate even both the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man and the Great Spirit Reno can¡¯t prevent its birth, then it should have what it takes to challenge the Demon King!¡± (Eldmed) Honestly, what a childish thing to say. To the Conflagration King, everything was a toy, and a game. ¡°As usual, I fail to understand the way you think, but in other words, you are saying that if the father is so weak he can be defeated by the two of us, then his child shouldn¡¯t amount to much, is that right?¡± (Shin) ¡°Exactly. I knew you¡¯d get it, Demon King¡¯s right-hand man.¡± (Eldmed) With a passionate tone, Eldmed exclaimed. ¡°I want the Demon King Anos to reach even greater heights! That¡¯s what I want to see. That¡¯s why I must first prepare an opponent, one worthy of the Demon King Anos. So why not use gods, spirits, and everything else as sacrifices to the Demon King!?¡± (Eldmed) Shin sighed a little. ¡°My Lord does not wish for such rubbish.¡± (Shin) ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he wants it or not. This is the destiny of the Demon King, the one who was born a supreme ruler. He can¡¯t avoid that. Which is why I know he will fulfill that destiny.¡± (Eldmed) Eldmed followed with a subdued voice, and a serious expression. ¡°During the war against Azesion, the first thing I, the Conflagration King, did was screening the powerful humans to have them fight against Anos. But being human only took them so far. My selection was so thorough, no one but the Hero Kanon could get past me. And if even he was absolutely no match for the Demon King, then what other option is there but to borrow the power of a god?¡± (Eldmed) He kept brazenly imposing his crazy ideas, as if they were the most natural thoughts to have. ¡°Let¡¯s do everything in our power to prevent the birth of the Child of God. I¡¯ll be on your side until God¡¯s will surpasses ours.¡± (Eldmed) Shin glared at Eldmed, who spoke in high spirits. However, the latter was giving a smile that said he had nothing to be ashamed of. ¡°¡­Shin, I think this man is definitely insane¡­¡± Reno whispered to Shin. ¡°Do not concern yourself with him. He¡¯s always been like that. However, compared to those who lie, the Conflagration King¡¯s thoughts are far easier to read. If we prevent the birth of the Child of God, he will quickly lose interest in it.¡± (Shin) ¡°HAHAHA! You get me really well, Demon King¡¯s right-hand man. Nothing you said was wrong. In that case, you should only have one answer for me, right?¡± (Eldmed) Shin turned his gaze back to the Conflagration King. ¡°Take me to Nosgalia. I will cut him down before he can conceive that Child of God of his.¡± (Shin) Using his Pillage Blade Gilionojes, Shin sliced both of Eldmed¡¯s legs. As soon as the power it had stolen was restored to them, the latter could immediately walk again. ¡°Follow me. It¡¯s that way.¡± (Eldmed) Shin and Reno followed after Eldmed. I chased after the three of them while concealing myself using the spell. Eventually, we arrived at a water spring in the forest. ¡°Is this where Nosgalia is?¡± Shin asked. Eldmed nodded in response. ¡°I do not detect his presence, though.¡± (Shin) ¡°Gods act in accordance with their order, you see? There is a certain condition to meet for the Heavenly Father Nosgalia, who¡¯s lurking in this forest, to appear. Now, Great Mother of All Spirits, go to the center of that spring.¡± (Eldmed) Reno made eye contact with Shin and nodded. Then, she stepped into the spring. Perhaps it was her power as the Great Mother of All Spirits, but she walked on the surface of the water without sinking in it. And then, she stood in the middle of it. ¡°Is this good enough?¡± (Reno) ¡°Not a problem.¡± (Eldmed) Eldmed turned to face Reno, who was standing over the spring. ¡°The order of the Heavenly Father Nosgalia is to give birth to gods. His philosophy of action will conform to it. In other words, the condition for him to appear is this.¡± (Eldmed) Eldmed removed the silk hat he was wearing and put his hand inside it. When he pulled it out, he had an hourglass in it. Just as it seemed to emit a burst of ominous magic power for a moment, the red sand inside the hourglass began to drop at incredible speed. ¡°¡­Ah¡­!¡± (Reno) Reno clutched her left breast with her hand, looking anguished. Forty-three hourglasses filled with red sand, which may have been concealed using , were lined up all around the spring. Those were the , owned by the Conflagration King. Once all of the sand had fallen, whoever was cursed by the hourglasses would lose their life. But something didn¡¯t make sense. His arms were still under the curse of being cut by the Pillage Blade. Normally, this should make the Conflagration King unable to use the . ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± (Shin) Shin quickly ran his Pillage Blade Gilionojes through all of them. All forty-three hourglasses burst at once, stripping them of their curse. The next moment, the hourglass in the Conflagration King¡¯s hand was also destroyed with a bang. However, he retained a nonchalant expression as he said the following. ¡°The Great Spirit Reno is meant to serve as a womb for the Child of God. If I kill her, then the Child of God can¡¯t be born. In other words, if I kill her, then the Heavenly Father Nosgalia will have to show up!¡± (Eldmed) ¡°I do not believe some sham will be enough to trick him into appearing.¡± Shin replied with composure. ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to kill her for real. And if she actually dies from that, then her own weakness is to blame. As the Demon King¡¯s most trusted henchman, you shouldn¡¯t have any problem with it, right?¡± (Eldmed) ¡°If we kill the Great Mother of All Spirits, we can prevent the birth of the Child of God. If the Heavenly Father appears, we can slay him. Either way, we can remove the threat to My Lord. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± (Shin) ¡°You were ordered to guard the Great Spirit Reno, but only on the premise that she could avoid becoming a womb for the Child of God. Is there really any need for you to risk protecting an entity like her that could bring harm to the Demon King Anos?¡± (Eldmed) Reno turned to Shin with a pained expression. The latter was focusing on the Conflagration King with the same cold look on his face. The next moment, Eldmed threw his top hat, and several fell from it one after another. In the blink of an eye, there were more than a hundred of them, and in the next instant, their number reached three hundred. Their curse bared its fangs and clamped down on Reno¡¯s heart. ¡°Your reasoning is for the weak.¡± (Shin) The moment Shin took a step, all the hourglasses around her were sliced off all at once. The top hat fluttering in the air was torn to shreds, and the Pillage Blade Gilionojes impaled the Conflagration King in his heart. ¡°¡­Ngh¡­! Guh¡­!¡± (Eldmed) The effects of the Pillage Sword curse varied depending on the body part it cut. If the heart was cut by it, then the demon sword would take its life. ¡°My Lord commanded me to protect the Great Spirit Reno all the way to Aharthern. Therefore, her life is more important to me than anything else. Besides¡­¡± (Shin) Shin pulled the Pillage Sword out from the Conflagration King¡¯s left chest. Eldmed tottered a bit and fell back before collapsing like a puppet whose strings were cut. ¡°The Demon King of Tyranny is certainly not so weak that he needs to risk her life to protect his own.¡± (Shin) Chapter 157 Chapter 157 : Just like a sword A cackling laughter echoed throughout the Spirit Forest. A voice, innocent like a child¡¯s, yet ghastly and horrible, echoing over and over, like its owner was in such a good mood he couldn¡¯t bear it. However, Eldmed, who was supposed to be dead, slowly stood up. Seeing as no magic circle appeared when he did, this meant that the spell wasn¡¯t even used on him. ¡°¡­Nice~. You¡¯re strong. That¡¯s the Demon King¡¯s right-hand man for ya. ¡­Just within my expectations. It¡¯d be a lie to say otherwise.¡± (Eldmed) A golden light wafted around him. Strong magic power erupted from his source. Reno¡¯s body was startled and shaking. She turned her eyes toward Eldmed¡¯s abyss. ¡°The power¡­ of a god¡­?¡± Reno muttered. ¡°That¡¯s right. I know the Demon King Anos gave Nosgalia a harsh beating, see? So I lent him my own body as a host so he can regain his strength as soon as possible. Problem is, that jerk never responds when I talk to him. Then I thought that if his host were to die, then he¡¯d have no choice but to come out.¡± (Eldmed) Eldmed cackled again in amusement. ¡°I love it when a plan goes well.¡± Eldmed said, as if to say that he had won. His life was still under the possession of the Pillage Blade. So he was talking by means of another power lurking in his body. ¡°Then this was all calculated so it would play out like this either way, wasn¡¯t it?¡± (Shin) In response to Shin¡¯s question, the Conflagration King gave him a broad smile. ¡°If the Great Spirit Reno is going to die, then Nosgalia appears. If he doesn¡¯t appear and let her die, this would mean that the Child of God is worthless. And if you, Shin, try to stop and kill me, this¡¯ll make Nosgalia appear as well. And if he destroys both of us, then that¡¯s just how powerful a god he is. No matter how this could¡¯ve played out, the Conflagration King would¡¯ve had the last laugh!¡± (Eldmed) ¡°Even with that last outcome, where you would perish?¡± (Shin) ¡°I would never have what it takes to create a rival for the Demon King if I were afraid of death. Losing sight of your most cherished ambition to preserve your own life would be putting the cart before the horse.¡± (Eldmed) Eldmed clenched his fist, as if grasping the sky. ¡°A life not dedicated to the pursuit of your dreams is no better than death. Something the Conflagration King can¡¯t bear to live.¡± With a sparkle in his stagnant eyes, he spoke like a little boy. ¡°Now, quit putting on airs and come out already, Nosgalia! If you¡¯re worthy of being the Demon King¡¯s rival, then show me your power! If you won¡¯t, then I, the Conflagration King, will claim that divine power of yours as it is, and make it my own!¡± (Eldmed) As the Conflagration King raised his voice, the hole in his left chest was quickly closed off. The curse of the Pillage Blade Gilionojes was forcibly lifted, and his life returned to him. ¡° Bow down to me, foolish demon. ¡± Eldmed said in a majestic fashion. On the outside, he was still the Conflagration King. However, his magic power was now on a whole different scale than before. ¡° The word of a god is absolute. ¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Their personalities were switched, and Nosgalia had now taken over Eldmed¡¯s body. What he uttered were his Divine Words, imbued with the magic power of a god. The sound of his voice making the impossible possible was drowned out a moment later by a slashing noise. The Pillage Blade Gilionojes flashed faster than sound, and cut his voice. ¡°My apologies, but My Lord is the only individual I shall ever bow down to. I have no reason to lower my head for the likes of a mere god.¡± (Shin) As he spoke up, Shin instantly closed the gap between him and Nosgalia, and held the tip of his Pillage Blade to the latter¡¯s throat. ¡°I assumed you were working with the Conflagration King, but apparently not.¡± (Shin) ¡°Haha!¡± Nosgalia sneered lightly. ¡°Everything moves according to the gods¡¯ orders. Honor and fear me. The plan of a god is absolute.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) The flowers rustled. Dozens of silver figures leapt out from the trees and attacked Reno. They were the Divine Beasts Gwen. ¡°No matter how many there are, it is useless.¡± (Shin) As soon as the Pillage Blade seemed to flash, the dozens of Gwen that had leapt at Reno fell to the ground. Their legs were slashed, paralyzing them. ¡°We of the Demon King¡¯s army do not fear any god. All demons fear and respect only one figure at all times, the Demon King of Tyranny.¡± (Shin) Shin retreated to Reno¡¯s location using , and drew a magic circle on the spot. He inserted his left hand into the center of it, and a sinister magic power overflowed from it. ¡°What are you planning to do when your body was already wounded by My Lord¡¯s magic?¡± (Shin) Nosgalia grinned. ¡°The God-Killing Sword.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Upon hearing those words, Shin twitched his eyebrows. ¡°Thou seem to have gained quite a genuine heart since the Demon King picked thee up, but the void in it wilt never be filled.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) In a pompous manner, Nosgalia followed. ¡°Thy heart is devoid of love. Therefore, thou livest with constant craving and emptiness. Didst thou wish to reincarnate because thou hoped to fill that void in thee?¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Shin was simply glaring at Nosgalia without saying a word. ¡°Allow me to bestow upon thee, ignorant one, the wisdom of a god.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) The Heavenly Father spoke with a high and clear voice, as if giving an oracle. ¡°No matter how many times thou art reborn, no matter how much thou beg for it, it is a futile endeavor. Thy very source is bereft of any feeling of love. Thou were born to feel this emptiness forever, O poor deadly sword that only knows how to connect with the rest of the world by cutting it.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) At that moment, a lightning arrow hit Nosgalia in the face. Being clad in anti-magic, he was unharmed. Reno, who had fired that , expressed her indignation. ¡°How dare you say that! Shin may be unsociable, inflexible and stubborn, but he¡¯s much kinder than you¡¯ll ever be!¡± (Reno) ¡°Haha!¡± Nosgalia scoffed. ¡°Great Spirit Reno. Then I shalt bestow my divine wisdom upon thee, ignorant one.¡± The Heavenly Father spoke in a grave tone. ¡°His source is not originally that of a demon, but of a demon sword. The God-Killing Sword Shinreglia. Long ago, an ancestor of the demon race created it to fight against the gods.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Hmm. That¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of it. Shin wasn¡¯t the type to talk about himself. And I didn¡¯t ask him either. ¡°According to the lore passed down among the gods, the demon sword that kept cutting down gods gradually made its own will clear. On the other hand, the old demon who wielded Shinreglia realized the limit of his own strength. And that he could not destroy the gods. Then what dost thou suppose he did?¡± Nosgalia asked in amusement. Reno remained silent and waited for the rest of the story. ¡°He transferred all of his power into Shinreglia. He believed that one day, someone would use that demon sword to destroy the gods. And so, the old demon passed away, and Shinreglia gained the body of a demon.¡± Nosgalia spoke, solemnly and haughtily. ¡°The old demon surely did not expect this. By a series of strange coincidences, the God-Killing Sword became a demon. Nevertheless, even if it gained a body and a will, in the end, a demon sword is still a demon sword. Born to fight, Shinreglia was incapable of love. He is a sword in the shape of a demon. He chose a master who was worthy of using him, and following his orders, he simply continued to slay his enemies on the battlefield.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Was Shin¡¯s high degree of loyalty to me due to his source originally being a demon sword that chose its owner? In fairness, a demon sword or holy sword of this caliber would never betray the owner it personally acknowledged as such. ¡°An incomplete demon such as thee is doomed to carry this deficiency in thy heart for all eternity, tormented by thy own emptiness. However¡­¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Nosgalia smirked. Then, he spoke to Shin as if to grant him his blessing. ¡°Be thankful, God-Killing Sword. I shalt bestow upon thee a divine miracle. That love thou continually seekest but canst never obtain, we, the rulers of all orders, can grant it to thee.¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Nosgalia headed straight for Shin. Just like Reno, he was walking on the surface of the water. Then he said the following, solemnly, as if casting a spell. ¡° I shalt grant thee love. Raise the Child of God, born from the Great Spirit Reno. Destroy the Demon King, and bring order to this wo¡ª ¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Shin cut his words short using the Pillage Blade Gilionojes, and drew the God-Slashing Sword Guneodros from his magic circle. ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± (Shin) A flash of light sparkled. Before he could even blink, Nosgalia¡¯s head flew off. ¡°It is as you stated. A demon sword is still a demon sword. I have no need for love. I will dedicate myself to the service of My Lord for eternity, just like a sword. With this void in my heart.¡± (Shin) Nosgalia¡¯s head fell to the ground and bounced twice. It rolled over, turned to face the two, and scowled at them. ¡°The word of a god is absolute. Ye canst never escape the orde¡ª¡± (Nosgalia/Eldmed) Before he could even finish his sentence, the God-Slashing Sword Guneodros pierced his throat. Then Nosgalia¡¯s head disappeared, as if the particles of magic were dissipating. ¡°¡­So he ran away¡­¡± (Shin) Shin¡¯s gaze turned grim. The divine beasts that were surrounding them had somehow vanished. ¡°My apologies. That god will not perish so easily, but he will not be able to take any major action for a while either. Only the divine beasts are left. Until Nosgalia regains his strength, their numbers should not increase any further. In due time, Aharthern will go back to normal.¡± (Shin) ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Reno nodded, with a sullen look on her face. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± (Shin) ¡°No, nothing. Let¡¯s go back.¡± (Reno) ¡°I shall lead the way.¡± (Shin) They were headed toward the Great Tree of Enyunien, with Shin at the lead. Behind him, Reno was trudging along with her head down. She kept looking up, tilting her head, and looking down again, as if she was pondering something. Then, when the Great Tree of Enyunien was in sight, she looked up again as if she had made up her mind. ¡°Shin.¡± (Reno) Reno stopped in her tracks. Shin noticed, and looked back at her. ¡°Thank you for protecting me again.¡± (Reno) ¡°It was per My Lord¡¯s order.¡± (Shin) Reno slowly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Reno) For a moment, Shin was at a loss for a reply. ¡°Whatever are you talking about?¡± (Shin) ¡°Back then, with the tear flower garden. I¡¯m sorry I told you to take it more seriously.¡± (Reno) The tear flowers were the kind of flower that grew with love. However, Shin had no love to speak of. ¡°Please do not mind it. You did not hurt my feelings at all.¡± (Shin) ¡°But, Shin¡­ you said you were empty¡­¡± Reno said sadly, with her head down. ¡°It is not a problem to m¡ª¡± (Shin) ¡°You called yourself empty! I think this is a huge problem!¡± (Reno) Reno walked up to Shin and grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you about love, Shin.¡± (Reno) ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure to understand your intent behind this.¡± (Shin) ¡°Because if you didn¡¯t have to protect me just now, you could¡¯ve obtained the feeling of love.¡± (Reno) Shin spoke up quietly. ¡°My Lord gave me this order. You need not concern yourself with me. Besides, as that god stated, the feeling of love is absent from my very source. No matter what I do¡ª¡± (Shin) ¡°I don¡¯t believe so. I think you also have a proper heart, Shin. It¡¯s just a little hard to notice.¡± (Reno) Reno spoke with a smile, as if to persuade him. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to teach you, so stick with me, ¡¯kay? At least until we¡¯ve found the rest of the divine beasts, and until your reincarnation.¡± (Reno) ¡°¡­Is this your order to me as your bodyguard?¡± (Shin) ¡°It¡¯s not an order, but if it means you¡¯ll do as I say, then consider this an order.¡± (Reno) Shin thought about it for a moment before replying. ¡°Your wish is my command.¡± (Shin) ¡°Then let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll play in the garden with everyone again.¡± (Reno) The two of them returned to the Great Tree of Enyunien, side by side. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 : Sword secrets Some time had passed since then¨D¨D As I was walking up the Stairs of Guniel, I saw Reno ahead of me. She was carrying an iron watering can in both hands, walking up the stairs like she was skipping. ¡°Reno.¡± (Anos) I called out to her, and she turned around. ¡°Hello. Are you headed to the flower garden as well, Anosh?¡± (Reno) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Anos) I walked up next to Reno, and we both climbed up the stairs. Hmm. It¡¯s rare for Shin not to be by her side. I should seize this opportunity and interrogate her. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question. Once a spirit is born, is it possible for them to become a different kind of spirit while keeping the same name?¡± (Anos) ¡°Eh¡­? Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure. As rumors and legends change, spirits change accordingly. But they¡¯re most greatly influenced by their first rumors and legends, from the time of their birth.¡± (Reno) Reno thought deeply about it and answered. ¡°For example, I¡¯m the Great Mother of All Spirits. Being the mother of every spirit is the basis of my existence. And so, if a rumor about the Great Mother of All Spirits Reno not being the mother of the spirits were to spread, it would cause me to disappear in the distant future.¡± (Reno) ¡°You mean that rumors that contradict a spirit¡¯s foundational rumors only shorten the spirit¡¯s lifespan?¡± (Anos) ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Unlike demons and humans, spirits don¡¯t reincarnate. They¡¯re not reborn, and they don¡¯t come back as a different spirit either. But in return, as long as their rumors persist, they won¡¯t go down easily.¡± (Reno) I thought I could do something about Avos Dilhevia depending on her rumor and legend, but being the Demon King of Tyranny was the basis of her existence. Which meant that this part was impossible to change. ¡°But any rumor and legend that suits the concept of the Great Mother of All Spirits can have an impact, even if it¡¯s only made up later on. Take the tear flowers for instance. In the past, the legend about my tears giving birth to new spirits didn¡¯t exist. However, that legend was eventually created, and because it didn¡¯t contradict with the original rumor of the Great Mother of All Spirits, I gained the power to do so.¡± (Reno) I see. Well, even if I came up with a good strategy, it would be meaningless without spreading some rumors and legends. ¡°Does it have something to do with Lena?¡± (Reno) ¡°Who knows. It could be related to her, but I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯m still looking into it.¡± (Anos) ¡°I see. Let me know if you find out anything.¡± (Reno) Reno arrived at the invisible door and opened it. On the other side, Misha, Lena, Lay, and Shin were in the tear flower garden. With her eyes on the latter¡¯s back, Reno called out to him with a smile. ¡°Shin, let¡¯s water the flowers!¡± (Reno) Shin slightly turned his eye toward her while still facing forward. ¡°One moment, please. I must finish things up with this one first.¡± (Shin) Facing him was Lay, holding his unique sword at the ready. As he promised, he was retrying to land a blow on Shin before returning Siegsesta to him, but he seemed to be struggling. As far as I knew, this was his seventh attempt today. ¡°Aww. You always spend your time facing Lay. It¡¯s not fair!¡± (Reno) ¡°Watering flowers does not suit me. I would only cause them to wither anyway.¡± (Shin) Reno found his remark to be offensive. ¡°Why are you saying that!? You promised you¡¯d do it! And I know you¡¯ll do just fine! You jerk! Shin, you idiot!¡± (Reno) Shin caught a glimpse of Reno frowning. ¡°How troubling.¡± (Shin) Seeing the two of them, Lay whispered. ¡°Mind if I give you a piece of advice?¡± (Lay) Shi cocked his eyebrow. ¡°What is it?¡± (Shin) ¡°If you tell her that you¡¯ll make this a quick one for her, she¡¯ll cheer up.¡± (Lay) If Lay hadn¡¯t been here, Reno and Shin would¡¯ve never had this argument. He made this suggestion so the past would be as unaffected as possible. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the result be the same regardless?¡± (Shin) ¡°It¡¯s the same as with a sword. For instance, even if you can¡¯t use it to cut something, between one slashing technique that leaves a chip in the blade and one that doesn¡¯t, it¡¯s easy to realize which one is more advantageous, right?¡± (Lay) For a moment, Shin remained silent. ¡°You make a good point.¡± (Shin) As Shin pondered that matter, Lay broke into a rush and swung his sword. ¡°¨D¨DYou¡¯re wide open! ¡­HAH!¡± (Lay) The sound of their swords clashing echoed. Shin parried Lay¡¯s Siegsesta with one of his thousand swords, the Edgeless Sword Cadenareios. ¡°Reno.¡± (Shin) Reno responded to Shin¡¯s words with a slightly pouting look on her face. ¡°What?¡± (Reno) ¡°I will end this quickly, so please wait for a bit.¡± (Shin) At that moment, Reno¡¯s expression relaxed. She now had a smile on her face. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait.¡± (Reno) Both of their swords clashed in succession. Shin was parrying all of Lay¡¯s high-speed sword slashes. ¡°I am surprised.¡± (Shin) ¡°That was the point. I thought I¡¯d consider a slightly different approach.¡± (Lay) The moment their unique sword and edgeless sword collided, the two blades overlapped as if they were adhering to each other. Lay magnetized his sword and attracted the edgeless sword to it. ¡°No. What surprises me is the pace at which you improve.¡± (Shin) Lay rushed at once, and put pressure on Shin with his sword. ¡°Every time we fight, you assimilate more of my swordsmanship. I feel like your skills are much different compared to when we first met.¡± (Shin) His nickname, Shin of the Thousand Swords, referred to his possession of a thousand demon swords, but it could also refer to his multiple sword techniques. And Lay was assimilating them terribly fast. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time I give this sword back to you.¡± (Lay) Lay put all of his power into his unique sword. The moment Shin tried to step forward, Lay turned off the magnetism of his blade, and fended off the edgeless blade. For a fraction of a second, Shin lost his balance. Seizing this opportunity, Lay swung Siegsesta down. ¡°¡­Hiyaah¡­!!¡± (Lay) He was completely cornered. Lay was convinced of it, which was why he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes the next moment. Having completely anticipated the trajectory of his unique sword, Shin managed to avoid it with minimal movement. There was only one millimeter between his body and the blade. ¡°Allow me to show you.¡± (Shin) At the same time as he spoke, Lay was left astonished. Shin¡¯s magic power had vanished. He had completely disappeared, without even leaving so much as a ripple. Magic power was something passively emitted by everybody¡¯s source. Completely erasing it without using magic to hide it was an extraordinary feat. And the more powerful the magic power, the harder it was to pull off. The next moment, the magic power of the edgeless sword increased to an incomparably greater extent than before. With a chirping sound, a wildly enormous amount of magic power rose up from Cadenareios. He held the sword with both hands and pointed the tip at Lay. He spontaneously moved his feet and swung down his demon sword with all his might. In a flash, Shin¡¯s blade disappeared from this world. But Lay managed to react in time and ready his sword. A metallic sound echoed, and the flowers in this garden flew through the air. ¡°That was too close, but¨D¨D¡± (Lay) The moment Lay uttered this, he collapsed to his knees on the spot. ¡°¡­Wha¡­!? Guh¡­!¡± (Lay) A deep cut appeared from his shoulder to his navel. Lay was slashed by the sword he had clearly blocked. ¡°Ugh¡­ What was¡­ that¡­?¡± (Lay) ¡°The first secret of the edgeless sword, .¡± (Shin) Rei tried to stand up, but he couldn¡¯t muster the strength to do so and fell where he stood in the flower garden. He tried to heal his wound with recovery magic, but it didn¡¯t seem to heal very well. ¡°¡­So my body was already cut way before you brought down your sword on me¡­¡± (Lay) Shin nodded quietly. ¡°Cadenareios may be an edgeless sword, but it makes up for it with its unparalleled weight and strength. But the true power of this demon sword can only be awakened by working on its source. The blade of the edgeless sword does not exist in the present, as it always cuts its target somewhere in the past.¡± (Shin) At the moment Shin swung down the edgeless sword, the blade of Cadenareios went back in time and slashed through Lay a few moments in the past. Therefore, the blade ran through him before Shin actually swung it down. ¡°¡­Was it to unleash the true power of your demon sword that you suppressed your own magic power?¡± (Lay) ¡°Indeed. And this is not limited to the edgeless sword. All demon swords and holy swords possess their own hidden powers. They¡¯re referred to as sword secrets. No matter how much you increase your magic power, this will never allow your sword to manifest its true potential. Physically becoming one with your sword is not enough. You must empty yourself, grasp the source of your demon sword with your own source, and become one with it. Only then can you uncover your sword¡¯s secrets.¡± (Shin) Lay, lying on his back, stared at Shin in amazement. ¡°¡­Did that move work on the Hero Kanon?¡± (Lay) ¡°Sadly, this is a technique I discovered after I lost to him.¡± (Shin) Shin stored his edgeless sword back into its magic circle, and turned on his heel. ¡°If it¡¯s you, you may one day uncover the secrets of the demon sword you left behind so far away.¡± (Shin) ¡°¡­Who knows. I wonder if I could ever achieve a state where my magic power is erased.¡± (Lay) Even as he said that, Lay was practicing the erasure of his own magic power. Shin smiled just a bit at that. ¡°I am grateful to have found someone to show it to before my reincarnation, as I may have become unable to master that secret again upon my rebirth.¡± (Shin) Shin may have wanted to pass down his swordsmanship to someone else so it would still persist. Since source magic wasn¡¯t his forte, he wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to reach the same level of skill after reincarnating. Nevertheless, Shin was still determined to go through with it. In order to become stronger, or so I thought. But maybe Nosgalia was right, and Shin wanted to grow a heart. Then even if he were to lose the swordsmanship he was so proud of, and get even weaker, he would still seek love. But in spite of this, Shin didn¡¯t reincarnate in the end. ¡°My apologies for keeping you waiting, Reno.¡± (Shin) ¡°Wait, Shin! What happened to this?¡± (Reno) Reno was holding a stone shield in her hand. The lower half was cleanly severed. The Titi were flying and floating all around Shin and Reno. ¡°That¡¯s the shield we made.¡± (Titi A) ¡°We tried to make one.¡± (Titi B) ¡°We thought we¡¯d play with Mr. Swordsman.¡± (Titi C) ¡°And he cut it in one second.¡± (Titi D) ¡°Cut it in half.¡± (Titi E) The Titi looked a little sad, but they kept talking anyway. ¡°They made a shield and said they wanted to play with me, so I used my sword on it.¡± (Shin) ¡°You¡¯ve not supposed to use your sword on them for real! When they say they want to play, they mean playing a game of make-believe, like a fake sword fight! Wouldn¡¯t you be sad if something you worked so hard to make was sliced in half?¡± (Reno) ¡°You¡¯re right. It is a pity, considering how easy it was to cleave it in half.¡± (Shin) ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant by that!¡± (Reno) Reno puffed her cheeks in irritation. ¡°As punishment, do something about this shield.¡± (Reno) ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± (Shin) ¡°I mean, fix it, or think of a different use for it, or whatever.¡± (Reno) ¡°A use for a shield broken in half?¡± (Shin) Reno nodded widely. ¡°You¡¯re the one who cut it, so it¡¯s only fair that you figure it out.¡± (Reno) Shin stood still and pondered. ¡°¡­May I have a moment of your time?¡± (Shin) ¡°Yeah, sure. But let¡¯s water the flowers first.¡± (Reno) Reno handed Shin a water can and magically filled it with water. The Titi jumped around and shouted happily, ¡°Water,¡± ¡°Water,¡± ¡°They¡¯re gonna wither again,¡± ¡°The flowers will go extinct,¡± and so on. ¡°The Titi are right, the tear flowers will wither.¡± (Shin) Shin watered the flower garden with his watering can as he said that. The flowers withered in no time at all. And yet, Reno was gazing at him with delight. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you scolding me?¡± (Shin) ¡°Huh? Well, because I told you to do it.¡± (Reno) ¡°You were furious when I made the tear flowers withered on my first try.¡± (Shin) Reno smiled in response. ¡°That was my fault. Because I didn¡¯t know anything about you, Shin. But things are different now. You¡¯re trying your very best to water the flowers. And I think that¡¯s your way of giving them love. So I guess I¡¯ll have to come to grips with it.¡± (Reno) While coldly staring at the withering flowers, Shin said the following. ¡°Without love, they wither, do they not?¡± (Shin) ¡°Yes, but you see, these are flowers born from my tears. So if I learn to accept your love, I¡¯m sure the flowers will bloom properly.¡± (Reno) ¡°¡­Is this part of your legend?¡± (Shin) ¡°Nope. I just hope that¡¯s how it goes.¡± (Reno) Shin watered the flowers in silence. Except this time, he tilted the watering can only slightly, perhaps for fear of killing them. ¡°I see.¡± (Shin) Shin suddenly closed his eyes while continuing to water them. Then, he put his hand in front of his eyes and moved it as if stroking something. This was probably where the Hidden Wolf Gennul was. Judging by Shin¡¯s reaction, I could tell that Gennul was playing with him like a dog I moved over to Misha, who was idly watching the scene. ¡°Did you notice anything strange?¡± (Anos) ¡°Same as usual.¡± (Misha) I could see Leana a short distance away. She was sitting down and watching Shin and Reno. A small figure suddenly passed in front of my eyes. It was the fairies, flying in our direction. ¡°It¡¯s Anosh! Yoohoo!¡± (Titi A) ¡°The entertainer boy!¡± (Titi B) ¡°Do an impersonation!¡± (Titi C) ¡°Of the Demon King!¡± (Titi D) Then Misha, who was standing next to me, looked at me while cocking her head. As if to ask me what we should do. ¡°We¡¯ll show them.¡± (Anos) After I said that, Misha created a throne using the spell. I sat down on it and spoke ostentatiously. ¡°Make me mushroom gratin for dinner. What? It¡¯d be bad for my image, you say? Then what do you think the Demon King should eat? Humans? As if I could eat those, you fool!¡± (Anos) The Titi laughed happily. ¡°You say I devoured all the mushrooms in Dilhade? I see. I suppose if the Great War continues for this long, the mushroom harvest will be poor. This leaves me no choice.¡± (Anos) I stood up and spoke in a resolute tone. ¡°I have come to a realization! That conflict leads to nothing! On the contrary, it will deprive us of mushroom gratin! Of world peace! If it¡¯s for this, then I, Demon King Anos, am ready to lay down my life!¡± (Anos) The Tit flew around in full force and burst out laughing. Misha turned her emotionless eyes my way. ¡°¡­A true story?¡± (Misha) ¡°Of course not, I made it up. Not even I would risk my life for mushroom gratin.¡± (Anos) Misha blinked her eyes. ¡°I believe you.¡± (Misha) Then the Titi flew to me and landed on my head and shoulders. ¡°Hey, you know what?¡± (Titi A) ¡°We¡¯ll tell you something.¡± (Titi B) ¡°Something interesting.¡± (Titi C) ¡°The story of the headless demon.¡± (Titi D) The girls were talking in succession. ¡°We saw them the other day.¡± (Titi A) ¡°Walking in Aharthern.¡± (Titi B) ¡°With no head.¡± (Titi C) ¡°Freaky.¡± (Titi D) Now they were shaking. ¡°A headless demon?¡± Misha asked while cocking her head. ¡°Hmm. Wasn¡¯t that the body of the Conflagration King?¡± (Anos) When I asked, the Titi crossed their arms and thought. ¡°The Conflagration King?¡± (Titi A) ¡°The guy who barged in the other day?¡± (Titi B) ¡°And was cut down by Mr. Swordsman?¡± (Titi C) ¡°What was he like again?¡± (Titi D) ¡°Could¡¯ve been him.¡± (Titi E) As usual, they were talking gibberish. ¡°So where did that headless demon go?¡± (Anos) The Tit leapt from my body and landed on the flowers. ¡°The other side of the wall.¡± (Titi A) ¡°He left Aharthern.¡± (Titi B) ¡°Did he go home?¡± (Titi C) ¡°Maybe¡± (Titi D) Hmm. I see. Nosgalia was defeated by Shin, and probably half-dead. However, considering what happened in the present, he would somehow survive afterwards. And Eldmed was also still alive, somewhere in that body. He was in league with Nosgalia. Surely he knew something. Although, I still couldn¡¯t tell whether that headless demon was Eldmedd or Nosgalia. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go.¡± (Anos) ¡°Where?¡± Misha asked. ¡°To Dilhade. If Lay, Sasha and the others stay here, we can keep an eye on both sides. Either way, we can¡¯t intervene no matter what happens, so there¡¯s no problem.¡± (Anos) Misha erased the throne she created, and pointed at herself. ¡°Can I come along?¡± (Misha) ¡°Sure.¡± (Anos) Thus, Misha and I decided to leave the tear flower field, and head to Dilhade. Chapter 159.1 Chapter 159 : The demon nation without its Demon King We passed through the gates and entered the city of Midhaze. All the buildings lined up were decorated with magic characters, and each one of them was part of a huge magic circle. It looked just like the underground city I added to Midhaze two thousand years later. Misha scurried through the road with apparent interest, shifting her eyes all around the streetscape. Then, as if she had suddenly snapped out of it, she turned to me. ¡°Is the Conflagration King here?¡± (Misha) ¡°I wonder. Since his territory in Dilhade was close to the border of Azesion, it fell into the hands of the humans. After that, he and his men would often stay in Delsgade, but kept moving from place to place depending on the war situation.¡± (Anos) ¡°Does he like to fight?¡± (Misha) ¡°To quote him, he wanted to see how high I could rise. The mindset of the Conflagration King is difficult to pin down. His actions only bring about his own destruction. What¡¯s so fun about going to such lengths to find a nemesis for the Demon King, I wonder.¡± (Anos) Misha pondered that question. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way the Conflagration King feels.¡± (Misha) ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t many people who can get along with him.¡± (Anos) ¡°But I understand how he feels a bit.¡± (Misha) Oh-ho. I¡¯d expect nothing less from Misha. ¡°So what¡¯s your take on him?¡± (Anos) ¡°He¡¯s a loony fan.¡± Misha said in a deadpan tone. ¡°He wants the Demon King of Tyranny to be an unreachable existence. I think that¡¯s his first priority, so he¡¯s willing to perish to make it happen.¡± (Misha) ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t really understand. If he¡¯s my fan, then he can just become my subordinate. There¡¯s no need for a nemesis. And if he expects me to rise to greater heights, then I can do it on my own.¡± (Anos) After casting her eyes down to think, Misha spoke up again. ¡°Maybe what the Conflagration King sees in you is an icon. He projects whatever he admires in his own mind onto the Demon King. So he just wants to impose his ideals on you.¡± (Misha) Hmm. Hence why she referred to him as a loony fan, huh. ¡°So I just happened to be the one who caught his eye, it doesn¡¯t particularly matter to him whether it¡¯s me or someone else, huh.¡± (Anos) Misha cocked her head a little, like she was puzzled. ¡°¡­What if that someone was as strong as you?¡± (Misha) ¡°No one is as strong as me, though.¡± (Anos) She blinked her eyes and nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s why.¡± (Misha) ¡°So in the end, I¡¯ll have to live up to his expectations, huh.¡± (Anos) This was going to be a pain, but I couldn¡¯t bear to sacrifice anyone else to the Conflagration King. Just as I was telling myself that, I caught sight of the Demon King Castle Delsgade. It had been damaged here and there by the wave of magic power that came from the construction of the wall. It would take a while for it to be fully repaired. ¡°There was someone fairly knowledgeable about the world who lived there. Surely she can find out where the Conflagration King is. That is, if she still lives there.¡± (Anos) ¡°Who?¡± (Misha) ¡°Militia, the Goddess of Creation.¡± (Anos) She was the goddess whose order was the creation of the world, and the one I made a pledge of peace with, two thousand years ago. Even after creating the wall, she should still be in Delsgade, watching over the future of this world. ¡°There are good gods too?¡± Misha asked curiously. ¡°Gods live by their orders. I admit that I¡¯ve disturbed their orders, but there are some gods I have good chemistry with, albeit only a few of them. Militia wants peace. Because if the world fell into ruin, everything she ever created would be destroyed. And most of all, she loves the world.¡± (Anos) ¡°Won¡¯t she realize who you are, Anosh?¡± (Misha) ¡°She watches over the world. So I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be fooled by my appearance, but she knows how the spell works. Even if we meet again, she won¡¯t do anything that¡¯d alter the past. And she has the power to ensure that it won¡¯t happen.¡± (Anos) Two thousand years ago, Militia was one of the few allies I could rely on. Surely she would lend us a hand in looking for the Conflagration King. But then, Misha stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°Look.¡± (Misha) She pointed her finger. In that direction was a boy of about 10. ¡°A human boy.¡± Misha said while focusing her power into her Magic Eyes. He seemed to be concealing his own magic power so as not to be recognized, but he was definitely a human. In the Mythical Age, it would be inconceivable for an ordinary human child to be in Midhaze. ¡°Hmm. I remember this boy.¡± (Anos) I re-explored my memories as I followed him. ¡°He was the seventh heir to the throne of Azesion. His name was Igareth, I believe. I heard that the demons took him prisoner because the Azesion army was escorting him when my army attacked them. My subordinates were treating him roughly. So I had no choice but to bring him to Delsgade. Although, before the wall was built, I returned him to the Demon King Subjugation Battalion of Gairadite, who were invading Dilhade.¡± (Anos) The Demon King Subjugation Battalion of Gairadite was a group of elites. Although it¡¯s a different unit, Kanon was also part of it, so they should¡¯ve been able to cross the wall somehow. Did he get separated from the Battalion in the chaos of battle? Or perhaps were the troops wiped out, and only Igareth, the heir to the throne, made it out alive? Even though a cease-fire was soon to be declared, if a human and a demon were to meet, there would inevitably be a fight. The boy ran frantically and came to the main gate of Delsgade. ¡°Hold it, kid. Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± (Demon soldier A) Igareth tried to pass through the main gate at once, but one of the demon soldiers guarding the gate grabbed him by the collar. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m here to¡­ see the Great Demon King. I would like to request an audience¡­!¡± Igareth said in a resolute tone, despite being a child. ¡°The Demon King Anos-sama has passed away. You can¡¯t see him again.¡± (Demon soldier A) ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡± (Igareth) Igareth was in despair. He probably thought that if he met me, I could somehow help him return to his homeland. Not many people in Dilhade would be willing to help him now. ¡°Now leave. Anos-sama won¡¯t be able to sleep with all your racket.¡± (Demon soldier A) ¡°Wait.¡± said the other demon soldier. ¡°This kid looks familiar. Isn¡¯t he from the royal family of Azesion?¡± (Demon soldier B) ¡°What?¡± (Demon soldier A) They turned their Magic Eyes on the boy and looked carefully into his abyss. ¡°I see. So he¡¯s been hiding his magic power with source magic, huh. I didn¡¯t expect such a young human kid to master magic to such an extent. He must belong to the Hero Jerga¡¯s lineage.¡± (Demon soldier A) That demon snatched the boy from the other soldier. ¡°Hey¡­ What are you going to do to him? I¡¯m pretty sure the Great Demon King decided to let him go.¡± (Demon soldier B) ¡°¡­Our Lord is sleeping now. Surely he will look the other way¡­¡± (Demon soldier A) That demon¡¯s eyes looked dark and stagnant as he said this. As if driven by a desire for revenge. ¡°L-Let me go! Where are you taking me!?¡± (Igareth) The demon grabbed Igareth, who was making a fuss, by the collar, and entered the main gate. Then, he sent a message via along the way. ¡°We have captured Igareth, seventh heir to the throne of Azesion. Starting now, we will carry out his execution. Anyone who wishes to participate, come to the arena.¡± (Demon soldier A) Chapter 159.2 Using and to stay out of sight, we quickly followed them. When we arrived at the arena, the demon soldier threw Igareth there. ¡°Guh¡­!¡± (Igareth) A sword was thrust into the ground right in front of the boy¡¯s eyes. By the same demon soldier. ¡°Use it. If you¡¯re a Hero too, then die in a fight.¡± (Demon soldier A) Igareth immediately grabbed the sword and tried to pull it out. But the sword was stuck in the ground and wouldn¡¯t budge. The demon soldier kicked the boy in the stomach with all his might, sending him flying several meters backwards. ¡°Gh¡­! Gah¡­!¡± (Igareth) The boy screamed in agony as his body was slammed on the ground. ¡°My name is Davidra. And I will avenge my child who was killed by the Hero Jerga. Atone for his crime with your body, boy!¡± (Demon soldier A ¡ú Davidra) Davidra clenched his fist and punched the boy in the face with all his might. If he wanted to, he could have killed him with a single blow, but he went easy on him, as if to taunt him. ¡°Ah¡­ Ahh¡­¡± (Igareth) Igareth backed away, crawling on the ground, with blood dripping from his face, and frightened. ¡°Stand up. You know what the Hero Jerga did as well. The pain of my child doesn¡¯t compare to this.¡± (Davidra) ¡°S¡­ Stay away¡­!¡± (Igareth) Igareth¡¯s voice trembled. Without paying attention to it, Davidra walked straight to him. ¡°UWAAAAAAHHH¡­!!¡± (Igareth) Igareth stuck his hand out in front of him. A drop of water oozed from the ring he was wearing. It was holy water. Using it as a source of magic power, he unleashed the spell. ¡°Well.¡± (Davidra) Davidra easily extinguished the holy flame attack with anti-magic. ¡°It appears I didn¡¯t need to go easy on you.¡± (Davidra) Davidra glared daggers at the boy. With a look of fear on his face, the boy backed away, staggered on his feet, and without looking aside, he ran away. But then, he hit his face against something and fell on the spot. He looked up, and saw another demon soldier standing there. ¡°Now we can¡¯t have a Hero run away¡­ CAN WE!?¡± (Demon soldier C) The soldier kicked Igareth as hard as he could. ¡°GAH¡­!¡± (Ighareth) He groaned and rolled across the stone paving. As he crawled on his knees, he desperately looked for a way out. However, demons appeared one after another from the passageways, and surrounded him. A total of twenty-four demons. Even if he used his trump card, the holy water, it was unlikely that a child like him would manage to escape. ¡°How unseemly of you to flee. Let me carve into your body how you humans made a game of hunting demons on the run.¡± (Davidra) The moment Ihgareth stood back up, he was kicked in the solar plexus. ¡°GYAH¡­!¡± (Igareth) And he rolled on the ground. He staggered to his feet, was kicked again, and rolled on the ground. After several repeats, Igareth¡¯s body was stained with bruises and blood. All the demons were looking at him with cold, hate-filled eyes. ¡°¡­Somebody¡­help¡­¡± (Igareth) ¡°How do you think your king silenced the demons who pleaded for their lives as you do?¡± (Davidra) Davidra stomped on the boy¡¯s head. ¡°¡­Help¡­¡± (Igareth) ¡°He burned a newborn demon at the stake, calling it a purge. Then he used him to bait and kill hundreds of demon soldiers. You filthy humans¡­! YOU KILLED THEM ALL¡­!!! AND NOW YOU DARE TO SHAMELESSLY BEG FOR HELP¡­!!?¡± (Davidra) Davidra stepped on the boy¡¯s fingers with all his might. The sound of his shattering bones echoed, and Igareth let out an unspeakable scream. ¡°¡­Some¡­body¡­help¡­it hurts¡­¡± Igareth muttered while shedding tears. His voice was so faint that even the surrounding demons couldn¡¯t hear him. Igareth was separated from the Demon King Subjugation Battalion of Gairadite during the war, and came to Delsgade alone. He was hoping to rely on the Demon King of Tyranny, his only ally in Dilhade, for help. However, by this time, I was on my way to reincarnate. And no one was going to help him. No matter how hard he prayed, he was going to die here. Killed in cold blood by my subordinate. This past was already set in stone, two thousand years ago. ¡°¡­Anos¡­¡± (Misha) Misha was looking at the boy sadly. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine how she was feeling, as someone born in a peaceful era. ¡°Even if I saved him, it would only amount to a fleeting dream.¡± (Anos) He was the seventh heir to the throne of Azesion. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much the past would be altered if I saved him. The butterfly effect here may or may not affect the past of Shin, Reno, Misa and the others, which we were trying to probe. Either way, if the past were to suffer any drastic change, the divine order would undo it. Even if I saved him here and now, it would be reduced to nothing more than a dream lasting for as long as the spell was active. It would be all risk and no gain. In the Mythical Age, this sort of thing was the norm, and his life ended here a long time ago. ¡°Know the pain of being burned alive.¡± (Davidra) Davidra summoned a black flame in his hand, and shot it at the boy. ¡°¡­Help me¡­ Please! Help me¡­!!¡± Igareth implored, as if praying. But no matter how much he prayed, miracles never happened. ¡°GREAT¡­ DEMON KIIIING¡­!!¡± (Igareth) A rumbling noise resounded, and a corner of the arena burst into flames. Davidra¡¯s lips twisted in madness. But then, the next moment, he rolled his eyes and couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment. His was extinguished by anti-magic, and a short demon boy stood before Davidra. ¡°Even if I saved him, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. But¡­¡± I muttered while glaring at Davidra, and at his subordinates around him. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t understand how they felt. Nonetheless¡ª ¡°This boy already died tragically once. I would be lying to myself if I didn¡¯t save him, at least in this dream.¡± (Anos) I was such a fool. This may not change anything. And it may not serve to fulfill my original goal. But even so, I wasn¡¯t the sort of individual who would just sit by and look the other way.