Winter's Tail End (3)
The demon tide surges like a tidal wave of ten thousand evils. Yet amid that endless flood, the presence of the demon stands out vividly.
Julie senses it instinctively—where it is, what it is. It registers naturally in her mind.
"……."
The demon's outer form is grotesquely bizarre. Julie can't even find the words to describe it.
Over three meters tall. But its body's configuration is utterly inhuman.
Like clay meant to shape a person that got botched halfway—eyes, nose, mouth, legs, the whole flesh mashed together, stomping forward on three legs and four arms. What an octopus or squid might look like crawling on land.
Truly repulsive…….
Thud—!
At that moment, Deculein's cane rapped the pavement. Julie startled and turned to him.
"The Demon of Delusion."
"……Pardon?"
"Humans interpret, imagine, and describe 'entities they've never seen' based on their own experiences."
The simplest example is aliens.
Aliens are obviously humans from another world. Beings no one has ever encountered.
So everyone depicts their faces or skin colors wildly different from Earthlings, yet they all assume the basics: bipedal, two arms, two legs.
They assemble something never seen from fragments of things glimpsed before.
"It exploits human memory and experience. That's why it looks a bit off to you."
A named demon's appearance and identity are obvious. Even if not in the game's scenario, countless ancient tomes and prefaces Deculein has read record them.
"……."
Julie gazed at Deculein. She examined him closely. Then nodded.
"……Yes. However."
She murmured softly, turning her sword tip. The blade, moving gradually, aimed at Deculein.
"Professor Deculein is no easy figure to imitate."
"……."
Deculein—or rather, the demon wearing Deculein's form—stared silently at Julie.
No foolish questions like How did you know? It had openly admitted using memories, after all. Plenty to go on.
Even so, Julie explained kindly.
"Your face is lopsided."
No need to scrutinize that closely. From the side, it had fooled her briefly, but head-on? Crystal clear.
"You're a flounder."
It was so absurd she almost laughed.
In that instant, the form warped. It rummaged through her mind for another guise, but…….
Julie thrust her sword into the demon.
Diagonal slash from shoulder to collarbone. In that moment, biting cold seeped into its body.
"You seem to lack a fixed form."
Murmuring so, she gripped the hilt tight.
"Absolute zero freezes even gases."
Crackkkkle—!
Its body froze solid. In a flash, like severe frostbite.
Cleanly, perfectly.
"……."
Julie looked up at it, lost in quiet admiration for a moment. Deculein's voice echoed faintly.
—If you must hate someone, hate them sincerely. Hate them enough to kill.
"Lady Julie! What the heck is this?!"
Rayli came running. Julie just shook her head wordlessly.
"Nothing. Focus on the fight."
Julie swung her sword again.
Far off, more demons advanced this way. Probably unrelated to this Deculein imposter…….
"……Tch."
Julie clutched her heart. The demonic energy fog had thickened.
Still, she could endure.
This much was fine.
"Rayli!"
She dashed out, slicing a fiend lunging at Rayli's back. Rayli exhaled a sigh and grinned.
"Thanks!"
"Focus!"
In that instant, a clear breeze whistled between them.
The quicksword master, Syrio.
"Everyone, keep it up~"
He flashed Julie and Rayli a small smile, then became a gale, charging like a wedge.
Rumble—!
Syrio's sword roared. Mana whipped up like a storm, shredding the local fiends. Every gust, every draft—all quicksword strikes from Syrio.
Thud—!
Next, an earth-shaking boom. Monster Rafel's greatsword smashed the ground, rupturing the earth in a massive blast.
Booom—!
Pavement chunks erupted. Rafel's monstrous strength could rival Zeit's to some degree.
"Hah!"
Then Gwen's rapier surged. Light as a butterfly's flight, mana-charged thrusts lancing out.
Shrieeek—
Sharp, slender beams. Lightning strikes piercing only fiends' vitals.
"Show your loyalty—!"
Delik's bellow echoed then.
Loyalty to whom? Deculein? The Emperor? Lately it blurred, but his skill was unquestionable.
Rumble—!
His sword extended like a serpent, racing across the battlefield. Every fiend it touched was severed.
Snakebelly Sword.
Blade size, length, hardness—all freely adjustable. Perfect efficiency in close quarters.
Probably why Deculein kept him around.
"Sir Delik! See that demon over there?!"
Gwen asked mid-thrust. Delik glanced that way and nodded.
"I see it."
A grotesquely shaped demon. It just stood there.
"……No."
Wait. Not quite.
Its belly undulated.
Like it was about to vomit something up.
"It's gonna spew something!"
Too late.
From a hole—mouth? Eye? Nostril?—it belched thick demonic energy.
The fog poured out in waves. All knights donned gas masks.
"Julie!"
Gwen sought Julie first. Fortunately, Julie was already masked, thumbs-up.
Thus, the grueling battle dragged on.
Knight blades and mana cleaved fiends; mages' support barrages poured from the barrier; fiends bit arms, tore throats…….
Then, at some point.
Step—
A tiny footfall echoed across the field.
Faint, barely audible.
Step—
But the leisure in its stride seized certain gazes.
Step—
First to turn: Lia and Leo, fighting alongside knights. The kids' sharp senses spotted him before anyone.
Step—
Demonic fog blanketed everywhere.
Its toxicity melted armor; knights fought carefully to avoid breaking masks.
Thus, eyes shifted one by one.
Step—
The source: methodical, tidy footsteps clashing with the battlefield. Knights spotting him gawked wide-eyed.
Some shocked, some yelling warnings.
Delik was the latter.
"……Professor! Dangerous!"
Deculein.
No protection whatsoever—just a robe over his shoulders, cane in hand. Walking straight into the demonic mire, the heart of the slaughterhouse.
Step—
"Deculein! What are you doing?!"
Gwen's startled shout, eyes bulging.
"……."
Yet he was calmer than anyone in this Mieolji. Strolling his path at ease.
"Protect the professor!"
Delik yelled.
No Iron Man alloy nearby. Stuck to the barrier as catalyst for Metal Reinforcement.
"……Unnecessary."
He waved off the knights, exhaling softly. Local fog seeped into him, fiercely awakening the Yukline bloodline's tenacity.
"……."
Deculein stared at the distant demon.
A grotesque lifeform spewing mana. Laughable pretender, not a true demon.
Simultaneously, he drew a small gem from his breast.
Blue yet pure white, cold yet hot—a paradoxical crystal.
Frost Stone
"Professor! The fog's thick!"
"No fuss."
He brushed off Delik lightly.
Glared at the far demon—no, the endless fiend tide—then activated the Frost Stone.
The exquisite metal floated at his will; dark mana pooled thick at his feet.
Sssshhh……
Yukline flesh purified the mana fully, burning it as fuel.
—Thus, the purified mana far exceeded his limits.
Groooar—!
Unable to enter his body, it erupted from underground.
Gro—! Rumble rumble—
Pavement shuddered like a volcano rumbling below.
Atop it, Deculein calmly absorbed mana. Injected purified power into the Frost Stone.
"Demon extermination is Yukline tradition."
His pupils dilated; crystal-blue eyes captured the field.
Gazing at the demon ahead, Deculein murmured low.
"……Fear, demon."
Ablation and metal mana flooded the Frost Stone.
The vibrations ceased.
…….
In a blink, the Frost Stone manifested. A blue streak moved like light.
Speed beyond measure. Unfeelable.
Time frozen, space halted—in Mieolji where knights and fiends stood stock-still, only the Frost Stone extended.
Metal that froze foes, then burned them.
The Frost Stone melted the demon like sunlight, incinerated fiends, devoured the distant tide…….
Whole.
……Three days passed like that.
The endless southward push showed signs of ending. Thanks to the desperate war effort.
Knights, drained of stamina and mana, still moved beyond the barrier; atop it, exhausted mages slumped everywhere.
Residents brought food, water, herbs, wet cloths—whatever might help—but such trifles couldn't cure mana exhaustion.
"……Ifrin. You okay?"
Ihelm asked. Day five, yet the war dragged on.
"Yeah. Fine. Almost…… over now."
Ifrin gazed at the pale dawn sun far off.
A morning sunrise after ages. Cursed fog had blocked it all this time.
"……Good work."
Of course, many died.
Nearly nine in ten convict frontline troops perished; over a hundred knights fell; ten mages suffered mana core damage.
—Yet.
"Somehow, we held."
Recor Dak's barrier stood firm.
Ifrin patted her section of wall with a small smile.
"……Thanks to that Deculein bastard, right? He still out there?"
"Yeah. Left two days ago, hasn't come back."
Demon emergence. Mana burst.
Seeing it, Deculein hopped the barrier—and hadn't returned.
"……Dead?"
Ihelm's teasing drew Ifrin's narrowed glare.
"No."
"How do you know? Checked?"
She shook her head, shrugged. Pulled a mokgang steel rod from her bosom.
"Professor said if he's in danger or hurt, this thing goes nuts."
"……That?"
"Yeah. He gave it to me. Super expensive steel."
She huffed proudly.
Ihelm chuckled incredulously, flicked the steel with a finger.
"Hey! Don't touch it!"
Ifrin shoved him away, even kicking. Ihelm laughed in disbelief.
"You nuts? Know who I am? Some brat pawing me."
"Whatever."
"……Tch. So how'd you know? It talk?"
"Nah."
Ifrin pouted, placed a finger on the steel.
Then it glowed red-hot, vibrating—whiiiirrr—!
"Oh yeah. Like this. See."
Whiiiirrr—!
"It does this if professor's in danger."
"Ah. Got it."
Ihelm nodded.
Whiiiirrr—!
The steel kept vibrating. Ifrin snickered.
"Okay, stop now."
Whiiiirrr—!
Vibration unrelenting. Still glowing.
"……I said stop?"
Ifrin hesitated, tapped it.
Then,
Claaaaang—!
Vibration intensified.
"Wh-what?!"
As Ifrin panicked,
Ihelm, stroking his chin while watching, spoke.
"……This means he's in danger, right?"
"……"
"……"
Three seconds of eye contact.
Whiiiirrr—!
The steel shuddered impatiently again,
"……Oh! Right!"
Ifrin finally got it.