Chapter 4 : Tag (5)
Chapter 4 : Tag (5)
<Number of remaining players: 0.>
<Gaias rises to its feet.>
Deltain cleared the interface and looked down at the Imperial Capital.
There were the Hounds, who had finished off the remaining four players, and demons swarming outside the city walls.
Did demons really swarm like this just because one barrier collapsed?
The answer to that question was simple.
'Looks like they've been bottling up quite a lot.'
That was because Deltain was the demons' main enemy.
Since he had caused the Demon King to perish and closed the dimensional gate to the Demon World, Deltain was practically the demons' arch-nemesis.
Deltain smiled crookedly and averted his gaze from the wall.
Something more important than the walls the Imperial knights were defending was right in front of Deltain's eyes.
<Gaias deactivates stealth.>
Simultaneously with that alarm, something appeared in the sky above the Imperial Capital.
It was a heart, unimaginably massive.
Countless blood vessels extending from it were connected to the streetlights of the Imperial Capital.
The heart twisted grotesquely with every thumping beat.
The magic power scattering with every beat possessed a concentration quite exceptional, even among those Deltain knew.
<Facing the Highest-Ranking Demon: Gaias.>
Deltain just watched Gaias.
Then, he clapped his hands.
"You son of a bitch. You play like shit."
It was the highest praise he could give.
Just as Kaltara had anticipated, he was praising the demon to keep his word.
That was the end of the praise.
In Deltain's words, a boss whose gimmick had been revealed was no longer an object of adversity.
"But if you were going to hide, you should've stayed hidden until the end. If you had, you could've lived at least one more day. Why the hell did you rush out just because all your lackeys died?"
Deltain scattered mana and summoned a black pit.
<Accessing Cartridge.>
He reached out and pulled out a long staff from inside.
It was shaped such that all sorts of rare jewels were embedded on the rod, reflecting a cold light.
<Summoning No. 1 Weapon: Compass.>
Compass.
True to the name 'Imperial Capital Machine', this weapon had only one role.
It was to establish a new space-time axis.
Whoosh!
The mana Deltain unleashed seeped into the staff.
At the same time, a roaring sound echoed from the sky above the Imperial Capital.
<Generating space-time axis.>
Deltain cast a 4th-tier magic spell.
4th-tier magic was magic that interfered with time and space.
In other words, it was magic that utilized the concept of the 4th dimension.
<Calculating coordinates.>
<Assisting the formula.>
Back when Deltain wasn't yet accustomed to 4th-tier magic, there was something he had agonized over.
It was about what was needed to perceive higher dimensions while living in a 3-dimensional space.
Isn't that right?
Overlapping the concept of the next dimension onto a 3-dimensional system where only length, width, and volume exist is, even for him, a task that strains the limits of cognition.
This No. 1 Weapon was created to break through such limits.
A calculator to calculate concepts beyond cognition for the creation of a tesseract.
A controller to control the phase of space that changes according to time.
<4th-tier Magic: Activating Solaris.>
As long as Deltain held the Compass, he was someone who could escape such worries.
Deltain swung the staff.
What he used was a wide-range annihilation spell.
Blue mana began to burn red and emit heat.
It began to burn only the area around Gaias, thanks to the Compass.
This was the result of Deltain interpreting the phenomenon of magic from a strictly modern perspective.
The burning flames were bringing the phenomenon from a time before this planet promised the survival of living things, back when it still accepted the sun's heat as it was, into that range.
There was no romance in it.
This was the reason he could ascend to the rank of Archmage.
Unlike the natives here, he was a man who wielded magic based on theoretical knowledge of dimensions and natural phenomena.
The flames glowed white-hot.
At the same time, the heart began to burn away.
No matter if it was a highest-ranking demon, it was a Monarch-type demon.
It was a demon that reigned through the power of its forces rather than its main body.
On top of that, it was a demon that ultimately took the form of a creation.
There was no way a mere pulsating organ could handle heat that was skyrocketing through the roof.
Whoosh.
The heart shriveled up.
The light was so bright that the Imperial Capital had become as bright as midday.
Fortunately, there was no other damage.
The damage from the light intensity and heat was perfectly limited to the area around Gaias.
Thump.
Thump.
Gaias's heartbeat began to grow frantic.
It was a desperate struggle.
Only then did Deltain shove the Compass back into his Cartridge and prepare for the next battle.
He knew well that a demon, which was an amorphous creature, and especially a highest-ranking demon that existed only within the concept of cognition called a 'name', could not be annihilated by physical means.
<Gaias's physical body is annihilated.>
<Gaias burns its soul.>
<Mental World: Entering the Battlefield of the Overlord.>
Deltain's body was sucked into Gaias's heart.
*
<Entered the Battlefield of the Overlord.>
<Erase the name of Gaias.>
Deltain opened his eyes.
What was before his eyes was a massive battlefield where he couldn't see an inch ahead; it was Gaias's mental world.
Deltain waved his hand as if this bizarre phenomenon were familiar.
Then, a brilliant treasure sword was grasped in his hand.
'The will works well.'
The mental world was literally a world inside the demon's mind.
In other words, unlike the outside, it was a world where everything was possible just by thinking about it.
Of course, to carry out that act, one needed an unwavering conviction and will that 'the phenomenon will occur', but this was not a difficult task for Deltain.
Self-assurance and pride were things that always existed in overflowing amounts for Deltain.
Deltain took a step.
Then, the battlefield gradually brightened.
There was a throne in the center.
Countless subjects were bowing their heads on both sides of it.
This was the identity Gaias had set for itself.
Deltain scoffed at it.
"Even a guy who couldn't become a king is all about the bravado."
A sneer filled with mockery.
At that, a figure appeared on the throne.
It was different from the demons he had seen so far.
The demon sitting on the throne had a beautiful form even when viewed from a human aesthetic sense.
Skin shining white like starlight and hair flowing down pitch black.
The melancholic gaze and firmly closed lips were androgynous.
No, Deltain was actually certain that this demon was androgynous.
That was only natural, as Gaias, who wasn't wearing a single shred of clothing, possessed both organs symbolizing male and female.
"What kind of retarded taste is it to have both tits and a dick?"
On Gaias's chest were voluptuous breasts of bursting size.
Between its crotch was a creepy-sized penis.
As Gaias crossed its legs, Deltain's expression crumpled.
"What are you getting hard for, you asshole."
Thwack!
As Deltain threw the treasure sword, it pierced Gaias's penis.
The penis, which had been throbbing with a creepy size, soon fell to the floor and flopped around.
Gaias looked at its crotch, where black blood was flowing down, then lifted its head to face Deltain.
What appeared on its lips was a smile.
[Contractor.]
"I've never made a contract with you."
[Foolish mortal.]
"I live longer than you."
Deltain kindly replied to Gaias's words and created a new treasure sword.
With that, he walked toward the throne.
Gaias was still flapping its mouth.
[Pitiful life, you cannot see an inch ahead.]
"The one who can't see is you. That's the problem with you guys. Your own neck is about to be cut off, yet you're still flapping your mouth with nonsense."
Deltain did not listen to the demon's words.
Knowing that they were always beings that shook human minds to dig into gaps, he didn't give even a speck of an opening.
[You do not know what you are doing right now.]
Gaias said with a cold smile.
Deltain snorted.
He had reached the front of the throne before he knew it, and looked down at Gaias as he spoke.
"Still, you're more relaxed than the guy before. Your friend, that is. Chambler. That bastard was shitting and pissing himself begging to be saved when it was time to die."
[My, it seems he didn't want to dream.]
Gaias lowered its eyes.
[Go ahead and try. I will gladly become a part of the contract.]
As Gaias spread its arms, its voluptuous breasts shook.
Deltain grabbed that left breast and thrust the treasure sword downward.
The sensation of soft flesh and the feeling of stabbing a knife under the skin violated Deltain's entire body.
He frowned at that and opened his mouth.
"I'm taking the heart."
Gaias smiled faintly.
[To your heart's content.]
With a zzzt sound, Gaias's chest was gouged out.
Deltain thrust his arm into it and tore out the heart.
The heart, still pulsating and dripping black blood, was grasped in Deltain's hand.
<Erasing the name of Gaias.>
<Acquired Gaias's Heart.>
<Achieved a great feat.>
<The name of 'Deltain Hebron' becomes even greater.>
·
·
·
<The Hall takes note of you.>
The interface popped up on his retina and then disappeared.
Deltain roughly read through them and then opened a sub-dimension.
<4th-tier Magic: Activating Sub-dimension.>
What could be seen inside the black pit was a display case divided into 9 compartments.
Deltain put the heart into the compartment labeled 'No. 2' and closed the display case.
The heart inside the display case was still thumping and pulsating.
'That's it.'
The battlefield began to collapse.
Cracks began to form on the space, and through the gaps where they fell away, the Imperial Capital could be seen.
Deltain watched that sight for a moment, then moved his feet and walked out.
"Boss!"
Waiting for him after escaping the mental world were the Hounds.
Kaltara was laughing while blood was dripping all over her body.
Galan was covering his body with a baggy robe as always, and Pobler was letting out a burp.
Jebis was pulling out his prosthetic leg, which was covered in flesh, blood, and an opaque white liquid, and shaking it off.
"Good work."
When Deltain said that, the Hounds laughed.
However, Deltain had no intention of letting them rest.
"Now go outside the city and help clear out the demons. Until I reactivate the barrier."
When Deltain pointed to the city gate and said that, Jebis frowned, but it couldn't be helped.
To them, the master's command was absolute.
"Understood! Alright, everyone, let's go!"
Only Kaltara was excited about the work ahead of them.
Deltain left the departing Hounds behind and began to reactivate 'Saint Hall' again.
<4th-tier Magic: Activating Saint Hall.>
'I need to repair it.'
There was a need to reinforce Saint Hall.
Since the DLC hadn't ended yet, and there was no telling when another demon like Gaias might appear, this would be a necessary task.
The lights of the Imperial Capital returned one by one, and accordingly, the citizens who had been hiding in their homes began to poke their heads out.
Only after confirming those things did Deltain head toward the mansion.
Then, he stopped walking.
'...Wait.'
There was something he had remembered belatedly.
-Dump it in my mansion. It'll be safe there.
He had recalled the words he himself had said to Kaltara while he was in the middle of searching for Gaias.
Following that, what came to Deltain's mind were the words Agnes had spat out while soaked in temptation.
-Do you like me kneeling? Hmm, you have a strong desire for control. I'll keep that in mind. I'll beg you with both hands together to sleep with me. But I won't confess.
Deltain's face flushed slightly.
His body was trembling.
'...Has the temptation not worn off yet?'
Deltain rubbed his face dry because his face was unnecessarily frowning, and then started walking again.
Soothing his heart, feeling heat rising for some reason.
'I'm going there now to mock that woman. Since she acted like a child soaked in temptation, she must know she should be embarrassed too.'
Today is the day for a counterattack.
It's the day to mock her with all his might, as much as he had been stressed.
Deltain, who was thinking things like that, didn't know.
What was happening in his bedroom.