The Princess of the Fallen Kingdom (3)
Yeon Je-seong gazed at his opponent with lowered eyes.
The Death Devil.
He'd heard plenty about her infamous reputation, but this was his first time facing her in person.
I never crossed paths with her even during the Holy Land reclamation battle.
Her combat prowess was unknown.
But instinct told him she was no pushover.
My skin's prickling. That's some serious power.
Was it the authority of death she wielded?
Tangible demonic energy was devouring the entire space, swelling her presence.
"To think I'd encounter you here, of all places, instead of Academy City."
"Same here. I only planned a short stay in Rischel, but running into one of the Four Heavenly Kings... who would've thought."
"Perfect timing. I wonder how the continent will react when the new symbol of heroism meets his end at my hands."
"Big dreams you've got there."
In that instant, her demonic energy clashed against his aura.
The tangible forces collided at the battlefield's center, making space groan and roar.
"B-Be careful! She's a monster who can slice through space itself!"
"Noted."
He etched Morgan's warning into his mind and sharpened his battle senses.
His honed instincts awakened one by one, dissecting her every detail.
Main weapon: flail. Raw strength isn't her forte, but she bolsters it with demonic energy. Those well-developed leg muscles suggest speed-focused combat is her specialty.
Absorbing her intel at a glance, he wrapped his body in aura to match her movements.
"Let's see what you've got."
"With pleasure. I'll be the judge."
Immediately after, crimson-black demonic energy and navy-blue aura hurtled toward each other.
Kaboom—!
Dodging the incoming strike aimed at him was simple enough.
But evading would leave Morgan exposed behind him.
"...!"
His judgment swift, his hand traced an uncanny trajectory.
Guided by yin-yang harmony, the fluid motion sapped the crimson-black demonic energy of its momentum until it dissipated.
"In-Incredible...!"
Meanwhile, Morgan watching from behind let out a quiet gasp at the masterful technique.
"Blocking the attack perfectly without wasting a drop of aura..."
As Morgan gaped in awe at the extraordinary feat—
"Morgan."
"Y-Yes...?!"
"Can you move?"
"...No mana left, but I can manage that much."
Good.
The Four Heavenly Kings weren't some weakling he could afford to fight while exposing vulnerabilities.
"Then get out of here. Now."
"...Am I in the way?"
"Yeah. If you stick around, she'll just target you exclusively."
"Got it."
Having felt the enemy's power firsthand, Morgan nodded calmly despite the cold edge in his words.
"I'd only be a hindrance like this."
"Other Round Table knights should be rampaging nearby. Link up with them."
With Arthur and the rest holding the front lines, she'd be safe once she joined them.
But he had no spare attention to escort her all the way.
"Taking your eyes off me?!"
Suddenly, a flail laden with viscous darkness whipped toward his neck.
He parried the incoming flails with his fists—only for black beasts to swarm from all directions.
"...!"
With attacks blotting out every angle, he scooped her into his arms and leaped skyward. Massive fangs crashed into the spot he'd just vacated.
As she froze in shock within his embrace, he shattered the beasts' jaws with a kick.
"Stay back!"
"R-Right!"
He set her down on the ground and thrust his fist toward the enemy.
A house-sized aura fist materialized, sweeping away the black beasts in one stroke.
"Don't die...!"
Ignoring Morgan's distant encouragement, he steadied his breathing.
As if on cue, the onslaught halted.
In the brief lull, he gathered his fighting spirit and spoke.
"Unexpected. Letting the enemy flee like that."
"Kuhuhu, too kind. Weren't you baiting me to attack?"
Sharper than expected.
Just as she'd said, he'd deliberately shown an opening to lure her guard down.
Enemies are most off-guard when their foes expose weakness.
"Pity. If you'd gone for Morgan, I was planning to shove it right back at you."
"Kuhuhu, bold words. But with your skills, you won't even scratch me."
Confidence, then.
The assurance she could win without taking a hostage.
Arrogance bordering on hubris, yet backed by real prowess.
She'd been building her energy through their exchange, just like him.
He looked up at the space behind her.
Thick demonic energy had gathered there unnoticed, soon coalescing into a massive skull that blanketed her surroundings.
Roooar—!
The skull exuded deathly aura, crumbling all life in an instant.
Birds plummeting toward him lost strength mid-flight and crashed.
Tiny sprouts on the ground withered away.
Even the earth, rich with vitality despite endless churn, cracked open around the skull, exposing fragile innards.
Moments passed.
With the ominous black skull fully formed behind her, the Death Devil spread her arms wide and declared in a voice brimming with pride.
"Behold."
"...Hah."
"The endpoint of all life. The embodiment of death. The bearer of death's truth—that is I. I am the Demon King's Four Heavenly King, the Death Devil."
"......"
"Kuhuhu, afraid? No need to worry."
......You'll be the one laid out cold on the frozen ground.
Her self-assured voice echoed across the battlefield—
"...Ha."
"...?"
Followed by a snort of derisive laughter from his lips.
Caught off-guard by the unforeseen reaction, the Death Devil let out a puzzled sound.
But even that couldn't stop his laughter from bubbling over.
"...Have you lost your mind?"
"Hahahahaha!"
As his guffaws swelled toward the heavens, her initial confusion soured into irritation.
"Finally snapped, have you?!"
"This is surprising."
Ignoring her completely, he peered up at the skull looming behind her.
Sleek black exterior, sturdy bones flickering with crimson-black flames.
"Didn't expect an homage like this."
"...What?"
"Makes sense, though. Developing brand-new techniques is tough, I get it..."
"What are you talking about?"
Come to think of it, the devs of the Failed Hero series loved homaging skills.
Probably because crafting fresh, unique ones was such a pain.
Still, it makes countermeasures straightforward.
With that in mind, he slowly drew up his aura.
"Enough! You're utterly mad! Die already...!"
Abandoning talk, the Death Devil mobilized her skull.
Its massive bony hand rose sky-high, then slammed down with earth-shaking gusts.
"...Hmm. Not bad, but..."
──It's lacking polish.
Pure aura erupted, enveloping his body completely.
The aura swelled massively behind him, forming a colossal silhouette.
"Wh-What...!?"
The growing form soon matched her skull's scale—then surpassed it effortlessly, piercing the clouds before halting.
The aura mass gradually took shape: a three-headed, six-armed behemoth emerged.
Inheriting the aura's hue, its navy-blue skin gleamed, soon clad in matching armor. Weapons wreathed in navy flames filled its six hands.
Sword, spear, bow, arrows, axe, scimitar.
With all six gripped firm, the world-shaking giant gazed imperiously upon the land.
"Th-This fool...!"
As the completed titan overlooked death from the heavens, an overwhelming pressure gripped the world—her body trembled instinctively.
Her skull wasn't small by any means, but compared to his giant, it was adult to child.
His giant's weapons alone rivaled her skull's size, after all.
"I-Impossible! How did you copy my technique...!"
Had the sheer dominance sapped her will to fight?
The Death Devil—who'd boasted so loftily—and even the demons rallying their knights gaped upward in stunned silence.
"Hey, just to confirm."
"Kuh...!"
As he took a slow step, the giant mirrored him, exuding the pressure of a moving mountain.
"That thing of yours... it's not the finished form, right?"
"......"
"Skull shape screams first stage to me..."
It's a long way off.
Still got miles to go.
To chase romance, one must hone skills to perfection.
"Hmm..."
Strict adherence would've required Eastern lore mastery first—but alas, that had failed.
Some things, like Eastern arts, demanded original bloodlines matching the source.
Even in this world teeming with diverse energies, it was tricky.
"Stopping development at that stage."
But he hadn't given up.
Countless obstacles barred the way, yet how could he abandon the dream of manifesting techniques from comics and games?
Opportunity had arisen to wield what he'd only imagined—why pass it up!
If not for my Heavenly Martial Body, it'd be impossible.
That cheat trait had made the impossible possible.
A mythical physique that mastered and internalized anything seen once.
Thanks to it—
His Heavenly Martial Body couldn't perfectly replicate his visions, but it could mimic them convincingly...
And that was his self-developed martial art, Manga Style.