Showdown (5)

After calming Eli down and stepping out of the tent, I walked over to Khan, who was standing guard, and spoke up.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

At the sound of his name, Khan turned his head toward me — and realizing that I was the one who'd just asked the question, he let out a wry chuckle.

"If something this minor hurts, I might as well hang up the mantle of the Black Tortoise's successor."

"Funny, then. You were wincing pretty hard when they pulled that spear out of you."

"Ahem..."

Khan straightened his collar with exaggerated nonchalance, pretending he hadn't been caught. His reaction drew a smile out of me before I knew it.

"So, how's the situation holding up?"

Khan nodded at my question.

"Fine, for now. The raids are nothing worth mentioning — just magic beasts the demons tamed and deliberately set loose. But..."

His expression turned grave.

"Something feels off. Like they're aiming for something... I just can't figure out what."

I answered him in a low voice.

"There's nothing we can do. If we launch a counterattack now, they'll hunt us down in the dark — they hold the physical advantage."

"I know. I've been racking my brain for a way around it."

As we talked, watching the darkness together, I offered him my thanks.

"I owe you one. I heard it from Eli."

"Huh? Why the sudden gratitude? I don't remember doing anything that'd earn a thank-you from you..."

"You helped Eli when she was paralyzed with fear."

Khan mulled it over for a moment, then remembered, brushing it off like it was nothing.

"Ah, that. Don't mention it. If it'd been the other way around, you'd have done the same for Fairy."

Well. I'd picked a good friend, at least.

We were still talking there, both watching the darkness, when I noticed something strange.

"Am I... seeing that right?"

"You rotten fucking bastards... not one shred of decency in you...!"

Figures were emerging from the darkness. Humans, bound to the demons — reduced to arrow fodder and meat shields...

Villagers, most likely.

Asmodeus, having realized they were useless as aphrodisiac bombs, had turned them into living shields instead, lashing them to the demons on the front line — stretching his own forces' survivability while crushing ours in the process.

Given Asmodeus's nature, the latter was probably the truer aim. Either way, our crisis hadn't changed.

And that horrifying sight... was coming into view of our own front line.

"Aaaaagh...!!!"

Soldiers collapsed onto their rears at the sight of it. To blunt the psychological shock before it spread, I immediately unfurled my domain of Purification.

White light rippled up from the ground beneath my feet and began spreading across the whole front. The moment the soldiers realized the power was mine, they accepted it without resistance, and the domain shielded their minds from the shock.

"Battle stations!!!"

At Khan's bellow, Eli, Yeon, and the rest came pouring out — and froze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the sight unfolding before the line, shock written plainly across their faces.

Fortunately, our mainstays — Yeon and Eli — were within my domain, their minds protected. But some of the soldiers were collapsing in terror all the same.

It couldn't be helped; my domain was not something I could spread without limit. Morale was bleeding out, and the battle was turning against us.

Which meant, in short — if we couldn't bring down those demons, the momentum of the entire battle would pass to their side.

While my mind raced through it all, the red-haired woman beside me drew her black blade and spoke.

"Sorry, but... back home, my master used to drill me on this constantly."

"She taught me how to take down a target hiding behind a screen. When else am I ever going to use it?"

Before she broke into her run, Eli turned to us.

"In exchange — the people you rescue won't be able to move on their own right away, so we'll need follow-up ready."

I gripped the Sword of the Azure Sky in my right hand, intending to charge out alongside Yeon. If I didn't plant the Authority of Purification on her first, the mental shock she'd take would be crushing.

"I'll back you up."

At my words, Yeon thumped my shoulder and sprinted ahead. I threw a word back to Eli to get the follow-up moving fast, then surged forward after Yeon.

Only after darting to Yeon's side, planting the Authority of Purification within her, and finishing every last preparation did we finally meet the demon army head-on.

= Your own kind are bound right there in front of you — do you truly think you can kill us?! =

The demons roared with insane laughter, leering at us as if we were a joke. But Yeon —

"I think we can."

Leaping like a butterfly, she seized every eye on the field in an instant — and with a single stroke, severed not a human neck, but a demon's. The headless demon crumpled where it stood.

Meanwhile, I used the current coursing through me to tear the bonds free and rescue the people lashed to the demons.

They were in no state to come to their senses — most were unconscious, or too broken to command their own bodies. Even so, I couldn't leave them here. One by one I pulled them out, gathering them far from the battlefield so they'd be clear before the soldiers arrived to carry them back.

Yeon took to the air at a terrifying speed, ripping the souls clean out of the demons — her gaze fixed, relentless and precise, not on the defenseless humans bound before them, but only on demon necks.

Swish—

Swish—

Harvesting demon heads at a horrifying pace. I ran interference against the more dangerous foes and reapplied the Authority of Purification as its effect ran out, covering her every strike.

Summoning the wind domain to sharpen her already-blinding speed — I gave her the most optimal support I could as I watched her hunt.

But as I kept watching, a feeling grew stronger and stronger: I needed to take up the wind blade. That I needed to fight with two swords.

My intuition was telling me something, but I couldn't tell exactly what danger was coming for me. Even so — my intuition had never once been wrong. Without hesitation, I took up the wind sword, slid it into the strap at my waist, and hid it from sight.

As time passed, our front line stabilized. Soldiers and knights bathed long in the Authority of Purification found the victims and began carrying them back. Eli's quick orders had, without a doubt, saved their lives.

"Die!"

I turned my head toward Yeon and saw her carving through demons with staggering skill.

Most of them were mid-tier or high-tier demons. For Yeon, who had mastered the Butterfly Blossom sword art and climbed another rung in her martial rank, their grades hardly mattered.

The demons who had advanced relying purely on their human shields on Asmodeus's orders made perfect fodder for Mogley.

The high-tier demon who had swaggered up behind its human wall to taunt her died. Only when every last demon using people as shields lay dead did Yeon finally catch her breath.

"Haah... haah... haah... why are there so many...?"

= A pity. =

Step by step, a figure walked out — an old man with a monocle over one eye, leaning on a cane, slowly revealing himself from the darkness. The power radiating off him was the equal of Glasya-Labolas.

Clad in thin, light armor — Rank 22, Ipos.

Called the leader of the Fools, the strategist said to see through every tactic and unravel them all.

= Introductions first, perhaps? I am called Ipos, Rank 22. =

An old man in light armor met us with a courteous bow of the head. But there was nothing false about the crushing pressure he exuded.

"......"

Thanks to that overwhelming pressure, I was fine — but Yeon, like Eli before her, was trembling as she slid her sword back into its sheath. I moved her behind me, blocking her line of sight, giving her whatever small distance I could from the aura Ipos radiated.

"Asmodeus would never send you out here for nothing. What's your scheme?"

= Scheme? I was merely so moved — you burned down my forest and shattered my traps, and the brilliance of your operation inspired me to reveal myself in person. =

A crafty old serpent. Even now he was clearly concealing some vile design, hoarding his true schemes to the very last before showing his repulsive nature.

This kind of fight wasn't my forte. And with our core strength — me and Yeon — standing here, if Asmodeus struck the front line now, Khan couldn't hold it alone.

Turn back, then. At the very least, I had to open a retreat for Yeon.

= You would do well to abandon that line of thinking. =

As if he'd read my mind, Ipos shot the thought down at once.

= I know exactly what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you were just considering... did you think I climbed to the 22nd rank by accident? =

With a sinister smile, he began walking toward us, slow and unhurried. The distance between Ipos and us was still considerable — a good three minutes on foot.

Which meant I had three minutes to recall how I had dealt with Ipos in the game.

Yeon tried to shake off my hand and hurl herself at him, but I gripped her hand tight and sent a transmission straight into her mind.

— Hold still. The ground around us will be riddled with traps.

At my words, Yeon froze mid-stride. If Ipos had shown himself, it meant we were already inside his trap. The reason he'd climbed to Rank 22 was simple: he only ever fought battles he could win.

As far as I knew, the traps he'd laid here were Sliding Grass — countless pits disguised as open ground, and anyone who fell into one would, without exception, arrive directly before the monarch he served. In other words, the moment we fell in, Yeon and I would be teleported straight to Asmodeus's feet.

Enemy forces still remained, and Yeon was running on fumes from the last fight. If we fell into his trap, it was guaranteed defeat.

So — think. How did I kill Ipos in the game?

When the memory finally surfaced, I sent the plan to Yeon through the transmission. She hesitated for a moment, then loosened her grip and let Mogley fall from her hand.

Just as Ipos drew near, this is what I did.

I threw our weapons at his feet.

Thud. Thud.

The Sword of the Azure Sky with its sky-blue edge, and Mogley with her black blade, buried themselves in the earth and fell before him. Ipos began glaring at us — as though we were hiding some scheme.

And we went further, lowering ourselves into a kneeling posture right before him.

= What are you playing at? =

"If we're going to lose anyway, I simply chose the side that gets to live."

At my words, he couldn't hold back his laughter.

= KHAHAHAHA!! You're both utterly mad. Your comrades' line is within sight of your own eyes, and you speak of defeat? =

"I told you. I chose it because I don't want to die."

= You killed two of our Sovereign's personal army commanders... and this is all you come to offer? =

"We already surrendered our main weapons to you as a sign of our defeat, haven't we?"

= Yes... surely... we did... Then why is it that I smell something sweet? =

Here was where the acting had to be flawless. If you don't want to die, there's no other way. I looked up at him with the picture of wounded innocence — as if I knew nothing, as if there wasn't the slightest hidden intent behind my face. And then, he —

= Yes... what could the pair of you possibly do, fallen so readily into my trap? Follow me. You're a pretty little thing — you'll serve well as the Sovereign's concubine. =

Not until he turned his back did we move at all. Even when he bent to pull our swords from the ground, we merely watched.

Only then, with contempt in his eyes, did Ipos approach — walking to us under his own power.

Now.

The wind sword hidden in my strap flashed into the open — and even if he reacted, at this range the advantage was mine.

= You wretch—! =

He barely escaped decapitation — but that was all he escaped. His upper torso was cleaved clean across, blood pouring down in sheets. I walked toward him.

"Hyun! Don't walk—!"

Yeon tried to stop me, but contrary to her fear, no trap sprang. I simply stood before the gasping, bleeding old man with my sword raised.

"And one more thing."

The Sword of the Azure Sky vanished from his grip and returned to my left hand.

"My sword is a divine blade the Azure Dragon himself left behind. Naturally, its magic was set so that the Dragon's successor — me — can call it back at will."

= You... how could you know my traps—! =

"You use them as your own exits and escape routes, if I'm not mistaken."

= ...!! How—! How could you possibly—!! =

"Take one look and it's obvious. You never show yourself on the front line, you topple your enemies purely through scheming, and you only appear when victory is already certain — of course a rat like you prepared a rat hole."

= You dare... me?! =

"Apparently even the finest tactician alive goes senile eventually."

= DIE! =

The one who cut down his thrashing, last-ditch swing — severing his neck — was none other than Yeon. Snatching the wind sword from my right hand and beheading him with it.

She must have marked the ground she'd stood on and the path I'd walked, then leapt along it exactly — stealing my blade and taking his head in a single motion.

Just what kind of physical stats did this woman have...

"Hyun. Thank you. Without you, I really would have fallen into that trap."

I'd already relayed the whole plan to her through the transmission, so she had trusted me completely and handed over her main weapon without a fight.

"Good news is, Mogley's unharmed."

With Ipos dead, every trap had vanished with him — we could set our feet on solid ground in safety. She pulled Mogley free from his crumbling corpse and immediately urged us back toward our front line.

I agreed wholeheartedly, and we quickened our pace toward the front. When we arrived, the line was engulfed in flame, locked in a bitter struggle.

Burning demons and soldiers clutched each other's weapons, neither willing to let go. Knights and supreme demons poured their full strength into every swing, each trying to take the other's head. The same was true of Eli, our commander, and Khan, successor of the Divine Beasts.

Just as we reached the line to join them —

= My, my... I never imagined you'd slaughter so many of my underlings... =

A man with long black hair vaulted over a gate. A demon of the very highest ranks — gate magic would be trivial for him.

Then, stretching his arm out toward our front line, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Asmodeus said:

= Do you know how mighty the power over space truly is? =

In an instant, everything along a straight line was ground to nothing.

"What...?"

= Bathin's power is serviceable... but I've only had it a short while, so it's a touch taxing, you understand? Still... =

= there is no power better suited to killing you. =

His figure vanished from my sight — and he was upon me in the same breath.

= Authority: Asmodeus — Spatial Severance. =

All the lightning within my body converged at once, accelerating every bio-reaction I had — and only then, by a hair's breadth, did I evade the strike.

= Tch. A heartbeat faster, and I could have shown Alice the sight of your bisected torso. =

"Sorry, but isn't it a little early ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to promise that?"

= The gap in our power is plain as day... yet you struggle on. =

I gathered the power of lightning and drew forth blades of it, orbiting around me. Five blades in all wheeled about my body, each one halting above my head before aiming themselves at Asmodeus.

Every preparation was complete.

Embracing the power of lightning, I hurled myself at Asmodeus.

= Authority: Asmodeus — Spatial Severance. =

Warping heat-haze gathered into his palm; he raised his hand high overhead, ready to bring it slashing down on me. The moment was at hand — heaven-shaking lightning and space-rending power about to collide head-on.

And the result was —

Four of the lightning blades summoned by Descent of the Lightning God were snuffed out simultaneously. And worse — the domain that had wrapped around me through Wrath of the Firmament began slowly peeling away, before —

— torn apart.