Struggle to the Death
Even as I collapsed, spraying blood, I let out a hollow chuckle at the sheer absurdity of it all. I had only just realized that I hadn't been brought down by any actual strike or technique.
It was merely the unveiled majesty of a Demon King—or perhaps a fragment of the Evil God. My frail body had screamed, rupturing and splitting open from nothing more than facing that presence head-on. My overheated head throbbed as if it were tearing apart, my churning entrails flared with ominous, multidirectional agony, and blood streamed in ribbons from my ruptured facial features. The frantic alarm of instinct, screaming that I couldn't possibly win, was merely the cherry on top. Fear, dread, alien terror, and breathless awe raged through me, blanketing my fighting spirit like a suffocating shroud.
"Cough...! Ha, haha..."
Yet that was precisely why I could laugh. Even a Demon King this magnificent couldn't truly finish me. Even if I died, I would merely regress to the past; as long as I didn't give up, victory was practically guaranteed. Return through Death was just that broken of a cheat.
And so, gritting my teeth to hold down the agony, I activated the Absolute Ring of Taunt.
"Oho. That ring... Even after this one revealed their true dignity, it defies reason and natural law to exert its influence. A relic so splendid it stirs my desire."
Rubias had slipped back into her solemn, archaic cadence. In stark contrast to her composed tone, the spacetime around her contorted violently, screeching in bone-chilling death rattles that created a terrifying dissonance.
"You would hardly perish from this, my dear friend. The redirected strike stings a bit... but that alone cannot slay me. As you well know."
"Cough, heh heh... You'd better look forward to it, Rubias. I'm going to give you the death you've craved for so long."
"Kukuk. If you can manage it, I shall welcome it gladly."
A soft, breathtakingly beautiful smile crossed her lips, utterly out of place in this hellscape. As she raised her hand, all my senses dissolved into chaos. From where I stood, I couldn't even fathom the shape of the attack she was preparing.
"Kuh...! Lord Aljen...!"
"Dammit, my body won't..."
"Aaaagh...!"
Muriel, Rebecca, and Cacciola seemed barely able to endure the pressure. They struggled forward in a desperate attempt to protect me, but I raised a hand to wave them off. Their strength could never stem the swollen momentum and rank of a Demon King. Besides, my entire goal was to draw that attack onto myself; their interference would only get in the way and needlessly squander their lives.
─Kzzzz-crackle!
"......"
Reality really was different from a game. In the game, a boss would only toss out basic attacks right after the fight began, but judging by the looks of it, she was already winding up a nuke meant for Phase 2 or Phase 3.
I actually welcomed it. The stronger the blow, the greater the Absolute Ring set would shine.
"Spatial Obliteration... No, Spacetime Annihilation?"
"You truly know your craft. It is the latter. Take it, if you can."
The next instant, a colossal presence blanketed my body completely, threatening to strip away every sensation. The thick stench of impending death washed over me. Without a second thought, I triggered the Ring of Absolute Evasion.
"Pheeew...!"
Slipping free of that horrifying pressure that sought to tear my very existence apart and swallow it whole, I let out a ragged breath. Without wasting a single heartbeat, I triggered the Absolute Counter Ring.
KWHAAAASH!
All my senses could register was a titanic weight and roar, as if the entire world were shifting on its axis, followed by a burst of blinding light.
"Guh...!"
By the time I regained my senses, my feet were planted on the ground, and what greeted my eyes was Rubias hurtling through the air, spraying geysers of blood. Her unfurled wings were shredded to ribbons, an arm and a leg were completely blown away, and blood and entrails poured from the deep gouges carved across her body.
"Indeed, cough! What monstrous might. As expected of my own technique...!"
Crack! Crunch!
Yet even catastrophic wounds like that began regenerating in the blink of an eye. Although she looked visibly strained, her enduring vitality sent a slight chill down my spine.
"...Thanks for taking the exact same hit twice."
"Think nothing of it. You may boast of it with pride. Even knowing what was to come, I had no choice but to endure it. You are surely the first mortal ever to corner a Demon King."
"Flattery will get you nowhere..."
"So, what will you do now? Do you have any other tricks left? If those lackeys of the Goddess cowering over there are your final trump card, I shall be terribly disappointed."
I didn't answer her as she gestured toward the Church's forces. Instead, the corners of my mouth curled into a quiet smirk.
Because in my sight, I could already see him.
Descending straight above the Demon King's head without a single breath of presence was Stanasila Urtega.
...Judging by the grin on his face, he was having the absolute time of his life. That battle-crazed lunatic.
"...Hm!?"
Rubias sensed his presence a moment too late. She hastily tried to invoke her authority, but she was a step behind. And when it came to authority, Urtega was not one to be outdone. At least within the realm of swordsmanship, no being alive could rival Urtega's pinnacle as a Demi-God.
Slash!
"Keh, puwah!"
Bisected clean through by a blade manifested purely from his mindscape, Rubias sprayed another torrent of blood, vomiting chunks of viscera. In that fleeting second, Urtega's eyes met mine. I gave him a curt nod and raised a trembling hand.
"Muriel. Carry me... on your back. We're getting out of here... as fast as we can."
"Haa, haa... Y-Yes, my lord..."
The three women were in an utter state of ruin: hair and clothes drenched in cold sweat, extremities trembling uncontrollably, breaths ragged, and eyes struggling to maintain focus. Merely standing their ground against that presence had bled away nearly all their stamina. As expected, challenging a Demon King with mere Aura Top-tier was nothing short of a pipedream. In fact, Cacciola was only high-tier at best; it was a miracle she hadn't died on the spot. Then again, even in the game, you couldn't even begin a Demon King raid without at least being a Sword Master, so it made sense.
"Haa... haa..."
"Dammit, dammit...!"
"Shit..."
Muriel, bearing me on her back with a grimace, merely exhaled heavy breaths, but Rebecca and Cacciola ground their teeth in sheer frustration, their pride stinging fiercely.
"Heh... Why look so... furious? You girls can reach that realm too... someday..."
I spoke through labored breaths, gesturing back toward the apocalyptic clash behind us. At my words, Rebecca and Cacciola's expressions hardened into dead seriousness.
"Is that true, Lord Aljen?"
"Are you serious? I can get that strong too?"
"Of course... I know you will..."
Biting their lips, the two women nodded, their agitation visibly calming.
"If Lord Aljen says so, then it must be true. I will redouble my devotion."
"To think I could reach that level... Whew..."
I wore a bitter smile at their reactions. In truth, for them to ascend to the realm of a Demi-God, they would need to consume finite resources known as fortuitous encounters. Unless I tracked those encounters down for them, the only way to obtain them was by becoming a heroine to the protagonist... but well, I had no idea if they could ever become true heroines. In terms of sheer objective stats, the 'default heroines' were vastly superior. Still, who knew? Maybe I could give them a gentle push.
CLANG! KZZZZZT! FWAAASH!
No matter how far we ran, the violent shockwaves continued to buffet us from that insane battlefield. Sprinting desperately, the women soon brought us to the staging area where the Church's forces had gathered.
"Lord Stanasila Aljen! Are you all right!?"
"...Cecilia, is it?"
Seeing Cecilia rush toward me, ready to pour holy power into my body, I quickly reached out and caught her by the wrist.
"Ah, what are you doing...?"
"If you've got holy power to waste on me, pour it on the Demon King. Don't get your priorities backwards."
"How could you... Are you telling me to ignore an injured man suffering right before my eyes!? I cannot do that! I am the Goddess's vessel, faithfully upholding Her will!"
"I'm not telling you to leave me to rot. I'm telling you to put the Demon King first. I've got potions, so I'm not going to keel over right this second. You can patch me up after that bastard is dead."
"But...!"
"Listen to me, will you? What, is your holy power infinite or something? If you've got bottomless reserves, then by all means, go ahead and heal me."
"That is..."
"Whew... Pope. Get this kid out of here. I don't have the energy to bicker."
Just as I tried to shove Cecilia toward the Pope with my trembling hands, a gentle, silvery glow blossomed and sank into my flesh. Instantly, the throbbing pain subsided, replaced by a surge of vitality roaring through my entire body.
"Ah..."
"Mmh..."
"Ohh..."
She hadn't just healed me; she had blanketed the other three women as well. A flare of irritation rushed to my head, and I glared daggers at Cecilia.
"You little brat...!"
"I-It won't work even if you glare at me like that! I have no regrets! I'll take full responsibility for my actions!"
"How the hell does a brat like you take responsibility? A single fistful of your holy power could turn dozens of demonic beasts to ash. And you go and waste it on—!"
"Enough, both of you. Peace."
Just before my boiling rage could erupt, the Pope stepped between us to mediate.
"Now is hardly the time for this. We must focus our efforts on subjugating the Demon King."
"Whew..."
Letting out a heavy sigh, I released Cecilia's wrist. The moment she was free, she scurried behind the Pope and stuck her tongue out at me. Cheeky little imp.
"Lord Stanasila Aljen. Everyone here understands the sheer peril and gravity of the role you undertook. You bought us time against a Demon King and inflicted grievous wounds upon her twice... A feat only you could have accomplished. But could you lend us your aid just a little longer?"
The Pope's calm request couldn't disguise his haggard condition. His face was pale as chalk, and he swayed on his feet every so often, clearly having burnt through a massive portion of his holy power. A quick glance revealed the rest of the clergy were in no better shape; several were already sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
"......"
Still, the composition of the Church's force struck me as bizarre.
Why were there only priests and high priests here? Where were the holy knights who were supposed to serve as the tanks and front-line damage dealers? Did these fools march out here thinking they would do nothing more than cast support buffs on Urtega? And they were already completely wiped out?
"...Ha, fuck."
A curse slipped out under my breath. But I had no choice but to swallow it down. How could mortals who had rarely ever faced high demons, let alone a Demon King, know how to make proper preparations? It was just infuriating that under circumstances like this, the precious holy power of the Saintess had been squandered on me.
That damn little brat...!
"Eep...!?"
When I shot her another murderous glare, Cecilia gasped and hid completely behind the Pope's robes.
"Whew... You want my help? With what?"
"I wish to borrow your fathomless knowledge. For instance, the Demon King's weakness."
"...That monster doesn't have anything you'd call a weakness. The only answer is crushing her with sheer, overwhelming firepower."
"Is that so... Then as planned, we must prepare large-scale offensive holy arts..."
"Still, I can give you a game plan. First, that holy domain blanketed across the area—did you cast that using relics?"
"...Indeed we did."
"And the barrier?"
"Maintained through holy arts."
"Then most of your holy power is being sucked dry by the barrier. Hmm... Considering that, the Saintess seems to be in relatively good shape. Were you conserving her power?"
"You are exceedingly perceptive. The Saintess's holy power is sacred and unique, after all."
"I-I'm contributing holy power to maintain the barrier too, you know!?"
The moment Cecilia chimed in, I snapped my head toward her with a fierce glare, and her peeking face vanished behind the Pope once more.
"...Drop the barrier. Now."
"The barrier? If we do that... the Demon King might attempt to flee."
"If she truly makes up her mind to run, that barrier won't stop her anyway. Besides, do you really have the confidence to keep it standing?"
I pointed back toward the apocalyptic clash between Urtega and Rubias. For now, they were still probing each other, resulting in nothing more than gouged craters and ripped, crushed space. But once they truly threw down, it wouldn't stop at just that. How much holy power would it take to hold a barrier together against that kind of cataclysm?
"That is..."
"You know you can't hold it, right? Stop wasting holy power on futile efforts and tear it down immediately. Switch entirely to offense. Firepower. What we need right now is pure, unadulterated firepower—enough to obliterate her before she can even think about running."
Taking a deep swig from my flask, I looked toward Urtega and Rubias, who were fighting with enough ferocity to level the entire Wasteland, and flashed a smirk.
"Oh, and you brought other relics, right? Bring out everything you have. Let me take a look."
"Mmm... Very well."
The Pope looked somewhat skeptical, but since he had asked for my counsel and had no alternative, he ordered his attendants to lay out an array of relics before me.
"Ho..."
There were quite a few remarkable pieces.
"A Mana Wave Blocker? You even brought one of these?"
"Though our time was short, it is the fruit of our research into the Demon King's Fragment. House Stanasila provided assistance from the Duke's Castle."
"Is that so..."
That was news to me, but all the better. Curling my lips into a wide grin, I crooked a finger at Cecilia.
"Hey. Get over here and give me a hand."
"W-What!? Why me!? I'm busy!?"
"Stop whining and get over here."
"Kyaaah!? Your Holiness! Save me!"
I grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward with crude force, eliciting a sharp shriek as she was dragged over without resistance. As expected of a healer, her physical strength was pitiful. Then again, she was still just a kid, so it made sense.
"...Cecilia. Go and assist him."
"Your Holiness!?"
Looking utterly betrayed, she tried to protest, but I clamped a hand around her face and forced it toward the relics.
"Ugh...!"
"Listen carefully. I'm only explaining this once. First..."
I rapidly broke down her role into a concise, straightforward summary.
"Uh, er, ah..."
"Did you get all that?"
"Y-Yes... more or less..."
Her eyes were spinning in dizzying circles. Whether I could truly trust her remained to be seen, but right now, I had no choice but to place my faith in her competence.
Lamenting my own helplessness, I washed down my parched, burning throat with another draught of alcohol.