A Whim
Every time thick, inhuman legs slammed against the earth, the massive frame hurtled forward as though taking flight.
"Pant, pant...!"
High demon Hedos clamped his crocodile-like snout tight, pumping his legs with desperate fervor.
The arrow that had pierced through his back and burst out of his heart—along with the mysterious roots sprouting from it and gnawing away at his innards—brought excruciating agony. Yet even so, he did not stop.
No, more accurately, he could not stop.
"Khhh! Urgh...!"
Because an order from the terrible, absolute Demon King had been issued.
It was not an act born of respect or loyalty. The Demon King’s command was simply absolute.
"The, the order... my order, I must fulfill my mission...!"
If one had to make a comparison, it was akin to how the elves regarded the World Tree, only far more coercive and blindly absolute.
"Aaaah?! Wh-What in the world is that?!"
"A demon! It's a demon! A demon is coming!"
"Wait, wasn't the Duke dealing with the demons right now?!"
"Wh-What do we do?!"
Even mortally wounded, a high demon was still a high demon. As Hedos bounded over the outer walls of Terabaon at terrifying speed and charged straight toward the Duke's Castle, the already terrified citizens and city guards scattered in sheer panic, shrieking at the top of their lungs. Some even collapsed, bleeding from their eyes and noses simply from the crushing pressure of Hedos’s aura.
"Insignificant humans...!"
He wanted nothing more than to slaughter every single screeching insect with a curse, but he had no such leisure. He could only press forward with single-minded resolve toward the Duke's Castle.
"Halt! Unclean fiend!"
"You take not another step!"
As the Duke's Castle drew near, knights rushed out from within, drawing their blades to bar Hedos's path.
"Grrraaaagh! Out of my way! Weak, wretched scum!"
Realizing that in his current condition he couldn't easily shake off knights as if they were common soldiers or civilians, Hedos unleashed coils of demonic energy and peeled back his jaws in a vicious roar.
KBOOOOOM!
"Ngh...?!"
"Gah!"
A shockwave strong enough to rattle the very earth rippled out in all directions. Even weakened from battle and fatal wounds, this was the blow of a high demon capable of rivaling a Master. Ordinarily, knights and armor alike should have been torn into flying ribbons of flesh...
"What... is this...?!"
Unfortunately for Hedos, a massive defensive barrier was currently deployed across the Duke's Castle. Furthermore, though he remained unaware of it, the Mana Wave Blockers installed throughout the ducal estate were pressing down upon his demonic energy, preventing his strikes from unleashing their full might.
"H-Hehehe...! You damned fiend! This is the true might of our ducal house!"
"How dare something so filthy and profane try to trespass here!"
"......"
Brought to an abrupt halt by the barrier, Hedos stood frozen while the knights broke into cold sweats, sneering and hurling jeering curses at him. It didn't sound like genuine mockery, but rather a pathetic defensive reaction to drown out their own terror. And that very sight only infuriated Hedos further.
"Grrr...! How dare mere inferior humans...! A flimsy toy like this...!"
KRAAAAAAH—!!
Hedos gritted his teeth, unleashing his demonic energy with utter disregard for his own life. The barrier began to shudder violently under the strain.
"Wh-What...?!"
"The barrier is...?!"
"Dammit! Call for reinforcements! Hold the line! We must hold it no matter what!"
Even so, the knights of the Stanasila Knights were of the highest caliber. Instantly discerning that the barrier was about to give way, they moved swiftly, preparing for direct engagement with Hedos.
"Curse... you...! If only my body were intact, a barrier like this would be...!"
Normally, he could have shattered such a barrier with merely twenty percent of his power. Frustrated to no end that he was being delayed by such a pathetic barrier, Hedos clamped his jaws even tighter and poured out more demonic energy. The more he pushed, the more geysers of blood erupted from his wounded torso, yet he paid it no heed and drove his energy harder.
Crack, craaaack...!!
"The barrier is breaking! Prepare for battle!"
"Our opponent is a high demon! Do not let your guard down!"
"Mages! Ready your spells!"
"Proud knights of Stanasila! It is time to show our resolve!"
Before the fracturing barrier, a formidable number of knights and mages had already arrayed themselves, preparing their spells and strikes with tense expressions.
"Mage corps! Gather your mana with a steadier hand! The magic circle is wavering!"
"...!!"
The moment Hedos laid eyes on the woman commanding the mages from the rear—Stanashila Pitra—his eyes snapped wide.
"The target...!"
The person designated by the Demon King.
Realizing he had been spared the time and effort of scouring the sprawling castle, Hedos peeled his lips into a gruesome grin and flared his demonic energy even higher. In the air beside him, a floating, miniature coffin—his Soul Gears—materialized, hovering ominously.
SHATTER!
"Release the spells!"
"Knights! Show them your valor!!"
As the barrier finally blew apart into glittering shards, massive, high-yield offensive spells cascaded toward Hedos, followed by a vanguard of knights coated in gleaming aura surging forward like arrows.
Annus, the Demon King of Death, looked up at me with mischievous, upturned eyes.
"Ahaha~ Look at that face~ Are you nervous~? Worried~? Wondering what Hedos is going to do~?"
"......"
"Want me to tell you~? Hmm~?"
As if finding this infinitely amusing, her sharp teeth bared in a gleeful snicker, practically salivating in anticipation of my reaction.
"Aah~ Should I just spit it out~? I don't think I can hold it in~ When you're faced with loss and despair~ I wonder what kind of face you'll make, and what kind of voice you'll cry in~?"
"...Which means."
"Hmm~?"
"Which means you have no intention of killing me right this second, yeah? In other words, you've got no will to fight right now?"
"Whaaat~? Is that what matters right now~? Are you stupid~?"
"It matters. It matters a whole lot."
Grinning, I focused on the Absolute Ring Set while projecting my voice to everyone via telepathy.
—I'm going to use the rings. The second the Demon King attacks me, strike.
—...Understood.
—Leave it to us!
—Phew...!
Hearing their replies, I continued at a measured pace.
"Because whatever you've got planned, once I kill you, I can clean it up somehow."
"Ahahaha~! Kill me~? You think that's possible~?"
Looking down at me with mocking eyes as if observing a pathetic insect, she raised her hand.
"Looks like~ I'll have to teach you your place~ Yeah~ How about we start by killing that mage doing something suspicious in the back~?"
"...!!"
The split second her gaze shifted toward Weller, I triggered the Absolute Ring of Taunt.
"Ngh...?! What is this...?! Again...?!"
Flustered by her body moving against her will, Annus pointed toward me. In an instant, the black fog blanketing the surrounding area coalesced, lunging forward with terrifying velocity.
"Hup...!"
The sheer scale and flair of the attack couldn't hold a candle to Rubias’s flashy displays, yet its sheer pressure was so intensely suffocating and chilling that it easily surpassed Rubias's own.
Wobble! Squelch!
As I activated the Ring of Absolute Evasion, accompanied by a bizarre sound effect, my body turned translucent and collapsed into a grotesque, distorted silhouette. A heartbeat later, the black fog swept over me, completely failing to leave a scratch on my intangible form.
"Haaaaah!!"
"Yaaarrrgh!"
During that window, the Aura Blades of seven Masters—Muriel, Rebecca, Nemeth, Wendy, Cacciola, Latipi, and Tsarkhella—swept down upon Annus.
An opening made possible only because all that black fog had been focused entirely on me.
On top of that came Cecilia’s holy art.
"You insolent little...!"
Annus scowled with an expression of pure annoyance and arrogance, trying to invoke her authority, but my turn wasn't over yet.
FWOOOOSH!
The black energy manifested through the Absolute Counter Ring shot toward the Demon King at tremendous speed.
"Ha! I don't know what that trick is, but it won't do a thing to me!"
Astonishingly, despite being struck by an attack amplified two hundred percent, Annus remained completely unscathed.
In fact, it had been the same earlier. While I had let it slide back then because we successfully extracted her brain and heart, it had lingered in the back of my mind that the reflected blow hadn't dealt her a sliver of damage.
What I returned wasn't her own authority, but the dark energy unleashed by the ring itself. How on earth was she able to swallow it whole like that?
Slash! Craaaack! Crunch!
"Agh...?! That hurts...!"
Of course, the Absolute Ring Set and the Masters' coordinated assault were two entirely different matters. Even so, encountering an enemy against whom the Absolute Ring Set failed to deal damage left me slightly unsettled.
"You...!"
Carved apart by Aura Blades that severed a limb each, pierced through the torso, and with part of her skull melting under holy radiance, Annus gritted her teeth and unleashed her authority once more.
"Get off me! You wretched mortals!"
"Kgh...!"
"Dammit!"
As an irresistible tide of black fog billowed out, the group had no choice but to leap back in retreat.
—Weller-noona. Not yet?
—Just, just wait a little longer...!
Anxious, I sent a telepathic shout, and she answered immediately. Casting a quick glance over my shoulder, it looked like she had succeeded in feeding the heart and brain to the grimoire, but Weller was staring intently into the book as it radiated an ominous glow, letting out pained groans.
—What's not working? We're on a timer here!
—Shut up and wait, you're breaking my focus! This is an alien power sitting right on the border between magic and witchcraft! You think wielding this is a walk in the park?!
"......"
I rushed her for nothing and got an earful instead. That temper of hers, seriously.
"Phew, haah, whew... Ahaha. Yeah~ Guess I should stop taking it easy on you guys~"
Though she was laughing, the fury contorting her face was unmistakable as Annus turned her gaze toward Weller once again.
Gurgle, squelch!
"...!!"
The black fog coalesced into something as thick and viscous as sludge, surging toward Weller in a hair-raising wave. I slashed out with the beast claws coating my arm to cleave it in two.
"Khhh...!"
Yet unlike before, I couldn't disperse all of it.
"Lord Han-gil!"
"We will assist!"
CRACK!
Just as the blinding agony caused me to momentarily freeze, Muriel and Nemeth shot out from my shadow simultaneously, deploying their Aura Blades to slice away the remaining fog.
"Ufufu...! Aah~ I really love that expression~ It's so lovely~ Let me make you hurt even more~"
WHOOOOOOOOSH—!!
"...Shit."
Apparently, she hadn't been taking things seriously up until now.
"...Well, to be fair, that was a little too modest to be called the full might of a Demon King..."
Watching the black fog surge high enough to blanket a colossal mountain before cascading down into a dome that sealed us inside, I gritted my teeth.
—Everyone, gather! We protect Weller-noona no matter what!
Moving swiftly on my command, the group formed a tight defensive circle with their backs to each other, weapons raised outward.
"Ahahaha! Aren't you all so desperate~? Just what is that mage preparing back there~? Now I'm curious~ Won't you tell me~?"
"...Who knows. Wait a little and you'll find out whether you want to or not."
"Sorry to say~ but I hate waiting, you see~"
"Bullshit. If that were true, you would've killed yourself long ago instead of clinging to life like a dog, waiting for some hope that might not even exist."
"...Ha."
A faint, dry chuckle slipped from her lips, and her eyes flashed wide, overflowing with pure bloodlust.
"Fine. First, I'll just kill you all."
ROAAAAR!
Like a tornado descending from the heavens, a vicious tempest of fog trailed sharp, razor-like tendrils as it slammed in from every conceivable direction.
"Kgh...!"
The moment I unleashed a slash with my beast claws, seven Masters hurled their Aura Blades and Cecilia erected a barrier with her sacred arts.
CRAAAASH! CRUNCH!
While their efforts managed to hold off some of it, completely repelling the sheer, overwhelming tide of incoming death proved impossible.
"Ahgh...?!"
"Kuh?!"
"Dammit...!"
"Kyaaaah?!"
In the end, blood sprayed into the air.
"You son of a bitch...!"
As their bodies were brutally shredded and plumes of blood splattered across the ground, a searing fury surged up from the deepest depths of my soul.