Chapter 33
**BACKTICK**CHAPTER_TITLE: Unexpected Situation**BACKTICK**
Morgan’s body, still stubbornly resisting my advances, suddenly crumbled like jelly.
**Thud**
I caught her collapsing form, steadying her as I pulled the two magic swords from her abdomen and wiped away the purple blood soaking the blades.
“As expected, the game and reality differ so much. I never thought she could go this far.”
Truth be told, snatching the magic sword from the Morgan who charged at me and driving it straight back into her was nothing short of a gamble.
I had only tried it because Aria said I could. If it had failed, I would have been the one impaled, and the damage would have been severe.
Well, after that I would have pulled out the sword stuck in me, used it to finish her off.
Success or failure, the result would have been the same, but it was still quite a new and revelatory experience.
“First, I’ll secure these.”
**Clunk**
I wrapped a hasty bandage around Morgan’s wounds, then noticed the magic swords still hooked at her waist and unhooked them, slinging them onto my own belt.
If she somehow woke up and started causing trouble, I needed to be ready. With these swords in my possession, she wouldn’t be able to rampage until we reached the temple and locked her up.
**Wooong**
As soon as they hung at my waist, the magic swords let out a defiant surge of magic, as if demanding to be returned to their master. I silenced them with a sharp slap.
Then I hoisted Morgan onto my shoulder.
By now, Mu should have settled things on his side as well. In the original plan, the moment we knocked out our opponent we would have rushed the remaining executives. But time had already slipped away.
“I never imagined knocking out one target would take under three minutes.”
I had calculated a minimum five-minute window, but since it was less than that, it was better to send the two we subdued straight to the temple.
The temple staff would handle the rest once we dropped them off.
The moment the plan solidified, I broke into a sprint and dashed into the open gate of the central tower.
The opposite gate from where Mu stood was across the central tower, so cutting straight through was faster.
One step and we were inside the tower, another step and we reached the exit. With only two strides I emerged into the sunlight outside the gate.
The scenery outside the gate was almost identical to the one at the entrance. The moment I stepped out, the first face I saw was Meiel, suppressing Isolde while Mu finished off his opponent.
“Ah, Mother!”
“Good work, Mu. You finished it quickly.”
Beneath Meiel lay Isolde, unconscious with a face twisted in fury.
It was clear that even in Meiel’s state, she had been pushed back by magic and taken down in an instant.
The surrounding area was a little damaged, but she had suppressed Isolde in record time.
I praised Mu for it without hesitation, and the praise clearly made the boy beam with delight.
But Mu had already moved past simple praise and begun thinking like an adult. He glanced at Morgan slung over my shoulder and asked with a smile.
“That’s Morgan, right? You took her down even faster than me, Mother! But you weren’t supposed to be going after the other side, were you?”
“Originally I was, but since we finished so quickly there’s extra time. Mu, the clones are still out there, right?”
“Yes, both of them are holding out the best they can and there’s no major damage.”
Both clones were fine. I nodded vigorously and lowered Morgan onto the ground beside the still-unconscious Isolde.
“First, move these two to the temple, then finish off the rest. It’s safer to bring them along for now; otherwise we risk the worst-case scenario.”
“I see……”
Mu agreed with my words, though it seemed he too had realized bringing them along wasn’t beneficial.
As hostages they had no value, especially among demon executives who didn’t care much for each other.
Moreover, if they woke up they would only distract us during the final takedowns.
Mu must have thought the same, because he immediately swung his staff and drew a magic circle beneath Isolde and Morgan.
“Then, as you said, Mother, we’ll teleport them to the temple.”
Mu calculated the temple coordinates and etched the transfer spell in an instant.
Still thinking of it as Meiel’s body, I shifted my grip on the sword.
……Why a sword?
A chill ran across my skin.
“Mu, get back!!”
“…Understood!”
Before I even registered the movement, my body had already reacted. I shouted at Mu, who kept the magic circle intact and instantly threw himself backward.
The instant Mu moved, a massive shadow began spreading across the ground.
I turned my gaze skyward to see its owner.
Right after, a colossal dragon descended upon the central tower.
“Kyaooooooo——!!”
**Boom, boom, boom**
The weight of the dragon proved too much; the central tower began collapsing floor by floor.
Even though it had stood firm until now, the moment the dragon landed its bulk, the tower crumbled in an instant.
“Kuh……”
As the tower shattered, sand and dust exploded outward, covering the entire area like an avalanche.
I shielded my eyes from the stinging grit, but the next moment a powerful gust of wind slammed into my face, blowing the dust away.
No, more precisely, the wind blowing from the woman riding the dragon’s back.
As the dust cleared, the silhouette that emerged sent every nerve in my body screaming toward her.
My gaze locked onto her alone.
A gray-haired woman with long flowing hair, crimson horns sprouting at her temples, and golden eyes that seemed to gaze upon the world with perfect serenity.
Any gamer would recognize her instantly.
“……The Demon King.”
The Demon King. Ruler of all demons, the highest authority and the true head of the demon race.
In the game, even ten raid characters would struggle against her for nearly ten minutes, and solo players had never even cleared her once.
Of course, since we were dealing with Morgan, the game and reality differed, but a one-on-one victory still wasn’t guaranteed.
“T-t-the Demon King?! Why is she here……!”
Mu stared at me, stunned by my words. I, too, had no idea why the Demon King was here.
What I did know for certain was that this situation was nothing like the one I had anticipated. It was an unprecedented exception, separated by countless light-years.
Because I existed, the story I knew had already diverged. That was why I had wanted to capture the executives—to be ready for whatever twist came next.
I had accepted that the Sky Island quest itself would be altered because of my plans.
Worst case, the executives would focus everything on taking me out alone.
But the Demon King’s appearance had been completely unforeseen. It was far beyond even the worst-case scenario.
The Demon King almost never appeared in the main story at all; she was mentioned only in passing.
Her entrance would happen only once—exactly at the finish line of the Human-Demon War quest I was currently racing toward.
Until then, players would only hear rumors, see pictures in books, or find notes.
In other words, she never appeared in the early-stage Sky Island quest.
Yet here she was. I gritted my teeth and dug through my thoughts.
But the Demon King did not stay silent. She slowly pulled her mouth away and raised her voice.
“……I see. So you’re the one.”
It was an incomprehensible remark. The Demon King continued without concern.
“I came all the way here just to see your face, but it seems there’s no problem. In any case, Isolde and Morgan—have they already been dealt with?”
“……Both of them were taken down by us, but did you come to seek revenge?”
“……?”
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This is insane. Why is she suddenly taunting like that?
I muttered without realizing it, then shut my mouth as the Demon King tilted her head in confusion at my words.
The proverb that the mouth is the source of all evil—perhaps it was true.
No matter how you looked at it, I had been reckless. Especially coming from Aria’s filter, the words were pure provocation.
Fortunately, the Demon King only chuckled. “No chance. I came purely to verify you. It doesn’t matter what happened to the captured executives.”
Her indifferent tone made me exhale in relief for a moment, but as soon as I replayed her words I realized something was off.
My verification? Was the Demon King actually aware of everything about me?
It was an ambiguous question that stirred my curiosity—after all, the Demon King had always been shrouded in mystery even in-game. She didn’t seem ready to answer.
Just in case, I seriously considered asking something else, but before I could finish the thought the Demon King turned her head and shouted.
“Idea! Pensia! Come here at once!”
Her voice carried the weight of filled magic, even though they stood on the opposite side of the dragon. My body trembled at the sheer pressure.
Even in Aria’s body, the force was enough to make me quake. Could this truly be the Demon King?
While I was still in awe, Mu whispered, “Mother, the clones have been erased. It must have been from that shout just now.”
My win rate, already low, had just crashed to the floor. I bit my lip and stared at the Demon King’s back.
Soon, Idea and Pensia flew in from the distance. I drew my sword, ready for a fight.
But the moment they landed, Idea and Pensia simply climbed onto the dragon’s back beside the Demon King without any aggression.
“Waaah~ I never thought those were the clones! You had me fooled! And to think I came all this way for just the two of you—how disappointing!”
“As fellow species I had hoped we could have a good spar, but finding out they were just clones is truly disappointing.”
They both sounded deeply disappointed that the opponents they had faced were nothing but clones.
Like disappointed children who had their favorite toy snatched away.
I didn’t care, so I let out a scoff.
The Demon King, however, chuckled. “Well then, goodbye~ Let’s play again next time! This time I’ll kill you for real!”
“See you next time.”
The Demon King’s wings spread wide as Defayluns took flight toward the sky. Idea giggled atop the dragon’s head while Pensia gave a quiet farewell.
“……She’s really leaving.”
I watched the dragon climb higher and higher into the sky and let out a sigh of relief, then reached to sheath my sword.
No, I was about to sheath it.
“Mu.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“How long will it take to build a transfer spell that will move the entire academy staff, including me and you, to the ground?”
“Eh? Ah, well…… Since it’s Meiel’s body it should take around two to three minutes.”
“Begin immediately.”
Mu looked slightly surprised at first but immediately started drawing the magic circle.
I kept my sword in hand, lost in thought.
‘My win rate isn’t zero.’
Even against the Demon King, it wasn’t zero. Idea and Pensia beside her were troublesome, but with Aria’s body I felt I could handle it.
At first I thought it was good that the Demon King had left, but now I wondered.
Compromise would mean retreating carefully. From a situation standpoint, it would mean throwing away the perfect opportunity.
The Demon King had come here, an unforeseen situation, but in reality it was the greatest chance.
How often would a Demon King who rarely appeared even in the main story make an appearance? If she were to be eliminated now, the Human-Demon War could be stopped five years earlier.
Of course, in the worst case I might die, so I left the transfer spell to Mu.
All emergency life preparations were complete.
The outcome was unknown. None of us—me, the Demon King, Mu, or anyone present—knew what would result from my next action.
But because of that.
**『Ally』**
I pushed off the ground and leaped.
It was foolish to stand by and watch an enemy retreat just because they were fleeing.
If they were running, I should close the distance and drive my blade into their chest.
**Whoosh**
A fierce gust of wind whipped past my ear. The moment the dragon’s tail passed beneath me, the distance to the three figures on its head shrank from a safe margin to barely three meters.
Idea and Pensia, who had been guarding their rear, suddenly turned. They spotted me too late.
“『Full Moon』.”
“Kyaah?!”
“Guh?!”
My swinging blade carved deep wounds into Idea and Pensia, sending them plummeting toward the dragon’s head.
Without even a chance to resist the surprise attack, both of them crashed down.
The Demon King was left completely alone, but she simply spread her arms in an unhurried manner, as if she had known from the start.
“Why would you jump into a pit of fire on your own? I truly cannot understand……”
“Demon King.”
I cut her off and charged forward.
**Boom**
“Do not show me any mercy in front of me.”
“Kya?!”
I reached the Demon King in an instant, seized one of her horns, and slammed her face-first into the dragon’s head. She screamed, clutching her broken nose.
I had known from the beginning that she wouldn’t stop me from attacking the executives.
Her strength was simply too overwhelming. I, too, acknowledged it.
But still.
You cannot show mercy to the person who is about to kill you right now.
Right now, I am feeling quite excited.