Blood Feud
The scythe-wielding Charlene and Apocryon stood facing each other, locked in a silent staring contest. What on earth were they talking about…? I glanced around nervously. Just like last time, everyone had gathered. The soldiers guarding the ramparts, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, the prince and princess, even Eisenbelt, the true power behind the empire. They all swallowed hard, their faces tense as they stared at the two figures beyond the walls.
Well, to be precise, they weren’t exactly two people. One was a Demon King, the other a Grim Reaper. Speaking of which, Apocryon really did feel like a proper Demon King. Even someone like me, who was numb to magical power, could sense an eerie aura rolling off him. To feel that much power from this distance… it was overwhelming.
As I fidgeted restlessly, Princess Mage, standing beside me, spoke up.
Her clear, bell-like voice broke the silence, and for a moment everyone’s gaze shifted to the princess. She stared intently at Charlene’s back with wide, serious eyes and continued.
At Princess Mage’s words, Prince Cassian gave a faint nod.
Hmm. Charlene herself had said she probably couldn’t beat Apocryon. So why did she look so composed? Did she have some kind of trump card? Maybe being a Grim Reaper meant she had no fear of death…? Wait a second. If Charlene lost and died, what would happen to us?
Damn it. Charlene. Please win. No—please at least drive that vicious bastard away. Please.
Charlene swung her massive scythe in one hand—whoosh, whoosh. She was loosening up her body. Apocryon, who had been resting his greatsword on his shoulder, spoke first.
Charlene, who had just finished tying her shoelaces and stretching, answered casually.
Apocryon’s voice grew deadly serious.
In that instant—pop!—Charlene vanished.
-Keng!!
Charlene suddenly reappeared in midair and brought her scythe crashing down on Apocryon with all her might. The greatsword and scythe collided, sending sparks flying.
-Thud! Thump!
The tremendous impact drove Apocryon’s heels deep into the ground. He gripped his sword with both hands and took a small step back.
With a boom!, Apocryon vanished. Charlene instinctively sensed the movement, spun in place, and swung her scythe behind her.
-Clang!
Apocryon’s greatsword suddenly appeared from behind, aiming for Charlene’s shoulder. She barely blocked it with the handle of her scythe. In that same moment—
-Wham!
Apocryon’s kick slammed squarely into Charlene’s side.
-BOOM!!!
The force of the kick sent Charlene flying into a distant boulder. The rock shattered with a deafening crash, and a cloud of dust exploded outward. Only after the dust settled did Charlene slowly rise to her feet.
When Charlene spat, a mix of red blood came out.
Gripping her scythe with both hands, Charlene glanced toward me where I stood on the distant rampart. If I lose here, Master will die. There’s no choice. I have to go all out…
-BOOM!!
Charlene charged straight at Apocryon, scythe raised.
-Keng!!
Once again the greatsword and scythe clashed, scattering sparks.
Whoa… it was more intense than I expected. At first it looked like Charlene was being pushed back, but surprisingly it was a close fight. While everyone held their breath and watched the battle, Prince Cassian suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.
Ugh… this prince again. The subtle sharpness in his voice made it clear he was jealous. Hmph. As if I’d tell him so easily.
“W-well… there are circumstances. It’s difficult to explain…”
“Kailon!”
Princess Mage cut in.
At his little sister’s sharp rebuke, Prince Cassian let out an uncomfortable grunt and turned his attention back to the fight.
Mikhail, standing in front of me, spoke in a heavy voice.
Everyone’s eyes snapped toward him.
“What?”
“W-what did you just say?”
“Is that true, Mikhail?”
The Emperor, the prince, the princess—everyone reacted in shock.
Ah… so that’s how it is. Charlene. Looks like you’ve finally met an opponent who’s too much for you. What are you planning to do now?
-Keng!!
After the scythe and greatsword collided, Charlene quickly retreated. Apocryon, resting his sword on his shoulder, let out a booming laugh.
Charlene bit her lip. Damn it. If only I weren’t stuck in this human body… If I could use my original form… a small fry Demon King like him would be nothing but a one-hit kill.
Apocryon slammed his greatsword into the ground with all his strength.
-BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted, cracking the earth in every direction. Black-red demonic energy surged from his entire body as he blinked with serious eyes and added,
Charlene took a deep breath. I’ll trust that old man Hades up in the Divine Realm watching over this. He won’t just let me die.
She rolled up her sleeves and bit her lip again. Time to really go all out. The daily life of running a teahouse with Master was so much fun. I can’t let the human realm be destroyed here.
Charlene kicked off her shoes and stood barefoot. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and—
-Pop! Boom!
With a tremendous shockwave from her step, Charlene dashed forward like the wind, scythe in hand.
Apocryon swung his greatsword with all his might from midair.
-Whoosh!
This time Charlene was faster. She narrowly dodged the greatsword and brought her scythe crashing down toward Apocryon’s shoulder with everything she had.
Caught off guard and stabbed in his pride, Apocryon quickly rolled sideways.
-BOOM!!!
Charlene’s scythe slammed into the ground, causing a massive explosion. Dust billowed into the air as Apocryon quickly tried to sense her presence.
She’s definitely not an ordinary human. To pour that much power into a scythe… Just what is she?
His vision blocked by the dust cloud, Apocryon spun his eyes around—only to sense killing intent from behind. He quickly raised his sword.
-Keng!!
The scythe and greatsword clashed again, scattering sparks. Charlene spun lightly through the air like a butterfly, then brought the handle of her scythe smashing into Apocryon’s cheek.
-Wham!!
Struck square in the face, Apocryon flew backward with a thunderous crash and slammed into a boulder on the other side.
-KABOOM!!!
The boulder shattered in a huge explosion. Breathing heavily, Charlene spoke.
From between the shattered rock fragments, Apocryon rose, spat on the ground, and burst into laughter.
Charlene adjusted her grip on the scythe. Haa… This is a tough fight. A maid’s job is to serve customers, not fight. This really isn’t adding up.
Up on the ramparts, everyone held their breath as they watched the battle. The fight was growing in scale so dramatically that no one could speak. Gulp. I hadn’t known Charlene could fight this well. And… I was slowly starting to feel it too. That Charlene wouldn’t be able to win. She was squeezing out every last ounce of strength, yet Apocryon still looked completely relaxed.
I could hear His Imperial Majesty muttering those words from above. Haa. Charlene. Are you really going to keep fighting like this? What are you going to do if you die? Damn it. If only I had power…
As I hung my head in despair, Princess Mage placed a hand on my shoulder.
“What’s the point of just watching from here and cheering?” I answered self-mockingly. Princess Mage spoke with renewed strength in her voice.
“Well… Charlene has always been overflowing with confidence, so…”
Right then—
-BOOM!!
Another massive explosion erupted outside the walls. What the—?
Apocryon lightly dodged Charlene’s attack, causing yet another explosion. The blast came from her scythe striking the ground. Apocryon, who had stepped back, rested his greatsword on his shoulder and spoke.
Apocryon’s gaze turned toward the ramparts.
With those words, Apocryon shot toward the ramparts with a boom!Charlene chased after him a beat too late.
Apocryon flew straight toward the section of the wall where I was standing and swung his greatsword down with all his might.
“N-no!!”
The moment Charlene, who had missed her timing, reached out and shouted—someone’s weapon collided head-on with Apocryon’s greatsword.
-Keng!!