Chapter 49 - Chapter 1-The Moment Of Despair-Part 1

Just as Rimuru was about to head into the imperial capital, the dwarven king Gazel Dwargo was facing a desperate battlefield. There, far in the distance, was a living incarnation of beauty spreading death everywhere she went.

"Gravity Collapse…? They say you could theoretically make it as powerful as you want…but can legion magic defend against it?"

"Don't be silly. You could have both the Magic Support and Magic Strike Divisions running defense for us, and there's no way they could block that. That's how True Dragons work. It's beyond a menace."

Gazel was answered by Vaughn, his supreme military commander on the field. He had deployed the dwarven army here as he awaited Gazel's arrival, and that meant he had a front-row seat for the destruction of the Empire's Composite Division positioned a stone's throw away. The soldiers were speechless at the sight of all the carnage, their will to fight doubtlessly broken, but not even they ran from the scene—much to their credit. Everyone on hand understood that by this point, there was nowhere safe to run away to. If their deaths would allow their families to survive even a little while longer, that alone made it worth remaining here—and so, with that in mind, they maintained their battle lines.

King Gazel was far too heroic a figure to let any of his troops' lives go to waste. Every soldier of his trusted in that, and that was why they swore their allegiance to him. And while he understood well the emotions that drove them, Gazel was distressed, never showing it on his face but finding his heart in a state of deep turmoil.

We cannot win. In fact, this may very well end with the lives of everyone here wasted. Should we surrender? No, the Empire will never accept it. We must

show them our power, at least, or as much as we have left of it…

He'd have to make the enemy believe they were more valuable as an ally, rather than an enemy. Otherwise, the Empire would never let them continue to exist in their world view. Thus, the only way to survive was to fight to the bitter end. No matter how many casualties it produced, Gazel and his troops had to continue believing that the sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.

"They say quality is better than quantity in war, but this is simply beyond any reasonable expectation. Our only option is to challenge and defeat her by ourselves."

"Whoa, whoa, don't you have a responsibility for them as king?"

"Look, our enemy numbers exactly one person in size, does it not? Is now the time to ask about who's responsible for what?"

Gazel gave Vaughn's question an embittered smile. The sole enemy here was Velgrynd. Strategy and tactics were meaningless—Gazel's side needed a way to survive, and that was it. Vaughn, likely well aware of this, tried to keep the mood light, hoping to lighten Gazel's heartache a bit. Realizing that helped Gazel dispel his hesitation on the matter.

"My liege," Henrietta reported to them, "the enemy is more than just the Flame Dragon. There are multiple presences detected behind her, and it seems they are performing some manner of ritual. Lady Jaine reported that the extreme magic spell from before is likely part of this…"

Gazel nodded. That extreme magic, which annihilated an army of some sixty thousand, was being used for a ritual. That alone told him that an evil plot was afoot, one he dared not even try to imagine. But Velgrynd, at the center of it all, was going to be very difficult to beat—and so the only way to foil this plot would be to beat whatever was behind her.

"Should we move our forces?" Dolph asked. Gazel shook his head. The Heavy Strike Division lacked much mobility by design; improperly shuttling them around would leave them exposed to magic attack. Normally they could use their stout defenses to push through anything, but none of that mattered much against Velgrynd. The only option left was a de facto suicide strike from the five hundred-strong Pegasus Knights at their disposal…

"I wouldn't like having this place even less well-defended than before. I think Gazel's right—the only way is to go in alone by ourselves. Right, Dolph?"

Vaughn smiled as he spoke. Dolph scratched his head in response.

"How disrespectful, Vaughn. Calling the king by merely his given name is outrageous! You should think more about your position…"

The lecture went on for a little while longer. He finally ended it with a broad smile.

"But this time, at least, you have a point. If we want to buy as much time as possible, we must avoid spreading our forces too thin. If it's us alone, we can be highly mobile and speedy enough to perhaps surprise the enemy."

Henrietta had no objections, either.

"Lady Jaine said she would join the struggle once she persuaded the elders along those lines. I'll let them worry about the future—for now, let's have a fun little rampage, just like the old days!"

The enthusiasm was palpable in her reply. These were all old friends, and the years hadn't changed them one bit. They were united in their hearts with Gazel, standing by him to help him through even this most difficult of times.

Gazel laughed.

"Ha-ha… You fools. I wonder what my chaperone Jaine would say if she heard this…"

Jaine had accompanied Gazel and his band for many years, offering them her advice and suggestions. She may have been the Dwarven Kingdom's most powerful mage, but to Gazel, she was also his most trusted of advisors. I'm sure she won't like this, he thought as he struggled to make a decision…but it seemed he was a tad too slow.

"Lordy lord, I take my eyes off you for a moment, King Gazel, and I see this? What a pain this is…"

Just before Gazel gave the order to march, Jaine teleported onto the scene. "Ah, Jaine. Were you listening in on us?"

She sneered at the uncomfortable-looking Gazel and shook her head. "Here I was breathing a sigh of relief now that you've become such a great king…or so I thought. But this time, I cannot blame you. There is simply no other way to deal with an opponent like this. The True Dragons are known as Catastrophe-level threats precisely because they lie beyond the control of any one government."

"True enough."

Any magic spell a human being could conjure would never affect a True Dragon. And now, Velgrynd was harnessing magic on a massive scale, well beyond any human level of control. Even if every human champion in the world came together, their chances against a True Dragon would be a complete unknown.

But all was not necessarily lost. That was what Jaine was here to report. "I received a call a few moments ago."

"Hmm?"

"His Majesty Rimuru is going to send reinforcements. Why don't we wait for them and see what we can do?"

"I don't believe it's been that long since I contacted him!"

"It is hard for me to comprehend as well, yes, but I am sure he's not lying. Vester himself told me so, and His Majesty can make all of his subjects take action with just a few words…"

Everyone nodded at the words of the jaded Jaine. They knew she was correct —and besides, those ever-reliable reinforcements arrived before they had the time to change their minds.

Suddenly, a large distortion appeared in space. Then, as if encased in an enormous cocoon, a small group of elite forces revealed itself. There were one hundred members of Gabil's Team Hiryu, along with three hundred more from Gobwa's Team Kurenai. Every member of this team of four hundred was over-A in rank, making it a squad as potentially powerful as the Pegasus Knights. What attracted even more attention, however, was their enormous weaponry.

"I heard it was complete, but they're certainly not holding back deploying it, are they? That's Rimuru for you."

"Is that the completed magic-armor soldier?"

"Indeed. It is called the Demon Colossus, I was told, and it's a good thing it's on our side."

Gazel, of course, didn't expect it to emerge victorious against Velgrynd. But the sheer majesty of its presence would be enough to bring reassurance to his soldiers.

"A stout ally to have. If we had a larger supply of them, maybe we could've fought a little bit better."

"Sadly, not even that would likely mean much against Velgrynd. If it were a Disaster-level threat, then perhaps, but…"

Gazel and his advisors continued to chitchat for a bit longer as the group approached them. This was Gabil, leader of the newly deployed corps, along with the three demonesses led by Testarossa. Gobwa and Hakuro followed behind them.

"It has been far too long, Your Majesty."

It was Testarossa, not Gabil, who spoke up first. This was most assuredly the right call. Testarossa had diplomatic privileges and a wealth of experience; she was used to this kind of situation.

"Indeed it has, Lady Testarossa. My thanks for the reinforcements."

Usually, the very idea of Gabil directly addressing a visitor would violate royal norms. There were certain customs and formalities to take into consideration, and along those lines, the king would normally have an intermediary speak on his behalf. But now was no time for such talk—something mutually understood among all parties. So they did away with all decorum and made this a regular, uninhibited strategy meeting.

Once everyone had moved over to the command center, they dove straight into the topic at hand. Testarossa began by recapping what Rimuru and his allies were up to, then offered a proposal for the strategy they needed to

implement here.

"Hmm, Rimuru seeks to strike the emperor himself?"

"It certainly sounds more realistic than any suicide mission."

"Do you think? Because it sounds rather reckless to me…"

Gazel growled at the idea as he thought it over, even as Vaughn sounded optimistic. Dolph, meanwhile, was still looking for another way—but there was no time left to ponder. With nobody else offering alternatives, Testarossa pushed ahead.

"We will deal with Lady Velgrynd. What I want everyone else to do is put an end to the ritual taking place behind her."

"No objections here."

Gazel promptly agreed with the offer, as welcome as it was unexpected. The demons were the only ones who could be entrusted with this most dangerous of rules—they had no one else to volunteer for it. But Jaine wasn't so sure.

"One moment. I ask you, Lady Testarossa, would Primals such as yourselves be able to defeat the Flame Dragon?"

This was a vital question, one that would affect the entire rest of the operation. Jaine, for one, was clearly doubtful Testarossa's group could win— that was how overwhelming Velgrynd seemed to her. The three Primal Demons here were undoubtedly the greatest strength among the allied forces right now, but that made this question all the more important. If Testarossa and the demons fell, that would be the end for everyone else on hand as well.

"To be honest…I don't think we can, no."

"Well! In that case, we must dedicate ourselves to defense, not attack. Instead of needlessly provoking them, would it not be better to wait here for His Majesty Rimuru's strategy to succeed?"

If there's no chance of victory, stall for time. That was Jaine's argument, and while it seemed sound enough, it was hard for the Rimuru camp to accept.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option. If we leave Lady Velgrynd on her own, she might return to the imperial capital to interfere with our leader."

Carrera sounded adamant about it. Rimuru told her she was fine not to worry about him, but nonetheless, she felt it necessary to keep the Flame Dragon's attention focused squarely on them.

"And more to the point, we did not come here to discuss plans with everyone. Sir Rimuru has given us his edict, and we have come to relay it to you. We will consult with you over ways we can help, but I want it clear that we will not tolerate anyone in our way."

Even Hakuro, rarely one to speak out of turn, was harsh. Time was too short for courtesy; they had to unify under a single flag at once. Gazel correctly realized this, raising a hand to quiet his fretful colleagues.

"If my master Sir Hakuro says so, I have no choice but to relent. Or do any of you have other ideas?"

His advisors all gravely shook their heads.

"If the Imperial Information Bureau is involved, ending the ritual won't come that easily. It would be best for all of us to unite under one common purpose."

Dolph's statement was the final decider. All that remained was to work out the details—and with that, the plan was quickly finalized.

Provoking Velgrynd was no different from sticking your hand in a hornet's nest. Testarossa and her team, although fully aware of this, still dauntlessly pressed on.

"You think us stepping in would delay the ritual?" asked Ultima. "I suppose we'll have to see," replied Testarossa.

"Not even I could maintain a Gravity Collapse of that level," said Carrera. "Doing that while taking on us three… No way that's possible, right?"

"I think it is entirely possible. That's why I am wary of her."

"Are you kidding?"

"Oh, I'm quite serious."

"Eh, whatever. We'll find out soon enough in battle."

There was no hesitation among Testarossa and the other demons as they spoke. They made a beeline straight for Velgrynd, not even trying to hide their motives, and Velgrynd quickly noticed the three of them. She, too, expressed no alarm—in fact, she seemed delighted to see the demonesses coming her way.

"Hello there. Lovely day for a fight, isn't it?"

Testarossa greeted her. Velgrynd smiled back.

"It certainly is. But first, let me go ahead and ask: Why don't you join our camp? As Primals, you certainly possess the strength for it. I promise you'll all be treated well."

Velgrynd maintained her casual composure in the face of the three demonesses as she made the offer. Needless to say, the answer was no.

"I will have to decline your offer. I have my own history with the Empire, you see."

"Same here," agreed Ultima. "I finally have a master to serve now, and it's loads more comfortable than I'd imagined. No way I'm gonna give it up."

"Exactly. But more importantly, let's put an end to this talk and start fighting," said Carrera. "If three against one isn't your speed, you could always call in those folks behind you."

The refusal was unanimous, no time spent deliberating. Carrera was clearly eager for a fight, not demonstrating the slightest interest in negotiations. Seeing Velgrynd's magic up close had ignited her own fighting instincts.

Velgrynd laughed. "So that's your answer? Well, good. In that case, I'll gladly play with you for a little while!"

That was the signal for battle to begin. With a slow swaying motion, Velgrynd split in front of the demonesses' eyes—or, to be more precise, there were now two Velgrynds, exact mirror images of each other. This was a familiar sight to Testarossa.

"A troubling sign. This is more than just a Replication. Perhaps it's a bit closer to Raine's Ubiquital Mist?"

Testarossa recalled her own fight with Raine. Exactly why they fell into

combat was now lost to time, but the experience from that battle was still fresh in her mind. Ubiquital Mist allowed the caster to create a Replication before battle, then regenerate either the original or the Replication at will. Unlike the Separate Body skill, only one of the two bodies could retain its own free will, but it could still prove to be one truly heinous ability in the right hands. There was no better way to catch an enemy off guard, and while it wasn't as effective against cautious opponents, it offered the user a great deal of insurance.

Velgrynd's Parallel Existence skill could create those Separate Bodies at will, which undeniably made it stronger than Ubiquital Mist. But Testarossa wasn't aware of that, a shade of doubt now present upon her beautiful face.

"What's that?"

"Raine, you see, can split her body and regenerate herself from part of either one."

"Got it. So both of them can function as the 'real' her, then?" "That would be the case, yes."

Testarossa and her friends analyzed the situation, not falling into panic at all. The battle was technically underway, but they were still debating like this was a parlor chitchat over tea.

"I see Blanc is quite the intelligent one," Velgrynd coyly remarked. "You are correct. This is Parallel Existence, one of my powers. And since I don't want you interfering with the ritual, I will be happy to deal with you here."

She gracefully fluttered a feathered fan as she spoke.

Testarossa was less than amused as she sneered at her.

"I have a name. It is Testarossa, and it was granted to me by my lord Rimuru. I do wish you would stop calling me Blanc."

She casually cracked the flaming whip that she had produced from her hand at some point. It undulated like a snake as it struck at Velgrynd.

"Ah, right. So that slime truly did name you Primals?"

This was Velgrynd's first confirmation of the fact, and it visibly surprised her. But her motions remained undisturbed as she nimbly dodged Testarossa's whip.

"Calling my lord a mere slime is extremely rude," Carrera indignantly explained as she unleashed her own magic—Gravity Collapse, her closing move at the very start. She kept the size as small as possible, but that only further expanded its power. It was the greatest attack Carrera could summon right now, and it struck Velgrynd head-on while her attention was still on Testarossa. A pillar of black enveloped Velgrynd, connected from heaven to earth—a prison big enough for just one, offering no escape to its quarry.

But with a wry grin, Velgrynd remained supremely unconcerned within her hyper-gravity cell.

"You truly do reign supreme among demons. I couldn't ask for much more magic force. But if you insist on following the laws of this world, you will never outclass a True Dragon."

As if to prove her point, Velgrynd shattered the jet-black column from the inside. Then she raised her own magical force to jam Carrera's magic, rendering her powerless.

"Ha-ha-ha! Sir Veldora's sister is something of a jokester herself, I see. If magic doesn't work, I suppose I can't do too much, huh? …Well, there are the sword skills Agera taught me, aren't there? Might not do much, but let's give it a try!"

Even though the greatest trick in her book was effortlessly broken through, Carrera still seemed to be enjoying herself. There was no sign of her losing heart as she held up her magic-generated blade. It had a fierce, violent presence, one slightly unbecoming of a demon, and Carrera's own demonic aura flowed into it, making it glow in her hand.

"That's probably the right answer. If it's a technique you yourself have crafted, not a simple magic spell or skill, then it may even strike a True Dragon, the core of the world. Sir Veldora told me that a woman named Hinata proved it to him once."

Testarossa didn't need to test it out. She presumed magic wouldn't work on Velgrynd; that was why she used a magically generated flame whip from the very beginning. It was white in color, imbued with a "freezing flame of ivory"— an accursed contradiction in attributes that Testarossa herself invented.

"Hmm… Humans are real fascinating, huh? In that case, maybe I oughta break these out, too."

Ultima materialized two knives, one in each hand. The blades were a loathsome dark purple, letting out an eerie, mystical aura.

"Wasting no time either, are you, Ult? You hurt Zegion with those earlier, didn't you?" Carrera asked.

"Pretty much. Honestly, I didn't see much point moving my own body to defeat him, but…"

"Surprising, though," noted Testarossa. "I didn't think our combat experience with Sir Zegion would come in handy like this."

Magic was the main strength of this trio; they never put much emphasis on close combat. But in the battle against Zegion, no other method of attack seemed to work, thanks to his wall-like defenses and absolute superiority over all types of magic. Almost no spell worked on Zegion, and as a result, they had to seek out other means. This was their answer. Only by putting their own spiritual life-forms on the line and harnessing their own tenacious wills for their attacks did they succeed in inflicting damage on Zegion.

For a spiritual life-form, the power of will outclasses anything else. A skill is simply another form of the user's will, created from their own desire, and an ultimate skill is the final destination that desire may reach. The demonesses wanted to see how close they could reach with their own skills, and as they concluded, there was no other option but to try it out. So, through embodying their wills, they had each come up with weapons suited uniquely for them.

Zegion's own defenses worked just as well on ultimate skills, but still, Ultima's knives managed to inflict a wound on his body. This was important, for it meant that the three demonesses' attacks were ultimate in nature.

"I tried to imitate Ult's weapon, y'know. My swordsmanship is really just for fun, but Agera's taught me full mastery anyway. Let's go, shall we?"

Carrera sprinted forward, slashing at Velgrynd with all her might without even considering defense. Velgrynd parried the slashes with her feathered fan, a high-grade work of art that could hardly be called a weapon. With its durability irrevocably altered by her magical energy, however, it was now harder than diamond. Thin, light, flowing, and tough, it was Velgrynd's favorite weapon, easily comparable with Carrera's sword.

"What a surprise. I didn't expect the Primal Demons to so readily abandon magic like that."

"Is it that surprising? Our pride is a small price to pay for a victory we can offer to our lord."

Velgrynd, already on the defensive against Carrera's onslaught, was struck by Testarossa's whip. Like a horde of white serpents, the whip constantly changed its shape and direction as it hunted down its prey.

"Tsk!"

Velgrynd clicked her tongue in frustration. The whip had torn the hem of her dress, offering a glimpse of her beautiful legs—and on one of them, a bright red welt, clear for all to see. It proved that Testarossa's attack worked.

"Not bad, Testa," said Carrera. "I'll stay on the vanguard, so keep up the good work for me."

"You're celebrating a fluke of a hit that much?"

Even after this light injury, Velgrynd still felt in control. That's why, facing up against Testarossa and her friends, she made a terrible mistake. She let her guard down.

"It's not a fluke!"

Ultima's triumphant cry rang out just as Velgrynd felt an intense pain in her side.

…What?!

A moment of confusion. Then, as if aiming for that moment, Testarossa's whip and Carrera's sword stuck over and over, taking turns.

Velgrynd fell to her knees, not immediately aware of what happened to her. Not that she couldn't comprehend it—she just didn't want to.

"Spectacular work, Ultima. We'll need to have Sir Rimuru praise us for it later."

"Very impressive, yeah," agreed Carrera. "But we can't let our guard down. Now it's time to wrap it up!"

"Right, right! The other Separate Body is still around. Let's defeat that, too, and then let's interrupt that ritual!"

Velgrynd, hearing these voices far in the distance, stood up.

"Oh… After all that, did it still not do much damage?"

"Your poisoned curses take time for even us to reverse, Ult. The True Dragons are extremely powerful."

"But she doesn't feel so unbeatable now, huh? The damage has to be building up. If we keep going—"

Before Ultima could finish, Velgrynd went on the move. With speed that not even the demonesses' super senses could catch up with, she grabbed Ultima by the neck and slammed her to the ground.

"Gah!"

Ultima groaned as Velgrynd unleashed a stomping kick on her, then leaped away, just before Carrera's sword slash whizzed through her position. Velgrynd, safely out of Carrera's range, pulled out a knife stuck to her side and cast it aside. Her clothes were still torn, but there were no wounds left on her pale skin. Any damage caused by this barrage was no big deal to her.

"She really is a monster," Carrera muttered.

"Not exactly," Velgrynd lightly replied, a bit self-mocking in tone. "In fact, I'm not nearly good enough yet. I haven't felt the sensation of being taken off guard for years and years… Then again, perhaps I've been doing that on a regular basis, but never realized it because I never paid a price. I suppose it's a problem only the best of the best must face—but I'm sure you understand what I mean, don't you?"

Velgrynd smiled, but her eyes cast a sharp gaze at them, making sure no twitch or slight movement went undetected. The demonesses couldn't hope for her to be so careless a second time—and with that, all hope for their victory seemed to be lost.

"I always thought Primal Demons were nasty things…but not in terms of being a threat. They're just a pain to deal with. But now I see things differently. With your new names and physical bodies, you have surpassed my wildest dreams in strength. That much I must acknowledge."

Velgrynd had no intention of dismissing the Primal Demons as unworthy. Their strength in battle didn't outclass hers, but working in groups paid off for them—an ability that would no doubt work well against Velzard, her sister. In

fact, Velgrynd was taken by surprise just now. If that happened in battle against her sister, it would have marked a decisive defeat for her. That much was proven by how that last attack from Testarossa's team had just ruined her Separate Body. It would recover over time, but as Carrera said, disabling Ultima's poisoned curse on the body would be a painstaking task even for Velgrynd.

So she disabled the damaged Separate Body and conjured up a new one—and then, all the damage was undone. That was the real trick behind Parallel Existence. No matter what kind of unfamiliar technique you used to kill off a body, it ultimately meant nothing before Velgrynd's authority.

But not even this authority is limitless. There were still restrictions, more or less—the biggest of which being that each Separate Body created occupied 10 percent of the user's maximum magicule count as a sort of collateral. This was not consumed, but functioned as a kind of maintenance fee, and as the term "collateral" suggests, it came back to the user once the body was extinguished. However, only so many bodies could be created; that was an incontrovertible fact. Velgrynd could create a maximum of ten—but, of course, this would take up 100 percent of her magicule count, reducing her ability to fight. Magicules could be shared between bodies, and Velgrynd figured it would be most efficient to leave at least half of her magicules free at any given time. That's why she kept it to three or four at the most.

That, and there was another limitation, related to how much damage each body could receive. If a body was deactivated without any damage, the user would regain 10 percent of their magicules. If it was damaged, however, the amount returned would be proportionally less depending on the extent of the damage. Rimuru had anticipated as much in his strategy, and in a sense, he was right—with the damage taken, Velgrynd had lost 5 percent of her magicules. By comparison, Gravity Collapse, the nuclear-level strike that required Carrera's full force to unleash, wouldn't even absorb 1 percent of Velgrynd's magicule count. That was how much the True Dragons had to work with.

So while Velgrynd appeared invincible at first glance, she was far from immortal. She could ignore pretty much all physical damage, but if you slowly, steadily drained her energy, it'd be possible to defeat her sooner or later. The

probability was still incredibly small, but it was one Velgrynd remained aware of —and considering these were three of the strongest fighters in the world, she really did think they had a chance against her. Calling them "no threat" to her was just a bluff, a bit of psychological warfare.

Now Velgrynd was sure of it. If everything went well, these three demonesses could serve as a deciding factor in her next battle against Velzard. If they could join the fight against her sister, victory was all but assured. That was why she decided to solicit them one more time.

"…You understand now, don't you? No matter how much you struggle, you could never defeat me. Don't you think further battle is pointless? All you have to do is help me a little, and I will guarantee your freedom after that. So do you mind surrendering for now, please?"

This was the largest concession that Velgrynd's pride would allow her to offer. But it was met with instant rejection.

"You want us to betray Sir Rimuru? My, what a funny joke."

"You're definitely not taking us seriously. Demons never break their contracts —you know that, right? Just because it's not looking good for us doesn't mean we'll change sides at the drop of a hat."

"Absolutely. And sure, maybe you could try bargaining with some demons. If you look hard enough, I bet you could find some driven by their own self interests enough to say yes. But you should realize that I would never betray my lord!"

Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera each expressed their feelings in their own words—and then in their own actions, as they unleashed an unhinged barrage upon Velgrynd. Each one was maximum-force, instantly destroying her Separate Body. Once again, Velgrynd was drained of 9 percent of her magicules. The negotiations were off.

"…Ah, what a shame. A real shame."

Velgrynd, generating a new body, flashed a lurid smile as she spoke—and then the rampage began.

So Gazel and his team decided to attack the area where Kagali was conducting the ritual, bypassing the Gravity Collapse–driven pillar of crimson that was raining blood from the sky above. Getting too close to it would catch them in the gravitational waves, Pegasus Knight or not—and as their leader, it was Dolph's duty to keep watch and lead the way. This Velgrynd-engineered Gravity Collapse, after all, was completely impervious to anything happening around it.

Testarossa and the other demons seemed to be locked in combat with Velgrynd on the ground, but the crimson pillar remained as present as ever. The fact sent a chill down Gazel's spine, but he didn't show it as he shouted.

"I can hardly believe it, but that is Velgrynd. You must think that her producing a Separate Body on the same level as her main one is the stuff of nightmares, don't you? But fear not. Know that we, too, have powerful reinforcements that defy all common sense!"

His voice reached his knights, bold and majestic as it removed any sense of fear from their hearts. Even Gazel, to tell the truth, was terrified. A Saint-level knight would be capable of little against such an overwhelming presence—any attempt at resistance would fizzle out against such a huge difference in power. But Gazel did not give up. His sense of responsibility as king galvanized his heart —but most of all, these unexpected reinforcements from his former fellow trainee showed that it was still far too early to despair. In terms of magicule count alone, the three demonesses lost out to Gazel…but here they were, boldly challenging an opponent whose power must be nearly a hundred times greater than theirs.

Heh-heh-heh… Faced with their exploits, a king like myself can hardly afford to whine about my lot.

Such was the vow he made to himself. And that resolve was now spreading to his advisors, and the knights under their command. By the time they reached their destination, fear no longer registered with any of them.

Their destination awaited beyond the crimson pillar, a wide open meadow accessible enough for a large army to occupy. The ground was stained with blood—the final end of the Composite Division, no doubt, after all their double dealing.

In this vast area stood around a hundred people. One of them stood out, thanks to the different uniform he was wearing. It was Lieutenant Kondo, his presence overwhelming as he shot a look toward Gazel. With him was Footman, Teare, and three dozen or so of Yuuki's former companions; they were joined by nearly fifty Imperial Guardians. They were spread out in formation to protect Kagali, ensuring she wasn't disturbed during the ritual. Over toward Kondo was another uniformed group—members of the Imperial Information Bureau, although several of them were Guardians as well. Essentially, these were the best forces the Empire had to offer right now, all in one place.

Kagali was located on the outer edge of the crimson pillar, immersed in the ritual even as she was doused in the downpour of blood. Velgrynd was standing nearby, watching over her; after creating that Separate Body on the other side of the pillar, she had returned here so the three demonesses wouldn't interfere with the magic spell. Even for Velgrynd, conjuring such a large-scale incantation required the full attention of her main body; an alternate wouldn't cut it. Thanks to that, she appeared in no hurry to join the upcoming battle, instead choosing to watch it from afar, and Gazel could see that for himself.

So they began their descent, slow and relaxed. Kondo greeted them on the ground.

"I am honored to meet you, King Gazel," he said nonchalantly. "The legends of your heroism precede you."

Gazel snorted and raised his sword.

"And you are?"

"Lieutenant Kondo, director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau."

"Ah, the figure 'stalking the halls of information,' as they say? Interesting. I will handle you myself. On guard!"

A glance was all it took for Gazel to recognize Kondo's skill. He attempted Read Thought against him the moment he sized him up, and it didn't work—a clear sign they were at least equals in skill.

"Whoa, whoa, allow me to—"

"Enough, Vaughn. You handle the others so they don't get in our way. And all

of you as well. I'm the only one here who can take this man."

Gazel was addressing all his advisors now, the team about to wage this final battle together. Jaine was the first to nod her approval.

"Yes, yes, that man is clearly more than we can handle. Let us clear away the other obstacles, at least, so King Gazel may fight in peace."

Dolph nodded. "…Very well. Everyone, listen to me! We may outnumber them, but never underestimate their powers! Form groups of five and roll out for aerial combat!"

Sizing up the enemy, he began to issue precise orders to his team. The Pegasus Knights were gifted at assaulting targets from the sky, free of all obstruction—but this time, their strategy called for using their superior numbers to hassle and distract the enemy.

Whether Yuuki's old friends or members of the Imperial Guardians, every one of them was powerful enough to be considered Enlightened. That would rank a Special A in the threat-level scale used by the Free Guild, comparable in strength to Arch Demons. With the right training, any of them could be potential demon-lord seeds; right now, they were all champions of humanity.

Dolph's troops, when teamed with a flying mount, were only over-A by comparison. Dolph himself was an Enlightened, and some of the Pegasus Knights stood out from the others, but he didn't see any of them beating any foe here one-on-one. This wasn't the product of statistical reasoning; he just had a feeling the enemy forces here were that dangerous. They had a better chance of beating them instead of Velgrynd, but he still didn't think they could win this fight any normal way.

That was the reason behind his orders. They weren't here to annihilate the enemy, but rather to use the aerial advantage to distract them. That, Dolph hoped, would buy them enough time and keep Gazel from having to turn his attention elsewhere. The Pegasus Knights, thankfully, picked up on this without hesitation.

I must believe in His Majesty's victory and do my part to achieve it. Besides, we will have more troops soon!

That was Dolph's belief, and it was quickly affirmed by an energetic voice.

"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! It seems we are slightly late! This big oaf was heavier than I expected, so lugging it around took a mighty effort. But now that we are here, everything is fine! So sit back and let your concerns fly away as you enjoy this battle!!"

It was Gabil.

"Whew! Nice one, Sir Gabil! Lookin' good!"

"Indeed."

"You're more manly than ever now! And we'll follow you wherever you go, so you better be ready for us!"

He had brought along his biggest fans in Team Hiryu, each carrying a chain attached to a huge object—the Demon Colossus, so oversized that it required a hundred people to transport it by air. Its size was no problem as it patiently awaited labyrinth runners down below, but when it came time to travel to the battlefield, the sheer weight was something of a hindrance. In combat, it was a tried-and-true menace—it was just very, very slow. It was a problem, but one overlooked before now since it was quick enough in melee combat.

"This will need to be addressed, but now that you've brought it this far, I'll do the very best I can!"

Gadora was bursting with enthusiasm. He eagerly climbed into the Demon Colossus, itching to score some on-the-field kills with it. As he did, he turned his eyes toward Kondo, only to immediately avert them. King Gazel was engaging him, and he didn't think it was his place to interfere. He turned to look at Velgrynd.

So the "Marshal" was Velgrynd the Flame Dragon all along… But in that case, it's hard to tell what Damrada's aim is. Did he truly swear his allegiance to His Majesty the Emperor? Why did he need to order Bernie's troupe to protect Masayuki? It makes no sense…but now is no time to stew over it. If Velgrynd makes any moves, this operation is over. I'll have to keep an eye on her to make sure that doesn't happen.

With that in mind, Gadora directed the Demon Colossus toward Velgrynd as

she gracefully stood there. Seeing him go, Gabil flew up next to Dolph.

"It appears Sir Gadora has signed up to engage with Lady Velgrynd. We will mop up anyone in the way, as discussed."

"Hee-hee-hee! How reassuring to hear, Sir Gabil. Ready for a joint operation, then?"

"Indeed. We will go up front and engage the enemy. I leave the backup to you!"

"You may!"

Gabil and Dolph exchanged nods. As agreed upon beforehand, Team Hiryu would take charge with their superior combat ability. The dragonewts boasted excellent defenses; killing any one of them would never be easy, and each one was generously granted a Full Potion to boot. Anything that didn't kill them instantly was totally survivable, so they'd function just fine as their shields.

"Right, Sir Dolph, you take command."

"Wait, what?!" Dolph exclaimed. This wasn't mentioned at the meeting. "Gwah-ha-ha-ha! I am Gabil the Dracolord! Prepare to die!!"

But Gabil paid the confused Dolph no further mind as he made his charge toward his target, one of the men they thought was associated with Kondo.

Gobwa looked on in amazement at Gabil. Her team was the last to arrive, but that was understandable, given that they were the only land-based force to speak of. They still boasted over-A speed, however, and they reached the battlefield just as hostilities began. They had even maneuvered themselves behind the enemy, just as planned.

"If Sir Gabil is challenging that man solo, he must be extraordinarily powerful, I imagine."

The man next to her refuted the idea.

"You think? He looks like a wimpy guy in glasses to me. The type good at clerical work."

This was Phobio, the "Black Leopard Fang" and member of the Three

Lycanthropeers. He never did return home once all was said and done, and now he found himself following Gobwa into battle. Gobwa was secretly happy about that, but she also had Team Kurenai to run, a post granted by Benimaru, and thus she had a duty to maintain military dignity.

"Sir Phobio, your abilities are beyond reproach, but I think you need to learn how to better evaluate your enemy."

"Wow, Gobwa, so harsh. Just 'Phobio' is fine. I'm no stranger to you."

"We are on a wartime mission. It is important to maintain operational formality."

This talk looked like nothing more than friendly flirting to the people serving them. They were stuck in a tense battlefield, but for some reason, there was an odd warmth in the air.

"So what are we doing now?" Phobio asked, suddenly serious.

"We will stay here and wait for the right moment," Gobwa replied, herself switching gears. "Achieving our tactical objective here is no longer possible; the operation is already a failure. Depending on Lady Velgrynd's moves, all of us could be wiped out. If our focus was survival, then fleeing is our only viable option, but we haven't been granted that choice. For now, we must reduce the number of obstacles in our way and lighten Sir Rimuru's burden as much as possible."

It took true resolve to make that statement. If Velgrynd could be kept here, Rimuru could use that opportunity to strike down Emperor Ludora—or make him agree to a peace deal. That was the key to all of this. But the moment Velgrynd started sending out copies of herself with Parallel Existence, the operation was doomed.

Normally they should've suspended everything at that point, but anyone with enough authority to make that call was currently out of contact. Gabil was supreme commander at the moment, and he wanted to keep this going. Testarossa and the demons agreed with him, and Gobwa had no objection. We'll do what we can—that was all there was to it.

It was unclear just how many "other" Velgrynds she could create, but they

were prepared to stop them all in their tracks—and, if possible, stop Kagali from completing the ritual she was engaged in.

"You tryin' to get yourself killed?"

"No. His Majesty Sir Rimuru would never allow us to die. That's why I refuse to accept any casualties today."

The Team Hiryu members all nodded at this fairly absurd order. "But if Velgrynd goes on the move, you've got nothing to stop her, yeah?" "If it comes to it, we will run and leave it in Lord Gadora's hands."

Gobwa gave Phobio a wink. It had enough destructive force to stop him in his tracks.

"Well, all right. I'll just turn off my brain and stir up a little dust, then. I see someone I wanna settle a score with, too, so I better go say hello."

Phobio had gone through the painful experience of being tricked by Footman and Teare before. But he didn't resent them for it—his own inexperience was to blame. In fact, he was even thankful for the opportunity to grow from it. That was his simple, cheerful approach to life, befitting the beastman he was, and it made him feel for his nemesis now that he saw him being manipulated like this.

"Don't do anything rash."

"I can't promise that I won't…but I swear I'll make an effort not to die." With those words, Phobio joined the fight.

Lieutenant Kondo was up against King Gazel. Gabil was eyeing a bespectacled imperial intelligence officer. Vaughn and Henrietta were squared up against Footman and Teare. Phobio was about to join the fray, while Gobwa and her team were working out their next move. Finally Velgrynd, glowering over the battlefield, caught sight of the Demon Colossus piloted by Gadora.

And thus each battle began.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Gazel's mind was as quiet as a passing breeze. He was facing Kondo now—not as a king, but as a warrior and accomplished

swordfighter.

Kondo, following Gazel's instructions, drew his military sword. He was just as quiet, letting out an admiring exhale at Gazel's stance.

"Hoh… Very impressive. They don't call you Master of the Sword for nothing."

This was more than mere flattery. He was being sincere with him. But Gazel just snickered back.

"Nonsense. Coming from you, it sounds like nothing but sarcasm."

That, too, was sincere. He said it because Kondo's stance was also a beauty to behold—no visible holes to it at all. He was holding his sword with both hands, deadly serious and never letting his guard down, quite a different approach from the one he took with Footman. Even more surprising: He and Gazel were assuming a totally identical fighting stance, as if they had arranged it ahead of time.

The two of them crossed swords silently a couple of times, gaining a grasp of each other's abilities. It was clear to both that their similar stances were no coincidence. Gazel learned his swordsmanship under Hakuro, and he still followed Hakuro's teachings for the core of his style, although he mixed in some of his own techniques as well. This was the Oboro, or Crestwater, a style that was handed down from Hakuro's grandfather Byakuya Araki, and no one but Hakuro was teaching this style now.

Even Gazel, a student of the Crestwater style, didn't know everything about it; he knew there were still secrets and techniques to it yet to be discovered. But as the official Instructor of the monster nation, Hakuro was deeply involved with the training of all its soldiers. That included hammering the basics of swordsmanship into them all, naturally, but it was unlikely the Empire was aware of this. Besides, swordsmanship wasn't something you could just pick up overnight.

So Gazel decided to ask the question. But as he did, Kondo spoke up as well. "Why do you know the Oboro-style stance like that?"

"I had my suspicions after hearing about you, but your technique is similar to my own Crestwater. Who did you learn it from?"

"…"

"…"

They glared at each other. Gazel was the first to respond.

"Oboro… Are you saying that Oboro is different from Crestwater?"

Kondo pondered the question for a moment, his expression the same as always.

The information I had indicated that in the Dwarven Kingdom, they preferred an orthodox approach to swordsmanship, a blade in one hand and a shield in the other. Does that connect to this?

He didn't have much information to work with, but Kondo was still close to the right answer. But his silence was making Gazel impatient.

"Are you not going to answer me?"

"Don't hurry me, please. Your Crestwater style is likely in the same lineage as what I have learned. That's why I wanted to ask you back—there's no way this nearly identical sword school just happened to develop on its own in this world, too, is there?"

"Mmm, likely not," Gazel muttered as he recalled the stories he heard of Hakuro's grandfather during training. "Sir Hakuro, my master, told me that Crestwater was taught to him by his grandfather. He was a visitor from another world, apparently…and I imagine that explains this."

Unbeknownst to Gazel and Kondo, Byakuya Araki actually had a younger brother. This was the man who introduced what he called Oboro to Japan, the world Kondo was born in. It was half-sword style, half-mystical art, meant to dispel evil and fend off ghouls and monsters. Kondo had been tapped to be just such a demon hunter, and as part of that he learned what was called the Oboro Shinmei-ryu style in Japan, a style very close to Araki's original teachings.

"Heh-heh-heh… Funny to see we belong to the same school."

Kondo looked genuinely amused, a rare thing to see from him. He usually never revealed his emotions, so his chuckling seemed all the more ominous.

"Your Majesty, I have a proposal for you."

"What is that?"

"As a fellow Oboro user, I offer you my friendship. I see that you are more than strong enough to join our side, my lord. If you disarm yourself and swear your allegiance to the emperor, I promise to cease all acts of aggression against your country at once."

"And you think I would accept that offer?"

"I do, because if you give it rational thought, you'll see it is the best way to minimize the damage."

Kondo was right, Gazel thought. In fact, he couldn't hope for a better offer. If he wanted to protect the people of the Dwarven Kingdom, saying yes was absolutely the right thing to do. As a monarch, he needed to accept it without any further hesitation. Now that he knew what sort of threat Velgrynd was, there was just no way they could win. Their whole objective for this battle was nebulous, hard to grasp, and they should never have attempted it at all. It was all based on the wishful thinking that Rimuru's group would settle things with Ludora before any major damage was done.

If I consider my own people…

But before he could finish that thought, Gazel smiled, shaking off his hesitation.

"Ridiculous! If you think you've already won, then you have no idea how dangerous letting your guard down is! Such a conceited way of thinking… I'll teach you a lesson about that!"

With that shout, Gazel focused on the enemy in front of him. All distractions were banished; the defeat of Kondo was the only thing on his mind. Then, with his brain, body, and beloved sword working as one, he unleashed his Saint-level force at full throttle.

The result was a true champion, one who could almost reach the level of an awakened demon lord. And yet, despite seeing Gazel in that state, Kondo remained as relaxed as ever.

"Oh brother. Not as wise as they said you were, are you? Then so be it. Allow me to give you a final lesson before your fame crashes to the ground."

The words signaled the beginning of a battle between two Saints. Several minutes passed. Kondo had the upper hand.

He had no problem dispelling the Heroic Aura that Gazel released; running a similar type of spiritual force across his own body canceled all its effects. But even in terms of pure swordsmanship, the difference was clear. Gazel unleashed a skill called Crestwater Thundering Heavens, a series of vertical slashes; yet with some nimble moves of his own, Kondo fought back with Shippu Raiha, a horizontal cleaving technique. This was followed up with Shiden-totsu, the fastest thrusting move in his arsenal, but Gazel parried it with his own Crestwater Slash.

They were members from the same school, so they knew each other's techniques very well—but little by little, Gazel's reaction times began lagging. Kondo had mastered more techniques than Gazel.

"Just as I thought. Crestwater features some techniques that are unknown outside of its own school. Even I, as close as I am to the original lineage, do not know all of them. Hakuro was his name, you said? I had my doubts over just how well a mere monster could ever understand the true nature of the blade."

Kondo was being honest. But he didn't intend to mock Hakuro at all. The way of the sword was a profound one indeed, passed down from generation to generation uninterrupted. Kondo was proud of his own school, and that's why he said what he did. But the comment touched a nerve with Gazel.

"You dare insult my master?"

He glared at Kondo, his expression even fiercer than before. And then another person joined them.

"Ho-ho-ho… If that, King Gazel, is enough to disturb you on the battlefield, I see you still need quite a bit more training. Go cool your head over there while I take over for a little while."

Hakuro, part of the rear guard as Gobwa's advisor, arrived on the scene.

Kondo looked at Hakuro, instantly recognizing his abilities. The next moment, the piercing clang of steel against steel echoed through the air. Kondo drew his

sword and struck with a classical iaido move; Hakuro used his own hidden sword to catch it.

"Oh? You can catch this?"

Heavengaze, Hakuro's "third eye," was open on his forehead. It had now surpassed the framework of an extra skill, even going beyond the realm of unique skills, and it allowed him to keep up with Kondo's sword drawing.

"A brilliant piece of work. But you share in the same school as my grandfather? Strange bedfellows indeed. You may call me a monster, but why don't you see for yourself just how well I understand the true meaning of the sword?"

"Heh… Interesting. If you're that insistent about it, let me show you just how good I am."

Thus began the battle between Kondo and Hakuro, with Gazel there to watch.

Kondo liked his chances. There was no denying Hakuro's abilities; that much he could tell at a glance. But it was an unquestionable fact from his point of view that no monster could understand the true nature of a sword. Oboro Shinmei-ryu, after all, was a style invented for the purposes of combat against demons. It should have been naturally repellent to monsters, and there's no way a monster could master it—that conclusion seemed totally natural to Kondo. What's more, there was no way anyone could imagine that the true founder of Oboro Shinmei-ryu—the elder brother of the school's creator— would be in this world in the first place.

He can use the school's innermost techniques, and that was beyond my expectations. But anything beyond that was only passed down to members of the original family. I don't know how capable this visitor was, but it'd be impossible for him to impart Oboro's innermost secret moves to a monster.

It was perhaps inevitable that Kondo would use his common sense to come up with that judgment. But it was a big mistake, a rare unadvised assumption on his part, and the cost of making it would be high.

Hakuro and Kondo squared up against each other. The moment they were within killing range, they simultaneously launched their attacks.

"Baika…Goka-totsu…"

Staking his pride as a swordsman, Kondo showed off his well-trained technique. It was a foolish move to make, and he had the temerity for it only because Hakuro was in the same school as him. He thought, in one corner of his mind, that he needed to wrap up this duel quickly and efficiently—but the move he chose would do nothing for that. It was a violent outburst, well out of character for the normally calm, collected Kondo. He wanted to show his prowess to his peers in this world by breaking out the best techniques he knew from the start.

Goka-totsu was a stabbing technique meant to symbolize a plum blossom. It was one of the loftiest techniques Kondo was taught, a closely kept secret that would never be found outside of his own school. A five-strike move, it aimed at five of the ten vital points of the human body—the eyes, throat, heart, kidneys, solar plexus, groin, and (as a diversion) the shoulders. What it aimed at could be changed depending on the current situation, requiring skillful technique to pull off. Few of his fellow swordsmen had mastered this art—and that's why unleashing it against Hakuro was a miscalculation.

"Multilayered Blossom Flash…"

Hakuro countered with the greatest of his own secret techniques, a continual, flowing strike that slashed the enemy eight times in an instant, in any of a thousand different combinations. Kondo and Hakuro were equal in level, but there was a big difference in their core fighting abilities—and by Hakuro's reckoning, Kondo was dozens of times more physically gifted than him. If this skill didn't work, in essence, Hakuro's defeat was all but certain.

It was with that resolve in mind that he drew his sword.

"Nngh…?!"

"Hohh…"

Kondo was aiming to overwhelm his foe; Hakuro wanted to deliver a fatal blow, even if he had to go along for the ride. That's what both were hoping for with this clash of skills, but both of them wound up off the mark.

Hakuro's blade slashed eight times, like a multilayered cherry blossom

shedding its buds, faster than any regular person could see. But they were offset by Kondo's five plum petals, failing to reach their destination. Kondo reared back, and thanks to that, Hakuro only managed to graze his cheek—even that, however, was an unfortunate result from Kondo's point of view.

"I never thought there was a swordsman in this world who could surpass me."

Hakuro's Blossom Flash was superior as a technique to Kondo's Goka-totsu. That fact shattered all preconceptions for Kondo, forcing him to admit his mistake. But it was still Kondo who won the duel. Hakuro was brilliant up to the point where he offset Kondo's technique, but the difference in power was too great. The clash just now had cut Hakuro's arms to gruesome ribbons, rendering them useless.

"Not even the most powerful of my moves could reach you…"

"No, it did. Allow me to apologize for looking down on you. That, and I wish to ask: What was your grandfather's name?"

Kondo was sorry for looking down on Hakuro as a monster. He wanted to pay his respect to this man, now clearly a better swordsman than he. When it came to the blade, at least, he was a sincere person—but at the same time, he never judged matters based on his personal feelings. That was how Tatsuya Kondo worked.

"Ho-ho-ho! My grandfather was named Byakuya Araki. A swordsman without equal, but he sadly left us for the afterlife long ago."

"A pity. And Araki is the surname of the head family of Oboro Shinmei-ryu. He may have been related to the founder indeed. If he had at least reached the level of Enlightened, he surely would have been one of the most powerful people in the world."

Kondo offered him a silent word of prayer. When it came to his own sword school, he was all business. Hakuro looked down on him and sighed.

"My grandfather was an eccentric man, you see. He preferred to live life at his own pace. But do you think you could step aside for now?"

Hakuro decided to risk the question, sensing Kondo's respect for him. But it was not to be.

"I will ensure you are protected, but I cannot stop this war. The way I see it, the worst thing you can do is take half measures."

Kondo was nonchalant in his reply. Hakuro assumed as much. He was in no panic about it anyway.

I already knew I was going to lose. I'll never make it back to the battlefront with these arms, but I suppose I've done what I set out to do.

No, Hakuro's goal here was not victory, but rather to show Gazel how he fought against Kondo. If Gazel Dwargo, Master of the Sword, could see Hakuro's innermost skills in action, he would be able to understand them and make them his own. Even if he didn't learn it all immediately, he'd certainly receive some hints, at least. And what's more, Kondo revealed a secret move of his own—and that would improve Gazel's chances as well.

"I suppose I am done here, then. No need for further protection. I have zero intention of living in disgrace. If my last moments are nigh, I want to take as many enemy soldiers as possible along with me…but now is not the time. For now, I need to concentrate on healing these hands."

They were gravely wounded, beyond what even a Full Potion could heal. One of the deepest secrets of Battlewill involved permeating a target with one's own fighting spirit to destroy it, and Kondo's spirit had penetrated Hakuro's defenses during combat. The only way for Hakuro to heal them was to neutralize the force with his own aura. But Hakuro looked unaffected as he turned toward Gazel.

"Now, King Gazel, have you cooled down yet?"

"Of course. Seeing your techniques in motion astounded me, my master."

"Ho-ho-ho! I actually did not intend to teach you that…but I wasn't in any position to hold back. The rest, I leave up to you."

"Yes, Master."

Hakuro stepped back as Gazel stood in front of Kondo. Then he slipped away from the front lines, holding his head high, as if his part of the war was now over.

Now Kondo and Gazel were facing each other again. Kondo, still ashamed of his own shallowness, mentally flipped the page.

"I suppose I lost my cool a little. That's enough playtime for now, though. Time to get back to work."

"Pfft! I hate to say it, but I agree with you. I must live up to my master's expectations…and so, I will give it my all."

Kondo and Gazel both looked different from before. They knew each other's full abilities now, and they were serious about this. Gazel was grateful to Hakuro; if he'd kept fighting Kondo earlier, his defeat would have been inevitable. The secret Goka-totsu move Kondo used would've been impossible to defend at first sight. Even if it miraculously failed to fatally wound him, Kondo's fighting spirit would have destroyed him from the inside like it did with Hakuro, rendering him incapable of fighting.

I didn't realize all that driven fighting spirit could be so much of a threat. I knew that was one of Battlewill's most powerful secret techniques…but perhaps I didn't fully understand it before now.

Gazel felt a bit uplifted as he reflected on this. There was still room for him to grow.

"Kondo was your name, wasn't it? Well, enjoy having a taste of my full powers."

As soon as he said it, Gazel released his own secret move.

"Spirit summon! Elemental lord of the nameless earth, come to me!"

Unleashing his power as a Saint, Gazel invited the earth elemental lord to ensconce itself in his body. They were fully Unified now, and they had energy stores that rivaled or even exceeded that of an ancient, awakened demon lord. It operated on a strict time limit, but it was still Gazel's ace in the hole.

But Kondo was unfazed.

"Ridiculous."

Even exposed to Gazel's onrush of energy, Kondo remained calm. Gazel didn't show any displeasure at this, holding his sword forward. Sharpening his mind, he let the will flow within him, pouring it into his blade.

Gazel now had perfect control over the vast amounts of energy being Unified with the earth elemental lord granted to him. It was a feeling unlike anything he had experienced before.

Well done, Master. You allowed me to tap into the innermost workings of this school, did you not? Now, I can win. I can reach even greater heights than ever before!

He could feel his mind, his heart, and his body all rise up. His mind itself was a skill, energized with his full mastery of the unique skill Tyrant. His skills were an art—the art of Crestwater as taught by Hakuro, capable of converting spiritual energy to physical force. Right now, Gazel could use it to gather all the energy coursing through his body and focus it on a single target. Tyrant allowed him to put it all together, letting it grow into the best possible strike he could manage.

He was sure no one could defeat his sword—and now he made his move. A strike of divine speed. But it never reached Kondo. There was a small bang, and Gazel fell to his knees with a clatter.

"Kah…"

Blood poured out of his mouth as he looked down, dumbfounded at the red streak spreading across his stomach. Kondo's Nambu semiautomatic handgun was in his right hand, a cloud of gunpowder smoke billowing from it. The bullet that felled Gazel had been fired from that very gun.

"Where…is your pride as a swordsman…?"

Gazel spat out blood as he spoke, his face contorted with anger and humiliation. But Kondo couldn't have cared less.

"I told you I was done with playtime. Pride is useless in a battle. My duty is to win by any means necessary."

His voice was cold, a completely different tone from the person so concerned with his sword technique a moment ago.

"Nonsense! This much won't be the end of me…"

Gazel tried to stand up, a look of desperation on his face. But he couldn't move his body the way he wanted—and soon, he was on the ground again. And no wonder: It was no mere bullet Kondo shot him with, but a Necrosis Bullet, a special type that contained Kondo's own will.

It wasn't driven by something he borrowed from Emperor Ludora, but rather an ultimate skill he had manifested on his own. Kondo had literally used his own power to awaken himself into an ultimate skill. This skill was Sandalphon, Lord of Judgment, and the command it held over battle made it supremely strong. It allowed him to fight on behalf of Emperor Ludora—a human being who desired to attain the throne of God himself. Sandalphon was what powered his Necrosis Bullets, which could destroy the veins and outlets through which magic flowed in the target's body, allowing him to kill even spiritual life-forms.

Gazel was no weakling. In fact, he was one of the strongest people in the world. If the conditions were right, he could even defeat an awakened demon lord. But against Kondo, there was a strength barrier that not even he could ever overcome. It all came down to the presence, or lack thereof, of an ultimate skill. In that respect, the duel was decided even before it took place.

"Don't waste your time. I have no intention of killing you, Your Majesty. I will

detain you for the time being, but when everything is settled, I promise you will be released."

Kondo's voice was calm. He wasn't lying, but—naturally—he wasn't telling the complete truth, either. Gazel would be released, but only after a Dominion Bullet allowed Kondo to exercise his full domination over him. This was what he used to take control of Kagali, and it was also why he wanted to capture Gazel alive. It was an act as terrifyingly ruthless as it was perfectly rational…and that, too, said everything about the nature of Tatsuya Kondo.

Hakuro, too, was no longer in any position to move. Witnessing Kondo's strength left him meekly standing there, looking frustrated. At this point, Kondo's victory seemed all but assured…

"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! I am Gabil the Dracolord! Prepare to fight!"

With that shout, Gabil sized up the enemy and charged ahead, leaving the rest of his forces behind. It made him a total failure of a commander, but at the same time, it wasn't necessarily a tactical mistake. The strength of his chosen enemy, after all, was truly outstanding. He was a kind-looking man in glasses, not really standing out from the group, and yet Gabil called him out without the slightest hesitation.

"I want you! Yes, you! I hereby order you to take me on!"

The bespectacled man's lips twisted into a sneer as Gabil used his lance to point him out.

"Well, great. I was trying to act like an ordinary intelligence officer, but I suppose you noticed what I'm capable of?"

The man removed his glasses as he spoke. The moment he did, his entire atmosphere changed.

"Very well, then. I will take you on. But before that, will everyone around me please move a safe distance away?"

He was ordering his own allies, his previous shyness now gone. But his bewildered companions didn't get the message.

"Whoa, Marco! You're not cut out for fighting at all!"

"Yeah. Quit trying to act tough. You know any of us could kick your ass!" The man called Marco smiled at his concerned comrades.

"Well…it was a real comfortable place to work…but that was just a front. I'm actually part of the Single Digits—number eight, to be exact. You understand what that means, don't you?"

Looking at this suddenly changed man, everyone realized that good old Marco was actually in disguise the whole time. They also instantly realized that he had the authority to hand them orders—orders like the one he gave them a moment ago.

"Right away, sir!"

"Good luck!"

Marco's companions scattered. With a sigh of relief, he turned his squinting, serpentine eyes toward Gabil. He, too, had seen Gabil's strengths for what they were. In this world, attempting to challenge a truly outstanding fighter with overwhelming numbers was usually meaningless. Marco, well aware of that, shooed the rest of the group away from himself, even though some of them were Imperial Knight–level talents.

"You were Gabil, then? Well, thanks a lot for taking my job away from me. You'll pay for that with your life, you know."

"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! Sir Rimuru mentioned the Single Digits to me. He said that even he considered them dangerous, as I recall. But now I've been blessed with the opportunity to deal with one all by myself!"

Gabil sounded overjoyed…and with that, the battle between two great heroes began.

...…

...

…

Marco was best described as a man whose main feature was his total lack of

features.

He had joined the Imperial Guardians about eight hundred years ago, his unique skill Adapter attracting the attention of then-Guardian leader Damrada for its potential as an infiltration skill. Adapter offered Marco the notable ability to disguise himself to look exactly like anybody he saw. This wasn't like Copy, part of Hinata's unique skill Usurper; rather, it was the ability to mimic an exact duplicate of a given person.

Only so much could be imitated; if the target was someone who far exceeded him in strength, it wasn't possible to duplicate all of that. Still, the more powerful the people he encountered, the more general-purpose strength the experience would grant him. That was how Marco survived the ordeal for awakening himself as a Saint, and how he eventually rose to the Single Digits. Now he had been part of the Imperial Guardians for about a hundred years.

It was precisely because of this skill that Marco could not shake the awe he felt for Kondo. Even if Kondo was a visitor from another world, possessing a soul more powerful than most, his strength was still ponderously difficult to comprehend. Marco was actually the first person Kondo challenged to a ranking duel, giving him a glimpse at his extraordinary strength. Marco assumed he received special treatment due to being a favorite of the emperor, but he quickly learned that he was wrong. Kondo's strength was impossible to employ Adapter on, despite his Saint-level fighting ability, and that was how Kondo easily defeated the top ranks to become leader of the group. Even the Four Knights, all freaks of nature in Marco's eyes, were defeated by Kondo without a second thought.

That was why Marco practically worshiped the ground Kondo walked on. He even followed Kondo's example of sticking to his rank of lieutenant, serving as a similarly rank-and-file second lieutenant in the Empire. He served the Imperial Intelligence Bureau mainly so he could serve as Kondo's fixer.

Right now, he faced a formidable enemy in the form of Gabil. He fought him back with a spear of his own, but he quickly understood that he couldn't win the battle as it stood. So he decided to change himself into the form of the person he believed was strongest of all.

...…

...

…

Moving a distance away from Gabil, Marco transformed into Kondo. The ultimate enchantment Alternative, a gift lent to him by the emperor, allowed him to use Adapter with even more precision than usual. Marco thus had strength and abilities similar to Kondo's own now.

"Mmm. How strange. Is that your true form?"

"No," Marco replied, posing as Kondo. "This is me imitating the man I believe is the strongest in the world. The Four Knights were strong as well, but they couldn't hold a candle to Lieutenant Kondo. In fact…"

Marco took a glance at the battlefield unfolding next to him.

"…even King Gazel, the renowned champion, was no match for him, was he?"

Gabil groaned at this. His Magic Sense skill operated in a wide range now, and thanks to that, he knew all of it. His allies were not faring well; Hakuro was out of the battle, and as Marco pointed out, King Gazel was struggling, too.

"Mmm, it appears so."

"The moment Lieutenant Kondo went into combat, there was no doubt as to who'd win. That's why I didn't want to reveal my full skills to anyone around here. You never know who might leak word out…and it's better to keep your powers hidden anyway, isn't it?"

With that casual comment, Marco transformed his weapon from a spear to a military sword. This was a Legend-class weapon lent to him for the moment, and Marco could change its shape to anything he wanted. He readied the sword as Kondo would, striking just as majestic an appearance.

Gabil, meanwhile, held up his Vortex Spear, a magical weapon that was now the treasure of all lizardmen. His father Abil entrusted it to him, and it now felt familiar in his hands. He had used it in many fierce battles, and whenever it was damaged, Kurobe's able hands fixed it up for him. Its capabilities were Unique in nature, but it was also a stout ally to Gabil, one he cared a great deal for.

Still, it was no Legend. And given that differences in weapon performance can often determine victory or defeat, Gabil was at an overwhelming disadvantage. But Gabil also had the Dragonskin ability, and that brought his equipment closer to God-class. As he saw it, Marco was at the level of a Saint, equal in strength to his awakened self—and so he spared no effort from the very beginning.

Can this man truly penetrate my defense?

He was pretty confident in his defensive abilities. You couldn't win a battle unless you inflicted decisive damage on your opponent. This wasn't boxing—no matter how many blows you landed, if they weren't fatal, it was all for nothing. Gabil didn't think Marco's weapon was enough to break through his own defenses, but he wasn't about to let his guard down, either. Carefully, he watched his opponent's moves.

"Here I go."

"Yes, come to me!"

Gabil's misfortune was that he entered into hostilities with Marco too soon. When he was awakened, his power was enormous—but he had yet to fully master it. Just as Ultima feared, even in this pre-evolutionary stage, he was not fully capable of handling his magicule count. Whether there was great power in his hands or not, he couldn't use it to its fullest extent. He boasted extraordinary defense and healing, and that alone made him very strong…but he picked the wrong opponent this time.

"Baika Goka-totsu…"

"Vortex Crash!!"

Gabil survived only because of his careful response. In terms of strength, they were an even match, Gabil perhaps just a touch superior. But in terms of skill level, Marco's perfect imitation of Kondo made him far more powerful. Marco couldn't produce even 80 percent of Kondo's actual abilities; he couldn't simulate his ultimate skill Sandalphon, and if he was paired against Gazel, he would be doomed. This bare-bones version of Kondo was on more of an even footing with Gabil, and between that and his defenses, Gabil should have been assured of victory.

But sometimes the element of luck comes into play. Marco looked like the overwhelming victor, but his victory was a close call.

"Boy, I sure can't laugh at Major General Farraga now. Gabil the Dracolord, eh? No wonder he mistook him for Veldora," Marco muttered to himself as he watched Gabil collapse on the ground.

At this moment, Gabil's fate was about to reach its end…

"My brother!!"

Just then, a figure stood before Marco, as if protecting Gabil. It was Soka, whose force had just rushed into the scene. Gabil's own troops were there as well.

"Lord Gabil!!"

"Please don't die, Gabil!"

"No! Lord Gabil should never die in a place like this!"

They knew they couldn't defeat Marco, but still they dared to stand up to him. And it was that courage that saved Gabil's life.

Individually, none of them were as good as the Saint-level Marco—but all of them still earned a Special A rank. They dove into their stores of healing potions, desperately trying to buy as much time as possible. But Marco's technique, modeled after Kondo's, let him destroy enemies from the inside with the fighting spirit he infused in them. The skill essentially nullified the effects of potions, and it meant Soka's force had to be prepared to die for the cause.

One by one, Gabil's troops began to fall. Now it was Nanso, part of Soka's force, who was lying unconscious. The skill difference wasn't that great, but the strength difference was. Even worse, Marco's weapon was Legend-class. It was simply too insurmountable an advantage, and so the casualties gradually continued to rise.

Fortunately, none of them died. Rimuru's evolving Gabil had made everyone under him stronger as well. That provided a boost to their endurance, and thanks to that, they just barely escaped a final exit. The ongoing effects of

Marco's attacks, however, meant they were out of the battle. At this rate, they were likely to be massacred before long.

So Gabil spoke up.

"Enough! Enough, all of you! It is time to run! Soka, this is an order! Take everyone with you and leave here at once!"

He desperately tried lifting himself up as he looked toward Soka. She didn't even look back at him as she sneered.

"I refuse, my brother. I serve Sir Soei, not you. I am under no obligation to heed your orders."

"What are you—?"

"Besides! If we run away at this point, that is guaranteed to produce deaths within our ranks! You among them, brother!"

The normally calm Soka screamed out, not caring how it looked. This confused the speechless Gabil.

"…What are you talking about?! It is the role of any commander to keep casualties as low as possible, even if by a little. Isn't it your job to abandon the defeated and make sure that as many of us as possible survive?"

Gabil struggled to even get off the ground now. He could barely continue speaking as he watched his comrades fight on. But Soka dismissed his words.

"Then my plan is the right one. None of us are weak enough to be killed by a single blow. This is how we are buying time."

They would continue to fight, not caring if their friends fell. They would use their numbers to harass Marco, being careful to take as little damage as possible from him. That was Soka's plan—the way they'd search for a chance at victory.

"That's nonsense! There's no guarantee that rescue will ever come…"

Now that Rimuru and his other top officers were on their way to the imperial capital, they could not expect any support from them. And even if the currently evolving ones woke up from their slumber, none of them would be rushing to the rescue right this moment. They could count on the three demonesses, but

they were currently dealing with Velgrynd, an even more powerful enemy. They were the ones who needed support right now; there was no way they could ask them for help.

Gabil understood this well, and so he issued the order to retreat. But his troops defied him.

"No, Gabil! It's you! You're the one we've been waiting for!" "Yes, Sir Gabil! Get those injuries healed and rise back to your feet!"

"Indeed. We will buy you time as we await your revival, Sir Gabil. There is no other way to save everyone here!"

Gabil suddenly grew ashamed of himself. Was he the only one, he wondered, who had given up on victory?

"…Ah, what have I done? Very well, then! Hold your own until I stand back up, even if you must do it on willpower alone!"

He shouted it out, knowing full well how reckless it sounded. Hot tears spilled from his eyes, eloquently illustrating his emotional state. The goddess of victory will never abandon those who do not give up.

Now another pair responded to his call.

"Hoo boy. You're as reckless as ever, aren't you? If so, let me lend you a hand."

"The young lady has given me an order. She told me to not let Sir Gabil down, for he is an important plaything to her. So, here I am."

Ultima's servants, Veyron and Zonda, had arrived on the scene at some point. "I think survival's going to be a lot harder than death," Zonda muttered, but the battlefield was now too loud for Gabil to make it out—fortunately for him.

Veyron stood to the side of Soka, ever the faithful butler. Then he raised his staff up toward Marco.

"I will fight him, Lady Soka, so please back me up. Zonda will aid you with healing duties, and so we'd like the rest of you to protect the wounded."

"Yes, sir!"

"Let us begin, then!"

As soon as Soka responded, Veyron went on the move. He was a Demon Peer and marquis back in his own realm, and while his energy stores were less than a quarter the size of Marco's, he exceeded him in skill level. It may not be enough to win, but it would certainly be enough to irritate his foe.

"Tsk… Why must you all annoy me so? You just keep coming in, one after the other, before I can finish any of you off."

"Of course. It is our mission to gauge the strength of our enemy as well."

"Great. It's so frustrating, isn't it, when people try to copy our own core strength? I'm going to take you out, and then I'm going to take out that nasty looking—"

"Got you!"

As he fought back against Veyron, Marco turned his murderous gaze upon the downed Gabil. It was a momentary opening, but not one that Soka would miss. She spoke up on purpose, hoping to draw attention to herself and bring Marco further astray. If her kunai reached him, then good; if not, she figured, Veyron's blade would stab him instead.

Marco saw this coming—and so he made the best choice possible. In essence, he decided to expose himself to Soka's kunai instead of avoiding it. It was the correct answer, too, because any reaction he'd make against Soka would only allow Veyron to more seriously wound him.

Continuing to ignore Soka, Marco parried Veyron's staff away, reminding himself of the perils of letting his mind drift during battle. Ngh… I'll finish him off once I beat these two. They're just so nasty!

There was no doubting that Gabil was the most dangerous out of them all. That's why Marco wanted to finish him off quickly. Instead, he got greedy—and now he had a stab wound to show for it. It wasn't anything too serious, but simply letting himself get hurt while taking the form of his beloved Kondo was unforgivable.

"Let's get rid of you two first."

"Do you think that you can, then?"

"I hope you're not being a sore loser, Sir Veyron."

"Heh. Perhaps I am. But no need to hurry. Let's do our job."

Thus Veyron and Soka formed a tag team against Marco, fighting on despite the odds. Zonda was on the move as well.

"This is quite tricky, isn't it? You're using aura…or fighting spirit, aren't you, since you're human…to leave your energy inside your opponent, as if emitting magicule-dispelling waves. Truly a frightening technique—and since we are spiritual life-forms, it will work on all of us."

That was how he diagnosed Gabil's injuries, and he was absolutely right. As with Damrada's Spiral Penetrator, it was an explosive type of force, a wave of concentrated fighting force that destroyed an enemy from the inside. It was the ultimate form of Oboro Shinmei-ryu—or Battlewill, as it would be called here— and it functioned as a sword honed for dispelling evil. That's why no healing potion that worked using magicules could handle its wounds.

But Zonda could heal them. Skillfully manipulating the magicules, he could adjust them to soothe the disturbed spiritual force, neutralizing the fighting force Marco implanted inside and restoring the normal flow of spirit within Gabil's body. Gabil, too, wasn't just lying there and waiting to recover; he intensely hoped for greater healing power than before, and that wish was about to manifest a new ability within him.

And yet, even in this most unpredictable of situations, Marco did something even more unexpected. He stood up straight, going out of his fighting stance.

"Well, great, I'm out of time. I've received the order to return, so I suppose we'll have to save this for next time."

As soon as Marco made that statement, he teleported himself out of there before awaiting a reply. Somehow, Gabil and his crew found a way to survive.