Chapter 3: Invading the Castle
In Cross Reverie, the portal one would land in when teleporting to the capital was inside the castle’s courtyard. It was a comfortable spot in game, since it was close to the audience chamber, and offered easy access to the blacksmith, tool store, and the exit from the castle.
But in this world, one wouldn’t normally have access to this place. If anyone could simply teleport here, they’d surround the place with walls to impede people from leaving or entering easily. The courtyard would be a critical weak point for the castle one would need to be wary of.
Teleportation magic wasn’t developed enough to be in popular use in this society. Diablo hadn’t met anyone else but him who actually used this kind of spell.
Maybe the portal is different in this world?! Or what if they really did surround it with walls, or have a lot of soldiers lying in wait? Or worse, maybe they piled up rocks on the spot to block it!
Even with all those anxieties in his heart, Diablo chanted the spell. They became particles of light and flew off. The scenery flew past them as they crossed mountains and rivers to instantaneously appear in the capital. And by the time Diablo thought he could see it, they’d already descended into the castle’s courtyard.
In the game, the courtyard was something of a plaza, but now it was full of wooden crates. Just as he’d noticed the crates, his field of vision turned over.
“Whoa?!”
I knew something unpredictable was gonna happen!
Diablo had teleported them into Castle Grandiose, but as it turned out, the courtyard was full of the Imperial army’s provisions. Diablo swiftly used his flight magic to levitate and avoid tumbling into the crates.
“Phew,” Shera managed to stand upright.
“...Hop,” Rem managed to balance herself, too.
As uneven as the footing was, her superior athletic skills prevented her from embarrassing herself. Shera, on the other hand, was an Elf who was used to living on treetops, and was able to effortlessly stand on the wobbling wooden crates as if they were solid ground. Meanwhile, Sylvie supported Lumachina by grabbing her by the arm to stabilize her.
“You all right?”
“Ah, thank you kindly.”
And Horn was a level 80 thief, so she naturally... or, well, so Diablo expected, but as it turned out, Rose — who was heavier than a fully-armored knight on horseback — landed right next to her. Wooden crates and barrels couldn’t hope to support her weight, and they crumbled with a cracking sound.
“Kuh...” Rose grimaced.
“Waaaaaah?!” Horn, on the other end, slipped down the avalanche of broken lumber with a shriek, eventually landing on the wooden floor on her butt.
And this, of course, summoned a large number of guards to the courtyard. Twelve Imperial guards rushed toward them.
“Tch...!” Diablo aimed the Tenma’s Staff at the approaching soldiers.
If possible, he’d have liked to avoid making a commotion before reaching the enemy commander. But just as that thought crossed his mind, Horn hopped to her feet and did something odd. She stuck out her behind to the soldiers and flipped up her skirt, revealing her slender thighs and underwear.
“Oh, phooey. I bwuised my butt. Horn’s gonna cwy~” she said in a sweet, baby voice.
Not just Diablo, but even Rem and the others froze up.
What the hell?! Did you fall on your head instead of your butt?!
“Ahaahaa,” Horn said, her face red as a beet and her voice shrill enough to ring in Diablo’s ears. “Misters, won’t you pwease wisten to what Horn says?”
A heart-shaped ball of mana flew from Horn, and impacted the soldiers’ chests.
Was that magic?!
The soldiers were glaring daggers at them, but the next moment their angry expressions crumbled away.
“Oh, is that you, Horn?”
“You poor thing, you fell on your butt?”
“Want me to kiss the boo-boo until it’s all better?”
“Hey, if you say something that gross to Horn again, I’ll tear your head off!”
The guards treated Horn — who was very much a trespasser and an invader — like she was some kind of idol. Horn simply brought her hands together and winked.
“Hey, Misters, the Imperial commander called me over, can you tell me which way to go?”
The soldiers all pointed in one direction.
“That’d be that way.”
“Just be careful, Horn!”
“Cuz the commander’s a freak!”
“Cut that out, idiot, if he hears you it’s off with all of our heads!”
Horn struck meandering, cute poses, and each time she did, heart-shaped mana went flying toward the soldiers.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got my friends with me! Right?” she said, turning to look at Diablo.
Diablo landed, while Rem and the others got off the piled-up crates.
“...What was that, Horn?” Rem asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Aaah...” Horn uttered, her face red. “I told myself I’d never use this again...”
Sylvie cackled loudly.
“What do you guys care? It’s convenient for us?” she said. “Hey misters, can you do Horn a favor and keep this a secret?”
Her first order of business was to silence the guards. The men nodded. Led by Sylvie, Diablo’s group moved from the courtyard into the castle’s interior.
†
The group walked through the corridors of the castle.
“I suppose it’s better than having to fight,” Diablo said, shrugging.
Horn followed behind him, her face still flushed.
“Uuuu... Believe me, I didn’t do that because I wanted to...” she mumbled with tears in her eyes.
“So you picked the ?Charm? skill,” Sylvie commented, apparently familiar with it. “Not a lot of adventurers acquire this skill since it’s useless for fighting monsters, but it’s useful in its own way?”
“I mean, I didn’t really pick it...” Horn said, defensively.
“...Can you really call that an adventurer’s skill?” Rem asked coldly.
“That’s harsh!”
But Shera’s expression was apparently the opposite of Rem’s.
“Maybe I should learn that skill, too! Maybe it’ll make Diablo all lovey-dovey with me!” she exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
“It doesn’t work on people who’re a higher level than you,” Horn punctured the idea bubbling up in Shera’s mind.
“Boo~” Shera frowned.
Falling in love with someone because of a skill sounded like a bad idea to Diablo.
They then took a turn in the corridor, immediately encountering five enemy soldiers.
Sentries?!
“?Freeze Zone?!” Diablo fired a spell faster than they could react.
It didn’t even take a moment for the soldiers to freeze over completely. They stood completely still and silent. Diablo didn’t know if they’d actually still be alive by the time they thawed out — that depended on their levels. That thought made his heart screech.
Don’t think about it...
Trying to carry the blame for the enemy soldiers’ lives at this point would make his mind crack under the pressure, and so Diablo decided to think of something else. Back in the game, he’d picked his spells while only considering the enemy’s elemental affinities, but in this reality, there was so much more to consider.
Especially when it came to infiltrations like this one, sound was a major factor. Using an explosion-type spell would be like flipping on the alarm, calling many soldiers to them. Fire element spells often produced explosions. Earth element spells created tremors and shockwaves. To that end, water spells were relatively silent. Some dark element spells were silent as well, but they gradually defeated the enemy, which meant they might raise their voice.
“...If Alicia were here, she could show us around the castle,” Rem whispered.
Yeah, she’d be perfect to have around right about now... Diablo thought to himself grimly.
“Do not worry, I can show you the way,” Lumachina stepped forward. “Some of the followers often work in the castle, so I’ve gotten some detailed information out of them.”
“...Do you know the way to the king’s room?”
“The maid in charge of making his bed told me how to get there.”
“...And you’re certain that’s sound information?”
“She’s a devout believer. I trust her.”
“Then let’s let Lumachina show us the way,” Sylvie summed up their decision. “But let’s tread carefully. There could be Gelmed soldiers around any corner.”
“...Yes, I’d assume the main corridors are crawling with soldiers,” Rem nodded in agreement.
“There’s a shortcut to the king’s office through there,” Lumachina said, pointing at a small passageway.
“Wow, that’s great! Lumachi-mgmgmgmg?!” Shera exclaimed before Rem’s hands clasped over her mouth.
“...Idiot,” Rem chided her.
Thankfully, no soldiers heard her.
“Normally, it’s a secret passageway to allow His Majesty to escape in times of crisis,” Lumachina continued her explanation. “Assuming the Empire didn’t discover it, we can use it to infiltrate the office.”
“...And if they did, we’re walking into a trap,” Rem said, her expression hardening.
Rem was brave, but cautious.
“Hmph...” Diablo scoffed at the prospect. “If there’s a trap spread out for us, then let’s let the enemy commander approach. I’ll burn it all to ashes.”
He motioned for Lumachina to show the way, and Rose stood ahead of the group.
“If there is risk of a trap, Rose will assume the vanguard,” she stated.
“Then I leave it to you,” Diablo nodded.
“Yes, Master.”
†
They walked through a narrow corridor for some thirty minutes. The floor seemed to go up and down for a while, but eventually, Diablo and his party were met with a door.
“Going through here should place us right in front of the audience chamber,” Lumachina whispered.
“Mm. So it doesn’t lead directly to the king’s room.”
“...I’d assume it’s heavily guarded,” Rem said.
Diablo had been to the audience chamber before. He’d spoken to the King of Lyferia, and fired a ?Glacies Cannon? spell.
“From here on out, we’re in a race against time. We have to overwhelm the garrison before the commander escapes.”
“...Understood,” Rem said, and Shera, Horn, Lumachina, and Sylvie all nodded in agreement.
“Shall Rose open it, Master?” Rose, who stood in front of them all, reached for the door.
“Yes. Go!”
The ‘door’ swung open — revealing it was in fact a gigantic portrait on the other side. It led to a corridor full of pieces of artwork, and one of them was a hidden door. The door — or rather, the painting — struck against a guard’s back hard with a thud.
“Huh?” The guard blinked in surprise.
“Out of Rose’s way!”
Rose swung her double-headed blade down on the guard as he turned around. Crimson blood splattered over the red carpet.
“To the right-hand door!” Lumachina shouted.
Rose sprinted in accordance with Lumachina’s instructions.
“Rose’s Master is passing through! Step aside!”
Standing in front of the large door were heavily-armored Imperial soldiers. They held weapons in their hands reminiscent of large magi-guns — Magimatic weapons.
“Aaah?!”
“Intruders! Shoot them!”
One man — apparently a commander — started shouting orders, and the Imperial soldiers opened fire.
Ratatatatatatatatatatata!
These Magimatic weapons were effectively machine guns. Even their rank and file soldiers, who weren’t equipped with Magimatic Sols, were armed with these kinds of weapons, making them exceptionally dangerous.
Seriously?!
The bullets hit Rose as she sprinted toward the soldiers, but they apparently lacked the force to destroy her.
“This isn’t enough to stop Rose!”
“Hiii?!”
She swung her double-headed sword through the air, splitting the soldiers’ heads — along with their Magimatic firearms — in half.
“Dodge this, Rose!” Diablo cried out, aiming his staff at the door.
“Yes, Master!” Rose replied as she jumped away.
“?Flare Burst?!” Diablo shouted.
Some part of him considered going all out and firing a ?White Nova? spell instead, but the fact that Alicia could be trapped beyond stopped him from doing so. He instead used a weaker spell that would still be strong enough to blow the sturdy doors open.
The powerful blast shook the building. Of course, Diablo realized they were way past the point of being discreet or stealthy about their presence... But now all the enemies in the castle knew someone was there. Thankfully, he’d calculated the Flare Burst’s force correctly, and it left a large hole in the doorway.
“...Diablo!” he heard Rem call out behind him. “Go ahead on your own!”
“What?!”
Turning around, he saw a large army rushing down the corridor to intercept them.
“...I’ll keep them occupied here!” Rem said, sinking low in a combat-ready position with her gauntlets equipped.
“Me, too!” Shera called out, holding her black bow at the ready.
Just the two of them against that army?! Can they handle this?!
Rem in particular was being targeted by the Empire. Perhaps Diablo ought to have left more people to help them, but the chance of the commander sending Magimatic Sols to stop Diablo when he did face him was high. He couldn’t afford to remove Rose from the vanguard, and Lumachina was their guide. And while he couldn’t quite rely on Horn to be of use in combat, her Charm skill wouldn’t work if the sum total of the enemy group’s levels exceeded hers.
And so, the one to stand at Rem and Shera’s side was Sylvie.
“All righty, Diablo, you can leave the two of them to me, ’kay?”
“B-But...”
“If you don’t hurry up, our target’s gonna get away, you know?”
“Kuh! Then I leave them in your hands!”
“Sure thing, bud?” Sylvie raised a hand.
Shera and Rem finished preparing for battle.
“We can do this!”
“...Leave this to us.”
Leaving the three of them behind, Diablo hurried ahead. The approaching soldiers started firing at them, but Rem built up the Glow nestled within her body. Kneading it into armor that surrounded her body, she became slightly more resistant to their attacks.
“Nng?!” The Enemy commander swallowed nervously. “Ah, that’s... the Girl of the Vessel! Whoever captures her is promised the position of general, you hear?!”
“Ooooooh!” The soldiers cheered as they rushed Rem with the intent of capturing and not eliminating her.
“?Ivy Bind Forest IV?!” Sylvie snapped her fingers.
The floor broke down beneath the soldiers, and from the cracks, large vines erupted, extending as if to block the corridor. The enemy soldiers shouted as the vine creepers coiled around their limbs, like a living jungle had sprouted within the castle.
“...That was incredible,” Rem said, her eyes wide in shock. “I didn’t know you were that powerful of a sorcerer, Sylvie.”
“Nah, I was never serious because I was focused on training the next generation... But now’s not the time for that!”
“I guess you didn’t really need us here, after all,” Shera said, but what happened next proved that statement was wrong.
An explosion boomed in the corridor, burning the vines and the ensnared soldiers all at once. The heatwave that resulted from the blast made Rem and the others wince and cover their faces. From beyond the flames, something approached them, shooting out steam as it stepped forward.
A violet-colored Magimatic Sol.
Rem’s throat dried up at once and she let out a hoarse moan.
“...Violanos of the Purple.”
It was the same unit that pursued and beat her to near death, and the one that captured Alicia. As the Magimatic Sol slowly moved its massive frame through the narrow corridor, a dull voice rang out from it.
“To think you would come here of your own accord! I’ll carve Rikka and Erina’s grudges into your very limbs!”
That booming voice was dripping with hatred. Erina was in fact still alive and well, but Rem and Shera weren’t informed of that.
“...I have nothing to do with you,” Rem said, clenching her fist. “Where is Alicia?! A Human woman, clad in red armor.”
“Like I care!”
†
Diablo felt panic overtake him. A large number of soldiers — more than would be necessary to stall them — rushed the audience chamber. Diablo and his party rushed through the chamber and found the king’s room, but while they scoured the office, the living room, and the bedroom, they found no trace of the enemy commander, Doriadanph.
“Kuh...”
Did he get away, or did he just happen to be out?!
“Rose detects no lifeforms except for you in the vicinity,” Rose reported. “There is no one else in this room.”
Diablo expected to find Doriadanph sitting on the throne, but he wasn’t even in the king’s room. Lumachina, however, glared at the office’s table.
“Lord Diablo, there’s still steam rising from this cup!” she exclaimed.
“Oh...”
That means he was here just now!
It took them less than three minutes from when the fighting in the audience chamber broke out to get into the room. There couldn’t have been a back door to escape from, because the more corridors a castle has, the weaker it is when attacked by the enemy.
“I can feel a breeze from here!” Horn called out, pointing at a heavy-looking bookshelf.
After inspecting the shelf shortly, she pulled one book back. Something clicked audibly, and the bookshelf slid away with the sound of rotating gears.
As one might have expected, a secret passageway appeared behind the shelf. Some older King of Lyferia likely had it built... But Diablo couldn’t help but think that building a hidden passage in a room in the center of a guarded castle sitting in the heart of a citadel city was overkill.
“That was incredible, Horn! A fine catch!” Lumachina praised the Grasswalker girl.
“You’re gonna make me blush!” Horn said, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
“Well done, Horn,” Diablo said as well, positively impressed.
“Hehehe...”
“So you were not a thief who only knows how to flash her buttocks.”
“Can you forget about that already?!”
And so, they entered the hidden passage, with Rose in the lead.
†
Meanwhile...
Violanos of the Purple threw away the weapon it used to burn through the vines. As overcome with hatred as it was, it still had no intention of killing Rem. Of course, that’s only because it knew that being captured would just land Rem in a fate worse than death...
Rem clenched her fists and stood at the ready. She exhaled loudly; breathing was fundamental for using the Glow. Shera nocked an arrow and fired it at Violanos’ head — or rather, its eyes. Diablo had told her before that this was one of its weak points.
“So you’re finally ready to give up on being a Summoner and becoming a Grappler, huh, Rem?”
“...Excuse me?”
“I mean, I kind of get that focusing on the bow would make me more helpful.”
“...I think that’s a correct decision overall. So much so that I’m surprised you could actually come to that conclusion on your own.”
In fact, seeing as her only Summon Beast was ?Turkey Shot?, Rem felt like Shera’s insistence that she was a Summoner was almost an insult to the profession.
“Remember how Solami said you’re more suited to being a Grappler, too?”
“...But I’m a Summoner.”
Sylvie, however, cut their argument short.
“It’s coming!”
“I’ll start by crushing these two nuisances!” Violanos exclaimed as it charged them.
“Fall back to the room!” Sylvie ordered the two.
Shera screeched as she ran, and Rem swiftly leapt into the audience chamber. They’d already been here once, and it was a fairly large place. When she was here last time, it was full of attendants with the king reclined on his throne, so she was quite nervous at the time.
But now, the only things in the room were the toppled bodies of Imperial soldiers. Otherwise, the room looked like a ruin. The torches were put out, and the place was gloomy, the only light being the sunlight filtering in from the skylight windows above.
“Ha! You actually picked an open place! It’s easier for me to move here!”
“Yeah, but if we were in a tight space, this battle would just come down to brute strength~” Sylvie stuck her hand out.
A mana glow flickered in her hands, forming an afterglow in the air as she waved her hands, drawing a magic circle...
Normally, magic only needed an incantation to trigger, but using ?Circle-type Spells? that made use of magic circles further increased the power of a spell. Of course, these required preparation, which made them unsuited for battle.
“?Chain Bind?!”
Several chains shot out of the magic circle, coiling around Violanos like angry serpents.
“You think this’ll stop me?!” Violanos exclaimed as it tried to free itself, creating cracks in the chains.
“Shera!”
“Got it! ?Unicorn Shot?!”
Using a bow martial art, a shot several times stronger than a normal attack was fired at the Magimatic Sol’s head. Shera accurately fired during the momentary lag where Violanos would be incapable of moving, and her arrow hit its mark — stabbing directly into Violanos’ eye.
“Agh! Don’t get cocky just because you busted my Main Camera! I still have my ?Mind’s Eye?!”
Tearing away the magical chains, the Magimatic Sol rushed at Sylvie and Shera.
“Oh crap!” Sylvie bolted away.
“Aaaaah?!” Shera screamed, standing planted in place.
Shera was a potent attacker, but extremely weak to being attacked herself. But as Violanos charged Shera head on, Rem pressed on Violanos from the side, her fist swung...
“?Glow Punch?!” She bashed against Violanos’ shoulder.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah?!” Violanos went flying, its pilot letting out a screech that was far too cute to be associated with the fearsome voice they’d heard so far, as the machine’s right shoulder pauldron fell apart.
“Yay!” Shera hopped up and down, her hands held high. “I knew it! Rem, you’re a Grappler!”
“I. Am. A. Summoner!” Rem breathed out as she pursued her target.
Violanos, of course, launched a counterattack.
“Stop scurrying around, you pest!” Violanos thrust its massive fist at Rem.
Had it been the previous fight, Rem would have wavered and been overwhelmed... But right now, Rem was agile enough to dodge a moving bullet.
“...You make too many pointless movements.”
Rem sprung up, avoiding Violanos’ fist. She stuck out her left hand, aimed at Violanos’ broken right shoulder, then shouted:
“?Asulau?!”
The blue crystal in her hand shattered, manifesting a Summon Beast. As it was by no means a high level summon, it would usually be dispatched before it could achieve anything. But this time, this wasn’t a concern, because the moment it appeared, it hit the enemy with pinpoint accuracy. Asulau crushed Violanos’ right shoulder.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The Magimatic Sol’s right arm fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Depleting its HP, Asulau turned into a black crystal that sprung back to Rem, who landed on the ground and quickly created some distance between herself and her massive opponent.
“...This is my power as a Summoner,” she said boastfully.
“That’s not fair!” Shera said, pointing a finger at her.
“How is it not fair?!”
“Don’t get careless!” Sylvie chided the two of them sharply. “Now that we’ve cornered it, the battle’s really getting started!”
Violanos grunted.
“You think you have me cornered...? You think you have me... cornered?! I’ll show you why we Oni eat the races!”
Crimson tentacles spurted out of its severed shoulder.
“What is this?” Rem took a few more steps back cautiously.
“Die! Die! Die! I don’t care if you’re the vessel anymore! I’ll kill you!”
The tentacles spilling out of Violanos’ right shoulder slithered like snakes toward Rem. It wouldn’t let her escape.
“...Very well,” Rem said, gripping Summon Crystals in both hands. “The Gadou style was created to fight alongside Summon Beasts. I won’t fall back, even if I’m up against the mightiest serpent or the greatest giant!”
†
Diablo’s party hurried through the secret passageway. There were a few traps set up along the way, but none of them were capable of damaging Rose. Before long, they found themselves outside.
“This is the courtyard!”
At first, they thought they’d gone back to where they started, but this was a different courtyard. Rather than crates, there were roses planted all over the garden. Despite being surrounded by buildings, it was more than wide enough for them to fight.
“It seems we’ve been ambushed,” Diablo said, holding up his staff.
“Heheheh... Right you are, intruder,” a hoarse voice replied.
A large, fat man stood in the center of the courtyard. Given his physique, he likely wasn’t a soldier.
“Are you Doriadanph, the commander?”
“That would be Lord Doriadanph to you, insolent fool,” the fat man replied with audacity one wouldn’t expect from a man who scurried away from danger.
But of course, the reason for his bravado was clearly evident — three Magimatic Sols were lined up before him.
“?Raumunus of the Ash?, ?Viridinus of the Emerald?, and!” Doriadanph presented them grandly, like a child bragging about his toys. “The very Magimatic Sol that claimed the life of Lyferia’s king, ?Erurenus of the Yellow?!”
“Hey now... Just four intruders? Are three of us really necessary for this?” A muffled voice could be heard coming out of Raumunus.
“Nng...” Viridinus replied with a pessimistic, half-hearted exclamation.
But in contrast to the other two, Erurenus was clearly belligerent.
“Ahaha! I don’t caaaaare! I’m getting bored here, so I’m fiiiine so long as I have something to cut uuup~”
To add to the poor situation, Imperial soldiers filed out of the building and into the courtyard.
“Aaaah, we’re in trouble!” Diablo could feel Horn shivering at his side.
“Kuh... Fighting here is dangerous, Lord Diablo,” Lumachina said anxiously.
“Rose awaits Master’s orders,” Rose said, standing at the ready.
Diablo had absolutely no intention of playing along with the opponent’s intentions. All he had to do was defeat the commander.
“Hmph... This situation is well within my expectations! ?Cross Blizzard?!”
A level 110 water and wind elemental spell. Two tornadoes formed, freezing anything they touched and crushing them with powerful gales of wind. The spell did little to faze the Magimatic Sols, but the commander was standing there unguarded.
According to what Erina told him, he was a Magimatic mage. Diablo couldn’t quite recall if Girls’ Arms story mentioned anything about that, but while the Gelmed Empire employed Magimatic Sols as their main force, their rank and file soldiers were armed with Magimatic weapons. It wasn’t all too surprising.
It did beg the question, though, of how Magimatic mages fit into this world’s logic. But Diablo didn’t have the time to look into it, so he would have to figure out while fighting them.
He’s relying on the Magimatic Sols to do the fighting for him, so I doubt he’s that strong.
The Cross Blizzard froze the roses around the garden, shattering them to pieces. The soldiers retreated back into the building, while screaming, ‘Evacuate! Pull back!’ And Doriadanph...
“Gaaaah!”
Let out a scream and turned white.
“You did it!” Horn pumped a fist enthusiastically.
But the ice that encased Doriadanph then crumbled away all too easily.
“Hufufu! You thought this would defeat me?! Fools! Magic has no effect on me!”
Diablo’s eyes widened. Even the Magimatic Sols took some damage from the spell. Even a Demon Lord would be at least somewhat affected by a level 110 spell.
“Tch... He has magic resistance that surpasses even that of a Demon Lord, or some means of canceling out magic attacks... But how about physical damage?!”
He had to have some kind of weakness, physical or magical, otherwise he wouldn’t have fled from Diablo and his group and would have faced them head on in the audience chamber. Given his personality so far, Doriadanph was the sort to find pleasure in taunting the enemy when he held the advantage. But rather than facing them head-on, he relied on the Magimatic Sols to protect him.
“Rose, bring him down!” Diablo ordered.
“Yes, Master!” Rose charged forward like an arrow.
“Magimatic Sols, destroy the intruders!” Doriadanph ordered in turn.
“Ooh, you’re fast~?” taunted Erurenus.
“Out of Rose’s way! ?Asterismos?!”
The space behind Rose’s back undulated, after which a massive double-headed sword appeared from thin air, followed by a pair of gigantic arms. This was her Magimatic Sol. Their joints looked like hinges, and artery-like pipes ran across them. Many of its particularities differed from the Empire’s Magimatic Sols.
“Huh?!”
Erurenus was apparently the one to raise its voice in surprise, as the shock seemed to have made it falter for a moment.
“?Krios?!”
A sideways sweep — but Erurenus took a step back, resulting in the slash gouging slightly across its chestpiece.
“Aha! Ahahahahaha!”
“Mm...?”
“I think this was called, ?Zeronus of the Black??”
“Zeronus of the Black...? This is Rose’s...?”
“A relic of the old Empire! Apparently before they found compatibles like me, they had machines like you handle the Magimatic Sols! But they’re all thrown in the trash now, because us compatibles are so much stronger!”
“Rose is not weak.”
“Ahaha... The old, mass-produced models are like practice dummies for us! I beat lots of them during training! Didn’t think I’d have to fight them again heeeeere!”
“You just... called Rose a training dummy.”
“You better fight me at full strength, though! I kind of want to play around!”
Erurenus closed the distance, swinging its two swords down. Rose’s Magimatic Sol, Zeronus of the Black, blocked its swings, but was pushed back by the sheer force of the blows.
“?!”
The gap in power was too great. Zeronus was huge compared to someone of the races, but it was a head smaller than the Empire’s Magimatic Sols. The newer, bigger model was of course stronger. This made sense for weapons. And this meant Rose couldn’t hope to beat it one-on-one.
Diablo wanted to support her, but it was difficult to manage. Doriadanph ordered the Magimatic Sols to ‘destroy the intruders,’ which meant the other two wouldn’t just spectate. While Diablo didn’t exactly feel any will to fight, the other two Magimatic Sols were definitely standing in his way.
“I think it’s too late for you guys, but if you have some way of escaping, I’d recommend you take it.”
“...Yeah.”
Those words of warning weren’t spoken out of bravado or grandness — Diablo only felt honesty in their voices. Diablo couldn’t help but feel a surge of sympathy toward the pilots.
“You really are being forced to fight, aren’t you...?”
†
Raumunus of the Ash and Viridinus of the Emerald seemed to waver at this statement.
“How much do you know...?!”
“Uu...”
He could tell them Erina told him this and that would have settled it quickly, but Doriadanph would hear him. And there was no telling what he might do if he found out she leaked information... And so, Diablo simply kept glaring at them.
“What are you doing?! Kill them!” Doriadanph bellowed, kicking them in the back.
Raumunus’ pilot clicked her tongue and moved forward.
“If you’re not running, we’ll kill you! Sorry, but these are my orders!”
Raumunus approached Diablo, sharp claws extended from the back of its hand with a clink. Bear claws, as they’re called.
Whoa! This is... kinda cool.
But as cool as they looked, each claw was as large as a spear, and Diablo couldn’t afford to zone out with this thing sweeping down to kill him. After all, Lumachina and Horn were behind him, and if they were to be attacked by a Magimatic Sol, the result would be gruesome.
Viridinus of the Emerald also moved, hoping to support Raumunus. It was armed with a gigantic mallet. Normally, the ones armed with melee weapons took the vanguard while the ones carrying ranged weapons guarded the rear, but this time, all three Magimatic Sols were melee fighters.
This was likely because they were in the middle of an enemy stronghold and surrounded by Imperial soldiers. If Diablo and his group were to run around, there was no telling how many losses the Empire might take from a ranged weapon. Even Doriadanph could potentially be hit by a stray bullet.
That’d be a lucky accident for us, though...
But Diablo could only feel like their operation here was falling apart.
“You are truly foolish to challenge a Demon Lord to battle!” he said menacingly, but his heart was full of bitterness.
I guess I have to fight them after all...
After hearing Erina’s story, Diablo didn’t want to fight the Magimatic Sol pilots if possible. But the situation didn’t allow for it, and Diablo was only left with regret. Couldn’t there have been a better way? It was regrettable, but he couldn’t afford to retreat.
“Gather forth, Light,” Diablo chanted, pointing his staff. “?Hercules Lance?!”
A level 120 light element attack. A massive lance of light that dwarfed even the Magimatic Sol’s mallet shot off at blinding speed, aiming at the opponent’s head, specifically its less-armored eyes.
The enemy was of course aware of all this, and was cautious of Diablo’s attack.
“Whoa...!”
Viridinus evaded the spell, but at the cost of losing its balance.
“Flare Burst!” Diablo rapidly unleashed another spell.
“Ugh?!”
The spell hit its mark head-on, but didn’t deal enough damage to destroy the unit.
“Oh, you did it now...!”
“Its magic resistance is high, so spells that aren’t above the limit break cap don’t affect it, huh...?” he pondered aloud.
“Saya! Let’s take him on together!”
“...Mm!”
Raumunus and Viridinus split off, approaching Diablo from both sides. Diablo remembered this from Girls’ Arms, a ?Combination Attack? that used two units.
“?Volcanic Wall?!” Diablo fired a spell at one of them.
“Huh?!”
Viridinus’ charge was impeded when a wall of flames billowed up right in front of it. The fact it stopped its charge so easily was a bit suspicious... But Diablo assumed the pilot just didn’t have the nerve to keep going.
With this, Viridinus was impeded, but Raumunus was still barreling toward Diablo, its claws up.
“Ooooh! This is war, where the weak die!”
“I agree completely...?Rock Cannon?!”
Using his omit skill, he fired powerful spells in fast succession without chanting. A giant boulder formed near the tip of his staff and was launched forward, hitting its opponent at close range.
“Nnnnnng?!”
At first confident that there was no chance the Magimatic Sol could dodge that one, Diablo’s eyes widened as Raumunus curved its upper half back like a string.
“It can’t be!” he exclaimed in shock.
The spell skimmed and scraped off some of Raumunus’ head armor, but it wasn’t a direct hit. All three of them moved back, making distance between each other.
“Kahaha! Not bad! I think I wet myself a bit there!”
“...Uuu... Fire, scary...”
How did it dodge that Rock Cannon?! I fired it at point-blank range! Did she read my line of sight?!
On the surface, though, Diablo cloaked his surprise.
“Heheheh... I’d expect no less. It would be all too boring if you two were to break down now!”
“Tch... This guy’s a combat nut, just like Toaha. Maybe we should have let her handle him instead...”
“They’re... almost done over there.”
No way!
Diablo turned his gaze to where Rose and Erurenus were fighting, and at that same moment, the sound of something metallic snapping echoed through the room.
†
“Nngh...?!” Rose crumpled to the ground.
“Ahahaha! I’m surprised! It’s the first time I’ve fought a Zeronus of the Black model that’s this strong! How did you manage it? Is it because you have a lot of EXP? Or are you just special?!”
“R-Rose has...”
Erurenus of the Yellow tore both the arms off of Rose’s Magimatic Sol. Its weapon was smashed, shards falling to the ground. It was completely destroyed — Diablo wondered to himself with a sense of dread if it could even be repaired at this point?
“That was more fun than I expected!” Erurenus, by contrast, was mostly unharmed.
“Rose has not yet lost...!” She stood up, holding up her double-headed sword.
But of course, without a Magimatic Sol, she couldn’t hope to match them in battle.
“Step down, Rose!” Diablo shouted at her.
“M-Master...?!”
“I shall handle the rest!”
“...Understood,” Rose said bitterly.
Diablo was anxious the enemy might not let her go, but apparently they’d lost interest in her once she wasn’t able to put up a fight. Erurenus of the Yellow’s pilot, Toaha, turned her gaze to Diablo.
“Heheheh... It’s you, right? The sorcerer that defeated Rikka and Erina?” she asked.
“It was him?!”
“What...?!”
Diablo could hear the pilots of the ashen and green Magimatic Sols swallow nervously.
“Ahahaha, there can’t be too many people who can fire that many powerful spells in Lyferia, right?!” Toaha laughed.
“Kuh... So it was you... You’re the one who killed Rikka and Erina!”
“Grr...!”
Having someone direct hatred toward him for killing a friend was much more emotionally taxing than Diablo had imagined. He fought to protect his friends too, and that meant he understood how they felt.
“Kuh...” Diablo felt his pulse rising.
This was a dangerous situation. He was up against three essentially unscathed Magimatic Sols. Only high level magic could hope to properly damage them, and he didn’t have the time to chant. Rose was out of commission, and he had Lumachina and Horn behind him.
Lumachina chanted a prayer to increase her party’s offensive power, but it wouldn’t work on Rose or Diablo. Rose was a machine, and Diablo’s Demon Lord’s Ring would reflect it away. Lumachina knew all of this, as well.
Why is she chanting, then...?
Lumachina then raised her voice.
“Erina Reufelia still draws breath!” she proclaimed loudly.
“Huh?!”
“The red Magimatic Sol was burned away, but her race allowed her to survive!”
“Wait, she’s right... Erina’s a Vampire!” Raumunus of the Ash exclaimed happily.
Viridinus of the Emerald stirred. It was hard to tell, but the way she breathed out made it clear it was from joy. Erurenus of the Yellow, however, cackled loudly.
“Ahahaha! So Erina’s still alive! That’s good!”
It was a clearly superficial, hypocritical laughter. Compared to how she laughed during battle, any words of empathy for her comrades felt awfully fake.
Still, this was useful material for negotiation. The situation was heavily skewed in the Empire’s favor, and Diablo couldn’t confidently say he’d win a straight-up battle against three Magimatic Sols. Creating dissent among them might create an opening that would allow him to fire off a powerful spell.
“Tell me your true feelings! You do not actually want to fight, do you?!”
“Ahahaha! It’s true, I don’t want to fight! But when I get in this Magimatic Sol, my tail gets all tingly?”
It seemed Erurenus of the Yellow — or rather its pilot — wasn’t going to listen to him. She claimed she didn’t want to fight, but let out clear bloodlust and enmity. She was drunk off of battle, but maybe there was a chance of convincing the ashen and green ones.
“Well, we...”
“Ugh...”
Diablo had hoped to buy time, but Doriadanph stopped their exchange with a shout.
“You dogs! You intend to defy my orders?! You can’t do that, and you know it!”
“Ngh...”
“Heee?! I’m sorry!”
“W-We know that already! Don’t shout at us, we’ll kill them soon enough! That’s what you want, right?!”
“Guhuhu... Don’t let a mere sorcerer give you trouble!”
The three Magimatic Sols turned their weapons on Diablo. He broke into a cold sweat. He’d failed to buy them any time.
“You’re scum...” He breathed out bitterly, fixing his gaze at Doriadanph. “You hold them captive with enslavement magic and hostages? Disgusting. Very well... I shall use my greatest magic to put an end to you!”
“Ahahaha! Really?! This is gonna be fun!” Erurenus charged Diablo with manic laughter.
Diablo prepared himself and clenched his teeth bitterly... Normal magic wouldn’t do enough here. But then...
“’Kay!”
Behind Doriadanph, who had been watching over the fighting behind the Magimatic Sols, appeared a shadow.
†
Just when did she get there? It was as if she’d appeared from out of the shadows. The one who had snuck up on Doriadanph’s large, corpulent back was none other than Horn.
“U-Ugh?!” Doriadanph groaned.
Horn stabbed her dagger into Doriadanph’s back. Her teeth were clicking audibly from fear and suspense. This was probably the first time she’d really injured someone. Her face was even paler than Doriadanph’s as his gaze slowly swerved toward her.
“You little piece of... traaaaaaash...!” he bellowed, swinging down a clenched fist.
The intense backhand blow bashed Horn’s face and sent her flying backwards.
“Nngh?!” she moaned as the hit blew her away.
She wobbled to her feet, blood dripping from her nose, staining her clothes red. Doriadanph was supposed to be some kind of mage, but his body wasn’t just fat — he definitely had brute strength too.
“You thought you could kill me with that measly dagger?!” he howled at her.
“Uu, uuu...” Horn breathed out bitterly.
Doriadanph was bleeding from his flank, but it was by no means a fatal blow. A potion would easily heal that wound. But that did make something clear: Doriadanph was definitely susceptible to physical attacks. On the other hand, it turned out he was surprisingly sturdy, but his defense was much less than his magic resistance, which allowed him to shrug off a Cross Blizzard.
Still, he took an attack from a level 80 thief and even launched a counterattack!
He had the body of a warrior.
“You puny little girl! I’ll crush your limbs and toss you into a Magimatic Sol!”
“Agh, nng...” Horn wheezed.
“To think you would injure m—”
But then, Doriadanph trailed off, and his eyes darted around in a panic as his hands flew to his throat. His lips moved, but his voice wouldn’t come out. Horn wiped her nose, but it was probably broken, because the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
“The sorcerer-killing dagger! Cast Breaker!” she exclaimed in a muffled voice and raised her dagger.
It was the dagger she borrowed from Diablo’s vault earlier.
A poisonous dagger that paralyzed the tongue, its special effect was that it inflicted the silence status on the target for a set amount of time after dealing damage. In the game, bashing mage characters down with physical attacks was a much more reliable way of defeating them than inflicting status ailments. To that end, Diablo treated it as a dud SSR.
But in this world, the silence status actually took away the victim’s voice. This means Doriadanph couldn’t give orders to his soldiers, or direct demands at the enslaved pilots. Doriadanph’s lips flapped ardently — he was likely shouting — but no voice came out of his throat.
He gestured with his hands, as if demanding something from the onlooking soldiers standing outside the courtyard. Perhaps he was telling them to get him a potion for curing status ailments. With so many soldiers around, one of them must have had something.
But a stir seemed to move through the soldiers. Not one of them was willing to help him. Doriadanph was barking silent orders from the center of the courtyard, but all the soldiers did was stare at him. The three Magimatic Sols did the same.
“Haa... Nng... We’ve been ordered to kill you intruders. So we will!” Raumunus of the Ash whispered. “But for just a little... Bear with it!”
“Haa... Haa...”
The two of them tried resisting the orders of the enslavement magic placed on them, as did Toaha.
“What should we dooooo? I was looking forward to fighting this sorcerer, buuuut, the one I really wanna kill the most is that fat piiiig.”
Even though she was a berserker addicted to combat, Toaha held a great grudge against Doriadanph.
“Nng, aah...” Horn wheezed as she held up her dagger. “I’ll defeat him! I will!”
“Aaag, gaaah!”
Doriadanph cradled his injured flank as bloodlust overflowed from his body. It felt like they were facing an injured, enraged bear. But despite being a child, she was still a high-level thief. She wouldn’t fall behind when it came to melee combat.
Still, Diablo wasn’t going to simply stand back and watch. He plunged forward.
“?Sword Smite III?!”
He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and at the same moment drew a longsword from his pouch. It was the ?Seraphix Sword? he used for training purposes, but it was still more than enough to finish off this injured Magimatic mage.
Diablo further augmented the blow with Outer Glow. It was a technique he’d learned in the southern frontier of Caliture, and though he’d practiced using it many times on the way back to the capital, he hadn’t quite mastered using it. That said, he didn’t sit in the cart doing nothing the whole journey.
He mixed the martial arts he learned from the Swordmaster Sasara with the power of the Glow, which he’d learned from the Gadou school’s assistant instructor, Solami.
“?Heat Sonic?!”
This martial art was unlocked by becoming a level 80 warrior. By level 120, one could unlock Heat Sonic II. While Diablo could only use its lower rank variant, it still dealt high damage. The longsword shone red with heat as Diablo raised it against Doriadanph.
Doriadanph noticed him, turning around to face him with a hand thrust forward. He was already covered in blood from his stab wound.
Did he use Magimatic sorcery?!
But while his lips moved, Doriadanph’s voice wouldn’t come out. Diablo didn’t know how much in common Cross Reverie’s sorcerers had with Girls’ Arms’ Magimatic mages, but apparently the latter had no spells they could cast while silenced. Nothing happened.
Diablo held his sword, glowing red with heat, in the air.
Am I going to kill someone again...?
“Kuh...!”
Diablo could see Horn at the edge of his vision, holding up her dagger. Behind him was Rose. Should he have let them do it... and not sully his hand?
If I do it, I know I’ll always regret it...!
He had to push forward and do it. And in so doing, protect the things he held dear.
Diablo parted his lips, exclaiming for everyone to hear.
“I am Diablo! A Demon Lord from another world! All who defy me will regret their foolishness in the depths of hell!”
He unleashed his martial art, swinging his sword down on Doriadanph. And at that moment, eight consecutive slashes cut into Doriadanph’s flesh at once. Blood gushed into the air as Doriadanph’s eyes and mouth widened in a silent, inaudible scream.
†
Raumunus of the Ash’s chestplate flew open, and a girl with short, gray hair popped out of it.
“Aroooooooooo! We’re freeeeeeeeee!”
She was tangled in a mess of tentacles and was mostly naked. She had dog ears, which made her look like a dwarf, but her limbs were muscular and well-formed. A werewolf.
“Kyahahahaha!” Erurenus of the Yellow let out a high-pitched cackle. “He’s dead! Dropped dead! Finally, deadeadead!”
It laughed, swinging the swords in both its hands around manically. But surprisingly, the one to show the most emotion was the otherwise curt pilot of Viridinus of the Emerald, Saya.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” she bellowed, swinging around her mallet.
“Ugh?!” Diablo grabbed hold of Horn and jumped away.
“Ah!” Horn let out a shriek.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Saya kept screaming, and swung down Viridinus’ mallet on Doriadanph’s body with thuds that shook the floor.
Mashed flesh scattered. It was apparent that she didn’t do this for caution’s sake or as a finishing blow. She swung her mallet down time and again, landing one rumbling blow after another.
“Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Die! Die! You’re putrid! Die! Disgusting! Gross! Diediediediediediediedie!”
Diablo could hear the distinct crunching sound of metal creaking and cracking. The joints on the Magimatic Sol’s arm fell apart, squirting out splashes of oil. The mallet snapped and crumbled.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Saya gave one final howl, which gradually broke apart and turned to sobbing.
Diablo had no way of knowing what she’d been through. But whatever it was, her grudge and resentment were palpable. Diablo could hardly recall seeing someone express so much intense hatred.
Someone forced their way through the rows of Imperial soldiers and ran toward them. A silver-haired Kobold girl. She carried a single-edged blade on her waist, but kept her sword sheathed. She didn’t seem to have any will to fight.
“Saya!” she shouted at Viridinus of the Emerald. “Disembark! Open the hatch, hurry! Now isn’t the time to be crying!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Saya kept screaming uncontrollably.
“Lady Aira?” The werewolf girl showing her face out of Raumunus of the Ash whispered.
“Bakki, Toaha, you two disembark too!”
“Huh? What are you saying, Aira?” Erurenus of the Yellow asked, as if quizzical. “We’re finally free. We can fight freely now.”
Erurenus’ pilot was still full of bloodlust. No, if anything, she was even more combative than before. Diablo steeled himself. The enslavement magic should have been gone. If nothing else, the order to ‘kill the intruders’ should have been invalidated by Doriadanph’s death.
But the fact remained that Diablo killed Rikka — their comrade. So if they were to say they wanted to take revenge on him for that...
“Calm down, Toaha!” the Kobold girl, Aira, shouted. “Bakki, help Saya disembark! You can open Viridinus’ hatch with your claws, right?”
“Huh? I, err, I could, but...”
†
More and more people filed into the courtyard.
“Diablo!” A familiar voice called out, prompting Diablo to turn around.
It was Rem, Shera, and Sylvie. They were looking down at them from a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Diablo breathed a sigh of relief.
They’re safe...
“My Lord, thank you for granting your blessing and mercy upon us...” Lumachina, who had apparently been dreading what might happen to them, thanked God for their safety.
“Huh? Wait, isn’t there someone with them?” Horn asked, tilting her head in surprise.
Upon closer inspection, there was someone else there, coiled up in vines, which was probably Sylvie’s handiwork.
A prisoner?
It was a purple-haired girl with a horn growing out of her forehead. An Oni.
Is that a Magimatic Sol pilot?
The thought of Rem and the others fighting a Magimatic Sol filled Diablo with dread. But they seemed to have defeated their opponent, which was reassuring. At Aira’s insistence, Erurenus of the Yellow finally opened its hatch, revealing a Lamia girl submerged within its tentacled confines — Toaha.
She didn’t disembark the unit though, seemingly displeased. Saya was still sobbing uncontrollably like an infant. Raumunus of the Ash used its massive claws to pry Viridinus’ hatch open, but was apparently struggling to do so.
“Just come on out of there already!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Saya didn’t stop weeping.
The girl who gave the three their orders, Aira, stood in front of Diablo. She was clad in the Imperial army’s uniform. Multiple badges were attached to the breast of her coat, but Diablo didn’t know what any of them meant. He assumed she was quite high-ranking, however. If nothing else, she had a higher position than the other pilots.
She was a silver-haired Kobold, which struck Diablo as unusual. From what Diablo could tell, all the Magimatic Sol pilots had hair that matched their unit’s color. Unless they dyed it intentionally, that might have been a precondition for being compatible... Or maybe it was proof of their compatibility, instead.
“The Gelmed Empire’s armed forces captain, Aira Arjana.” She saluted, introducing herself. “Though I suppose this rank will soon be meaningless...”
“Hmph... With your commander and Magimatic Sols gone, your invasion army will soon be ruined.”
“That’s part of what I mean, but... The Gelmed Empire does not forgive deserters. I... don’t think we have anywhere left to go anymore.”
But just as she finished those words, the ground shook. It wasn’t just Diablo, Aira and everyone else looked around in confusion.
An earthquake?
If that was the case, it was a major earthquake at that. The building shook and Castle Grandiose’s spires slanted out of position.
“What is this?! This isn’t an earthquake, this is...!”
This wasn’t the rumblings of a large echo or some kind of explosion either. It was close to the rolling of thunder, but much heavier.
“No...” Aira turned pale. “This is too soon...”
“Mm? You know what’s behind this shaking?!” Diablo asked.
Beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead, and her expression was stiff with terror.
“It’s... footsteps.”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login