I clutched my shoulder as a feeble attempt to stop bleeding from my lost left arm.
“It seems like I mistook you for someone else.”
The guy who cut off my arm stood there as he said that indifferently.
───＊＊＊───
Just a while ago, Ryuka and I were steadily defeating C-rank monsters such as Orcs and Goblin Magicians as we made our way toward the east side of the Steel Forest.
Suddenly, a black-haired, golden-eyed man in a black mantle appeared as if he tore through the air. He abruptly attacked me.
When I came to my senses, my left arm was already hand-chopped by that guy.
“Wh, what are you!!!”
I yelled at him while enduring the pain.
I had already activated [Dragon Skin], an automatic self-protection skill exclusive to Dragonoids. This defense skill boasts of being at par with that of a true Dragon, but he effortlessly sliced through it. His offense power is definitely not average.
“I do not hold interest in talking to a lowlife like you… Ah, well, consider this as a congratulatory gift for my reawakening. I’ll make an exception and converse with you. I am Valf the Warlock.”
The man said he was a Warlock──the existence that governs monsters and the demon race. Warlocks do not differ in appearance to ordinary humans, but they hold a massive amount of magical powers.
Ryuka stood before me and tried to protect me. Her body was trembling from the sheer power of the Warlock.
“Wh, why did you attack us?” asked Ryuka.
“I just sense a nostalgic magic around this area. Ah, well, it’s unfortunate that it’s a mistaken identity, but there’s no need to go into the details. Incidentally, do you know a man called Volgano Ryuuden?”
”…Ryuuden is my father.”
“What? So you’re the child of Ryuuden. So, is Ryuuden in good health?”
“Dad… died before I was born.”
“Huh, so that fellow’s already gone. So, you’re the orphan of that guy.”
The Warlock stood there, contemplatively.
He suddenly disappeared without warning.
“──!? Guaaa!”
My right arm is so hot I felt like it was burning. Blood spurted, and my right arm was already missing.
The Warlock cut it off.
“Fumu. You’re of a different caliber than Ryuuden. Are you sure you’re his son?”
Demon* twirled my right hand around the air while showing a disappointed expression.
“Re, Resurrection!”
Luna cast [Recovery Magic] on me. White foam bubbled from my arm stumps, and finally, both arms regenerated.
“Gu…S, Sorry…Ryuka…”
“It’s okay, but we have to escape, Ryuushin!”
“Hoh, so you can regenerate. But don’t think you can run away from me.”
Though my arms were restored thanks to Ryuka’s magic, I don’t think we can flee from this Demon.
“Ryuushin-is it. I have nothing against you, but your dear father sealed me for a hundred years. Now that Ryuuden’s dead, I decided I’ll repay my agony to you instead.”
I finally remembered!
It was a story I heard from the village chief a long time ago.
In the past, a Warlock came to kill the Dragonoids who were not under the Demon King’s jurisdiction.
The Warlock was overwhelmingly strong, and he slaughtered the warriors of the Dragonoid Village.
It was said that Dad, who was the strongest in the village at the time, bet his life and sealed the Warlock.
It seems that the seal on Valf, that Warlock, has been broken.
The embodiment of pure malice stood in front of us.
“I’ll kill you. Ah, but not immediately. I’ll let you taste pain and despair that’s enough to make you wish you were never born. Then I’ll slowly take my time killing you.”
After that, the Warlock turned his palm towards Ryuka. In that instant, I understood what he wanted to do.
“NO!!! STOP!! RUN, RYUKA!!”
“Hiiiii!!!! ── Guuuu!!!”
Something invisible clung to Ryuka’s neck and started to strangle her. Ryuka squirmed and struggled, but that object didn’t break.
“Ku! DRAGONIZE!!!”
My right arm transformed, and I tried to punch Demon.
── My fist didn’t even make contact.
I don’t know how it happened, but I was lying on the ground. I tried to get up, but that Demon stepped on my head and pushed me towards the dirt.
“What’s with that half-baked dragonification? Are you even his son? Don’t joke with me.”
“R… Ryu..Sh…in…R…run…”
“Hey, this woman has more guts than you. These kinds are the ones worth killing.”
The Warlock raised his arm, and several black stakes appeared mid-air. Their sharp, pointed tips were facing Ryuka.
“W, wait!! I beg you! Just kill me instead!!”
“Hmpf. Won’t do. You just have to resent your weak self.”
He released one of the black stakes towards Ryuka.
“RYYYUUUKKKKKAAAA!!!!”
Shuu ──
“What!?”
The stake didn’t reach Ryuka.
All the stakes have been burned by a knight blazing in flames standing in front of Ryuka.
“What’s with that? Maybe a demon- no, is that your mana?”
“Guu!”
The Warlock put more strength on his feet as he trampled my head.
── Suddenly, his foot disappeared.
“Gubu!!”
The Warlock made a weird noise as he was blown away. The blazing knight struck that Demon at the speed of light.
The blazing knight looked down at me.
D, did it help me?
I glanced at Ryuka. She was sitting on the ground with her eyes wide open. It’s a relief that the invisible thing no longer choked her.
“What on earth are you, vermin!!!”
The revived Warlock attacked the blazing knight who also counter-attacked.
Whenever Demon punches the knight, his fist is burnt. However, he just heals it abnormally fast, and immediately strikes again.
On the other hand, the blazing knight was stripped of his armor every time he was hit.
“Huff, huff, huff…D…Did it finally go to hell?”
After a few minutes of intense battle, the Warlock finally succeeded in extracting what seems to be the core of the blazing knight. The knight dispersed on the spot when its core was removed.
Demon looked like he was tired, but his magic is still overwhelming for us.
We don’t stand a chance.
I was desperately hoping the blazing knight would win, but…
“What was that? Was it you guys who summoned that? Ah, I don’t care anymore; let’s just finish you off right now!”
Desolation’s coming.
── suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
“Ah, ah, ahhhhh!”
The Warlock’s face contorted in despair.
The blazing knight that tortured Demon reappeared.
Not only that, one became five.
“D, don’t mess with me!!!!”
Taking Demon’s shout as a signal, the battle resumed.
── Nope, it’s not even a battle. It was a one-sided mob-violence.
In just a few seconds, it seems that Demon had already reached the limit of his recovery due to the continuous attacks of the blazing knights.
The Demon’s black hair turned white, his skin dried up, and his eyes became sunken.
As a final blow, the five knights pierced him with a spear simultaneously, and Demon crumbled into dust.
After the Warlock was defeated, the knights gave us a final glance, and they ran out in different directions.
“We…We’re saved…”
“Ryuushin! Are you okay?”
“Ryuka, how about your neck?”
We confirmed that both of us were fine.
“What are those knights…”
“I don’t know. But I can’t feel any malice from them.”
“Yeah.”
That’s what I’m bothered with. I can’t help but think that they protected us. Was it Teacher Tina? No, that can’t be. Those knights’ power is at a higher level than hers.
Don’t say… Is it Halt?
… Nah… That can’t be.
_____________
T/N: The actual term used for Valf is Majin, 魔人. It’s actually a broad term but basically means someone who practices magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. Not really a devil, which is Akuma 悪魔. Usually, the Japanese people use Mahou Tsukai (魔法使い), or Majutsushi (魔術師) to refer to wizards (so many terms lol!) So to distinguish them, I used Warlock for those associated with the demons, and Magicians for the others. ☺
*This particular Warlock is so evil, he is a Demon in essence.
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