3
Suzuki Satoru began changing his gear. As he opened the ring section of his inventory, his eyes lingered on the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.
However, it was only for a moment.
He would be fighting today’s battle personally, going to the frontlines as a guildmaster, so he needed to be certain of victory. If it did not aid him, then he needed to set it aside, even if it was the ring that symbolized the guild.
Without any hesitation, Suzuki Satoru exchanged his rings for ones which would be most effective during the coming battle with Cure Elim, according to his analysis.
He placed the ten rings in front of himself and used a cash item. After that, he put them on, one after the other.
With that, the rings registered to him were now these ten rings — the rings that would be most effective in the battle against Cure Elim. In fact, the cash item that he had just used was one that could change the rings registered to his fingers, and Suzuki Satoru only had two of them. Perhaps using such a precious item was a foolish decision, but dying because he had held it in reserve would be a total waste. Therefore, the most important thing was to prioritize his ability to win in the upcoming battle.
Finally, he put on a pair of leather gloves. It was not a magic item; he had put it on to hide the rings he was wearing.
It would seem Dragons had the ability to detect treasure.
While he did not know the level of this Dragon Lord or whether or not it still retained that ability, he would go all-out in order to raise his chances of victory. If his opponent was stronger than he was, then raising the odds against it by 1% or even 0.1% would be good.
After that, he adjusted his equipment loadout, selecting gear that was especially effective against the undead or Dragons.
Finally, he came to one of his trump cards for this battle — the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.
As he looked upon the staff on his hand, Ainz smiled from the bottom of his heart.
This was something beyond even his wildest dreams, being able to wield the Guild Weapon — which he had never used before — in a live battle. Surely his guildmates would not have thought of such a thing.
“You are the proof of our guild’s existence. Let’s go.”
As if in response to Suzuki Satoru’s words, black smoke overflowed from the staff, as though it were displaying its will.
Along the way, Suzuki Satoru thought of something — it was not entirely impossible, but the systems within the staff might have actually developed a sapience of its own after coming to this world.
“Take your pent-up resentment at having being sealed away for so long and pour it all out during this battle. Prove the invincibility of ‘Ainz Ooal Gown’ with me!”
He was talking to himself. There was no way anyone could have responded to him. Yet Suzuki Satoru felt a strange satisfaction.
Of course, that so-called invincibility was just big talk. They had suffered minor setbacks countless times in the past. It was not like they had not experienced things like going to PK others and getting PKed in turn. But the guild had never suffered a defeat that had been big enough to shake it. From that point of view, if they could get back up again, it was not a true defeat.
He returned the staff into his inventory and took out the World Class Item he usually equipped and put it on. Now, he had the protection of the world.
If Cure Elim could use the same abilities as the Brightness Dragon Lord — namely, Wild Magic — then he would be powerless against it without this item. That was the end of his preparations.
Suzuki Satoru looked toward the fortress he had created. Should he say something to Keno before beginning his battle against Cure Elim?
And then, Suzuki Satoru shook his head.
There was nothing to be said.
Nothing at all.
All that he had to do was win and safely return to her side.
The other matter was more important.
Suzuki Satoru sent a [Message], and gave directions in conjunction with that item that could play the voices of his friends from the guild as it told the time.
After finishing this preparation work, he followed his previous route back into the mountains.
He could have greatly shortened his journey by casting [Fly] or a teleportation spell, but he did not do so. Part of it was because he wanted to match up with the time, let his mana regenerate and various other reasons, but it was also because Suzuki Satoru was still a little afraid.
In the past, he had fought under the assumption that he could escape, and he had set up many methods of escape for himself.
This time, however, he could not flee.
Unlike the game Yggdrasil, this was a battle that concerned Suzuki Satoru’s life.
“I’ve only fought the Brightness Dragon Lord once, I still haven’t gotten used to this.”
Suzuki Satoru stopped and looked at his bony white hands.
Was he imagining things, or were they trembling?
“…I’m scared.”
He had made up his mind once and for all just now, he had been determined to fight for a guild member, and yet he had ended up like this.
Suzuki Satoru could not help laughing at himself.
“Alright… [Breath Ward].”
“[Fly].”
“[Dragonbane].”
“[Bless of Magic Caster].”
“[Infinity Wall].”
“[Life Essence].”
“[Mana Essence].”
“[Greater Full Potential].”
“[Freedom].”
“[See Through].”
“[Paranormal Intuition].”
“[Greater Resistance].”
“[Mantle of Chaos].”
“[Indomitability].”
“[Sensor Boost].” “[Greater Luck].”
“[Magic Boost].”
“[Draconic Power].”
“[Greater Hardening].”
“[Heavenly Aura].”
“[Absorption].”
“[Penetrate Up].”
“[Resistance from Natural Weapons].”
“[Greater Magic Shield].”
He stacked layer after layer of buffs on himself.
His undead detection told him that Cure Elim had not moved during this time. Suzuki Satoru felt a little uneasy. Had he underestimated the Dragon Lord?
Could this all be a trap? Had his opponent seen through all his actions beforehand and made preparations to definitely kill him? Had he just left the Big Ball of Undeath there and fled somewhere else long ago?
His uneasiness grew and grew. It was as though he was trying to give himself a reason to run away.
Suzuki Satoru could not help snorting in laughter.
He laughed at his weak self.
Suzuki Satoru fixed his eyes forward, raised his right foot, and took a step forward.
Then he did it again, with his left.
There was no stopping now.
Many reasons to flee appeared in his mind, but Suzuki Satoru ignored them all.
He was close to his objective.
And then — Suzuki Satoru, guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown, was face to face with Cure Elim.
“—Jester. I thought you had escaped, but here you are again? Have you come to swear your loyalty to me? But… that equipment.”
His first sentence made Suzuki Satoru narrow his eyes.
There was no need to speak to him. Getting the first spell in would be wiser. However, he could inflict spell damage at any time, but he ought to do what he could only do now. Of course, there was no telling if that would bear fruit.
However, he had to give it a try, however faint the chance.
Suzuki Satoru shouted.
“—This time! Let us have a real battle! Until one of us dies! Bring it, Dragon
Lord!”
“Fu-fuhahahaha!”
In contrast to Cure Elim, who was laughing merrily, Ainz took a stance as though to show off his crystal.
“Hmph, is that the source of your confidence? — I will not let you flee again!”
A thin, membranous substance expanded and seemed to cover the entire mountain. It was massive, and looked to have an area measured in kilometers.
While he did not know its official name, Suzuki Satoru knew its effects.
It was a teleportation-blocking barrier. It was the first Wild Magic spell that the Brightness Dragon Lord had used.
In other words — things had gone as he had anticipated.
However, it would be troublesome if it only looked the same, but was something else entirely.
Suzuki Satoru gave an order with a silent [Message], and then shouted.
“What have you done!!!”
“Hmph, you said you wanted a battle to the death, did you not? Then we cannot have you fleeing like last time.”
Suzuki Satoru cast a spell through the crystal. It was an extremely wasteful way of using it, but it was a necessary action at this stage.
The spell he cast was a [Widen Magic – Sharks Cyclone]. Normally, one could not store enhanced spells inside a spell crystal, but Widen Magic was an exception.
A tornado 100 meters wide and 200 meters tall appeared. A black hurricane that churned up the land separated the two of them.
Cure Elim began to move.
His vision was blocked by the tornado, and he could not see Cure Elim. However, Suzuki Satoru’s undead-sensing ability picked up a massive undead reaction behind the tornado.
Before Cure Elim thought to break through the tornado — Suzuki Satoru charged in first.
He’s not wary or trying to evade… which side is he on?
The shapes swimming through the wildly-blowing winds — as though they were swimming through the ocean — were six-meter-long sharks, which were gnawing at the Zombies and chewing them to bits. However, it was insignificant compared to Cure Elim’s massive body. Just entering the tornado had gotten rid of a few Zombies which made up its exterior, but that was all. There were countless Zombies on the surface of Cure’s body alone. Given the massive size difference between both parties, Cure Elim planned to easily break through the tornado at the cost of a small number of Zombies.
The gigantic Cure Elim would probably regard this tornado spell as meaningless resistance. One could say that was why he had chosen the spell, but there was one thing he wanted to verify.
Suzuki Satoru began to think fast.
Why had Cure Elim chosen to charge through the tornado?
And when he found his answer, his response was, “I see.”
He had wondered if that was the case while wearing the ring, but now it was all clear.
Dragons typically had excellent eyesight. Sometimes, they could tell what was happening even when a dust storm blocked their vision. Therefore, he did not actually need to charge into the tornado. All he had to do was deploy Zombies from his feet and attack from safety behind the tornado. Surely there was no reason for the arrogant Cure Elim to personally close the distance.
In that case, why had he chosen to break through?
The answer was because much like [Undeath Slave Sight], he had to rely on the Zombies’ eyesight when seeing through their eyes. Perhaps the Zombies that made up its eyes were magical beasts with exceptional powers of vision, but they had lost various abilities after becoming Zombies. Therefore, they had become Zombies whose vision was only slightly above average, and so Cure Elim — hidden within the Zombies — would not be able to see through the tornado.
Of course, he could not conclude that it was not seeing through the Zombies on its wings or its legs. But from Cure’s movements — the way it moved its head to lock onto targets, it was more likely that it was using the Zombies in its head — specifically, in the eye region.
In that case, he had a move readied for it in advance.
Suzuki Satoru took the Guild Weapon from his inventory and hurled it out.
“—Go forth, Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown! 「Initiate automatic interception mode!」”
The staff obeyed the order and began moving on its own.
At the same time, Suzuki Satoru used his ace in the hole.
It was a trump card that only a Player with the job class of Eclipse could use.
The name of this trump card was “[The Goal of All Life is Death].”
A clock foretelling death appeared behind Suzuki Satoru, and then he cast a mighty spell on Cure Elim as the latter drew close, through the tornado.
As though it were another Suzuki Satoru, the staff selected the most appropriate spell.
The staff was socketed with seven divine-class gemstones, with the elemental alignments of Sun, Moon, Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Time, with the ability to use each of the spells sealed within each jewel.
It began with a spell from the Fire Gem.
It was the divine area-of-effect attack spell [Fire Storm].
The magical blaze consumed Cure Elim’s head. The undead making up its eyes were destroyed, and Zombies crawled out from within to take their place.
Of course, he had already anticipated this. All he needed was to blind Cure Elim for a moment.
At the same time, Cure Elim’s legs slowed down by a hair, probably because it could not see. That was an unexpected bonus.
Suzuki Satoru and the staff moved out of Cure Elim’s path — taking care not to get trampled as the latter charged over — and cast their spells.
A gigantic magic circle appeared around Suzuki Satoru.
This implied that he was casting a Super-Tier spell.
Suzuki Satoru used the cash item he had taken out, and truncated its casting time.
And then, what came forth was—
“[Tribute to the Black Bounty – Iä Shub-Niggurath]!”
What seemed like a black breeze blew past him. And indeed, the tornado just now had been raising gusts, not this spell. However, both of them were fundamentally different. The dark breath had no physical effect, and at the same time it was not something that could be stopped by physical means.
The Super-Tier spell [Tribute to the Black Bounty – Iä Shub-Niggurath] was not a particularly scary spell. The reason was that was because all it did was inflict an instant-death effect, and it was useless against the undead, Golems, and other beings which had no life. While it was effective against living Players and enemies, it was hard to imagine anyone on Suzuki Satoru’s level not having immunity to instant death.
Indeed — it was a quaint little spell, which only had an instant-death effect. However, with the aid of the Eclipse class’s skill, this spell suddenly transformed into a vicious, terrible magic.
The clock floating behind Suzuki Satoru’s back beeped twelve o’clock, and as the spell cast, its hands began moving.
Meanwhile Suzuki Satoru had already begun his preparations for the next step.
He would not give Cure Elim any time to strategize. This was the moment of truth. If he allowed Cure Elim to raise his defense by even a little, or if [Tribute to the Black Bounty – Iä Shub-Niggurath] was disrupted, then it would spell defeat for Suzuki Satoru.
Certainly, he could have cast [Time Stop]. However, [Time Stop] had been ineffective against the Brightness Dragon Lord which he had fought before, which meant that it was very likely that it would also be useless against the Dragon Lord Cure Elim’s original body. However, it ought to be effective against the Zombies surrounding Cure Elim. If those Zombies had the same defensive strength as Cure Elim, then his first round of attack spells would have been ineffective, and he would not have been able to defeat so many Zombies.
In other words, they were not equipped with magic items.
Equipped magic items added their abilities to their wearers and had the same resistances as them. For instance, consider the necklace Suzuki Satoru had on, and if it were on the ground. While they both had the same durability, the one on the ground would be more easily destroyed.
In other words, given the present circumstances, Cure Elim’s defenses did not apply to his Zombies. They were not equipment; more like dominated undead clinging to its body.
In other words, the Zombies were just Zombies. If he cast [Time Stop], it ought to be effective against the Zombie mass even if it was not effective against Cure Elim himself. That would make them a prison for Cure Elim, who would be sealed inside them.
While he felt that it was an effective attack method, there was one thing about it which made him uneasy.
Namely, where had the Brightness Dragon Lord’s time-stop resistance come from?
All of Suzuki Satoru’s time-stop resistance came from his gear. However, the Brightness Dragon Lord did not look like the sort who used equipment. Did that mean it had innate resistance to it?
It would be fine if that were all. The question was whether said resistance could be applied to others, as though it were a defensive spell.
Of course, even if it could cast a spell like that, it would not be wasted if he could force his opponent to play a card. However, it would be troublesome if that ability worked against his trump card as well.
That was why Suzuki Satoru did not cast [Time Stop].
Instead, he cast another spell.
His first objective was to buy time.
It would be bad if his opponent ignored everything and strengthened its defense, so he had to confuse his opponent. He did not think that his opponent, as one of the undead, would lose its cool, but if he could use a variety of attacks to make it forget about defending itself, all would be well.
At the same time, he dismissed [Sharks Cyclone]. He did not know if his timing was perfect, but Suzuki Satoru discovered a dog Zombie which had been staying behind Cure Elim all this time. It was far behind it, at a distance where he would not have been able to see if not for the keen vision he had gained after becoming undead.
“[Armageddon – Evil].”
Darkness gathered around Suzuki Satoru and formed a swirling vortex.
Then, a gurgling sound came from bubble-like objects around him, and demons were born from the abyss.
The first to appear were demons below level 10; there were a total of 128 of those Inferior Demons.
There was no other word he could use to describe them other than “deformed.” Their heads were swollen, their left arms were unnaturally thin, their massive right arms were made of several tentacles twined together, and their legs were of different lengths. They did not possess anything to tell their gender apart, and yellow pus oozed from countless small holes all over their bodies.
Their forms seemed to imply that they had been born solely to pollute the world.
These demons, made for destruction and slaughter, were not under Suzuki Satoru’s control. Instead, they attacked everything around them. Given the circumstances, the only one near them was Cure Elim, and so they attacked it.
And as the demonic horde began their attack—
“—You miserable little demons! Out of my way!”
Cure Elim’s roar brought a smile to Suzuki Satoru’s face.
That was it.
After abandoning the surface Zombies on its head, Cure Elim’s body began moving again after regaining its eyesight, forming thick tentacles of Zombies. Over 20 tentacles shot out at the demons.
One could not defeat the demons by swatting them one by one. However, the tentacle Zombies grabbed and bound the demons, then dragged them into Cure Elim’s body. It was very difficult for lesser demons to resist the strength of tenodd Zombies.
The demons which were swallowed up were immobilized and brutalized, and soon they were reduced to vile dross and returned to the netherworld.
However, that was fine.
It was fine because it was like this.
One could say that it would be troublesome if he had taken a long time to beat them.
He had summoned them because they were very weak. Perhaps it might have been more troublesome if Cure Elim did not know they were demons and treated them as powerful foes. Having won his bet, Suzuki Satoru did not let a mocking smile show on his face.
The bubble-like objects around Suzuki Satoru formed into a vortex again, and now demons of around level 20 appeared — [Hell Scythes].
These demons looked like a fusion between praying mantises, humans, and other creatures. Their gigantic scythes shone with a steely glint, and they were coated in poison.
There were 64 of these demons in all.
Much like the Inferior Demons from before, they spread their praying mantislike wings and flew towards Cure Elim.
Perhaps he was starting to panic because of their numbers, but Cure Elim’s body began to writhe. Then, tentacles formed of Dragons, Giants, and other mighty beings hurtled towards the Demons.
One of them extended towards Suzuki Satoru.
“[Wall of Skeleton].”
The wall that appeared clashed with the tentacle. It was incredibly fast and tremendously massive, but that alone made it a very powerful attack. One could say it was like a car driving straight at him.
The wall formed of countless bones could not resist that overwhelming destructive power and was destroyed. At the same time, chunks of flesh from the Zombies that made up the tentacle scattered in all directions as said tentacle broke through the wall.
“What?!”
“Too late. Time’s up.”
As Suzuki Satoru — who had been quietly counting down in his head — said that, the clock which foretold doom had finished a circuit, and both hands once more pointed to the sky.
In that moment — the world died.
The land became a desert. Even the air became a thing of death.
Zombies of all kinds — there were most definitely more than 400,000 of them, and quite possibly more than a million — rained down on the desertified land. Suzuki Satoru flew back, clearing a large gap between them.
The demons needed to breathe, and so that spell had caught them in it and killed them too. But that meant nothing to Suzuki Satoru. That was because Cure Elim’s true form was completely exposed at last.
That mass of undead creatures had truly been made in imitation of Cure Elim’s body. They looked very similar, but his true form looked very graceful in comparison. It was an undead Dragon, with a body like a feline predator, whose legs and neck were both very long.
At the same time, black bubbles appeared around him, and from them emerged demons of around level 30 or so, Rotting Demons. They were over two meters tall, with tarry black skin that resembled bubbling swamps. The bubbles rose to the surface and burst, releasing a yellow mist. Despite being surrounded by these demons who were wreathed in rot-inducing gas, Suzuki Satoru was not affected, because he was undead.
There were 32 of them in all.
Suzuki Satoru shrugged.
“You’ve shrunk, Dragon Lord.”
“—So you were the filth of the Dragon Emperor. That spell… that powerful panoply… I would never forget it…”
Its voice echoed with heartfelt hatred. Suzuki Satoru remembered that the Brightness Dragon Lord had said something along those lines too, and kept his eyes trained in Cure Elim. Of course he did not forget to press the button on the bracelet which had his friend’s voice stored in it.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too late to notice that now?”
“…Your jester act was truly magnificent. I was completely deceived by your charade.”
The black bubbles appeared again, and the demons which appeared this time were around level 40, Supplicants. They had female bodies with long hair and bluish-white skin, and that alone would not make one think that they were demons. However, their eyes, noses and mouths were all sewn up with thread, and their hands were also sewn together as though begging the gods for mercy. There were eight of them.
Cure Elim used his foreleg to sweep aside the Rotting Demons that flew at him, killing them in one blow.
The summoned demons charged at Cure Elim in unison, as though they had been waiting for that chance. However, Cure Elim trained its crimson eyes on Suzuki Satoru, entirely unmoved, as though it wanted to indicate that Suzuki Satoru was its only opponent. It lashed out with its forelimbs, wings, and tail, destroying the demons one after the other.
Cure Elim was completely unaffected by the Supplicants’ [Sigh] or the Rotting Demons’ [Rotting Gas] special attacks. It was probably not just because it was undead, but also because it had resistances to them.
The demons changed over to attacking with magic, but due to the differences in their levels, the damage they dealt was insignificant.
As Suzuki Satoru watched all this, he remained as cautious as ever. Originally, Suzuki Satoru had placed Cure Elim in the same category as the Brightness Dragon Lord. It would be child’s play for such a powerful being to wipe out demons like that. If Suzuki Satoru took a combination attack like that, even he would have taken great to disastrous levels of damage.
Of course, he had no intention of taking it.
More black bubbles spewed forth, and the demons which appeared were around level 50 — War Devils. They were demons who wore full plate armor and looked like warriors. They held bastard swords wreathed in black hellfire, and their black wings protruded through their armor. They actually looked pretty cool, and there were four of them.
Normally, the spell would summon two level 60ish demons and one more level demon of around level 70, but Suzuki Satoru cancelled that and instead chose to summon more lower-level demons instead. And so, there were twice as many level demons ranging from level 10 to 30.
This was when the spell’s effects ended.
The War Devils used their skill, a commander-type buff which improved the abilities of all summoned demons. However, Cure Elim used its long tail to sweep back and forth, destroying the demons as they pulled away to cast spells.
A minor stat buff meant nothing to a high-level Dragon.
Cure Elim seemed abnormally calm as it neatly exterminated the demons.
This isn’t good, Suzuki Satoru thought. It would be better if it had continued underestimating him like just now.
“Now then, time for you to die. Your—”
“—Waitwaitwaitwait, are you really in such a rush? I’d like to ask you something, ah, what’s that, die without regrets part, can’t you even spare that little bit of kindness for me?”
“I have no mercy for your kind, you fools who pollute this world.” Cure Elim coiled himself up with a whoosh.
Dragons resembled feline predators in some ways, such as their dexterous movements. Cure Elim’s stance must mean that it was planning to pounce on its prey — Suzuki Satoru.
It would seem it planned to ignore all the demons around it. Of course, that was not a mistake. If Suzuki Satoru were faced with beings that could harm it and beings that could not harm it, then it would be obvious which ones he would be wary of.
After deciding he could no longer buy time, Suzuki Satoru began goading Cure Elim. While his place was to make his opponent act without being able to calm down, he had the feeling that it would be ineffective, given that his adversary was undead.
“Fuhahaha, where has your smile gone? What happened to your laxity? Take your time—”
Cure Elim’s eyes narrowed in hate.
“—And savor your destruction, filth of the Dragon Emperor!”
And then, as though casting those words behind it, Cure Elim began to sprint, its feet crushing the Zombie corpses flat. Even so, they did not affect the speed at which he was closing in.
The War Devils which had flown between the two of them were struck by its charge and were knocked far away. While they had not been killed in one hit, their injuries were such that they were practically dead.
“Oi,” Suzuki Satoru smiled as Cure Elim closed in. “I’m not done attacking yet.”
A black orb floated in the air.
It fell to the ground, as though waiting for Suzuki Satoru to speak.
This sudden development led Cure Elim to spring far, far away, keeping its distance from Suzuki Satoru. How had it managed to cancel its previous velocity and suddenly retreat, as if in defiance of inertia?
The fallen black orb ruptured like a bag of water hitting the ground, or like a ripe fruit splitting open. Its contents spilled out, a black, tarry substance that did not reflect the light at all, a sticky black fluid that looked like it would dye anything it touched jet black.
It swallowed all the Zombies.
The black mud-like substance soaked his feet, but Suzuki Satoru was not afraid.
He kept an eye on Cure Elim, who was busy destroying demons. Suzuki Satoru made no attempt to attack and seemed utterly at ease.
A tree grew between the two of them.
There was one at first, and then their number went up. Two, three, five, ten… they were tentacles, waving despite the lack of wind.
“MEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
Suddenly, he heard the adorable bleating of a goat. And it was not just one of them — it made one think that there would be a whole horde of them.
As though pulled by that sound, the tarry liquid emitted a hollow moan, and then something seemed to emerge from it.
Those beings were abnormal, far too abnormal.
They were roughly 10 meters tall, but there was no telling how much that number would be if he included their tentacles.
They looked like turnips, but with countless black tentacles in place of their leaves. Their thick roots resembled lumps of flesh, and below them were five legs, like those of black goats.
The root portion — that is, the lumpy section — was fissured and split open, in more than one place.
Even Cure Elim simply watched the proceedings warily. It did not seem to have any intention of attacking.
That reminded Suzuki Satoru of the Dragon Lord he had fought before.
Ahhh, so that’s it. These guys… they’ve never fought beings on their level before, or at least, not often.
Sensing an opportunity, Suzuki Satoru smiled, and then—
“MEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
—The adorable bleating of goats came from those fissures.
They were maws that oozed sticky drool.
The five fearsome monsters which had appeared were called the “Dark Young.”
They were monsters that appeared in numbers proportionate to the victims of the spell [Tribute to the Black Bounty – Iä Shub-Niggurath].
While they did not have any potent special abilities, they had exceptional defensive power, and they were over level 90.
“Hoho, this is a high score… Cure Elim, it seems the people you sacrificed for your stupid plan all long for your death!”
That was impossible. The dead could no longer have wills of their own.
However, that might be possible in this world. The idea that the Dark Young had taken the last wishes of the dead onto themselves refused to leave Suzuki Satoru’s head.
Their tentacles were extremely long, and they seemed eager for Suzuki Satoru to give an order. Perhaps that was the case.
“—「Alright, go!」”
The Dark Young bleated and charged at Cure Elim.
Cure Elim’s tail struck a Dark Young dead center and gouged out part of its body, and its tarry blood spewed forth. However, it trembled for only a moment, and then its thick legs trod the ground firmly, with hardly any decrease in its forward momentum.
“What?!”
Perhaps it had thought the Dark Young would have been sent flying, or that it would disappear like the other demons. The Dark Young closed in on Cure Elim as it spoke in a confused voice, and they collided.
It was Cure Elim who was knocked back.
The Dark Young surrounded it and made their move, striking Cure Elim countless times with their tentacles, some of them even moving up to bite it.
“Don’t look down on me!”
Surrounded by the Dark Young, Cure Elim twisted and dodged like a cat, using its wings, tail, legs, and fangs to counterattack.
Just then, Suzuki Satoru cast a spell on him. He no longer needed to pretend that he was too arrogant to cast spells. Now, he would seal off his opponent’s choices and lead him onto the path he had prepared.
The spell Suzuki Satoru had cast was [Lopsided Duel].
It was a third-tier spell. It bound the caster to the target such that whenever the target tried to flee by teleportation, both caster and target would appear in the same place.
It could even ignore the target’s use of [Delay Teleportation] and teleport both of them to the designated location. However, this spell had a fatal flaw. If the target teleported among its friends, then the caster would be brought to the same place thanks to the binding, whereupon he would be surrounded.
That was why such a seemingly useful spell was found in the third tier. Before it was patched, one could cast it on a teammate and piggyback off their teleportation, but after the patch it could only be cast on enemies.
Of course, if Cure Elim decided to teleport to the Brightness Dragon Lord or a similarly potent Dragon Lord, immediate escape would be his top priority. As the name [Lopsided Duel] implied, this spell had the advantage that if the caster teleported away, his opponent would not be teleported with him, which made fleeing easy.
Next, the Guild Staff also cast a spell.
It was the eighth-tier spell [Dimensional Lock].
While demons, angels, and other outsiders often used this ability as a skill, this spell had the same function. This spell prevented instantaneous movement through means such as teleportation outside its area, but it did not hamper physical movement. In order to avoid this, he had to keep an eye on every move that Cure Elim made.
Cure Elim was within the area of the [Dimensional Lock]. If it tried to escape the area and teleport away, [Lopsided Duel] would take effect.
Suzuki Satoru and the Guild Staff had constructed a magical prison. The Dark Young served as a physical prison.
It would seem the Dark Young found the demons attacking them bothersome.
While they had been summoned by the same caster, the demons summoned through [Armageddon – Evil] were valid targets for attack. However that was the reason why summoned monsters could coexist.
Since he could not give orders to the demons, who were not under his control, he had no choice but to instruct the Dark Young to bear with it.
Suzuki Satoru ordered the Dark Young to “「Bear with it because the demons can’t do you much harm even if you don’t defend against them」,” and then cast a spell.
“[Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash].”
The attack spell of the highest order ripped into Cure Elim’s body.
This was probably the most damage it had taken in all its battles to date, and Cure Elim’s eyes looked like they were trying to burn through Suzuki Satoru.
The Guild Staff cast the spell imbued within the Sun Gem — [Shining Blast].
This was an area-of-effect attack spell, which did extra damage to evil creatures and the undead, with more damage the lower their karma value was. In turn, as their targets’ karma increased, it would do less or no damage to them.
Of course, the Dark Young would also be harmed, being that Cure Elim was in their midst. However, the karma value of the Dark Young was 0, despite their appearances, so they did not take much damage.
However, the demons which had taken damage from the area effect began to consider the Guild Staff as an enemy. That said, since the staff was considered part of their summoners’ equipment and the demons were bound by the sole rule of “do not attack your summoner,” they did not attack it.
The way the demons redoubled the intensity of their attack on Cure Elim and the Dark Young might make one think that they were venting their frustration.
“Ohhhhhhhh! Damn you! Damn you, you filtttthhhhh!”
Cure Elim’s voice sounded strained. It was in check now. A minor level difference meant nothing as the last piece fell into place.
However, it would be a different matter if Cure Elim had been a certain other individual that Suzuki Satoru knew. It was precisely because Suzuki Satoru knew that tank, a monster who could make their attackers wonder exactly how they had been damaged, that he did not ease up.
“[Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash].”
He kept casting the most powerful attack spell he knew because he was determined not to give the enemy time to catch its breath and to defeat it here.
At the same time, the Guild Staff cast a spell.
“[Summon Primal Fire Elemental].”
The flames that spiraled into the sky reached a full six meters in height and then slowly condensed into a humanoid shape.
This was the best move he could make, by further solidifying his advantage.
While Suzuki Satoru had wanted to do such a thing himself, he could not do so, much to his regret.
The summoned Primal Fire Elemental worked its way between the Dark Young and punched Cure Elim with flaming fists.
“[Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash].”
The Guild Staff cast the ninth-tier divine spell [Crack in the Ground].
Just as Cure Elim was wounded by the [Reality Slash], the ground split open and a fissure gripped Cure Elim’s leg, leaving him stuck there like an animal in a bear trap.
The instant-death effect had not activated, as he had expected. However, the damage over time and movement impediment effects should have applied.
While he did not know how fissures could form on a desert, such was the effect of the spell.
I’ve won, no—
Suzuki Satoru immediately tensed up in the moment he felt himself relax.
It was true that Cure Elim ought to be out of options given the present circumstances. Even Touch Me would not — probably — be able to break out of this. But it would be a different matter if Cure Elim still had a trump card in store. It was much like the battle with the Brightness Dragon Lord — Dragon Lords of that level had a super move in the form of Wild Magic. He could not lower his guard yet.
As the Guild Staff cast its attack spells, Suzuki Satoru observed Cure Elim’s rear, its right, above it, and then put a bracelet on. How well would his own ace in the hole be able to adapt to the circumstances, and what kind of play would his opponent make? This ought to be the moment that determined victory and defeat.
…Keno… I’ll safely return to your side…
●
Why? Cure Elim thought amidst the chaos.
Why had he been driven to such desperate circumstances despite his immaculate planning? The Dragon Emperor’s filth — why had he, the most selfsacrificing of the six Dragons that had prepared to annihilate the masterminds who had polluted this world, been forced into a situation like this? The answer was very simple.
Cure Elim knew that foes of its level existed, but it had never fought them.
In the past, it had avoided entities on the same level as Suzuki Satoru. That was not because it was weak, but because its intelligence had told it that they could not be beaten.
It was because it had been so intelligent that Cure Elim had lost the chance to understand and learn. The importance of prior preparation. The right way of using power. The importance of swallowing one’s pride and working with others.
It had not understood any of that.
Suzuki Satoru and Cure Elim.
Those were the differences between these two mighty beings.
While it had been a game, Suzuki Satoru had accumulated vast amounts of experience in battles with his equals, and he understood the importance of fighting with his friends. In turn, Cure Elim knew nothing about these.
If Cure Elim had some relevant experience, it would not have been reduced to this state. It might have been able to kill Suzuki Satoru. But — it did not.
Therefore, it was only natural that Suzuki Satoru — who had analyzed his foe’s abilities and made preparations to guarantee his victory — should be able to triumph.
However, that was only in theory. One could not simply conclude that in reality.
There was also the difference in their individual power.
It was just like how an ant could not hope to bother an elephant, no matter how hard it prepared. A difference in individual power could become the ultimate obstacle. Dragons were still the mightiest species even after becoming undead, because their basic abilities far exceeded those of Suzuki Satoru.
And True Dragon Lords all possessed a certain mighty power. In Cure Elim’s case, he had been honing that power, preparing to deal with Players.
That was the reason Cure Elim had made himself this way.
Wild Magic.
The Wild Magic that Cure Elim could use was considered the most vicious of all the spells that the Dragon Lords could cast.
Naturally, it required a massive price to be paid.
But as Cure Elim sensed that it would be destroyed if this kept up, it cast the spell.
Cure Elim’s opened its mouth.
It was not in the way that a serpent would swallow its prey. Its mouth gradually split open, until the fissure reached its long neck. The split portion hung down, as though to make a gigantic maw several dozen meters wide in order to devour everything.
And then, it spewed forth from that massive mouth.
“Soulbreaker Breath.”
It was a Wild Magic spell considered to be on par with the World Class Item Longinus. It was an irresistible power that would discorporate the soul of anything it touched.
This utterly malignant power consumed everything present.
●
Keno’s eyes went wide as she looked at the black orb floating over the mountain.
She could tell that it was huge, even from a great distance.
What was that? What on earth had happened? Question after question piled on top of each other, but in the end, the most important one was “What kind of power could have created something that frightening?”
Was it a secret technique wielded by Suzuki Satoru, her travelling companion? Or was it the power of the mysterious person who had taken Keno’s country, Keno’s family, Keno’s everything away from her?
Regardless of what it was, this was not something that Keno’s own power could hope to achieve. This was the nigh-miraculous power wielded by those faraway individuals who stood upon the apex of the world.
It would be good if that was Suzuki Satoru’s power. No — it was not good.
It would mean that Suzuki Satoru, who could casually crush any foe he encountered — apart from the Brightness Dragon Lord — had encountered someone who warranted the use of that power.
In other words, Suzuki Satoru’s opponent was as strong as he was.
Suzuki Satoru’s might was beyond question.
He was the person she had spent the most time with other than her family, and Keno had learned that much about him over the course of five years of travel. He had many flaws.
He had terrible taste in naming. He laughed at the strangest things. He treated the living badly. He made up incredible stories at the drop of a hat. He would gladly sacrifice the lives of others for himself — and for Keno. He was a very cruel person.
Even so, he had many virtues.
He was very polite to everyone. He was very curious. He always looked forward to the unknown and things he had encountered for the first time with a sparkle in his eye. At some point, he had learned how to properly comb out her hair. He treated her as an equal, even though she was weak and could only hold him back. And most importantly — he was very kind.
Keno hugged her flat, childlike chest, which would never grow.
He was a man who could protect her while fighting against an incredible monster like the Brightness Dragon Lord, and who had managed to retreat safely from it in the end. Surely he would be able to return safely to her side as well, right?
Even if she believed it — no, even if she wanted to believe it — she could not help but feel uneasy after seeing such great power.
“You’ll come back, right? You’ll return safely to me, right?”
He was the one who had saved her, after she had lost everything.
He was the one that she believed would continue saving her.
Keno Fasris Invern had gained eternal life. As a being detested by the living, even if she made living friends, they would eventually die before her.
And then, when she was like this, that night had come.
Being able to meet him in the city was great good fortune.
He would walk with her towards eternity. He would never let her feel the loneliness of being abandoned in this world. Her meeting with him was destined by fate.
“……”
But now, he was not by her side, and he might abandon her at any moment and flee. This uneasiness tormented Keno.
He had gone out there for her. Keno knew that very well, and she was very grateful for it.
“Do your best, Satoru…” Keno prayed.
She had once believed in the gods, but after becoming undead, the gods in her heart had died as well. She understood one thing, which was that no matter what prayers one might have, the gods would not answer them.
Therefore, her prayer was directed to one person only.
The only person who had eased her pain.
Her prayer was to Suzuki Satoru alone.
Please return safely to me!
●
He could see something black accumulating in Cure Elim’s mouth — something that sent a shiver down the spine of even an undead being like Suzuki Satoru. It was something so overwhelming that his biological instincts — though he was undead — were responding to it.
It was too dangerous, too dreadful.
Faced with this breath that far eclipsed his own power, Suzuki Satoru lost his cool and shouted, “「Dark Young, block—”
There was nothing wrong with that order. However, it had come too late.
Cure Elim expelled something that looked like a massively thick beam of light. That beam consumed everything.
In just a moment — no, perhaps it was because he was linked to the Dark Young — Suzuki Satoru could feel the Dark Young being annihilated, right before the beam touched himself. That level 90-plus meat shield, whose defensive strength was higher than Suzuki Satoru’s own, had been obliterated.
It was probably not some kind of instant-death effect, since the Dark Young resisted that.
Then what was it — Suzuki Satoru thought of the trump card he had just used. Was it something like that?
But the black beam that Cure Elim had released did not have the weaknesses of his own move.
Was it an improved version of his skill?
The black beam whipped around wildly with the twisting of Cure Elim’s long neck and destroyed another Dark Young. The Primal Fire Elemental was also unable to resist the instant eradication. Then it was the third and fourth Dark Young, along with the demons. And then — Suzuki Satoru remembered a video clip. It was a video made when a Player who had been about to retire had attached an item to an important NPC. Amidst the storm of curses like “God dammit!” “Fucking hell!” “Son of a bitch!” and so on which had filled the video—
It was—
“Longin— [Wall of Skeleton]!”
At the same time, the staff cast [Veil of Moon].
Both defenses deployed before him at the same time. It was a double-layered
defense, composed of a physical barrier and an immaterial magical barrier.
However, part of his mind was coolly contemplating the fact that defensive barriers were useless against a World Class Item like Longinus.
In fact, the black beam had easily pierced the barriers — as though they were not there — and swallowed up everything.
The beam of darkness racing out at him had no obvious destructive power — or pressure — to it.
Yet, it was a fatal blow.
●
With all the interfering nuisances destroyed, Cure Elim pulled its leg out of the fissure.
Although it hurt a little when it raised its leg, that did not matter. Perhaps if it were alive, not taking care of the wound might have inflicted a reduction in movement speed due to a damaged limb, but such a negative status effect meant nothing to the undead.
In addition, pain held no fear for the undead.
This was one of the three reasons why Cure Elim — who had once been a coward — had chosen to become undead.
Cure Elim glared hatefully in front of itself with its crimson eyes — at the world that had been transformed into a desert that was utterly set apart from the living, and within it, a wall of bones and a shimmering, multicolored wall which looked like a curtain of thin cloth.
Its keen draconic senses spoke to it.
The one who had polluted the world was still there. As though they were waiting for Cure Elim to realize that, the two walls vanished as though they had melted away into the air.
The magic caster who had driven Cure Elim to its wit’s end stood calmly in front of it. Beside it was a floating staff.
While it had no reason to doubt its own senses, its opposition had not been hurt in any way.
Walls like those could not stop the Soulbreaker Breath. That being the case, how had its opponent done this?
Perhaps he had teleported out of its range while Cure Elim’s line of sight had
been obscured. The World-Separating Wall it had opened with simply interfered with teleportation through it. Teleportation was possible as long as the start and end points were both inside the barrier. He could have simply teleported to the edge of the barrier and then walked right through the barrier itself.
In that case, had he evaded the beam in that way? The answer was — no.
It was impossible to avoid it that way. In that case, there was only one other way to stop that attack.
“Wild Magic…”
Cure Elim’s face twisted in utter hatred. The fact that it was undead was the only reason it could control its powerful emotions. However, the raging passions inside it could not accept that fact. It flared up, calmed down, and then flared up over and over again.
“Destroy, you. Filth. Not even your bones will remain—”
Just then, its enemy extended a hand. He was probably trying to say “wait, hold on.”
“—Cure Elim. My name is Suzuki Satoru.”
What else was there to say at this point? Cure Elim’s face knotted up.
There was no point in knowing such a thing. Or was he trying to award it the name of the opponent it had destroyed, as a sort of trophy?
That only displeased it more.
If its opponent had been an equal, then the name would have been worth remembering. However, simply keeping the names — even a fragment — of those excrescences in its mind made it want to throw up.
“Would you call every single piece of filth in your way by name? You worldpolluting fiiiiiilllttthhh!”
Its anger became a mighty roar. The explosion of wrath seemed to shake the very earth.
However, its foe simply shrugged. Such composure made Cure Elim all the more wary of him.
Its opponent was unhurt, while its own stamina was greatly depleted. Was that why he could be so calm? Or was he laying some sort of trap?
“—Shall we make a deal now?”
Cure Elim was taken aback by those words. For a moment, he could not parse their meaning.
“…What. Are. You. Saying?! We’ve come all this way and yet you still—?!”
“My aim was not to destroy you. Actually, I simply came here to investigate what was going on here, if there was a way to dispel your undead-conversion spell. Do you know? The surrounding countries have promised a huge reward for it, you know?”
It could not be sure if this was the truth. However, it was possible that those contaminated rabble were trying to do something about the result of Cure Elim’s magic.
However, that only made Cure Elim even angrier.
Challenging it for such an utterly pointless motive as money was incredibly infuriating.
Cure Elim glared silently at its enemy.
Several seconds, no, almost a minute had gone by. Its opponent had probably sensed that Cure Elim did not want to speak, and so it continued talking.
“Money is very important, and it would be wonderful if I could obtain it without having to kill you… because exterminating you would be a source of additional income. In other words, I’d like to get paid twice for the same job… ah, yes, I have another question. All the Dragons I know amass larger hoards of treasure as they get stronger. Does the same thing apply to you too? If I kill you, that means I’ll be able to lay my hands on a huge pile of—” Suddenly, several spells exploded against Cure Elim’s body.
They were high-tier force-element attack spells.
They easily pierced the barrier protecting its body and dealt significant damage. This was a group of fairly high-tier magic casters.
Cure Elim hurriedly twisted its neck, looking for the source of the spells — behind it.
There were several undead creatures there. Its draconic senses told it that the staves of those undead contained great power.
And dangling from the necks of those undead was — Cure Elim turned to stare at its enemy.
“Didn’t we agree that it would be one-on-one?!”
The demons, those black monsters, and that staff. Cure Elim had nothing to say about those. Anything you could summon by your own power was part of your own strength. After all, Cure Elim had amassed 1,200,000 Zombies. However, this was different. Bringing backup was not covered under a one-onone battle. Surely anyone would feel like Cure Elim did, no matter how they tried to look at it.
However, its enemy shrugged lightly and nonchalantly replied, “Hah? We’re trying to kill each other, aren’t we? Why do I have to obey such a rule? Anything goes as long as you win. As long as you win.”
Its mind went white for a moment—
“You bastaaaaaaaaaarrrd!”
Cure Elim broke into a sprint. But it was not headed for its enemy. Rather, it was headed behind, at the undead who had cast spells at its back.
It was easy to tell who was easier to eliminate. Reducing the number of distractions was essential. “You despicable scum!”
That dialogue had only been intended to buy time for his reinforcements to show up.
Falling into a trap like that and binding itself with the rules of the word “oneon-one” was truly foolish. No, not expecting his opponent to fight dirty like that was a disgrace.
As expected of filth.
And for believing a bald-faced lie coming from filth like that, Cure Elim had truly been a fool.
Though it was undead, it held on to its rage, and Cure Elim rushed at the band of undead with what was probably its greatest speed to date.
Several high-tier spells flew at it from straight ahead, wearing down at Cure Elim’s health.
And then behind it was the high-tier magic of the Dragon Emperor’s filth. It was a vile spell, with overwhelming power that could rip its body asunder with three invisible slashes. However, it understood that the spells from the undead band would destroy it before it could annihilate the first enemy, so it had no choice but to ignore the spell.
Its draconic senses told it that a great wind was blowing. That wind gusted up to the sky.
It shifted its line of sight and saw a mighty Wind Elemental, on par with the Fire Elemental from just now. Its opponent was probably trying to gain control of the airspace and suppress Cure Elim.
Suddenly, the word “retreat” flashed through Cure Elim’s mind. However, it was immediately forgotten as it saw the group of undead before it waving their staves.
“Get out of my sight, fangs of the filth!”
Unlike that filth, these undead were not as powerful. Still, it would use Wild Magic to augment its tail’s destructive power, just in case.
After sweeping away these nuisances, it would take care of that enemy. When the time came, Cure Elim would use that magic on its claws and fangs, and finish things in close combat to prevent him from fleeing. It would seize with its claws and pin it to the ground, then crunch him to pieces with its fangs.
Perhaps it ought to widen its World-Separating Wall to prevent enemy reinforcements from further intervening. But that would drain a great deal of power, and so it would prefer not to use it. However, it might have no choice, depending on the circumstances.
It reached the filth’s lackeys, and then used its long tail to sweep all of them with wind-parting force.
“What!”
Cure Elim was shocked. Something had been destroyed when its tailed had swept through the filth. However, nearly half of the undead seemed intact.
Cure Elim did not consider its tail swipes to be the mightiest of its kind. It would probably be nothing much compared to the Swordmaster Dragon Lord. However, it was impossible for them to be unhurt.
Had they completely defended against it somehow? Or — could it be, those undead were as powerful as the Dragon Emperor’s filth?
The latter was impossible. If that was the case, he should have thrown them into the fray from the beginning. If not, then what other reason could there be?
Spells flew from the remaining undead and pared away at Cure Elim’s strength. The enemy approaching from behind also cast two spells at it. The Air Elemental did not seem to have descended.
What should it do?
How could it turn this situation around?
Cure Elim thought.
In the end, it came to the two options of “fight” or “flight.”
One Cure Elim said that it ought to flee. Cure Elim barely had any vitality left. Under these circumstances, it would be very difficult to defeat that intact opponent. Now was the time to retreat for the time being and readjust itself before fighting again.
But the other Cure Elim said this: Are you going to run again? After depleting your collected souls and using Wild Magic and having nothing to show for it? Will you let it end like this?
…That’s right!
Cure Elim had already bade its weak self farewell.
It was no longer its old self.
It swore to annihilate the filth of the Dragon Emperor, here and now.
Having made up its mind, Cure Elim used its most powerful attack.
While it had been ineffective against its most hated enemy, there was no way it would not work against the undead before it.
Therefore—
Cure Elim fired the huge black beam from its mouth.
●
Suzuki Satoru verified that as he used [Fly] to close the distance.
The members of “Corpus of the Abyss” who had been forced into the battle had been annihilated. Even the Primal Air Elemental that was airborne to ward against Cure Elim taking flight had met the same fate.
Naturally, Suzuki Satoru had been attacked as well. However, it had no effect on him because of the protection of his World Class Item.
If this were in the game, Suzuki Satoru would have screamed “you shitty devs” at the idea that such a broken attack could be used twice in rapid succession.
However, in a live battle, he had no choice but to accept it.
Suzuki Satoru breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that his opponent had chosen to stand and fight instead of fleeing made him happier than being able to nullify that attack.
Of course, that was why he had chosen to provoke his enemy. However, taking the special qualities of the undead into consideration, it was very likely that it might have chosen to flee once the situation proved untenable. Suzuki Satoru would have run if things had turned disadvantageous. His opposition had no reason not to do so either. Therefore, he had been very lucky.
However, it was strange that his opponent had not called for its friends. If one could not win alone, then surely one would choose to attack in a group.
Suzuki Satoru mentally tilted his head in puzzlement. Was that because of pride or something?
If that were the case, then it would truly be laughable.
The arrogance of the strong was delicious to the weak.
The members of “Corpus of the Abyss” vanished, and Cure Elim’s ray stopped.
Suzuki Satoru gave them his sincere thanks. Cure Elim turned, and then it spoke — in a voice that was surprisingly calm, but which was laced with undertones of a blazing inferno.
“One more time, I can only use this one more time.” It was a lie.
Suzuki Satoru scoffed at Cure Elim’s words. Where could one find an enemy who would reveal their weaknesses?
“This day — all my efforts up to this day! To think! To think!”
There was no need to reply. His response to Cure Elim’s cry was an attack spell. In truth, the staff had already indicated that Suzuki Satoru should “fuck this bitch up.” However Suzuki Satoru could not help answering Cure Elim.
“—You ruined my friend’s life and plunged her into an abyss of misfortune!
Your life’s work deserves to end in nothing, you son of a bitch!” There was no more need for words.
“[Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash]—”
“—[Triplet Magic – Wall of Skeleton].” Suzuki Satoru’s eyes went wide.
A wall of bones suddenly appeared in front of Cure Elim, intercepting the [Reality Slash].
Behind the wall of bones that had been rent by the [Reality Slash] was Cure Elim, whose torso was coiled in preparation to lunge.
It had never used tier-based spells until now. Did it still have the strength to fight?
Suzuki Satoru began to panic.
His opponent’s health was almost gone, but its mana was still full.
He sensed the staff asking him “Can we smack him down now?” and responded with “「Wait a bit.」”
“[Triplet Magic – Undying Flame].”
As that fifth-tier spell took effect, Cure Elim’s hooked claws and fangs blazed with bluish-white flame. This was a spell that added negative energy and fire damage.
He had finished all the experiments he had planned over the past five years. However, it looked like it had been patched. The bug that caused undead targets struck by it to gain infinite healing was no more.
In that case, it was probably just planning to add fire damage to its natural attacks. That would make it an even lower-tier spell.
—Is it in some kind of mode where it can only use spells of the necromantic specialization?
He theorized that this was the case, but he lacked the information to draw a conclusion.
Suzuki Satoru had not prepared any spells specifically to deal with Cure Elim.
Instead, he ordered the staff: “「Go.」”
The spell it cast was called “[Summon Primal Water Elemental].”
The water erupting from the ground took on a massive humanoid shape. At the same time, Cure Elim charged without hesitation. Upon seeing this, Suzuki Satoru could not help but feel relieved.
His opponent was clearly trying to achieve victory in close combat — because it did not want to get drawn into a long-range fight. Simply put, his foe had decided that it would lose to Suzuki Satoru in a shooting war of spells. From that point of view, he could conclude that even with ample mana, his opponent would not be able to make full use of it under these circumstances.
And the most important thing was that his foe had chosen close combat, while Suzuki Satoru had already summoned up a shield.
In that case, why had it waited until now to use tiered spells? As Suzuki Satoru thought, he arrived at a possible answer.
Cure Elim did not want to use the magic that he called “the Dragon Emperor’s filth.” Therefore, it had only cast aside his taboo against tiered magic right at the end, when it had been driven into desperation.
Ahhh, what an idiot.
Suzuki Satoru mocked Cure Elim’s stupidity.
In truth, Cure Elim could have won.
Due to the difference in their sizes, it could have trampled Suzuki Satoru flat. However, its carelessness, its ignorance, and most importantly, its arrogance had all contributed to its defeat.
Even in the face of this reckless suicide attack, Suzuki Satoru did not relax. That was because he suspected that it was an act, or it was looking for a chance to slip away.
Who knows, he might just run away on the spot.
As he considered that such a thing might happen, he prepared the spell that he would need to respond to it. That was also why Suzuki Satoru did not cast a spell, but kept looking straight at Cure Elim as he charge in.
The staff cast one of its once-a-day spells, [Vermilion Nova], scorching Cure Elim’s flesh.
However, it did not break its pace in the slightest. Was it because the undead felt no pain, or because its determination overrode it?
It doesn’t matter anymore.
Indeed.
None of that mattered any more. There was no need to learn about Cure Elim’s state of mind. It was just like how it would be pointless to speculated on the thoughts of an opponent which could not be baited in any way. All that was left was to wear it down until it was dead.
In front of Cure Elim, the Primal Water Elemental stood as a shield in front of Suzuki Satoru.
It did not intend to try for a lunge. Instead, Cure Elim seized the Primal Elemental’s throat.
Perhaps it planned to use its weight to bowl over the summoned monster, but the Primal Elemental was resistant to such things. As one of the undead, surely Cure Elim’s attacks could inflict various status ailments. However, the Primal Elemental was also highly resistant to such attacks. One could say that it was immune to virtually all negative effects.
As Cure Elim gnawed at its neck, it raked wildly with its sharp foreclaws. As expected of a high-tiered elemental, it still had vitality left over even after being attacked by a Dragon that was stronger than itself.
Ahhh, what an idiot. You had one more shot, so you should have used it.
As it tore at the Elemental’s throat, Cure Elim locked its hate-twisted crimson eyes on Suzuki Satoru.
Cure Elim was almost out of stamina. That big, beautiful HP bar was now nearly depleted, like a candle in the wind.
The high-tier spells from the staff and Suzuki Satoru — who had concluded that his foe would not try to escape — assailed Cure Elim as it grappled with the Primal Elemental.
The fire in its crimson eyes flared brightly — and then faded.
“Damn you damn youdamnyoudamnyou… damn you… damn… you…”
Still spilling curses from its mouth, Cure Elim’s ruined body began to disintegrate and flake away. Just them, the Primal Elemental’s slam attack hit with explosive force, and Cure Elim broke into two. Like a piece of spun glass, Cure Elim’s remnants scattered on the wind, and then vanished as though melting into the air.
There was nothing left — a most unprofitable victory. He could still have gotten some value out of a corpse, if one had remained. Was this because it was an undead Dragon? Or had it saved its last shot in order not to leave a corpse behind?
Suzuki Satoru had no idea.
“…Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, huh.”
The barrier around them had vanished, and all the undead responses were gone. Just in case, he ought to check the surrounding area to make sure it had been fully annihilated. While he had encountered many kinds of undead, he had not heard of any which could come back to life after being obliterated. Still, he could not entirely rule out the possibility.
“Haaah…” Suzuki Satoru sighed in relief.
“I didn’t get a chance to use the [Nuclear Mine], the Death Knights, and the Overlord Undead General.”
There were two more cards he had not played yet, and he had held the upper hand throughout the second battle. However, he had been walking a tightrope during that fight. After all, his foe might very well have had aces in the hole. It was possible that he had just happened to negate all of his opponent’s moves and thus won handily.
That was why he hated fighting opponents that he knew little about.
He wanted to celebrate his victory, but he felt so little joy that it was pitiful.
This victory had not been because of his individual combat strength, but due to his use of tactics, a strategy which led to an eventual victory. Had any part of his plan failed, it would probably have been Suzuki Satoru and not Cure Elim who would have been destroyed just now. If he became arrogant because of this overwhelming victory, he might be the one to be annihilated next time. With that in mind, Suzuki Satoru stepped his caution up further.
And to some extent, Suzuki Satoru had lost.
I didn’t manage to find a way to save Keno’s parents, huh.
He had been worried that if he had remained obsessed with that information and Cure Elim had seen that, he would have no way to win. After all, if he exposed his weaknesses, it was possible that they could be exploited.
He had gone “tch” back then because he knew he had lost his only chance to gather information.
Suzuki Satoru looked around at the empty desert around him.
Since he did not know when Cure Elim’s reinforcements would arrive, it would be best to scan his surroundings for relevant information. But before that, there was something he needed to do.
“Now then, I need to send her a [Message].”
●
Should she have said that it was as she had expected? Before the door opened, the sight of the chains hanging on the handle in one piece had told her everything. Even so, Keno quietly closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them.
Nothing had changed. What she had seen just now was not some deception or illusionary landscape, but reality.
She was in the sewers of Inveria. Keno opened the hidden room that had been closed five years ago, but the three people inside were still mindless Zombies. As she had thought, things would not go so easily.
“Keno…”
Behind her stood the mightiest magic caster in the world, and also Keno’s travelling companion. He called out to her in worry. Keno turned around, taking care to smile.
“Mm. No need to worry, Satoru. I’m not hurt by this. I just thought, it really was this way after all.”
“Is that so…”
“Mm… Say, Father, Mother.”
She looked at the three moaning people in the room, and addressed them.
“Satoru avenged everyone.”
They probably would not be happy even if she told her that, because they were not intelligent enough to be. She knew this would happen, but the pain stabbing at Keno’s heart eased a little.
“…Keno.”
“I’m fine. It’s alright, Satoru. You don’t need to worry. This world is a big place. Therefore — it’s possible that there might be an item that could help everyone, don’t you think?”
“Of course!”
There was no expression on Suzuki Satoru’s face, but his voice told her that he was very happy.
Surely anyone who could show feelings like this to others must be very kind.
“Yeah. The world is large. Let’s go see this world — together.”
“Yeah. I know I might hold you back a little, but — I’ll be in your care, Satoru.”
“Ahh, I should be saying that, Keno.”
Keno looked back at her family members in the cell.
Would it be okay to leave them like this?
Keno clenched her hand into a fist.
Would killing them and freeing their souls from those hideous bodies not be a mercy? Perhaps those souls might still be suffering, even now.
But having one person deciding the fates of others — even if it was right to do so — might well be a very arrogant way of thinking. However, one could say that there was only one person who could make this decision, and that was Keno.
She had the feeling that she would not be able to find a way to restore her family to normal, even if she searched the entire world. That was why she had once abandoned that line of thought. However, now that Suzuki Satoru had destroyed the culprit behind the incident, it was true that Keno had gained a new sliver of hope.
She could feel Suzuki Satoru start to worry about her spacing out. It would seem she would have to make a decision right now. Otherwise, even Satoru would start agonizing over this.
This time, Suzuki Satoru had fought for her. In that case—
“—Time to hit the road again. Let’s go, Satoru.”
“Ah, ahhh, well, it’s good as long as you feel that way, Keno.” She waved to the three people inside, and walked with Satoru.
Keno had chosen to leave the problem alone.
Originally, she should have chosen to finish off the three of them herself and not endanger Satoru any further. That was the proper way to thank someone who had shown such kindness to her. However, she still could not bring herself to do so, even now.
Keno looked at the sewer shrouded in darkness — at the room which held her family — one last time.
When she came back here again, would she come to rescue them, or destroy them?
Keno turned her eyes to Suzuki Satoru’s back, a back she had been watching for nearly five years.
Then, she quickened her footsteps, until she was side by side with Satoru and holding his hand as they walked together. How long had it been since she had done such a child-like thing?
She could tell, more or less, from the way Suzuki Satoru had glanced down at her.
However, she did not say anything, and neither did Suzuki Satoru. His hand — his icy cold hand, from which one could not feel the slightest trace of body heat — felt warm to Keno.
And then, the two of them went forth.
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