CHAPTER 83
The Ex–Demon Lord and the Hunt for Magic
The Strange Cube. A device created by a certain Evil God that could change the world as we know it. And its activation had done just that.
Alvarto Egzex. Lizer Bellphoenix.
My former subordinates had outdone me. I’d lost everything precious to me in this era. My classmates had turned into monsters, and Ireena—the girl who meant more to me than anything in the world—had fallen into enemy hands.
Not even our magic was spared, as the enemy snatched it away. The situation couldn’t possibly get any worse.
So what?
I—we would never give up. We would steal the Strange Cube, rescue Ireena, and save the world…and to do that—
We were currently racing through the old capital of Kingsglaive.
All the residents in the former capital had been turned into monsters. A horde of demons—Alvarto’s subordinates—had been stationed there, ready to stop our advance…but no one could hold us back. Not even a stream of enemies.
“Surround them! Don’t let ’em get by!”
“There are only five of them! How are we failing to stop them?!”
“Call for backup! They’ll break through at this rate!”
The city was now a battlefield. Angry shouts and the sounds of a violent blitz overlapped in a terrible din. Cobblestones were smashed. Buildings collapsed. Dust was kicked up. We weaved through the main drag, racing past the damage while cutting down anyone who stood in our way.
“Hah!” A flash of Olivia’s sword and demons were cleaved in two.
Olivia was the world’s best swordsperson in both name and spirit. I’ve depended on her during battles—past and present—for her mastery of the sword and raw power. Her strength, therefore, hadn’t been impacted by the loss of magic.
“Black Hole! Black Hole! Black Hooooole!”
Verda Al-Hazard.
Like Olivia, the mad scientist—and former Heavenly King—was operating in her usual way, despite the circumstances. She was using some kind of power that even I didn’t fully comprehend. Dark vortexes opened in the sky, sucking up enemies en masse.
“I’m not gonna let you guys have all the fun!”
“I’ll fulfill my role!”
Sylphy and Ginny. Each of them had a long sword held tight in their hands. They were virtually helpless on the battlefield without magic, but their blades, possessed of peculiar hilts, made up for it some.
Responding to the girls’ cries, the lines at the center of the hilts glimmered. An instant later…Sylphy rushed forward at impossible speeds, slicing through foes like a flash of lightning. Ice knives formed around Ginny, shooting toward any opponent obstructing her path.
“Gah…! Didn’t they lose their magic?! How are they able to do this…?!”
The answer was Verda. She’d predicted this situation and devised a plan to compensate for our handicaps—internal magic devices.
If you charged the collection unit embedded in the hilt with magic beforehand, you could draw upon it instead of your own power. This was how Sylphy, Ginny, and I were fighting next to Olivia.
“…That said, it doesn’t seem like you’ll need me.”
They were all jumping in before I could make a move, taking care of every threat in sight. It had been this way since the moment we set foot in Kingsglaive, which meant I hadn’t landed a single attack. To be honest, I felt a little bad.
“You’re our final line of defense, Ard!” Ginny assured.
“Yup! It’s just not your time yet!” Verda agreed.
“Leave these minions to us,” Olivia added.
“We’ll show ya what we can do on our own!” Sylphy said.
I watched my friends conduct themselves like heroes in an action scene before sprinting down the path they’d cleared for us.
Verda began to cackle. “Wow, they weren’t kidding about finding strength in numbers! I can’t believe this is the same road that seemed impossible to follow!”
She was referring to the moment when she and Olivia had scrambled to the research lab to complete a particular magic device right after the world changed. Lizer must have anticipated they might, because the town quickly became plagued with monsters, demons waiting for their arrival. Verda and Olivia, capable as they were, had been overpowered and forced to retreat. Sometime after that, they’d met up with us—which brings us to now.
“I’m praying they didn’t destroy the lab!”
“Don’t you have some barriers in place over the whole thing?”
“I guess. But I’m pretty sure they won’t last long. Al and Lizer feel threatened by my inventions. I wouldn’t be surprised if they broke ’em already.”
If that happened, it’d be over for us.
I hoped the lab was intact as I pressed forward. The demons continued their assault, attempting to surround us, but it was all in vain.
We scattered them—kicking, trampling, and annihilating our way to our destination.
Then finally…we saw it. There, at the end of the long road before us: the lab.
A sparkling, semicircular golden dome protected the grounds, and the building itself didn’t have so much as a scratch.
“Seems we’ve made it in time.”
We needed only to continue forward, and we would be that much closer to rescuing Ireena.
I needed to bring her back. I would give my own life if it meant she returned home.
“Stop them! Now!”
“Freeze! Don’t move!”
“Where the hell is he?!”
This was a do-or-die moment for the enemy. Their onslaughts were the toughest attacks we’d faced…but it wasn’t enough to stop us.
We trampled everything in our way and pressed on. The destination was right before our eyes. And just as we were about to reach it, a man slowly appeared from around the corner of the lab.
We stopped in our tracks. We had no other choice.
“…So they’re introducing their final line of defense here, huh?” I scowled at him like the others were doing.
He looked like an old vagabond. Disheveled reddish-brown hair. Five-o’clock shadow. Ragged hemp clothes that added to his shabby look.
“…He isn’t just any old man.”
We nodded at Olivia’s evaluation. That wanderer wasn’t fooling anyone here.
Olivia quietly assessed our enemy. “He’s tall. Muscular. Spry body. Those calf muscles—curiously big. I imagine he’s a soldier who specializes in close combat… Watch out, everyone.”
“Obviously. I knew that. And I haven’t been able to spot a single opening.”
Olivia and Sylphy seemed aware of who we were dealing with. The tension was evident in their faces. Meanwhile, the demons watched the ongoing situation in silence as if they hadn’t just been trying to kill us.
“He’s finally here…!”
“Talk about last minute. But at least he made it in time…”
“Even these guys—monsters in their own right—can’t beat him without their magic…!”
Their comments contained hope, trust, and reverential fear.
With all eyes on him, the man in question spoke gravely. “I will take your life.”
A calm, quiet voice. It held neither hostility nor bloodlust, which was probably why…no one had time to react when he drew the sword at his side.
“Ngh!”
He was like the embodiment of a gale. We realized the man was right in front of Olivia. A split second later, there was a flash of bare steel.
He had challenged Olivia to a swordfight. If this had been any typical opponent, one might assume they were completely out of their mind. However—
“Tch!”
She evaded the first swing. The second, she defended against with her magical blade. By the third, she swung back but caught empty air. The man had already moved behind Olivia.
“Aaaaaargh!”
With a mighty cry, Sylphy launched an attack of her own. The sword thrust was lightning-fast and deadly sharp, aiming for the side of his face. But it never made contact.
Just as the tip of the sword was about to find its mark…the enemy’s figure rippled like a mirage and vanished.
This was no act of magic. He had dodged with sheer agility…which is to say, at impossible speed.
“Olivia vel Vine. I don’t think you have what it takes to be called a master swordsperson,” muttered the man as he stood directly in front of the research lab like some sort of gatekeeper.
Usually, Olivia would have immediately shot back. However, she didn’t say anything this time, a trail of sweat trickling down her forehead. If Sylphy hadn’t blocked, Olivia might have been defeated. Reality left her speechless.
“I’ve no interest in greenhorns. You’re my only target,” the man whispered, leveling the tip of his weapon at me. “The name’s Sergia Nagan. I wish to have a one-on-one fight with you, Ard Meteor.”
“…You want a duel, even though you have the power to take us all on?”
The enemy seemed to catch that I was skeptical of his motives.
He shook his head. “I don’t have any cunning schemes in mind. There are two reasons why I want to battle you alone. First, it is my preference. I won’t be satisfied unless I engage directly with someone I deem worthy. Second…if I defeat you, Ard Meteor, I will be able to have a fight to the death with my liege. That’s my greatest wish. It is the only reason I, Sergia, have lived this long.”
“My liege.” He had to be talking about Alvarto. Then did that mean this man was from the ancient past, too? Only the soldiers who were directly under Alvarto’s command called him that.
If this was the case, I had no doubt that he was a skilled soldier.
“…Ard, it might not be right, but we should all attack him,” Ginny whispered in my ear.
I’d accept this duel, and we’d ambush him. I imagined Ginny thought this would guarantee our victory.
“You’re right that it would make sense to take advantage of our numbers. But…I’m afraid that’s not a good idea in this situation. In fact, there is a decent chance that it will do more harm than good.”
In order to have strength in numbers, you needed team cooperation. And how unified were we, really? I’d say a little. We were at our strongest when we acted as individuals, so I knew teamwork wasn’t our forte. Taking on a warrior like Sergia as a unit would be a huge mistake. There was no question that we’d fall apart and be crushed under his thumb.
“I hate to admit it, but I gotta side with Ard here,” said Sylphy.
“I’m not a fan of Ginny’s plan, so I’ll also pass,” Verda concluded.
Olivia looked directly at me. “…Can we leave this to you?”
She was certain that I was the only one who could take this man down. She believed I could do it. And so—
“Please leave this to me.”
I had no choice but to deliver on my promise.
“Ginny. Stand back with everyone.”
“Okay.” Ginny believed in me and conceded without argument.
With my friends now safely out of harm’s way, I took a step forward.
“Should we begin?” I asked as I readied my sword, feet wide under me.
My enemy leaned forward in response.
“Very well—”
And then he charged.
As I expected, he was fast. Incredibly so. Before I knew it, his sword was gleaming right in front of me.
I could handle it. As his sword swung down on me, I jumped to the side, simultaneously casting an elemental attack spell. A host of circles appeared around Sergia, and an instant later, a maelstrom of sorcery raged around him.
Wind blades. Ice pillars. Fireballs. Rocks. Lightning. A deluge from all sides. This would normally end any average battle, but—
“Boring.”
A hoarse voice. The following moment…Sergia’s hand traced an elegant arc, flashing silver. He unleashed over a thousand slashes that struck the elemental spells…
“Olivia vel Vine is not the only one who specializes in slicing.”
He sliced through my attacks, rendering them void.
This technique was Olivia’s specialty. As someone who excelled only in wielding the sword, she had crafted a fang of her own—something unbeatable—to take on strong magical opponents. I had to wonder how Olivia felt about a demon weaponizing the same technique. It couldn’t have been a good feeling, but I didn’t have the luxury of pondering this too much.
By the time I thought, Here he comes, Sergia was upon me. We crossed swords—one, two, three times. As our weapons met, embers sparking, my mind raced.
He’s strong.
This soldier was an excellent resource. As a demon, he had been born with incredible magic abilities, but he’d chosen to fight with just a sword. I could sense the obsession behind his aesthetics with every slice of his sword.
“…I suppose Alvarto’s followers are more than talk.”
At this stage, he had rendered my magic useless. Our battle turned into a clash of swords…but Sergia Nagan was more skilled in this field. I’d undoubtedly lose if I fought on his terms.
“The outcome of battle was decided before we even started… You said so yourself, Your Highness.”
Despite figuring out my identity, Sergia looked unbothered. At the same time, he didn’t seem to exhibit any pride in his own strength. He did not indicate that anything had stirred him during the battle.
There was only nothingness to him. A void. He was still and silent like the water’s surface.
“I will take your head.”
He was ready to deal the final blow. As soon as I felt this—
“Secret Sword Technique: Snake Twist.”
Sergia’s blade writhed, and the long sword in my own hand went flying up into the blue sky.
“!!”
Sensing danger, I jumped back as far as I could and felt something graze past me. As soon as I landed, my eyes darted down to look at my stomach.
…If I had jumped back even a second later, my guts would have splattered on the ground. There was a single rip across my shirt, and blood seeped from my skin.
Anyone with eyes could see that I was in trouble, which got the demons buzzing.
“So close!”
“He’s basically done for.”
“He’s got no sword, either. Ard Meteor doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“I mean, he can’t use magic without it. He’s totally helpless.”
“I knew Sergia could take down Ard Meteor.”
Everyone was confident of Sergia’s victory, anticipating my imminent death. Everyone except…
Olivia. Ginny. Sylphy. Verda.
None of my friends held a hint of despair in their eyes or expressions. Dire as things appeared, they didn’t doubt I would win.
I, too, was confident in my abilities.
“I recognize your powers. However—”
I wasn’t scared about being empty-handed. I looked at my opponent.
“Your sword has strength and nothing more—it’s a skill that’s been finessed through your obsession with aesthetics. Sergia Nagan. Your blade—it has no heart.”
I extended my right hand toward him and curled my index finger toward me. Come hither.
Sergia recognized on the cue. He leaned forward, shouldering his blade—and kicked up a whirlwind as he rushed forward.
In the span of a second, he had closed the space between us. Now that I’d lost Verda’s sword, I’d become just a villager—helpless in every sense. Sergia seemed to pick up on this. He, however, didn’t let his guard down in his mission to kill me. He wasn’t about to trip up now. Even at the very last moment—even with victory practically in the palms of his hands—nothing had washed over his heart. He was, without a doubt, a warrior to be reckoned with.
However…
“A blade without heart is a blade that elicits no fear.”
Sergia and I both made our move. I could only make out a gleam of something.
The brightness of his bare blade was blinding. My body—as a typical nobody—was at its limit. I couldn’t possibly counter the flash of my enemy’s blade.
But…I was going to move. I had to. After all, I had something that allowed me to go far beyond the limits of this mortal body.
And that was my heart—the power of it.
I would save my friends. I would save the world. I would save Ireena. I was breaking past these bounds with my sense of purpose and sincerity.
I stopped the enemy blade aimed straight at my head by grabbing it with a hand.
“You stopped it…?! With a bare hand…?!”
This was the first time Sergia’s heart stirred. It was here that the battle was decided. I refused to let this opportunity pass me by, carrying out the best plan I could under the circumstances.
I swung my right leg up—and brought it down on him in a high kick.
A disappointingly simple but fascinatingly violent move. The force of my attack came down on Sergia’s head.
“ Ngh!”
That quick moan ended everything. The light faded from his eyes and he dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. Silence filled the air. The demons—leisurely spectators until now—broke out in a cold sweat.
“Y-you gotta be kidding…!”
“Impossible…! There’s no way that he beat Sergia with his bare hands…!”
“He’s a monster! What do we do now…?!”
Gone were their high spirits.
As they appraised me, I looked around at each of them. “Shall we continue?”
They trembled from head to toe. None had the will to fight left.
“Shit!”
“I ain’t throwin’ my life away here…!”
“We have to back down…!”
Like dogs with their tails between their legs, the demons fled. Soon, we were the only ones left.
“I knew you could do it, Ard!” Ginny cried.
“I knew you could do it—obviously!” Sylphy added. “I mean, I put my trust in you, after all!”
“…Hmph,” Olivia muttered.
“You sure are an interesting one! Let me dissect you once all this is over!” Verda said.
I smiled at their praise.
“Let us get going. It’s time we turned things around,” I said, pointing at the lab—barrier and all.
Soon after Verda released the seals, we entered the grounds of the research lab.
The exterior had Verda’s brand of weird eccentricity all over it, but the interior was surprisingly normal. As we passed through the hallway, I remained alert and checked for danger around the corners. Things got very dangerous when you thought you were in the clear. It’s the time when everyone starts to drop their guard.
I was worried the enemy would use that moment to strike…but my fears were unfounded. We progressed through the lab without incident and arrived at a spacious room.
“Oh…it’s quite impressive…,” Ginny marveled.
The room was evidently used to develop magical tools and equipment and conduct experiments. The right side of the room was neatly lined with workbenches and everything necessary for production. The left was reserved for experiments. Physical barriers were set up everywhere, presumably out of caution.
“All righty! Let’s get cookin’!”
Thrilled to be back on her own turf, Verda skipped over to one of the workbenches, where she opened a knapsack and lined up several ingredients on the desk…
“Oh, right. The whole town might go bye-bye while I’m working, but we can worry about that later. Just think of it as a stroke of bad luck and move on!”
And with that worrisome warning, Verda set to work.
Not long after, we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario, and the magic devices we’d set our hopes on were completed. They looked like very basic silver bracelets. Their purpose, however…was to restore our magic. You had to be wearing the bracelet for it to be effective, but the user would be able to use spells again.
“Okey dokey. Let’s test these babies out and see if they work!”
We moved over to the experiment area on the left side of the room, extended our palms toward the air, and cast a spell. As for the results—
“Stellar, it seems.”
“Now I won’t be dead weight…!” Ginny’s spirits soared.
“Ahhhh! Demise! I’ll never let you go again!” Sylphy could once again summon her Holy Sword.
Olivia was never one for magic, so she didn’t have much of an opinion. At any rate, we’d just taken a giant step closer to our final objective.
“Ever since the world transformed, we’ve been like wild mice running from cats, under constant fear of death. But that all ends today. From now on, we will be the hunters.”
Everyone nodded at my statement, morale high.
“We’ll rescue Miss Ireena…!”
“We’ll make ’em so mad, they explode!”
“For my pupils…and my potato field. I will save them.”
“Games are all about winning! And we’re the underdogs!”
Their faces beamed with hope. I felt the same way. Now we had nothing to fear. We would push straight ahead and save the world. It was our sole objective.
“Okay then—,” I said, rallying together my trusted friends…
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…
A noise echoed.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Was that applause I heard?
Someone was clapping. It wasn’t me. Or Ginny. Or Sylphy. Or Olivia. Or Verda.
Someone else was here.
As soon as this realization hit me…
A chill ran through our group.
Pores opened up, making us slick with sweat. We stood there, frozen.
I knew I was supposed to be taking note of our surroundings, but I found that I couldn’t even move my head. My fingers involuntarily trembled. Sweat beaded on my face.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
The sound was growing closer. Someone was approaching. At the same time, a cacophonous chorus started ringing in my head—something unpleasant like a string instrument being violently plucked. My mind was losing its grip on reality. I couldn’t think straight with this sickening noise. Composure left me. I was led deeper into a trance.
—It was fear.
We were being driven into a state of overwhelming fear.
But who? Who was it? Who in this world could fill everyone, myself included, with such terror?
…The truth was, I knew who it was. There was only one person who could do this.
But I rejected the idea. I told myself that it was impossible and banished the thought. There was no way that he had returned. He mustn’t be allowed to return. And besides, didn’t we seal him away back then?
With the Heavenly Kings and their subordinates, we had already taken our revenge. Revenge against the monster who had stolen our loved ones from us. Revenge against the monster who had stolen our dignity. Revenge against the beast who was the sworn enemy of all creation.
After all that, there was no way he could ever return—
“Engaging in escapism? That’s not like you, honey.”
As soon as I heard the sudden whisper, a darkness blew in like a storm.
“It can’t be…!”
“This nasty feeling…!”
“This is bad.”
“What’s happening…?!”
A dark aura stormed around us. It finally gathered at one point, converged together—
—and descended upon us.
As silence fell over the room, he appeared before us.
“…Impossible,” I breathed.
I was helpless to do anything but stand dumbfounded. My mind was blank.
“…Impossible,” I repeated like a fool.
This was never supposed to happen… The man, the monster before my eyes, was exactly as I remembered him.
A small body, short and childlike. His clothes were odd, not attributable to any particular era or country. His appearance suggested one who was truly alone and independent.
His features were angelic, those eyes twinkling to an unsettling degree. His long, silky black hair flowed down to the floor… He was nauseatingly beautiful—a nightmare in human form.
As soon as he noticed my reaction, his lips curled into a twisted grin. He spoke in a tone repulsively eloquent.
“See? We meet again.”
It was like we were continuing from where we left off. I never thought this day would come, yet now he stood before me.
The old war. The final battle of the ancient past—the one between humanity and the Evil Gods.
He had left me with one last thing: “I won’t become a memory.”
I’d assumed he was being a sore loser. That was what I wanted to think.
I wanted to believe I was finally rid of him for good.
And yet…!
Shit! Dammit!
Rage bubbled in me—breaking through my agitation.
Olivia—my sister figure—was grappling with the same emotion.
I was sure Sylphy and Verda were, too. The only exception was Ginny, who was from the modern era.
Everyone from the ancient past felt the same sick animosity as we spat the name of our sworn enemy.
“Mephisto Yuu Phegor…!”
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