203 So instead...

After learning of what happened to my compatriot, I went with Ao to the Blue Demon King. The three Demon Lords, Duvraeoris, and the usual crew of Lakra, Ilias, Wolfe, and Mix. In addition, there was one more person accompanying them. He was a young knight named Cale, who belonged to the Tarzian Knights of Leanor.

"......, isn't this altitude too high?

"Too low, and Dar'agestia won't be able to fly fast enough.

Yes, that's right. ......

Cael was selected by Marito to watch over the Iliad and the others. He said that even though his abilities were inexperienced, he had the skills to make up for it. No one doubted that Marito was right, but Cale had already become fearful of everyone in the room.

Ecdysium, the border between the Ghanaian and Tarzan worlds is about to come into view. Don't forget to be vigilant of your surroundings.

You can't go directly from Taze to the Taze Demon Realm. That's because there's the Mountain of the Kuro Demon Slayer on the way. There is no one who knows the range of search and attack of the demon eaters nesting there. We had to avoid the risk of being detected by the worst demons that prey on the Scarlet Demon King and even the Kuro Demon King, so we had to head once to the Garne territory and proceed from the Garne Demon World to the Taze Demon World.

What kind of place is the Taze World? No human has ever set foot in the Thaze demon world before. If you have any prior information, I'd like to share it with you now.

We don't know the whole story either. We don't know the full extent of it, but I'm sure you'll understand it's different when you see it.

What does that mean?

What does that mean?" "Now that you mention it, you understand what it is. I can see a huge forest ahead of me. The Mejis, Ghanaian, and Quama worlds were all deserted wastelands. But in the Tarzan's World, there are a great many plants growing.

"Wow. So normal plants are produced in the demon world as well?

It's not normal, is it? We'll find out when we get there.

While Mix tilted his head, Dal'Agestia flew to the boundary of the TARIS demon world. And the boundary is ...... the boundary is .......

This is ......

The speed of the Dal'Agestia remained constant, and although I had expected it to arrive by eye, it had not yet reached the boundary. What this meant was that the forest they had been observing from afar was gradually getting bigger. It was clearly different in size. It would be ten times larger than an ordinary tree.

"There are plants in the demon world, Tarz. "There are plants in the demon world, Taze, but their size is much larger than those in the human world. It's probably due to the influence of the blue magic. ...... Dal'Agestia, gain more altitude!

"Rollo!

Dal'Agestia is gaining more altitude. As we pass through the trees, we realize that we have entered the magical world of Tarz. The magic power in the air is far more dense than in other magical worlds. If the wards covering our bodies were to be broken here, our bodies would be immediately harmed.

It's not like you're flying parallel to the ...... ground, is it?

Yes. We're gaining altitude as we go. The more we move towards the center, the more massive this magical plant will become.

The center. ......

That's where the Blue Castle is. Really, bigger is not always better!

L-lo-lo-o. ......

With trees this big, the earth is always dark. Even the roots that rise up are no different than climbing over a city wall. Traveling on foot would be quite difficult. If you don't use Dal'Agestia, you won't even be able to go straight. .......

I don't see any demons.

They're there, if you go down there. I don't want to deal with any of them because they're too big. I don't want to deal with them, they're all too big, but flying ones like wyverns might pop up. Well, not many monsters would be reckless enough to attack a monster as big as Dal'Agestia.

That's true.

Powerful demons tend to have territories in the center. It will be peaceful for a while.

It was tempting to wonder just how big this forest would grow, and if there would ever be an end to it. I can see that Ilias and the others are also overwhelmed by the sight they see for the first time. Only the Three Demon Lords and Duvraeus seemed to have any room to maneuver.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

"King Taze told me in advance," he said.

"...... is such a travesty of taste, isn't it?

"It's the only way I can keep you calm. I didn't know that Duvvlayo was to be your advisor.

Really? We should've invaded the Ghanaians.

Then he and I would have been enemies.

But then we would have met again, wouldn't we?

Demon lords are not the best of men.

You say that?

You say that?

What?

The one who rules the land, the one who hopes, the one who fights. Even a Mad King has his own personality. Then what kind of person is the Demon Lord of Blue?

"What kind of a person is the Blue, Blue Demon King?

"...... Well, I'd say he's the arrogant King Tarz.

"Oh, yes. Does that fit?

It's a good fit.

"Arrogant Brother ......, that's what ...... is.

Just hard-core relentlessness, huh? Ao and I both almost got killed by Blue once, didn't we?

Now that I think about it, it's a hell of an embarrassment.

According to the story, while each of them was being empowered by Yugra, the Demon Lords were fighting over trivial matters. In particular, the Scarlet Demon King and the Blue Demon King didn't see eye to eye, and they ended up killing each other. Ao and the Purple Demon King were caught up in it, and both the Scarlet Demon King and the Purple Demon King were driven to the brink of death. If not for the intervention of Yugra and the Kuro Demon King, they would have died for sure.

The Scarlet Witch King can be found at .......

It's the most powerful Demon Lord in existence. It's not as bad as the scarlet one because it doesn't turn into an enemy if you leave it alone, but it's the worst type of person to keep in touch with.

When Blue went at Kuro, I thought everyone was going to die.

I thought we were all going to die when Blue went toe-to-toe with Kuro. You thanked Yugra for that one time, didn't you?

I don't know what to make of this, but he is definitely a difficult opponent. I wonder if the negotiations will go smoothly. I'm not sure if I'll make it to the Blue Demon King in one piece.

Something's coming.

A clear hostility was directed at me. I could see a huge shadow flying from the forest beyond my vision. Even after seeing the image shown to me at Garne Castle, I was still overwhelmed by its appearance.

"A dragon?

The size of the dragon was a little smaller than that of the Daluagestia, but it was still a monster of a size that I had never seen in any other demon world. The dragon that appeared didn't seem to welcome us into its territory.

"Calm down, Cael. It's a powerful creature, no doubt, but it's nothing we can't handle.

Yes. If you're going to interfere, Dal'Agestia, let them know the difference in rank!

"Rorororoooo!

Dal'Agestia charges at the dragon that appears in front of her without fear. I use chains to bind my body to Dal'Agestia's bones so that those riding her will not be shaken off. The Purple Demon King uses the demon he has equipped, and Duvraeori stands by to set up a barrier.

In the air, Dal'Agestia and the dragon collide violently. They clash their claws and fangs against each other, each time sending a loud vibration through the air to our side.

"Guaaaah!

"Rorororor!

Even though the difference in size is almost even, Daluagestia is a demon beyond the unique class. The difference in physical strength is overwhelmingly in our favor. This is the first time I've ever been to the beach, and I've never been to the beach before.

"Hmph! What's that? You can't just think of Daluagestir as a skeleton dragon!

I'm not sure what to make of this. Which one is stronger than Duvraeus?

"Yes, Duvraeus?

I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not sure if he feels guilty about that, but he hasn't said a word to this point.

"......

"Oh? Are you not going to answer me?

...... No, it is true that the power of this Daluagestia is great. In a pure contest of strength, it would defeat me.

Well, does that mean I can't win?

If it is necessary, it can be done.

You can, can't you?

Well, let's see if they can compete. Dal'Agestia is the stronger of the two!

What do you think of that?

What do you think?

As the Golden Demon King said, after the earlier dragon crashed, dragons began to appear from the forest one after another. You can find more than a dozen of them, and some of them are as big as Daluagestia.

"It looks like they're just as pissed off as the others in the vicinity. Do you think you can get through?

"Who are you talking to? Can you afford it, Dal'Agestia?

"Rororo!

Dal'Agestia roars and checks on the dragons. We don't need to be there to support her...

"Whoa!

"Can we get past ......?

....... We'll be fine.

More dragons flew up from the forest, probably in response to Dal'Agestia's roar. In the midst of all this, a dragon far more massive than Dall'Agestia appeared.

The forest is noisy.

The forest is noisy, it seems that there is a visitor in the world of Taze. I can see it in the distance through the trees of the world.

The bone dragon ...... rides on its back. ...... Oh my.

I hadn't heard the details of his appearance, but from the wavelength of magic I could feel, there was definitely another Demon Lord. And it's not just one. If it was just an outsider, I could have dealt with it on my own, but ...... I'll have to talk to the king about it.

Go down the corridor to the bedroom where my king sleeps. I'm sure he'll at least listen to me when the demon king appears.

"O king, excuse me while I sleep.

I open the door and check inside. Behind the pulsating trees, a silhouette peeking out from a bed covered with a canopy cloth shows movement.

"Do not disturb my sleep, Neillertes.

A voice filled with anger echoes through the bedroom. My king is terrible after all. One wrong answer, and even I, a demon, would kill him without hesitation. But that's the beauty of it.

There's been an intruder in the demon world. Among them are the Demon Lords. The Gold Demon Lord, the Blue Demon Lord and the Purple Demon Lord all seem to be here.

"What about it?

Oh no... I might die.

What? ! It's been a while since I've had anything unusual to report!

I thought I'd get a rare report! Do you want to be a nursery?

I'll scream! And I don't want to be.

"If you reach the castle, ......, lead the way. Until then, we'll leave you alone.

Oh, I'm back to sleep. Heh, looks like I survived the day! Happy! I'm so happy, I can't stand the thrill of not knowing when I'm going to die! The thrill of not knowing when you're going to die is irresistible! ...... This was not the time to be indulging in pleasure.

I'm not sure what to do.

I bowed and left the bedroom. I'm not sure what to make of this. In fact, even though we are both Demon Lords, my King is, as the saying goes, a non-standard being, so it can't be helped. Now that the Kuro Demon Lord doesn't exist, my king is capable of wielding a power beyond reason that can easily eliminate other Demon Lords, let alone humans, if he wants to. That's why my king is uninterested in most things. So he sleeps. Until something more interesting than his own dreams appears.

"Hmm. What should I do? I have a feeling that something is about to happen that will awaken my king. ...... Well, maybe I can pick him up when he gets closer?

I'm not sure.

I'm sure you'll agree.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. If you slash it normally, the blade will only gouge a small area. He concentrates his magic power on the tip of his sword and builds a magic blade to expand the cutting area. The skin of a dragon is much harder than rock, but no magic strengthening techniques are used. So it is possible to damage it. He slashes off his wings and leaps toward Dal'Agestia, using the falling dragon as a foothold. What he lacks in distance, he makes up for with the pull of Ecdysium's chains.

"Ilias, can you make it?

"No problem. There's a lot of them, but I'd rather not run into one of those big ones.

I agree. If he swings his arm near my back, he could take us all out.

I don't think Dal'Agestia can be beaten!

Even if he doesn't, it's hard for us to get involved. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm going to have to. Mixu, keep an eye out for any changes in the surroundings.

It's hard to deal with a dragon of that size with a knife. ......

"Ilias, Wolfe, we'll deal with the biggest dragon of them all...

While Ecdysium prepares to attack, Wolfe leaps on the giant dragon by himself. I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it, but I'm sure you have.

I'm not a fan. I'm not sure what to do.

Don't ...... interfere!

In the eyes of a giant dragon, Wolfe's body is no better than a human winged insect. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. In the same way that I used my magic to extend the tip of my sword, Wolfe greatly increased the impact range of his fist. The dragon howled in pain and anger as it received the impact that caved in more than half of its torso, and swung its massive arms down at Wolfe. Wolfe swiftly swung his fist in its direction.

Aaaaah!

At the same time as the collision, the dragon's arm explodes. With a spray of blood, an enormous torrent of magic power flows towards you. This is similar to the technique used by ...... Harkdok. But the scale is much larger. After confirming the sequence of events, Ecdysium pulls on the chain and pulls Wolfe back to his side. Wolfe's entire body was stained with dragon's blood.

You're being too pushy, Wolfe. You need to properly gauge your opponent's strength before--

Don't worry! Wolfe will not be defeated!

Wolfe's eyes were even more glaring than usual. There's something different about his fighting spirit. I can feel that she is trying to fight for him, but she seems to be trying too hard.

When Wolfe tries to jump on the dragon again, Exoik restrains Wolfe with a chain.

"What? Mr. Exdoik?

Calm down. Take a good look at that dragon.

The dragon, which has lost one of its arms, is roaring, but does not seem to be attacking us. It stared at us for a while, but then turned its back and descended into the forest. As the largest of the dragons fled, the others fled as well.

"......

"Wolfe, you should have known that the dragon's will to fight was gone. It is important to inspire the will to fight, but it is useless if we lose our composure.

But it might attack us again!

...... Don't be afraid, Wolfe.

I'm not scared!

You're no better than a frightened beast now. Don't dwell on your defeat by the Scarlet Witch King.

"!

At Ecdysium's words, Wolfe turned his head and fell silent. I'm sure you're right, the battle with the Scarlet Witch King has left a deep scar in your heart. The Scarlet Witch King's power of "Struggle" took away my ability to fight. I'm not sure if it's because of this, but I still feel like I'm taking a step back when it comes to fighting. As a subhuman, Wolfe must have had an even stronger effect on me, imprinting an instinctive fear in me.

We understand that you are not perfect. But we still need your help. I'll help you, if not as much as my people. You may not like it, but you have to live with it for now.

"...... Yes.

I should have known. I should have said those words to him. I should have realized that he was gone, that he was gravely ill, and that I was letting the fears of those around me cloud my mind. I breathed and regripped my sword. Yes, you ordered me to take his place, didn't you? Now that he is gone, it is up to me to protect Ulfe and the others.

Thank you, Ecduke.

What's the matter?

The dullness in my sword is finally healing. I'll try to take his place, please help me.

...... Yes, of course.

The Exarch now seems to be more relaxed than before. You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

Just as I was getting back into the swing of things, a new pack of dragons appeared from the forest. It seems to be a different pack than the previous one, but there is still one rather large dragon. It seems to be a different pack from the previous one, but it is still a very large dragon. In terms of size, it may be overwhelming, but strangely, it doesn't frighten me.