337 be consequently harmed.

We were on our scheduled patrol route when we received a transmission from His Majesty. I had been told that it was a hunch, but I was right. If he had taken the traditional route, Lord Léanor's life would not have been saved in time.

Lord Reynaud was in sight at the moment of the break-in, but it was obvious that he was in no fit state to move.

"Jumping off the back of a wyvern is a bit reckless, Miss!

The Harkdogs descended from the back of the wyvern that had come down from the sky. We've got the numbers now. Now we must concentrate on defeating the demon race in front of us, the Zahava.

There are more and more of them ......, and two men who smell disgusting ......!

I've been washing myself. You don't smell like a herc-dog either, do you?

No, he doesn't. Maybe he smells like a bastard.

Or... So, what do you think?

Oh, shit. If I hadn't been using my mind-altering drugs, I'd have collapsed, man.

I can see Harkdock's whole body is tensed up. Harkdock, who has a constitution that causes him to faint when he encounters a demon lord under normal circumstances, has been prescribed an antidote for this battlefield.

It is said that he can endure to some extent if he is on the alert, but Barastos prepared it for him because it would be dangerous if he encountered the demon lord unexpectedly.

I'm not sure what to do. Gilista, learn the moves and take care of things as you see fit. Harkdock, take that old man with the beard over there to his men.

Arcreal drew his sword and ran towards Zahava without hesitation. After seeing his movement, I stepped in and closed the distance.

Are you coming at me? Are you sure you're not crazy?

A spider's leg sticks out from Zahava's body. The speed and power of the attack rivaled that of Lord Ragdoll. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"Ah!

Oh, that's a fast thrust. And it's a hard leg.

Of the four blows that Zahava fired, three were evaded by Arcreal and cut off. The remaining one came at me, but I was able to avoid it by keeping low.

As reported by Lord Leanor, I could read the timing and aim of Zahava's attacks to some extent by looking at him. If I and Ark Real were to attack at the same time, the attacks would be dispersed and the number of moves would be reduced.

Zahava swung his spider legs toward me and tried to strike Arkreal, but he evaded and was cut down at the same time.

It was the height of absurdity that Arkreal's swordsmanship was able to evade and attack at the same time, and when he attacked, he was cut back. It is brilliant even if the opponent is not human.

But you cannot let your guard down. The spider's legs, which had been cut off earlier, have already regenerated. I'd say it's as good as or better than Neillertes' resilience.

"That's a convenient body. Not that I want to be.

That's annoying!

The three regenerated spider legs approached Arcreal from different directions and angles. It's harder to see through than a monotonous thrust, but the speed is much slower than the initial attack. That kind of attack will never hit you.

"I think you're smarter than that woman with the flapping legs. Don't you think?

I agree.

Arcreal dove to avoid the attack and slashed at Zahava's torso. I jumped out from behind Arkreal and chopped off Zahava's head. If this was a human opponent, it would have been the end, but this was a demon. The battle is not over yet.

As Zahava's body moved backward, a spider's leg skewered his head in midair and retrieved it. The head, pierced by the spider's leg and with one eye blown out, stares back at you.

"...... Yes. Even humans can get to that level.

The head is brought back to the neck position and the wound is quickly repaired. The damage from the current coordinated attack is almost non-existent. But the way it's regenerating now makes it clear. The core of Zahava is now in its head, and if we can destroy it, we will be able to kill it.

It is possible that he will move the core like Nektokhar, but then he will not try to recover the head. It would be necessary to chop off the head again and follow up with a follow-up attack while observing its reaction.

Zahava, right? You're pretty cool for a guy who just got his head chopped off.

I like killing people. I love it. Because the more you kill, the better it is for the Demon Lord. But I kill rationally. You can feel superior after you've killed them all. I want to enjoy the pleasure after it's all over, alone, to the fullest.

Zahava's gaze was fixed on me. In the depths of her gaze, you can see that she is not only enjoying killing, but also ruthlessly disposing of her enemy.

After the battle between Arcturial and me, it has reconfirmed its perception of us as enemies. We are not prey to be hunted down unilaterally, but an enemy to be eliminated.

You say it's for the sake of the Demon Lord, but at the end of the day, you just want to enjoy killing, don't you?

Killing for fun is for the sake of the Demon Lord. Don't you get it?

I don't get it. This is the ravings of a spider who's rotten to the core.

Then just kill it!

The spider's legs retracted once, then re-grew from front to back. Two from the front, two from the back. Two from the front, two from the back, each thrust into the ground and slowly lifted Zahava's body.

And the next moment, Zahaava's body flies toward me like a bounce. It was a leap using the legs of a non-human spider, and its momentum was close to that of Mursht's lunge.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

Arcreal, who should have been able to evade and counterattack at the same time, only managed to evade significantly. The reason for this was in Zahava's arm, the human hand.

Magic was released at the place where Arkreal had been just before, and the earth was gouged out. It seemed to be a gravity spell that created a localized high gravity field.

Approach the enemy, make them counterattack, and crush the entire area with magic. It was an attack that could not be avoided at a distance, which is why Arclial could not counterattack.

"Wielding magic instead of weapons. But then--!

At the end of the spell, he slashed at Zahava. Zahaava skillfully used the spider legs propped up on the ground and instantly turned his posture towards you. He then tries to unleash the gravity magic built into his hands.

"The magic seal stone!

That's right!

But my sword has a magic seal embedded in it. I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

Zahava's magic is neutralized, and he receives my slash with no way to prevent it. Let it reach his chest from his shoulder and stop the blade. Then I pour all my magic into the sword at once.

"d*mn it!

"Blast it!

I just let the magic power swell and burst wildly. This attack can't be that powerful against a body that has been strengthened with magic. But that's only if it's given from the outside. The torrent of magic that bursts from within blows Zahava's body, which is as hard as steel, to pieces.

"Ark Real! Cut off his head!

"I'll do it!

Arkreal leapt and swung his sword. He caught the head among the scattered bodies of Zahava.

If it is still alive after destroying the body, the core is still in the head. It will take some time for the body to regenerate to recover the head. Now--

"Hey, what makes you think you can win like that?

What?

Zahava's head changed its trajectory in midair, and Arclial's sword struck out. The head descended straight down and was sucked into Zahava's right arm, which was flying apart.

"That was--

"A thread. It must have been attached beforehand in anticipation of the neck and torso being separated.

The spider's thread is thin, but it can withstand the weight of the spider itself. The spider silk produced by the human-sized Zahava, with its magic strengthened, is quite strong.

The body is rapidly regenerating around Zahava's head. The fact that you couldn't kill him with your current tactics is quite painful.

It's going to be tough to crush his head.

But if you destroy the body like now, you'll have to rebuild it. It should be able to steadily reduce the magic power.

This demon race is strong both physically and mentally. This demon is strong both physically and mentally and is a formidable opponent.

I'm sure you can.

I'm sure you're right. King Taze wants us to watch out for demons on the Mejis side too.

"Yes. I have no intention of lowering my guard.

The war situation in each demon world is different. In the Taze demon world, the Blue Demon Lord's army is dominant. In the Garnet Realm, the demons have come to the front and the rangers have entered the fray. And in the Mejis demon world, a huge unique class demon has appeared on the front line and is rampaging.

Maja reported that a raiding party is already on its way to the front lines to fight, but there is no sign of the demons.

We should continue to be on the lookout for the demons, but it seems that their unique class is more troublesome than we imagined, and some of the rangers, including the Blue Demon King, are still there and continuing to engage them.

The Blue Demon King has a unique class of skeleton dragons called Daruagestia under his command. According to the reports, it is as strong as Duvraeori, the great demon that overwhelmed Yox. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's not the only one.

How's the front line looking?

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. However, there are many enemies, and they are preparing to fall back.

"It's going to be a long war. Ideally, we should defeat the entire enemy army in the Demon Realm, but I don't think we can be so naive.

The evacuation of the people of Mejis and the construction of the garrison in the country are progressing smoothly. The evacuation of the people of Mejis and the construction of a garrison in the country are progressing smoothly. His Holiness does not think that the Kuro Demon King's army can be suppressed by the Mejis demon world alone from the beginning. He is prepared to use the whole of Mejisu as a battlefield.

The evacuation of the remaining volunteers in this village has been completed. Only soldiers remain in this village.

You have cooperated with us until the very last minute, even though you cannot fight. I'll thank you at the evacuation site.

Well, well, well! I'm sure they'll be glad to hear your words of encouragement, Master Ucka!

Hmm. If you're pleased by my words, I'll come to you as often as I can.

The other Archbishops are all out on the battlefield. Archbishop Maja has even joined a riot squad of outstanding men, preparing to defeat the enemy's main force, the demons. But here I am, in a village near the front, leading the rear support.

"Don't be so modest.

"I'm not as good as the other archbishops. That's what I understand most.

But you, Mr. Wukka, have more talent for hard work than anyone.

Everyone works hard. I am the one who has worked harder than others, but has not been able to surpass other talents.

That's .......

Don't make the mistake of thinking that. I understand that I'm inferior, but I'm not going to rot there. I bloody well became an archbishop for the pope whom I respect. If I am not capable, I will continue to do what I can. If other archbishops can do ten jobs at once, I will do one job a hundred times.

Even with such a rebellious spirit, I quickly get carried away, become proud, and fail. But His Holiness did not abandon me. He saw value in me and recognized my worthiness as an archbishop.

Then, no matter how many times I fail, I will continue to make up for them all. I will swallow my failures in a mountain of success. That is my way of life.

Yes, it is. I and many others adore you, Master Wukka. That's one of the reasons why the nobles recommended you as their representative when the Yugra cult was about to split.

Mostly because he is easy to control. It would be easy to assassinate him if the need arose. But well, the words of this knight do not lie. I suppose it is true that such expectations were also directed at me.

"....... I will live up to the expectations that were placed on me. But the only one who can support the Yugra religion is the Pope. That's non-negotiable.

"Then the one who can support the Pope is you, Mr. Wukka. That is non-negotiable.

I've never seen such an articulate young man in my life. The only one born in Mejlis who can talk back to me like this is the one from Pentes. His daughter is also a holy knight now,......, and I wonder if the influence of that thing has spread to the holy knights.

I get a call from the communication crystal. The battle with the unique class on the front lines has intensified, and the formation is falling apart faster than expected.

Let's get ready to resupply. With the villagers gone, if we don't get ready as soon as possible, we could be caught in the line of fire.

"Yes, sir!

I instructed the knights and proceeded to prepare stables and resting places so that the arriving people could immediately rest and be ready to face the demon army. Thanks to the careful preparations made beforehand, the knights were able to respond quickly.

Well, we're ready ahead of schedule. Now let's move on to the next village...?

I spotted a figure out of the corner of my eye. A young man was looking up at the sky with lifeless eyes. He was not wearing armor, nor was he dressed as a priest. It is a rather peculiar dress for a villager to wear. The only other possibility is an adventurer from .......

The adventurers who have been asked to help have formed their own parties and are supporting the troops in various parts of the battlefield. They may have retreated early as the battle lines began to collapse.

"Are you alone there? If you've returned from the battlefield, get some rest. There's only so much sleeping space.

"......

The young man does not seem to respond to my words, but continues to look at the sky. I followed his gaze and looked at the sky, but all I saw were white clouds in the blue sky. There were no birds flying, probably because of the demons rampaging nearby.

What are you doing staring at the sky?

It's blue and white.

What are you taking for granted, ......?

It's not obvious. The sky I usually see is much darker and muddy, like mud thrown into water. It's been a long time since I've seen a sky this blue.

The young man's strange mood made him use his magic detection. The magic power that was felt was that of a human being,......, not a particularly unusual ordinary person, no, that's not right.

I've been helping the soldiers prepare in this village, and all the villagers have been evacuated. I've made a list of them so they won't get separated, and my men are responsible for getting them to the other villages.

There are adventurers here, but there are no mere civilians.

This is not the only strange point. A living person's magic power always fluctuates. But this young man's magic has not wavered since a while ago, like the surface of a still water.

"Who are you, ......?

"Oh, I thought people were supposed to say hello. It's been a few hundred years and I forgot. Hello, my name is O'Farrow. I'm just the sunshine that's consuming the world.

The magic that had covered the young man melted away. And then, from within him, a reddish-black, flaming, evil magic overflows.

By the time I realized the identity of this young man, it was already too late, and everything in my field of vision was dyed in brilliance.