TL/Editor: raei
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: none
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The main road in the Fairy Forest was different from other regions.
An unpaved dirt path with grass growing over it.
Moreover, the surrounding trees made it barely seem like a road, but most facilities in the Fairy Forest looked like this due to their spirit of minimizing damage to nature.
Zion and two women walked along this main road.
"Master, so we're heading to the Fairy Forest's capital?"
Liushina, one of the two, asked Zion in a bored voice.
"Yes."
Zion nodded while watching a massive city gradually appear in the distance.
Though this was an official visit, there was a reason Zion brought such a small number of people.
With war preparations officially beginning, chaos was spreading throughout the empire including the capital Hubris, causing discord in various places.
In this situation, with even Zion himself leaving the imperial palace, all forces except the bare minimum were being deployed to handle those matters.
'This should be enough to handle the Fairy Forest's situation anyway.'
Zion recalled the content about the Fairy Forest from the chronicle with this thought.
'The World Tree should be in danger around now.'
Spirit power depletion due to the absence of Spirit King-level summoners.
Of course, this was because of the demon realm.
About a hundred years ago, a secret facility like the capital's Plant had been secretly built in the Fairy Forest, and its purpose was stealing Akenidia's blessing meant for fairies.
Therefore it was natural that no Spirit King-level summoners could emerge.
Destroying this facility along with reaching seven stars in the Black Star Force were Zion's tasks in the Fairy Forest this time.
'Plus cleaning up the hidden rats.'
Then-
"Oh right, don't you have a special ability?"
Liushina, who had been looking around with a bored expression, suddenly brightened her eyes while looking at the pink-haired woman who was their other companion.
It was Celphia.
"I heard you eat monsters."
"I... can't eat monsters."
Celphia answered while stepping slightly away, seemingly uncomfortable with the witch's gaze.
As if ignoring her words, Liushina stuck even closer and continued in an insinuating tone.
"Then how about this? It's mint, and it's way more delicious than any monster."
Had this been her goal from the start?
Bringing up something completely unrelated while holding out her mint coffee container, Liushina looked more like the Witch of Mint than the Witch of a Thousand Killings.
"M-mint?"
"Yeah, this is really hard to get. Do you like sweet things? Then how about this? This is mint chocolate, mint mixed with chocolate that I recently created..."
The witch poured out words like a fish in water while offering mint-flavored drinks that weren't even coffee anymore.
Celphia turned her head slightly and sent a pleading look, but Zion ignored it.
Better her suffering from this mint evangelist than himself.
'Consider this a trial to endure.'
As he inwardly paid respects to the new sacrifice, how long did they walk?
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the main gate of Elbrium, the Fairy Forest's capital, where Zion saw many fairies gathered.
They had probably come out to welcome them after hearing of their visit in advance.
"Welcome, Your Highness Zion. We sincerely welcome you to Elbrium."
One of the fairies standing at the front deeply bowed their head to Zion in greeting.
The fairies behind followed, showing their respects.
Though their attitude was extremely courteous as befitting greeting the future emperor-
'Coming out like this from the start...'
Zion's eyes had already sunk as he watched them.
'Are they testing me? Or just foolish?'
A cold smile began appearing on his lips with this thought.
'Either way, I should play along.'
"...Your Highness Zion?"
As the fairies began raising their heads one by one, finding it strange that Zion showed no reaction to their greeting-
"There are rats."
A languid voice flowed from Zion's lips.
"Worm-like bastards hiding in shadows, gnawing away at what's mine."
Zion's body gradually transformed into darkness and scattered, starting from his feet.
Shadow Current.
The only movement technique in the Black Star Force.
The Shadow Current advancing from six stars toward seven stars had changed much more strangely.
Now its principle couldn't be understood or perceived even when seen right before one's eyes.
"What...!"
Of course, Talis, the demon wearing a fairy woman's disguise, couldn't perceive Zion's Shadow Current either.
But perhaps befitting their position as second-in-command among demons infiltrating the Fairy Forest?
CRASH!!
"Ugh!"
Talis negated Zion's strike by sacrificing one arm and immediately summoned spirits to counterattack.
CRACKLE!
Blue lightning fell from the sky.
Perhaps because spirits themselves were derived from nature, the lightning's power was no less than natural lightning strikes.
However-
CRACK!
Zion simply raised one hand and grasped it, annihilating the lightning.
As if they hadn't expected it to work in the first place, Talis showed no panic and immediately summoned more spirits.
Fire, wind, darkness.
Just as the high-ranking spirits appeared, swelling to house-size while spraying their respective elemental powers everywhere and trying to devour Zion- ROAR!
Explosive flames of Muspelheim burst from Zion's entire body and began completely incinerating these spirits.
"Guh!"
Talis coughed blood from the reverse summoning's backlash.
Zion's fist wrapped in divine flames instantly expanded in their eyes.
CRASH!
With the following clash, Talis's other arm went flying.
Though they had instantly lost both arms, hope rather than despair filled their eyes.
'At this level...'
Had the rumors been exaggerated?
Or did some restriction currently prevent him from using his power?
The power of Zion Agnes that Talis was experiencing now was much weaker than what they had heard.
They had managed to avoid fatal wounds and could even counterattack.
'If I use full power, I can escape.'
Talis's eyes turned dark red as they instantly calculated this in their mind.
Simultaneously-
RUMBLE!
Tremendous demonic energy began erupting from their entire body.
Just as Talis raised their full power and was about to fire magic bullets at Zion while bouncing in the opposite direction-
CRACK!
Talis's body froze in place.
This wasn't their will.
"...Huh?"
A single hand protruding through their chest.
As Talis's body began slowly collapsing, pierced by the snow-white hand that had destroyed their core and heart-
"I was waiting to see when you'd use demonic energy."
The demon's eyes caught sight of Zion grinning as he pulled out his embedded hand.
And then-
"I still need to make this somewhat believable after all."
Finally at that moment, as their falling vision caught Fifth Princess Diana and Halegrion watching with unbelieving expressions, Talis realized.
That Zion Agnes had deliberately not killed them from the start.
"A demon... the demon realm has made an enemy of a demon."
With these words, the breath of the top-class demon who had infiltrated and carried out countless operations in the Fairy Forest for decades finally stopped.
Zion immediately turned his eyes away from the demon's gradually disappearing corpse.
'Seems that side is almost cleaned up too.'
His gaze moved from Liushina, who looked more excited than ever while slaughtering monsters, and Celphia reluctantly dealing with monsters beside her, to Diana who was staring this way with a hardened expression and trembling eyes.
"I should at least get paid for this trouble."
Zion grinned as he spoke toward Diana.