Chapter 7: The Place They Want to Protect
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
He had a dream. He forgot that humans would dream.
After casting aside his humanity, he didn’t dream anymore.
In his dream, he was still a boy.
The Brave of the Holy Sword, Leonis Sheerault, was betrayed by the aristocrats of the Kingdom, and attacked by assassins.
This happens all the time, and there was no need to find out their motives.
Jealousy, envy, hatred, vanity, fear, or maybe all of the above—
What awaited the ten years old boy who saved the world was death.
The pool of blood beneath him grew larger with the rain, but the boy didn’t hate humanity.
... He met plenty of twisted people, but also noble ones too.
And the ones who ordered the hit on him might not be evil either.
「— Boy, do you think the world is right?」
「... That doesn’t matter anymore.」
She reached out her hand to the exhausted boy.
「I plan to revolt against the world, why don’t you come with me?」
The girl who said that with a smile was incredibly beautiful—
◆
(...It has been so long since I dreamt about her.)
A dream so clear, as if his memories were flashing before his eyes.
Roselia— the girl known as the <Goddess of Rebellion>.
She turned the boy who used to be a hero into a Demon King—
She saved Leonis who had given up on the world.
She wanted to save the entire world with her own hands—
With his hand on his head that was throbbing a little, Leonis pushed himself up.
The ten years old boy was wearing pyjamas.
He had still not gotten used to this body yet.
「Ughh... Hmm...」
A seductive voice came from Leonis’ side.
「...!?」
He quickly turned and looked.
Lyselia turned around and was sound asleep.
Her breasts were rising rhythmically with her breathing.
Her silver hair reflected the sunlight shining in through the curtain seams.
(...W-Why is she here!?)
Leonis recalled his memories before he turned in for the night.
There was only one bed in this room.
So Leonis slept on the couch. He slept in a stone coffin when he was an Undead King, so he wasn’t particular about where he slept.
(Right, I should be sleeping on the couch—)
Leonis felt his neck was a little off.
It was a little swollen.
(Did she...)
He pinched the cheeks of Lyselia who was fast asleep.
「... Mmm...」
... She was frowning a little but showed no signs of stirring.
Leonis shrugged and whispered into her ear:
「Wake up, my Familiar—」
「...Uwah!?」
She opened her eyes immediately.
This was a phrase embedded with Mana that could wake a Familiar up.
「Good Morning, Ms Selia.」
「G-Good Morning, Leo-kun...」
The girl rubbed her eyes and answered.
She pulled her blanket away, revealing her white bra.
Leonis averted his gaze.
「Erm, I remembered sleeping on the couch.」
「Yes, and I moved you to the bed. You will catch a cold if you sleep in a place like that.」
「You don’t have to worry about that—」
...Demon Kings wouldn’t catch the flu.
(No, maybe this body isn’t immune to the flu...?)
... Never mind, let’s leave that aside for now.
Leonis coughed and narrowed his eyes.
「You sucked me when I was sleeping, right?」
「...」
Lyselia looked away with a guilty face.
「There are still marks on my neck.」
I pressed her and she gave up on hiding it.
「A-A little...」
She made a gap between her index finger and thumb to indicate how little she sucked.
「I couldn’t bear it anymore at night… And had to...」
Her bloodlust was very intense at night. She had just turned into a Vampire, and couldn’t control her urges.
「Never mind, you are my Familiar, so it’s fine for you to suck me. But give me a heads up first.」
「...Yes, I understand. Sorry.」
Even though I was sleeping, she sucked the blood of a Demon King without me noticing. This Vampire Queen was formidable.
「And also, we can’t sleep together.」
「Oh, Leo-kun, are you at the age where you are conscious about that?」
「That’s right.」
Leonis got up and started changing into his uniform.
「Where are you going?」
「The school library. I can enter with my card, correct?」
I planned to spend the entire day in the <Holy Sword Academy> library to study the history of this world.
The development of humanity’s civilization, the appearance of the <Void>, the power of the <Holy Sword>, and many other things.
According to Shirley’s report, the records of the Gods of Old, the Demon Kings and the Six Braves were lost. If I study the history books, I might uncover some clues.
Lyselia looked anxious.
「Well, I booked the training hall for our morning lesson.」
「Lesson?」
Leonis asked in surprise.
「In the <Holy Sword Academy>, you can choose your training program freely.」
「... I see.」
From the perspective of military education, leaving the contents of training to the students might sound inefficient. But the abilities of each <Holy Sword> were different, so it was impossible to have a uniform training program.
Leaving that aside—
「I don’t remember booking a training venue.」
「I used my privilege as a guardian to combine my classes with Leo-kun. Your training timing will be the same as me.」
Lyselia said confidently.
「Why did you do that?」
Leonis felt a little exasperated.
「Didn’t you promised that you will train me?」
「...Ughh.」
He did promise that.
「Understood.」
Leonis slouched his shoulders and answered.
◆
Lyselia booked an indoor training room in the <Holy Sword Academy>.
The circular space and dome ceiling were vast.
「We have the place to ourselves for this time slot.」
Lyselia was stretching happily.
She was eager to start her first training as a <Holy Swordsman>.
...Well, I get how she felt.
「First, let me see your current strength, Ms Selia.」
Leonis knocked the ground with his Sorcery Staff.
「i will think about the training content after that.」
「Okay. Do you need the <Void> simulation device?」
「No, I will prepare opponents more suited for live combat training.」
With that, Leonis started chanting.
「—Brave undead warriors, heed the summon of the Undead King.」
—Leonis’ shadows turned into a large circle with shadows squirming inside.
Ten skeletons appeared with cracking sounds.
「W-What, these are… skeletons?」
Lyselia looked scared.
(... Really now, young people these days have never seen Skeleton Soldiers before?)
Skeleton Soldiers would appear naturally in places filled with death miasma.
They are low leveled monsters that formed the core of Demon King Leonis’ army.
By the way, Leonis could summon several hundreds of them in one go.
「This is the lowest level Familiar I can summon with Sorcery. It’s fine to break them.」
「...Okay, I get it.」
Lyselia nodded and reached her right hand out.
「—Activate!」
The next moment, the unnamed <Holy Sword> appeared in her hand.
It’s the manifestation of her soul. The beautiful long sword that defeated Muzel in the Holy Sword Trial.
「I’m going then—」
Lyselia’s long hair was glowing with white Mana.
A swing from her <Holy Sword> smashed a bone warrior into pieces.
She smashed the attacking Skeleton Soldier assaulting her one after another.
(... As expected of a Vampire Queen.)
They were both undead, but the low ranked Skeleton Soldiers couldn’t compare at all.
And she wasn’t using her enormous Mana pool yet.
This was just her extraordinary physical ability of a Vampire wielding a <Holy Sword>.
(Saying that she is swinging normally isn’t completely accurate though.)
Her swordsmanship was good, this could be used in actual combat.
Lyselia quickly defeated the Skeleton Soldier.
「...Huff, huff, how’s that?」
「Good, nice swordplay.」
Leonis clapped.
「You can tell?」
Lyselia was a little surprised and tilted her head.
She probably thought that Leonis wasn’t the type who used swords.
「Yes, just a little—」
Leonis shrugged and fudged it over.
「Ms Selia, did you learn from a teacher?」
「Yes, from my father, he’s a <Holy Swordsman> that uses swords.」
… I see, so she inherited her father’s sword technique.
「...But I’m far from Sakuya’s level.」
Lyselia shook her head.
「The strongest thing about being a Vampire Queen is your powerful Mana. If you can control your Mana, I will teach you Sorcery.」
「Really?」
「Yes, I think that will be for the best.」
By increasing her physical abilities with Mana, she could become a magic swordsman.
「Then let’s raise the level a little.」
Leonis chanted a spell to summon skeletal beasts this time.
Raised from the bones were Dark Wolves.
「These are skeletal beasts that use group tactics. They’re on a completely different level from before.」
「Yes!」
She wiped her sweat and held her <Holy Sword> up with both hands.
She seems happy to fight with her <Holy Sword>.
After training for two hours—
There were countless bones scattered in the training arena.
「Huff, huff, huff...」
Lyselia was panting heavily.
「That’s all for now—」
Leonis extended his shadows, and used the <Realm of Shadows> to keep the bones.
This wasn’t a battlefield where you could leave bones lying around. If he injects mana into it, they could be reused.
「... Thank you very much!」
Lyselia bowed deeply.
Seeing the growth of an excellent Familiar was a joy too.
「Do you need to replenish your Mana?」
「Ah… I-It’s fine...」
Lyselia considered it, then shook her head with her face blushed.
「Is that so. Then I will—」
「Oh, Leo-kun.」
She called out to Leonis who wanted to visit the Library.
「I’m going to the Commercial Zone, want to come with me?」
「No, I...」
「Big sister will treat you to something nice.」
「...」
My stomach started to growl.
(...Really now! This body is really problematic.)
I wanted to visit the library—
Well, I could go another time, shopping in the city doesn’t sound too bad.
(...Sorry, but Shirley will have to investigate alone for now.)
...I’m curious about the desserts I had yesterday.
◆
「... That’s strange.」
Elffine muttered as she looked at the analysis screen on her terminal.
「What’s wrong, Senpai?」
Sakuya was looking at the screen from behind.
「Team 13 that is investigating the Ocean Floor has not returned.」
「Team 13? Aren’t they all elites?」
「The higher ups have not made an announce about this matter officially yet.」
Only people like Elffine who possess a <Holy Sword> that could interfere with the network could browse the Management Bureau’s confidential information. The Campus was aware of her <Holy Sword>, but didn’t know she had such a high access authority.
「... Wait—」
「Hmm?」
「That strange wavelength… No way, this is—」
The next instant, Elffine’s face turned pale.
It will be great if this was just a malfunction on her terminal.
But she had already seen the same thing several times during simulation battles.
「... I have to report this to the Management Bureau right away—」
The moment she stood up, the number of red spots on the screen increased exponentially.
◆
「This is the place—」
Lyselia stopped her vehicle some distance away from the Commercial Zone.
There weren't any pedestrians around them, or students from the <Holy Sword Academy>.
「This is a restaurant?」
Leonis looked at the building before him and asked.
「Yes, a restaurant cum orphanage. It takes in the children of Deserted Citizen who aren’t cared for.」
「Orphanage...」
Leonis furrowed his brows.
He didn’t have any fond memories of Orphanages.
Like an old wound he had forgotten about.
「What’s wrong?」
「Nothing.」
This was a brick building, which was rare in the <Assault Garden>.
Lyselia got down from the vehicle, and walked to the building with a big box.
「Hmmp...」
It seems a little heavy.
「You can carry it easily if you use your Vampire Mana.」
「I want to feel like a human in everyday life. And if I use too much Mana, I will want to replenish it...」
「... I see.」
Leonis nodded as he quietly used floating Sorcery to lighten the box.
When they passed through the door, a bell rang—
「Oh, Selia-Nee!」「It’s Selia-Nee!」「Selia!」
A few kids ran out, hugging Lyselia’s waist and legs.
(... They are hugging my Familiar so casually—!)
Leonis was a little angry.
(Well, they are just kids. I won’t be so calculative about it.)
Forgetting that he was a ten years old child, he showed them magnanimity.
Leonis Death Magnus was a magnanimous Demon King.
However, Lyselia sure was popular with kids, Leonis sighed.
Lyselia smiled awkwardly as the children surrounded her, and placed the box on the table.
「Selia-Nee hasn’t been coming lately, I’m so lonely!」
「Sorry, I have midterms exams and was busy—」
「Ehh—」
A five years old boy tried to lift up Lyselia’s skirt.
「W-Wait, you can’t do that!」
Lyselia quickly pressed her skirt down.
… I can’t pretend I didn’t see that.
Even with the standards of a magnanimous Demon King, that was too much.
Leonis was about to cast <fall down> Sorcery at the boy when...
「Dean, what are you doing!」
The kitchen door opened and a middle aged woman came out.
「Sorry that you have to come and help all this while.」
「It’s fine, I just want to help—」
Lyselia turned to Leonis and introduced him.
「This is Aunt Felinia, the Orphanage matron.」
「Who is this child?」
「I child I found in the Ancient Ruins. Leo-kun is a <Holy Swordsman>.」
「He awakened his <Holy Sword> at such a young age?」
「Amazing!」 「Really?」 「That’s so cool!」
The kids mobbed Leonis.
「... S-Stop!」
Leonis resisted, but the kids crowded around him.
「Let me see your Holy Sword!」 「What’s your name?」
「No, don’t do that...」
The oldest girl (who was about eight) tried to stop them, but the rowdy children even messed up Leonis’ hair.
(... I-I’m a Demon King you know...)
「Leo-kun sure is popular.」
His Familiar had no intention of helping and just watched from the side with a smile.
(... You will get it later.)
Leonis grumbled in his heart.
「I brought over the vegetables I grew.」
The box was filled with vegetables.
It was the plants she grew in the <Holy Sword Academy>.
「There isn’t much, but they are tasty.」
「Thank you, let’s make fresh vegetable soup then.」
The middle aged woman returned to the kitchen.
「Leo-kun, I will help with lunch, so go play with them.」
「What...!」
Leonis reached out for her, but Lyselia turned and entered the kitchen.
「Show us your <Holy Sword>!」 「Please?」 「Your uniform is cool!」
「Ughh...」
His ten years old body couldn’t deal with so many kids.
It would tarnish his reputation as a Demon King if he used Sorcery against children.
「N-No, don’t do that, onii-chan will be troubled...!」
No one listened to the older girl.
(D-Damn it...)
Leonis stared vexingly in the direction Lyselia disappeared off to.
◆
「It’s done.」
After 15 minutes, Lyselia came out with an apron on her.
The Children mobbing Leonis immediately gathered around the table.
(...Really.)
Leonis tidied his appearance and stood up.
The majestic aura of a Demon King that could destroy an army was completely gone.
「Erm… Are you alright?」
A kind girl offered him a clean handkerchief.
「Yes, I’m fine. They are just cheeky kids.」
「Sorry, they don’t mean any harm...」
The girl bowed and apologized.
「But, I think people who can use the <Holy Sword> are cool!」
She said with a blushed face.
「Tesla, hurry on over.」
The girl bowed at Leonis and ran off.
「... She’s Tesla, huh. Seems like a sensible kid.」
Leonis tidied his hair with his hands.
The Orphanage looked like a normal restaurant on the outside.
There were baskets of bread, vegetable soup, salads and fried fish on the table.
The table wasn’t big, but the atmosphere was nice.
「I will work here occasionally.」
Lyselia took off her apron and said.
Her noble appearance and apron had a different kind of beauty about her.
「When the restaurant is closed, everyone will eat here.」
Looking outside, the restaurant signboard has been taken off.
(...I see.)
No wonder she was so good at dealing with children, so she had been taking care of these orphans.
「Ms Lyselia has been a big help.」
Matron Felinia bowed sincerely.
「You don’t need to thank me since I get paid—」
The children at the table had already started eating the bread.
Leonis was very hungry, but he had to maintain the dignity of a Demon King and couldn’t wolf his food down.
「How’s the turnip soup?」
「...It’s good.」
Leonis gave his honest thoughts.
The home grown vegetable soup was seasoned just right and felt plain and authentic.
「Great. Regina taught me all this.」
Lyselia gave a thumbs up happily.
「Erm… This bread taste really nice.」
The older girl Tesla offered bread to him timidly.
「Oh, thank you...」
「Yes...」
Leonis took the bread and the girl’s face turned red.
「These children were all saved by the noble <Holy Swordsmen> from outside the city.」
Matron Felinia said.
「Yes, everyone here was found in different places.」
「Selia-Nee, can you play with us later?」
「Yes, what do you want to play?」
Lyselia smiled at the children talking with her.
The sight of her like this—
(...This is a place she wants to protect, huh.)
Leonis thought to himself.
Her hometown was destroyed by the <Void>.
Hence, she wanted to protect the children who went through the same thing that she did.
(...This is a little enviable.)
Leonis thought about <Necrozoa> that was already gone.
(The Kingdom I want to protect is already gone—)
「Hey, show me the <Holy Sword>!」
A fat boy who was about five tugged on Leonis’ sleeve.
… He got guts, daring to tug on the sleeve of a <Demon King>.
「Foga, a <Holy Swordsman> won’t show off his <Holy Sword> so easily.」
「Ehh—」
The boy moaned unhappily when he heard Matron Felinia scolding him.
「No, it’s fine, I will show him.」
Leonis offered generously.
… Well, I will put on a little show for entertainment.
If the children are happy, Lyselia will be happy.
「Leo-kun, what are you planning to do?」
「... I will summon a skeleton circus.」
「Skeletons?」
「What’s that?」
The children seemed intrigued.
「Leo-kun, that won’t do. It’s too scary.」
But got refuted by Lyselia.
「...Is it scary?」
「Well, they are skeletons...」
(...I see. Are skeletons that scary?)
Even though they were so cute.
「Got it. I will set off a small fireworks about the size of a table—」
—As Leonis chanted a fire spell.
「...!?」
Ruuummmbbblleeeee...!
The ground shook violently, throwing the plates onto the floor.
「... Is this an earthquake?」
「No, the <Assault Garden> should be anchored out in the sea!」
「What exactly is that—」
Leonis frowned.
Right after that, an alarm sounded in the city.
Chapter 8: Stampede
As the alarm sounded, Special Instructor Diegrasse Elcatra rushed into the War Room in the <Holy Sword Academy> Management Bureau.
Many of the instructors were already there and the atmosphere was tense.
「How’s the situation?」
「A <Void> group appeared in the sea underneath the <Assault Garden>.」
The Acting Commander of the <Holy Swordsman> said.
He was Gastras Nikel, a large man in his mid thirties.
「This is not just a large group, it’s probably a <Stampede>—」
The Acting Commander’s words all gasped.
A rampage of a large group of <Void> led by a <Void Lord>.
Six years ago, the <Third Assault Garden> was destroyed in a <Stampede>. That incident was still fresh on everyone’s mind.
「Are there any signs of that happening?」
Diegrasse was sweating bullets as she asked.
「Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing whether a <Void Lord> has appeared.」
A bespectacled researcher answered.
「Can we get a good estimation on the number of <Void>?」
A white haired elderly man asked. He was a military advisor sent by <Camelot>.
「There are more than several hundreds—」
「Several hundreds...!?」
That was a despairingly big number, even for small sized <Void>.
No, if this is a <Stampede>—
There might be a super large sized <Void Lord> leading the group.
「In any case, the priority is to evacuate the citizens and find the commander of the group. Increase the defences of the <Campus>, let the teams guide the citizens to safety.」
◆
When she heard the alarm, Lyselia ran out of the Orphanage.
Leonis didn’t know what was happening and followed her.
(...What is that?)
The sky was covered by grey rolling clouds.
No, those weren’t clouds.
Winged alien monsters were massing in the air and blocking out the sky.
「<Void>—」
They were smaller than the ones he saw in the Ancient Ruins—
… Indeed, it was an army of those monsters.
The alarm sounded the same as wailings.
The citizens on the streets were staring dumbfoundedly at the sky.
(Where did so many flying bugs come from...?)
The first thing that came to mind was the <Hive> Elffine located on the Ocean Floor—
「A <Stampede>, here...!?」
Lyselia looked at the sky in despair.
「What’s happening?」
「I don’t know.」
She shook her head.
「Anyway, we have to get everyone to evacuate—」
She wanted to return to the Orphanage.
At this moment, the road was suddenly covered in black miasma.
And then—
A large shadow appeared from within the thick miasma.
An ugly monster that seemed to be a combination of beasts—<Void>.
「Uwahhhh!」
The citizens screamed in terror when the <Void> appeared around them.
Some sprinted, some rode on their vehicles, all of them ran away in terror.
「Everyone, please calm down! Please evacuate to the shelters!」
Lyselia yelled loudly.
But the panicking citizens couldn’t hear her voice.
Lyselia bit her lips.
She was probably thinking about how her hometown was destroyed by the <Void> during a <Stampede>.
Four, five, six—
Chimera <Void> appeared one after another from the miasma.
「Does that <Void> have a name too?」
「Large <Void> that is a combination of beasts— <Manticore>.」
(... I see, it’s a <Manticore>, not a <Chimera>.)
It was mimicking the appearance of ancient monsters after all.
Kyyaaaaaaaa—!
The Manticore waved its tail and destroyed the buildings around it.
「...!」
Lyselia glanced behind her.
The children were still in the Orphanage.
They couldn’t escape in this situation.
「Requesting backup from the Campus—」
Lyselia activated the terminal on her ear.
But there seemed to be interference, and she could only hear static.
「Leo-kun, stay back—」
Lyselia said.
She still didn’t know that Leonis had defeated the <Void> in the Ancient Ruins.
She only knew about the strength he showed during the trial test with Muzel.
And so, she stood in front to protect Leonis.
She wasn’t doing this because she was overconfident in the power of her <Holy Sword>.
It was clear from her eyes.
Those were eyes of a swordsman who had braced herself.
「Aren’t you afraid?」
「I am. If I didn’t have a <Holy Sword>, I might have already fled. However—」
Lyselia walked forward.
「I can’t run away!」
The Manticore-type <Void> crushed the ground and leapt.
It closed in after drawing an arc in the air.
Shyyyaaaa!
It landed on the ground and created a crater.
「—Activate!」
With Lyselia’s cry, a thin sword materialized in her hand.
「Hyaaa!」
A silver flash cut swiftly at the head of the <Void>.
However—
「... I can’t cut it...!?」
It caused some damage, but it wasn’t fatal.
Shyyaaaaa!
The large <Void> raised its front limb.
At that instant.
「— Gravity bullet <Verda Gira>!」
Boom—!
The air tremored, and the large body of the <Void> broke down.
「Your courage is commendable, but it’s important to judge the strength of the enemy.」
「L-Leo-kun!?」
Lyselia turned back speechlessly.
Leonis was holding the <Sorcery Staff of Sealed Sin> that appeared from the shadows.
「Was that you?」
「Don’t daze off, there are still loads of enemies—」
Leonis looked up as he said that.
The <Void> group covering the sky was landing en masse.
One of them was gigantic.
「Could that be... A <Void Lord>!?」
Lyselia gasped.
(...Oh? Really now, how nostalgic!)
◆
As the alarm went off, the battalion commander led the 18 Teams to the most densely populated Third Residential Zone.
「Please head to the emergency shelters!」
Elffine used her <Holy Sword> orb to search in the Residential Zone. Most of the citizens have evacuated to the underground shelters, but there might still be people around here.
The sounds of wings flapping could be heard.
「... This group is too big!」
Regina got onto high ground and started shooting with her <Drag Howl>.
The army of flying <Void> covered the sky.
The <Assault Garden> which had switched into defence mode shot out plenty of bullets, but normal weapons couldn’t harm the <Void>.
Many of the young students were trembling. For the <Holy Swordsman> who had awakened their <Holy Sword>, there weren’t many with combat experience with the <Void>.
After all, this was the first time the <Seventh Assault Garden> constructed six years ago was attacked by <Void>.
「Senpai, any message from Lady Selia?」
「There’s a powerful interference jamming the communications.」
There seemed to be a <Void> jamming the signals from long range.
「...My Lady...」
「Regina, I know you are worried about her, but right now—」
「Yes, I understand—」
Regina was Lyselia’s childhood friend, they both survived the tragedy in the Third Assault Garden.
… So it was only natural that she was anxious.
(...Leo-kun isn’t here too.)
They had probably gone to the Orphanage in the Commercial Zone.
Elffine sent an <Orb> towards the Orphanage.
The <Void> opened its crimson eyes and opened its maw.
They weren’t intelligent, but their movements were orderly.
「There’s too many...!」
『— Form teams of four and above to take out the large <Void>!』
The battalion commander’s voice came out of the terminals.
He decided on the strategy, while the team leaders determine the tactics for their members. The team members understood the abilities of their <Holy Sword> the best, and could adopt the most effective tactics.
「Let’s go, Regina. Cover me.」
Sakuya who had the white <Ouran> shirt on her walked forth.
There was no fear in her eyes.
Deep in her clear eyes was her burning hatred towards the <Void>.
「Slice everything, Blade of Lightning—<Holy Sword Activate>!」
She said and activated her <Holy Sword>.
In her hand was the soul of <Ouran> in the form of a sword.
<Holy Sword>—<Raikirimaru>.
「Come at me, critters—!」
Sakuya stomped her long boots into the ground.
With the sound of something slicing through the air, there was a quick flash.
Like the lightning in the sky.
The blue lightning burned the <Void> to crisp.
However, that was just a side effect.
Her blade picked up speed with every slash— That was the true power of Sakuya’s <Holy Sword>.
「Water Mirror Style— <Dance of the Sakura>!」
Sakuya Sigelinde threw out a flurry of sword flashes.
Her petite body was performing the secret sword technique from her hometown <Ouran>.
She slaughtered the small <Void> like a demon.
「—Sakuya, I will support!」
Regina’s <Drag Cannon> spewed out fire and blew a group of <Void> away.
—At this moment.
『Wait, something is coming.』
Elffine warned them through the terminal.
Only her <Holy Sword>— <Eye of The Witch> could sense that presence.
『Something enormous is coming...!』
The next moment, the concrete ground started to crack.
Raaaawwwwrrrr...!
A five storey high <Void> appeared.
「Is that a <Hydra> Class—!?」
◆
Leonis and Lyselia who had the Orphanage behind them were surrounded by a big group of <Void>.
Large <Manticore> class and small <HellHound> class.
「...Is that a <Void Lord>?」
Lyselia nodded at Leonis’ question.
「Yes, that should be the leader commanding the <Void>—」
The <Void> flapping its wings was similar to the ruler of the sky, a <Great Dragon>.
But its body was corrupted by miasma which squirmed disgustingly all over its body.
(Even the proud Dragon race had fallen to the <Void>—)
Leonis felt a little sad.
A thousand years ago, they were a proud race ruling the skies, and the peak of all creations.
In the battle against the <Six Braves>, the <Dragon Demon King> Weyla led his fellow dragons against the Braves.
(Out of goodwill to my old friend, I, the <Undead King>, will end you.)
Leonis raised the <Sorcery Staff of Sealed Sin>. If that <Void> had the same resistance against magic like the Great dragons, normal spells wouldn’t work.
Shhhhyyyaaaaa—!
The super large <Void> howled—
The <Void> on the ground charged towards Leonis and Selia.
「Ms Selia, I’m going to use a powerful move, please buy me some time.」
「Understood!」
Lyselia walked to the front with her <Holy Sword> in hand.
Leonis cast a wide area spell as he double cast a different powerful spell.
<Elemental resistance>, <Mana shield>, <Mana enhancement>, <Physical boost>, <Dexterity boost>—
「Hyaaaa!」
Lyselia charged into the <Void> army.
With the flashes of her blade, a large number of <Void> got cut into pieces.
She was light and nimble, having gotten accustomed to the way a <Vampire Queen> fought.
「—Stars in the celestial skies, rain down punishment on those arrogant fools—」
Leonis injected a huge amount of Mana into the Sorcery Staff and chanted the 10th Grade Spell.
(... Really now, what am I doing?)
Leonis mocked himself in his heart.
His goal was to find the reincarnation of the goddess and revive the <Demon King Army>.
Whether human cities were destroyed by the <Void> didn’t matter to him.
His identity might get exposed if he displayed his strength.
However—
Leonis glared at the super large type <Void>.
He wouldn’t ignore a challenge towards the Demon King and his Familiar.
He finished his spell, the 10th Grade destruction magic— Summon Comets <Nemesis Giura>.
Fireballs materialized out of thin air and peltered the <Void>.
With the wide area explosion, an intense shockwave spread out.
「...W-Wait, Leo-kun!?」
Lyselia shouted.
「This is a homing spell. Stand there and don’t move!」
「I don’t— Hyaaa!」
Booomm——————!
The falling balls of fire blew away the building in the vicinity too.
There were countless craters in the ground as dust lingered in the air.
The <Manticore> class <Void> were in tatters after taking several hits.
「Hmm, the coordinates corrections are a little off.」
Leonis tilted his head with a complicated expression.
The precision of his Mana control had dropped in this body.
Well, unlike the maximum Mana a person could have, the finesse of Mana Control could be mastered one day.
The shockwave blew away the decorations on top of the roof, but the Orphanage was not damaged.
「J-Just now...」
Lyselia stood up.
「—Keep your guard up. It’s still alive.」
「Ehh—」
Right after Leonis said that.
Shhhhhhyyyyyaaaa—!
The super large <Void> that was knocked down stood up with a roar.
The 30m long body was covered with faint Mana Light.
「The racial spell of Dragons, <Dragon Light Armour>, huh.」
Matured Great Dragons were intelligent and could use powerful spells unique to dragons.
From its size, this should be an ancient dragon class.
(It could still use spells despite losing its sense of self—)
Leonis didn’t think that attack just now was enough to take it down.
The <Void Lord> howled and raised its head high.
Red flames could be seen from its maw—
「Ms Selia, pull back—!」
Leonis immediately deployed a Mana shield.
The spherical shield blocked the <Dragon’s Breath>, and its flames engulfed everything in the vicinity.
The concrete ground melted, forming a molten lava pit.
<Void Lord> continued casting.
Numerous Magic Circle appeared out of nowhere.
It was a large destruction spell that could reduce the surrounding to dust.
If this went on, the Orphanage would get dragged into this—
(I will cancel it out with an equally powerful spell, will I make it in time—!?)
Because of the limitations of his human body, Leonis’ high speed chanting was limited.
「—Oh no you don’t!」
Lyselia charged in with her <Holy Sword> in hand.
「... Hyaaaa!」
Her silver hair fluttered in the air as she attacked with a powerful strike.
A normal <Void> would have been cut in half.
Even so, her <Holy Sword> couldn’t cut into the dragon scale.
The tail of the <Void Lord> smacked onto the ground.
「...!」
Lyselia quickly dodged, but was blown away by the impact.
「— <Explosion> <Explosion> <Explosion>!」
Leonis gave up on chanting normally and repeatedly cast Grade 2 Spells.
The Spells that could shatter boulders didn’t even slow the Void down.
At this moment—
A Dark Wolf appeared from the shadow of the debris and bit the head of the <Void>.
「Braccus!」
Leonis’ comrade in arms, the prince of the <Realm of Shadows> —Braccus Shadow Prince.
The <Void Lord> tried to shake him off by shaking its large head, but the Dark Wolf held on tight with his sharp fangs.
Leonis used this chance to chant a spell.
「—Face destruction, foolish ruler, and reflect on your actions—!」
The moment Braccus hid into his shadow, Leonis released his spell.
The 10th Grade Spell— Great Destruction <Melt Gras>.
A hollow sphere appeared where the <Void Lord> was, and engulfed it.
Cracks appeared in the ground and turned into dust.
The body of the super large <Void> sunk into the abyss.
Leonis fired several Hell flame cannons, <Mahdia Solf> into the abyss.
With each spell, a wave of fire spew forth.
(Rest in peace, noble Dragon King...)
Amongst the monsters, Leonis particularly likes Great Dragons.
They were strong and proud, and he felt a sense of kinship from their way of life.
Hence, he couldn’t tolerate them turning into such monsters.
There was endless darkness between the cracks.
This should be a huge empty space beneath the city.
Leonis turned and saw Lyselia panting hard.
「Want to suck blood?」
「...I-I’m fine...」
At that instant when she averted her eyes.
Something reached out from the cracks.
「...What!?」
—That’s a squirming tree root.
The root wrapped around Lyselia’s body and retracted back into the crack.
「Ms Selia!」
「Leo-kun...!」
Leonis reached for her quickly—
But his hand didn’t reach her.
The ear ring type terminal dropped by his feet.
(This is...!?)
The tree root devoured the <Void> remnants around it, and grew thicker.
(... It’s devouring the <Void>!?)
Leonis saw something like this in the past.
A millennium ago, on the last battlefield of the <Demon King Army>—
The infinitely growing tree roots devoured the Army of undead.
「... I see, so it’s you—」
Leonis said the name of the enemy.
「Araquil Degradios of the <Six Braves>!」
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