Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter 8.2

GZYGABBBBBBO.

The demon lord howled, firing off a second and third blast of sand.

Mere moments after the second round began, we were driven back to hide behind cover and rethink our strategy, unable to contend with the demon lord’s rapid barrage of sandstorms.

Satou and his group had brought Rudoruu and the others to retreat to a nearby passage. The demon-possessed Sandstorm Soldier seemed to have followed them, but I was sure they could handle it on their own.

I looked into the faces of each of my companions in turn.

“From here on out, I’ll handle the front lines alone,” I said. “Rusus and Fifi, you protect Mari and the others.”

“Nah. We’re coming with you.”

“Yeah, I don’t care if it costs me my life. I’ll make an opening for you to take the demon lord down.”

“Rusus… Fifi…”

I put my hands over each of theirs.

“Mari, once we break through the demon lord’s defenses, hit him with all your forbidden spells before he recharges them.”

“…Understood.”

“Hayato…”

Mari and Rin hung their heads in sorrow.

Even though I didn’t spell it out, I guess they realized that I meant they’d have to hit me with the forbidden spells, too.

“Wee and Seina will shoot from afar and get Rusus and Fifi to safety when they go down.”

“Yikes, you’re just assuming we’re gonna go down?”

“That’s harsh, Hayato.”

I responded to their joking tones with an equally light “my bad,” trying to shake off the heavy mood.

I’m not sure if I pulled it off very well, though.

“Just make sure you don’t die. As long as you’re still alive, Loleiya can heal you.”

I pulled out potions from my Inventory and handed them to everyone.

“We’ll go in at full strength and defeat the demon lord before the speed potions wear off.”

“Right!”

Since speed potions have serious side effects, I would’ve preferred not to use them.

We never touched them during the Den of Evil investigations or in any of the previous demon lord battles. They’re one of our last resorts.

We piled on as much Support Magic as we could on top of that. I used my scriptures and Unique Skills, and we jumped out from behind our cover.

“‘Shining Blade’!”

I used a special attack to scatter the Reflective Scales that came after me, and I charged toward the demon lord.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

The rest of the scales attacked us at random.

I kept blocking them with my Holy Sword and shield, cutting a path forward.

Then—a spray of blood to my right.

“Rusus! Damn you!”

Fifi cried out in despair.

Rusus had been cut in half at the waist.

I forced myself to resist the desire to rush to her side, and used “Warp” to close in on the demon lord.

“‘Shining Helix Slash’!”

With a swirl of blue light, my attack cut through the demon lord’s defenses, scattering purple shards.

But this time, instead of destroying the barrier in one go, my attack got stopped.

So this is what a difference in level can do…

But I wasn’t going to give up that easily.

If it didn’t work the first time, I’d just repeat it again and again.

“This is for Rusuuuus!”

Oh no.

Fifi flew into a rage and fired off a special attack at the demon lord.

The metallic purple light flashed right through Fifi’s body.

“Fifi…!”

The diagonal slash spewed blood, and Fifi crumpled.

Not yet. She’s not dead yet.

I used “Warp” to get between the demon lord and Fifi, protecting her from his next attack.

As the Support Magic effects faded, I managed to block seven more Reflective Scales before I couldn’t handle any more.

The eighth Reflective Scale cut through the side of my Holy Armor, where my Unique Skill was wearing off; the ninth cut my helmet in two.

Blood dripped down my forehead and into one of my eyes, staining half my vision with red.

The tenth Reflective Scale was knocked back by Wee’s arrow and Rin’s Explosion Magic.

The eleventh Reflective Scale I managed to block by dragging my Holy Sword up, but that was the last of my strength.

The twelfth and thirteenth Reflective Scales closed in on me when I couldn’t possibly avoid them.

I wouldn’t be able to dodge both at once.

My best bet was to give up on dodging and try to hit the demon lord with one last blow.

“AAAAAAAARGH!”

Just as I was unleashing my special attack, a new Reflective Scale appeared right in front of the demon lord’s face.

My Holy Sword stuck into the scale and stopped.

Dammit, I guess this is it.

My last-ditch effort was blocked.

Even if I could get Mari to use her magic attacks, they’d be blocked by the dense barrier.

No…I refuse to let it end like this!

I looked around wildly, desperate for something to break through this hopeless situation.

…They stopped?

The Reflective Scales that were closing in on my neck from either side had stopped moving.

“What is this…? Space Magic Deracinator and Dimension Pile?”

Sir Hero. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.

I heard my honey’s voice seemingly from nowhere.

I’m sending the best backup ever your way.

Blue light broke through the Reflective Scales.

I saw him within the scattering fragments of light.

“That you, Satou…?”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir Hayato.”

The backup my honey sent parried an endless barrage of Reflective Scales with a blade that glowed blue in his hands, even crashing two into each other to break them both.

“That sword…”

I recognized the sword in Satou’s hand.

It was Mezzalt’s Holy Sword, Blutgang.

“I borrowed it for a moment.”

Satou shouldn’t have been able to use a divinely gifted Holy Sword without going through the ceremony and earning the right to wield it.

Yet here he was, brandishing it without any resistance from the sword.

“I healed Miss Rusus and Miss Fifi with lesser elixirs and handed them off to Miss Weeyari and the others.”

“They’re both okay?!”

Satou nodded.

I couldn’t believe that he’d saved not just me but my friends as well. Just like my honey said, he really was the best backup ever.

“Now, I don’t know if this will work on a demon lord, but…”

Satou produced a hand-size bell from a pouch at his waist.

My “Analyze” skill told me that it was a Magic Item called the Demon-Sealing Bell.

When he shook it, it produced a clear ringing that echoed in the chamber.

I could see with my “Analyze” skill that the demon lord’s attack and defense had dropped significantly.

So it seals demon lords, too.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

Satou squared off against the demon lord, unshaken by his howl of rage.

“With <Honor>…”

Oh, come on.

“So on top of being able to wield a Holy Sword like a hero, you can even use its scripture perfectly?”

I stood at my dependable friend’s side, trying to wipe the grin off my face.

Using my third Unique Skill, Infinite Healing, I cured my wounds and began taking on the Reflective Scales along with Satou, who had begun simply destroying them instead of parrying them.

“Perhaps it’s an act of kindness from Goddess Parion.”

“Good to hear. I’m counting on you to have my back, bud.”

“Yes, of course.”

Trusting Satou to take care of any Reflective Scales that snuck up on my blind spot, I charged toward the demon lord himself.

Much to my surprise, Satou was able to keep pace and support me despite the speed potion that allowed me to move and fight ultra-fast.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

The demon lord howled, and insect-like legs burst out of his back, four more on each side.

They were four times longer than the demon lord’s arms, with three joints, making it hard to tell what they would do next.

Each one ended in a nail made of the same substance as the Reflective Scales, and the damn things grew back as fast as I could cut them off.

Yet despite this seemingly disastrous new development, I was able to fight so smoothly that it didn’t even seem to matter.

It was Satou.

He backed me up in a way that made it easier for me to focus on fighting.

“No way, how is Satou able to fight like that? He’s only level forty-five…”

“The Holy Sword…? No, that can’t be it, right?”

“Yeah, no. Its owner Mezzalt wasn’t able to break the scales at all.”

I heard Seina and Wee conversing as they shot off attacks to keep the demon lord in check.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

The demon lord stopped moving and drew in his arms.

He was up to something.

“Sir Hayato!”

“Satou, stay close to me!”

I activated my Unique Skill and drew Satou into the space between me and my shield.

An instant later, the sand around the demon lord whirled up into the air, creating another lightning-charged sandstorm. This time, it was a dark and ominous black.

But it wasn’t as strong as I expected.

In fact, it was as if someone was interfering with the sandstorm to prevent it from reaching me.

I still took a little bit of damage, but Infinite Healing restored me right away.

And eventually, the seemingly endless storm ceased once again.

“We survived somehow…that was crazy strong.”

His attack done, the demon lord jabbed his legs into the ground around him, almost as if he were locking himself inside a cage of his own making.

“Agreed. I thought I might be done for.”

“You look fine to me…”

Even with my shield and body protecting him, how was it that Satou didn’t have a single scratch on him?

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing. Mari! Let’s finish the demon lord off before he starts moving again!”

This was our perfect opportunity.

But there was no response from Mari and the others.

“Mari! Rin! Loleiya!”

My friends were lying on the ground, some kind of black steam rising from their bodies.

My “Divine Analysis” skill told me that it was the same Evil God’s curse that had afflicted me before.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

The demon lord began moving again, his period of stillness over.

“Sorry, Satou. I got you into a bad deal here.”

Now we would have to fight the demon lord just two on one, without my party to support us.

“Not at all, Sir Hayato.”

The Holy Sword Blutgang glowed blue in Satou’s hands.

“This isn’t a bad deal in the least. Besides, it’s not like you to give up so easily.”

“Not like me, huh…?”

I guess I let my fears get the best of me for a second there.

“Yeah, you’re right. I almost forgot…”

I activated my Unique Skills again.

“…I’m a hero. Hayato the Hero, chosen by the young Goddess Parion!”

Leaping in front of the demon lord with “Warp,” I began the motions of my special attack.

This was our last chance, while the Reflective Scales were gone.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

The demon lord’s insect legs closed in on me from either side to take me out.

But I wasn’t going to dodge them. I had faith that Satou would protect me.

“‘Shining Blade’!”

There was less resistance than before.

My first special attack broke right through the barrier.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Satou slice off one of the insect legs with “Cherry Blossom Flash,” then zip toward the other to use it again.

Rin’s technique was fast, sure, but I’d never seen it this fast before.

Not to be outdone, I unleashed a second attack.

“Again…! ‘Shining Blade’!”

Trailing blue light in an arc, my diagonal slash sliced through the dark black armor protecting the demon lord.

But it didn’t do much damage.

“Shoot, too shallow…!”

I heard Satou mutter, sounding uncharacteristically perturbed.

He must have failed at cutting off the second leg.

“I’ve got this.”

Wee’s arrow struck the insect leg.

The nail still bore down toward my shoulder, though it was slowed somewhat by the shot.

“‘Protection’!”

With Rin’s shout, a barrier appeared in front of the insect leg.

I looked away from the barrier protecting me and focused on my next move.

Twisting around in midair, I used the centrifugal force to spin right into another attack.

As I turned, I saw my companions: Wee, who’d used up the last of her strength to shoot that last arrow, and Seina, who was supporting her; and Rin, who was collapsing into the sand with a satisfied expression, the Divine Talisman still clutched in her hand. No doubt Loleiya was the one who gave them the strength to move at all.

With silent gratitude for all their support, I activated another Unstoppable Strike.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

Dark purple light gathered in front of the demon lord.

It was about to form more Reflective Scales.

“…‘Shining Helix Slash’!”

Just before the metallic purple light could take on physical form, I unleashed an attack at lightning speed, and pure blue light overtook the dark shape and plunged straight toward the demon lord.

But there wasn’t quite enough force behind it.

I sent the massive amount of mana produced by my Holy Armor Tunas flowing into the Holy Sword.

The demon lord caught my sword with one hand and reached back with the other to rip me to shreds.

“‘Draconic Thunder’!”

I just barely heard Mari’s voice.

A spear of lightning in the shape of a dragon pierced into the demon lord’s brain.

As the burning smell of ozone filled the air, two shadows jumped into view.

“Hayato!”

“Finish him!”

Rusus’s broadswords and Fifi’s battle-ax struck down the demon lord’s arm before it could crush me. The pair then crashed to the ground, paying the price for pushing themselves too far.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

Satou’s Holy Sword pinned the demon lord’s segmented tail to the ground before it could attack me next.

Damn, I’ve got a really reliable group of pals here.

“RAAAAAAAH! ‘SHINING BLADE’!”

With my Holy Sword still thrust into the demon lord, I activated another special attack.

Blue light welled up underneath his skin, tearing the demon lord apart from the inside.

GZIMGYBBBBO.

Even with his health at zero and his body beginning to fall apart, the demon lord didn’t go down.

Fresh Reflective Scales appeared beside him.

I’m not letting you fight back now.

“Go to hell, demon looooooooord!”

I twisted the blade with the special attack still pulsing through it, and the blade of blue light that pierced through his body finally destroyed the demon lord completely.