Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 4 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

DARK LORD VS DARK LORD

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!

With every howl loosed from Veira’s maw, more corrupted dragons tore their way through fissures in reality. Dozens upon hundreds of Voids appeared from cracks, swooping and circling in the skies. Beholding the sight reminded Leonis of the Demon Dragon’s Mountain Range.

“There’s no end to them!” From atop Blackas, Leonis gritted his teeth.

It was unlikely Excalibur Academy would survive in the face of this overwhelming force. Against a Stampede, they only needed to slay the Void Lord leading it. This situation was a bit different, though. As far as Leonis could tell, Veira wasn’t wholly transformed yet. Her flaming red scales looked just as they had one thousand years ago.

The Archsage, Arakael Degradios, and the Holy Woman, Tearis Resurrectia, had unquestionably become Voids, and their forms had reflected that change.

“Blackas, I don’t believe she’s entirely lost to the power of the Voids yet.”

“That’s—” Blackas began to reply but cut himself off. As a constant friend and companion of this Dark Lord, he aptly picked up on Leonis’s feelings. “…Indeed. I suppose we cannot deny that possibility outright.”

“I wish to save her,” Leonis stated. “If we try now, it should still be possible.”

“Is there some method of clearing away that corruption?”

“Yes. I will kill Veira. Then, using the sorcery of the Realm of Death, I shall resurrect her as an undead.”

“You intend to make the Dragon Lord your minion?”

“I do. Though, I don’t know if I’ll succeed.”

When left alone, dead Voids faded away and disappeared. Leonis wasn’t at all sure if he could resurrect the great dragon with his magic. Even success didn’t guarantee that Veira would be free of Void influence.

“Regardless, we can’t fight it here!” Leonis declared, lifting the Staff of Sealed Sins. “Demonic stars, bend to my authority and plummet from your heavenly seat—Gran Mezekis!”

As Veira howled, a gigantic dark sphere formed above the dragon, bearing down on her as if trying to push the winged creature toward the earth.

Voooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Leonis had cast a tenth-order spell, the Shooting Star Avalanche. A condensed lump of gravity consumed the tyrant of the skies, sending her down into the ocean.

Whoosh!

Veira’s collision with the sea sent up a spectacular spray of water. Blackas and Leonis floated over to the site of the dragon’s impact.

“As is traditional, when two Dark Lords clash, we use this!”

Leonis produced a blood-colored orb from midair and held it above his head. The waters beneath him began to swirl and part, exposing the seabed. Waves of darkness gouged into the perimeter of the exposed ocean floor, forming a circular barrier.

This was the Goddess Boundary Field, a barrier produced by Roselia Ishtaris’s unique sorcery. Even Leonis, who had activated the magic, couldn’t escape it. There were only two methods of egress: combatants could stop fighting and reach an agreement, or one side died.

“Now I can fight without having to worry about the city being damaged,” Leonis remarked. Looking down at Veira, who was collapsed on the seabed, he tried to draw the sword hiding within his staff. The effort proved fruitless, however.

I thought so.

Since the goddess’s Demon Sword, Dáinsleif, was powerful to the point of extreme danger, there were significant restrictions placed on its use. Leonis could only draw the weapon to defend his kingdom. What’s more, it could be used against fellow Dark Lords or other servants of the Goddess of Rebellion.

It’s quite the handicap, given I’m fighting Veira.

Dragons had a heavy resistance to magic, a unique trait of their species. For a sorcerer like Leonis, a dragon was the worst possible opponent. And since he was in the body of a young boy, his mana reserves were greatly diminished.

There’s no other option, though, Leonis thought with a sardonic smile. He descended to the exposed ocean floor with the Staff of Sealed Sins in hand.

A bolt of lightning crackled through the sky as the downpour buffeted a downtown alleyway.

“Hisssssssssssss!” A lizard demon howled as it lunged down.

Shary dodged it, her skirt billowing in the stormy weather. Whirling, she launched a blade of darkness through the air. The knife struck the lizard demon square in the head, sending it sinking back down into the shadows.

“Shouting before launching a surprise attack? Are you some kind of fool?” the assassin maid taunted with a cold look in her crimson eyes.

Only the spiral Shade Fiend remained, but it was on a whole other level compared to the other two.

I suppose I’ll have to take this fight seriously…

Shary drew an ebon blade, the Death Butterfly’s Dagger, Refisca. It was a legend-class magical weapon gifted to her by Leonis. Holding the beautifully decorated hilt in an underhand grip, Shary pushed off against the building’s wall and leaped up.

The spiral demon took cover in the shadows, apparently waiting for a chance to strike. This assassin was probably from the Realm of Shadows, like Shary. The creature gave off the scent of one who’d spent their life in the dark and mastered killing as their craft.

Once, a girl named Shary Corvette had been no different.

This is all I can do.

As Shary jumped, the Refisca formed copies of itself in the air. The countless knives rained down on the girl’s target, and yet, they didn’t seem to hit anything. For a moment, there was only the sound of splashing water.

Suddenly, ghostly obsidian arms extended from the walls all around Shary, coiling around and snaring her limbs.

“…?!”

Giant spiders slithered out of the shadows on the walls, one after another. Three, four, six of them. All were identical to the demon that had attacked the dorm.

“Geh-eh… Geh-eh-eh-eh-eh…!” An eerie cackling filled the alleyway.

“…I see. So that’s what this was all about,” Shary whispered as she tried to get free.

These creatures were the same as the one that had attempted to kill Leonis and Sakuya through self-destruction. That could only mean…

“You create these demons with your power,” Shary deduced.

“Precisely. I am Raspilius,” the spiral Shade Fiend said, emerging above Shary.

“What you have observed is the power of my Demon Sword, granted to me by the great one. It enables me to forge reproductions of demons I’ve consumed. The Shade Fiends are a force of assassins, contained entirely within me.”

“…Who is this great one you speak of?” Shary questioned.

“You don’t need to know,” the Shade Fiend replied with a sneer. “After all, you’re going to die.”

The next moment, the spider demons all exploded at once.

Racing up the emergency staircase, Riselia and Arle hurried to the surface. After Riselia kicked the door open, the pair found themselves in a botanical garden. Plants from across the world were gathered here, seemingly for research purposes.

Turning to look at Arle, Riselia asked, “Who is that bishop?”

“I don’t know much about him, either.” The elf shook her head, her ponytail waving to and fro. “All I know is that he came from the same era I did.”

“The same…era?” Riselia’s brow furrowed at this unusual wording.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I have the time to explain.”

“…?!”

Countless fireballs formed in the air and flew down at the two. Riselia and Arle split up, dodging the burning spheres that skipped across the ground, leaving flames in their wake.

“Is this the sort of place you like to play?” mocked a familiar voice.

Crack, crack, crack…!

Fissures ran through the air as if it were made of glass, and from within them, Nefakess appeared, still cloaked in his bishop’s garb. Riselia recognized those fractures.

“Void cracks?! But how?!”

Nefakess raised his hand with a smile.

“Egila Iva!”

Bolts of black lightning lanced from his hand.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Arle Kirlesio deflected the electricity with her sword and lunged at Nefakess. Riselia could see a faint aura cover Arle’s body. The elf had reinforced her physical strength with mana.

Despite her dainty arms, Arle loosed an intense slash. Unfortunately, Nefakess sank back into a Void fissure before her blade could connect.

“Hmm. An Arc Seven. The Demon Smiting Sword, Crozax…,” Nefakess remarked, appearing behind the two girls.

“…?!”

Arle swiftly turned, preparing to cut the man through, but her slice was blocked by a staff that manifested in Nefakess’s hands.

“A pity. It seems you’ve yet to master it,” he taunted with a thin smile.

“That rod…,” Arle said, her eyes narrowing.

“The Staff of Downfall, Vraluka Zoa. A legendary archmage’s staff.”

“One of the Six Heroes…?!” Arle’s eyes widened in shock.

“As you can see, I’m wasted on close combat.”

Sensing the mana building up in the rod’s tip, Arle jumped backward.

“Third-order sorcery—Farga!”

A deafening explosion boomed. The air shook, and the blast consumed Arle.

“It seems your current strength is a far cry from your original power, elven hero…,” needled Nefakess.

“Don’t forget about me!” Riselia shouted, charging toward the man in priestly garb with her Bloody Sword in hand.

However, Nefakess avoided her handily. Moving his hand in the shape of the holy mark across his chest, he began chanting. “Bring forth sacred radiance on the haughty fallen dead—Holy Light Barrier!”

Nefakess struck his staff down on the ground, and a bright, divine glow began spreading around him.

“Kuh… Ahhhhhhhh!” Overcome with burning, sizzling pain, Riselia crumbled where she stood. “Wh-what…?!”

“This is holy magic. For an undead, there is nothing more painful.”

“Ngh… Ahhhhhhhhh!”

Riselia couldn’t breathe. Gripping her own neck, the young woman slumped to the ground, writhing in agony. The pain defied description. It was as if her very soul were being scorched to the core.

“How peculiar,” whispered Nefakess as he watched Riselia twist and thrash. “If this is the extent of your power, I can’t see how you managed to destroy the Holy Woman.”

“Ah… Nghahhhh… Ahhhhhh!”

“Ah well. There’s plenty of information I need to squeeze out of you…” Nefakess violently grabbed Riselia by her long, argent locks.

At that very moment, a flash coursed through the air.

Fwishhhhhhhhh!

“…What?!”

As a slash delivered at godspeed bore down on Nefakess, the man reflexively blocked it with his staff. Pale lightning sizzled and popped in the air, dancing vibrantly over the water puddles. At the center of it all stood…

“—Forgive me for taking so long, Miss Selia,” Sakuya apologized quietly, Raikirimaru in her hands. “I’m guessing I have permission to cut this man into ribbons?”

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, obey your fated destruction—Arzam!”

Leonis’s Staff of Sealed Sins radiated an ominous glow. From above came a tenth-order spell that could not be matched in terms of single-target offensive power.

Booooooooooooooooooom!

An earsplitting detonation, strong enough to shake the world itself, sounded as a pillar of red flames burst out of the ground, snaking upward.

However…

“…No damage whatsoever. I expected nothing less from you, Veira.” Leonis felt cold sweat drip down his forehead. A crimson dragon stood composedly before him. Against any other opponent, a tenth-order spell would have been a certain victory.

“Fighting a dragon with sorcery is a bad idea, after all.”

“Could we seal her in the Realm of Shadows?” Blackas asked.

Leonis considered the idea for a moment but ultimately shook his head. “That risks giving me another enemy to fight.”

Leonis’s third minion was sealed in the Realm of Shadows, and they were beyond his power to control at the moment.

“We’ll have to end this quickly. And I might have no choice but to turn it into a melee battle…”

Battles between Dark Lords could last days, even weeks. When Leonis had an undead body that knew no fatigue, he relished that challenge. However, now that he was a human child, he was subject to exhaustion. His mana was also only a third of what it had once been. Playing a slow game here would spell defeat.

“Graz Garud! Voira Zo! Al Gu Belzelga!”

Muttering incantations in quick succession, he waved his staff to increase the power of his sorcery and unleashed a flurry of tactical-level eighth-order spells.

“Grohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” the infernal dragon howled, raining bolts of destructive lightning within the barrier.

“…!”

Blackas jumped away, acrobatically launching off the barrier’s walls to evade the thunderbolts.

“W-wait, Blackas, my present body can’t keep up!” Leonis cried out.

The ebon wolf didn’t stop, however. Leonis grabbed onto him for dear life with his free hand. He had a Rider’s Unity spell in place to ensure he’d stay mounted on his friend, so there was no chance of him falling off, but…

“We’ll close in on her this way, Lord Magnus!”

“Understood!”

Blackas dashed and jumped, racing vertically up the barrier. Veira raised her head and let fly a jet of deadly fire.

“Sharianos!”

Instead of using defensive magic, Leonis reflexively cast an offensive ice element spell.

Booooom!

Cold met hot, and there was an intense blast of steam, filling the area with heavy mist. Yet even in the reduced visibility, Blackas did not stop.

“She doesn’t seem to be calling any more Voids…,” the great wolf observed.

“You’re right. She probably instinctively understands that those small fries will be of no use against me,” Leonis boasted.

Of course, the dragon-class Voids were only weak to someone of Leonis’s power. The hideous creatures were a considerable threat to Excalibur Academy’s students. Although Leonis had left the Three Champions of Rognas at the Hræsvelgr dorm, they couldn’t protect the entirety of the Seventh Assault Garden alone.

I have to settle this quickly.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A destructive burst of flames surged against the barrier walls. This breath attack was capable of blowing away entire fortresses. Simple defensive spells couldn’t hope to deflect it. Blackas darted to avoid the scorching fire.

“Tsk. And I’d hoped that fighting close would be easier.” Just as Leonis muttered the words, Veira underwent a sudden change.

“Sakuya?!” Riselia called out, still lying on the ground.

“Ultimate Blade Technique—Thundering Lightning Slash!” Sakuya unleashed a flurry of rapid swipes, her body surrounded by electricity.

Each stroke of her blade was so swift that Riselia couldn’t follow them, even with her vampire’s eyesight. Sakuya had likely cut down countless Voids on the way here. Raikirimaru’s power increased her speed and allowed her to accelerate further the more the weapon tasted the flesh of its enemies. By now, Sakuya was moving at her maximum speed.

This was Sakuya Sieglinde’s true, uninhibited might, a talent she’d never displayed during training matches.

However, something about her otherworldly sword prowess felt…curiously off to Riselia.

Sakuya?

Riselia ran mana through her eyes, and as she watched the clash between her friend and Nefakess, she saw what was bothering her. Sakuya’s right hand, the one clenching Raikirimaru, was enveloped in black vapor.

Is that the same miasma Voids give off? But that can’t be…

But then…

“By my…blade…thy contact…shall be null and void…!” Riselia heard a voice manage from behind her.

Arle Kirlesio approached, crawling along the ground.

“I shall shatter thy light… Phar Rias!”

At that moment, the luminous barrier torturing Riselia shattered.

“Spell breaking is…my…specialty…,” the elf girl uttered, gritting her teeth in pain all the while. “You can…still move, right…? That girl is strong…but she can’t win…on her own…”

As Arle lost her balance and collapsed, Riselia hurriedly went to catch her. A puddle of blood was forming at the elf’s feet, and it seemed she’d broken a few bones. Powerful fighter or not, she was in no condition to continue the battle.

Riselia was hardly in better condition. Her Vampire Queen abilities were already working to heal her, but it was consuming a lot of her mana.

If only I…had more…

Riselia tried to rise to her feet, her consciousness still muddled. That bishop may have looked human, but he was a monster of unfathomable strength. Sakuya couldn’t fight him off alone.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll only take a little.”

Riselia swallowed audibly before gingerly sinking her fangs into Arle’s neck.

Vrah.…Vrahhhhhhh!

Fetid miasma seeped from between Veira’s scales. Her massive form swelled with an ominous cracking sound. Plates were beginning to pop off of her as sharp, taloned arms sprouted from beneath. The Dragon Lord was taking on another, more despicable form.

“…Kh. Blackas, we have to bring her down before it’s too late!” Leonis growled. He wondered if it was already too late to save his fellow Dark Lord.

Should that be the case, then I will be the one to lay you to rest, he promised.

Leonis landed on the ground, facing Veira directly as a black miasma billowed from its body.

“Original sorcery—Black Tyrant!”

Dark flames enveloped Blackas and Leonis. The Demon Sword Dáinsleif contained the soul of a sword-wielding hero within its blade. Whenever Leonis held the weapon, he became capable of using the techniques he’d learned from the Swordmaster Shardark.

But right now, Leonis’s blade abilities were sealed with the sword. He could handle a weapon to some extent, but he couldn’t hope to match Sakuya without Dáinsleif’s power.

That was why he’d used Black Tyrant. The armor spell allowed him to take Blackas Shadow Prince’s power into his body. This granted Leonis some melee combat prowess. It was magic that the Undead King had developed himself for when he fought enemies resistant to sorcery.

“Should I create a Shadow Blade?” Blackas asked his longtime friend.

“No. A weapon created with magic can’t hope to pierce her scales.”

Leonis returned his Staff of Sealed Sins to the shadows and took hold of something else.

“When facing Dark Lords, I use this.”

Ssssss…

A steel longsword with a decorated cross-shaped pommel slipped out of the thick ebon. This was Zolgstar Mezekis—a Dark Lord–slaying weapon. During the incident aboard the Hyperion, the witch Sharnak had turned it into a monster.

Leonis had crushed that Void Lord to bits but gathered its fragments and had successfully reforged Zolgstar Mezekis with the aid of his magic. The original blade was lost, of course, but Leonis was a first-class magical craftsman. This sword was more than capable of penetrating the Dragon Lord’s scales.

“Veira, I’ve always regretted…not fighting by your side to the very end,” admitted Leonis as he took up his mighty blade.

As the Undead King, he’d wished to die honorably in battle, fighting the Six Heroes. Yet Roselia had given him another task, and he’d lived on, awakening in this new age.

“Feel my blade’s wrath—Veira, the Dragon Lord!”

“Farga!”

A torrent of flames rocketed through the air, sending Sakuya flying.

“Khn… Hyahhhhhhhhh!”

Yet rather than crash, she somehow managed to land on her feet and slash at her foe with Raikirimaru again. Nefakess gave a consternated look but managed to dodge.

“Oh. How strange. A human withstanding a third-order spell with naught for protection but their own flesh and blood. Or perhaps…there’s more?”

“I’ve no reason to explain myself to you,” Sakuya said, thrusting her sword at the man. Raikirimaru skimmed against Nefakess’s throat.

“Dance forth, flames of scorching heat—Phranis!” This time, he cast a spell at point-blank range. Fire erupted from the tip of his staff, washing over Sakuya.

“That won’t work,” Sakuya declared, cleaving a path through the fire and taking a confident step forward.

“What…?!” Nefakess whispered in disbelief, his eyes wide.

A blue light settled over Raikirimaru’s blade. “Demon Sword—Yamichidori,” Sakuya stated in a soft tone. “It’s the first time I’ve wielded it against a human opponent.”

“Oh, this… Why, this is fascinating,” Nefakess remarked, cracking an indomitable smile. “I see. You’re not so much human as you are turning into a V—”

“Silence! Close your foolish mouth!”

There was a flash of azure as Raikirimaru swept forward. Sakuya then pulled the sword close to her and thrust with lightning-fast speed. The blade plunged in, ready to gouge its enemy’s heart out, yet it caught nothing but empty air. Nefakess had vanished into a floating crack.

“…What?!”

“There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Nefakess sneered from somewhere. “I’m closer to the nothingness than you are. That’s all there is to it…”

Sakuya reflexively hopped away, but—

“Dance, ye gelid blades of frost—Shariagira!”

“…Aaaaaaah!”

Frigid knives sped through the air, cutting into Sakuya’s body.

“We’re not finished. Shariagira—” Nefakess stepped out on one of the cracks in the air, chanting another spell.

“Nefakess!”

Zwoom!

Blood, sharpened to an edge, swung like a whip, biting into the man’s shoulder.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!” Turning around, Nefakess found Riselia, bringing her Bloody Sword down at him.

Slash!

The silvery blade severed the man’s right arm, the one that had been holding his staff.

“…Wh…at?!”

Converting all the blood in her body into mana, Riselia stepped forward. Her argent hair shone luminously, and the True Ancestor’s Dress she was now wearing let out a crimson glow.

Nefakess jumped back. His fair features were stained with panic. “…I’ll admit I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d break free of my Holy Light Barrier.”

Riselia offered no answer, only glaring. I have to focus all my mana into this slash…!

That’s when the young woman noticed something strange. Even though she’d completely severed Nefakess’s arm, he wasn’t bleeding. Instead, a black mist was rising from the wound.

That’s Void miasma! But how?!

“Celestia! Celestia! Celestia!”

Bolts of purifying light leaped from Nefakess’s hand. The spells were capable of reducing most undead to dust. As they struck Riselia, a pain intense enough to sear her heart to ashes coursed through her chest. Still, the girl pushed forward. So long as she wore the True Ancestor’s Dress, holy magic could not strike her down.

“Holy Light Barri—” Nefakess prepared to chant another barrier spell.

“Don’t forget about me!”

A flash of lightning streaked past Riselia.

“Ultimate Blade Technique—Lightning Flash!”

Raikirimaru tore into Nefakess’s right shoulder before he could complete his magic. Not even a second later, Riselia’s Blood Sword stabbed at the man’s chest. Then countless blades of blood formed and trained on Nefakess, enclosing him in a crimson cage.

Riselia held up the Bloody Sword and chanted, “As queen of the undead, I order you! Dance, frolic with madness—Blood Storm!”

The red knives swirled and slashed, yet Nefakess did not seem frightened.

“Keh… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“…?!”

“I see! So I’ve underestimated humankind’s power!”

Crack, crack, crack…!

Fissures began appearing at the base of his severed arm. The fracture glared at Riselia like some gigantic eye. It was so unnatural that the young woman shuddered and froze in place for a second.

“I shall retreat here, out of respect for humanity. However…” Nefakess paused to level a captivated, almost clinging sort of glare at Riselia. “Beauteous queen. Allow me to grant you this humble offering.” A triangular stone flew from the man’s hand.

“…!”

Riselia tried to evade it, but the object disappeared into her chest.

“May you prove to be a worthy vessel for the goddess.”

“Wait…!” Riselia demanded, trying to grab Nefakess, but he slipped into a crack and disappeared.

“Miss Selia, who was that man?” Sakuya asked her.

“I don’t know. He was, like, a Void in human form. But that can’t be…” Riselia shook her head.

“No. I’ve seen something like this before,” Sakuya admitted.

“Huh?”

“The Void Lord who destroyed the Sakura Orchid looked like a person.”

It really can produce an unlimited number of demons.

Shary sprinted through a rainy alley. While countless spider demons pursued her through the shadows, she lashed out at them with whips. But each time she destroyed a spider, an intense explosion knocked her back.

“…!”

Beaten down by repeated self-destruct blasts, fatigue began playing over Shary’s features. Her maid uniform was drenched with rain, and her left hand, which had been gripping the Refisca, had been rendered almost wholly useless.

The injuries Shary had suffered earlier were more severe than she’d realized. She’d avoided fatal damage by cloaking herself in shadows, but…

Perhaps I’ve…grown weaker…, the maid thought in self-deprecation. My lord, you brought color to my world, and in exchange…

Looking around, Shary realized she was surrounded by darkness. The shadow corridors had been ruined. There was no escape. If the spiders continued to detonate, she wouldn’t last long. Shary got to her feet, holding the Refisca between her teeth.

I have to at least defeat the Shade Fiend, even if it means going down with him.

But just then, something dropped down to the puddle at her feet…a ring. It was the one Leonis had given her as a reward. She’d held on to it ever since. Shary hurriedly picked it up. The trinket possessed magic capable of summoning a powerful monster.

…If I call a creature on par with a Shadow Demon, it should at least stall Raspilius.

Seeing Shary bending over as an opening, the spider demons lunged at her.

My lord!

“Let’s finish this, Veira!”

Leonis charged with Zolgstar Mezekis, the Evil-Rending Sword, in his hand. Blackas’s dark flames burned around his body.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The Dragon Lord breathed destructive white heat at Leonis.

Leonis planted his feet on the ground and leaped up with a shout. The black flames at his legs billowed, leaving a small crater in his wake. Veira’s fire swept across the ground, blowing dirt and forming burning columns. Yet Leonis was already above the dragon, swinging down the Evil-Rending Sword as he chanted a spell.

“Al Gu Belzelga!”

Zolgstar Mezekis turned red with heat from Mage Blade, a Demon Sword technique that allowed one to channel sorcery through their weapon. Of course, there weren’t many objects in existence that could withstand the might of an eighth-order spell. Anything but the Arc Seven would’ve likely shattered to pieces from the mere attempt.

The countless Void hands spurting out of the Dragon Lord’s body grasped after Leonis.

“Too slow!” Leonis tumbled in midair, somersaulting as he slashed through the arms. This manner of attack wasn’t part of the Hero Leonis’s sword skills that were sealed with Dáinsleif. Wielding a weapon with sheer magical power was the style of a Dark Lord. No, even that wasn’t a proper description. There was no form or grace to Leonis’s movements.

Swinging a sword with the abandon of a child is exhilarating!

There was a ferocious smile on Leonis’s lips.

Voooosh!

He cut down the Void arms and then aimed at Veira, thrusting the Evil-Rending Sword into the dragon’s neck! The power of a Holy Sword forged for slaying Dark Lords pierced through the creature’s hide.

I’d expect nothing less from one of the Arc Seven. Truly it is a weapon forged for slaying my comrades and me!

With the Black Tyrant’s flames coursing around him, Leonis forced the edge of Zolgstar Mezekis farther into Veira’s nape. The corrupted dragon howled, spreading her wings in an attempt to escape. Hoping to shake Leonis off, she bashed herself against the barrier’s walls. As she climbed up toward the sky, Veira rammed herself again and again into the glowing surfaces that trapped her and her fellow Dark Lord.

The goddess’s barrier couldn’t possibly be destroyed, but each time Veira collided with it, the walls flickered.

I can’t believe her sheer strength!

Leonis desperately clutched onto Zolgstar Mezekis, its blade still buried in Veira’s flesh.

“Rah Vaias!”

A sixth-order spell passed through the weapon, entering directly into the dragon’s body! More scales peeled off the massive creature, and a black miasma issued from her wounds.

“…?!”

Drawing out his blade, Leonis began to fall. But as he did, he slashed through the base of one of Veira’s wings.

“Grohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Veira howled madly, diving downward to pursue Leonis as he plummeted. Faced with the sight of the dragon’s open maw, Leonis chanted a spell from the Realm of Death.

“Heed my voice, for I am the king of the undead who transcends death! Rise forth and gather at my side, ye soldiers!”

The moment Leonis landed, a gigantic skeletal dragon appeared, biting down on Veira’s throat! Using the remnants of gigantic sea creatures lying at the bottom of the ocean, Leonis had haphazardly pieced together a makeshift bone dragon. That was one reason he’d selected the seabed as their battlefield.

“This isn’t over yet. Let’s go!” Leonis shouted with a smirk as he pieced together one skeletal monster after another.

However, Veira crushed his creations with swings of her mighty tail.

Whooooosh…!

While shielding himself with bone, Leonis put some distance between himself and Veira.

They couldn’t even stall her…

Curiously, Leonis’s opponent didn’t give chase. The dragon began to swell again, and her remaining scales came off as more miasma began to spout from her body. With her neck at an unnatural angle, Void wings and arms bubbled out of her flesh. It was a sickening sight, as if the creature were continually repeating cycles of evolution and regression.

“This needs to end swiftly,” Leonis muttered, gritting his teeth in frustration. “I can’t bear to see this happen to you!”

Giving such a shameful display was an insult to proud Veira, the Dragon Lord!

“Arzam!” Endowing Zolgstar Mezekis with the strength of his most potent offensive spell, Leonis charged toward the Dragon Lord.

“Gyrahhhhhhhhh!”

Leonis thrust the blade into the dragon’s heart, piercing it through, but he continued shoving the weapon deeper.

“Burst—Arzam!”

Boom!

Veira’s body ballooned, turning red like lava.

“Arzam!”

Again Leonis loosed another tenth-order spell into the dragon, hoping that it would somehow burn away the corruption within Veira.

Zolgstar Mezekis shattered to pieces within the great beast’s body, and crimson flames came gushing out, turning to smoldering magma that spewed out of Veira.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

With a thundering noise, Veira, the Dragon Lord, fell to pieces.

“…”

Gripping Zolgstar Mezekis while funneling so much power through it had left Leonis’s hands burned. He looked down at Veira’s remains.

“That was a fair duel. Surely you won’t hold a grudge.”

Had the Dragon Lord been at full strength, Leonis likely wouldn’t have been able to kill her. Then again, he wasn’t in his original form, either. Sparing no time for sentimentality, Leonis drew the Staff of Sealed Sins from his shadow.

“Create Elder Undead.”

He sprinkled blood over Veira’s remains and chanted a spell from the Realm of Death. It was the same magic he’d used to resurrect Riselia as a Vampire Queen.

I hope you at least become an Elder Dracolich.

At worst, she would return as a mindless dragon zombie.

But if you do, I won’t make you my minion. I’ll grant you the peace of a proud death.

The spell circle gave off an ominous glow, and the spell took effect. However, something odd occurred. Leonis was suddenly surrounded by light, and he disappeared.

Huh?

Shary’s eyes opened slowly. What she saw defied her wildest imagination. The spider demons that lunged at her lay dead, pierced by blades of ice.

“Wh-what is this…?”

As her eyes adjusted, she made out a figure.

“My…lord…?”

Leonis stood with his back to her, the Staff of Sealed Sins in his hands.

“…My lord, what are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to know.…,” Leonis answered, looking perplexed. Upon seeing the ring he’d given the assassin maid, he nodded in realization. “You used the ring.”

“The ring…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? That item allows its owner to summon the greatest, most powerful thing in the Dark Lords’ Armies.” Leonis averted his gaze sheepishly. “In other words, me.”

“…Oh.”

“Tch. What is that supposed to mean?” Leonis asked indignantly.

Shary remained seated on the ground. “Heh… Heh-heh-heh… Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh…” She started chuckling softly, unable to hold back the laughter.

“…Is something amusing about this?”

“You’re funny sometimes, my lord.”

“…Something about your tone rubs me the wrong way, but very well.” Leonis shrugged. “So who are you fools supposed to be…?”

He finally turned his gaze in the direction of the Shade Fiends surrounding him and Shary. The creatures froze, sensing his overwhelming aura of death.

Hmm. More demon assassins.

“I am a merciful Dark Lord,” he told the swirling spiral demon in command of the others. “But since you had the gall to lay a hand on my personal maid, I am given no recourse but to sentence you to a gruesome death.”

“What nonsense are you spouti—?” the spiral demon began.

“Eighth-order spell—Nel Gira,” Leonis chanted. A black sphere appeared in midair. It consumed the demons, sending them into oblivion. In no time at all, Shary and Leonis were alone.

Turning to face Shary, Leonis said, “—Come, Shary. Let us return home.”

“Y-yes, my lord!”

The leaden gray clouds finally cleared away, and rays of sunshine shone down on the city.