CHAPTER 1
THE DARK LORD ZOL VADIS
“Leo… Just who are you?”
Riselia’s blue eyes, as clear as a lake’s surface, gazed at Leonis. It was nine in the evening when, just as Leonis was speaking with Blackas, Riselia had come to see him. In her hands was a scrap of paper, a copy of an epitaph found on a statue in Necrozoa. Riselia had decoded the writing and discovered that someone named Leonis Death Magnus had been the ruler of that long-forgotten dark region.
“E-erm…” Leonis clearly averted his gaze and swallowed nervously.
How did she manage to read an ancient, mystic text?!
The Dark Lord in the body of a ten-year-old gritted his teeth, annoyed by his own carelessness. He ought to have destroyed that inscription discreetly. Leonis knew of Riselia’s fervent interest when it came to researching ancient ruins, after all. But he never imagined she would successfully decode the language.
Wasn’t the ancient script wiped from the history books?!
Apparently, Riselia had translated Leonis’s name using a book she’d found in her father’s study. Duke Crystalia had been a scholar of age-old relics, as well. Still, to think his daughter would decipher the writing so quickly…
Some part of Leonis wanted to praise this minion of his for her resourcefulness, but now certainly wasn’t the time.
Until now, Leonis maintained the lie that he was an ancient mage who had awoken in this age. And if this honest girl, with her stern sense of justice, were to learn that Leonis was actually a Dark Lord, there was no telling how she might react.
Will she respond as the humans did back then…? No, she’s…
Leonis bit his lips for a moment, and then…
“It appears you’ve found me out. Very well, then,” he whispered with self-derision.
“Leo…?” Riselia’s blue eyes wavered anxiously.
Forgive me, but I must wipe your memories of this.
Fortunately, manipulating this one simple recollection wouldn’t have any effect on her personality. Leonis reached out his hands to touch Riselia’s temple.
“Leo—”
Before the Dark Lord could do any more, his minion abruptly wrapped her arms around him.
“Miss…Selia?”
“I’m your guardian, Leo, so I want to know everything about you. But if there’s something you don’t want to share, I won’t force you. I can be okay with that, even if you’re not who I think you are, so…!”
Riselia’s argent locks brushed against Leonis’s cheek. Feeling her hold him tight, Leonis let his arms drop, putting them around her instead.
I shouldn’t be altering my minion’s memory.
For some reason, a part of him knew that it would irrevocably alter their relationship forever if he were to try it.
“It’s true. I once ruled that ruined city, back when it was still Necrozoa,” Leonis admitted, sitting on the bed beside Riselia.
He’d elected to tell the truth and revealed that he was once master of a kingdom of countless skeletons and demons.
“…So you really were a king.”
“Yes, well…” Leonis nodded sheepishly, scratching his cheek. “That land eventually met its demise.”
“…How?”
“There were many reasons, but, well…” Leonis’s shoulders slumped. “Simply put, I suppose my reign left something to be desired. That’s probably why…”
“So you’re trying to rebuild that kingdom?”
“…No. It’s already been destroyed.”
This wasn’t to say he didn’t feel any nostalgia for Necrozoa, but that place had only ever been a military base for the Dark Lords’ Armies. Leonis’s home was wherever the goddess Roselia was.
Besides, I already have a new headquarters…
“What matters most now is finding someone very important to me,” Leonis said.
“You mean the lady you talked about once?”
“Yes. Roselia Ishtaris. Locating her is my—”
“Roselia… Isn’t that…?” Riselia interjected. “I saw that name on the epitaph.”
“You decoded her name, too?!” Leonis exclaimed, shocked.
“Y-yes…”
“I—I see…,” Leonis whispered, almost impressed.
Evidently, he still underestimated Riselia’s passion for historical research.
“Is that lady a mage like you, Leo?”
“No, she’s…” Leonis paused to consider. “In the present era, she’s likely an ordinary girl.”
After Riselia had left the room, Leonis sat alone for a moment—but then his shadow began stirring and wavering.
“That was quite dangerous, Lord Magnus.”
A massive, pitch-black wolf rose from his shadow. It was Blackas.
The dignified beast climbed onto Leonis’s bed and snorted slightly. “Why didn’t you wipe that girl’s memory?”
“It was unnecessary. Altering her mind every time she began to suspect something would have grown tiresome.”
“Hmm.” Blackas appeared unconvinced.
Leonis sighed and shrugged. “Rewriting the memories of my minions shames my honor as a Dark Lord.”
“Your dignity, you say. It’s not my place to comment on it, then.”
In the end, Leonis didn’t tell Riselia he was a Dark Lord. He couldn’t share the truth with her yet.
But someday, I’ll reveal everything to her.
Now wasn’t that time, though. When he brought Roselia’s reincarnation under his protection and reformed the Dark Lords’ Armies, he would tell her.
Straightening up, Leonis cleared his throat. “More importantly, there is something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?” the black wolf asked.
“Riselia discovered some writing in her father’s study that aided her in translating writing in Necrozoa. But how would Duke Crystalia, a man from this age, know of the ancient text?”
The epitaph on the statue hadn’t been described in just any dead language. It had been written in the advanced holy text, a script employed exclusively by the wisest, most esteemed priests.
“Duke Crystalia studied ancient history, but that he was aware of legends surrounding the Dark Lords still feels very curious. It’s a shame he’s already dead…,” muttered Leonis.
The Holy Woman, Tearis Resurrectia, had been revived in the ruins of the Third Assault Garden as a Void Lord, turning the souls of the dead knights into wandering spirits. However, Leonis hadn’t located Duke Crystalia’s soul when he’d been there.
The Undead King put a hand to his chin as he mused ominously, “If I could at least find the body, I could use necromancy to resurrect him as a ghoul…”
An Excalibur Academy unit was investigating the half-destroyed ruins of the Third Assault Garden, but it wasn’t likely that any corpses would turn up.
“Setting that aside…,” Leonis said. Another matter weighed on his mind. Namely, what was Zemein, a staff officer of the Dark Lords’ Armies, doing in Necrozoa? “Zemein and Nefakess Reizaad. Members of the old Dark Lords’ Armies seem to be scheming in the shadows.”
When Leonis fought Zemein in Necrozoa’s Goddess Temple, he had spoken of a prophecy.
A presage, eh…?
Leonis knew of one the goddess Roselia had made, stating she would be reborn in this era. Was there yet another prophecy, then?
“I found Zemein in Necrozoa, trying to resurrect me—the Undead King. He was likely hoping to taint me with the power of nothingness and turn me into a Void Lord, just like they did with Veira and the Six Heroes.” Had Riselia not accidentally undone the seal on him, that plan could very well have come to fruition. “They’re trying to use the Six Heroes and the Dark Lords to suit their ends.”
Who was masterminding these acts? Leonis suspected the Devil of the Underworld, Azra-Ael, might be the one pulling the strings, but Zemein had denied that. There was nothing that kept him from lying, however.
“Zemein dying was an unfortunate loss, though,” Leonis admitted.
While Leonis had been questioning Zemein, a masked girl had appeared and destroyed the old man. Even Leonis, with his mastery over death magic, couldn’t call back a soul that had been completely eradicated. At best, he could manipulate Zemein’s corpse like one might a puppet, but it would provide no information.
I can’t help but feel like that woman reminded me of someone…
“My lord…”
The shadow at Leonis’s feet began to undulate again, and a girl in a maid’s dress rose from it. It was Shary, the assassin maid.
“Yes, Shary, what is it?”
“I come bearing an urgent report, my lord,” Shary stated, pinching up her skirt in a dignified curtsy.
“Oh? What is it?”
“Your Demon Wolf Pack minions have begun acting on their own again.”
“Again…?” Leonis sighed and massaged his temples wearily.
The Demon Wolf Pack was a group composed of remnants of the Sovereign Wolves, a terrorist organization that had hijacked the royal family’s private craft, the Hyperion. They were the first subordinates Leonis had gathered since awakening from stasis, excluding Riselia, his personal servant.
Many of the beastmen in the group were quite bloodthirsty and impulsive, and just the other day, they had attacked a research facility in the Sixth Assault Garden, which got them caught up in Veira’s rampage.
Their loyalty to their new Dark Lord master was high, but they were a constant source of vexation for Leonis.
“What did they do this time?”
“They infiltrated a naval pier and are planning to steal weapons.”
“…”
Needless to say, Leonis had not ordered them to do that.
“…My word, handling them is nothing like commanding the undead.” Leonis sighed again.
“What shall we do, my lord?” Shary asked.
“I’ll go stop them.” Leonis got to his feet, produced a skull mask from thin air, and put it on.
Shadows enveloped his whole body, disguising Leonis as a tall demon clad in a long overcoat. He took this form, that of the Dark Lord Zol Vadis, when meeting with the Demon Wolf Pack.
The ten-year-old boy attending Excalibur Academy was merely Leonis’s public front. This masked persona was the dark master controlling the Seventh Assault Garden from behind the scenes.
“The boat just docked in the port. How are things on your end?”
“All green. I silenced the soldiers standing guard.”
“Roger. We’ll get into the warehouse, then.”
The dark elf girl Lena silenced her communication device. She and the others were in the Seventh Assault Garden’s military pier area on Port 04. This massive armory housed a large amount of anti-Void weapons and ammunition.
The sky was quite cloudy, blotting out the moon. However, the low-hanging clouds reflected the illumination from the numerous searchlights, revealing things.
Several shadows clinging to the rooftops silently descended to the ground. They wore hoods that hung over their eyes and masks that covered their faces as they sprinted under the veil of darkness.
They were the remnants of the Sovereign Wolves, a group of anti-imperial terrorists made up mostly of beastmen. Currently, they functioned as the operative unit of the Demon Wolf Pack, an organization working under Zol Vadis.
Having caught wind of information that a ship loaded with military equipment was about to dock, they plotted to loot the warehouse in an attempt to acquire weapons and ammo.
Ugh. I’m a hero, for heaven’s sake! Why am I skulking about like some kind of sneak thief?
Squatting next to Lena, one girl with verdant hair puffed out her cheeks with displeasure. She was a beautiful young lady, her eyes a mystical shade of blue. Although she appeared no older than thirteen or fourteen, the air about her gave the impression of a keen, honed blade.
Arle Kirlesio was an elven hero dispatched by the Elder Tree. Her goal was to fell the Goddess of Rebellion, who would supposedly make a return in this era, as well as the Dark Lords serving her.
Yet during a scuffle when Arle had been pursued by the local guards, she’d been picked up by these terrorists. And as she remained with them, she came to learn that their leader called himself a Dark Lord.
Zol Vadis.
That was the name of a Dark Lord who’d governed nearly the entire world before the advent of the Goddess of Rebellion. After which Zol Vadis was slain by the hero Leonis Shealto. Arle decided to remain with the Demon Wolf Pack to discover their master’s true identity, but unfortunately, she hadn’t yet risen to a rank where she was permitted to meet him.
Thus, to that end, she had to prove her strength and gain admittance into the organization’s inner circle.
“This plan was your idea, wasn’t it?” she asked Lena. “The Dark Lord—I mean, His Greatness—didn’t order you to do this, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Lena nodded boastfully for some reason. “His Greatness said, ‘I expect loyalty from my subordinates, but not the kind of blind adherence skeletons or zombies have.’ In other words, His Greatness expects us to think and act on our own.”
Lena explained this proudly, holding up an index finger.
“That’s why we’re doing this, elf girl,” one of the beastmen added.
It seemed the Demon Wolf Pack’s members were all genuinely loyal to this Dark Lord.
Arle hung her head and silently muttered an incantation for a night vision spell. She could see vehicles ferrying large container boxes into the warehouse.
Boom, boom, boooooooooooom!
Suddenly, a series of rumbling explosions shook the air. It was a distraction caused by another detachment of the Demon Wolf Pack.
“Let’s go, Arle!” Lena said enthusiastically.
“…Yes, fine,” Arle replied lackadaisically, placing her hand on the Arc Seven sword she carried.
Five shadows hopped from one roof to the next under cover of night.
The beastmen’s stamina is impressive.
A thousand years ago, the majority of the beastmen were united under one of the Dark Lords, Gazoth Grand Beast. The beastmen of that age fought with mighty physiques and sharp claws, striking fear into the kingdom’s allies. And it seemed their overwhelming physical abilities had survived to the present era.
Arle kicked off and jumped ahead of the beastmen.
“Stand back. I’ll handle the guards.”
“Huh?! Hey, newbie, are you trying to hog all the glory?!” one hulking lion-headed beastman snarled at her.
“That wasn’t my intent.”
“Stop, let her go,” Lena said calmly, diffusing the beastman’s anger. “It’s a good chance to see what she’s capable of.”
“…If you say so,” the lion-headed beastman said.
“That’s enough chatter, then. Arle, show us what an elven swordfighter can do.”
“All right,” Arle replied, drawing her sword and dropping from the warehouse’s roof.
One guard wearing night vision goggles turned around to face her, pointing his anti-Void rifle at her.
“Wh-what?! Who are you?!”
Arle had already finished chanting her spell, however. “Spirits of slumber, whisper your lullabies—Sleep!”
Mana vapor covered the area, knocking out all the guards in front of her.
“Intruder…call for rein—”
A few of those on patrol resisted the sleep spell and tried calling for help, but Arle’s blade flashed before they could. The sword streaked through the air swifter than the guards’ voices, cutting them down one by one. Naturally, she used the blunt side of her weapon. She landed dry blows that knocked them unconscious.
Arle had cast a blade-dulling spell on her Arc Seven, ensuring that she could end this without needless bloodshed.
Still, this isn’t something a hero should do, she thought, heart full of guilt and self-loathing.
What would the Elder Tree in her homeland think if it knew of this? And more importantly, what would her teacher, the Swordmaster of the Six Heroes, think?
“Color me surprised.” Lena landed behind her and whistled as if impressed. “You really took them out all on your own.”
“Will I be admitted as a close associate of His Greatness now?”
Lena shook her head. “Not quite yet.”
Arle shrugged.
“None of these guards seems to be wielding Holy Swords.”
“They wouldn’t have anti-Void combat elites guard a warehouse,” Lena replied.
Arle stood in front of the large warehouse’s special alloy bulkhead.
“Opening this is my part.” Lena stepped forward and took out a hacking terminal. “I’ll unlock the door.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Arle stated.
“Huh?”
A flash of her sword, and the sturdy bulkhead split in two and fell away.
“…What?!” Lena cried in disbelief. The others were similarly shocked. “Impossible. This is a military-grade, special mithril steel door! It’s built to withstand a Void attack!”
“This sword can cut through Orichalcum with ease,” Arle whispered curtly. Then she stepped into the warehouse. “Let’s go.”
Countless freight containers formed tall rows inside. It was pitch black, but the beastmen’s night vision would likely make the loading work go smoothly.
“Which boxes have the weapons?” Arle questioned. “We can’t take all of them.”
“We don’t know. For now, we’ll have to open them and search,” Lena replied.
Arle gave an exasperated look.
“Raaaaah!” One burly werebear swung his claws, tearing a container’s flank open.
“Heh-heh-heh, now let’s see what treasure we have in this chest…,” said the werebear, smacking his lips as he tore the container’s walls open. “Huh? Wait… What’s this?”
“What’s wrong, Bertuma?” Lena asked as she approached.
“…Wait!” Arle called out. Struck by an ominous feeling, she grabbed Lena by the shoulder and pulled her back. No sooner had she done so than a squelching sound, like a fruit being crushed, filled the warehouse.
“…?!”
The young werebear’s head vanished. His limbs dangled limply as his lifeless frame was cast high into the air.
“Wha… Bertuma…!”
R-riiiiiiiiiiiiiip!
The container walls were torn from the inside, and the awful sound reverberated. The thing that emerged from within was a humanoid. Its black silhouette possessed elongated limbs.
Wh-what is this…?!
By Arle’s reckoning, it resembled a knight in full armor. Red eyes glinted from within its helmet, and an inky miasma blew out from the seams in its armor.
“Isn’t that one of the anti-Void combat protection suits they use in the polar regions?” Lena remarked as she assumed a combat stance.
“Boss lady, is that one of the weapons we’re supposed to steal?” a beastman asked as he, too, adopted a fighting pose.
“So there’s someone inside that thing?” another beastman inquired.
“That doesn’t matter anymore, not after it killed Bertuma,” declared the lion-headed beastman, swinging his claws up. “Waste it!”
“Shaz, stop!” Lena insisted, but he had already pounced on the armored foe.
Vaaaaaaaaaaaah…!
The armor burst from the inside, and a terrifying amount of oily vapor spewed from within it. Something appeared in the darkness, and after glimpsing its form—
“Wh-what…?!”
“H-hey, isn’t that…?!”
—the beastmen’s voices grew tinged with fear. A monster slithered out from within the armor. Its head was unnaturally swollen, and countless teeth protruded all over its limbs.
As it straightened up, a miasma swirled around its body.
“…A Void.” Arle narrowed her eyes.
Voids were the enemies of humanity, perhaps even the entire planet. They had appeared abruptly only several decades ago, a near millennium after her native time. These were neither the monsters of the Dark Lords’ Armies, nor were they demons. Voids were unknown creatures that never existed in the old world.
“Hey, what the hell’s going on here?! Are you telling me they smuggled Voids into this city?!”
“That can’t be—”
The beastmen were confused.
An impatient weretiger fired his machine gun. “Dammit, I’ll blow you away!”
Unfortunately, the Void’s armor-like skin deflected the bullets effortlessly.
“No good, it’s not making a dent in it!”
“Conventional weaponry doesn’t work against Voids!” Lena chided him.
The Void swung down an arm, the mere shock of the blow enough to cleave the weretiger in two.
“…!”
“It’s dangerous! Run!” Arle stepped forward with the Holy Sword Crozax gripped in her hands.
She’d already fought monsters like this one in the ruined city. Different specimens possessed distinct abilities, but humans and beastmen were powerless against even the smallest of them.
The Void howled and brought its arm up again.
“Ominous wind…!”
A powerful barrier of air enveloped Arle as she stepped forward, her blade glinting as it arced, cutting off the Void’s arm. The dark miasma splattered into the surrounding gloom like blood.
“Arle!” Lena shouted after her fellow elf.
“I’ll handle this,” Arle replied as she slashed at the monster again. “You lead everyone else out of here.”
“The dark elves of Darkwood never abandon a comrade!” Lena insisted.
“Forgive me for saying this, but all you’ll do is hold me back. I can’t fight if I have to worry about protecting you,” Arle stated curtly. “But in exchange, if I get out of this, induct me into His Greatness’s inner circle.”
Lena bit her lip and nodded. “Tch. Fine! Just don’t do anything crazy. Everyone, we fall back! Arle will hold the enemy off!”
“Y-yeah…!”
Lena made for the warehouse’s exit with the beastmen in tow.
I really am too softhearted for my own good. The elven hero sighed as she slashed into the Void that was charging at her.
She had no obligation to rescue a Dark Lord’s subordinates.
I am somewhat in their debt, though.
In particular, Arle felt she owed Lena. If that dark elf girl wasn’t there to help her, Arle might have starved to death in some back alley. A thousand years ago, the elves and dark elves were irreconcilable enemies, so the fact a dark elf was aiding her felt unusual to the point of near impossibility.
“Come, monster,” Arle taunted the enemy, holding up the Demon Smiting Sword Crozax. “You will sample the blade techniques passed down to me by the Swordmaster of the Six Heroes himself!”
With that shout, she cut the Void clean through. No sooner had she done so, however, than her long ears caught a shrill, high-frequency noise.
A War Cry.
It was a Void ability that enabled them to force the rest of their Hive to hatch. This was elementary Void knowledge, and any Excalibur Academy student would’ve known it, but Arle, who had only recently awakened in this era, was ignorant of the sound’s meaning.
“Wh-what?”
And the next moment…
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…!
The containers all ruptured at once, and more Voids appeared from within them.
“N-no…!”
Once again filled with portentous dread, Arle turned to see scores of the monsters slithering from the crates stacked up near the entrance.
There are too many of them!
Countless crimson glares shone in the night like haunted will-o’-the-wisps…and charged at her at once.
Vaaaaaaaaaaah!
“…Insolent creatures…!”
Arle swung the Demon Smiting Sword, severing the head of the first Void to reach her. The aberrant things weren’t fazed in the slightest, though, and continued their advance.
“This can’t be…where I…!”
Then, from somewhere unseen, a flash of lightning cut through the dark—
Huh?
—and the Voids’ skulls went flying into the air. A white bolt sped across the floor, leaving the faint scent of ozone in its wake. A small figure landed on the ground with a gentle tap of their shoes. They stood clad in a beautiful white outfit, hair an electrifying shade of blue.
A slender girl wielded a katana crackling with lightning.
“What’s this? I thought I sensed Voids here…,” the girl said, knitting her fair brows.
She’s…! Arle’s eyes widened in shock.
The elf recognized her savior. She was one of the Excalibur Academy students Arle had temporarily fought alongside within the ruined city. Arle had an exceptionally high opinion of this young lady, as the two had crossed blades in combat. She couldn’t recall her last name, but her first name was…
Sakuya, I believe…
The young woman with the lightning sword seemed to recognize Arle as well.
“Aren’t you…the elf we met in the Third Assault Garden? What are you doing here?”
“E-er…”
Arle couldn’t very well tell her she was helping terrorists pillage weapons.
“L-let’s defeat these monsters first!” she exclaimed, leveling her blade at the Voids surrounding them.
Sakuya shrugged. “Right,” she responded, holding up her weapon and moving into Arle’s flank. “Humanoid Voids are highly intelligent. Don’t get careless.”
“…Understood.”
Arle had fought shoulder to shoulder with Sakuya only once before, but she knew the other girl was very talented and skilled. Together, they had a chance of surviving. Sakuya and Arle synced up their breathing and moved at once.
“Aaaaaaaaaah!”
“Let’s go, Raikirimaru!”
As soon as Sakuya took a step forward, sparks flew. She raced ahead, charging into the heart of the Void formation. Spying this from the corner of her eye, Arle watched Sakuya with surprise.
She couldn’t follow her movements. All Arle could make out were flashes of electricity crisscrossing through the dark.
Is this her true power?!
Enveloping her blade in lightning was only a by-product of Sakuya’s power. Her Holy Sword’s true ability was continual acceleration.
“Wind, heed my call and unleash your powers—Winde Rotso!”
Razor-sharp air cleaved through the room. This second-order fae magic spell sheared off a Void’s arm.
“Hyaaaaaaaa!”
Arle then swung the Demon Smiting Sword down, charging its blade with mana. Crozax was an Arc Seven, a weapon produced by the Luminous Powers to slay Dark Lords. As such, when fighting anything else, its edge was only as keen as any other sword. This was why Arle charged it with her mana.
The Void’s dying cry reverberated against the warehouses.
“I’ll tear open a way out. Follow me!” Arle shouted at Sakuya.
“Oh, you just run for now. I’ll stay here and exterminate the Voids.”
“…?! What are you saying?! There’s too many!”
“I am a swordswoman of the Sakura Orchid. I will never turn my back on Voids.”
“…Huh?!”
Keen, dangerous bloodlust surged out from Sakuya’s body as she slew another Void.
“You’re thinking of staying?!”
“You should leave. Whenever I fight Voids, I lose sight of what’s around me.”
Sakuya’s katana streaked like a bolt from the heavens, tearing through a metal container. As she moved, her white attire billowing, she appeared like nothing short of a maddened, demonic warrior.
Wh-what is that girl…? Some kind of berserker?!
Arle had little time to ponder the idea, however. Her sensitive ears twitched. Some kind of gigantic monster crept out of the container Sakuya had destroyed.
Vwooooooooooooooohm!
It blew off the large warehouse’s roof.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!”
A gigantic bipedal Void stood up.
Shock was plain on Arle’s face. “Voids can get that large…?!”
“That’s an ogre-class.” Sakuya turned to face the young elf. “If that thing were to reach the urban area, it would be catastrophic.”
“And you intend to defeat this thing?”
“Fighting it off single-handedly would be difficult, I admit,” Sakuya replied with an indomitable grin while holding up Raikirimaru. “I’ll just have to stall for time until the academy’s anti-Void unit arrives.”
Arle nodded. “…I understand.” As a hero, she couldn’t let that thing reach civilians.
If we only have to delay it, we should be able to…
But then, something Arle didn’t expect occurred.
“Who permitted you to wreak havoc in my domain? Die, lowly monster.”
Vroooooooooooooooooom!
Raging fireballs rained down on the gigantic Void. Columns of crimson flame erupted so that nothing else around was visible.
“What…?!”
“…?!”
Arle and Sakuya both froze up at the sight.
“What in the world just…?!”
They both looked up, and there they saw it.
A grand demon, clad in a pitch-black overcoat, was peering down arrogantly.
A red inferno lit up the night as shrill sirens blared across the pier. His fifth-order spell, Inferno Wave, was fire magic with a large area of effect, capable of reducing a troll’s bones to ashes.
Why are there Voids here? Leonis cocked an eyebrow under his Dark Lord’s mask.
Following Shary’s report, he’d come here to stop the Demon Wolf Pack from their reckless, unauthorized operation. Yet he found Voids rampaging in their place.
For the time being, he decided to eliminate the eyesores.
But that said, those two…
Leonis detected two familiar figures among the wreckage. One of them was Arle Kirlesio, a hero of the elves. Her being here didn’t come as a significant surprise. He knew that, for whatever reason, she was currently part of the Demon Wolf Pack. Her objective was likely to assassinate the Dark Lord leading them. The more curious presence was the other one.
What’s Sakuya doing here?
Sakuya glared up at Leonis, Holy Sword in hand. And as he met her gaze with a confused expression shielded by his mask…
“Who are you?” Sakuya demanded with a tone that, while calm, shook the air with the sheer enmity it contained.
She didn’t look like her usual self. Her eyes were full of a terrifying coldness.
Wh-what do I do now? Leonis frantically wondered as he tried to conjure up an appropriate solution. Just calm down. They don’t know who you are.
At present, Leonis didn’t look like a ten-year-old boy, but a dark being who commanded this city in secret—the Dark Lord Zol Vadis. The Mantle of Illusions he’d stolen from an ancient demon allowed him to both alter his appearance and befuddle how others perceived him. His cover wasn’t easily blown.
In that case…
“I am the Dark Lord Zol Vadis,” Leonis exclaimed to the two with a flourish of his mantle. “He who reigns over this city from the shadows!”
“…Wh… What?!” Arle shouted, her ears twitching in surprise. “You’re…the Dark Lord…?”
“You reign over this city from the shadows?!” Sakuya repeated, her voice full of dignified anger.
“Indeed. The Seventh Assault Garden is already my domain,” Leonis fibbed and brandished his arms grandly.
He didn’t mind declaring that much. Stating a Dark Lord’s name didn’t strike him as a bad idea.
“…So it was you? You were the one who smuggled these Voids into the city?”
“What?” Leonis scowled.
Smuggled was an interesting way of phrasing it. Leonis had thought Voids emerged from cracks in space.
“Are you implying I called these Voids to wipe them out myself?” Leonis questioned.
Sakuya faltered slightly. “Uh, well…”
“These despicable creatures are naught but enemies of mine,” Leonis explained, lording over the two girls from above. “The Seventh Assault Garden belongs to me and my forces. I won’t let these hollow monstrosities do as they wish in my domain.”
Arle reached for the Demon Smiting Sword but stopped herself. She realized that challenging the Dark Lord here would mean one-sided defeat. Sakuya, meanwhile, kept her narrowed eyes trained on Leonis with Raikirimaru at the ready.
Fortunately, the thrum of approaching footsteps broke the stalemate.
“It seems Excalibur Academy’s forces are approaching…”
Sakuya turned to look.
“I bid you adieu for tonight,” Leonis said. “I have pressing matters I must attend to.”
With a wave of his mantle, Leonis made to leave. He had homework due tomorrow, after all.
“W-wait…!” Sakuya’s voice echoed through the night. But the Dark Lord Zol Vadis was already gone.
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