Chapter 5: Stopping a Ritual
On the morning of the fifth day of the first month—
An air of unrest like no other settled over the mage academy: the student council president had gone missing.
This rumor began in the high school branch, and spread so quickly that, by noon, not a single soul remained that hadn’t heard of it. All the lectures became self-study classes, and the instructors were all called into an emergency meeting in the faculty ward.
The students of the middle school branch’s class F were as restless as everyone else. Everyone was overcome with anxiety. Some spoke openly of it while others tried to joke around, and there were those who were angry at the whole situation. Overall, the classroom was in a state of chaos. Only Horn, sitting in the corner, was quiet.
“Kuh...”
She felt all too keenly that it was her failure that led to this situation.
When it was time for lunch break, Horn’s homeroom teacher arrived. Not bothering to shout at the noisy students for silence, she walked over to Horn.
“The headmistress is calling for you.”
“...All right.”
“Did you do something?”
“...I... I couldn’t do anything.”
“Horn...” Babalon looked up at Horn anxiously.
“Still... I’ll make this right. Somehow...”
She told her homeroom teacher she may have to leave class early today and grabbed her leather bag, heading toward the faculty ward. She walked down the connecting corridor when a man in a crimson robe approached from the opposite direction.
Bihyak!
He closed the distance, step by step. At this point, Horn wasn’t suspicious—she was convinced. But she didn’t have even a strand of evidence.
She glared at him. “I’ll never forgive you.”
“Like you can do anything about it, anyway,” Bihyak said without even sparing a glance, disappearing into the middle school building.
†
Horn was frustrated, but had no idea what to do. How was she going to explain this to the headmistress?
Walking with her head occupied in her own worries, Horn found herself in front of the headmistress’s door before she knew it. She knocked, and upon hearing the headmistress say, “Come in,” she opened the door.
The room was as plain as it was before, but the headmistress wasn’t alone this time. Seated on the sofa...
A demon clad in a black cloak who had unsettling horns growing from his head, turned a sharp, cold glare in her direction. His lips softened a bit; Horn thought she was dreaming.
“B-Boss!” she said through shivering lips.
Waving at her from Diablo’s side was a grasswalker, the guildmaster of Faltra’s Adventurers’ Guild, if Horn recalled correctly.
“It’s good to see you again! I’m Sylvie. Do you remember me?”
“O-Oh, yes. It’s good to see you, too.” Horn bowed her head.
“I see you’re already acquainted.” The headmistress nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Imagine my surprise. This man, Diablo, is apparently the hero who repelled the Demon Lord that attacked the city of Faltra.”
Horn had heard of it in rumor only. The Demon Lord awakened in the west, calling itself the Demon Overlord. Leading a Fallen army of unprecedented proportions, it destroyed city after city in the former Demon Lord’s domain. The races seemed unlikely to win, with it eventually arriving in the capital.
But an adventurer had defeated this fearsome Demon Overlord! A demon sorcerer to be exact. The stories didn’t specify his name, but Horn was convinced it was Diablo.
“I brought him here!” a female student Horn had just noticed exclaimed with a smug smile. “You better be thankful!”
“Who’re you?” Horn turned her attention to the girl.
“Talking so casually to your senior... Remember my name. I’m Mercie, from the high school ward’s year 2 class A. Though who knows if a class F like you will even still be here come next year...”
“Ugh...” Horn raised her head in defiance, but decided to drop it for the moment.
“A renowned adventurer like Miss Horn, a hero like Sir Diablo, and Miss Sylvie, an Adventurers’ Guild’s guildmaster.” The headmistress smiled broadly. “Having the three of you here is so encouraging. I do hope you can locate the missing students.”
“Huh?!” Mercie stared at Horn with shock. “Renowned adventurer?!”
Diablo tilted his head in confusion while Sylvie covered her mouth and snickered.
Aaah, so awkwaaard!
The only reason the headmistress thought Horn was renowned was because Lumachina had said as much, and she probably truly believed that. But being called a “renowned adventurer” in front of Diablo and Sylvie, who knew her real abilities full well...
Frankly, she wished the earth would open up and swallow her.
“Hmph... I’ll handle everything,” Diablo said.
The headmistress nodded, and Horn found herself trembling. There wasn’t a hint of kindness to his words, and there was even a frightening tinge to them, but she honestly found that dependable in its own way.
†
Leaving the headmistress’s office, Horn led the way to the special reference room. Very few students were allowed to enter there.
Angeline wasn’t there anymore, and none of the teachers were present either. Only Diablo and Sylvie accompanied her; Mercie was gone.
Did she even have anything to do with this to begin with?
If she were from second year class A, she must’ve been an honors student. So how did someone like Mercie come to know Diablo? The details behind that tugged at Horn’s curiosity, but she needed to focus on the main topic for now.
“Um... So, to sum it up, students have been going missing in the academy.”
“How many?”
“Ten students. Ah, well, it’s twelve, as of this morning.”
“Hmph... Not thirteen then?”
“Huh? Yeah... There’s definitely only twelve students missing.”
“...I suppose it’s not all exactly the same,” Diablo said pensively. “Or maybe I just beat them to the punch...?”
“I looked into it, and I think a teacher named Bihyak is the suspect here,” Horn resumed her explanation. “I tailed him and saw him go into the old campus building with a female student.”
“Oh? The old campus building?”
“I thought there was something fishy going on, so I went in after them...”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t find anything...” Diablo said dubiously.
“Ayup...” Horn clenched her teeth, recalling last night’s events.
“And?” Diablo looked pensive again. “There was nothing in the building? What about the other classrooms?”
“Nothing, not as far as I could see...”
“If a level 80 thief couldn’t find anything after combing the place, there’s probably nothing there.” Sylvie nodded. “It’s a different story if there were an illusion set in place.”
“That didn’t happen, for sure.” Horn could say as much with confidence because Babalon was with her. While she may have just been a self-proclaimed goddess from another world, apparently no manner of magic influenced her. If anyone tried using magic to fool Horn, Babalon would be able to see through it.
“Heheheh... There’s no fooling Babalon’s watchful eye, or, like, something!” Babalon, who’d been sitting in Horn’s bag, stuck out her head and commented.
“The student council president, Angeline, was with me at the time...” Horn continued. “But she’s been missing since this morning.”
“Were you with her until you went back to the dorms?” Sylvie asked to confirm.
“No... I went back alone and Angeline stayed behind...”
“Aww, yikes. That was a big blunder. Both bringing an amateur on your quest, and not ensuring her safety.”
“...Yeah. You’re totally right.” Horn hung her head.
Her disappointment made her lose sight of the most important thing. She’d become aware of how, even with her high-level being, she was still an inexperienced, novice adventurer.
Diablo seemed to be contemplating something as he muttered to himself. Horn could pick up on what he was saying with her incredible sense of hearing, but he was speaking in a tongue that didn’t sound like it was from Lyferia, so she couldn’t make sense of anything he was saying.
At times, Diablo’s expression even became that of not a terrifying Demon Lord or a practiced sorcerer, but of a child engrossed in a game.
Diablo eventually lifted his face with determination.
“Since he’s making his identity known so openly, I suppose we should assume we don’t have much time left. Originally, the final boss would appear once we storm the old campus building.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Horn’s confusion, Diablo started giving instructions. “We might be too late, Sylvie.”
“I gotcha. So, what you told me this morning...”
“Yes. Urgently.”
“Leave it to me! I’m off!”
Apparently they’d already decided on what to do next ahead of time, because Sylvie left the room in a hurry.
†
Horn showed Diablo around the mage academy. He needed to have a grasp of the place’s structure in his head. He wanted to know the exact layout of the buildings and what places people gathered in.
They went out into the courtyard, and Diablo eyed the old campus building.
“What’s behind there?”
“A small mountain. There’s a thicket, too... And a shed with some cleaning tools, a well, a dump for firewood...”
“A well?”
“It’s old, so no one uses it anymore.”
“Hmm...”
Horn couldn’t get a handle on what did and didn’t catch Diablo’s interest.
“What’s wrong?”
“Europa is an earth and water element monster.”
“...You-rope-a?” Horn cocked her head quizzically.
“Forget it.” Diablo cut off his explanation and walked off. But just as he tried to head for the old campus building...
A single man walked up to them from the direction of the high school wing. He was a blond elf, dressed in a red long coat.
“The palace knight!” Horn stood on guard.
“Oh?” Diablo’s lips contorted.
The man in the red coat stopped before them, as if to stand in their way. A sharp glare glazed over his eyes.
“I am Thanatos the Undying, of the Order of Palace Knights,” he said menacingly. He fluttered the hem of his red coat dramatically as if to show off his blackened longsword.
Diablo’s breath caught in his throat for a moment.
“Hm... You’ve quite the unique tastes, don’t you? But surely you introduced yourself knowing you’ve just come face to face with the Demon Lord Diablo?”
He really just called himself a Demon Lord!
Horn was concerned if this would end well...
“A Demon Lord?!” His eyes widened. “Ah... So you are Diablo. I see... The rumors of the Black Hero were true, then.”
“Black Hero? Heh... People do append the most tasteless aliases possible to me.”
Thanatos pointed squarely at Diablo. “I do not acknowledge you. Your eyes are those of one who brings ruin to the races. When the time comes and you reveal yourself for who you truly are, know that I, Thanatos the Undying, will be there to claim your head.”
Having made his proclamation, he bent his extended finger back in an odd manner, pointing at his own face. Diablo responded by covering half his own face with his hand, his bloodshot yet sharp glare peeking through the gap between his fingers.
“Ha! The likes of you are no match for me. The day you pull that black sword against me is the day you will garner a taste of bottomless despair.”
“Damnable Demon Lord... So you’ve noticed my demonic blade. As worthy of your name, I see!”
““Heh heh heh, ahahaha!””
They both began exchanging stifled cackles. Horn looked at the two of them with a complicated expression.
These two... Are they...?!
Babalon chimed in, with a similar expression on her face.
“Are they, like, actually getting along?”
No, it couldn’t be. Two palpable, murderous intents were clashing, sparks dancing through the air as this volatile situation was unfolding...but somehow, it felt oddly calm and friendly.
Thanatos the Undying left, leaving behind what was probably his idea of a cool parting line. Where he was headed was a mystery. He’d been searching for some “malevolent magical energy” since the other day, but he likely hadn’t pinpointed its source yet. Even the headmistress said it would take time to identify where it was coming from, so it probably wasn’t a simple matter.
I guess it’s fine, since he hasn’t actually caused any problems...
Her current appraisal of Thanatos was that he was some weirdo prowling about the academy, and Horn chose to leave it at that for now.
The clock tower’s bell rang. Diablo glared at the old campus building.
“I should check it out before it gets dark. Now would be a good time.”
“You sure? Sylvie isn’t back yet.”
“Not a problem. Knowing Sylvie, she’ll make it by the time we’ll need her.”
She could tell he trusted the other grasswalker from his tone.
I hope Diablo can trust me that much someday, Horn thought.
But to accomplish that, she’d have to focus on the task ahead.
†
“So you’re checking the old campus building?”
Diablo nodded. “Just to be safe.”
They used the master key they’d borrowed from the headmistress to unlock the old campus building, opening it with a loud creak. Last time Horn entered here, she tried her hardest not to make any noise, but that wasn’t something they were mindful of now. Even when they checked during the day, there didn’t seem to be any hidden passages or secret doors.
“Over here, Boss.”
Horn’s hands clenched into fists automatically. It was the classroom Bihyak used as a storeroom. It looked no different, with the books piled up, tools related to magic all in a row, and the anatomical model leaning against the wall.
Diablo inspected the floor. “There’s no magic circle here.”
“I checked, too, just in case.”
Even after moving the books around, there were no traces of a magic circle. Diablo nodded and moved to the opposite side of the classroom, inspecting the windows.
“Hmm...”
“What is it?”
“You said there was nothing set up in here.”
“Ayup.”
“Then the only way the female student could have come out...” He opened the window. “That’d be through here, don’t you think?”
“W-Well, yeah... You would think that, but...”
“Speak your mind. I’ll allow it.”
“Um... There’s just that mountain and shed behind the building. And I checked there, too, of course.”
“Then let’s check it again.”
Diablo flung his body out the window and into the area behind the old campus building. Horn followed after him in a hurry. The building’s other side was shady and dim, with the undergrowth gradually growing thicker until it led into a thicket of trees. Most of the trees were wilted, though, due to the winter weather.
They carefully checked the mountain, but there was nowhere anyone could hide.
Diablo inspected the ground. “There aren’t any tracks, either... But it looks like many people have passed by here...”
There were no footprints left because of the undergrowth, so how did he know...?
“How can you tell?”
“See how green the grass is over here? It’s brown over there.” Diablo pointed at the ground near the window.
“Oh, you’re right... So the grass in that spot got stepped on more?”
“No. With short grass, being stepped on promotes growth. Its vitality increases.”
“Really?! That’s amazing... You really do know everything, Boss.”
Horn was positively impressed with Diablo’s vast knowledge, but he simply shrugged it off.
“...Well...I just picked it up from some small talk during a distribution...”
“Distri-boo-shun?”
Sometimes he’d say words she didn’t fully recognize. He’s similar to Babalon in that regard, Horn noted to herself.
“If you head straight for the mountain, I imagine there’s a trail back there. But seeing as they headed out through the window...” Diablo inspected the undergrowth.
“You’re saying the missing students went out this window to get to the mountain? But, why would they do that...?”
“Maybe he was scared of being followed?” Diablo glanced in Horn’s direction. “A demon sorcerer’s detection skill is incredibly low. If a grasswalker thief was following him, he wouldn’t be able to tell.”
“Ugh...” Horn lamented her underestimation of the culprit’s planning.
What other reason would he have to go into the old campus building when it was already known it was being investigated? The regret weighed on Horn’s heart. But a certain doubt also surfaced in her mind.
“But there’s nowhere to hide that many people behind the old campus building.”
Diablo’s gaze fell on the shed, then he peeked into the well. Horn did the same, even if her short stature made it harder for her to look.
Wait, could they be in the well?!
But the old well was entirely dry. All they could see was the earth at its bottom. It was about as high as three adult human males, making the building’s roof closer to them than the bottom of the well. Moss grew all over the stony interior surface.
There didn’t seem to be any tunnels or other hidden passages inside. If there were a single missing student in there—to say nothing of several of them—they’d definitely be spotted.
“Phew...” Horn sighed with relief. It was a shame they weren’t there, but she didn’t want to see twelve students stuffed in such a claustrophobic space.
“Horn...” Diablo raised a hand. “Get back.”
“Huh?”
“The moss... It’s supposed to grow at the bottom of the well.”
“Ah...”
Come to think of it, there was moss all over the stone surfaces, but...
Why is the ground at the bottom of the well so clean?
Diablo began chanting a spell.
†
Diablo charged up his spell.
I don’t have any proof, but this spot feels off... I have to make sure.
“Gather forth, o light—Shining Lance! More! More!”
A spear of light formed from his extended hand. It was a somewhat unique spell, so it was slow to appear. The spear itself was the length of a javelin, but this spell enabled one to make it larger by pouring copious amounts of magical energy into it, increasing its damage output and duration. As a result, the spear in Diablo’s hand had doubled in size.
“Come on!”
It had become long enough to reach the old campus building’s roof, making it less of a spear and more like a battering ram.
“Wh-Whoooaaa...” Horn shuddered.
“Pierce through—crush! Shining Lance!” Diablo swung down his arm. If his assumption was wrong, the old well would merely be destroyed...
A deafening screech echoed across the academy and the entire eleventh district.
The ground split. Diablo jumped back, Horn following after him in a panic.
“Ahaaa!”
“I told you to get back!”
“Well, it’s not like I could predict something like this!”
The spell blew away the well, and what crept out from beneath looked like an earthen serpent. It was incredibly enormous, large enough to swallow an adult whole. It rose up, the Shining Lance still pierced into its stomach.
But then the tear in the ground expanded, showing that it wasn’t a snake, but a tongue. What rose to the surface was what looked like a person’s face, and that brown elongated...“thing” was its tongue. Just the surface of the tongue looked like the earth at the bottom of the well. It didn’t have any skin, and much like the anatomical model in the classroom, its muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs were exposed. Its skeleton was vastly different from the races, having four arms and six legs, and its spine elongated like a serpent’s, with the tip of its tail still tucked into the ground.
“Monsterrr!” Horn screamed as she pointed at it.
“That’s the God of Destruction, Europa... But it looks incomplete...”
“Incomplete?!”
In Cross Reverie, Europa was more elaborately decorated, being covered in golden scales.
“B-Boss!” Horn looked around in a panic, her voice unsteady. “The missing students...?!”
Diablo clicked his tongue. It was a bit different from the game’s story after all. There, it was far more concise, easier to understand, and even more dramatic. But the ritual magic that took place in this world was obtuse and far more sinister.
“The sorcerer who summoned this thing...” Diablo clenched his fist. “He wasn’t gathering the women so he could sacrifice them all at once... He sacrificed them one by one, to summon the God of Destruction in an incomplete form!”
“S-So...what about the students who went missing?!”
“Kuh...”
Just forget about them.
Diablo swallowed those words. There was more at stake right now: he’d have to get rid of this despicable thing as soon as possible.
Diablo took his staff, the Tonnerre Empereur, out of his pouch.
“Let’s see what you’re worth in this world... Take this, God of Destruction Europa—Grand Tornado!”
Just like the game, the enemy was an earth and water element monster, so the effective element against it, of course, was air. Once Diablo cast the spell, a small, localized tornado raged through the atmosphere.
Europa unleashed a screech along with a snapping sound, like metal breaking. The magical storm disappeared, and one of Europa’s four arms fell into the ground, shattering like glass.
“Hmph...” Diablo’s lips contorted into a smirk. “Without that shield, you’re as fragile as you look.”
I can push it back at this pace!
†
“You’ve done it now, adventurer...” an irritated voice spoke from behind them. There was only one person who would say that in this situation...
Diablo turned around. “Europa’s sorcerer.”
This person was an old demon male clad in crimson robes. From what Diablo recalled, they were called...
“Bihyak!” Horn called out.
He smiled indomitably. “That’s Professor Bihyak to you, girl.”
“Did you really sacrifice the missing students to summon this...this thing?!”
“You turned the school upside down yet still couldn’t find those students, correct? What a pointless question, you bungling fool...”
“You little...”
Horn reacted with fury, but Bihyak ignored her only to glare at Diablo.
“I heard you’d be coming, but...I didn’t think you’d find it this easily... You’re no ordinary adventurer. And that overwhelmingly powerful elemental magic earlier... Just who are you?”
Diablo wasn’t even in the mood to introduce himself. He was shocked at how enraged he felt.
“Why would you summon this thing?”
“This world is distorted and erroneous... Like a nasty torture device meant to torment the races. It must be destroyed.”
“So that’s why you fed female students to this creature?”
“Even if they have magical energy, without any smarts, they’d merely be used by others. All I did was put them to better use.”
“How delusional.” Diablo aimed his staff toward Bihyak. “You’re nothing but a murderer.”
Diablo suddenly remembered: in one of Cross Reverie’s cutscenes, Europa had been completed by absorbing its summoner, but the Europa behind them wasn’t taking any such action.
So the only one with any sort of destructive impulse is this guy?
“Then I need only defeat you and prevent the ceremony! Will you not beg for your life, Bihyak?!”
“How... How do you know so much... This is a ritual magic I developed on my own!”
Saying he knew about it from the game would be meaningless... Or would someone capable of summoning this thing actually understand somehow...? Maybe Bihyak knew the reason Diablo had been called to this world...
But it was exactly because he was so powerful that Diablo had to stop him here and now. An adventurer’s role was to defend the races.
“Burn to dust, Flare—”
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” Bihyak’s gaze turned toward the old campus building.
Diablo cut off his spell’s incantation and looked up to the roof. At first he thought the female student on the roof might be Mercie, the flower-selling girl, but it was someone else. A black-haired, intellectual-looking human girl wearing the mage academy’s uniform.
“Angeline?!” Horn cried out.
She was the student council president Horn had mentioned. She’d gone missing this morning, so Diablo was sure Bihyak had sacrificed her by now.
“I’ve ordered her to count to five and jump off after she hears her name called. Will you leave her to die just so you can kill me, I wonder?”
“Argh...”
Diablo rushed away. He may have been able to fire a spell and run to catch her, but would he really make it in time? Wouldn’t letting her die make him the same as Bihyak, who sacrificed these girls to destroy the world? He had no delusions about being some paragon of justice, but if there were a life he actually had a chance to save, he wanted to save it.
Horn also ran toward Angeline, but she was too slow. Diablo used the martial art Sword Smite III to cover the distance to the old building with explosive speed, only to cancel the horizontal slash and use his boots, the Empty Sky’s Gambol, to fly into the air. At that same time, Angeline threw herself off the roof...only to be caught by Diablo.
“Oof!”
“...Haah...”
The girl in his arms opened her eyes with a start. She looked shocked; the effects of the Hypno spell seemed to have worn off. Maybe its effective time period had ended, or perhaps the hard impact into Diablo’s arms made her snap out of it.
“Are you all right?” Diablo asked as they landed on the ground.
“Y-Yes... I’m... Where...am I...? Professor Bihyak hugged me, then... Huh? Wait, who are you...?”
“That slimy bastard...”
You talk about the state of the world like some know-it-all, but you’re nothing more than a teacher who molests his students!
“B-Boss! Angeline!” Horn finally arrived at their side.
Too slow... Thieves were supposed to have speed-type martial arts, but Horn wasn’t adept at using them in the slightest. Despite this, she’d leveled up rapidly and was currently studying magic. Diablo was always failing left and right, though, so he wasn’t one to blame others for their faults.
“Keep her safe.” He left Angeline with Horn.
“Ah... G-Got it, Boss! I definitely will!”
“Huh?!” Angeline was completely confused. “Horn, what’s going on here?! What’s... Eek?! Wh-What is that thing?!”
She’d finally noticed Europa. She’d been displaced from the last place she remembered being in and was surrounded by strangers. On top of that, some gigantic monster she’d never seen the likes of had suddenly appeared. The mere fact she still kept a grip on her sanity was admirable.
Diablo stood ahead of the two, as if to guard them. The crimson-robed sorcerer stood in front of Europa.
So it’s the same formation as the game...
This all felt familiar to Diablo.
“Farewell.” Bihyak smirked. “The one thing I sorely regret is not getting to see this malicious world be destroyed!”
Europa was probably struggling to use its tongue with the Shining Lance still stabbed through it. Europa grabbed Bihyak with one of its hands and casually tossed him into its mouth. Angeline screamed while Horn’s face distorted unpleasantly. Diablo braced himself for battle.
“It’s coming... The God of Destruction Europa raid begins!”
†
Powerful magical energy filled the area. Europa’s skinless body was being covered in golden, metallic-looking scales. Two horns then burst out of its back and chest. It hissed, the tips of its horns shining. A transparent sphere formed around Europa, enveloping it.
Its official name in the game was the Curtain of the End, but its popular name was just “the barrier.” So long as that barrier was up, it was completely immune to physical, magic, and attribute-aligned attacks. According to the walkthrough sites, it wasn’t a means of defense, but rather an indicator that it was in a state where it took no damage. Like a final boss, it was immune to negative status effects like sleep and petrification, and it inflicted damage and speed debuffs.
But Diablo didn’t rely on those to begin with, and the God of Destruction Europa had more than just the Curtain of the End to rely on. Its attack was increased, its speed augmented, it was immune to flinching, dealt extra attacks with each blow (which also had a piercing effect)...
In short, it had countless buffs applied to itself. Its base stats weren’t that impressive, but with so many buffs on it, Europa temporarily exceeded the strength of even the strongest Demon Lord in existence.
It gave a menacing roar just as Diablo finished exchanging his gear. He was now holding a small wand in his hand, its rod colored silver and its tip decorated with a crown. At its end was a gemstone that shone with a faint glow.
“What’s that, Boss?!” Horn asked.
“An SSR-rarity item, the Asterisk Dispel Wand.”
“...Huh?”
“Currently, the God of Destruction is immune to all types of attacks and has multiple support spells applied to it.”
“That’s nuts!”
“But this will strip them all away!”
Diablo swung the Asterisk Dispel Wand, and a light flashed before them. A snapping sound shook the air, and the Curtain of the End enveloping Europa immediately dissipated.
Diablo pumped a fist internally.
All right! The strategy from the game worked!
“Even I can take it out with one hit now!” Horn braced herself.
“Don’t! If you attack Europa, it’ll put up the Curtain of the End again!”
“Oh no!”
“Now I’ll blow it away with one powerful blast of grand magic...”
A man clad in a red long coat stood in front of Europa.
“Thanatos the Undying...?!”
†
He started monologuing in front of Europa.
“I’ve finally found it...the source of the malevolent magical energy! Such a massive form... But you’re out of luck! Thanatos the Undying will defeat you!”
“H-Hey, stop!”
Diablo’s voice failed to reach Thanatos. He could have tried to attack it first, but Europa was massive. A spell that would destroy it in one hit would take considerable time to charge.
“Take this!” Thanatos already had his black sword in hand. “Secret Blade... Black Tyrant Dragon Slash—Overkill!”
Huh, that’s kinda badass... Diablo thought to himself.
“Why is he calling out his martial art like that?” Horn asked, her eyes narrowed. “Is it magic? An incantation? Is it necessary to do that?”
Black flames lit up over the blade of Thanatos’s ebony sword, turning into the shape of a dragon that whirled and coiled about.
“Haaargh!” His slash connected along with his cry of zeal. The slash cut into Europa’s exposed chest, which was purged of all its buffs and defenses.
“I did it!” Thanatos called out.
...Why did you have to say that? Now you’ve just jinxed us!
Thanatos was a Palace Knight and had the strength to back it, so the blow was indeed powerful, but it still lacked the firepower to take Europa out in one blow.
Europa unleashed a mighty roar, and its four horns lit up again. The Curtain of the End’s sphere enveloped it once more.
“In that case...” Thanatos, who knew nothing about this creature, unleashed another martial art. “Secret Blade... Wicked Destruction Inferno Slash—Rushing Force Variant!”
It was an earth-shaking blow. His level wasn’t low at all, without a doubt being well over 100. His martial art’s name seemed to be a string of nonsense, but it was as strong as a normal martial art unleashed by a superhuman warrior’s vanguard charge.
Still, the Curtain of the End completely cut off the attack.
“Impossible!” Thanatos raised his voice in surprise.
Most players who faced Europa reacted exactly like this. A perfect example of a first-time killer boss; getting caught up in its attacks would be no joke.
“Run, Horn!” Diablo shouted.
“Y-Yes!” Horn picked Angeline up in her arms as she did as she was told. In terms of their sizes, it was like a primary schooler picking up a middle schooler, but a level 80 thief had the physical strength to pick up even a large man.
“Eeya?!” Angeline gave a small shriek, but maintained enough presence of mind to not thrash about.
Europa swung up two of its three remaining arms, producing swords of earth and water in both, bringing them down on Thanatos.
“Ah?!”
Along with the Curtain of the End, its multitude of buffs had been reapplied as well. An attack greater than a Demon Lord’s, capable of crushing the ground to bits rained down on him, over and over. Thanatos was reduced to a puddle of blood and gore, with his red long coat torn into bits and fluttering away in the wind.
Just the remaining shockwaves made the old campus building begin crumbling. Europa’s buffed attacks were as powerful as grand magic, and were unleashed in fast succession. Facing it without any countermeasures was, as demonstrated, suicide.
It seemed to be attacking with swords, but the damage it inflicted was in fact an area of effect skill. The only hope was to keep your distance from it.
“Can’t you use that wand from earlier, Boss?!” Horn asked as she ran.
“It takes an hour to recharge before it can work again!”
It had no use limit, but as a result took time to recharge.
“Oh no! If we leave that thing alone for an hour, then the academy... No, the whole capital’s gonna get messed up!”
“I know!”
Students and teachers who’d noticed the commotion rushed out of the blue brick building, only to find a terrifying monster on the grounds, capable of half-destroying the old campus building with a single blow. As one would expect, no one stuck around to watch leisurely. They all began running away, screaming in a panic.
Europa then began moving.
How fast is it?!
“Too fast!”
Diablo expected it to be sluggish because of its size, but it was getting further and further away. It likely saw Diablo as its target, perhaps influenced by Bihyak’s consciousness or possibly because he’d attacked it with the Shining Lance.
Diablo ran for a service entrance located on the other side of the courtyard, right as a single carriage rushed over in their direction.
†
“Wowzers!” Sylvie hopped out of the white carriage. “You don’t see something this crazy every day!”
“How ominous...” a woman clad in a white clergy garb said with a shiver in her voice as she stepped out of the carriage. Her hair was a platinum blonde close to white, her skin smooth, and her eyes a shade of hazel. In her hands was a silvery bishop’s staff only the High Priest was allowed to bear.
“Lumachina!”
“Ah, Lord Diablo!” she said, preparing to kneel before him.
“We can talk later! Sylvie told you what you need to know, yes?!”
“She did.”
“Then do it!”
With a short delay, Horn arrived with Angeline in her arms. As Horn was about to collapse from exhaustion, Sylvie caught the girl.
“Good work out there! Leave the rest to us?”
“Haah... Haah... Haah... Yeah...”
Europa was charging at them with great speed. Its six legs kicked against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. It now had swords in all three hands, which it swung in their direction. Even Diablo wouldn’t survive a direct hit from one of those, not to mention the others who’d most likely be obliterated with a single touch.
Lumachina concentrated. Holding up her bishop’s staff, she gazed at the target.
“If that is your order, Lord Diablo, I will follow it even if it costs me my life... Our Father in Heaven, bring down Your power on this malevolent being bringing ruin to this earth and Your many children. Purify, sublimate them. Do away with this calamity, and grant upon us Your blessing...”
Will it work in time...?
All Diablo could do now was believe, but a thought had crossed his mind.
I fight alone. I have no need for comrades. I’ve always done that... But now, I’m relying on her. Is this my weakness? Maybe, but...for some reason, this doesn’t feel bad...
Diablo focused on his own magic. He took out a ring from his pouch; not the marriage ring he had made in Faltra, but another Demon Lord’s ring.
When he defeated the Demon Overlord Modinaram, he’d found this item at the site of its destruction. In the game, it would’ve been a drop to reward the player who’d beat it faster than anyone else. Diablo never obtained it in Cross Reverie, but if it were based on Modinaram...then this was the Ring of Madness.
He placed it on his left hand’s index finger. At once, he felt magical energy rush throughout his body. His attack stats skyrocketed, but his defensive stats were reduced to essentially nothing in the process.
But if a single blow from Europa were to defeat him anyway, then defense was meaningless in this situation. Regardless, Diablo’s style was to always defeat his enemies before they attacked. He was a Sorcerer of Annihilation who always made the first move.
He held up his right hand and chanted, “Spear of darkness—Darkness Lance!”
The spear of dark flames that erupted from his hand was so powerful even he was surprised by it. It was like someone had torn through space, and it was this darkness that seeped from within. The darkness spread out, as if to paint the world over.
Diablo’s hand shivered.
“Lord Diablo, I am ready!”
“Do it!”
“Holy Flash!”
Blinding light leaked out from the heavens, powerful enough to consume the academy. Its effect was similar to the Asterisk Dispel Wand, except Lumachina’s miracle targeted everyone in sight. In this case it didn’t matter since Europa was alone, but there was another difference: the Asterisk Dispel Wand’s effect could be resisted, but the Holy Flash was guaranteed to succeed. Its charge time wasn’t so ridiculously long for no reason.
The Curtain of the End enveloping Europa disappeared again, as did its many buffs. Its movements became noticeably more sluggish as it slowly swung down its three swords. The enemy was right before his eyes; Diablo surely wouldn’t miss.
“Go forth, Darkness Lance!”
Diablo unleashed his lance of black flames. It connected with the Shining Lance still lodged into Europa’s tongue.
A spear of light and a spear of darkness—
The moment the two intermingled, an explosion of magical energy exceeding both of their original respective strengths blew out.
Once before, Diablo’s Darkness Cannon had clashed with the Paladin Captain Battuta’s Shining Blow, resulting in an unexpectedly powerful shockwave. When he went dungeon crawling with Sylvie, he also experimented with the idea.
“Composite Magic! Get blown to bits!”
A torrent of pure energy reduced Europa to ashes. Its golden, metallic scales were crushed, its human-shaped head blown to bits, and its three arms dispersed. Its lower half avoided the direct blow, but the shockwaves crushed it into nothing.
Everything shook. Fissures ran across the courtyard, and the blue brick building wavered unsteadily as the old outer walls of the academy crumbled. Only the area around the carriage somehow remained whole.
Diablo quickly chanted an Air Wall spell, forming a fault of air that blew back all manner of shockwaves. Still, Horn and Angeline couldn’t help but scream in fright, while Lumachina fixed a trusting gaze at Diablo.
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