Chapter 85

Those who survived the preliminary rounds could advance to the main event.

The main event was about to begin.

Like the preliminaries, it was a battle royale with ten participants.

However, the students in this group were all fierce survivors from the preliminaries.

I had to be on my guard.

"Then, the main event of the 'Final Feast'—"

The referee never got to say "begin."

Because a figure emerged from the waiting room.

"Kil... lu... su...!!!"

It was a being that could be called non-human.

Black, shiny skin, long claws, and a massive body.

Yet, it somehow resembled Dimit.

"Could it be... a demon...!?"

Suddenly, such a premonition flashed in my mind.

I had heard before that when a demon possesses a human, it becomes a ferocious monster called a demon.

I realized that the being in front of me was a demon.

"Fu... nd... it..."

The demon looked at me and muttered.

I didn't understand why, but it seemed to have some business with me.

"Hey, monster! This isn't a place for you to be!"

One of the students tried to cast a spell at the demon.

"Stop it!"

I instinctively shouted.

The being in front of me was not someone to be dealt with so easily.

But, of course, no one would listen to me.

"Die!"

Shouting, one of the students cast a fire spell.

Instantly, a dissonant sound pierced my ears.

"What...?"

At the same time, the student's spell was nullified.

Then, the demon swung its arm and lunged at the student.

This is bad, if he gets hit, he'll die—!

I judged and cast a spell to draw the demon's attention.

"—Inferno Blast"

I held nothing back, unleashing my maximum firepower without hesitation.

"————!!!"

An indescribable dissonant sound came from the demon's mouth.

The sound was so irritating that it felt like my ears were going to burst.

And again, the spell was nullified.

Now I knew for sure.

The demon in front of me had the ability to nullify spells.

Still, my plan was to draw the demon's attention.

It seemed to work, as the demon was staring at me intently.

At least, the student who first used a spell against the demon wouldn't die.

Just as I was relieved—

"It's gone!"

The demon had disappeared from in front of me.

No, that's not right.

It had moved to near me in an instant.

It seemed to have moved so fast that I couldn't even track it with my eyes.

And now, the demon was about to punch me.

I'm dead—.

That thought flashed in my mind.

Even if I used a spell now, it wouldn't be in time. Besides, even if I tried to protect myself with a spell, the demon had the power to nullify it.

The only thing I could do in that moment was to close my eyes to escape reality—

But the impact that should have come never did.

"Master, I will protect you!!!"

When I opened my eyes, Orobas was standing in front of me, protecting me.

"Orobas!"

I couldn't help but shout.

Orobas, without using magic, had physical abilities far beyond those of a normal person.

Maybe Orobas could take on the demon!

But the next moment, Orobas, who had taken the demon's punch, was thrown into the wall of the venue.

The impact created a large crack in the venue.

"Hey, this is bad! That's—!"

"Runnnnnnnnnn!!!"

The audience, recognizing the danger of the demon, began to scream and run.

"Orobas!"

I couldn't believe Orobas would be defeated!

"Norman!!! Kill!!!"

Suddenly, I heard the demon's voice.

It seemed to have a clear intention to kill me.

This is bad, I have to do something—!

"Do not lay a hand on my Master!!!"

Orobas, who was supposed to be defeated, was now attacking the demon.

I could tell he had moved from the wall to here in an instant.

The demon, who had been punched, was thrown far away and crashed into the wall, causing dust to fly.

"Orobas, you're safe. Thank you."

"No, this is the least I can do."

We couldn't relax yet.

It was unlikely that the demon had been defeated by that.

"————!!!"

The demon emerged from the dust and produced another dissonant sound.

However, this dissonant sound was different from the previous ones.

Just hearing it made me feel so sick that I wanted to collapse. It wasn't just me; the audience and students in the venue were also panicking.

Some even lost consciousness and fell.

I tried my hardest to stay conscious.

This state continued for several minutes.

By the time the dissonant sound stopped, everyone had lost consciousness.

The only ones still conscious were me, Orobas, and—

"Master Norman!"

"Master!"

It seemed that only Closel and Focalor, who had come to me, were still conscious.

With the dissonant sound stopped, Orobas, who could move again, was once more exchanging blows with the demon.

As long as Orobas kept the demon occupied, we might have some time.

"Master, I apologize for not being able to help you immediately."

"That's understandable. More importantly, is that really a demon?"

"Yes, it's clearly a demon. Not just any demon, but one possessed by Burell, the 13th strongest demon."

"Burell..."

I had heard of him.

One of the demons that Fugax had warned me about.

I also remembered that when the grimoire 'Goetia' had started moving on its own and told me to summon, the page it had opened to was Burell's.

"As you can see, it has the ability to nullify all spells, making it very difficult for us to deal with."

"Why is Burell a demon?"

"Yes, Burell has a deep hatred for summoners... However, there must be more to it. Orobas might be one of the reasons."

"Orobas? What do you mean?"

"Burell is Orobas' master in the demon world."

Closel said.

I remembered why Orobas didn't want to return to the demon world.

It was because he was being confined by a certain demon.

That demon was like a superior to Orobas.

Could that demon be Burell, who was now fighting in front of me?

"I didn't expect him to come here by force."

Focalor muttered.

"Can a demon come here without being summoned?"

"If a human and a demon are in sync, it is possible."

"In sync...?"

"Yes, for example, if a human and a demon share a deep hatred for the same person."

"I see..."

Still, it seemed that a demon needed a human intermediary to come here.

"By the way, Master Norman, what about the grimoire?"

Closel suddenly asked.

"The grimoire..."

Ah, right—

"I'm hiding it under my clothes."

I lifted my uniform to show the grimoire 'Goetia'.

I had thought about leaving it in the waiting room, but I ended up carrying it because I was worried.

"Is there something wrong with the grimoire?"

"No, it's just... I thought maybe it was summoned because someone else used the grimoire. But if you have it, there's no need to worry, right?"

"Haha, the fallen angel says funny things."

"Why are you laughing...?"

"No, it's common knowledge that only the owner of a grimoire can use it. I was just surprised that you didn't know that."

"Hey, you don't have to say it like that!"

Oh, so the grimoire 'Goetia' can only be used by its owner... I didn't know that.

"Still, it's highly possible that a human possessed by Burell used the grimoire 'Goetia'."

"Wait, are there other grimoires 'Goetia'...?"

"The grimoire 'Goetia' is not a rare item. It is sent from the demon world when a person is in despair. However, most people find it creepy and dispose of it."

Indeed, when I first got the grimoire 'Goetia', I was in despair.

I didn't think it was sent from the demon world.

Well, it's time to stop talking.

We have enough information.

I can't leave the demon to Orobas alone.

"Closel, Focalor, will you help me?"

"Of course."

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Both of them responded.

"Then, come here. Rank 41, Focalor. Rank 49, Closel."

Instantly, the two disappeared from in front of me.

At the same time, power surged within me.

"Then, let's get serious."

Now, the counterattack begins.