Chapter 32

Puzzu approached at high speed.

The Bearwolves beside me stood in his way.

“Gau!” “Guruu!”

Could they be trying to protect me? But it’s dangerous.

I tried to make them back off, but it was too late.

“Don’t get in my way!”

Puzzu swung both arms, and the Bearwolves were sent flying.

“Kyain!”

The Bearwolves, slammed into the ground, let out cries of pain.

This guy... he’s hurting his own familiars! What a monster.

Puzzu, without even glancing at the fallen Bearwolves, charged at me with a body tackle.

Thud! My body was blown into the lake by the magic barrier that automatically activated.

--But I activated the wind magic 'Flight'.

Wrapped in wind, I slid across the lake surface and stopped in the middle.

“Shaa!”

Spreading his wings and kicking off the ground, Puzzu immediately launched a counterattack.

I blocked the magic wave from his right hand with my magic barrier.

“Hey, aren’t these your precious familiars you raised? It’s pretty harsh to hit them, you know.”

“What are you talking about! A foolish dog that defies me is no longer a familiar! I’ll strangle them all after I kill you!”

“That’s harsh. Weren’t you going to create a fluffy empire?”

“It’s a monster empire!!”

Puzzu, with a red face, punched me.

There was no damage, but the power was enough to make my magic barrier creak.

Just a punch wouldn’t do this. ...Is this a change in the nature of his magic?

“You’re gathering magic in both hands, hardening it, and increasing its attack power, right?”

That sounds interesting. I’ll try it too.

But bare hands are a bit... I remember there was a weapon in my bag.

The iron dagger I used for the enchantment spell before.

If I use that, I can do the same with a sword.

“You showed an opening! Die!”

Just as I was about to search my bag, Puzzu released a magic wave.

“Master Lloyd, watch out!”

To counter it, my right hand—Grimo—released a black magic wave.

The two magic waves collided and exploded.

“Huh, a demon god aiding a human!”

“Hah, it’s just a nosebleed level of power!”

Puzzu and Grimo exchanged magic waves.

Again and again, intense flashes of light scattered before my eyes.

“Hey, get out of the way! I’m going to make that body my new host!”

“Who the hell are you to decide that? This body will eventually be mine!”

Their voices were hard to hear over the clash of magic waves, but they seemed to be talking.

Are they just fueling their rivalry as demons?

“Master Lloyd! Leave this to me and do as you please!”

“Ah, sure. Don’t overdo it, Grimo.”

Actually, I could just let the magic barrier handle it.

But since he offered, I might as well let him.

It’s said that nobles don’t arbitrarily reject the advice of their subordinates.

“Alright, like this?”

Following the same method as before, I generated a strong, hard blade of magic and wrapped it around the sword.

I also copied the sword techniques I saw Silfa use earlier with control magic.

Alright, let’s try this.

I closed Grimo’s mouth and gripped the dagger tightly.

“Here I go—”

I kicked off the lake surface and ran straight toward Puzzu.

The low-angled sword slashes exploded on the water, creating water columns that followed me closely.

“Huh!?”

Magic waves rained down from Puzzu, but I dodged them all and reached his feet.

I released the power I had been building up and slashed upward.

“Langris Style Dagger Technique—Rising Dragon Bite”

Slash! The sword flash split the lake in two.

The momentum continued upward, piercing the sky, the clouds, and Puzzu’s body.

It’s a degraded copy with just one dagger, but the power is sufficient. It seems the change in the nature of the magic worked.

“Guh...! Impossible! To cut my body... You can use the same technique as me...!”

He seems to be surprised by the damage.

I remember demons said magic doesn’t affect them.

Regular magic changes the form of magic into a tangible force through a spell, so it’s less effective on demons, who are half-spiritual beings.

On the other hand, changing the nature of magic is like simply enhancing the quality of the magic and hitting directly.

That’s why it’s effective on the spiritual beings of the demon race.

“Good job, Master Lloyd! Beat him up!”

“Yeah. Let’s try a bit more.”

The output was too large this time.

A smaller, sharper form should be more efficient in delivering power.

The magic covering the dagger became smaller and sharper.

“Langris Style Dagger Technique—Descending Swallow”

I flew to Puzzu’s back at high speed, held the dagger in reverse, and delivered a series of strikes while falling.

Numerous slashes erased the left half of Puzzu’s body.

Yeah, I’m getting a good feel for controlling the power.

But I can make it even sharper.

“You bastard!!”

“One Tiger—Jaw”

Avoiding the remaining counterattack, I split Puzzu into three pieces with two strikes.

Puzzu disappeared, leaving only his head.

--But as a result, the dagger in my hand shattered.

“Oops.”

Even with magic covering it, the weapon still takes some strain.

Puzzu smiled, and his body began to regenerate.

“Kukuku, I was quite surprised, but a dagger with such a small amount of magic couldn’t withstand it. Of course, your body can’t either.”

Hearing Puzzu’s words, I realized my condition.

My limbs were trembling, and I couldn’t muster any strength.

“You’ve used too much power! You can’t move anymore!”

“What’s wrong, Master Lloyd!”

“D... Dammit...”

I replied to the worried Grimo with a muffled voice.

“I’m done for... I’ve got muscle pain.”