Chapter 33

Gugu... My body hurts so much that I can't move as I want.

It's probably because I copied Silfa's full power.

And since I'm young, I probably got muscle pain quickly. After all, I'm only ten.

"K, muscle pain... huh..."

"Yeah, it's best to avoid any more exercise."

Saying that, he massaged his arm.

If you push yourself too hard, it will take longer to recover.

Grimo looked at me with a perplexed expression.

"Gugu... F, f*ck youuuu!"

Pazuzu's punches, punches, and punches came at me.

The magic barrier made a painful creaking sound.

It was indeed a considerable amount of power.

"Hey, I have a question. Why were you gathering monsters if you're so strong?"

"Of course! It's more efficient to increase fighting power by gathering subordinates than to strengthen myself alone!"

"So you increased your strength by gathering companions?"

"Yeah, that's right! It was a hard and laborious process! I even prepared a comfortable environment for the monsters to live in and repeatedly trained them to be easier to handle! It was an incredibly troublesome task, but it was finally, finally about to pay off! All because of youuuu!"

With a *gatsu* punch fueled by anger, my body was sent flying.

The magic barrier shattered into pieces from the powerful blow.

"Dieee!"

But the magic wave released disappeared right in front of me.

Seeing the transparent barrier in front of me, Pazuzu clicked his tongue.

"Tch... Another magic barrier. But I'll break it no matter how many times...!?"

Pazuzu swallowed his words as he looked around.

What had been deployed was not a magic barrier but a seal.

The spatial magic "Dimensional Canopy" consumes a lot of magic power, so it only lasts for a short time, but it is a dimensional wall that blocks all attacks.

It had enveloped Pazuzu.

"Hmm, by the way..."

I suddenly thought of something.

Grimo said that magic doesn't work on demons, but does it really not work?

Encountering demons isn't something that happens often, so I should test it.

"Double incantation—"

I opened my right mouth and began the incantation.

"Seismic Rock Fang," "Tidal Sea Fang," "Scorching Flame Fang," "Fierce Sky Fang."

I recited the highest-level spells of the four basic elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—in sequence, a hundred times each.

I deployed a high-speed spell formation and wove them together at three times the normal speed.

"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■"

Seven spell bundles were woven in a single breath, and I chanted them simultaneously with two mouths.

The spell gates lined up, and the inside of the seal began to glow brightly.

"What is that high-speed incantation...!? To continuously weave spell bundles with such density...! Guh! My head feels like it's splitting...!"

"Here it comes—"

Then, I released the spell formation.

The spell gates opened, and countless spells were released from them.

"Bu—!?"

Pazuzu's voice was heard for a moment but was immediately drowned out by the raging torrent of destruction inside the seal.

240 highest-level spells per minute, one cycle per second.

It was the same attack I used on Grimo before.

"...Huh?"

A few seconds later, I noticed something strange.

The resistance inside the seal had disappeared.

I canceled the spell formation and dissolved the seal.

From the rising smoke, a mummified Pazuzu fell into the lake.

The mummified Pazuzu floated, moving its mouth slightly.

"U... U..."

Grimo laughed, looking down at Pazuzu.

"Heh, for all the big talk, you went down pretty easily, huh?"

"Hey, hey, don't taunt him, Grimo."

Actually, you were also talking big, weren't you?

But Grimo held out for about 30 minutes. Not much different, I guess.

"But you still took damage. Is it really true that magic doesn't work on demons?"

"Usually, that's the case. However, since demons are half-spiritual beings, discomfort from sound and light can directly cause damage. It's minimal, but if you keep it up, it can lead to this..."

"So that's how it works."

Receiving damage from sound and light, they're more delicate than I thought.

Maybe demons aren't as tough as they seem.

...Huh? Pazuzu is saying something.

I picked up the mummified Pazuzu.

"Why... Why did my efforts... end up like this...? Why can't I win...?"

"Pazuzu, you kept talking about how hard you worked and how difficult it was, but you should have enjoyed it more."

"Enjoy... it...?"

"Yeah, because if you don't enjoy it, you won't improve even if you force yourself. And that attitude will definitely be felt by your subordinates. If they feel that way, they won't want to follow your orders. If you had enjoyed interacting with your monsters more, I don't think they would have betrayed me just because I gave them a little magic."

Even in the short time we faced each other, Pazuzu's attitude towards his monsters was far from good.

Giving them magic was just a trigger; they could have betrayed him at any time.

"Besides, if you wanted to get stronger, there were more efficient ways than gathering subordinates. Training your body would have been much more effective."

When you enjoy something, you can continue it without effort.

Pazuzu's fighting style was suited for close combat.

Training his body would have been more fitting than gathering subordinates.

I can practice magic day and night because it's genuinely enjoyable for me.

"I've also practiced magic, but it's not easy. You have to spit blood, repeat mundane tasks, and gradually improve through effort. Lloyd does it with such enthusiasm every day, all the time, in the past, and in the future. ...There's no way someone who talks about effort can win against someone like that..."

Grimo mumbled, but the sound of the wind made it hard to hear.

Pazuzu smiled wryly at my words.

"Ku, ku... My downfall was... not being able to enjoy it... You really pushed me to the limit..."

With those words, Pazuzu's body began to crumble like sand.

"Whoa, whoa"

Grimo opened his mouth wide and started to suck in the crumbling Pazuzu.

It seemed he was eating the magic power.

"Hehehe, demon magic power is really delicious... I feel a lot stronger...! If I stay by his side, I won't lack for high-quality magic power. I'll keep increasing my magic power and eventually take over his body...!"

Grimo mumbled with a smug smile.

His power seemed to have increased slightly.

It looks like he gets stronger by eating magic power.

"Whatever, don't get sick."

"S, sure! He, he, he..."

Grimo hurriedly replied to my words.