Chapter 76

"......Abinion, what kind of guys are these demons?"

In this situation, I decided to ask Abinion as much as I could.

The headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild, which had already been saved from the threat of the demons, was still enveloped in tension.

"They are the kind who have desires beyond their reach..."

Abinion's answer was vague, but his tone was clear and dismissive.

"It seems they aspire to stand alongside the Transcendents of Heaven."

"Transcendents of Heaven?"

"They are like the Eight Dragons who acknowledge the Lord."

Oomononushi, the Azure Dragon who met me in the forest and trained me for five years, is said to be one of the Eight Dragons, transcendent beings that reign beyond this world, surpassing even the demon spirits.

The Transcendents of Heaven and the Transcendents of Earth.

Though they share the same name, there is a vast difference between the two transcendent beings, and they cannot be compared.

"Pitiful creatures... We demon spirits, who possess the greatest power on earth, know that no matter how much we struggle, we cannot enter the realm of the Eight Dragons."

His words were filled with conviction.

"But the demons, who are inferior to us, cannot accept this fact. They seem to dream that by using some means, they can surpass us demon spirits and reach the realm of the Eight Dragons. It's nothing but a delusion."

Humans cannot fully measure something that is too large for them.

The height of a mountain, the breadth of the sea.

Those who cannot imagine beyond their own scale may mistakenly believe they can cross the sea and start swimming, only to run out of strength and sink halfway.

"If they were as weak as the demons, they would immediately realize they lack the qualifications to be the strongest and would step back. But because they are weaker than the demon spirits, they cannot gauge the truth, and because they are stronger than the demons, they cannot give up on themselves. The demons are beings that embody the suffering that arises from such a halfway position."

Abinion's evaluation of the demons was extremely harsh, almost completely negating their existence.

"Are those guys really plotting something with the church?"

"There has never been a time when they weren't plotting something. They are truly more diligent than us, transcendent beings. Unfortunately, their diligence has never had a positive impact on the world."

With a snap of his fingers, Abinion made the dead spirit of Recolis, which had been standing still, dissolve into dust and disappear.

It seemed he had finished telling me what I needed to know.

We had completed our mission here, and the assault on the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild had been peacefully resolved.

"Kill! Kill!"

No, there was still one thing left.

The final disposition of Seniatansa, the last of the demons who had attacked.

"Having been exposed to the facts that should have been buried in darkness and failing to fulfill the prophecy given by the demon god, the only way to resolve my incompetence is to die! Come, kill me, kill me!"

He was completely desperate.

The enemy was a monster that had wronged humans, and we had just fought a life-or-death battle.

His kind had killed hundreds of humans, and I had just lost two of my companions to the group he led.

The relationship between humans and demons was already a blood-soaked one that could not be reversed.

It would not stop until one side was destroyed.

However...

"Abinion"

"What is it?"

"Release his restraint."

"Sure thing."

The mist surrounding Seniatansa cleared.

That mist was actually part of Abinion's body, a spiritual ectoplasm.

Seniatansa had been immobilized by it invading his body, but now that it was gone, he could move again.

"...What are you planning?"

"The battle is over. There should be no more need for sacrifices, on either side."

"...!?"

The demons' goal was to eliminate the Recolis councilor, as ordered by the higher demons.

That had already been accomplished.

We couldn't protect Recolis, but we had obtained the necessary information, and if that was the case, it didn't matter if such an unpleasant guy died.

Most importantly, no innocent residents of the guild headquarters were harmed.

"There's no need to go out of your way to kill you. If you promise never to harm humans again, I can let you go."

"Are you kidding me? You want me, a duke-level demon, to live in disgrace!!"

Seniatansa was enraged.

"Even if I survive here, I will be executed by the demon god for failing to fulfill the prophecy in the true sense!! Even if I survive, my future will still be one of continuing to kill humans! That is also a duty imposed on us by the demon god!"

"Are you killing people on the orders of the demon god?"

"Yes, as the demon spirit said, we are merely pawns moved at the will of the demon god. We have cheap lives, just like you humans, mere insects! Yes, I knew that from the beginning!"

Seniatansa was being frank.

"That's why I want to die on the battlefield to protect my last bit of pride! Dying in a slaughterhouse is far less noble than dying in battle! So kill me! You have the power to do so!"

If you are killing humans on the orders of the demon god...

"...Go back and tell the demon god that I will not allow the killing of demons for such a reason."

"!?"

"From now on, if anyone intentionally causes a war between humans and demons, I will become the enemy of the demon gods. It will be a battle between me and the demon gods, not between humans and demons. Know that this battle will continue until one side is destroyed."

"What... What do you mean? Are you saying you will become a guardian to protect us demons from the demon gods?"

"Maybe."

If you demons are being forced to do something by the demon gods, come to me for help.

If your situation is unjust and deserves sympathy, I will gladly break that injustice.

"The enemy of my Lord is also my enemy."

Abinion's casual words were reassuring.

"Tell those foolish demon gods this: If they oppose my Lord and come to battle, they will also have to fight me, the demon spirit Abinion, who is ten times stronger than they are as a race."

"Abinion?"

"Why are you so surprised? I am a servant of my Lord, so it is only natural that I would clear the way in battle. My Lord, who is on par with the Eight Dragons, and I, the strongest transcendent on earth. It will be interesting to see how clumsily the demon gods struggle against us."

Seniatansa, who had been restored to full health, was still at a loss for words.

His body, which had been half-destroyed and would have been fatal for a human, was now completely healed.

"Yo!"

Suddenly, Seniatansa's missing body parts expanded and returned to their original form, completely restored.

"Wh-What!? Regenerated!? Even though my soul core was damaged and couldn't function properly!? Why!?"

"I pressed a pressure point. I added some force to a part of your soul that seemed to need a boost."

Thanks to that, his body regained its strength.

Even a high-level skill-less person can do more than just punch if they study.

"………………………………"

Seniatansa, who had been restored to full health, was still dazed for a while.

"...It's still hard to believe. The conflict between humans and demons has lasted for thousands of years, and it's hard to imagine that the hostile relationship could change so quickly."

He seemed to be deep in thought.

"However, your existence, which not only overwhelms us demons but even commands demon spirits, may already surpass that of a human. I will hurry back and inform the Demon King of this fact. Then I will seek his decision on the fate of our demons. It will not be too late for me to die after that."

" Demon King?"

"The one who rules over us demons. The title of the strongest, who has reached the level cap of 999, is only allowed to be used by the strongest. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the leader who commands and unites the demons."

Seniatansa spread his wings and lifted his feet off the ground.

He was about to leave, but I let him go. I had originally said he could go back.

"I will do as you say for now. I don't know how my life will end, but I want to at least end it in a way that contributes to all demons. I don't know how the world will change from here, but I will hold you responsible for starting this change, human. ...No, something beyond a human."

"Take care."

I just watched the demon leave.

I prayed that they would never appear as our enemies again.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Abinion stopped him.

Why?

She said to the startled demon...

"Before you run away, don't you have something to say? You don't deserve to live if you don't know manners."

"……"

Did he immediately think of something to say? Seniatansa looked straight at me...

"Thank you for sparing my life."

And with that, he flew off into the eastern sky.