Chapter 53

"Hm?"

Bradd, who had been advancing as if to avoid the battlefield, stopped in his tracks.

Yūgao, who had been following behind him, also stopped as if pulled along.

"This magic... It seems a rather formidable group has arrived."

"Oh, it's Elka and the others."

In the direction of their gaze, though still too far to be within sight, Elka and the others were engaged in battle.

Bradd, who hadn't considered that Yūgao might know them, was surprised when his muttered words were reacted to.

"Do you know Elka Verso and the others?"

"Yeah, Elka and the others are the ones who trained me."

Upon hearing this, Bradd understood Yūgao's behavior.

Elka, Grain, and Tia are the trio who, along with Setsu, once visited the demon continent.

Their combat abilities, far beyond those of ordinary humans, surprised not only the five great demon generals of the time but even the Demon King Destrul.

(Considering they spent time with that monster, their strength is understandable... If this woman was raised by such a group, her attitude and strength make sense.)

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing...!"

"What? You've been silent and looking scared..."

Despite the puzzled look she gave him, Bradd couldn't return his stiffened face to normal.

"Hey, you! Don't you feel this eerie magic!?"

"..."

"It's coming from the direction where Elka and the others are!"

Seeing him lose his composure, Yūgao sensed that something was seriously wrong and focused her attention in the direction he indicated.

"...No, I can't sense it. My magic detection ability is just not good enough."

"Something with eerie magic is heading their way!"

Yūgao, who had specialized in combat skills, had only been taught the bare minimum in detection techniques. The bare minimum was enough to avoid being caught off guard in dungeons or chaotic battles, but not to detect beings several kilometers away. On the other hand, Bradd could sense it because the horns on his head served as high-performance magic sensors. His position as one of the five great demon generals was due more to his magic, martial arts, exploration skills, and diverse support techniques than his combat techniques.

"Eerie magic?"

"It gives the impression of being a mix of the magic of several races... To give an example, it's like a chimera, a creature made by combining various animals."

"Chimera..."

For Yūgao, who had lived in Japan and hadn't been much involved with comics or anime, it was a name she was almost unfamiliar with. She thought she had seen such a name once in a fantasy novel she borrowed from Setsu's room, but she didn't remember the details.

"Unknown... We can't let it run wild."

"Elka and the others will be fine, right?"

"I'm not worried about them... But if we don't determine its true nature, it might pose a threat to Lord Destrul."

"Hey!? Are you going to go?"

Yūgao hurriedly stopped Bradd, who had suddenly started walking in that direction. She had been trying to ingratiate herself with the demon army to avoid becoming an enemy of Setsu, but if she was left behind, she would end up with both armies as enemies. To prevent this, she needed Bradd to guide her to the demon's base.

"I didn't say I was going to leave you behind. However, I'm hesitant to bring you into battle when our trust hasn't been fully established."

"...So you still don't trust me."

"Humans can be quite cunning. Your actions so far might be part of a plan to undermine the demons from within."

"..."

"To be honest, I don't want to fight alongside you. If you want some level of trust... I have a task for you."

"Huh?"

Bradd turned around and pointed in the direction they had been walking. Yūgao's detection ability was still poor, so she couldn't understand just by being pointed in that direction.

"It seems to be your former comrades. You've brought quite a troublesome group."

"...Oops... I guess Jiro has been found."

She had left him quite far from the fort, expecting his discovery to be delayed, but her expectations were completely shattered.

"They are still quite far, but unlike us, who have been cautious to avoid unnecessary inquiries, they are heading straight for the battlefield. We will catch up with them soon."

"...I see, you want me to delay them, right?"

"No, not just delay them. Render them combat ineffective."

"..."

"I'm not asking you to kill them. After all, you didn't kill the man earlier, did you? You have feelings for them, don't you?"

Although he said he didn't want her to kill them, the nuance of his words suggested that he wanted her to beat them up badly. Yūgao had reservations about killing her former comrades, so if she had been asked to kill them, she would have probably refused. Even if it meant losing his trust, she would have thought of another way. Her heart was not yet that of a demon. The bonds of emotion still tied her, and she both clung to them and found them burdensome.

(I feel ashamed of my hesitation... I can't catch up to Yuki like this.)

Yūgao felt anger towards herself, towards her failure to meet the goals set by Elka, and towards her hesitation.

"...Alright, I'll do it."

"...Alright. I'll call some soldiers on the way. I'll judge your fighting skills from their reports."

"..."

"I'm counting on you."

Bradd turned and ran, leaving Yūgao behind. Her gaze was already fixed on her former comrades, the bonds of her heart.

"Well, let's give them a light scorching."

Though she spoke lightly, her eyes were serious, and there was a hint of Setsu in them.

The battle was intensifying, and soon this place would be engulfed in the flames of war. The war was approaching its climax.

"Haa... haa... damn it!"

"Huh? Is that all?"

"Quite disappointing. This is far from what I expected."

Kagerou, the man, was on his knees, panting. His body had no major wounds, but it was covered in numerous small cuts. The two of the five great demon generals, Ides and Lily, were not even out of breath.

"Can't believe... I, the main body, not a clone, am being pushed back...! You guys didn't have this kind of power before!"

"Well... We weren't really serious back then."

Ides and Lily showed their fists and staff. Ides's glove had a complex magic array embedded in it, and Lily's staff had a powerful magic enhancement stone, simple but potent.

"I see... So these are your weapons."

"We didn't bring them to the wedding to avoid arousing suspicion."

"It's been a while since I could use my full strength. My <Me Rikensack> is happy."

Each of the five great demon generals had specialized weapons made and given to them by the Demon King Destrul himself. Bradd had a red knife, the <Coagulation Blade>. Lily had a white staff, the <White Union Staff>. Ides had a glove with protrusions and a magic array, the <Me Rikensack>. Each was a national treasure, with materials gathered by Destrul himself. Wielding these, they were literally a step above their bare-handed state.

"Well, we don't have time to waste. Let's finish this."

"!"

Ides punched towards Kagerou. The air seemed to rupture, and an invisible shockwave raced through the space. Kagerou jumped. At the same time, Lily cast a spell from her staff.

"<Flame Spear - Rapid Fire>!"

Numerous magic arrays appeared instantly, and from them, a torrent of <Flame Spears> was unleashed. <Flame Spear> was not a weak spell, and <Rapid Fire> was an advanced spell applied to basic spells like <Fireball>. The combination of the two was something even a king would marvel at.

"Damn it! <Wall of Shadows>!"

Kagerou, who had just avoided Ides's attack, gave up on dodging and grew a black wall from his shadow. The wall seemed quite sturdy, and the <Flame Spears> that hit it immediately dissipated. However, there were too many of them.

"More! There's still more!"

The rain of spears continued to hit the wall without pause. The wall, in turn, was gradually worn down, and eventually, a hole was opened.

"Damn!"

Finally, a <Flame Spear> pierced through the wall and stopped in front of Kagerou. Realizing the wall's collapse, he ran backward, trying to get out of the spell's range.

However...

"Turning your back and running... A real man should face his enemies head-on!"

"!"

Ides, who had circled around, punched Kagerou. He managed to twist his body to avoid a direct hit, but even a slight touch sent him flying.

"Welcome back."

"Damn..."

Kagerou, who had been blown away, found himself back within the range of the <Flame Spears>. Due to the damage from the punch and his compromised stance, he couldn't dodge. The <Flame Spears> hit him directly, and a loud explosion echoed. Lily felt the solid impact.

"Ha... haa... haa... I see... You're going this far."

Kagerou, with his arms on the ground, looked down at his burned body. The damage was severe, and the pain was eating away at him.

"Well... I don't want to make you suffer any more. Let's end this."

"Ha... haa... haa... Yeah, it's time to end this."

The damage was severe, and standing was painful, but his eyes were filled with confidence in victory. The two of them, sensing his confidence, instinctively braced themselves. They had been confident in their victory, but now they were on high alert.

"What are you saying? Are you giving up?"

"Yeah... I'm giving up. On the idea of killing you... Honestly, I didn't expect this much of a struggle... But I have no choice but to use this."

Saying this, Kagerou drew his sword. Ides and Lily were shocked. They had been in the dominant position, but seeing the pitch-black blade, their instincts screamed in fear.

"---<Limit Break>."

At that moment, the vision of victory they had held in their minds completely collapsed.