Chapter 69

"......Overwhelming, isn't it?"

Leviathan muttered, gazing at the scene before her.

"Is that all, human? Come, stand up and try."

"Ugh..."

Gaia was kneeling on the floor of the throne room.

She glared at Desastre, who stood before her, looking down with a condescending gaze, but her body was paralyzed and wouldn't move.

"It's cruel to ask you to stand now... No one can move normally after receiving my lightning strike... Ah, Setsu is here, isn't he?"

"He's an exception."

"That's true. *Cough*! No one can move normally after receiving my lightning strike."

Though her words lost some of their authority, they were still true.

Indeed, Gaia, who had received the lightning strike at the beginning of the battle, had been unable to fight properly.

The most she could do was...

"Don't get too cocky!"

...create rocks with earth magic and launch them at Desastre.

The rocks, about the size of a human, flew at high speed, guided by Gaia's magic.

They were aimed directly at Desastre's position.

"It won't work."

However, such a straightforward attack was useless against the Demon King.

Her entire body began to emit electricity, and a transparent barrier spread around her.

The barrier also emitted electricity, and when the rocks made contact, they were struck by a powerful electric discharge.

The light was so intense that Gaia had to look away, and during that time, the rocks lost their momentum and fell to the floor without hitting Desastre.

"Lightning Barrier... A magic that completely nullifies physical attacks. Weak attacks can't even break through it."

"Ugh..."

Gaia growled at Leviathan's words.

She had been doing the same thing over and over, but her attacks weren't getting through at all.

"Then, how about this! Rock Hammer!"

"Hmm... Impressive."

Desastre looked up and expressed admiration.

A massive rock hammer appeared above her head.

If it were to strike, it would likely destroy the entire floor of the room.

"Even if you manage to stop it, I can crush you with its mass!"

"Indeed, the Lightning Barrier can't stop it... But..."

The rock hammer collided with Desastre's Lightning Barrier.

Another electric discharge and flash of light occurred, momentarily stopping the hammer's movement.

However...

"Here! Crush you!"

The hammer began to fall, following its mass.

Just before it could crush her, Desastre smiled.

"An interesting idea, but... it won't reach me."

Desastre caught the rock with one hand.

With a heavy thud, the rock stopped moving completely.

"No way..."

"Do you think the Demon King, a ruler of demons, can't engage in close combat?"

While she might not be able to match the Beast King in raw physical ability, Desastre had the strength to fight on equal terms with him when enhanced by magic.

"Lightning Spear"

Desastre released a spear of lightning from the hand supporting the rock, shattering it.

Seeing the remnants of her own magic scattered around, Gaia couldn't help but bite her lip.

"Well... It's my turn to attack, isn't it?"

Desastre's blonde hair became even more intense, crackling with electricity.

She quietly extended one hand toward Gaia.

"Lightning Serpent"

From her hand, irregularly moving lightning was released, darting through the air and across the floor toward Gaia.

"Ah! Earth Wall Giant!"

Gaia quickly cast a spell, creating a large golem made of earth in front of her.

The lightning struck the golem from the front and sides, dissipating with a loud boom.

"Wow, not bad. ...But, how about this?"

Desastre raised her hand to the sky.

"I'll return the favor! Lightning Strike!"

"Eh...?"

Gaia noticed the large thundercloud forming above her head.

She also realized that it was too late to cast another spell.

"Move, or you'll die."

A massive bolt of lightning was released from the rumbling thundercloud.

The thunder and shockwave reverberated through the room, so intense that even Leviathan, watching from a distance, had to look away.

"...I thought it was a direct hit."

"Haa... haa..."

But Gaia was still alive.

"Hmm, you managed to shake off the paralysis and dodge at the last moment. You're not an easy opponent."

Desastre's slightly disappointed face made Gaia involuntarily click her tongue.

Though she had barely managed to dodge, the shockwave from the lightning strike had left her body severely damaged.

"Haa... I might have to use this against Setsu too... It's tough to have to use it here... Haa, this is tough."

"...What are you saying?"

"I'm getting serious!"

The quality of Gaia's magic changed.

Her refined magic, more abundant and hotter than when she used earth magic.

"Among the summoned heroes, there are some who can use similar magic... But I have to show them the real deal."

From her feet, something bubbled and seeped out.

It quickly burned through the carpet and raised the room's temperature.

"...Lava?"

"Correct! My magic is unique, but its power is on par with unique magic, so don't let your guard down."

As she spoke, Gaia launched a lump of lava with one hand.

"It's useless."

Naturally, it was blocked by the Lightning Barrier.

However, Gaia had already taken a new approach.

"I know this level won't work! So... I'll do this!"

"Ah... Another troublesome thing..."

In front of Desastre, a red-black wall of lava was approaching.

No, it wasn't a wall.

"Lava Wave! How about it? Can't avoid it, can you?"

"Tch..."

Indeed, as Gaia said, there was nowhere to run.

The lava tsunami reached the high ceiling of the throne room and completely blocked the walls from end to end.

(Leviathan behind me can probably handle it with water. The problem is me... The mass of this is too much for the Lightning Barrier to stop.)

Desastre remained calm.

Panicking easily wouldn't befit a king, and she was a completely different person from the weak and fragile one without Setsu.

(Avoiding is difficult. Then...)

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Don't worry, Leviathan. Take care of yourself."

Desastre glared at the approaching lava tsunami and cast a spell.

"Lightning Transformation"

At that moment, Gaia, on the other side of the wave, was half-convinced of victory.

At the very least, this attack would deal damage to the opponent.

If that happened, even the Demon King would have a harder time fighting.

(Well... How will it turn out?)

Suddenly, part of the lava wave exploded.

Before Gaia could react, she felt a shock in her side.

"――――――――Don't let your guard down."

"Ugh――――――――"

Desastre, enveloped in electricity, had her fist embedded in Gaia's side.

Not fully understanding what had happened, Gaia was blown away and rolled on the ground.

"What... is... this?"

After rolling and hitting the wall, Gaia clung to it and managed to stand up.

From the fact that Desastre was standing where she had been, she knew she had been punched away.

The question was how Desastre had broken through the lava wave.

The lava wave was now hitting the floor, melting the stone.

If Desastre had approached after the wave had dissipated, it would have made sense.

However, Gaia had heard something explode.

Looking closely, Desastre was covered in burns.

From the sound and the state of her body, Gaia had a vague idea.

"Could it be... you broke through it with brute force?"

"You're perceptive. That's right. I was surprised by how thick it was. I thought it was dangerous for a moment."

Desastre had used a spell to turn her body into lightning to break through the tsunami.

The explosion was the sound of that moment.

However, the tsunami was thicker than expected, and the Lightning Transformation cut off just in time, which was a source of her fear.

(...This is bad. My ribs are broken.)

On the other hand, Desastre's wounds were mostly healed.

Demons have high vitality and healing abilities.

Minor injuries heal in seconds.

(To defeat her... I have to finish it in one hit.)

Frankly, Gaia was at her limit in this exchange.

She was pretending on the surface, but the damage from the broken ribs was significant.

Moreover, the pain spreading through her body brought back certain memories, pushing her mentally to the brink.

(Not... thinking about bad things...)

Gaia shook her head, but she couldn't erase those memories.

She was born into an ordinary family.

At the time, her powers as an Earth Deity were dormant, and she led a peaceful and good life, as the current Gaia would think.

That day, time passed as usual...

"Hey! Get in the cart quickly!"

"Sure thing!"

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Gaia, sunbathing in the garden, was suddenly taken by the men and carried away in a cart, despite her resistance.

She was taken to a slave market.

"Please, return me to my parents!"

"By the way, what about that slave?"

"Ah... We'll hand her over to the Teran Guild. They do human experiments, so she might be needed."

Gaia pleaded with the slave traders who had kidnapped her.

Even as they ignored her, she continued to cry out until the last moment before being sold.

Finally, one of the slave traders responded to her.

"Do you really want to go home?"

"Of course!"

"Hehehe... You're a pitiful kid. You don't have a home to return to. You were... sold by your real parents."

"...What?"

Gaia's family seemed normal.

However, with the rise in taxes, their finances were in dire straits.

They couldn't even be sure if they could eat the next day.

So, her parents... sold Gaia, their real daughter.

After being bought by a noble, Gaia lay on a bed, remembering the day she was kidnapped.

At that time, her parents were watching her from inside the house.

She thought they were looking out for her.

She thought they would find her quickly if she was kidnapped.

"But... it was different."

On the luxurious bed, the slave girl in her underwear muttered.

Their eyes weren't watching over her; they were making sure she was kidnapped properly.

"If only... they were dead."

Cursing words naturally came out of her mouth.

By then, her heart was consumed by hatred.

"Listen to me! This slave!"

"Sorry, sorry! Don't hurt me!"

"If you don't want to be hurt, do as you're told! Who do you think is feeding you?"

The noble who bought Gaia kicked her stomach.

She heard a bone break.

"It hurts... it hurts so much..."

"Hmph! I'll play with you as usual tonight. Look forward to it."

With that, the noble left.

Gaia, crying, moved to a corner of the room, leaning against the wall to find a more comfortable position.

She was covered in injuries.

She probably had a fever from the dizziness.

"Die... everyone... die..."

Until the noble returned at night, Gaia continued to mutter curses.

Years passed in such a life.

And one day, years later...

"Stop it! It's my fault!"

"Even if I say stop... you didn't stop, did you?"

"Truly... I'm sorry..."

The sound of something being crushed echoed.

"Is this right, Fuyuma-sama?"

"Yes, well done."

Gaia destroyed the head of the noble who had toyed with her, using a rock-encased fist.

Fuyuma, who suddenly appeared before her, broke the slave contract and taught her how to use her powers, allowing Gaia to finally regain her freedom.

"I'm sorry to say this right after regaining my freedom... but I need you. Will you help me?"

"Of course! Fuyuma-sama is my hero! I can do anything for Fuyuma-sama!"

"Thank you..."

Fuyuma hugged Gaia.

Just that made her feel fulfilled.

She was in love with this man who had saved her and needed her.

"For Fuyuma-sama... I can't lose."

Gaia slowly extended both arms in front of her chest.

Ignoring the pain in her bones, she poured all her remaining magic into her hands.

"Can you block this, Demon King?"

"......Impressive, human. Show me."

All her magic concentrated in her palms.

The gathering of magic, powerful enough to shake the earth, made Desastre shudder.

(She has this much magic...)

Her emotions were heightened.

Desastre finally recognized Gaia as a formidable opponent.

"Come... I'll crush everything."

"Haah!"

Gaia firmly planted her feet.

Then...

"Lava Cannon!"

A stream of lava was released.

On a scale that could instantly engulf a person, it melted the floor as it approached Desastre.

This attack possessed such heat and power.

"Die!"

"Not a bad attack... but..."

Desastre suddenly had a bow in her hand.

The Divine Magic Bow... This special weapon, always stored in a dedicated space created by her magic.

"Honestly, disappointing."

A lightning arrow was drawn by Desastre.

The beautifully crafted bow, embedded with magic stones, bent with a creaking sound.

"――――――――Lightning God's Arrow"

The arrow was released.

The lava exploded.

The arrow, advancing straight through the center of the lava stream, deflected everything, pierced Gaia's abdomen, and shattered the wall behind her.

"Ugh... ha... no, such..."

Gaia, spitting blood, staggered backward. But there was no wall to lean on.

"Ah..."

Gaia stumbled and was thrown out through the broken wall.

Desastre watched silently, then turned around.

Leviathan stood behind her, looking at the hole where Gaia had fallen, with a slightly regretful expression.

"Did she die?"

"Probably. This room is higher than I thought. Without magic, she likely won't survive."

"Right..."

Leviathan remained silent for a moment, staring at the hole where Gaia had fallen.

"Goodbye... my sister."