Chapter 86

"Cut off the head, and a red flower blooms—drip, drip, cut, cut."

At the entrance to the Demon King's castle.

To enter the castle surrounded by a moat, one had to cross this bridge at the front.

A young girl was approaching the soldiers guarding the bridge.

"Huh? Are you a human girl? It's dangerous to be here."

"Fresh meat—cut, cut!"

"Huh?"

The soldier who spoke to her gently was killed as his head and body parted ways.

"What!? You!"

"Cut, cut, a lot!"

"K—"

The two soldiers who ran over to see what happened were cut in half vertically and died.

"An enemy attack—"

The soldier who ran to alert others was torn apart and died without anyone noticing.

His blood stained the cloth wrapped around her chest and her shorts, and dyed her black twin-tails a dark color.

"Hehe... so many flowers... more, more..."

The girl, swaying, crossed the bridge littered with flesh and entered the castle.

◆◆◆

This was the reception room in the Demon King's castle.

Grain, Elka, Tia, and Blood were gathered in this room.

"Well, what should we do from here?"

No one in the room could immediately respond to Grain's question.

The Demon King Desastor and the Sea God Leviathan were unconscious after their power and blood were taken by Clairecil.

Yūhi was in a state of confusion and couldn't leave the room.

The beastmen had returned to their country on a support ship to devise a strategy.

The wounds of the Five Great Demon Generals, Ides and Lily, had healed, but they were out dealing with the aftermath of the battle.

Currently, the only ones who could have a proper conversation were the four people in the room.

Or rather, three.

"Elka... Elka!"

"...Yes?"

Even when Grain called her name, Elka's response was very weak.

Her face was exhausted, and she looked like she was about to collapse.

"Elka, you don't have to push yourself. If you're in pain, rest in your room."

"...Are you... all right? Setsu-sama... disappeared right in front of me..."

Elka covered her face, remembering the scene from that day.

For her, it felt like she had lost him again.

The psychological shock was immeasurable.

"It hurts. I cry at night. But for now, I'm trying to forget. If we don't, not only Setsu, but everyone might disappear."

"..."

Elka understood Tia's words in her head.

It was better to think seriously about the immediate situation rather than grieve. This was an undeniable truth, and because of that, Elka's emotions struggled to accept the words.

Thinking about the battle after losing the one she loved was beyond her.

"Elka, don't push yourself. This is just an exchange of ideas since we can't think of any countermeasures. If you have any thoughts, just say them."

"...I understand."

Elka hung her head, and the initiative was completely taken by Blood.

"Alright, let's first sort out the current situation. Clairecil has disappeared from our sight, but we don't know when he might attack again. And if he does, our current strength won't be enough to fight back."

"Magic doesn't seem to work either. That's just an impression, though."

"There's no need to test it. That much is clear."

Blood looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

This was his habit when thinking.

He was a smart person, but even he couldn't come up with a good plan at this moment.

Silence enveloped the four of them.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from the corridor outside.

"Lord Blood! Is Lord Blood here!?"

"Calm down, what's wrong?"

The one who burst into the room, roughly opening the door, was one of the soldiers patrolling the castle.

His panic was extraordinary, sweat dripped down his face, and his whole body was shaking.

"It's an intruder! We can't stop them, and they are advancing through the castle!"

"What... What are their characteristics?"

"A woman... She looks like a child, but her mysterious and inexplicable attacks tear our bodies apart..."

"Hmm..."

From the soldier's agitation, Blood could sense the threat posed by the intruder.

He then thought that going alone might be dangerous.

Turning around, he saw that Grain and Tia were already standing and heading towards him.

"Both of you, follow me—"

"No, Blood, I need you to guide Elka and the other soldiers to safety."

"To prevent further casualties, it's better for a demon like you to give the orders."

"But! If the two of you can't—"

Blood stopped speaking.

The two were already in a combat stance.

Stopping them would require considerable resolve and perseverance.

"It's okay. If we can't handle it, we'll buy time and call for reinforcements."

"Probably won't need it."

"...Understood."

Blood looked at Elka, who was still in shock and fidgeting, and replied.

She hadn't fully grasped the situation and was in a state of confusion.

Leaving her in such a state would be extremely dangerous.

"Who would have thought that cool woman would end up like this..."

"That's why I'm asking you."

"Alright, leave it to me."

The two ran out of the room and headed in the direction the soldier had indicated.

"Come on, let's go."

"Um... What's happening?"

"We'll talk later. Follow me for now."

Pulling Elka's hand, Blood also left the room.

At that moment, they were unaware that a mysterious rumbling sound was echoing on the upper floors of the castle.

◆◆◆

"The smell of blood... it's right there!"

"There...!"

A foul odor wafted from the direction they were heading.

At the end of the corridor, something was lying on the ground.

It was the head of a soldier wearing a helmet, with no body attached, just spewing out red blood.

"!"

Grain sensed something ominous and immediately drew his sword.

The sound of metal clashing and sparks flying was heard, and his body was blown back, rolling down the corridor.

"What...!"

"Grain!"

Tia rushed over.

With her support, Grain got up, and the cause became clear.

"Head didn't fly off, cut it off—messy. Hehe."

"Are you the intruder?"

"My name isn't that. I am the 'Dissection Blade Ripper.' Cut, cut, slash, Kill KILL!"

Ripper's figure disappeared.

Grain quickly grabbed Tia and held his sword horizontally.

The sound of metal clashing rang out again.

This time, Grain's body kept up, and he didn't get blown back, transitioning into a sword lock.

"Your hands...! Are you a weapon all over?"

"Ahh! Stopped! Can't cut, can't cut!"

The part of the sword lock was the girl's hand from the elbow down.

Her fingers were sharp blades, gleaming like metal.

"Fireball!"

"Kyaa!"

Tia fired a fireball at close range, blowing Ripper back and ending the sword lock.

They took a step back and tried to regain their composure.

Ripper, swaying, was laughing.

"It's not working..."

She had deliberately used a weak spell to avoid involving them, but for her, a top-tier human mage, the fact that her fireball didn't cause any damage was somewhat shocking.

"Red ball, flashing in front of my eyes... so warm!"

"Tia, step back!"

"..."

Tia nodded and stepped back as Grain charged forward, his sword enveloped in magic.

Ripper pulled a sword from the center of her chest and struck him.

The two swords met.

However, this time, there was no sound of metal.

"What... is this..."

"Ahh, a red flower. So pretty."

The sword was severed, and Grain, who was cut from his face to his groin, was split in two, spraying blood.

Seeing the two halves of Grain, Ripper's face broke into a wide smile, and her laughter echoed through the corridor.

Tia, who saw her companion die so easily...

"Maybe she's more troublesome than I thought."

She remained incredibly calm.

And for good reason.

Grain was standing behind Ripper.

"Got the rhythm?"

"Thanks to you, yes."

"Eh?"

Grain's sword gleamed.

This time, blood spurted from Ripper's back.

Her body fell to the floor.

What lay ahead was not the severed Grain but a wooden dummy.

"Don't say it's dirty. Unfortunately, we humans have to resort to tricks to survive."

The situation had reversed, and Grain's blade was now at Ripper's throat.