Chapter 25

Slowly, Galeos turned around.

Even his usually expressionless face now showed a look of shock.

I smiled.

"This is the reply I wrote to Master. A clear night sky without a single cloud is somehow unsatisfying. Even you, who were like the clouds that hide the moon, made me think that way when you were gone... That's what it means. I'm not good at poetry, but how is it? I couldn't hear Master's opinion... well, because I killed him, you know. By the way, the person in the first song is me. Isn't that terrible?"

"...Why are you still alive?"

As if he hadn't heard my words, Galeos spoke.

"Why? As you can see."

He spread his arms wide.

Not only was he unharmed, but there wasn't even a trace of blood on his uniform.

"Light attribute healing, or rather resurrection...? I'll find out if I kill you again."

In an instant, he produced a massive blade and launched it at me.

It pierced my forehead precisely, splitting my head open.

I died.

---And then, the spell activated.

The blade that had pierced my head disappeared.

The wound healed in an instant.

"Here I am, resurrected."

I came back to life.

I discarded the human-shaped talisman with a hole in its head, which had lost its power.

"...What kind of magic is that? Resurrection is one thing, but why did the blade disappear? Did you rewind time...?"

"I didn't do anything like that. I just set up a formula to eliminate any foreign objects. By the way, I made it fix the clothes too, so it's convenient when I burn to death."

"...Fine. Then I'll just keep killing you until you die."

Seeing Galeos start to create another blade, I was exasperated.

"You're still at it. Normally, you'd retreat at this point, right? Are you that eager to defeat the hero?"

"Of course. To defeat the strongest being before they become the strongest. I can't miss this opportunity."

"Strong, strong... huh..."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"It's meaningless."

"What...?"

"I'm saying that being the strongest is meaningless. The hero, the demon king, and even you, who are obsessed with it, are all meaningless. The people of this country who turned the hero into a fairy tale are smarter. Think about it. Is the world driven by the strongest force? By the most skilled in martial arts?"

In my previous life, there were also beings who were almost inhumanly strong.

The Islamic leader who ruled the top of the Assassins' cult, blessed by the evil spirit Shaitan.

The Jewish philosopher who possessed countless mechanical puppets and boundless wisdom in his mind.

In Japan, there were warriors who, as humans, could slay giant centipedes and demons.

But the world wasn't driven by them.

"Power is in numbers. Strength is in the cunning that manipulates it. Individual violence is insignificant to the world."

"That's just because you don't know true strength. All will bow before overwhelming power."

"Coming from the former strongest, that's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Ridiculous...!"

All the blades Galeos had conjured vanished.

Ah, he must have teleported them.

"That's enough, now."

Black blades rained down from all directions.

They all crumbled and fell just before reaching me.

"Barrier!? But to nullify magic...?"

"Of course, a barrier is supposed to seal magic. And I'm using eleven human-shaped talismans, so it's not easy to break."

"Then I'll just destroy the talismans!"

Galeos unleashed flames and blades.

They were indeed aimed at the human-shaped talismans that supported the barrier.

Hmm, but it's not very effective.

I guess I'll play along.

《Water Aspect---Waterfall Spell》

A vast amount of water spewed out from the human-shaped talismans.

It engulfed the flames.

It engulfed the blades.

And it engulfed Galeos as well.

"Ugh, what is this water magic? What kind of magical power...?"

Galeos appeared.

He must have teleported out.

"If magic doesn't work, then I'll bury you directly!"

With an incredible burst of leg strength, Galeos kicked off the ground.

Well, that's what I expected.

I retreated and opened the door of a human-shaped talisman.

《Summoning---Thunder Beast》

A small black animal, resembling an anaconda, was drawn from the phase.

"Sh---Shizhizhi, Shizhizhi"

A strange, growling sound, like sparks.

Sensing its ominous presence, Galeos aimed at the thunder beast.

Good instincts, but it's pointless.

"Shizhizhi!"

A massive bolt of lightning was released from the thunder beast and struck Galeos.

With a loud explosion, the demon was blown away and rolled on the ground.

The intense light made my eyes flicker.

Hmm, it's really powerful.

The thunder beast is a demon that occasionally falls to the ground with lightning.

It looks like a small animal, but it possesses the power of lightning.

Even with the lightning protection that sailors have, it wouldn't have been enough to withstand such a drenching.

"Hey, is it over? ...Ah!"

The demon's form vanished. He must have teleported.

Ah, maybe he's behind me?

I turned around.

Galeos' hand blade pierced my stomach.

"Arrogant, were you?"

Galeos glared at me with heat-blurred eyes and whispered.

I laughed and coughed up blood, grabbing his arm.

"I've got you."

《Gold-Water Aspect---Ash Flower Spell》

The spell activated between me and Galeos.

A tremendous explosion sent a yellow pillar of fire skyward.

Blown away by the blast, I eventually stood up and brushed off my uniform.

Galeos was in a terrible state.

He was missing an arm, his intestines were spilling out of his abdomen, and his body was partially melted.

"Did you know, Mr. Metal Demon?"

I spoke to the nearly dead Galeos.

"Salt can be decomposed into two elements, one of which is gold qi. In other words, salt contains metal. And that pure crystal reacts violently with water. Just like now."

Next to the human-shaped talisman, which had lost its head and arms and was dissolving in a strong base, I spoke calmly.

"What... is this? I don't know... I can't... understand... such... metal..."

"You guys are a bit lacking in knowledge, aren't you?"

"What...?"

"I admit that the four-element magic is quite useful, especially when dealing with monsters."

In terms of strength, the demons from my previous life were far stronger.

However, in reality, the damage caused by demons to humans was minimal. Wild dogs and bears were far more terrifying. Moreover, since demons were souls independent of physical bodies, curses worked well on them.

On the other hand, the monsters here were stronger than wild dogs and bears, and they often attacked humans. Since their existence was closer to animals, they were less susceptible to curses compared to demons.

To quickly obtain firepower, the four-element magic that produces actual fire and ice developed.

"That's fine. But why don't you delve deeper? Have you ever thought about what fire is? That water can be decomposed into wind? That cooling wind becomes colder than ice? That the most abundant element in the earth is the same as in the air?"

"What... are you... saying...?"

"It's not good that you can't understand this level of discussion. We're talking about the third layer of our perception. Not the second layer, which is processed only after observation, or the first layer, which is the root. You should study more. I even crossed the sea to seek ancient wisdom. Are there no magicians in this world with that much passion?"

Galeos, using his remaining arm, struggled to stand up.

"Confronting the enemy, you... lecture... You're... so... calm..."

"Of course."

"But... I... can still... fight..."

"..."

"Your... strange... talismans... are... almost... gone... I... still... have... a... chance..."

"Do you mean these talismans?"

《Summoning---Human-shaped Talisman》

《Summoning---Human-shaped Talisman》

《Summoning---Human-shaped Talisman》

《Summoning---...

Countless human-shaped talismans, drawn from the phase, lined up in the night sky.

"I still have plenty."

I had been diligently making them for years.

Galeos returned a void expression to my smiling face.

"...Impossible... Impossible... To lose... this... I... who defeated the previous leader... who was called the reincarnation of a hero... who even broke the human Sword King..."

"Is it over? You were weaker than I thought."

"What...?"

"Running around and summoning minions is pointless. You'd die quickly even if I sent you to the phase."

I sighed.

"Alright. The party is in full swing, but it's time to end it. For the final act, let's use your body as---"

I selected a human-shaped talisman and opened its door.

"---a feast for my servant, to conclude this banquet."

《Summoning---Dragon》

From the distortion in space, a thick, incredibly long body emerged.

Covered in green scales, it rose into the sky, undulating its massive form.

It resembled a snake.

But it was far from being a snake.

Long fangs lined its snout. Two thick whiskers. White hair on its head, and a horn visible between them.

The dragon turned its body and approached the demon.

Its jaw opened wide, ready to devour its prey.

Galeos' eyes widened in despair.

"What is this... What is this...! Impossible... Even the Demon King... to control... a dragon... a dragon...!!"

"It's not a dragon."

The dragon's fangs captured Galeos.

It lifted the demon into the air, chewed a few times, and swallowed him into its belly.

I whispered to the male demon, who could no longer hear me.

"---It's a dragon."

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