123 Despair Approaches Without Footsteps

—Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot.

It was the sensation of something that had been a part of me until a second ago suddenly ceasing to exist.

Flesh and blood sprayed into the air. A wave of excruciating agony crashed over me, followed immediately by a second, even more intense surge of pain. I almost screamed reflexively, but I bit my lip until it bled to force the sound back down.

"Back off, Allen!"

"Allen! Over here!"

Duke was the first to spring into action, moving faster than anyone. Shari called out my name right after. They stood in front of me as a shield, their bodies overflowing with an astonishing amount of mana.

They had already deployed a defense formula.

It hurts, it’s hot, it hurts, it’s hot, it hurts—

No, stop it. I had to use mana to staunch the bleeding. If I didn't hurry, it would be too late. But just then, Cynthia-san rushed to my side and placed her hand on my right arm.

"Please... endure this for a moment."

The next instant, the severed stump of my right wrist began to freeze.

It was a forced hemostasis. Sharp stabs of cold pierced my nerves, but she seemed to be weaving healing magic into the spell as well, because the throbbing agony finally began to subside.

Amazing. I’ve never seen magic like this before.

"It’s doubling as a painkiller. Lilith!"

"On it!"

Before I even realized what was happening, Lilith-san was holding my severed right wrist. She must have snatched it out of the air. Cynthia-san immediately froze the hand as well.

Unbelievable. If her mana distribution was off by even a fraction, the limb would be destroyed. And yet, she’s actually...

"I can reattach it if we hurry. I have the skill for it. However, first—"

"Everyone, get into formation! Move to positions where you can cover each other with Shield. Shari-san, set traps. Allen-kun... thank you."

Cecil-san took command with sharp, decisive orders, but her expression was heartbreakingly sad. We trained together every day, but I had never seen her look like that. She probably felt responsible for what happened to me.

But honestly, this couldn't be helped.

We surrounded the area to ensure there were no openings, our mana silently building to a crescendo.

Forget the hand. Erase it from your mind for now.

An invisible monster? No, I’d never heard of such a thing.

Think about what only you can do.

"I'll handle this," I declared.

Despite their attempts to stop me, I summoned the Holy Sword with my remaining left arm. It manifested in the air, radiating light, but I could feel its output dropping. My mana was a mess.

But that didn't matter. I had to reveal the enemy's identity.

Visualize Tura-san. Visualize Weiss.

My Gift is constructed through imagery. I can't Copy something I haven't seen, and I need to understand the underlying mana structure.

Even so, it was an extraordinary power.

"One-Hit Kill!"

I swung a horizontal arc—an invisible slash tore through the air. I had laced the technique with the Time Lapse formula.

The blade struck something in the empty void. A crackle of electricity echoed through the air, and then—he appeared.

"It is a member of the Demon Race," Cecil-san whispered.

Every one of us held our breath. This wasn't a "pseudo" version or a mere monster—it was the real thing.

"Hah! What do we have here? You're pretty quick to see through it, kid."

The man had black horns growing from his head—a mark of pride the Demon Race never bothered to hide. He was a demon I hadn't seen during the Calamity. He wore a loose, flowing black coat, his frame tall and gaunt. His hair was white, and he wore a somewhat listless, bored expression.

But the mana pouring out of him said the exact opposite.

He’s strong.

"Hey, you piece of trash! Did you kill those soldiers? And Allen's arm?!"

Duke was the one who fearlessly confronted him. He looked like he was about to explode with rage, but Duke was smart. He wouldn't recklessly charge an unknown opponent.

At least, that was the theory. He looked so angry I wasn't so sure anymore.

The demon laughed, dismissive of the lives he had just snuffed out as if they were nothing.

"Hah, those were soldiers? They were just insects."

"You... that's enough out of you."

I gathered my strength and called out to the group. "Let's go, just like we practiced!"

Even without my right wrist, my duty remained the same. The Demon Race was the enemy of humanity. I didn't need to know what he was thinking or what his motives were.

The first move. That was the teaching of Noblesse.

Fortunately, thanks to Cynthia-san, the pain was manageable.

"I see. In that case, I'll turn you into an insect too!"

Understanding my intent, Duke was the first to charge. Shari followed, enchanting him with magic. She reinforced his Power Up with elemental blessings; his offensive and defensive capabilities must have tripled.

Cynthia-san followed right behind him, readying her Glacies. Simultaneously, Lilith-san leaped high into the air and rained down knives.

I chased after Duke. Cecil-san stayed back, guarding the area around me while keeping a sharp eye on our surroundings. We didn't know if this guy was alone, so she was acting as our lookout.

Everyone understood their role in an instant.

Thinking about my wrist makes me want to spiral into a panic. But right now, I have to focus on the 'now.'

"Whoa! What's all this?! I heard humans loved to chatter, but you guys don't even give a self-introduction?"

Closing the distance in a flash, Duke planted his right foot and threw a punch aimed straight for the demon's abdomen. The ground beneath him shattered from the sheer force he was putting into the strike.

"Heh, interesting. But aren't you being a bit too straightforward?"

To my horror, the demon avoided the attack effortlessly, spun on his heel, and kicked Duke. Lilith-san’s knives flew toward him a split second later, but he blocked them with a simple flick of his cloak. I could see it was coated in high-density mana.

But we weren't done.

Cynthia-san and I launched a pincer attack from both sides. It was the absolute-zero Glacies and my Holy Sword. With Cynthia-san’s raw power and a blade that could cut through magic formulas themselves—

This has to work!

"Haaah!"

"How dare you do that to Duke!"

I couldn't put my strength into the swing properly, but I couldn't afford to be selfish. I poured every ounce of my will into the blow.

However, both Cynthia-san’s and my attacks were halted by a Shield. It was black—Dark Attribute magic.

"You lot aren't really a big deal, are you?"

Darkness rejects everything. It possesses terrifyingly high offensive and defensive power. A massive Shockwave erupted from the shield, blowing us all backward.

"Kukuku, hahahaha! At least let me introduce myself. I am the great Beltony of the Demon Race. And this is a declaration. I am going to kill you."

Laughing loudly, the demon—Beltony—pointed a finger.

His target wasn't me, nor was it Cynthia-san.

It was Cecil-san.