124 True Power

I’d once learned a certain fact in history class.

Demons do not lie.

Whether that’s actually credible or not, I couldn't say. But the man calling himself Beltony had already slaughtered the soldiers and lopped off my right hand.

And then, he had made a formal declaration: he was going to kill Cecil.

Cynthia muttered under her breath, her voice trembling slightly. "—I can fix Allen’s hand. But it’ll be difficult if I can’t concentrate. We have to move as fast as possible."

"Worry about that guy first, not me—"

"Allen, you are more important," Shari interrupted, cutting off my protest. "Besides, this isn't the only battle we'll ever face. Don't lose sight of the objective."

She’s right.

"If he’s aiming for me, let’s turn that against him," Cecil said, sounding unnervingly calm for someone who’d just been marked for death. "Taking off Allen’s wrist like that while he was trying to shield me... it isn't normal. We’ll maintain a fighting stance while everyone prepares to escape."

She’s right...

That guy killed the soldiers. It was unforgivable.

But I was learning, too. Simply defeating the enemy wasn't always the best option—especially when we had so little information. Right now, running was the smarter play.

"What’s this?" Beltony sneered. "A little strategy meeting among friends? I’m all by my lonesome over here, you know."

"Hey, you damn demon! What the hell do you want with Cecil!?"

Despite our plan to escape, Duke roared at him.

Why was he—no, wait. He was buying time. Duke knew that at this very moment, Cecil was redlining her brain to find a way out. We’d learned through countless defeats that everyone has a specific role to play in a fight.

"Service time is over—"

"Hey! Answer me, you piece of garbage! You went and cut off Allen’s hand! How’s he supposed to eat his dinner now, huh!?"

...Actually, maybe Duke was just genuinely pissed off.

"First, we’ll cover each other and force the demon to reveal his hand," Cecil said, her voice cutting through the tension. "We need to understand his capabilities to escape. I’ll give the instructions. Everyone, do what you have to do—just like we always do."

Before Cecil could finish, Duke bolted forward. I moved to follow, but Cynthia warned me not to overdo it. She was right, of course, but running blindly without knowing our opponent’s tricks was too dangerous.

"Ha! Not running? Fine by me!"

"Give me your damn arm, too!!" Duke screamed, thrusting his fist upward.

His blow was repelled by a pitch-black Shield, sending Duke flying backward. It wasn't an Anti-Magic field; it was a physical barrier. Which meant... magic should work.

"Ice Lance!"

Cynthia, reaching the same conclusion, unleashed her magic. The transparent spears, nearly invisible to the naked eye, accelerated with terrifying speed.

However, a familiar effect manifested.

The Inviolable Domain (Barrier).

In that moment, a chill ran through us. Having fought Weiss so many times, we knew the truth: breaking an automatic defense spell was an almost impossible task.

"Now then, it’s my turn! I Declare! Your movements shall Halt!" Beltony shouted.

To my horror, Duke didn't even try to dodge. As Beltony slowly gathered mana in his right hand, a high-density black orb appeared.

"Duke! Run!"

"My legs... they won't move!"

Beltony threw the Gluttony orb at Duke. I could feel the staggering amount of magic power packed inside it. Instinctively, I used my remaining left arm to cast Unnatural on the ground beneath Duke’s feet.

The sudden upheaval of the earth forced him out of the way, allowing him to evade a direct hit. However, the orb clipped his left leg, and he let out a strangled scream.

How was this happening?

"Duke! Are you okay?"

"Dammit... watch out. My body... it just stopped."

"Hurts, doesn't it? I bet it hurts," Beltony cackled. "People always say my magic power feels like needles."

Even Duke had taken significant damage from a single blow; he was bleeding badly. The demon had seen right through his physical and magic resistances.

Meanwhile, the pain in my right wrist was starting to throb again. Cynthia’s magic was suppressing it, but it wouldn't last forever.

Declare. Halt.

"Everyone, watch out for his words," Cecil warned. "There's a high probability that’s his special ability."

Demons always used unique powers. Like Cecil said, he’d likely forced Duke’s body to stop. On top of that, he could use the same Inviolable Domain (Barrier) as Weiss.

"This is a big step. We’ll keep gathering information one piece at a time," Cecil encouraged us. "Duke, can you still move?"

"Yeah... I’m still in this."

It was Cecil who dispelled the anxiety in my heart and the fear on everyone's faces. We had to be grateful for the information we’d gained; despairing now was a waste of time.

"We’re going to launch a coordinated attack. I’m going all out," I said. "I can't keep this up for long anyway. Let’s go!"

We charged again. Duke was slower than usual because of his leg, but he covered the gap with Power Up. This time, it was a full-scale melee. Lilith gripped several knives, and Cynthia closed in with her Glacies sword.

Even Cecil stepped up. Armed with a sword created via formula construction and a Power Up from Shari, she moved to the front line.

The Inviolable Domain (Barrier) had a massive mana cost. If we all attacked at once and forced him to keep it active, we might stand a chance.

"—One-Hit Kill!"

I led the charge. I’d incorporated Formula Destruction into the strike, so defending against it should have been a nightmare for him. As expected, he leaped into the air, only for the rest of the group to swarm him. Shari bestowed extra magic onto our strikes, causing our elemental power to swell many times over.

"Ha! Interesting! You brats actually have a clue, don't you!?"

We launched a total offensive from every direction. Beltony manifested two black swords and began parrying our strikes with incredible technical skill.

"Entertaining! Especially for a bunch of kids! But I—Decl—"

"Not happening!!"

We weren't the same people we used to be; we had trained for this. Several strikes he couldn't parry landed, forcing his Inviolable Domain (Barrier) to trigger. Beltony’s mana began to leak.

It’s definitely a verbal command to stop movement, Cecil’s voice echoed in our minds via her ability. Keep attacking so he doesn't have a chance to speak.

The best defense was a relentless offense. A shadow of frustration finally flickered across Beltony’s face. Our assault was clearly more intense than he’d anticipated.

"—Tch, this is actually getting annoying. I Declare... Everyone, blow away!"

A wave of magic power surged outward, literally blasting us in four different directions.

I pushed my Flight Magic to the limit, grinding to a halt in mid-air. I flipped my body, used Unnatural to create a temporary foothold, and used a combination of Fast Move and Cynthia’s Ice Magic to accelerate with explosive force.

"I’m ending this right here!"

Time Lapse—Scale Up—!

And then—

"Uni!"

"Kyuu!"

"Huh? What the hell is that?"

A tiny unicorn appeared in the air. It was the only monster I’d ever miraculously managed to bring under Subjugation. With a single horn on its forehead, it could manipulate Light Magic. It had been quite large originally, but now it was roughly the size of Weiss’s Debi.

It looked cute, but that was a deception. Uni immediately hit me with a bolt of electricity.

"What are you doing!?" Beltony barked.

My speed tripled. Uni was my support. Usually, Subjugation required understanding a monster’s heart—something I could never do because I just didn't like monsters. But Uni was a peaceful creature, and for some reason, it had taken a liking to me.

Without needing to send signals from my brain, Uni assisted my body’s movements. I didn't have to think; I just... moved.

"How dare you take those lives!"

"Tch!"

Beltony’s expression soured. I just had to keep the pressure on. If I still had my right arm, I could really corner him... no, no point in whining.

I unleashed a barrage of attacks so fast his defenses couldn't keep up. The sound of our clash was like the deafening screech of glass being shattered.

If I could just buy enough time... and I did. Duke and the others recovered and rejoined the fray. Beltony was finally losing his composure.

Kill Cecil? Like hell I’ll let you.

You... you demons... I’ll kill you first.

"Ugh, enough! This is a drag!! I Declare—"

"Don't let him talk!"

"Just kidding."

In the next instant, my body seized up. Beltony swathed himself in a sickeningly dark mana. Moving at several times his previous speed, he blew Duke away first. A dull crack, like breaking ribs, echoed through the clearing. Next went Shari, then Lilith, and then—

"Ice Wall!"

"Ha! Like that matters!"

He smashed through Cynthia’s defense and sent her flying as well. Finally, he turned his sights on me. I layered multiple Shields and Unnatural walls.

But he shattered them one by one. His sword pierced straight through.

"Well, you did alright for a bunch of trash," he sneered.

"Guh—!"

the black blade punched through my defenses and sank into my abdomen. I fell to my knees, collapsing into the dirt. Simultaneously, the ice sealing my right wrist began to melt.

"Ha. I don't even need a declaration. You humans always believe what you see, don't you?"

Beltony was stepping on my shadow, grinding his heel into it. This was his true ability.

"I didn't really plan on this, but my blood’s pumping now. Time to wrap this up."

"Cecil...!" I gasped.

"...Run, everyone," she whispered. "Just run."

He began to walk toward her. But a trap suddenly sprung beneath his feet. It was Shari’s work—multiple layers of Magic Rest threads and mud, reinforced with various elemental attributes.

"Hey, what is this? Dammit, it won't come off!"

"Now’s our chance!" Shari cried. "Everyone, run!"

"Crap..."

Duke stood up unsteadily and hoisted Shari onto his shoulder. He reached out to grab Cecil, but—

"Ha! I don't think so."

Beltony was touching Cecil’s shadow. The sunset had deepened while we fought, causing the shadows to stretch across the ground. Is that why he chose this specific time to attack?

"I’m going to kill every last one of you. Then it’s Game Over, right?"

Cynthia fired an Ice Lance, but it was swatted away by the Inviolable Domain (Barrier). Between the exhaustion of the fight and the mana leakage from my missing hand, I couldn't gather enough strength to move.

"It’s not gonna hold..." Shari’s voice cracked as Beltony began to tear through her traps. It was only a matter of seconds.

"Duke! Leave me!" Cecil shouted. "Take the others and run! Hurry!"

"What are you saying, Cecil...?"

"You're the only one I can ask! You're the only one who can still move!"

Cecil was saying the unthinkable. Duke stood frozen, Shari on his shoulder and blood dripping from his own right leg.

"I can't do that...!" I squeezed the words out.

Beltony’s laughter drowned us out. "Ha! This is great. Do you all die together? Or does one stay behind to die alone?"

"Duke, please! Hurry! If we stay, everyone dies!"

"Dammit! Dammit! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

With a tortured scream, Duke grabbed Cynthia.

"No! Cecil is still—"

Duke ignored her protests and stomped over to me.

"Stop it, Duke!" I yelled.

"Shut up! Cecil said it! I believe in my comrades... and we can't win this!"

Duke grabbed me and hoisted me up. Blood poured from his leg—this was clearly his final burst of strength.

"Stop it, Duke... stop..."

Duke didn't answer. His voice was a hoarse rasp. He didn't move; he just stared at a single point.

"Hey! What are you doing!? Let’s go!"

But one person remained, standing like a shield in front of Cecil.

"...I'm not going," Lilith said. "I won't abandon her."

"Lilith, please, run! I don't matter—"

"—I will never run away."

Lilith’s expression was filled with a level of murderous intent and raw magic power I had never seen before. Beltony let out a bored sigh.

"Tch, how dull. I wanted to kill you while you were trying to flee."

With a massive surge of mana, he obliterated the remaining traps.

"Lilith!"

"Lilith, get out of there!"

She didn't move.

Wait. The magic power overflowing from her... the killing intent... it was insane. Suddenly, a memory from the Estarm summer break surfaced. I remembered what Zebis had told me.

“Does that mean Lilith isn't able to show her true strength?”

“She is simply too kind. She holds back unconsciously. Meeting Lord Weiss changed her significantly, but...”

“But she’s already so strong.”

“I doubt she is even using half of her power. However, if danger were ever to reach someone she loves, I think you’ll see for yourself—”

I hadn't understood back then. Lilith was already plenty strong. But the woman standing before me now—her mana, her very presence—was a different beast entirely.

"I'll start with you—GYAAAAAAAH! AAAGH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

In the blink of an eye, Beltony’s right arm simply disintegrated.

The one who had done it was Lilith.