Galvan, who had been slammed into the ground, slowly picked himself up.
His black robe was torn, and the red irises floating in his jet-black sclera wavered with a mixture of rage and tragic determination. Apparently, his will to fight had not yet broken.
(Ah... are you really still going...?)
Aristia sighed, truly feeling from the bottom of her heart that this was all such a pain.
"D-despite possessing such power—if it were you, surely you could reach the very pinnacle of magic...!"
"Hmm. Magic research is fun and all, but delicious food is also important, you know?"
Aristia gave a goofy grin.
"I don't really want to destroy the world."
Even if she were to live forever as the Will of Ancient Magic, she had no desire for the solitude that would await her there.
"As I thought, your will is an obstacle! It stands in the way of the proper form of Demon King Aristia!"
As he screamed, Galvan gathered mana in both hands. It was pure destructive energy, refined from the mana of a High-ranking Demon—an overwhelming, absolute power that no human Mage could ever hope to produce.
"Spell 'Hell-Crushing Shattering Light'!"
The torrent of destruction was unleashed toward Aristia. The Black-Purple Magic Bullets tore through the air as they closed in.
Aristia gave her right hand a casual wave. With that single, effortless motion, Galvan’s full-power strike dispersed like mist.
"—!"
Galvan’s expression twisted.
That was the sheer difference in their strength—the gap between the extraordinary being who had reached the seat of Demon King and the mediocre one who could not.
However, having already decided to draw his bow against her, Galvan no longer had the option to retreat.
"Uooooooooooooooooooooo!"
With a roar, he unleashed a relentless barrage of every attack magic in his repertoire. Fireballs, Lightning Bolts, Ice Spears—a storm of pure violence manifest through high-level mana.
The sight of that multicolored magical onslaught would have driven any human to the depths of despair just by looking at it.
But Aristia’s heart remained a void.
She felt nothing. There was no praise or wonder to be had for a feat of this level. Not for such meager, frail attacks.
"Fuhehe."
Aristia’s right hand crushed a Fireball; her left hand swatted away a Lightning Bolt; the Ice Spears were pulverized by a mere glance. It was an overwhelming disparity in mana. Like the Absolute Strongest stepping on an insect, she systematically dismantled his efforts.
And that was not all.
In the intervals between intercepting his spells, Aristia launched minute counterattacks. Tiny Jet-black Lasers relentlessly pierced through Galvan’s body.
"Ugh, guoooo!"
Galvan did not give up, continuing his desperate resistance with a frantic volley of attack magic.
(Does he even realize how pointless this is?)
No matter how hard he tried, Galvan’s attacks would never reach her. Meanwhile, Aristia’s precise strikes were steadily whittling his body away.
"Guh!"
After taking the tenth Magic Bullet, Galvan’s legs finally gave out, and he dropped to his knees. His body was in tatters, covered in wounds from head to toe.
"...Let’s just stop, okay? You’re going to die."
If Aristia had been serious, Galvan would have been dead long ago. He was only alive now because she had been holding back.
Unlike the nameless masses of the Demon Race, she felt a slight sense of obligation toward Galvan. He was her confidant—the one who had supported and educated her, inadequate Demon King that she was. Strictly speaking, she didn't feel a strong moral debt, but it was enough to keep her from killing him instantly just because he was being a nuisance.
But the light in Galvan’s eyes refused to fade.
"...I don't care... even if I die...!"
Still on his knees, Galvan slammed both hands onto the ground. In that instant, the mana radiating from his body began to etch a pattern into the earth.
(......?)
It was a magic Aristia didn't recognize. The moment the pattern was complete, an identical one appeared at Aristia’s feet. An Offensive Barrier erupted from the ground, surrounding her.
Aristia deployed her own barrier to counter the force that sought to crush her from within.
(Hmm? Is this an attack magic that relies on continuous erosion?)
He was trying to create an advantageous environment and kill her slowly over time. It was likely Galvan’s final trump card.
"Nuoooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Sensing that this was his one chance at victory, Galvan pressed his hands down, pouring every drop of his mana into the spell. The Dark Purple Barrier began to slowly dissolve Aristia’s Defense Barrier. Even for her, a continuous attack fueled by the total mana of a High-ranking Demon was not something that could be shattered in an instant.
For the first time in the fight, Aristia felt a spark of interest.
(Uhehehe, how interesting!)
It was the itch of curiosity—the desire to analyze a magical logic she had never seen before.
(Hmm... this formula... this part goes like this, and it loops over here...)
Aristia used her own mana as a set of fine sensors, "tasting" Galvan’s attack magic as it eroded her defense. It was exactly like savoring a gourmet dish—chewing it over, licking it clean, and enjoying the sensation as it slid down her throat.
Naturally, such a feat was impossible for any normal person. The sheer audacity required to analyze an attack magic designed to kill you in that very moment was beyond reason. But for someone with Aristia's talent—the talent that had elevated her to a Demon King she never even wanted to be—it was nothing more than child's play.
"Uhehehe, hmm. It’s not bad, but I’ve unraveled it."
Once a magic is completely analyzed, every one of its weaknesses is laid bare.
The moment Aristia snapped her fingers, the Offensive Barrier was dismantled, shattering like glass.
"Wha— How—!?"
Galvan stared at the scene with eyes full of despair. His ultimate magic, the secret technique he had staked his entire life on, had been crushed as if it were nothing.
The gap between a High-ranking Demon and a Demon King was truly an abyss.
"Phew. That was fun, Galvan-kun."
She felt a small sense of satisfaction—a slight, momentary relaxation of her guard. A split second of lethargy.
'It' did not miss that fleeting moment.
("—!?")
A vicious killing intent and an overwhelming presence forcibly intruded into the space within Galvan’s barrier.
They were already at zero distance.
To have closed the gap so completely in a mere heartbeat!
As she spun around, she was met by a pair of deep crimson eyes and a sword as red as a raging inferno.
"I’ve got you, half-hearted one!"
The strike swung by Demon King Verdict caught Aristia dead on—!