The second day of the Defense Battle of Capital Larichmond in the Sage Empire of Ritz.
The Demon King Army resumed its advance after sunrise, exactly as we had anticipated.
"How are you feeling, Nyau?"
Nyau and I stood atop the West Ramparts, in the same position we had occupied the day before.
We had walked here hand-in-hand, and even now, I hadn't let go of her.
"Nyau is in perfect condition—even better than yesterday."
"I see."
Her response brought a wave of relief over me.
"Nyau... let’s survive today together. And once we do, let's hold a wedding ceremony."
I felt the heat rising in my face as soon as the words left my mouth, and I reflexively looked away.
Something bumped softly against my chest. I looked down to find Nyau clinging to me, burying her face in my clothes.
"It’s a promise! You absolutely, definitely mean it, right?!" she insisted, looking up at me.
Her earnest expression was incredibly endearing.
"Yeah. It's a promise."
I nodded and gently stroked her hair.
As I did, I felt the warmth of her body. My mission was clear: I had to protect her.
"Demon King Army confirmed to the front! They're advancing!!"
A soldier’s shout shattered the moment.
The signal fire for the battle had been lit.
The opening stages of the assault weren't much different from the previous day.
It was a pincer attack: dragons striking from the sky while ground units composed of the demon race stormed the walls.
As before, Nyau took charge of clearing the skies.
"Fire Magic, Ninth Tier—Inferno Infinite Annihilation Cannon: Destreet!"
One by one, she blasted the dragons out of the air.
However, there were far more of them today.
I watched with a growing sense of unease as several dragons managed to fly over the ramparts, invading the city behind us.
"Nyau, are you holding up...?"
"Yes... I’m still... alright."
She said the words, but the mounting fatigue was written clearly across her face.
I prayed she could hold out just a little longer.
But just as that thought crossed my mind—
I sensed something falling from a dragon cruising high above us.
The projectile was clearly aimed straight for Nyau.
"Nyau!"
I lunged forward, grabbing her and diving away from our position.
A massive tremor shook the ramparts.
Something had slammed into the exact spot where Nyau had been standing a second ago.
"So, you're the one. The one who's been slaughtering so many of my precious subordinates."
The figure that had fallen from the sky muttered the words as he stepped toward Nyau.
"Just die!"
He swung a massive greatsword.
I immediately intercepted the blow, meeting it with my Sword of Raging Flames.
"Kiska-san!"
"Don't worry about me, Nyau! I'll handle this guy!"
I tried to sound confident, but a cold dread clawed at my insides. I had no idea if I could actually face this monster.
After all, the person standing before me was—
"As if a piece of trash like you could ever hope to stand against me!"
It was Demon King Zoga.
"Shut up. You're the only trash I see here."
"You little brat...!"
I used Provocation to draw his focus. As he swung, I slipped past his guard and thrust my blade directly into his vitals.
"Tch. That stung a bit."
Demon King Zoga clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"...What?"
I couldn't believe my eyes.
My sword was buried deep in Demon King Zoga’s neck. I had landed a direct hit, yet he didn't have a single scratch on him.
"Fire Magic, Fourth Tier—Scorching Flames: Fuego Trio!"
Suddenly, three spheres of fire roared toward the Demon King from behind me.
I knew instantly it was Nyau providing backup.
"Hah! You think such pathetic magic will work on me?"
Zoga didn't even flinch. With a casual wave of his hand, he swatted the flames aside as if they were nothing more than bothersome gnats.
"Why don't you try that spell you use on the dragons? Oh, wait—I’ll have killed you long before you finish the chant."
Zoga was right. Inferno Infinite Annihilation Cannon: Destreet took an enormous amount of time to cast.
With him this close, he would cut her down before she could finish even a fraction of the incantation.
"Now then... which one of you should I kill first?"
Zoga began to close the distance, his presence overwhelming.
"Actually, why choose? Just die together!"
He swung his greatsword in a wide, horizontal arc.
I stepped in front of Nyau, bracing my sword to block the impact.
"Agh!"
The force was monstrous. I couldn't hold my ground; the blow sent me tumbling backward across the stone floor.
"Kiska-san! Are you okay?!"
Nyau cried out, rushing to my side with a look of pure terror.
"Run..."
"What?"
"I said run! Get out of here, now!"
I couldn't win.
There was no world in which my current strength was enough to defeat Demon King Zoga.
The only thing I could do—the very last thing—was buy enough time for Nyau to escape.
"Nyau refuses!"
"What?!"
"Nyau won't run away! I won't leave the person I love behind!"
She gripped her rod tight and turned to face the Demon King.
"Then die with him!"
Zoga roared, lunging toward us.
"Nyau!"
It was over. At this rate, she was going to be killed right in front of me...!
"Barrier Magic, First Tier—Barrier: Este."
In an instant, a shimmering wall of light manifested, shielding Nyau from the strike.
It was a sight I recognized.
"I will handle the Demon King. You two, get out of here immediately."
Standing there was Great Sage Agrippus.
"Thank you! Nyau, let's go!"
I didn't waste a second. I grabbed Nyau's hand and pulled her away.
Maybe... maybe the Great Sage could actually hold him off.
I clung to that sliver of hope as we fled.
Then, I heard a sickening, wet spray.
I couldn't help myself; I looked back.
There, I saw Great Sage Agrippus. His body had been cleaved perfectly in two.
"Don't stand in my way, you old piece of garbage."
Demon King Zoga spat the words.
In a single, effortless motion, he had pulverized the Great Sage of the empire.