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"Good grief, I made it just in time."
Using a Sealing Magic spell formula I had pieced together just by watching the others, I managed to finish off Cerobels and tear a massive hole in space at the same time.
When I poked my head through the rift, I saw a red-haired man looking up at me from the other side.
"T-That’s him! That’s the man who was speaking to Grimo...! That staggering torrent of mana... there is no mistake!"
"So he’s the one who made Grimo administer the poison."
Jiriel was certainly laying on the theatrics, but he was right—the man’s mana capacity was incredible.
"Lloyd-kun! How did you get here?!"
"Better yet, how the hell are you using Sealing Magic?! That’s supposed to be restricted to our bloodline!"
Noah and Gazel, both looking battered from their confrontation with the man, cried out in shock when they saw me.
Ah, right. Sealing Magic was protected by a fairly robust barrier, wasn't it? It might have been a mistake to let them see me using it. Then again, trying to make up an excuse now seemed like too much of a hassle.
"Silence, you humans!"
As I was debating what to do, Jiriel emerged from my hand, silhouetted by a divine halo of light.
"I am a Heavenly Messenger! I have come with my master, Master Lloyd, to do battle with the demons. That is why he can wield Sealing Magic!"
Noah and Gazel exchanged stunned looks at Jiriel’s declaration.
"Now that you mention it, I remember the legends... that when the demons run rampant, a Heavenly Messenger will descend..."
"Indeed. If that is the case, his use of Sealing Magic makes sense."
As the two of them accepted the explanation, Jiriel pressed on.
"Your presence here will only hinder my master. Begone from this place!"
The moment he spoke, holes opened up beneath their feet.
"Whoa! W-We’re being thrown out?!"
"Gwaaaah! I don't really get what's happening, but do your best, Lloyddddd!"
Once the rift swallowed them up, the holes in space vanished.
"...Phew. I assume this will make it easier for you to fight, Master Lloyd?"
"That was thoughtful of you, Jiriel."
Thanks to him, I had been spared the trouble of an explanation. The title of Angel certainly came in handy at times like these.
"More importantly, Master Lloyd, what are your thoughts now that you've seen him in person?"
"Yeah, his mana capacity is staggering. Just as you said, Jiriel, his total volume is much higher than mine."
Mana capacity fluctuates based on a person’s condition, and there are plenty of ways to make it seem smaller—like suppressing the output, compressing it, or camouflaging it. Even so, judging by his aura, he seemed to have at least twice as much as I did.
"I feared as much... This is bad. For a mage, a gap in mana capacity is a direct gap in combat power. And our opponent is a demon! ...Should we flee?"
"Who's gonna let you flee? Idiot."
The man’s voice cut through our whispering, coming from directly behind me.
A heavy fist swung toward us. —Hm, quite powerful. The Magic Barrier I kept active wouldn't be enough to stop this.
Making a split-second decision, I compressed the Magic Barrier, concentrating its strength into a single point of impact. With a screeching, groaning sound of mana under pressure, I managed to stop the fist just millimeters from my face.
"...Heh. I'm surprised you stopped that strike. I guess there’s a reason you’re the one who enslaved Grimoire."
"Are you the one who instigated Grimo?"
"Pfft!"
The man burst into a sudden, mocking laugh, his mouth twisting into a sneer.
"Instigated? Don't make me laugh. I'm that Shitty Grimo’s original master. He’s always belonged to this side. ...And don't go calling me 'you,' kid."
"I don't know your name."
"...Heh. You're an amusing brat. Fine then, as a parting gift for the afterlife, I'll tell you. I am one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army—Vilfrey of the Scarlet. Remember it before you die!"
As he spoke, Vilfrey unleashed a kick.
With a series of sharp, splintering cracks, my Magic Barrier shattered, and I was sent flying by the sheer momentum of the blow. I slammed into the ground, a massive cloud of dust billowing up from the impact.
"Master Lloyd!"
Jiriel let out a pained cry, but I had redeployed the Magic Barrier at the last second, so I was fine. Still, the arm I used to guard was throbbing. To think his power would resonate this much even through the barrier.
"This much force from a simple kick... So this is the power of the Four Heavenly Kings...!"
"Do you know about them, Jiriel?"
"Yes. Master Lloyd, are you familiar with the Demon Army Advance from hundreds of years ago?"
"Of course."
The Demon Army Advance was a legendary catastrophe where the legions of the Demon World invaded the continent. Humanity had been helpless against the terrifying combat prowess of the Majin and the demons, facing one-sided slaughter.
It was the Progenitor of magic, William Bordeaux, who stood against them. Using the magic he had researched, he defeated the demons one after another. He eventually shared his magic with other talented individuals, finally giving humanity the means to fight back. This was the origin of William Academy.
The war, which involved humans, demons, and even the Celestial Realm, lasted fifteen years. It was said that the advance finally halted once many of the demons were sealed away.
"The Four Heavenly Kings were the strongest assets of the Demon Army. Their power was said to have given even William himself a hard time, each of them a match for a thousand men. Countless lives were sacrificed to defeat them...!"
"For an Angel, you’re pretty well-informed. Were you there or something?"
As the dust settled, Vilfrey stood looking down at us.
"Man, I’m impressed. Not a single scratch after that. On top of that, you’ve got the guts to chat while fighting me. No wonder Shitty Grimo was groveling at your feet."
"...You've been saying some pretty awful things about Grimo. Are you really his master?"
Seeing Vilfrey mock Grimo so casually made my voice sharpen.
"What's this? You're actually making a sour face. ...Don't tell me you're worried about him?"
"And if I am?"
"Nah... it's just that for someone who cares, you haven't been paying much attention to your surroundings. Heh."
Vilfrey let his gaze slide to the side. Following his eyes, I saw something black sprawled on the ground.
The Great Black Goat—it was Grimo, lying there in a mangled heap.
"Grimo!"
I rushed over and knelt beside him. He had been tortured mercilessly; his body was covered in horrific wounds.
"Ugh..."
"Hey, stay with me, Grimo!"
He was still breathing. He wasn't dead, but his consciousness was fading.
"What a cruel thing to do... Even if he betrayed you, to inflict such a fate...!"
"Kuahaha! That’s not quite right, Angel. Punishment was already dealt with. I minced him into tiny pieces, let him regenerate, and then minced him again... over and over, until he truly repented from the bottom of his heart."
"Then why is he in this state now?!"
"Just to kill time. I called it the 'How many attacks can you dodge?' game! But he was such a pathetic weakling that the first hit—just a graze—put him in this state. It wasn't even a game."
Grimo’s body was carved, burned, torn, and charred. It was a gruesome sight. There was no way a single graze could cause this much damage. He had clearly attacked Grimo over and over while he was already down.
"Tell you what, I'll let you play too. Since we're both familiar-users. I might even lend him to you for a bit..."
Before I realized it, I had turned and fired a Bow of Light.
The Arrow of Light streaked through the air, only to be caught by Vilfrey with a single hand.
"Heh. So you're fuming with rage? If that Shitty Grimo is so important to you, I'll give you a choice. Either you or that Angel over there becomes my familiar. If you do that, I might just let him go."
"M-Master Lloyd...?"
Jiriel looked at me with unease. Vilfrey watched with a vulgar smirk, but his expression quickly shifted.
"Hm...?"
The Arrow of Light he was holding grew larger and more intense. I was continuously pumping mana into it. The sheer force of the spell forced Vilfrey to brace his arm and lean his upper body back.
"Ugh... Gwaaaaa...!"
He tried to block it with both hands, but it was too late. The arrow, filled to its absolute limit, reached its expansion threshold and detonated.
A massive explosion erupted, and a vortex of light swallowed Vilfrey whole.
"Ooh! The giant Arrow of Light exploded into countless shards...! There's no way he can dodge that!"
To compensate for Sealing Magic’s weakness—its narrow range—I had modified the spell formula to allow for wide-area attacks. By detonating the tip that melted space, the spell scattered shards in every direction. It was a nearly unblockable strike that melted the surrounding space to trap the target.
The space around the impact was twisted into a chaotic distortion, swallowing Vilfrey until the world looked like a canvas of melted paint.
"There's a third option. —The one where I defeat you and take Grimo back."
I muttered those words while pouring mana into Grimo. A soft light began to heal his mangled body, and his ragged breathing gradually grew steady. That should do it. He would wake up after some rest.
"Ooh! A magnificent seal, Master Lloyd! He shouldn't be able to move now!"
Jiriel cried out in triumph. But just as I was about to retrieve Grimo, I froze.
"...Heh. That’s an interesting way to use that magic. You’re much more promising than those brothers."
A voice echoed from within the melted space.
With a series of sharp, dry cracks, the distorted space began to shatter like glass. Emerging from the rift was Vilfrey, who should have been sealed. He cracked his neck, a relaxed smirk returning to his face.
"I’ve decided, brat. You’re gonna be my next pet."