◆
"Haaaaaaaaaa!"
Beal let out a roar, his mana swelling explosively.
...I see. So this is what it looks like when Beal truly goes all out.
The earth trembled under the sheer weight of his presence. Craggy mountains crumbled, and the very clouds were scattered into mist. Even for me, the sheer volume of his mana was enough to bring a cold sweat to my brow. His total output was likely ten times my own.
"Here I come—"
The moment he whispered those words, Beal vanished. Before I could process his movement, he was right in front of me, braced to strike.
"Fast!"
With a sound like grinding metal, an impact surged through my abdomen. Beal’s blow tore through five layers of my Magic Barrier: Ultimate and buried itself deep in my gut.
The force sent me hurtling toward the horizon. I reoriented myself in mid-air, pulverizing every rock and spire I clipped along my trajectory.
"He smashed through those thick Magic Barriers like they were nothing!?" Grimo shrieked.
"Are you alright, Master Lloyd!?" Jiriel added.
"...More or less," I replied.
Usually, I keep myself guarded with a thin, refined layer of Ki and mana. Realizing that my Magic Barriers alone wouldn't stop him, I had concentrated that layer into a single point to mitigate the impact. Even with the reaction speeds of my Mind's Eye and Martial God techniques, I hadn't been able to evade. Guarding was the best I could manage. His speed and power were truly absurd.
"—Hey, I’m not finished yet."
Beal’s voice came from right beside me; he had already caught up. It seemed he had no intention of giving me a moment to breathe. His raised hand glowed with a dark, concentrated radiance.
G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g!
A violent series of impacts rang out. I concentrated my own Ki and mana into my fists to parry him, but his speed and weight were relentless. I soon found myself unable to keep up with the rhythm of his strikes.
"My... my arms are going numb..."
"There's my opening!"
Beal roared as he pulled both arms back, funneling every drop of his mana into his hands. A light of terrifying density converged there, blotting out the world around us. It was black—blacker than anything I had ever seen.
"Behold, Lloyd! This is my full power at its absolute maximum! Take this! Demon King's Ultimate Black Wave!"
A black flash roared toward me. A staggering amount of Magic Pressure preceded it. This was Beal’s genuine, unfiltered strength.
"W-w-w-wait, this is bad, Master Lloyd! There’s no way to stop that!"
"Let us retreat! There is no shame in running from this! The opponent is simply that formidable!"
Grimo and Jiriel screamed for me to flee. However, if I dodged, the surrounding area would be leveled. No, with that much mana, the entire continent might very well disappear.
Worse, the sheer intensity of the magic storm was causing my own Magic Barriers to self-destruct. A torrent of power like that disrupted spell formulas just by being near them. In this environment, constructing a complex Spell Formula was impossible. Even if I tried to use Void to swallow it into another dimension, the formula would likely unravel the moment it was activated.
Of course, simply concentrating mana wouldn't be enough to block a hit like that either. Hmm.
"I see. I suppose I’ll have to get serious too."
"Whaaaaaaaaat!?"
"You weren't being serious yet!?"
The two of them cried out in shock.
Actually, that wasn't quite right. Since I was always experimenting as I fought, maybe it was more accurate to say my definition of "serious" was constantly being updated. I still haven't fully grasped the potential of this state while wearing the Magic-Armed Arms, after all.
But I've finally started getting the hang of it, so I think I’ll try that.
"■"
I held out my hand toward the approaching black flash. A tiny spark of light appeared. As the scenery around it distorted, the light grew massive in an instant and surged toward Beal.
"I know not what magic that is, but against my Demon King's Ultimate Black Wave, it—"
The moment Beal started to speak, the light touched his black flash and erased it from existence. The light continued unabated toward the Demon King.
"Whaaaaaaaaat!?"
With a final roar, Beal was swallowed by the light I had unleashed. It left a single, shimmering distortion in the sky before fading away.
Finally, silence returned. A massive, circular hole had been punched through the clouds by my attack.
"That light was too much... to erase an attack that big so easily... But is it just me, or did that light look familiar...?" Grimo muttered.
"Yes... it seemed like a common magic even I recognize. No, that couldn't possibly be right, and yet..." Jiriel added.
I nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Just as you thought, that was a Fireball."
Though it came with the caveat that I had poured every last drop of my mana into it.
Within the formulas that make up magic, there are things called Limiters. These are safety mechanisms designed to prevent the caster from burning out their brain or destroying the environment by over-powering a spell. I simply removed those limiters and channeled my full power into a basic Fireball.
"No, no, no, no! There were Limiters this whole time!? You mean to tell me everything until now was within safety limits!? You've already been wrecking the terrain left and right!"
"And if a Lower Magic like Fireball has that much power, wouldn't the world end if you used High Magic!? Please, Master Lloyd, I beg of you, be careful!"
Well, it's not quite that simple. Lower Magic has a simple formula, so I could analyze it completely. High Magic is so complex that even I find full analysis difficult. I didn't realize that before, but with the knowledge from the academy and my recent experiences, I’ve finally started to understand.
Magic really is profound. There's still so much to learn. I’ll have to try analyzing the formulas for High Magic again someday. Yes, definitely.
"Please... I beg of you, be careful, Master Lloyd," Jiriel repeated.
"He's right. I'm dead serious, Master Lloyd, please," Grimo pleaded.
"I-I get it."
For some reason, they were both looking at me with very cold eyes. I mean, even I wouldn't just fire off a High Magic spell with the limiters removed for no reason. Honestly, they’re such worrywarts. If I ever do do it, I’ll be sure to use the utmost caution.
"Ugh..."
A groan drifted down from above. Through the hole in the sky my Fireball had created, a battered Beal slowly descended.
"Whoa! He's still alive after taking that insane hit?"
"However, he can no longer maintain his Magic Body. Connie is half-exposed."
Large sections of his Magic Body were gone, and what remained had grown translucent, revealing Connie inside.
Oh, good. It looks like she’s safe. I had actually tinkered with the Spell Formula of that Fireball to minimize damage to human tissue so Connie wouldn't be hurt. It was an application of Holy Magic. I had thought she might still take a little damage, but it looks like Beal protected the main body himself.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Beal touched down on the ground, his breathing ragged. He had clearly lost the strength to continue and collapsed where he stood. It seemed the battle was over.
I landed beside him. Beal looked weak, yet he managed a defiant smirk.
"...Heh. You are strong. I never dreamed a human existed who could best me."
"You were strong too. It was a good match."
"No... that isn't right. It was my total defeat. You are still holding back, aren't you?"
He could tell? He really was impressive.
"Tell me one thing before the end. How did you obtain such nonsensical strength? It is clear from your Soul's Vessel that you were born with overwhelming power, but what drove you to pile up such unceasing effort to reach this height?"
I thought about his question for a moment.
"Even if you ask me that... I've never really worked hard at this."
"Liar! Setting aside your raw mana, those refined Magic Lines and that level of knowledge are impossible to achieve without effort! To exceed the limits of humanity... it must have taken an ordeal beyond imagining!"
I wish people would stop calling me a monster. "It's the truth. I just did what I liked, the way I liked to do it."
In reality, I had just followed my curiosity.
"I tackled everything that seemed useful for mastering the magic I love. If it was related to magic, I did it—anything and everything. That just happened to result in strength. I never once made an effort because I wanted to be strong."
Beal looked absolutely dumbfounded. Then, he let out a low, amused chuckle.
"Heh... I see. A mere magic enthusiast. Unlike me, who chased power and a worthy rival, you simply refined yourself because you loved the craft. ...No wonder I could not win."
Beal muttered to himself as his form grew even thinner. It seemed he had gotten his answer and was finally fading.
"...Hmph. My mana is gone. I shall vanish. At the end... let it be by your hand... kill me..."
Beal’s mana was dissipating rapidly. He no longer had the strength to maintain a form, and his Magic Body had begun to crumble. Having fought demons before, I knew the signs. If left alone, he would simply cease to exist.
I slowly reached out my hand toward him—
"Wait!"
The voice was Connie’s. Perhaps because Beal was so weak, she had regained control of her body.
"Don't let him... please don't let Beal vanish."
Connie looked at me with a steady, serious gaze. Grimo and Jiriel popped out immediately.
"Hey, hey, hey! He just finished hijacking your body! What are you being so soft for!?"
"Exactly! The Demon King is a threat who wouldn't hesitate to end the world! Leaving him alive is far too dangerous! This isn't kindness, it's recklessness!"
"I know... I know all that," Connie said, her eyes bright. "But Beal’s knowledge is incredible!"
She spoke with genuine excitement. "While he was using my body, I could see glimpses of the things he knew. Things like 'Zandarsia,' a nation hidden somewhere in the sea; the 'Jacob' Super Beast that is the only one of its kind; 'Radalaphia,' a Child of God and Demon from the dawn of time; and the very first magic, 'Primordial Origin.' If Beal disappears, all of that will be lost forever. ...And besides."
Connie paused, choosing her words carefully. "I lived with him for a short time, and I realized something. Beal is lonely. Because he was so powerful, he had no one to compete with and no one he could talk to as an equal. He was alone for thousands of years. The entire time he was fighting Lloyd, he was happy. Even while he was being hit by that last attack... he was happy. I can't even imagine that kind of loneliness. So, please, Lloyd... won't you be Beal’s friend?"
"FRIENDS!?"
Grimo, Jiriel, and even Beal shouted in unison.
"Are you serious!? Beal is a Demon King! There’s no way he’s going to play nice with humans!"
"A Majin who became Master Lloyd's servant shouldn't be talking, but I agree! The gap between our existences is far too wide!"
"Me... your friend...!? Don't mock me! It’s impossible! It’s a farce that could never happen even if the stars fell!"
Grimo and Jiriel were dead set against it. Beal, meanwhile, was clearly shaken. He had enough energy to shout, at least. Connie just shook her head at the three of them.
"I’m not mocking anyone. I’m sure we can be friends. Because—"
"—Yeah."
I nodded, and the three of them stared at me in disbelief.
"What a coincidence, Connie. I was actually thinking the same thing. Beal is a Demon King, and he’s definitely dangerous. But I can understand his curiosity in seeking out the strong. When I reached out my hand just now, it wasn't to kill him; it was to help you."
Saying that, I began to funnel mana into Beal. ...There, that should help him recover a little. Beal, however, was visibly reeling from the shock.
"You say you understand...!? Don't act like you know anything about me...!"
"I do know. I don't care much for fighting myself, but to travel the world, wait through eras, and endure thousands of years of solitude just to find something you're passionate about... you can't do that unless you truly love it. That heat you have is the same as my love for magic."
I’d go anywhere, east or west, for a scrap of magic knowledge. I get the feeling, Beal.
"Now that you mention it, it’s true. One’s into 'strength' and the other’s into 'magic,' but they’re cut from the same cloth," Grimo admitted.
"Yes... regardless of the level of trouble they cause, perhaps they are compatible. In that sense, they could indeed be friends," Jiriel added.
"See? Beal and Lloyd are just alike," Connie said, sounding pleased.
Honestly, Connie isn't one to talk, wanting to keep him alive just for her thirst for knowledge even after he stole her body... but regardless.
"So, Beal. Won't you be my friend?"
"Me... a friend...? I am the King of the Demon World! I have the power to destroy everything! I may have lost this time, but if I hone my strength, I will win next time! And then the world will end! You would still call me a friend!?"
"Someone who actually wants to destroy the world wouldn't give a warning like that. And if it comes to that, I’ll just have to win again."
"...!"
I grabbed Beal’s hand while he was speechless, half-forcing the gesture. "Come on, it's fine, right?"
"~~~~~~~~~~~~G... Do whatever you want!"
With that, Beal retreated back inside Connie. I’m not sure why he was suddenly in such a hurry, but I’ll take "do whatever you want" as a yes.
"Good grief, Master Lloyd. You actually made a friend out of a Demon King."
"To retreat so suddenly was quite rude, though. What could he be thinking?"
"I’m calling him, but he won't come out. Fufu, I think he’s just embarrassed," Connie giggled.
A black mark, shaped like a small crest, had appeared on her chest. It looked like he had attached himself to her body—sort of like the deal I have with Grimo and Jiriel.
"Thank you, Lloyd-kun. For not letting Beal disappear."
"Don't worry about it, Connie. It's a win for me too."
Just as she said, Beal’s knowledge is incredibly valuable. Moreover, Beal is strong enough to survive even my most experimental magic. As a partner for magic research and testing, I couldn't ask for someone better. I wasn't about to let a resource like that vanish just because he was a little bit dangerous.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to us getting along from now on. Yes, definitely.