The lingering echoes of that far-too-magnificent performance left the surrounding area in a heavy silence. Not a single person spoke; the crowd remained frozen in place.
Every spectator within sight was shedding tears, trembling with what looked like overwhelming joy. The only sounds that reached my ears were the ragged, exhausted breaths of Isha and the others.
A single bolt of lightning flashed through that silence. With a thunderous roar, the strike hit near the tents behind the stage. A human shadow soared high into the sky, bursting through the wreckage of the destroyed tent.
"Fuhahahaha! I am resurrected!"
Beal crossed his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs. He seemed to have recovered completely, with a black magic body and a black mask now covering Cornelia’s entire form.
Oh, it looks like it was a success.
My calculations suggested that twenty percent recovery would be a fine result, but since we pushed the performance level so high, the effect surpassed my expectations. Beal’s mana was overflowing to the point of bursting; he felt even more powerful than before.
"Whoops, I'm in front of the humans. Heh heh, let’s do a proper introduction, then. Come, come! Those far away, listen to my voice; those nearby, behold me with your eyes! I am the Demon King Beal! The one who rules the Demon World! Prostrate yourselves! Fuhahahaha!"
Beal laughed loudly, but no one turned toward him besides me. Saria was sprawled on the ground, Isha was lying down—likely exhausted from singing—Albert and the others were so overcome with emotion they’d lost consciousness, and the audience remained in a daze.
"...H-Hey...? Hello, I am the Demon King... Lloyd, what on earth is going on!?"
"It looks like everyone lost consciousness because of our performance."
Halfway through the song, the crowd had started dropping like flies. The stimulation must have been too much for them. Even Saria and the others were so drained they passed out. We pushed past our limits a bit too far, it seems.
"I-I see... well, forget the humans! My target is the Holy King! You! Now is the time for my revenge—!"
Beal pointed sharply at the stage, but the Holy King was already gone.
"Whaaaat!? W-Where did he go!?"
"He slipped away before you even showed up."
As soon as the music stopped, the Holy King had vanished. He probably knew exactly what kind of effect the performance would have.
But if he helped knowing this would happen... what was he thinking? He originally came to seal the Demon King, yet he essentially aided his resurrection. Why? Did he go that far just to fulfill his debt to Saria? Or did he judge that Beal wasn't truly a threat? I couldn't read his intentions at all.
"Heeey, Lloyd? Are you going to ignore me too? Isn't this treatment a bit too cruel?"
While ignoring Beal's whining, I let my thoughts wander.
"What are you playing at? Why did you help the Demon King come back?"
"Hmm?"
In the dead of night, the Holy King answered Guisarm’s question with a vacant, airy tone.
"Your goal was to seal him. I’m asking why you did the exact opposite."
"...I wonder. I’m not really sure myself."
"Don't give me that..."
"If I had to give a reason, I suppose it’s because it seemed more interesting that way. This job builds up a surprising amount of stress, you see. Every now and then, I want to act on my own whims instead of just doing what I'm told."
"...Heh, a pathetic reason. You’re a failure as a Holy King, the Messenger of God."
"Look who’s talking. Weren't you the one giving advice to that Glasses Girl? Mr. Demon?"
Guisarm clicked his tongue, realizing he'd been watched. "...A mere whim."
"The same for me. But that’s what makes it enjoyable, right?"
Guisarm muttered his agreement, and the Holy King chuckled.
"I see. You usually look like an idiot who doesn’t think about anything, but you’re actually just making an effort not to think, aren't you? Heh. It seems you really don’t care for that God of yours. Given your title, I expected a stiff, boring man, but you’re surprisingly fun."
"I don’t dislike you either, Gizagiza-kun."
"Watch your tongue, human."
While trading quips, the Holy King looked up at the night sky.
"God, huh..."
The mutter escaped his lips and vanished into the cold wind.
While everyone was still unconscious, we made our exit. Back in Cornelia’s room, I filled Beal in on everything that happened while he was out.
"—And that’s the gist of it."
"Hmm... I see. Such things transpired while I was down... heh, how pathetic."
As the resurrected Beal mocked his own misfortune, Jiriel flew out as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
"That's right, Beal! You were completely thrashed by the Holy King, and then you were brought back by his music! You're nothing but a clown! Reflect on your failure!"
"...Shut it, insect. I'll erase you."
"Eek! M-Master Lloyd...!"
One glare from Beal sent the angel scurrying to hide in my palm. Weak. He shouldn't mouth off if he’s that easily scared.
"Well, that Shitty Angel actually has a point. The Holy King is the real deal. If you try for a half-baked revenge, you’ll just lose again."
"...Hmph. I wasn't serious last time. Next time, I will definitely crush him. Fuhaha!"
Beal laughed with a bravado that felt a bit like a low-tier thug’s. It was almost embarrassing. What happened to his dignity as a Demon King? I’d like to see a rematch, but at this rate, he’ll just get beaten again.
"L-Lloyd, what is with that look!? I’ll have you know my true power is nothing like that! If I use that power, the Holy King won't even be a match for me!"
"Oh, really..."
"Muu... you don't believe me? I'm talking about the ultimate Secret Art, the hidden heritage of demons: the power of Fusion!"
"Fusion?"
I bit at the interesting word, and Beal continued smugly.
"Indeed. By fusing together, we magic bodies can achieve a massive power-up!"
"Huh... sounds a bit standard."
Since they were magic bodies, attaching and detaching parts didn't seem hard, but that sounded like simple addition. I didn't think it would yield a massive boost.
"H-Hey! Why are you looking at me with those cold eyes again!? It really is incredible!"
"If you say so."
"...It seems you still don't get it. Fine! I shall show you! Come forth, my servants!"
At Beal’s command, masses of mana formed around him. They began to take human shapes... wait, I've seen these guys before.
"It was only about a month ago, Master Lloyd!"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten that fierce battle! You know, at the academy..."
"...Ah, right. There were guys like that."
It finally came back to me. The ones called the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army.
"Hmph. So you finally remember. Indeed, these are my direct subordinates, the Four Heavenly Kings—Vilfrey of the Scarlet, Ganjit of the Emerald, Sheraha of the Azure, and Zen of the Black. They gave their lives to break my seal, and their nuclei now sleep within me. When I fuse with them, my power swells severalfold! Now, let us begin! Fusion!"
Beal was enveloped in light as the magic bodies merged. Compared to him, these guys only had about ten percent of his mana. They were weaklings, frankly. I didn't see how merging with them would help much, but what emerged was Beal with a slightly different form.
"Oh... if you look closely, you can see traits of the Four Heavenly Kings here and there."
"Muu... I feel a tremendous torrent of mana. So this is Fusion."
Grimo and the others were impressed. It was indeed a lot of mana—maybe double or triple his previous amount. Simple addition wouldn't account for that. Still, I didn't think it was enough to overcome the Holy King’s Magical Song.
"Wait, aren't there only three?"
I asked because he was supposed to have merged with four, but I only saw three bodies.
"Whaaaat!? It’s true! There are only three! Vilfrey! Where did you go, Vilfrey!?"
It seemed he hadn't even noticed. The missing guy was just too pitiful. No matter how much he yelled, the fourth one didn't appear.
"Vilfrey was the first one you defeated, Master Lloyd," Grimo noted. "Since you shredded him and wiped him out entirely, he probably wasn't absorbed by Beal."
"That Grey Demon Divine Fang was insanely powerful, after all. And you used it without holding back, didn't you? No wonder."
Grimo and Jiriel nodded to each other. I was really motivated since it was my first custom spell. I guess I overdid it.
"Gmumu... destroying a demon’s nucleus, which usually just dissolves into mist, is no easy feat. Especially one belonging to a member of the Four Heavenly Kings. Even I would find it difficult... but I suppose that's just Lloyd for you."
Beal was muttering to himself; I wondered if he was blaming me. I didn't know the consequences, but I still felt a bit bad.
"Ah, sorry about that, Beal."
"It can’t be helped. You both had things you couldn't back down from. But this is a problem... I cannot reach my full strength without all the Four Heavenly Kings. There aren't many demons on Vilfrey's level, and even if there were, their mana wavelengths have to match for a Fusion. Adjusting them takes time... umumu."
"If that's the case, I'll help. I’m partly to blame, after all. You just need a substitute for Vilfrey, right? In that case—"
Grimo cut me off in a panic.
"Whoa, whoa, Master Lloyd! You aren't planning to offer me as a sacrifice, are you!? Lending a hand literally like that is way too much!"
"He's right! This Majin might work, but that’s just too cruel! And I’m definitely not volunteering!"
They both shouted, clearly terrified they were about to be served up.
"...What are you two talking about? I'd never do that."
"Well, you are Master Lloyd. We thought you might do it because it sounded interesting..."
"T-That's right... even for you, that would be... sorry."
What a terrible misunderstanding. That wasn't my intent at all.
"Beal, I’ll be the substitute."
"...Huh?"
Beal blinked in surprise. Grimo and Jiriel just looked stunned.