Down in the desert below, John and Barulk had already resurrected.
They were scrambling to board the nearest tank.
Meanwhile, the other unmanned weapons activated and unleashed a simultaneous bombardment against me.
(I’ve grown tired of this method.)
I offered a cold assessment.
I drew the rain of incoming shells into a Space Magic Hole.
The exit appeared directly above John and Barulk’s heads.
The overwhelming firepower cascaded down upon them.
A series of shells leaped through space, triggering a massive explosion in the desert.
A giant crater gaped at the point of impact. John, Barulk, and the tank at the center had vanished without a trace.
That technique just now belonged to the Demigod I fought once before.
I had imitated and refined it.
It allowed for simultaneous defense and counterattack without any delay, making it exceptionally versatile.
John and Barulk reappeared some distance away, boarded a small ship, and sped off.
They headed away from me.
They had apparently judged that staying within my line of sight was too dangerous.
The spatial magic I had just used must have driven that point home.
Until now, I had mostly dealt with them using Defense Magic or my Magic Sword, consciously avoiding any "cheat-like" spells.
Just as they were beginning to panic, I had unleashed an absolute counterattack with Space Magic.
The mental shock must have been significant.
It was effective enough to sap their fighting spirit and force them into a defensive, passive role.
It seemed my decision to hold back until now had paid off.
(An opportunity to press the advantage.)
Having made my decision, I prepared to pursue them.
However, the unmanned weapons blocked my path, swiveling their barrels to shower me with fire.
I gripped my Magic Sword and cut down every single shell using her swordplay.
These diverse weapons from another world all possessed enough power to kill me many times over.
By fighting them for so long, I had gained a vague understanding of their civilization.
That other world was likely far more advanced than this one.
No matter how weak a human might be, as long as they knew how to operate a weapon, they could wield immense power.
However, before an overwhelmingly powerful individual, that power was practically meaningless.
In the end, weapons are merely toys of steel.
They cannot exceed their design specifications; that is their limit.
There is no room left for growth.
While that might change if they were remodeled, that is a different concept from "growth."
In contrast, humans sometimes display unbelievable strength.
They treat even dire straits as fuel for growth, overturning common sense.
I had witnessed that latent potential many times.
Heroes were truly the embodiment of human possibility.
(They must be starting to feel their own limits as well.)
I teleported and appeared directly in front of John and Barulk.
They veered the ship, trying to avoid me.
As I expected, they were terrified of my magical interceptions.
It wasn't that they feared for their lives.
It was because they realized that a direct charge would be futile.
(But I won't let you escape.)
I released vines from the desert sand, tangling them around the ship to snag it.
The ship was dragged halfway into the sand.
It could no longer move.
Trapped and desperate, John screamed at me.
"Demon King! We’re gonna kill you and go to the real world! Then we’ll destroy everything! We don’t need a noble cause. This is just out of spite!"
I saw clear malice in John’s eyes.
It was no longer the gaze of a man fighting for a burden he carried.
Without a shred of pride, he was simply nursing a private grudge.
"This isn't just a provocation; I'm serious. Dwight, the world will be destroyed because of your softness...!"
Barulk followed up with his own taunt.
Having fallen into similar circumstances, the two seemed to have bonded.
By finding a common enemy in me, their hearts had apparently found a connection.
Ironically, this was the very state I wished for the world.
They were the ones embodying it.
Before long, the weapons fired toward us.
John and Barulk were in the line of fire as well.
It seemed they intended to blow me away along with themselves.
It was the same suicidal tactic as always.
Naturally, the incoming bombardment was laced with Curse Magic.
A direct hit would be disastrous.
I was certain my consciousness would never return to the real world if it landed.
Despite that certainty, I calmly cast my magic.
I scooped up the sand to create a mountain-sized Golem, using its body to intercept the fire.
Amidst a continuous chain of explosions, the Golem began to erode from the edges as the curses set in.
It eventually collapsed, but the bombardment never reached me. Only John and Barulk, caught in the crossfire, died.
"This is the perfect opportunity."
I activated a Forbidden Magic spell, reversing the gravity in the surrounding area.
The rows of weapons floated up along with the sand.
They began to swirl through the air in a massive vortex.
The weapons frantically opened fire.
However, the launched shells were caught by the intense gravity and halted in mid-air.
They advanced no further, floating there without exploding.
New weapons were spawned on the desert floor, only to be lifted into the air without resistance.
Even weapons from another world could not defy my Forbidden Magic.
They were simply sent into the sky, one and all.
Once the night sky was filled with weapons, I concentrated the gravity onto a single point.
It was a position that overlapped perfectly with the moon.
The weapons clustered together, colliding and groaning as they were compressed.
Their sturdy frames were crushed under the force of gravity.
They merged into one amidst a series of explosions, eventually forming a massive sphere composed of sand and iron.
(A magnificent sight. It turned out well.)
As I gazed at the sphere, I felt a flicker of magic power within it.
Immediately after, the sound of a gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew toward me, ignoring the gravity.
I swung my Magic Sword and sliced the bullet in two.
The severed halves pierced the sand at my feet.
John and Barulk were standing on the surface of the sphere.
They had apparently managed to endure the gravitational pull without being crushed.
I isolated only the two of them within a Barrier and teleported them to a zone where gravity did not reach.
That Barrier was designed for Spiritual Body Imprisonment.
Even if they committed suicide, they would not be able to escape.
I had devised this Barrier Art during the course of this battle.
Since I had calibrated it specifically to their spirits, it could never be broken from the inside.
Thinking while fighting was a difficult task, but I had managed to pull it off.
"And now for the finish."
I generated Wind Blades inside the Barrier, slicing John and Barulk until they were nothing more than mincemeat.
Then I followed up with intense heat, incinerating their bodies completely.
I shrank the Barrier further until it was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
With this, their resurrection was blocked.
The two were now trapped as mere spirits.
Since they could not revive, they could no longer harm me.
They had exhausted their hands in this series of battles.
I knew they had no more trump cards.
Neither weapons nor Curse Magic could break them out of this.
It took a fair amount of time and effort, but it was a success, so I was satisfied.
John and Barulk’s abilities were simple, yet extraordinarily powerful.
In the entire world, there were no armies that could have stood against them.
Even the soldiers of the Demon King’s Army would have struggled to find a path to victory.
However, that was all they were.
I simply had to crush them with a superior display of force.
The moment they failed to kill me even once during this long battle, the outcome had been decided.
I placed the Barrier on the desert sand and headed toward Gwen.