Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle - Chapter 185-2

185 – The Tenth Stratum – The Realm of Demons and The Awakened Interceptors 18 / To the Top (Part 2)

『…Lord Chief of Staff.』

「Yeah.」

Preparations are complete.

「Lemegeton! Even you cannot cast any Black Magic on m-」

After countless collisions, Aerial stopped in midair.

「…This is…What Black Magic is this?」

「Be honored, for you are the first to fall prey to it.」

You have to hit the target with your Magical Energy for the Black Magic to work. This isn’t limited to just Black Magic, this applies to all magic. Needless to say, it’s the most basic of basic rules.

As expected, I can’t hit a target, that not even something as fast as a Wind Blade can hit, with my Black Magic.　

Which is why…I deployed Black Magic throughout this entire space.

With this, he can’t avoid it. This space is filled with my Magical Energy. The Magical Energy used for Resist will be shaved off just by moving. No matter how fast he dashes around this space, nothing will change.

This is the Magical Energy taken from the Dungeon Core, refined and condensed with my master’s horn. Also, my horn is currently going at full power.

「Completely covering this entire area by emitting Black Magic in all directions. This isn’t something that can be done by just having enough Magical Energy. Just what kind of training did you…」

He has probably realized who I really am. He can also probably suspect who the original owner of my horn is. At any rate, he told me that he felt the same sensation when he confronted my master when he saw me for the first time. I think he told me that around the time he invited me to join the 1st ranked party?

He has held me in high regard since a while ago.

But there is no way he would know. The things that I have done, how far I went with my training.

It is because of my master’s horn, the Magical Energy from the Dungeon Core, and the hard work I have accumulated up till now that I am able to use this Technique for the first time.

Time is working against Aerial.

In addition to the Magical Energy leaking out of his abdomen, there is my Black Magic.

「I wish this could go on forever, but it appears that I can’t let that happen.」

I could hear the sound of a storm brewing. Nearby, the sound of a flame roaring.

Fists are clenched. Magical Energy is put in. Eyes wide open, for a moment, both parties disappeared.

Then at the same time, their fists were let loose with all of their body and soul.

Even with Bennu’s flames and my Magical Energy, we received a shock that could tear an arm off and send it flying.

The storm fanned the flames, and its shape kept changing.

The Magical Energy of the Storm Wrap that came our way increased further.

This is totally not an amount of Magical Energy that people can control, but Aerial managed to keep it in shape.

The fist we’re struggling against moves. Slowly but surely, one side is winning. And that side…is Aerial’s side.

「You two are strong…! But I…am the Storm Hero…!!」

Mankind’s strongest. The pinnacle of Adventurers. The world’s 1st ranked party. A Four Great Spirits Contractor.

「Who you are…has nothing to do with this…!」

If I lose here, then it would all be for naught.

As an Adventurer, I was shunned by society and I ended up leaving the party.

While I had no plans of giving up on becoming my desired hero, reality was as harsh as ever.

Meeting Milla, getting taken to the Demon King Castle and meeting her Highness felt like the path had opened up for me.

Thanks to Milla, my dream took on a new form.

My magic can be of use. She said I could give the Monsters victory. Doing that and repelling the Adventurers, I can give hope to the Monsters who were worried that their only role was to be beaten up, and I might be able to increase the number of Demi-Humans who want to become Monsters.

Dungeon Clearing is a form of entertainment created by Adventurers and Monsters alike.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Human or Demi-Human, both can get sucked in by the nail-biting, passionate struggle on the TV.

If you can’t raise the spirits of the viewer and make their chests burn with passion, then don’t be an Adventurer.

Even Monsters have great heroes…!

Storm Wrap digs into Immortal – Fire Wrap, extinguishing the flames to reach the body…The flame armor was blown away.

「…What…?」

Immortal – Flame Wrap has been broken.

However, I am no longer inside it.

Just before it was broken, the flames scattered to the surroundings, which blocked Aerial’s field of vision and I made my escape during that time.

Wearing only half of what made up the flame armor, I flew directly above him.

There is almost no Magical Energy left in me. The horn that covered my body returned back into my body, save for the one covering my right arm.

I ready my fist once again, all of Bennu’s remaining fire wrapped around my right arm, and accelerated at bursting speed.

「Splendid…!」

Even saying that, he meets our fist with Storm Wrap, but it didn’t have the same power as before.

I didn’t give him a chance to put his magic into it again.

「…!!」

Aerial’s body was pushed down. With our punch from above, he went lower and lower. Towards the floor. He was going down. Like he was gradually falling, which means…our plan succeeded.

「…Black Magic, huh?」

The space is still filled with my Black Magic. Aerial, who is continuing his descent toward the ground, is defending against our fist, but he himself is continuously exposed to Black Magic.

And finally, the Magical Energy used for Resist has been whittled down, and he was affected by Black Magic.

Blank. The spell that my allies, including Ellie’s Black Sorcerers, were trying to cast on him.

Black Magic that shoves a black space in between your thoughts.

This doesn’t simply force one to not be able to think of things. No, that isn’t its only effect but it is important in making things happen via Blank.

In order to maintain magic, you must always keep thinking about it.

Especially something like Storm Wrap. Continuing to put on an overwhelming Magical Energy in the shape of a powerful storm on one’s arm cannot be done with average Magical Energy manipulation. Relax for a moment and it will crumble in the blink of an eye.

And now…

Storm Wrap, which boasts the highest level of offensive ability, self-destructs and is about to rip its user to tiny bits.

「…!」

However, Aerial can deal with even this. He immediately cuts his right arm off with a Wind Blade and flies away as far as possible. Immediately after, the storm that he has lost control of spreads throughout the space. Finally…

With our fist, we…catch the Storm Hero. 

「I…」

「You lose.」

The other half of Bennu’s body that was pierced by Storm Wrap a while ago returned. We accelerate further…

…and slam Aerial into the floor.

A crater forms in the floor, shattered, as Aerial is sunk in its center.

My Magical Energy is all but spent, and Bennu returns to the form of man and falls to his knees.

He fought well using the Spirit Magic he had just acquired. He is both my friend and an amazing person.

If Aerial stood back up right now, we wouldn’t be able to resist and would just get taken out.

My body is shaking, having gone past its limits. It would be impossible to do anything more.

Aerial looked at us.

There was a hole in his chest.

「Ah…this is…」

He covered his eyes with his left hand and murmured in a hoarse voice.

「I’ll train myself again from scratch.」

Magical Energy particles scattered slowly.

The source was the Storm Hero’s broken body.

Aerial…is defeated.

For a while, we were stunned. It just didn’t feel real.

I mean…he…was beaten.

That Aerial…was beaten…by us…

I look at Bennu.

That’s right, right now, we’re Lemegeton and Bennu. Remembering that, I say this.

「Well done.」

Bennu gave a respectful「Yes.」. We both had a little smile beneath our masks.

Offering a hand to him, Bennu grabs hold of it and stands back up.

「It appears we’ve won.」

「Indeed, with the help of every Monster who took part in this battle, the invasion of Adventurers was prevented.」

How strange. I wouldn’t have believed it if it was just me.

But when I think about it all being possible because of everyone, I can accept it easily.

Even in this destroyed final area, I turn to look at a wall with an intact camera.

「No matter who may come, the Demon King Castle shall never fall.」

Well…it was extremely close to falling, but I have to say it this way.

This, too, is the job of the Demon King Army’s Chief of Staff.