Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

219 – The Theory of the Strong People (Part 2)

「Commander, you should release the magic any time now.」

One of my subordinates was concerned about my Magical Energy consumption and called out to me.

「Not yet. There are still some opponents that haven’t been crushed.」

In my field of view, I can perceive the ground rising along with its movement.

My subordinates most likely failed to detect it because the surrounding area is filled with my Magical Energy and it is also underground.

「I will attack it!」

「Avoid it.」

「…! Understood!」

I’ve included people skilled in Earth Magic in my party in anticipation of an approach from underground, but the enemy’s speed is faster than I expected.

As my subordinates and I jumped away, the location where we were standing until just a moment ago was broken through…by a gigantic mole.

Following that mole Demi-Beast, a single Majin crawled out of the hole.

Is he offsetting my Spirit Magic with the Magical Energy of his horns?

High-density and high-purity Magical Energy itself can affect the world.

It is also capable of resisting the pressure created by Spirit Magic.

「I have to prove here that the Demon King Castle is not “impregnable”!」

Just as there is not only one king or leader of Humans, the same goes for the king of Monsters.

Not as a Job, but in the other Dungeons.

There are a total of 5 Dungeons that have been crowned with the name of the Demon King Castle at this present time.

However, it seems that the only one that can be simply referred to as the “Demon King Castle” is the Impregnable Demon King Castle.

Since the Dungeons are scattered in all directions with the Impregnable Dungeon in the center, they are named after the north, south, east, and west.

The opponent right in front of me is one of the Big Four from the Western Demon King Castle, the Beast-Controlling Thief Barbatos.

Still, the Majins are really special.

The Demon Kings that are worthy of being at the top are even more exceptional.

The reason why a Demon King criminal is more terrifying than a Spirit Contractor criminal who can use the Four Major Attributes is mainly because they would not be weakened even when they commit wrongdoings.

In addition, if they have mastered Black Sorcery, then there is no way for an ordinary person to defend against it.

There are no Humans or Monsters in evil, but there is a difference in threat.

In that sense, it’s no wonder that the Jet-Black Hero Ex was once regarded with caution.

Shadow Spirits are Spirits that have nothing to do with the Four Major Attributes.

In other words, there is a possibility that the conditions that are usually incorporated in a Spirit contract do not exist in the contract between the Shadow Spirit and him.

Even if Ex killed a person, the contract may continue as long as the Spirit doesn’t mind it.

The same goes for the Holy Sword possessor, the Knight Lord Arthur, the Wizard of Foresight Merlin, and the Black Sorcerer Lem.

No matter what they do, the blessing will not disappear and they might be able to retain the power of the Spirits.

How fearsome.

Unfortunately, trusting that they will not do such a thing is not an adequate assurance for the world.

That said, it is not right to tie up the lives of people who have not committed a crime.

Then what is the best thing to do?

「If your goal is to make the name of the Western Demon King Castle known to the world, I believe that you should fight against the high-ranked Adventurers first before trying to defeat the Knights Order.」

「I was also planning to do that, but I have no other choice since my comrades had suffered damage because of your first attack! I can’t just ignore that and continue to aim for points!」

From the magical response, the members of the Barbatos Party haven’t been sent off the field.

He has a Beast Master Aptitude and uses mole Demi-Beasts and other beasts.

The Demi-Beasts that follow him are not included in the number of members. The power of the Job of a Beast Master is to train Demi-Beasts that are not normally friendly to people. It’s not fair to put a restriction on this.

To summarize the story, I guess my Spirit Magic has crushed one of the Demi-Beasts that follow him.

So he’s more interested in avenging it than fulfilling his original goal.

「You’re being very conscientious.」

「You’re very composed, aren’t you?!」

The mole Demi-Beasts disappeared into the ground again and Barbatos drew near me while offsetting my Spirit Magic.

「I did not intend to do that. It’s just that even if you are a god, I can’t allow myself to waver as long as you are an enemy.」

A knight cannot appear frightened in front of innocent people.

Vigilance and fear are important emotions.

And the Knights Order has an obligation to reassure the people.

We have an obligation to continue to show that everything is okay, to prove that this is a country where even people with no power can live with peace of mind.

No matter how hard we try to nip it in the bud, the seeds of evil will continue to sprout, and we are still far from establishing perfect peace.

Nevertheless, we must continue to fight without giving up.

It’s okay even if a strong person becomes an evil person.

Because there is always someone righteous and stronger than those people near you.

If we need to prove that we are the strongest in order to achieve that, then we’ll do it.

If there is a better way to reassure the innocent without tying up other innocent people, that would be it.

We just have to prove that the righteous are the strongest.

That fact would also be a deterrent for crimes.

I held my Holy Sword.

「Ha, that’s interesting. I hope you will be my opponent, Commander of the Knights Order.」

「Yes, I intend to do that.」

Dungeon Clears provide wonderful amusement.

In a world where war has ceased to exist, it provides a job opportunity for those who have a combat-type Job.

It entertains all the people in the world with safe battles where no one will die.

However, that is different from the battles of the Knights Order.

Being undefeated is a must for the Knights Order since we have to deal with battles while using our real bodies, which means that we can easily die.

We can’t afford to worry about giving a good show and we don’t need to, since our battles are not a show, to begin with.

What we need is not splendor, but simply victory.

Otherwise, innocent people won’t be able to live with peace of mind.

I gave out instructions to my subordinates and took over the situation.

「Oh Spirit.」

Barbatos stopped and put his hands on his knees.

It seemed that he could still withstand the increased pressure.

「If you thought that I’ll be defeated by something like this, you’re really looking down on me.」

「I have no intention to look down on you, but I admit my lack of understanding. I’ll increase the pressure.」

I narrowed the area of effect and increased the power.

Even the ground within the very small effect area around him had sunk.

Magic is only for the sake of victory.

And that victory is for the sake of the tranquility of the good people.

◇

From the moment I made a contract with the main body of the Fire Spirit, my title was decided.

The Flame Hero Fenix.

That Flame Hero pulled out his Holy Sword at the start of the qualifying round.

Flames erupted from the sword, dyeing the world red.

「It pains me to damage the beautiful scenery, but…」

As soon as I swung my sword, a huge wave of flames that far surpassed the height of the trees gushed out to scorch the grasslands.

「I’ve got someone I don’t want to lose against, so I can’t take it easy.」

The majority of the people standing in the grasslands left the field without getting a chance to play an active role.

「It would be easier if all of them were wiped out with this attack, but it won’t go that easy, huh?」

The Hunter Lily responded to what the Warrior Alba said.

「Yes. No matter how powerful the Spirit Magic is, not everyone will be helpless against it.」

Large-scale attacks occurred in four places at almost the same time and those places are probably experiencing the same situation.

Some escaped the flames by flying in the sky or going into the underground, while others were able to resist because of magic, weapon, armor, or racial characteristics.

Likewise, there are definitely people who have survived the explosion and those who were not crushed under the pressure in the forest.

They have to at least be that strong considering that they are people who have gathered with the aim of becoming the strongest.

Some might say it’s unfair, but I don’t think those who are unable to handle this attack are qualified to challenge the strongest Demon King.

I think that there are parties like this in every venue, parties that are participating just for the sake of making a memory, or parties that are participating to gain experience while being aware of their lack of ability. Unfortunately, those parties will probably leave the field without showing any results.

The Demon King, who is my friend’s master.

And the Hero that my friend admires.

As they are both legendary existences, they are waiting for strong people that will remain until the end of the Festival competition.

「…Somehow, I feel more motivated than ever. Is it because Lem is here?」

I smiled when I heard what the Paladin Lark said.

「As we discussed beforehand, we won’t challenge the Wraith Party in the beginning.」

A fight between us and the Wraith Party would be the most favorable situation for the other contestants.

They would earn points while we’re fighting and have the chance to defeat the exhausted winner no matter which one of us wins.

The subject of this round is not just about defeating the strong.

「Then, you’re completely confident about this right?」

The Frost Hero Bella said in a flat tone.

We were still fighting as we talked to each other.

Lark skillfully repelled the flying arrows and wind blades with his large shield.

On the other hand, Lily rapidly shot arrows at the enemy archers and wounded them.　

Alba successively slashed, pierced, and wrapped his extensible magic sword around the Birdmen and the opponents who were floating by using Wind Magic, injuring and grounding them.

Those who were targeting us from the flanks or behind either had their whole body or their foothold frozen by Bella.

I stabbed my Holy Sword into the ground and used my Spirit Magic.

「No, Bella, I’m not completely confident about it. However…」

This Spirit Magic is only possible to be cast because I have the blessing of the main body of the Fire Spirit and the Magical Energy output and control ability of a trained Hero.

The effect immediately appeared.

The ground was scorched and melted.

In a Dungeon Clear, Adventurers would get fined for unnecessary destruction, so I almost never had the opportunity to use this.

What had been a grassland with refreshing air before the qualifying round began now looked like the surroundings of an erupted volcano.

The contestants in the underground left the field before they could crawl up to the surface and those in the area of effect collapsed after being engulfed in the liquid state of the ground that glowed red.

The Fury of the Flame God.

「Right now, I’m a little…fired up.」