Chapter 247
Seere, having dealt with the golem in one swift strike, raised her head. She could sense something approaching. It was a magical power far stronger than that of the general she had just defeated.
“Finally making an appearance, huh?”
Unknowingly, Seere wore a sly smile. The owner of the brilliant silver hair visible from afar was none other than Astharoth von Hoda.
Seeing Astharoth mount Bicon, ready for battle just like herself, Seere looked pleased, even though it would have been advantageous for her strategy if Astharoth had remained behind.
Celestia, witnessing this from the side, couldn’t help but smile. Her combative demeanor reminded her of old memories.
“Your Majesty.”
“Hmm?”
“Enjoy yourself. We will clear the way. After all… the only one who can stop that individual is you, Your Majesty.”
While Lin or Baruna would be decent opponents, Celestia still felt somewhat lacking compared to them. As she spoke humbly, Seere let out a small laugh and replied.
“You could hold your own, you know.”
“Surely not.”
“Well, I had no intention of holding back regardless.”
Seere spoke.
“After all, if the Teacher was here, they would have told me to fight.”
“…Indeed, Nahun would have likely done so.”
Celestia tightened her grip on the reins as she spoke.
“Then I entrust this to you.”
“Okay.”
Celestia and Erina led the 7th Legion to the side and gently maneuvered around. Meanwhile, Seere, mounted on Bicon alone with only a few soldiers, called out to the approaching Astharoth.
“Unexpected. You come out even when your army is intact… I wouldn’t usually do that.”
“Are you not doing the same?”
Astharoth narrowed her eyes. Observing the legion that had moved beside Seere, she spoke to the Masutas following her.
“Masutas, go and intercept the moving legion.”
“…Yes.”
After recalling his weapon, he and the soldiers headed toward the route Celestia had just taken, leaving no one behind except for a few soldiers on Seere’s side.
Seere von Debata and Astharoth von Hoda.
Public opinion had it that both demon kings possessed strength inappropriate for their ranks.
One was the main figure of this Demon War, while Belzebut deemed them strong enough to elevate them to 15th place without issue. The other had long been recognized for skills that exceeded their rank.
Thus, they knew each other well. When fighting the enemy before them, there was no doubt that one of them would not return unscathed.
“If I stop you here, it’s my victory.”
“If I break through here, it’s my victory.”
The similarly colored blue eyes narrowed. Though calm, they simmered with undeniable fighting spirit.
“……”
“……”
Words were no longer necessary. Without further ado, the two demon kings charged ahead on Bicon, channeling their magical powers into their weapons.
Boom!!!
The strength of the demon kings collided. Astharoth took the initiative, utilizing the advantage of her weapon’s length for a first strike, but Seere gracefully deflected the thrust with her sword and retaliated by lifting the spear upward. In the clash of sword and spear, neither side easily gave ground.
The two demon kings withdrew for a brief moment at what could be considered a simultaneous disengagement. Then, once again, they threw themselves into a life-or-death assault.
“Shatter.”
‘dīrúptĭo’
Boom!!!
Yet a distinct difference lay in the efficiency of their magic. Seere, knowing ancient magic that exhibited greater power with a remarkably short incantation, differed vastly in her approach from Astharoth, who was unaware of it.
“It seems you haven’t altered your incantation; could it be ancient magic?”
Astharoth had descended from Bicon. She had to leave to evade the recent strike. As a result, a gap in height and mobility had emerged between her and Seere.
As Seere did not outright deny Astharoth’s words, she internally confirmed them. Somehow, she was using ancient magic.
“Then…”
It was reckless and foolish to wager on a magical incantation. Ancient magic could only be countered with ancient magic. Not only was its power a factor but there was an enormous discrepancy in the speed of activation.
Astharoth opted for a fallback. She scattered her magic instantaneously. Seere felt the shift and raised her eyes slightly.
“…Impressive magical power.”
As Seere had assessed, vast magical energy began to dominate the area. Much like when Nahun trained Citri, a powerful magical force began pressuring the surroundings, engulfing all external magic energy.
Both Seere’s well-trained soldiers and Astharoth’s elite forces started to feel overwhelming pressure, and their expressions soured. They could hardly hold their weapons properly.
This was the strength of a demon king who had ascended to the current 23rd rank solely by their efforts. Seere felt goosebumps rising over her body and smiled.
“……This is entertaining.”
And at that moment, some of Seere’s red hair lost its color, returning to a pure white. Astharoth, feeling the sudden surge of power, widened her eyes.
“That is….”
As the external magical energy was seized by Astharoth’s might, normally, Seere would have been limited to using only her available magic for her spells. The hallmark of ancient magic was its short incantations and high power, but it consumed far more magic than modern spells.
So using only her available magic would quickly drain her reserves. That’s why Astharoth cleverly chose to block all external magic to ensure Seere could not freely unleash spells.
However, Astharoth had overlooked one vital fact.
The Debata clan could store magic in their hair. The external magic conservation in her hair could be utilized just like Seere’s available magic. Therefore…
“Ice Shard.”
‘Glácĭes Fragméntum’
Even if Astharoth seized the external magic, at least until the stored magical energy was expended, it meant Seere could use her magic without any problems.
Massive and sharp ice chunks began raining down from the sky, forcing Astharoth to retreat hastily. She needed to gather her magic as well. To fend off the terrifying ice shards falling above her, she had to use her own magic.
Crash!!!
“…You utilize an interesting method.”
Astharoth brushed off the shattered ice fragments falling around her and spoke.
“I understand why you are strong.”
Astharoth unleashed her magic like never before. Unlike before, she was no longer just trying to dominate her surroundings but was preparing to cast spells.
“You are strong. Thus, I must give it my all.”
Observing this, Seere immediately charged Bicon. She had no intention of allowing Astharoth to cast spells freely.
“Stop!”
“!”
However, some soldiers accompanying Astharoth blocked her path with their bodies. Seere swiftly beheaded the soldiers, yet more soldiers came forth to intercept her advance.
“We’ll take care of it!”
“…No, fall back.”
Seere’s soldiers also readied to charge forward, but she stood in their way. Her eyes narrowed.
“Something is coming.”
Astharoth’s magical energy began to surge. Her lips moved silently as she recited her incantation in a quiet voice.
“Answer the call.”
A massive magic circle unfolded beneath Astharoth.
“O dragon of disaster.”
【 Summon: Disaster Dragon, Azi Zairita 】
Then, a massive creature appeared behind Astharoth. With a single horn emerging from its forehead like a growth on Astharoth, it was a large dragon sporting deadly fangs.
The dragon’s neck and forelegs were bound with enormous shackles. Upon seeing this, Seere narrowed her eyes.
“…You’ve summoned a dragon?”
Dragons are solitary beings. Although classified as demons, they were distinctly different from other demons. Their hierarchy was quite different. Essentially, dragons were the only demon race that boasted power nearly equal to a demon king.
Since dragons live alone, a demon king cannot expect their allegiance, and to control them, one must resort to summoning. However, as dragons are comparable to masses in terms of summoning difficulty, it was more efficient to invest time and resources elsewhere rather than attempt to summon them.
Just as there are few demon kings who employ masses, very few demon kings summon dragons. This was Astharoth’s hidden trump card, but she deemed that the time had come to use it.
With her dragon, Azi Zairita, Astharoth declared her intent to fight to the fullest.
“I will face you with everything I have, Seere von Debata.”
Seere felt a mix of wonder at the sight, but it certainly placed a burden on her. Facing a dragon and a demon king simultaneously was quite a difficult and troublesome matter.
“…Still.”
Seere did not let go of her sword. Instead, she lightly cut her forearm, letting the blood drip onto her sword.
“This should be fun.”
As her words suggested, the fighting spirit in Seere’s blue eyes remained bright and unyielding.
Facing a dragon was a first for Seere. However, she had witnessed monstrosities even worse than this dragon.
“It certainly seems strong.”
Azi Zairita opened its massive jaws and released a cloud of black poison.
“Stand back! You can’t withstand this.”
“…Your Majesty!”
Seere instructed her soldiers to fall back, darting forward and swinging her sword with great force.
Boom!!!
The poison that scattered upon the clash with the Blood Moon Sword was potent enough to blacken the surrounding earth. However, Seere wore a spirited expression as she deflected the poison and stepped forward.
The poison she failed to deflect tainted her cloak, clothes, and hair, beginning to corrode what it touched, but she conjured a great surge of magic to cleanse it all away. Before long, she found herself standing directly before Astharoth and Azi Zairita.
“You endured that poison?”
“Compared to the Teacher’s masses…”
The red eyes embedded in the Blood Moon Sword shimmered. Vast magical energy enveloped her blade. Seere now unveiled her full strength as she recalled the power of the Teacher and the strength of the masses who followed them.
“This is nothing.”
She believed that one day she would surpass them.
The sword was swung down with great force. The released magical energy from the Blood Moon Sword engulfed the battlefield entirely.
“Twilight Blade.”
‘Sērus Manus’
Boom!!!
The place where Jeruiel had flown after shaking off Behemoth was the location that radiated the strongest energy on the 25th floor. As expected, it was the Demon King Castle on the 25th floor.
However, the problem was that Seere and most of the legions were absent. The strongest energy currently emanating from the 25th Demon King Castle did not belong to its owner.
Jeruiel, arriving at the 25th Demon King Castle, sensed something ominous. It wasn’t from the demon king but rather something deeper, stronger, and filled with a murderous vibe that even elicited fear.
“What the…?”
Jeruiel straightened his hunched back. Even he, who had remained unscathed before the Armageddon mass, felt a tension grip him. Someone was watching him from beyond the window as he approached the castle.
Golden eyes, reminiscent of a ruler, glimmered ominously at the sight of the angel appearing beyond the window.
“…A dove?”
