Ch.163Demon Lord Belphegor (2)

# Demon Lord Belphegor (2)

Baruna’s decisive strike caused the most damage to none other than the hero party wandering through the spider web maze.

“Aaaaargh!”

Esmeralda could only flail about while letting out a strange scream as the sudden wave crashed in. Being from the countryside, she had never seen waves before. Fortunately, she had swum in streams before, so she didn’t drown.

“Damn it!”

However, that only applied to Esmeralda.

Eirene Saintess, who had seen the sea but never entered it due to her dignity, sank immediately. There was no way she could swim. Following her, Millia, who was full of knowledge but physically inept, also sank. She did try to swim based on her knowledge. Unfortunately, her large chest—one of her greatest assets—hindered her efforts, which became another issue.

‘Did the Demon Lord’s army notice us? But there shouldn’t be anyone who can use such large-scale water magic?’

Even while struggling in the raging current, Esmeralda began rescuing her party members one by one. The situation had been so sudden that the two women hadn’t even managed to cast defensive magic or barriers, and they were already dizzy with their eyes spinning.

“Cough…”

After the wave had passed, Esmeralda leaned against Eight’s spider web—which could hardly be called a maze anymore—and coughed up water. She didn’t think about being detected by him. With a wave this big, carrying so many things, there was no way they could be discovered.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yes… Hero.”

“I feel sick…”

“The prisoner… is still alive.”

Eirene expressing gratitude while lying face down, Millia who had started vomiting, and Twelve whose existence they had forgotten until the water receded—everyone was at least alive. Though the prisoner seemed to have lost his value, there was no reason to keep holding onto him now that they’d come this far.

“But…”

Esmeralda had a habit.

She always checked on her companions. While this might seem natural, doing so in a chaotic situation is harder than one might think. Usually, when things are difficult and confusing, people only think about themselves. But having experienced Lug’s repeated escapes, Esmeralda could quickly identify who was missing.

“…Lacrima is gone.”

***

The land transformed into a sea. The demons fighting on the ground far from Second were all swallowed by the wave and disappeared.

“Haa… Haa…”

Baruna, who had unleashed that incredible attack, was gasping for breath. The price of an all-out attack. She repeatedly staggered in mid-air, constantly coughing up blood. Even with treatment, she probably wouldn’t be able to use her divine power for a while. It was that powerful of an attack and it came with an equivalent cost. Yet despite her labored breathing, Baruna couldn’t feel a sense of accomplishment. The attack had enough power to grind down Second even before he was injured. Despite receiving such an attack when he was already badly wounded…

“Water…”

Second was still maintaining his form. In the middle of the vast ocean, standing on small ripples, Second muttered those words. She hadn’t killed Second. But Second was just staring at the temporary sea Baruna had created with unfocused eyes. He showed no sign of counterattacking. And seeing Second like this, the Twelve Heavenly Beings felt fear instead.

‘Could it be…’

Like one who has realized the truth of all things and gained enlightenment. That serene figure clearly indicated divine status.

“I see. It seems I was genuinely loyal to His Majesty after all.”

In the middle of the sea, Second finally gained enlightenment. His life as the presumed next ruler of the werewolves was certainly the most brilliant period of his life. Being admired by others, being envied, and having the powerful strength to overcome all of that—that was Second’s pride and what he considered the main elements that made him who he was. His prickly personality, his seemingly contemptuous gaze—all of it. He thought all of it stemmed from that, literally traces of his life. But that wasn’t it.

“I…”

The vast ocean. Water droplets flowing down his body. Second looked at the droplets running down his hand and remembered.

“You don’t belong in a place like this.”

The core of his life wasn’t the plains or power, but the time when he wiped away a girl’s tears. He lived for her. He joined the Demon Lord’s army to save her and opposed First to eliminate threats to her early on. And he dropped her from the army while he walked into danger. Yes, the man finally understood.

“I want you to live in a brighter world.”

He wished for a world where she would no longer shed tears. In the human realm, not the harsh demon world. That’s why he could be loyal to the Demon Lord. Lacrima was his life. His entire life.

Drip. A water droplet falls. Ripples spread from the man standing in the middle of the vast ocean. The ripples spreading across the utterly calm sea are as sorrowful as a girl shedding tears. Yes, those tears were…

CRASH!

The man’s motivation for everything. At that moment, the blue stream of water shook.

***

Baruna sensed it. They had lost this fight. The Twelve Heavenly Beings had failed to kill Second, the army commander. The result was quite simple.

“The water…”

The massive amount of water Baruna had summoned with her divine power—she lost control of it all. Or more precisely, the opponent had taken away its source. What she hadn’t expected, what she couldn’t even imagine, was that Commander Second’s mental image originated not from plains or vast lands, but from a girl’s tears. Baruna’s goal had been to kill Second or at least leave him at death’s door with this strike. She thought she was the right person for the job. Since Second was a man who was fiery and sharp as a storm, she thought that as someone who controlled water, she could attack him relatively safely. But the result was the opposite. Baruna’s attack lost its control before it even reached Second.

“No…”

This effectively meant that the damage Baruna’s attack inflicted on Second was close to zero. But she couldn’t continue speaking as she kept coughing up blood. She couldn’t stop the Twelve Heavenly Beings who had rushed in all at once to finish off Second. And at that moment, the calm vast ocean suddenly rose up. What unfolded was the figure of a large woman shedding tears. The moment her hand wrapped around Second, the movement of the Twelve Heavenly Beings rushing toward him stopped.

“…”

Only Baruna, who was at a distance, could understand what had happened. As soon as the water touched Second’s body, the woman’s figure transformed into sharp blades and instantly rained down. That was it. By the time Baruna understood this, all the Twelve Heavenly Beings who had rushed toward Second were cut into pieces and fell to the ground. Shortly after, a shower poured from the sky, and the sea summoned by Baruna’s power also disappeared. The only survivor was Baruna. But Second also seemed to have reached his limit as he stopped moving.

‘Is this… a golden opportunity?’

She couldn’t prevent him from becoming a transcendent being. But killing Second after he had become one wasn’t impossible. Right now, she could deal with the motionless Second. But because of Second’s resilience she had witnessed earlier, she couldn’t move rashly. That moment of hesitation brought about…

“Stop, halt. Otherwise, you’ll have to face me too.”

A clown with a tearful expression. Lacrima blocked the space between Second and Baruna.

“…”

“Are you confident?”

For Baruna, this was the being better known as the Third Commander. Turning such a being into an enemy wasn’t a good choice. Even now, Baruna was coughing up blood, and all she could do was strike the dying Second. Winning against a perfectly fine commander was impossible.

“No, I’ll withdraw.”

Baruna had no choice but to narrow her eyes and leave. As she departed, Baruna concluded in her heart:

‘We have lost this war.’

The dragon race couldn’t defeat the Demon Lord’s army. And it was because they couldn’t overcome Second, not even the First. Just one step difference. The result of failing to close the gap between transcendent beings and those who are not. Baruna left the battlefield, ruminating on the defeat.

“Robeno!”

As silence descended on the battlefield, Lacrima relaxed. Then she supported Second, who looked like he might die at any moment.

“Lac… rima…”

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t ask why I came back. No matter how much you try to push me away, I have no intention of letting go of you, the only audience for my circus.”

Lacrima glared at Second with narrowed eyes. It’s too late to try to drive her away now. She absolutely won’t back down. Her gaze conveyed that meaning.

“Even if Robeno abandons me, I’ll cling to you. I don’t care if you kick me away. I’ll stick to your foot persistently and stay with you.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t say it’s not—huh?”

Lacrima tried to push her stubbornness, cutting off Second’s words, but she noticed belatedly.

“Don’t go anywhere.”

Second was smiling. Having resolved the most dangerous moment, he was relieved. He had gone to the battlefield alone to protect Lacrima and had finally managed to eliminate all the dangers. That was enough. That was all that mattered. He had been able to remove all threats to Lacrima.

“Just stay by my side from now on.”

“…”

Second’s—no, Robeno’s—true feelings. Lacrima’s heart swelled with tears at hearing in words what she had known all along. The Crying Clown, Lacrima. Robeno thought he didn’t want to see her tears, but even he knew that the tears she was shedding now were tears of joy. Because they knew each other well. Because they truly loved each other. But…

“Desertion is a serious crime and must be dealt with by military law as soon as it’s discovered.”

Thud!

At that moment, a hand made of blood pierced through Lacrima’s heart as she was supporting Robeno.

“According to military law, the former commander, Third, should be executed.”

The noble vampire who seemed to live a more restrained life than anyone else. The true source of anxiety Second had felt…

“Are you alright? Commander Second.”

It was the return of Commander First.