Ch.35One Step Ahead in Preparation – 2

“…What does that mean?”

My head became complicated. I couldn’t understand why the Demon Lord would give such an order. To make sure to relay what orders he had given if any human came here?

‘Does he really have the ability to predict the future… No, that can’t be.’

If he had prophetic abilities, he would have used them in the original novel, and Priscilla or Rosaria would certainly know about it. But both of them seemed very confused by the fact that the Demon Lord had said such things.

From the Demon Lord’s perspective, what benefit would there be in revealing his plans? I tried to retrace the situation, but nothing came to mind. If I just had a tiny bit more of a clue, I could figure it out—

“Mira! Watch out!”

—CRACK!

Hearing something cutting through the air, I reflexively raised Eternal. The sword blocked whatever was coming from my left side, and a tremendous impact traveled through it. My hand tingled with numbness, and both my legs lifted off the ground.

With a loud BOOM!, my body slammed into the wall opposite from where Eternal had blocked. My right shoulder pierced halfway through the cave wall. Intense pain shot through the half of my body embedded in the wall.

Stone fragments and dust tickled my nostrils. I coughed. My vision, which had momentarily gone dark, returned to normal. I pushed with my left arm to free myself. After several attempts, I managed to pull my embedded half out.

My feet touched the ground again. It had been quite a while since I’d felt real pain like this. If I had failed to react and hadn’t used body reinforcement, my body would have exploded instantly, killing me on the spot.

“Hahaha! I’m glad you’re not some nobody! This won’t end too easily!”

The creature laughed loudly enough to make the cave echo, apparently aware of this fact. He didn’t even glance at Priscilla and Rosaria, who had prepared themselves for battle nearby.

“Mira! Are you okay?!”

“Do you need healing?”

Priscilla and Rosaria, who had been watching for an opening, approached me. Rosaria was confused when she tried to use holy healing on me but found no wounds, while Priscilla prepared to cast a spell, pointing her staff.

The creature showed no sign of fear even though Priscilla was ready to cast her spell. Instead, he spread his arms wide and provocatively tilted his head as if daring her to try.

And that was the truth.

‘Spells that can be cast quickly won’t damage him, as I was told.’

The problem wasn’t with Priscilla’s magic, but that this creature was absurdly tough. I stepped forward alone, leaving the two behind. Priscilla gently stopped Rosaria when she tried to protest.

As I approached, the creature swung his axe with great momentum.

“You’re facing me alone! Hahahahaha! I like that spirit! I was annoyed that Astaroth took my soldier without permission, but now I can vent here!”

Of course, I’m not planning to fight alone. I’m not some battle-crazed berserker; I want to take the path of least resistance if possible.

This is groundwork for later.

Right after meeting the Maker, Priscilla and I had prepared action plans for encountering each corps commander. I hadn’t expected to use them so soon, but here we are.

Even if Priscilla can’t win one-on-one against this guy, she can still cause damage. So while he’s busy fighting me, she can land one solid hit.

‘Hitting first before getting hit from behind?’

That’s how Priscilla had described this tactic. She said he would initially act like an honorable, gallant warrior, but it’s all just an act.

He only behaves generously when he thinks he can win, and when he’s about to lose, he’ll call for reinforcements or set traps—using any means necessary to secure victory.

He doesn’t live up to his appearance at all.

“Well, losing to me will only add to your frustration. How about quietly backing down now before things get ugly? We’ll just destroy this place and leave. Promise.”

“Did you just say I would lose? ME? You don’t know your place!”

The weakness of this plan is that I need to hold out in front until Priscilla finds her opportunity to complete her incantation, but honestly, if my goal is just to endure rather than win, I could do this all day.

‘I already know what techniques he uses from what Priscilla told me.’

Of course, they won’t be exactly the same as in the original work, but having a rough outline of what techniques he uses is enough. At least I won’t die from not knowing what he’s capable of.

Thinking my words were mere bravado, he stood in place and tilted his axe, just as he had done with Priscilla. If he was allowing me to attack first, I had no reason to decline. I kicked off the ground and charged.

With body reinforcement at maximum intensity, which I hadn’t used in a long time, the distance closed rapidly. His face, showing surprise, came right in front of me.

But regardless of his surprise, his body was keeping up with my movements. The axe swung horizontally. It looked like it would split me in half.

I jumped up, kicking off the ground to avoid the attack. The axe blade that cut through empty air just missed me and stopped abruptly. It was truly tremendous power, but I was faster.

The blade of Eternal, glowing blue with mana, rushed toward his neck.

“Hnngh!”

He let out a battle cry and tensed his muscles. There was a metallic clang! The blade of Eternal failed to pierce his neck, leaving only a small cut.

‘What kind of ridiculous…’

Even if it was just an attack coated with mana, he blocked it by tensing his muscles?

I changed my strategy. Using the axe blade that had just started to change direction as a foothold, I pulled back my left hand and slammed my fist into his face.

—THWACK!

‘…Ugh!’

Despite using body reinforcement and coating my fist with mana, my fingers stung. This should have been enough power to shatter even a decent-sized boulder.

Whether I’d done damage or not, it was time to retreat. I kicked his face and backed away. His right hand flailed through the space I had just vacated. He seemed to have tried to grab me.

I shook my tingling left hand in the air a few times before gripping Eternal again. He burst into laughter with a face that showed no sign of damage.

“Your courage is admirable! I highly appreciate your ambition! Though you’re small, you seem worthy of a proper introduction!”

He snorted and tensed his body. His already large muscles bulged as if about to burst. He shouted in a booming voice:

“My name is Raptarukus! Chief of the Centaur tribe and the proud 6th Corps Commander of the Demon Lord’s army!”

Someone who didn’t know better might think he truly pursued honor and sought fair duels. I would have been fooled too if it weren’t for Priscilla.

Of course, the reality is completely different. What honor could there be in someone who challenged the Hero to a one-on-one duel but then called for his subordinates to gang up when he was about to lose?

‘Still, there’s no harm in playing along.’

The less attention he pays to Priscilla, the better.

“Mira Crate.”

“Mira Crate, you say?”

He laughed again, loud enough to shake the cave.

“Did the Demon Lord predict even this! He ordered me to report immediately if the one who came to block this place had the name Mira Crate! Truly a master worth following!”

“…”

By now, I was genuinely curious about the identity of this so-called Demon Lord. Even if he knew my name from the Maker, why would he specifically predict that I would come to block this place?

The more I pondered, the more questions arose. There were too few clues to reach a conclusion.

“But I, Raptarukus! As a warrior, I cannot turn my back on an opponent who has attacked me without fighting! I shall defeat you myself and present you at the Demon Lord’s throne!”

What warrior? He’d shut his mouth and change his stance the moment he started losing to me. I inwardly snickered.

‘Is he this way because he’s stupid?’

Considering he received orders to report immediately if someone named Mira Crate came here, yet didn’t even ask my name first, he might indeed be stupid.

A muscle-brain who relies solely on his strength without any thought—fortunate for me.

“…”

Priscilla and Rosaria were silently watching the battle unfolding before them. Despite having experienced many battles, they found it challenging to follow the movements.

Each time the axe flashed and Eternal swung, walls, floors, and ceilings were shredded. The surrounding space, which had been merely a passage wide enough for a few people to walk through, had transformed into something resembling a large cavern.

Fortunately, there were no signs of collapse yet. It seemed they had built this outpost quite sturdy.

“Hahahahaha!”

Raptarukus charged with his axe raised. Eternal met the charge and twisted its trajectory, but the power difference was significant, and it was violently deflected to the side, rolling across the floor.

Yet even then, he didn’t forget to land an additional strike. A small cut appeared on the back of the creature’s hand.

Priscilla could tell. Though it might appear even or that Raptarukus was overwhelming with his strength, in the end, the corps commander was the one taking damage.

Even when pushed back by the force, rolling on the ground several times, or being thrown high into the air, it was Eternal that clashed with the double-bladed axe, not Mira’s body.

But Eternal left a wound on the opponent’s body with every flash of its blade. The red line-like cuts had increased to the point where they were visible to the naked eye.

That abnormally tough skin was barely preventing effective hits.

“…”

Seemingly aware of this fact, the smile that had been pretending to be gallant disappeared from his face. He appeared to be starting to recognize the situation.

His movements noticeably slowed, as if trying not to show any more openings. It was time for her to step in.

‘Something moderately powerful.’

The most powerful spell would be too much. It would collapse the cave. Though this outpost was sturdy, it wasn’t enough to withstand a top-tier destructive spell used at full power by Priscilla.

Priscilla quietly raised her staff.

“Hide me. Move when I signal.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Okay.”

Rosaria quietly moved in front of Priscilla. Her outfit, woven from threads connecting starlight and so short it revealed the bottom of her buttocks, caught Priscilla’s eye.

Had Mira seen this too?

“…”

Thinking that next time she should wear her skirt a little higher, Priscilla quietly began her incantation. A small but intricate magic circle formed at the tip of her staff.

“What trickery is this!”

The booming voice shook the cave. With her concentration broken, the magic circle at the tip of her staff dispersed into mana. Startled, Priscilla looked up.

“To interfere with a sacred duel between warriors! I won’t let this stand!”

Yet the face of the one saying those words showed relief rather than anger.

Priscilla was newly astonished.

Despite appearances, as the 6th Corps Commander of the Demon Lord’s army, he was by no means weak. Once he appeared on the battlefield, it was common for not only ordinary soldiers but even elite knights to be cut down by the hundreds.

And even after cutting down hundreds, it wasn’t certain that he could be defeated. There were only about ten people on humanity’s side who were considered capable of definitely defeating a corps commander of the Demon Lord’s army.

That’s why the Hero’s first action in Part 2 was to hunt down these corps commanders.

‘But…’

Mira was pushing back against this corps commander single-handedly.

And this wasn’t even the first time. While Priscilla was amazed at his strength, she also wondered what the first world had been like—the one where he said he had barely survived after his initial possession.

From the occasional explanations he gave, it didn’t seem to have been an entirely pleasant world.

“Hey! He’s coming this way! What do we do? Should we run?”

Rosaria shouted urgently. The distance was getting closer. Priscilla changed the type of spell she was going to use. First, a defensive spell—

—CRACKLE!

But the defensive spell that Priscilla hastily cast shattered like it was melting as soon as it touched the creature’s body.

‘As expected.’

She bit her lip slightly. It wasn’t that the creature was weak; Mira was strong. She was still far from being able to stop this opponent.

Raptarukus raised his axe with a roar. Rosaria backed away in terror. Her head softly bumped against Priscilla’s chest. But Priscilla wasn’t surprised.

“Where are you looking while fighting me?”

Because she could see Mira beginning to plunge toward the ground behind him. At the clearly resounding voice, the creature turned his head to check behind him and began to panic.

Mira’s body slowly changed its trajectory.

—Libra Drop.

With someone’s quiet murmur, a star fell.

“What are you doing?”

“…!”

I thought I had executed it perfectly, but my Libra Drop failed to sever Raptarukus’s neck.

‘Did he catch it?’

It was because someone who suddenly appeared had caught Eternal’s blade with one hand.

Someone wearing a white coat covered in decorations that reached down to the ankles, with long purple hair also reaching the ankles, pink irises, and large black horns.

“D-Demon Lord!”

Raptarukus exclaimed in a panicked voice. Only then did I realize the identity of the woman who had suddenly appeared.

‘This woman is…’

I tried to pull Eternal free by applying force to my arm, but it wouldn’t budge. Even when I tried to infuse mana for Extreme Twisting, the mana couldn’t circulate beyond where her palm gripped it.

“I heard about your actions from Astaroth, 6th Corps Commander.”

“Y-You did!”

But the Demon Lord began speaking to Raptarukus as if she didn’t even see me trying desperately to free Eternal.

“So, what were you doing?”

“G-AAAHK!”

He screamed. I realized a moment later that his right arm, which had been holding the double-bladed axe, had been completely severed. Blood gushed like a fountain from the cut surface.

In the hand opposite the one gripping Eternal, I saw a strange-looking sword.

“Recite what orders I gave you. Now.”

“T-to guard this place… and if s-someone comes… tell them your orders… and if someone named M-Mira Crate comes… report immediately…”

“Yes. I clearly gave you such orders. So I ask again. What were you doing here?”

“W-well, that is…”

“I clearly told you to answer, do my words mean nothing to you?”

—CRUNCH!

“N-no! AAAAGH! D-Demon Lord! Please forgive me!”

—CRACK! CRACK!

A foot in high heels mercilessly stomped on Raptarukus. The body that had barely been scratched by Eternal’s blade was being pulverized like soft tofu. The sound of breaking bones came without pause.

At this scene of violence that was difficult to describe in words, the three of us could only watch silently. The Demon Lord’s violence toward her own subordinate continued until Raptarukus was reduced to a rag.

“Ugh, uuuugh…”

“One week. If I see you healing those wounds within one week, I will personally skin you and hang you from the highest tower in the Demon Lord’s castle.”

“Y-yes…”

“Get out. Before I change my mind.”

“Thank you… for your mercy…”

His body faded and disappeared. Only the bloodstains on the floor remained as echoes of the violence that had just taken place.

Then, those pink pupils turned toward me.