Ch.64Discarded NPCs Who Cannot Escape. (4)

[Demon of Wrath (Ira): Level 430]

[HP: 169,120]

I nod slightly as I look at the status window that appears beside me.

It seems the additional stats attached to me are far higher than level 430. Somehow, I feel like I’ve become a munchkin?

And then.

[HP: 305,355+???]

My HP remains unchanged today. Should I really try stabbing myself in the stomach with a knife sometime?

“You crazy bastard!! It’s not that he’s weak, but that he’s weakened in my domain!! Take him down quickly!! Once he gets outside, he won’t be like this!!”

“Ah! Stop squawking. Didn’t we agree to hide that you’re a demon? Are you just going to reveal everything?”

“Urgh!!!”

After silencing the Demon of Greed, who’s currently self-harming by forcibly suppressing the power of his own domain, I pull up the corner of my mouth as I look at the surprised guy whose flying kick had no effect on me.

He’s originally a story raid boss requiring 4 players. You need an 8-person party including NPCs to take him down, but here I can use Deus Ex Machina as a tool. Setting-wise, a solo raid should be perfectly possible.

In the first place, if I don’t kill this bastard, neither the monster parade nor the lower and middle-rank demons will disappear. I absolutely have to kill him first.

“Idiot. You were acting tough just because of your size, but now you’re starting to get scared after meeting someone truly strong?”

[Greeeeeed!!!]

“Ah!! Stop!!!”

The guy immediately realizes he’s struggling against me because he’s weakened, and he tries to charge at the market manager who’s groaning while suppressing his own power.

But why would I just stand and watch?

“Wasabari!!!”

[Gaaah?!!]

-Thud!!!

As the idiot comes charging with heavy footsteps, I kick him straight in the shin, and he faceplants into the ground.

As expected. Even in the game, he was famous for having one extremely powerful attack but otherwise unremarkable patterns.

Since his body appears to be a burning form, I briefly wondered if close-combat characters would take DoT damage when approaching him.

But that’s just his wrath visualized as magical energy. In other words, it’s not actually that hot.

[Humaaaan!!!]

“Youuuu!! Don’t you know how to fight with your mouth shut?!”

-Smack!!!

[Gaaah?!!]

When the fallen guy tries to get up while shouting, I immediately punch him down and mount his back of his head.

“This might not even take an hour?”

[Arghh!! A mere human!!!]

“Arghhhh!! Humans always fight dirty!!!”

[?!!!]

As I start mimicking his speech pattern while pounding down from the mount position, he begins to scream violently.

But in his position facing down, his arms can’t reach me, and I happily swing my fists to relieve stress.

-Thud thud thud thud thud!!!

[⎯!@#!$!%!@⎯]

Does he really not know how to fight with his mouth shut? Why does he keep trying to open his mouth while getting beaten?

If he had used that energy to get up, he probably would have risen already. While thinking this and swinging my fists, he finally twists his body with all his might.

I guess his size does make it hard to keep him pinned down. Well.

[HP: 101,760]

His HP seems to be dropping well.

[Arghhhh!!! I won’t kill you!! I’ll make you regret being alive forever!!!]

“Arghhhh!! Stop talking nonsense!! I’m going to kill you quickly and go home to punish that stupid girl!!!”

-Thud thud thud thud!!!!

Enraged at being mocked, he charges like an excited bull and starts throwing punches.

But his speed is only slightly faster than Imperial Dungeon monsters. His attack area is certainly wide, but the gap between us has already grown too large compared to back then.

“Too slow!!!”

-Smack!!

[Gaaaah?!!]

Right after he throws his punch, I strike his wrist with my fist, and he expresses pain more than I expected.

Of course, there’s no time to feel sympathy for him, and I immediately rush forward and kick his shin again, knocking him down.

“Now!! Mount round 2!!!”

[S-stop!!!]

“No!!!”

This time from the front, the scene of assault begins to replay.

*

“This is for Ira!!!”

[#$^#^!!]

“This too is for Ira!!”

[#$^#^#&!!!]

“And this is also for Ira!!!”

[@!#!%!%!!]

Watching the Demon of Wrath being beaten like a child, the Demon of Greed, Avaritia, thinks.

‘…But he’s also Ira?’

Who exactly is this Ira, and how can he chatter away so easily while telling the other to shut his mouth?

He said to endure for an hour, but at this rate, it won’t even take 30 minutes. And no matter how you look at it, the Demon of Wrath is going to die here today. That man is unnaturally strong.

‘Even if he’s weakened in my domain, should there be this much difference?’

While none of Wrath’s attacks even graze him, each of his punches draws screams from Wrath.

And then.

[S-stop!! I give up!! I surrender!!]

“Yes!! You surrender!!”

[Gaaah!!! A-Avaritia!!! Save me!! I’m going to die!!]

“That’s the point, you know?”

[You bitch!!! *cough* W-we’re both of the Seven Deadly Sins…!@!#$]

What nonsense about being fellow Seven Deadly Sins.

I was living my own life when they all came to torment me, and now what kind of dog shit is he talking?

As I watch him begging for his life while spewing nonsense, his body finally begins to shrink.

Knowing why the Demon of Wrath maintains his burning form, Avaritia was certain the fight was coming to an end.

“Whew!! Even punching gets tiring. 170,000 HP is still pretty tough?”

“P-please… spare me… please stop…”

“Hahaha! What a joke! When I think about how our blonde suffered because of you, I’ve actually been quite restrained.”

“A-Avaritia… I-I’m sorry. Please… please spare…”

“Hey!! Finish it quickly!! I’m really struggling here!!”

“The dramatic market manager over there says to end it. Well then.”

Now Wrath’s shrunken body, unable to even produce a booming voice, is his original size.

The reason he was dumped by Lust, as I mentioned earlier.

He can’t grow in size unless he’s constantly angry. Moreover, it’s not his actual body that grows but a physical form made of magical energy, so his true body doesn’t even grow, the bastard.

Now reduced to half the size of the man facing him, Wrath is about the size of a human child.

“The last one is for our blonde rabbit, you know? I’m going to put my full-power punch, which I’ve been saving all this time, right in your face. Look straight ahead and die, Hassan.”

“P-please… and, I am Ira (Wrath)…”

“Shut your mouth!! What Ira, you dick!!!”

-Whoooosh!!!!

Finally, the Demon of Wrath, having revealed his name, succeeded in drawing out the mountain keeper’s sincere anger.

*

“Urgh!! Haaah!!!”

-Splash!!

“Cough…!!!”

“What? Why are you dying? It didn’t even take an hour?”

“Damn it… I was twisting my own magical energy, you think that doesn’t hurt?”

I just shrug at his explanation about the pain of twisting his internal organs.

“I wouldn’t know, I don’t have magical power.”

“…Kuk.”

When I respond indifferently even as the market manager coughs up blood and crawls on all fours after releasing the space, he glares at me angrily.

But what am I supposed to do? Why? Want to fight me?

“Damn it. Keep your promise.”

“Don’t worry. And you do your part too. Don’t let anyone find out you’re a demon, and don’t betray people by revealing that I know.”

When I told this woman that I knew she was a demon, and in exchange for keeping it secret, she should go along with my plan, she hated it enough to die at first, but after I punched through her room wall, she immediately became cooperative.

Well, this was originally the method this woman used to kill the Demon of Envy in the story.

When Envy, cornered by the protagonist and playable characters, goes berserk at the end and puts them in danger, this demon, fearing Aigram would get involved, twists her power to trap Envy in her space and kills him while he’s berserk.

And because of that, she temporarily lost the use of her powers and strength. Since she’s been here much longer than in the game, the damage must be much greater. There’s nothing to worry about now.

“By the way, are you planning to take that?”

“Of course. I killed it, so why would I give this to you?”

The demon heart stone that emerged after killing the demon.

Originally, this woman absorbs the heart after killing Envy and becomes stronger. However, I have no intention of giving this to her.

“…That’s unfair.”

“Unfair? UNFAIR?! Hey, demon. You couldn’t even protect your own city properly so I had to step in, and now you’re saying it’s unfair?!! Huh?!!”

“……”

Is she just saying whatever she wants because she has a mouth? Is she really crazy? When I raise my fist threateningly, she flinches and turns her head away.

Sigh, this is just…

“Eek?! D-don’t hit me!! I-I’ll just die like Wrath if you hit me now!!”

“If you don’t want to get hit, behave better from now on. Okay? Oh, and I heard about last time. You tried to use your power on us?”

“Huh?! H-how did you…”

“Hey. We even signed a covenant, but I thought your behavior was really not to my liking? And seeing how you’re acting now, I like it even less. What should we do about this?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“No, you know better than anyone that your apology has no value, that’s why you’re saying it, right?”

“……”

The Demon of Greed wrinkles her face at the continued scolding. Hmm, good. I can use this.

“Hey. I have business in Neity later, you know?”

“…So?”

“Your answers are getting shorter?”

“…So what?”

“I want to enroll my sister. Her name is Ira. She’s 10 now and I’ll enroll her when she’s 11. You understand this much, right?”

“I can only write one recommendation letter…”

“We. Agreed. To. Behave. Right?”

“…Yes.”

Perhaps moved that I only asked for this small reward in exchange for saving her city and keeping her demon identity secret, the mayor’s eyes became slightly moist.

Come on. If you get this emotional, it makes me embarrassed.

I’m sure there was mention in the Neity story that this woman makes money with those recommendation letters, but well. She wouldn’t hesitate to give one to me, the city’s savior.

Mm-hmm. Indeed.

I pick up Wrath’s heart and start walking away.

I left Ray with Green Stone, so she should be safe, and I left the city entrance to Gore, so it shouldn’t have been breached by the mid-level demons of ep.2.

As I start to walk away.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah, what now?!”

“I, I can’t walk.”

“So what? Figure it out yourself.”

“……”

I’m busy because there are faces I want to see right now.

And so, having overcome yet another unfair situation, I returned to my already-missed companions with somewhat insufficient spoils.