Ch.84The Demon King and Lilith (10)

# The Demon King and Lilith (10)

Extra watched with a cold gaze as the hero party began to find their positions.

Honestly, he had expected this.

He knew this would happen.

If there was any question, it was the sense of relief blooming in his heart.

Why did he find himself liking this hero party that had made such a choice?

Had he phrased his question that way because he wanted to hear this answer?

Yes, perhaps it was because he felt disillusioned with this world.

So maybe he secretly felt a kinship with the hero party as they strove to change the world.

“Well, if you insist on drinking the bitter cup, there’s nothing to be done.”

If that was the case, he needed to try harder. He had to show them a trial worthy of their resolve.

“Let’s begin, Indra.”

“Mm.”

Rumble!

Dark clouds obscured even the sun.

The world that had just seen dawn was once again plunged into darkness.

But rather than merely blocking the sun, it seemed to replace it as the world was suddenly engulfed in a blinding light.

CRASH!

The warning signs had been obvious.

The dark clouds covering the sky. The blue branches that spread out from those clouds like growing leaves.

Anyone could see that lightning was about to strike.

But knowing didn’t mean one could react in time.

Though she had prepared for an attack, Esmeralda only regained her senses after the lightning bolt had already coursed through her body.

“Kuk?!”

Esmeralda let out a belated groan. She bit her lip against the tingling sensation in her limbs.

Not yet. She wasn’t dead yet.

If Eirene hadn’t cast a holy barrier beforehand, she would have been reduced to charcoal by that strike, but she hadn’t lost consciousness yet.

‘It’s okay. I expected this.’

Esmeralda gripped the hilt of her holy sword more tightly.

There was a level difference between them and their opponent. She had known from the start that their chances of winning were slim.

Still, she had seen the attack once. She had tried to react after seeing its power and form, and that had gotten her into this state. Now she knew she needed to nullify the attack itself.

‘It might be troublesome, but this is the surest method.’

Esmeralda immediately sent her steel swords flying into the air. Twelve blades floating at regular intervals.

She had realized that the previous lightning bolt wasn’t precisely directed but rather guided.

If that was the case, she just needed to completely disrupt that guidance.

CRASH!

A second lightning bolt.

But this time, the lightning couldn’t target Esmeralda or any member of the hero party.

The bolt struck one of the swords floating in the air, then began to discharge through the other swords arranged at regular intervals.

Lightning that had lost its direction and dispersed. At that level, Eirene’s holy barrier alone could completely block it.

Thus, Esmeralda had managed to seal one of the enemy’s main attacks.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

With this method, there were drawbacks as well as benefits.

“Huff…”

First, Esmeralda could no longer utilize her flying sword technique. Now she had to rely solely on the holy sword in her hand to bring down the dragon and its rider.

Second, she had to constantly maintain the regular intervals between the swords floating in the air.

The swords shook with each lightning strike, requiring periodic adjustment.

Just that alone was enough to make Esmeralda feel a burden that threatened to split her head.

‘I need to aim for a quick battle.’

Esmeralda immediately prepared to rush at her opponent. Mages had something in common: they weren’t good at close combat. Some might call it a stereotype, but it was a generally accepted fact since many spells were wide-ranging.

‘I need to get close. At least if I’m close, they won’t be able to shoot lightning.’

Fortunately, Esmeralda had defeated dragons before.

Dragons had excellent physical abilities, but these were somewhat inferior compared to their magic.

Moreover, the opponent was an ancient dragon.

Its magical power would be that much stronger and wiser, but its body would be weaker, more decrepit than an ordinary adult dragon.

“Millia, open a path for me.”

“…Okay.”

Esmeralda began charging toward Indra, her eyes fixed on him.

She didn’t look back or to the side. The mage she trusted would surely clear a path for her to reach Indra.

“Not a chance!”

Lightning strikes.

Esmeralda’s floating swords disperse the lightning.

One might expect her to at least glance at them, but Esmeralda kept her eyes solely on Indra as she charged forward.

She truly believed.

In her own strength, in her companions’ strength.

Despite the huge gap in power, she was confident they could break through. That was Esmeralda’s strength.

“Then how about this!”

Crack!

Indra smiled with satisfaction at Esmeralda’s determination and, instead of dropping lightning, shot currents from both hands.

Rather than inducing a natural phenomenon through magic, he twisted the rules with mana to create electrical currents. Though weaker than lightning falling from the sky, this wouldn’t be scattered by lightning rods.

“Kuk?!”

CRASH!

A spear of lightning, crafted purely from magic in his hands, collided with Esmeralda’s holy sword with a tremendous roar.

Her headlong charge halted for the first time as she staggered in place.

The violent current that threatened to tear even the blood vessels in her palm, combined with the simple, brute weight of such concentrated electricity—Esmeralda forcibly pushed forward against her body’s attempt to fly backward, taking one step forward.

“Oh?”

Indra exclaimed in admiration, as if he hadn’t expected her to withstand even this.

“But your movement has stopped.”

CRASH!

Once more, a spear of lightning extended from Indra’s hand.

This time she couldn’t block it.

But there was someone to take Esmeralda’s place.

“You impatient old man!”

Tina, wearing dragon wings and scales, took the lightning bolt with her body in Esmeralda’s stead.

With that single defense, Tina too stopped moving like Esmeralda, but it bought them time.

Esmeralda didn’t miss the opening and rushed toward Indra even faster than before.

Unique Sword Technique

[Moment]

Slash!

Esmeralda’s carefully saved strike.

A fast and powerful finishing move capable of cutting off a dragon’s wing.

The sword energy flying toward Indra’s neck had enough power to cut through his old, diseased body, but…

“A fine weapon indeed. However…”

Indra blocked the slash with his outstretched hand.

The mental fortitude to fearlessly extend his hand toward such a deadly slash.

The slash that had embedded itself nearly to his elbow through his palm showed what would have happened had he not blocked it.

“You’re still too weak, I’m afraid.”

The wound on the palm that had blocked Esmeralda’s unique sword technique disappeared.

Surprisingly, Indra was a being capable of using not just ordinary magic, but holy magic as well.

“How can this be…”

It wasn’t Esmeralda who despaired at this shocking ability, but Eirene.

Holy power was a gift from the heavenly gods. Did this mean that the dragon blocking the hero party’s path had also been chosen by the heavenly gods?

Eirene’s heart ached as the current situation seemed to show that the heavenly gods still had not forgiven humans.

“Eirene!”

“…”

“Don’t tell me you can’t help because he’s a fellow believer? Shouldn’t we help even more if it’s a misguided believer?”

“…You’re right. Of course.”

Eirene, momentarily confused, came to her senses at Esmeralda’s words.

She didn’t know if the heavenly gods had forgiven humans. But that dragon couldn’t be representing the will of the heavenly gods.

After all, the god she believed in and loved was nearby.

Even now, wasn’t he throwing himself bodily to protect the weak?

Yes, even if such a heavenly god couldn’t forgive humans, he wouldn’t have sent an agent to punish them.

“I’ll support you!”

Having composed herself, Eirene even released the barrier around herself to support Esmeralda.

All manner of holy magic healed Esmeralda’s wounds and enhanced her overall physical abilities, including resistance.

“Good… Excellent. Millia, I’m going to break through again. Support me properly this time too.”

“Okay.”

Millia stepped forward to a position where she could better support Esmeralda. It was also a position that exposed her more to the enemy’s attacks.

Though they were usually willful, in battle they moved as one unit.

Because they knew well that otherwise, everyone would die.

“Indeed, very good. Then by all means, try to break through.”

Indra curled up the corners of his mouth as he watched the hero party’s resolve.

At the same time, numerous magic circles appeared and disappeared around him.

There was no point in dragging this out any longer since the hero party wasn’t despairing but rather burning with even greater determination.

Though he had come as a trial to strengthen the hero party, he couldn’t just let them win.

If it was to be a trial, it should be overwhelming and desperate.

Yes, Indra intended to teach the hero party about defeat.

After all, humans learn more from defeat than from victory.

‘I’ll end it with one blow.’

With that thought, Indra began preparing a powerful attack.

Even while conducting this ritual, Indra didn’t forget to check Esmeralda who was charging toward him.

“Uuugh!”

Residual currents that hadn’t fully dispersed swirled around Esmeralda through her sword.

Crackle!

Esmeralda felt as if something was pulling on her holy sword.

After using lightning magic, it seemed he could also manipulate magnetic forces.

But Esmeralda didn’t care about that and kept running.

She had asked Millia to open a path. So all she had to do was run down the path that would open.

Before that magic was completed.

If she could just cut his neck this time, it would be victory for the hero party.

Whoosh!

And Millia responded to that.

Her magic took control of the area, breaking through Indra’s magical power that had thickly settled and dominated the space.

The lightning lost its clear direction, and the magnetic force gripping Esmeralda’s sword noticeably weakened.

Whoosh!

Millia’s fire magic heated the ground and drove away moisture, reducing the medium through which electricity could flow.

It was the best Millia could do, knowing they couldn’t maintain an advantage against Indra for long.

Environmental reset. Buying time by temporarily removing the medium through which lightning could travel.

Tap!

Esmeralda jumped into the air in response to Millia’s efforts. As the ancient dragon Indra watched her with cold eyes.

“Well, now it’s my turn to step in.”

Extra, who had been observing the situation from above Indra, began to move.