Chapter 110: The Angel Goes to Sea (9)

Episode 110: The Angel Goes to Sea (9)

On the white sand, illuminated by the morning sun, a boy with brilliant golden hair shouted.

“It’s all the demon king’s fault! All of this fighting!”

If anyone else had said this, they would have been ignored as just another crazy elf doomsayer.

“The fact that we hate each other so much, the fact that this world is so broken, and the fact that monsters keep attacking us… It’s all because of the demon king!”

But the boy’s voice was always holy, and bathed in sunlight that streamed through the clouds, he truly looked like a young savior.

“There’s no reason for us to fight!”

Even the Mariana soldiers who had been insulting the boy…

“This isn’t some movie… what’s with this dramatic performance…”

“Right. If he’s going to act like that, he should just become an actor.”

“…Wow, he’s so cool. No, wait, is it beautiful?”

…were staring at the boy, mesmerized by his speech.

But not everyone here was moved by the boy’s speech. Jeb Arcada, the captain of the Mariana Camp, looked at the boy with an amused expression.

He raised his hand.

The murmuring between the students and soldiers immediately ceased, and even the professors watched, waiting for him to speak.

“So, where is this avatar of the demon king?”

He was smiling. It wasn’t a look of anger at all. He was simply amused by how naive the boy still was.

“…”

“As expected, no actual proof.”

Jeb casually got up, showcasing his massive physique, and continued, looking at the students.

“There’s one thing our student here doesn’t seem to know. The Demon Castle Gate, located in the Mariana Trench, is being monitored with humanity’s full effort.”

Jeb pointed at the distant sea.

“A threat-level entity emerging from there? The moment that happens, the entire base would go on high alert, and the Fifth Platoon would immediately mobilize to identify the threat.”

Jeb, chuckling again as if it were absurd,

waved his hand dismissively.

“An avatar of the demon king? You’re saying that such a powerful being emerged and snuck into Mariana Camp, and we didn’t even notice? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s insulting the knowledge and technology humanity has accumulated.”

Jeb said coldly,

“Leffrey, was it? You probably fabricated this story because you hate seeing the Central Academy students and the Mariana troops fight. You absolute idiot.”

He continued,

“Just from looking at your face, you seem like the kind of kid who believes ‘fighting is wrong’ and ‘we should all be friends.’”

His muscles flexed for a moment.

Revealing his scars.

“Stop you’re bullshit. Spend a month in my hometown, the favelas, and you won’t even be able to say such things. If I get the chance, I’ll take you there. To the favelas, where I’ll personally show you the beast that lurks within the human heart.”

As Jeb threatened, radiating his killing intent, a few of the Central Academy students, their legs shaking, collapsed, as did some of the Mariana troops.

“So, that’s the goal of this Monster Festival. To awaken the beast within us through war.”

“Yes, a true sword is only completed after its first taste of blood. To think you don’t even know something so simple.”

Another wave of killing intent spread.

But Leffrey endured.

[Angels become stronger when they speak the truth!]

[Angels become stronger when they do the right thing!]

He endured once again, through the stats he had accumulated so far and through the angelic buffs that strengthened him when he did good deeds.

“Hmm, quite gutsy for someone who knows nothing of war.”

Jeb laughed. Seeing Jeb smiling like that, both Lusa and Hexi radiated killing intent.

“Jeb, you wanna die?”

“How dare you… try to teach our Leffrey… about anything?”

Jeb felt a stinging pain from their intent. To think he could feel pain from such a thing…

‘What’s wrong with these professors? He’s just a student! They’re treating him like their direct family… no, even more special than that.’

Do those heartless professors have such emotions left within them? Jeb, with an amused expression, looked at Leffrey.

‘Those professors are truly fond of that boy. I can exploit this.’

Jeb’s eyes gleamed with greed. Leffrey, seeing that look, didn’t back down.

“Captain Jeb.”

“What?”

“You’re right. I really hate seeing people fight. Even though I know that war is unavoidable… I can’t accept that.”

Leffrey looked up at Jeb.

“So I won’t accept it. The only reason why we’re fighting is because of the demon king.”

“What is this, a fairy tale, a JRPG? Saying everything is the demon king’s fault doesn’t solve anything. The reason why we’re fighting isn’t because of the demon king or the monsters. It’s because the beast in our hearts wants it. Like I said, stop spouting bullshit before I really punish you.”

But Leffrey wouldn’t yield.

“I won’t accept it. Not the idea that only a beast resides in a human heart, nor the belief that only by shedding each other’s blood can a warrior be forged. Nor the assumption that the demon king, the embodiment of evil, isn’t manipulating this camp.”

The boy’s eyes shone.

He then formed hand signs, activating his mana.

“I swear on my mana.”

A mana oath.

A technique where a mage of sufficient skill level engraves their oath onto their mana. It was known to be an absolute vow for superhumans who could wield mana.

“I, with everything I have, swear that a demon king’s avatar is hiding in this Mariana Camp.”

If what Leffrey said was false, then everything Leffrey had would belong to Jeb. Of course, this was something that would only apply if Jeb accepted the wager.

[To risk everything to stop a war is a truly angelic act!]

[You have gained a large amount of Angelic Power.]

Jeb, hearing that, couldn’t hide his smile.

“You said you’re risking everything?”

“Wait, Jeb. It’s just a mere cadet’s declaration.”

“Stop it.”

The professors’ urgent voices came. The moment Jeb heard those desperate voices, he had no choice but to make the same declaration.

‘If I have that boy… The professors would be free.’

No, there was something even more important.

‘To make that talented boy mine and engrave the truth of this world upon him…’

Jeb, forming the same hand seals as Leffrey, looked at him and said,

“Fine. I also wager everything I have that there’s no Demon King’s avatar in this base.”

The contract was made.

The students and soldiers, completely bewildered by the sudden contract, but the three girls standing beside Leffrey just smiled without a word.

“As expected of Leffrey. He’s so good at baiting people.”

“This worked out well. The ownership of Mariana Camp…”

“That’s really ‘sakura’”. (TL Note: Sakura in this case means “a setup” It’s from a Japanese slang which can be traced back to professional wrestling. Don’t know why there’s suddenly Japanese slang here but ok.)

As the three girls smiled, a loud explosion came from Mariana Camp.

“By the way, that thing is insanely strong.”

Hongwol muttered, licking the back of her hand. Soya said “Hmph,” hiding her trembling eyes, and Mari stretched, preparing for the upcoming battle.

“Still, he’s Leffrey’s enemy.”

The three girls raised their heads, hearing those words.

“That means… it’s up to us to defeat him.”

The three girls nodded together. They seemed to have already forgotten the fact that they had been fighting each other.

“For Leffrey…”

“Right. I really hate to form a party with you guys, but…”

The three girls said,

“It’s a temporary alliance.”

* * *

An unprecedented incident.

The night before the wager between Leffrey, a student from the Central Academy, and Jeb Arcada, the captain of Mariana Camp.

A beautiful girl with small horns and long black hair, Yumari. A slightly shorter girl with grey hair, wearing a massive witch’s hat, Soya. And Hongwol, the pink-haired girl, flexibly leaping across the ceiling using her long limbs.

And lastly…

“Guys! He’s not someone you can defeat!”

…Leffrey, clinging to Hongwol, shouting.

“Traces of a battle on the north shore. Judging from the remnants of Leffrey’s divine power that linger there… It must have been a huge battle.”

“Leffrey, you idiot! Why didn’t you call us?!”

“Right, boy. I’m really going to punish you next time. Call us immediately if something like this happens.”

Hongwol said in a cold voice.

Leffrey felt a chill.

‘Moments like these… It reminds me why the Mooncat Tribe is so scary.’

Hongwol’s face was still serious.

“Did you hear me?”

“…Yes.”

Hongwol, feeling relieved, sniffed the air.

“Witch, go to the edge of the sea and use your psychometry. I’ll search the surrounding area for any remaining traces.”

“Ugh, stop ordering me around.”

But despite saying that, Soya was already trying to extract the spatial memories left behind by the demon king and Leffrey.

Leffrey shook his head.

‘It’s pointless. The demon king used ‘Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night’. There’s no way his spatial memories would be left behind.’

But Leffrey was wrong. Soya had somehow managed to read the faint traces of the demon king, which had been erased by the Angelic Ability.

“I roughly know what he looks like. I don’t know what method he used, but most of the traces are gone… He looks like this.”

Soya shared the demon king’s appearance, which she had read through her illusion magic, with the two heroes. Mari, seeing that, immediately soared into the sky with a crackle of lightning, and Hongwol muttered “Okay”, her predatory eyes glowing in the darkness.

‘…She broke through the Steps of the Fallen Angel? And it was even the demon king’s?’

A hero is someone who can change the world. To change the world… also means that they can wield karma. A hero can contend with an angel’s power.

Or maybe even surpass it.

“Found him.”

“Found him.”

The three girls, without a word, expertly formed a perimeter and began to corner the demon king’s avatar in a remote section of Mariana Camp.

“This is… a little unexpected…”

The demon king’s avatar looked a little troubled. But the three girls showed no signs of mercy.

“Who are you? Just who are you… to fight with Leffrey, to make that boy so sad?”

Yumari asked.

The demon king’s avatar muttered,

“Me? I’m the one trying to save Leffrey.”

“Heh, those kidnappers from the Old Citadel always said the same thing when they kidnapped children. My mother literally tore them apart.”

As Hongwol took a step closer, the demon king’s avatar shook his head as if troubled.

“Seeing that you ignore my authority, you must be this generation’s heroes.”

“Heroes? I’m from a hero’s family, but…”

Yumari, with a smile, approached the demon king’s avatar. She was trying to lull him into a false sense of security with her usual kind smile, then instantly neutralize him in one go.

But Soya, seeing that, hurriedly shouted,

“Wait! Yumari, you magic ignoramus! Stop!”

Soya shouted nervously,

“That boy… possesses mana that’s far more powerful than you think! And it’s right in front…”

“…Is your name Han Soya? You’re quite adept at sensing mana.”

At that moment, the space before Yumari twisted and disappeared, as if it had been folded. One of the pseudo-ultimate techniques known as the magic of magics, the technique of techniques. It was called Complete Annihilation.

A pseudo-ultimate technique wasn’t something an individual could use, but rather a superweapon that can only be obtained when a powerful nation, as a collective, mobilizes all their efforts to possess ultimate techniques.

It was absolutely not a magic that a single individual could cast. It was a feat that even Klein, the Central Academy’s magical studies professor, couldn’t achieve.

The three girls, taking a step back, said,

“C-Complete Annihilation?”

“…A pseudo-ultimate technique.”

Yumari, seeing that, gulped and made her horns grow. Hongwol, tense, lowered her stance until her upper body was almost touching the ground, and her hips started to sway slightly.

The demon king said calmly,

“A dragon? Are you a descendant of the Sky Dragon?”

“H-How do you…”

“I’d love to eliminate you right now, but… I can’t use any more power. If this avatar is revealed, it’ll be troublesome, so… Let’s just say our goodbyes here.”

The demon king’s avatar waved his hand from the darkness.

As if bidding farewell to his friends.

And then he muttered,

“By the way, what a waste. If you had just taken one more step closer, I could have started by reducing the number of heroes by one…”

The demon king muttered. And he disappeared into the darkness, saying,

“Then I’ll see you next time, fake heroes.”

And the three girls, looking at Leffrey, who had been chasing them, demanded an answer.

“Leffrey, who is that? He used a pseudo-ultimate technique, no different from a strategic superweapon, and he even knows about my mother.”

“Th-That is…”

“Why is someone that strong chasing you?”

“That’s…”

Leffrey, who had been hiding so much…

The time had come for him to give his answers.