“──Demon Beasts! Demon Beasts have appeared in the Imperial Capital!”
“““Eh!?”””
Hearing the shouts, we frantically looked around.
But there was no one but us in the back alley, and there was no sign of any humans coming.
Just as we were tilting our heads in confusion, the ground shook, and the screams of people and the sounds of buildings being destroyed echoed.
『〖Super Leap〗! …No way, why are there Demon Beasts in the city!?』
I was shocked, putting aside my own situation.
What I saw after leaping high into the sky was a horde of Demon Beasts advancing towards the center of the city. Among them, there was even a 〖Feral Beast〗.
In the center of the Imperial Capital was the Imperial Castle where the “Demon Lord” resided, surrounded by the noble district, and further out was the commoner district.
Currently, the Demon Beasts were located at the border between the commoner and noble districts. They were attacking the wall separating the districts.
The shaking from earlier must have been caused by this.
“(I understand the situation, but why did they suddenly appear?)”
There were many unnatural points.
For example, the Demon Beasts that made up the horde. The 〖Feral Beast〗 was at the center of the horde, but there was no consistency in the species below the 〖Dire Beast〗.
Also, the extent of the damage to the city. If the Demon Beasts had invaded from the outside, there should have been traces of destruction along their path, but there were no signs of them having come this far.
It was as if someone had teleported the Demon Beasts.
But it was unlikely that anyone other than Paula could use such magic.
Moreover, it was strange that the Demon Beasts were united.
Demon Beasts rarely had a sense of solidarity, and if they met in the wild, they would either fight or run away.
“(…Huh? This situation feels familiar… but this isn’t the time for that.)”
Fortunately, the attacks were concentrated on the city walls, so there were no casualties, but that might not be the case in the future.
I could see soldiers gathering, and if I left it alone, one of them might become a sacrifice.
I quickly told the two in the back alley what I had seen, and then I ran towards the noble district.
I jumped from roof to roof, but in reality, I was flying using the power of an Artifact, and I quickly reached the plaza in front of the city walls.
The ground, which should have been paved, was in tatters from the aftermath of the attacks, but there were no people lying down. I should wipe them out while I can.
The Demon Beasts were clinging to the city walls, and with my attack power, I might accidentally create a hole… but I have a 〖Skill〗 that’s perfect for this kind of situation.
“(〖Challenge〗, and then 〖Scorching Supreme Treasure〗)”
~Skill Details~
Scorching Supreme Treasure: Targets creatures that are within the 〖Skill〗 holder’s sight, and can intensely draw out their intent to attack the 〖Skill〗 holder. When the 〖Skill〗 holder is killed, it dramatically increases the 〖Soul Shard (Experience)〗 that the killer can obtain. Targets creatures that are within the user’s sight, and can inflict heat damage based on distance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
〖Scorching Supreme Treasure〗 was a higher-level 〖Skill〗 than 〖Bewitching Glimmer〗, which I obtained when I became a 〖King Beast〗.
In addition to the conventional effect of attracting the target’s attention, it had a new power.
That was this,
“““Gishaaaaaaah!”””
“(Burn.)”
The power of combustion.
The Demon Beasts, provoked by their hostility and attacking me, burst into flames all at once.
This effect, where the firepower increased depending on the proximity, was most effective on the 〖Feral Beast〗, which had the highest 〖Speed〗 and was closest to me.
It inflicted so much damage that it rolled around on the spot in agony.
“(【Thunderous Cycle of Rise and Fall】)”
And then, I took the lives of the Demon Beasts that I had pulled away from the city walls and stopped.
The lightning with its winding trajectory pierced through all the Demon Beasts with a single strike, instantly killing them.
The Demon Beasts that had suddenly appeared in the city were all annihilated just like that.
“(Phew, I guess that’s that. But what were those guys…?)”
I stared at the corpses, but I couldn’t figure anything out.
Then, I was called out to.
“That was an incredible Lightning Strike magic, I was captivated by it. With that strange attire, you must be an adventurer. What is your name?”
The person was one of the soldiers.
He jumped down from the high city wall and approached me.
He had an honest look on his face, and I didn’t sense any hostility. I heard that there were many strangely dressed people among adventurers, and it seemed that I was being seen as one of them.
He probably just wanted to ask me if I knew anything about the sudden appearance of the Demon Beasts, but… that was a problem.
After all, 〖Mimicry〗 couldn’t reproduce vocal organs.
I could only say “Sla,” and I didn’t even know the language of this world.
At first, I was planning to have the Sages speak for me, but that plan had fallen through. I needed to think of a reason why I wouldn’t be suspected even if I used 〖Telepathy〗.
“…………Sla”
“Sla?”
“Eh!?”
Unable to bear the silence, I let out a voice, and at that moment, a bird 〖Feral Beast〗 flew over the city wall about a kilometer away from here.
Next, I heard a clear cracking sound. It must have been the sound of the barrier that had been stretched out in the air being broken.
I started running before the soldier could even turn around.
“Damn it, this was a diversion!”
The other soldiers were also heading in that direction, but there was a desperate lack of time.
The number of soldiers on guard on the city walls had decreased due to the response to the first attack, and they didn’t have enough forces to stop the bird Demon Beast.
But I could make it in time.
Even with my 〖Speed〗 saved, I was faster than anyone else in this place as I ran along the city walls.
I was about to jump at the flying bird when,
“(What!?)”
“…………”
I faltered when I saw a person on the bird’s back.
It was a haggard woman with dark circles under her eyes.
Her left eye was covered by an eyepatch, and she was staring at a certain point with only her right eye.
“(…………Eh!?)”
At the end of that gaze, there was a strange group.
Walking on the outer edge were people who looked like ceremonial guards, prioritizing formality over functionality.
At their center, people in costumes that were neither knights nor priests, with their faces hidden by masks, were carrying a glittering palanquin.
And on top of the palanquin was a pure white silver throne, and a man was sitting on it.
From his graying hair, I could guess that he was an old man.
While the people who seemed to have been watching them were fleeing towards the city, the group was not at all disturbed.
As if they were unaware of the Demon Beasts behind them, they were leisurely marching in step.
“──!”
The woman gritted her teeth, took out several bundles of paper from her chest, and tore them up in one breath.
And as many 〖Feral Beasts〗 as the number of papers torn appeared.
With a sense of unity that was unusual for Demon Beasts, they attacked the palanquin all at once.
Even seeing that, I didn’t try to move.
I didn’t even feel like it.
Because I understood that it was unnecessary.
“Go! Bring divine retribution upon that man──”
“Noisy.”
The man on the palanquin said in a low voice that resonated well, and used magic while keeping his back turned.
With just that, everything was over.
The 〖Feral Beasts〗 that had suddenly appeared, and the woman who was trying to cast some kind of magic behind them, all stopped moving.
It was an unnatural stop, as if a video had frozen.
Those who were in the air stopped in mid-air, and those who were clearly about to fall didn’t move an inch, as if they had been petrified.
At first, I thought it was an ability like the “Polar King’s” time ‘freeze’, but I could feel a sense of bewilderment from the Demon Beasts.
It seemed that they were stopped by some other effect.
“Your disrespect is beyond your station, you shall atone for it with your lives, 〖Order Execution〗.”
The voice of the man on the throne was strangely clear, even though it wasn’t raised. It was filled with something like dignity.
And as that voice echoed, the bodies of the Demon Beasts began to move.
No, it wasn’t accurate to say that they moved. They fell.
The man on the throne had just used a new magic. It must have been due to its effect.
Multiple 〖Feral Beasts〗 were instantly killed without being able to resist.
At that point, the palanquin stopped moving and turned towards the woman.
“Surely you didn’t think you could challenge me with such a small force? It’s too sloppy and immature. This attack is──”
“(Ah, I knew it.)”
Seeing that overwhelming magic, I was convinced.
I had known from the moment I saw him. This overwhelming presence was,
“──Is this an outrage knowing that I am the ‘Demon Lord’?”
Nova Esperas Order. So he’s the emperor himself, the one who rules this continent.