Having destroyed the Spirit, I soared towards the “Demon Lord” hovering in the sky.
I wouldn’t give him the time to activate his 〖Royal Authority Skill〗.
“Fuh, haha… to defeat a Spirit with physical attacks… After all this, I can only laugh.”
『Sorry for the instant kill!』
“No, there’s no need to apologize. I’ve gained ample time.”
『Tch!』
“Behold, 〖Salvo of the Order〗!”
But if it wasn’t a 〖Royal Authority Skill〗, it was different. The ultimate technique of magic, known as core magic, was activated.
What was focused was an enormous amount of 〖Mana〗, enough to obliterate the Imperial Capital ten times over.
Drawn up all at once from the 〖Political Territory〗 covering the continent, they were layered like cumulonimbus clouds.
『What the hell!? What are you doing, you idiot! Stop it!』
Seeing the trajectory predicted by 〖Ballistic Prediction〗, I questioned his sanity.
The “Demon Lord” was above me, and below me was the Imperial Capital where countless people lived.
The torrent being released was thicker than my diameter, and whether it defeated me or not, the Imperial Capital below would be destroyed.
That’s why I asked, but the “Demon Lord” seemed to have misinterpreted my intention.
“It’s useless to be afraid now! Not only the power, but the speed far surpasses anything before! Now, the moment of reckoning!”
He shouted that and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
『Damn it, Sun Laser! Lightning Strike!』
I tried to counter with an attack on the spur of the moment, but it was like trying to push back a waterfall with a water pistol.
It only slightly slowed the speed, and the waterfall of 〖Mana〗 came crashing down without stopping at all.
“(Make it in time… 〖WWW (Waning and Waxing Wisdom)〗!)”
While spreading my body flat, I desperately scattered all the gray Mana Crystals I had stored into the sky.
These were Mana Crystals that did not store 〖Mana〗. They rapidly absorbed the surrounding 〖Mana〗.
The waterfall of 〖Mana〗 was also absorbed to some extent, but it was immediately swept away by the 〖Mana〗 that came after.
The time I gained was less than a second.
“(–But thanks to that, I’m barely safe! 〖Replicant Form〗!)”
I mimicked a weapon to cover the upper part of my entire body, which was spread out in a disc shape.
It was a giant shield that was paired with the Ancient Spear. The name of the tower shield, which was made by folding and fusing thick scales in multiple layers, was,
“(Ancient Shield!)”
The waterfall of 〖Mana〗 arrived.
I, who had spread out horizontally, ended up receiving the full force of the attack.
But there was no damage.
It was the effect of the Ancient Shield’s ability, the Invariance of state, left behind by the “Ancient King”.
Defense performance beyond the pale, surpassing the defense penetration given to the waterfall of 〖Mana〗.
The only thing that was transmitted through the shield was the force pushing down from above, but I used 〖Last Stand〗 to stay in place as much as possible.
“(Gu, gu gu gu…!)”
But the truly terrifying thing about the “Demon Lord’s” attack was its persistence.
He was still simultaneously focusing and releasing 〖Mana〗.
The unrelenting pressure and my gradually decreasing altitude.
By mimicking a weapon, the number of flying Artifacts had decreased, and my buoyancy had decreased.
Also, the Ancient Shield was not able to completely reproduce the “Ancient King’s” ability, so it was starting to get slightly damaged.
“(Tch, enough already! Ancient Horn!)”
That’s why I made a move to turn the tables.
What I mimicked in front of the waterfall of 〖Mana〗 was not just the Ancient Shield.
The triceratops horn that grew on the “Ancient King” had the ability to cause lightning strikes.
The Ancient Horn was a weapon made from that horn. It could drop Thunder by consuming 〖Mana〗.
The difference from the 【Unique Skill】 Lightning Strike was that it was a (falling) Thunder.
The point of origin was far above the Ancient Horn. In this case, even further above the “Demon Lord”.
“Wha, wha, what!?”
“(! Here it is, 〖Super Leap〗!)”
After the sky flashed, the waterfall of 〖Mana〗 stopped. His concentration must have been disturbed by the damage.
Not missing that gap, I leaped with all my might and closed in on the “Demon Lord”. Then, I thrust the tip of my spear in front of his eyes and shouted.
『What the hell were you thinking! Do you have any idea how many people would have died if I hadn’t defended against that!?』
“…Why, did you protect them?”
What came back was such a question. There was no excitement like before, no fear of death, just a dazed tone of voice.
The emotions that had been boiling up cooled down a little.
『What… what do you mean by that?』
“You are a Demon Beast. You shouldn’t have any obligation to protect humans.”
『Ah… actually, I used to be human. You might not believe it, though.』
“…No, I’ll believe it. There’s no point in scheming now.”
The “Demon Lord,” whose clothes were charred black in places from being struck by lightning, but whose physical damage was surprisingly small, said that.
And immediately followed up with another question.
“However, I still don’t understand. Is it worth risking your own life to protect them? With our speed, the power of teleportation can be easily substituted. Those people are at most 〖Second Canon〗, a bunch of weaklings that can be blown away with a breath, are they not?”
『No, it’s not about being strong or weak. If a lot of people are going to die if I don’t do something, I can’t just abandon them that easily.』
“You, think that way, do you?”
『I mean, most people think that way, don’t they…?』
Without answering that, the “Demon Lord” opened his mouth with a distant look in his eyes.
“…When I was just the Fourth Prince, those with unique 〖Attributes〗 were persecuted. Due to the influence of a foolish religion, they were considered heretics. That was no exception even for royalty, and I was also treated like a tumor.”
『…………』
“I tried everything to change such a situation. Magic, academics, etiquette, I worked hard at everything required of royalty. However, such efforts were meaningless. The more power I gained, the more I was ostracized by those around me. Weaklings who were only at the 〖Second Canon〗 gathered like gnats and excluded the strong.”
He spoke of his past calmly.
There was no feeling of sorrow or humiliation, it felt like he was accepting the facts as facts.
“They prioritize customs over ability. Disappointed in such a country, I used my power to the fullest to carry out a revolution. So that everyone would be properly evaluated based on their ability. That is why I do not understand the meaning of the existence of the weak. Your will to protect the weak.”
『That’s a tough one… Values are different for everyone, so it’s not very persuasive, is it?』
But there’s nothing I can say, I don’t have any firm beliefs.
The reason I try to protect others is solely because of my experiences in my previous life.
If I had grown up in an environment where I was constantly persecuted, I might have ended up thinking the same way as the “Demon Lord”.
But, prefacing it by saying I’m going to say something irresponsible, I sent out my thoughts.
『If you’re a king, shouldn’t you be responsible for the lives of your people? If I hadn’t defended against that last attack, the Imperial Capital would have been wiped out.』
“No, that torrent of 〖Mana〗 was designed to narrow its range and increase its power. Either way, it would have dissipated before reaching the ground.”
『Huh?』
So it was all for nothing!?
While I was shocked, the conversation continued.
“That’s why it was incomprehensible, you who protected the Imperial Capital with your own body. That magic that transforms you into a Demon Beast, wasn’t that the reason you were sometimes stoned? Why do you need to care about the weaklings who have continued to oppress us?”
『Well, I was attacked by people, but…』
It seems they interpreted that I became a Slime because of magic.
Since it’s convenient, let’s go with that.
『But, there were also people who reached out to me. There were people who felt indebted to me for helping them, and there were also guys who remained my friends even after they found out I was a Demon Beast. You, who lived in a much harsher era than now, must have your own thoughts, but–』
I spun words while thinking about the people I had met so far.
『–Like I said before, values are different for everyone. At least the people of today aren’t all persecuting others just because they have a unique 〖Attribute〗 like in the old days. Isn’t it unreasonable to hold anger towards such people?』
“…………”
『Besides, even in the era when unique 〖Attributes〗 were persecuted, there must have been humans who tried to help you, right?』
“…Such people were only a small minority.”
So there were some.
If that’s the case, then I can confidently persuade him.
『Hey, you said you were aiming for meritocracy earlier. But the reason you reformed the country back then, wasn’t it actually because you wanted to save those with unique 〖Attributes〗 who were in the same situation as you… or other oppressed weaklings?』
“…………!”
The “Demon Lord” widened his eyes as if he had been struck by something.
“Paula, whom I met at the castle, was called a dud with no magic and was isolated. Even that female cult leader who attacked us, she originally resorted to such violence because she was oppressed by bad people. If you, the king, don’t try harder, these tragedies will surely only increase.”
The “Demon Lord,” after hearing such one-sided complaints, was initially dumbfounded, but eventually, he looked like he had come to an understanding.
“Try harder, you say? Indeed. Come to think of it, since I proclaimed myself emperor and became the absolute authority of military power and influence, no one has ever given me their opinion. Before I knew it, I lost sight of the direction I should be heading, completely lost my motivation, and felt like I had fulfilled my duty just by lending out my Political Territory, leaving the administration entirely to my vassals.”
He looked down, muttering in self-reflection while gazing at the Imperial Capital below.
“I don’t even remember what my true intentions were in the past. But, these are your words that have shattered my very being head-on, I cannot ignore them.”
“Then…!”
“Indeed. For a nation where neither the weak nor the strong are oppressed, I, as emperor, shall ‘try harder.’ And the first step for that is the subjugation of troublesome pests. For the sake of my empire’s future, would you please lend me your strength?”
“Of course!”
I stretched my body out and shook the right hand that was offered.
And thus, our alliance was formed.