◆ Avangarde Royal Capital ◆
[Lua unleashed Sonic Rain!
Dealt 4,099,367 damage to King of Six-Six × 83,294!
Defeated King of Six-Six × 83,294!]
“How many of these have I taken down now?”
I certainly couldn’t handle over 600,000 of them head-on. If I were to take them down one by one, my stamina and perseverance would run out first. So, I came up with Sonic Rain as a solution. By thrusting repeatedly like with Sonic Spear, I could disperse the attacks. The power diminishes significantly, but it expands over a wide area, making it a valuable skill against such foes.
Mixing in Sonic Ripper occasionally would further broaden the range, and with Kurinka’s Speed Force, I had nothing to fear. Of course, I was currently benefiting from her Speed Force, but this King of Six-Six was a nuisance, creating distractions with its fake copies.
[The King of Six-Six’s Terror Voice!]
It had been attacking with shockwaves of sound. It was a voice that didn’t quite sound like a voice, more like a low trumpet of an elephant. It was enough to unsettle any living creature, and the shockwaves were tearing the roofs off houses.
[No damage can be dealt to Lua!]
“Shut up!”
[Lua unleashed Sonic Rain!
Dealt 4,209,520 damage to King of Six-Six × 99,173!
Defeated King of Six-Six × 99,173!]
“Oooooo… Who are you… I hate you… I hate you… This is me!”
Finally, it spoke, which was a relief. This meant that, despite everything, it was a monster with a will of its own. I wasn’t entirely sure what the Demon Realm was, but it felt similar to the Abyss Cave. However, I wondered if anything in the Abyss Cave could be as troublesome as this.
“Is that you, Lua…?”
Looking down from the rooftop, I saw Gantetsu, who was sitting on the ground, nearly losing his sanity. Next to him, Greyman was rolling around, covering his ears. That man was indeed strong, but seeing him drooling and dazed made me think he might have lost his mind at least once.
Even a seasoned A-Rank Adventurer like him was in that state, so I couldn’t afford to take too long. The sky was already showing through more than half of the clouds, and I needed to push through just a little more.
“King of Six-Six, right? You won’t surrender, will you?”
“I hate you… I hate you…”
“Of course, you won’t! Then I won’t hold back!”
Instead of Sonic Rain, I needed something quicker, bolder, and more expansive. As I thought about it, I realized there was only one thing I could do now. Back then, it was the Bastard Sword, but now it was Disballade. I had no idea how the power and recoil would turn out, which was a bit frightening.
I could probably defeat it with just Sonic Rain, but this was also an experiment for me. Knowing how far I could push myself would surely be useful in the future.
“Of course, there’s no one up here in the sky. So, I don’t need to hold back.”
I wasn’t talking to a monster full of faces. It was speaking words, but it didn’t respond to my questions at all. It was just a beast growling in words. So, there was no way it would surrender.
I prepared to jump as high as I could, bracing for the recoil. I didn’t ride on Kurinka because I didn’t know how the recoil would turn out. As the Royal Capital shrank beneath me, I steeled my resolve.
“Falling from here would hurt a lot…”
Even I felt a chill for the first time in a while. But I wouldn’t die from something like this. I had to surpass who I was now; there was no way I could live in the Abyss Cave with a mindset that allowed me to stop getting stronger. There were hardly any opponents stronger than what I faced there, but that meant I could only train within my limits.
Once I overcame this, I would definitely become stronger than I was now. This power I had built up by pushing past my limits. What was the Demon Realm to me? I didn’t care.
“Take this!”
I shouted from the depths of my being, as if my insides might burst out. I thrust my sword into the sky in one swift motion.
[Lua unleashed Sonic Impact Rain!]
A sound like an explosion surged into my ears. It wasn’t for long, just a brief moment, but it was enough to drown out any sound after that, even more than that monster’s voice. The darkness filled with faces vanished completely.
Even I couldn’t recognize the speed of my own attack, it was invisible, like the slash of Sonic Ripper. The King of Six-Six suddenly disappeared. There was no other way to describe it; it was an undeniable phenomenon caused by my Sonic Impact Rain.
The Sonic Impact Rain, which had blown away even the massive form of the Dragon God, would naturally not just erase the King of Six-Six.
[Dealt 360,349,326 damage to King of Six-Six × 484,199!
The King of Six-Six has completely vanished! HP 0/666,666]
I realized the clouds around the Royal Capital had completely disappeared as I was falling, exhausted.
◆ Avangarde Royal Capital, Central Street, In Front of the Castle Gate ◆
“…Lua-chan! Lua-chan!”
When I came to, I felt Kurinka gently slapping my cheeks. Seeing her tear-streaked face, I realized I had fainted after that battle. With my awakening, Kurinka looked as if she had been rescued from the depths of a dark pit, her face shining with relief before she burst into tears again.
“Kurinka… Did I faint?”
“I couldn’t catch you when you fell from the sky… It was a disaster…”
“In front of everyone, I fought a dragon…?”
“Of course!”
“…I’m sorry.”
I understood that Kurinka wasn’t angry for me asking the obvious. Glancing around, I noticed several familiar faces. The Five Elites, Kirkton, Ritta, and not just the soldiers and Gantetsu, but also the townsfolk were looking down at me.
“Lua-chan… You used that skill again, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, well…”
“Was it an opponent you couldn’t defeat otherwise?”
“No… But I wanted to prevent any further damage… And I wanted to test my own limits.”
“What if you had died?! I know you want to get stronger, Lua-chan… But if you die, that’s the end, you know? You won’t be able to… adventure again… Wah…”
Watching Kurinka sob made my heart ache. It wasn’t just me who would suffer from reckless actions; it would also sadden those who cared for me. I was the one who made Kurinka cry like this. What should I do in times like this?
“I’m sorry…”
A second apology. Right now, it was all I could say. If it would make Kurinka stop crying, I would apologize as many times as it took.
“I understand your desire to help everyone… I think it would have been much worse if the damage had spread… But if you disappeared, it’s selfish of me to say this, but… Even so…”
Kurinka, who had climbed over me, cried with all her might on my chest. Feeling her tremors made me sad too. I was finally beginning to understand just how dangerous my actions had been.
In the Abyss Cave, I had been alone, and I had to grow stronger to survive. But now it was different; here, it wasn’t everything. Now, there were people who cried for me like this. I wasn’t alone. My reckless actions could make someone, Kurinka, sad. Doing dangerous things just because I wanted to get stronger was nothing more than my own self-satisfaction.
I gently stroked the back of Kurinka’s head. I ran my fingers through her silky blonde hair slowly, as if it were an apology. I couldn’t put it into words, but I wanted to convey that I would never make Kurinka cry like this again.
“Please, don’t ever put your life in danger again…”
“Yeah… I promise.”
It wasn’t just a light promise. I truly had no intention of doing something like that again. Because I realized just how painful Kurinka’s crying face was.
“Ahem, is it alright to interrupt?”
I had completely forgotten that there were so many people around. Kurinka seemed to come back to her senses and hurriedly distanced herself from me, fidgeting with the hem of her robe. Seeing Kirkton’s awkward demeanor, it was clear he had found it difficult to approach us.
“I owe you again. Thanks to you, that bizarre monster has vanished without a trace. I don’t know if this is appropriate, but on behalf of everyone here, I thank you.”
“Look! Thanks to you, we have this beautiful blue sky! Not a single cloud in sight! Gah hah hah!”
While Gantetsu laughed heartily, Kirkton bowed politely. But I couldn’t just lie there. As I tried to get up, pain shot through my body, causing me to stagger.
“Ah, be careful! Don’t push yourself…”
Some people were looking at me with suspicion, supported by Kurinka. They were from the Five Elites, and I could tell they held different feelings than Kirkton. Even that detestable Shinbu wasn’t making any snide remarks, which only added to the unease.
“A girl descends from the heavens to banish evil, saved by a dragon…”
That was the old man who had struck me with his staff. He stood there, trembling and wearing a look of shock. A sense of foreboding washed over me. I recalled the many adventurers who had quit because of the Garden of Beasts incident, and suddenly, the behavior of the Five Elites made sense. I could only imagine the looks they were giving me. Plus, Kurinka had transformed into a dragon in front of everyone. I fervently hoped that the memories of that terrifying moment had faded from their minds. I was filled with anxiety, fearing I might be chased away again. I didn’t want that; I didn’t want to be driven away for something like this.
“The true Hero… to banish evil, that power is… Hero!”
“Uh, um! I’m sorry for trying to chase you away!”
Suddenly, the old man became ecstatic, and the three adventurers who had tried to expel me bowed deeply. As if caught up in the moment, the sound of applause grew louder.
“I don’t really understand, but you’ve been saved!”
“Thank you! Thank you! Long live Lua-chan!”
“Long live! Long live!”
“This is the Flash Strike Girl! Listen up! You all better pay your respects! She’s a hero far beyond a petty adventurer like me!”
The applause was deafening, and amidst it all, Ord raised his spear to the sky, proclaiming something unbelievable. It was a surprising contrast to the overly confident Ord I had seen earlier.
“What’s your Level?! Where did you train?”
“What kind of skills do you have?! What are those skills?”
“Tell us! Please!”
The adventurers were showing me unexpected popularity, and judging by their reactions, they might have forgotten about Kurinka transforming into a dragon. I felt overwhelmed, nearly crushed by the crowd pressing in on me. Shin had somehow slipped into Kurinka’s robe amidst the chaos, and that was definitely not okay. I would have to scold him later.
“W-What do you mean… I just pose like this and go BANG!”
“So what does that mean?!”
“I think I kinda get it!”
“Really?!”
It seemed the adventurers didn’t actually harbor ill feelings toward me. Just look at this situation.
“Tch, you’re getting too full of yourself.”
Well, not everyone felt that way. Mugen was crossing his arms and watching, while Shinbu was openly sneering, and Laurel and Yuyu wore serious expressions.
“You probably just bought some expensive gear with your money. Battles are decided by the difference in equipment, after all.”
“Ha ha! Then you should be able to do the same thing! Why don’t you lend me your weapon next time and let’s see?”
It seemed that the higher-ranked adventurers, like Greyman, didn’t think too highly of me. Gantetsu’s retort felt like a genuine relief. Sure, equipment had a significant impact, but I was seriously considering lending him my weapon just to annoy him. What do you call this feeling? It wasn’t exactly hatred, but it was a strange emotion. I felt that way too, so it made sense. If there were someone far stronger than me, I might end up feeling the same way as those adventurers.
“Lua-san! You saved us! On behalf of Squad 24, I thank you!”
“Captain Kirkton already represented everyone here earlier…”
“It’s fine! Let me say something fitting for a captain!”
Watching Ritta and her friends, or rather, her subordinates playfully banter made me feel more at home. The lively atmosphere was a stark contrast to the fear that had enveloped the town just moments ago.
“Lua-san, thank you for everything. Hehe… I think I’d like to learn that skill from you next time.”
“Tiferia-san, you already have so many skills; it’s a bit late for that…”
“I have plenty of long-range skills, but erasing clouds in the sky is a bit much…”
It seemed Tiferia could mimic just about any skill she saw. She had a reputation for quickly mastering even the skills of legendary figures like the Sword Saint. I was rather bad at that sort of thing, which only made me admire it more.
“I may not be offering much in return, but both of you, please rest at the castle today. We’ll provide your meals here.”
“Uh, um, but…”
“Is it really okay? I’ll gladly take you up on that offer!”
“Kurinka…!”
“I understand, but I think there are aspects of that situation we won’t grasp unless we approach it ourselves.”
Her whisper reassured me. Normally, I’d want to refuse an offer from someone radiating hostility, but here, I decided to take the plunge. I thought Kurinka was wise, but somehow, it felt like there was more to it than that. What could it be?
“By the way, what kind of food will it be?”
“Hm? After all, you’re the hero who saved the country again. I can’t serve you anything shabby.”
“Wow! I’m looking forward to it!”
So that was it. Well, it’s Kurinka, after all. I certainly wouldn’t have the chance to eat castle food otherwise, so I figured it was fine. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I had slept plenty already, but I still wanted more.
“What’s all this commotion? Yawn…”
“Come on, you’ve slept enough already! Hero!”
“Seriously, think about how we feel having to deal with you!”
Alaid walked over, scratching his head and yawning widely. Despite the arrival of a Hero, no one seemed to pay him any mind. Maybe I was the only one who noticed.
“Ugh, it’s a damn storm outside; why would I want to go out? I always spend days like that in bed.”
“Even so, you don’t have to do it that many times…”
“Want me to do it again?”
“Idiot!”
“…Not bad.”
Even as the two girls engaged in this nonsensical exchange, no one noticed the Heroes. The Heroes themselves seemed uninterested, and we didn’t want to get involved, so we decided to head to the castle right away.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Shin had a bad feeling.
If I stuck to her back like this, I’d be erased.
And then, just as I thought, BOOM! The sky vanished!
Still, could Lua really faint?
I wasn’t scared of that King of Six-Six at all, you know?
Not scared at all!
It’s only natural for me to be exceptional.
But then, Lua fainted.
So that means I’m overwhelmingly superior!
No, wait, this report isn’t coming together.
Could it be that the King of Six-Six affected me too?
No, no, that can’t be right.
After all, I’m Lua-sama’s exceptional—
No, the Demon Lord’s.
I’m Shin, I’m Shin! Haha!
Demon Realm War Chronicles, Encyclopedia
【King of Six-Six HP: ????????】
A grotesque king appearing in the Demon Realm War Chronicles.
A man who defied the Divine Being was cast down from the heavens into the Demon Realm, where he fell into a box that collects humanity’s negative emotions. The man, burdened with the filth discarded by humans, became the embodiment of hatred.
He devoured countless souls, gaining life after life, but in doing so, he lost his own emotions.
Hundreds of years later, he appeared in the human realm, only to be obliterated by a single Hero.
The endings and contents differ depending on the authors’ tales, with some stories depicting the man purified of his tainted soul, returning to his original human form.