I leaped towards the figure clad in a full-body suit riding the monstrous bird. The creature, startled, gracefully circled to evade me.
“Surprised, huh? What kind of physical ability do you have? But now, you can only land, right?”
“I’ve taken down one of your friends! Next is you!”
My voice likely diminished as I fell. Just as Baltz said, I had no choice but to land. And there, beneath me, was Seigel, half-buried under the foot of a dragon-like monster. His armor was shattered, and the amount of blood pooling around him was alarming. If left like this, he would surely die.
“What did you just say? By the way, I can’t see Vito anywhere…”
“I took him down! Now get your foot off him!”
“Took him down…? No way…”
Baltz in the sky and the half-dragon both scanned the area with tense expressions. Upon realizing they couldn’t find Vito, their anger and sorrow turned towards me.
“No way! That Vito couldn’t have been defeated by you!”
“Did you really do it…? That Vito? No, he must have let his guard down! It has to be that way!”
The half-dragon and Baltz, who had landed, surrounded me, blocking my escape route. Not that I intended to flee. The half-dragon covered its face with its scaled hands and began to weep.
“I’m so sorry, Vito… It’s all my fault, Chiruchiru… Just wait. I’ll kill this brat right now!”
The creature revealed its true form, scales covering its entire body. Dragon wings sprouted, and its size grew twofold, threefold, taking up a third of the Coliseum. Soldiers and A-Rank fighters nearby scrambled to avoid its claws.
“W-What is that?! Where did such a dragon come from…?”
One soldier, unaware of the situation, shouted. Surviving in this chaotic battle was truly impressive. Perhaps it was due to the effective commands of that captain, Kirkton. The King seemed to have hidden away somewhere, allowing Kirkton to lead his troops freely.
“Hey, Chiruchiru! Don’t rampage in that form! You’ll take us down with you!”
“I can’t help it! I’ve completely lost it! Besides, with your mobility, you can escape, right?”
Even in its dragon form, Chiruchiru’s annoying way of speaking didn’t change. The black scales glimmering, Chiruchiru—no, Chiruchiru Dragon—could easily sweep away the humans around with a flick of its massive tail. It looked far stronger than Vito had, but I felt no fear beyond that.
“Hehe, this Chiruchiru, said to be among the top three of the Twelve Demon Generals, is going all out now. So, I’ll erase this country starting now!”
“Hey, Rua… use this.”
Seigel, on the brink of death, was trying to hand me his sword. I needed to heal him quickly, or he would die. But I couldn’t use healing magic; I had to rely on someone else, but first, I needed to deal with this dragon. I approached Seigel and took the sword from him.
“It’s a high-quality sword effective against dragons… I could barely scratch that flamboyant guy with it… But a weapon can transform depending on its wielder. You can do it…”
With this great sword given to me by Seigel, I would take down that creature. It turned its long neck towards me and grinned.
“Oh, what’s that? Is that Seigel’s weapon? No way! A dull blade like that won’t do anything!”
【Dark Steel Black Dragon Chiruchiru has appeared! HP 28200】
“You all mourn your fallen comrades, yet you kill humans without a second thought.”
“Oh, isn’t that how everyone is? Ah, I see. You know nothing, do you…?”
Chiruchiru took a deep breath, likely preparing to unleash its breath attack. The people around were in danger. Against such an opponent, I had always done this. Just like when I charged at Baltz, I jumped and stomped on Chiruchiru’s head. As expected, no breath attack was released; instead, a massive explosion erupted inside its mouth.
【You dealt 412 damage to Dark Steel Black Dragon Chiruchiru! HP 27788/28200】
“Ugh, nnhhh!”
The dragon let out a pathetic whimper, a small plume of fire escaping its nostrils. But since it had only harmed itself with its own breath, it likely wasn’t mortally wounded. Yes, to deal a fatal blow, this was the only way.
“You little brat!”
Chiruchiru aimed for me, who was still stomping on its head, and unleashed its breath attack. A torrent of scorching flames erupted radially from its mouth. If this had been unleashed in the Coliseum, many more lives would have been lost. In fact, with this heat, it could melt not just the Coliseum but the houses outside as well.
As I braced myself to take the full brunt of the attack, Chiruchiru, believing it had finished me off, turned its head towards the humans on the ground.
“I’m still here, you know?”
“What… Why?!”
As it raised its head in response to my voice, it was already too late. I descended from above, cleaving the dragon in two, and the battle reached its conclusion.
【You dealt 347332 damage to Dark Steel Black Dragon Chiruchiru! You have defeated Dark Steel Black Dragon Chiruchiru! HP 0/28200】
“Wh-What…?”
The dragon, now split in half, barely managed to utter something. But I realized something crucial at that moment. If I left the dragon’s body as it was, it would fall and cause collateral damage. This wouldn’t do; I hurriedly sliced the dragon’s massive body into pieces and incinerated it with fire magic. I wasn’t particularly skilled in magic, but I could turn the already dead dragon’s body to ash.
“Hehe… Rua, you did well…”
Seigel, though on the brink of death, praised me. Meanwhile, Baltz, who had been nearby, trembled in shock.
“Impossible… Chiruchiru is among the top of the Twelve Demon Generals… That kid… I never heard of such a thing… What was that Necromancer doing in their preparations?! Were they just playing around in the tournament?!”
“I’ve taken down both the bugs and the dragon. Now it’s just you left.”
As I called out from behind, Baltz turned around in a panic. He took to the skies again on his monstrous bird.
“Damn it! What’s happening with the others?!”
Baltz scanned the area from above. The number of monsters in the Coliseum had significantly decreased. Perhaps it was because I had taken down the two bosses, but the dragons and bugs had lost their initial ferocity, being taken down one after another by the A-Rank fighters. Still, there were casualties among the soldiers. Some were receiving treatment in inconspicuous spots, but for some, it was too late, as they were covered with cloth.
Emotions surged within me once more. The birdman, having escaped into the sky, began to cackle loudly, commanding his birds to attack the ground once more.
“This seems to be the end! In that case, I’ll do my best to weaken the kingdom’s forces as much as possible! The rest is up to you, Hahaha!”
He left his minions behind and attempted to flee.
—No one is getting away.
From the highest point of the Coliseum’s spectator seats and walls, I leaped with all my might. I landed on the monstrous bird that Baltz was riding, causing him to let out a shocked groan.
“W-What kind of monster are you, kid…?”
“The real monsters are you all.”
“Y-Yeah. I’ve got a great idea. How about joining the Neo Demon Lord Army? You probably know nothing. Once you do, you’ll definitely change your mind.”
“The people who were killed won’t come back!”
“Are you really not interested in joining…?”
“Absolutely not!”
The moment I made my disinterest clear, Baltz’s suit ripped apart, feathers bursting forth. This time, real wings sprouted instead of the fake ones attached to his suit. Now a true birdman, Baltz detached from the monstrous bird and took to the skies with his own wings.
“Thinking about it, there’s no way someone who can’t fly could win an aerial battle!”
【Baltz, the Sky-Ruling Bird King has appeared! HP 17900】
【Demon Garuda has appeared! HP 5700】
“Demon Garuda! First, throw that one off!”
The Demon Garuda I was riding began to thrash about. It spun and swerved left and right, making it a struggle for me to hold on and not be thrown off. Baltz, seeing me gripping onto its back for dear life, laughed with a sense of superiority.
“No matter how strong you are, this is the sky! You can’t fly! If you fall, you’ll die! Isn’t it great to be able to fly? I dreamed of it as a kid! When I got lost in the mountains, I would watch the birds and think how easy it would be to go home if I could just fly!”
Indeed, at this rate, I wouldn’t be able to approach him, and I might eventually be thrown off. The thrill I had never experienced in the Abyss Cave engulfed me. That fool, laughing maniacally, thought he had already won. It was hard to believe he had just been whining moments ago.
“Ahh! I’m falling! Waaaah!”
“Control of the skies belongs to me, Baltz! You can call me Birdman! Go ahead, call me! Hahaha!”
He should be nothing to worry about in a proper fight. He’s not much different from that bug from earlier. That’s right, I have no intention of admitting defeat.
“Now, I won’t hold back! Take this!”
Baltz, the Sky-Ruling Bird King, unleashed the Mega Sonic Wave!
With no way to dodge while clinging to the Demon Garuda, I had no choice but to take it head-on. Well, I could have dodged, but I was getting irritated, so I decided to let it hit me.
Rua took 86 damage! HP 40936/41022
“Ouch… I almost lost Roel’s hand-me-downs…”
That was truly close. A thin trickle of blood flowed from my wound. I should have Roel heal me later. Baltz trembled as he watched me worry about my injuries and clothes. It seemed he really meant it when he said he wouldn’t hold back.
“Well, if I take a direct hit, even an A-Rank would be shredded to pieces… The Mega Sonic Wave… This shouldn’t be happening… Today was supposed to be the end for the Kingdom of Avangarde… I finally sealed the Master Knight, and yet this…”
“If you still haven’t given up, it’s my turn now.”
“Shut up! What can you do in that situation?!”
As I was being tossed around, I focused. Then, at what I felt was the right moment, I swung my one-handed sword.
Rua unleashed the Sonic Ripper!
She dealt 359913 damage to Baltz, the Sky-Ruling Bird King!
Baltz, the Sky-Ruling Bird King has been defeated! HP 0/17900
It seems I barely avoided a direct hit, but it was enough to be fatal. The wings that had been flapping came to a halt, and the birdman fell to the ground.
“We… our… wish…”
Did he fall into the Coliseum? If someone was down there, it would be a disaster. I might end up down there too…
Suddenly, the strange bird let out a shriek and began to thrash violently again. Even without its master, it was still following orders to throw me off. Distracted by Baltz’s fall, I was easily shaken off.
“Waaaaaaah! What should I do?!
…That’s it!”
As the ground came into view, I unleashed all the magic I could muster downward. I aimed for the ground itself, ensuring no damage would reach below.
“Lightning Bolt!”
Just as I intended, my body floated gently upward from the recoil before crashing down. The deadly speed of my fall should be slowed down now.
“Ugh…”
I managed to land safely. But there was no time to relax. Baltz, who should have been split in two, was still moving. As I approached, he spoke in a weak voice.
“Help… me… let me go…”
His form was that of a birdman, half of him having reverted to human. It wasn’t a direct hit, but he had to have taken a significant blow. How was he still alive? His vitality was incredible.
“Help… me…”
Should I finish him off? I knew I should, but even though my mind understood, my hands wouldn’t move. Time passed as I silently looked down at him.
“I won’t… attack… anymore… I promise…”
I knew he was just trying to save himself. But I couldn’t do it. No matter what, I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.
—Is it because he has reverted to human?
—Is it because I’m too soft?
The answer was clear. Yet, I still couldn’t do anything. As I stood there, my hands began to tremble.
“Please…”
Hearing his voice, which seemed like it could fade away at any moment, I unconsciously forced a healing potion into his mouth. I even dropped the sword I had been holding.
“Th-thank you…”
“I promise you won’t do something like this again, right?”
“You are… kind… strong…
And sweet…”
He tried to flap his wings, but he couldn’t rise as he wished. It was hard to believe this was the same Baltz who had tried to kill me just moments ago; I felt nothing threatening from him now.
“If it’s you, then surely…”
Baltz’s throat was slashed, and a fountain of crimson blood erupted. Without even a scream, Baltz breathed his last. From the transparent form, pink began to emerge, taking shape into a human. It was Shinbu.
“With this, the enemy’s command center is almost obliterated. Well done, well done!”
He pointed at me with one hand while waving the other. By the time I realized something was amiss, it was too late. Or perhaps it was that he had no intention of helping Baltz at all. Just like with Grundom, he hadn’t saved him. No, he chose not to save him. Maybe that was the right choice. Though I had saved a life, I couldn’t forgive Baltz in my heart. That was all there was to it, but it felt so unsatisfying. The reason was still that I hated him.
“Hmm, what’s wrong? You look lost in thought. Oh? This guy’s drinking a healing potion, huh? They don’t seem like the type to carry something like this… how curious?”
He pretended not to understand while glancing at me conspicuously.
“What the hell…?”
“Well, I won’t press the issue. More importantly, I’m going to finish this, so step back a bit.”
“Finish it? You?”
This time, I laughed mockingly. But Shinbu ignored me, scanning the surroundings.
“Most of this is thanks to A-Rank… The kingdom’s soldiers are useless. More than half of them either died or were injured without putting up a fight. How can they claim to protect the country?”
He gestured around with his hands before bringing them together. From Shinbu’s body, another Shinbu emerged. Then, from that Shinbu, yet another Shinbu appeared…
“Hundred Body Split!”
The hundred Shinbus charged at the remaining monsters in the Coliseum. The sight of so many identical humans was nothing short of eerie, especially since it was Shinbu I disliked the most, making it even harder to watch.
But their performance was undeniably impressive.