Chapter 18: Imperial Capital – Martial Arts Tournament – 49
Before me stood a colossal “Demon.”
Its form was so grotesque and hideous that the word “aberration” barely sufficed to describe it.
“This is as big as the Chaos Flare Dragon that Soushi defeated!”
Karma grimaced, yet she raised the Beast King’s Fang high, shouting. Indeed, in terms of sheer length, it might be comparable. However, given its bulk, this creature likely possessed greater mass.
The enormous tsuchinoko-type demon twisted its body, using the arms around its neck like legs, turning its face toward me. Its nose was caved in from the previous attack, but it still seemed more than ready to fight.
“Ku-hyoh-hyoh-hyoh! How marvelous! Such a monster dwells in the Netherworld. The ‘Lost Princess’ creates ‘the soulless.’ This too is a form crafted by the gods!”
“Shut up!”
The disembodied head of Isunani, surprisingly still able to speak, was once again sent flying by a kick from Larni. While it had uttered something concerning, we had to focus on the demon before us.
“I’ll charge in and strike its head directly. Everyone, provide support!”
Upon my command, the members of Soul’s Guidance and Princess Marishielle surrounded the colossal demon in a semicircle.
At that moment, the faces covering the demon’s body opened their mouths in unison.
“Could it be… magic?!”
Sfenia shouted. Indeed, that movement was a clear sign of magic being unleashed from its mouth.
If magic were to be released in all directions, it wouldn’t just harm the other adventurers; it would also pose a significant threat to the spectators who had yet to escape.
“I’ll take care of the magic! Smash the faces that are about to unleash it!”
“Yes, Soushi-sama!”
“Understood!”
As the responses from my comrades echoed, magic erupted from the entirety of the giant demon. Though it was not high-level magic like magic spears, it consisted of fireballs, ice shards, and stone projectiles—still formidable attacks nonetheless.
I activated “Suction” with all my might. Hundreds, if not thousands, of spells changed trajectory and surged toward me. It was a breathtaking sight, but of course, it was not enough to shake the Immovable Fortress Wall.
The demon continued to unleash an unending barrage of magic. However, our team was not idle.
As Freinir activated “Divine Halo,” the magical onslaught momentarily halted.
In that brief window, Sfenia, Shizuna, and Geshura’s spells pierced into the demon’s flank.
Larni, Karma, Mariane, Sakurahime, and Princess Marishielle closed the distance with “Swift Run,” swiftly slicing through multiple faces.
I noticed that Miss Dorozitte was also in the front row of the audience, casting spells one after another to provide support.
Other adventurers, having finished off the centaur-type foes, began to move in our direction to assist.
But then, the colossal demon twisted its body dramatically. While continuing to unleash magic, it began to advance with a serpentine motion.
“Gu-gi-gah!!”
The crushed face bellowed, swinging its ten arms around its neck as it accelerated, charging toward me while gouging the ground.
Its target was me. It aimed to collide head-on, intending to crush me with its mass.
“Count Okuno!”
Princess Marishielle attempted to come closer. I wondered if her skill would even work against such a massive creature. It seemed unlikely.
More importantly, this was a prime opportunity, and I needed her to stay back.
“Don’t interfere!”
I realized I had let my “Excitement” skill slip a bit too much. I would have to apologize to her later.
Before me loomed a massive, gray, expressionless face with a caved-in nose.
Its twin eyes gazed down at me, devoid of emotion.
No, was there a hint of triumph flickering in those eyes?
The dragon that had once looked at me like that was now nothing but materials.
I arched my body back, raising the Mace That Equalizes All Things to its limit.
The giant face opened its mouth. Was it going to eat me? No, was it laughing?
“I’m the one who wants to laugh!!”
I unleashed the power I had gathered to its maximum, bringing down the embodiment of destruction.
The multifaceted Orichalcum, imbued with the power to equalize all, sank into the demon’s caved-in nose.
My Dynamic Vision captured every subsequent event.
From the point where the mace struck, waves of force radiated outward. In the instant after the wave passed, the demon’s flesh began to collapse, the destruction spreading across its massive face, bursting the arms around its neck and ravaging the front half of its body.
What followed was a delayed explosion of unimaginable energy.
The front half of the colossal demon was blown away as if subjected to immense internal pressure, leaving nothing but a scattering of its remains.
Yet, that too would soon dissipate into black mist. That was the only solace when facing such a demon.
“Ku-hyoh!? What an adventurer! How can a human possess such power?! I must turn this into a corpse at all costs!”
The disembodied head of Isunani screamed for the third time before being cleaved in two by Larni’s Purple Wolf.
I noticed that the Gate to Another World was rapidly deflating and disappearing. It seemed that the commotion surrounding the Candlestick of the Netherworld was finally coming to an end.
However, my work in the Empire was still only halfway done.
Next up was Rendurm, the king who ruled the Kin of Twilight.
Surely, he couldn’t be weaker than this demon. That was my only concern at this moment.