Chapter 745 – Twin Demons

000

Castor, Pollux, and the twin demons were moving as if they were one living creature and attacking Lilim and Dacapo.

Lillim, who was at a disadvantage in close combat because he was not carrying a weapon, and Pollux, who was equipped with a gauntlet, clung to him with a single punch, and even if something in his body exploded, he felt the power without any abnormality.

＂Chiit…!＂

Even though he clicked his tongue and forcibly widened the distance using transfer magic, Pollux continued to fly at a speed close to the speed of sound, deliberately missing the target even though he had the opportunity earlier, as if he was trying to persistently harass Lilim.

＂Gyahahaha!! This guy is good at running away! “I never thought there would still be a guy like this left in the empire!”

A voice that makes you laugh like crazy and makes people angry, as if they are playing with you.

Recalling that the demons he summoned while in Astaroth were all polite succubi, he re-realized that the essence of demons is a collection of disorder, evil, and undignified things.

On the contrary, Da Capo, who is fighting on the ground, holds a dagger in his hand and swings it against Castol, who stands like a mountain.

However, the red-skinned demon Castol did nothing and just withstood the attacks being inflicted on him with a double-edged ax in his hand. In the meantime, Da Capo’s dagger had a body so strong that it could not tear his skin. I had it.

In fact, Da Capo grimaced at the feeling of cutting through the castle wall with his dagger, and on the other hand, he felt his hands tingling.

“I’m disappointed, Da Capo. Even the newly manifested magic sword can only exert this much power if the user is weak.”

And, while receiving all these attacks, the words he spoke were words of disappointment at Da Capo, who did not even get a scratch on him.

＂Kuh…＂

When Da Capo heard those words, he looked angry, but the demon sword that was not awakened was just a hard sword.

Also, her reach is short, and it is a very difficult type of weapon for her who has not studied martial arts.

If Pollux had dealt with her instead of Castor, she would have fallen to the ground and died of exhaustion by now – Pollux is also a pervert who takes pleasure in tormenting the weak.

The notoriety of these two twin demons had already spread throughout the empire when she was born.

Immediately after the war, he was a monarch-class demon that descended through the corpse of an imperial soldier as a medium. He was a powerful demon possessing all three elements that symbolize evil, cruelty, and strangeness.

It was they who devised a system called ‘Sabat’, based on human despair, so that humans would sink into despair as slowly as possible, and so that all humans would not be exterminated and there would be no souls for them to harvest.

However, it could be said that it is a blessing in disguise that even those twin demons are not the strongest demons manifesting in this empire.

Even so, Da Capo knew that he and Lilim would not be able to defeat these twin demons, and he was preparing for defeat in his heart based on his instincts.

So, what should you do?

Should we continue this meaningless fight?

No, their goal was not to win this fight, but to send the children trembling in fear behind them to the outside of the barrier safely.

When you prioritize their survival over the outcome of the battle, the choice you must make is-

In Da Capo’s mind, the information was being sorted out at a rapid pace, and once she had checked all the options available to her, she stood at a distance from Castol.

Then, Castol placed the ax in her hand on her shoulder and asked her a question.

“Is it the end? With this.”

＂…＂

Da Capo did not answer the devil’s question, but simply glared at him and extended his hand toward the bag containing various alchemical results on his belt.

Castol followed it with her eyes, but she didn’t bother to interfere.

No, rather, he was watching it with interest.

Da Capo, who felt that it was clear that the other party was looking down on her, thought that she would do everything possible to create an opportunity and finally took out her secret weapon, pension bombs.

What sparkles in her hand is an octahedron-like object like a glass crystal, with a purple magic reaction constantly swirling inside.

The dark magic felt from it was considerable even for the demon Castol, so Castol let out an exclamation and his eyes lit up.

＇Alchemy Bomb… Black Nova. The culmination of my alchemy that took 5 years for basic design and 3 years for production. The magic power inside is a secret weapon that has been contained from the beginning of production for 3 years through the dark magic created through my blood…’

Originally, I had planned to use this when I was ritually sacrificed by Sabbat to take a few demons away as water ghosts – but now, it was a luxury to leave time to think about it later.

So, now, I have to use it here – to send the children away, she thought, pressing the activation button located on the top of the Black Nova.

At that moment, the vortex of black magic inside instantly falls into an unstable state, and the thing inside is ready to come out at the slightest shock.

＂It’s the expression of a person with determination.＂

At that time, Castol looked at Da Capo’s cold sweaty face and spoke calmly.

“Is it so. There is a reason why I have to give you a punch here.”

“No, it is a determination with a stronger will than what to do with us. What you want is not victory by destroying the enemy in front of you – it is to open a path to the future.”

Was it unreasonable to hide one’s true feelings in front of the devil from the beginning?

“… But you know. There are very few things you humans make that can physically hurt us demons. You won’t be able to hurt this body with a toy like that.”

However, Da Capo believed that this did not change what he had to do, and he threw the bomb in his hand at Castol with all his might.

For someone who didn’t exercise much, throwing a bomb the size of her fist so close to her target was quite an arduous task, and in fact, the bomb flew in a bit of a strange direction.

It didn’t matter where the bomb’s trajectory was.

The moment the bomb she threw hit the ground, the crystal shattered and glass shards flew in all directions, and the vortex of black magic inside instantly grew huge and pulled Castol’s body, which was right next to where it landed, into a strong force. It started to pull towards.

“Hmm…! This is…!”

Although Castor possesses physical abilities and magical powers that surpass those of humans, he suddenly felt his body being pulled into a strong attraction that seemed to absorb even the light of the star.

＇It is a bomb that indiscriminately absorbs objects around it with a strong attraction created by black magic… And at the same time, when the dimension gate technique engraved within it is released, it is even possible to blow the opponent somewhere other than here. …’

The force of gravity even applied to where Da Capo was, and her body was slowly pulled, but she somehow continued to move backwards, trying to get away from the black vortex that formed at the point of impact of Black Nova and the portal within it.

No one knows what will happen to an unrefined, uncontrolled portal when one passes through it.

The door on the other side might be open somewhere, it might be under the sea, in the desert, or in lava.

Perhaps, it was so dangerous that it could emerge from the other side without leaving its normal form.

So, even if the other person is a demon – even if he or she is not harmed by lava and can breathe underwater – be careful when passing through the portal.

＂What is that?＂

Pollux, who had been chasing her Lillim in the sky and playing with her, also looked down upon the earth, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched her explode on earth.

Castol was barely holding on there, but because he was so close to the bomb’s impact point, even he had no choice but to come into contact with the portal in the vortex.

Then – the uncontrolled portal spewed out vicious magical power with the force of crushing everything it touched, and even Castor’s body was crushed and scattered by magical power.

＂Kuhuhhh…!＂

For the first time, Da Capo succeeded in hearing an embarrassed voice from Castol’s mouth, and she raised her voice towards Castol, who was disappearing, clenching her fists in pleasure.

“Fly away! Somewhere other than here!”

At the same time she declared that, Castol’s upper body was sucked into the portal, and the vortex that Black Nova, which had caused the depletion of mana, suddenly stopped, completely disappeared.

Then – naturally, Castor’s lower body, which was left behind during the passage, was separated as soon as the portal closed and remained on the ground, flopping down, collapsing, and falling to the ground.

It was a terrible sight to see, but now was not the time to get lost in sentimentality.

＂…! It’s okay, it’s okay…! With my hands, a monarch-level demon…!”

＂That bitch…! How dare my brother!!”

Pollux looks at Da Capo cheering and cannot hide his anger at what happened to his brother.

He immediately raised his fist and tried to fly towards her to crush her dacapo, but the next moment, her black magical hand shot out of the air and grabbed his body.

＂Haa… Haa… I managed to look in the other direction instead of this way.＂

When Lilim, who seemed exhausted, spoke like that, the black magic flowing from her wrist created a magic of binding and was holding Pollux.

＂Damn it… Damn it! Let go of this guy!”

＂Hehe, this guy is already finished…＂

What he said, ‘It ended up happening,’ was probably something he said because he sensed her demonic power.

However, Lilim also had no intention of letting him go.

＂Da capo! Take the kids and run to the barrier! Because I’ll be wasting time!”

＂But─＂

Dacapo had originally planned to take on the role himself and ask Lilim to take her children, so when Lilim’s words flew out, he looked up at her in confusion.

However, Lilim nodded her head, and Da Capo’s thoughts flashed through the conversation they had had when they were alone together.

[As someone who was the companion of the Demon Sword Emperor, he must take responsibility for the tragedy he created. If we can save the children who are suffering there – wouldn’t it be a bit of atonement?]

Dacapo eventually clenched his fists and looked back at Shitaka and shouted.

“Let’s go! Shitaka! Never stop your legs! If you run straight this way, you will come to a barrier bordering the Eastern Country! Run all the way there!”

＂Eh, ah…! Ugh, yes!”

When Shitaka nodded her head first, the other children followed her and tried to run in the direction of Dakapo.

But, at that time-

Black Nova exploded, and Castol’s lower body, which was left there, jumped up and flew towards Da Capo, landing a kick to her stomach.

＂Kuhhh…!＂

This was so sudden that not only the children but also Dacapo and Lilim looked at the scene in shock.

＂… Keuhihihi!＂

Pollux, who was being held by Lilim’s hand, let out an unpleasant laugh.

＂… What, how… Kaheuk…＂

Dacapo fell to the ground, spitting out blood from his mouth, probably because his internal organs had been seriously injured.

And with his foot on Da Capo’s stomach, Pollux speaks while looking at Castol, who is regenerating what’s left of his lower body.

＂You idiot! We devils are bodies made of magical power! As long as the core is maintained, you won’t die no matter if half of your body grows! Kyahahahaha!!”

＂…＂

Lilim looked at Pollux, who was acting to deceive them and catch them off guard, with eyes cold from anger, and tightened his magical hands even more, trying to completely compress his body within.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ll give this back too. Breathe!”

However, when Pollux applied force, he saw that even his hand was lightly torn, and he was shocked by the recoil and stumbled.

＂Keuak…＂

“Well, I can end something like you at any time. For now, let’s watch that sacrifice being offered.”

Pollux, as if he had no interest in Lillim, just turned his gaze away and was about to watch Da Capo’s execution with an excited look on his face as if he was looking forward to seeing his fully regenerated brother.

＂It can’t be…＂

Da Capo’s despairing face after realizing that everything was a deception by the enemy, and Castol, who has even finished regenerating his head, looks down at Da Capo and speaks.

“The pain you gave me was quite delicious. But… It seems impossible to bring out any more pain from you.”

As Castol says that and strengthens his legs, Da Capo’s stomach is crushed with a crunching sound.

As a scream full of pain burst from her mouth, the children burst into tears.

“… It’s not very pleasant to hear the sound of others suffering. “I will kill you right away as a minimum of courtesy.”

Unlike his younger brother, who was a sadistic person who enjoyed persistently tormenting others, he had a masochistic personality that delighted in the great pain the other person caused him.

And when the pleasure reached its maximum, Castor’s method was to cut off the opponent’s head.

This time, it felt like it was a bit of an incomplete combustion, but as if there was nothing he could do, he picked up the double-edged ax she was holding in her hand and aimed it at her neck.

＂No!＂

At that time, one of the children Dacapo was trying to evacuate, Shitaka, runs towards the devil and grabs his body.

“Don’t kill Da Capo!”

＂A young human who can’t even cause pain… You’re not even worth killing here and now. Go away. When he becomes an adult, he will harvest his soul.”

Saying that, he grabbed Shitaka’s head and threw it towards her children, causing them to crash into each other and fall to their seats like bowling pins or dominoes.

＂Aaaaah…!＂

＂It hurts…!＂

As the children’s screams and cries rang out, Da Capo was looking there and shouting something.

However, my voice could not come out properly due to my stomach and lungs being crushed.

It may have been thrown with a little force to Castol, but it was quite threatening to them.

“… There has been a disturbance. See, you guys have made her suffering even longer. … Try not to do this next time.”

Saying that, he raises the ax loudly once again.

And, the moment when the ax was about to hit Da Capo’s neck.

Boom! As soon as the sound of cutting through the air was heard, his head fell off.

The head flops and falls to the ground.

It was still alive and turned into astonishment, looking at the being that had dropped its head.

＂… You─!＂

It cut off its own head and at the same time dragged its body down from Dacapo’s stomach and placed it on the ground, kneeling on one knee.

His black hair was fluttering in the wind, and the jet-black magic sword he was holding in his hand was emitting hideous magical power in response to the anger of its owner.

And, looking at him, Lilim must have breathed a sigh of relief.

And at that time, when a warm feeling spreads through Da Capo’s body-

She sensed her healing magic healing her own body, and as she looked at Amelia, who had become a brighter figure in her blurred vision, she lost her mind.

“Amelia. What is her physical condition?”

“My internal organs were severely damaged. I can prevent it from getting worse, but in order to fully recover, I think it would be better to leave the dark magic realm and leave it to Kuon.”

And, after hearing Amelia’s answer, the young man plunges his sword into the body of the devil, who was struggling on his knees.

Then, as the struggling stopped, the demon slowly turned into ashes and dispersed.

“Brother! What the hell!”

“… There was one more.”

While saying that, the young man saw a demon flying towards us from in front of Lilim.

The next moment, his body appeared right above the devil.

＂Huh?＂

Even though the devil was unable to track the location of the young man who suddenly disappeared before his eyes, he was cut by a magic sword that traced a crescent moon on his neck.

It was only after his head fell to the ground and rolled on the floor that he saw the magic swordsman spinning in the air and landing on the ground.

“I was a little worried because it wasn’t Caliburn. Was it a needless worry?”

[There is no problem in this country with these guys.]

Then, he raised his foot and trampled on Pollux’s head, which had fallen to the ground, breaking it to summon the demon.

The children, who were looking at that scene in fear, were trembling without saying a word as they looked at the young man from the Black Demon clan who suddenly appeared.

The young man who discovered those children scratched his head, then turned to Amelia and spoke.

“I guess we can just take all the kids out here?”

“That’s right, Cleon. … It looks like he was surprised by Cleon’s sudden appearance.”

＂I see…＂

Cleon approaches Shitaka, who spreads her arms out as if trying to protect the children, bends her knees and makes eye level with her.

“… I saw it when it flew this way earlier. She’s the one lying there… She had the courage to protect your sister.”

Saying that, Cleon placed her hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay now. I will take you and my sister out of here safely.”

He patted his hand as if he was patting him, and then he looked back at Lilim, who had come down to the ground, and Amelia, and spoke.

“Thank you both for coming to save us. From here on, leave it to me.”

For the first time, Lilim felt the relief of hearing that voice.