n

n

n

nGuduranis was struck directly by Luvesfol’s rage-filled Breath attack, but with a furious roar, he leapt out of the raging torrent. “CURSE YOOOU!”

nVandalieu’s interference and Guduranis’s own discomposure had allowed Luvesfol’s attack to make a direct hit, but Luvesfol was still one of the more inferior Elder Dragons, and it seemed that his Breath attack had not dealt significant damage to Guduranis.

nHowever, it seemed that Guduranis’s pride had been deeply wounded, having had his hand bitten by what he had thought to be a convenient, disposable pet dog.

n“Why do you bare your fangs at me after I released you from your seal?!” Guduranis snarled, his fury and killing intent surging out around him. “You pitiful excuse of an Elder Dragon – Have you been domesticated to the very marrow of your bones?!”

nLuvesfol spat forth another ‘Raging Torrent Breath’ at Guduranis. “It’s because you undid my seal! You’ve gone and returned me to my true form! Staying sealed is what allows me to be spared… Are you going to take responsibility if they punish me again afterwards?!”

nLuvesfol felt no gratitude for Guduranis’s act of undoing his seal. In fact, he was infuriated by this unwelcome favor.

nIt was true that he had wished to grow past being a Wyvern, the most lowly of Dragons that were the inferior descendants of Elder Dragons. But he had never truly wished to return to his true form.

nAlthough various events and compromises had led to Luvesfol’s current situation, he had originally been an enemy of Vandalieu – though it wasn’t him that had bared his fangs at Vandalieu first; he had been ruling over the marshlands within the Boundary Mountain Range after stealing Fidirg’s Lizardmen worshipers there, and Vandalieu was the one who had invaded them.

nHe was also a traitor who had betrayed the gods of this world to join the Demon King’s army a hundred thousand years ago, and even after Guduranis was sealed away, he had continued being hostile to Vida’s faction without any apology to them.

nAfter Vandalieu reclaimed the marshlands Luvesfol had ruled, Schneider and the others of the Storm of Tyranny had encountered Luvesfol while he was trying to flee the continent. But the only retribution for his betrayal was being turned into ‘Pauvina’s Pet,’ and this was because his true form had been sealed away… or so Luvesfol thought.

nIndeed, even though he had received terrifying remonstrations that made him freeze in fear from gods including the Mountain Queen Elder Dragon God Tiamat, the highest-ranking Elder Dragon in Vida’s faction, no force had been used to punish him because he had been sealed away into the form of a pitiful, feeble Wyvern that could be killed by a single light punch.

nBut Vandalieu and his companions who weren’t gods didn’t have much of an impression of Luvesfol before he was sealed away. And currently, they thought of him as ‘Pauvina’s Pet.’ He wasn’t even someone that they harbored emotions of hatred for anymore.

nVandalieu had even wondered if this was too much of a punishment for a being that was a god. But in the mythological tales of Earth, there were gods who committed crimes and were punished and forced to atone as mortal servants, so he thought that Luvesfol’s treatment was no different from that.

nAnd of course, Luvesfol was someone Vandalieu considered to be a companion. If someone were to harm Luvesfol again because his seal had become undone, Vandalieu would defend him. Pets are family, after all.

nBut Luvesfol himself hadn’t thought of it like that. He regarded himself to be Luvesfol, the Raging Evil Dragon God. That was why he had completely ignored Guduranis’s offer.

n“You only undid my seal so that you could use me as a disposable pawn, didn’t you?! Who would join a loser like you a second time?!” Luvesfol said.

n“M-me, a loser?!” Guduranis stuttered in shock.

n“A hundred thousand years ago, you lost! Who would obey you now after you suffered such a grand defeat, when you don’t even have the power that you had in the past! You’re nothing but a relic of the old world!”

nAs ‘Pauvina’s Pet,’ Luvesfol had obeyed her command and vented his anger and fear at Guduranis.

n“… So, that Wyvern was an Elder Dragon,” Randolf murmured, not having taken notice of this before.

n“Yeah. I’ve never seen him in that form either, though. I’ll have to ask for a new collar from Orlock-san later,” said Pauvina.

n“Don’t do that to the poor man,” said Randolf. “Still, you never suspected that the Elder Dragon might betray you?”

nPauvina puffed out her chest with full confidence. “Even if he returns to his original form, Luves is still Luves. Luves is smart enough to know that Van is stronger.”

nBeyond her trust for Luvesfol and her bond with him, she understood the nature of his character, and that was why she had never thought for a moment that he would betray them.

n“… That, and the fact that his wounds still haven’t healed even after the seal was undone,” Fidirg added, seeming to have forgotten his fear for Guduranis. “I’m sure he knows that him changing sides won’t have any effect on the state of the battle.”

nLuvesfol wasn’t foolish enough to betray Vandalieu and his companions when multiple of them were Rank 13 or above… in other words, more powerful than him.

nOnce a traitor, always a traitor, perhaps – but in this instance, Luvesfol had only betrayed Guduranis’s expectations.

nOf course, they weren’t leaving the task of attacking Guduranis to Luvesfol alone. Vandalieu fired ‘Dark Thunderbolt Spears’ in conjunction with Luvesfol’s ‘Raging Torrent Breath,’ and Randolf and Darcia were casting spells as well.

nGuduranis made a noise of frustration. “I was a fool to expect anything from a traitor! You pitiful excuse of an Elder Dragon, I shall bury you along with the rest of the vermin!”

nGuduranis hadn’t weakened enough for these attacks to be enough to finish him. He extended his fingers and moved his arms rapidly to perform chopping attacks.

n“‘Million Slashes!’”

nWith a ‘Dagger Technique’ martial skill, he performed a countless number of attacks in an instant, cutting through and dispersing the ‘Raging Torrent Breath’ and the spells cast by Vandalieu and his companions.

n“He is unharmed after using a martial skill to cut through magic – with his bare hands, no less! After everything that’s happened, I suppose he is still the Demon King,” Randolf muttered bitterly.

n“No, Randolf-san,” Darcia said, shaking her head. “The thing you should be surprised about is the fact that he used a martial skill at all.”

nRandolf wasn’t the only one taken aback by this; Vandalieu and everyone else gasped as well.

nGuduranis was bare-handed, but his body was the Demon King’s body. It was the same in nature as the fragments of the Demon King that Vandalieu and his companions used as weapons. There was nothing surprising about him being completely unharmed or close to it after defending himself from spells with his bare hands.

nHowever, Guduranis using a martial skill was strange. After all, Guduranis was the Demon King. In other words, he was a god. He did not exist within the scope of the Status System of the world of Lambda; he was a being that could not even possess a Status, let alone learn the Skills necessary to perform martial skills.

nIt was the same reason why Rikudou Hijiri, before being absorbed by Guduranis, had used spells but not a single martial skill.

n“I am also a god, but by inhabiting a vessel that I spent many long years creating, I have disguised myself as a monster and acquired a Status. However, Guduranis should not have had the time needed to do that,” said Gufadgarn.

n“I see. He must have absorbed Edgar’s soul so that he could use the Status System as well,” said Vandalieu.

nGuduranis’s mouth twisted into a smile. “The Status System was something that only applied to my monsters a hundred thousand years ago, and one of the reasons I was defeated by the wretched Bellwood. I always found its existence to be infuriating, but now that I am able to use it myself, my opinion on it has changed,” he mused. “I can understand why Zerzoregin attempted to use it himself.”

nGuduranis’s words confirmed that he had the Skills that Edgar had possessed. Vandalieu and his companions were now even warier of Guduranis than before.

nEdgar had been an S-class adventurer with Skills awakened into superior versions. His soul had likely lost his divine protection and the ‘Heroic Spirit Descent’ Skill, but it still had many other Passive and Active Skills.

nAnd Guduranis, the one using those Skills, had physical capabilities that far surpassed those of a human. Their power and speed would be on a different level compared to when they had been used by Edgar.

n“You bastard… Just what are you treating Edgar as?!” Heinz said, his voice filled with anger as he raised his holy sword, understanding that his friend’s soul was being toyed with.

nDelizah and the others were postured to engage in battle as well; it seemed that they no longer wished to retreat.

n“What am I treating him as? Something convenient, of course… Just like these fools!” said Guduranis, and Rikudou’s Ghosts appeared around him.

n“W-what are those Ghosts?” said a confused Heinz.

nHe didn’t know who any of them were, and they were wearing unusual clothes that were never seen in this world.

nBut Vandalieu, Kanako, and Legion recognized them.

n“That’s… the ‘Balor’ Johnny Yamaoka, the ‘Copy’ Iguchi, the ‘Shaman’ Moriya, and…?” murmured Vandalieu.

n“The ‘Artemis’ Katherine, the ‘Sleipnir’ Nishikaga, and the ‘Ares’ Sugiura… Were they there last time as well?” Kanako said, trying to think back.

n“Rikudou’s subordinates, the ones that Vandalieu told us about, huh. Da isn’t there; maybe he wasn’t with Rikudou?” said Legion.

nThe Ghosts mentioned by Kanako were the reincarnated individuals who had died in Origin without ever encountering Vandalieu or his split entity Banda, though Da wasn’t among them. They had been such fanatical servants of Rikudou that even after they lost their lives, they had become attached to him as guardian spirits rather than being charmed by Vandalieu, but…

n“Come! Use your powers for me!” Guduranis commanded them.

n“Yes, Rikudou-san!” said Moriya’s Ghost.

nNow, they were nothing more than convenient pawns for Guduranis, who had absorbed Rikudou. Because they had not been guided by Vandalieu, they were under Guduranis’s control because they were Undead – in other words, monsters – or perhaps they were simply unable to tell Rikudou apart from Guduranis. It was unclear as to which was the case.

n“W-wait! That guy isn’t Rikudou!” Pluto shouted.

nValkyrie laughed. “How amusing! They cannot even tell the difference between their master and the one who absorbed him!”

n“Well, his body hasn’t changed, so you can’t blame them for being unable to tell the difference… I suppose?” said Ghost.

n“Silence, you useless, failed creations! Rikudou-san has become one with the Demon King!” shouted the Ghost of Moriya, his pupils and even the whites of his eyes stained completely black and his face twisted in rage.

nHis appearance made it very clear that he had lost his sanity.

nEven if Guduranis himself were to tell him, “I am not Rikudou,” those words would likely go unheard.

n“Now then, let me test this… Sugiura! Katherine! ‘Killing Blade Swarm!’” shouted Guduranis, conjuring a swarm of blades made of death-attribute Mana, this time enhanced by the reincarnated individuals’ cheat-like abilities.

nA countless number of blades, with their power doubled by the power-doubling ability of ‘Ares’ and their trajectories made more accurate by Katherine’s ‘Artemis,’ flew towards Vandalieu and his companions.

nLuvesfol gave a frightened scream. “S-stay awaaay!” he said in panic, getting ready to fire his Breath attack in all directions.

n“Luves! Get back!” said Pauvina, stopping him.

nLuvesfol did as Pauvina told him and moved back. As Pain danced between the blades, Pauvina smashed them with her club.

nBut the blades that had escaped destruction continued to target Luvesfol. The blades heading towards everyone else were also locked onto their targets, likely due to the ‘Artemis’ ability designating targets for them. They weren’t simply seeking out any living thing like they had done earlier.

nKanako cast a water-attribute spell to deal with the ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ the same way as she had done earlier. But the black blades resisted the streams of water striking their sides; they remained unbroken and continued flying towards her.

n“Their durability has been affected by ‘Double Power’ as well?!” Kanako exclaimed.

n“No. I believe that more Mana has been used than earlier, and the spell has been cast with greater proficiency,” said Gufadgarn as she opened teleportation gates to gather the ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ blades in one place.

nBut with the effects of the ‘Artemis’ ability, the blades traveled in strange paths to avoid the teleportation gates and continue towards their targets.

n“Damn it! I should have kept a sacred sword among my possessions!” Randolf muttered, clicking his tongue.

nEach time he swept away the blades of the ‘Killing Blade Swarm,’ the blade of his magic sword was being chipped away.

nHe was an atheist… Someone who made it a point to not pray to or rely on any gods. He did not possess any sacred swords or any mythical-class or legendary-class magic swords that were said to have been created by the gods.

nA sword is just a tool. But when he was still active as an adventurer, it had been troublesome to wield a weapon originating from a god, as the people related to that god’s Church would try to pester him.

nUp until this moment, refusing to use such weapons had not been a problem. Magic swords forged with no connection to the gods and sacred swords were both first-rate weapons. And with Randolf’s incredible skill, he could defeat the vast majority of enemies without any struggle. He had not encountered any problems even during battles to seal away rampaging fragments of the Demon King.

nHowever… Even though this had been sufficient for defeating a rampaging fragment of the Demon King’s body, it was not enough when facing the Demon King Guduranis himself, even if his resurrection had been imperfect.

nNow that things have come to this, I suppose I’ll have to put aside my pride as a teacher and ask my students for help, Randolf thought.

nBut it was Isla who jumped in to help him. “‘Thousand Beheadings!’”

nOne after another, her black, tipless executioner’s sword cut through the remaining blades of the ‘Killing Blade Swarm.’

n“Much appreciated!” said Randolf.

n“I do not need your thanks… I would also be troubled if school did not resume,” Isla said.

nShe was after the opportunities to share meals and spend nights together with Vandalieu during practical training sessions at the Hero Preparatory School (though Elizabeth and the others would be there as well).

nBut she was thinking seriously as well.

n“Weapons made from fragments of the Demon King can withstand cutting these blades. And they may have ‘perfect accuracy,’ continuing to chase us even if we evade them, but they’ll stop if we hit them ourselves,” Isla said.

n“That’s what we thought, so we made an effort to hit them, but…” said Pluto.

n“It seems that using ‘Counter’ on some of them doesn’t have much effect,” said Ereshkigal.

nLegion had been using their body to carry out what Isla had tested. The blades of the ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ sank into Legion’s flesh and severed the arms, torsos, and heads protruding from their surface.

nEreshkigal’s ‘Counter’ activated each time, reflecting that damage back to Guduranis. Guduranis hadn’t taken any countermeasures against this, such as applying a small scratch to Legion immediately after a real attack, and several cuts appeared on his enormous black body.

nBut Guduranis did not scream; he was simply shaking and laughing. “You call this death-attribute magic?! Good, then. Hit me as much as you like!”

nBlack-red blood sprayed from the tears appearing all over his body, but the wounds quickly closed and healed. It seemed that the resurrected Guduranis had not only a high quantity of Mana, but a high quantity of Vitality as well.

n“‘Conjure Life God Beast!’”

nDarcia destroyed the ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ blades coming towards her with her transformation staff and cast a spell to create a divine beast made of life-attribute Mana.

n“How strange,” she murmured. “I don’t believe this Edgar person was particularly skilled in the use of magic. Would acquiring his Status really improve his skill with magic… with death-attribute magic? Or was his ‘Mana Control’ Skill at a surprisingly high Level?”

n“That’s not the case!” replied Delizah, deflecting some of the blades with her Orichalcum shield.

nBecause Heinz was present, with Bellwood descended upon him, Guduranis had decided that he couldn’t ignore the Five-colored Blades and sent some of the ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ their way.

n“Edgar dabbled in magic, but his skill with it was below even an average mage! It would definitely have been impossible for him to control his Mana in a way as precise as this!” Delizah said.

n“That’s what I thought,” said Darcia. “I do have to question whether I should be trusting what you people say, but it’s true that I’ve never heard any rumors that he was a master of magic.”

nGiven that this information was being offered by an enemy, it couldn’t be completely trusted, but it was true that no known information suggested that Edgar had been a master when it came to the use of magic.

nSo then, the next question was whether Guduranis had been highly skilled in magic to begin with, but that wasn’t the case, either.

n“Guduranis did use magic in the past, but there’s no way he had fine, detailed control like this. He simply forced his opponents to yield through sheer force… That’s the only similarity that he and Vandalieu share,” said Darcia, speaking from Vida’s knowledge.

n“I personally have made an effort to gain quite fine control over my magic, but from the perspective of Zadiris and the others, it’s still quite crude, after all,” said Vandalieu.

nGuduranis possessed a vast quantity of Mana, and Vandalieu possessed an immensely vast quantity of Mana. Neither of them was particularly proficient at fine control over that Mana, due to its sheer volume. As a comparison, one would not have to ask whether a giant or a human would be better suited to tasks that needed a delicate touch. And from the perspective of a human mage, Guduranis, Vandalieu, and the great gods such as Vida were like giants tall enough to move the heavens.

nSo then, why did Guduranis have such fine control over his Mana?

n“I see. It must be Rikudou’s soul. His cheat-like ability allowed him to become one of the most skilled among the Bravers, after all,” said Kanako.

n“Not only Edgar, but Rikudou’s soul is being used as well! How pitiful the top brass of our enemies are! If I had tear glands, I might cry for them!” said Izanami.

n“Cry with laughter, that is,” said Isis.

nKanako and Legion couldn’t help but laugh at Rikudou’s fate after having control over his soul seized by Guduranis. If Asagi were here, he might have at least said something to pretend to express pity and wish him happiness in the next world, but… unfortunately, he was not here.

n“Hmph. He has gained the honor of becoming a part of me!” said Guduranis.

n“With that being the case, ‘Unlimited Development’ and ‘Increased Learning Speed’ might still be in effect… We must truly defeat him in this battle,” said Vandalieu.

nAllowing Guduranis to escape here would not only mean granting him time to mass-produce monsters to use as pawns. He would undoubtedly further improve the Status that he had gained. It was even possible that he would use Edgar’s Status to undergo Job changes.

n“Let us ensure that we destroy him here!” said Diana.

n“We won’t let Edgar’s soul be used to threaten this world!” Heinz declared as he and his companions charged at Guduranis, having slipped past the swarm of blades.

n“… This is extremely unpleasant, but this takes priority over destroying them,” Vandalieu said.

nAs infuriating as it was, he decided to take advantage of them until he could devour Guduranis’s soul and destroy him.

nIt would be unacceptable if he were to prioritize his own revenge and that were to result in allowing Guduranis to escape, granting him a chance to carry out a counter-offensive.

n“Vandalieu, you filth! Do you really think I would flee in disgrace with my tail between my legs?!” Guduranis shouted in rage as Heinz’s sword clashed against his bare-handed attacks.

n“There’s no proof that I can trust anything you say,” Vandalieu said flatly as he tore his own arm.

nThe Demon King’s blood welled up from the wound, and he mixed it with mucus produced from the Demon King’s mucus glands. The result was a viscous substance that he spread into a thin net, which he spread and threw at Guduranis.

n“Ah, what a waste!” Isla said, looking at Vandalieu’s blood with a fervent look in her eyes.

nThe ‘Killing Blade Swarm’ that had been cast by Guduranis, enhanced by the ‘Artemis’ ability, willingly flew at the net. After all, the net was connected to Vandalieu, and it was a part of him.

nHeinz hastily fell back outside the net’s range, but the net was large enough that the blades that were aiming for him and everyone else got caught in it.

n“I see! Then allow me to give you a reason to trust what I say! First, by killing that foolish Elder Dragon!” shouted Guduranis. “‘Killing Round Blade!’”

nGuduranis concentrated the same Mana he had used for ‘Killing Blade Swarm,’ but this time in a single disc-shaped blade, and fired it towards Luvesfol.

n“Luves!” cried Pauvina.

nPain flew forward and Pauvina swung her club, but the ‘Killing Round Blade’ avoided them as if it had a mind of its own. It seemed that concentrating the Mana into a single projectile had improved more than just the spell’s power.

nLuvesfol made a frustrated noise, unable to move properly because of his wounds. “Then I have no choice but to give up hope, and–”

nBut the moment he prepared himself to unleash three ‘Raging Torrent Breaths’ in defiant resistance, his entire body was swallowed whole – by Legion, who had expanded their body.

n“No matter how precise the enemy’s control is, there’s no problem if we wrap ourselves around your whole body, is there?” said Pluto.

nGuduranis, and even Randolf and Heinz were stunned to see a mass of flesh that was just ten meters in diameter expanding large enough to wrap around Luvesfol’s entire body, which was a hundred meters in length, in a single instant.

nThe ‘Killing Round Blade’ sank into Legion, who was now a mass of flesh that was larger than the castle. ‘Counter’ was activated, creating a deep wound in Guduranis’s chest, and murky nose-blood gushed out of the nose of the Demon King that was on it.

nGuduranis roared in pain. “You impudent… However, the Level of my ‘Mana Control’ and ‘Death-Attribute Resistance’ has increased!” He chuckled elatedly. “To think that the day would come when I would understand why you mortal vermin changed Jobs over and over!”

nEven while fighting Vandalieu, the Levels of Guduranis’s existing Skills was increasing, and he was gaining new Skills as well.

n“Moriya! You’re next!” said Guduranis. “Come forth, spirits of death born from my Mana–”

n“‘World Piercing Destructive Hollow Cannon.’”

n“‘Divine Zenith Life Cannon!’”

nVandalieu and Darcia’s spells exploded upon Guduranis, along with the artificial spirits that were being created by his incantation.

nA vast torrent of no-attribute Mana and a concentrated beam of life-attribute Mana tore large holes in Guduranis’s body.

nBut Guduranis screamed in agony, then shouted in exertion as he deliberately exposed himself to Darcia’s ‘Divine Zenith Life Cannon’ while protecting himself from Vandalieu’s ‘World Piercing Destructive Hollow Cannon.’

nHe possessed Edgar’s ‘All-Attribute Resistance’ Skill. Thus, although he was vulnerable to the no-attribute ‘World Piercing Destructive Hollow Cannon,’ he could withstand the power of the ‘Divine Zenith Life Cannon,’ a life-attribute spell.

n“So, I have no time to even recite incantations… In that case, I am left with no choice but to use one of my trump cards!” shouted Guduranis, who was now missing the left side of his torso from his shoulder to his stomach, as well as the entirety of his right arm.

nWith an ominous noise, his head began swelling.

nHis face remained the same, but his brain became exposed from his forehead all the way around to the back of his head as it swelled up into a repulsive-looking shape.

n“Is that the Demon King’s brain?” Vandalieu asked.

n“You are correct… It seems that Rikudou refrained from using it, assuming that it would stimulate my instinct and memories. But by using this, I can use my magic with even more precision and without any incantations!” said Guduranis.

nAnd as if to prove it, several artificial spirits appeared around him.

n

nThis is Edgar’s Status immediately prior to his absorption by Guduranis. After his absorption, the ‘Familiar Spirit Descent,’ ‘Niltark’s Divine Protection,’ and ‘Heroic Spirit Transformation’ Skills were lost.

nThere are also Skills that have become unusable because their owner is now Guduranis. (‘Light-Attribute Magic,’ for example.)

n‘Divine Judgment Blade Technique’ is a superior Skill resulting from the ‘Dagger Technique’ Skill awakening twice. ‘Shadow Archery’ is a superior Skill awakened once from ‘Archery.’

n‘Heroic Spirit Transformation’ is a Skill with the same effects as ‘Heroic Spirit Descent,’ and it is used by activating the fragments of the soul of Luke, a heroic spirit of Niltark, which were embedded in Edgar’s soul. It takes a greater toll on the body compared to ‘Heroic Spirit Descent,’ which extends the physical exhaustion that comes after its use.

nThe reason Guduranis cannot use this Skill despite absorbing Edgar’s soul is because it would be entirely meaningless for him to activate the soul fragments of a heroic spirit, a being that is far inferior to him.

nGuduranis has also increased the Level of several Skills such as ‘Mana Control’ due to the effects of Rikudou’s cheat-like abilities – ‘Increased Learning Speed’ and ‘Unlimited Development.’

n

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