NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
31. I’ll Hold This One Back
— As we left the royal capital, we headed straight for the Quadra Canyon in a magic carriage.
There, Luca and the others are planning to intercept the Demon General Gyrasvrim.
Considering the speed of the demon’s advance, it’s a matter of barely making it in time for the start of the battle.
“Most demon return to their original world—the demon realm—in a matter of days. There’s a theory that their activity in the human world is limited to that extent.”
Lilith explains to me inside the carriage.
By the way, this carriage belongs to the Adventurers Guild and is kept on standby within the guild as a means of transportation for subjugating demons.
“So, if we leave this one alone, will it eventually disappear?”
“That’s highly likely, based on past examples~”
Alice nods in response to my question.
“However, it’s not certain that they’ll definitely return. And… no matter what, they should be in this world for a few days, so we need to consider the extent of the damage during that time…”
Lilith informs with a solemn expression.
“So, the plan is interception and extermination—only option, right?”
“Yes, I hope this works out…”
In Lilith’s hand, there are three silver-shining magical tools.
This one, shaped like an arrowhead, is called a Magic Missile.
An item that amplifies the power of magic, Lilith has previously used it to defeat a dragon.
There are three shots in total.
“Magic Missiles are very valuable, aren’t they…”
“The one we used for dragon-slaying was given to us by Father, just one shot. He gave it to us as a celebration when we became adventurers.”
Lilith says.
“We were expecting a lot at that time, but… in the end, we only reached Rank B. He soon became disappointed and lost interest in us.”
She sighs with a dark expression.
“I see…”
“I think the interception team also has some shots, so if we shoot them all, we should be able to fight against high-ranking demons.”
Lilith immediately returns to her cheerful smile and says.
“Let’s do our best~! Oh, I can see it!”
Alice points ahead.
Quadra Canyon—.
A canyon flanked by steep cliffs.
The magic carriage approaches at considerable speed, and soon the figures of knights can be seen from a distance.
Is that the battlefield?
As I squint, golden light bursts.
Then, a gust of wind rushes in.
Could it be… has the battle already begun?
“Driver, hurry up more.”
At Lilith’s instruction, the magic carriage accelerates.
There are still bursts of magical light ahead, and winds like shockwaves blow— it seems like we’re entering a full-scale battle.
We need to join them soon—.
As the magic carriage gets closer, the battlefield becomes clearer.
“Luca…!?”
Beyond the waiting knights, there is the figure of a blue-haired girl knight.
She is fighting against a demon disguised as a black knight.
The dominant one is—the demon.
Luca, blown away, is slammed into the bedrock.
She can’t get up while lying down.
The demon approaches her.
She’ll be killed at this rate!
“Luca!”
I couldn’t help but shout.
Damn, it’s too far—.
As I gnash my teeth, a certain idea flashes through my mind.
“Lilith, can you fly me over there?”
“Fly you?”
Lilith is puzzled.
“With wind magic, blow me over there with my whole body. I’ll protect myself with a defensive spell.”
“Fly you like an arrow… I see. With your defensive magic, you might be able to move without a scratch…”
Lilith nods in agreement.
“I’m not very good with wind magic, but I’ll give it a try!”
When I look back, it seems like Luca is still unable to get up from the ground.
The black knight is raising a giant red sword.
This is bad, there’s no time left—.
“Haruto, get ready!”
Lilith shouts to me in a hurry.
It seems like she finished chanting the spell quickly.
I hurriedly move to the back of the carriage and activate my [Armor Phase] defense.
At the same time, Lilith releases the power of the spell.
“[El Gast]!”
—And on the wind, I leaped from the carriage, straight to the front lines.
I halted the demon’s sword, about to strike Luca, with my [Armor Phase] protection still on.
Take a moment to reassess the situation.
There are severed bodies a little distance away—perhaps adventurers.
Behind me is Luca, and further back, Dalton-san and the knights are waiting.
“Are you alright, Luca!”
I call out.
Even while bathed in colorful light, Luca continues to hold off Gairas Vrim’s giant sword with both hands.
“Haruto!”
Her voice, surprised, lacks strength.
Whether her bones are broken or she’s suffering internal injuries, she seems considerably weakened.
“Alice will be here soon. Step back and receive healing magic.”
“What about you?”
“You know what I’m going to do.”
I smirk, facing the black knight before me.
“I’ll hold this one back. Once Lilith and Alice arrive with the Magic Missiles, I’ll leave the attack to them after we join forces.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back soon. Hang in there until then.”
Luca stands up.
“I believe in your strength.”
Her footsteps fade away.
I keep my gaze unwavering on the black knight.
“[Ilfaria Crest]—I see, so that’s it.”
The demon’s voice carries weight.
He draws his sword, stepping back a few paces from me.
“I am one of the Demon King’s trusted lieutenants—Gyrasvrim, one of the Six Demon Generals… I have come here on orders from the Demon King to crush you without leaving a single piece of flesh or bone behind!”
It was a sudden proclamation.
“The King commands… crush whatever the gods’ intentions may be, and… thus I shall destroy you… utterly.”
Intense killing intent emanates from his red eyes.
As expected of one who claims to be the Demon King’s right-hand man, his presence is overwhelming.
Though he seems to have taken damage from the battle with Luca, even so—compared to the dragon or D-Eater I fought before, his oppressive aura is incomparable.
“Let’s start with sixty percent…”
The demon raises the red giant sword with both hands.
The black aura emanating from his entire body envelops the blade like a metal plate.
“Take this—!”
With a roar, Gyrasvrim brings down his sword.
A storm-like shockwave.
The crimson blade strikes.
But all of it is repelled by my [Armor Phase] protection, without leaving any residual shockwaves behind, given the attack’s potential to destroy several towns.
The demon continues with a second and third strike.
And I remain completely unscathed.
The defense of light I’ve deployed remains unwavering.
“Quite resilient… Then, with this!”
Gyrasvrim increases the speed of his slashes.
From single-strike lethal blows to continuous attacks.
The red giant sword rains down on me from all directions at tremendous speed.
But no matter how many strikes I receive. No matter how many hundreds—.
My defense cannot be breached.
An attack capable of destroying towns, yet my defense remains unbroken.
“This one…”
A hint of unease creeps into Gairas Vrim’s voice.
Then, the light enveloping my body begins to flicker.
It’s almost time for the duration to expire.
“Hmph, so it’s reaching its limit? Then shatter, human!”
Realizing his opportunity, the demon raises his sword even higher than before.
—Alter.
—[Kaleidoscope Shift].
I immediately switch the type of my defense skill.
I chant the keywords in my mind to make it easier to visualize.
The angelic emblem floating before me increases from two wings to six.
Simultaneously, my skill changes from ‘receiving attacks’ to ‘dispersing and reflecting attacks in the thousands’.
I used this skill when fighting Luca before.
However, back then, I reflected attacks in all directions, whereas this time, I’ve made a slight adjustment.
“Take this!”
Rather than reflecting in all directions, I release dispersed reflected slashes forward.
Countless red flashes burst forth.
“What!?”
The slashes I unleashed rain down as a counterattack and Gyrasvrim gets blown back several meters.
During that time, I activated my [Armor Phase] protection, which had expired.
Once again, a dazzling light covers my entire body.
As long as I’m not targeted during the skill cooldown, Gyrasvrim cannot damage me.
“I can fight—”
I feel a solid sense of assurance.
My skills are effective even against a high-ranking demon claiming to be a general.
If I continue to hold back Gyrasvrim like this and wait for the recovered Luca and Lilith and the attackers with the Magic Missiles—.
I can defeat him.
“…Indeed, it’s the power of protection. Absolutely unyielding…”
Gyrasvrim mutters.
“Still, I believe in my sword alone. Next, let’s go for eighty percent.”
After declaring so, the demon raises his sword once again.
I had guessed as much from his previous dialogue about ‘sixty percent’, but his power is still increasing.
But, I’ll withstand it.
No matter how powerful the attack, my skills will not allow any damage.
“Roaaar!”
With a beast-like roar, the red sword is engulfed in a black aura.
The blade, reminiscent of rugged iron plates, transforms into one reminiscent of burning flames.
No, perhaps this is its true form.
Fused with his own power and sword, it’s truly a demonic sword—.
“The power of the protecting god and my destructive power—which will prevail, let’s see!”
Joy colors Gyrasvrim’s voice.
To live by battle, to die by battle.
Is that the joy of a warrior?
“Now, take this—!”
With a roar, the demon raises the red sword—.
And the next moment, it was Gyrasvrim who let out a scream.