Maou – Chapter 30-31: Sense of Justice

—Front of the Holy Castle

The remaining Satanists from two attacked locations were gathering steadily onto the Holy Castle.

They have dealt plenty of damage to the high class district and general district respectively, but the casualties from the Satanist’s side is also not trivial either.

What was most unexpected was that, from the group that attacked the commercial district, not a single one of them returned.

The original plan was to stop the attack after a certain time was reached, and then overlap three upside-down crosses to use them.

Losing one of them damages the plan heavily.

One side was being pushed by Queen, and the other by Mink, the Satanists were being cornered.

The two leaders looked at each other and nodded, and with the upside-down crosses, they shout at the top of their lungs.

““[Summon Devil]!””

The upside-down crosses grew closely packed thorns, and the Satanists were covered by a black mist.

That was bigger than the time when Carnival was summoned and stronger.

With around 700 lives and 2 upside-down crosses as base, a High Devil appeared.

—Duke of Darkness: Oluit.

Different from Carnival, he had elegant clothes and is a powerful Devil.

There’s no wounds from his bluish skin and his face is also shaped incredibly well, his hair so long it could reach all the way to his waist, the color of his hair a transparent-like white. At his back there’s beautiful black wings, and his looks had more nobility than a noble.

“Oh? I have been called to quite the unpleasant place.” (Oluit)

Oluit looks at the Holy Castle in front of him and furrows his brows.

The Holy Castle has several tens of barriers that were made by the Cherub and many angels who poured their heart and blood into it. For Devils, it is a royal pain of a place.

For Oluit, just being close to it was making him feel exhaustion he can’t do anything about and displeasure.

And that’s how it should be. This barrier is made in a way so that the more power you have, the stronger the light and intensity of it will be.

“It truly is unpleasant.” (Oluit)

And yet, Oluit didn’t step away from this place. The presence in front of him, this castle, was so angering it was unbearable.

He wanted to break it into pieces right this instant. He couldn’t restrict his desire to destroy this barrier and make a mess of the inside.

No, he is not putting any effort in restricting such desire.

“The Duke of Darkness? …What the fuck is going on…” (Queen)

Queen had run to the place in question, and when she saw Oluit, she was shocked.

This wasn’t something that is okay to appear in the human world.

But Oluit saw Queen and his face warps. He was already in a bad mood, and now more displeasure was added.

“On top of that, a repugnant dog of that unpleasant angel, huh… [Duke’s Majesty].” (Oluit)

“You shits, close your eyes!!!” (Queen)

The eyes of Oluit shine a red light, and when Queen saw this, she shouted.

She must have instantly caught onto the fact that the opponent was going to activate a skill, but her voice was one second too late. Fuji and the knights that were at Queen’s back were blown away all at once.

“I haven’t allowed ants to stand on two legs, you know? [Beautiful Prison Land].” (Oluit)

The Devil activates the special skill of Devils.

It was bigger scale than that of Carnival and -excluding the Holy Castle- the whole place around was isolated.

“You bastards! All go inside the Holy Castle!!” (Queen)

“Oya oya, do you think I will allow that?” (Oluit)

Oluit spread both of his hands in front of the Holy Castle, and shrugs his shoulders as if saying ‘good grief’.

He is good looking, so no matter what pose he does, he was a picturesque Devil. But that beautiful face distorts again.

Because another person with abnormally strong holy power had appeared.

“Duke of Darkness, huh… Indeed, darkness and darkness do attract each other.” (Mink)

The S rank adventurer Star Player, Mink.

She is also one of the few prominent holy magic users in the continent.

Holy Maiden, Star Player, and on top of that the barrier of the Holy Castle.

For Oluit, it was a slightly disadvantageous situation that’s hard to believe he is in.

But he is not retreating. Because he won’t be satisfied unless he tears apart that annoying presence that’s coming from the castle with his own hand.

Seeing that Oluit wasn’t showing any signs of retreating, Queen went to where Fuij is, and turns his big body around with her leg.

“…It has been a while since I have used it.” (Queen)

Queen grabs the God Hammer, Sigma, that Fuji was carrying on his back.

Not only does it have high attack power, it is also one of the few in the continent that can use basic magic too. A prominent legendary weapon. The moment Queen held it in her hands, she hits Oluit with it.

Oluit repelled the God Hammer with the back of his hand, but his face distorts in pain. To make a High Devil show pain is a feat that’s hard to believe came from a single attack of a human.

“What a vulgar woman, [Darkness Beam].” (Oluit)

Oluit shoots a 4th tier spell chantless. However, the God Hammer of Queen releases light as if rejecting it!

“Protect me already, [Light Wall]!” (Queen)

Queen spits out words as if she were ordering a slave even though it is considered a legendary weapon.

The wall of light clashed with the black light, but it was unable to block it and pierces her body.

Without giving time to rest, Oluit tried to shoot his next magic, but the hindrance that came from the side cancelled his magic.

Mink ran to the battle and had swung down the cross she uses as a weapon.

Oluit used both of his hands as a shield to block it, but the hit had made both of his arms release white smoke.

What Mink is wielding is an extremely problematic weapon for Devils. The Cross Star Staff, Twinkle, that deals damage to evil existences just by touching them. This is also a unique weapon.

It had great affinity with her holy magic.

“Haha! Well done, big titted woman!” (Queen)

“T-Titted, you say… Hey you…!” (Mink)

“You insolent humans…” (Oluit)

It turned into a defensive fight for Oluit from there on. His affinity against them is bad. On top of that, the stage is bad.

He normally wouldn’t ever fight in a place like this and would immediately move the battle elsewhere. However, even someone calm like him couldn’t hold down the rage welling up from the pit of his stomach.

The base of what could be said to be the hated nemesis of the Devils -a hatred engraved into the deepest core of their cells- was right in front of him.

Catching on that Queen was going to engage in close combat, Mink further chants.

“I, the one clad in fresh blood of darkness, [Angel Cross]!” (Mink)

A sacred armor covers the whole body of Mink, and that annoying light made Oluit groan. It was a light that felt as if his soul was being scraped off just by looking at it.

Mink lines up by the side of Queen with a powerful anti-devil buff on herself, and hits Oluit with her weapon.

The holy power was eating into the body of Oluit, and the reverse was also true, the darkness of Oluit was eating into the body of the two.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes; each time they clash, the three got injured. When thinking about their affinity, this was practically like punching each other with no guard.

But the many disadvantageous points were cornering Oluit as times passed.

If time had passed in this same way, the two would have been able to grasp victory.

But *squelch*.

A black liquid rained from the sky.

When looking up, there’s a girl floating in midair. What she dropped from the box in her hand was Hell.

The black liquid spreads through the surface as if running, and in an instant, it arrives at the feet of the two.

“Shit…Hell…again……” (Queen)

“No way?! Why is Hell in a place like this?!” (Mink)

The two lose strength and collapse in place.

Maybe because it absorbed a lot of power, the strength of Hell was a lot higher than last time.

“You insolent humans!” (Oluit)

Oluit kicks the curled up Queen, and her body was sent flying way back.

Then, extending the nails of his right hand really long, he cuts the body of Mink.

“This is the end, [Dark Depths Beam].” (Oluit)

Oluit shot a vile 5th tier spell, not only piercing the body of the two, but also the houses at their back, and the buildings that are lined up in front of the Holy castle were being destroyed by the straight line beam.

“Did you think you could win just because you have a barrier, you insolent humans.” (Oluit)

The two couldn’t even react to the words of Oluit.

The defeat of a Holy Maiden and an S rank adventurer had made the surroundings fall silent. Moreover, the injured body of Oluit was visibly healing because of the influence of Hell.

“Queen!”

“Don’t come, Sis… Maintain the barrier…!!” (Queen)

White couldn’t bear it anymore and had come all the way to the front of the Holy Castle but Queen raised her voice out loud. The Holy Castle’s barrier will lose effectiveness if the Holy Maidens are all absent.

If it ends up in such a thing in this kind of situation, the Holy Castle would fall.

“Now then, let’s begin a fantastic feast. The sin of angering me is heavy, you know?” (Oluit)

Oluit steps down onto the abdomen of Queen, and a sound of bones breaking reverberated.

He then grabs the head of Mink in that position and punches her whole body persistently. Punches, and punches, and punches, and punches continuously.

There’s a lot more ways to deal damage effectively, but he must want to crush that annoying armor with his own hands.

“S-Something like your darkness…won’t be able to…” (Mink)

“Silence, insect.” (Oluit)

Hell was spreading every passing minute, and the sound of merciless hits was echoing in front of the Holy Castle.

It was an attack where each punch was being calculated in such way that it doesn’t kill the other party. Oluit is an incredibly calm and intellectual one, but his true nature is thoroughly that of a Devil.

■■□□■■□□

(The hell’s that… This ain’t no joke!)

Maou, who had finally arrived in front of the Holy Castle, was holding his head at the sight that was unfolding before his eyes.

He had entered the clock tower where it seemed like he could watch the situation safely, but what entered his eyes immediately was the crazy yankee woman, and what he saw next was the liquid that’s probably a monster.

Seeing this, Maou assumes that it is most likely a Devil again.

(Also, that outfit…That’s the last Holy Maiden, huh.) (Maou)

Looking at the Holy Maiden at the entrance of the castle shouting something, Maou trembles.

She is also incredibly good looking, but in this man’s eyes, there’s already a strong prejudice that Holy Maidens cannot be normal.

And in reality, he has seen Luna and Queen, so this is a natural assumption.

(These bastards… As if I will let that monster do as it pleases!) (Maou)

He has things to investigate, but he is also trying to open a business.

If the country gets turned into a mess because of a situation like this, it would be all for naught. Even so, thinking about the problems that would happen after, he can’t just come out.

(Ah…!)

At that moment, a jolt runs in the brain of Maou!

(Right, I can just push the problematic Holy Maidens to that guy.) (Maou)

What surfaced in his mind was the period drama delinquent. Moreover, that Yankee Holy Maiden clearly holds what seems to be love towards Zero.

The true meaning of throwing the trouble to someone else.

Being liberated from the problems at once, Maou opens the admin window in good mood.

(I can return after a brief period of time anyways. With this, the trouble stays at the other side of the fence.) (Maou)

With the decision of Maou, a white light that brightened the clock tower and all the area around was released. It was like how a legend begins; and it also looked like a light that wipes away the darkness.

Oluit narrows his eyes at that light, and even the several thousands of citizens that were trembling directed their eyes there as if wondering if an Angel-sama has descended.

What appeared after the light was…a man with pure white clothes with a giant dragon at its back.

His hair dyed silver was swaying, and that ‘dragon’ was reflected in the eyes of everyone as dazzling.

“Zero-samaaaaa!!” (Queen)

Seeing that figure of his, Queen shouts without minding the surroundings.

Even though her body is riddled in injuries, it looked as if she had completely forgotten her pain.

Seeing this, Zero laughs lightly.

In the eyes of Zero, this woman was always crouched and sunk in black liquid(?).

“What… Are you being picked on again?” (Zero)

Zero has absolutely no idea of what’s going on.

It was all cityscape as far as the eye reaches, and what’s funny is that there’s even a western-like castle in front of him.

The people there were all foreigners.

In the game, there were many foreigners as well, so in his mind, he reached a conclusion.

“Is this a new stage of the shitty Empire? There’s even a strange monster.” (Zero)

No matter what the Grand Empire pulls, it wouldn’t be strange.

That crazy country gathers crazy humans, and with crazy military power, they made the world into a mess after all.

In the second half of the game, not only were they experimenting on humans, they were even experimenting on several animals, and had set it up so that things like Chimeras would be released in the stages to attack the participants.

No matter what kind of ‘monster’ the Grand Empire creates, the residents of that world wouldn’t be surprised.

“Who…are you? Where did you come from?” (Oluit)

Oluit reflexively asks. Even from the eyes of a High Devil, he was still an eerie existence that gives him an unknown feeling.

Zero didn’t answer that question and jumps down from the roof lightly, approaching Oluit without any words.

Surprisingly, Hell was avoiding his path.

The ‘Dragon’ approaches as if separating the black liquid.

Everyone at the front of the Holy Castle were looking at him with bated breath.

The closer he gets to Oluit, the sharper the eyes of the ‘Dragon’ get. Finally, when he approaches to the point where their foreheads could hit each other, the Dragon laughs.

“It reeks. You smell of murder, you know.” (Zero)

Oluit slashes with his nails. Zero ducks to evade it, and then drives a kick into his stomach with no effort.

The prideful High Devil was sent flying several meters up, and there was now a smudge of a boot on his elegant clothes.

“Y-You bastard…!” (Oluit)

There’s already a bluish fire surging from Zero’s body.

He must have activated [Fury Dance]. However, his peak is not there, but in a ‘different place’.

As if displaying this…

To everyone’s surprise, he showed his back to Oluit regardless of him being in the middle of a battle, and shows off the dragon at his back.

“Carrying the banner of Peerless Under the Heavens, the place I arrived at was the path of carnage! [Sense of Justice].” (Zero)

<<5 damage for each kill counter the target has. Upper limit, 50 damage.>>

Zero speaks in a big loud voice like in a period drama, and his body was wrapped up in red fire -it is the activation of the battle skill, [Sense of Justice].

“How vulgar. Was that supposed to be a cha—AGAAAAAAAH!!” (Oluit)

A second later, Oluit let out a vulgar scream.

The left fist of Zero had, at some point in time, driven into the abdomen of Oluit. Without delay, his right fist raised a howl as it hits the face of Oluit!

Oluit’s body scrapes the floor with force and crashes onto the unpopulated church at the back. Unable to bear the impact of it, several cracks run through the walls of the church, and finally, the whole building raises a tragic sound as it collapses.

“Guuh…!!” (Oluit)

The figure of Oluit as he crawled his way out of the rubble was a dreadful one.

His hair was a mess and his elegant clothes were now covered in dust. Moreover, there’s tears coming out from his eyes.

A High Devil that’s even called the Duke of Darkness is now crying in front of a human. This sight stole the speech of the people around.

“You piece of trash that makes women cry. I will teach you how much of a weakling you are.” (Zero)

Zero showed a ferocious smile and spins his right arm.

That gallant figure of his created abnormal commotion from the surroundings, and they probably couldn’t endure it any longer.

Finally…close to thousands of spectators, raised big cheers.

• Chapter 31: All or Nothing

“Ah…guh…”

Right now the brain of Oluit was at the peak of confusion.

His superhuman body was raising cries.

Why?

A plain human, with a plain fist; just how much pain can something like that bring? Piercing through several defensive spells as if ignoring them, he was dealt intense damage. Moreover, a pain high enough for his soul to cry in agony.

It would be somewhat understandable if it were an opponent who can use holy magic, but there wasn’t a single trace of magic power from the opponent’s fist.

“You, how long are you gonna be sleeping for.” (Zero)

Zero kicks the side of Oluit’s stomach without restraint.

A High Devil who gathers praise and love and is called the Duke of Darkness was being kicked around like a soccer ball, and he crashes onto the barrier of the Holy Castle.

At that instant, fire lit up on the whole body of Oluit.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!” (Oluit)

A thunderous scream and sparks dispersed into the surroundings, and a burned smell fills the place.

This is a matter of course. There’s no way the body of a High Devil would be able to come out unscathed from touching the barrier that the Cherub created.

It was like an electric explosion.

The strength of the Dragon that didn’t falter at all against a High Devil was rising the voltage of the people around even more, but the face of Zero who was seeing this became steadily grimmer, and he finally clicks his tongue.

“You…heating up the crowd more than me…You picking a fight?!” (Zero)

The special logic of a delinquent.

Because they are the type of people that would even go as far as feeling ecstasy in heating up the gallery, he was totally flipping for having the spotlight taken away.

In the opinion of Oluit, he wanted to shout ‘Don’t joke around!’.

“You..impudent trash! [Dark Depths Beam]!” (Oluit)

Oluit shot a darkness spell with all his might, and the black beam hits the body of Zero. However, after the beam that’s supposed to pierce through everything was gone, what was there was the unwounded delinquent.

With the [Fury Dance] activated, the magic of the Duke of Darkness won’t be able to deal a single wound onto the body of Zero.

“You…do you have the leisure of playing around in our one-on-one?” (Zero)

A wrinkle appears in between Zero’s brows and he pushes onto Oluit an unreasonable anger.

Maybe Zero felt as if he was being made a fool, his body was trembling in anger. Zero must have felt as if he had been shot by a beam gun like those children toys.

For Oluit, this was a complete nightmare.

“Don’t…don’t joke around! There’s no way this noble me will die in a place like this…!” (Oluit)

Oluit spreads the wings on his back and takes flight.

And then, he approached the Cambion that was watching this battle expressionlessly from the sky, Tron, and without any restraint, pierced her body with his hand.

“Gh…aah…”

Oluit raised the girl’s body, and then drinks the blood coming out from her body.

It is the [Vampirism] skill he possesses.

There’s practically no effect with mere humans, but the blood of a Cambion can recover him right then and there.

“What dirty blood. It stinks so much it is unbearable.” (Oluit)

She was thrown away as if he were throwing out garbage, and she falls onto the ground. Because of the heavy damage in her abdomen, her life was already on the verge of dissipating.

In her already dimming consciousness, she faintly thinks: ‘Why do I have to suffer like this?’.

By the time she had awareness, her parents were already nowhere to be found, and she was being thoroughly discriminated in the demon territory and suffered beatings in a daily basis as she lived at the brink of her life.

Drinking muddy water, eating rotten meat from the corpse of a pig, and there’s times when she couldn’t endure the hunger anymore and would even eat poisonous plants.

Even when she escaped to the human territory, what was waiting for her was persecution and attempts to subjugate her.

With nowhere to live in, she was picked up by Utopia, but what was waiting for her there was to be treated like trash.

She always has vacant thoughts like ‘why was I born?’ and a bitter wail felt like it was surfacing.

“What a horrendous thing to do. Oi, brat, you alive?” (Zero)

The Silver Dragon appears in her field of vision.

That was the last thing she would be seeing—or at least that’s how it was supposed to be.

“Oi, open your mouth. Can’t hear me, brat?” (Zero)

The Dragon forcefully opens the girl’s mouth and throws something in.

The moment the girl felt a strange texture of food and a bit of sweetness, her pierced abdomen began closing at a shocking speed.

Even if she had been told what she ate was the ‘blood of a Dragon’, she would have believed it.

“Aaah…”

The pain in her body began to disappear, and the blood stopped coming out.

It wasn’t on the level of closing a wound. It was an effect so shocking that it felt as if time had been rewinded.   

What the Dragon had thrown into her mouth was the game’s healing item, Calorie Mate. <An actual japanese product that’s basically a meme in Japan.>

The name is a joke, but it is an excellent healing item that recovers a whopping 100.

In this world, the regular medicinal plants heal 1 to 3, and the highly priced potions that adventurers use, most wouldn’t even reach 10.

Being able to instantly heal 100 is impossible.

To the eyes of the surrounding, it only looked like the Blood of a Dragon that’s said to heal any kind of illness or wound, and there’s even rumors saying it can grant immortality.

Oluit was also watching this event with shock.

“You bastard, are you a new species of dragon?! There’s no way that’s possible…!” (Oluit)

Oluit shouts something, and finally, reaches a decision.

‘If I don’t kill this dragon right here, it will be a disaster’.

If he were to go to the demon territory, who knows what kind of chaos he would create.

Oluit pierces his own body with both of his hands, and tears it open as if he were opening a door.

On the other hand, Zero confirmed that the girl’s wound was closed, and nods as if relieved. However, the face of the girl was still expressionless and was giving out gloominess.

“You are gloomy, brat. You survived, so how about smiling?” (Zero)

“Smile…I have long forgotten how to do that.” (Tron)

The girl says as if spitting out blood.

Zero made a troubled expression, but feeling the moving presence from his back, he grabbed the collar of the girl and threw her into an alley without restraint.

That action of his was forceful, but it was most likely his way of showing consideration by not allowing the kitten get caught in the fight.

When Zero turns around, Oluit had torn open his body and had ‘turned it around’.

What appeared was a bat. Moreover, several hundreds, maybe several thousands; an uncountable amount of bats were crowding together and were forming one body.

The creepy flapping of wings, and the two red shining eyes; this is the real appearance of Oluit.

When he turns back to this form, his strength increases by leaps, but he becomes extremely weak against holy magic, so he rarely uses this form.

“Annoying Dragon! That pride of yours playing ‘neutral’, I will be judging it here!” (Oluit)

Oluit directs raw killing intent towards Zero, but the attention of Zero was not directed at the monster in front of him, but at the girl at his back.

Even Zero could tell that that girl has walked through a painful life.

Because he was by no means born in a blessed environment either.

“Smile, brat. No matter how painful the situation,the one that smiles like an idiot, is the strongest person to ever exist.” (Zero)

He doesn’t know what kind of expression the girl made after his statement.

However, he could tell that she gulped.

“Looking away, how leisure you are, Dragon! Fall together with that pride of yours!” (Oluit)

The body of Oluit rushes forward as if bursting.

It was so fast that the wind raised a cry as he cut through it.

From the whole body of Zero, who was standing to receive this attack, surges a violent silver flame.

The Dragon shouts —to the top of his lungs!

“Heavens, watch carefully! [All or Nothing]!!” (Zero)

A giant darkness and silver light clash straight on, and cross each other.

Within a silence that felt as if the world had stopped, several cracks appeared from the giant darkness, and finally, its whole body raised a cry as it turned into black mist.

The skill that Zero used is a broken skill that adds 10 damage for each kill counter the opponent has; a top class attack. On top of that, the upper limit is 500 damage.

A Devil that has killed countless amounts of people has no chance of enduring something like that.

Zero had his swung fist in place for a while, but in time, he raised that fist of his, and directs a finger to the sky.

This was a bold statement of being No.1.

It was an appeal to the gallery that had gathered.

Seeing this, the audience raised their fists up and cheered.

In time, several hundreds, several thousands of people raised their fist the same way and made a big cheer.

This voice spread to the other districts like a tsunami, and in time, the whole Holy Capital was wrapped in heat.

“How’s that, brat? Made you remember how to smile, right?” (Zero)

Zero made a smile like that of a mischievous kid towards the girl at the alley.

The girl had her eyes wide open for a while, but in time tears flow down from her eyes and she nodded widely. Finally, unable to endure it, she runs to Zero, jumps, and hugs him.

“Dahaha! Got pretty energetic there, brat.” (Zero)

“…Not brat. Tron.” (Tron)

“Tron? What a dull name you got there.” (Zero)

When Zero muttered that, he suddenly felt soft things at his back.

Queen had hugged him with a red face. From an outsider’s perspective, this was an incredibly sweet appearance.

Zero didn’t have any troubles with children, but this did confuse him. He is an old style delinquent, and is a man made out of toughness.

“Y-You…! A woman shouldn’t do that in public…!” (Zero)

“I won’t let you go ever again!” (Queen)

Queen had an ecstatic expression as she clung to him, and the softness of her breasts were making Zero’s face redden.

Just when in front of Zero, Queen is through and through a beauty, so for him, this was no joke.

“L-Let go of me! Listen well, a man and a woman shouldn’t be doing this in public…!” (Zero)

“Zero…the back of a dragon is incredibly manly…and this chest too…” (Queen)

The fingers of both of Queen’s hands were moving around his tough chest, and Zero quivers.

Just where did his gallant figure go to.

That look of his was making several thousands of people laugh, and the darkness that was covering the Holy Capital had completely vanished.

And in this way, there were now rumors about the descent of the evil vanquishing Silver Dragonewt and the Demon Lord’s descent in the Holy Light Country, which are two complete opposites, and they spread around the whole country.

In time, those rumours wouldn’t only stay within the country, but also spread to the outside countries as well.

The chaos that a single man will create and the big misunderstandings will finally spread to the whole continent, and it will turn into an event that will involve the whole world.

—But that’s something for a bit into the future.

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