LS – Chapter 355: Thus, confrontation

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◇◇

“Now then, where is the core~…?”

We landed on the ground and searched for the core of Zahava.

We managed to destroy the body, but it is not like we shot through the core.

The core is still present somewhere around these scattered pieces of flesh.

The wounds made from an attack that has the mana of a different Demon Lord don’t heal easily.

There’s the need to cut off the corroded part to regenerate it. That goes the same for the core.

Zahava can’t regenerate unless she cuts off the meat around her core.

We may not be able to distinguish the location of the core, but we should be able to find it if it is in a naked state.

We just have to blow up everything around the pieces of flesh that are moving in this situation.

“…I can’t see it. I doubt we have killed her though…” (Mix)

“I agree. Even I wouldn’t die with an attack of that level. It would be better to think she is observing the situation to find a moment to regenerate.” (Niru)

Niruryates searched for the core of Zahava while trampling on the pieces of meat nearby.

Mix and Niruryates are not lowering their guard at all.

They don’t doubt at all that Zahava has not been defeated with that attack just now.

Even if we can’t find the core, we won’t be lowering our guard until the signs of battle above are gone.

Zahava won’t be able to get outside as long as Niruryates has a grasp of the whole room.

“There’s also the possibility that she is keeping her movements down to make us think that she has already escaped the room.” (Mix)

“Nope. My nerves are connected to the double layered floor.” (Niru)

“Doesn’t it hurt when the floor is pierced through or something?” (Mix)

“It is just like the sensation of a membrane inside my body being stabbed. I would even say it feels good.” (Niru)

“Ooh… You probably would be able to tell when she gets out of the room if you are that sensitive.” (Mix)

“Her pieces of flesh have dense mana left in them, so it will be difficult to locate the core—” (Niru)

Niruryates reacted, and Mix noticed this, throwing a knife immediately towards the direction where she looked.

There was Zahava in the middle of regenerating from a humanoid form.

Not only the clothes, even the body had not recovered properly, so you could peek at the spherical core from the head that had only regenerated half of it.

The thrown knife of Mix pierced through that core, and Zahava let out an unintelligible scream of pain.

I accumulated mana into my arm and had already dashed into range. I should be able to hit the core accurately at this distance…

“It is a trap! Get back!” (Niru)

“?!”

I reacted to the shout of Niruryates, burst out mana, and propelled myself away.

At that instant, the area around Zahava warped as if being crushed by an invisible wall.

Gravity magic. Moreover, an attack that drags herself in it.

The exposed core wouldn’t come out fine either if you were to do something like that. No, Niruryates said it was a trap.

In that case, the Zahava there was a fake?

“Nice reaction. But I bought enough time to regenerate.”

I looked at where the voice came from, and there she was: Zahava with her regenerated body.

She has returned to her humanoid form, but her wounds have completely healed.

Looks like she healed the meat around the core in the time we reacted to the fake.

“So you created a clone with the remaining pieces of meat. Faking even a core, you really went in. Are you okay with your remaining mana?” (Wolfe)

“It is my first time throwing all the meat aside from the core. There’s barely any left thanks to that.” (Zahava)

Zahava let out a light sigh while regenerating her clothes.

Her outer appearance is the same as before, but she has lost a lot of mana.

The plan we prepared carefully was by no means pointless.

Zahava will have to fight in a state where she cannot use mana if this continues.

We have the advantage…but I can’t help but feel creeped out by how composed Zahava is.

“You are going to regenerate your clothes with the little mana you have left? There’s no gentleman, so you can just go around naked.” (Niru)

“It is the last of my mana as a human after all. I would like to use it as humanly as possible.” (Zahava)

“Oh, so you are admitting that you have been cornered?” (Niru)

“…Right. It was stupid of me to underestimate you all, thinking you were all weaklings compared to the ones I fought before, but…I will admit that there’s the need against you people.” (Zahava)

Ilias said she felt as if cracks ran through the body of Zahava. I can understand the meaning of those words now.

The blood of a beast that’s flowing inside of me made me take distance, disregarding my will.

What’s in front of me right now is a monstrosity that’s wearing the skin of a person.

That monstrosity is trying to break through the shell and come to the outside.

“Are you planning on throwing away everything that makes you a person?” (Wolfe)

“Not everything. I am certain that my love towards the Demon Lord-sama will remain.” (Zahava)

“Love… Don’t you feel like stopping the rampage of your loved one? Are you saying it is the right thing to throw away your humanity for the sake of your loved one?” (Wolfe)

“I know the reason why she is going as far as using us as sacrificial pawns to exterminate the people. I know that person’s despair…her resolve. That’s why I will kill people for the sake of the Demon Lord-sama. I have become a cold and merciless spider to be a pawn that won’t make the Demon Lord-sama regret having ordered this of me.” (Zahava)

Zahava stared at empty space.

Eyes that are filled with kindness, longing, and overflowing love. She must be directing those eyes at someone who is not here.

I think I understand the feelings of Zahava a bit. I have felt like ‘I want to be the desired me for the person I love’ before after all.

Obedient towards Shishou, and get happy about Shishou’s words. I wanted to become the Wolfe that would bring out the best results in the path Shishou guided.

The allure of becoming the best me that the person I love wants is something that can’t be overturned that easily.

Zahava managed to remain unchanging for centuries with just those feelings alone.

“I don’t plan on arguing about the shape of your love, but the people here are people who are fighting for the sake of their loved ones. I am interested in who is the strongest one.” (Niru)

“There’s no need to even compare the love of a half-baked person who couldn’t throw away her humanity or even fall.” (Zahava)

Zahava raised her arm and quickly bent her wrist, and a small piece of flesh on the ground flew towards Zahava’s hand.

She must have shot a spider string and pulled it.

That piece of flesh was the tongue that had the ring that is her demonic tool.

She tore away the ring from what was once her tongue, put it on herself while looking at it with love, and licked her own blood.

The demonic tool that allows for short range teleportation.

But she can only teleport in places where her mana is present, so we have a barrier that blocks the teleport to outside this room.

She could use it to teleport inside this room, but Mix has made countermeasures for that as well.

If Zahava uses her ring, we would be able to get an opening again, but…

“The Demon Lord-sama told us this when she was giving the demonic tools to the demons: ‘What kind of shape would you desire…?’. That’s why I said a ring without hesitation. I didn’t care what kind of power it gave me. I received a ring from the Demon Lord-sama. That was enough for me.” (Zahava)

Zahava put the ring on top of her own tongue as if saying her inside is the most suitable place to store this precious thing, and slowly swallowed it.

And then, when she looked at us again…that happened…

“?!”

A feeling as if something got on top of my whole body.

It wasn’t only me, Mix and Niruryates also felt this.

This isn’t a hallucination. This is some sort of power.

What I thought of immediately from the battle style of Zahava was gravity magic.

But Mix has placed magic seal stones here and there in the surroundings.

It would be dispelled if it were a spell that has a large range of effect, and even if it is one that hits the surroundings of the target, Mix should have been fine.

In other words, this is not magic but gravity itself.

Zahava is controlling gravity around us with something outside of magic.

“This much is nothing-desu zo! This is just a few times higher than normal at best. I can endure with mana strengthening!” (Mix)

“No, this is rough. I am affected by it a whole lot more because of how my boobs are bigger than all of you!” (Niru)

“Shut up! I am going to tear them off-desu zo!” (Mix)

“Don’t. The Purple Demon Lord almost did that to me and it really got to me.” (Niru)

It is true that the effects are low for a gravity spell attack.

It may be rough for someone like Shishou who can’t use mana strengthening, but we all can use mana strengthening strong enough for combat.

“This is not really an attack anyways. If I were to call it something, I would say it is the weight of my love towards the Demon Lord-sama?” (Zahava)

“Even someone from the same sex would be taken aback by love that’s physically heavy, you know? Also, please don’t push your love to other people.” (Niru)

“It is just that I can’t hold it back. Because, see? It…okay…to not hold back anymore after all.” (Zahava)

Zahava’s body split and giant spider legs sprung out from inside.

The skin and flesh tore apart, the bones broke, and a giant body began to crawl out from it while spraying blood around as if it were a door connecting to another world.

“Demon Lord…-sama. Zahava…loves…you…”

She weaved her last words in her human shell, and a giant spider appeared into the world from inside that.

There’s no shadow of a person from that thing, and only indiscriminate killing intent was being scattered around, pressing onto our bodies.

“I did think she would become a spider in the end. Wow, she is the very definition of a spider.” (Niru)

“I can feel her killing intent, but… Niruryates-dono…do you think there’s sanity left in that?” (Mix)

“You expect sanity in a spider? Probably none—” (Niru)

Niruryates pushed Mix away.

By the time I noticed that movement, the upper half of Niruryates had been minced into pieces of flesh and flew around.

That wasn’t teleportation magic. That was raw overwhelming speed.

I was concentrating on the moment it moved, and yet, I couldn’t see the movements of Zahava.

Even so, I dashed in by reflex, moved to the front of Mix, fixed my aim at Zahava, and punched her.

But the sensation of my punch was strange.

The power of my punch has been killed like the time when the Green Demon Lord stopped my punch before.

“Wolfe-chan!” (Mix)

I felt an attack coming with the call of Mix.

There’s nothing ahead of my gaze, so it should be coming from the opposite direction.

I release the remaining mana accumulated in my fists in the direction where I think the attack is coming from to take distance.

Something scraped me from the side.

The air was sliced up and my body was sent flying from an attack that felt as if it swept even the space around it.

I expel mana to fix my posture, land on the wall that I was sent flying to, and look in the direction where I was.

Zahava was slowly returning the leg that she had swung.

An attack that I couldn’t follow with my eyes.

I remember Murshto who I fought against in Serende, and I felt cold sweat flowing down from me.

Murshto’s charge had everything of himself put in that one attack. There was human technique within it.

But that’s not the case for Zahava.

Her movements were just purely way too fast.

Lazarikata can literally bend her lies into truths, Ofaro can burn everything and everyone who approaches him with infinite heat; my opinion of Zahava, who was just fighting normally, was that she was somewhat plain compared to those two.

I thought that maybe Zahava didn’t have a special power like the other two demons.

But that wasn’t it.

Zahava has poured all of her gifts as a demon into close combat. A super strengthening that could match the Strife of the Scarlet Demon Lord.

She has surpassed the laws of the living beings that exist in this world.

The Scarlet Demon Lord may excel in strengthening, but the body of the Scarlet Demon Lord was that of a human.

Zahava is strengthening a spider body. The physical strength of a spider is far higher to begin with.

You can’t even compare it if we are talking about one that’s far bigger in size than a human.

Moreover, my body gets heavy when I get close to her, as if there were gravity magic activated around her at all times.

It may not be on a degree where I can’t move, but it is a situation where my capabilities are being lowered against an opponent that I am already inferior against in physical capabilities.

“Fuuh, fuuh, fuuh…!”

I let out my accelerating emotions together with my breath to calm myself down.

The enemies I have suffered a crushing defeat against are: the Scarlet Demon Lord and Murshto.

The spider monstrosity in front of me may have even higher physical strength than those two.

◇◇

This invasion is technically the last battle of both the human and Black’s side.

The state of the war will tilt heavily in favor to one side depending on who falls between Tedoral and the Green Demon Lord.

What the humans can do is to create the best possible scenario for Tedoral and the Green Demon Lord to fight.

Zahava, who headed there together with Tedoral, must be receiving quite the welcoming right about now.

“I don’t really care about winning or losing though.”

Lazarikata took Melvis with her to do a last diversion.

She is most likely planning on awakening completely from that state of hers.

You will turn into the very personification of the fear etched in your body if you enter the stage of complete awakening.

We can understand instinctively that we won’t be able to return once we take a single step in it.

That’s why I have decided to only use my full power in the personal world I have created.

I can return to my original state even if I were to awaken completely as a demon inside that space where I control the laws.

But Zahava and Lazarikata didn’t polish their skills in altering the laws. They can only walk in a path of no return if they take a single step in it.

Lazarikata may still be able to do conversation, but the symbol of her fear is lies that have been warped into truths. It is highly possible for her to maintain her sense of self if it is a concept created by people.

But Zahava is a spider. There’s no way a spider would have a human heart.

As long as the mana of Black is flowing in her, she will be useful as a being that kills humans by instinct, but she will just exist as a monstrosity with no will like Idolak and Melvis.

She fell after obtaining a complete awakening, so it is questionable whether even us demons would be able to control her.

We might need to get rid of her depending on the circumstances.

“So pathetic, Black. You were talking about guiding humans that much, and yet, now you can only corner people into destruction.”

I barely remember any evil deeds I did, but I remember that I have been involved with evil deeds to a shocking degree.

I have killed a lot of people, and have also killed the people that chased after me.

Humans can surpass others to a surprising degree when they act with malicious intent.

I can’t remember the face of the man that invited me to the path of evil no matter how much I try, but I only feel gratitude towards him.

Face others with evil intent. I can only exist as myself in those times.

Black tried to reform me.

She said that I was just a victim and simply took a step in the wrong direction.

She cornered me together with Yugura.

I realized that I couldn’t run away, so I killed the person that I had kidnapped last in front of her.

I laughed and said: ‘This person died because you said you would reform me’.

She got angry and continued punching me.

There was pain, but I remember laughing so much from how hilarious this was that I thought it was okay to die there.

I didn’t take a step in the wrong direction.

I existed as evil from the very beginning. I am not a good person. Absolutely not.

—- “Ofaro, you are a good person.”

“!”

The face of that man surfaced in my mind.

I have never hated someone seriously until now, so it is a fresh experience to be so conscious of someone.

How should I kill that man once this battle is over? I have been thinking about that the whole time.

I would like to make him suffer if possible, but it would be better to not hear a single word of his ever again.

I might end up feeling even more displeased if I were to accidentally end up in a conversation with him.

No, what am I getting conscious of a man that specializes solely on getting on someone’s nerves?

I just need to stay unchanging.

I will just direct evil as evil, and take away his life like that.

— “Isn’t that the case? You can’t endure it unless you aim to be an evil person after all.”

I pierce my cranium with my fingers and burn my brain.

Forget it. Forget those words.

Don’t think about the meaning of those words. Don’t admit anything. Don’t accept anything.

Begone from my memories as just useless noise.

My consciousness grew dizzy because I burned the inside of my head.

I have dulled my sense of pain to begin with, so there’s no pain.

On the contrary, the wavering sensation of my consciousness from burning my brain felt comforting.

“…Let’s fulfill my duty first.”

I have finished guiding the monsters, but it would be difficult for monsters with low intelligence to get over that earth wall.

I can create chaos by personally getting over that wall and lighting up a place that is packed with people. I would be able to kill a decent amount of people.

But I wouldn’t be able to kill the remaining humans like that. That would be problem.

Zahava is dealing with the allies of the Green Demon Lord in the Taizu Nether, and Lazarikata most likely just charged straight on and is fighting the main forces of the enemy.

In other words, I am currently the only one who hasn’t been found yet, so I have to create an opportunity for the monsters to break through the defense of the humans.

There’s no way they would be able to recreate a wall of that scale again. In that case, the fastest way would be to destroy it directly.

It will take time if I were to light it up and melt it.

The fastest way would be to take the wall inside my personal world and melt it in my awakened state even if it may be a big burden.

The monsters would invade mindlessly if a hole opens up in the wall.

It will become a blitz against the monsters of the Green Demon Lord, but a good amount of monsters should be able to flow in.

The Green Demon Lord should be fighting Tedoral to the death right now, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to get rid of his monsters.

It is not that difficult to approach the wall without being noticed.

I just need to slip into the horde of monsters and confirm the monsters of the Green Demon Lord with my eyes as I approach.

The flying dragons are prioritizing the places that have the densest amount of monsters.

The fire breath landed on the monsters. I headed to the spots that have had their numbers lowered. I should be able to move safely until the next attack in this way.

“They are simply beings that have taken shape from the emotions of the Demon Lord, so they can only take simple orders, huh.” (Ofaro)

“But simple orders can also create far reaching effects. It can also serve as a clue to find the ones that utilize this.”

“…I am a bit surprised. You are back in fighting condition already?” (Ofaro)

A shadow covered me from above.

A man who weaved silver wings with chains.

He said he was the demon of the Blue Demon Lord, and his name was Ekdoik, right?

I do remember not having finished him, but to think he would appear in front of me again.

“It is thanks to everyone. Ofaro, I will stop you here.” (Ekdoik)

“Have you hidden reinforcements around? That would be pointless too though.” (Ofaro)

“I am the only one here. The only one who can face a being that can alter the laws of the world is someone who can do the same after all.” (Ekdoik)

“It is as if you are saying you have reached complete awakening.” (Ofaro)

“Yeah, I did.” (Ekdoik)

The atmosphere of Ekdoik is different from the last time I fought him. I can’t see doubts in his expression.

So he has obtained something that has given him enough confidence to face me alone, huh.

Can you reach complete awakening in this short period of time?

The chances are low, but I can’t state for sure that’s not the case.

We exist as successful cases, so we have proved that it is possible in theory.

And the human side has 4 Demon Lords including the Green Demon Lord.

“…Then, let’s test you out. Whether that is true. And if it is true, whether that power that you obtained in just a few days will work on me.” (Ofaro)

There will be a difference in the quality of the law alteration even if you manage to reach complete awakening.

I am different from the muscle-brain Zahava and the fool Lazarikata. I had sheer talent, and have expanded it with hard work.

This Ekdoik here is an ally of that man. A part of his hope.

I should feel a bit better if I burn him down.

I shook away the words of that man that were about to surface in my mind again, raised the corners of my mouth, and looked at Ekdoik.

“Now, let’s begin. I will show you the divine providence of the merciless sun that eats away at the world.” (Ofaro)

“The sun sets eventually. You are the one who will remember divine providence, Ofaro.” (Ekdoik)

If what Ekdoik says is true, this will be a transcendental battle of people who have the power of the ancient era.

There’s no way I wouldn’t feel excited.

——

Author: Isn’t Niruryates the top in the damage taken charts in this story?

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