Chapter 108
At the same time, Kagami realized just how shallow his thinking had been, and a flood of emotions, some akin to anger, washed over him.
In other words, they had spent all this time dancing to the tune of a system like that, without even realizing it.
“That’s enough...”
The king truly seemed to have no intention of continuing the discussion. He said this and drew a simply made greatsword from empty space. In response, Parna, Militariel, and Rex each readied their weapons.
“What is it, Parna? Are you confused after learning the truth about this world?”
Militariel spoke to Parna, who had readied her weapon but still looked bewildered.
“You... knew about it?”
“Yes, I knew. But that didn’t change the fact that I stood by the king. No matter how many times existence is reset or the Demon King is redeployed, demons are ultimately just demons. They can be nothing but demons... and they are our enemies.”
As Militariel answered Parna’s question, the hesitation vanished from Parna’s expression. “That’s right... Exactly,” she murmured, as if convincing herself, then pointed her weapon at Kagami.
“First, you, Demon King...”
“...What?”
The next moment, everyone there except Militariel and Rex stared in shock.
The king gripped his sword, kicked off the ground, and left his throne. In an instant, he was right in front of the Demon King.
“What’s so surprising? I am... the king, after all.”
His movements were strikingly similar to the way Kagami usually moved in an instant. In other words, the king had stats equal to Kagami’s, at least in speed.
“Surprised by my power? Then you’d better revise your assumptions. The king possesses power on par with the Hero and the Sage.”
Immediately after declaring this, the king suddenly created a warped space before him, much like the one Estellara had used to make the Demon King disappear, and enveloped the Demon King in it.
“Dad!”
Alice immediately ran to save the Demon King, but the next moment, the Demon King had vanished along with the warped space.
“Hey! Where did you send the Demon King?!”
“It would be a problem if this one died. Redeploying him requires great power—not even the Dark Dragon can use that power repeatedly. He will die as his role dictates. Just not now.”
Hearing that, Kagami’s expression stiffened. Then, more than ever before, he was consumed by rage. The king, who had wanted to kill the Demon King more than anyone, was trying to have someone else do it instead. It was all a farce.
“You people... Let’s see. Those two demons over there are unnecessary. But that Villager... and the Priest. Your power has value. I’ll brainwash you.”
“Don’t screw with us! We’re not tools for your battles!”
Furious at the king’s declaration, Kagami kicked off the ground and moved behind him, shouting, “I’m not weak enough to be brainwashed!” as he swung to punch him. But—
“It’s true that you’re not tools for battle.”
“Wha...?”
“But I need you to fight. Especially someone as capable as you.”
Kagami had meant to get behind the king, but somehow the king had ended up behind him instead.
The next moment, the king kicked Kagami hard in the back, sending him flying into the barrier deployed at his side.
“Gah?!”
The barrier returned the force of any impact against it. As a result, both the damage from the collision and the force of the blow rebounded onto Kagami, inflicting far more damage than if he had simply crashed into a wall.
“You’re not fighting monsters. You’re fighting people just like you. Did you think it would be as easy as fighting monsters?”
Parna spoke with a mocking laugh.
“What... do you mean?”
“I used my power to lower your physical abilities. Parna told me that you’re physically strong, but don’t have much else to set you apart.”
“Tch...”
Looking at Militariel’s hand, Kagami noticed a faint purple glow radiating from it, with a strand of light stretching all the way to him.
At the same time, he realized this was the Skill David had told him about—the one Militariel possessed.
Before he knew it, his body felt heavy, as if wrapped in lead chains. His body, which he normally moved without a thought, simply wouldn’t respond. He hadn’t imagined there could be such a gap between what his mind expected and what his body could actually do, and cold sweat broke out across his brow.
“Then... I’ll take you down first!”
“It’s no use.”
After Tina healed his injuries, Kagami immediately kicked off the ground and charged at Militariel. But with his physical abilities diminished, he couldn’t move as he wished. Rex blocked his path, and while Kagami was stopped in his tracks, the king slashed him with his greatsword, sending him flying.
“K-Kagami-san!”
“True... Mighty Heaven-and-Earth White Lightning Cannon!”
The next instant, a chill ran down Kagami’s spine. A massive, faintly magical energy attack was hurtling toward him. Sensing it instinctively, Kagami forced his wounded body to roll aside, dodging the attack that had just slashed him.
Right afterward, the enormous slash, radiating white lightning as it rushed toward him, reached the spot where Kagami had been and exploded. It failed to break the barrier, but gouged away a huge section of the stone floor before vanishing.
“That bastard Rex... He was hiding one hell of a move!”
“I think Rex-san worked hard to learn it while you were away. I can’t believe he’s already mastered it...!”
“I see... So he’s been working hard, too.”
As Kagami lay on the ground, slashed and bleeding from his torso, Tina hurried over and treated his wounds as she spoke.
The more Kagami learned about the effort Rex had put in, the angrier he became. He couldn’t forgive the king for trying to exploit all that effort.