Five Days Destruction (3).

In the Jura Forest, near a certain hell gate, demons crossed over to the central world.

They marched with anticipation, moving to fulfill their Lord's order.

They all share similar features, that is, pale white skins and silver hairs.

Referring to a few, their eyes radiated a malicious and evil glow, and their hearts were set ablaze by their mission.

The order given was simple; "kill all the enemies," that is, the insectars.

With the response given, they had nothing to lose.

It had been long since they last embarked in an all-out battle.

The last they were summoned was during an apocalyptic invasion, and yet, they were now given another chance to prove their usefulness to their lord.

A chance that will not be wasted!

With the same intention in mind, they all marched in unison.

As soon as they made their way to the central world, a thick and ominous aura spread out like the wind, chasing away the nearby monsters and causing havoc.

Unlike the higher echelons in Sariel's rank, they were not capable of suppressing their overwhelming aura.

This could be seen as both a merit and demerit in their case.

The level they were at was the greater demon level, with a few arch-demons.

Yet, they possessed the might of arch-demons, with some of the fewer arch-demons strong enough to take on a demon lord seed.

To the other primordials, it was already a normal circumstance.

A more surprising fact would be that each and every one of them possessed a name.

It was also a normal occurrence given the propensity of their leader to give out names to demons like candies to kids.

To be accurate, there were seventy greater demons and twenty arch-demons.

If news of this were to ever get out, it would definitely be an understatement to say that the human nations would be in a state of utter chaos.

As the demons marched on, three other individuals appeared from the hell gate.

These three were by no means ordinary demons.

Takumi: 「Another insect invasion, huh...」

Yuria: 「Yep, it seems so.」

Arion: 「And here I thought I would be of much use, *Sigh*」

Although they were called to lead the demons, they weren't given any instruction to fight unless things got out of hand.

They were to make sure the demon army had completely wiped out all the invading insects before returning to the underworld.

Obeying their lord, they lead the demons to the heart of the Western nations, a recently formed group.

Sariel had instructed them to deploy five arch-demons and thirty greater demons to the western side.

The rest were deployed to defend Silverion against the insect army.

The enemy side had deployed most of its powerhouses to Silverion due to it being one of the top nations in the central world.

They held a massive population and were the most powerful and influential kingdom in the world.

Even the eastern empire would think thrice before attempting to declare war on them.

They held the most powerful military might, but the soldiers lacked experience in battles.

They were just new recruits that had recently joined, and with the help of Kenneth and Raiden, had made it to the ranks of elites.

So even with their might, as long as they lacked experience in battles, they would surely die.

A thing Sariel definitely did not want. The attack pattern was not difficult to guess.

With Silverion being their target, if they were to fail, they could conquer the western side, using it as a recuperation base to cover up for their loses before striking back.

It's a good plan, but with many loopholes.

Using this to his advantage, Sariel had deciphered the enemy's strength and numbers, sending the appropriate number of capable demons to counterattack them.

With that being said, a complete victory was already assured calculation-wise.

With the three demon peers having their own mission, everything was set.

 ◇◇◇

Staring at the dimensional crack, I couldn't help but shudder.

The amount of magicules being released from that gate would soon destroy the central world.

Even with Veldanava-sama's protective measures, Iverage was a being that could literally destroy worlds.

The magicule poisoning was just that much.

I was supposed to be immune to magic, but if it is at this level, then I might as well be affected.

It wasn't a far-off reasoning for Norana, who was the nearest to the dimensional crack.

With the passage of time, she began to undergo a change.

Norana: 「Shit! I didn't expect this to happen. I've gotta do something about this gate quick.」

Thinking of such, she didn't hesitate to make her move.

Standing in front of the dimensional crack, she began to gather her power in preparation for her next action.

Norana: 「"Imprison all evil spirits, and seal all unwanted forces", 『Luciel』!!」

With a roar of indignation, golden chains appeared on all sides of the dimensional crack.

Wrapping around it tightly, a demonic light suppressed the force of repulsion, making the process of sealing the gate quite easy.

With a few seconds, she successfully sealed the gate, leading to the otherworld, thereby preventing the horde of insects from crossing over to cause more chaos.

Seeing as she had succeeded in preventing more invasions, Norana sighed and collapsed to the ground once again.

Norana: 「As I've used up a lot of energy, I don't think I can handle any more fights.」

Saying so, she closed her eyes, allowing her new transformation to proceed smoothly.

 ◇◇◇

Kenneth: 「It seems like another invasion has begun.」

Kenneth, the supreme commander of the Silverion's military group, spoke from the sight he witnessed.

Normally, it would be impossible to contact someone using the magicles when there was an energy disruption.

This resulted from the enormous amount of energy released from Iverage when the dimensional gate appeared.

They had no idea about it, but every day was a new experience, right?

They weren't able to make contact with the army on time, resulting in their late preparation.

Even if they began the operation to counterattack the enemy, it would be too late.

Hence, they had to rely on the forces that were available. That is–

Nagisa: 「Well, that's one heck of a hungry group.」

Akihiko: 「Meh. Remind me to eat before sleeping next time.」

Aika: 「Just when I thought I could relax a bit, I find myself about to fight insects...*Sigh*」

Akane: 「....」

With this, Kenneth had learned from his mistakes, aiming to establish a network system where this type of situation wouldn't disturb their means of contact.

Kenneth: 「Sariel-sensei said to stay out of it unless it was a critical situation. That goes for me only.

As for you guys... go get your asses kicked...! or something.」

Akane: 「Right.....」

Akane said with a half-closed eye. She had endured the antics of her crew for long enough.

With the arrival of a new threat, she could only hope to deviate her attention from them.

Kenneth: 「All jokes aside, the enemy should be, at least, here within 15 minutes.

We don't have any medium to record the time, but our minds could serve as a time tracker, so you better not slack off!!」

Akihiko: 「Yeah. We've got it.」

It was always a good thing to prepare ahead of time, they say.

Applying that principle to this situation, they awaited their foes.

They had already evacuated the citizens to the safe house.

A dimension far separate from the edges of the central world.

This dimension was a result of Sariel completely severing the space between the safe house and the central world.

He had made it so in order to prevent damages from affecting the escapees.

Located in an underground construction, it was almost impossible to track down this base.

He had used his 『Existence Concealment』 skill to hide this place from the reaches of any enemy side.

This was a project he had long been working on, with now being the time it was needed the most.

The city was now empty, with only the main army in the town, ready to be deployed at any time.

But that was before. They had all collapsed to the ground the instant they were vulnerable.

The aura of Iverage affected the soldiers in the city, making all of them go unconscious.

With that happening, they only had themselves to rely on.

Kenneth, along with the four otherworlders, were in the newly built Operation Room.

Looking at the situation outside, Kenneth sighed.

Kenneth: 「How are we going to deal with an army if our soldiers are down?」

Aika: 「Hehehe, I'm a one-woman army~」

Akane: 「....」

As a few minutes passed, a guard rushed into the room they were at with a worried expression.

Guard: 「Lord Ken! A group of powerful insectars were found rampaging near the safe house! They seem to be planning for something!!」

With the information given, the gears in Akane's brain seemed to operate at super sonic speed.

And with the passage of a few seconds–

Akane: 「Ah, I see.」

Seeing as she had already figured out the enemy intention, Aika probed for information.

Aika: 「Ney, Akane. What did you find out?」

Akane: 「Eh? I thought you were a "one-woman army." What happened to that? Was that said with the motivation of a wet sock?」

Aika: 「O‐Oi!!」

Akihiko: 「Pfft-Hahahahahaha!!」

Nagisa: 「Dang,.... Now that's cold...」

Seeing as they could joke around in a time like this, Kenneth couldn't help but flash a smile.

Akane: 「Alright, in all seriousness, they intend to divide us.」

Akihiko: 「Hm... I see.」

Aika: 「Now come on. Explain it to me!」

Akihiko: 「You see, they already know about our state right now; that is, the state of our army.

With the way things are, if they further separated our power, we would crumble.

The intention is to use the attackers he mentioned about to reduce our numbers and strength.

That's done when we send some warriors in our ranks to go deal with them.

With that in mind, they might use that situation to attack our main base of operation, which can also be in the form of our comatosed soldiers.

By doing so, they will further reduce our military might.」

Akane: 「Read my mind like a book. That being said, they might also intend to gain access to the underground safe house by taking the information of its location from our Operation Room.」

Aika: 「Hmm. That is definitely plausible.」

With them all in thinking mode, they didn't notice the figure that had risen from the shadows.

「That's one way to look at it.」

As the enigmatic figure captured their attention, it called for something else.

In a flash, Akane had already appeared in front of this figure, with deadly precision and speed, aimed a slash for the figure's head.

But it all happened in a flash.

*Clang*

With an insane speed, her sword was parried.

The figure deflected her blade in another direction, and using that momentum, he had twisted himself with a beautiful spin before pointing his blade at her neck.

「Excellent strike. It helps to see that there are younglings like you doing their best to master the way of the sword.」

With a happy tone, the concealed individual spoke.

As she was about to unleash yet another attack, she was stopped.

Kenneth: 「Oi! Do you want to die so badly!? Stop!!」

Akane: 「Eh? Isn't he an intruder.」

Kenneth: 「Forgive her demon-san, she has no idea about you. If I remember correctly, your name is Arion, right?」

He spoke to Arion with a pleasant bow.

With the individuals identity revealed, he chuckled and removed the skill's effect.

Arion: 「Indeed. It's been a long time. How are you faring?」

Kenneth: 「Ah, if you consider getting kicked around into a mess every day, then that's what's up.」

Arion: 「Fufufu. Tough luck, huh?」

Kenneth: 「Hehe.」

Seeing their warm exchange, the group couldn't help but feel confused.

Nagisa: 「Uhh, Ken-san, you mind introducing us or something?」

Seeing their confused gazes, he understood what she meant.

Kenneth: 「Ah, right. You might recall him from the story I told you of before. He's the Arion that saved my ass during my very first true battle.」

Aika: 「Wait, you mean that, Arion-san? Wasn't he a loyal subordinate of Sariel-sama?」

Arion: 「I see, so my name has been spread wide, huh?

Well, you are correct. I am Arion, a close subordinate of Sariel-sama. It's a pleasure to meet you.」

Akane: 「Ah! Sorry about that!! I didn't know! Please don't tell Sariel-sama! I don't think I'll be able to handle him.」

She pleaded with a worried look. To put it bluntly, she had always been what they call "a pain in the ass" to Sariel.

If he were to find out about how their first encounter went, she wouldn't hear the end of it.

Arion, understanding this, nodded to convey his intention.

She smiled in gratitude for his understanding.

But such a thing wouldn't slip by "him" so easily.

——— So you've decided to betray me, huh? And here I thought you were my most trusted subordinate. I guess I have some revaluation to do. Well, I'll get back to you later. Bye! ———

——— Arghk! No! Sariel-sama! Please wait! I– ———

Before he could convey his feelings, the link was cut as soon as it was established.

Comprehending the situation, Kenneth could only shake his head in pity.

Arion fell on his knees with dead eyes.

Arion: 「Hehe. I'm never gonna hear the end of this, huh....? Haruka... 」

Thinking of that one colleague who always tormented him with every step she took, his expression worsened.

Reminiscing her never-fading smug smile, he couldn't help but shudder with fear.

Arion: 「Yeah. I think I'll need therapy for what is to come.」

He smiled wrily. Akane couldn't pick up on the situation and just ignored it all.

Aika: 「Well, in this situation, what do we do?」

Arion: 「Ah, right. That brings us back to my mission. Sariel-sama has already sent reinforcements to Silverion. They should be here any minute from now.」

Akane: 「Is that so, then it is totally safe to go against those groups of troublemakers?」

Arion: 「Right.」

Seeing as the situation has dissolved into one they can handle, Kenneth relaxed.

Kenneth: 「With this, I can safely handle the matter. Aika, Akane, and Akihiko; you guys are gonna take on the ones with sentience.

As for you, Nagisa, you will stay here and deal with the ones in the royal capital.

Considering your abilities, we could wipe out a huge number of them with your Legion Magic.」

Understanding their roles in the upcoming fight, each of them began to prepare for the long-term battle that was ahead of them.

Kenneth: 「Let's just hope everything goes well...」

 ◇◇◇

Sariel: 「Is this ever gonna end?」

I asked myself as I dodged yet another earth-shattering punch.

I've actually taken a lot of damage. My mental strength has plummeted.

That, along with the fact that nothing seems to phase her.

Stardust was a really annoying power in the wrong hands.

She could erase me in an instance with a simple attack, yet I could do nothing to phase her at this stage.

I tried to knock her out upon our first contact, but that didn't go well.

I knew the consequences of failing at the time, which is why I had intended to finish things quickly.

But that would not be possible as of now. Dodging another furious blow from her, I decided to counterattack.

I couldn't stand being the one on the defensive side for such a long period of time.

I summoned my precious blade from my soul dimension; that is, my soul blade.

As it had accumulated a lot of energy, it radiated a foreign yet nostalgic glow, further adding to its mysterious nature.

Emitting a strange and ominous aura, it seemed to suck the life out of the atmosphere with its mere presence.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile wrily.

Sariel: 「I must thank Veldanava that I am the master of such an ominous monstrosity.」

Then came the report.

「Notice. Your soul blade is currently at the level of mythic grade.」

Ah, that only adds up to my nervousness.

Heck, even Milim sensed the danger behind it.

She had seized her tactless attacks and was now glaring at me with a mad gaze.

I can only assume that her glare was that of wariness.

She seemed to have gotten over her initial state as she madly sent a destructive blow to me, using stardust to create a supersonic wave destruction.

The blow was so cataclysmic as it ripped space apart and caused destructive energy fluctuations inside one's body.

The force of the attack would naturally rip anyone apart.

If that didn't work, it would destroy the magic circuits of that person whilst causing energy disruptions, making survival from such practically impossible.

Having space being interfered with, it would be difficult to teleport your way out of this type of attack.

What a troublesome thing to deal with.

I intended to devour my way through such an attack, but to do so, I would have to stay put, making me open to death.

「Suggestion. Leave control of your body over to me?」

Eh? Why didn't I think of this all along?

I could practically leave the rest for Raziel-san to handle!

But are you sure about this?

「Absolutely.」

Kalisha: 「I'll assist if my help is also needed. Even though Raziel has perfect control over all your skills, I am unbeatable when it comes to manipulating time.

That goes for the unique skill 『Space-time Administrator』. Leave anything concerning that aspect to me.」

Ah, two women supporting me. What else could I ask for?

「Notice. I am neither male nor female.」

Are you transgenderal?

「!!!」

Kalisha: 「Hey! That's too much!」

I know, right?

Kalisha: 「....」

*Sigh*

Let's forget this all happened.

Saying that, I felt as if my consciousness were fading away.

It was a quick and almost unperceivable sensation.

In an instance, I felt the authority over my body was lost.

A weird but familiar feeling that made me know that Raziel-san had taken over my body.

Seeing as the destruction wave neared me, I suddenly felt an interference.

Kalisha: 「Let me lend a hand with this one.」

Referring to the speed of the attack, it had slowed down significantly.

The movement of the attack was still visible, but with 『Thought Acceleration』 operating at maximum rate, it was just too that slow.

Kalisha: 「Now, begone!」

With a roar that none but only two individuals could hear, she unleashed a devastating counter.

The attack that headed for Sariel vanished in an instance.

Kalisha: 「Hm!」

It was a wonderful tactic she used.

Whilst using my 『Temporal Deceleration』skill, she also prepared to cast the attack out of this dimension.

The only skill in my arsenal that can be responsible for this is 『Dimension Leap』.

Such a thing would be difficult to deal with, so why not just cast it to another realm, right?

Though I'm curious, just where the hell did she send such a destructive energy wave to?

I would be mad if such an energy wave destroyed a planet because of this.

Kalisha: 「Simple question for a simple answer. Your soul world.」

Eh? Did I hear correctly? MY soul world? What the hell!!?

Oi! Isn't that dangerous!? Wouldn't my soul world be destroyed by such a force?

Kalisha: 「According to Raziel-san, it was completely safe to do so.」

Wait, really? Raziel-san said so? Alright, I think I'm up to something.

Raziel-san, spit it out.

「...Notice. The stardust energy was isolated into the soul world for analysis.」

Ah, I just know her too well. She is the only tyrant I know who can think of such a horrendous plan at a moment like this.

What a dude....

Why wasn't she named Tyrannical Skill Lord: Raziel or something?

「....」

*Sigh*

Ignoring my humorous thoughts–

Kalisha: 「It wasn't even a tad bit comedic!」

–I paid attention to Milim's next action.

Milim charged at me once more with her fist covered in stardust, aiming a jab at my head

With Raziel-san's enhanced reaction, she smoothly evaded the attack, countering as soon as Milim lost balance.

A strong and decisive strike was made, using the soul blade to slash her arm into.

The attack landed, but no physical damage was done.

Yes, the keyword is "physical."

An overwhelming pain coursed through Milim's spiritual body, making her lose focus.

She had to nullify the attack's effects and pain.

During this moment of vulnerability, Raziel-san showed me why she was dubbed, "The Tyrant"(unofficial title).

Sariel (Raziel): 「"I command thee in the name of Raziel, bind all evil spirits to your will." 『Ultimate Imprisonment』!!」

Several bright and thin, holy lights erupted from the magic circle formed on the earth, converging in a circular pattern over Milim as she fought against the soul-piercing pain she felt.

As the light converged to a semi-circle, golden chains appeared horizontally around the converged light, binding it tightly as it began to press on her, suppressing her omnipotence.

With so many forces pressuring and terrorizing her at the same time, she couldn't suppress them all, leading to her rapid and quick deterioration in power.

With the continuous use of 『Soul Harvest』 to torment her soul, her resistance was only delaying the inevitable.

She would succumb to the drowsiness that would mark my victory.

This was the moment in every anime or manga where the main character ended the chapter or episode with a cool phrase.

It's my time to shine.

Sariel: 「Rest for now, Milim. You have done enough.」

With that said, she finally fell unconscious. The five days long battle ended, and I could finally rest.

I.... I did it!! How was that!!?

Kalisha: 「.... Pfft-Hahahahahaha!! What the hell was that!!? That was the cheesiest line I've ever heard!

You weilded the awesomeness of a stick back there!

Do you intend to pick up girls with such bad script creation!!? Hahahahahaha!!! God of cringe!!」

Uwawawawawah!! Why so harsh all of a sudden!? I thought we were bonding together and shit! Just why...!!?

With my whining, I felt the control over my body return.

I decided to put away the frustration and focus on the current situation for now.

Though I wonder, just how did and when did she create a skill like that?

「Answer. The unique skill 『Universal Prison』was carefully synthesized with the unique skill 『Ultimate Authority』, to serve as its subkill.」

Eh. That's cool. Exactly when did you create this skill?

「It was done during your battle with the individual Milim.」

Oh? So, as I was struggling, a friend needed was jovially messing with my abilities.

It seems you have too much free time to spare. Sometimes, I wonder, between us, who's more important. My abilities or me in person–

「It is most definitely you!」

Yeah. You sound about as convincing as the idea of merciful terrorists.

「....」

Ignoring her antics, I looked over to the peacefully sleeping beauty.

Kalisha: 「Eeew! Pedophile...」

You know what, fuck this shit. I'm not paying attention to her again.

With me thinking so, I held Milim in a princess carry, ready to send her to the Jura Forest to rest.

Just then, that's when a fuck face decided to make an appearance.

Guy: 「Oh? I never thought you would be able to handle her on your own. Even I would've needed help to deal with her.

That goes to show just how strong and terrifying you are.」

Does this tomato basket head think of anything else other than strength?

It's a weird thought—yes, but one that definitely needs answers.

Sariel: 「Hey, do you mind if we take her to the ice continent?

I intended to bring her along with me, but you have an actual home while I don't.

With monsters here and there, along with the fact that there is no proper facility to utilize. That's what's up.」

Guy thought for a moment before replying.

Guy: 「I see your reasoning. Very well, let's head for my territory then.」

Saying that, we teleported out of the land of the giants, heading to Guy's castle.

—————————————————————————————————

「Note: And that's that to my lovely ladies and gentlemen. Well, quite the chapter if I do say so myself.

I don't know what you think of the fight scene, but I'll rate myself a six out of ten. It's not like it's an epic fight or anything.

If you feel I overrated or underrated myself, feel free to rate this chapter as you wish. If you enjoyed the story, then that's what I wanted, so well done me.

Well, I've just been talking trash to make my work reach up to 4000 words, so you can ignore me if you feel like it. If you liked this chapter, please make sure to vote for me. Thank you to all my lovely readers and whatever. Bye!」

「Word Count:4190」