Feldway’s Millennia-Long Plan (2).

 ——— Flashback ———

Michael: 「Hmm, now that you've mentioned it, this Sariel individual is more of a serious threat than I calculated.

Just from my experience from being Veldanava-sama's authority, I can say with certainty that he isn't a simple individual, but with what you've told me, we simply need to take him out of the picture sooner before he becomes an even greater threat.

Guy is somewhat manageable, but this silver demon… he reaks of unspoken potential; we can't have that now, can we?」

Michael, the Manas ruling over the concept of justice, spoke up.

The setting was none other than the Eastern Empire.

His accomplice, Feldway, had just briefed him over a few abilities he possessed, but that alone was enough to put him off.

He knew just how much of a threat the silver primordial posed, but just hearing of his abilities made Micheal re-evaluate his approach.

Michael: 「Reviving the dead? What nonsense. I can't have that. And on such a large scale for that matter. Is that a way of threatening us…?」

He was speechless. Simply hearing of that put him on guard, but the next one was a bombshell.

Feldway: 「Do not put that in mind for now. The bastard singlehandedly put a stop to Milim's rampage. Without that so-called "true body," for that matter.」

Now, he was simply stupefied. He already knew of Milim's rampage, an event which, at the time, he was inactive.

Serving as Rudra's ultimate skill, he naturally had access to his memories.

The destruction caused at the time was great, too great.

The permanent scar remained to date, ensuring such a historical event was never forgotten.

Michael naturally had no interest in such an event as it had no negative impact on his plan.

But now that he knew the figure responsible for such, he knew they were in for a rough time.

Sariel was undoubtedly an obstacle, one that needed to be eliminated.

But with this information received, he now hesitated to allow his friend to face such a monster.

Either way–

Feldway: 「Your confidence in me is that much, huh?」

Michael: 「Quit being irrational. This is a matter of securing absolute victory against the enemy. To do that–」

Feldway: 「—We will need to play every card right, is that not it? You have your own part of the plan to deal with, so entrust me with mine.」

Feldway said with a firm yet respectful tone.

He was sure of his victory against his long-term enemy, so it was a given that he had made ahead-of-time preparations.

Michael: 「But have you not lost to him once before?」

Michael inquired with a serious face.

He finds it unreasonable to go after someone who once defeated him.

The concept of emotions was entirely new to him, so he naturally knew nothing of the term "revenge."

Feldway: 「Tch, tch, tch. A tactical loss. It had to be done.」

Feldway replied with a cool smile.

Michael: 「I see. That was wise on your part. We certainly need no information about our plan given to the enemy. If you are so confident about it, then I trust you too.」

Feldway: 「Good. Have you already forgotten about the unbreakable properties of 『Michael』?」

Michael: 「He has never been a straightforward person. Always doing the unreasonable like he was born for that sole purpose.」

Feldway: 「No one can break the impenetrable fortress provided by『Castle Guard』. He is no exception.」

He had always believed so. The barrier had never failed him, so why doubt its capabilities now?

Michael: 「I see. You have a valid point. I was the one being irrational. But we must access the enemy's strength with accute precision.

Obviously, someone capable of defeating Milim in her Stampede Mode is not as simple as we see him to be.

He must have a particular skill that might as well threaten our entire plan. Knowing that, how do you intend to deal with him?」

Michael asked, hoping to comprehend the source of Feldway's unshakeable confidence.

Feldway: 「It is simple: I'll just kill him.」

Michael: 「*Sigh* It was within expectation. You are not a simple person. I believe in you. I'm guessing your reason for being so secretive stems up from the fact that it is a surprise of the sort.」

Feldway: 「As sharp as ever. Yes, just be ready when I come back with his head.」

Instead of speaking further, Michael just kept to himself.

Feldway was someone who would act cautious against those he knew of as trouble.

For him to act so confidently, there had to be a factor he was not accounting for.

It was also true that Feldway had the unbreakable barrier 『Castle Guard』.

Knowing that alone, put any doubt he had asunder.

So, with that, the plan was set. Feldway would handle Sariel, whilst the entirety of Silverion would be dealt with by Michael.

Michael needed not to make a direct appearance; all he needed to do was cause such a grand scale destruction that revival of the sort would simply be impossible.

Any form of surprise ambush was accounted for, so the odds of failure were actually pretty low.

Sariel was Silverion's sole protector; any other threat could be managed. That was the plan.

Silverion had grown to be such a nation that its threat level had actually been listed out.

With Sariel as its unofficial guardian, it was destined to grow even more.

It was always easier to exterminate a plant during its immature (developing) stage compared to the effort it took to eliminate a mature (fully-grown) plant.

On that note, a plan specifically for Silverion was formed.

 ———— Flashback End ————

It was all set, which was why Feldway was in a better mood.

Despite the insults thrown around, his mind was at rest.

Considering Michael's power, his job was as simple as crushing an egg.

The hero mentioned by the locals was of no real threat to Michael, so he needed not to worry about the slightest possibility of failure.

He also had the opportunity to redeem himself; to prove to this demon that he was superior.

He was wise enough to know just how difficult of an opponent Sariel was, which was why he wasn't going to welcome the idea of a fair fight.

He would use every tactic and trick in his arsenal to defeat Sariel once and for all.

The odds were all in their favor. He even had an ally, one of which he was sure Sariel was not aware of.

Surprisingly, this so-called ally was aware of each and every ability Sariel possessed.

This was definitely invaluable information.

If only the formless bastard would let up…

In actuality, this ally refused to give off any of that information out, leading to the belief that this piece of information was inaccurate.

But with the proof lain before them, there was no room for doubt.

As long as we have that person on our side, we could definitely gain access to that information sooner or later.

That was what Feldway believed.

Rather than lashing out on this unknown entity, he would find a way to manipulate them into revealing this piece of info.

When that was done, if the entity turned out to be rather useless, they would be dealt with accordingly.

But as for now, they were invaluable for their next step.

A very dangerous yet important ally.

One who would introduce themselves in a grand fashion.

All it took was the final piece to come together for this whole charade to end.

 ◇◇◇

In stark contrast to Feldway's carefree demeanor, Sariel was in a state of internal turmoil.

What the heck was that!?!

He found himself asking this question.

For a moment, he was nearly taken over.

He had felt it. It was subtle but undeniably forceful.

A wave of drowsiness washed over his soul, but he kept himself steady—no, rather–

Kalisha: 「*Sigh*」

'Eh? What is it?'

Kalisha: 「You are in deep shit.」

What does she keep going on about? I don't get a thing. What really is happening?

Sariel could not contain the many questions invading his mind.

He was sure of his victory over Feldway, yet he was in such a predicament where he didn't even know his right and left anymore.

A state of absolute confusion.

Kalisha: 「Firstly, since you kept on asking about it, I'm going to lay a fact that might possibly disrupt your battle flow. Are you ready?」

'Good. Lay it on me.'

Kalisha: 「....」

Since the warning had been given ahead of time, Sariel was confident in his ability to retain his composure.

In fact, he saw it as a way to test his mental fortitude and willpower.

Casually parrying upwards a horizontal slash from Feldway, he inquired:

'What's the big drop?'

Kalisha: 「Well, Raziel-san is kinda dead.」

'...… What?'

Naturally, his mind froze at such news.

His facial expression hadn't changed in the slightest, but internally, his heart sank.

'What nonsense did you just spout?'

Kalisha: 「What was said was said. Now's not the time to be a jerk.」

'Don't joke with me. I will not repeat myself twice. What do you mean?'

Kalisha: 「....」

'KALISHA!!!'

Kalisha: 「*Sigh* I froze her in time.」

Finally, his expression twisted into something new.

His face contorted into a scowl.

'You did this?'

Kalisha: 「Yes. But it was all for your sake.」

'... Explain.'

By this time, Feldway had noticed his constantly changing expression.

Feldway: 「Hahaha!! What now? Are you mad? Mad that you were played? Don't be. You're actually the only one to ever push me this far.

Far enough to force me into an alliance with an unknown person. Funny thing's that it turns out to be from your own existence. How laughable!! Hahahaha!!!」

By this time, Sariel understood. But instead of lashing out, he decided to save it all for later.

'You know what, hold of on that explanation for now. I'll deal with you later.'

Saying that, he focused his attention completely on Feldway.

Sariel: 「You know, going to the point of reaching out to an ally, I must have really driven you crazy.」

Feldway: 「An ally, huh? I guess this plot must have really put you on edge to make you think like this.

This is the best chance I have in eliminating you. Obviously, I'll do whatever it takes.」

Sariel: 「In the end, it boils down to your level of cowardice. I expected as much. *Sigh*」

They continued with the harmony of offensive and defensive.

As for now, it was just swordplay, but just then.

Feldway: 「Enough of this. Let's get to the deal. I'll kill you.」

Sariel: 「Yes. If that were to happen, it is only natural to give you a scar that would not be worth any victory whatsoever.」

Feldway: 「Oh? So you finally admit that there is the possibility of you dying?」

Sariel: 「Naturally. With Raziel-san no more, I can't afford to be arrogant.」

Feldway: 「?」

Sariel: 「I see. Forget I said that.」

Good. It seems he has no idea of Raziel-san's existence. The baot worked.

Sariel realized something crucial. Feldway was still unaware of the particular skill he possessed.

If he knew about my skill, it was highly likely that he knew about Raziel-san's existence.

But if that is in the bush, then he clearly only has a way to affect my skill without knowing exactly what it is.

I think he needs to have a good grasp on the skill during the domination, or he would have no idea what the exact skill was.

He already knew of the control circuit of his skill.

It was only recently that he began to find a way to get rid of this function.

He had not expected the possibility of Feldway possessing the skill that had an effect on him.

Seriously, how the hell did he obtain that skill? Did he even possess an ultimate skill at first? Just… how?

Unknowingly, he had sank into an abyss of questions, but he was brought back to reality by a stunning light show.

Feldway: 「『Spirit Break』.」

With that, a light-emitting energy mass was thrown at Sariel.

He had every intention of simply dodging, but the event that took place next shocked him to silence.

Sariel: 「Nrgh! W-What?」

The energy mass simply disappeared, only to appear right above his head.

If not for his earlier intention of evading, he would have been severely injured.

That attack just now had managed to create a massive hole on the right side of his chest, burning off his whole right arm in the process.

Sariel: 「Teleportation, huh?」

Feldway: 「Though it seems like you are reacting quite slower than expected. Are you hurt? Do you need my help?」

Like hell I do!!

He screamed to no one in particular.

His mind was in a constant battle.

He had not even had the chance to think properly about the state of it all, not to talk of relaxation.

But he did come up with a theory.

They have likely also targeted Silverion, too. I mean, why not?

It seemed like the most rational course of action to me.

Even I would think of such a plan given my way of dealing with things as they should be.

With that thought in mind, he decided to reach out to a close friend of his for help.

 ◇◇◇ 

It was as usual in the bustling Empire of Silverion.

The market was buzzing with different types of people from all over the world.

Sellers busily moved up and down, advertising their products to catch the public eye.

The children were also immersed in their own little game.

In this busy market, a rather interesting argument had been sparked.

「Hey, hey, hey, are you kidding me!? 10 silver coins!?! For this simple low potion!?! The retail price should be 4 silver coins!! Don't fuck with me, prick!!!

The hell do you mean by "the price for the ingredients needed to make the potion has increased!?"

Do you think I was born yesterday!? Don't scam me!! How does that have anything to do with me!?!

I'd rather swallow the coin and choke to death than to listen to some stupid-ass shit like "the price has increased"!」

The customer bargaining over the price of a low potion roared in indignation.

He had bought this item several times before, only to be told about its increment now.

Low potions were actually a recent discovery made by the Kingdom of Dwargon, so it had increased in popularity.

The demand naturally increased, and the rate of supply had also increased.

If a change in price was made, it would have been a worldwide news.

Therefore, hearing such a thing from only one source ignited his bargaining spirit.

Wholesaler: 「Alright, alright, I get it. Geez, tough crowd today…」

The wholesaler became obviously nervous due to his already exposed scheme.

The man was actually a foreigner, so the thought of him being unaware of the price value struck up a plan in the wholesaler's mind.

However, his gut was terribly wrong.

Wholesaler: 「Fine. I'm only doing this because of you. 9 silver coins. Bring it on.」

「Fuck this. I think I've had enough for today.」

Wholesaler: 「Wait, wait, wait!! Sorry!! How about 7 silver coins.」

「3 silver coins. Solid.」

Wholesaler: 「Ayayayaya!!! Don't scam me, bro!!」

「You're the scammer!! What type of delusional thief are you!?!」

The bargain became heated as a crowd was formed to observe the spectacle.

Up above the entire market, a figure gently floated above the whole square.

He coldly gazed at the sight below him with disgust.

Michael: 「Humans… how irritating. The same race Veldanava-sama treasured so much.

Even going as far as to interlock them in parallel worlds of other dimensions.」

In the past, he had ordered Feldway to eliminate the threat facing humanity.

Michael: 「Just what did he see in them? Even demons of the underworld are more of a sight to behold compared to their foolish nature. I just don't get it. Why?」

He remarked with a frown. He had tried to understand the strange emotions tugging at his heart core, but he couldn't bring himself to understand them.

Michael: 「No. That should be the least of my concern. I should finish this quickly.」

Out of the two, Michael had seemingly been given the easiest task.

All he needed to do was to destroy this land completely.

That was all. If possible, he was allowed to bring along anyone he deemed strong enough to suit their tastes.

That way, they would acquire valuable pawns who could do their bidding.

With one last cold gaze, he stretched his hand forward.

Michael: 「You will all pay for enraging forces you couldn't deal with. Die. 『Spirit Overdrive』.」

A simple yet deadly magic enhanced by the effect of a newly acquired ultimate skill.

The ultimate skill in particular would be none other than Velgrynd's given skill, 『Raguel: Lord of Charity』.

The deed done was simple: gathering sets of spiritrons only to be continuously powered by the subskill 『Charity』.

To simplify matter, Michael had simply gathered numerous amount of spiritrons in his palm.

Spiritrons were naturally neutral, but when imbued with an attribute (element), they became new forces of nature.

Michael had simply imbued the "Fire" element in the set of spiritrons he had gathered.

After doing so, he had used the Ultimate Skill to increase its effect multiple times beyond the norm.

Thus, the energy was now in an unstable state. If this were to be further disturbed, the destruction would be cataclysmic.

This was how terrifying of a magic Michael had created just now.

As he was sure of his victory, a blast of energy from nowhere crashed against his figure, interrupting the process and all.

Due to the unstable state of the magic, it naturally exploded.

The worst part of it being that Michael was completely unprepared.

The crowd naturally dispersed in panic, no one daring to stay and look at the aftermath.

He had let his guard down for a moment and this is what happened.

His figure was engulfed in the explosion, damaging his physical and spiritual body as a whole.

He was severely wounded.

It was alright if he had only damaged his material body, but now, he had also retained damage on the spiritual realm.

Heavy damage to be precise.

The magic he had created was used against him in a grand or rather, in an ungrandly manner.

His figure fell from the sky and crashed against the ground.

This was all according to the plan of the perpetrator below.

「Attempting to destroy Sariel-nii's favored nation? How foolish.」

Michael: 「Kuugh! How rude. My own magic used against me. And it seems to have affected some of my magic and skills. How tactless.」

「You're welcome. The name's Chloe. I'm a hero.」

Michael: 「Tch. I don't share names with lesser life forms.」

Chloe: 「Geez. I hate you already.」

The exchange went on in that manner.

Michael needed time to recover completely from that damage. Unfortunately, that leisure time would not be granted for free.

He knew that he was in for a rough time, so instead of delaying any further, he decided to play it safe.

It seems the demon has already figured it out. How annoying. Always getting in my way.

I hope Feldway deals with him as he said he would.

Michael, who had more or less figured it out, thought it wise to escape.

Not that he was unable to deal with Chloe or anything, but his identity was meant to be a secret.

If his plans were exposed, there was no reason to continue.

Besides, Feldway is the one whose job has the greatest necessity.

Once that demon is out of the picture, Silverion could be conquered any other day.

This was, of course, the bitter truth.

It didn't matter who was in their way, as long as Sariel was gone for that little while, it was all in their hands.

Michael from the start already knew how difficult of a demon Sariel was.

He knew that getting the blockheaded demon to their side would be nothing short of a miracle.

Unlike the somewhat simple-minded Guy or Noir, Sariel was always a mystery to them.

His existence was always covered in mystery, his personality undeducible, and his strength was seemingly unpredictable.

Hence, he didn't think that the demon would be willing to cooperate.

But that was only a fleeting guess. He was unsure due to his unpredictable nature.

I also need to recover from this damage, so it's inevitable.

Thinking so, instead of approaching his opponent, he took two steps back and disappeared; not without leaving a message, though.

His cold pierced landed Chloe, and he spoke.

Michael: 「This loss would be repaid nine times over. So watch out, "hero."」

Saying that, his figure completely vanished.

The people who were busy with their marketing had already fled due to the explosion, so as of now, Chloe stood alone, with the sunlight bathing her figure.

Chloe: 「That must have been the Emperor Rudra. But I could've sworn that he seemed different.」

She pondered over the existence she had never faced directly.

Neither in the former timeline nor in this one.

Chloe: 「Well, let's not bother ourselves with that. I have already done the deed. Tehehe~. Now I can ask him for anything.」

Hinata: 「(You're kinda old to be doing this type of things, you know?)」

Chloe: 「(H-Hey, don't call me old!! Look at my figure! I'mstill young!)」

Hinata: 「(But you're mentally over thousands of years old. I have to respect you for that.)」

Chloe: 「(Hmph! You're so mean. I mean, the last time, Rimuru-sensei said I was cute. So it doesn't matter!)」

Hinata: 「(So you kept on behaving like that just because he said you were cute? Wow. How childish…)」

Chloe: 「(Who cares.)」

They had the time to argue over trivial matters, so they did so.

Their banter went on like this, and before they knew it, time passed.

 ◇◇◇

A news Feldway did not expect arrived, and he frowned ever so lightly.

Feldway: 「You called for reinforcements?」

Sariel: 「『Soul Collapse: Calm Turbulence』.」

Without replying to Feldway's question, Sariel struck him with one of his arts.

A flow of intertwining slashes assaulted Feldway, but none could traverse his impenetrable barrier.

Feldway had also wanted to do away with Sariel, so he would deactivate his barrier to go in the assault.

When that happened, Sariel would immediately counterattack and regain the offensive position.

This was the flow of their battle.

Surprisingly, Sariel had landed many attacks that had grazed Feldway many times.

Seeing this, Feldway became annoyed.

Tch. Even with his ultimate skill gone, he still is as troublesome as ever.

I'll have to request their help sooner than expected.

Although the small attacks had done little to no damage, he was still frustrated with how resilient Sariel was.

Sariel, on the other hand, was not in a better condition either.

He had used up a lot of his energy to perform his arts.

He had also wasted some energy on regeneration.

As of now, there were no wounds, but he had wasted a lot of magicules to heal the previously inflicted damages.

There was no one to manage his energy, so he naturally lost a lot of magicules on his arts and magic.

Even so, something was also preventing him from tapping into the energy in his soul dimension.

He already had a fleeting suspicion on the individual.

'Kalisha...'

Kalisha: 「.....」

He didn't bother to understand what was going on as he concentrated on launching several attacks on Feldway.

Sariel: 「See? I had already figured that you would try that sneaky move.

Your plans are slowly being destroyed by none other than me. So what will you do now?」

Feldway: 「Huh? Scrap that. It was just a side quest. You don't really think that I cared about that, do you?

Of course, taking that nation out of the map was important. But not as important as you dying.」

Feldway remarked with a grin.

He was excited to see Sariel's downcast expression. It was a rare sight for him.

After being bullied for countless years, he finally had the chance to get back at him. A chance he was not willing to let by.

Performing an Overblade art, he vanished from his position and appeared slightly above and behind Sariel, readying a decapitation technique.

Sensing the danger, Sariel took a defensive stance and coated his blade with his 『Demon Lord's Haki』.

With that, he managed to parry the slash aimed behind him.

Feldway was pushed back a little with the force used, and an opening was made.

Sariel: 「Here's my personal abyss core. 『Void Desolation』!!」

He generated his abyss core using nuclear magic, crushing it to produce an effect that bypasses all natural phenomenon.

The dark violet light within the abyss core began to absorb the pungent magicules and spiritrons present in the atmosphere.

This all occurred in the palm of Sariel. Both energy and forces alike were absorbed in this dark light.

Sensing the danger, Feldway rushed in to deal fatal damage to Sariel before he could do anything dangerous, but suddenly, Sariel sent the energy light sphere towards his figure.

Then–

*BOOM*

The energy exploded, enlargening its radius at an insane rate.

Feldway, who was caught off guard, was engulfed by this huge explosion.

Sariel: 「Let's see just how sturdy this barrier of yours is.」

The effect of this magic was just below his chaos magic.

The magicules and spiritrons consumed in this dark light were heavily compressed to fit in the light.

This, in turn, creates a singular unstable foreign energy mass that could erase a target down to their atomic level.

It could not destroy infons like his chaos magic did, but it was no less powerful.

Even upon that–

Feldway: 「You really never learn, do you?」

He came out of it unscathed.

Sariel: 「*Sigh* That barrier is a serious problem.」

Wasting no time, Feldway rushed in to send a deadly strike to Sariel's head.

Instead of blocking the attack like he would normally do, Sariel decided to dodge the attack.

He did not have his partner to send out warnings, so he needed to play it safe when it looked suspicious.

Rather than counterattacking, he maintained a defensive stance.

Feldway did not let this slid and continued to send out devastating attacks.

By this time, the earth had been destroyed beyond the levels of natural disasters.

Space warped under the pressure produced by each clash, and intense energy waves had long destroyed the area around them.

Knowing this would happen, Sariel had intentionally drawn Feldway away from the divine tree.

His actions had saved the nation of Sarion from suffering heavy damage.

The people had noticed this and were thankful to him.

Even with that, a part of the city had been destroyed from their clash earlier.

The destruction ensued for five hours straight, and the world was currently undergoing several changes.

Feldway, who relied on his defensive measure suddenly became more ruthless in his attacks.

Sariel found it hard to parry most of his attacks.

He had sustained severe injuries, and his reaction speed declined.

Keeping up with Feldway was already a miracle, but that was not enough to save him.

He couldn't use his skill 『Thought Acceleration』 due to circumstances, so he was naturally at a disadvantage.

Casting magic without incantations was already second nature to him, so he had no problem with that.

He was also used to utilizing magic rather than skills, which is why he didn't instantly collapse under the power of Feldway.

His movements were purely instinctual, and his actions were based on his battle instincts.

He had honed his battle instinct to another level, comparable to gods, so he could act without needing to think of anything.

But against Feldway, who had also honed his own battle instinct to a high degree, he was at a loss.

Even with this, Feldway was not satisfied.

Sariel was carefully carrying things out so that Feldway wouldn't notice.

Feldway, on the other hand, also felt something was off.

Feldway: 「Ahaha! What's wrong? There's no way magic like that could work on me!」

He had easily drowned out Sariel's magic with his almighty barrier.

Normally, this would be in Feldway's favor. And yet, he was the one getting annoyed on the inside.

That's strange, you know? It's only natural that his magic wouldn't work on me, but why is he still alive and well?

It doesn't make any sense that he'd be able to hold out against me for a few hours…

That's right.

Sariel's attacks were all nullified, and while he was obviously trying to return the favor, Sariel was still alive and well.

Moreover, he hasn't lost the will to fight consistently since his first move.

Sariel: 「『Chaos Magic: Divinity Nova』.」

Feldway was engulfed up by the assault.

Great! This idiot is rather using stronger attacks now!

For the past few hours, Feldway had been using powerful magic and art, as if he'd aimed it carefully, the moment he lost consciousness trying to think about Sariel.

It didn't do much damage, but he couldn't ignore it. Feldway had no choice but to regain consciousness and focus on Sariel as well.

He recovered almost instantly, so there was no problem ignoring him, but this was Sariel.

He understood that he shouldn't let his guard down, but the monotonous repetition seemed to have created a sense of conceit in Feldway.

A conceit that naturally led to carelessness.

And then–

Sariel: 「『Vacuum Slash: Calamitous Void』.」

—Another deadly art was invoked.

Sariel, who had made time to learn and create multiple arts revolving around the soul, had gone berserk.

He continuously unleashed deadly arts with casualty.

His eyes were devoid of emotions, and his movements were strangely calculated.

This was his battle instincts taking over.

Without thinking, he acted.

If he were currently depending on his mind to carry out attacks and initiate defense, he would have long collapsed.

But he was now battling without his mind. And to Feldway, it was really irritating.

Although he had a perfect defense, relying on it had proven that without it, he would've lost.

The thought alone irritated him endlessly.

Feldway: 「You're really insistent, huh? No matter what you do, it won't work. Just give up.」

Even though he said that, he couldn't shake this feeling of death gnawing at his soul.

This was the natural effect of Sariel's magic.

That's how he'd used a wide variety of techniques to keep Feldway's mind fixed on himself, preventing him from noticing the bigger picture.

Feldway was strong. Undeniably stronger than Sariel in terms of sheer power and energy.

However, the match was evenly matched. In fact, the board was in Sariel's hands.

That was the difference in ability and techniques.

The millions of souls stored in Sariel's personal dimension also boosted his raw power and magical capabilities to an unimaginable level.

All the attacks I landed always leave marks and scars on his body. But it's always as if he instantly regenerates.

Even those of which affects the spirit do not faze him. Does he have something beyond 『Godspeed Regeneration』?

He found himself asking this.

Unlike Sariel, who recovered instantly, Feldway's wounds continued to increase.

He didn't have anything large enough to be fatal, but there were a number of discolored

scars on his bare skin that looked like his military uniform was torn.

His uniform was also in the mythical realm, so he considered it abnormal for it to be torn easily by another mythic grade weapon.

That's just how tactless this demon is.

In the end, he decided it as such.

Sariel was currently in perfect condition, but his energy had been drained so far.

He would have left that problem to his partner, but that wasn't possible at the moment.

He also had another traitor to watch out for.

Sariel: 「*Sigh* You haven't grown at all.」

Feldway: 「Huh? What nonsense are you spouting? I've definitely grown far stronger.」

Sariel: 「Phew, that's exasperating. Your fighting style is childish as hell. You still lack the foundation. Always depending on borrowed power.」

Feldway: 「What's wrong with that?」

Sariel: 「I didn't say it was bad. I think it's foolish, is all.」

It was still fine to look down on someone who could win, but torturing them was out of the question. All the more, so if it was a battle, they couldn't lose.

If there's a difference in one's abilities, it is only natural to finish them off quickly.

Above all else, it was important to never give them time to come up with a plan.

Feldway: 「I'm stupid? That's strange, isn't it?」

Sariel: 「Yeah. But it's true. Being a fool and being foolish are two completely different things, you know?」

Feldway: 「?」

Sariel: 「It all boils down to one's individuality.

The line between being foolish and being a fool is that a fool will remain a fool, and a person being foolish can change.

A foolish person learns from their mistakes, and a fool dwells in it. You are a fool, Feldway. You have always been a fool and will forever remain a fool.

Veldanava knew this and never tried to change you for that matter. I feel foolish for trying either way.」

At this point, Feldway's composure was severely broken.

Feldway: 「You… DAMN YOU, SARIEL!!」

He wasn't being reckless, but he had wasted enough time on him.

Now was the time to end it for real.

Feldway: 「Hey! Don't you think it's about time already!?! I don't plan on wasting anymore time on him! Come out already!!」

Feldway roared to no one in particular—no, rather, he roared to the unknown entity lurking in the shadows.

Just then, an unknown voice responded to Feldway's enraged command.

A cold tone, devoid of any emotion.

「(Understood. Let us get this over with.)」

Sariel: 「Hm?」

Kalisha: 「Shit!!」

Sariel's cool demeanor was broken, and he felt a string being pulled in his soul.

Sariel: 「Grrgh! W-What's this?」

A dark energy mass, or more specifically, a dark soul, escaped Sariel's body.

It flew towards Feldway, and he received it with open arms.

Feldway: 「*Sigh* Finally. Are you done?」

「Yes.」

Sariel: 「H-Huh? Raziel-san?」

Kalisha: 「N-No. But…」

This time, it was Sariel's turn to be shocked. He had no idea about what was going on.

He wanted to rush up to Feldway, but he had been weakened.

Then, the time for judgment came.

Feldway: 「You've been a nuisance for long enough. Now begone. "Blast off to the end of time and space," 『Chrono-Saltation』.」

A whole new sensation washed over Sariel, a very unfamiliar phenomenon.

W-Wah?! No way!! Space-Time End!?! Damn it!! He could do something like this!?

If this happens, I might never…return...—with that in mind, Sariel felt his soul give up.

A foreign force assaulted his very existence, and he was forcibly transferred to an entirely foreign place where the past, present, and future could not be determined.

—————————————————————————————————Word Count:「5765」