Chapter 52

It wasn't until noon that Riku, Schwi, and Couronne finally emerged from the bridal chamber.

"Hm? Master, out so soon? I thought you'd sleep until evening." Jibril teased, beaming as she approached.

Fia followed close behind.

That comment made Couronne blush and avert her gaze, unable to look Jibril or Fia in the eye. Jibril was just Riku's maid, although an unusual one; she was easy to face. But Fia was the first to marry Riku, and she was also Riku's older sister. When you thought about it, the relationships among the three were quite complicated.

Schwi, on the other hand, just held Riku's hand sweetly, her face the picture of happiness.

"Schwi, just because I let you have husband last night doesn't mean I'll let go for good," Fia said, coming up to hug Riku's other arm, pouting at Schwi.

"Fia, let's all get along. I'm satisfied just being at Riku's side," Schwi replied with a gentle smile.

Fia was caught off guard; she had expected Schwi to compete with her.

"…Mm." After a brief pause, Fia broke into a sweet smile and nodded, her tail wagging rapidly.

Seeing that no dramatic "love triangle" was unfolding, Riku nodded in satisfaction.

Couronne, too, glanced at Fia with curiosity and nodded to herself. No wonder Riku liked this girl so much. Her personality really was wonderful.

"Hehe, sorry to interrupt the newlyweds, but the Dwarves are still waiting for you, Master," Jibril chimed in with a grin.

"The Dwarves? Yesterday's guests are still here?" Riku asked in surprise. He'd called all the races together for his wedding, but everyone was busy, getting ready for the final battle. In truth, the grand wedding was an indulgence on his part.

Logically, everyone should have hurried back this morning.

"The Vampires left with their queen Sonia, and Think Nirvalen from the Elves also left. Zhuralis had urgent business and departed with the Dragonia. The Ex-Machina didn't leave; they have no fixed home. But the Dwarves said they have something to report to you, so they stayed." Jibril gave a full report on the movements of the major races.

"I see," Riku nodded, realising what might be going on.

"Schwi, Jibril, Fia, you three go and explore a bit. Couronne, come with me, this concerns you," Riku said, focusing his gaze on Couronne.

"Me? Okay…" Couronne pointed at herself, puzzled, then nodded. Riku led her to the meeting room, where the Dwarf commander and several high-ranking Dwarves were waiting quietly.

Moments later, Riku entered with Couronne.

"Lord Riku, Lady Couronne, please forgive us for disturbing you." The Dwarf commander and his officers all stood up and bowed respectfully as the two entered.

This left Couronne feeling a bit strange. High-ranking Dwarves bowing to humans such a thing was unheard of.

Riku simply held Couronne's hand and sat at the head of the table.

"Is the IS mecha finished? You guys work fast," Riku said with a slight smile.

"As expected of Lord Riku, you figured it out right away," the Dwarf commander replied, a look of awe on his face.

"With the blueprints you provided, we did indeed manufacture the IS mecha. Only humans can pilot them. They can automatically draw energy from their surroundings for power storage. Based on our assessment, they're only slightly weaker than our aerial battleships," the Dwarf commander explained.

"Not bad." Riku smiled. Anything produced by the system was bound to be high quality. These mechs were nothing like the old IS models, which would have been junk in this world. The system's version was far more advanced, especially in terms of energy sources.

They could even evolve through conscious will. Even Riku didn't know their ultimate limits.

"IS mecha?" Couronne asked in confusion.

Riku explained the IS concept to her, and in an instant, Couronne's eyes sparkled part curiosity, part excitement. With such technology, humans could hold their heads high. Maybe there wouldn't be more wars in the future, but humanity's weakness was a fact. No single person, even Riku, could make the whole race strong. But with this, they wouldn't have to worry about being looked down upon anymore.

"Couronne, since the IS mechas have been developed, I'd like you to lead several hundred of our most talented people to the Dwarves to learn the technology," Riku said with a smile.

"Okay!" Couronne nodded vigorously.

The Dwarves had no complaints about this. The designs had been provided by Riku anyway. Although only humans could use these mechs for now, the Dwarves might gain inspiration to create their own models. It was mutually beneficial.

With the decision made, Riku selected several hundred humans. Under Couronne's leadership, he teleported them all to the Dwarves' iron city.

Seeing the industrial metropolis, everyone was stunned.

But after the initial shock, excitement and curiosity took over. They knew what this meant; it was a chance for immanity to rise.

And with Riku's connection, they had nothing to fear; the Dwarves would teach them respectfully.

With Couronne's matter settled, Riku set his sights on the location of the final diamond chest.

That was the Demon Lord's lair, no doubt filled with fiends and the strongest Demon Lord.

Not that it mattered to Riku. He just wanted to open the last diamond chest. In two months, he'd launch a full assault on the Flügel's headquarters, Avant Heim, for the final battle with the God of War.

Accompanied by Schwi, Jibril, and Fia, Riku made for the Demon King's lair, ready to wipe them all out.

As the four of them arrived, a mad, earth-shaking roar split the sky.

"ROOOAAAR——!"

With a deafening, earth-shaking roar, the entire mountain range trembled and split open. Then, a colossal being appeared before Riku and the others.

It was a black, turtle-shaped monster. Roughly the size of a medium-sized island, it radiated an oppressive presence so intense that even the air seemed to solidify around it.

"So this is the strongest Demonia? It looks terrifying… It even feels stronger than the Dragonia," Jibril said in awe, gazing down at the creature.

"According to my analysis, the Demon Lord's energy is indeed higher than the Dragonia's. But it's not as agile," Schwi said, her eyes flickering as she finished her assessment.

"It's so huge, I honestly have no idea how to even fight something like that," Fia said, clutching her head in frustration.

Riku didn't say a word; he just frowned and stared at the Demon Lord below. It seemed the diamond chest was inside this thing.

As expected, he'd have to take down this monster.

"ROOOAAAR——!"

At that moment, the turtle-shaped Demon Lord let out another roar, its red eyes fixed on Riku. Suddenly, a red light began flashing all over its body. A powerful spirit reaction erupted, and countless dense beams of red energy shot skyward, aiming for Riku and the others.

The four of them dodged one after another.

"Master, can we use this big monster as a training dummy?" Jibril asked, smiling hopefully.

Fia and Schwi both looked over too, battle lust in their eyes.

"…Fine, just don't get reckless," Riku agreed after a brief thought.

Since the map was on their side, there was no way for this thing to escape. It wouldn't hurt to let the girls test their strength.

As soon as Riku gave permission, Schwi, Fia, and Jibril all got excited.

An epic battle broke out instantly, shaking the heavens and earth.

Waves of energy flooded the battlefield as Jibril and Schwi unleashed Heavenly Smites one after another. Normally, when a Flügel used Heavenly Smite, they would lose their power and revert to a childlike state, but the current Jibril, one of the strongest beings aside from the Dragonia, no longer had to worry about such drawbacks.

As for Schwi, she needed even less concern.

Fia, meanwhile, entered "Blood Destruction" mode. Unlike before, this time her hair didn't turn red, nor did red patterns appear on her face. Instead, her hair became silver and a silver aura wrapped around her body, making her look beautiful and strong. Her power was now on par with Jibril's.

But Fia's raw strength could only shake the Demon Lord and create a few cracks, it couldn't break its defence.

Jibril and Schwi's Heavenly Smites could only blast off bits of the shell, causing no real damage.

This left all three girls frustrated. Meanwhile, the Demon Lord's attacks, though powerful, were too slow for the nimble trio to be hit, leaving them shaken but unharmed.

"So this is the strongest Demon Lord… That defence is insane," Riku muttered gravely.

The Demon Lord was a mutated Phantasma. If the strongest Demon Lord was this terrifying, then even Riku, at his current level, would have to use his Balance Breaker and the Fifth Gate combined just to seriously injure it, maybe not even kill it.

And compared to this, the top-tier Phantasma fortress Avant Heim, used by the Flügel, must be even more monstrously powerful.

Yet Avant Heim was merely the servant of the God of War.

"It's truly a road of carnage," Riku said, a twisted smile appearing. "But that's what makes it fun."

When it came to Phantasma, Riku did have a trump card: [Void Zero Protection], the ultimate technique of the Elf creator Kainath, specifically designed to counter Phantasma. It combined the power of 108 sorcerers enough to destroy several Phantasma in a single blow.

Maybe it couldn't destroy the highest-tier Phantasma, but what about two, three, four, or even five at once?

"All right, Jibril, Schwi, Fia, that thing's defence is too much for you. Leave it to me," Riku said suddenly.

"Fine… I get it," Fia pouted, unhappy to step aside.

"It's seriously hard enough to make me speechless. Even more frustrating than the Dragonia," Jibril grumbled.

"Sorry," Schwi said, returning to Riku's side, looking apologetic. She really wanted to help him.

"It's not your fault, blame it on that thing being way too tough," Riku said, stepping into the air. "So let me take care of it."

Hearing this, the three girls obediently retreated.

The Demon Lord fixed its gaze on Riku, letting out a warning roar. Until now, it hadn't paid much attention to the three "insects." They were strong, but only enough to cause minor pain. Riku, however, exuded a lethal danger.

Seeing Riku ignore it, the Demon Lord could no longer restrain its rage. It began gathering a massive amount of energy in its mouth, the resulting destructive force shaking both sky and earth and spreading cracks in all directions.

And this was only the buildup, the attack hadn't even begun yet.

"Balance Breaker", Riku said indifferently. Scarlet armour covered his body, his strength soaring to a terrifying level.

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, open." Instantly, blue-green flames enveloped him, merging with his red spiritual power.

"ROOOAAAR——!"

Sensing Riku's escalating aura, the Demon Lord could no longer hold back. It unleashed its ultimate attack.

A red-black energy cannon shot across the sky, aiming straight for Riku.

"Useless struggle." Riku showed no concern, gathering a terrifying power of his own.

A scarlet beam entwined with blue flames exploded out, colliding with the red-black cannon in midair.

BOOM——!

A terrifying thunderclap rang out as the two energies collided, the space between them shattering like glass.

But compared to Riku's might, the Demon Lord didn't stand a chance; his attack instantly overwhelmed the energy cannon.

SPLAT——!

The next instant, Riku's attack pierced the Demon Lord's body and detonated inside.

BOOM——!

With a deafening explosion, a shockwave as strong as a category 12 typhoon tore the Demon Lord's island-sized body to pieces, devastating everything for millions of meters around.

And this was with Riku restraining his energy, focusing on penetration rather than wide-scale destruction. Otherwise, the Star Grail would have had to show up to clean up the mess again…