115: Assassins

"Mommy!!"

"For the thousand time, I'm not your mom."

Time flew by after my meeting with Rosalie. I came to realize that my power alone might not be enough to deal with future threats. So I wanted to surround myself with potent allies. Also, I made a promise to Nyarla. Nyarla, a girl who I found and protect. I hid her in the Lake of Doom and she eventually became a demi-goddess. And I did promise I would come back for her when I became the Maou.

"I missed you a lot, mommy. Does this mean we can finally live like a normal family?"

"Well, normal might be a long stretch, but for now at least, we'll all be together."

"Yaaay!!"

Nyarla was cute when she displayed her innocent face. For the record, I tried asking her if she knows another way for me to become a demi-goddess too, but it seems it wasn't possible. Apparently, Nyarla was also born from a God, it's just that when she was little all her powers were latent.

Since becoming a demi-goddess was out of the equation, I only had plan B. Using Zeshia in staff form. Her staff form was a little more sparkly, but I didn't care much about the aspect. Once I threatened Zeshiat, she told me that she'll switch between sword and staff form accordingly to my will. I'll still need her sword form to cut through stuff, but staff form suits me better.

In her staff form Zeshia's tip looked like a spear with a gem attached to it. As for the length, it was pretty much the same as her sword form. I just had more room where I could hold her. Although I occasionally did get "careful where you're touching" or "I'm sensitive there" or "hentai". I tend to ignore it mostly though.

Like Rosalie mentioned, my spells are amplified 7 times. But, I need to be careful. When I took her out for a spin, I tried using the spell Lightning Shower. An electric type spell that summons 10 powerful lighting bolts. Originally I thought only the voltage or force behind the spell would increase. But apparently, number based spells literally get multiplied by 7. Which means my 10 bolts became 70.

I'm glad I tested it on an empty field. The damage it left was substantial. It's also worth mentioning that this power doesn't come for free. Zeshia also charges more mana, but so far, it doesn't seem an issue.

"Hey mommy, let's play something."

"Can't you wait till we get home?"

Right now it was me, Bessie, Sylvia and of course, Nyarla. You're probably asking why didn't I simply teleport. Well, the answer is simple. Life as the Maou is tiring. I really had to set a lot of people straight. And I got tired. I really wanted a nice walk to clear my head. But I didn't want to go alone so I had Sylvia and Bessie tag along.

We casually kept talking, making various small talk. Until at one point, Nyarla stopped suddenly.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Mommy… we're being followed. Can I kill them?"

"Huh?"

I tilted my head. I didn't feel anything. Usually I can sense mana fluctuations if hostility is directed towards me. If what Nyarla says is true, these guys are either really weak or really good at hiding their aura.

"Boss, Nyarla's right. There's a funny smell in the air. It's not a Mazoku. It smells like… demi-humans. Actually… this scent feels familiar."

Well if that's the case, let's give whoever is spying on us a proper welcome.

"Show yourselves! We already know you're out there."

As if giving their selves away, in one spot, 5 demi-humans gathered. A werewolf, a cat girl, a minotaur, a goat man and a guy with the head of a chicken.

"Maou of the demons, for the unjustice you did to the demi-humans, you are sentenced to death! You have made our princess suffer, so now it's time to pay!"

What the hell are these guys saying? What princess?

"Boss I think…"

"Can I kill them mommy?"

"No, no. Girls, this is actually perfect. I need to let out some steam anyway. If they dare to bare their fangs at me, then I will kill them. Stay back and watch."

"Naive."

The shadow under my feet distorted. From my own shadow──talons came rushing out. A harpy leaped out of my shadow wielding an axe.

"How dare you! You won't even admit your crime! Die!"

Hou? How did she pull that off? She completely sneaked up on me, which is a tremendous achievement. I didn't dodge though.

The female harpy threw her axe at me. It was a direct hit. It sank into my shoulder, but that's all. My bones are incredibly hard so she can't push deeper.

"What the…!?"

At the same time she did that, I shifted my body and grabbed my opponent’s wrist. I always wanted to try this spell out, but it needs physical contact.

"……Everything should vanish to a world of white … [Freezing Zero]"

"Hii!?"

From the wrist part that I was touching, the harpy’s body became white and froze over. Her eyes opened wide.

"N, no……I don’t want to disappear! To die……!! S, save……me……!!"

"If you aren't prepared to die, you shouldn't have been born in the first place."

"Don’t kill me!"

"Too late."

Due to Zeshia’s effect, sevenfold’s worth of [Freezing Zero] was stacked up. I should praise this harpy. After all, she received magic that originally should have frozen her in an instant, and held out long enough for her to beg for her life. But she instantly shattered afterwards.

"What… in the world?"

The werewolf that apparently seemed to be the leader was shocked. Can't blame him though.

"Look, are you aure you guys didn't get the wrong person? I'd be willing to let you go."

"Bitch! Our pride stands above anything else!"

"You sure do have a lot of composure, don’t you, puppy. Just try and protect your subordinates then──O flames of scorching heat, burst open, [Vulcan Shock Ignition]!"

Finally, his expression changed.

"What are you doing……!?"

The explosion of my attack which had become sevenfold, thoroughly burned even the horns of the large Minotaur.

Their screams reverberated while they were completely incinerated. I avoided the werewolf on purpose just to see how his bravado crumbles. Call me cruel if you want, but this makes me feel a bit better. When the fumes cleared, only the werewolf remained.

"You… you monster! Have you no shame?"

"You guys attacked me. I don't see how I am to blame."

"I'll kill you! Even a monster like you has to have a weakness. I'll find it."

"Be my guest and try."