CH 200

—Sain… Is that you?

The facial features were not very defined, it was not entirely clear if it was him, but even so, the resemblance is very frightening.

The words he utters from a few minutes ago seem dreamlike and don’t give the impression of being conscious.

—That guy again? What’s he doing in a place like this?

—I doubt that could be a human….

We were missing an opportunity to attack. Some were confused about how to accept the reality in front of them. Sain had just appeared in front of us looking very different from the last time we met, it was normal to be confused.

—Guuuaaaaggghm To… Toru….

—So, he is conscious.

Sain’s eyes stare at me.

—Please. Kill me…. This thing… It’s consuming me, and it’s taking over my consciousness, AaaaH!!!!!

—Sain?!

—Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, she was the cause of all this …. What have you done to me, Lisa? What is this monster you have put in my body? My consciousness is fading away… I don’t want to have to admit this, but, Toru, you have to kill me, please, do—…..

Sain’s body begins to crumble, and the shape of his face becomes more distorted.

—Guaaaaaagh!!

Numerous tentacles sprout from the snake’s back and rush towards me.

I quickly jumped up and dodged the attack.

—Saaaaaaaaiiiin!

—Guaaaaaaaagh!!!!

I was still in the air, and more than twenty tentacles targeted the place where my body was going to touch the ground, so I turned my body to avoid them at the same time I drew my sword and started slashing at them. But the attacks did not end there.

Unlike the thin tentacles from before, this time the tentacles are extremely thick, easily three meters wide on their own, and extend from the torso. Despite their appearance, they move fast.

I stopped for nothing, and continued to slice at every tentacle that approached me. And as if by magic, the tentacles instantly regenerated and headed towards me at great speed.

I used my greatsword as a shield, causing the blow to send me flying and impacting a building through the wall. 

—Uggh… How can that thing have a regeneration power equal to that of a dragon?

I stood up in the dusty room, but a strange noise caught my attention.

—iiigh?!

—Huh? I thought everyone had evacuated this area?

Inside the house there was a child cowering and shivering under a table.

His parents don’t seem to be in this place. Didn’t they manage to escape? Or did they just abandon him?

—It’s okay, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll take you to a safe place.

—….

The boy nodded his head while holding a doll of a knight in his hands. I took the boy in my arms and ran to Pione, who was a few meters away from me.

—Guaaaaaaaaaggggh!!!! Gooooorrrgh!!!!!

Sain freaks out the moment he loses sight of me.

The nearby buildings were randomly destroyed with tentacles. Takigi and Nambala, who should have been on the sidelines, launched attacks while running across the roof.

—Take that!!!

Takigi throws several glass tubes with an unknown liquid inside.

As soon as the tubes hit the snake’s body, they exploded on impact, causing the snake to become soaked in a purple liquid.

The liquid then took effect on the snake’s body and its skin began to fall apart.

But it was a useless act, since in a fraction of seconds. The snake’s skin regenerated, making it return to normal.

—I see that you are quite resilient, try some of my magic!!!!

Namabla pulled out a piece of metal that instantly became a large axe.

Its powerful blow shatters the snake’s scales and pierces its flesh. However, the damage is still light. It seems that the body itself is also quite tough, as is its regenerative power.

I deftly traverse a maze of alleys until I reach the main road, and I meet the soldiers who are leading the evacuation.

—Toru!

—I found this child who was abandoned in a house.

I placed the boy in Pione’s arms, and tried to return to the battlefield, but before I could do so, the boy grabbed me by the pants.

—Thank you… Oniichan…

—Don’t go away from your parents again.

—Yes. Pray for oniichan to receive many praises from God and the saints.

—Thank you.

I patted the boy on the head, and started running to where everyone was.

—How about this, Flower Blizzard!

The snake’s whole body froze momentarily, and the thin ice came off and the snake sticks out its tongue to show that it was still alive.

—Break hammeeeeer!!!!

Frau threw with all her might her hammer, causing the snake to impact a building, and a shockwave generated by that force was felt throughout the capital.

—Be more careful what you do!!! Remember that we can’t destroy the city!

—How do you expect us to deal with such a strong enemy?!

The snake, which had been crushed by the hammer, changed its slimy form while regenerating to its original form, and by mere carelessness, the snake’s eyes landed on me again.

—Huh?

From the snake’s mouth comes a flash of light. Probably a breath attack. No doubt it was bad news, the army and the refugees are after us.

But cunningly Kaede leaps forward and uses her iron fans to counter the attack.

—Wall of ice.

A thick wall of ice appeared at a slight angle, and as a result, this defense served to counter the attack.

And it didn’t end there, she used the wall to prepare a counterattack.

—Air bullet!

Air bullets make holes in the enemy’s flesh like cheese. But even so, his flesh regenerates instantly.

It has the same or better regeneration ability as a dragon, plus a slippery, irregular shape like a slime. It’s like a combination of all the most troublesome monsters in existence.

The snake’s head transforms into a conical shape and begins to spin at high speed, then vigorously digs into the earth and sinks deeper and deeper into the ground.

—You’re not going to escape! Aero slash!

A wind blade cuts the snake’s torso, and the open wound heals instantly. Kaede’s attacks were almost nullified, and the snake… Rather, Sain managed to escape.

All that was left of the battlefield was a large hole in the ground.

I can’t believe he did something like this.

Was that really Sain?

How is it possible that a person could become a monster?

—I’m sorry, we let him get away.

—We couldn’t do anything else.

—Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good.

—All this is so unexpected that I don’t know how to take it.

Sain begged me to kill him, even though he’s supposed to hate me. Besides, I can’t stop thinking about that strange shape he has as a body.

—Toru, are you okay?

Pione is joining us with her knights. She might know what’s going on.

—Pione, did you know that thing was Sain?

—I knew it was called that. But I didn’t think it was real until now. I want to help you, so I’m going to give you all the information I have.

—Please.

Takigi and Nambala join us. They both approached me with enthusiasm.

—Commander, your skills on the battlefield are incredible.

—Really? I didn’t do much.

—What level are you, Commander Toru? Your teammates also proved to be very strong, and I’m ashamed of myself for thinking I was protecting them.

Apparently, my reputation has risen a lot in the fight I just had. Other than Kaede and Frau, I didn’t do much. At most, I smashed the tentacles.

However, I don’t feel bad about the accolades.

There was still a lot to do in the city, the Kaede, Frau, Nambala and Takigi joined Pione to help where we could in rescuing people and checking that everyone was safe. We worked until it got dark.

*****************

A huge amount of papers are piled up on the table.

I had not imagined that there was so much information gathered about Sain.

Pione looks at me and smiles forcibly as if to say; “Now do you understand how hard I have worked?

In every one of those papers there were reports of attacks that Sain has been involved in, and not only in cities in this country, but in other neighboring countries.

—…It doesn’t seem to describe the cause of what happened.

—When he appeared he was already a monster who had lost his mind. Its purpose is unknown at the moment, but from its appearance, I believe it is to fight Toru.

Sain’s words came into my head.

I find it hard to believe that he asked me to kill him. That man who showed no sign of remorse even after his execution.

At what point is he so trapped against that monster holding him hostage?

—Is it possible that we can defeat them?

—I hate to say this, but the way things are going it’s going to be difficult. Many adventurers have set out to take him out, but most have not made it back alive. The army is even harder to mobilize because of this, so it was a good thing you guys came along.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the twinkle in Pione’s eye. To her, I guess I’m some sort of savior who came to her rescue in a double sense.

—Excuse me, General. I received an order from the Holy Maiden demanding your presence as soon as possible in the royal palace.

The knight who entered the room reported indifferently. Pione’s face paled as she looked at him.

—Toru, run away now! No doubt she has already heard that you are here!

—What’s all the fuss about? And how does she know me?

—You haven’t noticed yet! The holy maiden is Soaraer!

What?! Soarer is the Holy Maiden?!

—And she’s not the same now as before. She’s really dangerous.

—It’s disrespectful to call His Holiness that.

—Aaaah!

A female knight of the Beast tribe entered the room. She carries sharp, beastly eyes and an air more befitting a general than a subordinate.

—You are Toru? You’ve come a long way here to try to fool that man to whom you are so indebted, haven’t you, Pione-dono? To whom do you think you owe your position?

—I didn’t ask to be made a general! Soarer forced this position on me for her own benefit!

—I see you still have a rebellious attitude, do you want to be punished again as you have been in the past?

—I’m ashamed just remembering it.

Pione covers her face with her hands and purrs in embarrassment. What kind of punishment do you mean?

I’m very curious.

I was going to meet Soarer sooner or later anyway. If he wants to see me so badly, I have no reason to refuse.

—I’m willing to go, so no such punishment will be necessary.

—Toru?!

—The carriage is waiting for you, come out when you’re ready. 

*******************

Arriving at the majestic building, we were stunned at what was in front of us.

It was a cathedral that Soarer had the Demon King build.

How much power does this girl have in this country?

After walking through the grand entrance, I made my way to the room where Soarer would be. She was alone in this also ridiculously large room, praying.

—Soarer-sama, he has arrived.

—Thank you, Isabella. You may go now.

—Yes. I’ll be waiting outside.

As soon as Isabella leaves the room, Soarer runs up to me with a smile on her face, and presses her big breasts tightly against me.

—Ah, Toru, you don’t know how glad I am to see you again.

—Marianne told me what happened. It must have been hard.

—Not that hard. Everything is a test imposed by God. And I have successfully passed this severe test of faith. The fact that you are here with me is my reward.

—…I see you’re still the same as ever.

After all, Soarer is still herself.

The next thing she did was look over my shoulder and saw Kaede and Frau behind me.

—It’s been a while, Kaede-san. And Frau-san too.

—It’s a relief to see you safe and sound.

—Is it me, or is this priestess too flashy? I thought the servant of God should be more modest in her attire. Why do you have such flashy and jeweled clothes?

—When you’re a priestess, you can’t dress frumpy, can you? In case you like it, I had it designed to Toru’s liking? Do you like it?

Soarer’s style was highlighted by a fine robe. It certainly exuded an aura worthy of a priestess, though it was also very revealing in other ways.

To be more precise, very pleasing to the eye. Surely if she asked me to join her religion, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

—Master Soarer-san is in danger right now.

—Exactly. That’s why I told you to leave, Toru.

Kaede and Pione grab each of my arms and pull me away from Soarer….

What? Is she really dangerous?

—Now that I think about it, Panda-san isn’t here. He’s usually the first one who flies over for me to pet him.

Panda-san is just now getting the level up he’s been craving.

—I see. I’m sorry to hear that.

Soarer gasped and clapped his palms together, as if an idea had occurred to him.

—I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Toru to Her Majesty. Although she is a demon king, she is a wonderful person who understands the faith very well. I’m sure the two of you will get along very well.

I become anxious and looked at Pione to get her opinion.

She seems to be heart sick, so basically she is a quiet person.

She just told me that she’s just sick at heart and she’s basically a quiet person.

I guess she is fine.