Arifureta : King Of Demons

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👨‍👧 Title: "Arifureta : King Of Demons"

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==============

"Tio-san, isn't this really bad?"

"Indeed, the Royal Capital's outer walls have been breached, and Demonfolk and their summoned monsters are pouring into the city one after another. The Kingdom's soldiers are attempting to deal with them, but it's a futile effort."

Currently, Shea and Tio were witnessing the Demonfolk's invasion of the Royal Capital from atop a building overlooking the city. Only about twenty minutes had passed since the Grand Barrier was broken, but already a large force of Demonfolk had flooded into the Royal Capital, their momentum unstoppable. The human forces were cornered to the point of being utterly defeated.

Initially, even if Shea and Tio had no intention of helping the Kingdom, they planned to assist civilians. However, the Demonfolk soldiers made no move to harm them. Witnessing their actions, even Tio, who had lived for a long time, felt a sense of admiration for Aldias, who had likely created this army before them.

The Apostles of God—specifically, Hajime and his group who had infiltrated the Royal Capital to rescue Shizuku and Aiko—decided to split into two teams. Given the possibility of a Demonfolk invasion, Hajime needed to act as swiftly as possible. He took Liliana as a guide and Kaori to serve as a stopper for kouki and the others, and the three of them began their infiltration of God's Mountain. Shea and Tio remained in the Royal Capital, tasked with immediately contacting Hajime if anything happened. They hadn't expected the Demonfolk attack to truly begin at such a moment. Originally, they planned to rendezvous with Hajime after he descended the mountain, but at this invasion rate, it would only be a matter of time before the Royal Capital fell.

"Tio-san, this pace is truly bad! Let's go to Hajime-san's side too!"

"Indeed. The Demon King has also disappeared at some point. And Master has told us not to fight the Demonfolk, so let's quickly rendezvous and—!?"

Tio, who was about to agree with Shea's suggestion and transform into a dragon, was suddenly covered by a large shadow. The two looked up abruptly, and a pure white giant dragon, blocking the sunlight, looked down at them with a low growl. On its back, a Demonfolk man glared at them with sharp eyes.

"Who are you two? Your attire suggests you are not from the Kingdom."

The Demonfolk man—Freed—caught sight of Shea and Tio and questioned them. It was hard to believe they were residents of the Kingdom, especially Shea, being a beastkin. Tio, standing next to Shea, was no different. And more than anything, Freed keenly felt the aura unique to powerful individuals emanating from the two.

(These two are strong. Far from Aldias-sama's level, but dangerous if any of our brethren confront them.)

Shea and Tio exchanged glances with the glaring Freed, then nodded simultaneously.

"Calm down! We have no intention of harming you!"

"Shea speaks true. We are merely here to rescue Master's friends, and once that is done, we shall depart immediately."

"...Shea, you say?"

"Eh? Yes, yes?"

The two explained that they had no intention of fighting, but Freed's reaction was not to their words, but to Shea's name.

"Bluish-white hair, and magic, which beastkin should not possess... I see, you are Shea Haulia."

"Eh!? Why do you know my name!? I've never met you before!?"

"This is our first meeting. But I've heard about you from Aldias-sama."

"!"

Shea's body instinctively stiffened at the mention of Aldias's name. Ignoring Shea's reaction, Freed turned his gaze to Tio.

"Is your master Hajime Nagumo?"

"That is correct. Master is currently on God's Mountain. We promise to leave this place as soon as we rendezvous with him."

"...Very well. But if you make any strange moves..."

"We understand. Shea, is that agreeable to you as well?"

Shea nodded silently, her expression grim, at Tio's proposal. Tio, having secured Shea's agreement, took out a thought-stone from her pocket and began to speak into it.

"Master, can you hear me? It is I. There is something I wish to convey... Master?"

Tio tried to contact Hajime using the thought-stone, but when no reply came from Hajime, she tilted her head in confusion. As she exchanged a puzzled look with Shea, the thought-stone suddenly glowed, and Hajime's voice could be heard from it.

It's Tio!? Sorry, I can't deal with that right now! Later!!

"Master!? What's happened!?"

"Hajime-san!? What on earth is going on!?"

Hajime's voice coming from the thought-stone sounded quite panicked, and Tio and Shea also frantically questioned Hajime.

It's the Demon King! I'm fighting him right now!!

"What did you say!?"

"Eh!? Why!?"

How should I know!? Never mind me, you two—Ugh!?

"Master!?"

"Hajime-san!?"

The thought-communication cut off just as Hajime's pained cry was heard. Tio and Shea desperately called out, but there was no response from Hajime.

"What is the meaning of this!? We have no intention of fighting you all!!"

There was no response from Hajime, but it seemed he was fighting the Demon King. Tio didn't know why that was happening, but from Hajime's reaction, it didn't seem like he had willingly started the fight. In the first place, it was unlikely that the person who told them not to fight the Demonfolk would attack without reason, especially knowing the enemy possessed immense power. Judging this, Tio roared at Freed.

"...I know that Aldias-sama headed to God's Mountain. It is to eliminate the corruption of this country. His fighting Nagumo Hajime is new to me, but... that person does not act without meaning. He must have some plan."

"What a carefree thing to say!"

However, Freed, though his eyes widened for a moment, remained completely unperturbed and calmly retorted. But Tio could not possibly be satisfied with that.

"That person acts with everything in mind. Even actions that seem meaningless are all connected somewhere. Therefore, we will simply move to be of some help to that person."

"Don't be ridicu—!?"

Freed's words sounded like those of a fanatic who dedicated everything to a god. No matter what happened, no matter what sacrifice, he affirmed everything as if even doubting was a sin. That image overlapped with that of the humans who had once persecuted the Dragonfolk, instigated by the Holy Church. Tio, instinctively enraged, swallowed the words she was about to utter as she looked at Freed's expression.

The fanatics of this world, without exception, when speaking of God, wore ecstatic expressions, and their eyes were muddied and stagnant. However, she felt none of that from the man before her. It was clear from his clear eyes. What this man held for the Demon King was by no means the foolish and pathetic devotion of a fanatic.

He believed. From the bottom of his heart, in his master. Freed believed in the time they had spent together, and in his master's very existence.

"...I understand what you mean to say. However, we cannot remain silent when Master is in danger."

"I see. Then, I will compel you by force. I will not allow you to obstruct Aldias-sama."

"Let's do it, Shea. Let's finish this quickly and rush to Master's side."

"...I'm sorry, Tio-san. It seems I can't help you there."

"...Shea?"

Tio, sensing that they both held unyielding resolves, decided to break through here, even if it meant disregarding Hajime's instructions. However, Shea refused Tio's suggestion. After a moment of surprise, Tio turned around and saw Shea with her back to her, looking up at the sky. Following her gaze, Tio saw a single girl mounted on a dragon. Beautiful blonde hair reminiscent of the moon, and crimson eyes. Though she appeared to be a young girl, the magic she wielded hinted that she was no ordinary being.

(This child... is strong!)

"aletia, I'll leave that to you. Don't be careless."

"Mm, they're strong, these two. You can count on me."

"Seriously...?"

"Y-yes, it seems this won't be easy."

God's Mountain - Holy Church Dungeon

"Ugh!?"

Hajime, having roughly cut off the thought-communication from Tio, narrowly dodged a fiery spear aimed at him. He immediately drew Schlag from his "Treasure Trove," and with red sparks flying, fired an ultra-fast bullet towards Aldias. Aldias extended one hand, deploying a magic barrier in it, and easily blocked the red flash.

"Demon Slash"

Simultaneously with deflecting Hajime's attack, an invisible shockwave radiated from Aldias. Hajime blocked it with Schlag as a shield, but he couldn't withstand it and was blown backward. As he was blown away, Hajime righted himself in mid-air and looked up, only to see a magic circle, large enough to cover his vision, suddenly appear.

"Rain Dragon"

Hajime, seeing the light meteors ravaging the sky, raised Mettariga. Twelve thousand bullets per minute shot down the incoming orbs of light one after another.

(Now!)

As bullets and orbs of light collided, their forms obscured by black smoke, Hajime maneuvered the Cross Bits he had prepared beforehand to Aldias's blind spot and fired explosive slug rounds from them. However, these were also easily blocked by a barrier. Moreover, Aldias didn't even turn to look behind him. Just as Hajime was about to click his tongue in annoyance, countless lightning spears rained down from the heavens. The lightning spears, fired from outside Hajime's awareness, pierced the ground in a circle around him.

"Summon Lightning"

The lightning spears piercing the ground glowed as if resonating, and electricity enveloped the surroundings.

"Gahhhhh!!"

A powerful electric current surged through Hajime's body, who was at the center. The impact, like being struck all over his body with a blunt weapon, made even Hajime collapse to the ground.

"Don't stop thinking, you fool."

Aldias spoke, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

"Keep your mind sharp, and always think two, three steps ahead. Things never go according to your plan. Constantly adapt to the ever-changing battle situation."

"Damn it...!"

Hajime gritted his teeth at the utterly unreasonable magical barrage. He knew it. Yet, facing him again, he felt his resolve waver at the overwhelming power.

(My attacks aren't getting through at all, and unchanted spells are flying at me from all directions. This is too much of a cheat!!)

"What's wrong? Is it over already?"

"!--Don't tell me what to do!!"

Whipping his aching body, Hajime rushed towards Aldias. Once again, a barrage of magic assailed Hajime. Kaori and the others, who had taken distance to avoid being caught in the spectacle, watched with expressions on the verge of tears.

"W-what do we do, Shizuku-chan!? Hajime-kun, Hajime-kun!?"

"Even if you ask what to do..."

Shizuku was pulled by Kaori's sleeve, but frankly, this was not a battle that Shizuku and the others could intervene in.

"At least, if his attention is completely diverted from us, I might be able to land one blow. Even then, I think it would only make him focus on us for a moment at most. Besides, he's so overwhelmingly powerful, yet he has no openings at all."

With such a difference in power, one might expect to see at least some arrogance or disdain, but Aldias showed absolutely none of it. He recognized Hajime, who was tumbling on the ground from the magical impact, as a formidable enemy, holding no carelessness or overconfidence whatsoever.

"Seriously, just give me a break," Shizuku thought from the bottom of her heart. A certain amount of pride and overconfidence often accompanied power honed through dedicated training. Shizuku herself was confident in her sword skills, which she had honed since childhood. She had no intention of holding back, no matter who her opponent was... but if asked if her mindset was the same when facing an opponent in a city tournament versus a national tournament, she couldn't immediately nod in agreement. She couldn't imagine what kind of life one would have to lead to acquire such power and yet possess a spirit completely devoid of overconfidence.

"We can only watch again..."

"No way...!"

With an expression of despair, Kaori looked at her own hands. Regeneration Magic, one of the ancient magics she had acquired by accompanying Hajime and the others. However, she had just obtained it and hadn't mastered it yet, and a clumsy attempt at support might only hinder Hajime.

"I... I...!"

She bit her lip, still unable to help Hajime even after acquiring ancient magic. Ignoring the spectators, the battle intensified.

(Damn it!! I knew it, but...!!)

How long had the battle been going on? It felt like a minute, ten minutes, or even longer, yet Hajime scowled, unable to even get close, let alone land a hit. As time passed, Hajime's wounds increased, but Aldias remained completely unharmed; furthermore, he hadn't moved an inch from his spot since the battle began.

(Don't create distance. Even if I shoot from afar, I can't break through his barrier. I need to close in and blast him at point-blank range!!)

Dodging through the magical barrage, Hajime approached Aldias.

"..."

Aldias stared intently at Hajime. And then, he subtly altered the trajectory of the magical barrage.

(An opening!)

A small gap appeared in the continuously raining barrage. Not missing the chance, Hajime stomped on the ground hard enough to crack it and charged towards Aldias. Reaching Aldias's front in an instant, Hajime aimed Donner-Schlag.

"Even this—!?"

The moment he placed his finger on the trigger, intending to unleash a rapid-fire burst at maximum power, Hajime suddenly interrupted his attack and created distance with a back-step.

"Hajime-kun?"

"Why did he retreat just now?"

Kaori and Shizuku tilted their heads, perplexed at Hajime who had missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had come amidst such difficulty in even getting close. And Hajime himself stared blankly at his own hands, bewildered by his own retreat.

"Why did you distance yourself just now?"

"!"

"You know you can't break through my defenses by creating distance, don't you? That's why you closed in. So I'm asking why you distanced yourself."

"Shut up!!"

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"...Huh?"

Hajime unintentionally stared at Aldias, dumbfounded by his words. Scared? Me? Of this guy? Ignoring the bewildered Hajime, Aldias continued to speak.

"At that time, you were probably in a state of excitement from facing a life-or-death situation. You overcame that, and then suddenly faced reality. That your power wouldn't work against me."

"N-no, that's not—"

"It's not. You can't defeat me, who am 'human.' There's no way you can defeat a 'god.' You're subconsciously thinking that."

"I said that's not true!?"

As if denying the reality thrust upon him, Hajime pulled Orcan from his Treasure Trove and fired all its rounds at Aldias. The swarm of missiles rushed in a straight line, causing massive explosions that engulfed surrounding buildings, and the tar they carried wrapped the area in an inferno. Even the distant classmates screamed at the heat, which was so intense they involuntarily covered their faces.

"Hah, hah, hah... damn it!"

However, Aldias calmly emerged from the sea of flames. Naturally, he was completely unharmed.

"If the pawn I brought tries to return to its original world on its own, Ehit will surely interfere. You might not be able to win. 'God' isn't so lenient as to be defeated with such resolve. What will you do then? You were just communicating with your comrades via thought-communication. Don't you intend to rely on their power?"

"You're enough for me alone!!"

He said no more. As if to shut him up, Hajime frantically rapid-fired Donner-Schlag. Normally, Hajime possessed the skill to rapid-fire six shots in an instant, but perhaps due to his agitation, his rapid-fire was uneven. Aldias, as if uncaring, approached Hajime. Hajime reloaded the moment he emptied his magazine, but when he looked back from his hands, Aldias was right in front of him.

"It's useless no matter what you do. In your current state, you can't reach me."

"Guh!?"

Hajime instinctively froze. Before he could say anything, he felt a crushing pressure from above, pinning him to the ground.

"Is that all? Is that the extent of the power with which you spoke of killing a god? 'God' isn't as soft as you think. Regardless of his nature, his power is worthy of being called 'God.' Is your power, is your resolve, truly just that?"

Hajime inhaled, about to shout back at Aldias's question. However, looking directly into the eyes staring down at him, the words caught in his throat.

He was hit where it hurt. The truth Aldias spoke pierced Hajime's heart more than anything. It was his first defeat of this magnitude since gaining strength unparalleled in Tortus. Unlike when he was scorned as incompetent after returning from the Abyss, this man had utterly defeated him, someone who had been undefeated since then.

He kept telling himself that he wasn't fighting for humanity, so there was no need to fight. However, it wasn't because there was no need; it was because, deep down, he had admitted that he couldn't win against that being no matter what he did.

After Aldias and Cattleya retreated that day, Hajime returned to the surface with his classmates. Afterwards, there were various commotions concerning kouki and Kaori, but with Kaori added to their travel party, they left Horuado. For a while, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy due to Aldias, but thanks to Tio and Myu, it gradually returned to its usual noisy state. Hajime himself smiled faintly at them, but the moment he saw Shea's smile, he was suddenly overcome by an indescribable terror. He didn't know why Aldias had retreated at that timing. Still, if the battle had continued, he and Shea would undoubtedly have been killed. He would never again be able to feel the happy peace before him.

He had absolutely no intention of losing. His vow to protect his loved ones was not a lie. Yet, Hajime's reason relentlessly confronted him with reality. At the same time, having been defeated by Aldias, who was "human," he began to think that he could never possibly reach "God." He had decided to protect at least his loved ones. That's why he was afraid. Could someone like him truly protect Shea and the others? What if he lacked the power and lost them?

Seeing Hajime unable to continue speaking, Aldias frowned slightly.

"You don't realize... Well, never mind."

Towards the bewildered Hajime, Aldias extended a terrifying hand.

============

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