“You damned demon!”
Realizing the fate of his subordinates, the hero Ares kicked off the ground forcefully and closed the distance to Agito, slashing down with his holy sword.
At close range, a blue light flickered as a flurry of flying slashes tore at Agito’s skin.
However,
“Bahaaahhh!!!”
With sharp, hardened claws, Agito deflected several of the slashes and seized the hero’s shoulder in his grip.
“Gah… Let go!”
“I’ve seen through your holy sword techniques, hero.”
Agito flashed a wicked grin.
Although red blood trickled from the wounds inflicted in this battle, his strength remained undiminished. The aura radiating from his powerful body showed no sign of waning.
“The power of your holy sword’s slashes is inconsistent. If I deflect only the lethal strikes, the rest are insignificant enough to endure.”
Without mercy, Agito slammed the hero into the ground with such force that it left a crater.
“Guh!”
“That’s quite an impressive armor you have. But I wonder how much longer it can hold out?”
Crack.
A fissure appeared on the silver armor encasing the hero, and fragments fell away.
Gritting his teeth with a ferocious expression, Ares grabbed Agito’s wrist with his free hand—the one not holding his holy sword.
“Burn in the wrath of my master!”
“Hm?!”
The sound of burning flesh erupted as smoke rose from Agito’s wrist.
Taking advantage of the momentary lapse, Ares kicked Agito’s torso, creating some distance between them.
A clear burn mark in the shape of a hand remained on Agito’s wrist. It was likely the result of some holy magic.
“Hmph. So you’ve inscribed holy runes on your armor. How cunning.”
Though Agito seemed unfazed, it was not a wound he could completely ignore.
I picked up a fragment of the hero’s broken armor and tucked it into my coat pocket—who knows, it might come in handy—and quietly moved to Agito’s side.
“If burns aren’t treated promptly, they can leave scars, you know.”
I cast a Dark Heal spell on him without delay.
“My thanks, Kiwi.”
“No need to mention it.”
“Still, why are you even on the battlefield? You were supposed to retreat after clearing the mines.”
“A twist of fate, perhaps. For some reason, I had no choice but to be here.”
“You have quite the mouth for someone who defies orders.”
Agito cast a glance at the demons, including Inasa, who stood behind me, and let out a faint laugh.
“To think you planned so far ahead—freeing captured demons and breaking through the rear of the hero’s forces. Impressive.”
“What?”
“Regardless, your actions have been invaluable, Kiwi. Thanks to you, our victory is within sight.”
Fully healed, Agito gave a defiant smile.
“Complete recovery, as always, your healing is remarkable.”
The hero’s face turned pale as he continued to clutch his holy sword.
“Damn it… Damn it all! How are there no injuries left?! You filthy demons, so cowardly—!”
“Apologies if we’ve stolen your trademark tactics.”
Agito advanced, his fist glowing with crimson magic.
“Despair and join your comrades in the afterlife.”
“God…! Protect me and this world! Justice is on my side! I won’t lose—I can’t lose!”
Ares’s holy sword shone brilliantly, gathering all his divine power for one final strike.
Even I could tell he had chosen to end the battle quickly, knowing he couldn’t endure against Agito, Shes, and me for long.
“Justice? Such a thing does not exist for me. What drives me is the vengeance of my fallen Elden people, nothing more.”
“Your petty grudge is nothing compared to the weight of humanity’s future! Be gone in the name of holy retribution!”
A moment later, the holy sword and Agito’s magic-fueled fist collided.
The crimson fist deflected the blue light and slammed into the hero’s silver armor.
“The one who will vanish is you, boy. Scatter into the void of our vengeance.”
“I… will not… yield!”
Ares clung to Agito’s arm.
Suddenly, the hero’s armor began to radiate an intense white light.
This wasn’t ordinary holy magic.
“A holy power surge…?! Agito, get away now! He’s trying to self-destruct!”
“What?!”
Agito tried to pull his arm free.
But,
“If I die, you’re coming with me!”
Ares tightened his grip, refusing to let go.
Just as the light reached its peak—
“My life is not so cheap as to give to the likes of you.”
With a clean slash, Agito severed his own arm, escaping the explosion’s grasp. He then kicked Ares away and spat,
“Die alone.”
“Damn you, demon!!!”
The light from the armor engulfed Ares, and a massive explosion followed.
White and blue light burst forth like fireworks, and the shockwave nearly blew me away if not for Shes grabbing hold of me just in time.
As the winds subsided, silence fell over the battlefield.
“Is it over…?”
Inasa murmured from behind me.
Agito raised his remaining arm high into the air and let out a resounding roar:
“Uwoooooooohhh!!!”
Dark crimson magic spread across the city, signaling the end. The demons’ triumphant cries echoed, mingling with magical bursts of flame and lightning. It was a chaotic yet unmistakable victory cry for the Demon Kingdom.
And with that, Elden’s liberation and capture were complete.
However, neither Ares’s remains nor his holy sword were ever found.
