“──Oops.”
As I prepared to use one of my techniques, the “Cursed Word Bullet – Kotodama,” Deus swung his massive greatsword horizontally, aiming directly at me.
Clang! A dull sound echoed. The blow didn’t reach me. Shes had slid in between the greatsword and me, perfectly blocking the strike with her longsword.
“You saved me, Queen.”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
While Shes engaged Deus, and the zombie thief dealt with the other Matoki squad members, I focused on tracking the thief’s movements and firing “Kotodama” curses that would stabilize the injured squad members — healing fatal wounds without waking them.
However, this required intense concentration, making it hard to stay fully aware of my surroundings. It meant I was becoming a burden to Shes.
Even so…
“Deus-kun. You live up to your reputation. I didn’t expect you to hold your own against our Masked Queen.”
“Hah! A coward who hides behind women should keep his mouth shut!”
Deus was strong, just as Tigre had said. The massive greatsword in his hand, as tall as I was, moved with the effortless precision of a wooden stick, slashing relentlessly at Shes.
“Haah!”
Deus delivered a downward diagonal slash from overhead. The combined weight of the greatsword, centrifugal force, and his raw strength easily exceeded several tons of force.
But…
“I’m used to dealing with brute-force types like you.”
Shes moved with the grace of a butterfly, her precise footwork allowing her to dodge by the thinnest margin. Her longsword deflected Deus’s right hand, the pivot of his attack, causing the deadly strike to miss by a hair’s breadth.
Deus quickly recovered his greatsword, swinging it horizontally this time. Shes ducked to avoid it, then leaped with incredible speed, slashing upward at Deus’s torso.
“Chh… darting around like a pest,” Deus muttered.
The wound on his steel body was barely a scratch, a thin line with no blood or visible damage. For an automaton species like him, pain was nonexistent, so this outcome was expected.
“Queen, are you sure you’ll be fine with just that longsword?”
“It will suffice, Kiu—Melon-sama. Though it may take time to deliver a decisive blow.”
“That’s fine. As long as you can buy us time.”
Shes lacked her holy sword. Carrying it in this demon kingdom would’ve immediately exposed her identity. Instead, she was using a borrowed longsword from this building. Holy arts and divine power were similarly off-limits due to the same risk of exposure.
Demanding victory under such conditions was borderline cruel.
“As long as Shes holds out, and the zombie thief thins the ranks of the Matoki squad, we’ll eventually turn this into a two-against-one against Deus. Victory will be ours then.”
There was no need to rush.
The zombie thief, as ruthless as he was against the Eight Great Hell Wardens, was now tearing through the Matoki soldiers alone. In a few minutes, the tide would decisively turn in our favor.
However…
“Hmph. Resorting to cheap tricks, I see.”
Deus, the commander of the Matoki, wasn’t one to passively wait.
“Hiding in the shadows, trembling behind your subordinates, suits you well, Masked Melon. It’s pitiful how your lackeys suffer for your cowardice. You’re a disgrace — the greatest coward of our time.”
His steel face twisted as he hurled every insult in his vocabulary at me. He was trying to provoke me, to drag me into the fight and exploit an opening.
Admittedly, most of what he said was true. Still, I wasn’t simple-minded enough to fall for it—
“Kiu—Melon-sama, a ‘coward,’ you say…?”
Beside me, Shes was quietly but visibly enraged.
“I’ve held my tongue, but you’ve gone too far… Perhaps I should take your head clean off with a holy sword…”
“Don’t fall for it, Queen. He’s just trying to provoke us.”
“Kiu—Melon-sama, I beg you. Grant me permission.”
“No chance. No killing, no exposure.”
We whispered hurriedly back and forth, with me barely managing to calm her down.
Still, Queen glanced at her longsword, clearly restless.
“Melon-sama, at least allow me to increase my output. I cannot stay silent while my lord is insulted. I must crush him with honor.”
“Increase your output…? But that will harm your body—”
“I do not mind. And wouldn’t defeating him quickly be more efficient than waiting for the thief?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I’ll only sacrifice one arm and one leg. Please, give me your permission.”
Shes met my gaze with resolute eyes.
Hmm. Changing her mind seemed impossible now.
Besides, I relied on her for combat far too often. To outright deny her request after all that would only damage our trust.
“…Fine. But promise me not to push yourself too far.”
“Thank you, Kiu—Melon-sama! Truly, thank you!”
Shes beamed at me, then turned to face Deus, her longsword at the ready.
She locked eyes with Deus and smirked, a stark contrast to the smile she had just shown me.
“Rejoice. Melon-sama’s generosity has allowed me to show you a little something.”
“Hah! What can a little girl who’s been on the defensive this whole time possibly show me?”
“The difference in our strength.”
In the blink of an eye, Shes vanished.
The next moment, she reappeared right in front of Deus. Sparks erupted in a blinding shower, followed by a thunderous GAGAGAGAGA! like rocks being ground to dust.
The sparks and sound came from Shes’s lightning-fast right arm slashing Deus’s steel body with an incredible flurry of sword strikes.
—Limit Break.
Thanks to her demonized phase shift, Shes’s body could exceed 100% of its human strength. However, this came at a great cost: the power she wielded would eventually destroy her own body.
But before that could happen—
“What the—!? Nnnnnngh!!!”
Deus’s mechanical body groaned under the pressure.
His greatsword was knocked out of his hands, his steel arms and legs were slashed deeply, scattering shards of metal all around.
“Take back what you said, Deus!”
Shes didn’t let up, her onslaught relentless.
“My lord may lack physical strength, but even so! He is a true warrior who never turns his back on his convictions as a healer!!!”
Her final strike aimed directly at the automaton’s core, just below its chest. It shattered the surrounding wall as Deus’s body was blown away.
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