177-The one who controls everything




 We were running through Delzogade.

 From in front of us, a woman with long ears, dressed in black vestments, walked straight towards us.
 It's Menou. Seeing that she was aiming for the lower floor, I wondered if Nowusgaria and the others had already figured out where they were.

"Menou.

 Yes, he speaks to her via thought communication (leaks).
 <He disables his reiner and appears in front of her.

Got it?

 After rolling his eyes in surprise for a moment, Menou nodded his head.

''I'm not sure... but I'll just tell you what I found out. Avos Dilhevia is in the ceremony room and the Spirit King is in the throne room. But Nowsgaria is the only one I couldn't find anywhere.'

That's enough. You can't be sure. You can't be sure that he's changed?

 Menou nodded.

''Avos Dilhevia and the Spirit King are probably using
 Hmm. It's an elaborate trick.
 You can't go head-to-head with him since he's not in control of the Ridiculous Sword.

Do you know where the students are imprisoned?

I can show you. I can show you around.

 I suppose that's one of the things that buys you time.

"Then, Eleonor, you and Zecia will rescue her.

 The three of them are enchanted with the "Illusion Mimicry (Lynel)" and "Secret Magic (Nazira)" to conceal their appearance and magic.

''I'm going to go!

 Eleonor shouted cheerfully.
 They ran, led by Menou.

'The Throne Room is in the main wing of the Delzogade. The ceremony room is in the west wing.''

 While advancing, Ray sends me a .

I'm sure he doesn't want me to fight with Avos Dilhevia, just as Anos predicted, since he's going to wait for me at another location. The inside of this castle is covered with the anti-magic of
 In the unlikely event that he uses the Transition (Gatom), the matchup will not happen as intended.
 It's a reasonable defense measure.

''And the reason why was able to see through Menou-sensei is probably.......''

"It's on purpose. "The tyrannical, demonic king, Avos Dilhevia, cannot fail to conceal his magic.

 Avos Dilhevia is in the ceremony room and the Spirit King is in the throne room.
 But both of them are using the magic of .

 If you think of it that way, Avos Dilhevia in the ceremony room might actually be the Spirit King and the real Avos Dilhevia is in the throne room.

 However, the fact that he went out of his way to show it to Menou means that is likely to be a fake.

"They deceive our eyes with their liner and make us think that they are replacing each other. But in fact, they are not swapped.

'I suppose it's possible that they've been led to believe that, but they've actually been replaced.

 Ray has a point.

''But then I guess it's just a matter of luck whether they'll be able to make you fight the opponent they want you to, too.

"Then maybe Avos Dilhevia isn't on either side.

'You mean the one between the throne room and the ceremony is Nausgaria and the Spirit King?

 Ray nodded.

''I suppose it won't be a problem as long as we're working together, but if we don't defeat Avos Dilhevia as soon as possible, we won't know how long the mixed-blooded demons will be in the . Maybe they're anticipating that we'll have no choice but to split into two.

 Nausgaria and Shin, I won't lose against either of them.
 Rei is a bit of a bad match because the Spiritual God and Human Sword is ineffective against Nowusgaria, but on the other hand, if it's the other way around, I can fight Shin with all my might.

 The Reishinjinjin Sword to destroy the Demon King emanates immense power against Shin, who is also of the same demon race. Regardless of whether we win or lose, it won't be the same as when we fought in Ahartheln.

 As I thought earlier, the best plan for them is to have Nausgaria and Rey fight, and then Avos Dilhevia and Shin challenge me.

 But with the current strategy they'd devised, the combination they'd fight would be a matter of luck no matter what. In that case, it would be advantageous for us to have Nowsgaria, Singh, and Avos Dilhevia waiting for us.

 Or is there a chance of fighting an opponent who is certainly easier to take advantage of?

''.........Hmm. I see.''

 I could read the general aim.

'Ray, I'll head for the throne room.

Do you know who's in there?

'No, it's close enough. You can pretend to roll the dice, but in reality, you'll get the rolls they want, no matter which way you go. In that case, I'll take advantage of it.

 At that moment, the wind blew in front of me.
 <It's the magic of the Wind Wave (Shuar).

 Is this the limit for hiding in this area?
 In any case, if it comes to a battle with Avos Dilhevia, we'll know where they are.

 It's better to take care of things here than to have reinforcements come in later.

"I got you, Nonconformist. All units, brace yourselves!

 A voice rang out, and the light of a magic circle could be seen in front of them.
 There were more than a dozen people standing in the way, including the two thousand year old demon tribe of Luche.

 I informed Ray of the plan via thought transmission (leaks).

''Yes.

 As soon as he said it, Ray drew a magic circle.
 A divine glow gathered there, and he summoned the Spirit God Human Sword.

''Shoot!

 Magic cannonballs of fire, ice and lightning flew in like a hailstorm.
 <Since they were invisible due to their phantom mimicry (Linel), they shot their magic without any gaps in the passage.

''.........Huh.......!

 Ray's hand gleamed.
 That holy sword sliced through black fire, ice and lightning in an instant, causing it to dissipate.

''........This is the Spirit God Human Sword.......! As Avos Dilhevia-sama glared at me, you're a brave canon. But this technique--

 Luchet's eyes widened.
 More than a dozen of his men had fallen on the spot in the blink of an eye.

 Among them, there was also a two thousand year old demon race.

''Chii........!

 It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

 It's a good idea to have a good time with a good friend.
 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''I got it!

 At close range, Ray completely saw through Roueche's magic sword that was wielded. Leaving a gap of not more than a few millimeters, the sword's barrel cut through the sky.
 By that time, the unique sword that he pulled out with his left hand had pierced Roueche's heart.

...and...

 Rushe grips the Unique Sword with his left hand.
 But he doesn't have the strength to do anything else.

"This magic sword and technique why are you Master Shin's.........

 As Ray pulled out his unique sword, Roushé fell on the spot.

 I undo the  Then I cast a spell on all of them and set them all on fire with Griad of Burning Flame Black.

 Now we can't be disturbed for a while.

Ray, you head to the ceremony room. There will be a lot of guards, but don't take it too seriously. The demons of 2,000 years ago wouldn't die so easily.

I will.

 At the fork in the road, Ray headed for the west wing where the ceremony room is located.
 Me and Lyna went straight through the main building, aiming for the throne room.

 In front of us, a group of demon soldiers gathered in front of us.
 I think it's about 47.

 As expected from the proximity of the throne, they are all elite, and they are all demons from two thousand years ago.

"You nonconformist, don't think we're going to let you move on from here!

Kill! A lowly half-breed who despises me.

 A lowly half-breed.

Hmm. You're not members of the royal family, are you?

 I said, and the demon looked at me and said, "We are honored by Avos Dilhevia.

"We are honored by Lord Avos Dilhevia to be a member of the royal family!

It's not like you're a misfit!

 Sighing, I glared at them.

'Fools.'

 They shuddered at the words, as if they were deflated.

''Look closely at this face,'' he said, ''and use your two demon eyes to look into the abyss. You can look into the abyss with your two eyes. If you still do not understand, then after this battle is over, you will have time to go wherever you want. Go wherever you wish.

 They were about to deploy a magic circle, and as if they had suddenly relaxed, they looked at me with their magical eyes.

"I will not ask you again. Am I a misfit?

 With a puzzled expression, the demons distorted their expressions.

 No.....

'It can't be...I'm not...'

"I've been in the service of Master Avos Dilhevia since... two thousand years ago...?

"...what is this... I don't know... my head... hurts... .........!

 A violent pain hit them, or the demons pressed their heads down.
 A thick darkness with magical power emerged behind them and covered their heads.



 They drew their magic swords as if they were possessed by something.

''And........charge! Kill him...!

Hm, you resisted well. I'll give you a prize.

 He flicked his finger.

 At that moment, the forty-seven demons all broke their knees as they were engulfed in flames from the Gio-Glaze, the Hellfire Eradication Cannon.

''Wait there for a while. We'll get you out of here in no time.

 Leaving my men and women in charge burning black, I continued onward.
 Soon, the door to the throne room comes into view before me.

'Lyna. You will wait here until the time is right. I'll put an anti-magic and magical barrier on you. If you do not move, you will not die.''

"Yes.

 He emitted magical power from his fingertips and opened the door.
 As I proceed inside, I see a spirit king wearing jet black armor and a mask.

 He sits on a throne and looks at me in a peaceful manner.

'We meet at last, Avos Dilhevia.

 As soon as I said that, the magic of Reiner was lifted.
 The one who appeared was Avos Dilhevia, clad in a cloak.

 When she took off her mask, it turned into particles of magic power and disappeared.

'Good answer. You understand very well.''

 Brushing back his long, deep sea-colored hair, Avos Dilhevia huffed and smiled.

''No seeds, no tricks. You just used the Root Source Equal Fusion (Jae Dyshaisis). You bisected and fused Nausgaria and the root cause. Here was Avos Dyrhevia, and Nowsgaria.

 So I did the same thing when I tried my luck on the steps of Gniere.

'When I or Ray appeared in front of you, the was released so that you could return to your original root source. If I appeared in front of you, you would revert to Avos Dilhevia, and if Rey appeared in front of you, you would revert to Nausgaria.

 Avos Dilhevia carries a smile on her face.

'You have always been able to fight who you want to fight, I suppose.

That's right. All things are in my hands, just as your fate is set, just as your destiny is in my hands.

 At those words, I involuntarily let out a voice.

As usual, you still speak like a forger.

 Avos Dilhevia said, looking down at me as I laughed.

'Oh, is it a sore loser? Or are you suggesting that it was your intention that the brave canon was to fight Nausgaria?

"Hmm. Are you really born out of my lore? Don't tell me that the ridiculous lore of imperial supremacy has dragged you to your head as well?

 I said to Avos Dilhevia, who hadn't broken his spare time.

'Don't you think so, Ray?'

 From behind me, the sound of footsteps echoed.
 Through the door, it was Ray who emerged.

'If you can be sure to fight the person you want to fight, then Avos Dilhevia will surely appear before me. After all, you are the order that will destroy me.

 It was possible that Singh could have appeared first, but in any case, Avos Dilhevia would have appeared before me.

'Then I needn't bother splitting up.

 We just need to make sure the fake Demon King shows up and then we can call Rey.

''Oh, that's what I meant. So the canon that headed to the ceremony room is an impostor with a separate root source.

 When Ray made a fancy stand with Roushé, he had already separated into two people.
 The real Ray, who has four roots, came here with me while hiding his appearance with .

 Just as they had planned, they made it look like they had split into two halves.

'But I've divided the root into three parts. That's pretty much the real thing. We can't recover the single-armed sword as expected, but...

 As Ray draws a magic circle, the Spirit God Human Sword that he had the imposter Ray hold is summoned there across the distance.
 The wards created by the demon race are meaningless to the holy sword created to destroy the demon king.

''Well, Avos Dilhevia. You seem to have quite a great grip on the situation, but is this also as you intended?