The demon Lovell tilted his head, exposing the silvery entrails from his belly. His amber eyes stare at me as he holds a phialert in his hand. What a strange shade. Every time he looks at me, something unpleasant rises in my throat.

　In the distance, I could hear the sound of birds singing.

"You're a twisted little thing, aren't you? People are twisted like this. I'll change my mind in a moment.

Please do. I'd appreciate it if you'd change your mind, too.

　My eyes narrowed as I said this. I had a bad feeling in my heart.

　The demon Lovell. I'm sure he has a few peculiarities because he's a demon. Anyway, how is it that he hasn't shed a drop of blood even after being wounded? Even if he is a demon, he should have blood in his veins. It's not like a clay figure.

　If they shed blood, they can be killed eventually. I'm not sure what to do with it. My first eye twitches slightly. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

　I'm going to breathe. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your eyes are not blinking. The treasured sword snaps its blade along with my will. The blade, pulsating as if alive, strikes its body more sharply and powerfully.

　--You don't have to die, just kill it, Lord. If you kill it, you will surely die.

　I thought I heard such an extremely noisy voice echoing in my head. There's a better way to say it, don't you think?

"Lord Lugis!

　It was Mastigios who shouted as soon as I took my first step. The expression on his face showed his will to push through the pain and still go forward.

　He knew what he wanted to say even without hearing the words. He was obviously concerned for Fialaat's safety. So I just looked at him for a moment and did not respond.

　Of course I have no intention of hurting Fialaat. But I can't just stand by and watch my few friends be dredged up by a demon.

　Things are always going to get worse like a downhill slide if you just let them. No matter how shabby or wounded, things will not get better if we do not reach out to help.

　Especially if the enemy is a demon, a disaster in itself. What's more, if you're being held hostage, there are appropriate ways to fight.

　If you take one more step, you will find yourself in Lovell's domain. The bronze legs of the demon with a sense of misfortune stretched out like a thrust to my heart. No, it's not just one, it's the heart, the neck, the brain. The leg was released to pierce all of them, and the sound of wind slashing struck my ear strongly.

　It was as if the intent to kill had been implanted directly into the leg. It was too brilliant.

　Reflexively, I half-crouched and took another step forward. Driving his ankles, knees, and hips, he turned his wrist and swung his treasured sword. The purple light circled in the air, and the dull sound of iron biting rang out. His magic leg was eaten by the sword, and its trajectory was deflected.

　But even so, it seems that I couldn't handle it completely. The flesh on his cheeks and shoulders was shaved off, and he jumped up and down as if he had just gained his freedom.

　In an instant, I understood. In the long run, he was no match for me. But it's a much easier opponent than Drigman, who grabs you from a distance.

　With the treasure sword and the magic leg engaged, he uses his wrist again to slam the tip of the magic leg into the ground. Without even taking a breath, I aimed at Lovell's neck and drew a line of purple light.

　He made no move to avoid it. The hollow trembled and there was nothing between me and Lovell. Strangely enough, he didn't even seem to shield the phialert he was holding in both hands.

　The treasured sword plunged into Lovell's throat without any pause. I could definitely see it in his eyes.

　But before that, my ears definitely heard it. Laboure's lips were open in all their neatness.

An irrational creature. I will correct you immediately. I will teach you how to break out of your human shell.

　The blade of the treasured sword pierced Lovell's neck, leaving Fialaat unharmed. Human or demonic, it was a deadly thrust that spurted blood and withered away. That's all there was to it.

　But his hand didn't feel like it had gouged out flesh and spilled blood, only the uncomfortable feeling of having struck something hard.

　--What the hell is this? My thoughts stop for a moment.

　I can't believe it's a living thing. It's as if it's an inorganic object with arms and legs growing out of it and wandering around. Rather than fear, inexplicability came first. What the hell is this thing?

　Doubt and bewilderment roamed the contents of my skull, entangling my thoughts. And then, as if by chance, I stopped in my tracks. Right in front of the demon.



　Laboure opened his mouth as if he deserved to have his throat pierced. His sculpted fingers touched my bewildered chest.

　No, maybe he had already touched me the moment I thrust the sword into his neck.

　There was no pain, only a strange heat.

"The wheel of fate is always in my hands. A single misplaced gear can send your destiny spinning farther afield. You mistook your destiny. You should be on our side by now.

　Why does this guy know my name? More than the doubt was the creepiness of Lovell's fingers forcing their way into my flesh.

　It makes me want to vomit. My vision flickers, and I don't know why I'm standing. I feel like my soul is being forcibly scrambled.

　Then, a click, a sound in the back of my head. I felt like that.

　I wondered what it meant. What did Laboure do? I have no idea. But all I felt was a twisting sensation in the pit of my stomach.

　Instantly, the jeweled sword stirred like a neigh of neighs. My eyes widened and my consciousness forcibly returned to me.

　Forcing my hips to drive, I thrust his hand away, and with a sideways motion, I snapped his neck bone. This would normally have been a fatal blow.

　But Lovell did not regenerate like Drigman. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

It's a good idea to resist ....... But either way, once the wheel turns, you can never escape. There is no escape for you now. Understand immediately.

　There was a twisted smile on her neat, doll-like face. It sent a shiver down my spine.

　I still don't know what Lovell is talking about. But the way he continues to speak with such a dignified demeanor while his stomach is pierced and his neck is more than half destroyed is just too creepy.

It's not good, I'm not one to believe in fate that doesn't suit me - so let's end this here.

　He returns the blade. I don't know how it works, I don't even know if he's really alive. But no matter who he is, if you cut off his head completely, he won't survive.

　I raise my blade, and the next moment...

　--The next moment, a voice rang out. A voice that pierced the sky, as if to say there was nothing to fear.

　A bird. It was the cry of a bird, a bird much larger than a man. Several of them were flying right above me and Lovell. Their rasping voices were as if they were threatening us.

　Their strange voices made my body go numb for a moment. My cheeks contorted, and I even wanted to cover my ears right there. I felt as if a sharp needle had pierced the depths of my eardrums.

　And that was all for a moment. Laboure, as if he knew what he was doing, drilled his magic leg into the ground and flew through the air. The demon bird seemed to have gotten used to having Laboure on his back. Yes, with Fialaat.

　Laboure, with his throat pierced, still says in a calm voice.

"I commend you, General Magus. Surprisingly, I've accomplished my goal. As for the rest, continue westward as you see fit. Proceed immediately.

　Mastighios didn't have time to say anything back. To Lovell, humans were not people he wanted to talk to. For Lovell, humans were not people with whom he could have a conversation. That's what humans are to demons, I guess. Agathos is a little peculiar.

　Flashes of magic bullets run across the edge of my vision. They slightly grazed the large wings of the demon bird, but not enough to shoot it down.

　And so, the sky is now out of reach for me. The only Phialert that could stand a chance is still in Lovell's hands. I can't even see her anymore as she disappears into the sky.

　I bite down hard on my back teeth. I felt a kind of bitterness seep into my mouth. At the same time, my heart thumped hard.

"Um, bastard ......

　Something. I felt something fatal rumbling inside me. Scenes from the past, when I was still in the favelas, came back to my eyelids.