But there are exceptions to every rule.
The creator must’ve transferred almost all its powers into the Black Knight. In which case…
All we have to do is find the higher power who created Shiva and destroy them.
But where is this Devil Lord, and what is it doing at this moment?
One little girl comes to mind.
It’s her. It must be that brat.
The child Shiva cares about more than anyone.
Charlotte Zenfis must be the Devil Lord who created Shiva.
There were a few things that struck Murzalla as odd from what she observed of the Black Knight. He started appearing shortly after Charlotte and her mother were attacked by bandits (imperial soldiers pretending to be bandits, actually).
Since then, Shiva had been often sighted in Count Zenfis’s fief. He started turning up in the capital not long before Charlotte entered the Academy.
The Devil Lord most likely “took over” Charlotte around that time.
That must be it. Still though, I cannot fathom why it pretends to be a human.
It’s not unlikely that her older brother Haruto could be the Devil Lord, but Shiva is clearly focused more on the little girl. There’s a possibility that Haruto received powers from the deity, too.
The maelstrom of Shiva’s magic gunshots continues.
Her entire body becomes numb from the torturous pain. She can’t move so much as a finger.
“That should do it. Maybe a bit too one-sided… Should I have thrown in a suspenseful moment where I was in trouble…?”
Murzalla can sense a terrifying magnitude of mana from the man in black who’s jabbering to himself.
“Time to wrap it up. I should put on a bigger show next time. Like an explosion on the edge of a cliff or something.”
His words make absolutely no sense. But at least it sounds like he’s finally going to finish her.
It doesn’t matter. I’ve already served my purpose. We were merely spies. Our only task was to learn his true nature and report it back to Lord Lucifyra…
She’s been sending all of the information to her master this whole time.
Lord Lucifyra, I’ve done enough, haven’t I? ……………………Huh?
That’s strange. Why…
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
Shiva catches her whisper. “What was that? Did you have a question for me?”
“Not you!─answer me… Answer me, please!”
Shiva tilts his head, then─ding!─a lightbulb flicks on.
“Oh, you’re trying to communicate telepathically with your Devil Lord. Is that it?”
What does it matter if he finds out now?
“Yes! But…why…”
“Your message isn’t going through? Um, probably because of the barrier around us?”
“What…?”
“I mean, we are pretty far from the surrounding villages, but I still wouldn’t want anyone getting hit by a stray bullet or anything. So I sealed us up in a dome barrier about a mile wide. Light and air can pass through from the outside, but not even a speck of light from inside can get out. I wouldn’t want anyone seeing us.”
“No… You’re lying! That would mean…”
“Yeah. Your telepathy or whatever won’t pass through either.”
Despair sinks into Murzalla’s heart.
“But I’m livestreaming so it’s not like there’s no pathway at all. Anywayz, before you cause any trouble…”
The battered remnants of Murzalla’s body lift off. Suddenly, she’s enclosed in a sphere. And it seems to be growing smaller and smaller.
If only… If only I can send just one bit of information…
But before she can think of a way…
Plick.
She shrinks to the size of a tiny dot and disappears.