“Agh!”
“Gaaaaah!”
But the wounded soldiers to either side of him weren’t so lucky. Their blue skin was roasted black, the armor they wore reduced to a searing prison as they fell to the ground. Their losses were tremendous, and now a light as brilliant as the sun itself had appeared within this very room, blinding them.
“Emergias, look out!”
Jiiria shouted from within him. As a devil, she perceived the world through a magical lens, meaning the light couldn’t blind her. A tail of magic lashed out from inside him, intercepting something in midair.
Looking up, he saw someone wearing silver armor.
“A swordsman?!”
There they were, a swordsman wielding a rapier. It was Barbara, in her combat body.
Though Jiiria had intercepted the surprise attack, Barbara retaliated with lightning-fast speed using her weapon even as she lost her balance in midair. The tail of magic was dismembered and sent flying, dispersing into the air as Barbara landed, a wave of magic emanating from the devil that once owned it like an agonizing scream.
The moment Barbara touched the ground, she blitzed him with unbelievable speed.
“Impossible! A Swordmaster?!”
One of the demons that stepped forward to intercept her attack shouted in surprise.
“Out of my way!”
With a clear, clean sound—like a bell being struck—her rapier punched through the foreheads of the demons that stood in her way, their helmets not so much as slowing her blade. They were dead instantly.
“Spasimo!”
Rip apart!
Emergias unleashed a blade of wind. Barbara leaped into the air with the grace of a gymnast, spinning to land on the ceiling. For a brief moment acceleration and gravity worked in concert, the stone ceiling grinding beneath her feet.
Fourth Demon Prince Emergias Izanis!
All the faces of those who partook in the suicide mission on the front lines of Deftelos immediately rushed to Barbara’s mind. The hero Leonardo. The Fistmaster Dogasin. So many Swordmasters she had looked up to. And now, she had the chance to avenge them.
“Die!”
She exploded forward, kicking off the ceiling and racing toward him like a shooting star.
“My name is Emergias Izanis!” The demon prince’s magic swelled.
“Anemos Turoviros!”
Be sliced to ribbons!
Countless, unavoidable blades of wind bore down on her. But Barbara’s body reacted, resisting the magic with everything it had. The sudden gust should have been enough to catapult Barbara away, but instead it merely left shallow scratches on her skin.
But Emergias grinned as that was more than enough.
“Surrender.”
All it took was him inflicting injury on another to bolster his curse of Envy. Venomous magic coiled around Barbara, robbing her of any momentum. Emergias lashed out with all of the speed she had lost.
“Guh...!”
The head of his spear struck her rapier, unleashing a shower of sparks in its wake. Feeling her loss in magic and being cognizant of her disadvantage, Barbara decided to retreat. Leaping backward, her silver body melted away into the darkness.
“My name is Zilbagias Rage!”
And then a tremendous blast of magic shook the air.
He was close! He must have used the breath attack as cover to sneak in! As Zilbagias’s concealing magic was torn away by the Naming, Emergias brought all his magic to bear as his Transmission and Envy pinpointed the seventh prince’s position.
“I am the seventh demon prince...” But he didn’t stop there. “And the Indomitable Sacred Flame, the hero Alexander!”
It felt like standing in front of a live furnace. The air burned, yet Emergias felt a freezing chill deep in his bones. Palpable bloodlust was condensed to its utmost limit. His younger brother’s presence exploded like an erupting volcano.
“What...?!”
What the hell was this magic?! And a hero?! No, that didn’t matter! What was this magic?! It was clearly greater than his own. How?! How was that possible?!
“Awaken, Adamas!”
Within the darkness, a flash of silver light ignited. Right in front of Emergias’s eyes—
“Hii Yeri Lampsui Suto Hieri Mo!”
May your holy light shine in my hands!
—silver fire filled his vision.
That was when he finally realized. The darkness that had filled this room...that had been his brother’s magic. And now a light shot through that magic, like a mad dance of silver fire in the night. Emergias had come across people who wielded magic like this countless times on the battlefield—all of them were heroes.
“What... What the hell are you?!” Emergias roared, taking a guarded stance.
“Defense is Taboo!”
Incandescent dark magic wrapped around Emergias and took hold—locking the fourth prince’s limbs in place.
“Diiiiiiieeeeeee!”
Adamas took on its true form as the brilliant silver blade arced forward to claim his head.
†††
Before me was my sworn enemy, the one who had destroyed my village—Fourth Demon Prince Emergias. In the grip of my Taboo, he couldn’t move to defend himself. His eyes could only watch as my blade made its way to his throat.
I had finally done it. My blade was almost there!
But then, the expression dropped from Emergias’s face, an unsettling kind of innocence taking its place. All strength drained from his body, as did his hostility and bloodlust. Then, he started babbling like...like a baby. And as he did, his body twisted and turned, as if he had been stripped of his bones. The unexpected range of movement took me by surprise, resulting in me only managing to shave off a few of his hairs. He had dodged the attack by the skin of his teeth.
And then recognition flashed in his eyes, his mind coming back to him. That also meant the return of his hostility as he swung his spear while trying to regain his balance.
“Guh...! What the hell was that?!” He glared at me.
I clicked my tongue, choking up on my swordspear as I held it like a sword.
That’s my line!
“Spearmanship is Taboo!”
My curse landed, evident by Emergias losing grip of his weapon. I wasted no time, dashing forward.
“Taboo... A devil god?! This kid?!” Emergias sputtered, using wind magic to throw himself backward. It sounded like he was talking to someone. And with that magic tail he had produced earlier...
“He is possessed! There is a devil within him, just as I am in you!”
Just like Ante said, I sensed some sort of foreign magic winding its way around Emergias.
So that’s the Devil of Envy, huh? I couldn’t care less. I’ll kill them both!
Emergias roared.
“Spasimo!”
Rip apart!
A desperate blast of wind blades rumbled toward me, but my Bon Dage outfit glowed green, resisting his wind magic. My enhanced defenses deflected his attack with ease.
“Surrender!”
“No!”
With sheer force of will, I crushed the curse of Envy that followed it.
Too bad, asshole! Thanks to that forest elf mage, I know your power works by stealing the magic of others!
And once you knew about a curse’s workings, the easier it was to resist. The same went for Transposition, Taboo, and of course Emergias’s Envy!
“Just die already!” With the haft of my spear now acting as no more than an enormous hilt, Adamas shone through the darkness as the blade drew a brilliant silver arc.
“Dammit!” Emergias finally managed to shake off the Taboo against using his spear. Unfortunately, just like how I could easily resist his Envy, he could do the same with my Taboo once he understood what it was doing. But I had spent months preparing for battle against his Envy while he had only learned about Taboo just moments ago. The difference between us was night and day!