Chapter 174

CHAPTER 105 The Ex–Demon Lord and the Final Battle The sudden admission left me dumbfounded. Mephisto paid that no mind, however. His golden eyes gleamed with a light different from the playful sparkle they’d held before. “Now, let’s go over the rules. They’re nothing fancy. Just find my astral bodies I’ve hidden around campus and destroy them all to win. Doing so will bring me a death from which I can never return. “However, I’ve filled the playing field with all sorts of obstacles to stand in your way. I think you can guess what they are. “If your proclamations are true, then you’ll surely win the game. But if it turns out that I’m right…” Mephisto trailed off, smirking devilishly. “I’ll keep saying it until you get the message. My bonds with my friends are real.” “Well…I can’t wait to see how this ends. Truly.” An indistinguishable emotion lived in the devil’s voice. Before I could place it, he added, “I’ll be in the stands if you need me. I’ll be rooting for you, honey.” And with a playful smirk, he disappeared. An eerie silence settled over the campus. “…Something feels amiss.” Mephisto had claimed this would be our farewell game, whatever that meant. I couldn’t get a read on what sort of truth lurked behind his words. The words farewell game couldn’t have been literal. Even if they were, the timing was off. This was too anticlimactic to be our last bout. I was certain he had some angle, but no amount of pondering led me to an answer. For now, I needed to focus on solving the immediate problem. First, let’s take stock of the playing field. I’m in the vicinity of the secondary school building right now. The school gate is to the south, the main school building is to the east, the field and the Tree of the Sword King are to the west, and the dorms are to the north. On an ordinary day, we’d be in first period right now. Bathed in sunlight, I muttered, “It doesn’t feel like there’s been any Jamming…” Hide-and-seek. That’s what the game was, in a nutshell. Detection or concealment magic could be considered against the rules. Such spells would win you the game undetected. Yet no Jamming that would inhibit such magic had been enacted. Perhaps that suggested a trap. “Well…I can’t just stand here all day. I need to make bold moves.” I used detection magic and found that one of Mephisto’s astral bodies had been placed by the Tree of the Sword King. If I cast teleportation magic, I could get there instantly. However, there were some obstacles in place to inhibit that. I made myself invisible with a Concealment spell and started walking. I didn’t sense anyone around, but after walking for a while, I heard voices. Veering off the path to the Tree of the Sword King, I made my way to the field. The students in the class next door were there. Alvarto, their new teacher, was leading a lesson. “…You’ll all advance when everyone can cast elementary-level spells without chanting. This is both an assignment and an order.” “B-but sir, that’s just too hard.” “Oh? Do you have a complaint about my methods?” “Eep! S-s-s-s-sorry, sir!” With a languid frown on his face, Alvarto looked at his cowering students and said, “That’s why you fail…because you believe you can’t do it. I’m surrounded by cowards.” He faced his students as his true self now, having abandoned the mask of insanity he used to wear. It was both a mark of sincerity and a symbol of his commitment. During the last conflict, Alvarto had severed the chains of the past that once bound him. He spoke with his actions, demonstrating that he would live the rest of his life with optimism. And as I reflected on his history and his current state… “Information is meaningless when it can be so easily changed.” …the devil’s voice echoed in my brain. One of the girls looked at me. It was Veronica, the daughter of a duke and one of the friends I’d made during my days at school. The next instant, her eyes shot open…and she screamed softly. “Eep…!” The voice that squeaked out of her pinched throat teemed with terror. The moment I heard the cry, I realized what a fool I’d been. No one should have been able to see me beneath my concealment magic. However, that notion had been mistaken. Mephisto’s objective with this game was to break my spirit. Thus, the act of finding his astral bodies and any ingenuity to accomplish that was the height of futility. No matter what actions you take. No matter your mental state. I will defy everything and shatter your spirit. That’s why he didn’t bother inhibiting my concealment magic. He wanted to make that message clear, and now he was rubbing it in my face. “You monster!” Veronica exclaimed. She saw me…but she didn’t see me. And it wasn’t limited to Veronica. The other students and Alvarto followed her lead and stared at me with the same look in their eyes—contempt, disgust, fright, and bloodlust. Their gazes held a mixture of all the worst feelings. And just like that, I found myself in a nightmare. “Die,” Veronia spat. Everyone hurled spells at me. Hellfire. Lightning. Wind Blade. Boulder. A swarm of violent elemental attacks came crashing down. And each was beyond what its caster should have been capable of. “I know I was like, ‘Waaaah, I can’t cast without chantinnnng,’ but that was a lie.” “See, I enhanced all these kiddos’ powers to the level of warriors of the old world.” “You’d better fight back or you’ll die, buddy.” I blocked their lethal attacks with a magic wall, cursing under my breath. There would’ve been no problem if these people were enemies. Even reborn as a weak nobody, I knew I could hold my own against a platoon of warriors of the old world. However… The people charging at me with murder in their eyes weren’t enemies. Some were friends, others could be friends someday. Each of them was a precious classmate of mine. There was no way I could fight back. I couldn’t choose to hurt them. “Remember what you said, sweetie? “‘My bonds with my friends are real’—was it? “That the relationships you nurtured would never disappear, no matter what happened? “Well, here’s your chance to prove you’re right, honey. “Show me. Show me that friendship can make miracles.” I quipped back at the devil in my mind, Oh, I’ll show you, whether you asked for it or not. Then I said aloud, “Friends! Stop this madness! I’m not—” My words were drowned out by more magic and shouts. “Drop dead!” “Die, you monster!” “Go away!” Their words oozed hate. Disgust colored their gazes. No human being deserved such treatment. In their eyes, I was surely a hideous phantom right now. That devil is controlling their minds. “Oh, no, my dear, you’ve got it all wrong. “I’m not controlling them. I corrupted them. “The concepts are similar, but different. “The words they’re screaming didn’t come from me. “Right now, they all loathe you in earnest. They sincerely hate you. “Now, then…can you say with confidence that they’re the same people you called friends?” All I could do was grit my teeth in response. Accepting that these weren’t the same people I called my friends would affirm that bastard’s belief—that all living things were malleable, therefore, anyone might as well not exist. Thus, the only answer I could give him was that these people were my friends. “My friends, please listen…” My words won’t reach them. My feelings won’t reach them. My only recourse was to block their enhanced attacks with my conjured wall. “Why don’t you try cancellation magic? An Original might be just the ticket.” Mephisto twisted the knife. No matter what spell I tried on them, I couldn’t cancel the spell already ensorcelling them. There was a wide chasm in ability between my current incarnation and the Evil God I was up against. But even if I had my full powers… Even if I were able to restore them with magic… “Ohhh, nice. I love it when you get smart, my darling. “And you’re absolutely right. This isn’t a battle of strength. “It’s a battle of wits. “Are we the only ones that are real? Is everyone else a lie? “Can you prove that the concept of bonds exists, that you made them real through the relationships you nurtured? “That would be nothing short of a miracle. “If you were to neutralize everyone’s attacks without cancellation magic… “Bringing that about against everyone you know would seal your victory at last. “Which is why you must understand. “Up until now, I’ve gone easy on you. I granted your side an advantage. “But not this time. “This time, I have the overwhelming edge, sweetheart.” The attacks intensified. Everyone’s bloodlust started to crack my wall. There was no better representation of what my heart felt like. “Nnf!” All I could do was groan, and that infuriated me. “Begone forever!” With an icy whisper, ebony flames shot at me. The magic had come from Alvarto. Anyone hit by his curse would have the very concept of their existence extinguished. There were no exceptions. Even I would vanish instantly. Instead of shielding myself, I chose to retreat. I kicked off the ground and flew into the air. In the split second that followed, the ebony flames swallowed my shield, eradicating it in the blink of an eye. “Professor Alvarto! Kill that monster at once!” “He’s so repulsive…I can’t stand the sight of him!” Disgust and malice. The students leveled a unified, contemptuous glare at me. “I’m just getting started, Ard Meteor.” Alvarto hurled another attack—a lethal spell that came from every direction. I dodged it only by a hair. “Alvarto! Open your eyes!” “I will not negotiate with an enemy.” The bloodlust in his expression was ice-cold to the core. It chilled my sweat. Such was the intensity of the darkness in his mind. However, his movements were sloppy. Alvarto’s ebony flame attacks were short and monotonous. They struck me as quite unnatural. If he truly wished to destroy me, he would have used his trump card immediately. Had he still worn the mask of a berserker, I would’ve understood, but this was different. He’d never drag out the fight like this… It’s hard to believe, but this might mean he’s… “Alvarto, are you actually—?” But before I could finish my question, the wind died down. I flipped and leaped sideways. A blade cleaved through the air where I’d stood not a blink earlier. I knew my attacker without seeing them. The sliced wind announced my new challenger’s identity. “Olivia…” My surrogate big sister pointed her sword at me. Her piercing stare was just as sharp. Her eyes, her expression, they tore my heart to shreds. “Olivia…don’t you recognize me? It’s Ard. It’s me.” I couldn’t maintain the persona of Ard Meteor. I cast it aside and beseeched Olivia as her brother. Surely, she would understand and remember. Our bond went deeper than— “If I had to make a guess, if she really cared for you, I doubt you would’ve felt so alone in your past life.” While those negative words sounded in my brain, Olivia’s sword flashed. It was too fast for my eyes to register. Only by good fortune did I manage to dodge. Still, her blade managed to graze my cheek, carving searing pain into it. Blood flowed freely from the wound. “Oli…via…” She offered no response to my bewildered anguish. Her stance was unmistakably hostile. “This so-called sibling bond of yours is a fallacy.” I knew I ought to refute the devil’s taunts, but my body could only retreat. I had no idea why I was running. I didn’t want to know why. Facing the fact that I’d considered resignation was too much. “Think! There has to be a way out!” I said, trying to calm my wavering heart. My mind raced along with my legs. The concept of struggling against another didn’t exist in Mephisto Yuu Phegor’s mind. To him, other beings were nothing more than tools to be manipulated, so everything was one-sided. Since he didn’t embrace the concept of fighting, he likely wasn’t all that particular about winning. To preserve that mentality, he undoubtedly had a contingency plan readied. That way, even if conditions were bleak, there would be a clear way out. “Nope, sorry. There’s no Plan B this time.” The voice in my head was cruelly sincere. So sincere that I was left with no other choice. “Remember what I said? This is the end. “When I called this our ‘farewell game,’ I wasn’t joking. This isn’t one of my usual whims or fancies. “I intend to fully enjoy myself, of course. “And this game will end with my victory, darling.” The grimness in his words was genuine. He really did intend to destroy me. As if to drive the point home… “Augh!” …a bolt of lightning flew at me from the side. It was a perfect surprise attack. Had I been in my right mind, I could’ve dodged it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a prayer in my current state. The damage sank into my entire body. My internal organs burned, my extremities went numb, and I collapsed. If only this were physical damage, I could heal it with magic. I was powerless against psychological damage, though. “Elrado…please…!” A boy stood alone in the school courtyard—Elrado Spencer. He was one of my few male friends, and he was glaring at me. His hostile stance and piercing gaze were a dagger in my heart. Unfortunately, he and Mephisto didn’t give a damn about my feelings. “A divine child, huh? “He was buried in praise all his life. “Considering the levels of strength found in this era, you could’ve definitely called him a prodigy. “But in your eyes, he was nothing more than an average guy. “That’s why the fight between you two was horrendously lopsided in your favor. “But now, he has the power a divine child deserves. “So, how about a grudge match?” At the devil’s command, Elrado’s puppeteered legs launched him forward. “Giga Flare—” His right hand shot forward, forming a crimson magic circle. A chill ran down my spine. The next thing I knew, I’d jumped backward. Giga Flare was a high-level fire magic attack, Elrado’s favored one during our last showdown. Back then, his Giga Flare was merely a weak echo of its former glory. But now… “Your spell is a disgrace to the one who invented it. Let me show you what a true Giga Flare is.” The scene formed to life in my mind. Elrado’s Giga Flare back then had been fake, but this was the genuine article. The giant pillars of fire reaching to the heavens were unmistakably formed of a perfect Giga Flare. “I’ve got more…,” Elrado muttered, spreading his arms wide. Countless magic circles materialized around him. It was a multicast, a feat lost to the modern era, but to this corrupted version of Elrado, it was nothing more than a comically simple party trick. “Go forth.” He unleashed the spell, a now massive Mega Flare. Countless giant orbs of fire sped toward me. “Elrado…!” I cried as I blocked and dodged the attacks. “Please, Elrado! Remember who you really are!” My relationship with Elrado was complicated. Our first impressions were downright rotten. I’d dueled him to stop him from bullying Ginny. It had been a completely one-sided fight. And when I saw the sheer terror in Elrado’s eyes that day, I knew in my heart that we could never be friends. I thought his fear of my strength had dashed all chance of that, but I’d misunderstood. “I don’t care how he’s changed you! I know you’re still in there somewhere! Remember what happened at the Megatholium! Remember how you and the others came to rescue me!” I’d fallen into a trap set by Lizer, a former subordinate of mine. I’d been in real danger, and my friends had rescued me. And Elrado was among them. “I thought there was no way you’d come to my aid. Remember what you told me? You said you wanted to be friends! Do you have any idea how wonderful that was to hear?!” Elrado had helped me realize something. The crushing solitude of my past life was not the result of my overwhelming might. It was because I’d kept my heart locked tight. I’d never earnestly opened up to anyone else.