The state of the battle was as bad as it could be. Yoshie Kita and Yuko Hattori, who were sitting in the command room watching it unfold, were some of the few people in the empire who understood its true scale.
“The Northern Sea Theater has been wiped out!”
“Every city in Kyushu has gone up in flames!”
“There’s no answer coming in from Shikoku!”
“Central theater is requesting reinforcements!”
More and more terrible messages were coming in. They knew why. The explosion, no, the flames, that had killed Junko were now landing all over the Empire. It was the Faceless Power.
“If Brave’s report is right, the Faceless Power is the collective consciousness of an entire race,” Yoshie whispered.
“Why is it destroying a whole country? Nobody can be permitted to have a power like that!”
The tears were flowing endlessly down Yuko’s face. But Yoshie shook her head.
“If there ever was a power that could be commanded by human will, it would be dedicated to destruction, not creation. Of course, in the long run, it will turn toward creation, but during a time of war...”
“Then what can we do to stop it?”
Yuko’s voice was practically a scream.
Yoshie tapped the keys of the computer in front of her, analyzing the situation.
“The power isn’t something supernatural. Those colorless flames are heat, manifesting from another dimension. In other words, if there was some power that could control it, like virtual phase space...”
“The Imperial Capital Coast has avoided destruction. It’s the Demon King. The Demon King is pushing back the enemy!” one of the incoming messages said.
“That’s right... The Demon King has that power!”
“But this demon king isn’t Akuto, it’s...”
“It’s Kei Sakura...!”
The two of them looked at each other.
○
It was, in fact, Kei Sakura. Kei was alone, pushing back the forces of the Republic. He was at the front lines of the capital city’s defense. Kei was floating in the air, surrounded by a dazzling light, sinking one Republic ship after another as they swarmed in from the sea.
He looked less like a demon king, and more like an angel passing judgment.
“I never thought I had it in me to protect the whole capital,” Kei said.
He’d put up a screen to block the colorless flames coming down from the sky, as he used the rest of his power to sink the ships. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible for him now.
“I’m feeling sharper than I ever have in my life.”
But an opponent that would be difficult even for him was coming over the ocean.
“...Sigh. I didn’t expect him to come here,” Kei said.
It was Brave. He was flying low above the ocean, like a missile.
○
“Anti-Demon King Combat Mode.”
“Command received. Entering Anti-Demon King Combat Mode.”
Brave activated the mana canceler, and his mana-absorbing device began to run as well.
“In this situation, I’m at an overwhelming advantage,” Brave said to Kei. He wasn’t using the comms system. They were close enough that they could speak to one another.
“I know. But why are you attacking me?” Kei smiled.
“Because you’re a demon king!” Brave shouted as he flew toward Kei. Kei just barely managed to dodge the charge at the last second.
“I’m protecting the Empire though now, aren’t I?” Kei’s voice was calm, but his movements were hurried. He was putting up the screen, attacking the enemy ships, and fleeing Brave. Even for Kei, dodging Brave’s attacks was the most he could do.
“But you’re killing the Republic’s people!”
He brought his high-frequency blade down on Kei. Kei quickly jumped back to dodge. No mana would work within a certain distance of Brave. That’s how powerful the mana canceler was. For that reason, it was impossible for Kei to block the blade.
“The Republic’s people want the Empire destroyed. What’s wrong with trying to stop that?” Kei said, mockingly.
When he got far enough away from Brave, he began to fly about in a circle. He was beautiful, but there was something terrible about him, like a butterfly from a nightmare.
“But what happens after that? You’re going to die after that!” Brave yelled. The answer he got, though, wasn’t what he expected.
“I know that. The One wouldn’t make me a demon king out of the goodness of his heart. I’ve probably been given an implant. I assume.”
“What did you say?!”
Brave was shocked to find out that Kei already knew this, but what he said after that was even more shocking.
“I’m trying to destroy the world. So all that matters to me is the order of what gets destroyed when. In the end, of course, I’m going to die too,” he said, flatly.
Brave swallowed his shock and tried to understand what he was hearing. And then he realized again what it was he had to do.
—I need to kill Kei as soon as possible.
“You’re going to have to die, then!”
He charged again. Kei dodged, and then whispered.
“I’m not an idiot. I know your weakness.”
Brave’s weakness was that by surrounding him with VPS fields, the energy he needed could be cut off. Without that energy, he would have to run on battery. Kei had already blanketed the area in VPS fields.
“Well, I know that you know my weakness!”
Brave advanced faster. If he could reach the end of the fields, he could escape them. But...
“The VPS fields are affected by the mana canceler. But...”
Kei dodged his attacks like a dancer, and then pointed at Brave.
“...All I have to do is bring the field along with me as I move.”
He smiled.
“That weapon was created to kill the Demon King, but it was a failure. That was obvious when Boichiro Yamato failed!”
He laughed mockingly, but Brave answered him with a laser.
“Alright then...!”
The lasers fired from his back, and twisted and bent as they homed in on Kei, piercing through the VPS fields. But Kei blocked the laser with a mana shield, and instantly repaired the broken fields. All Brave had done was waste his energy.
✦ ✦ ✦
