I held my sword at the ready as Cerberus stared down at me. My stance was a defensive one in the Niten Enmei-ryu. I had to somehow buy enough time for the rescue team to reach us.
“Magic Sword: Flameblade.”
The blade glowed bright crimson and sizzled. A high concentration of mana—more than enough to kill a Troll or Goblin King—was bursting from the sword, but would this be enough to damage a Divine Beast? Before I could even start wondering that, Cerberus rushed at me, its gargantuan size belying its speed.
“GRAAAH!” It brought its sharp claws down, striking so fast they resembled a black gust of wind.
I used the Niten Enmei-ryu Wood Stance: Willow Rose to parry the attack. Ow! My timing had been perfect, but I wasn’t able to avoid the entire blow. Its claws tore through my barrier like it was paper.
“High Heal,” I murmured, closing the deep gouges in my arm.
Whoosh!
“Damn!”
The Guard Dog of the Underworld’s paw was coming at me from the side. I couldn’t dodge it!
I quickly cast a barrier around myself. “Barrier Magic: Greater Lightshield!”
Boom! It took me a second to realize that the beast had sent me and my barrier flying with its attack. I went bouncing across the ground before I managed to gather my bearings and flip onto my feet. I panted heavily. My entire body was aching, and I couldn’t push enough oxygen into my lungs. Cerberus approached me, each step as loud as thunder. It was staring down at me, its expression almost disappointed.
This is impossible. There was no way I could hold it off until help arrived. If I had to guess, Cerberus’s earlier attacks had been to feel me out. As evidence of this theory, the three-headed monster had never once used its vicious fangs on me. If it had taken this fight seriously, it would’ve killed me in an instant.
I exhaled and steadied my breathing. Playing it safe wouldn’t do me any good. I had to be more proactive.
I relaxed my defensive stance. Lowering my body, I slowly prepared myself for the next attack.
Niten Enmei-ryu Wind Stance: Skystep. I closed the distance between myself and Cerberus in a heartbeat. If my opponent had been a Troll, this speed would have been enough for its eyes to lose track of me. However, I was up against a Divine Beast. It followed my movement with no trouble.
Like I give a damn! Niten Enmei-ryu Fire Stance: Lionsbane! I’d used this to slay the 10th Level Boss. By spinning, the user could add the force of their momentum to their attack. I sent the crimson blade, burning with Ifrit mana, straight into Cerberus’s neck.
Clang! The sound of metal striking metal sounded out. Cerberus had blocked my attack with its teeth.
“HYAAAH!” I relentlessly continued my assault.
Bang! Bang! Fshh! My attacks sliced through Cerberus’s skin, spilling a few drops of blood. The wound was nowhere near fatal.
“GRRAAHH!” Furious, Cerberus opened its mouth wide and bore down on me, prepared to swallow me whole.
I gritted my teeth and flung myself out of the way as I slashed with my sword. I’d dodged not to flee but to attack. Cerberus may have been fast, but it was also several times the size of a Troll or Goblin King. I could gain the upper hand if I took advantage of the blind spots around its paws. However, the moment I made an error in judgment, the monster would crush me like a bug. I had to strike the perfect balance between offense and defense. Every second counted if I wanted to fight it on even footing. However...
Szzt...szzt... The mana was slowly but surely draining from the Magic Sword: Flameblade I was wielding. This was red mana I’d siphoned from Sumire. Since it wasn’t mine, the sword would eventually run out. If I lost Sumire’s mana, I would regress back to a defective Swordsman, incapable of attacking my foes.
Slash! Cerberus’s sharp claws ripped through all three layers of my barriers.
“Ow!” The attack gouged a chunk of flesh from my shoulder. “Heal!” I didn’t have time for a High Heal. I needed to stem the bleeding and keep moving. If I stopped for a breather, it would be my last. “Barrier Magic: Full Armor!”
I had to replenish the barrier around my body. If I didn’t protect myself, Cerberus would turn me into mincemeat. My own mana was running low, though. Unlike Sumire, I didn’t have a limitless supply of it. The moment I could no longer keep up my Barrier Magic, Cerberus would shred me into ribbons.
No, I can’t keep this up. I’ll lose in a matter of minutes. But Sumire was still here on the 20th Level. I couldn’t turn tail and run. What can I do? Suppressing my growing panic, I racked my mind for something that could turn the tide.
“Eugene...with me.”
A beautiful voice echoed through my mind as I thought back to a conversation I’d had with the Demon Queen Erinyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hey, Eugene, did you know that we’ve formed a provisional contract?”
I had just spent the night with Eri. She’d been as intense as ever, so I had been drifting off, but her words shook me awake. Provisional contract?
“Huh? Wh-What do you mean?!”
“Don’t make that face.” She shot me a seductive smile as she gently ran her fingers through my hair. “I’ve been ‘taking care’ of you, haven’t I? We’re bound by the Contract of the Flesh, one of the Five Great Contracts. The mana inside our bodies connects us to each other, you see. Think of it like the Mana Link mages use with each other.”
“Is that how it works? I thought contracts required mutual consent.”
“You consented the moment we slept together, didn’t you?”
“O-Oh, right.” That made sense.
“The Contract of the Flesh is the only one that can be signed without the other party knowing about it. All the others require a proper ritual. So, Eugene, if you ever want to enter a real contract with me, you can call on me at any time.” She giggled girlishly. “Congratulations!”
“Why does it feel like I was tricked into buying something expensive?” It felt like a scam. I couldn’t believe I’d obliviously entered a provisional contract with a Demon Queen.
“Oh, stop complaining. Not many people can say they were able to sign a contract with the Demon Queen Erinyes, you know? Considering how compatible our bodies are, I’m sure you’re the only human who’s able to form a contract with me.”
“Really? I thought anyone could if they knew Barrier Magic.”
“Of course not! They wouldn’t even be able to hold a normal conversation with me! You should be proud of yourself, Eugene. You’re really something.”
I said nothing in response. The Demon Queen’s words were akin to soothing honey. The angelic whispers wormed their ways through the fractures in my heart, still broken from the breakup with my childhood friend. That made sense, considering Eri was a fallen Angel. In any case, she was obviously trying to manipulate her way past my emotional defenses.
“By the way, do you know what my abilities are?” Eri asked.
“Of course.”
The Demon Queen before me was a legendary figure who had conquered the Southern Continent during the Dark Ages a thousand years ago. Even children knew of her otherworldly powers.
“After her banishment from Heaven, the fallen Angel Erinyes lost the white of mercy and the yellow of light. In return, she gained the black of violence, the indigo of poison, and the violet of death,” I said, reciting what I’d learned at the military academy. “That’s the story, right?”
“Yes, it is. That’s the story most people know.”
“It’s not the real one?”
“I have one more power, and it’s something you can obtain for yourself after you make a contract with me.” Eri cupped my cheek and whispered into my ear, “When you’re really in trouble, don’t hesitate to call on me. You don’t have to come all the way to the prison; you can communicate with me even from inside the Last Dungeon. My mana is inside you, waiting for its time to blossom. You only need to say a few simple words to unleash it.”