We watched in horror as the Focalizer’s frame was slashed to pieces, scattering to the ground.
“And now you’ve lost your secret weapon.” Socrat roared with laughter. I hated to admit it, but he was right. Without the Focalizer, we had no way to break through the Demon Queen’s barrier. “Now then, shall I take care of you three while I’m at it? As payback for how you cornered me earlier, of course.”
“Oh, please. You were stringing me along the whole time,” Rod said.
“Was I? I tend to forget things at my age.”
“Shut it.” Rod sounded pissed. He had been completely outwitted. Come to think of it, we’d known Socrat could regenerate beforehand, given the aftermath of the assassination attempt. This was a failure in planning on all of our parts.
“May, Aleah, lend me your ear real quick.” Rod whispered something to them, and the girls nodded back.
“Plotting something? No matter. Struggle as much as you please.” Socrat seemed complacent, having finished his main duty, and made no move.
“Got it?”
“Yeah!”
“Yes!”
After the trio were done whispering, they took position with Rod and Aleah in front and May behind.
“Are you finished with your little discussion?” Socrat asked.
“Yeah, thanks for the wait,” Rod said.
“Not at all. It’s the least I can do for someone about to die.”
“Well, we’ll see about that.”
“You’re bold. But seeing the bold break is one of this old man’s few pleasures.”
“He’s coming!” Rod yelled as Socrat charged forward. His target was Aleah.
Aleah froze for a moment but quickly dodged out of the way of Socrat’s large frame. “Hiyah!” she cried, slashing at Socrat as he passed by. The sword Dorothea had left her made a deep wound in Socrat’s tough skin.
“Hm. That stings a little,” he said.
“This is my master’s sword! Of course it’ll hurt!” Aleah said.
“Aleah, get away! It’s a trap!” Rod shouted.
“Too late,” Socrat said.
Aleah tried to flee, but her sword wouldn’t dislodge from Socrat’s body. Socrat’s arm came down and slammed her away like a rubber ball.
“Aleah!” Claire yelled.
“I-I’m okay…” Aleah stood up, seeming to not have any serious injuries. “Thank you, May!”
“No problem!” It appeared that May had used magic to cushion the blow. My daughters were quick-witted like that.
Socrat sighed. “Humph. This is getting tiresome.”
“Should you be looking away so idly?” Rod asked, slashing at Socrat from behind. His sword was still broken, but a blade of fire extended beyond the broken point.
“I’ll have you retire here.” Socrat had feigned inattentiveness to draw Rod in. He moved the top half of his body aside in a way that would be impossible for human joints and evaded Rod’s strike, then swung a mantis arm as his body returned to its normal position.
“Gaaah!” Rod was sent flying. He managed to block the mantis arm with his blade, but he still fell harshly against the rubble of the Focalizer. It didn’t seem like May’s defense had made it in time.
“Master Rod!” the twins called.
“Hmm, so the lad was the one giving orders. That’s why the girl couldn’t defend in time,” Socrat said.
I think I understood what had happened now. In all likelihood, May had opened a telepathic channel, from which the twins received instructions from Rod. That was how May’s protection had made it in time to protect Aleah but not Rod.
“It seems I should start with killing you,” Socrat said, beginning a new charge as Rod slowly hobbled to his feet.
“No!”
“We won’t let you!”
May fired off her magic, and Aleah brandished her sword, but neither of them could stop Socrat’s charge.
“This is the end.”
There was the fierce sound of impact like that of a car collision. In the next moment, Rod was flying through the air.
“Master Rod!” Claire shrieked.
His body fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
“That’s one,” Socrat said. “And you two are ne—”
“Heh…heh heh…” Rod laughed weakly.
“How tenacious. You still breathe.”
“Like I said…I can’t let myself look lame…in front of the girl I’m into,” Rod said with great effort. It didn’t seem like he could stand anymore.
“Hmm… I commend your tenacity, but what can you do? It’s clear you’re on the verge of death.”
“I don’t have to do anything… It’s already done.”
“Hm?” Socrat gave Rod a look before collapsing to a knee. “Nngh…? What is this?”
“Heh heh… You still haven’t realized?”
“M-my body’s…weakening!” Socrat’s body began to deflate like a balloon. “Just what have you done to me?!”
“Nothing much… I just gave the Focalizer you destroyed its chance at revenge.”
Embedded in Socrat’s back was the cannon of the destroyed Focalizer.
“What?!”
“That part there is a magic tool that releases gathered magic energy. I don’t know how your regeneration works, but I’m willing to guess it depends on magic. So what happens if that’s all scattered into the air?”
“Nngh, I can’t take it out!” Socrat desperately pulled at the cannon bit, but it had merged with his body and wouldn’t budge.
“I’ll give you one last word of advice before you leave this world: In battles of cunning between weaklings, humans always win.”
“Impossible! How could I be defeated in such a manner?!” Socrat’s body had shrunk to the size of a cow and still continued to diminish.
“Just give up, old man.”
“Humph. To think you had such a move up your sleeve. I’d like to call this blind luck, but I understand full well that chance favors the prepared mind. This is why I can’t stand humans.” Socrat sighed, seeming to have surrendered.
“Let me ask you one more thing before you go,” Rod said. “How does your regeneration work anyway?”
“Why do you wish to know?”
“If another guy like you pops out, I wanna be able to kill them for real.”
“Ha ha. Bwa ha ha ha!” Socrat trembled with laughter as he grew smaller and smaller. After his laughter abated, he said, “Yes, why not? I’ll tell you as I’m dying regardless. My cells can temporarily disintegrate into magic and reform whole. But if they are scattered against my will as they are now, then I cannot summon them back together in time. Ha ha, finally, death’s release comes to me! How joyous!” Socrat smiled cheerfully. “Forgive me, my Demon Queen. I shall be departing here. I wish you the best in your battle to come.”
“You’ve served me well.”
After exchanging his last words with the Demon Queen, Socrat’s body shrunk to a point and disappeared without a trace, this time for good. With a clank, the Focalizer’s cannon fell to the ground. The unkillable demon Socrat was slain.
“Ah, man, that was rough…”
“Master Rod!”
“May, heal him!”
The twins ran up to Rod and began to tend to him. He was conscious, but his wounds were deep.
“Now Socrat has left me as well…” the Demon Queen murmured. I could have sworn I heard sadness in her voice. It seemed the Three Great Archdemons weren’t just disposable pawns to her. “But he did well. Without that magic tool, you have no way of harming me.”
Claire bit her lip in frustration. Not even her Magic Ray, my Absolute Zero, Manaria’s magic, or Lilly’s attacks could pierce her barrier.
We were out of options.
“I’ve lost my Three Great Archdemons, but… Well, I can think of what to do after killing everyone but Miss Claire.” The Demon Queen casually waved her hand our way.
I quickly erected a tungsten carbide barrier, but her black wave attack cut through it like butter.
“Get down!”
I felt a hand push down on me from behind as I fell to the ground.
“Thank you, Miss Claire.”
“Don’t forget, Rae: Her attacks can’t be defended against.” Claire cautiously stood up and glared at the Demon Queen.
“You seem flustered,” the Demon Queen said. “Am ‘I’ really that important to you?”
“Rae isn’t you. You’ve lost sight of yourself and have fallen to wickedness. I feel nothing for you,” Claire said. When the Demon Queen didn’t respond, Claire continued, “The Rae I love is someone who never gives up, who loves me, and who is always there to show me the way.”
“I’m still here to show you the way, though… The way to ruin.”
“Thank you, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” Claire reached for my hand, but before she could grab it, the Demon Queen attacked.
“I won’t let you use your tandem casting. That’s a little bit too dangerous, even for me,” the Demon Queen said.
Tandem casting was the only thing we hadn’t tried against her so far, and it didn’t seem she was keen on letting us do so.
“Regardless of what you think of me, Miss Claire, I’ll have my way.”
“You’re a stubborn fool.”
“Perhaps I am.” The Demon Queen shrugged. “I only have one desire left. To bring an end to everything, and then fade to nothingness myself.”
It appeared not even Claire’s words could reach the Demon Queen now.