The four demon generals of the Demon King's Army, Austri of the Storm - the third demon general.

　I had heard that he was returning to the castle, but I didn't expect to run into him here.

'This is bad. The reason why there were fewer guards than I thought was because there was a tremendous amount of forces hiding in there.
"Kid, use your words right!　There's no way I'm going to run and hide, is there?　I was merely cooling my burnt skin in a canal.
''What's the point of running and hiding? Aren't you here because you ran away from the Golden Fang's pursuit?

　Austri shook her head as if to say, "Oh dear.
　He didn't seem to be moved by Garnett's provocation, and he passed it off as if it was a breeze.

　Despite the fact that it was one man against three, and one against two even with me out of the fight, Austri's words and actions were as comfortable as they could be.

　Perhaps he doesn't think of us as a threat.
　They don't even feel the need to prepare themselves or to be on guard, and they probably think that they are enough to deal with the situation in a natural way.

　I'm sure you're right when you say proud, but if Austri's fighting ability is the same as Norseli's, then it's not surprising that there's a difference in ability between the two.

''Garnett, don't get distracted by him all the time.

　Sakura noticed the soldiers rushing in from the living quarters and turned her attention not only to Austri, but also to that side.

　The number of soldiers in the reinforcements was around ten.
　Together with the five men they had just defeated, they matched the number of guards in the waterway that Nagi had testified to.

''Austri-sama!　We'll join you!

　But it was none other than Austri himself who stopped it.

'Unnecessary!　You people stay away from me!　Better yet, go close the 'gate' immediately!
Yes!

　The soldiers turned on their heels and ran off.

　Sakura seemed unsure if she should give chase, but she re-positioned herself to prioritize confronting Austri.

　I'm sure he didn't want to risk leaving the front of the Aussie by going after the soldiers too deeply.

You can't be a warrior, you know. I'm sure we'll be happy to oblige.
'I told you to use the right words, didn't I?　I'm a warrior, that's what they say about people like Norsemen. I am, in fact, an efficiency man in battle.

　As soon as the whirlwind seemed to swirl around Austri, it gained momentum in the blink of an eye, and in less than a few seconds, it became a ball of stormy wind that enveloped Austri.

　A swirl of gusts of wind that seemed to be a condensed version of a storm or tornado.
　The aftermath alone creates pressure that could blow a human being away, and it's all you can do to stay on the spot.

'No matter how many miscellaneous soldiers there are, it's a complete waste!　More corpses fall prey to my storm!　It's just that one of us is enough!

　The storm that blew in. The sand and dirt that rolls up. The waterways are raging with waves and splashes that can reach the ceiling.

　It's all I can do to stand with my center of gravity down.
　Despite the fact that there's enough space between us, I feel like I could easily be blown away if I'm not careful.

''Blow it away!''

　A mass of mad wind was unleashed and a gust of terrific speed struck.

　Garnett swiftly leapt forward in front of me, thrusting his cutting edge into the ground and deploying a magical barrier.

　The roar of the barrier catching the gust of wind paints all other sounds.

　At the same time, Sakura's figure drowns out of sight.

''Mu--?''

　Austri wonders. Sakura appears behind him, taking an unannounced stance.

　[Shrinkage] is a skill that is classified as instantaneous movement rather than high speed movement.
　It's not obstructed by obstacles as long as your line of sight passes, and it doesn't matter if it's a wall of wind pressure or not.

　A slash that is delivered from close range.

　However, Austri unleashed a back fist with a tremendous reflex speed and slammed the wall of wind pressure on Sakura behind her.

''Guuuuut ......!
Nuh-uh ......!

　Sakura is blown away, but positions herself and lands without exposing the gap.

　Fresh blood overflows from Austri's side.
　He wasn't able to completely intercept it, but the tip of the sword's cut had caught his flesh.

　In a moment when the storm has weakened, Garnett quickly closes the distance between him and Austri.

　Austri's hand catches the blade that was unleashed with great vigor.

　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get your hands on it.

　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get it right.

"I'm so careless that you don't even wear armor!
'Hahahahaha!　The wind is my armor, my sword!

　With just a few more steps to go, just as they were about to be cornered by the wall, Sakura joined in the swordfight and launched a simultaneous attack.

''Oraa!''
"Ha!

　A high speed slash that I couldn't even see the afterimage with my eyes.

　However, the white and silver swords and light red sword blades wielded by the two of them were received by Austri's hands.

　No, he didn't catch them with his bare hands.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

'Didn't I say the wind was my sword?　Hahaha!　It's called a battle of attrition!

　A whirlwind is unleashed and Sakura and Garnet are blown backwards.

''Nunn!''

　Austri swung her hand sword with her full strength vertically.
　Then the blade of wind pressure split the air and attacked Sakura while carving a straight line of cracks on the ground.

　Without danger, Sakura activates 【Shrinkage】 and avoids it.

　But immediately the other hand blade is brought out to sidenagi, and the semicircularly brought out extreme wind pressure blade is going to slice through a wide area of everything, including Sakura who has just finished transitioning.

"Shhhh--
"Oh, whoa!

　It was greeted by a slash of Garnett's magical power.

　The same magic power released into the side-napper canceled out Austri's wind pressure blade in the air, scattering a fierce burst of sound and shockwave.

''No good. I don't care about the guards, but you asked me to take Luke from the White Wolf Forest alive. I almost cut him in half!

　Austri is smiling nonchalantly, showing no signs of fatigue.

　At first glance, it looks like they are fighting evenly, but in reality, we are at a disadvantage.

　If the other demon general were to come, there would be no way to win, and even if we continued to fight, the two of us would run out of power first.

　Is there any way to break the deadlock - as I looked around while thinking, I saw something out of place falling into view, fueled by the residue of the storm.

'That's .......'

　It's a black bird, or rather, a doll in the shape of a black bird.

　Perhaps because it was caught up in the storm of Austri's storm, it's completely battered, but it's definitely the doll that Noir uses as a messenger.

　When I quickly picked it up and [restored] it, the bird doll moved its head as if it had come back to life, staring at its surroundings and my face.

　There's only one reason why these things are here.

''(I'm here to see if we can escape!　(If the word gets out on the ground that I'm fighting the demon general, I'm sure it will be ......!

　I raised my voice with the doll in my arms!

Sakura!　Garnett!　Hold on a little longer!
...... it!　I understand!
I'll take care of it. I didn't want you to see the mess you made.

　The two men once again raised their weapons and confronted Austri.

　If support from the ground troops arrived, they might be able to reverse the situation.
　In fact, they were able to repel the earthen vestri.

　However, Austri began to laugh with amusement from the bottom of his heart while creating a barrier of wind.

'Did you think that if we bought ourselves some time, rescue would come?　Come to think of it, Vestri was also caught unawares for allowing reinforcements to arrive. But--it looks like my move was quicker this time.

　Suddenly, an earth-shaking vibration shook the underground living quarters.

　The next moment, an enormous amount of water erupted all at once from the tunnel-like channel we had to escape into.

''Wha, what was ......!

　In the blink of an eye, the narrow pathway is transformed into the torrent of a great river.

　A flood of water floods the square next to the channel, completely submerging our boots in the water.

　Austri is amused by our confusion and starts to give us explanations that he doesn't need to give us.

This channel," he said, "has three branches upstream. I have sent the soldiers I just dispatched away to the junction and had them close the gates to the other channels. Do you understand?
...... So you can't run away from that canal and come to support me.
'Yes!　Hahaha!　Fighting is only as efficient as you can be!　The man you want to help is dead by drowning!　Hahahahaha!

　Just as Austri gave a high-pitched grin, something large was swept out of the exit of the tunnel, swept away by the torrent.

'Where's ............?'

　It was a sphere of magic barrier that unfolded in a round shape.

　Enough to envelop a human being, it hovered in the air as it was tossed around by the torrent, dropped into the flooded square and bounced several times before coming to a halt.

　Me, Garnett, Sakura, and Austri all stopped moving, speechless at the sudden unintelligible situation.

　Neither camp could understand whether 'this' was something that would work to their advantage or disadvantage, or whether they could even really touch it.

　--After a few seconds of pause, the magic barrier was lifted like a bubble popping, and the thing inside rolled out into the flooded square.

''Puh-hah!　Wha, what was that, a sudden increase in water!
...... and thought, "I'm going to die. ......
"Oh, thank you, Captain Hazel.

　Alexia, the complex city. Noir the Black Wizard. Melissa, the elemental wizard. And a few Golden Fang Knights.

　Our friends were there, unmistakably our own.