Ugh. ......!

　The garnet, which received Suzuri's blade, backed away while scraping the ground with its heels.

　Garnett, who strengthens his body with skills and can throw down golems several times larger than a human's, is defeated by a one-sided force like that - normally, this would be an unusual situation that is hard to believe, but if the other party is a demon general, there's no mystery to it.

　Although he is small in stature compared to Norzuri the Ice and Austri the Storm, who can be called a giant man, Suzuri is also one of the four demon generals in the Demon King's Army.

　It's not possible for a person to be able to use common sense.

''...... Whoa!

　Garnett wields the strength of his muscles and flips Suzuri backwards.

　Suzuri landed on the ground and instantly prepared for the attack.

　Less than a second later, Sakura, who activated her divine descent, appears behind Suzuri with a flash of light and a side-nagi slash.

　The moment his entire body finishes the transition, the blade is already close to Suzuri's neck in a deadly pause.

　However, Suzuri turned herself around with a terrifying reaction speed, and when she thought she had ducked under the slash as she twisted her entire body, she used her spinning power to hit Sakura with a kick that seemed to launch her.

''Gah ...... is ......!

　Suzuri tried to slash Sakura, who was forcefully lifted into the air.

　However, Sakura, incredibly, kicked the hand holding the hilt of the sword and the sword's peak with the soles of her shoes, and with that stepping off, she triggered 【Shrinkage】 to take Suzuri's back again.

　At the same time the slash that carried the momentum of the stepping off was delivered, Suzuri, sensing the presence of the momentum, turned his body around and held up the sword blade.

　The contact between the sword and the blade caused a shift in the trajectory, and the slash cut through the air without catching Suzuri, but the slightly snatched tip of the cut emitted a scorching heat and burned away the cloth covering Suzuri's head.

''Kirigakure!''

　Even though the flames blocked his vision, Suzuri fired a precise stab at Sakura.

　However, Sakura has already left with [shrinking], and Nagi, who appeared slightly outside the interval in the replacement, threw several small thumb-sized magic tools and jumped back.

　Exploding magic tools.
　It's not a blast, but a visually dazzling flash, a smoke screen, and an array of weak magical effects, including paralysis, to obstruct movement, even if only slightly.

　It would only stall them for a few seconds, but it was still a priceless stall.

''Now!''

　At my signal, Melissa activates her magic and I myself squeeze the trigger of the repeating crossbow.

　Behind the smoke screen, a rain of ice spears and wind-blown bolts rained down sideways on Suzuri.

　The loaded bolts are high speed projectiles with wind magic effects.
　The same magical scroll cartridges are used to add acceleration to it, and the emphasis is on bullet speed and penetrating power.

It's a coordinated tactic (combination) for when an unruly monster appears, which was agreed upon in advance ...... I didn't expect to use it on the magician, but how far did it get ......? )

　Of course, I don't think we could have defeated them in the slightest.
　If it's an opponent that can be managed with this level, we didn't have such a hard time during the Demon King's War.

　After about three seconds of silence, Garnett's expression twists into a regretful smile.

''...... d*mn it, no?''

　The smoke screen was cut away by a burning slash.

　The body of Suzuri, standing there in all seriousness, was, to my horror, completely unharmed.

It's not a bad tactic. But that level of artistry is far from enough to bind this physique given to us by His Majesty.

　We were speechless in surprise without a single exception and forgot to take the next step.

　-- it wasn't because the coordination of the five of us didn't seem to get through.

　The real face of Suzuri, whose head cloth has been removed, is not that of a dark elf, but that of a person.

　An Eastern man who is nearing the end of his mature years - but his eyes have the same reptilian pupils as the dragons, with thick scales covering his neck and cheeks.

　I recall the appearance of the heroic Falcon and the swordsman Julia, both of whom had been transformed into dragon-men.

　Although not as cruelly transformed as they were, it is clear that their bodies have been remade by the same lineage of technology.

　If you believe the words of the Demon King Gandalf, there was one person who underwent the modification before Falcon and the others, and the modification technology was established through the results of that modification.

　And I already know of an Eastern person who may have stepped through the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss' before the Falcon.

'...... first, respondent ......, so that's what it is. ......
What?　I guess he's figured it out by now. Then you have nothing to hide. This body was given to me as my vessel after I adjusted the first subject that was no longer needed.

　Immediately after, Suzuri breaks off her words and stares somewhere.

　The Sakura in the corner of her gaze is--



　-- eyes wide with despair, mouth moving in a raspy manner.

　A language I could hear but not understand. Perhaps it's an Eastern language.

　Even though it's impossible to understand, I can't help but feel what kind of emotions I'm having.

　The heart is no longer here, the body, which is boiling with the light and heat of the gods' descent, is weakening, and the scarlet blade is hanging on the ground without strength.

''■■■■......''
......!

　Nagi was the only one who responded to the words that followed.

　Nagi turned around faster than I could ask for an explanation and shouted a word I never imagined he would say.

''A-haha!　It's Shiranui's father!
W--

　Astonishment and conviction run through my thoughts at the same time.

　Sakura's father must be dead.
　He was consumed by the power of the failed attempt to bring down the gods, and the mansions were burned to the ground.

　But had his or her corpse really been found in the first place?
　Wasn't the man inside assumed to be dead because the house burned down without a trace?

　If the adventurer who left the memoir was indeed the man, then what was his wife and son, for whom he felt deep regret and repentance - and what was the 'something' that he feared would take over him?

What is the "something" that will take over him?　Don't give yourself away!　You'll be taken in!

　Then suddenly, for the first time that I know of, Suzuri's voice rang out in a taut voice.

　With no time to respond to the unexpected development, the flames that had wrapped Sakura's entire body like a feather coat swirled around her.

''--!

　There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
　Without hesitation, I held my hand over my right eye and activated the 'Right Eye of Wisdom' by disassembling my eyeball.