The important promise he made to her.
　It became his guiding principle for living in this world.

　So.
　She wanted to make the world a better place.

　--He had to be a hero.

Νow.

You look happy.

　Apparently I was sneering when I found out.
　I finally realized it when Elfi pointed it out to me.

'Isn't it obvious?'

　It's a funny face, too.

I've been waiting a long time for this.

　Several months had already passed since the second summoning.
　I couldn't kill you in the royal castle, I couldn't kill you in the Abyssal Labyrinth, and I had to retreat in the Spirit Mountain.
　How much I regretted not being able to kill you.

　It tingles.
　That day, since that time, the right arm that was cut off by you.
　Throbbing, throbbing.
　Along with your sneer, the pain is still burning in my brain.

　But that pain ends today.
　The explosion that blew up the castle is something we can handle now.
The suspected involvement of the "Grim Reaper" in the plot, the "causal reburial" can also be played by using psychic magic.

　We're all set.
　All that's left is to do what needs to be done.

　The pain in your chest from being pierced has been relieved by killing Dionysus.
　So I'll just kill you and forget about the pain in my arm.

----

　I caught sight of Liuzas, who was staring at me alone, and I felt uncomfortable.
　I quickly realize what it is.
　It's the (・・・・・・・・・) right arm that should have been cut off (・・・・・・).

　That guy's arm should have been blown off without a trace.
　It should be impossible to regenerate an arm that is completely gone, unless you are a demon or a demon.
　If that's the case, he must have transplanted someone else's arm, or he must have a prosthetic arm.

''Ha, do you mind?''
............

　Liuzas lifts his bandaged arm up to show it off.
　It's that guy. It shouldn't be more than just putting the arm back together again.
　Let's be wary of that right arm.

''--Amazuki Iori. O fallen hero.

　A man pushed past Ryuzas and stepped forward.
　A nervous-looking man wearing the selector's robes.
　Judging from his demeanor and demeanor, he is probably the "first seat" in charge of the selectors.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one," he said, "because you betrayed the kingdom, stole its treasures, and even acted with the demons if you were not chosen by Master Melt. It must not be.

　There are fifteen of the selectors.
　He asks Elfi with his gaze, but there is no sign of any ambush soldiers.
　So the number of enemies is sixteen, including Ryuzas.

　It seems that they didn't come this far unscathed, and there are several wounded.
　However, they seem to have healed to the extent that they do not interfere with the battle.

You have stained the prestige of Melt-sama and the 'Heroic Amatsu'. You no longer belong in this world.

　The selectors took out a crystal that emitted a red light all at once.
　It must have magic sealed inside.

''Selectors, first seat. In the name of Harold Ravens, I make the final selection.

　The selectors crushed the crystals in their grip.
　With a sound of it shattering, the magic contained within it is released.

"'Brave' Iori Amatsuki. You will die here.

　The space is distorted with gnarling and the room is being invaded by magic.

'...... this,'
"Bow down to the majesty of the realm.

　Elfie, who deployed his magic eye, opened his eyes.

''--"The Absolute Legion"

　The moment the selector who called himself Harold uttered the name of the magic, the room was completely engulfed by the warding.
　Is this an erosive warding spell that violates a specified area?

This is the ultimate in erosive warding that the kingdom has devised. You can't even move, can you?
......m.

　There is a sensation of magic power entangled in my entire body.
　Not to mention body movement, even the movement of magic power inside the body seems to be inhibited.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one," he said. Adventurers, sorcerers, cathedral knights, magic generals and four heavenly kings. It's a ward designed for battle with all sorts of opponents. Even the bravest of them can be easily strangled to death within these walls.

　It's not just ...... inhibiting your movement.
　You can see your life force and magic power being shaved off.
　Fighting in a ward is indeed a huge disadvantage.
　With this feeling, even if you use a magic technique usurpation (spell divouer), you won't be able to destroy the ward from inside.

　I see.
　The large number of wards planted in Marx's mansion.
　I guess that was just a test to see how far they could contain us with the warding.

　From what I've seen, a tremendous amount of magical power is needed to develop this "Absolute Legion" thing.
　Even if I estimate it naively, it's on a quasi-national level.
　It's not something that can be unleashed in rapid succession.
　That's why they decided to use these wards after confirming that the multiple wards are sufficient to bind us.

"Well, then. Then, let's start the executions.

　At Harold's command, the selectors began to form up.
　Ryuzas and the three selectors would be the rear guard, and all the rest would come forward as the vanguard.
　If we fight like this, the color of defeat is strong.

　So.

''.............''

He shook the "Red Lotus Armor" and thrust his left hand out in front of him.
　The moment I poured magic power into the space, the wards (...) that had been set up in the room were activated.

''--paint it (・・・・)''

　In a moment, control of the Immortal Realm passed to me.
　The pressure on my body disappeared.
　Instead, the pressure we were feeling a moment ago will now assault the selectors.

'Na......'

　He said with a sneer as the selector and Liuzas widened their eyes.

''--Then let the revenge begin.

You're not going to be able to do that.

　Ling Shan, and Marx's mansion.
　Everywhere in there, those guys have been using wards.
　The reason for this is simple: they are wary of me and Elfi.

　There is a huge gap in individual strength between humans and the demon race.
　It's because from the beginning, the physical ability and the amount of magic power they possess are very different.
　The same thing can be said for brave men and women.

　Even though they are selectors, they understand that we don't stand a chance in an environment where we can fight to the fullest.
　That's why we needed to create a situation in which we could fight to our advantage.

　There are two ways to do this.
　Either increase their own abilities or reduce their opponent's power.
　Liuzas and the others chose to do both.
　It was this "Jezekyowu Realm".

　We can reduce the opponent's power, and at the same time, we can make the power we remove available to ourselves.
　I don't care if it's me or not, if it binds even Elfie, it's a lot of strength.
　It's true that they only talk about it as the ultimate.

　That's why I can't stop laughing because things are going just as I thought they would.

"Nah, what ...... this is ......ck!
'I knew from the beginning that you guys would use the wards. So I just took precautions.

　It was a ward that he had set up while he was fighting the Thunder Demon General.
　-- "Demonic Realm (Chaos,) Deprivation (Overlight)."
　On its own, it has no effect, but if a magical realm is developed on top of this ward, it is an installation-type ward that strips the control of this magical realm.

　The realm of the Exalted King has an extreme inability to interfere with the warding from within.
　It would have been difficult to deal with it if it wasn't for the "magic area deprivation" that had been set up in advance.
　It's a cumbersome ward that takes a long time to set up and has few uses, but it was useful this time.

All personnel, please stand down...
How could I let you go?

　Fixing the eroded space and sealing off the entrance to the room.

'Liuzas!　Can't you do something about it?
...... I don't think so. It'll take a dozen minutes to crack it or escape.
'The uselessness of ......!　Now get to work on disarming the wards!

　Harold shouted at Liuzas and turned to me.

''All hands, battle positions!''
Ha!
''Don't lick ......, Iori Amatsuki. Did you think we weren't taking precautions against warding?

　The robes worn by the selectors emit a faint light.
　It's probably a magic item that weakens the effectiveness of magic and wards.

"You feel good about taking away the wards, but we're still--
Enough of that crap. Let's go get your ass in gear, Selectman.
... Let the battle begin!

　The selectors deployed in three directions.
　The left wing and right wing, Harold and two others are positioned in the center.
　It seems that Ryuzas is not joining the battle, but rather is in charge of deactivating the wards.

　It's an insane arrangement to not use that guy in battle.
　From his attitude, he must have some kind of feud.
　I don't really care.

'As always, the humans in the kingdom bark a lot. My ears are ringing in my ears.
'They'd love to talk up front, I guess. Keep an eye on ...... Elfi, keep an eye on Liuzas.
I'm on it. You have your countermeasure against the evil eye, though.

　You can see that many layers of barriers have been put up to protect Liuzas and the others in the rear guard.
　It seems that the countermeasures against the evil eye have also been well thought out.

''Let's go.
Let's overrun it.

　The battle began.

　Separate magic techniques flew in from three directions.
"Usurpation of Magic Techniques (Spell Dibauer) to nullify it, and then Elfi launches an ashlar blast into the center.

'Barrier!'

　With Harold's instructions, the rear guard, except for Liuzas, created a wall.
　The barrier was blown away without a trace, but Harold and the others were already on the move.
　Once again, sorcery is flying in from three directions.

　No, it's not just sorcery.
　Weapons such as knives, daggers and arrows are also flying under the cover of flashy sorcery.
　"Is this a countermeasure to the usurpation of magical techniques?
　With the jade tachi sword, he slashes down the magic arts and weapons.

''Iori, don't touch those arrows.
!

　Following Elfi's instructions, I avoided the arrow without touching it.　
　Immediately afterwards, the shape of the arrow changed and a white thread spread out from inside in a spider's web shape.

''Is it ...... the thread of the earth spider?''

　If you were trying to cut me with your sword, you'd be in trouble.

''Be careful. They have some magic items mixed in with the weapons they carry.

　Just as Elfi had said, there were occasionally nasty magic power granting items mixed in with their attacks.
　It's not just the thread of the earth spider, but also the spheres that have needles popping out from within them, knives that explode and daggers that blow smoke.
　Some of them seemed to have been made from the fangs of an earth magic general.

"--"Water Wall (Aqua Wall).

　Whenever we tried to get close, a wall was created in our path as we dodged the attack.
　In the meantime, the selectors are keeping their distance from us.
　They would be on the lookout for the evil eye, and the rear guard barriers would keep them at a distance in time.
　The barriers are used to delay the magic eye and evade it in the meantime.
　This is a move that can be made because of the high level of both magic and physical ability.

　The sorcerer in the rear guard is also moving in line with Harold's movements.　
　It seems that Ryuzas is still working on lifting the wards.

''............''

　Obviously, it's a stalling move.
　He's probably waiting for Ryuzas to break the wards.

'It's too much trouble to prolong it. I'm going to make a decision.

　The power that the Exalted King Realm has cut from the selectors will be mine and Elfi's.
　It's not as much as when I'm using mind-image magic, but I'm able to move far more than usual.
　That's why I can use that technique now.

''--Magic Eye, Ashburst.
Barrier!

　The barrier unfolds at the perfect time to match Elfi's magic eye.
　The selectors must be completely aware of the small amount of time it takes for the magic eye to reach them.
　That's why I'm able to adjust my timing as well.

The Second Demon Sword--"Divergence"

　Clothed in magic power, the jade tachi sword swung down.
　A slash rushes through the ground of the labyrinth, gouging out the ground.
　An ashlar blast lands on the barrier, while I didn't even see it for a second.
　Then a slash enters and cuts both sides of the barrier right across.

''What--''

　That didn't stop them, and the slash sliced through the torso of the selectors who were behind them.
　Some escaped, but were engulfed by the ashlar blast that reached them soon after, and were obliterated without a trace.
　Now the right-wing selectors were wiped out.

　It doesn't end there.
　The ashlar blast not only blew up the selectors, but also the floor of the labyrinth to a large extent.
　The flames of the blast spread, and the fragments of the floor blocked the view of the rear guard selectors.

""Whirlwind (Whirlwind)."

　Immediately, Harold blows the blast flames away with the wind, but it's too late.
　Our physical abilities are improved thanks to the wards, you know.

''-- "Demon Arm Breaking Rupture"
What?
"Geez!

　The left-wing selectors ate Elfi's magic arm.
　Their limbs were flying off in shreds and screaming.

　Meanwhile, I was slashing at Harold in the center.

''Huh--!
''Don't lick it!''

　I slashed at him by surprise, but Harold responded beautifully.
　He drew his sword to defend against the blow he swung at.
　The moment the blades crossed, there was a dull gurgling sound and the bones in both of Harold's arms shattered.

''Gee, gahhhh?!

　The fifth demon sword--"Shattering Impulse".
　This is a sword technique that transmits the impact to the opponent through the weapon and crushes the bones.
　It's a great reaction speed, but they don't have the skill to repel it.

"One seat!
''Ore!''

　The two selectors slash at Harold as if to protect him.
　He catches the blade of one of them with a soft sword and slashes at the other with the returning blade.
　Thanks to the warding, they are slow to move.
　Thanks to the robe, he's able to move, but apparently he's not completely prevented from doing so.
　The remaining one was also slashed to death as it was.

''You! ......!''
...... early.

　Harold's arm, which had receded, had already healed.
　In the current moment, he had healed the bones in both arms that had been shattered by the healing magic.

''Since it's only one seat, are you sure you're capable?
Well, not as good as we are, are we?

　Elfie, who had annihilated the left, came in next to me.

'Stupid ...... selectors while all this is going on,'

　There were four left.
　Harold, the two rearguard selectors, and Ryuzas.
　The outcome of this battle is now decided.
　If we can avoid the irregularities, we will win.

Liuzas!　Can't the wards be released yet?

　Harold looks at Liuzas as if clinging to him, but the wards have not been released yet.
　I have a sense that it is unraveling, but at this pace it will still take more than three minutes at the earliest.

"Great Satan, that's it!　You are useless!

　You can't help but laugh at Harold who shouts hysterically.

Haha. I'm sure you'll be able to find it. You were told?
............
It's not supposed to be this way!　Why do they hunt us down like this?

　Liuza is a magician.
　At a distance, or with a functioning vanguard, they can be quite troublesome opponents, as they were at Ling Shan.
　However, once they are approached, they can be easily defeated just like in the Abyss Labyrinth.

''It's time to end it.''
"Wait for ......!　Iori Amagatsuki, come back to your kingdom!　I will now compel His Majesty to forgive you!　I'll let the demons out of my sight!　How about that?　Wouldn't that be a bad deal?
...... It's the usual plea for your life, again.

　I can hear Elfi's dismay.
　But when this guy begs for his life, I don't feel anything.
　From the beginning, I didn't care about this guy.

...... You're a distraction, dude.
Jesus! Ryusas!　Quickly release the warding!　Still nothing?　We only came all the way here because you told us it would be easier to kill you in the maze!　What kind of court magician are you?
............

　Wordlessly, Liuzas stopped interfering with the wards.

What do you think you're doing?

　At this point in time, we're split up.
　It's not a bad sight to see your friends cursing at you, isn't it?
　But it's tricky to do something about it.
　So I guess I'll just put an end to this war now.

Get away from me!　d*mn it, Liuzas!　Whatever!　Do something!
...... I will.

　Moment.

----

　From the abdomens of Harold and the two rearguard selectors, what looked like tree branches grew out of their abdomens.
　The branch of the tree is going straight at us.
　We retreat with Elfi and avoid the branch.

　...... What do you think you're doing?

What does ...... have to do with ......?

　Harold, who has been pierced in the abdomen, looks at Liuzas as if he is dumbfounded.

I'm not going to be able to get away with it. I'm not going to be the one to tell you what to do, because I'm a small fish.
Na......
It's over. You're dead already.

　To Harold, who was opening and closing his mouth, Liuzas told him so.

''Ga-ahhhhhh?
''Geez.''
Hi. ......

　Harold and the others screamed.
　The magic power was rapidly sucked out by the branches and the three of them were dried up in the blink of an eye.
　Within five seconds, the three of them had all their magic power sucked out of them and died with a terrific expression on their faces.

''Well, even you scum have made up for it.

　The three of them take away the magic power of the three of them, and Liuzas chuckles with satisfaction.
　The scene is incomprehensible.

''What do you ...... want to do?''

　Liuzas is a sorcerer.
　If he is approached without a vanguard, there is no way to fight properly.
　He should be the one who understands that the most.

''Oh?　I just cleaned up the trash. As soon as I get the labyrinthine nuke, these scumbags will be useless.

　Liuzas sneered ferociously while holding the labyrinthine core with his bandaged right hand.

''Nah, Amatsu.''

　Liuzas loosened the bandages.
　I found that Elfi gasped for breath.

That bandage is a magic item too?　Iori, be careful!　This guy--

　Liu Xu interrupted Elfi, who noticed something with his demon eyes, and sneered at him.

''You look familiar, don't you?

　The untied bandage was thrown away carelessly.
　The arm that had been under the bandage was now exposed.

----

　It wasn't a prosthetic hand that came out.
　It was a flesh and blood arm.
　But I knew immediately that it wasn't Liuzas' arm.

You can't go to ......

　--because on the back of his hand was engraved the 'Proof of Bravery' (・・・・・) (・・・・・・・・・・).

'I'm glad I kept it. I cut off your arm that you cut off thirty years ago.

　Gushy,
　Ryusas crushed the labyrinth core.
　I could see the magic power contained within it rapidly flowing into the 'Proof of Valor'.

''----''

　Chills ran through my body.

　--That was bad.

　If I leave it like this, something nasty will happen.

''Iori!
'...... ah!'

　At the same time as Elfi shouted, I was slashing at Ryuzas.

"...... Amatsu, I'll definitely kill you, only you. No matter how many times you come back to life, never!

　Just before the blade reached him.
　Filled with hatred, I heard Liuzas' voice.


''--[Heroic Desire (Unrequited Dirty Drive)]


　The sound disappeared from the world.
　A black magic power spreads from the right arm of Liuzas, who has crushed the labyrinth core.
　The black wind blew and the blade was pushed back.
　The ash bombs released by Elfi are also swallowed by the wind and cannot reach Liuzas.

''What is ......''

　The winds blowing around converge to a point.
　When the darkness cleared and the wind disappeared.
　A man stood in front of me.

　The man wore his dull red hair all back.
　His dark red eyes were stagnant with hatred.
　He wore the robes of a court magician and held a magic wand in his left hand.

　In front of me is a man in his twenties (・・・・・).
　This guy looks familiar.
　We traveled together for several years.

"--It's been 30 years since I've seen you, Amatsu.

　With a fierce smile.
　Thirty years ago, Liuzas said.