Only ten minutes before we reach the fort where Elfi is being held captive.

　Lucifina's slash and the Great Wind Bird (Garuda) from the front.
　From behind, another great wind bird was approaching from the rear with great speed.
　Berdia's flight speed was not enough to deal with the three attacks approaching at the same time.

　At this rate, they would not even be able to reach Elfi's bottom.

''---- I won't let them do so,''

　Four seconds until the three attacks collide with us.
　From both my right and left hand, I unleash magic back and forth.

"Whirl Blast."

　It's an advanced wind attribute magic.
　A large whirlwind is generated in his palm, and he crashes into the two large wind birds that are approaching in front of him.
　It doesn't do much damage. But that's fine.
　Blocked by the large wind, the movement of the large wind birds stopped slightly.

　Only Lucifina's slash is approaching us, trying to drink us in.
　While running over Berdia, she pulls out her jade sword.
　I'll return it to you, Lucifina.

''Magic Strike Reflex (Impact Mirror)--!

　A magic technique developed during the Heroic Era that doubles the opponent's attack and returns it.
　With the three labyrinthine cores taken in and the experience I've gained so far, I was able to activate it without the use of mental image magic.
　The moment the blade touches the slash, the magic power sparks with a bang.

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

　The shock of running into both arms made me stop breathing.
　Activation is now possible.
　But of course I can't demonstrate the full power of the current me.
　Even so, I forcefully reflected the slash.

　The slash flips around in a circle.
　Rather than doubling in power, it was reduced to less than half.
　But that's enough.

''Queuee?!''

　In front of us, there was a large wind bird that broke through the great whirlwind.
　The reflected slashes sharply cut off one wing of the great wind bird that screamed in astonishment.

''...... get out of the way!''

　Verdia swings her claws down at the great wind bird that has stopped moving.
　You will find that you can't react to the dragon's strike.

''Gah, kaaaaah ......''

　The great wind bird fell, splattering blood all over the place.
　One more.
　The great wind bird behind him, which had regained its momentum, was closing in right behind him.

''...... this, this!''

　Berdia attacks with his tail, but the great wind bird avoids it lightly.
　Apparently his instantaneous movement speed is better than Berdia's.
　But it's no problem.

'Berdia, after I jump, extend your tail as far as you can.
"...... Huh?

　Faster than I could hear the reply, I leapt backwards.
　The great wind bird right behind me widened its eyes at my actions.

''Ha......!''

　I slash at it.
　But it was ducked.
　I'm not going to be the only one who can do this.
　And then I become defenseless in the air.

"Quaaaaaaaah!

　The great wind bird let out a yell of victory.
　I was just falling, but the large wind bird stuck out its sharp beak at me.
　You can't avoid a fatal wound if you bite it properly.

　So I dodged it too.

"Que?

　He used his wind-attribute magic.　
　You can't get away from it.
　It would look like I kicked the empty space to the Great Wind Bird.

　It's the same method of movement that Olga or some other homunculus had used one day.

'So long,'

　He swung his jade sword down to the great wind bird with its neck sticking out.
　The flesh on the back of his neck was not so hard.
　The blade split the flesh and severed the bone.
　Easily, the head of the Great Wind Bird fell off.
　The giant body tilted lazily and fell to the ground following its neck.

''Iori......!
Oh!

　Berdia's voice growing distant.
　Immediately, he leapt with wind attribute magic.
　Just in the nick of time, he grabbed Verdia's tail and climbed onto her body.

''Wind. You've managed it.''
Wow, good job. You're pretty good at it, Iori. As a connoisseur, I'm a little surprised myself.

　Idler mutters, as if impressed.
　It's no big deal.
　If we don't get over this, Elfie won't be able to help us.

'...... Iori, the next one's coming!

　Apparently Lucifina won't let me rest even if I break through the slash and the great wind bird.

''...... I hear Lucifina is serious about it next.

　At the top of the mountain, I can see the magic power emitted by Lucifina piercing the heavens.
　They were pretty close, but it would take a few minutes before they made contact.

　Lucifina swung her Tenri sword in succession.
　Countless slashes rushed towards us like a tsunami.

　Lucifina's ability is far higher than I expected.
　It is incomparable to thirty years ago.
　Was she hiding her power when she was traveling?
Or ----.

　Well, either way.

So much for .......

　I thought that if I could get through the Great Wind Bird, I could get under that guy, but my outlook was poor.
　I wanted to conserve my strength and get up, but any more damage would be done to us.

　I turned my gaze towards the approaching slash.
　At the same time, a noise ran through my vision with a zap.
　I noticed that I was standing a little ahead of the previous me.
　The distance is shorter than before, but the hero (me) still stands far ahead.
　I was trying to reach out to that figure--

'It looks fine, Iori. I don't know how this happens.

　The idler stops me.
　What?" he realizes his intentions faster than he can protest.

'......!　This is ......'

　All of the slashes that came rushing in didn't hit us.
　This is because the slashes avoided us.
　It's as if the space in front of us was distorted (...).

　Passing through the slash, we approached the mountain where Lucifina is.
　I can see Lucifina with a frown on her face, holding her Tenri sword.
　I brace myself to deal with it, but...

Go on, get the hell out of here. I'll handle this one.

　A familiar man's voice sounded in my ear.

'...... Oh, okay,'

　I return the words in a small way and motion for Verdia to go on.
　To the top of the mountain, approaching.
　Lucifina's gaze pierces me.
　I stifle the hatred that rises up and I only look ahead.

''--You'll be dealing with it later.

　Because now all I had to do was rescue my partner in arms.
　We crossed the summit and headed for the fort.



----

　The black flame dragon carrying Iori and the others passed by in the blink of an eye.
　Lucifina was staring at the back of it, dumbfounded.
　Above its head, a shadow hovers over it.

''Yotto.''

　From the back of a small dragon in the sky, a man descended to the top of the mountain.

''...... I've paid you back, brave man.

　It was the blue-haired man who muttered that.
　He had three sullen-looking white eyes and sharp fangs like a wolf peeking out of his mouth.
　The military uniform he wore showed that he belonged to the Demon King's Army.

　--The man's name is Volk Granberia, the fourth king of the Demon King's Army, "Distorted".

"Hello. It's been a few days, Lucifina Emilior.

　He pointed the tip of his cleaver, but Volk called out in a low voice.

'----'

　But Lucifina has no reaction.
　Her eyes widen and she is gazing at the direction in which Iori has left.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

"Hey, hey, what kind of face are you making? You look as if you've been dumped by the man you love.

　With that mangling, Lucifina reacted to the beginning.
　With her narrowed silver eyes, she stared at Volk as if to shoot him dead.
　It was the first time Volk had seen Lucifina's unsparing expression.

'...... What do you mean by that?　You're interrupting me and giving a brave man a pass. Do you intend to rebel against the Demon King's army?
'That's my line, Lucifina. You're the one who betrayed me first.
Now, what are you talking about?

　Lucifina is nonchalant about it, but Volk doesn't allow it.

"It was an 'ancient species' that attacked the village. "It's the ancient species that attacked the village," he said, "but don't think you can get away with it when you have the same ancient species, the Garuda.
............
If you hadn't betrayed me, I wouldn't be here to help the heroes.

　At the word "brave", Lucifina's eyes become even sharper.
　You can't imagine how sharp her eyes are from her usual appearance.

''Please get out of my way.''

　Lucifina readies her Tenri sword and releases the pressure.
　Volk is completely undaunted by the intimidation that would make many tremble.

'I won't let you through. You're the one who's going to have to deal with the consequences first.
............
'You know why I'm doing this. You know why I'm the Four Heavenly Kings. I will do everything in my power to protect that village, no matter what I have to do to change my position. Why did you attack that village? Tell me why.
I'll tell you later, as much as I hate it.

　With that said, Lucifina tried to move on, but

I won't tell you again. You attacked the village. Tell me why.

　The gnarly space distorted and blocked its path.
　Letting out a large sigh, Lucifina glared at Volk.
　In that stare, Volk understood that he had broken down.

　Space distorts greatly, and then an immense magical power pierces the heavens.

　The Four Heavenly Kings.
　The pride of the Demon King's army, the greatest fighting force.

''Do you think you can beat me just because we are the Four Heavenly Kings?　"Distortion."
"Ha!　Let me pull it out, "Heavenly Father!"

　--The two giant forces that could shake the world have clashed.

◆

　I can feel the magic power colliding behind me.
　From the continuous sound of explosions that could be heard, it seemed that the two of them were really going at it.

''A little after .......''

　It was about the size of a pea grain, but a large fort came into view out of sight.
　Around the perimeter of the fort, there were countless kinds of wards to detect signs.
　In addition, bird-shaped demons were flying around in the sky and beast-shaped demons were strolling around on the ground.
　Perhaps they heard the sounds of battle, or they saw demons with demons in tow jumping out of the fort.

　But neither the demons nor the demon tribe noticed us.

'...... That's a great sign blocker.
Right?

　It was thanks to the air blocker used by the idler.
　In the aftermath of Lucifina's slash, the Idler's wards were shattered into pieces.
　As soon as they crossed the mountain peak, the idlers re-stretched it again.

　Lucifina and the Great Wind Bird spotted them, but the other demons and demonkind didn't even pretend to notice them.
　Even I might not notice them if I wasn't in a state of alertness about my surroundings.

''It's ......, but it's about time for me to shut off the signs.
?

　The idler looked back.
　What was in his gaze was the figure of a large wind bird flying towards him in the form of anger.

''You're the one who shot it down with the magic shot reflex?

　One wing is faltering, and he seems to be using his wind magic to force himself through the air.
　Stubborn.

''Kuehuehuehuehueh!''

　The great wind bird let out a wind breath from behind.
　Verdia flapped her wings to evade it, but the idler's magic that had enveloped us shattered again.

'My magic is delicate, you know. If you don't prepare for it properly, it will unravel in the aftermath of the strong magic.

　The idler muttered that in a sultry tone while glaring resentfully at the Great Wind Bird.
　In a moment, the demons on the ground and in the sky all looked at us at once.
　The demons on the ground also turn their gazes towards us as if they were buzzing.

　There are only a few minutes left until we touch the wards around the fort.
　I'm sure the demons below are aware of this, so even if you touch the warding, it won't have that much of an impact.
　If it's at this distance, can you manage to force your way through in time?

I'll make it.

　Smiling with a spare smile, the idler said.

'Iori-kun, Verdia. You should concentrate on rescuing Elfiszak. I'll take care of the dewdrop to the fort.

　With a jangling sound, the idler takes out a large number of magic stones from his pocket.
　While grasping them all, he carves letters in the air.

''Are you willing to leave it to you?''
You can trust me when I do it. You'll have to trust me when I do it. I've used up so much magic, it's going to be a hell of a mess afterwards. ......

　The demons, who have noticed us, are shooting magic from the ground.
　The bird-shaped demons and the great wind birds behind us are closing in on us.
　In the midst of such a situation, the idler had a spare expression on her face.

'I will respect Iori-kun's choice. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. --I'm a sweetheart.
----
It looks like we'll be able to rescue Elfiszak just in time. Elfiszak's probably in that area.

　Then the idler pointed to a part of the fort.

'Good luck, Iori-kun.'

　The sound of Idler's voice, like a whisper.
　Before I could open my mouth, the idler's carved words began to glow faintly.

'I recite death. Drowning in the dark death I chirp in the sky.
　I mourn for death. I will shed tears for the death of my beloved star.
　I will tell death. To those fools who don't care about the death of their beloved stars.

　It was a chant I had never heard before.
　The moment the idler finished chanting, as if to recite.


"--"Peace to all in all (Messiah Infernal).


　A blinding light illuminated the surroundings.
　The moment the magic that flew in from below touched the light, it disappeared.
　The demons that were rushing in from all over the place were also swallowed by the light and disappeared without a trace.

''Ku, ka--''

　The Great Wind Bird was no exception, and the entire head that touched the light disappeared.

''----''
............ I never thought I'd be able to do so much magic.

　I heard Berdia gasp.
　I was a little surprised, too.
　It's partly because it's a magic I don't know, but I didn't know that it could nullify attacks from all directions in an instant.

"Huh, are you surprised?　Like Lucifina's slash, I can't deal with powerful magic, but if I push myself to death, this is what I can do. The great Boku could do something like this.
...... who are you, really?

　Turning back to me, the idler laughs.

'-- So, I told you, didn't I?'

　That's when I saw Sore coming up behind me.

"I've been to--Nuboah!

　Losing his head, the Great Wind Bird unleashed its last magic at the point of death.
　A violent storm hits us.
　The idler, who held up a finger and had a good expression on his face, ate it up and blew away with a strange voice.

''Nwaaaaahhhh?!''

　He fell from Berdia's back and fell headlong downward.
　What lies below is a deep valley where you can't see the bottom.
　d*mn, that idiot is getting too carried away.

"...... idler?
Tsk.

　Verdia turns and changes direction to try to save Idler.
　But the idler restrains him with his hand.

'You don't have to save me, we'll move on quickly, but you should remember me once in a while... ............

　With that shout, the idler fell to the bottom of the valley.

'...... Iori!　You sure you don't want to help?
...... I think I'm okay. I could see him using some kind of magic while he was falling.

　I'm sure he refused to help, because he had the math to help.
　But then again, what the hell was that guy ......?

............ Okay. Verdia, go straight to the fort.
"...... uh-huh.

　It's no use thinking about it now.

　--Hell.

　I drove those words to the corner of my mind and turned my consciousness forward.


◆

　Moving on.
　Kicking away the demons in his way, he made his way to the fort.
　Verdia went faster than she had before and swept through the demons.

　We touch the wards, and an alarm sounds throughout the fort, alerting us to the intruder.
　Without stopping, Verdia flapped her wings.
　Finally, we reached the fort.

　It's a big fort.
　They had only been monitoring the imperial army and stopping the invasion of the Demon King's castle.
　There would be quite a few skilled people inside.

　But we can't stop.

''----''

　Where the idler pointed.
　In front of it, you sharpen your nerves to the extreme, and.

'I wonder where I went wrong with .......

　I heard that voice.
　There's no way I could have misheard that voice.

"Verdia.
"----

　Berdia inhales.

'...... Iori.'
"-- you called me, Elfie.

　Immediately after, Verdia's breath smashed through the canopy of the fort.
　He jumped down one step ahead of the others into the room where an avalanche of explosive flames collapsed.

　There were eight shadows in the room.

　Four demons with empty eyes, standing like ghosts.
　Two demons clad in military uniforms.
　The Four Heavenly Kings "Vanishing" Gracia Levatain.

　--And Elfi.

　I can see their faces, staring at me in amazement.

　The deep circles, crying and swollen red eyes.
　His cheeks are swollen and his mouth is cut off, as if he had been beaten.
　It was bound in chains, with orange wards covering its body.

　With tears in his eyes, Elfie looks at me.

'---------'

　It was hard to describe, an emotion.
　Something welled up in my chest.

　Oh, yeah.
　I am.

"............

　Still, he smiles with a bit of relief that Elfi is still there.
　The wards covering his body are obliterated with a magical technique usurpation (spell dibauer).

'That guy is my accomplice. I'll have him back, "Vanish."

　Gracia's expression twists at my declaration.
　She shakes her shoulders in exasperation.

We have an intruder!　Come on!

　He called out loudly to his subordinates who were outside the room.
　Immediately afterwards, several demonic tribesmen came avalanching into the room.
　They are all uniformly dressed in military uniforms, indicating that they are skilled.

''We'll get ...... back, you say?　Just one and one?

　Looking at us, Gracia sneers at us.

'...... I don't know how you came back to life, but I'll kill you as often as I can if you're anywhere near Master Elfiszak. Verdia!　You have been on the run for so long, I'm going to hand over the reins to you here.
............
'Master Elfiszak!　Please observe!　Let's slaughter these people and add them to one of our puppets!

　Gracia was shouting something in an overwrought voice.
　But it didn't matter all that much.
　The look on Elfi's face gave me a general idea of what this woman had done.

　The urge to goof off.

　Ah, I see.
　I'm--.
　Am I...am I angry?

"There's only one enemy and one of them!　Annihilate the rude people who approach Elfiszak-sama!

　With Gracia's command, the demons shouted a bullhorn and rushed in.

''--[Heroic Reproduction (The Wraith)]

　A noise ran through the gray world where my back floated.
　Towards the rushing demons, I swung my jade taiji sword down.

''--!''

　The jade light blew away the demons.
　The impact rushed through the room and the furnishings inside shattered.

　There was only one enemy, one and one?

''......!''

　I say to Gracia, whose eyes widen as she looks at her disappearing subordinate.


''-- Yeah. Isn't that enough for you?