Aren's sword with all his strength is ducked by the demon god Lycaoron and kicked up on the counter.
　The arm I was trying to defend against is smashed and I'm blown backwards.

(Hmmm. That's as expected of a demon god. Well, I'm not in a situation where I can use all of my summons for attack and quickness protection. It's improved my durability though. But it still hurts like a son of a b*tc*!

　Allen has summoned a number of insect A, beast A, and spirit A summons to solve this problem.
　Thanks to this, his attack power will be lower than when he fought the Iron Golem or the lowest boss, Gordino, in an S-class dungeon.
　And you don't use the supplementary skills and magic you received when you fought Gordino.

　You might say that I only had to get my arm crushed thanks to Bug A and Spirit A summons that increased my durability with blessings.

''All right, it's going to work!　Krena, Dogora, we're going to attack!

"Oh!

　Dogora has been waiting for you and grabbed the shield and the big axe and plunged in.
　It seems like you've been focused on this day since yesterday.

You have tested my strength as a leader. It doesn't matter how many of you are here!

　Everyone starts to act at once, but Lycaolon's attitude is still relaxed.
　Merus, who comes from behind, shakes off Lycaolon's defended arm and changes the target of his attack from the altar to Lycaolon and attacks him.

Flare!

"Hmm, magic.

　As Dogora and Krsna enter the fray and attack with everyone in between, Cecil fires a fireball just as Licaolon turns his attention to the vanguard, but Licaolon swats it away with one hand.

　Although he easily dismissed Cecil's magic, he decided it would be uninteresting to leave the attack from the rear guard intact.
　Licaolon changed the target of his attack to Cecil.

"You can't let him!　Gah, gah!

　Dogora is in front of Cecil, and Dogora is blown backwards with his shield as he tries to defend himself.
　Licaolon continues to show off his overwhelming offensive power and his body language, which makes it hard to believe that he is surrounded by fighters.

　Allen analyzes that although Licaolon specializes in speed, he has the durability and offensive power of a light fighter-type fighting style.

'Hey!　Afu!

　Krsna tries to smash his greatsword into Lycaoron, but Lycaoron catches it in his fist and flips Krsna off with the greatsword.
　However, Krsna was blown off and kept attacking Lycaolon as he desperately tried to bite him.

　In terms of skill and flexibility, Krsna was better at fighting than Dogora.
　This hasn't changed since I was in Krsna's village, but the gap between the two has never been bridged, even after attacking S-class dungeons.

(After all, he couldn't gain strength over the demon gods even by attacking S-class dungeons.

　This battle is also a test to see how far we have come in fighting the demons after conquering S-class dungeons.

　Allen recalls what he told his friends before the attack on the S-class dungeon.
　He told them that even if they changed jobs and upgraded their equipment with weapons and armor available in the dungeon, it may still be difficult to capture the demon gods as they progress through S-class dungeons.

　With the status of the genie reaching 20,000 to 30,000, it is difficult to close the distance between them.

　I feel the need to use Helmios the Brave's extra skill "Kamikiri-sword" to give the demon gods an effective attack, and Doberg's extra skill "Guard Break" to ignore defense no matter how durable the demon gods are.

　Krena parries Licaolon's vicious fist blows with her greatsword, catching the subtle body movements and shifts in her gaze as she changes targets of her attacks to Allen, Merus, and Dogora.
　And then attack behind Rikaolon.

Don't strike the front of the enemy. If you can't hit the back, hit the side.

　This is what Allen said to his companions, based on a philosophy from a previous life.
　Never think of a straight fight or a single combat, that we are not striving for chivalry or the way of the sword.
　And I've also said that nothing is more important than winning.

　There are several concepts of damage in this world, the reason for attacking "behind" or "side".
　There are three types of damage: normal damage, miss, and critical.
　A critical hit roughly doubles your damage.

　The conditions for a criticality are complex and not all are understood.
　The difference in speed between you and your opponent, and whether or not you strike a vital spot, will change your critical rate.
　And attacks from non-frontal areas, such as the back and sides, are by far the most likely to be critical attacks.

　Krsna is the embodiment of what Allen has been telling us throughout the dungeon attack.

　The war in Rosenheim, the S-class dungeons, and the horrific conditions in the Elmal Kingdom have made Krsna's mind even stronger.
　But although they are boldly attacking from behind and from the flanks, so far they have done little damage.

"Piss off at the rate of the small fry.

"Mugu!

　There is more than double the difference in all statuses, but also the advantage of many against one.
　Even now, Krsna has been beaten away with her greatsword, but the way she looks at it, the difference is not as desperate as when she fought the demon god Razel.

　It's still not a match for the demon gods, but it's still a battle.

(Krsna hasn't used her extra skill yet. This is the best you can do. Good thing you got a new job.

"Dear Gail!　Please help!

"Yeah, Mom.

　The wind spirit Gale, in the form of a boy with shorts and a twirling head, binds Lycaolon with a noose made of visible wind.

"Revealing a spirit?

　Sophie's full magical power is now locked in a chamber, and she tries to strangle Lycaoron with a meeping sound.
　Likaolon doesn't even bleed no matter how much Krena slashes at him from the back with her skills, but Sophie's all-magic-caged spirit attack seems to be able to damage Likaolon.
　However, Licaolon bleeds and forcefully tears the rope of wind and scatters it into four pieces.

　Lycaolon seems to be more surprised that he's in complete control of the spirit than the damage he's taken.

It's like Sophie is a head taller. But still, is it really such a big deal to take such good care of the altar?

　I don't know what the altar is that illuminates the blue-white pillar of light in the sky above.
　But I think this object was referred to as an "altar" during Merus's several attacks over the past few days.
　I don't know what it is, but I recognize it as an "altar".

Now that we know the difference in power between our friends and the demon gods, let's move on to the next strategy. Lycaolon's attitude is getting better and better.



　After the defeat of Merus by Lycaolon four days ago, I had Merus fight him again several times, including countermeasures.
　Rather than defeating it with all my might, I needed to consider countermeasures based on this demon's fighting style.
　I didn't have to reveal my hand, so I asked him to keep his summoning of Merus' summons to a minimum.
　In the meantime, while the city and village were being rescued, my companions were considering how to fight and attack without causing any deaths.

　We need to know if there are any survivors in the area, including this temple, to prepare for the battle with the demon gods.
　For that reason, I have had Merus thoroughly investigate whether there are any prisoners or wounded people captured or injured in or around the temple.
　As a result, we have confirmed that there is no problem in carrying out this operation.

"All right, Cecil. Sophie, let's get to it!

Yeah, I get it.

"Leave it to me. Mr. Allen.

　Then he called out to Cecil, who was at the back of the line, and Allen moved backward at once.
　So do Merus, Krena and Dogora.

Dogora, don't let them pass in front of you!

"Wow, I know!

(Hey, reply more naturally.)

　Dogora's mouth is slightly jostled and his face turns bright red.
　Allen thinks it's a relief that Dogora can hide his reddened face with his shield.

''Hahahaha!　It's the same thing, no matter what I do. Do you not know the difference in power between us?

　Lycaolon, who has been leading the fight from start to finish, scoffs at Aren and the others who want to start something, calling it a futile struggle.

"Hm, don't be ridiculous. Sophie, please.

"Yes . Dear Nymph. We need your help.

"Yes. Okay. Sophie.

　The girl who appeared in a calm tone and wearing a raincoat is a water spirit.
　Her body is wet with water as if she was in the rain, and the marble floor is dripping wet.

　All of Sophie's magic power is being absorbed by the water spirit.
　A mass of water forms in front of Allen's eyes.

"Blizzard!

　Cecil freezes the mass of water formed by the water spirit, freezing it more and more.
　Many times it is filled with magic, and it changes into a large and evil shape.

It's a combination technique. Is this how you plan to get to the altar? That's interesting.

　If Lycaolon comes to the front to fight, aim for the altar.
　Even if he doesn't come to the front, I'll blow the altar to pieces with Lycaolon.
　That was the plan, Lycaolon realized.

　I'll prevent this from happening and then we can resume our counterattack, he said, grinning through his canine teeth.
　I worked too hard to secure my footing, and the marble on the floor was smashed to pieces.

Should I intercept after all? That's such a big difference in force. Come on out, Popo. You're up.

　As Lycaolon takes a posture to intercept, Allen summons the bird F summoner.

Merle, we're ready. Unleash the Vulcan cannon!

　Then, use the sentient skill "Decree".
　Only the person Aren has targeted can hear the message.
　The voice that Bird F's summoner cries out with Allen's voice cannot reach Likaolon.

　But someone far away hears the message.

At last we're in!　I get it!

　Merle, who replied cheerfully, was not in the temple from the beginning.
　He was lying on top of the hilltop a few kilometers from Theomenia on Tam-Tam, with his Vulcan cannon aimed at the side of the temple, waiting to take aim.
　A large mithril golem, Tam-tam, with one attack tablet (Vulcan cannon size) and five reinforcement tablets (attack power) attached to the grimoire to ensure that the upcoming attack will have maximum power.

　The message is not only voiced, but the "scene" seen by Bird F's summoner is also delivered to Merle as an image.
　With the 100-kilometer-long message, Lycaolon's location in the temple is already captured.
　The pillar of light rising from the altar makes it easy to aim.

Our target is Demon Lycaoron!　Vulcan fire!

　With the manipulation of Merle's attack in the tam-tam, light converges on a Vulcan cannon specialized for the attack.
　Then, the flashing cannonball lodged in the super heat and headed straight for the temple.
　The marble on the side of the temple where Lycaolon is located is melted, and a huge, powerful flash of lightning strikes in an instant.

"!

　Lycaolon couldn't move, couldn't even raise his voice.
　In his posture of preparation for a frontal assault, he was unable to react to the sudden and ferocious blast of the Vulcan cannon from the side.
　Then, thoughts of what to do about the altar and what was in front of Cecil and Sophie's ice blocked their own movements for a moment.

　As a result, Lycaolon was consumed by a huge beam of super-heated light.
　And the marble on the opposite wall of the temple and the soil heaped to build it all melted, boiled, and evaporated.

'Hey!　Keep this?

　The reason for Cecil's panic is that the block of ice we created to protect ourselves from the super heat of the Vulcan cannons is evaporating at a tremendous rate, jumping over the melting.
　The block of ice is shrinking before you can even see it.

There's a chance. ...... maybe.



(That was a little close. It's hot.

"Hey!　Did you just say 'maybe'?

　Although he thought he was far enough away, Allen regrets that he was too close to the Vulcan gun.
　I feel like Kiel is accusing me of being behind him, but I chalk it up to my imagination.

　Even after the Vulcan fire stops, the ground, walls, and pillars are still red with heat.
　The ground, walls, and pillars are still red hot and boiling everywhere.
　And Lycaolon and the altar had been blown away.