The moment the blue bolt of lightning ran through, the ground exploded with a roar.
　The charged air popped and the dust cloud that covered my vision cleared.

　But while looking at the unobstructed view in front of him, Akira couldn't help but click his tongue.

It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time.　After all this, it's more unnatural to have nothing to show for it: ...... Well, it's unnatural, as you can see.

　Muttering to myself as I collected my thoughts, I looked around the place and saw that it was nothing but a large, empty room.

　The height to the ceiling is about two meters, and the size itself is large enough that it cannot be measured at a glance.
　If you don't take the ceiling into account, the closest thing Akira knows of is the gymnasium.

　However, the floor, ceiling, and walls, all made of stone, give a different impression. ...... But that's not the point.
　There is nothing in this room, in the literal sense of the word.

　There is not even a speck of dust in this room.
　It was so obvious that it made me wonder if it was a trap of some kind.

If it's a trap, it's just a matter of getting back at you. ...... It's not going to work out that way, though.

　I stepped out randomly to touch the walls and the ground, but there was no sign of anything happening.
　Is it because they were wary of being explored by setting up a trap, or did they not even have time to do so?

　I'm not sure if it's the former, but Akira let out a sigh while trying to figure out if it's probably the former.

"d*mn, ...... they're really annoying. You're always trying to pick a fight, but you're fast on the run. It's time to do something about it. ......

　If I could do it, I would have done it already.

　Akira is not very good at using kinks or thinking things through.
　It's best for me to rush in front of them and beat them.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the store.

　The reason why Akira came to this place in the first place was to beat up the demon.

　However, Akira is not ready to take matters head on with the devil.
　No, it's more accurate to say that he wasn't .......

　At least Akira himself didn't have any feelings for the demon, and he didn't intend to be a rival.
　But there were a few skirmishes as he traveled randomly and ended up disturbing the demons as a result.
　While repeating such things, Akira seems to have been perceived by the demons as an enemy.

　I'm not going to do anything from Akira, but ...... it's just too depressing and troublesome to have your life threatened repeatedly.
　It's a good idea to buy it if it's a fight you want to get into.

　Then he decided to crush the demon to relieve his resentment. ...... but there was a problem.
　It's all well and good to smash the demon, but I didn't know how to do it.

　As a matter of fact, the location of the demon is not very clear.
　It is common to hear that we are being invaded by a demon country, but since a demon doesn't specifically lead a country to attack, its whereabouts are difficult to ascertain.

　Demons basically control demons and use their power to invade and destroy other countries.
　Because they are demons, they do not need to be resupplied or rested like human soldiers, and they do not need a base.
　There were several times when Akira went to the frontline where demons were attacking, but he never saw a demon, let alone found a base.

　Moreover, when a demon destroys a country, it just heads straight to the next one, and I've never heard of a demon setting up a base on the site.
　Since there are actual attacks, there is no doubt that the demon exists, but we have no idea where it is.

　But that doesn't mean that the base of operations doesn't exist.
　I have heard that there was a place like a stronghold.
　Well, the base was just destroyed ...... or so it seems.

　Anyway, if the base exists, you'll find it if you look for it.
　Apart from its difficulty.

　But as I travel to various places to gather information, I get to find what seems to be a good one.
　And finally, I've succeeded in finding a place that I'm sure is the base of operations.

I'm too pathetic to run away from it all here. ...... Should I have ignored the demons along the way?　No, it's not worth it if it interferes with you while you're fighting a demon. ......

　Neither yes nor no.
　What was the right thing to do this time?

　At least there is no doubt that this is the demon's base and the demon was here just a few minutes ago.
　It is clear from the situation of this room, which is too unnatural and filled with demons even though it is indoors.

　The fact that all of the things are missing from this room means that they were moved somewhere else through a spatial transfer.
　Otherwise, it would not be so obvious.

　But as it turns out, there's no point in finding out.

I'm sure we've failed. ...... And we haven't a clue. Hey, we're not back to square one right before the finish line, are we?

　You can try to blur, but that doesn't help the current situation.
　You can also try tapping the area, but nothing happens, and Akira lets out his tongue for the umpteenth time.

　You'll have to start over again from scratch with this situation.

Should I ask someone to help me out?　At this rate, it could happen again. Well, after all, they're the only people I can ask for help from: ......

　Thinking about that, Akira walks around that empty room.
　It's not because I thought there might be something, but just as a precaution.

　Akira isn't the only one who hasn't been able to get enough information about demons.
　There are many people trying to get information about demons that continue to invade and destroy countries and people, yet we still know much less about them.
　The demons are cunning and cautious, and unless it's too much of a coincidence, they won't find a single clue.

　When you think about it, this really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"--hmm?

　It was at that moment that I came to the edge and was about to go back to think that there was still nothing there.
　I felt a strange sensation in the sole of my foot.

　You furrow your brow and take a step back, but it looks just like any other floor.
　Stepping on the floor again, you can feel that the material is the same.
　But at the same time, you understand why you felt strange.

　I crouched down and lightly tapped the ground, and it was clear that the vibrations echoed to the other side of the ground.
　It means there's a void ahead.


　It's also probably reasonably large.

"Well, what's going on ...... no, you know what to do?

　You can't come in here and say that you've got nothing.
　Will the demon or the snake appear?

　Squinting and lifting the corners of his mouth, Akira slammed the holy sword in his hand into the ground as hard as he could.