Looking at the scene in front of him, Allen let out an exclamation of admiration.
　The gusher of blue lightning and the continuous sound of sword fights.
　It's not even a year ago that Aren met with Akira, yet he has improved his skills a lot.
　I'm thinking that if I do this now, I may not be able to cajole her as easily as I did back then, and I'm following Akira's movements with my gaze.

　At the same time, however, I also think.
　To be honest, it's not surprising that Akira has risen to this level of skill.
　Originally, Akira had become so skilled in two years or so.
　It's not surprising that he would have made a further leap after a half year.

　Therefore, it wasn't Akira that Allen was impressed with.
　It was against the demon that was firmly defending against Akira's onslaught.

I thought you were the rearguard type from your words and actions, but I'm afraid that's not the case, is it?
Well, it's just a matter of showing up in the open. But does that mean they weren't the ones who were watching Henriette and her friends?
Hmm ...... No, I think it's probably a thing, right?　And I don't feel like I'm being watched anymore.

　Naturally, Allen was aware that something had been planted in the hut.
　Strictly speaking, it's true that there was nothing there, but he did notice the distortion of space in places.
　It would be natural to think that something was planted.

　But we didn't tell them that because we also knew someone was watching us.
　They did not tell the person that they were being watched or what was going on in the hut to avoid letting him or her know.

　Given the circumstances, the person who is watching them is most likely the devil.
　That is the best person to get a clue from.
　I dared to let them swim away so as not to give them bad information and raise their guard.
　By the way, he didn't even tell Henriette, so she must have sensed his sympathy and went along with it.

　I'm sure that our plan was successful for the time being, considering that the demon actually showed up in person.
　The rest is up to Akira, though...

Should I go to ...... for help?
"What do you think?　Even though I'm preventing it, Akira has the upper hand at the moment. If you mess with them, they'll tell you to stay out of their way.
"Ah, you're the type of person who would say ......

　Even as we talk about such things, the battle is going on in the corner of your eye.
　Every time Akira swung his sword, the azure lightning ran and the floor and walls were scorched.

　At first glance it doesn't seem so powerful, but I've heard that the real power of the blue lightning comes into play when it's struck by an object that belongs to the demon.
　The power of the holy sword amplifies it many times, and the lightning that leaks out into the surrounding area is just the aftermath.
　It is said that a direct hit is enough to defeat a dragon as well, so it should be enough to defeat the demon.

　But such a blow is only necessary if it eventually reaches the opponent's body.
　The moment Akira's arm is swung down, a high-pitched sound is heard for the umpteenth time, and Akira lets out a tongue-lashing.

It's ...... that again!　C'mon, you can prevent it with your arms. ......!
"Hmm ...... this is a strange thing. This is unusual. This is my power, so I have my own arms to prevent it. If you have a problem with that, why don't you put away that d*mned thunder too?
You know what works for you, but you're not stupid enough to back off.
Then it's the same here. However, hmm ...... is a brave man. Trying to squeeze into a distorted space?

　The holy sword was standing still in front of the demon's eyes as he swung it down.
　However, Akira did not intend to do so, as you can see from his face.

　And if you look closely, you can see a slight distortion in space right where the holy sword is.
　Because of that, Akira's attack hasn't been able to pass through at all.

　I knew from what he said and did up to this point, but that demon's ability seems to be an interference with space.
　It's a trap for our surveillance, a trap for our sudden appearance, and if it can also be used for defense, it's a very versatile ability.
　It is a very difficult power to manipulate the spatial system, and if it can be used in battle to fight with the heroes, then it must be a great user even among demons.

　But against such an opponent, not only is Akira inferior, but as I said before, he is superior.
　It is not quite there, but it is there, and just like the demon said, it was pushing in, albeit just a little.

　Pushing in a distorted space is the same as slicing through a fixed space.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make use of it, and it's a frightening learning ability and growth rate, considering it was only prevented just now.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.
　It's not as if it's difficult to do other things while manipulating space, or perhaps the demon can't move when distorting space from before.
　The holy sword is brought down on the body of the demon right there - but the blow of the holy sword does not reach it again.

　Just before that, the demon had flown backward.
　Perhaps it judged that the distorted space would be breached and abandoned its maintenance in favor of evading it.
　Considering that if his judgment had been delayed for even a moment, he would have been cut to pieces.

　However, although Akira let it go again, his face showed no signs of annoyance.
　It's more like a good-natured face, with the corners of the mouth hanging up in the air.

I finally broke ......!　I got the hang of it, and now I'm coming off. It's not too late to surrender, okay?
"Huh. ......?　Granted surrender, and?
"Because I have a lot of questions for you. You know that, right?　It's a lot of things.

　It's not clear what the demon's chain of command is, but at least to the best of Allen's knowledge, that demon is the most powerful one so far.
　It's hard to say what will happen if you take the demon Fenrir into account, but that doesn't change the fact that the demon has considerable skill.

　Besides, he is in charge of monitoring the base.
　There's no doubt that he has a certain amount of information.

　That's why Aren and the others are leaving the battle to Akira to wait and see what happens.

"Hmm. ...... Well, I certainly know a lot of things about it. I don't know what you guys are doing here, but ...... well, that's an idea, considering that Amazoness is supposed to have escaped from here. I'm sure I know something about that, too.


"Hey ......, that's good for you. Then--
"--Hmmm. It's true that you have a reputation for being a brave man. But you're still just a kid.
"Huh?　What the hell are you--

　Akira's words were not uttered until the end.
　Before that, the demon suddenly waved its arm in the air.

　At first glance, the action seems meaningless, but of course it's not.
　There was no sound, no figure, but there was certainly something at the end of the demon's wave of his arm.

　It is the same one that had kept preventing Akira's attack on ...... distortion of space.
　But now it had been shot out for the attack.

　Akira may have realized this, and his eyes widened, but the distortion was already right in front of him.
　The devil smiled with conviction.

　But .

''Haha ...... hey, you should listen to what people are saying, right?
"--What?

　Immediately after, the demon's eyes widened.
　As an alternative, Akira's mouth was full of smiles and, naturally, his body was without a scratch.

"Stupid ...... how did you do that now ......!
"Huh?　That's why I said listen to me, right?　--I told you I was getting the hang of it, didn't I?
...... brave souls are ......!
Well, anyway, I see your point: ...... The bottom line is, you don't know unless you get hurt, do you?　Then I'll do it. --Run, Blue Thunder.
"Lick--

　A moment later, the demon tried to do something, but Akira was quicker to move than that.
　In an instant, he was in the bosom of the demon and the holy sword was slammed down on him.
　The blue lightning rises to the spot like a pillar, and without being able to scream, the demon falls to the spot.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that there are a lot of people who have been in the market for a long time.　Well, it looks like it's alive and well. I think you're going to be a bit light on the subject after all this.

　While boasting about such things, Akira is proud of himself.
　From the beginning to the end, Akira won the game by a landslide.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the end.
Well, as expected of a brave man. In the end, I didn't have a chance at all.
Well, you can never be too busy.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on the subject.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you.

　I'm not going to be the only one.

It's not just a matter of time before you're able to get your hands on a new one. It's certainly more troublesome than I thought it would be.
What the hell, you've kept me awake. That's a tough one. But this is how you learn your place.
Oh, and I was conceited. ...... This humiliation will be returned to you.
"Oh?　You think I'm going to give you the next thing?
"Huh. ...... Brave man, you are the one who forgot, aren't you?　--You can't catch us.
"Huh?　--tch!

　The moment he realized what the demon had said, Akira was thrusting the holy sword towards the fallen demon.
　The tip pierced the ground ...... but did not reach the demon's body.
　The demon's body had become translucent and the holy sword had slipped through.

Let's do it. ......!
Then, brave man. If you can follow him, then follow him. Well, if you can do it without any clues.

　With those words, the demon vanished.
　Not a trace of smoke was left behind, only the holy sword thrust into the ground.

　Stifling his frustration, Akira slammed his fist into the ground.

d*mn it. ...... I'm hit. ......!　Well, there's something about those guys disappearing when they're about to get caught: ......
"Well, yeah. How was Henriette, by the way?
Well ......, it's just there, isn't it?　I can't identify it, but I've got a general idea of its location.
"Hmmm, that's just fine then?　I have a good grasp of my surroundings, but I don't know where exactly,
"Huh?　What are you guys saying ...... No, you guys ......?

　Why did Aren and the others do nothing but leave the battle to Akira?
　It was, as I already said, to gather information.

　That's what it was all about.

Well, maybe we could have caught him here, but I don't know if the information we would get from that is true. Instead, the quickest way to find out is to ask for directions to a hiding place, right?



　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it," he said to a stunned Akira, shrugging his shoulders.