Rainy and windy.
　A stormy windstorm.
　It was a premonition.

　Sakurai-kun - the ability of the Hero of Light is the power to convert sunlight into magical power (mana) and aura.
　Then, in order to defeat the Hero of Light, you need to block the sun's light.
　Even a child can understand it.
　That's why I read that the Demon King's Army would come by manipulating the weather.

　In that respect, I can manipulate the clouds (water) and make it clear with the Right Hand of the Spirit.
　I can make the sky clear and sunlight will return.
　Sakurai-kun, strengthened by sunlight, will defeat the Demon King.
　It was such a simple idea.
　But 'That Guy' that spread in the sky shattered my plan.


........clouds of darkness....
　I couldn't help but say it.


　A thousand years ago.
　A thousand years ago, when it was ruled by the Great Demon King and nine Demon Kings.
　At that time, the sky was covered with black clouds that could never clear, and the sun's rays could not reach the ground.
　For this reason, the period of time until Savior Abel defeated the Great Demon King and the black cloud cleared is called the 'Dark Age'.

　The time when he had just arrived in the other world.
　During my training in the Water Temple, I heard the legend of Savior Abel, who defeated the Great Demon King, many times.
　This is the first time I've seen the real thing, and it's the cloud of God(s) class(s) demons(s) and darkness(s) that the Great Demon King used to handle.
　I don't know how many times I've heard about this legendary magic in class.

　If you stare at the sky, you can see strong magic power (mana) swirling around the black cloud.
　Can you blow away this legendary magic with spirit magic...?
　And that's not the only thing I'm concerned about.

　I closed my eyes and used my 'listening ear' skill.
　The sound of large drops of rain hitting the ground reaches my ears.
　The sound of rain is about as May-ish as it gets, but that's it.

　The priestess Esther said that the human race and the demon race were each engaged in a large army of three hundred thousand.
　The earth shaking, voices, and the sound of weapons clashing from the large army.
　None of these could be heard.

　In other words, this was not a battlefield, but a spatial transition to some remote position.
　It was just as Lucy had feared.

''Noah-sama!''
　I looked up at the sky and yelled out.

(Yes☆ Did you call me?　(Mako)
　Noah-sama's voice echoed in my head.
　While suppressing the buzz in my heart, I asked him briefly, "Please tell me where Sakurai-kun is.

''Please tell me where Sakurai-kun is.
(About 70 km northwest. Go straight ahead diagonally to the right of the direction Makoto is facing now.)
　The answer came back quickly.


　--Water Magic, Water Phoenix


　Before Noah-sama could finish his words, I gathered my magic power with spirit magic and activated the water magic method.
　As soon as the giant water phoenix appeared, I jumped on its back and headed northwest.

　A sideways rainstorm.
　A raging storm.
　And an eerie sky that looked like it was always nighttime.
　I flew through it with my "water phoenix" as fast as I could.


(At that speed, we'll be there in another hour or so.)
　Noah-sama's tone of voice is cheerful as he speaks to me.
　He looks really happy.

"Master Noah, I have a few questions for you.
Okay, listen.
　I took a small deep breath.

''Is the Great Demon King back?''
I didn't.
　The answer was clear.

''Then this divine grade magic, the Cloud of Darkness (Kurayami)...''
　According to the legend, it was supposed to be a spell used by the Great Demon King.

(What?　Maybe the snake cultists used a sacrificial technique at the expense of their followers' lifespans. That black cloud will clear up in a day. (That's nothing compared to what they did a thousand years ago.
I see.
　Good.
　The Great Demon King hasn't resurrected.
　The moment I saw the cloud in the darkness, I had a bad feeling, but this time the enemy was the Demon King.
　That hasn't changed.

Then, next. Do you think you can blow away the cloud of darkness (Kurayami) with my spirit magic?

I see.....
　This was also to be expected, but I was a bit disappointed.
　I knew it was impossible.
　I had hopes that it might be possible, but....
　The legendary magic of the stone, can't I manage it personally?

　I turned my gaze to my own thin blue arm.
　The magic power of the spirit that resides in that right hand is powerful, but how useful will it be this time?

(Oh, you're so weak. It's not like Makoto.)
　Master Noah's voice is bright.
　Contrary to my comfort.

''Noah-sama why do you seem to be enjoying yourself so much?''
You know that, don't you, Makoto?　Ila, the goddess of the Holy Gods tribe, has been attacked by Poca. The only one who can help the brave men of light now is Mako. (I can sell you more favors than ever before.
Are you saying that this is what Master Noah wanted?
　Did Master Noah foresee this future?

(What are you talking about? How could I, who is sealed, know the future that the goddess of destiny has missed?
'Well..........'
　No one could have foreseen this situation.
　That's what it looks like.

"What did Master Eil say?
　I wonder what the Goddess of Water, who is often with Noah-sama, thinks about the current situation.

(Eil would have rushed back to the heavenly realm in a hurry. He said there's an urgent goddess meeting. Well, she'll be discussing what to do when the brave ones die, and how Ila should be treated.
...Sakurai-kun is still alive, right?
　Isn't it too early to give up?
　Are the brave men of light the tools of the goddess?
　Don't talk about when you die.

The people of the earth are all pawns to the Holy Gods family. Of course I'm not.
I believe in you, Master Noah.
　But I'm getting a little more worried.
　Until now, I've been lucky in a lot of ways and no one close to me has ever lost their life around me.
　However, I feel like the current situation is the worst ever.
　The goddess of fate has assured me that Sakurai-kun is going to die tonight.

(Don't worry, Makoto. You just need to run away if you're in danger.)
It's... well, it is.
　Master Noah is kind.

　He tells me things to help me stay alive.
　He would help me not to die.
　I'm the only one who believes in him.
　Without me, Master Noah will lose his connection to the earth.
　That is why I am the most important pawn in his game.

　But the rest of you?
　Sakurai-kun is a follower of the Sun Goddess.
　She has the largest population of followers on this continent.
　Noah's presence or absence is not a big problem for her.

　But I want to help him somehow.
　Soon after arriving in the other world, when I was at my wits' end with my weakest skills and status.
　The only people who treated me as usual were Fujiyan and Sakurai-kun.
　At the time, I would have seemed to be nothing more than a useless person, but they said they would come with me.

(Makoto)
　Master Noah's voice sounded softly.

'What is it?'
You're too uptight. You need to lighten up.
It's not...
(Huh, I can't help it.)


　The next moment, a light suddenly appeared next to me, and from within it, Noah-sama appeared.


''Huh?''
　Dark cloud cover.
　In a storm.
　Not in a dream, but in the real world.
　I saw a goddess sitting next to me.

"My Goddess Noah?　Can you come out?
Well, I don't blame you for being wrong. This is just 'magic', okay?　He's not actually here. He's a figure that only exists in Mako's head.
　My head?
　Is it like an imaginary friend?

Not exactly. This conversation is because I'm the voice from the underwater temple. It's just that this body doesn't really exist.
Wow.
　That being said, Master Noah looks like the real thing in front of me.
　It's even more real than in a dream.

'So you try to touch it, but it slips through.
　And then I reached for Master Noah's arm.


　-- Mu Mu Mu.


　The feeling of "I'm sorry," was felt in my hand.
'Huh?'
　When I moved my fingers around a few times, Noah-sama's plump, two-armed response came back to me.
　I mean, Noah-sama is so soft!
　What a skin!
　Angelic soft skin?

"Can you not lump me with an angel?　I've told you I'm the best in the God Realm.
　With jittery eyes, Noah-sama pinched my cheek.
　It doesn't hurt, but you can certainly feel the pinching.

''Is this really an illusion...?''
''If it's a god-grade illusion, it's not much different from reality for the human race. More importantly, how long are you going to s*xually harass me?
I'm sorry.
　I let go of his hand quickly.
　I wanted to touch him forever.........

'This time you've relaxed the tension too much~....
　Master Noah sighed as he scratched his cheek.
　Even that casual gesture is beautiful.
　Even.

''Noah-sama, if I could do this, I would have done it long ago.
'No, it's not. The clouds of darkness have weakened the power of the heavenly realm. It's a good idea to have a good balance between the power of the demon world that the demon race believes in and the power of nature that we of the titan god race control. That's why I was able to get in front of Makoto like this, even if it was only through 'illusion'.
Really?
　So this isn't necessarily a good thing, then?


''Well, we have about thirty minutes before we reach the battlefield. We'll have time to think up a plan to deal with the Demon King by then.
What do you know about the Demon King?
''I don't know much about the new Demon King. I know the old one. You're that kid, you're pretty much the same.
　Reassuring.

'Well, first things first...'
　I discussed the battle against the Demon King with Master Noah.



　◇



About time.
　Master Noah stands up.
　It takes a few minutes of time.
I have gained some knowledge about 'How to Fight the Demon King'.

''Thank you, Noah-sama. Well, I'm going to go save Sakurai-kun.''
I can't go with you, but you can't force yourself, okay?
Can't I come with you?
　It would be reassuring to have you next to me.

'Hmm, if I stay next to you and talk to you, you'll be the dangerous one talking to the air because no one but Mako can see you, right?
I don't think that's a good idea.
　I don't need to know if I'm a freak.

Well, have a good day.
　A pat on the head and Master Noah disappeared in a huff.
　All that was left of me was the sound of rain again.
　The melancholy vanished.

　From afar, I heard some noise.
　The sound of mass cries, the sound of metal crashing into metal.
　The sound of magical explosions.
　And the earth shaking from the movement of a large army.
　The battlefield is close.
　I flew straight to the direction of the sound.

(I see it!)

　A crowd of people like a wave.
　No, a battlefield where the human race and the demon race clashed was coming into view.
　However, they were not inferior to the expected inferiority line, but rather seemed to be competing with each other.
　It's not that the demon tribe has the upper hand, but it seems to be a back-and-forth battle.
　Well, I'm a layman, so I can't judge it just by looking at it.

(...That one is curious.

　A strange object stands out on the battlefield where many human races, demons and monsters are fighting.
　It was a semi-circular black dome.
　The color was pitch black and the inside was invisible.

　Is it the enemy's magic?
　I can't believe it's an ally from the magical power (mana) that gives me a bad feeling.
　But there's not much information on it.
　I want to get closer and collect more information.

　I want to watch the war from above.
　And the spirits around us.
　Maybe it's because of the rain, or maybe it's because the dark clouds have weakened the blessings of the holy tribe, but there are many water spirits.
　Then, I look at the battlefield once more.

(It's a mixed battle........)

　If it was just the demon race gathered together, before the battle began, they could attack together like when the demons attacked the land of the moon.
　With enemies and allies mixed in like this, it's difficult to attack.
　In the first place, the people here are the elite of the Demon King's army.
　This is not the small fry demon king army that attacked the land of the moon, for diversions.
　I don't know if my low attack power spirit magic will be able to get through.
　Slowly, impatience creeps in again.


　--Meaningful.


　Calm down. Remember what you said to Master Noah.
　I'll do what I can do now.
　I know what I can do.
　All we need to know is when and where.


"Gaaaah! Ooh!
　We heard a threatening voice by a fierce beast coming towards us.
　That was........a dragon!
　Moreover, there are two temperamental fire dragons.
　Dealing with these guys would consume their spirit magic.
　However, if you want to reduce the number of enemies, it would be better to deal with them.
　After a little hesitation, I thrust my 'Spiritual Right Hand' forward.


　--Water magic.........


"Holy sword technique sonic slash!
　Before my magic, two flashes of light seemed to run through me, and the fire dragon's wings were torn to pieces.
　The fire dragon, which had lost its wings, let out a sad cry as it fell.
　Instead, the one who approached here was a female knight in white armor astride a heavenly horse (Pegasus).
　And that female knight looked familiar.

''Takatsuki-kun!　You came to save me!''
　The female knight was a classmate of mine.
　Saki Yokoyama.
　She's Sakurai-kun's wife and deputy.
　She's in the same unit as Sakurai-kun, which means that Sakurai-kun should be nearby!

Oh, where's Sakurai-kun?
It's Ronald Reagan! He needs help!
　The way he voiced his grief instead of the stout expression on his face from the last time I met him, I could tell that the situation was critical.

''Calm down, where is Sakurai-kun?''
"...in there. I've been trapped in there for over 24 hours now and I haven't come out....I don't know if I'm alive anymore...
　What Yokoyama-san pointed to was the black dome with a strange presence in the center of the battlefield.

　I knew we had to go in there....