Clattering, noisy footsteps came from behind me.

'Aniki!　Big brother!
Gacita.

　It's not just my brother Gashita.
　Many other hands rush in and line up on the same side as me.

　They were adventurers from the Rax Village.

　Thanks to the growth of the village, nearly a hundred adventurers are now registered in the guild and are well-protected.

　They were the most reliable people in such a crisis.

'Dariel, the evacuation of the villagers is over. Everyone has entered the shelter and the entrances are being fortified by the adventurers.

　Mr. Alanziel also helped to guide the evacuation.
　He was very helpful in this urgent situation.

'Marika and Gran are in the bunker, too. Now we can fight without worrying about the consequences.
Thank you...!

　Dozens of people lined up to stare at a single inferno.

　There is no sense of cowardice in the many versus one. The other party is an outsider and a criminal. I'll take all the means I can to protect the safety of the village.

''........I see.......the reason why you kept on chatting for so long was to buy time for the evacuation?''
Otherwise there's no reason to engage in this nonsense.

　The monster inferno that has sent us all kinds of misfortune so far.
　I'm going to settle this here so that I don't have to be bothered by this guy any more.

'Do we have no choice but to fight?　It's very sad that it's the only way, though, isn't it?
"When you harm us, you have no choice. You will perish with an open mind.

　There are a total of 98 adventurers belonging to the Lax Village Guild.

　A few percent of them are assigned to guard the evacuated residents, but there are still enough people out there to come around and sack one person.

The adventurers with the aptitude to guard are at the front!　Prepare for enemy attack. Get behind it and get the bowman!　Focus on the target!

　Everyone responds to my commands and adjusts their stance without hesitation.

　Nice moves. You've been training every day for a while now.

"What about slash and hit adventurers?
Aniki is right, I'm sending it to the village guard!

　Okay, that's it.
　That's the inferno. The death toll will rise without limit if you approach it carelessly.

　We need to keep the number of direct collisions to a minimum and leave the rest of the team to cover the rear.

"Dariel, you know what I'm saying?　The opponent is a mage, and his attribute is fire. The way to win is to fight against their traits.
I know, sir.

　Just as Aranziel-san said, this time's Inferno was once one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
　And with its attribute being fire, it must be good at wide-area annihilation attacks.

　It's the same attribute as the person I respect the most.
　There is no need to misread it.

You're on target, right?　Fire!

　At my command, the adventurers with sting (poke) aptitude who had drawn their bows and fired their arrows in unison.

　It shouldn't be possible for them to escape by shooting in unison from a half-encirclement, though.

''.........Scorching Heat Wards''

　The rain of arrows never reached the inferno.
　Nearly all of them burned and disappeared before they reached their targets.

''Nah!''
'What do you mean?　It's burning!　The enemy isn't emitting any flames!

　The red cloak just stood there in a leisurely manner.
　The hem of the cloak is fluttering in the wind, wavering....

　.........no, no.

''Everyone retreat!　Stay away from him!
''Scorching hot wards...?''

　Alanziel-san also noticed.

　A spell of fire magic that instantly and rapidly raises the temperature of the mage's surroundings.
　It's a vicious magic that raises the temperature so quietly that an unaware opponent who approaches will be burnt to death without notice.

''The arrows burn up in spontaneous combustion, that's not an ordinary temperature...?　I didn't know that there were other fire mages besides Granbaza who could make a fire mage develop such a powerful 'scorching heat ward'...?

　It seems that the Four Heavenly Kings, whose records have been erased, are not as cool as I thought.

''Gashta!''
Hey!

　At my command, this time only Gacita draws her bow.
　I didn't participate in the simultaneous shooting earlier to convey my support to everyone, but...!

''Put enough aura into it........Eat it!''

　The arrows from Gacita's bow fly toward the inferno without missing a beat.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

''Geez!''

　No, to be precise, I should say that I blocked an arrow that was about to hit the head of the inferno with my hand, but.......

　........what a guy.
　Even if that is the most certainty, to use your own arm as a shield without hesitation.

"I didn't burn up........ I'm sure you're not the only one. It means that you have a very strong aura concocted in you.

　The arrow that stabbed through his hand ignited with a bang the next moment and immediately turned to ashes.

''I heard there are well-trained aura users in the countryside. That one would be a good source of nourishment.
f*ck!

　Next, I unleash the Super Emperor's Splitting Sky myself.
　A large aura slash that flies from the Hermes Blade breaks through the high heat space and approaches the main body of the inferno.

　This time, he ducked down and dodged the attack with a flutter.
　Moreover, for some kind of magic, that guy runs up the air fluttering, and even dodges Arantzill-san's 'Super Emperor Splitting Sky' as he rises into the sky.

''Don't let him get away!　Archers, keep shooting!　Moving around shouldn't clear the 'Scorching Wards'!

　The inferno dodges the countless arrows that spew out like a water discharge, while casting through the air.

　It's eerie that they still haven't set off from that side.
　Are they up to something?

Did you think I didn't see it coming?
What?

　A voice from above.

'Your spirits. Even an idiot can see that the conversation is a stall for time. And that the intention is to evacuate the non-combatants. You're a gentle village chief, you know. But on the other hand, if you have completed the evacuation, the target will be clear and easy to understand.
Wha...?

　What was his plan?

I can see it from up in the sky. You can see it from above, right in the hole. Just the right amount of steaming.

　In Inferno's hands, flames dwell for the first time.
　However, that was only the prelude to the extreme flame magic that was to follow.

　With his magic power, a little hole digging and diving is not enough to prevent him from becoming a barrier.

''All hands on deck!　Don't let him cast a spell!

　The people who are able to attack from a distance, such as bows and arrows, all aim at the inferno, but since they have already risen to a considerable altitude, they cannot reach it with ordinary arrow shots.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's also dodged flutteringly and doesn't get in the way.

''No way!　Doesn't your chanting stagnate while moving like that!
"Dariel, I'm going to pare down what you don't need. I'm going to weed out the things you don't need, Dariel, and lock you in to your hatred.

　From the beginning, the targets of the inferno were the people of the village in the shelter.
　Marika and Gran there, too.

''Don't do it, whoa whoa whoa!　Stop ohhhhh!
'Good scream!　That's why you must kill everything you love!　It's for the world!

　The inferno's clasped hand was indeed pointing towards the shelter.

''Fireside hellfire!　Burn up what you don't want!

　The great flames that were released.
　It was enough to cover the sky, and I knew at a glance that the shelter was useless against those flames.

　It was all for naught.
　For a moment, I thought that this was all over.

　The flames that were released stopped in mid-air.

''Wha?
''What?!''

　I was not the only one who screamed in confusion.
　Even Inferno.
　So that means it wasn't his intention to do that...?

"You are truly disrespectful. I am ashamed to be the last of the Four Heavenly Kings.
It's...!

　Lady Granberza!

　I see, that person who is a flame mage like him forcibly took away the control of the flame magic and stopped the flames!

　This is indeed the strongest of all time, the Four Heavenly Kings!

I don't mind your stern ideals. But your actions are completely lacking in integrity. I have no sympathy for your behavior.

　With a flick of Granbaza-sama's arm, a huge fire that could have instantly consumed the mountain was instantly extinguished.
　And isn't Granbaza-sama flying in the sky too?

"I would never let a single scratch on Dariel's family. Blotted out of name, Fourth Heavenly King, you will return to nothingness as you were treated.