Out of the corner of his eye, Ars watched the battle between Tesfia and Alice.
　He would have to admit that it was a happy miscalculation. The two of them had defeated two enemies together.
　There was no doubt that they had grown up there.


♢ ♢ ♢


'What!'

　The tip of the voice - there was the figure of Ars, who was dealing with multiple enemies at the same time with a single knife.
　No thoughts of joining that fierce battle come to mind.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.
　I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing before in my life.
　The difference in actual strength is obvious.

　Loki, who threw the knife accurately from behind Ars, had pierced the chest without fail.
　The projectiles with the power to pierce the outer skin of a demon easily penetrate the body of the experimental body.
　Ars did not feel good about Loki killing a human. Even if it was a mission. It was inevitable, but it would prove Loki's resolve. There was no denying the fact that this helped Ars in no small way.

　So that was good for now. Even if it was Tesfia and Alice, the only choice was to kill them.
　Ars also decided to divide them, but at the same time imposed a wedge. If Loki and the others deliberately take human life other than in danger, it's his fault.


　After deciding to do so, Ars's movements turned even more sophisticated.
　One swing from Ars ensures that one or more of the experimental bodies will catch their breath.
　By the time the two of them gasped as they watched, the remaining experimental bodies had been reduced to two.

''Loki!''

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're ready to buy.

　It's a good idea to make sure that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about it.

　The two of them felt that the combination is too good to be true.

''We are.........''

　He couldn't say, "Even if you're not there,
　Alice smiled bitterly at the muttering.

''.........Let's go for it, Fear.

　He thought about how reliable he would be if he could stand like Loki, even if he couldn't be like Ars.

　Still--.

Loki, you're a tenth of a second behind.
Excuse me. I'll do my best.

　Still, you're going to get ruined.

''Haha........''

　I'm no match for you, Alice had to laugh. But the same should be true of Tesfia, who had set her sights on reaching that level.



　A great many piles of corpses, and if you look at it and don't think anything of it, you might be flawed as a human being.
　There is nothing to think about for Ars, who sees it as an after-effect.

　This is the enemy that's all Ars had in him.
　Seeing Tesfia and Alice approaching at a time like this and stopping in their tracks is a moment when you realize your missing sense (maybe it's just familiarity).

　The thought of not being sentimental didn't last more than a second.
　Instead, I turned my head in one direction.

'Why.....'

　Gudma's face is not so much impatient as incredulous astonishment that his estimate was wrong.
　There are red stains on his white coat that must have splattered on it.

'I'm just strong.'

　The harsh words alone are enough to undermine Gudma's research. It showed a realm that could not be reached by an experimental body, a puppet whose emotions were controlled.

　Without needing to check his surroundings, there was only one Gudma left in this place.

'Did I fail... no, that can't be it. There were those who appreciated it enough.''

　You don't speak to anyone but yourself to justify your research.

"I didn't even fail. You haven't even done your research from the time you took a scalpel to the flesh.
Shut the f*ck up!

　The current situation of the one who raised his voice spoke volumes. Instant anger reeled off the material on the desk with force.
　Even the bloodshot eyes were powerless.

''Yes, you're right ... it's a terrible achievement.

　Gudma, who was hanging on by a term, did not resist. There didn't seem to be any defiant strength left in the shoulder that had been dropped with a crunch.

　Since he was a researcher, Gudma, who had no kind of killing intent or skill as a magician, was not a threat, but if you took that as carelessness, it would have resulted in the same result, even if it wasn't Ars.

　Because in Gudma's eyes, there was more curiosity than hostility. That is exactly what one explores as a researcher.

'Not as an outcome,' he said. But it's too soon to dismiss it as meaningless.

　Gudma lifted her glasses with a quick snap and looked at Ars with a fragile face befitting her age.

　It was then that Gudma raised his most taut voice of the day.

''My research succeeds as of this moment.

　Those were the words from an unfinished business that couldn't see the results.
　He was half-empty - dead center from Ars - and thrust his back hand into his chest with vigor.

''-------!!!!''
You fool....

　In his hand, he held a syringe like a gun and pressed the tip against his chest. The barrel of the gun was filled with a dark, blood-like liquid.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

''Thanks to Alice-kun (...), it took shape.

　Alice looked at the infused liquid as a sort of terminal water substitute rather than an evil footnote to the madcap thought of calling it something reminiscent of the old Gudma.

Master Arth--
No. We'll see.

　Maybe that's why I say that, because I looked into the eyes of the same researcher. Whatever it was, the chest ... the liquid injected into the heart meant that he had given up his life.

'Gah!　Gahhhh.........gahhhh......

　As he stumbles around as he struggles, he scratches at his stabbed chest.
　He stomped on the rolling laboratory body, and a blood vessel rose to his forehead. His complexion also turned a light shade of black.

''What!　What's wrong with you?

　It's no wonder Tesfia is voicing that. Because right now, the human is about to transform into something else.

''..........''

　There was no kind of hatred in Alice's eyes as she watched it in silence. It was pathetic, miserable.......and sad.


　Gudma's body, which stopped moving and squatting, gradually enlarged. Her right hand in particular has undergone a bizarre transformation and is not that of a human being.

　When her clothes could not bear the bloat, they tore and healed...
　His head lifted as he leapt up with a fury and looked at Ars and the others.

''-------!''

　Gold-tinted eyes, their pupils narrowed like reptiles.

'Is that what you've achieved?'

　What was in the liquid?　I don't know all the ingredients, but what's in it for sure is Alice's blood and the blood of a demon.

　It mimics an odd shape to be called human. What was Gudma.

　Ars didn't think he was a snake charmer. The result of one so-called researcher's achievement.
　It was unacceptable, no doubt about it.
　So from here on out, it was Ars's turn to deal with it.

'Is being a monster what you've been studying?

　He must be a unique talent, too. It's a talent that's a shame, considering how much he could have contributed to humanity if only he hadn't taken the wrong path.

''Demon!''

　Tesfia was astonished at her transformed appearance. Alice just bit her lip.　

'Gaga gaga, givi!

　A mockingly cleft mouth.
　The body dyed dark green is that of a demon. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about, but I think I'm going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

'A humanoid?'

　There are many high-ranking demons, especially those that resemble human shapes. There are many theories as to why they take a form that closely resembles a human, but none are sufficient to prove it.

　If you apply it to that, this demon that was Gudma could be comparable to a high rate, but there should be no example of it becoming a demon.

　Tesfia and Alice, who had their AWRs at the ready, had no fear. It was probably because they had gained at least some experience in extracurriculars.
　However, Ars raised his voice as if to reprimand them.

''You guys don't mess with me.
But we're not gonna...

　Tesfia shouted a rebuttal, and Alice's face was also filled with the will to fight.

'Since we don't know the rate, I'll be the one to -!

　Ars didn't remember removing his gaze. Nevertheless, there was no sign of the demon that was Gudma there.


　Tesfia, Alice and Loki would have wondered. They should have been watching Ars's back, but in an instant, a demon had intervened between them. When I noticed it, it was there.
　I couldn't follow it with my eyes to the extent that I could not even give the illusion that it was there from the beginning.

''----!

　The face of a demon was in front of Alice's eyes. A horrifying face peering in, golden eyes meeting up close and personal.

''Eh!''

　When I took a sniffing gesture, black breath escaped from my mouth and made an isolated form.
　The next moment I get a jolt and my body reacts

　Ars's knife is dispatched to the side cleave.
　The knife stops moving in front of Alice with a snap as it is replaced again.

　The demon had returned to its original position. It left a scratchy mark on the floor. It must have used its huge right arm instead of the brakes.

　Alice's blood, which is also contained in the demon, did you feel the same thing at its source?

''Alice, are you alright?''
Uh-huh.

　There was no trauma, but he knew he couldn't win. His hand gripping the naginata was shaking slightly.

'This sucks.'

　Ars overflowed with one of them.

'Kuhhhhhhhh!'

　The scrutinized golden eyes were not on Ars, but behind them, on Alice.

'You understand. You guys don't mess with me.
..........

　No one shakes their head at the current move. That could be said of Loki as well.

'The three of us should form up so that we don't have any blind spots, okay?

　He quickly got away from Ars and the demons and slowly retreated.

''Gaaaaaah!!!!!
....!

　When the demon opens its mouth...

"d*mn it--!

　I can see a faint light at the back of his mouth.
　Ars quickly snapped his fingers with a quick snap.

　Spatial seizure magic, the space itself cut into a rectangle was lifted up from below towards the demon's jaw.
　The view you're looking at is cut into a rectangle and shifted.

　The mouth of the demon whose head was raised upwards, and in the next moment - an enormous amount of compressed magical power is shot out of its mouth as a ray of light.
　It easily penetrated the ceiling three stories underground and created a pillar of light in the heavens.

''Lie!

　Tesfia feels that way because it's nothing compared to the demons that were attacked in extracurricular classes.

''Loki!''
...

　He opened the line with Ars's license, which he hadn't returned when he immediately understood what Ars intended to call him.

'It's okay. I just got through.
Good, then tell your commander I'm going to be a little late and the A-rate is showing up.
"Hey!　I understand.


　I wasn't sure if I should call this case a mutation or not, but it can't be helped because they are not normal demons.
　Originally, mutation is a mutant, a different kind of demon, which is caused by the assimilation of two demons.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well. Of course, it's only a wall directly in front of you, but you can avoid getting caught up in the battle.

　Tesfia, who didn't even try to hide her curiosity even at a time like this, was the first to touch the distorted space.

''What is this.......wall?''
Perhaps it's the magic of Master Arth.


　If that's all you can talk about, there's nothing to worry about.

　The demon's head, which had been looking up, slowly returned to look at Ars. The pupils narrowed further and the target was completely fixed.
　The sensation of seeing it as an enemy, the hostility of the demon is easy to understand, and he reasserts his knife.
　Ars also focuses on the demon in front of him. The sensation of a cold head, it's a thought that instantly picks the best move to kill.

　He takes off his robe and closes the distance between him and the demon in an instant. Their speed is almost even.

　At this point, Ars was impressed with the speed of the demon that was Gudma - that a researcher who wasn't a magician and had no mastery of the martial arts could obtain an overwhelming body simply by transforming into a demon.
　He was caught off guard because he didn't think it was that far earlier.
　However, now that he knew his speed, Ars wouldn't fall behind.

　As soon as he dodges the flash by the magic sword, he will immediately follow up. It doesn't matter if you can see it.

　It's not that I don't like it, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find out what it is.
　The headache caused by the use of the Gla Eater subsided. Instead, there is a surplus of magic power that was absorbed.

　The demons move at right angles to get distance from Ars. I'm going to aim at the place where the speed is slowed down and throw a knife, but it's flipped by my right arm.

　The hardest than expected, I guess, and Ars grabbed the chain.

'70 chain type, Purgatory [Astral Sun].

　A huge fireball was created from the tip of the loaded knife and swallowed the demon in one gulp.

''Gaaaaaah!''

　It is not similar to the Burning of Primary Grade Magic. A high temperature, as if it were a shrunken sun.
　It's a magic of the highest level of fire system magic.

　It's not just a matter of time before you get your hands on it. In terms of time, it can only be used for a few seconds.

　The melted walls turn red.
　I break the spell before I feel the room temperature spike. I'm going to burn to death in a space that's as close to a closed room as this one.

　A demon with a broken knee appears from the black smoke. Its outer skin, heated to high temperatures, is partially charred.
　The reason it was only that degree is probably because it converted a huge amount of magical power as magic and continued to release it out of its body.

''..........!

　Ars was astonished. Demons may defend themselves according to their survival instincts as creatures, but this was a calculated defense.

'At least it means that Gudma's knowledge is alive and well.

　It was at the same time that Ars finished saying it and the demon started moving again.
　The enlarged right arm seemed to have no trouble moving it even though its outer skin seemed to be quite hard and charred.

　I caught the swinging arm with my crossed knife and arm and pulled the knife. It's still quite hard.
　It didn't go so far as to cut off the arm.

　Even so, the demon doesn't try to retract the arm----at the moment, a light ball is created in the palm of the hand.

　It was aimed at the three people behind Ars.

''Your opponent is me, right!

　Ars also opens his hand and makes a gripping motion.
　It wasn't a smooth one, and it gradually closed as if it were crushing something in its grip.

　The demon's right hand closed as if to link with it. It may have the intention to open, but something that doesn't let it do so is putting pressure on the demon's hand.

　The gravity was pinpointed and controlled by spatial seizure magic, and compression was applied.

　Before it closed off completely, it kicked the demon's abdomen and blew it backwards. When the distance was created, Ars's hand closed completely.
　Then the demon's hand, which was thrown into the air, also closed and was crushed.
　The uncancelled magic burst in the demon's hand and blew his right hand away.

　Green blood poured out of his right arm like mucus as he hit the wall, scraping the floor with the added impact.