Father Gapon was the only one standing in front of us.
　There are no other soldiers.

　Claire holds her war sword and glares at Gapon with an angry expression.

''How dare you treat me so badly just now?

A traitor deserves to be treated like one.

The Military Intelligence Agency would have none of it. And you think one guy can take on all three of us?

　I too drew my magic sword and then handed Lucy my wand.
　Lucy nodded and took it.

　There was no way an ordinary priest could compete against a soldier, a magic swordsman and a great sorcerer all by himself.
　But--.

　Gapon held the cross on his chest up to the heavens.
　Then the marble in the hall of the Army and Navy Ministry rose up and began to form a single shape.

　A huge statue of a god made of marble.
　It appeared in front of him and began to walk slowly.

'Behold. This is the power of the Demon King.

　I see.
　Gapon was involved in the plan to revive the Demon King and tried to use Lucy as a dependent.
　If that was the case, it wouldn't be surprising if he was using the Demon King's power.

　As Claire had said, if he used the power of the Demon King, which was fully revived, even a mere soldier could be strengthened into a powerful magical being if he used the power of the Demon King.

　Although the Demon King hasn't regained all of his power yet, it would still be easy to share his special power with a single Gapon.

　I looked at the statue of the god in front of me and smiled.
　Perhaps this must be Gapon's replacement in the fight.

　But for all intents and purposes, it was a polytheistic god that was believed in the ancient kingdom.
　It was a statue of a stern male god, a god believed to be a sun god, given the characteristics of wearing a laurel crown and holding a staff.

　On the other hand, the Imperial Church originally forbade idolatry. In other words, there is no such thing as an image of the current church god in his likeness.

''Is it permissible for the Imperial Church's priestly hall to invoke a statue of a pagan god? Moreover, he's using the power of a demon king.

"God protects those who follow the righteous path. By any means necessary.

　With Gapon's voice, the number of god statues quickly grew to ten and unfolded to surround us.
　One of them swung its staff down.

　It's a marble staff, so of course a direct hit would not be enough.
　I filled the treasure sword tetracord with magic and flashed it.

　The marble staff shattered and scattered on the spot.
　I look back at Lucy.

'Me and Claire will be able to block the attack.

Yes, sir.

　Lucy grinned and raised her staff high.
　The enemy's second and third blows were delivered, but I dodged them without difficulty while defending Lucy.

　However, Claire's sword streak was getting suspicious.
　Claire can't use magic, and she can only block the marble's attacks and can't fight back.

　The marble statue swung its staff at Claire again, and she managed to catch it, but then finally staggered back to her feet.
　In the next moment, another statue of the god swung a fist at her.

''Claire!''

　I quickly pulled Claire into a hug and swung my treasure sword with my other hand, breaking my fist.

''S-Sorry,''

Don't worry about it.

　Claire was looking up at me with a red face.
　To begin with, Claire is weak from the effects of the torture, and I don't think she'll be able to fight any more.

　It's time to settle the matter.
　However, I can't break the situation on my own.

　My reliance is on Lucy.

''Shall we ask the fake gods to disappear!

　With Lucy's words, scorching flames curled up from my wand.
　Everything in a fairly large space was so hot that I thought for a moment that I was going to get burned too.

　That's how high the firepower of Lucy's flame magic is.
　As Lucy waved her staff, the flames spread to the God's statues and then changed color to pale white.

　In the blink of an eye, all ten divine statues melted and disappeared without a trace.

''Marble is very vulnerable to fire. They can easily melt away. It was the wrong person.''

So that's Lucy the Crimson.

　Gapon didn't seem to be moved and snapped his fingers.
　Once again, the marble deforms and creates a statue of a god.

'It doesn't matter how many times I do it, it's the same thing.

　Lucy said confidently.
　'Yes.
　It should be.

　If he tried to create another image of a god, Lucy's flames would burn him out and that would be the end of it.
　But would Gapon act in a way that made no sense at all?

　I gasped and looked up at the ceiling.

'Up there!　Dr. Lucy!

　The statue of a god created by the power of a demon king.
　The marble that was used as the raw material for the statues was part of this hall.

　And if too many statues of the gods were created, naturally the building itself would crack.
　Countless stones fell on Lucy from the chipped ceiling.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.
　I also repelled the divine statue's attack and covered for Lucy.

　But at the same time, one of the god statues was closing in on Claire.
　You'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to pay for your services.

　Unable to defend against it, Lucy was directly hit by the god statue's attack and dropped her staff. There, she received a further follow-up attack.

''Kyaaaaaah!''

　With a high-pitched scream, Lucy was flung to the edge of the wall and then underneath the falling stone.

　I felt my blood boil.
　I hurriedly ran to Lucy, defending her.

　Lucy seemed to be in perfect condition, but she was lying on her face, her lower body under a stone.
　She couldn't move in this way.

''I'm sorry, Solon. I meant to show you how cool you are as a master...''

'You've done well enough. I could never have burned all those statues down. I'm throwing rocks away.

　Lucy shook her head.

'You and Claire both run away.

I can't do that!

'The attack earlier also broke my leg. Going with you will only slow you down.

But....

One last favor. Give me your magic sword now.

　After being told, I handed Lucy the magic sword.
　Lucy's crimson eyes shone brightly.

　The next moment, a tremendous amount of fire was released from the magic sword.
　It was many times more powerful than when he had defeated the divine statue earlier.

　Those flames went straight to Gapon.
　The divine statue was obliterated and Gapon was also engulfed in flames.

　Gapon had deployed a magical barrier just before.
　It would be able to protect Gapon himself, since it would have used the Demon King's power, but he wouldn't be able to move for a while.

　The flames continued to spread violently, even drilling holes in the building.
　But Lucy, who had finished using her magic, was as limp as a threadbare doll.

I've used all my magic now. When that flame goes out, Gapon will try to attack you and other soldiers may come. So run away.

But...

I'm glad I was there to help. Thank you so much. Even if the Demon King takes you as his vessel, I will always remember him.

　Lucy said, and smiled a beautiful smile.
　I was about to say I shouldn't give up, but then I thought about the current situation.

　Even for free, Claire was injured and already lost her ability to fight.
　Lucy can't move, it will take a long time to remove the stone, and even if I could help her out, she can't even walk.

　I can't get Lucy out of there now.

'Solon, go now!　This is my command as a master.

.....

　I took the magic sword from Lucy and then I thought.

　Do I run away from here with Claire, or do I stay and help Lucy?

　I had a decision to make.