That man picked up me, who was once only a vulnerable kobold.
　In fact, he even placed me at the end of the Crimson.

　I've never forgotten that favor.

''Oh, you're hungry--so do you want to come with me?''

　I have never forgotten the warmth of your hand that day.

(Dear Mr. Range Mr. Cunnone...) --)

　A long time ago.
　A country that doesn't exist anymore.

　Still, Gailzak could not forget it.

　It was truly a curse.
　He remembered the battles of that time, the battles of the past that should be forgotten now - as a party who had experienced them firsthand. It is engraved.

　The chains of the curse, tangled and unbreakable.
　The cycle of revenge would never end, Gailzak knew.
　Gailzak knew that he was grinding his fangs for revenge.



　So I can understand how that girl felt.

　It was the same.
　Losing someone dear to you is still the same thing that eats away at your heart, no matter what time it is or how much time passes.
　That's why Gailzak is proud to have received that blade.

''Well done..........''

　I am proud to say that I saw a pause in the battlefield and crossed blades.
　He had been pierced precisely through the heart.
　But even with this, Gilesark, who had evolved as a demon, was still unable to die.
　As long as it has horns, the source of its power, even its heart will regenerate with time.

''You may take off your head you are entitled to do so--''

　If the horns and body are separated from each other, even Gailzak, as expected, will die.
　It was a life that failed to die that day.
　A loser on the battlefield should die gracefully.
　Hopefully, with this life - an end to the cycle of revenge.



　The girl was silent.
　Even though she lost one arm, her fighting spirit did not waver.
　The blade was raised and closed in on Gailzak's neck as if it were being sucked in--

What...

　--Gilesark was pushing the girl away.
　The whole scene drifted away, slowly, as if it had stopped.
　The startled eyes of the girl, the screaming voice of the second in command, the clamor and screams of the soldiers, and the crushing impact of the body that was closing in on her every second.

(---- Now by your side...)

　And then - Geirzak's consciousness was lost forever.





◇





　The forest buzzed as if it were screaming.
　The creature, the creature, would flee and disappear at once in the face of its presence. A sound was heard to convey such a murmur.
　At the same time as it appeared, a torrent of magic power clad in a dark shade rose up to cover the sky.
　The dark magic power, as if it represented a futuristic nothingness, was completely different from Nacht's.

　It was a mass of hostility.
　The dark magic power covered the world in an instant and swallowed everything on the confusing battlefield.

　On the changed battlefield.　　

　No voice.

　No sound.

　Something invisible was crushing Gilesark.

''Uh-huh--''

　The sound of amused laughter was certainly mixed in with the sound of bones cracking, flesh being gouged out, and something that had been in the shape of a human being being being crushed every second.
　It was a sound that contained an unfathomable evil spirit.

　I looked and saw a woman there.
　A mage wearing a mask that seemed to be crying, chirping, and yet laughing, was trampling over Gailzak.
　If Gailzark hadn't pushed Sylphy away, they would have ended up as a lump of meat together in that place.

--

　Fear propagates inexorably.
　The creepy mask laughs loudly in a voice so bright that it's hard to believe it's torture a motionless corpse.

Good timing, you know - the curse is also clean and clear - my goodness, my goodness, really, what is the matter with you?

　Why?
　Why not?
　You're here.
　No, what are you doing here in the first place.
　Everyone in this place was left behind and stiffened by the unexpected situation.

''You........!　You're our commander!　What the hell are you doing?!

　Just one.
　Except for the djinn trapped in anger.

　He stepped through the earth and the golden rod, supported by expanding muscles, roared and swung to reap everything.
　But--

He's a bit of a pain in the ass, sir.

　The masked mage didn't even look at the djinn who raged and greeted him.
　He waved a small hand lightly, as if he was ignoring his very existence.
　It seemed to be a gesture to brush away the dust on his shoulders.
　Just sort of.
　Brushing away the trash that was beside him.
　With such a small, small motion--.

Ka--!　Kahaha!

　--Djinn was blown away in the blink of an eye and was slammed into the perimeter of the wards.
　It was not a battle at the earliest.
　There was something different about overrunning and something else - that mage was just putting his hands down as if he were slaughtering livestock.

''........Why are you here.......!　Masked demon!

　Sylphy let out a cry of anguish.
　There was an exception to a certain method of movement for raid boss class monsters.
　They were able to handle the backdoor technique of spatial transfer, which hardly existed in Real World Online, on a limited basis.

　That is the return.
　That system, in which the Raid Boss moved to a predetermined point, was like a safety device, so to speak.
　If a powerful raid boss somehow escaped the dedicated map or strayed too far from the area, it was set up to return to the place where it appeared (pop).

　However - if they could use it on purpose, they could return to the place where they left their residue.

''Well, it's only natural that I would use the gate to return home - even I, of course, have some trouble flying to the Demon Continent...''

You are!　The demon army - they're supposed to be on our side - so how can they...?

　The demon laughed at the words of Filnelia behind her distorted mask.
　As if it were laughing at a badly made student.

　To Filnelia, there was a perception that the masked mage was not only a close associate of the demon king, but also an extremist of the demon race - a being who thought and acted that all humans should be exterminated and that humans were an inferior species. In fact, without a doubt, she was a belligerent and should be of the same race that held the supremacy of the demon race.
　That's why she thought that she was a reliable companion for the demon race, let alone a person.
　And yet, the masked mage mercilessly killed Gailzak, who was in charge of this place, and treated the djinn like trash.

''Ufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufu!
　It laughed and waved its hand.
　Then the earth humbled and the demons gathered beside it crushed into a lump of flesh without being able to resist at all.

You are one of them?　How in the world can you make me laugh?

　It was a gesture of looking down at worthless garbage.
　The Demon Army's mage crushed the Demon Clan (Nakama) mercilessly and tore it to pieces.

''--Uffu--there's no more need to continue the silly act, and the objective has been successfully achieved!　This is what happened to the trash that instructed me to do what I did, so you can die in peace.
　It was a fear that could not be resisted at the earliest.
　Reason tells us.
　Fight.
　Fight.
　But my instincts refused.
　The body didn't move an inch, kneeling on the ground and trembling, begging me to help, and the words to beg for my life echoed in the air.

　The demon race and elves were no longer relevant.
　Their ranks as beings were as different as they could be.
　In the face of that, which bared its true nature, we were made to understand that there was no substitute for the fact that we were all equally offerings.

''Uffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.

　He looked happy, happy, amused, and belly laughing at the sight of it.
　But then suddenly--

That sounds like fun.

　A quiet voice rained down from the sky, as if pouring cold water on me.
　The mask of amusement twisted squishyly.

''--What is it, you........who in the world are you?

　It's that kind of voice that doesn't even try to hide its displeasure.
　The hostility grows more intense, but Nacht doesn't pay attention to it, as if he were receiving a gentle breeze.
　On the contrary, there was even a ferocious smile on the side of his mouth, as if expressing unbridled joy.

''Na........Nacht......you.......''
　Stunned, Sylphy spilled out in a shaky voice.

'Come to think of it, that's the first time you've ever called me by my name, Sylphy.

　Nacht laughs.
　He laughs.　

"I'm sorry, but this guy is my prey.




◇



　Nacht was the only one who could accurately perceive the space that was suddenly distorted.
　Raid bosses have a special method of movement called return (return).
　So Nacht was always on the lookout for it's appearance.

　To begin with, this place was a bit unusual for Nacht to begin with. The World Tree (Yggdrasil), which is counted as one of the seven unexplored world trees (Yggdrasil), its sapling-like world tree and the spirit Lulu, as well as the mysterious door (gate) that connects spaces never seen even in the game era.

　There are almost no means of transportation such as teleportation in the real world online. They are a foul move in the vastness of the world.
　The only exceptions to this are the Celestial Gate that leads to the Celestial World, which is God's territory, the hole of nothingness that leads to the depths of the earth where the devil has fallen, the door of trust that connects the guild territories, and the ultimate treasure tool (Ultimate Item) that twists even the rules of the world, and that's about it.

　That was why Nacht was convinced that this place was worth it.
　That said, there was a good chance that Nacht's grudge enemies would appear. For the most part, he would have planted the life seal (life seal) on Gilesak and used the return (return) with the understanding that he was in a tight spot in his own right.

　The other party was a raid boss of over one hundred and twenty levels, and first of all, it was definitely a being invited from outside this world, just like Nacht. In an instant, it should be easy for it to appear on the battlefield without being noticed by anyone.

　That's why, upon its appearance, Nacht had to absolutely ensure the safety of Stel and Aisha.



　Aisha, who had used up her magic power, was being held by Nacht, unable to move a single fingertip.
　The attack that Gailzak fired at Aisha was a fatal blow.
　Aisha, who used dragon magic, had no choice but to receive the blow without being able to move. Aisha also used her pumpkin pants to shield the pumpkin-headed little devil (Pumpkin Devil) on the spur of the moment, but the attack still penetrated and punched through the armor, and one step before Aisha's bracelet exploded, Nacht flew into the air with Aisha in her arms.

'You can say that man beat me at the last minute,'

　Although I didn't intend to directly engage in combat, this was definitely a direct interference.

''Ugh I'm sorry, Nacht-sama.......''

-Why, Aisha needn't feel guilty, it's just my own selfishness for Aisha's sake.
　Aisha wouldn't have needed Nacht's help. But even so, the trauma of the fire dragon's time was still driving Nacht's body.
　Nacht let go of the hand that held Aisha as if it were a remnant.

"Levi--

　He tells her a word.

　Levy, who was supposed to be at Shtel's side, appeared right beside Nacht, and Levy, anticipating the Lord's intentions, received Aisha.

'By the way, are you willing to give that to me?

Until further notice, you'll have to wait until next time - he's mine.

　As soon as he said it, Nacht rolled up his sleeves to the primordial darkness that would bring about the collapse.
　Floating in the sky are the seven jewels.　
　Dressed in his battle robe, Nacht prepares for an all-out battle.

"Ah, um--Nacht-sama--
　Aisha, held by Levy, looked at Nacht with concern.
　Aisha twisted her head sluggishly as if her thoughts were going round and round. Aisha, whose magic and strength have been exhausted, is desperately thinking about what she can do at this moment.
　Eventually their gazes cross, and Aisha opens her mouth in a small way.

''--Bye bye.''
　Quietly, Aisha said that and sent Nacht off.
　With that single word, an infinite amount of power rose from the depths of his soul.

''Yeah, I'm going--''

　Then, with his back to Aisha, Nacht alone landed on the battlefield.

'I'm sorry, Sylvie--'

　Sylphy didn't understand Nacht's abrupt apology as if he didn't understand it.
　As if to answer that question.

We're going to run out of trees for a while, but you'll have to be patient.

　A moment later, the world screamed as if it were creaking.
　The place that could be called the space separated by the place couldn't bear the magical pressure that filled the surroundings, and cried out as if it were trembling.

　Only one person was able to react.
　In that moment, the masked mage, who recognized Nacht as a solid enemy in front of him, immediately activated his magic to respond.

　-Dragon surge, running through.

"Huh--!

　A fundamental power difference, a tiny fraction of a second, less than zero-tenths of a second, a tiny fraction of a second that an ordinary person could not even notice, stopped the masked mage's magic.
　Nacht just smiled a murderous smile.

　--Skill, Illusory Dragon--The Qi of a Thousand Dragons--Dragon Striking Magic Method--.

The Death and Destruction of the Storm Dragon.