Astride the dragon, I, holding a jet-black magic sword, and a pure white giant knight raising a great sword, faced off against each other.

　A tremendous amount of magical power spurted out from the other side, clashing with each other and blowing in a storm.
　You can feel the tension building up.

　What I see is the timing of the special attack.

''Whoa, whoa, whoa!''

　It was the King of Light who moved first.
　He slashed at it with a roar.

　A weapon that is supposed to have no emotions bared its fighting spirit.
　That's how excited he is, or...

''Is that much of a corner...''

　The pressure from the Demon King.

"Shatter away, demon king!

　I slammed the magic sword in my right hand haphazardly against the huge sword that was swung down.
　There was a small sound of a zazhusu, and the great sword of the king of light was slashed off from the middle.

''What a sharpness...''

　The giant knight backed away in a shudder.

'Go, Belle,'

　I ordered my rider to get closer to him.

'Ku, don't come!

　The King of Light screams in terror.

''The evil demon king ah!

　Countless light bullets flew from his hands.

　But it's no use.
　I release the 'Homing Ray', a tracking-type magic bullet, and shoot them all down.

'Accelerate, Bell.
I'm sorry.

　Belle flapped her wings and increased her flying speed all at once.

　As we passed each other, I swung my magic sword.

　The slash is four degrees.
　I slash the king of light's arms and legs from the base.

''Guh...!
It's over.

　I thrust the cut end of my magic sword at the King of Light, who was reduced to only a body part.

''Oh, it's such a cool weapon, but it's in pieces, limbs apart.''

　And, Belle.

'No, which side of the fence are you on?
'Because cool stuff is cool. What a waste.

　I wonder if it's a toy sense.
　I don't know what this guy's sensibilities are.

"I never thought it could be this powerful, my dear, but I can't stand up to it.

　The King of Light groaned.

'You are a weapon that only kills demons and destroys the demon world. I will destroy it here.

　I wielded my magic sword.

　A moment later.

Master Freed!

　The Underworld Dragon (Bell) makes an unusually startled sound and retreats with me on board.

''What's up, Belle?''
This guy's vibrations ... there's something wrong with him!

There he is. This is indeed the Belga Elfida, the Dragon Warrior, the head of the Moth family, the highest ranking member of the dragon family.

　The King of Light murmurs.

But there's nothing you can do about it. I will wipe out this entire demon world. With the ultimate weapon God has given me...
''My Demon Lord, he's going to blow himself up!

　I heard a voice from the ground.

　It was Stella.
　A third eye opened on her forehead.

''The magic inside your body is concentrating at an extraordinary rate. If it continues at this rate, it will explode in about three minutes...
What the...

　Bell retreated because he sensed the presence of it, right?

'If possible, I wanted to keep the magical world itself. A world that is of use to God. There are some things that must be recovered. But if the Demon King has this much power, I can see that destroying it is the top priority.

　The King of Light announced nonchalantly.
　In the meantime, the flickering of his entire body was intensifying.

　It's like a countdown to self-destruction.

''Tch........Lucifer's Shield!

　I got off the bell.

"You stay away. You don't want to get caught in the middle of anything.

　I said and approached him with my flying magic.

　I put up a barrier with all the magic I could find.
　

"The effects of the suicide bombing will be contained within the barrier...

　But the opponent is huge.
　A few pieces won't be enough to cover his entire body.

　Can I completely envelop the Lord of Light before he explodes?
　We were racing against the clock.

"What a waste of time! No matter how incomparable your magical powers are, there is a God-given power within my body. No matter what I am, I cannot shut it down...!

　The flickering of the King of Light intensifies.

　I earnestly create "Lucifer's Shield" and wrap it around me.
　Since this magic originates from the sorcerer, it can only wrap me and the King of Light together.

　In other words, when I self-destruct, I myself will be affected by its power.

　But there is no time to hesitate.
　There is no time to hesitate.

''Lucifer's Shield!

　I shout.

　Five more.....ten more.
　The number of barriers had already exceeded fifty.

　As expected, my consciousness begins to fade.
　My magic power is not inexhaustible.

　Moreover, it ignores all chanting and creates magical barriers in a way that consumes more than normal.

"I'm telling you it's a futile struggle. My final power is unleashed now.
You can't make me!

　And then - a hundred.

　The hundred barriers that were produced completely enveloped me and the King of Light.
　At the same time, the flickering intensity of the Heavenly Soul High King's flicker of light reaches its maximum.

"Master Freed, no!

　Stella shouted with a sad face.

''To sacrifice yourself...''
Don't get me wrong.

　I laugh under my mask.

"I'm not going to sacrifice myself. And I'm not going to let this guy destroy the demon world.
"Then I will fall to pieces with you...

　I tell you, the king of light explodes.

　The overflowing radiance dyes the pitch-black world of magic to pure white.

　　　　*

　There is no sun in the demon world, and darkness is always wavering.

　Such an inky black world was enveloped by a pure white glow, as if the sun had appeared.

''Ugh........''

　The glare was too much, and Stella narrowed her eyes.
　Still, she didn't avert her gaze.

(Freed-sama........!

　Calling the name of our own Lord in our hearts.

　Just pray for victory.
　Pray for safety.

　Soon, the explosions ceased and the demon world was enveloped in darkness once again.

　The giant white knight──the king of light has disappeared without a trace.
　In the center of the explosion, there was a figure clad in a tattered robe.

　The figure of the demon king.

"Mr. Freed!

　Stella was the first to run out.

　With joy and relief that he was safe.
　Her emotions exploded and she couldn't contain herself.

'Thank God you're safe...'

　He hugs her with a tearful voice.

'Stella I'm sorry you had to worry about me.
Mr. Freed...

　I noticed that his mask was shattered, exposing almost his bare face.
　The robe he wore was also torn in many places and drenched in blood.

'I prioritized putting up a barrier around him, so I was only able to create a minimal barrier to protect myself. Somehow, I only managed to get my mask and robe torn to pieces...

　Fried smiles bitterly.

'Then I'll get you a new one. For now.....

　Stella tore the hem of her military-style costume and handed it to Freed.
　That would cover her mouth and nose, and she would be able to hide her face.

'Go ahead....'

　As I was about to hand him the cloth, I locked eyes with Freed.

　I realized that our faces were closer than I thought they would be.
　My cheeks immediately felt hot.

''I... uh... well...''

　My heartbeat quickened and my head felt lightheaded.

'Hmm, what's going on?'
'I'm sorry... it's nothing... it's nothing...'

　Stella shook her head hurriedly at a dubious-looking Freed.
　Once again, she handed him the cloth and gently turned away from him.

You shouldn't think of me like this........)

　I tell myself.

　What you need as a vassal is only loyalty.
　It should not be romantic feelings.

　But when I was concerned for Fried's safety, I became clearly aware of the fact that he was very important.
　He was important to me.
　I don't want to lose him.

　I want to be with him forever.

　　　　

This is...

　Regal groaned as he stared at Fried and Stella, who were embracing each other.

''The Demon Lord's true face........?''

　Perhaps the explosion of the King of Light had broken the mask he usually wore.

　From a distance, but I could definitely see it.
　The face of an intrepid middle-aged man.

''That face and atmosphere...''

　It's just like being human.
　No, it can't be.

There's no way.

　Regal murmured.
　He shook his head from side to side, as if to deny his own thoughts.

　But the doubts that had sprung up did not disappear.

　It's always been smoldering...