The magic that Rona unleashed on the Monster King is the same magic that Ardis ate when they met again.

　It looks like a simple blade, but when it was blocked by the monster king's barrier, it instantly changed its appearance.
　It didn't go off, nor did it disappear, but it didn't disintegrate as if it was destined to do so from the beginning, but instead turned into a thin layer of mucus and stuck to the barrier.
　It wasn't intended to attack, but to cover the barrier and take away his vision.

　Whether he saw that it would become even more troublesome if it was handled wrongly, or whether it was just a hunch, the Demon Beast King did not try to forcibly remove the thin membrane that was stuck to it, but quickly burned it down with the magic flames he created.

　But for Ardis, that momentary distraction from the hexenbiest king is enough.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to find a way to make your way to the top.

　This is a blow that an ordinary opponent would be able to complete.
　However, the monster king easily deflected even those blows.
　With a single blow, the thick tail that could have crashed down the city's walls brushed away five rocks with a roar, and the remaining two broke through two of the barriers and shattered.

''Haha!　That's an interesting trick!

　As he said, the monster king laughed with an amused tone of voice (kowashiro).

　Its thick tail, which had been cleared of rocks, was scarred, albeit small.
　If it were a human being, it would not only be a fatal wound, but it would also crush them without retaining their original form, but with its huge body and hard skin, it would only be able to give the monster king a scratch.

　In addition, Ardis and his team's offensive continued.
　Rona ducked underneath the monster king's feet while he was responding to the attack from behind.

　Even though she has intelligence, her body is an existence that can gain a firm position in the world of the weak and strong.
　The fangs and jaws (jaws) usually used for chewing sweets are not a decoration.
　Rona thrusts her sharp fangs into the shins of the Monster King, but...

"Hmph!

　The Demon Beast King doesn't seem to feel much pain and shakes Rona off as she bites into his leg.

　Even if it was lightly to the Demon Beast King, to Rona it was equivalent to having her entire body blown away by an enormous force.
　Before he could adjust his stance, Rona was slammed into a nearby wall.

''Good coordination, but ......, the blow is light.''

Mmm. I tried to take a bite.

　Rona, who stood up while coughing, revealed a dissatisfied expression.

　This time countless flying swords were released from the side of the monster king who was still showing some composure.
　Ardis focused her flying swords on a single point and pointed them at them one after another like arrows.

　In contrast, the monster king, who was trying to block them with his barrier without moving, noticed something wrong.

"If this stuff doesn't work--hmm?

　Multiple shining swords can be seen in places among the swords made of heavy iron.
　The shining thing is a mass of pure power shaped by Ardis' magical power.
　They only mimic the shape of a sword, but their reality is no different than the magic of cohesive light.

　A mere sword would not leave a single scratch on the barrier, but it could not remain unharmed against the magic that could be said to be the unmixed power itself.
　Every time the sword-like light collided with it, the Demon Beast King's barrier would crack, albeit slightly.

''Small tricks!''

　Showing an irritated emotion, the monster king howled.
　In response to his frustration, a large disc-shaped radiance appeared high above his head.

　The glow was broken and thin rays of light poured down to the basin like rain.
　Its aim was a number of flying swords that flew through the air.
　The heavy iron swords shot out by the rays of light shattered and fell one after another, exposing their tragic appearance to the ground.
　The rays of light falling on the ground drilled small holes all over the basin with their momentum.

　The remaining magic swords are also cancelled out by similar spears created by the monster king himself and released by the same spears, disappearing.
　With the attack blocked, Ardis and Rona were ready to start over, standing side by side to face the beast king.

''So there's that one over here too?''

'I guess that means this world can't be underestimated either. I'm still not sure I can see the bottom of this one yet. ......

　It was the first time Aldis and his friends had ever met such a formidable opponent in this world, regardless of the world where they were born and raised.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of them, whether they're against humans or demons.
　It has been a long time since they have been able to inflict only a few wounds, whether it be sword fighting or sorcery.

''I, I'm not confident I can pull off that defense.

...... It's certainly going to be difficult,

　To Rona, who speaks faintly, Ardis holds the red magic sword while agreeing after a short silence.
　The three swords of blue, pale yellow-green and white surround it like a kinsman knight.

　A strong light of will floated in Aldis' eyes.

''--Without being able to penetrate this degree, there's no way I can reach that woman.

...... Right. That's right.

　Rona's eyes narrowed at Aldis' words.
　The feeble expression on her face from earlier had already disappeared.

　Without even exchanging a signal to each other, Aldis runs forward and Rona runs to the right at the same time.

　The Demon Beast King intercepted Ardis, who was in a frontal battle, with a gust of wind.
　The gust of wind that passed through Ardis shook the mountain behind him, and with a resounding roar, the earth and sand collapsed.
　The gusts still did not subside.

''A mixture of the two?''

　A sharp, intangible blade that sometimes mixes in with the momentum that threatens to blow everything away.
　Aldis also tries to prevent it by deploying a magical barrier, but that doesn't mean he can't stop, nor can he throw away his attacking hand.
　It is a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're doing.

'It's a shameful loss of power.

　While lamenting his own cowardice, he floats his three swords in front of him and flicks the intangible blade mixed with the gust of wind.

　It attempts to block the blades that cannot be prevented with it with a triple magic barrier, but the wielder is not a mere mortal to begin with.
　Aldis understood more than anyone else that it was not an attack that could be prevented by the triple degree.

　The intangible blade that broke through the barrier without a struggle grazed my cheek.
　Even though her cheeks became hot and she was aware of the feeling of something dripping towards her chin, Ardis still moved forward and closed the distance between her and the Demon Beast King.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.
　The ground rose up as if in concert, and countless thorns about ten centimeters in diameter grew around the center of Ardis's feet, and they all shot up into the sky at once.

''Switching quickly ......!

　Aldis doesn't stop moving forward, despite his impatience with being on the back foot.

　He creates an invisible foothold in the direction of his progress to escape upward, and runs up as if he were flying.
　Sharp thorns passed by as they followed Ardis' path.

　The hexenbiest king is not letting up on his attacks.
　A new blue tinted fireball was created.
　Without any hesitation, the newborn blue fireball attacked Ardis, who was still floating in the air.

''Avoid--!

　Ardis, who found it difficult to evade, immediately reattached a new magical barrier.
　However, he was able to quickly deploy five of them.
　Considering the power of the Monster King, I judged that it was not something that could be prevented from the front, so I tilted it at an angle to receive the momentum of the power and placed it.
　While dissolving all five barriers, a fireball of blue flame, whose trajectory was deflected, passed right by Ardis.

''Guh.''

　Ardis' arm burned red just from the heat that traveled through the air.
　At that time, Rona, who finally got diagonally behind the Demon Beast King, saw an opening and moved to counterattack.
　Three ice spears, bigger than Rona's own body, were shot in a straight line towards the Demon Beast King's side.

''I said it was light!''

　However, the monster king deployed a barrier to easily block Rona's ice spear.

"Then this--!

　As if to say how, Aldis unleashes a follow-up move.
　The magic of the blitz, which I saw in the fight against the four blades, and which I learned to use by gaining understanding through Nere's explanation.

　However, Ardis' attempt to unleash the blitz failed fragilely.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say it's a good idea, but I'm going to say it's a good idea.

"Ho, do you understand lightning!　It's a powerful force, to be sure, but it won't work on those who know reason!

　It's easy to prevent for those who understand how it works, is Nere's defense.
　The best move was blocked without a hitch, leaving Ardis without effective means.

''d*mn, you mean that's not just a big fat guy!

　Thus, the battle against the Hexenbiest King shows signs of being a long term battle.

　Ardis and Rona.
　Aldis and her teammates grew weary in the face of the monster king's strength, which did not allow them to lose their composure even after they had put everything they had into it.

　Aldis's sword skills and Rona's magic tricks are all played with greater force.
　It's not that they lack skill, they are just outmatched by pure power.





　The battle continues, changing the surrounding terrain like a clay sculpture, while the basin that used to be full of greenery has turned into a wasteland full of rocks and crushed stones.

　The Demon Beast King unleashes a new magic trick on Ardis.
　The black, round, crushed objects that look like crushed mounds gather around Ardis, drawing curves.

''This much!

　While wearing fatigue, Aldis strained her voice to scold herself.
　The invisible foothold that held his body in the air is erased, and he falls by gravity to a newly created foothold a few meters below.

　As if to mock Aldis, who thought that this would only prevent the crushes coming from ahead and below, the crushes that he should have avoided were chasing him while showing unnatural movements.

'You're going to turn!

　The black crush was clearly changing its trajectory towards Aldis.
　Realizing that it was a guided attack, Ardis quickly found a way to use it forward.
　He was determined to go on the offensive by moving forward rather than stopping his feet.

　Ardis arranged three flying swords around her, which are still alive and well thanks to the Seven Colored Powder (Lesia Powder), and closed the distance between her and the Demon Beast King while cutting off the crushes that were catching up with her.

　The crushed swords that slipped through the flying swords' defenses gouged Ardis' left shoulder and right side.
　There was already no time to deploy multiple barriers.
　And as long as he was aiming for a counterattack, he had limited power to turn to his defense.
　The Demon Beast King flew into a furious shout at Ardis, who was frowning in intense pain, but was getting close to his flesh.

''A frontal attack?　Shallow!

　The claws of the monster king's claws wrapped in magical power and wielded a physical barrier to tear Ardis apart.
　Ardis no longer has the strength left to defend against it.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　The single physical barrier that was barely in place was destroyed and blown away without a second thought.

　Without a moment's pause, Rona unleashed a large scale of magic.
　Three rocks as big as the head of a hexenbiest fell from the sky, trailing behind from afar.

''Is that the real deal?

　Seeing its momentum and size, the Demon Beast King immediately deployed a barrier to protect himself.
　Rather than cutting through the air, the rocks collided with the barrier, making a sound that could be described as space-shattering.

　The entire basin, with the Demon Beast King at the center, shook with the impact.
　The shock wave spread out to the surroundings, and the small rocks and sand that had been crumbling were blown away in time with it.

''Still more ah!''

　As a follow-up, Rona used a new magic trick.
　A storm that could blow an entire house into the sky struck the monster king.

''Mm, how could it be like this!

That's because you're showing off!

It makes me laugh!

　However, the King of Demonic Beasts was not to be outdone.
　Amidst the vicious wind that could only be described as a natural disaster, a dazzling white flame suddenly appeared.

''Did you think that would be enough to overcome me!

　The monster king's white flame tried to swallow the wind, while Rona's stormy wind tried to shatter the flames.
　An unrealistic distortion of reality appeared between the two, and the seemingly insurmountable struggle soon became White Flame's dominant force.
　The moment it seemed that the white flame began to swallow the storm, the power of the two sides clashing erupted, engulfing the entire surrounding area.

　The impact of the overlapping magic created a circular depression in the earth, and part of the peaks in the nearby mountains were blown away.
　Rona, who was responsible for the devastation, was blown away by the blast and knocked unconscious at the point where she was struck.

　But the fight was not over.

'Close enough?!'

　The Demon Beast King shouted in surprise.
　This is because a human with a red demon sword in his hand was floating behind him as he was concentrating on the conflict with Rona.

''Too late!''

　Ardis uses her last ounce of strength to dive towards the Monster King who twisted his head and turned around.

　A transparent spear-shaped object is created around the monster king.
　However, the speed at which it was created was noticeably slower than before.
　Whether this is because of the fact that he used so much magic, or whether the monster king is exhausted from the battles he's fought so far, it's hard to tell.

　However, there is only one thing that Ardis should do.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

　A hush fell over the scene.
　It is not only that, but it is also that, as a result of the fact that it is the only way to get the best out of the game.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Do you still want to do it?''

　No matter how you look at it, in a desperate situation, Ardis asks in a tone that is bluntly challenging.

　It is true that Ardis's sword has caught the Demon Beast King at his throat.
　However, it was clear which of them was in a more critical position now that they were already unable to deploy a satisfactory magic barrier.

''Huh, good.''

　Perhaps he was satisfied with the way Ardis fought, or perhaps he liked the fact that she was still trying to bite him despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the monster king smiled lightly and dissipated his spear.

''I don't blame them for being so close to me. I acknowledge your power.''

　Those were the words that declared the end of the battle.