Chapter 3: Trying to Save the World

The next day—

Diablo was called to the Adventurer’s Guild early in the morning.

The location: behind the counter, back in the Guildmaster’s office.

Diablo was sitting on the leather sofa, with Shera sitting nearby. Rem was the only one standing up.

Behind the large desk was the rather small Sylvie.

“Sorry for making this back-to-back, but I’ve got another quest designated for you, Diablo.

“Is this going to be another trap?”

He had taken on a quest yesterday, but that group of Elves had been lying in wait for them.

Diablo and the others had managed to fend them off, but if things had gone south, Shera would have been taken away; or maybe even worse: killed.

There was no guarantee they would make it out unscathed this time, either.

Sylvie smiled.

“I understand that you’re wary, but this time it’ll be all right. The client is the head of the Mage’s Association herself. I got the request from her in person, so it’s for certain this time.”

It looked like Celes was the one who made the request.

Diablo turned his gaze toward Rem.

“What did you two talk about yesterday?”

He had been wondering about it, but since “that” had happened last night, he hadn’t had a chance to ask.

Rem looked the same on the outside, but he had the feeling that her voice was a bit stiffer than usual.

“...She apologized for the incident yesterday. She also offered some pay as a consolatory fee, but I refused.”

“Hm, so that means instead of the money, we get a request instead.”

Sylvie went to explain the particulars of the request. Considering the amount of work to be done, the reward did seem to be substantially higher than one would expect.

“...Jeez, that Celes...”

Rem sighed.

“There’s no need to be so cold about it, is there?”

Shera chimed in: “If it’s a quest with good rewards, then I’m happy to do it!”

But it seemed Rem was thinking something else.

“...I do not want to be indebted to Celes. I would accept if it was a normal request, but I refuse to take one on, such as this, where the reward is exorbitantly high.”

“But this is a request for Diablo, right? So even if you do help out, then you won’t have a debt to owe to anyone!”

“...Considering that it’s you, you sure have given some thought about this.”

“I’m amazing, right!”

“...It is just like Celes to include that kind of excuse with her request... But I will not go. You two seem to be getting along very well, so you should just go by yourselves.”

—Getting along well?

Shera’s face turned red.

“I’m sure you would like to go with Shera and her useless bags of meat rather than a washboard such as myself.” Rem pouted her lips.

—Ah, looks like she’s still mad.

Rem did seem like the type to silently seethe in anger. Seems like she would need some more time before she cooled off.

Because of that, it looked Shera wanted to come along as well.

“I-If you’re gonna say that, then me and Diablo are really going to head out together! We’re really gonna go together, OK!?”

—I guess I can pay Rem back the money I owe her for the inn with the reward we get from this.

“Hmph... If you do not want to come, then you can stay in town.”

“...I will do that.”

Rem muttered, sulking.

Sylvie clapped her hands.

“All right! So it’s going to be Diablo and Shera going, right? Then that’s that! Counting on ya!”

She handed over the request forms.

—Still can’t read.

Diablo began to hand it over to Rem, but stopped himself and held it in front of Shera instead.

Elated, she started to read the details of the quest.

“Um, uh, let’s see... It says... It’s a delivery to the Bridge of Ulug.”

“I cannot see this quest as having much of a point.”

Sylvie gave a pained smile.

“Somehow, I feel like I’ve caught a glimpse at the hardships Celes must be going through to get you that compensation money.”

This could be Celes’s way of worrying about Rem’s secret circumstances. Or it could be an expression of her feelings, thinking of Rem as a little sister.

She seemed more like some grandma trying to give Rem some pocket money rather than a big sister, though.

Also, dealing with girls who were still maturing was just plain difficult.

Rem spoke in a sullen voice.

“...Does she truly think that I would be satisfied and accept the reward for a quest that is obviously too easy? She underestimates me.”

Diablo felt half-hearted about the whole thing as well.

“I can see no merit in having me go out there.”

Shera started to get flustered.

“What!? Come on, let’s go together! I hate being alone!”

“I cannot imagine that you would be running into any dangerous monsters.”

“I don’t want to go alone! Let’s go! Let’s gooooo!!”

—What is she, a kid?

“There’s no helping you, is there... Well, I did accept it, so I guess I will go as well.”

“Yay! Then let’s head out right away! This’ll be our first quest!”

“What was yesterday, then?”

“That was a trap! That doesn’t count as a quest; this one’s a do-over!”

“Hm, well, I suppose you can think of it that way.”

“...Celes is much too soft.”

Rem sighed.

Sylvie was smiling cheerfully as she stared at the three of them.

†

All around them were grassy plains as far as the eye could see.

Following a dirt road with wheel tracks in it, Diablo and Shera were heading toward the Bridge of Ulug, with Shera carrying the wine they were to deliver there.

She kept talking about one thing or the other, with Diablo making a noise every once in a while to show he was listening.

Their random talks eventually led to Rem.

“You know, Rem is pretty amazing! Even though she’s about the same age as me, she’s already a proper Adventurer, a high-level Summoner, and super confident in herself, too!”

“You’re quite confident yourself, aren’t you?”

“Because I’m a genius! But... I’m not confident... I’m only a genius because that’s what everyone called me... That’s why I want to truly believe in myself.”

“Hm.”

“You help too, OK, Diablo? I’m only going to keep on getting bigger! You should consider yourself lucky if you get me to owe you a favor right now!”

She stuck out her chest.

—You can get bigger than that?

Is what he started thinking, but chased the thought out of his head.

He started to think about what he had felt last night, and peeled his eyes away from her chest.

“Do your best.”

With just those words, she nodded back cheerfully.

—She does seem to have some talent, so I want her to be able to stand on her own as an Adventurer.

He wasn’t fond of people who would mooch off of other Advanced players just to get the rewards. In the game, they were scornfully known as “Parasite Players.”

He didn’t want Shera to just rely on him; he wanted her to become a more independent Adventurer who could think for herself and make her own decisions.

Shera carried on nonchalantly, unaware of Diablo’s wishes for her.

“Ahh, this is some nice weather. Just making a delivery is kinda boring though, huh.”

“True.”

This was more an errand than a quest.

It would be perfect if you were some level 1 Adventurer, but Diablo was already level 150. Even Shera was a level 30 Sorcerer, though it seemed she didn’t know any spells as of yet.

—This isn’t just boring... It’s really boring.

—If an 《Invasion》 happens, then I might have something to do.

An Invasion was when a high-level monster would appear in a low-level quest. There were quests that featured the system, though for the more unfortunate, they would end up happening upon them by chance.

It was almost always an unwelcome event for players.

“Ah! I see it!” Shera pointed.

It was the Bridge of Ulug.

The same day he was summoned to this world he had been stopped by the guards there, so he didn’t have the best memories of the place.

—I passed through it just fine yesterday, so I’m sure it’s fine now, too.

He lightly touched the horns on his head as he thought to himself. Looking at how this world is now, it seems like these things could end up being the source of a lot of trouble for me.

But he had already lost his chance to say “These are just for decoration” and take them off.

As Shera trotted behind him to catch up, they finally made it to the bridge.

The dirt road they had been traveling along gave way to paved stones.

The Bridge of Ulug was a stone bridge that linked the east and west sides of the river.

If you headed toward town, then you would find a fortress that acted as a guardpost in front of the bridge.

Enemies that came from the west would be engaged on the bridge, while travelers from the east would be checked before being able to cross the bridge.

Right now, the fortress was bustling with activity.

It was obvious to see there were a lot of guards around.

“Wonder what that’s all about? Are they having a party?”

“It does not look that way.”

The guards that had gathered there looked anything but calm.

Not only were they all holding weapons, but they were decked out in armor as well. There was a thick sense of tension hanging in the air.

As Diablo and Shera approached, the frenzied guards took up their weapons.

“F-Fallen!”

“Why are they coming from the town!?”

“C-Come on, you bastard! Let’s do this! LET’S DO THIS! GRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!”

It looked like they would try to cut Shera and Diablo down at any second.

“Wh-What...?”

Shera’s body had gone stiff out of fear.

Diablo pulled out Tenma’s Staff.

“What is the matter with you all? I am not a Fall—”

“P-Prepare yourself!”

One of the guards readied their halberd. It looked like they were going to use an assault-type Martial Art.

Yesterday, he had not been suspected of being a Fallen. Now, not only was it decided that he was a Fallen, but he was on the verge of being attacked.

Unable to comprehend this baffling situation, Diablo prepared to use a spell for his counter-attack.

Right then, another guard came running forward.

“Wait, wait! You’ve got it all wrong! This person’s just a Demon, he’s with Rem!”

Diablo recognized the guard’s short, brown, spiky hair and youthful countenance.

“You’re the one who called out to me the other day, aren’t you?”

The guard nodded, a tense expression on his face.

“Y-Yes. My name is Boris. I apologize for what happened back then.”

“For these people to mistake me for a Fallen... They seem to be in a fervor. Did something happen?”

“Actually, after hearing the report from the patrol, everyone’s on edge right now.”

“Report?”

“Y-Yes, well... How should I put this... You may not believe me when I say it, but...”

As the words came out of his mouth, it seemed even Boris doubted what he was saying.

He pointed to the west.

“There’s an army of over one hundred Fallen heading toward the Bridge of Ulug.”

It turned out that, as Boris said, Diablo did indeed have some trouble believing this.

—Over one hundred Fallen...and they’re attacking as an army?

He had never heard of an in-game event like that before.

Each of the Fallen were supposed to be several times stronger than any Adventurer. Whenever they showed up in a quest, they were always treated as a mid- or final boss. At the very least, they weren’t the kind of enemies that you would just randomly encounter while you were exploring a dungeon.

It was normal for a party of at least six people, or even multiple parties to combine forces and make a concentrated effort to challenge a Fallen.

—If they’re Fallen enemies from around here, then I guess they would be about level 90.

And there were supposed to be one hundred of these guys heading toward them right now.

This was a large-scale “Invasion,” one the likes of which would never happen in the game.

†

The Bridge of Ulug was a two story box-shaped structure, connected by stone arches. At a glance, it looked similar to a castle gate.

It was a spacious building, with many of the guards spending a good portion of their day-to-day lives there.

But right now, it was cramped since most of them had come down to the first floor, fully decked out with armor and weapons.

Some guards were thinking about where they were born; some were trying to psyche themselves up; others were shedding tears at the thought of impending death... Diablo saw a plethora of emotions as the guards were faced with the hopeless situation ahead of them.

Shera had already handed off the wine they were supposed to deliver to Boris, so their quest was already finished.

They could just head back toward town, but...

—If I leave them alone, they’re probably all going to be completely destroyed.

That would likely mean the Fallen would invade the town as well.

But this was strange.

Faltra had a barrier protecting it. Even if the Fallen came to attack it, if they just closed the gates, then there was no way for them to get inside.

Maybe all these Fallen had gathered together to go on a pointless trip together... All one hundred or more of them.

Beside him, Shera was shaking.

“Have you ever seen a Fallen, Diablo?”

“Of course.”

“Because you’re a Demon Lord!”

“Well, yeah...”

“They’re pretty strong, right?”

“If it’s one-on-one, then there shouldn’t be a problem... Just for my own confirmation, in this world, you call those who wish to cause harm to other races ‘monsters,’ correct?”

“Yup. They’re things like wild beasts who attack people, like the Fallen and other magical beasts.”

“Putting aside the beasts for now, would I also be correct in saying that the Fallen appear similar to the other races, but are completely different beings altogether?”

As you would expect from someone of the Elven royal family, Shera seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject.

“That’s right. The Fallen belong to the family of the Demon Lord, while the other races are descendants of the Celestials. That’s why they’re said to be completely different beings. Right now, the Fallen seem to be moving all over the place trying to resurrect the Demon Lord.”

“Hm...”

So far, this was just like the game.

If that was the case, then the possibility that the Fallen were aiming for Rem was high.

Was her secret leaked out somehow?

Or did they sense the magic inside of her?

It may be that they didn’t single out Rem in particular, but sensed that the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm was somewhere in Faltra.

He would have to make sure to warn the others not to reveal this kind of information carelessly.

—But one hundred of them, huh... Even though I’m level 150, taking them all on at once would be pretty rough.

—Should I hurry up and get back to town?

—I mean, it’s not like the Fallen would be able to get in.

Boris, who had taken the wine from the Mage’s Association, came back with a letter of some sort.

“Excuse me, but here! This is a thank you note. I was thinking it could act as a kind of receipt for you, to prove that you made the delivery.”

“Are you in your right mind? Right now, there are one hundred Fallen heading toward you, and you write a letter to say ‘thanks for the wine’?”

“Haha... You’re right. You might think that I’m not staying on guard... But if today may be my last moments in this world, then I want to live them properly.”

“Hm.”

“Please, you and Shera should head back to town.”

“Are you all not going to retreat? If you fall back to Faltra, then the Fallen would not be able to enter because of the barrier, correct?”

“If we retreated, then the people working the fields outside of town, as well as other outside travelers, would be in trouble... Our job is to buy time for everyone to make sure they escape to Faltra.”

—So, the guards are prepared to do battle, feeling like that.

Shera was moved to tears.

“Diablo... Can’t you do anything?”

—Well, guess there’s no way around this one.

He took Tenma’s Staff and slammed it against the stone floor.

“Unfortunately for you, your resolve is wasted here. This will not be your last day on this earth!”

Boris was taken off guard. “Huh!? Wh-What are... Diablo?”

Then, that’s when the Fallen appeared.

The guards on the Bridge of Ulug started to yell, bordering on screams.

Diablo turned his gaze to just beyond the stone bridge.

There, he saw a large black mass, slowly approaching them.

The entities within it all possessed some kind of beast-like trait.

There were some with heads shaped like a bull; instead of hands, some had hooves; and some were impossibly huge, while others had skin colored a dark blue.

In spite of the mass of figures all having different appearances, they were united in the fact that they were grotesque and strange-looking.

—Is the person in front their commander?

It looked like they were some kind of knight, fortified in pure black armor. They carried a great lance, like the ones you would find in a jousting tournament.

They were the only one riding a monster, their steed resembling a dragon about the size of a horse.

—That would make them a Dragon Knight, then.

In the game, players were able to tame and ride certain kinds of special monsters.

Diablo had never invested any time into his riding skills so he had never experienced it himself, but it was said there were players who rode wyverns in the game.

Even he had thought about wanting to ride one at least once.

—For now, I have to focus on just making it through this.

He had talked big in the heat of the moment, so there was no backing out of this.

The Fallen had come within a range where bows and arrows could reach them.

The guards began firing arrows at the mass, albeit unskillfully.

The Fallen did not seem to be taking any damage in the slightest.

They let out ferocious howls.

“GRROOOOHHHH!!”

A flood of fireballs was launched in retaliation, followed by an explosion.

There was an explosion.

A portion of the Bridge of Ulug crumbled away from the enemy’s attack.

The archers seemed to have gotten away before they were caught up in it themselves.

Diablo spoke to Shera.

“You, stay here. If you get too close, then it’s harder for me to use magic.”

“O-Okay! Um...!”

“What?”

“Diablo... Be careful.”

This was the first time anyone had worried about him before he headed into a fight.

Strangely, he felt his chest getting hotter. His only response was for his face to turn red.

He turned his back to her.

Right now, he felt like he couldn’t lose. Not even to a Demon Lord.

†

Diablo stood on the stone bridge.

He was the only one to have come out from the fortress, so the Fallen had all turned their attention toward him. There were a lot of them where it was hard to tell where they were looking, though...

He could feel the stares of the guards behind him, which were mixed with equal parts expectation and unease.

If he was his normal self, he wouldn’t even be able to get out a single word. That’s the kind of situation he was in.

Now more than ever was the time for his Demon Lord roleplay.

Standing boldly in the open, he let an arrogant smile cross his face.

“Who gave you all permission to come here with your army? For not knowing that I was here, you should feel ashamed of your ignorance!”

Normally in this world, when one of the races would come upon a Fallen, they would either draw their sword, beg for their life, or run away.

He was willing to bet that this was the first time they had been called out like this by someone using such a condescending tone.

The unrest amongst the Fallen was obvious.

This was a first for Diablo, too. Usually, monsters would just come after you and attack without saying anything. Even on special quests, enemies would just one-sidedly announce their intention to murder the player, and not listen to what they had to say in return.

This was the first time he had used his Demon Lord act on the Fallen.

“Who, you?”

One of the Fallen came forward.

It was a giant that resembled a mountain, standing at about five meters tall.

It had a face that resembled a wild boar, with a nose that projected outwards. From its bottom lip came two tusks that pointed upwards.

Each step it took came crashing down with a loud thud, creating tremors as it came in front of Diablo.

—He’s frickin’ huge!

The gigantic boar-headed Fallen raised an axe that was suitable for someone of its stature—

And smashed it into the ground.

With a tremendous noise, cracks spread along the stone bridge.

The guards in the fortress screamed.

“Good grief... So you don’t know me. Then I shall carve that answer into your body.”

—Well, of course he wouldn’t know who I am.

Taking another step forward, the boar-headed Fallen raised its war axe.

This time, Diablo was within striking distance.

“You, small. Look weak. Kill!”

There was no reason for Diablo to take this attack.

He thrust forth his staff.

“《Flare Burst》!”

This was the superior version of the Explosion spell he was always using. For any Sorcerer who hadn’t broken through the level cap yet, this spell was the upper limit for magic.

The Fallen was blown away.

Diablo’s vision was enveloped in a flash of blinding light.

He had unleashed his magic at point blank range, and was in danger of being caught up in the blast himself.

However, thanks to the powerful Demon Lord’s Ring, Diablo was able to reflect all types of magic, even healing spells.

The explosion did not reach Diablo.

The light started to die down.

The boar-head Fallen had been blown to the other side of the bridge, back to where the other Fallen were lined up.

It was lying there, limp.

In the game, any magic-type monster or Fallen you defeated would turn into black particles and disappear. They wouldn’t leave corpses on the ground like with other wild beasts.

—What, so I didn’t beat him?

But it wasn’t getting back up.

Thinking back to the game, if you took damage from an attack that was more than half your max HP, then it was possible for you to get knocked out.

That would mean boar-head over there would go down for sure if he hit it with another Flare Burst. There was a chance that the first hit could have been a critical or a fluke, so he couldn’t say it for sure, though...

The legion of Fallen was starting to get rowdy.

—It would sure be great if they just went back to wherever they came from because of that.

But it looked like things weren’t going to go so smoothly.

After being knocked out for a good few seconds, the boar-headed Fallen opened its eyes, slowly raising itself off the ground.

“Kill... Kill... Guh, nrgh... You... You burn me... I, kill you...”

—It’s still raring for a fight. That’s the Fallen for you.

—Looks like I’ve managed to aggro everyone here, though.

That should mean they wouldn’t try to make any more attacks on the fortress, at least for now.

Even if he hadn’t made them retreat, it was easier for him to fight when he didn’t have to worry about other small things like that.

Diablo raised Tenma’s Staff.

“So you will not back down. Very well! Then I shall be the one to annihilate you all!”

†

Rem was in the dining hall of the inn. It was where she had had breakfast with Diablo and Shera earlier that morning.

Right now, there was another woman sitting across from Rem.

It was the head of the Mage’s Association, Celestine Baudelaire.

She was wearing an embroidered cape, and robes that fit her so perfectly you could see every curve of her body.

Rem had never really wondered about it before, but...

She was big for a Human.

Bigger than Rem, at the very least.

Standing behind the head of the Mage’s Guild were two escorts. Galluk was not one of them, of course.

Celes gave a smile, one that made you feel her sense of open-mindedness.

“I’m sorry for making you go through the trouble to meet with me just so we can continue off from where we left last night.”

“...There is no need for you to fuss over me so much. I have no intention of making the Mage’s Association my enemy.”

“Well, personally, I want to get along with you better, Rem.”

“...I do not want to be held captive by the Mage’s Association, and I do not want to be put under surveillance by them.”

“I have no intention of doing either of those things, you know?”

“Being protected within the Mage’s Association, being assigned guards by the Mage’s Association... The only thing that changes is how you say it, not the meaning.”

If Rem lost her life in the middle of her adventure, then the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm would be released.

There was no precedent for this situation, so it was only natural for Celes to be thinking of locking Rem away in the safest place possible because of that threat.

In fact, she was prepared to be captured once people knew of her secret.

Rem herself was an accomplished Adventurer, so she had no intention of being taken in without a fight, however.

Faced with Rem’s obstinance, Celes let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry. Let’s put that conversation aside for today.”

“...Yes, let’s.”

“After I spoke with you last night, I went to ask Galluk about the details as well.”

“Were there any discrepancies?”

Since it was Galluk, she was wondering if he had thought himself not in the wrong and distorted the truth; but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“If I were to say if anything was different, then maybe it would be in his perception of what happened?”

“...Perception?”

“Galluk thought that he was doing the right thing. He lamented that, even though he tried everything he could to persuade you, you wouldn’t listen.”

“...I cannot fathom what he means.”

“I figured as much.”

“...Though he claims he wanted to persuade me, I do not think that trying to do so by bringing harm to Diablo and Shera could be considered a normal thought process for a person.”

Celes nodded in agreement. Even she didn’t seem to be able to understand him.

“I have dismissed Galluk. It’s true that he caused trouble for the townspeople, and even used the name of the Mage’s Association at his own whim... I had to have him take responsibility for that.”

“...That is quite a bold action for you.”

“After being let go, I’m sure he will reflect on his actions and mend his ways.”

“...I wonder about that.”

Rem wished that Celes had done this sooner, but she was too kind.

It was because of that kindness Rem was able to walk around so freely.

“When I spoke with Galluk, there was one thing in particular that stuck out to me.”

“What would that be?”

“Well, apparently, Diablo called himself a ‘Demon Lord’?”

Rem decided that it was not possible to hide it. It would not be a good idea to make Celes her enemy here, after all.

“...I will not deny it... Diablo is a Demon Lord from another world. On the day when both the sun and the moon appeared in the sky, at Starfall Tower... At Shera’s suggestion, I went there with the intention of summoning him.”

While Shera also placed her hand on the spellbook during the summoning ceremony, Rem believed she was the one who had summoned him.

Her face completely serious, Celes asked Rem:

“Did he really come from another world?”

“...What do you mean by that?”

“I understand that you’re a proficient Summoner, but I’ve never heard of anything like a Demon Lord from another world. And I certainly don’t believe that a being who ruled over another world could be called forth by any of the races in this one. Is it possible that he’s a Fallen from this world, who appeared because he was drawn to the soul you hold?”

“...That simply cannot be.”

Diablo had had plenty of opportunities to kill her.

There was no way for him to be a Fallen.

On the contrary; the other evening, he had made a promise to her:

“Very well. I will crush the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm for you.”

Rem was going to believe in him.

But she thought that this wouldn’t be proof enough for Celes.

“I had someone I trust go see the remains of his fight.”

“...The one in the Man-Eating Forest?”

“Just looking at the report sent shivers down my spine. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do that with elemental magic.”

“...I was surprised as well. However, it is not like you to decide someone is a Fallen just because they are powerful.”

“Rem, do you trust Diablo?”

“...Of course I do.”

“To be honest, I’m a little afraid of him.”

“...What do you want to do with him?”

“That’s where I’m at a bit of a loss. I want to believe in him, like you do... But as the head of the Mage’s Association, I can’t just leave him alone.”

She should tell Celes that she had told her secret to Diablo, and how he had even offered to help her on top of that.

The way Diablo conducted himself was arrogant and full of danger.

Despite that, Rem felt that he might actually be a good person deep down.

How could she say this in a way that Celes would accept?

If she didn’t give her an answer, then—

“Ah, excuse me, dear customer, but the place is reserved right now. ☆”

“Don’t touch me, you damned Demi!”

“Ow!?”

The sounds of a dispute reached their ears. With a bang, the doors to the dining hall flew open.

Galluk had appeared.

†

Galluk entered the dining hall. His eyes were bloodshot; his face was warped into a manic expression; and his breath was ragged.

He was still wearing the robes of the Mage’s Association, but they were torn in various places, and his hands were stained with blood.

His voice shook as he spoke.

“L-Lady Celes! Have... Have you reconsidered what you said last night!? I mean, it’s strange isn’t it!? Why was I made to leave the Mage’s Association for doing the right thing!”

The two guards had taken up their staffs and stepped forward.

Celes answered in a calm voice.

“As I explained to you many times, what you did was wrong.”

“That’s strange! It’s strange, isn’t it!? For someone as talented as me to be let go, there must be some kind of mistake! I-It has to be some kind of mistake... I had to give the people who came and tried to take my robes a good b-beating, and t-tried to make them say the truth... But, they kept lying! Th-They kept saying that I had been l-let go...”

“Beating? Are the others from the Mage’s Association all right?” Celes frowned.

That’s quite a serious expression for her to make—thought Rem.

Galluk shouted: “Worry about me! Th-That, that Demon, he’s not right in the head! He has disrespected me t-twice now! He’s not suitable for Lady Rem to be around, so all I did was try to keep him away from her! Why do you choose to worry about those second-rate underlings instead of me!?”

The color of his face was constantly changing. His eyes were all over the place as well.

It was evident that he was mentally unstable.

Celes stood up.

“First, I need you to calm down. Let’s just take it easy and talk this through, shall we?”

“I am calm! You’re the one who’s acting strange!”

His voice was conspicuously loud.

Deciding that there was no reasoning with Galluk, Celes’s guards closed in on him.

“Galluk, just come with us quietly!”

“We’re turning you over to the knights!”

Galluk was holding his head in his hands.

“It’s strange... It’s strange! Everyone is strange! Ahh, so what they said was right! No lesser-minded person can understand my talents, how great I am!”

Galluk pulled something out from around his waist.

It may be a Summon crystal—Rem thought.

Though she felt sorry for the damage this would cause to the inn, Rem started to reach for her own crystals so she could fight back.

However, what Galluk held in his hand was a dagger; an ominous, black dagger.

Rem could feel something in the back of her chest starting to grow hot. She could feel a suspicious aura coming from the weapon Galluk held.

—I don’t know what exactly it is... But it’s dangerous!

Staying alert, the two guards approached Galluk.

“Stop!”

“Do not continue this shameful display any longer!”

Galluk glared at his former colleagues.

“Shut your mouths! You’re nothing but weaklings! Don’t get close to me!”

He raised the dagger.

Celes made as if she was going to step closer to Galluk, but Rem held her back with one hand.

“...You can’t get near him... He is no longer sane...”

Galluk was screaming.

“Not sane!? It’s not me that’s insane, it’s all of YOU! Everyone from the Mage’s Association, and this whole world, too! Why am I not treated well when I am so evidently proficient!? Why is my value not acknowledged!? Why does no one worry for me!? It’s wrong! Wrong! This is definitely WRONG! That’s why...”

The black dagger he wielded had an eyeball that looked almost alive.

Though it shouldn’t have been possible, the eye swiveled around.

It looked at Rem.

A chill ran throughout her body.

She threw one of her crystals against the floor.

“《Shadow Snake》! Stop Galluk from moving!”

A long, thin shadow emerged from the crystal. A black snake, about five meters long in total, quickly slithered across the floor. Its special ability was 《Bind》, and when used against one of the other races, it was able to restrain their movement for about five seconds.

But before her Summon could reach him, Galluk made his move first.

“This world must be made right, and I will be the one to do it!”

Galluk plunged the dagger into his own chest.

—He’s committing suicide!?

Rem’s breath stopped in her throat.

Celes covered her mouth in shock, while the two guards looked on in quiet dismay.

—Wait, that’s not it!

Sensing a large expansion of magic energy, Rem yelled out a warning:

“Get away from him!”

A black liquid spilled out of Galluk’s mouth.

Something similar to sludge gushed forth from the wound on his chest.

His skin darkened, turning into something that resembled polished obsidian.

His body and arms warped and elongated, swelling in size. A large, thick tail grew out from the back of his waist.

His face was changing shape as well, slowly turning into that of a lizard.

In the blink of an eye, Galluk had been completely transformed.

Rem grasped her chest. She felt the Demon Lord’s soul inside of her responding to what had happened.

Her voice shook as her heart pounded.

“...It can’t be... A Fallen!?”

“!?”

Celes let out a small scream. The two guards, who had been dumbfounded up until now, moved in to defend her.

The lizard head that was once Galluk spoke in a murky voice.

“Ah... Ahh... Looks like it’s finally time for Gregore to take care of things. Damn, there wasn’t any need for you to keep blabbing away, you stupid Human!”

Gregore rolled his shoulders. As he did, his hardened skin made a grinding noise.

Rem’s Shadow Snake began to coil itself around Gregore’s body. With that, his movements should have been completely sealed.

“The hell’s this? Don’t go gettin’ in my way!”

Grabbing the Summon with his thick fingers, he tore it apart as if it had been made out of paper.

—He dealt with a level 20 Summon with his bare hands!?

Rem saw the difference between their strengths.

—I’m an Adventurer! I have to protect Celes!

The two guards took up their staffs.

“Leave this!”

“To us!”

Rem grabbed Celes by her hand and ran for the window.

The inn didn’t use any high-quality materials like glass, but instead used wooden boards that were propped open with sticks.

Grabbing the bewildered Celes and lifting her up, Rem flung her outside.

“Wait, Rem... Kyaaah!?”

“Please, just bear with it!”

It was only the first floor, so she was sure Celes wouldn’t die or anything.

Rem immediately followed after her.

Their opponent was a Fallen. By tempting Galluk and transforming him into one of their own, the enemy had managed to invade the town in a way Rem had never even heard of before.

Their objective was most likely the destruction of the barrier. There was no mistake that they had to be aiming for the head of the Mage’s Association.

—I have to protect Celes!

Seeing Celes collapsed out in front of the inn, passersby stared on with expressions of disbelief plastered on their faces.

It was because she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would jump out of a window to escape something.

While helping Celes up, Rem shouted: “Everyone, get out of here! It’s the Fallen!”

Immediately after—

The wall of the inn’s dining hall was blown apart.

Flying chunks of the wall flew out and struck several people who had let their curiosity get the best of them. It wasn’t pretty.

From the half-destroyed building emerged a giant with the head of a lizard; Gregore.

His fists were completely smeared with blood.

Nothing could be heard from Celes’s guards.

“Hey now, I don’t have any business with these damn pipsqueaks! I got business with the lady over there! You’re Celestine Baudelaire, ain’tcha? This barrier thing is in the way, so I’m gonna have to kill you!”

Gregore brandished his giant fists.

Celes had no experience with actual combat, and was petrified with fear. In fact, as most of her magic went into maintaining the barrier, she had no fighting strength in the first place.

Rem threw down another crystal.

—Now is the time to call forth the most powerful Summon I can use!

“Come forth, 《Asulau》!”

What emerged was an enormous bull with three horns on its head.

Its special ability, 《Charge》, rivaled a level 40 Warrior’s Sword Smite in terms of power. Not only that, it was ferociously tenacious as well.

It should be enough to buy them some time.

Standing Celes upright, Rem pushed her from the back.

“Run! Either to the Adventurer’s Guild, the Mage’s Association, or even to where the soldiers are stationed!”

“There’s no point if you’re not coming with me!”

“I know that!”

Rem had to protect herself as much as she had to protect Celes.

Asulau charged forward.

Gregore let out a war cry, smashing his fist into the Summon.

“Heeargh!! 《Aura Punch》!!”

With just one blow, Asulau had been crushed to a messy pulp.

A black crystal fell to the ground.

Rem was stunned.

“...This can’t be...”

A level 40 Summon couldn’t even serve to slow him down.

She was petrified with fear, unable to run away.

Gregore came closer.

“Hey, hey, hey.... I said to get outta the way, Shrimpy. You wanna die first?”

†

The townspeople screamed as they fled.

There were some guards who had shown up after noticing the commotion, but their opponent was a Fallen who could pulverize a powerful Summon in just one blow. The pointless sacrifices just kept piling up.

There were no longer any signs of people near the front of the inn.

Those that did remain were Celes, who had frozen up and couldn’t run away; and Rem, who was standing in front of Celes to protect her, but had no kind of backup plan whatsoever.

Approaching them was a veritable giant, covered in hardened scales.

He was a 《Bruiser》, a kind of Warrior who would only use their fists, not weapons.

Those fists had destroyed the most powerful Summon Rem could conjure in one shot.

—I can’t win!

Then, someone came running toward this street devoid of people.

“Heh... Looks like I made it just in time!”

Rem turned around at the sound of their footsteps.

She saw the glint of golden armor, and recognized their flashy appearance.

The person ran his fingers through the one long part of his bangs, combing it upwards.

“Are you all right, my dear Rem? And you as well, Lady Celes?”

“...E-Emile!?”

Putting himself in front of Rem and Celes to protect them, the Warrior Emile stood before Gregore.

“Good grief... I heard the commotion and came running as fast as I could. I don’t know how he got in, but I can’t believe we have a Fallen rampaging about in the middle of town. But, most of all, what I cannot forgive is him aiming for women!”

He spoke in a theatrical, pompous manner.

From behind him came the sounds of cheering. Other Adventurers had ran up along with him.

Emile was the strongest Warrior in the Adventurer’s Guild. He was also fairly popular.

Gregore clenched his fists.

“And who the hell are you supposed to be!?”

Emile took a stance with his longsword, holding it in front of himself.

“My name is Emile Bichelberger! I am the Superhuman Warrior of the Adventurer’s Guild, and an ally to all women!”

“Well, well, ain’t you a funny one! Go on then, try and entertain me, Human!”

“It won’t be a very funny end for you, I assure you that!!”

Emile flourished his sword.

A magical light surged from his blade as the other Adventurers buffed his sword with their own magic.

Combining this with a Martial Art of his own, Emile unleashed a mighty blow, driving it straight into Gregore’s neck.

A loud clang reverberated out, making it hard to imagine he had sliced into an actual, living creature. He had not able to break through the obsidian-like scales.

Despite this, Gregore staggered back several steps, taking a knee.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey... You’re pretty strong for a Human, ain’tcha!”

“I’m not finished yet!”

Emile launched into a follow-up assault, unleashing a multitude of slashes that were unable to be tracked with the naked eye. It seemed this was another one of his Martial Arts.

Gregore covered his head with both of his arms.

Each time the sword struck, it made a high-pitched clang, as if the steel was trying to cut through rock. Small black fragments were also flying off with every strike.

“If it wasn’t for my sword being enhanced by magic, there’s a chance it may have broken by now! But right now, this sword of mine is invincible!”

“Guh... Ngh...!?”

It was hard to tell if this was actually effective...

But Emile had him pinned down!

Gregore was staying on the defensive.

“So annoying, so damn annoying! This is the best!”

“Ha! So you like taking these attacks, do you!? Then I’ll keep on slashing until those scales you’re so proud of are all gone!”

“Heh heh heh... What I like is to take Humans like you and make them fall into despair! The looks on their faces when that happens... Oh man, it’s the best!”

Gregore muttered something to himself.

A flash of magical power was let loose.

Emile, who had been hammering the Fallen with his attacks, was blown back.

He skidded along the stone pavings, finally coming to a stop when the other Adventurers caught him.

Gregore stood before them, arrogantly sticking out his chest.

Rem knew that he had used magic. And not summon magic either, but elemental magic like Diablo used.

While being supported by those around him, Emile stood back up.

His Sorcerer comrades chanted healing spells, eventually getting him back in fighting condition.

“Ngh... What did you just do!?”

“That was magic, Human! I’m the most powerful Sorcerer in the Man-Eating Forest!”

“What did you say!?”

Him fighting like a Bruiser had been just a feint.

Gregore opened his right hand, and a magical light started to gather within it.

“You sure ’bout this? If you ain’t getting over here, you’re all gonna fall prey to my magic!”

“Damn it all! Sword Smite!!”

Getting close to the Fallen in a flash, Emile unleashed his side slash.

However, Gregore easily stopped the attack with his left arm.

“Gufufu... Even as a Bruiser, I’m way stronger than any Human!”

“Like hell I’ll lose!”

Gregore’s spell was faster than Emile’s follow-up attack, and while swinging his right fist at Emile, he invoked his magic.

“How ’bout this! 《Dark Bullet》!!”

Right when Emile had barely managed to deflect the fist, Gregore mercilessly shot a bullet of black light into Emile.

A sharp noise sounded as a hole was punched through the left shoulder of Emile’s armor. Fresh blood danced in the air.

“Gwah!?”

“C’mon! Next is your right arm!!”

As Gregore delivered a kick to Emile, he released another wave of magic.

Emile’s armor crumpled, and pure red blood gushed from the cracks.

The Adventurers watching this unfold screamed.

It wasn’t that they were being cold-hearted. If even Emile’s attacks couldn’t land a telling blow, then they didn’t possess any kind of combat technique that would allow them to fight against this enemy.

All they could do was keep sending support and healing magic to Emile from afar.

They would only get in the way if they got any closer. Emile was the kind of person who would risk his own body to protect his comrades.

Rem yelled.

“Emile, please! Run! Your opponent is too great an evil to face!”

His legs shaking, Emile still stood back up. He flashed his normal pretentious smile.

“Me, run? And leave women behind? Hey now, don’t say such foolish things, my dear Rem.”

Emile ran his fingers through the one long part of his bangs, combing it upwards once more.

“I will never turn my back on an enemy when I am in front of women! Never! My name is Emile Bichelberger, the Superhuman Warrior of the Adventurer’s Guild—and the protector of all women!”

Gregore’s eyes narrowed.

“Noooow then, how ’bout I really get serious! All Humans ditch their friends once it seems like they’re about to lose, ya know...”

He turned his reptilian eyes towards Rem and Celes.

If Rem were to run away now—

Gregore would most likely ignore Emile and attack her and Celes with magic.

If the girls seemed like they were going to flee, he had been capable of launching extremely powerful long range magic from the very beginning.

—He has just been playing around with us!?

With bloodied hands, Emile let out a yell and raised his sword overhead as he charged forward.

Taking a stance more akin to a Bruiser, Gregore gathered magical energy within his fists.

“Time for you to die, Human! 《Dark Press》!!”

The monstrously powerful Fallen went to crush Emile’s body.

But, Emile did not back down.

He would never back down.

†

The Bridge of Ulug—

The location: the large stone bridge above the river that served to separate the city of Faltra from the Man-Eating Forest.

There were Fallen lying at Diablo’s feet.

Several of them had already disintegrated and turned to dust. After he had defeated about twenty of them, he had given up on counting his kills.

Making the remaining Fallen step back, the Dragon Knight who seemed to be the commander came forward.

They were covered from head to toe in jet-black armor.

Their body was small when compared to that of the other races, but Diablo wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking that would make fighting with them any easier.

—Is it finally time for the boss to show up?

The Dragon Knight came down from their mount.

Taking their lance with them, they slowly walked along the stone bridge.

“Why did you dismount?”

“Because... Won’t move?”

It was a girl’s voice.

The tone of her voice sounded mature, but her choppy manner of speaking also made her sound a bit childish.

The commander removed their helmet.

A wave of long, silver hair gently unfolded, coming down to her waist.

The exposed face was that of a brown-skinned girl. The pupils of her golden eyes were slanted vertically, like you would see in reptiles. Because her eyes were a bit large, she had a youthful vibe to her.

She parted her purple-colored lips.

“Usually, he’s a good boy, listens to what I say... But, after seeing you, won’t move. Probably, your fault? That’s why, I came down.”

“Hmph, I think that your beast understands it better than you, so nonchalant as you walk towards me... That is, the fact that you cannot win against me.”

“Won’t know, unless I try, right? Amongst other Fallen, Edelgard is the strongest spear-user. Won’t lose, to a Demon Sorcerer.”

The commander, Edelgard, took a stance with her spear.

The distance between her and Diablo was about eight-and-a-half meters. This was already way too close, but he had managed to prioritize gathering information through his conversation with her.

—I’m doing my best to keep my MP consumption down to a minimum, but I’m already starting to feel strangely tired...

As if facing the dawn after pulling an all-nighter, his concentration slipped for a moment.

Against an opponent like her, this could prove to be fatal for him. But if he could take down the commander, then there was a good chance the rest of the Fallen would retreat.

Now was the time to dig in and give it his all.

“Let’s just see if you really are weak or not!”

“Do it? Don’t do it? ......I’ll do it!”

She spoke, still in position with her spear.

She rushed forward at a blinding speed, reminiscent of an arrow released from its quiver. She was fast enough to make you think she was still riding on her mount.

—Looks like that’s 《Lance Charge》.

It was a rush-down Martial Art similar to Sword Smite. It was the bread-and-butter technique for any spear-user.

After getting in close, the user would execute a series of two jabs with their spear. Just like Sword Smite, it was necessary to cancel that as well.

Diablo side-stepped to dodge the attack. Though they may have been on top of a stone bridge, there was still quite a bit of space.

No matter the attack, it was a basic tactic of battle to dodge to the side.

Quickly noticing that her attack had been evaded, Edelgard canceled her charge.

At almost the exact same time, she followed up with a huge side sweep.

—Now she’s using 《Swing Spike》. She’s surprisingly faithful to the basics.

It was a technique where the user would spin their whole body while brandishing their spear. They would be vulnerable during the start-up, but once they started rotating, it was possible to continue spinning multiple times.

He already knew the trajectory of the move, so it wasn’t that hard to get out of its way.

“Hmph... Is that the extent of the techniques you possess? That seems to be a trivial amount for a Fallen who wields a weapon.”

“Still more. Then, I will use this!”

Edelgard thrust her lance into the sky.

A black haze surged from the weapon. Eventually, a black aura enveloped the lance, making it appear enormous.

—Oh hoh! So you’re using 《Sacrificial Charge》!

It was a bold technique that drained a portion of the user’s HP. You could learn it once you reached level 80 or above.

Not only was its power in a league of its own, but the aura that covered the weapon was capable of dealing damage as well. Since the aura’s shape was uncertain, avoiding it was no easy task.

The movement for the technique was comprised of three things: first, the user would charge in and follow up with a thrust; then, they would make a circle, performing a spinning side swipe; finally, they would jump up in the air and perform a downward slash. Diablo didn’t know if Edelgard was going to use it exactly like that, though.

Throwing out a barrage of spells while keeping his distance should bring him close to a victory against her. However, it wouldn’t be enough to diminish the enemy’s fighting spirit.

He was unsure that he had the MP to take on the remaining Fallen, over half of which were still present.

—If I can just endure this!

Diablo planted his feet, spreading his arms out wide.

“Interesting! I will take your technique head on! Just try and cause me damage!”

“Yeah, I will. 《Sacrificial—”

Taking her spear covered in thick darkness, Edelgard thrust herself forward.

“—Charge》!”

A heavy pain ran throughout Diablo’s abdomen.

He had taken the thrust.

Before he could prepare himself, the side swipe smashed into the side of his head.

—She’s fast!?

Edelgard leaped into the air. With a mighty swing, she brought down the spear with all her strength.

As the pain closed in on him, it felt like he might back down—

But Diablo kept his feet in place, taking the blow on his shoulders.

His body had become heavy, making it feel as if it was made out of lead.

There was a sharp pain in his stomach. He couldn’t tell from over his equipment, but it might have been possible he was bleeding.

“So this is damage...!”

Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had taken damage from someone else and not been able to ignore it.

Rather than taking on external wounds like a hit or cut from a normal attack, he felt that the real damage from Martial Arts was the sensation of his stamina being robbed from him.

The pain wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t move, but it was a possibility he could be made tired enough that he wouldn’t want to move.

Just like the game, it was dangerous to keep going until you reached critical health. It was better to give yourself some breathing room.

Pleased with the information he had managed to gather, Diablo couldn’t help but smile.

Edelgard’s breathing had become hoarse.

“...Can’t...be. I gave it, all I had... For you, to be standing, not possible.”

Sacrificial Charge was a Martial Art that required the user to use 15% of their HP to unleash it.

In the game, all it meant was that a measly percentage of your life bar was taken away. Here, it might be that an equivalent amount of your own stamina would be taken away all at once.

Diablo now felt like he wanted to keep testing things out with Edelgard.

However—

“Mr. Diablo, sirrrr!”

All of a sudden, someone came running from the bridge’s checkpoint. Even though Diablo’s opponent wasn’t moving at the moment, this was an extremely reckless thing to do.

It was Boris; he had an urgent expression on his face.

Diablo shouted out so that Boris would be able to hear him.

“Do not come any closer!”

Screeching to a halt, Boris shouted back.

“I have a report from the town! Rem and Lady Celes are under attack by the Fallen! There’s Fallen in the middle of Faltra!”

“What did you say?”

Diablo felt a chill run across his spine.

Edelgard narrowed her reptilian eyes and smiled.

“Gregore, did well? He’s stupid, but tries hard.”

Diablo started to piece together the situation.

Faltra was protected by a barrier, and if the gate used to allow anyone to pass through was closed, the Fallen would have no way of getting inside.

If the brigade of Fallen were to push their way to the town, then this invasion would just turn into a siege.

That’s why they had this Gregore guy sneak in beforehand; it was obvious the enemy would be aiming for Celes.

But what about Rem?

—Had the Fallen realized that the soul of the Demon Lord was inside her? No, if they had, they would have attacked us when we had come close to the Man-Eating Forest.

—In any case, I have to make it back to the town!

Diablo looked at his enemy.

Edelgard’s breathing was returning to normal.

“Since Gregore, is doing so well... If I finish you off, this a victory, for the Fallen? Shall I play with you, a little more?”

“Boris!” Diablo yelled out in a deep voice.

“Y-Yes!”

“Tell those sightseers over there to get their heads down; I’m going to use my ultimate spell! If you don’t want to die too, then go curl up behind the stone wall over there!”

“Y-Yesshir!! Right away!!”

Shouting his response, Boris made his way back.

“Everyone, heads down! Something big’s coming! If you don’t wanna die, get behind the wall! Double time!!”

Diablo raised Tenma’s Staff as he turned to glare at Edelgard.

“I’m terribly sorry... But I no longer have the time to perform experiments with you.”

“Experiments?”

“I have no intention of showing compassion to a Fallen, but I praise you for managing to harm me. I would be willing to let you go if you retreated now.”

It took 30 seconds for Diablo’s ultimate magic to activate. He had begun chanting as soon as he heard what Boris had to say; but it would still take some more time.

After pondering Diablo’s proposition for a bit, Edelgard spoke.

“Saving the Demon Lord, is Edelgard’s duty, you know? That’s why, I try hard. Even if I die.”

“Hmph, save the Demon Lord? You?”

Diablo laughed heartily.

Edelgard puffed out one of her cheeks.

“...I don’t like, being laughed at.”

“You understand nothing. There is only one true Demon Lord—and that is I, the Demon Lord Diablo! Yet you, unknowing of that, devote yourself to a false master!”

“True, Demon Lord...Diablo?”

“That ignorance deserves to be met with certain death!”

—I made it.

He had finished his preparation for the spell while talking with her.

“《White Nova》!!”

A sphere of pure white, about the size of a ping-pong ball, emerged from the tip of his staff. Slowly and softly, it drifted to the ground.

The instant the sphere touched the stone tiles—

It burst into blinding white light.

A thunderous roar completely overtook his sense of hearing.

His vision was white; he was unable to hear anything; and because the spell had locked him in place, he was not even able to move. Maybe it was because it was just that kind of spell, or maybe it was the effect of the Demon Lord’s Ring—but while he himself took no damage, everything within the spell’s AoE should have been repeatedly breaking down on a molecular level.

A combination of both fire and light elements, this was the final spell Diablo had learned once reaching level 150.

The fact that it took so long to activate, along with the huge MP cost to use the spell, were both drawbacks—but it carried tremendous power. It was capable of felling colossal, high-level monsters in one shot.

The AoE of the spell spread out in a 20 meter semi-circle in front of its caster. The fortress should have been outside the spell’s range, but because the power of the spell was so overwhelming, Diablo didn’t know what was going on.

For a moment, he thought of Shera.

—She is hiding herself, right!?

She wasn’t the brightest bulb of the bunch, so he was a bit worried about her.

Color gradually returned to the world that had just been dyed white.

“Whoa...”

Magic in the game wasn’t able to change the terrain, but in this world, it was definitely enough to carve out a distinctive scar in the landscape.

The stone bridge in front of him had been vaporized.

The area beyond where Diablo was standing had been cleanly erased. It looked as if it was just about to come under construction.

Even his own footing had started to crumble away.

He quickly made his way back to the fortress.

In the game, having pieces of the ground become gouged out was just a visual effect that disappeared once the spell was finished. This world was different. Even if he wasn’t trying to damage something, it would end up being destroyed if he hit it.

The fortress was safe.

At first, he was shocked to see the guards not moving, but it turned out they were only shaking because of the blast and the noise. It seemed that there had been no casualties.

Most of the Fallen army had been obliterated.

Surprisingly, even after using up 15% of her HP and taking a White Nova head on, Edelgard was still standing.

—Is she one of the Fallen you would find back in the deepest parts of the Demon Lord’s territory?

—I don’t know whether to praise her with, “As I should expect of a commander,” or to hit her with a “Don’t just come rolling up out of the Man-Eating Forest! What the hell are you, a friggin’ glitch!?”

She had lost her armor, her war dragon, and even her spear.

“...Not... Not possible... Making everything, disappear...”

“Finish me off, you said? Play with me? Do not push your luck, you damnable Fallen. I have said it before: I am a Demon Lord.”

“...Demon Lord...Diablo.”

She was still moving, but it didn’t seem like she had the strength to keep fighting.

Just to be sure, he left her with a threat: “If you wish to do battle, then come to the town. Next time, I will utterly annihilate you using a different ultimate-level spell.”

There were still some Fallen stragglers around, probably because they were out of the spell’s range. All Diablo could do now was leave them for the guards here.

Right now, the town was his main concern.

Looking past the fortress, he stared in the direction of Faltra.

Shera ran up to him.

“Diablo! Are you all right!?”

“It is needless to worry about me.”

“Then let’s get going! The town’s in trouble!”

“Hm... Then I shall test my Return magic.”

He firmly grasped Shera’s hand, whose body had stiffened up in surprise.

This spell was the utmost of basics, and would warp the entire party back to the last town they had visited.

...But he didn’t have any scientific reasoning to base this one on.

—But if the Celestials and the Mage’s Association in the royal capital can use it, then I should too!

Diablo clearly imagined the procedure for using the return spell in his head. Never before had he been so anxious about using magic.

—Please, let me be able to use it!

—Please!

“《Return》!”

Back in Faltra—

A pillar of light appeared in the center of the western plaza.

Frightened by the sounds of the unexpected fighting that had broken out, the people who had been trembling in fear there panicked and ran away.

The surrounding air shook, and the particles of light took the form of two people’s silhouettes.

When the light disappeared, in its place stood a Demon clad from head-to-toe in black, and a visibly shaking Elf girl with her eyes wide open.

Diablo scanned his surroundings.

I’ve never been here before—he thought as he looked around the plaza.

The familiar stone walls proved without a doubt that this was indeed the city of Faltra.

The most basic of all transportation spells—Return—had activated.

He was feeling a bit of motion sickness, but other than that there wasn’t anything significantly wrong with him.

Whenever you teleported in the game, there was a small animation of the scenery rushing by you at high-speed. Having just experienced it himself in real life, it was exactly that.

It felt like he had turned into incredibly fast-moving particles of light and flew through the sky.

They had only walked through them before, but watching the grassy plains fly by; it moved him in a way that he had never experienced in-game. It was a feeling he would never forget.

But he didn’t have time to celebrate his success in using some new magic.

He had been anxious about where he would end up, but just like the game, they had been transported to the town plaza.

Weak in the knees, Shera was clinging to Diablo.

“Fa-Faltra!? What!? Why!?”

“I’ll explain later! Right now, saving Rem takes priority!”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!”

“Damn... Where is she!? The inn!? The Adventurer’s Guild!? The Mage’s Association!?”

If this were the game, you would be able to send messages to any player you had registered as a friend.

Apparently, you could also chat between party members as well...

But Diablo had never used it, since he had no one to talk to.

For Diablo, in this world...

—There’s a pretty good chance I can’t use that here.

Teleportation was something established to be a part of this world’s lore. The message and chat systems, on the other hand, were things programmed by the devs.

The same went for item storage and trading. Anything not established as being a part of the world itself wasn’t able to be used.

Diablo was panicking.

—Where should I go?

Shera pointed towards the main road, which led to the inn and the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I’m getting some really bad vibes coming from that way, Diablo! It feels the same as what was coming from the Man-Eating Forest!”

“I’m counting on those words, Shera!”

Diablo took off at a sprint.

Hearing the voices of people fleeing, he knew that Shera’s intuition had been correct.

He reached the front of the inn—

And found a mountain of corpses.

†

The inn was half-destroyed.

The walls had been knocked out, and it wouldn’t be strange for the second floor to come down at any moment. It was just barely keeping itself from crumbling apart.

In the surrounding area, fragments of the walls and beams were scattered everywhere. Amongst the damage, a sea of people laid on the ground, covered in blood.

They were all dead.

And it wasn’t from wounds caused by arrows or swords; they had all been crushed to death.

Corpses of guards could be seen as well, with some other victims who wore the robes of the Mage’s Association.

There were several Adventurers as well, all who risked their lives to protect the townspeople.

“...This is awful.”

Shera’s voice was shaking.

There had never been a disaster this horrible in the game before.

“So, he’s the one who did this...”

Diablo had found the grotesque-looking Fallen, and shot a piercing glare at him.

Rem and Celes had been pushed up against a wall.

Rem was on her knees. Her shoulders heaved as she gasped for breath, while blood was trickling down from her forehead.

Celes was unharmed, but if that Fallen had managed to get his hands on her, then she likely would not have been alive.

Standing in front of the two girls was a man, covered in blood.

His golden armor now full of holes, it was no longer able to fulfill its purpose.

His sword was broken, and he did not seem to have the energy to keep up the fight.

And yet, he was still standing.

“...I... I will not fall... Never, while in front of women...”

“Stop, Emile!” Rem shouted. “Why are you pushing yourself to keep fighting!? You are going to die!”

“...I will...protect women... No matter what... That’s, what I swore to do...”

“Hah! Hey, hey, you still haven’t gone down yet!? Damn, Humans sure are persistent, aren’t they! Just hurry up and die!!”

It was a giant Fallen with the head of a lizard.

A ruined robe was wrapped around his lower body. Though originally white, it was now stained a dark red.

His exposed skin was covered in shining black scales, like they were made of obsidian.

He brandished his fists, each the size of a human head.

Without mercy, he went to strike Emile, who was already on Death’s door.

“《Air Shot》.”

Diablo’s magic sent a gale of wind that flung the Fallen backwards and blew him out of range to use his fists.

“Woah-ho-hoh...!?”

For now, Diablo had sent him back about ten meters.

Diablo slowly made his way over to Rem and the others.

“Hmph... Looks like I made it, though I wouldn’t say just in time... Are you still alive, Rem?”

She opened her eyes wide.

“Diablo!?”

Celes also wore an expression of disbelief on her face.

Shera ran forward. She threw her arms around Rem and embraced her.

“Waaaah! Rem, I’m so glad you’re alive!”

“...Are you an idiot, Shera!? Why are you running out in front of a Fallen!?”

“B-But, I was so worried about you!”

“...Even though you say that... There’s no need for you to throw yourself into danger too, right!?”

Diablo went over to Emile and laid a hand on his shoulder. He was in such bad shape, it was a miracle he was still standing at all.

“Hey, boy. You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“Ugh... I will...protect women...”

“Hm. You certainly have protected Rem and Celes. I acknowledge your battle... Now get some rest, Warrior. I, Diablo, will take on the rest for you.”

Hearing those words, Emile crumpled to his knees.

Diablo reached into the item pouch around his waist and pulled out an HP potion.

Looking at Rem, Shera was still clinging to her, keeping her unable to move.

He offered it to Celes.

“Use this. Even without drinking it, it should take effect if you just pour it on his head.”

“Wait, are you... Are you going to fight that Fallen? To protect us?”

“...Ah, no, you see... I was just going to give this insolent intruder an appropriate punishment for invading my territory, that’s all. Do not get the wrong impression.”

“You called yourself a Demon Lord, did you not?”

“Hm? Hmph, so what if I have? Do you not want to rely on the power of a Demon Lord, even after things have come this far?”

“No... It seems that there are good Demon Lords out there, too. Forgive me for having doubted you. Please, I humbly ask you: save Rem—and this world.”

Celes deeply bowed her head.

It was the first time anyone had ever asked something of him like this; he didn’t know how to feel about it.

Diablo turned his back to the girls.

“I’d do it even if you didn’t ask... This Fallen has made me angry.”

He went to confront the enemy.

†

“You really messed up now, didn’tcha?”

“I could say the same to you. Do not think you will be able to leave in one piece after invading my domain.”

“Kuhah! You ain’t a filthy Human and you ain’t a Fallen; you’re just damn halfsie scum!”

Diablo hadn’t been expecting Demons to be discriminated by the Fallen.

—If I remember right, Edelgard said this guy was “Gregore.”

He had a vulgar way of speaking, but the wounds he had inflicted on Emile weren’t just from physical damage.

“...Hm... So you’re a Sorcerer who has developed his skills as a Brawler. Hard to believe there is an actual Brawler-Sorcerer amongst the Fallen.”

“Haaaah? What the hell you mumblin’ about? I don’t care how you beg for your life, I’m gonna kill you either way! I don’t got any more time to play around; I’m gonna smash this barrier, and fast!”

—Time? Oh yeah, if things were going according to plan, then the Fallen army would be showing up at the edge of the town right about now.

Diablo shrugged his shoulders.

“If it’s Edelgard you’re waiting for, I’m afraid she won’t be showing up.”

“What!?”

“I have already defeated about half of the one hundred Fallen. Edelgard also took some serious damage from me, you see.”

“Hah... Kuhaha! What the hell are you saying? That’s a pretty transparent lie there...”

“You will understand if you fight me. We’ll see who will be the one begging for their life... No matter how you beg for yours, however, I won’t be forgiving you.”

Even though they couldn’t reach Diablo, Gregore thrust his fists towards him.

“Diiiie! 《Dark Bullet》!!”

It was a rudimentary dark-elemental spell. It wasn’t supposed to be all that powerful, but possibly due to Gregore’s abnormally high stats, the cast spell looked completely different.

Pitch-black bullets of darkness sped towards Diablo.

—This guy really is a Brawler-Sorcerer.

In close-combat, which would normally be the bane of all Sorcerers, a Brawler-Sorcerer would just use his fists to fight. When his opponent was far away, or if he wanted a bit of extra firepower, that’s when he would use magic.

It was enough that people might think that it could be the perfect Sorcerer style. But, put simply, it was a “Jack of all trades, master of none” kind of class.

But, more than that, Gregore had used magic.

—Looks like this item turned out to be the most dangerous thing here after all.

The effects of the Demon Lord’s Ring activated. The black bullets were sent back to their sender, lodging themselves in Gregore’s chest.

“Gohah!?”

—I bet he’s never been hit with his own magic before.

Completely shocked, Gregore was clueless as to what had just happened.

Diablo held up Tenma’s Staff.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ngh... Wh-What did you do!?”

“I have done nothing; my attacks are just beginning. Here, Dark Bullet!”

The air trembled.

Dark-elemental magic was powerful, but it would put an immense strain on one’s MP, which is why he had been holding back in using it.

But now, he would use the same spell to show Gregore just how big the difference between them was. If you wanted to crush your enemy’s fighting spirit, this was the most effective way to do it.

Bullets— No, massive payloads three times as large as the previous attack were sent flying through the air.

Their speed was the same, however.

Gregore raised his thick arms to defend himself. His obsidian scales were obliterated as the damage was carved into his body.

“Guwaaaaaaah!?”

“Do not scream. I did not use any magic of great significance.”

Gregore’s arms, now devoid of scales, were shaking.

His reptilian eyes glared at Diablo.

“What... What’s with this power...!?”

“A Fallen Sorcerer would not call Dark Bullet their most powerful spell, right?”

“Grg... Don’t you look down on me! Dark Press!!”

Above his head, Gregore raised a hand into the air.

A sphere of darkness about the size of a baseball appeared within it. He threw it towards Diablo

It would be easy if he just wanted to dodge it. However, the AoE for this spell spread out in a five meter radius, which meant that just dodging the sphere wasn’t enough to get away from it.

According to the game’s setting, it was a spell that manipulated gravity to crush everything within its affected area.

It also had a special effect where it would inflict a “Bind” status on your enemies.

Though this was a dark-elemental spell, there was also an earth-elemental spell that had a similar effect.

—But, magic is magic.

His ring’s passive reflection effect activated once again, and the Dark Press was sent flying back towards Gregore.

The lizard-head Fallen once again took his own attack, falling to his knees.

“Gwah!?

“You still don’t understand? You really are just a lizard after all. But your magic is a bit weaker than I expected. You should be able to put out at least this much force with that spell you just used. Dark Press!”

A black sphere about the size of a basketball appeared from the tip of Tenma’s Staff. Diablo casually tossed it towards Gregore.

Even though he was still bound by his own spell, Gregore managed to take two steps away—but still was not able to escape the magic’s area of effect.

The spell activated.

Gregore’s body was slammed against the stone tiles, which smashed apart as he sank into the ground.

“Gugaaaaahh...!!”

“Hm, it seems like it is quite effective against giant Fallen like you.”

“Uguh... Gh... A-All right, I got it! I’m standing down! I’ll leave the town! I’ll also believe that you beat back Edelgard!”

“I see.”

“Y-Yeah...”

“But I said it at the beginning, didn’t I? No matter how much you begged for your life, you will not be forgiven.”

“Eek!?”

Gregore was shaking. Though it was hard to tell what expression he was wearing because of his reptilian face, it was obvious it was tinged with fear.

Diablo launched one spell after another at him.

“Your specialty is dark-elemental magic, is it? Let’s see how much of it you can take yourself. 《Dark Flare》, 《Dark Burst》, 《Black Lance》, 《Darkness Rain》!”

A black burst of hellfire, a silent explosion, a jet-black lance, and a deluge of dark arrows rained down upon Gregore—

Tinged with dread, Gregore screamed in agony.

—This guy’s different than the other hundred Fallen.

If his specialty hadn’t been attacking with magic, then there was a chance that Diablo would have had a much rougher time dealing with him.

He might have even been the same level as Edelgard.

—Even after hitting him with all these spells, he still isn’t disappearing.

Gregore groaned.

“...N-No... Please, don’t...kill me...”

Diablo’s voice was frigid enough that he even surprised himself.

“Is that what the people begging for their lives said before you killed them?”

“Ughhhh...”

“You have killed too many. Repent for your sins with death.”

He touched the tip of his staff against Gregore’s body.

“《Naraka》.”

This was a dark-elemental spell learned at level 130.

It’s effective range was by contact—basically, it meant that it would only activate if you were touching your opponent.

It was, however, incredibly powerful.

Gregore’s body was being sucked into the spot where Diablo had touched him with his staff.

“Gwah!? GAAHHHHH!!”

It was a miniature black hole.

The official description was: “A spell that takes your enemies and forcibly traps them within a realm of darkness.”

Its effects were tremendous, but...

For Sorcerers, getting in close enough to make contact was extremely dangerous. On top of that, there was a 5% chance of the spell failing.

But this time, it hadn’t failed.

—Man, dark spells are pretty hard to use. They’re in a borderline “looks cool, but useless” territory.

Gregore was completely absorbed into the sphere.

Shortly after, having served its purpose, the black orb disappeared.

He had won.

The moment he felt that relief come over him, he almost lost consciousness. Planting Tenma’s Staff in the ground, he used it to hold himself upright.

—Using all those spells one after the other really did a number on my MP.

Rather than feeling tired, he felt depressed.

He just didn’t care about anything, and lost his will to go on.

By his calculations, he had used over half of his total MP.

—Whatever.

—No, I can’t be like that.

He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight, and was on the verge of thinking he didn’t need to.

—It’s gonna be a problem if I let my MP get this low. Gotta be careful from here on out.

†

The sound of footsteps rapidly approached Diablo.

Turning around, he was met with Shera’s bright smile as she threw her arms around him.

“All right!!”

“Wo—ah...!?”

Behind her stood Rem, her eyes glistening with tears.

Diablo was more bewildered than when he had taken Edelgard’s attacks from earlier.

“Wh-Why are you crying?”

“...I thought... That it was too late, to be saved...”

”Waaaaaah! Diabloooo!”

Now Shera had started crying, too, even though she had been smiling just a second ago.

Looking around, he saw Celes a short distance away, her head bowed in a sign of appreciation for what he had done.

Next to her, looking like he had just woken up, was Emile, with a pained smile on his face.

—As long as he’s still alive, then I’m going to say that’s a good thing.

Shera began to cry again.

Rem came closer to Diablo and reached out to him. She laid her small, fair hand on top of Diablo’s, which was still gripping the staff.

It was soft, a little cold, and yet still warm.

”...If it’s you, then you really might be able to save me.”

“I made a promise to do just that.”

“Yes. Yes you did.”

“But do not get the wrong idea. That Fallen invaded my territory, so I just made sure to give him the appropriate punishment for that. It wasn’t that I was fighting for all of you. If you want to show your gratitude, then I’m sure there is someone else you should be saying it to.”

“...Of course. I’m also grateful to Emile, and a lot of other people as well. But, Diablo... Please, let me show my thanks to you... Thank you for protecting me.”

—It’s embarrassing when she stares straight at me like that...

—What would a Demon Lord say right now?

He had never seen a girl give thanks to a Demon Lord before, so he had no idea how to respond. Nothing like this had ever happened when he was putting on his Demon Lord act, either.

He looked at Rem, his eyes stopping at the collar around her neck.

“The collar.”

“...What?”

“You have an enslavement collar on you, don’t you? In other words, that makes you my property.”

“...Huh? B-But, this was an accident.”

“Right now, you are my property! Of course I would protect you; I was not fighting for you or anything! I have no need for your gratitude!”

Rem blushed.

“...I-I’m your property. I see... For as long as this collar stays on... I’m yours...”

After murmuring that, for the first time in a long while, she smiled.

—Wasn’t that hard for you to say?

—Personally, I would want to die after saying something so embarrassing. This is why I hate talking with other people.

Shera, who had been clinging to Diablo this entire time, watched in silence as Rem smiled happily at Diablo.

Then, she called out in a panicked voice.

“Huh? Excuse me, Diablo? Just Rem? What about me!? I’m your possession, too, right!?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I guess you are.”

“Isn’t that too mean!? You say that like I’m some kind of afterthought or something! Diablo— Hey! Look at me!”

While still holding onto Diablo, Shera started to rub up against him.

“Hey, stop that.”

Diablo had made it seem like he was annoyed with what Shera was doing.

What he really meant: “Agh, please stop! Pressing that outrageous chest of yours against me is going to destroy any sense of reason I have left!”

It seemed that Diablo’s troubles would only continue from here on out.