CHAPTER 24

In This Cruel World

Sparks flicker from the Beast Emperor’s body as he looks down at Seiya doubled over.

“My attack power just surpassed one million, significantly exceeding that of Demon Lord Ultimaeus.”

Grandleon’s status reflects in my eyes as I use Scan.

BEAST EMPEROR GRANDLEON
Condition: Thunder Beast
LV: 99 (MAX)
HP: 955,989/1,200,044	MP: 0
ATK: 1,023,987	DEF: 998,596	SPD: 938,855	MAG: 58,754	GRW: 999 (MAX)
Resistance: Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Holy, Dark, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Curse, Instant Death, Status Ailments
Special Abilities: Dark God’s Blessing (LV: MAX), Flight (LV: MAX)
Skills: Jet-Black Nail, Volt, Volt: Sky Strike
Personality: Wicked

Saying the situation is hopeless would be putting it lightly. Gaeabrande was nothing compared to this. No human could ever defeat such a monster.

Just then…

“Y-you’re…?”

By my side, Queen Carmilla points at me with a trembling hand. That’s when I notice…I am no longer a fish-person.

“Who are you?!”

Desperately fighting the feelings welling in my heart, I tell the queen only what she needs to know.

“I-I’m Ristarte. I’m a goddess who came to save this world. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I had to transform into a fish-person.”

“I see…”

The queen nods with a solemn expression.

“You’re the goddess of fish…yes?”

“…?! No!! A-anyway, I’ll fill you in on the details later!”

Just as I start to return my attention to the battle, it hits me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

W-wait… Why was the shape-shifting spell broken?!

Magic that uses power in nature—earth magic, for example—relies on the energy of the soil itself in addition to the caster’s magic. That’s why the earth serpents could move even without Seiya’s magic. However, shape-shifting works solely because of Seiya’s magic. Which means…

Seiya has taken an unbelievable amount of damage!

I stare at Seiya breathing heavily with a hand on his stomach. Just as I expected, blood is pouring out of his torn-open abdomen.

“Seiya…!”

I get ready to rush over to heal him, but…

“Stay back.”

Seiya tells me to stop as if he knows my intentions. Grandleon turns his gaze on me as well.

“Huh? Who’s that girl…? Oh… That must be the goddess from another dimension who came with the Hero.”

The Beast Emperor mutters as if he isn’t interested in the least.

“I’ll kill her later with the hag. You’re up first, though.”

Grandleon poises himself to use Volt against Seiya, but the Hero manages to get back to his feet to take a defensive stance.

“I despise humans. The Demon Lord created me after he turned this world into a land of ruin. So I bet I was killed by a human in a past life.”

Thereupon, another bolt of lightning shoots past Seiya, and I hear the sound of flesh tearing open. Smoke rises in the distance, and Grandleon stands perfectly still. Seiya must have been unable to completely dodge Volt. His left cheek splits open as if he was cut with a knife. The Beast Emperor licks Seiya’s blood off his claws before repositioning himself to use Volt. Another pale trail of lightning shoots forward. This time, I hear metal clinking. It looks like Seiya is able to block the attack, but it sends the platinum sword in his left hand flying into the air. Seiya unsteadily drags himself to where the platinum sword lands, but Grandleon is already standing tall before it. As Seiya defenselessly reaches for the blade, the Beast Emperor swings his claws as if he’s about to chop off Seiya’s arm…but he suddenly stops.

“…Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Bam. Grandleon buries his foot in Seiya’s stomach, kicking him into the air. When Seiya hits the ground, blood aggressively spews out of his stomach wound.

“I noticed the moment I saw you. Your left arm is engulfed in a strange aura.”

I gasp when I hear those words.

W-was he trying to use Counter Break, like he did against the emperor in Gaeabrande?! That means he must have cast it on his arm before using Berserk just in case he got backed into a corner! He was gambling his own arm to cut off one of Grandleon’s…!

“So that was the last ace up your sleeve, huh? It’s too bad.”

The monster saw right through the cautious Hero’s plan. Grandleon laughs robustly while restlessly kicking Seiya in the stomach.

“You ran out of luck when you ran into me. I’m going to kill you. Then I’m going to kill Ultimaeus! I will rule all humans and beastkin in the world!”

Tears well in my eyes as I watch Seiya get kicked and stomped on like a sandbag.

This extraordinary Hero…such a talented man…doesn’t even stand a chance! He would have easily won if he completed the ritual…! But because of me…! Because I…!

Grandleon delivers a kick that sends Seiya several meters into the air.

“Seiya…!”

I can’t watch any longer. I don’t care if he kills me. I decide to rush over to Seiya. After placing a hand on his stomach, I get ready to use my healing magic when…

“You don’t have to heal me.”

Seiya spits out the words in agony. Has he realized that healing him won’t change the outcome of the battle? No… He probably just doesn’t want my help, since this is my fault.

“I’m sorry…! I’m so, so sorry…!”

All I can do is apologize, but Seiya slowly tells me:

“Rista… You were right. If I’d wasted any more time on the ritual, someone dear to you would have died…”

I—I can’t believe Seiya is saying this! S-stop! Don’t talk like you’re about to die!

But Seiya uses his platinum sword as a cane and slowly pulls himself to his feet.

“This pain…saved me from losing my mind. I should be able to use it now.”

Although riddled with wounds, he has strength in his eyes. I can feel it in my bones when I hear his voice filled with determination.

He’s planning on using Berserk: Phase Three! Phase Three will quadruple his stats! They would even exceed Grandleon’s! It’s all or nothing if he wants to defeat Grandleon! But… But…!

“There are heights that humans were not meant to reach. If a human uses Phase Three, their mind will be forever lost to madness! The scars of the berserker will be carved into your very soul and will remain even after you return to your original world!”

The Goddess of Warfare insistently warned us not to use Phase Three. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this! I get the feeling this isn’t going to be something you can overcome with raw talent and mental strength! Grandleon quietly watches us in the distance until…

“Finished saying your good-byes? Don’t worry. I’ll kill her shortly after I kill you.”

Grandleon gives a muffled laugh.

“Wait… Should I kill her first?”

He suddenly faces me!

“Volt!”

A pale bolt of lightning streaks toward me. Sensing death on the horizon, I instinctively shut my eyes when I hear a loud clash. I slowly open my eyes…only to see an unexpected sight. Grandleon has fallen to one knee! Black blood drips from his mouth and chin.

“Human…!”

His face contorted with rage, Grandleon glares at the Hero. I look over at Seiya and can’t believe what I see, either. His aura earlier couldn’t even compare to how powerful it is now! Even his skin has turned red, and his fingers are turning crimson as well!

The Hero breathlessly observes:

“It looks like…it worked…”

“I-is that… Is that Phase Three?!”

But Seiya shakes his head.

“Even if I manage to defeat Grandleon…I still have to worry about the Dark Lord. This isn’t the time to be taking risks…”

“Th-then what happened to you?!”

“If the full potential of Berserk is an insurmountable wall…then there’s no need to get to the top. I just need to…climb the wall…halfway…”

Seiya slowly mutters:

“Berserk: Phase 2.5…”

Phase 2.5?! Phase Two triples your stats, which means Phase 2.5…multiplies your stats by 2.5?! Does that mean he is able to match Grandleon’s stats by adjusting the phase between Two and Three?!

“Well technically…it’s more like Phase 2.491…”

Th-that’s oddly specific, but okay…! Anyway…that’s amazing! He was able to adjust it to the decimal point?!

Grandleon spits a mixture of saliva and blood onto the ground.

“So that’s the real ace up your sleeve, huh? Nothing has changed, though. You’re going to die.”

With that, Grandleon charges Seiya using Volt. Engulfed in a dark-crimson aura, Seiya rushes toward the Beast Emperor in turn. The two collide! After a powerful blast, I see Grandleon blocking Seiya’s dual blades with his claws. Grandleon smirks but is gradually pushed back as if Seiya is overpowering him!

“What is this power…?! There’s no way a mere human could be this strong…!”

“I gave up being human for the moment.”

“I’ve had enough of your crap! Who the hell do you think I am?”

Enraged, Grandleon raises an arm high into the air before swinging his claws through the platinum sword in Seiya’s right hand, shattering it into pieces!

“Looks like your weapons can’t keep up with your strength.”

He was right. Platinum swords are strong, but they aren’t fit for duels against Demon Lord–class monsters. Plus, the sword has gradually worn down over the course of their fierce battle.

This can’t be happening! And after finally raising his stats to match Grandleon’s…!

I fall into a pit of despair…but the ground under Seiya suddenly swells! Out slithers an earth serpent carrying a sheathed sword in its mouth!

“…?! There are still earth serpents underground?!”

“Yeah, I made a spare earth serpent and a spare platinum sword.”

Seiya takes the platinum sword and unsheathes it, but…

“My left sword is pretty beat-up, too. I’ll switch it out just in case.”

As he softly steps on the ground, it suddenly bulges once more, revealing another earth serpent with another sheathed sword!

“A spare earth serpent for my spare, and a spare platinum sword for my spare.”

H-how many spares does he have?!

Indifferent to how astonished I am by his thorough preparation, Seiya gets into stance with his two new swords. Grandleon clenches his teeth.

“You’re a joke… What are you, a magician?”

Grandleon slowly moves his arms in a circle.

“I’m not gonna hold back any longer! I’m gonna infuse both arms with Volt and tear you apart with Jet-Black Nail!”

Seiya, on the other hand, slowly exhales before muttering:

“Berserk: Phase 2.6…!”

H-he’s getting even closer to Phase Three! Is he going to be okay?! There’s no way he can maintain that for long…!

But that’s when I notice it… Grandleon is clenching his teeth while struggling to breathe!

Oh! Grandleon can’t remain in Beast Hazard Mode for long, either! Th-that means regardless of who wins…this match is about to come to an end!

…The dark-crimson aura of chaos faces the pale aura of lightning. The Hero slowly points his swords at Grandleon.

“From this moment on, the continent of Rhadral will be free from your rule.”

“Don’t get too cocky, human…!” Grandleon roars. “Humans are toys! Humans are food! Rhadral belongs to the beastkin!”

“All of that ends today.”

“We’ll see about that!”

With the power of Volt, the Beast Emperor swipes his claws at Seiya. The Hero parries the first strike, but the following combo comes in at blinding speed. Nevertheless, Seiya blocks each strike with his dual swords while driving them away!

However…there’s a creak! Grandleon throws all his might into his attack, shattering the fresh platinum sword in Seiya’s right hand like glass! Grandleon smirks, but a trail of black blood runs down his cheek. Paying no attention to his broken blade, Seiya thrusts with his other sword, skewering Grandleon’s cheek! The king of the beasts growls deeply but resumes his relentless onslaught, determined not to let the now-defenseless Hero escape with his life. Seiya’s at a disadvantage, but the ground swells below him, revealing another earth serpent with a sheathed sword. Dodging Grandleon’s attack with his upper body, Seiya kicks the sheathed sword into the air. As the weapon spins overhead, the centrifugal force pulls the sword out of its sheath before Seiya grabs it with his free hand.

“A spare for the spare of the earlier spare.”

Seiya thereupon switches to the offensive. He can’t use any abilities while in Berserk Mode, but through sheer natural talent alone, he weaves together countless sword techniques from each and every direction. Scars begin to carve into Grandleon’s body as he fails to block every attack.

“You little…shit…!”

His sword breaks again mid-combo, but even then, another earth serpent instantly delivers a spare. Without even taking his eyes off his opponent, Seiya kicks the sword straight into his hand. This is the price for continuously attacking so his opponent won’t even get a chance to breathe. But all of a sudden, a third threat soars over Grandleon’s head to attack Seiya: the giant serpent tail! Normal people would have a hard time dealing with an attack from their blind spot, but Seiya deflects it with his blade as if he expected it.

W-wow! He’s overpowering Grandleon!

I then hear another metallic clang. This time, however, it isn’t a platinum sword. As I look at Grandleon, I notice that the claws on his left hand are broken!

“M-my claws…!”

Compared to Seiya’s seemingly endless supply of platinum swords, Grandleon’s claws are relatively worn. The Beast Emperor suddenly leaps back, creating some distance between them. Both his full-power Jet-Black Nail and his surprise attack thwarted, Grandleon bares his fangs with rage while glaring at Seiya.

“Powers greater than mine even after I surpassed the Dark Lord?! I won’t allow it! I won’t allow you to exist in this world!”

Spreading the black wings on his back, Grandleon takes to the sky. I rush over to Seiya.

“I-is he running away?!”

“…No.”

Grandleon comes to a sudden stop after gaining significant altitude. He then roars so loudly, we can hear him on the surface. The air around him trembles as the lightning flickering around his body increases.

“What in the world…?”

“He’s going to focus every drop of power he has left…to kill me.”

Seiya sheathes his swords as if he’s given up.

“S-Seiya?!”

“I can’t use any abilities or magic during Berserk Mode, so I prepared to make up for this shortcoming. The drawback is that it takes time to focus, but it should be perfect against an enemy’s most powerful technique.”

“But how are you going to attack with your swords sheathed?!”

“Slowly but surely, I’m remembering the Valkyrja techniques of destruction. The Seventh Valkyrja: Break Permission—through granting destructive energy to only material objects, I was able to give the soil an explosive charge.”

Seiya taps his foot on the ground three times. Before long, a serpent pops out with a sheath wrapped in cloth.

“This sword was specially crafted. When drawn, the friction will create sparks that ignite the explosive soil inside the sheath, thus creating more power along with the flames. The tremendous energy created will then be used to hit the target.”

By the time Seiya finishes his explanation, Grandleon is quietly staring down at us from the sky. The explosive lightning flickering around him is quietly absorbed into his body. He is then swallowed in a blinding ray of light instead.

“Die…! Volt: Sky Strike!”

With the overpowering aura coursing through every vein in his body, Grandleon rapidly descends in our direction like a shooting star followed by a pale ray of light. There’s no way we can block that…!

“Seiya! Use the move!”

“No, he needs to be closer.”

“B-but at this rate, we’ll…!”

“This is all I have left. If I miss, it’s over.”

Grandleon rapidly approaches at a blinding speed, but even then, Seiya doesn’t draw his sword.

W-we’re doomed!

The moment my eyes catch sight of Grandleon’s Chain Destruction–infused claws…Seiya’s hand on the sword’s grip twitches.

“Valkyrja Explosion: Crimson Boom…!”

The instantaneous sound of the sword being unsheathed is drowned out by the explosive roar in front of us. The thunderous blow dealt by the Hero with over one million attack power collides into Grandleon, the shooting star.

A tremendous shock wave and radiant light are created when the two extraordinary forces clash, blowing me away.

“N-ngh…”

…I slowly sit up to find Grandleon standing with his back turned to Seiya. Seiya quietly stands with his sword drawn as well. Neither faces the other. They’re both completely still. But almost instantly, I hear a crack. The platinum sword in Seiya’s hand shatters into ash, and Seiya falls face forward to the ground. Grandleon, on the other hand, reveals only a faint cut on his chest as he turns around.

Th-the attack barely did any damage! It took the full force of Crimson Boom just to cancel out Volt: Sky Strike!

But as the Beast Emperor approaches Seiya to deal the final blow, his chest begins to swell as a glittering red liquid bursts out of the faint cut. Suddenly, Grandleon’s torso catches fire. He screams as the flames try to escape from his body. I shiver as the king of the beasts lets out one final cry of agony while the numerous small explosions tear his flesh asunder.

The explosive soil was thrown into his body…!

Though they initially rage out of control, the flames eventually die down to reveal a charred Beast Emperor.

“Seiya!”

I rush over to Seiya and prop him up. His hair color has already returned to normal, which means he isn’t in Berserk Mode anymore. He winces in pain, but it looks like he’s still conscious. When he finally notices my presence, he instantly snaps to his feet like a whip.

“…What happened to Grandleon?”

“Don’t worry! Crimson Boom burned him to a crisp!”

I point in the direction of the body…but Grandleon is nowhere to be found.

“You win…human.”

Startled, I look in the direction of the voice. Although his body has been completely charred, he stands behind the queen.

“The wound is fatal… I won’t live much longer. But I figured I’d pay you back…before I go.”

The beast then grabs a handful of the queen’s hair.

“I finally learned…what makes humans suffer the most.”

N-no…! Not the queen…!

“It’s having what’s most important to you…broken!”

I start sprinting for the queen, but when he sees me coming his way, he lets go of the queen’s hair.

“…That’s right. It’s you.”

Grandleon charges at me with his last bit of strength.

Huh?! Me?! Wh-why?!

It’s clear the Beast Emperor doesn’t have much power left, but he probably still has enough to kill me. Mere moments before his claws tear through me, a little face pokes out from my chest. It’s the earth serpent that Seiya left with me to protect me just in case. Paying no heed to the snake, Grandleon continues driving his claw toward my heart when…

“G-gwah…!”

He groans in agony. Before I even realize it, the earth serpent has latched onto Grandleon’s neck with its fangs! He grabs the serpent with both hands and tries to tear it off, but it wraps around him and won’t let go! Standing behind me, Seiya says in a neutral voice:

“The earth serpent protecting that woman…is the strongest I can currently create. You no longer have the strength to remove it.”

Grandleon’s eyes open wide, and he pierces Seiya with a hate-filled glare. He gives up trying to pull off the snake and turns to Seiya to take him to the grave with him…but all of a sudden, he stops. His grip around the earth serpent loosens, and his body droops forward before he lifelessly drops to his knees. Seiya extends a hand in Grandleon’s direction.

“…Endless Fall.”

Having returned to an earth Spellblade, Seiya unleashes his final attack. Without even touching his opponent himself, earth serpents forcefully drag Grandleon’s body underground. The instant he vanishes, the beastkin watching in the distance begin to panic.

“L-Lord Grandleon was killed!”

“The Dark God’s power is going to disappear!”

“We’re done for…!”

After losing their boss, the beastkin scatter like baby spiders. Seemingly relieved to see that, Seiya drops to a knee. I run over to the battered Hero, place a hand on his stomach, and heal the wound.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry…! Because of me, you…!”

Seiya sends me a reproachful gaze.

“Stop crying and don’t apologize. You’re annoying me.”

“But…!”

“We won. That’s all that matters. Besides…”

Seiya exhales deeply, then continues:

“I told you in the spirit world I was perfectly prepared, right?”

“Yeah… You’re right!”

After I finish closing Seiya’s wound, he staggers to his feet.

“At any rate, we need to take the queen somewhere safe…”

But the moment those words come out of his mouth, he goes limp and collapses.

The next day, I find myself standing in Queen Carmilla’s old home in the town of Termine. Though the inside is a mess thanks to the beastkin, the furniture is still there for the most part, so Seiya is sleeping in one of the beds. Although I finished healing his wounds yesterday, I still put a cool, damp washrag on his forehead before leaving the room. The queen is talking to a familiar man in the adjacent chamber.

“I can’t imagine the pain you went through, Jonde.”

“It was nothing compared to what happened to you, my queen.”

The pale man speaks as if a wave of emotions has swept over him. I could never forget him. The beastkin turned General Jonde of Termine into an undead and forced him to fight us at the enlistment trial. When the queen notices me there, she introduces us.

“This is Jonde. He was the late king’s right-hand man.”

The general reverently lowers his head and lets out a bitter laugh.

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, I’m now half-corpse, but I hope you can look past that.”

“Y-yeah, I mean…! Of course! It’s no problem! Oh-ho-ho-ho!”

I feel so bad for the awful things I did to him at the trial, to the point that I can’t look him in the eye. He’d probably punch me in the face if he found out I was that fish.

“The beastkin seem to have escaped from Termine. The Dark God’s power has disappeared with Grandleon’s death, and their powers have decreased to one-tenth of what they were. They likely feared retaliation and ran.”

The beastkin must have gotten pretty cocky, since the Dark God’s Blessing had given them powers far greater than any human. They didn’t take the surveillance or confinement of humans seriously because they didn’t take humans themselves seriously—and lucky for us. The people once kept in captivity are apparently gathering in the town.

The queen sends Jonde a smile.

“They always did call you the Immortal General, after all… It looks like they were right.”

The queen jokes, but her expression is brimming with compassion. Tears begin welling in Jonde’s sunken eyes. I’m sure he was a knight through and through. He looks away so the queen doesn’t see him sob.

“Th-there are probably still numerous people trapped in cells underground! I will go give the soldiers orders to search for and free the remaining prisoners!”

Jonde bows to us once more before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He may be undead, but he’s still a wonderful general. Now that the queen and I are alone, she asks:

“…Are you sure you don’t need to be by the Hero’s side when he wakes up?”

And the truth just slips off my tongue.

“Um… Honestly, I don’t really know how I should act around him, so…”

She gives me a curious look, but I smile.

“I-I’m a terrible goddess! I always mess things up and drag him down with me! Seiya’s a human, but he’s so much smarter, stronger, and more mature than I am! I mean, he probably would be better without me and—”

“Goddess.”

The queen cuts me off midsentence.

“The beastkin thought I was a cold woman who felt no pain, but in reality, I’m a weak person who couldn’t even acknowledge her own daughter’s death.”

The queen turns her eyes to the door of the bedroom in which Seiya is sleeping.

“That man is human, too. He feels grief, and I’m sure, deep down inside, he’s in pain.”

“‘In pain’? Seiya? B-but Seiya doesn’t have any memories of the past! Besides, he doesn’t care what people say to him. In fact, he gives knuckle sandwiches to anyone who—”

“While that may be true, you cannot expect him not to think about this world’s present state, which derives from what happened in his past. Regret, guilt—he will surely be suddenly overwhelmed with negative feelings from time to time. But he knows these feelings won’t help him save the world, so he suppresses them by locking them away in the depths of his heart.”

The queen’s face is overcome with sorrow.

“And that’s…a very painful thing.”

After relaxing her expression, she sends me a cheerful smile.

“All you need to do is stand by him. Just be by his side in this cruel world. Make a fool of yourself, make mistakes—because that’s what’s saving him whether you know it or not.”

“B-but Seiya doesn’t want me around… He thinks I’m…”

The queen rolls her eyes.

“Are you kidding? Even Grandleon noticed…”

“Huh?”

I stare at the queen, unable to understand what she means, but she suddenly places a hand before her mouth as it opens wide.

“O-oh my! I have been so rude to you, haven’t I?! Goddess, please forgive me.”

“N-no, I don’t mind.”

“It’s strange. I feel so relaxed around you. It must be because you were so kind to me as a fish-person.”

“Yeah…”

After sharing a smile, I hop to my feet.

“Well…I’m gonna go check on Seiya!”

“That’s a wonderful idea.”

After leaving the room, I whisper softly so the queen can’t hear me:

“…Thanks, Mom.”

I can’t believe my eyes when I open the door to the bedroom. Seiya is already sitting up and awake.

“Seiya! You’re awake?! You should be slee—”

“Rista. How long was I out?”

“Um… You slept through the night.”

“I can’t believe I did that…”

Seiya grimly clenches his teeth.

“Once the Demon Lord hears of Grandleon’s death, he’s going to send his men in droves to invade Termine.”

Seiya dons his armor, grabs his sword, and heads straight for the door.

“S-Seiya…!”

He walks outside and places a hand on the garden soil.

“I’m going to spread earth serpents throughout the town.”

The ground undulates around his hand. He must be sending dozens— Wait. It’s Seiya. He’s probably creating hundreds of earth serpents.

“You’re awake.”

I look over to find Jonde standing behind Seiya. The queen is now positioned by my side as well. Facing Seiya, Jonde says:

“Allow me to express my gratitude to you for defeating Grandleon and saving Termine. However, this would have never happened in the first place if you had defeated the Demon Lord a year ago…”

Jonde grabs Seiya by the back of the neck while his hand is still on the ground.

“Jonde, stop!”

“No! He’s not going anywhere until he hears what I have to say!”

The general turns Seiya’s head around so the Hero can see the fury in his eyes.

“Why…? Why couldn’t you save Princess Tiana?!”

“Jonde…!”

The queen and I both freeze. As a suffocating air reigns over our heads, Seiya places a hand on Jonde’s shoulder, and…

Whoosh!

The general is driven into the ground until he’s buried up to his knees!

“Huh?!”

Seiya then turns his back to the general and diligently continues making earth serpents.

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!”

Seiya’s earth magic robs Jonde of all mobility, but…

“Hmph!”

He pulls his legs out of the ground with brute force.

“Oh?”

The Hero sounds impressed, but he immediately touches Jonde again.

Whoosh!

“Ahhhhhh!”

This time, he’s buried up to his waist.

“Y-you little…!”

I figure there’s no way he’ll be getting out of this one, but…

“Don’t you dare underestimate me, boy!”

…he pulls himself out of the ground once again.

“Oh? Huh.”

Seiya places a hand on the general’s head as he boldly approaches the Hero.

Bonk! Whoooooosh!

An even louder noise echoes as Jonde’s entire body is powerfully sent underground. B-but now that I look carefully, I think I can see his forehead!

“S-Seiya! Help him! His head’s the only thing not underground!”

“He’s undead. He’ll be fine. Leave him.”

“I—I can’t leave him like this! Pull him out!”

After a few moments pass, Seiya grabs the immortal general’s hair in an irritated manner and pulls him out. Jonde is on the verge of tears.

“Sniffle…! I-it was so dark…and I couldn’t breathe…! It was awful…!”

Seiya curiously stares at him.

“You’re undead.”

“Suffocating is still painful when you’re undead!”

“But I made sure your forehead was sticking out.”

“A-are you making fun of me?! I can’t breathe through my forehead!”

The queen stares coldly at Seiya, who continues making earth serpents while ignoring Jonde.

“Goddess… I take back what I said earlier. It seems you can’t use common sense with this one…”

“Whaaaaaaaat…?”

Jonde steps away from Seiya so he won’t be buried anymore; then he yells:

“It doesn’t matter how many of those snakes you make! Once word gets out that Grandleon was killed, Oxerio and the machine corps will be here!”

“‘Oxerio’…? ‘Machine corps’?”

The queen explains it to me.

“The Machine Emperor Oxerio is a monster who rules the northern continent Barakuda. The Demon Lord created powerful magic weapons known as killing machines, which make up the machine corps. They say there are tens of thousands of them, and they are even more powerful than beastkin.”

T-tens of thousands of “killing machines”?!

While I feel I’m about to faint, Seiya doesn’t even seem concerned.

“I heard about them from the beastkin while I was gathering information. I’ve already thought of how to defeat them as well.”

“You’re still not going to defeat the machine corps with those earth serpents!”

“Who said I was going to use these to fight? They’re for scouting and surveillance.”

Seiya turns his gaze from Jonde to me as if he’s made enough earth serpents.

“Rista, create a gate. It’s time to return to the spirit world and prepare for the machine corps.”