TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter.
TL/PR: Ruminas; ED: novicelily
My body contains at least five fragments of the Demon King.
One from the shadow monster and one from Amy.
I absorbed two during the monster attack incident. Since this body originally existed as a Seed of the Demon King, there must be at least one more already.
“……”
And there’s something I feel every time I swallow a fragment of the Demon King.
With each fragment I swallow and absorb, it feels like someone’s consciousness enters my body.
As if the fragment itself possesses its own awareness.
At first, I dismissed it as imagination since the voice was so faint.
But the more fragments I absorbed, the stronger my unease grew.
During the academy attack, didn’t it even try to seize control of my body?
In an unconscious space filled with nothing but darkness,
A silver-haired figure who resembles me speaks, looking at me.
‘…Be careful of one mage?’
She vanished, leaving behind words I couldn’t comprehend.
As the unconscious space shatters, I return to reality. Sertia stands before me, and I’m gripping a red sword.
This is the second time I’ve drawn the red sword.
The red mana isn’t my own power, but the Demon King’s power flowing from the fragments, so I prefer not to use it unless necessary.
But my opponent is Sertia. The strongest wizard in the Empire’s long history.
If I don’t fight with all my strength, I will lose.
This was the first time I’d felt genuine tension in battle.
“……”
I adjust my grip on the sword. Red magical energy radiates in all directions, exuding an ominous aura.
No matter how strong she is, the opponent is still a mage.
In close combat, she’ll be helpless. After all, she’s human. She won’t be able to match my speed.
I grip the sword and leap.
At the same time, the world around me begins to move in slow motion. The realm of extreme speed that opens up when reflexes transcend human limits.
The time needed to reach Sertia’s position is negligible.
Even one second is an eternity.
I’ll move faster than she can blink.
As I close in on Sertia, I immediately swing my sword.
It’s a speed that no one has managed to react to so far. An ordinary human probably wouldn’t even see me.
And then,
-Clang!!!!
The sword I swung at Sertia was blocked by some kind of barrier.
Cracks form on the thick barrier created with mana.
I put more strength into my sword hand and channel red magical energy.
At that point, I expected the barrier to shatter.
‘It didn’t penetrate?’
But I frowned.
I couldn’t break through Sertia’s barrier.
In the realm of extreme speed, where everything except myself moves slowly, Sertia’s eyes track me.
Her blue eyes lock onto mine.
Even though this sword cut down a high-ranking Demon King’s army member in a single stroke, Sertia’s cold expression doesn’t waver.
Her previous relaxed demeanor had been more natural than anyone else I’d encountered.
At that moment, Sertia’s attack magic ignited after completing its spell formation.
There was a flash.
***
Extreme pain erupts in my abdomen.
It feels like all my internal organs are twisting. My breathing is labored, and my body feels leaden.
Though it was only a single spell, my body was pierced, causing severe bleeding.
And worst of all,
‘Regeneration is slow…’
The residual mana from the magic is eating away at my body, interfering with healing.
It’s a sensation I’ve felt once before.
Mana blood.
Humans with a unique constitution that contains high concentrations of mana in their blood.
For some reason, magic from humans with mana blood excels at destroying magical energy.
Unlike Sera, who was inexperienced in utilizing her constitutional power, Sertia wielded hers precisely and efficiently.
Several attack spells fly toward me. Each one would be fatal if it hit, so I rolled across the floor.
I was trying to avoid the magic.
However, the magic cutting through the air doesn’t travel in straight lines.
It curves, pursuing its predetermined target.
“…Ugh!”
My vision twists again, and chunks of flesh tear away. Red blood spraying into the air fills my field of view.
I thought I had grown accustomed to pain. Apparently not.
My brows furrow involuntarily. The pain of my body melting from the mana blood left me immobile.
“Ugh, uh……”
I wipe blood from the corner of my mouth.
The reason the Demon King’s army hesitated to wage war against humanity must have been because of Sertia.
Her strength surpassed that of all the Empire’s humans combined.
I knew that, but she was even more powerful than I’d imagined.
She was overwhelming me despite being past her prime.
Clutching my melted wounds, I look ahead. Sertia still stands before me, appearing as unscathed as when I first saw her.
Sertia was stronger than me, at least for now. To defeat her, I needed a different approach.
I take out another fragment of the Demon King from my pocket and swallow it whole.
“……”
Afterward, I force my heavy body to stand. I recreate the red sword that had dissipated earlier.
I draw out more power from the fragments.
Until my mind grows hazy, until my consciousness warps.
The Demon King’s fragments and my consciousness merge, and some of the Demon King’s memories encoded in the fragments surface.
There was a mage who single-handedly confronted the Demon King after she had defeated Elion, the first Hero.
A wizard with red hair and shining blue eyes.
Though her appearance has changed considerably, she’s the same person as back then.
Red magical energy seeps out.
The wounds regenerate, and my hair takes on a red tinge from the magical energy’s influence.
“… That’s right, Sertia.”
I grip the sword.
“It’s been 20 years. It’s time to settle this.”
I kick off the ground.
***
I take a deep breath and slowly swing my sword.
I cut down the incoming magic with precisely shaped magical energy.
The spells are fast and lethal, but not beyond my ability to deflect.
I cut through them and reach Sertia.
I spread my magical energy in all directions, blanketing the area.
The magical energy surrounding us binds Sertia.
This is where she will fall.
With that thought, I swing my sword.
This time, it’s a strike meant to pierce the barrier. Sertia raises her hand to block the sword, but that won’t be enough.
-Crack, crack!
Cracks form on the massive barrier. The scene mirrors our earlier clash, but the fissures are larger now.
I put more force into my sword hand.
-Crash!!
After the barrier shatters, Sertia’s expression changes for the first time.
To minimize the gap in movement, my trajectory bends unnaturally as I charge toward her.
In that fleeting moment, Sertia conjures powerful elemental magic in her hand.
-Whoosh!!
Flames erupting from Sertia’s left hand engulf the area.
The red sword grazes her forehead as the blazing flames force me back.
Strong wind pressure—is it wind magic mixed with fire magic?
It doesn’t matter.
With the barrier broken, there are plenty of openings.
Pushed back, I catch my breath.
I try to control the overwhelming surge of red magical energy.
Blood trickles down from Sertia’s wounded forehead.
“……”
“……”
We stand in her burned-out study.
With an impassive expression, she wipes the blood from her forehead.
That’s when the real problem begins.
As Sertia converts the spilled blood into mana, her presence grows even more overwhelming.
Amplification of mana using blood.
I expected it, but can she use this technique too?
“Step back, Albert.”
“Lady Sertia, any more than this…!”
“This is my fight. It will probably be the last one.”
Sertia looks toward Albert.
“Or are you trying to hold back your teacher? Albert, I don’t know what you think of that person, but the remnants of the Demon King must be eliminated.”
“……”
“And it’s my duty to carry that out. I’ve lived my whole life just for this purpose.”
Saying that, she turns her gaze back to me.
Sertia, with flames engulfing her entire body, seems somewhat unstable.
Is she not in her normal state?
Perhaps that’s the key to victory in this fight.
The magnitude of Sertia’s power exceeds my own.
I don’t understand how a human can wield such power, but continuing a head-on battle puts me at a disadvantage.
Yet raw power alone doesn’t always determine the outcome.
I study Sertia. If I use my red magical energy, can I identify her weakness?
“What you swallowed earlier was a fragment of the Demon King, wasn’t it? The more I observe you, the more remarkable you seem. Normally, consuming that turns one into a mindless monster. I’ve never seen a being who can control the fragments’ power like you.”
“……”
“It’s probably because you’re genetically similar to the Demon King. That’s precisely why you must be eliminated here. I still have a duty to stop the Demon King’s remnants before they manifest into a more complete being.”
Saying that, Sertia extinguishes the flames in her hand.
She simultaneously ignites multiple spell formations. Everything from elemental magic to attack spells that shape mana into sharp projectiles.
Various magics bloom behind Sertia.
This is the pinnacle of magic that only she can achieve.
And then,
“Your name was Iria, right? I bear you no ill will.”
“Nor I you.”
Sertia aims all her assembled magic at me.
I point my sword at her in turn.
Now it was time to prove who was stronger.