Chapter 85
Yuurai was troubled over how to defeat the Archangel.
"For now... should I destroy the town? I really don't want to, though..."
Yuurai had the power of destruction, but not the power of creation.
That was exactly why she was so resistant to destroying the town.
It felt wrong to destroy something she couldn't create herself—something built through the efforts of so many people.
"......What a waste. Why am I being made to do this..."
Yuurai summoned three five-meter-class Fiends. She also cast Concealment Magic on them.
"Destroy the town."
The Fiends began to move and started destroying the town.
Then, the Archangel finally moved.
Its fingertip pointed at the Fiends, releasing an unpleasant light. It didn't seem to be precisely targeting their location, but in the end, it erased the Fiends.
"Tch. So it reacts to the presence of an attack. That probably means it'll stop me from destroying the town too..."
"Shall I do it? Even if that Angel attacks me, I can block it for a while with a wall of earth. It won't do much damage."
Fia suggested cheerfully. She seemed excited at the prospect of getting to cause some destruction for the first time in a while.
"......Fine. I'm counting on you. It's pointless to say 'don't kill anyone' now, huh..."
Using the power of the ring she got from Lipia, Yuurai was also able to grasp the condition of the people around her. Just as Emma had said, most of them were lying limp, their souls extracted.
Even through Spirit Sight, she could see the souls gathering around the Angel.
In a town full of corpses, worrying about lives didn't mean much anymore.
(That thing's far more vicious than me, and I use Soul Devour.)
Fia spoke to the sighing Yuurai.
"Demon King. I'll be off now."
"Yeah. I'm counting on you. Just don't die."
"Okay! I'll definitely stay Undying, and go wild for the first time in forever!"
Fia distanced herself from Yuurai and began her destruction. Thorns of earth collapsed one building after another.
The Archangel responded to Fia as well, launching attacks, but Fia blocked them with her earthen walls.
Holy Magic, a threat to Monsters, lost much of its power against ordinary humans. At this rate, Fia would likely succeed in destroying the town that served as the Ritual Site.
However, even Fia had her limits. They had to deal with the Archangel quickly.
"......By the way, is it okay for you to stay here, Deena? You're not feeling your soul being drawn out or anything?"
"I'm fine. I think whether your soul gets taken has to do with faith or something. The ones getting sacrificed now are probably those who've devoted everything to God..."
"I see. Then Deena and Gilka should be okay. But it might be dangerous to stay near me. I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you, so hide somewhere. Or you could even go with Emma and Emeralda. They probably won't hurt anyone but me."
"Okay... got it."
"Don't die in a place like this, okay? I don't know why you're assigned to monitor me, but you didn't come here to die, right?"
"I don't want to die yet."
"Then survive on your own from here."
"Got it."
Yuurai shifted her mindset and focused on defeating the Archangel.
(......Still, how the hell am I supposed to deal with that thing? Do I even have any magic that might work?)
Skills: Dark Magic Lv.×××, Darkness Resistance, Wisdom, Undying, Dialogue with the Evil God
Titles: Dark Witch, Demon King, Monster of the Divine Realm, Evil God's Beloved
Dark Magic Lv.×××: Spirit Sight, Soul Extraction, Soul Devour, Marionette, Magical Remodeling, Pain Infliction, Mental Corruption, Mental Manipulation, Absorption, Undead Creation, Corruption, Deep Corruption, Blade of Darkness, Concealment, Perception Disruption, Curse, Ruler of Darkness, Servant Enhancement, Army of the Undead, Demon Summoning, Dark Bell
She thought about it, but no answer came to mind.
(Magic that works on humans doesn't do much to Angels. Even Blade of Darkness only leaves a scratch. Would Absorption work to drain all its magical energy? No way I could absorb all that power in my current state.)
Ruler of Darkness boosts her own power and limits enemy magic. It's not very effective against holy attributes.
Dark Bell indiscriminately destroys people's minds and renders them unable to recover. Too dangerous to use.
So Corruption is the only option... but that's risky too...
She could think of at least one way to defeat it.
Get close to the Archangel, activate Corruption, then either drain all its magical energy with Absorption or kill its soul one by one with Spell Word.
It could be defeated. But she had no idea how many others might get caught in the process.
(The fact that the Archangel isn't actively attacking me might be a small mercy. It's probably not under proper control. They just summoned a crazy Angel. It feels kind of like Demon Summoning, so I get the gist.)
As she approached the Archangel, Yuurai decided to try calling out to the Evil God as a last resort.
"Hey, Evil God. Can you hear me? If you can, answer me."
She had a skill called Dialogue with the Evil God. She didn't usually use it, but she had no one else to consult right now.
'I hear you. Things are getting interesting.'
"......Not interesting at all. Hey, can you tell me how to defeat that thing?"
'That's not how you ask someone for a favor, is it?'
"......Should I get on my knees and beg?"
'No. I don't need that. Just show me something entertaining.'
"Oh, that so? Then you wouldn't want me dying here, right? Give me a good idea."
'If you use Corruption, even that Archangel can be slaughtered quickly.'
"I don't want to use it. It'll cause too much collateral damage."
'For a Demon King, you're awfully gentle.'
"That's right. I'm kind. I don't want to destroy or rule the world."
'Hmm... It would be boring to tell you everything. I'll give you a hint. Bring that Angel under your control.'
"......Huh? Bring the Archangel under my control? How?"
'Figure it out yourself.'
"It's an Angel, right? Would something like Mental Manipulation even work?"
'Try it and see.'
"......I really don't think it'll work on an Angel."
Angels were different from ordinary beings. Yuurai could sense that instinctively.
They weren't the kind of entities that could be controlled with Mental Manipulation.
"......I don't know how, but I can bring that Archangel under my control, right?"
'It's possible. As long as you use all your powers—excluding Corruption.'
"All my powers...?"
'I've already told you. If you don't get it, just use Corruption to finish it.'
"......You're a real piece of work, Evil God."
'If I were kind and thorough, I wouldn't be worthy of the name Evil God. ...If I were to give you one more hint, think of the most famous demon in your world. That's all.'
The Evil God's presence vanished. Even if Yuurai called again, it probably wouldn't respond now.
"Can I really bring that Angel under my control...? And... remember a famous demon...?"
The Archangel was still targeting Fia with its attacks. Fia had been blocking them, but... the way it attacked began to change.
The Archangel started attacking Fia with enough force to destroy the surrounding buildings. If this dragged on, Fia wouldn't make it out unscathed.
"......Anyway, I have no choice. I'll bring the Archangel under my control and return to a peaceful life."