That night, Grom and I headed for the former Demon Realm.
It was an empty, cool wilderness.
The night sky stretched overhead, dotted with stars and a full moon.
This was the designated location for the duel.
It was technically Diera's territory, but the demigod had ignored that fact.
Whether Diera herself knew about this was unclear.
The demigod had probably chosen it because it was the location least likely to inconvenience any third parties.
An expanse this vast and uninhabited was rare.
Even if the battle intensified, there would be no bystanders affected.
In that sense, it was the ideal place for a duel.
These were welcome conditions from my perspective as well.
Here, even if I went all out, there would be no collateral damage.
Grom surveyed the surroundings.
He was visibly on high alert.
"Will he really show up...?"
"He will definitely come. He shouldn't break his word."
I stated firmly.
I was certain about this.
Grom asked with a skeptical look.
"Do you have some basis for that?"
"That man—the demigod. That was my impression when I spoke with him. He held unwavering conviction. He would not forgive deception, whether from others or himself."
The demigod's sense of justice was consistent.
When we had met before the World Tree, he had also considered the damage to the forest and the elves.
The fact that he had left without attacking me was because he wanted to minimize casualties.
The demigod was hesitant to wield his own power.
At the very least, he was not evil.
He had tried to kill me without regard for personal gain or loss.
His stated objective was the dismantling of the Demon King's army, which meant he wanted to eliminate evil and bring peace to the world.
That philosophy was something I could affirm.
Whatever lay at the end of its realization was another matter, but the desire for peace was noble.
I became aware of the heirloom sword hanging at my waist.
I had brought it properly this time.
The demigod was an opponent worthy of this sword.
I had to finish him for certain.
If I was going to kill him without letting him escape, the best choice was to cut him down with the heirloom sword.
At that moment, I sensed a shift in the air.
It was a minuscule change.
One might easily mistake it for imagination.
But something had undeniably shifted.
No matter how many times I checked, the result was the same.
I warned Grom.
"He should be arriving soon. Stay sharp."
"Understood!"
Grom readied himself with swift movements.
He was always prepared to respond at a moment's notice.
I placed my hand on the sword's hilt.
I reinforced my body with various forms of magic and sharpened my awareness.
Depending on how the demigod played this, I might need to draw immediately.
Before long, a spatial distortion appeared ahead.
The figure that emerged from it was the demigod.
Brown skin and white, unkempt hair.
The blue sigils inscribed across his body were the same as when we had met before.
The demigod looked our way and spoke.
"Kept you waiting."
"Don't worry about it. We just arrived ourselves."
"I see."
The demigod responded coldly.
His composed demeanor was completely natural.
He did not look like someone about to engage in a duel.
That said, it was not a lack of resolve.
His eyes, peering through the gaps in his wild white hair, fixed on me with a piercing, unwavering gaze.
Those were the eyes of someone bearing a sacred mission.
He was prepared to stake his life for his purpose.
The demigod stood motionless for a moment, then abruptly pointed at Grom.
He directed the question at me.
"Why did you bring your aide along? This duel shouldn't require it."
"There's no rule forbidding subordinates from joining in. We intend to work together to finish you off."
When I answered, the demigod's expression subtly tightened.
Something clearly displeased him.
He eyed us warily and said,
"...Are you serious? That undead of yours does possess extraordinary power. However, it's not something that can step into this kind of battle. You should understand that."
"That's not for you to decide."
I gave Grom a look.
Grom nodded and stepped forward.
This had been decided in advance.
It was Grom's own wish—he would fight first.
The purpose was to have the demigod reveal at least some of his power to me.
Grom halted at a fixed distance and faced the demigod.
He opened the conversation with a bold tone.
"Did you say I was lacking in strength?"
"Undoubtedly. That is what I said."
The demigod answered without hesitation.
It might seem like a provocation, but it wasn't.
He was simply stating the bare facts.
Meanwhile, Grom channeled miasma into his eight arms.
The arms writhed and morphed into the shapes of weapons, each additionally wreathed in black flame.
Spinning eight different weapons, Grom declared in a rumbling voice:
"—Very well. I must then correct that mistaken perception of yours."
"..."
The demigod remained standing in his natural state.
Without any particular exertion, he quietly observed Grom.
Midway through, he shifted his gaze to me.
"So you leave it to your aide and watch from the sidelines? Quite the privilege of rank."
"I am the Demon King, so I suppose it is quite the privilege."
I replied with a touch of sarcasm and provocation.
If it could chip away at the demigod's attention even slightly, it was worth it.
The demigod returned his gaze to Grom.
Within his body, his mana was surging.
The sigils across his body had begun to faintly glow.
"How heartless. Go ahead—watch your subordinate be destroyed."
The instant he finished speaking, the demigod vanished.