Summary of Previous Events
The battle with Atophe had begun.
"I am the Undying Demon King, Atophe Ratophe Ryback!
If you can defeat me, I'll grant you the title of Hero!
If you lose, I'll use you as my puppet until you draw your last breath!"
Atophe, radiating overwhelming killing intent.
The one who stood against her alone was a heroic figure.
"Sword King Eris Greyrat."
Eris held high in a grand overhead stance the "Phoenix Dragon Sword"—one of the Sword God Style's Seven Swords—and faced Atophe.
"Sword God Style, is it?"
Atophe kept her eyes locked on Eris and drew her sword with delight.
"Let me say this first—your Blade of Light won't work on me."
"..."
Eris did not flinch at Atophe's words.
She knew this already.
She had heard the legends of the Undying Demon King.
The Undying Demon King Atophe could never be defeated.
There was no technique involved.
Her sword was dull and slow.
She simply would not die.
No matter how many attacks she took, no matter how many fatal wounds she suffered, she would not die.
She would rise from any attack.
And in the end, she would be the one standing.
That was the Undying Demon King Atophe.
During the Laplace War, only fewer than ten fighters—including the Three Heroes who slew the Demon God—had been able to stand against her.
It was said that only Karlmann, the North God, had single-handedly defeated her, the feared symbol of terror.
Eris assessed the situation.
Could she defeat the Demon King before her with her own strength?
No.
She couldn't do it alone.
There was a thrill in challenging a legendary existence, but she had no card in her hand that could defeat Atophe.
But there was no need to lament that.
Even if she didn't have it herself, someone else already did.
The coordination for this had been completed before they even arrived here.
"..."
"Hey, say something."
Eris said nothing.
"No... there was someone like you once, who concentrated all their focus and unleashed one perfect strike. Someone like that..."
"..."
"Heh heh. I have a good memory, you know. I remember it clearly.
Of course, that strike never reached me, and my fist crushed him like a frog."
Atophe was probably recalling that time.
She let out an evil chuckle and glared at Eris.
"Well, Eris Greyrat. This is a once-in-a-lifetime gamble.
Will you disgrace yourself in front of your trusted companions... or will you earn glory?"
"..."
"My head is right here. Take this back, and you'll go down in history forever as the Hero of the Human Race."
Atophe tapped her own head.
Her expression overflowed with confidence.
There was no way this woman could kill her.
Pure, absolute confidence.
The Royal Guard around them were in distress. Ah, Atophe is being careless again! they lamented.
But allowing a hero to land a blow—that was perhaps an inescapable trait of the Undying Demon King's bloodline.
"I don't need glory," Eris said flatly.
"But I will cut off your head."
"Well said! Eris Greyrat! Come, then!"
Atophe's cry echoed across the land.
The setting sun dipped behind the mountains, plunging the surroundings into twilight, and the purple-flamed candelabras illuminated the two combatants.
Atophe's eyes blazing with light.
Eris's gaze, refusing to back down.
Their stares crossed. Their killing intent clashed.
Two warriors on the brink.
"Ah..."
But at that moment, the Royal Guard wasn't looking at the two of them.
They were looking behind Eris.
There stood a giant.
In the gathering darkness, a stone giant over three meters tall stood there.
Where had it come from?
Summoning Magic?
No—there were no traces of that.
And several steps away from the giant, a blue-haired magician stood there. She clenched her fist and gazed up at the giant from behind, as if to say, "Success."
"Ah..."
Now the Royal Guard understood why Eris—known for her fierce temperament and her Sword God Style—hadn't attacked.
Some of them even let out sighs of admiration.
While Eris was buying time, Rudeus had made his preparations.
The Magitech Armor "First Type" had been summoned.
"O... ooooh..."
The shadow standing behind Eris.
Atophe looked up at it and groaned.
She recognized it.
That armor. Before the Laplace War—during the Second Human-Demon War.
She had seen it before being sealed away.
The shape was a little different.
The color was a little different.
But those were trivial differences.
As if there could be more than one such armor in the entire world.
"The Fighting God Armor...!"
As Atophe stood there, gazing up in a daze—
"GAAAAAAAARGH!!!"
Eris struck.
--- Rudeus's Perspective ---
Eris's sword shot forward.
Straight toward the left side of Atophe's neck—the shortest path, as the Demon King gazed up at the Magitech Armor.
The magic sword, reduced to a single streak of silver light, slid into Atophe's neck with overwhelming lethal force.
And then pushed through—
"!?"
It stopped.
The sword stopped halfway through Atophe's neck.
"..."
Atophe's sword was buried deep in Eris's right shoulder.
With that alone, Eris's right arm was rendered immobile.
It hadn't stopped on its own.
She had been stopped.
By driving a sword between bone and bone, using it as a brace to halt the Blade of Light—said to be the strongest sword technique.
"GAAAAARGH!"
In an instant, Eris abandoned her right arm.
Using only her left hand, she swung her sword through to the end.
Normally, the Blade of Light would send a head flying in a single blow.
But with only one hand, its power was halved.
Atophe's head remained attached, a third of it severed but still connected to her body.
Normally, that would be enough to kill.
But her opponent was Atophe.
The Undying Demon King, Atophe Ratophe.
"Graaaah!"
Atophe, still looking like a half-dead creature, kicked Eris away.
With a sickening thud, Eris was sent flying, and Roxy caught her from behind.
Blood gushing from her shoulder, Eris kept her fierce gaze locked on Atophe.
Her part was done.
"Oooh!"
Atophe turned toward him with a battle cry.
She raised her sword defensively, then leaned forward in a charging stance.
Charging straight at him while he aimed the gatling cannon.
With Eris blown aside, the firing line was clear.
"Impact Burst!"
A hail of rock cannonballs rained down.
One step—Atophe's armor shattered to pieces.
Two steps—Atophe's shoulder was torn away, and her sword went flying.
Three steps—Atophe's upper body, riddled with holes, separated from her lower half and was blown away.
There was no fourth step.
The lower half, robbed of its upper body, swayed and toppled over.
A stomach-churning sight.
Because she was the Undying Demon King, no blood flowed—but if it had, he might have felt sick.
He wasn't used to killing.
How could he be?
Firing a gatling cannon at point-blank range like this—this was something he could only do because he knew she wouldn't die.
That's right. She wouldn't die. Not even from this.
"Did we do it?"
Roxy, having cast Healing Magic on Eris, asked while glancing anxiously at the Royal Guard.
They wouldn't attack without Atophe's orders.
Not a single one of them was worried about Atophe.
They had absolute faith in their undying master.
"Not yet," he answered, staying on guard.
"So do we fight next?"
"Nah, that's impossible."
"Look at the floor. The black steel's been gouged out."
"Armor won't help either. What kind of magic was that...?"
"When Atophe fought before, she used these super high-powered rock cannonballs. Probably that."
"Ah, right. She's rapid-firing rock cannonballs."
"Which means, separate from the armor, that staff is some kind of magic tool?"
They were analyzing him. What a laid-back bunch.
But they probably already knew that wasn't enough to kill Atophe.
Atophe was regenerating.
Scattered pieces of flesh were drifting toward larger chunks.
And slowly fusing together, trying to return to her original size.
Unlike some parasitic organisms, she could probably regrow even if you pulled out her hair...
Also, even if not all the flesh returned, he could sense a vitality that could regenerate through cell division from even a small piece.
A creature like this, wearing armor and using martial arts.
No wonder she was strong...
While he was thinking this, Atophe had returned to her original form.
However, since he'd riddled her with holes, her upper body was bare.
Muscles more developed than Eris's, and breasts not as large but still substantial, were on display.
For a creature like that, was there even a point in training muscles...?
Probably, yes.
Actually, thinking about the fact that her cells couldn't die, there might be even more reason for her to train than for a human.
Fascinating.
"Will you continue?"
He asked Atophe, who had finished regenerating and was now unarmed.
He had been prepared to fight.
But he hadn't come here to fight in earnest or to make an enemy of her.
If he went all out and tried to annihilate Atophe here, Moore—who was watching from behind—would consider it an act of hostility.
Moore, upon determining hostility, would lead the Royal Guard in an attack.
That's what Orsted had told him.
He had considered countermeasures for that scenario...
But all in all, it would be better to beat her down repeatedly until Atophe was satisfied.
He didn't know how many times she'd come at him, but he'd keep fighting until his mana ran out.
"I won't!"
But even as he was thinking this, Atophe shouted just that.
Moore rushed over and draped a cloak around Atophe.
"I'm having them bring your spare armor now."
"Hmph!"
Atophe sat down cross-legged on the ground with a heavy thud.
She apparently had no intention of fighting.
She just glared up at him with an irritated expression.
Truly unexpected.
He had fully expected her to charge at him like a boar the moment she regenerated.
Or alternatively, to command her forces and surround them.
"..."
Between her and him stood Eris with her sword raised, but Atophe paid her no mind.
Behind him to the side stood Roxy with her staff ready, but she wouldn't be needed this time.
"..."
Atophe stared at him intently.
For a long moment, in complete silence, she simply stared.
"Moore, do you remember?" she said suddenly.
"No, during the Human-Demon War, I was still..."
"Right, of course."
In an unusually low voice, with an unusually calm tone, Atophe murmured.
"It's different from back then.
Back then, it was more dazzling.
It had both power and speed, but it didn't have weapons like that."
Atophe was talking about the original Fighting God Armor—the one Laplace had supposedly created, said to be the strongest armor.
"But that's how humanity always was.
At first, they were weak. Incredibly weak. The moment we attacked, they'd crumble and flee.
But after a while, they'd keep changing.
Before you knew it, the faces had changed, the armor had changed, the weapons had changed.
Their tactics too.
They'd form up, scatter, set ambushes in mountains, divide across rivers...
And while doing all that, they'd gradually grow stronger.
Karl said that was the true strength of the human race."
Something about Atophe's expression seemed calm.
What she was saying was surprisingly intellectual.
Did the Undying Demon Race enter a state of sagacity after regenerating?
"Did you make that?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I see... You're strong. You're truly strong."
Atophe said this with a refreshed expression.
"What an amusing story. The dragons my old man couldn't defeat no matter how hard he tried—and now a piddling human is catching up..."
Atophe slowly stood up.
With Moore at her side, she looked down at him, crossed her arms, and spoke.
To Rudeus, who couldn't quite follow, Atophe continued.
"I'll acknowledge my defeat. As promised, as long as you live, I'll serve under your banner."
And just like that, Atophe joined their side.
"Rudeus Greyrat. You who have defeated me—you are a Hero."
Incidentally, he also became a Hero.
---
Afterward, a feast was held at Atophe's fortress.
A feast celebrating the defeat of the Demon King.
The host was the Demon King herself who had been defeated.
The staff was the Royal Guard.
The attendees were also the Royal Guard.
The banquet hall had been set up in an enormous training field.
Practice dummies and obstacle courses had been cleared away, an arena built in the center, and around it, rugs made of beast hide had been laid in a circle, with members of the Royal Guard eating and drinking.
Demon King Atophe had been defeated.
But that didn't mean those captured by Atophe would be released.
It would be problematic for him to reduce the Royal Guard's fighting strength, and Atophe certainly wouldn't understand.
For now, things would stay as they were.
This wasn't some prisoner-of-war camp where everyone could be freed.
Well, if any of them truly wanted to go home, he'd find an opportunity and send them back little by little.
If it was gradual, even Atophe might not notice.
That said, the members of the Royal Guard seemed to be enjoying nothing but the feast.
They showed no sign of turning against their master.
"Tonight is a joyous night! Drink! Sing! And fight!"
Despite her defeat, Atophe was in exceptionally high spirits.
In the center of the banquet grounds—the arena.
She was having her subordinates fight each other there, reveling in the spectacle.
Every time he sent over a bottle of wine and she took a drink, she'd shout "Delicious!"—it seemed he'd won her favor.
It felt strange, but there was something similar about the Bardigadi family.
Having a drinking and singing fest after a duel...
They really were brother and sister.
The Undying Necros Lacros—or whatever he was called—must have been the same kind of person.
"Hahahahaha! Good!"
"Smash 'em!"
"He dropped his guard! Get him up! Get him up! Whoa..."
What was happening in the arena was hand-to-hand combat.
No weapons, no armor—just fists against fists in a manly contest.
The burly men of the Royal Guard were clenching their fists and hammering each other.
Oh, wait—those weren't Royal Guard members fighting each other. And they weren't men.
"The winner—Eris!"
The one in the arena was Eris.
She must have felt unfulfilled from the earlier battle.
With savage, wild-dog-like movements, she was pummeling a member of Atophe's Royal Guard—a demon.
It was actually a decent match.
The Royal Guard were supposedly elite, but Eris didn't have a sword either.
In a bare-fisted brawl, were they evenly matched, or was someone holding back...?
No, no one was holding back.
At the edge of the arena, several knocked-out fighters lay sprawled about.
Eris had apparently already flattened about three opponents.
She wasn't unscathed, but with Roxy as her second applying Healing Magic, she'd be fine.
Eris really had gotten stronger...
"Ahahahaha! Not bad! You truly are a hero's companion! Who's next?! Who's coming up?"
"I challenge you! Demon King Atophe! Come down here!"
"Ahahahahaha! You'd challenge me to bare fists? You're no less an idiot than Kishrika! Very well—I like your spirit! I'll take you on!"
Atophe flung off her cloak, baring her upper body, and descended into the arena.
The venue erupted in thunderous cheers.
The feast had reached its climax.
Would Eris win, or would Atophe?
The odds favored Atophe. But if Eris could pull it off—what an upset that would be—
"Lord Rudeus... Lord Rudeus!"
"Oh, pardon me."
He wasn't participating in the feast.
He was in a room in the fortress, in a meeting with Moore about future plans.
He was supposed to be the main character, yet the feast was at its peak.
What was the feast even for?
"Ahem. I've noted the details.
The search and elimination of Hitogami and his apostle Geese, as well as combat support during the fight.
The search for Lady Kishrika. Establishing an intelligence network. Assistance in the battle against the Demon God Laplace.
Roughly, that covers it?"
"Yes."
Unlike Atophe, Moore was a reasonable man.
He listened to Rudeus's requests, organized them, and considered them positively.
Perhaps he was what happened when Atophe's brain had developed a personality and burst through her narrow skull.
"The first two aside, the latter two—particularly assistance in the fight against the Demon God Laplace—don't seem feasible at all."
"Even so? Do you owe Laplace some obligation?"
"Atophe was personally defeated by you. If you were to die, that obligation would end. Could you even stay alive? Another eighty years?"
"...That would be difficult, I suppose."
It was personal. Him, personally.
He might have been better off letting someone like Roxy take the loss...
But oh well. This was probably fate too.
"Mercenary group support is also difficult."
"Because of territorial instincts?"
"Atophe rules over this region, but her control extends only to the Royal Guard. You're free to create a separate organization, but we can't guarantee its safety."
"...Understood."
Mercenary groups were a no-go too.
Creating one would be possible in theory, but one mustn't forget that the organization next door was led by Atophe.
Problems would arise. And solving those problems required not wit but on-the-spot force.
He'd probably find one day that it had been destroyed without warning.
"For the search for Lady Kishrika, let's have letters bearing Atophe's seal delivered to Demon Kings across the land. For a search alone, the Demon Kings would likely lend their help."
"Please."
"You won't need to ask. The one delivering them will be you, Lord Rudeus. We don't know the exact locations of Teleportation Circles, you see."
"Oh, right."
Of course—these people knew about Teleportation Circles, so there was no need to keep that secret.
Teleportation Circles.
Forbidden to the human race, but for the Demon Race—especially those who had lived long—they might not be forbidden at all.
"Lady Kishrika, unless she has a particular reason, doesn't tend to run around, so she should be found quickly."
"The sooner the better, though."
"Depends on how fast the letters travel, but... within a year, she should be found somewhere."
Kishrika remained, as always, impossible to pin down.
"Why is that woman always wandering around?"
"Well, the thoughts of old demons are beyond me."
"...Right."
As far as Rudeus was concerned, Moore was one of the old demons too.
He didn't know how many years Moore had lived, but as an Undying Demon, it would have to be well over one hundred or two hundred.
"However, Lord Rudeus, you've truly grown powerful. Compared to when I last met you, you're unrecognizable."
"It's the Magitech Armor."
"You're too modest."
"I'm not being modest. I've gained enough strength to overpower Atophe, but I myself haven't dramatically changed."
"Strength" could be manufactured.
Through the fusion of magic and technology.
Of course, this "strength" hadn't been achieved by his power alone.
Him, Zanoba, Cliff—and recently Roxy.
Without them, the Magitech Armor wouldn't have been completed, nor could it be operated.
"Atophe, acknowledging your strength with a single blow and deciding to join you, was only the second such case—after Karlmann, the North God."
"I don't think I'm quite at the level of the great powers."
If she had simply kept reviving and fighting over and over, he would have been the one to fall eventually.
Mana wasn't infinite.
"If you lack something, compensate.
Technology, equipment, companions.
Atophe acknowledges all of those things.
That's why she always says to bring everyone along.
Because that is the true strength of the human race."
The strength of the human race lay in collective power...
Using weapons, using companions—all of it fell under strategy and tactics.
No matter what the opponent did, she didn't call it cowardly.
That was precisely why Atophe had acknowledged her defeat, and why Moore praised him.
He felt a bit of understanding now.
"But Atophe still has the Royal Guard and her North God Style swordsmanship. Don't believe she fought at full strength."
"I'll keep that in mind."
This time, Atophe had fought alone.
But that was Atophe's minimum.
She still held plenty in reserve.
He didn't know when she planned to use it.
Future him, too—Moore had nearly beaten him...
This time, he had envisioned fighting the Royal Guard and had prepared accordingly.
That was why Roxy was there.
He'd had her carry scrolls covering every conceivable scenario.
Even if Moore could only be held back for a short time, it would be enough to prepare a retreat.
That was what he'd thought, but if the Royal Guard had truly entered the fray, it could have been dire.
"Moore! Mooore! Bring Rudeus!"
At that moment, a call came from Atophe.
Her booming voice calling for Moore reached all the way here.
Looking out the window, he could see Eris lying face-down, with Roxy rushing to her side.
She'd lost.
Well, of course.
"It's about time we head over. For communication, please use the stone tablet we set up earlier."
"Yes. But before that—"
Moore said this and handed over a box that had been sitting to the side.
About the size of a dictionary.
A sinister box covered in ominous demonic patterns that looked like it might curse you upon opening.
It was surprisingly light when he took it.
"Atophe asked me to give you this."
"...What is it?"
"Open it when you find yourself in a desperate situation. It will surely become your strength, Lord Rudeus."
I see. Open when desperate—a surprise, then.
"Shall we head over?"
"Yes."
He added the box to his luggage and left the room.
After that, he was seated next to Atophe—given a front-row seat to watch the arena bouts while being plied with drinks.
Five-on-five team battles by the Royal Guard.
A spectacular magic show by Moore and the others.
Plus acrobatics like a Chinese circus troupe, music from a former minstrel, and more.
Though, he couldn't really enjoy any of it.
Because Atophe, sitting right next to him, remained topless the entire time.
Honestly, he didn't know where to look.
Ascetic Rudeus was ascetic precisely because he was lecherous.
"..."
Every time he snuck glances, Eris—who had quietly sat down beside him—tugged his ear, while Roxy, perched on his knee, blocked his line of sight to Atophe.
It was a fun feast.