I transported myself and Yura to a town in the southern part of the Demon Lord's domain.
In the town, a chorus of screams and angry shouts wove a terrible tapestry.
People fled in panic, and from here and there, homes were already ablaze.
Rampaging amidst it all were bloated ogres and lizardmen.
Concentrated magical energy had discolored their flesh.
With no sign of reason, they were wreaking havoc to their hearts' content.
Those were magical beasts.
Even in life, I had struggled to deal with them.
The magic covering their skin made spells less effective.
They also possessed extraordinary vitality; even given a fatal wound, they would not cease activity quickly.
The beasts' bodies were covered in countless wounds.
Presumably, soldiers or mercenaries had attempted to counterattack.
However, it was clear these were not effective blows.
As expected, the disparity in power was simply too great.
When facing magical beasts, ordinary forces couldn't even buy much time.
I activated perception magic.
The number of magical beasts in this town was four, and nearby towns and villages were under similar assault.
Including the ones wandering in uninhabited areas, the total was thirty-five.
No matter how you looked at it, it was abnormal.
Even if it were just a tenth of that number, it would be far from normal.
(What on earth is happening here?)
I probed further, but could detect no specific magical formulas emanating from the magical beasts.
In other words, they were not being manipulated by anyone.
If there were a sorcerer powerful enough to control magical beasts, my sensing would have detected them.
That said, this scenario seemed unlikely to be a natural occurrence.
Even if coincidences kept piling up, I didn't believe it would lead to something like this.
I was caught in a situation that felt profoundly anomalous.
I considered several possibilities in my mind, but lacked the evidence to make a definitive claim.
With just the speculation I could make on the spot, I couldn't uncover the truth.
The priority should be dealing with the magical beasts first.
Once I gathered materials, the full picture of the situation should naturally become clear.
"Hostile entities sighted—transitioning to alert status."
Yura gazed intently at the magical beasts.
This time, she had brought her dedicated golem.
She had made a detour to the research facility to borrow it.
The damage from the mock battle had been repaired, and apparently some minor improvements had also been made.
The director had also asked her to test whether it would be effective in real combat.
"Master, please give your orders."
"Wait a moment. I'll take appropriate action."
I responded to Yura while acknowledging her words.
I focused my consciousness to perform preliminary preparations.
I wanted to spend time on Yura's education, but dallying would result in harm to other towns.
That was something I absolutely had to avoid.
This was the preliminary work to solve that problem.
Using my perception magic once more, I pinpointed the exact locations of thirty-five magical beasts.
Apart from the two in the front, I bound every single one with a forbidden curse.
These were thorns that absorbed the target's magic power to increase their durability.
Tearing them off by force was impossible.
Even from a distance, this kind of feat was well within my capabilities.
(Mmm, seems to be no problem.)
Now the magical beasts could not move.
As long as I did not release the spell of my own volition, the beasts remained in a state of complete vulnerability.
They were safe enough that even an infant could approach them without issue.
Normally, such swift neutralization was nearly impossible.
The fact that I had achieved it was precisely because I was demonstrating my power as the Demon King.
It was true that magical beasts surpassed even the demon race.
But conversely, that also meant their power was merely at the level of demons.
Furthermore, the beasts lacked intellect and had zero capacity to respond to magic.
There was no way I could not handle them with one hand tied behind my back.
Rather, calling them ideal prey would not have been a mistake.
With this, only two magical beasts remained ahead as threats.
No other obstacles would interfere.
This was an opportunity to let Yura learn various things.
Having made this judgment, I sent her instructions.
"People's evacuation and rescue are the top priority. Establish the optimal combat space."
"Acknowledged Master's command—commencing operations."
Yura, possessing her specialized vessel, dashes forward.
She grabs the injured and fallen people, then hurls them far away.
She executes this repeatedly.
"...You've got to be kidding."
I'd instructed evacuation and rescue, but I never expected this method.
For a moment I was dumbfounded, but quickly I employed wind magic.
Gently, the wind catches the injured, carrying them safely to a secure location.
Incidentally, I also performed first aid with magic.
Many had severe injuries from the magical beasts, but at least they were healed enough to prevent immediate death.
Meanwhile, Yura had forcibly completed the evacuation.
Confronting the two magical beasts, she closes in on the ogre beast.
The beast detected Yura and launched a strike.
She catches its arm and transitions into a shoulder throw.
The beast soars through the air, slamming into a building with a thunderous crash as it cratered the ground.
Of course, the buildings crushed underneath had been destroyed.
Yura leaped onto the magical beast, unleashing a rapid barrage of punches too fast to follow.
Unable to resist, the beast’s flesh was pulverized.
Even from a distance, the relentless explosive cracks could be heard.
(Her movements are sharper... has she been training intensively?)
In the end, Yura crushed the beast’s head in a single, decisive stomp.
The beast’s limbs spasmed once before going limp.
Even with high vitality, there was a limit.
Having one’s head smashed like that meant instant death.
Yura immediately headed for the lizardman magical beast.
This time, she charged directly at the creature.
A roar that seemed to split the air echoed around.
Facing it head-on, Yura remained calm.
She unleashed beams from both hands, melting the beast’s surface.
At first, only the scales were being stripped away, but soon, blood and flesh began to mix in.
The beams, powered by the Great Spirit, pierced through any halfway magical barrier.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, the beast still pressed its charge.
With a hole in its abdomen, it opened its mouth and lunged at Yura.
Just before being bitten, Yura executed a backflip.
Adjusting her stance in mid-air, she then raked the beast’s face with her beam.
The beast whose eyes had been seared shrieked and thrashed wildly.
Meanwhile, Yura had positioned herself on top of the beast, accelerating from there to deliver an axe kick.
With a sickening crack, the beast's skull caved into its torso.
Blood sprayed out in intermittent spurts.
The beast stumbled about in circles, then quietly collapsed.
It would not rise again.
As with the ogre beast before it, the catastrophic damage to its head had proven fatal.
Having felled two beasts, Yura returned to my side with effortless composure.
She stood at rigid attention and delivered her report.
"Combat operations concluded. Hostile entity eliminated. Requesting evaluation of this engagement."
"Your fighting was superb. However, humans are not objects to be thrown. And don't destroy buildings needlessly. Do that and you'll improve even further."
Yura had put on a breathtaking display of hand-to-hand combat against the beasts, yet there were still issues in other areas.
I should convey these as areas for improvement rather than offering unconditional praise.
Yura possessed the capacity to reflect on such feedback and apply it going forward.
"Understood. Master's assessment will be incorporated into future improvements."
After a brief moment of deliberation, Yura nodded with her specialized body.
Beasts still remained in various locations.
I intended to observe her growth in the battles to come.