With an evil grin, she tossed one to each of the Imperial Knights.
Glaive—Lieutenant Kondo—sensed the danger of those orbs and shouted: "Suppress them! Those are Black Flame Cores!"
He drew his gun and shot down one of the Black Flame Cores with a double tap of Dispel Bullets and Annihilation Bullets.
He moved to destroy the remaining Black Flame Cores, but— "Oh my? Your opponent is me!"
Kondo drew a talisman, deflected the energy bolt, and evaded.
The energy was tremendous—befitting a symbol of Carrera's rage. But the one who deserved praise was Kondo, who deflected everything without so much as a change in expression.
He fired back with Dispel Bullets, calmly analyzing the battle, looking for an opening to fire Curse Destruction Bullets.
But he no longer had the bandwidth to worry about anyone else. Carrera and Kondo became isolated from their surroundings, their fight taking on the character of a one-on-one duel.
The Black Flame Cores Ultima had launched.
They were massive lumps of magic power—what could be called the source of all magic.
If crushed by overwhelming magic power, they would emit a pure killing ray: a "Blessing of Death."
If left to expand as they were, they would trigger "Calamity Flames."
And the most advanced technique was to reverse the expansion into compression through magic manipulation.
That would produce "Gravitational Collapse"—the most powerful magical attack.
They were the key to nuclear strike magic.
Incidentally, the "Thermal Convergence Cannon" was a spell that detonated a minuscule amount of Black Flame Core inside a cylindrical magic barrier aimed in a specific direction, then directed the resulting energy in any desired direction.
The concept was simple and it was the easiest to handle.
Therefore, there was no need for a fist-sized Black Flame Core, and even the Imperial Knights understood its danger without being told.
"I-Impossible! Multiple Black Flame Cores of that scale!?"
"If those collapse, this entire area will be blown away!!"
"The mages' barriers can't contain them—everybody, take out those Black Flame Cores!!"
And they all moved at once.
Even if they left them alone and multiple "Calamity Flames" appeared, only they and Emperor Rudra would be safe.
But most of the airship fleet floating in the sky would be engulfed in explosive flames and destroyed.
Moreover, no matter how unscathed they might be, they couldn't just leave His Majesty stranded in midair.
"But—those things are monstrous!? To summon that many Black Flame Cores of that scale and remain composed…"
That was the genuine impression of the Imperial Knights.
The higher-ranking ones had managed to neutralize the Black Flame Cores with their own sacred magic power.
But five of them were still desperately trying to suppress the magic power rampage, sweat pouring down their faces.
"Time's up~!"
Innocently, cheerfully.
Ultima declared with malice.
The moment those words left her lips, the Black Flame Cores began to transform.
Tentacles of writhing black flame reached out and latched onto the five Imperial Knights who had been suppressing them.
This was the magic alteration effect granted by Ultima's Ultimate Skill, "King of Death and Poison."
It inflicted instant death and lethal poison, killing whatever it entwined.
In other words, the moment they failed to neutralize the Black Flame Cores with sacred magic power, they had already failed to resist.
The result was inevitable death.
The writhing black tentacles gradually covered and enveloped their targets.
Perhaps sensing the terror in that movement— "Pl-Please help me, Lieutenant Kondo!!"
Imperial Knight No. 06,
But Kondo had no bandwidth for that.
He was fighting Carrera, after all—he couldn't possibly tend to his subordinates as well.
Without even glancing in her direction, "Can't be helped,"
he stated the reality.
"Th-That can't—"
Before Minaza could even scream, the end came.
"Black Death Collapse! AHAHAHA!!
Now we're even!"
Ultima laughed gleefully.
The writhing black flame tentacles were gripped in Ultima's hand.
Like a whip of black flame.
Through that whip, she was converting the energy of those she had just destroyed into magicules and absorbing them.
"That was quite delicious. I'm sure you're happy you were at least a little useful, right?"
So saying, she sipped at the emotions of fear and despair she had instilled in that short time.
He hadn't predicted that even the strongest among them, Lieutenant Kondo, would be struggling against a single demon.
No—he should have predicted it.
He had known about Demon Lord Rimuru's abnormality, and judging from the strength of
However, having seen that final match, he had underestimated their combat strength.
At the time, he had believed that to be their full power, and he still thought it probably was…
But if that level of strength was the baseline, then even the lower-ranking Imperial Knights were roughly on par.
No—they had been strong, certainly.
But even so, for the higher-ranking ones, there was also the Ultimate Grant "Viceregent."
Even those unused to lower-level ability usage should have been able to win with two on one.
(They've grown…? No… I should consider that at the time of the tournament, they weren't fighting seriously.)
The so-called Four Heavenly Kings—those equivalent to Imperial Knights No. 6 through No. 10—had been a mistaken assessment.
And now.
The demon girl laughing gleefully before his eyes was clearly not at the same level as the Four Heavenly Kings of that time.
Ark Demons and the like were nothing but jokes.
Above even that—and above Demon Lords who paled in comparison—she was like a second coming of
Minaza screamed and was destroyed.
It was pitiful, but Damrada couldn't move to help.
Because…
He had noticed that the girl calling herself Ultima was clearly keeping him in check.
The girl grinned wickedly.
"Well then—shall we have some fun?"
She moved to target Damrada.
As he faced her, Damrada realized another fact.
(She… deliberately only took out the weaker ones to even the numbers…?)
Yes.
Her earlier words—"now we're even"—could be taken as intentional.
On the surface, it appeared she was matching them so that each of her demon subordinates—who were around Demon Peer-class—could face an opponent of their own.
She had shown overwhelming power to break their morale! That was what Damrada concluded as he took his stance.
If that was the case, then he would simply have to show her.
The true strength of the Imperial Knights—their upper echelon.
Ultima watched the Imperial Knights with a faint smirk.
She could feel tremendous power from each of them.
If they hadn't evolved, she might not have been able to win.
But now that she possessed the Ultimate Skill "King of Death and Poison," she didn't feel like losing at all.
(Truly. Diablo, wanting us to fight and train each other like this… He really underestimated us, didn't he?
If Testa found out he was thinking that way, she'd go absolutely ballistic.
But well—since we're at it, I should train my adjutant a little too.)
Reading Diablo's intentions precisely, she acted in accordance with them.
The ten Imperial Knights who had been present at the start were now half that number.
The demons each found their opponents and began fighting to test their own abilities.
However, Ultima never imagined that strength could vary so dramatically depending on how one controlled their abilities.
She had thought the Imperial Knights were stronger than this, but they seemed unable to fully utilize the Ultimate Skills they had been given.
At the very least, if they couldn't even control Black Flame Cores of that magnitude, they were hardly worth considering.
Given the Existence Values she had measured and the Ultimate Skills they had been confirmed to possess, they should have been able to survive more than they had.
She had only intended to kill one or two at most—a mere game. But the result was that she had killed half of them.
True, Demon Peers without Ultimate Skills would be at a disadvantage against the Imperial Knights.
But since their base abilities were overwhelmingly superior, they should have been able to put up a decent fight. And if they couldn't, that would be a problem.
If an adjutant Demon Peer was killed, she'd have no face to show Lord Rimuru.
But there was no doubt that giving them battle experience here would bear fruit going forward.
Just as Ultima herself had experienced by taking Guy's magic firsthand…
It was precisely because she had taken that one blow—Guy's magic augmented by an Ultimate Skill—at that time that she had been able to wish for that same power herself.
That capricious strike.
Even that playful, restrained magic had been more than her pre-Awakening self could handle.
It was humiliating.
She, the strongest among demons—one who had reigned as their Queen—had failed to resist the magic attack she was most skilled at.
And yet, it was also fortunate.
Because she had been under Demon Lord Rimuru, she had been given the opportunity to experience that attack.
And furthermore, she had been blessed with the opportunity to Awaken.
Ultima felt she had nothing more to desire.
Demons were existences fundamentally higher than humans.
Simply releasing high magic power was enough to constitute an attack.
That was precisely why those who could control magicules perfectly could become the highest beings.
Watching how the Imperial Knights handled the Black Flame Cores in this game, she had come to understand where the difference in their strength lay.
Ultimately, since they had been human to begin with, there wasn't a vast difference in spiritual power—sacred magic power.
In short, their strength differed based on how well they could control their abilities.
And she understood now.
About the danger Diablo worried over—of relying on power and neglecting technique.
(True. We demons have high base abilities. He meant we shouldn't rely too much on raw power.)
She grasped that.
And she was most aware of her own immaturity.
Testarossa was elegant and perfect.
Her slight tendency to look down on others was her only flaw.
Carrera was arrogant and careless.
If she put her mind to it, she could do anything perfectly—but she threw everything together haphazardly.
And as for herself…
Immature in everything.
She couldn't perform the precision magicule manipulation that Testarossa could, nor did she possess Carrera's vast magic power.
Of the Four Demon Queen Pillars, Ultima was the weakest.
But even so…
(I have the most room to grow!)
"Power obtained is never truly yours"—those were Diablo's words.
That was why Diablo refrained from exercising the power given by Demon Lord Rimuru unless circumstances became dire.
Then she would do the same.
She would seize this opportunity and prove that she could master the Ultimate Skill "King of Death and Poison"—the first power she had ever obtained by her own desire.
That was Ultima's resolve.
Not the "power" that had fallen into her hands without her asking, but the "ability" she had desired and obtained herself—she would master it completely.
And now.
Damrada was neutralizing her attacks—attacks that should have overwhelmed him through sheer power—by manipulating and concentrating his entire spiritual power. Ultima admired his skill.
She genuinely found it interesting.
What she had believed to be controlled manipulation had actually been brute force backed by overwhelming magic power.
She had understood this intellectually, but only now had she truly grasped it.
And as both she and Damrada enjoyed their fight, their power rose and the battle grew ever more fierce.
Carrera had fallen to one knee.
Incredibly, the man calling himself Kondo had been strong.
Truly a master.
Carrera had prided herself on being the second strongest of the Four Demon Queen Pillars after Diablo, but she couldn't hide her surprise at being toyed with by the man before her.
Her anger had long since faded.
She had thought that if she just halfheartedly engaged, he would quickly lose interest…
But apparently, he was no simple opponent.
Every time she tried to initiate magic, he dispelled it at the preliminary stage.
He read the flow of magic power required for activation and precisely severed it.
With bullets fired from the gun in his hand.
Carrera didn't know it, but that gun was a Mythical Grade weapon.
Its base performance was that of a gun-shaped bludgeon.
It was tubular and designed to withstand high-energy explosions within.
In short, it had no firing mechanism.
Kondo used his ability to detonate magicules and fired bullets materialized by that ability alone.
The ability to create those bullets was the "Blade of God" creation and ability-effect assignment of his Ultimate Skill, "Executioner."
Kondo created the "Blade of God" in the shape of a bullet, imbued it with ability effects, and fired it.
At close range, he could also manifest a blade from the gun, but he had never used it that way.
He identified the enemy's weaknesses and the flow of their magic power, and responded with precise countermeasures.
That was all.
By remaining faithful to the basics, Kondo maintained his position as the strongest in the Imperial Army.
Carrera trembled with humiliation but acknowledged the reality.
She couldn't win at this rate.
The moment she recognized this— "A mere human, you—!!"
she screamed, and slammed a backfist into her own face.
A massive concentration of magicules rushed to her face, her head nearly blowing off from the impact.
But this was fine.
No more underestimating the enemy.
She should recognize him as her equal and respond accordingly—a serious thought that was uncharacteristic of the normally carefree Carrera.
After all, she was currently acting under Demon Lord Rimuru's orders.
The days when she could do as she pleased were long past…
"Well, I suppose I've surprised you.
My apologies—I wasn't quite calm just yet.
I underestimated you humans and couldn't bring myself to get serious.
Who would have thought.
Who would have thought that I…
Would actually need to get serious against a human."
She rose slowly to her feet.
For the first time, Kondo's expression shifted.
"Oh—to think you were hiding that much…
Very well.
Then I too shall face you with everything I have."
So saying, Kondo donned his "armor" for the first time.
A formal uniform of the old Imperial Army, materialized through force of will.
For Lieutenant Kondo, this was his combat attire—and this formal uniform was also Mythical Grade armament.
Carrera stood and unleashed a deep well of magic power.
And then— "I am Carrera, loyal servant of Demon Lord Rimuru—'Calamity King.' In the name of the Calamity King, I shall kill you!"
She declared.
"Former Imperial Army Lieutenant, Kondo Tatsuya.
Currently serving as Commander of the Imperial Guard Knights.
I accept your challenge."
Kondo answered.
The two stared each other down and quietly released their power.
Carrera turned her consciousness toward the ability that had just taken shape through her resolve— The Ultimate Skill, "King of Extinction."
Until now, she had fought solely with her absolute demonic power.
But that wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough to reach those who inhabited the rank called Ultimate.
Diablo, the man before her—Kondo—and above all, Guy Crimson and the higher Demon Lords. She couldn't reach any of them.
Simply increasing her power wasn't sufficient.
That alone would make her nothing more than prey for the strong, just as Guy's magic had defeated her.
She would never accept that.
She had always felt the power raging within her, but she had finally chosen to acknowledge it.
Not merely suppress it—but release it.
—I shall name my "power." Become my "ability" and unleash even greater force!!
And she obtained it.
The absolute "power" to destroy all things.
The Ultimate Skill: "King of Extinction."
It was the symbol of Carrera's power. Once unleashed, it brought certain doom upon her enemies—a fearsome ability.
Carrera had first desired true power upon encountering a worthy opponent.
Directing her consciousness at Kondo—someone she wanted to kill more than Guy—Carrera focused.
And at that moment.
A fierce flash and torrent of power burst forth toward the Imperial airship fleet.
Rimuru's "Storm Wind Sword" had been unleashed.
Chaos gripped the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Army.
Emperor Rudra, who until now had been protected by the "Royal Palace Walls" and focused on maintaining control over Veldora, cried out: "Impossible—why!? Why has my Royal Authority Activation…why has 'Sovereign's Domination' disappeared!? Why has Veldora been defeated!? This can't be—how can this be!?
That mere Demon Lord—that slime—!
An inferior creature with no power to fight back, its very Master stolen from it— How can it devour its Master and seize that power!?
I was just about to—just one more step—and Guy would have fallen!
You dare interfere with my plan… I will not forgive you, you inferior Demon Lord!!"
He surged to his feet.
The situation accelerated further, spiraling onward.