The battle between Leon and Kazalim had been raging for a day and a night.
True to her self-proclaimed title of Great Demon Lord, Kazalim harbored an overwhelming quantity of Magicules incomparably greater than before.
Even after hours of combat, she showed no signs of fatigue.
The same was true for Leon and
However, the reason Leon was still able to barely continue fighting was probably because Kazalim was holding back.
Leon was well aware of this, and gritted his teeth.
Is this where I perish? Leon asked himself.
It couldn't be helped, really. He had lived this long by trampling over the weak.
So if his turn had finally come, he could accept that wholeheartedly.
But was that truly enough?
He had searched for Chloe, and had been willing to endure any sacrifice for her sake.
He had even learned summoning magic himself, and had forcibly summoned some people for his own selfish convenience.
One was
Claude had sworn revenge against Leon, coming at him again and again. Each time, Leon had beaten him back, and before long, they had come to acknowledge each other.
Leon considered himself selfish, indifferent to the schemes of others — and so he should be.
Otherwise, he could never have survived this harsh world, and finding and protecting the one girl who was his sole reason for living would have been nothing but a pipe dream.
So he felt it was only natural for people to resent him. He had ruthlessly cast aside the weak.
That was Leon's way of life, and the reason why — even though he had awakened as a Hero — he had never truly become one.
Humans are creatures who find it genuinely difficult to understand another person's heart. He had lived his entire life without ever showing anyone his true feelings. So hoping that someone would understand Leon's innermost sentiments was futile, no matter how much he wished for it.
Claude was an exception among exceptions.
That was precisely why Leon believed that those he had summoned for his own convenience had every right to seek revenge against him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the Silver Knight Lord Arlos fall.
The Moderate Harlequin Alliance seemed to be a gathering of hedonists. They held no personal convictions and would oppose anyone based on commissions.
Kazalim, who had led such people, may have become twisted after being defeated by Leon in battle.
She had begun to show an obsessive fixation on Leon, dragging her subordinates into various acts of harassment.
The reason
And now, Kazalim was throwing in her former comrades without regard for appearances. They couldn't have been weak.
The demon called
Arlos was a first-rate swordsman, but being a practitioner of orthodox swordsmanship, he was weak against unorthodox attacks.
His weakness had been exposed in an instant, and he must have taken a devastating blow.
If he hadn't already obtained Demon Duke-level power beforehand, that single strike would have killed him.
Thanks to becoming a half-spiritual lifeform, he could recover instantly from injuries like having parts of his body blown away. But even that wouldn't last long.
It was clear that Footman surpassed him in ability.
The combination of the Yellow Knight Kizuna and the White Knight Meter was putting up a respectable fight against a demon named
Yes, "respectable" was fair — they were still alive, after all.
In terms of raw power, Tear overwhelmingly outmatched them. If they had faced her individually, their lives would have been taken in an instant.
It was only because they fought as a team, and because they had obtained demonic power, that they were barely hanging on.
Truth be told, Meter couldn't use demonic power at all.
As a practitioner of Holy Magic, she had poor compatibility with the dark power that was the source of demonic energy.
While various applications were possible depending on how it was used, she unfortunately lacked the experience.
Thanks to Kizuna's defensive power, they had managed to hold their ground purely on the defensive, barely weathering Tear's attacks.
Their defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.
And the biggest problem was
He was strong — too strong.
Without question, he was in the strongest class.
He didn't appear to possess an Ultimate Skill, but he had mastered his abilities so thoroughly that it wouldn't be at all surprising if he awakened one at any moment.
Even facing both Claude — the Black Knight Lord, the strongest among Leon's subordinates — and
"Tch. Boring! Those feints are totally obvious, you know?"
"Oh my, close call! That one almost hit me! Too bad, though!"
"Oh my, oh my? Could it be you're already done?"
He tossed out quips like that, taunting Claude and Fran while launching attacks with effortless ease.
Neither of them took the bait, as expected.
But it seemed that part of Laplace's objective was to humiliate them, as he showed no signs of stopping his provocations.
Even if they weren't rattled emotionally, and even if they kept their thoughts from being disturbed, the verbal disruption was having a subtle effect.
On top of that, Laplace's attacks were unassuming but the damage was gradually accumulating. One could see Claude and Fran's movements growing increasingly sluggish.
If this troublesome demon Laplace was the opponent, Leon would normally have needed to step in himself against such a powerful enemy.
The situation could only be described as extremely dire.
Taking in all of this, Leon continued his inner monologue.
Claude had begun to follow him, a few more companions had gathered, and before he knew it, he had become a Demon Lord.
He had integrated the oppressed Demihumans and weak Monsters, creating a sanctuary for them within the Great Forest of Jura.
Founding a new nation was simpler when you seized territory through force.
The purpose had been information gathering.
He simply wanted people who would act as his eyes and ears, searching for intelligence.
He would protect them with his strength, and they would work for Leon, to fulfill his desires.
It was a master-servant relationship built on mutual interest.
He had built a castle within the Demon Lords' territories and used it as a base. Then he dispatched subordinates everywhere to gather information on Chloe.
He had repelled Kazalim around that time. Looking back, that was where their grudge had begun.
If he had dealt the finishing blow properly back then, things would never have come to this.
The same was true during the incident with Yuuki — Leon mocked himself for being too soft.
After that, a new continent was discovered, and over time, he had built what was now El Dorado. He had wanted to have a nation ready where Chloe could live safely once he found her.
To do that, he needed to protect the people living there.
Leon had gradually begun to think not just about himself, but also about those who were devoted to him and those he had taken under his protection.
He couldn't risk the country he had so carefully prepared.
For that reason, he had decided to use Kazalim's castle within the Great Forest of Jura as a cover.
His original castle had been destroyed in his battle with Kazalim, so he had used this one out of necessity, but it turned out to be surprisingly useful.
It was perfect as an experimental ground for testing various kinds of magic. Leon had conducted numerous experiments in this castle.
Since the Great Forest of Jura had become a sacred zone that no one who feared Veldora dared enter, it was also useful for keeping the other Demon Lords' eyes off him.
And it was in this castle that he had performed his final summoning.
The girl he had called in response to his request had been severely burned and near death.
He had managed to save her life with recovery magic. But ultimately, she was too young, and the Magicules she had gained from crossing worlds would run rampant and kill her anyway.
In that case, it would be better to let her die now rather than prolong her suffering. Thinking this, Leon had lost interest in the girl.
But then— "P-please, help me..."
When she reached out her hand to him saying that, Leon saw in her eyes an unyielding strength of will.
He also noticed her high affinity for fire, and recalled the existence of the high-ranking Spirit, Ifrit.
There was a chance it could be compatible, but if the process failed, Ifrit would be destroyed as well.
But— He had only taken it from
The girl survived remarkably well.
If so, she had every right to seek revenge against Leon, who had carelessly dragged her into this world.
The girl named Izawa Shizue had every right to kill him, and he had resolved to face that head-on.
That was also why, when the Hero — renowned as the strongest — had come, he had unhesitatingly abandoned her.
There was even a possibility he could be defeated by the Hero.
But since the girl had been human originally, the Hero would surely save her. That had been his calculation.
After all, unlike himself — a mere botch-up of brute force — she was called the "true Hero," bearing the name of the strongest in history.
Thinking back, if he had faced the Hero there, he would have realized she was Chloe.
But that didn't happen.
Ironic as it was, even though she had come to him, his fleeing had caused them to miss each other entirely.
(What the hell am I doing...)
Leon heaved a sigh.
Kazalim's attacks were ferocious even while holding back. They weren't the kind of light blows one could deal with while lost in thought.
But even so— "Leon-nii, you were looking for me all this time, weren't you?
Hehehe. I wanted to see you too, you know."
He had finally met her just the other day.
The Chloe he had been searching for all along.
She seemed to be doing well. Though, due to the curse, she still couldn't move freely.
Even so— "But you see, Professor Rimuru promised he would definitely save me!
I believe in the professor!
The one who saved us by inheriting
With clear, straight eyes, Chloe had said that.
The girl Leon had saved on a whim had, through an extraordinary chain of fate, become Chloe's teacher.
No — she had even met Demon Lord Rimuru and led him to Chloe.
It was too perfect to chalk up to mere coincidence.
If he hadn't saved Izawa Shizue, Chloe might have died from Magicule overload.
If he thought about it that way, what he had done was never truly meaningless.
No — perhaps he simply wanted to believe that.
But still— He had been able to reunite with Chloe. That was enough.
(So was that all? Had I become so satisfied that I could even accept my own death?)
Chloe had Rimuru — someone she could rely on.
Even without Leon there, she would be safe in his care.
But was that really enough?
He was well aware that his way of life was nothing to be proud of, but Leon thought he couldn't just leave everything to Chloe in the end while doing nothing himself.
Moreover, if Demon Lord Rimuru — the one Chloe believed in — had truly been destroyed, then he absolutely could not give up.
(I don't think that guy would be destroyed so easily, though...)
Even thinking that way showed he was still being naive.
After all, how could he possibly entrust the precious Chloe to such a useless person?
(Hmph. I still have a long way to go. It's not like I'm the type who gives up easily.)
Leon rose quietly from where he had been blown away and slammed into the ground.
His eyes were clear, as if all hesitation had vanished, and his body was brimming with fighting spirit.
Leon had remembered what it meant to fight, and regained his unbreakable will.
Seeing Leon stand, Kazalim furrowed her brows.
She had been smugly thinking she'd completely broken his pride, and all that remained was to finish him off.
But it seemed Leon's spirit was far from broken.
"Oh my, afraid of dying all of a sudden, are we?
You can't even lay a finger on me — standing up won't change a thing!"
Despite having the body of a robust man, Kazalim spoke in that sickeningly feminine manner.
However, her sex hadn't changed — it was merely an optimization of her Physical Body.
After all, her voice was still that of a female elf.
Leon found the voice unpleasant but kept his gaze fixed on Kazalim.
Leon's Ultimate Skill, "King of Purity," was the ultimate power of the holy attribute.
But Kazalim's Ultimate Skill, "King of Domination," possessed both holy and demonic attributes.
Therefore, all of Leon's attacks were neutralized, and the excess power meant only he took damage.
It wasn't a matter of compatibility — he was completely inferior to Kazalim's ability.
For instance, the "Anti-Magic Sealing Triangular Pyramid Holy Barrier" might be capable of sealing her.
But the most likely outcome was that even if he tried to apply the seal straightforwardly, she would simply avoid it.
And in the worst case, even the strongest sealing technique could be broken. After all, while the seal was absolutely dominant against demonic attributes, Kazalim also possessed holy power.
If he tried it carelessly, she would exploit the opening to land a devastating blow.
(What a troublesome opponent...)
While calmly processing her attacks, Leon considered ways to counter Kazalim.
"Leon, do you have any ideas?" Misery asked.
"None. You're the same, aren't you? All your demonic attribute attacks are being nullified too, right?"
Misery, like Leon, was having all her attacks neutralized and taking damage from the excess energy.
She had apparently tried various underhanded attacks as well, but they were all crushed by sheer force.
Naturally, all magic was being nullified. With an Ultimate Skill in play, magic was useless — that went without saying.
"Yes. An ability holding both holy and demonic attributes — extremely troublesome.
And that's not all.
Kazalim's Existence Value appears to be equivalent to more than three times my Magicule count when converted."
It was a desperate figure.
Misery had now become an Awakened Demon Lord on par with Leon. Her Magicule count had also increased dramatically.
But Kazalim possessed energy equivalent to three times Misery's.
In Leon's estimation, Kazalim's Holy Spirit count was also nearly three times his own.
The spiritual power to control pure light energy — the total quantity of Sacred Aura that serves as its source is what's known as the Holy Spirit count. And even with that figure, Kazalim still exceeded them.
Not only in the performance of her abilities, but in the sheer quantity of energy as well.
Did this mean she held six times their combined power of holy and demonic attributes? No — it wasn't quite that simple.
It simply meant that her ability was converting that energy.
That was precisely what made her so troublesome — it meant she had her ability completely under her dominion.
True to the name "King of Domination."
"Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! Futile, utterly futile. You can never defeat me.
Come now — cry and beg for your lives. And then, lick my boots.
Do that, and I might just spare you, you know~?"
Kazalim grinned grotesquely and made her offer, but it was pointless to even listen.
She had no real intention of letting them live — she merely wanted to savor the sight of their wretchedness.
That said, it was precisely because of these twisted desires that she was holding back in her attacks.
Foolish as it was, Kazalim had made this grudge her reason for living.
In Leon's field of vision, he could see Footman pummeling Arlos.
At this rate, it would be dangerous.
But there was no one who could afford to break away to help.
Despite his resolve to fight to the end, the situation remained at its absolute worst.
At that moment— "BWAH?!"
With a cry, Footman was sent flying.
Who!? Before Leon could even wonder— "Are we late?"
"Nah, I think we barely made it in time."
That was the conversation he heard.
When he looked more closely, two figures stood there, having arrived without giving off the slightest trace of their presence.
Who are they!? Just as Leon's question formed— "Nice to meet you. I'm
The Great Demon Lord Rimuru-sama's most loyal servant and number-one subordinate.
The one who bears the title of 'King of Wrath.' I came in response to a call for reinforcements. So— Which one should I kill?"
The crimson-haired handsome man declared this with a brilliant smile.
And then— "'Most loyal'? You're definitely the least loyal one here, though...
You know
The blue-haired handsome man stood beside him, dropping that retort.
Meeting Leon's gaze— "I'm not someone worth introducing.
Let's just say I'm the Great Demon Lord Rimuru-sama's loyal shadow.
Well, don't worry about it.
Once we take those guys out, we probably won't cross paths again."
He flashed a fearless grin as he spoke.
"Hey, don't rat me out, okay? Absolutely do not go spreading that around!?"
"Idiot — don't underestimate Diablo's intelligence network.
Even without me saying anything, that demon somehow already knows.
Anyway, don't get cocky just because we finally get to cut loose for the first time in a while."
The two bantered, but neither let their guard down for an instant.
It was clear they were no ordinary fighters.
(Benimaru... and Rimuru's shadow? To think he has subordinates like these too...)
And this attitude — there was no mistaking it. Leon realized immediately.
The story about Demon Lord Rimuru being destroyed — it was a ruse to deceive the enemy.
Kazalim seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
"Don't be ridiculous! Demon Lord Rimuru is destroyed!
That riffraff has no right to call himself a Great Demon Lord — the sheer audacity!!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
But that scream only earned the fury of the two arrivals.
Benimaru's cheerful smile vanished, replaced by an expressionless mask.
The other man — who had called himself the Great Demon Lord's shadow —
The two shouted in unison.
"We'll kill you!!"
And the battle entered an entirely new phase.