Rem threw down another crystal.
—Now is the time to call forth the most powerful Summon I can use!
“Come forth, 《Asulau》!”
What emerged was an enormous bull with three horns on its head.
Its special ability, 《Charge》, rivaled a level 40 Warrior’s Sword Smite in terms of power. Not only that, it was ferociously tenacious as well.
It should be enough to buy them some time.
Standing Celes upright, Rem pushed her from the back.
“Run! Either to the Adventurer’s Guild, the Mage’s Association, or even to where the soldiers are stationed!”
“There’s no point if you’re not coming with me!”
“I know that!”
Rem had to protect herself as much as she had to protect Celes.
Asulau charged forward.
Gregore let out a war cry, smashing his fist into the Summon.
“Heeargh!! 《Aura Punch》!!”
With just one blow, Asulau had been crushed to a messy pulp.
A black crystal fell to the ground.
Rem was stunned.
“...This can’t be...”
A level 40 Summon couldn’t even serve to slow him down.
She was petrified with fear, unable to run away.
Gregore came closer.
“Hey, hey, hey.... I said to get outta the way, Shrimpy. You wanna die first?”
†
The townspeople screamed as they fled.
There were some guards who had shown up after noticing the commotion, but their opponent was a Fallen who could pulverize a powerful Summon in just one blow. The pointless sacrifices just kept piling up.
There were no longer any signs of people near the front of the inn.
Those that did remain were Celes, who had frozen up and couldn’t run away; and Rem, who was standing in front of Celes to protect her, but had no kind of backup plan whatsoever.
Approaching them was a veritable giant, covered in hardened scales.
He was a 《Bruiser》, a kind of Warrior who would only use their fists, not weapons.
Those fists had destroyed the most powerful Summon Rem could conjure in one shot.
—I can’t win!
Then, someone came running toward this street devoid of people.
“Heh... Looks like I made it just in time!”
Rem turned around at the sound of their footsteps.
She saw the glint of golden armor, and recognized their flashy appearance.
The person ran his fingers through the one long part of his bangs, combing it upwards.
“Are you all right, my dear Rem? And you as well, Lady Celes?”
“...E-Emile!?”
Putting himself in front of Rem and Celes to protect them, the Warrior Emile stood before Gregore.
“Good grief... I heard the commotion and came running as fast as I could. I don’t know how he got in, but I can’t believe we have a Fallen rampaging about in the middle of town. But, most of all, what I cannot forgive is him aiming for women!”
He spoke in a theatrical, pompous manner.
From behind him came the sounds of cheering. Other Adventurers had ran up along with him.
Emile was the strongest Warrior in the Adventurer’s Guild. He was also fairly popular.
Gregore clenched his fists.
“And who the hell are you supposed to be!?”
Emile took a stance with his longsword, holding it in front of himself.
“My name is Emile Bichelberger! I am the Superhuman Warrior of the Adventurer’s Guild, and an ally to all women!”
“Well, well, ain’t you a funny one! Go on then, try and entertain me, Human!”
“It won’t be a very funny end for you, I assure you that!!”
Emile flourished his sword.
A magical light surged from his blade as the other Adventurers buffed his sword with their own magic.
Combining this with a Martial Art of his own, Emile unleashed a mighty blow, driving it straight into Gregore’s neck.
A loud clang reverberated out, making it hard to imagine he had sliced into an actual, living creature. He had not able to break through the obsidian-like scales.
Despite this, Gregore staggered back several steps, taking a knee.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey... You’re pretty strong for a Human, ain’tcha!”
“I’m not finished yet!”
Emile launched into a follow-up assault, unleashing a multitude of slashes that were unable to be tracked with the naked eye. It seemed this was another one of his Martial Arts.
Gregore covered his head with both of his arms.
Each time the sword struck, it made a high-pitched clang, as if the steel was trying to cut through rock. Small black fragments were also flying off with every strike.
“If it wasn’t for my sword being enhanced by magic, there’s a chance it may have broken by now! But right now, this sword of mine is invincible!”
“Guh... Ngh...!?”
It was hard to tell if this was actually effective...
But Emile had him pinned down!
Gregore was staying on the defensive.
“So annoying, so damn annoying! This is the best!”
“Ha! So you like taking these attacks, do you!? Then I’ll keep on slashing until those scales you’re so proud of are all gone!”
“Heh heh heh... What I like is to take Humans like you and make them fall into despair! The looks on their faces when that happens... Oh man, it’s the best!”
Gregore muttered something to himself.
A flash of magical power was let loose.
Emile, who had been hammering the Fallen with his attacks, was blown back.
He skidded along the stone pavings, finally coming to a stop when the other Adventurers caught him.
Gregore stood before them, arrogantly sticking out his chest.
Rem knew that he had used magic. And not summon magic either, but elemental magic like Diablo used.
While being supported by those around him, Emile stood back up.
His Sorcerer comrades chanted healing spells, eventually getting him back in fighting condition.
“Ngh... What did you just do!?”
“That was magic, Human! I’m the most powerful Sorcerer in the Man-Eating Forest!”
“What did you say!?”
Him fighting like a Bruiser had been just a feint.
Gregore opened his right hand, and a magical light started to gather within it.
“You sure ’bout this? If you ain’t getting over here, you’re all gonna fall prey to my magic!”
“Damn it all! Sword Smite!!”
Getting close to the Fallen in a flash, Emile unleashed his side slash.
However, Gregore easily stopped the attack with his left arm.
“Gufufu... Even as a Bruiser, I’m way stronger than any Human!”
“Like hell I’ll lose!”
Gregore’s spell was faster than Emile’s follow-up attack, and while swinging his right fist at Emile, he invoked his magic.
“How ’bout this! 《Dark Bullet》!!”
Right when Emile had barely managed to deflect the fist, Gregore mercilessly shot a bullet of black light into Emile.
A sharp noise sounded as a hole was punched through the left shoulder of Emile’s armor. Fresh blood danced in the air.
“Gwah!?”
“C’mon! Next is your right arm!!”
As Gregore delivered a kick to Emile, he released another wave of magic.
Emile’s armor crumpled, and pure red blood gushed from the cracks.
The Adventurers watching this unfold screamed.
It wasn’t that they were being cold-hearted. If even Emile’s attacks couldn’t land a telling blow, then they didn’t possess any kind of combat technique that would allow them to fight against this enemy.
All they could do was keep sending support and healing magic to Emile from afar.
Th
ey would only get in the way if they got any closer. Emile was the kind of person who would risk his own body to protect his comrades.
Rem yelled.
“Emile, please! Run! Your opponent is too great an evil to face!”
His legs shaking, Emile still stood back up. He flashed his normal pretentious smile.
“Me, run? And leave women behind? Hey now, don’t say such foolish things, my dear Rem.”
Emile ran his fingers through the one long part of his bangs, combing it upwards once more.
“I will never turn my back on an enemy when I am in front of women! Never! My name is Emile Bichelberger, the Superhuman Warrior of the Adventurer’s Guild—and the protector of all women!”
Gregore’s eyes narrowed.
“Noooow then, how ’bout I really get serious! All Humans ditch their friends once it seems like they’re about to lose, ya know...”
He turned his reptilian eyes towards Rem and Celes.
If Rem were to run away now—
Gregore would most likely ignore Emile and attack her and Celes with magic.
If the girls seemed like they were going to flee, he had been capable of launching extremely powerful long range magic from the very beginning.
—He has just been playing around with us!?
With bloodied hands, Emile let out a yell and raised his sword overhead as he charged forward.
Taking a stance more akin to a Bruiser, Gregore gathered magical energy within his fists.
“Time for you to die, Human! 《Dark Press》!!”
The monstrously powerful Fallen went to crush Emile’s body.
But, Emile did not back down.
He would never back down.
†
The Bridge of Ulug—
The location: the large stone bridge above the river that served to separate the city of Faltra from the Man-Eating Forest.
There were Fallen lying at Diablo’s feet.
Several of them had already disintegrated and turned to dust. After he had defeated about twenty of them, he had given up on counting his kills.
Making the remaining Fallen step back, the Dragon Knight who seemed to be the commander came forward.
They were covered from head to toe in jet-black armor.
Their body was small when compared to that of the other races, but Diablo wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking that would make fighting with them any easier.
—Is it finally time for the boss to show up?
The Dragon Knight came down from their mount.
Taking their lance with them, they slowly walked along the stone bridge.
“Why did you dismount?”
“Because... Won’t move?”
It was a girl’s voice.
The tone of her voice sounded mature, but her choppy manner of speaking also made her sound a bit childish.
The commander removed their helmet.
A wave of long, silver hair gently unfolded, coming down to her waist.
The exposed face was that of a brown-skinned girl. The pupils of her golden eyes were slanted vertically, like you would see in reptiles. Because her eyes were a bit large, she had a youthful vibe to her.
She parted her purple-colored lips.
“Usually, he’s a good boy, listens to what I say... But, after seeing you, won’t move. Probably, your fault? That’s why, I came down.”
“Hmph, I think that your beast understands it better than you, so nonchalant as you walk towards me... That is, the fact that you cannot win against me.”
“Won’t know, unless I try, right? Amongst other Fallen, Edelgard is the strongest spear-user. Won’t lose, to a Demon Sorcerer.”
The commander, Edelgard, took a stance with her spear.
The distance between her and Diablo was about eight-and-a-half meters. This was already way too close, but he had managed to prioritize gathering information through his conversation with her.
—I’m doing my best to keep my MP consumption down to a minimum, but I’m already starting to feel strangely tired...
As if facing the dawn after pulling an all-nighter, his concentration slipped for a moment.
Against an opponent like her, this could prove to be fatal for him. But if he could take down the commander, then there was a good chance the rest of the Fallen would retreat.
Now was the time to dig in and give it his all.
“Let’s just see if you really are weak or not!”
“Do it? Don’t do it? ......I’ll do it!”
She spoke, still in position with her spear.
She rushed forward at a blinding speed, reminiscent of an arrow released from its quiver. She was fast enough to make you think she was still riding on her mount.
—Looks like that’s 《Lance Charge》.
It was a rush-down Martial Art similar to Sword Smite. It was the bread-and-butter technique for any spear-user.
After getting in close, the user would execute a series of two jabs with their spear. Just like Sword Smite, it was necessary to cancel that as well.
Diablo side-stepped to dodge the attack. Though they may have been on top of a stone bridge, there was still quite a bit of space.
No matter the attack, it was a basic tactic of battle to dodge to the side.
Quickly noticing that her attack had been evaded, Edelgard canceled her charge.
At almost the exact same time, she followed up with a huge side sweep.
—Now she’s using 《Swing Spike》. She’s surprisingly faithful to the basics.
It was a technique where the user would spin their whole body while brandishing their spear. They would be vulnerable during the start-up, but once they started rotating, it was possible to continue spinning multiple times.
He already knew the trajectory of the move, so it wasn’t that hard to get out of its way.
“Hmph... Is that the extent of the techniques you possess? That seems to be a trivial amount for a Fallen who wields a weapon.”
“Still more. Then, I will use this!”
Edelgard thrust her lance into the sky.
A black haze surged from the weapon. Eventually, a black aura enveloped the lance, making it appear enormous.
—Oh hoh! So you’re using 《Sacrificial Charge》!
It was a bold technique that drained a portion of the user’s HP. You could learn it once you reached level 80 or above.
Not only was its power in a league of its own, but the aura that covered the weapon was capable of dealing damage as well. Since the aura’s shape was uncertain, avoiding it was no easy task.
The movement for the technique was comprised of three things: first, the user would charge in and follow up with a thrust; then, they would make a circle, performing a spinning side swipe; finally, they would jump up in the air and perform a downward slash. Diablo didn’t know if Edelgard was going to use it exactly like that, though.
Throwing out a barrage of spells while keeping his distance should bring him close to a victory against her. However, it wouldn’t be enough to diminish the enemy’s fighting spirit.
He was unsure that he had the MP to take on the remaining Fallen, over half of which were still present.
—If I can just endure this!
Diablo planted his feet, spreading his arms out wide.
“Interesting! I will take your technique head on! Just try and cause me damage!”
“Yeah, I will. 《Sacrificial—”
Taking her spear covered in thick darkness, Edelgard thrust herself forward.
“—Charge》!”
A heavy pain ran throughout Diablo’s abdomen.
He had taken the thrust.
Before he could prepare himself, the side swipe smashed into the side of his head.
—She’s fast!?
Edelgard leaped into the air. With a mighty swing, she brought down the spear with all her strength.
As the pain closed in on him, it felt like he might back down—
But Diablo kept
his feet in place, taking the blow on his shoulders.
His body had become heavy, making it feel as if it was made out of lead.
There was a sharp pain in his stomach. He couldn’t tell from over his equipment, but it might have been possible he was bleeding.
“So this is damage...!”
Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had taken damage from someone else and not been able to ignore it.
Rather than taking on external wounds like a hit or cut from a normal attack, he felt that the real damage from Martial Arts was the sensation of his stamina being robbed from him.
The pain wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t move, but it was a possibility he could be made tired enough that he wouldn’t want to move.
Just like the game, it was dangerous to keep going until you reached critical health. It was better to give yourself some breathing room.
Pleased with the information he had managed to gather, Diablo couldn’t help but smile.
Edelgard’s breathing had become hoarse.
“...Can’t...be. I gave it, all I had... For you, to be standing, not possible.”
Sacrificial Charge was a Martial Art that required the user to use 15% of their HP to unleash it.
In the game, all it meant was that a measly percentage of your life bar was taken away. Here, it might be that an equivalent amount of your own stamina would be taken away all at once.
Diablo now felt like he wanted to keep testing things out with Edelgard.
However—
“Mr. Diablo, sirrrr!”
All of a sudden, someone came running from the bridge’s checkpoint. Even though Diablo’s opponent wasn’t moving at the moment, this was an extremely reckless thing to do.
It was Boris; he had an urgent expression on his face.
Diablo shouted out so that Boris would be able to hear him.
“Do not come any closer!”
Screeching to a halt, Boris shouted back.
“I have a report from the town! Rem and Lady Celes are under attack by the Fallen! There’s Fallen in the middle of Faltra!”
“What did you say?”
Diablo felt a chill run across his spine.
Edelgard narrowed her reptilian eyes and smiled.
“Gregore, did well? He’s stupid, but tries hard.”
Diablo started to piece together the situation.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1 Page 19
