Seeing Zagan’s reaction, Alshiera smiled sadly.
“I see... so you really have met him...”
“What’s going on!? What does he have to do with this!?”
Alshiera shook her head.
“I’m sure... he was just a normal boy when he was before you. That man likely wanted you to think that and just forget him with the passage of time.”
“You’re not answering me!”
“Master Zagan! Please calm down!”
As Zagan began raising his voice more and more, Nephy clung to his arm as if unable to watch any more of it. He could feel the rapid thumping of her heart, causing him to shut his mouth. And as she watched that, Alshiera stuck out the teddy bear in her arms. Apparently there was a pocket on its back, where she took something out of it.
“I’ve warned you. You’re already following the path behind that man. Everything that happened... that dragon girl getting cursed, the meeting with two Archdemons, the acquisition of a Sacred Sword, and likely, everything that will happen from now... follows that path.” Alshiera pushed something into Zagan’s hand as she spoke. “But, as long as you do not yet understand the meaning to that, you can surely still back out. You’ll be able to enjoy the happiness that you have attained. So please, do not chase this secret any more.”
After separating her hands from his, Alshiera’s body began crumbling away.
“Hey wait! What do you mean by following his path!? Answer me!”
Zagan’s cry was all in vain, and Alshiera’s body broke down into a countless number of bats and vanished. Opening his hand, he found a single pair of large, round glasses. They were the ones that boy in his memories wore. The frame was covered in rust, and the lenses were cracked. Just how did they enter Alshiera’s possession? And what exactly happened to that boy?
“Master Zagan...”
As Nephy called out to him in a worried voice, Zagan shook his head.
“...I’m alright. I was just a little shocked to hear a familiar name there.”
Back out?
Was she telling him that proceeding down this path would expose Nephy to danger? Regardless, Zagan shook his head.
If that is fate, then no matter where I run to, I will crash into this problem one day.
At the very least, that’s how Zagan’s life had been until now. But even so...
“Did I meet Alshiera somewhere before...?”
He didn’t have any memories of such an encounter. However, those known as sorcerers were nothing but liars. It wasn’t all that surprising that someone you met before was someone else entirely when you met them again. And just as Zagan looked up to the sky with that discomforting feeling in his chest that wouldn’t go away...
“GYAHAHAHA! ZAGAN! Found ya!”
A man came crashing down from the sky while screaming in a completely insane voice.
◇
“Master Zagan!”
Nephy let out a small scream. The intruder from the sky came flying down straight at Zagan with a kick.
“...I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m in a bad mood right now. Come back later.”
Zagan easily stopped the man’s kick with a single hand.
“Hyahah! You think that’s enough to sto—!?”
A dull crunching sound rang out. Zagan crushed the man’s foot in his hand. He then swung his arm and threw the man into the sea as if casting away a pebble.
“UGAAAAAH!?”
An Archdemon had flung him away in a fit of rage, so there was no way the man would get off lightly, and without sinking into the water at all, the man tumbled about on the water’s surface as if it were completely solid. It truly was like a pebble skipping across the water. Given enough pressure, water was said to be capable of even splitting a stone in two. The fact that the man was being bounced off the surface of the water was just an indication of the speed at which this man was thrown. A normal human, or even most sorcerers, would have all the bones in their body shatter from this. Normally, that is...
“HAAHAA! How nice! How strong! Now this is how the strongest is supposed to be!”
The man stood atop the water’s surface as if he hadn’t been struck at all. He had a strange appearance to him. He wore a discolored, dark red robe which looked like he tore it off a corpse, and from what one could see beneath the robe, he had bandages wrapped around his body covered in a countless number of circuits. He wore metal knuckles on his hands meant for hand to hand combat, and had leather shin plates reinforced with metal fittings.
He looked like he was all skin and bones, but Zagan could tell that this man’s body was in fact trained to the point where it was entirely composed of muscle. He looked to be about twenty years old. His red hair was just growing all over the place and largely covered his face. And within the gaps of his hair, Zagan could catch a glimpse of a single crimson eye.
Is this guy... a sorcerer...?
Zagan couldn’t identify the bandages wrapped around his body, but his fist wrapping and boots had sorcery cast on them to enhance his strength. What was even more peculiar than the bandages wrapped around his body, though, was the eye-patch which covered the right side of his face. It was even fit in place with chains and other fiendish looking metal fittings, which gave off the feeling that it was definitely something to be avoided.
What a creepy guy.
As Zagan laid bare his disgust, the man screamed out.
“The name’s Decarabia! I came to pick a fight with the Sorcerer Slayer! Archdemon Zagan!”
Zagan came to a sudden understanding upon hearing that name.
I see, he definitely has some screws loose.
The man—Decarabia—finished yelling and came flying in with a fist. He showed no signs of receiving any damage at all from before. Zagan wasn’t wearing his robe or his amulets, but it didn’t seem the cause of this was because Zagan was lacking his usual magical support from them. Apparently Decarabia wasn’t just an ignorant fool.
“Stand back, Nephy. I’m going to vent a little, so it’ll get a little rough.”
After distancing himself from Nephy, Zagan got in position to receive the strike... However, he still had the round glasses he got from Alshiera gripped in his left hand. Only a few seconds had passed, but by that time, the man was already right before his eyes.
“HYAHA! ’Ere we go ZAGAAAAAN!”
“Don’t use my name so casually.”
Zagan replied bluntly, and artlessly struck out his right fist. The sorcery Zagan specialized in the most was physical reinforcement. Just a single strike from his fist could pulverize a fortress wall, and when he devoured the sorcery of others, its power increased exponentially. In other words, if Zagan were to seriously swing his fist, even the head of an Archdemon would go flying.
He drove his fist towards the left side of Decarabia’s face that wasn’t covered by an eye-patch, and... Decarabia’s face didn’t crumble into pieces and explode.
“Huh...!?”
In the next instant, Zagan was the one to get punched in the face. Fresh blood went flying into the air along with the dull thud from the metal hand covers.
“Master Zagan!” Nephy screamed.
I got overpowered?
It was the first time he had experienced this since becoming a sorcerer. There were cases like Barbatos and Bifrons where they tenaciously survived Zagan’s punch. There were also cases like Michael where his punch was deflected. However, this time around...
Decarabia’s eye opened wide, and he broke out into a grin.
“Hyah, what a nice guy. You mighta hit me if you swung with your left.”
“Don’t pay it any mind. The strong do not take advantage of the shortcomings of the weak.”
With that, Zagan swung his fist down from above.
“Hyah! Cheers to our kind Archdemon!”
Decarabia also thrust out his fist while shouting something inexplicable. And Zagan certainly saw it this time. Right when his fist was on the verge of coming into contact
with Decarabia’s face, Decarabia completely vanished.
No... he moved in!
Shockingly, this man plunged even further in despite Zagan’s terrifying fist coming down at him. And with Zagan missing his target, it was now Decarabia who thrust out his fist full force right at Zagan’s face. The shock of the punch was enough to darken his vision. It was like the force behind Zagan’s own fist was turned around and came right back at him. The strike from below sent Zagan bending backwards... and then he wiped away the blood from his nose as if nothing happened at all.
“Hmm. Now that’s impressive.”
“Geeheehee, you’re amazin’ too! Now this is an Arch—”
“That damn Barbatos. Even though I always punch him with this amount of force, he can keep acting as if nothing happened, huh?”
With someone around to punch all the time with such destructive power, even Zagan would learn to hesitate and hold back as to not do something careless. And yet, Barbatos merrily kept coming back for more. It was to the point where Zagan was worried whether or not he was a masochist. And as Zagan admired his undesirable friend, Decarabia’s expression suddenly changed.
“...Hey, Zagan. That just ain’t right. Come on!”
Decarabia came in with another punch, and Zagan didn’t avoid it, nor did he block it, he simply stood there. In complete contrast to his insane speech and conduct, Decarabia’s blows were sharp and precise. If one were to throw sand at this man’s face, he would likely be able to punch every speck out of the air. And he was continuously driving those precise fists into Zagan’s body.
Struck in the face, bored in the stomach, flesh torn, muscles crushed, blood pouring from his brow, Zagan was turned into a dark red mess in the blink of an eye.
“I came all the way across that freakin’ ocean just to have a go with you! Don’t ignore me! Look at me! I’m Decarabia! Come on! Come on! COME OOOOOON!”
Nephy covered her face as if unable to look on, but Zagan simply gazed at Decarabia as if it wasn’t a big deal at all.
“Borin’! How borin’! Gimme back all that time I spent getting’ here, ZAGAAAAA-ERK!?”
The moment Decarabia went in for the finishing blow, Zagan grasped his face with the grip of an eagle. Since he was shorter than Zagan, he was now being lifted in the air like that.
“GAACK! L-Lemme go!”
“I see. So this is ‘art.’ This is the first time I’ve seen a sorcerer use it, but your blows are so light it’s laughable.”
By the time Zagan finished letting out a sigh, his wounds had practically vanished completely. The reason he momentarily blacked out from the first two punches was because the strength of an Archdemon’s punch was returned right back at him. This man’s fists alone didn’t possess enough power to strike down Zagan.
“There’s a certain element of surprise, but once the trick is exposed, this is how it turns out. Even the alleyway waifs these days use such tricks. I’m surprised you even thought of challenging an Archdemon with such child’s play.”
Zagan’s voice even had a hint of pity to it. Back in his days as a powerless waif, he was taught the bare minimum martial arts to protect his own body. His consciousness was pulled towards the glasses in his left hand. Yes. That busy body of a boy was the one to teach him. It could be said that the reason Zagan was able to defeat any enemy with his fists was because of the techniques deeply ingrained in his mind at those times.
“Arts are a means to protect one’s own body against the church or sorcerers by using only one’s own body as a weapon. Is there even a reason for the strong to steal that from the weak? Know your place.”
To Zagan, martial arts were the last means with which one could protect themselves from those who possessed money and power. A sorcerer using it was the same as the rich prying money out of the poor’s hands to him. There was no way he could allow such cowardice. However, Decarabia’s body began squirming around even with his face clutched in the air.
“GYAHAH! Oh man, so you do remember!”
Decarabia wrapped his legs around Zagan’s arm and grasped his wrist. Furthermore, he pressed his ankles against Zagan’s neck and twisted his entire body towards the ground. This was a type technique to wrench the joints to their very extremities. However, Zagan didn’t move an inch.
“I already told you. You’re far too powerless to do anything.”
Zagan slammed his arm to the ground with Decarabia still wrapped around it.
“GEHYAH!?”
Decarabia was helplessly slammed headfirst into the ground. Even though the ground beneath them was all sand, there was enough force to make Decarabia lose his hold on Zagan’s arm. And with Decarabia’s face still firmly clutched, Zagan began gathering mana in his right hand.
“A sorcerer should fight using sorcery. Just like this — Lightning Spear.”
What Zagan specialized in the most after physical enhancement was lightning sorcery. This spell in particular was one he favored which brought lightning down from the sky to reduce everything into atoms. It possessed enough power to rival Barbatos’ Flames of Indignation.
Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I used normal sorcery.
And the moment Zagan was thinking that...
“GYAHAHAH! Here it comes! You used sorcery!!”
Zagan couldn’t understand what happened in the moment. The moment his Lightning Spear was about to strike Decarabia, it pierced Zagan’s body instead.
“Guh-wah?”
Struck head-on by the lightning, Zagan’s right arm was carbonized all the way up to his shoulder. And with a good portion of his body reduced to ash, he fell to a knee.
No way! That was...
Zagan’s eyes shot open in shock, and Nephy murmur affirmed his suspicion.
“Master Zagan’s sorcery... was reflected?”
The moment a sorcerer unleashed their sorcery could be said to be the moment they were most vulnerable. And since his own sorcery was reflected at this time, there was no way he could defend against it. In truth, Zagan was unable to get back on his feet right away. He had taken the attack of an Archdemon full force. His regeneration couldn’t keep up.
I see. Even an incompetent brat could kill someone with this.
Zagan recalled the sorcerer that was killed once before from the same thing. It even made him feel fear as to what would have happened here if he had used Heaven’s Phosphor instead.
After using such flashy sorcery though, it was only natural that others in the area saw it.
“Hey, who the hell is that?”
Those who were running around the island looking for food came running over. The ones that came into view were the Angelic Knights. It was as one would expect for them to react so fast, seeing as this sort of situation was their specialty. The speed at which they judged what was going on and took action was quite admirable.
Decarabia’s head slanted to the side as he stood back up.
“Oooh? What’s this? A whole lotta them just came crawlin’ out! Can I break ’em? It’s fine, right? Okay! Let’s break ’em all! Breakin’ things is my specialty! HYAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA!”
And just as he began licking his chops at those running over from the forest...
“...What a coincidence. Breaking things is also my specialty.”
Kuroka was right behind Decarabia with both her swords already drawn.
“Wuh!?”
By the time he noticed, Kuroka had already swung her swords. Decarabia’s right hand went flying into the air. The strike from below was just like a grim reaper’s scythe as it severed his right arm completely.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”
“You’re done.”
Kuroka brought down her sword on Decarabia’s neck without hesitation. However, Zagan stopped her.
“Don’t, Kuroka!”
“Huh!?”
Just a single step behind, Kuroka also noticed the irregularity. She managed to bring herself to a stop, but she was just an instant too late.
&n
bsp; “AAAaah... Just kiddin’!”
“Ack...”
Decarabia’s right hand seized Kuroka’s neck. A new right hand had sprouted out of the severed stump in an instant. Tabaxis were a race who possessed extraordinary mana, but they were not a particularly powerful race. Decarabia squeezed down on her dainty neck, leading Kuroka’s complexion to darken considerably.
“Oooh, a kitty cat. This is my first time pettin’ a kitty cat. What a slender neck. Should I snap it? Should I crush it? Aah, it might be even more fun just to look at it ’til it can’t breathe no more too... Oof, ow? Ow?”
Kuroka stabbed her short swords precisely into Decarabia’s vitals even while she was being strangled, but he wasn’t phased at all.
Are all of this guy’s circuits dedicated to regeneration and reinforcement?
It was at least to the point where he could instantly regenerate a severed limb. When it came to simple regenerative ability, he even surpassed an Archdemon.
Decarabia’s face twisted with a smile.
“Aren’t kitty cats meant to be pets? It ain’t cute at all though... should I kill it?”
I won’t let you!
Zagan stood himself up, but faster than he could even do that, someone ran in like a bolt of lightning.
“Shine—Sacred Sword Azrael!”
A ray of light instantly went to tear Decarabia’s face apart.
“Whoa! That’s bad!”
Decarabia instantly jumped back, but his right arm, which was strangling Kuroka, was once more severed from his body.
“Hak, gah.”
Kuroka fell to the ground, coughing violently. And the one to stand before her and cover her was Chastille.
“Sorry Kuroka. I had to pick up my stuff, so I was a little late.”
She had her Sacred Sword in hand. It appeared that the moment she noticed the attack, she ran off to grab her sword. She looked awfully composed, but her breathing was ragged. As for Decarabia, he escaped into the skies and was pinning down his severed arm.
“Ow! Ow! OOOW! How nice! HOW NICE! It’s gettin’ fun in here!”
He didn’t seem capable of regenerating the wound caused by the Sacred Sword, but contrary to expectation, he looked to be ecstatic.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 7 (Premium) Page 11
