by Sakon Kaidou
Hell General was a Superior Job that mixed frontline battle qualities with army commanding. However, its most notable trait was its focus on summoning devils at the cost of sacrifices.
“Here and now, I consign these many lives I have at my disposal. Remove the lid of hell and gather, my forces,” he had intoned. “Call Devil Regiment.”
During the war, the Hell General had summoned more than three thousand devils. The man-eating army had been as tough as it was ravenous, and they’d had little trouble dealing with thousands of the kingdom’s soldiers. Even the Paladin-filled Royal Guard had lost over a hundred members upon intercepting them.
As the victims had continued to pile up, the commander of the Royal Guard — Celestial Knight, Langley Grandria — had broken through the devilish ranks all by himself and made it through to their leader and source, the Hell General.
True, many might have argued that Langley hadn’t been alone in his charge. He was simply the only one who had survived while trying to get to Logan.
Neither the vice commander at that time, nor the many other skilled, max-level members of the Royal Guard, had been able to survive the devilish onslaught, which had left the Celestial Knight to face the Hell General all by his lonesome.
Their fight had been overwhelming in its intensity.
The Celestial Knight had been considered to be one of the strongest tian vanguard fighters, and he’d proven how worthy he was of that title by fighting toe-to-toe with the Hell General, a Master bearing bonuses given by his Embryo.
The devils at Logan’s command had tried to swarm him, but even they had been able to do little to protect their summoner.
“I won’t let you stain the kingdom’s lands with the blood of my brethren any longer!” Langley had called. “Logan Goddhart, I shall defeat you and banish your devils!”
“Gh! Shit...!”
In a one-on-one battle, the Celestial Knight had been above the Hell General. Langley had seemed to have a chance to emerge victorious and make the devilish army disappear. However...
“Umm, hello hello? Your Excellency the General? You okay? The King of Beasts already took care of the Archsage, y’know? Wait, what? You’re not done yet? Are you actually about to lose? Well, ain’t that just troubling, your excellency. (lol)” ...a voice of provocation ringing in the Hell General’s ear had changed the situation by messing with his mind.
“DON’T MOCK ME, FRANKLIN!” Suddenly, the Hell General had yanked off one of the items he had equipped. It was a special reward he’d earned by defeating an Epic-tier UBM. “‘Here and now, I consign this unique treasure! In exchange for its limitless value, grant me a moment of power! Come from the ancient times, O endless devil!’ Call Devil Zero Exceed!”
Thus, the Hell General had sacrificed a special reward to summon a devil with power matching a Mythical UBM.
The addition of such a being had instantly turned the tides of battle, making it end with the death of the Celestial Knight. There had also been the destruction of his beloved Prism Steed, the kingdom’s national treasure. So the country had lost both its human and material symbols.
Following that conclusion, the Giga Professor, Mr. Franklin, had gone for the finishing blow and used his modified monsters to attack the forces led by King Eldor Zeo Altar himself.
In the end, the king and all his men had become sustenance for the creatures.
Thus, the Royal Guard had lost their brethren and leader to the Hell General, and their lord to the Giga Professor.
After the war was halted, the order had reorganized, giving their late leader’s daughter and the fifth among their ranks, Liliana Grandria, the position of vice commander. With that, she had risen to the top of the Knights of the Royal Guard.
She had been made the vice commander rather than commander because she was the strongest among the order’s survivors, but she had yet to inherit the title of Celestial Knight. Every one of the order’s commanders for the entirety of its history had had that Superior Job, so the country believed that a Paladin who had yet to gain Celestial Knight wasn’t worthy of that title.
Though Liliana wasn’t weak, she certainly wasn’t at the level of Superior Jobs. The combined level of everyone else in the order was significantly lower than it had been, as well. And the number of those who could use the ultimate job skill, Grand Cross, or the hidden skill, Purifying Silverlight, could be counted on one hand. Thus, the position of commander and the throne of the Celestial Knight had been rendered empty.
The order’s failure to protect their lord had severely damaged their status in the kingdom. Countless people had looked down on them, and the surviving knights themselves had been extremely ashamed of their dishonor. Many had quit being knights, run away, or switched to other orders, reducing the size of the Royal Guard yet again. What had once been an elite army amounting to three hundred had become a group of a mere fifty.
Still, all of those remaining had a strong will and a goal to go with it.
Was it a craving for revenge against the Hell General and the Giga Professor? Did they wish to avenge their lord and many brethren?
Wrong.
That sentiment was certainly there, but it was nothing compared to what lay at the core of their beings. What they truly desired was simply “to protect them.”
They wished to succeed where they’d once failed, to ensure the safety of the three princesses left behind by their lord and protect the people of the Kingdom of Altar.
Bearing the many hardships, the members of the order still gave their all to their role as knights.
◆
And so, they dashed.
Reaching and breaking the limits of their power, the order struggled against the abomination before them, the RSK. They gave their all to defeat their foe and rescue their princess, and their efforts made them shine like the protagonists of a knight epic.
“Oh, they’re shining, all right,” I said with a grin. “Like candles in the wind.”
Looking around, I — Giga Professor, Mr. Franklin — saw members of the Royal Guard lying on the ground beneath us. Their total number had fallen below the already-small fifty, and those of them still able to move were few and far between. Most of them had been defeated by my RSK.
He was a custom-made modified monster, a cracked sphere of flesh supported by ten tentacles. The creature was based on Evil Offspring and Ropers, and had potential to be classified among the more powerful members of them.
Besides the tentacles, he didn’t have any other... interesting features. It wasn’t like I couldn’t have added any, but considering his main target, doing so would’ve been pointless.
His skillset and biological tissue were so complicated that he couldn’t have been made by the standard Monster Creation skill. I had only been able to do it because of my Superior Embryo’s ultimate skill, “Playing God — Pandemonium.”
Though custom-made and quite complex, the RSK was a monster I’d hurriedly created during the span of last night. I hadn’t had time to test whether he could live and function properly, so the Royal Guard’s presence here was very convenient in that regard. The many dead knights lying around him made it clear that the RSK was a success.
“All seems to be A-okay,” I said, pleased. “The attacks are on the weaker side, but that’s not unexpected.”
The lack of damage made it entirely possible that the poor RG folk around it were simply “dying,” rather than “dead.”
Of course, I intend to finish them off, I thought.
The only still-moving knights were Vice Commander Liliana and Lin-whatshisface — the third among them.
“Sir Lindos! Let’s use the stack!” she called.
“Understood!”
Having some sort of plan, they split up and positioned themselves at twelve o’clock and three o’clock around the RSK, clearly readying themselves for a focused attack from both of those directions.
“Grand Cross!” they shouted, causing a sky-reaching pillar of light to burst ou
t from below the RSK.
Grand Cross was a Paladin’s ultimate job skill. It created a cross-shaped stream of holy light energy which seared anything in its way, making it an ability not to be underestimated. And the two knights had cast it at the exact same time, increasing its damage to a factor of two.
Naturally, it was a formidable technique, and if the elements matched up, it could perhaps even fell a Pure-Dragon in a single hit. The RSK was actually Pure-Dragon-tier when it came to stats, so the attack could’ve been extremely dangerous to him.
“Alas, it isn’t,” I said as I looked at the RSK, completely unhurt by the stacked Grand Cross.
He didn’t have a single burn. The immense attack had been about as effective as a mosquito bite, if not less.
Seemingly irritated, the RSK fought back against the two attackers by either swinging his tentacles or opening many of its cracks and firing light projectiles from them.
“It can’t be...! How could the stack do nothing to it?!” Sir Lin-whatsisface cried.
“Sir Lindos, not yet! It’s too early to give up!”
“Mh...! Understood!”
And so, the two began attacking the RSK again.
Looks like they still intend to struggle, I thought. Don’t see why. It’s useless, after all.
“Heh... You might’ve stood a chance if you weren’t Paladins,” I grinned. Though, if that had been the case, I would’ve had them face a different product.
Anyway, there was no reasonable way for a Paladin — a job focused on the holy element and sword attacks — to win against the RSK. That’s how I’d designed him, after all.
He was equipped with the physical damage-reducing Material Barrier and Holy Negation.
In addition to those skills, he also had Fire Negation, Poison Negation, Weakness Negation, and Intoxication Negation, which were mostly just extras to the “main feature” — the one I’d prepared specifically for that guy.
“Kheheheheheheh,” I chuckled. “Man, I hope he doesn’t take too long.”
I didn’t know or care whether it was the hand of fate instantly making my hope a reality, but the RSK was suddenly assaulted by a grand flow of flame. The intense flamethrower was brought about by none other than Purgatorial Flames — an equipment skill from Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda.
Of course, the RSK’s Fire Negation made it come out completely unscathed.
But what mattered right now was the very usage of the Purgatorial Flames, for that meant that he had finally come.
“He’s here... He’s here he’s here HE’S HERE!” I screamed. Though a bit later than I’d anticipated, the star of the show was finally on the scene.
“Are you all right?!” Ray Starling asked the other two, upon joining the RG in their fight. With his silver Prism Steed, he appeared extremely prince-like, making his arrival seem reminiscent of another chapter in some knight tale.
And holy shit, is that hilarious.
“Ray?! Why are you here?” Liliana cried.
What a retarded question, I thought. Through my observations, I’d noticed that he was a man acting on the most hero-like impulses. If anyone before his eyes was in peril, he’d rush to help them while completely ignoring all related limitations and risks.
“I’m not exactly a fan of a scenario where a child gets kidnapped. It’d leave a bad taste in my mouth,” he said, proving my point. He simply hadn’t been able to stop himself from getting involved in tonight’s event.
“...I’m also here to beat the crap out of that guy,” he added, looking at me.
“Oh? You thought that far?” I said. “Man, that sure is something.”
Again, I was fully aware that he disregarded his limitations and risks. But I hadn’t actually expected him to come here intending to win against me — a Superior.
He was looking straight at me. Were his eyes full of antagonism? Hatred? Frustration? No... he was simply mad.
“KheHAH!” Unable to hold it in, I laughed in a weird manner.
He was completely serious. I knew very few people who were as earnest about Infinite Dendrogram as him. I could only name her — well, “him” in this world — and then there was the King of Tartarus, and of course me. As expected of a Maiden’s Master.
...Or perhaps he was a Maiden’s Master because he was this kind of person?
Regardless, I liked him a lot and was very pleased with his presence here. After all... Breaking him will feel so good, I thought with satisfaction.
“Flamingo, you’re going to be getting your due for what you did today and yesterday,” Ray snarled.
“Ahahah! Then I’m giving you yours for what you did a week ago, dog ears,” I grinned.
Welcome, Ray Starling, I thought, smirking. The RSK, your nemesis, awaits.
◇◇◇
West of the duel city, Jeand Grasslands, Paladin, Ray Starling
“The stage is set and the cast is here. Heheh!” For reasons unknown to me, Franklin cackled, clearly unable to contain his amusement.
Right now, he was standing on a floating, platform-like monster surrounded by a visible barrier. Princess Elizabeth was on the ground at his feet.
“All right, then, Ray my boy!” he said as he pointed to the night sky. “Feast your eyes on this!”
Looking up, I saw a monster that looked like a giant eye with bat wings.
“That’s a Broadcast Eye,” Franklin continued. “Everything it sees and hears is sent to a receiver monster that projects the data as a 3D movie.”
So it’s basically a living camera, I thought.
“Right as we speak, everything it sees and hears is being turned into a hologram and projected over Gideon. If everything is working as intended, whatever’s happening here should be visible to everyone in the central arena, every one of Gideon’s districts, and even the royal capital.”
“Why is this necessary?” I asked.
In response, Franklin grinned and raised one of the fingers on his right hand. “The first reason is to have the kingdom’s people witness the course of events here. Without a live broadcast, they wouldn’t know the process, and would just make their own assumptions about the result, which is no good to me.” He paused, and then continued. “After all, I want to break this country’s spirit.”
The amused sneer on his face was nothing but nauseating.
“It would all be pointless if the Altarians don’t see the people they so rely on display pathetic impotency as they fall before my creation, and don’t witness the powerlessness of the duel city. Surely you understand, right? Dying during your sleep isn’t scary, so I’m gonna open their eyes and show them the fingers digging into their necks.”
“...Makes sense, but man, that’s a pretty messed-up mentality.”
“Khah!” he laughed. “Well, it’s not like I’m the one who needs this... Anyway, on to the second reason.” Franklin then raised a finger on his left hand. “I want to publicly humiliate the ones who chased after me.”
“...You what?”
“Hahahah! Man, if things had gone according to plan, no one would’ve come here in the first place. But now we have the RG and you, and boy oh boy, are you all a nuisance! You’re delaying my darling Plan A! And since you got in my way, I decided to get rid of you all while also making you the laughingstock of the kingdom.”
“I had a hunch, but you’re actually an asshole, aren’t you?” I said. “And what’s with the assumption that no one was gonna get in your way if you went out the western gate? Seems pretty naïve, if you ask me.”
Not to mention that there were many who would get in his way even if his plan was a success.
“If that signboard was anything to go by, he lets tians pass, right?” I continued. “That means that Liliana and her people would’ve been here even if I wasn’t.”
“...Wrong,” said Franklin as his smile disappeared. “If you weren’t here, she wouldn’t have come here, either.”
Following those words, for reasons unknown, he glared at me with so
me of the sharpest eyes imaginable.
However, that expression didn’t last more than a moment, and he was soon back to his maniacal grin. “Anyway, let’s begin,” he said. “RSK... the test is over.”
Suddenly, the monster Liliana and her knights were fighting turned to face me.
The more I looked at the creature, the more eerie it seemed. Though its size was about the same as Gardranda’s, its appearance was completely unlike that of any monster I’d faced so far. It was a flesh-colored sphere with many cracks on it and ten thick tentacles protruding out of its body. The appendages were highly reminiscent of skin turned a dark blue due to blood loss.
“We fought something straight out of a horror movie just yesterday,” I muttered. “And now this thing here is like a nightmare.”
The monster was the type to make people feel uneasy and scared simply due to how hard-to-define it was.
“Indeed,” said Nemesis. “Though I find this one far easier to handle than any undead. But Ray, you do understand, right?”
Yeah, I thought. I know I acted all brave and all, but the situation here is pretty bad.
“If it hadn’t been for the battle at the gate, we could’ve tried for a Counter Absorption and Vengeance is Mine combo, but now that we don’t have that luxury, we can only hope that this creature doesn’t hit as hard as Gardranda or Gouz-Maise.”
True, I thought. After all, my preemptive Purgatorial Flames didn’t seem to work, either.
With all the Royal Guards lying around the area, Hellish Miasma wasn’t an option. Then there was the fact that Liliana and her knights — who were surely above me in terms of pure Paladin ability — had been completely overwhelmed, meaning that my normal attacks would do little... if anything. The unfavorable situation also prevented me from using that, leaving me with nothing except for Vengeance is Mine, but...
“Mh...”
Can I really use it? I thought.
“Ray?” Nemesis asked.
Just like in my previous battles against foes far stronger than me, my intuition was trying to tell me something.
The visual nausea the RSK made me feel was accompanied by chills that were hard to describe, similar to — but quite unlike — the ones I’d felt when fighting my worst enemy so far, Gouz-Maise.
