I sipped my slurp tea and gazed out the window. In the courtyard of Lionheart Fortress, I could see the members diligently sparring again today. It had already been two weeks since then.
During these two weeks, it felt like a lie—nothing had happened. The movement of the monsters had significantly decreased, and the demons were quietly hush-hushed too. Perhaps they were prioritizing their wound recovery.
Two weeks, a short time if you think about it, but during that period, Ruby had sufficiently gathered her thoughts. On top of that, we were not only honing our skills while sparring but also building trust with each other.
“Commander, I’ve brought the tea.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Not at all.”
I took a sip of the tea Cluna brought. Strangely, the tea made me feel particularly good. While sipping, she cautiously spoke.
“Commander, do you still hold that thought from before?”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“You gathered everyone two weeks ago for an announcement.”
“Oh, that.”
Before I knew it, the warm smile had vanished from her face. She was now focused intently on me. Feeling the weight of the situation, I scratched my head and pondered.
Two weeks ago.
That was the day Ruby had taken down Balak and succeeded in her revenge. I had gathered everyone for a major announcement. I declared that I would be handing over the command to Yuren again.
Yuren was originally the commander of the Royal Knights, and aside from the expedition issue, she had almost no mistakes. Moreover, it would not be an exaggeration to say she was the strongest in the Royal Knights right now.
So, I thought it would be better for Yuren to take on the command again and informed everyone, but the backlash was greater than I imagined. Helia, in particular, strongly opposed it.
[No! Absolutely not!]
[This is too sudden. Is there something going on?]
[I will follow if there is a reasonable explanation.]
The resistance from them was more intense than I expected, forcing me to take a step back. Isn’t it strange? Other than important matters, they would always hassle me like elders…
If you think about it, it’s not like I could leisurely enjoy this situation either, but indulging in this rare peace isn’t all that bad. I took another sip of tea and spoke up.
“It’s oddly peaceful.”
“Huh?”
Right beside me, Cluna, who was also organizing documents, tilted her head at my words. Well, that’s true, isn’t it? It had already been two weeks since we dealt with Balak without any issues.
But I could never think that the demons would just sit still. They must be plotting something, yet the problem is, even if I try to stay tense, it’s just too peaceful to feel…
My thoughts were interrupted. The teacup I had placed on the desk was now floating in mid-air. Not just the teacup; everything in the office—desks, bookshelves, all of it was in disarray.
I instinctively realized that time had stopped. However, it wasn’t me who had stopped time. What does that mean? It means a threat had just come to my life.
At this point, I wasn’t as flustered as before. Even though this was the Royal Knights’ base, I had always been aware that an ambush could happen anytime, anywhere. And now, that reality was unfolding before me.
Where are they?
What’s the range?
Where’s the safety zone?
In less than a minute, as I grasped those facts, I moved quickly. First, I lifted Cluna beside me and moved her. Then I relocated the other members as well. Thank goodness they were all in the courtyard.
If they hadn’t been there…
The cooldown could have easily doubled.
Once I had transferred all the members to a safe zone, only then could I finally show my horrified expression. This wasn’t just a level of an aerial attack; it was like a bombing had come crashing down from the sky.
Fortunately, since it hit the office first, time stop activated beforehand. If it hadn’t, I might have unwittingly lost one of my comrades.
I released the time stop. At the same time, a deafening explosion hit my comrades like a thunderbolt. In the sudden chaos, they stared at me with confusion.
“Commander? What’s happening…?”
“It’s an ambush! Everyone, get ready!!”
“An ambush?! Out of nowhere?!”
Clara, who was always high-energy, spoke up for me this time. That was exactly what I wanted to say. There was a reason we had been so relaxed like this.
That was because the barrier of the Holy Kingdom was still intact. Because of that barrier, demons were significantly restricted in their actions inside it. The magnitude of their power imposed those limitations.
Therefore, the demons had created weaker low-level demons and monsters to operate inside the barrier. In other words, there shouldn’t be any low-level demons or monsters capable of such an attack.
“I thought at least one could be killed with that attack.”
“They’re the Royal Knights. There’s no way they’d die from such an attack.”
“If it weren’t for the commander, I think at least one person would have died.”
What appeared before us were three beings. They looked nothing like humans, more precisely, they were similar yet deviated considerably from human features.
First, the one on the right was extremely large, definitely exceeding 3 meters tall. And despite that, its face resembled a lizard. A Lizardman? Or maybe a variant? I don’t know.
On the opposite side, there was a woman with black hair wearing a thin dress. Her obsidian-like hair and eyes made her appearance stand out. If only she didn’t have horns on her head.
“Ha-ha, hello there? Royal Knights.”
But the one in the center was the most dangerous. At first glance, she was the smallest—perhaps resembling a middle schooler. Her hair was light green, and she looked harmless overall.
But there was a crucial feature that couldn’t be overlooked. The narrowness of her eyes. It was undeniable that when a slanted-eye character opens their eyes, they become incredibly strong.
“I am Blood Demon…”
“Victory or death!”
“…?!”
Staying still was actually to gather momentum! I was nervous thinking they looked like anything beyond Blood Demon-level demons. But the one in the center called herself Blood Demon. Well, that made sense.
It had only been about a year since our fierce battles with the Blood Demons ended. It wouldn’t have been possible for three demons beyond Blood Demon level to come directly here! So I took it upon myself to handle this one.
After all, she was the only one confirmed to be Blood Demon!
But I wasn’t planning on taking it lightly. To prevent interference from the others, I even activated Time Acceleration and ensured I separated her for sure. It hurt a little, but thankfully it was bearable.
What about the others?
They’ll handle that on their own.
After all, I’m the weakest! I’ll take down the weakest first!
*
“Hm, the commander really is the commander.”
“It’s flowing entertainingly~ A grand battle right from the start!”
“…….”
The large lizard-headed demon and the horned female demon were laughing and chatting as if they were on a picnic. The first to react to their demeanor was Helia.
Thunder Dragon Sword Technique: First Sword, Thunder Dragon Strike!
In the year and a half filled with overflowing talent, the genius had built up an unmatched swordsmanship through bone-crushing effort. It showed power that even the Blood Demons could not dare to underestimate.
But after all, power is just power. If it doesn’t hit, it means nothing. Thus, the female demon reacted first. Before long, a long spear had appeared in her hand.
“You’re quite fast, huh?”
“Shut up, where do you think you’re talking from?”
“I like your personality! Let’s play together!”
“Oh? Can we join in too?”
If Helia had been alone, she would have likely been unable to hold out and would have died immediately. Fortunately, she had comrades. Speedsters Clara and Cluna joined Helia to support her.
Naturally, Yuren, Bayard, and Ruby ended up facing off against the 3-meter large demon. The lizard-headed one glanced at them for a moment and then assumed a fighting stance.
“I am Lehart. What an honor to match blades with the famous Royal Knights.”
“……That monstrous killing intent dissipated. Could it be, from earlier…”
“Indeed, the former commander is indeed the former commander. Yes, that was from the one your former leader took away.”
“N-No way, Blood Demon is supposed to be beneath Blood Demon-level demons!”
“Yet how come it can exude such pressure?!”
“It seems like there’s some misunderstanding.”
The meaning of Blood Demon is genuine demons, and Blood Demon was the name they had chosen because they thought they could not interact with weaklings. That’s how it had been till Lehart spoke.
“Blood Demon is the name of that one from earlier.”
“What? Blood Demon is a name?”
“Yes.”
“……It looks like that Blood Demon has some connection with that Blood Demon.”
“There can only be a connection.”
Is it just fooling around with names? No, that can’t be. Those demons wouldn’t joke like that. There must be another reason. Lehart spoke directly.
“That being is the creator of all Blood Demons.”
The king of all Blood Demons and the very essence of Blood Demon itself.
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