There are at least five fragments of the Demon King in my body.
The ones from the Shadow Monster and Amy.
I absorbed two during the monster attack, and since this body has existed as a Seed of the Demon King from the start, that means there’s more than one.
“…”
And every time I swallow a Fragment of the Demon King, I get a certain feeling.
It feels like someone’s ego is entering my body each time I absorb a fragment, as if the fragment itself has its own consciousness.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination, just a small voice.
But as I absorbed more fragments, that sense of discomfort grew stronger and stronger. During the Academy attack, didn’t it try to completely take over my body?
A space of unconsciousness filled only with a black background.
Someone with silver hair resembling mine looks at me and says,
“…Beware of a certain Mage?”
She disappears, leaving those incomprehensible words behind.
As the space of unconsciousness shatters, I return to reality. In front of me stands Sertia, and I’m holding the Red Sword.
Is this the second time I’ve drawn the Red Sword? The crimson mana isn’t all my own power; it’s sourced from the fragments, so I don’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary.
But the opponent is Sertia. The most powerful Mage in the long history of the Empire.
If I don’t get serious, I’ll lose. This is the first time I’ve felt tension in combat.
“…”
I adjust my grip on the sword. Crimson magic spreads out in all directions, exuding a sinister aura.
No matter how strong I am, she’s a Mage.
If it turns into close combat, I won’t be able to do anything. After all, if she’s human, she won’t be able to keep up with my speed.
I grip the sword and leap.
At that moment, the world around me starts to look slower, except for me. A world of extreme speed that can only be accessed when reflexes exceed those of a human.
The time it takes to reach Sertia’s eyes isn’t long.
Not even one second is too long.
Because it will be faster than the time it takes her to blink.
So as I approach Sertia, I immediately swing my sword.
This is a speed no one has reacted to until now. A normal human wouldn’t even have seen me.
And then—
Bang!!!!
The sword I swung at Sertia was blocked by some kind of barrier.
A crack forms in the thick mana barrier I unleashed.
I put strength into the hand gripping the sword and draw up the crimson magic.
At that point, I anticipated the destruction of the barrier.
Is it not breaking through?
But I frowned.
I couldn’t break Sertia’s barrier.
In a world of extreme speed where everything except me looks slow, Sertia catches sight of me.
Her blue eyes gaze at me. Even though my sword had cut down a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s army, Sertia’s cold expression showed no signs of breaking.
The last sight I had of her was the most composed expression I’d seen from anyone thus far.
In that moment, Sertia’s attack magic took shape and ignited.
A flash erupted.
*
Intense pain was felt in my abdomen.
I felt as if my entire insides were twisting. My breath came in gasps, and my body felt heavy.
I had only been hit by one spell, yet my body had holes and was bleeding heavily.
And above all—
My regeneration is slowing…
The residual mana from the spell was gnawing at my body, hindering my regeneration.
It was a sensation I had felt before.
Mana-Blood.
A peculiar condition where a human contains a large amount of mana in their blood.
I don’t know the reason, but humans with Mana-Blood are specialized in destroying magic.
Unlike Sera, who struggled to utilize the power from her condition, my control was extraordinarily precise and clean.
Several attack spells flew toward me as I lay down. Each one was fatal if it hit, forcing me to roll away on the ground.
I needed to dodge the magic.
But the magic shot out into the air didn’t merely go in a straight line.
It curved, chasing the preset targets.
“…Cough!”
My vision twisted again, and flesh tore away. Red blood erupted into the air, filling my sight.
I thought I had become accustomed to pain. But it seemed I wasn’t.
My brow furrowed involuntarily. The pain of my body melting away due to Mana-Blood hindered my movements.
“Ugh, ugh…”
I wiped the blood from my mouth with my hand.
The reason the Demon King’s army hesitated to declare war on mankind was likely because of Sertia. Her power surpassed that of all of the Empire’s humans combined.
I had known, but she was stronger than I expected.
Even in her prime, she was overwhelming me.
Gripping my melted wounds with my hand, I looked ahead. Sertia still stood before me, looking as composed as she had during our first encounter.
Sertia was at least stronger than I was now. To win against her, I needed to use another method.
I took another Fragment of the Demon King from my pocket and swallowed it.
“…”
After that, I rose to my feet with a heavy body. I recreated the Red Sword I had dropped.
I drew even more power from the fragment.
Until my consciousness was hazy. Until my awareness twisted.
The Fragment of the Demon King blended with my consciousness. Memories of the Demon King inscribed on the fragment entered me.
There was a Mage who single-handedly blocked the Demon King who had defeated the first Hero, Elion.
A Mage with red hair and shining blue eyes.
Although her appearance has changed quite a bit now, she’s the same person as before.
Crimson magic seeped out.
Wounds healed, and my hair dyed a shade of red due to the influence of the crimson magic.
“…Yes, Sertia.”
I gripped the sword.
“Let’s settle this after 20 years.”
I slammed the ground.
I steadied my breath and slowly swung my sword.
I sliced through the magic that flew toward me, sharpened by the crimson magic.
Fast and deadly, but not fast enough to phase me. I cut through all the magic pouring in from all directions.
I sliced through and stood before Sertia.
Sending magic in all directions, I covered the area. The mana that spread filled the vicinity and ensnared Sertia.
This will be her grave.
I swung the sword with that thought in mind.
This time, it was a swing meant to pierce through the barrier. Sertia reached out to block it, but that won’t be enough.
Crack, crack!
Cracks form in the enormous barrier that stood in my way. It was the same scene as before, but the size of the cracks was larger this time.
I added more strength to the hand gripping the sword.
FWOOSH!!
After the barrier shattered, Sertia’s expression was altered for the first time.
Once the barrier broke, the Red Sword straightaway aimed for Sertia. To minimize the gap in my movements, its trajectory twisted unnormally.
In that fleeting moment, Sertia grasped a strong elemental spell in her hand.
It was the moment before my sword reached her.
Whooosh!!
Flames erupted from Sertia’s left hand, engulfing the area.
The Red Sword grazed Sertia’s forehead, and the roaring flames pushed me back.
A powerful force, perhaps a combination of fire magic and wind magic.
It didn’t matter. If the barrier was broken, there were plenty of opportunities.
I caught my breath as I was pushed back. I struggled to maintain control over the surging crimson magic that was too overwhelming to handle.
Blood flowed down from Sertia’s forehead.
“…”
“…”
This was Sertia’s burnt library.
She wiped the blood on her forehead with a blank expression.
That’s where the problems began.
As Sertia converted the blood she shed into mana, her presence grew even larger.
Mana amplification using blood. I had anticipated it, but can she use it too?
“Step back, Albert.”
“Sertia, that’s too much!”
“This is my fight. Perhaps it will end this time.”
Sertia turned to look at Albert.
“Or are you trying to hold back your mentor? I don’t know what you think of that person, Albert, but the remnants of the Demon King must disappear from here.”
“…”
“And it is my duty to carry that out. I have lived my entire life only for that.”
She said this and turned her gaze back to me.
Surrounded by flames, Sertia seemed somewhat unstable for some reason.
Was she not in a perfect state?
Perhaps the key to victory in this fight lies in that.
The scale of power that Sertia wields is greater than what I possess.
I don’t know how a human can wield that much power, but if I continue this head-on confrontation, it will be disadvantageous for me.
However, the magnitude of power an individual possesses does not always determine victory or defeat.
I look at Sertia. Can I find her weakness by using crimson magic?
“So, the one you swallowed earlier was a Fragment of the Demon King, right? It’s fascinating the more I look at it. Normally, consuming it would turn one into a mindless monster. I’ve never seen someone manipulate the power of a fragment like that.”
“…”
“It’s probably because you share a genetic resemblance to the Demon King that this is possible. Hence, you must disappear here before the remnants of the Demon King manifest as a complete Demon King.”
Sertia said this while extinguishing the flames in her hand.
She ignited several incantations simultaneously. From elemental magic to attack spells where she sharply shapes mana to launch.
Various spells bloomed behind Sertia. The pinnacle of the magic only she could use.
And then—
“I believe the name was Iria. I hold no ill feelings towards you.”
“Neither do I.”
Sertia aimed all the magic she summoned toward me.
I, too, aimed the sword I held at her.
Now it was time to prove who was stronger.
