TERROR!
A ripple of fear spread though the Lower Demons as they gazed upon the majesty of the giant being.
His confident grin was enough to send shivers down their spines, a dozen times over.
Lower Demons were creatures of low intelligence. They were no better than wild animals, with respect to their cognitive skills.
It was due to this that they were used as mere pawns in battle. They relied solely on their instincts which were naturally inclined to violence.
However, even unintelligent beings were not unaware of a core primal emotion that was associated with any living being.
FEAR!
They gulped and shivered, visibly shaken, unable to stand their ground.
If that being took so much as a single step, the earth would shatter.
A single breath of his could rip them to pieces.
They had no hope of laying even the minutest of scratches upon him.
Still, one question kept nagging at their primitive minds.
Why wasn't he attacking?
His refusal to move from his position raised many questions, but the basic minds of these simplistic creatures found it quite difficult to process so many variables all at the same time, so they finally settled on what seemed most likely.
—Absolute Confidence!
The towering god-like human was completely aware of how insignificant they were to him. The condescending look in his eyes and his refusal to budge was simply an invitation to death.
It was as though he was telling them "Take a single step forward, and die!"
None of them desired that.
Although some of their comrades had fallen, the Lower Demons had their confidence and pride, so they kept pressing on.
But now, things were different.
An immensely powerful being that surpassed all their expectations had appeared.
The demonic entities knew it within themselves… that they were royally screwed.
"GUARRRAAAKKKK!!!"
In one joint roar—no, whimper—of retreat, the dark beasts ran as if their lives depended on it. In this case, it did.
Their screeches were filled with desperation. The survival instincts of the creatures were in overdrive and their demonic adrenaline made them quicken their pace as they fled. It was indeed, a sight to behold.
Even as they were escaping, the monsters still nurtured a hidden fear that the celestial being behind them would smite them.
The possibility of that happening made them quicken their pace even more— clouds of dust trailing behind them.
Fortunately for them, they were too weak to be considered worthwhile for the glorious entity. And so, he spared them not even another gaze.
Their lives were spared!
In gratitude, they resolved never to invade—or even come close—to the area under the custody of such a powerful entity.
In their entire primitive lives, these Lower Demons had never met a being as strong as the entity they had just witnessed.
In simple terms…
… He was OVERPOWERED!
_______________________
"H-he saved us…" Sarah whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
The worn-out soldiers also gazed upon the magnificent image of their champion.
Although they had heard tales of such heroic beings, none were as magnificent as this.
It was as though they were laying eyes on God himself.
"Oh, Hero…" The Priestess clasped her hands together and stared at her savior with absolute reverence.
He had fulfilled his promise.
More significantly, he had requested no charge at all.
While she was a bit concerned that he had spared the demons, letting them escape, Sarah was too overwhelmed with gratitude to complain.
"Do not fret, everyone." The Hero's booming voice ricocheted all over the crowd.
"Salvation… has come…"
As those words came out, the image and voice of the Hero began to fade away.
The Camp members closed their eyes and bowed down. At the same time, the image of the hero before them began to glitch and flicker as though he was pixelated.
How could they keep their composure, after all?
And so, while their eyes were tightly shut, The Hero dissipated, as though he was nothing more than a mirage.
___________________________
"Whew. That was a close one!" I heaved a sigh of relief.
Referring to the incident as a close call, was the undestatement of the century.
'I was scared for my life, worried that it wouldn't actually work'.
Fortunately, my performance was perfect.
'They all bought it! Sweet!' I gave myself a victory bump.
Even as I was all alone in the Summoning Tent, surrounded by a Magic Circle that was different from the one used for Summoning, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with a great sense of relief—and pride.
'Thank goodness I remembered…'
Had it not been for my immense knowledge of my favorite Novel, as well as the materials necessary to pull this off… it would have been the end for both me and everyone else here.
[A Few Moments Earlier]
"Since you trust me, then listen carefully to what I'm about to say," I said to my audience—the five people in the room.
"There isn't much time. Now, then… let's turn the tables, shall we?"
As expected, they were willing to do anything I requested of them—no questions asked.
"Do you still have leftover ingredients used to make this summoning circle? Holy Water, Mana Chalk, and Mercury?"
Their eyes widened in surprise. Were they surprised that I knew of the ingredients used to make the Circle?
"A-as expected of the Hero. Y-yes. You are right! We still have some leftover ingredients." Sarah answered, sounding flustered.
"Perfect," I said with obvious relief.
'If they didn't have them, this would all be hopeless.'
Thanks to my summoners' desperation, they wholeheartedly heeded my absurd request without the slightest resistance.
"Just show me the ingredients and buy me some time. Ten minutes… no, five minutes is enough!"
The guards and Priestess did as they were told in a hurry, and left quickly to support their comrades.
The moment I saw the look in their eyes before they left, I instinctively knew…
'They're counting on me!'
All that I saw during my previous encounter with this world came flooding back.
I remembered the endless carnage. The destruction. The desperation.
But, that wasn't all.
The hope everyone had in me. Their expectations of a Hero who would deliver them from calamity.
Even though I was weak and powerless… their faith and hope gave me strength.
'Isn't this what I always wanted? To be a Hero?'
Overpowered or not, it was time to earn my keep.
'Failure wasn't an option!'
There were two major ingredients used for creating a Magic Circle.
—Mana Chalk and Mercury.
Holy Water could also be added for additional effects, as well as to make an appeal to the divine.
All of these fundamental knowledge were stuck in my head thanks to the countless hours I spent watching and reading about them.
These ingredients, in short, were necessary to create what I desired.
What were my intentions?
To summon a Magical Beast to decimate my enemies?
Or would I conjure up an Angel to battle on my behalf?
Would I be able to call upon Heroic Spirits to come to my aid?
Perhaps even summon another Hero to take my place?
The answer to all those questions…
… was NO!
I didn't have enough MP to do any of those things.
Equivalent exchange was the rule of Summoning Magic, and I literally had nothing to offer in exchange.
That was why I couldn't even dream of summoning even the minutest of things!
Still, there was something else I had in mind.
"I'll need to alter this Circle, though!" I grinned, looking at the complex layer of Signs and Symbols that had been embedded in the ground.
I had seen this many times while reading the Light Novels, and there were plenty of arts that alluded to the Summoning Circle.
In essence, it was already a part of me.
However… the image of a Hero's Summoning Circle wasn't the only one I had.
Quickly moving in a desperate motion, I grabbed the chalk and began drawing on the ground, in quick, rapid motions. Time was of the essence.
It was harder than I thought, considering the fact that I had only drawn the circle on paper before, childishly hoping for some miracle back when I was on Earth.
This would be my first time inscribing something of this magnitude.
'I had heard of some people who actually drew Circles on the ground… damn, it's hard!'
I hadn't been a Chunnibyou back on Earth, so I wouldn't know of such people.
However, struggling with the design actually made me wish—for a split second—that I had attempted something like that even once.
'Sorry, everyone! I might be a bit late…'
>SKRIIIII<
My drawing came to a halt and I was finally done with the Circle.
'It looks creepier now that I'm looking at it in person…' I thought to myself, looking at the altered symbols and signs.
The next step was lacing the lines with Mercury to conclude the process.
It was a delicate procedure, but since I had handled it on previous occasions, it was relatively easier due to the fact that I was working on a larger surface.
"Whew! All done!" I looked at the circle.
All that was left at this point… was to invoke the effects I wanted.
"Finally, it's complete." I grinned.
—The Mirage Circle!
That's right, this was a complex piece that stood at the pinnacle of 'Bullshitting!'
By altering the form of the Summoning Circle, I had changed the properties to match that of a Mirage Circle.
And the latter only had one effect… it was for showbiz! If things went well, it would be perfect for what I needed.
Digital Entertainment was an untapped technology in this world I found myself in, but the sort of things I could project using this Circle were similar to Holographic Displays back on Earth.
In conclusion, they weren't real. They were flashy, but relatively useless.
"Now, then… let the show begin!"