A demon with the form of a giant bird spread its four wings.
Its body was covered in snow, ice, and frost, like a suit of armor.
Within a single large orbital socket, its eyes were filled with glistening eyeballs, each emitting a strange light, and its long, sharp beak was filled with teeth.
Andrealpus, the Ice Duke.
The mastermind of the Age of Destruction, the spearhead of the demonic army that caused so much damage to the Human Alliance, has finally revealed its true colors.
[Handmade, though quite clever...]
Andrealphus flapped its massive wings and soared into the air in the blink of an eye.
The long tail feathers of ice and frost traced white trails in the air.
[It is of no use to me].
Andrealphus was right.
Water is no match for a flying bird.
Perhaps if there had been more water, but the severe drought had lowered the level of Lakedog so much that it was impossible to finish off Madeline.
[What can you people who live off the land do? Hohohoho-]
Andrealphus ascended to the heavens and laughed at all things below.
Hand attacks, formations, and sieges are all meaningless before the power of Andrealphus, who dominates the sky.
The daylilies stretched out their vines but could not reach it, and Marquis de Sade's improved Eightfold Formation had lost its effectiveness.
"Formation with bird flying. Eih-"
"I don't know if I can reach it."
Marquis de Sade and Major General Orca stepped forward.
kwakwakwakwakwang!
Whips and clubs stretched out with terrifying force, creating a storm of auras.
[It's absurd. Hohohoho-]
Andrealphus dodged the combined attacks of Sade and Orca with too much ease.
A flying demon, flying freely through the skies.
It could ascend to impossibly high heights and descend to the ground in the blink of an eye, so attacks from the ground were largely pointless against Andrealphus.
"Miss!"
"Are you all right!"
"What the hell is going on...."
Several of the de-brainwashed Knights of the God Killer Sniper Squad gathered around Bianca.
Bianca quickly took control of the situation.
"God Killer Sniper Squad, quickly pull yourself together and catch that monster first!"
With that, Bianca raised her bow and arrow and pointed it at Andrealphus.
The knights of the God Killer Sniper Squad also looked nervous as they prepared to shoot.
However, even though each and every one of them was a sharpshooter, it was difficult for them to hit Andrealphus, who was moving at a tremendous speed in the sky.
[Hohohoho- When I make my move, no one can catch me...!?]
But Andrealpus's self-congratulation was short-lived.
pis-
Vikir leaped up, stepping on a dead tree that had fallen at an angle to the cliffside.
Vikir leaped a ridiculous height.
His leap seemed to defy gravity!
'All those years in the Academy's gravity chamber have been worth it.'
In the blink of an eye, Vikir landed at Andrealphus's feet and unleashed the 8th Form of Baskerville.
…Flash!
The dark solar storm raged furiously.
ppajijijijig!
Startled, Andrealphus quickly halted its flight, spun, and fled in a near-vertical orbit.
Vikir had to be content with tearing off one of the demon's wings and one of its legs.
[Keuaaaghhhhh! How dare you little creature.]
Andrealphus's eyeballs turned an even deeper shade of red.
Eventually, the Demon King began to exercise the power granted to him without hesitation.
jjeojeojeojeog!
A black circle of magic drew around Andrealphus.
Soon, the portal was torn apart and huge chunks of ice began to appear.
Hail. But they were far too large to be hail.
Huge chunks of ice, almost drift ice.
Ice slabs and ice boulders over 10 meters in diameter began to fall like raindrops.
kwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The ground was devastated in an instant.
The people below didn't even dare to attack Andrealphus.
jjeoeog-
Vikir quickly raised his head after cutting down a huge hailstone that was falling towards him.
Andrealphus was sneering from the corner of his mouth, as if he would never return to the ground.
[From now on, I'll never give you a break! Die in a hailstorm! Hohohohoho-]
Andrealphus summoned the hailstones as if on cue.
A steady stream of ice blocks rained down.
Camus, who was crushing the hailstones with her scorching hot iron skewers, spoke up in annoyance.
"This is a pain in the ass. We're just going to have to take a one-sided beating, and that guy can just fly away when it runs out of energy."
"I agree."
Dolores nodded, agreeing with Camus.
She was frustrated that her holy shield was ineffective against physical impacts like hail.
Sinclair, too, was growing weary as she drew gold from the veins beneath the ground to create the shield.
"Brother, I don't think we'll last long at this rate, not even five minutes."
Sinclair was right.
As the hail continued to fall, the Night Walkers became increasingly exhausted.
In this situation, Andrealphus drove a wedge.
[...At this point, will we even open the gates of destruction?]
At that, everyone's faces turned puzzled.
Andrealphus chuckled.
[If I unleash the remaining power, I can open the Gates of Destruction, albeit imperfectly, but at the cost of my life].
"...."
Vikir looks up at the sky without speaking.
Seeing Vikir's gaze, Andrealphus spoke in a mocking tone.
[Perhaps you are the only one of these humans who understands my words. I don't know how a mere mortal could know about the Gates of Destruction, but... don't worry too much. I have no intention of opening it just yet.]
After finishing speaking, Andrealphus opened his mouth wide.
[With such an advantage, who am I to force myself to open the gate? Hohohohoho!]
The hailstones began to fall again.
[Once all of you are gone, I'll work with my two remaining companions to open the gate safely, aAnd in the end, the whole world will be covered with demons(Majins)! How easy is this in a world overflowing with scum who want power!]
Andrealphus spread its remaining wings wide.
And in the midst of the hailstorm that threatened to engulf the world, Andrealphus scorned and mocked them until the very end.
[Die, you scum! Everything you have done is worthless and in vain! I myself will make it so...!]
Just then.
"Are you that confident?"
Vikir's mouth opened.
He was staring at Andrealphus with a straight, unwavering gaze, even under such adverse circumstances.
Andrealphus looked down at Vikir with the gaze of a cat looking at a caught mouse.
[What the hell are you talking about?]
"Are you really that confident? I've been taught that behind overconfidence lies anxiety."
[Hohohohoho- Anxiety? This body?]
Andrealphus laughed in disbelief.
[You are crawling on the ground like worms, and I am raining hail from so high in the sky. I may have lost a wing and a leg through the carelessness, but that's nothing compared to eating hundreds of human children].
"Yes, but there is still a glimmer of insecurity in you. If you are really so full of yourself, prove it."
[Where does a worm dare such a petty provocation...]
As Andrealphus turned away as if not worth listening to, Vikir shouted.
"'Where is the person who can kill me?'."
[...!]
The words that came out of Vikir's mouth were Andrealphus's line to Bianca.
"Where is the person who can kill me?'. If you can say it three times, I will recognize your courage. I'll even open the doors of my mansion for you. You won't be afraid, will you?'
Vikir turned to face Andrealphus, who was glaring at him, and continued.
"If you can say these words three times, I will recognize your confidence. I will accept defeat and death as sweet. You won't be afraid, will you?"
[Heh! What else can you do if I won't accept it? ... But hey, it's fun, and if your goal was to keep me interested and kill time, you've succeeded].
Andrealphus looked back at Bianca with a wicked grin.
But Andrealphus and Bianca are not the same. Their powers and circumstances are so different that they dare not even compare.
And so Andrealphus was able to cry out one last time.
[Where is the person who can kill me? Where is the person who can kill me? Where is the person who can kill me?]
The arrogance and confidence of one who stands in absolute dominance.
Andrealphus shouted proudly, standing firmly in the center of the sky.
At that very moment.
[...?]
As the last word was uttered, Andrealphus experienced a strange phenomenon.
A flicker.
The vision in his left eye flashed black.
Countless pupils had lost their function.
Andrealpus scratched his head, wondering what it was.
…ppeoeong!
Andrealpus's head snapped forward with a loud explosion.
hududug- hududug- hududug- hududug-
The face was shattered, the eyes popped out, and the left side of the skull was completely torn off.
A sniper shot of terrifyingly destructive power swoops in and blasts it in the back of the head.
[kkyaaaaaagh! W-what is this!?]
Andrealphus screamed in horror, while Vikir's mouth opened.
"My handiwork was not necessarily to catch you."
He was right.
A surge of water flooded the swamp, sweeping away all the mist and red death that had been rising around Usher's mansion.
And then.
On the roof of the crumbling mansion, at the tip of the spire, stood a lone figure.
A thin figure, complexion as pale as a corpse.
But his sunken eyes still glowed with the same fire as before.
Roderick. Usher Poe Roderik.
Usher's original master, the Archon, holds up his bow and arrow, pointing it at the sky.