"It's no good… It's not coming out at all."
Zeta had a fatigued expression as he retracted his fingers.
Before him, a female Demon around Media's age stood in silence with an expressionless expression plastered on her face.
The sight of Demons with these frozen doll-like expressions is something I've already gotten used to.
In Grey Rock with few pedestrians as it is, a back alley a left turn of of the main road. Even in the middle of the day, it was dark, and let alone Demons, there wasn't a single mouse here.
Even if we're in the Rank Four Vanity's territory, were at the outskirts of the outskirts. I mean, it's quiet here, so it isn't hard to aim for the gaps.
Zeta had already taken the memories of nine Demons.
A Demon's Skills were their craving themselves.
But it's not like they could be used endlessly. With this high heat and humidity, the area was incredibly discomforting, and the task at hand, that was akin to grasping at fog put a deep strain on his psyche.
Slowly, a scarlet light circled around his grey hair.
"… How 'bout it?"
"Taking the memories was exceedingly easy, but… once again, she's no good. She didn't see it… no, she witnessed the event, but didn't see anything past that."
It's a line I've heard eight times before.
I thought we were in luck when the first Demon we stopped had seen the Angels, but that was far off.
The Angels gave an overly flashy show of power. Each and every one of the nine we stole from so far had clearly seen their form.
But their objective, and the direction they set off in remained foreign.
All of the Angels were clad in a uniform gaudy glow. It's a light with that dreaded power of god at its core.
And that's good and all in the sense that it draws peoples' eyes, but at the same time, it was a hated light, and no one willingly wanted to see them off.
No helping it. The enemies were envoys that personally crushed the army of the ruling Lord. It's not strange for the civilians to want to run away.
It isn't strange… but…
It's ominous. It's much too ominous.
My experience was going off like a fire alarm. It was much too quiet. There was much too much nothingness.
It was much too perfect.
Originally, the appearance of the Angels, in itself would be suspected as a ruse, but we could use Zeta's power.
Memories tell no lies.
"… Oy, Zeta. Do you know whose report it was that said the Angels had come forth?"
"… Yes, it was the Order of Black member accompanying Vanity… the inspector's regular report. I mean, the appearance of Angels is a serious matter… I heard they participated in the force Vanity sent out to pursue, or something."
The Order of Black.
The Great Demon King's personal vanguard, and her direct servants.
If it were for Kanon Iralaude's sake, they would even turn against a Demon Lord. They were the King's arms and legs, as well as her eyes and ears.
That girl Lize was the same, but the loyalty that order shows to the Great Demon King was the real deal. Since this member was charged with a Lord governing Pride, their loyalty must be first-class. I doubt that order'd ever make a serious mistake in dispatching personnel.
If possible, I'd like to take that inspector's memory to confirm it, but I doubt that's happening.
As an inspector, there's no doubt they're a General Class surpassing Zeta already. Unlike with material wealth, usurping memories depended on the individuals' will, and mental resistance could drop its success rate. The low class Demons we stole from today aside, a General Class it too heavy a burden for the lad.
The one most anxious about the current situation must be Zeta.
When he's personally taking in the sights, there's not a single hint to be found. It's as if he's forced to open up an empty treasure chest over and over again.
As a young Demon, he's lacking in experience. The situation where his instincts made him feel nothing but an indescript anxiety was probably the same as the feelings I harbored ten thousand years ago.
Ki ki ki, that's right.
Then I'll take up the place of the one who looked over me back them.
"… Zeta, calm yourself. This result is definitely beyond our expectations, but it's in no ways an impossible occurrence. It's not like we haven't gained anything. At the very least… it all reeks, is what we've learned."
"… I see…"
First, you've got to calm down. Regain a level thought process.
Demons are doomed to overestimate their own abilities. That's why when an accident occurs, they often try to resolve it with brute force.
First, take some deep breaths. Breath, and focus. That is the strong point of Demons that possess not only strength, but also intelligence.
Think with your own head. That will often change your fate.
/there are times when you've got to take risks, and risk your life as well, but at the very least, now isn't that time.
"Those Angels, they must have a smart one amongst them… no, even so, their numbers are much too small, and we still haven't a clue on why they attacked this town. Why did they aim for such a remote region… what is their goal?"
Simply slaying Demons?
A hundred Demons. With their military service, their power was higher than standard Demons. I guess it's enough or a reason for Angels to attack.
But that's exactly why I don't get it. Why did only five come?
Even if we may be enemies the Angels specialize in killing, this is a land that greatly raises our abilities.
Luckily for them, there wasn't a General Class among the forces, so they could easily take on a hundred, but if one was there, then five would definitely be at a disadvantage…
If it was the same heaven as before, if it was the usual angels that would resolve themselves to kill the moment they met a Demon, then it would make a slight bit of sense, but this time's folks… they retreated.
It's mismatched. It's all over the place.
The recklessness they carried to take on twenty times their numbers, and the wisdom they held when they retreated the moment the army came into sight. That gap births a sense of discomfort.
It doesn't match the angels I've seen up to now.
Sensing my hesitation, Zeta offered a proposal.
"… As I thought, should we steal a little more?"
"… Can you?"
"Yeah… Kufu, my Greed is… not satisfied yet, you know…"
With a face that looked quite forced, Zeta smiled.
Abuse of usurping. The fatigue he's been building up, and his physical enervation. I can see them all.
But this time alone, I can't go about babying him.
We need to find our trail before someone catches onto the inconsistency in their memories, and leave the town.
Time isn't on our side. We don't know when or where an Angel'll pop up again. We should finish up quickly as best we can.
But at the same time, I had a hunch.
That we wouldn't find a single thing more from this town's residents.
I returned once more to the soul-less café terrace. When someone of large stature like me is around, the targets tend to be wary.
My role was that of a thinker.
There's no doubt there's some cause and effect going on in this land. That Valkyrie aside, this is the only place that's incurred large damage from the Angels as of late.
After retiring from Boss Leigie's army, I've been around, but that's the only real change I've heard about.
"… As I thought, it's really no good… Hah. It feels like I'm opening empty chest after empty chest."
After executing another usurpation, Zeta let out a deep sigh of lament.
Oddly enough, his words were exactly the example thought of previously.
As if it had become a mere routine, I confirmed it with him.
"That was the tenth, right?"
And just like me, he gave a form answer.
"Yes… Those that saw it have slight differences, but those past nine were pretty much the… same…?"
In an instant, Zeta's face trembled.
He turned pale, and his mouth opened and closed silently as he sought out the words. It definitely wasn't a normal expression.
I instinctively rose, and met his eyes.
They were pointed at the air, and tracing the low sky that hung over the Demon World.
My thoughts changed. From a looped circuit, to a straight path.
"Deije… sa… tha…"
"… Oy, oy, is this for real… What trickery is this?"
There was a figure.
The form of a person emitting brilliant white radiance in the crimson sky. The large single pair of wings sprouting from his back were pure white.
Loved by God, and produced by him. The opposite side of the spectrum of Spirits from Demons.
『Angel』
In an instant, he expanded his power.
The complete opposite of the miasma Demons clad themselves in, an aura that could even be called holy was deployed across the ground.
My body trembled. My genetic memory, the emotions of fear carved into a Demon's soul upon looking up at their executioners.
No matter how I looked at it, the Angel wasn't even a hundred meters away.
This is strange. Why haven't I noticed him when he's come this close?
Angels are Demons' arch nemesis. Their specific positioning is one thing, but if they approach, I should be able to realize it at once…
I restarted my frozen mind with willpower. Fine. What I have to think of right now isn't something like that.
I slapped Zeta on the back to unfreeze him.
I laughed out loud.
I sneer. A maliciousness great enough to blow away this holy feeling.
"Ki ki ki, just when I thought there wasn't a trail to be found, the man shows up personally… I'm in luck."
Luckily, besides me and Zeta, there wasn't anyone else around. The town was frighteningly silent. There's plenty of space. I can fight with all my might.
I swiftly counted the figures decorating the sky.
"Ten… is it? They're friggin' multiplying."
Each one's individual power was, as expected, nothing too serious. Even including their affinity, they were much weaker than I. If I kept down this instinctual feeling of dread in my soul, they're opponents I could wipe the floor with in ten minutes.
I firmly plant my feet on the ground, and build up power. So I can react no matter when or how they try to come, I optimize my soul.
The flock of Angels was ominously quiet, as they looked down on us. What floated in their eyes was pure and utter scorn. The eyes of those looking upon an inferior species.
Ki ki ki, I'm being made light of.
Is this their main force?
No, that's probably not the case. This is them testing the waters.
The fact that ten came out after five is proof of that. Are they measuring the power of Demons?
Well, come out in as many dozens as you will. Greed has its own way of doing these things.
Zeta's made himself more than useful enough.
Mental and physical labor.
Investigations and battle.
From here on, it's my role.
"Deije… san."
"Ki ki ki, fall back."
『Big Pocket』
I open up the subspace warehouse of Greed.
Because of that unpleasant Lord of Gluttony I fought a year ago, it's mostly empty. But a splendid article's been left hanging.
It was a blade of fire said to have burned a fire dragon whose power rivalled Demon Lords to death.
I easily pull out the sword I had become accustomed to. As always, its crimson steel let off an explosive amount of magic, matching the sun blazing above it.
Demon Blade Celeste.
Once upon a time, it was a supreme treasure bestowed upon a certain Lazy King.
While me being the polar opposite of God, sensing me give off similar waves, the doll-like Angels' expressions warped cruelly.
"Ki ki ki, don't worry too much about it. I'm Avaritia. I won't go as far as to take your lives."
If you obtain one, you'll wish for ten. Once you know ten, you'll lust for a hundred.
I can't be satisfied with just ten measly angels. Bring on a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand.
You guys ain't the target of my desire, but I'll sip you up all the same.
I lightly waved Celeste. The magic that overflowed from the edge took on the the shape of a flaming dragon, that shot out to pierce the wing of one of them.
And as that happened, the Angell's body was covered in fire. He did a tail spin as he fell to the ground.
A thunderous roar.
The Angel's large build collided, and the café's roof let off quite a racket before caving in.
Wrapped in flames of legend, and Angel didn't move at all, and I didn't feel any more power from him.
I licked my lips. Just as I thought.
… Just one hit, it seems. They really aren't anything special.
Below Knight Class even. Even if I didn't pull Celeste, they're at a level I could handle.
I directed the blade at the remaining flock. As if pierced by the thrust I gave in the air, the Angels swayed in the hollow air.
Should I hold back?
At the very least, I've got to leave one alive, or we won't be able to take their memories.
But do I have enough leisure to accomplish something like that?
Can I render them powerless without killing them? The positional advantage lies with the Angels ruling over the sky.
Celeste's output is too high. I'll end up killing them.
Should I leap, and hit them to the ground? Can I do it? Avoid attacks in midair?
The moment those thoughts swirled around my head, the Angels' powers swelled up explosively.
From their bodies, like steam, power, magic, divinity gushed out. The growing golden holy aura, even from the eyes of a Demon like me, seemed divine.
My body felt the sudden elevation of my enemy's power, and I could grasp it in an instant.
Their powers were now in the higher tiers of Knight Class. Were they holding back up to now? To quantify it, they individually increased two fold for all five of them. That difference was exceedingly large.
But still, my superiority hasn't been shaken.
The nine Angels held out their hands, as if to seek answers from the heavens.
They were quite clearly preparing an attack. To match that, I took a large swing with Celeste.
The Demon Flames grilled my arms. It's the compensation for raising the blade's power output.
Raising the output several times for a single strike, a pillar of flames rose from me.
I endured the pain akin to my body being torn apart and got the power under my control when a pillar of light from the Heavens came down on me.
The intensity of the light darkened my vision. Celeste's crimson, and the Angels' white clashed, and the resultant waves caused the café, and the houses around it to sway.
The three tables lined up alfresco were shot away all at once, and they shattered upon hitting the wall. Hiding behind me, Zeta lowered his body, as he looked up at the clash of light and fire.
An Angel gave a vulgar chuckle.
That bearing makes it so I can't see them actually governing any Justice.
And the laugh was the faster of the two.
I understood when I first saw their Skill. These guys… without a doubt, they're nothing to that Devouring Lord.
Ki ki ki, no I guess I picked the wrong target to compare.
Back when my attack clashed with that of a certain Zebul Glaucus', it was pure opposition. I didn't hold back, and I didn't have the leisure to do so.
No matter how much power I poured into it, I wouldn't push forward at all, as if I was dealing with an absolute wall. It was as if the entire world was my opponent, and I wasn't able to stop the fear in my heart, but these guys are different.
"… Well, I guess that all there is to it."
I swung Celeste again. With just that, the dragon of fire's force increased, and it swallowed up the light all too easily to scorch the heavens.
It shot through the very center of their formation, and a number of Angels were instantly burnt black before falling to the earth.
The laughter from the sky ceased.
An Angel's form didn't differ too much from a Demon's. With shapes that took after the human race, their ivory-white vestments fluttered in the wind. Their glass ball-like colorless eyes followed their falling comrades. But in them, there wasn't an expression of fear or impatience.
… Even when half of them had fallen.
… Just what is this feeling?
Even Angels are supposed to have emotions. For them to be this inorganic…
Feeling an unfamiliar sense of dread, I held Celeste aloft.
At the same time, the Angels spread out.
They flew out in every direction. I wouldn't say their speed was higher than that of a Demon's, but there're no set roads in the sky. No obstacles either.
The air is their playground. Their mobility is exceedingly high.
The crimson blade cried out.
The directionless swirl of Mana flashes out once more to cover the sky.
Celeste is demanding fuel. Even if it's a sword, it's an article manufactured by Demons. A single blade birthed for the purpose of opposing God. Its personality is the worst.
The flames raging on left and right flew out at a speed that the heavenly wings were unable to surpass.
The Angels that split into five directions were burned, and one fell to the ground.
The difference in power was all too clear.
The difference in equipment, as long as I had Celeste was my overwhelming victory, and the situation transpired with that advantage on my side.
The moment I was able to bat down their Iustitia Skills so easily, my victory was certain.
I ignored the painful heat feedback from the sword, and licked my lips.
"… Something's wrong with this picture."
It's not as if there was no resistance. And the presence of the Angel that fell to the ground had definitely faded out.
But, still… right, if I had to say, then I'm simply unsatisfied with it. I can't see what their intentions were.
Perhaps this was what Zeta felt when he was fruitlessly nabbing all those memories.
I brushed away an arrow of light from up high with Celeste.
The Angel that had lay in wait to use a Skill was burnt to cinders.
… Three of them left.
An even greater chill than before came over my body.
"Deije… san… these guys are…"
"… Seriously, what trickery is this…"
Dazzling lights blocked out the sky.
The air was astir. On the power opposing a Demon's base, a wave of divine magic made the world shake, as if it were crying out beneath it.
Enough to make that previous display of power look like mere child's play. If I had to compare the scopes of power, it must be at least ten times of that before.
Meaning from when I first saw that group from before, it was twenty times higher.
It's like an army of ten Angels becoming two hundred.
Against an opponent of this scale, even with a General here, I can't make a definity judgement on the outcome.
But that's not where the problem is. What I have to care about isn't something useless like that.
The extent of how far their power had fluctuated from the starting point went against an Angel's nature.
That was the strangest thing I had to put my mind to.
"That can't be… it can grow that much? Were they hiding their true power? No, there shouldn't be any meaning behind suppressing it all the way up to here…"
The Angel remnants numbered three. But every one of them was clad in a dreadful divinity.
Rank-wise, they had far surpassed Knight, and if they were Demon, they'd be in General range without a doubt.
I'm not sure when they appeared, but the three Angels drew white swords from their hips.
It's a Skill I've seen some place, sometime before.
Right, those are the holy swords the Angels of Justice used in the war back then.
An Iustitia Skill
『Sin Breaker』
It isn't a Knight-class Skill.
Emitting light, the heavenly wings flapped. Rise, glide, and descend.
The speed they came down was fitting of the term Godspeed. It's been said that high ranking Angels move at the speed of light, but these ones are reasonably fast themselves.
Perhaps they thought they were at a disadvantage in a long-range battle. The demon-slaying sword of light entered my field of vision.
It was as if it were a coordinated attack. Only the prideful smiles plastered on their faces indicated that this action was nothing of the sort.
Their fighting style was crude. No techniques or anything. But only in power alone did they excel.
I don't even have the time to let out a sigh.
"… Well, well, this is getting to be a pain."
What fools.
Against an Avaritia Demon, what's more, against me, they contest with swordplay?
The sword of justice coming at my eyes went out in an instant.
In my lower-left hand, I could feel the sensation of gripping a new weapon. Upon seeing his weapon suddenly vanish from within his hand, the Angel froze up for a moment, and I slashed upwards at him with the stolen sword.
Even when turned against its wielder, the Sin Breaker showed its power without a moment's regret.
I put strength into my lower body to stop his bullet-like kinetic energy. The arm that swung the sword felt a heavy burden.
As he already flapped his wings to retreat, while his body received a deep slash wound, he still returned high into the air.
As he shot up, I delivered a follow-up swing, and even with the light to his back, I could clearly see the face of terror dawn on him. Unlike when the others were burned up by Celeste, a look of despair swept over his face several times before he ceased.
With a thud, the power-less angel's body rolled along the ground.
He was definitely strong. If I took that divinity head on, there's no way I'd get away unhurt.
But that's all. I just don't have to take it head on. Generally, both Angels and Demons place an emphasis on offense rather than defense.
Meaning those rare exceptions that specialized in defense- such as Boss Leigie- aside, the rest of us had to dodge in order to survive.
But these guys don't even have a sense for that.
It's a complete mismatch. Their power isn't matching their battle experience.
They're not even measuring their opponent's attribute, and their attacks are nothing but sheer stupidity.
That's why even without weapons, I should be able to drop them easily. Using melee weapons against Greed is pretty much asking for them to be stolen. It's because there are plenty of those sorts of Skills on the Avaritia Skill Tree.
It's by no means a bad thing for me that the enemy's weak.
While I may have the instincts for battle, I'm not a battle junkie like that Heard Lauder. If I can easily attain results, then there's nothing better.
"… Two left."
"Deije-san… you sure are strong…"
"The enemy's just weak."
I lightly returned Zeta's words. They're my honest feelings. This can't be all there was to those wars with Heaven.
The remaining two were suspended in the air.
Male Angels. As if they had been mechanically mass produced, two similar face, four eyes in total, glared at me.
What was there was either hatred or sorrow.
Two high class Angels.
But I don't get the feeling I'll lose against them.
I'll take down the first one, apprehend the second one, and have Zeta take his memories.
General Class or not, we'll just take everything.
What's the problem? 'Tis but a simple matter. Compared to over ten thousand years of hell.
I gripped Celeste strongly again.
My arm had already become quite burnt by its aura. It's compensation. The feedback to its wielder.
Those that use the blade to its limits are fated to be reduced to ash. It's a legend with no proof to back it, but the blade was clad in a force devilish enough to give it some credibility.
I haven't fallen enough to have to rely on it to that extent.
With a sneer an Angel raised a disciplinary voice.
It was an irritating high cry that howled in the back of my ears. Unable to bear it, Zeta covered his ears, and squatted on the spot.
The world was shaking. Rumbling. Oscillating.
But it's not as if anything was truly moving. It was a wave of divinity great enough to give off that illusion.
The Demon World's air was dyed. From jet black to pure white. Darkness to light.
Zeta's eyelids convulsed at the abnormal situation, as he watched the figure of one of the Angels.
Just what the hell is this… I never heard anything about it.
No, could it be…
"It can rise… even further? Dammit…"
Making me see an illusion of the Angel's body expanding, the passively released holy aura from them neither exceeded nor fell short of the pillar of light they released none too long ago.
Their rising power carved up the sky, and split the clouds.
The trembling of my body I had contained with the thoughts of battle started up once more, and I used everything in my power to put a halt to it once more.
The power I felt from the Angel completely surpassed mine at this point.
Vanity's 『Abyss Zone』 eroded away, and shattered.
What expanded in its place was a pure and divine feeling. It was as if god's blessings themselves were pouring down on the land in orbs of light, and a silver wind overwrote the lingering miasma.
From the increase in power, the Angel's disposition went through a complete change.
From their meaningless holy aura, and expressions that gave off a somewhat manufactured feeling, to eyes in which dwelled strong fighting spirit.
"This… is…"
"… Oy, oy, give me a break already…"
The Demon Lord Class doesn't exist among Angels. But to identify those among them with Demon Lord level powers, the Angels of that rank were referred to as follows.
『Saint Lord』
Demons and Angels were opposing souls.
Black and white. Darkness and light. Evil and good.
Therefore, through our very natures, we were always predestined to oppose one another.
Their existence was, among our natural enemies, the worst and greatest foe.
"Tsk, what the hell… a Lord descended to the Demon World!!?"
"…"
Lords have obligations. They have land. They have subjects. That didn't change among Angels and Demons.
While Angels would occasionally drop by the Demon World, there's barely a memory within me of a Lord coming down here.
I'm not sure if they were even listening to my words, as the Angel didn't respond.
He merely silently pointed his extended finger, and gathered Mana into a single point of light.
"!?"
My instincts as a soldier. My experience up to now made my body instinctively leap to the side.
In the next instant, the light was released. Its speed was close to pure light itself, and a high ranking Demon like me with enhanced perception couldn't even follow its afterimage. It was overwhelmingly separated from that arrow of light aimed at me before, a power suited to a true Lord.
The light that missed me by chance bored into the café terrace, and after a brief moment, my body was assailed the lights and the sounds.
A thunderous roar rocked my eardrums, and my failing five senses were forcefully recovered with my anti-status-abnormality Skill.
I used my instincts to guide my falling body.
My field of vision spun.
I confirmed the form of Zeta's injured body on the ground. It's fine. Something of that extent won't kill a Knight Class Demon.
I confirmed my own situation. It's not like I took a direct hit from the attack, the shockwave from it merely hit me from behind, and this level of damage isn't one that'll hinder my movement.
Why, for what reason did a Lord of Angels descend to such a desolate place, I haven't the slightest idea. I don't even want to know.
My luck was in that I hadn't let go of Celeste in that instant.
Greed Skills don't have a high damage output. Losing the Demon Blade would definitely be a fatal loss.
And if I have this in my hands, then I stand a chance against a Saint Lord of Heaven.
My thoughts are become severely twisted from my chance meeting with my arch foe. The instincts shaking my very soul clear up my field of vision.
The light he shot from his finger. Its output and speed were definitely adequate for a Lord's Skill.
I bent my legs to kill the impact, and corrected my stance.
My left hand held the 『Sin Breaker』.
My right, 『Celeste』.
As that fingertip pointed at me once more, I swung the Demon Blade.
The dragon of fire shot out to devour the Angel.
The light came down to annihilate me.
Celeste's flames definitely had a wider scope, but the Angel's blasts were all concentrated on a single point.
The light leisurely moved forward while ripping through the dragon's innards. It was unable to stop its advance.
And as if to defend the gap in the Angel's defense, the other Angel stepped forward.
In my fright, the power slackened for a moment. Using that, the light increased in speed.
I couldn't even feel another presence that large until now, but the other one definitely gave off the same feeling as the first.
This can't be… what's the meaning of this? What the hell is going on!?
"Lord of Angels… two of them!?"
I could barely surmount the gap in power with one, yet I have to face both. The Lords that hadn't shown their faces in ten thousand years were lining up as if I were having a nightmare.
I couldn't discern a single thought from their expressions, and all I could really pick up was that they were determined to kill me.
It'll only get worse at this rate. I leapt to the side, and the light finished its way through the dragon I lost control of to pierce the ground I was at before.
Even when I haven't taken a single attack head on, my entire body was giving an aching pain.
Should I retreat?
Can I even retreat? Against these monsters?
Oddly enough, I began to recall when I withdrew from Boss Leigie's army a year ago.
Fate. Is my fate going to cast me away here?
After having escaped that Demon Lord of Pride, Heard Lauder, I'm going to die here?
A sensation ran up from my toes to my head.
A dark heat pouring out of my soul gave strength to my body.
"K ki ki, interesting, ain't it? If you think you can, then come at me."
I held the Demon Blade above my head. The Lords of Angels cautiously took a step back.
Celeste's flames were peerless. But in the end, a Demon Blade was still a sword at its base.
It was made in order to rend.
My soul continues to let off a dull pain.
I kicked the ground strongly, and thrust.
I twisted my body. I concentrated the entire kinetic energy of my frame into the blade, and threw.
The Demon blade became a crimson comet as it came at the Saint Lords. The magic it usually used to create large scale flames was all being concentrated on the tip, and this blow was definitely the highest I could release at the moment.
But without witing for the result, I ran over, and took up Zeta in my arms.
"Hah, hah… gu… are we running?"
"Ki ki ki, life's only to be lived if you survive."
Treasure and riches, you can pile up as much as you want as long as you live on. There isn't even a point in equating them.
A high-pitched voice of song I took to be the Angels' screams struck my ears. But without even learning of what effect it as supposed to carry, my status abnormality resistance activated, and erased it.
All that was left was to run. Angels possess frightening mobility, but if I take cover in a town, it will be a pain to search from the skies. There are plenty of places to hide.
And there was some merit to my flight.
There's no way Vanity didn't notice the fact that an Angel appeared here. In this case, his zone was even broken.
『Abyss Zone』 wasn't just a Skill to offer enhancements to friendly troops.
It was an enlargement of a Demon Lord's sense of perception. It let them sense if enemy troops even set foot on their lands.
If I can keep myself on my feet until the army arrives, it's my win. If I'm found, I lose.
Ki ki ki, what a disadvantageous gamble.
While it may not be that wide, I'll be completely out in the open on the main street. If they were to shoot that light at me from behind, it's the end.
In the past week, I've gotten a map of the town into my head. Those guys shouldn't be familiar with the place, and ironically enough, from our memory theft, we know all the points with few pedestrians, and bad visibility. Never thought it would aid in our own escape, though.
The moment I turned into a side alley, I noticed a figure collapsed at my feet.
With a khaki overcoat wrapped around their body, a Demon boasting a small build. At the same time, that form was one I'd gotten familiar with in this one week.
It was the Demon that was always hunched over the table at the café terrace. I was also there for quite a bit of time, so while there wasn't a day I didn't catch sight of him, I had started percieveing him as part of the background.
… Could it be this one was at the terrace?
Seeing the Demon still face down, and unmoving, I hesitated for a moment. But I didn't have the time for that.
I resolved myself, and lifted the Demon up by the scruff of the neck.
I don't really care, but leaving this one behind would go against my style.
I won't call it good will, but if I had to say, it's just a whim. In the first place, with my strength, carrying one or two doesn't really make a difference, and because I cast away Celeste, I have an arm or two to spare.
I gripped his neck as if hoisting up a kitten, and when I lifted, the hood flew off.
Instinctively, I threw the Demon behind me with all my might.
Upon having the mass of Khaki chucked at them, the approaching Angels were brought to a momentary halt.
Atop my shoulder, Zeta cried out.
"W-what was that all about!? All of a sudden…"
"Like… hell… why…"
Just how should I express these thoughts racing through my head?
Terror. Surprise. Confusion. Amazement. All of them intermingled, but if I were to summarize it into a word, it would have to be 'dumbfound'.
The two Angels whose presences I couldn't sense.
The two Angel Lords.
The culmination of all the consecutive events beyond my wildest dreams.
Greater than angels, a miraculous nightmare.
I tried to open my mouth to convey it in words, but my thoughts wouldn't come together. I didn't know what to say.
I frantically moved my mouth, and what my seesawing emotions finally fell on was weariness.
"So even Boss Leigie's… played his hand this time…"
I'm not sure what my mind was coming to, but the only image that floated in it was the form of a sluggish Lord of Sloth.