— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
With the blinding light subsiding, the somewhat familiar view of the beautiful floating fortress came into view.
And as expected, Arumanfi the Bright, Perugius' most used and loyal servant, was waiting for us.
"You've arrived… good," he said, his eyes narrowing at Ruijerd. "So you are Ruijerd Superdia, I assume?"
"Yes… that is me," Ruijerd said, his eyes tracing the large palace in front of us in wonder.
I guess even for someone as long lived as him, it was quite the sight.
"Hmph. Be grateful that Lord Perugius has graced you with his kindness, demon," he said, turning around. "Now please, follow me. My master is quite upset, so I would prefer we move things along quickly."
Upset?
Why would-?
Actually, that was an easy question.
After all, there was that annoying North God waiting here, along with the Dragon God Orsted.
"I apologize for those two," I said as we began walking. "Though, Orsted's curse should be nullified by the helmet he's wearing…"
That was if he was wearing it.
After all, while Cliff had done an amazing job at creating a magic tool to weaken Orsted's curse, it was still quite the large helmet that was annoying to keep on.
Not to mention how idiotic it looked…
"No… their grudge is something past the curse that the Dragon God bears," Arumanfi said. "My lord has not shown his discomfort, and will likely refrain from doing so as you will all fight the Demon God together… but I would prefer if said discomfort was alleviated as quickly as possible, so let us hurry."
Well… I guess that made sense.
Arumanfi was quite the loyal one, after all.
With that, the three of us followed Arumanfi through the halls at a brisk pace, with Ruijerd concealing his curiosity as we soon entered the throne room.
And upon entering… I immediately noticed the two aforementioned sources of discomfort, both of them having arrived through the palace's teleportation circle while I went to retrieve Ruijerd.
First, there was Orsted, who was currently leaning against the wall with his helmet on.
But even that didn't stop Ruijerd from tensing upon seeing the man, his hands gripping his spear tightly before I intervened.
"It's fine, Ruijerd. You should understand, right?" I said, raising my arm in front of him.
His eyes darted down to me, and a moment later, he breathed out a sigh and relaxed.
"I see… yes, the sensation is quite intense… so this is what it feels like to be on the other end of a curse…" he said, looking at the Dragon God. "I apologize."
Orsted raised his head for a moment, seemingly taking in the demon before him, before he looked back down with indifference.
"Ruijerd Superdia… I have heard of how your fate has changed… and no matter," he said with his usual, grating voice.
Always the pleasant one, huh?
With Rudy and I sharing a look, we both then shook our heads as I then looked at the other discomfort… who was currently sleeping soundly on the ground, with his camping bag acting as his pillow.
This damn North God… does he not think of how disrespectful that was?
No, he likely just didn't care.
I could tell that the other spirits of Perugius' were quite peeved at him too, so I should probably wake him up before something happened.
"You took your time coming here," Perugius said, sitting atop his throne. "Ruijerd Superdia, Rudeus Greyrat, Leon Anemoi Greyrat… I greet you all for the beginning of this endeavour."
"Ah… yes, thank you, Lord Perugius," I said, bowing my head.
"No need for those pleasantries," he said, raising his hand. "At this moment, we are comrades. Something that places you all in my respect… although, it seems that the one you gathered has taken that quite easily…"
Following his piercing gaze over to Aleksander, I let out another sigh before walking over to the man.
"Mmm… yeah, that's the stuff… haha, die by my blade, Laplace… I'm the greatest hero…" he mumbled in between snores.
This… this was the former seventh ranked power?
The leader of one of the three great styles that had spread throughout the world?
Haa… well, whatever.
At least he hadn't made a mess at the capital during his stay, and he had even helped Isolte get a bit stronger, so it's not like I had a grudge or anything…
But he was still incredibly annoying, especially right now.
Coating my hand in electricity, I grabbed a hold of his collar, pulling him to his feet as he scrambled around from the current flowing into him.
"W-Whoa! I get it, I'm up!" he said, smacking away my hand as he got his feet under him. "Jeez, Boss. Wasn't that a little harsh?"
…That concentration of electricity would have easily killed an ordinary human, but thankfully, this guy wasn't ordinary in the slightest.
Now if only he could get a better head on his shoulders…
"Uhh… Boss? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, confused.
"…It's nothing," I said, shaking my head to mask my disappointment as I turned back to Perugius. "Then, with all of us here, is there anything else to prepare?"
Perugius shook his head as he stood up, his arm extending forward as a circle began to glow in the centre of the hall.
"No. The preparations are set, and everything is in order," he said, walking towards the circle. "This will take us a week away from the seal. Aside from Arumanfi, the other spirits that will be assisting us are waiting on the other side."
"I see… can not all of your spirits fight?" I asked as I headed towards it, the other four doing the same.
"They can all defend themselves against most opponents, but that isn't the case for a monster like Laplace," Perugius said.
Well… that made sense.
And you wouldn't want too many people getting in the way.
But there was one thing I was curious about…
"And you, Perugius? Are you able to fight?" I asked.
Not in a condescending way, but simply out of curiosity.
After all, while he was one of the great heroes, I had never seen him use magic aside from creating magic circles, with his spirits showing all the combat prowess I would associate with the man.
"Hmph," he huffed with a smirk. "Summoning magic is more powerful than many know, Leon Greyrat."
Well… I guess that answered my question.
With everyone gathered on the circle, the blinding light engulfed us, and a moment later, I saw that we had been transported to the familiar barren lands of the Demon Continent.
I hadn't been here in a while… not since we visited Roxy's parents.
Well, now that Aria was older and Roana had been born, perhaps we should visit them again, or even ask if they would want to move closer to us.
They truly loved their daughter, after all.
But alas, there were more important things to worry about at the moment.
"So… where exactly are we?" I asked, scanning the area.
Was this supposed to be the place?
All there were was mountains, rocks, and a vast ravine that stretched towards the distance.
But… it was odd.
The ravine… it had traces of magic power along its sides.
"We're about a few days south of Krasma, a city in the northwest of the continent," Perugius answered.
I see…
"Then, is this where Laplace was sealed?" I asked, looking towards the ravine.
"No… but this was a mark caused by the start of the battle," he said in a reminiscing tone. "Be prepared to face something similar."
I could feel Rudy stiffen at my side at the information, holding his staff tightly in his hands.
Well… that was quite a shock.
To be able to do destroy the land like that… while I couldn't do it to that extent, my swordsmanship was strong enough that I wasn't completely daunted by such a premonition.
But looking to the side, I saw that the North God had the opposite reaction to my brother, his face cracking into an excited smile.
Well, that's what being immortal does to someone… crazy bastard.
"Then, where is the seal?" I asked, looking around in thought.
"It's a week-long journey south, at least assuming we do not run," Perugius said, beginning to walk in the specified direction with his summoned spirits at his side. "I will summon any supplies we need, so be sure to maintain your strength for the upcoming fight."
Right, he did mention we wouldn't be teleported right to the seal earlier.
But… why was that?
"Is there a reason you do not have a teleportation circle placed near the seal?" I asked as we began walking.
Easily ignoring the North God's languished sigh, Perugius motioned to the land in front of us.
"Do you not notice it?" he asked. "The land surrounding the seal is still infused with the mana from the great battle and Urupen's sacrifice, making teleportation magic too unstable to be used."
Oh.
Now that he mentioned it… I did notice an odd tinge to the mana in the air, but I thought it was simply due to the higher concentration of mana in the Demon Continent.
It seems that I was wrong.
Anyway, with that, our group pressed onward, heading to where the Demon God would soon meet his end.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
The week of travel had passed by quickly, and before I knew it, we had reached the location of the sealed Laplace.
I had originally thought that we would need to walk for the entire way, but befitting the man who spent his days sitting on his throne, Perugius summoned a large turtle-like beast after the first few minutes to take us the entire way there, only stopping to rest.
Summoning magic really was quite handy, huh?
With the summoned transport being sent back to… wherever it went, I then walked over to the cube-shaped stone monument that stuck out in the surroundings.
"Is… this it?" I asked, looking around it. "I didn't picture him being sealed in a building like this…"
It was awfully small… and very lacking in grandeur.
"Yes, though rather than being sealed in it, Laplace was sealed in a separate space, appearing as a floating black orb to the outside world," Perugius explained as he walked up to stand beside me. "This monument was instead built by his surviving supporters after the fact… though it has eroded over time."
Indeed it has… with the cracked, dried stone, and the crumbling edges, it seems that these supporters had long since moved on.
"I'm surprised you allowed them to build it, considering how much you hate the man," I said.
"I simply enjoyed having a testament to our victory," he said, a small smile growing on his face. "That is the only reason why I left it as is, and didn't smite his supporters into nothingness."
…Well, wasn't that nice of him.
With that interesting bit of information, Rudy walked over to the monument, placing his hand on the dusty stone as he closed his eyes to concentrate.
"Well? Do you feel anything?" I asked.
It would be quite the problem if Laplace wasn't here, after all.
"Yes… there's an amazing amount of mana," Rudy said, opening his eyes. "It's nearly unimaginable… to think I have even more than this…"
In order to confirm this, I activated my demon eye, instantly wincing at the brightness.
Inside the ruin, there was a bright, compressed ball of mana, almost as if I was staring directly at the sun.
Yeah, this was definitely the place.
"So, when can we proceed?" I asked, looking over to Perugius. "Should we prepare any traps first beforehand?"
"No… traps won't work on that monster," Perugius said with a frown. "And I would prefer we do this as soon as possible. Are you prepared to use your mana, Rudeus Greyrat?"
"Huh? Ah… yeah, sure," my brother replied as his tone turned worried. "But… it sounds as if I'll be out after undoing the seal, right? Then… I don't even think I can use my magic armour…"
Right. Without his magic armour, my dear brother was quite the glass cannon, wasn't he?
Well, while I promised to keep him safe, I would likely be too preoccupied with Laplace to defend him.
But thankfully, I wasn't alone.
"Orsted, do you mind protecting him during the battle? Though I doubt he'll get involved," I said.
"Hmph… I suppose that is acceptable, though if need be, I will take him and flee instead of remaining on standby as support," he said.
"That's more than fine," I said, exchanging a short nod with my brother.
With that, Perugius then stepped forward, placing his hand on the monument as he looked towards Rudeus.
"I will now trace the spell to unseal him, but you will supply the mana. With your experience in supplying mana to Nanahoshi's magic circles, this should be simple," he said.
"Understood," Rudy replied.
As Perugius began his work, Orsted then came up next to me, still wearing the obnoxious helmet that suppressed his curse.
"Leon… as I said before, I will only provide support as is needed, but do not count on me," he said. "Fighting Laplace would force me to use my mana."
"Don't worry, I didn't count on it," I said. "But… why are you so concerned about using your mana? Are you saving it for something?"
I mean, I knew about his condition, but I had thought this would be one of the situations he would deem acceptable to use some of his reserves.
"Yes… only a member of the dragonfolk can activate the spell to reach the Man-God, and it requires an incredible amount of mana," he said, closing his eyes. "There is also the need to actually defeat the Man-God once I reach him… these steps have always been what stopped me in the previous iterations, but perhaps with you… I can finally end this battle once and for all."
With his lips spreading into a smile, at least from what I could see as only part of his mouth remained visible, he then turned back, creating some distance from the sealed Demon God.
"It is done," Perugius then said, causing the others to look at him. "Are you all prepared?"
I simply smirked.
I hadn't used every moment I had to myself for training for nothing, so I was more than ready to end this.
"Fuck yeah! I've been waiting for this!" Aleksander said, unsheathing his sword with excitement.
"As have I… finally, I can truly exact my revenge, and cleanse the name of my people," Ruijerd said, preparing his spear.
Rudy gave us all a nod with a calm smile.
"Well, since using attack magic against Laplace is apparently futile, I can't help with dealing damage… but I'll support whenever possible with my magic," he said.
"And my spirits are ready as well," Perugius said, looking back to the five of his servants that had accompanied us. "Yuruzu of Atonement will act as a lifeline in case anyone is gravely injured, and Harkenmail of Life will supply healing magic during the battle. Arumanfi the Bright and Furiousful of Fury will attack on the frontline, and Trophimus of the Wave will attack with ranged sword slashes… understood?"
The five spirits nodded, with the three that would be contributing away from the fight creating some distance.
I… likely wasn't going to remember all of their names, so they would have to be fine with being called a shortened version of all that.
"Good. Then… Rudeus Greyrat, activate the spell," Perugius said as the rest of us tensed in preparation.
"Understood," Rudy replied.
With my brother placing his hand on the monument that had been etched with the tracing of Perugius' spell, I unsheathed my trusty, unbreakable sword as I took a deep breath in.
Right… Laplace would be incredibly powerful, but he wasn't unbeatable.
After all, I had some powerful allies on my side, and most of all, I had me.
Defeating Laplace would not only ensure my future family members never experienced the hardship of another human-demon war, but it would also allow me to defeat the Man-God, and ensure my family was forever safe from that being's schemes and long-standing grudge.
That was the simple fact.
Laplace was a danger to my family, and removing him would ensure their safety and happiness.
So if it was something like that… something that dared threaten my family I loved so dearly… then not even Orsted himself could stop me.
A crack echoed across the barren plain, and a moment later, the monument disintegrated into a pile of rubble as Rudy backed off, joining my side as we all looked forward.
There, as the dust of the destroyed monument began to settle, a handsome man with bright green hair revealed himself, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he stared at his hand.
"The spell… didn't activate?" he muttered in the Demon God tongue as he turned towards us, a flash of realization appearing across his face. "I see… so the seal was undone…"
The man seemed unassuming, but I felt it.
This guy… he was terrifyingly strong.
And that wasn't even from the incredible amount of mana I could see within him.
No… it was simply something much simpler and more natural.
Instinct.
Instinctively, I knew that this man in front of us was much more dangerous than anything I had faced thus far… not including Orsted of course.
Perhaps it was my experience with the Dragon God that allowed me to stand firm with absolute confidence rather than tremble in fear.
Rudy, who was a bit paler than normal after using so much mana, prepared his staff as he looked onward.
"Hey… do you think we could simply ask him for the treasure instead?" he suddenly asked, his voice a little shaky at the overwhelming presence of the being in front of us.
Huh?
"No… and cease that ridiculous notion," Perugius replied, steadily looking forward at Laplace.
"What? Why? We aren't enemies yet, right?" Rudy added. "In fact, we helped him by unsealing him, so rather than enemies… would he not owe us a favour? We might be able to resolve all of this peacefully!"
I was pretty sure the plan had already discussed, and that there was more at stake than the sacred treasure he kept… but perhaps Rudy had forgotten?
No… looking closer, his eyes were trembling, and beads of sweat had begun to form on his face.
He must have felt it then… the presence, and consequently, the fear.
"You fool… that was never an option with this accursed creature, especially for you," Perugius spat with disgust. "You became enemies the moment you were born as humans."
As if on cue, the green-haired man's eyes landed on me, his face growing fierce with anger as he raised his hand, a tendril of flame launching towards me an instant later that I hastily cut down.
And with that, the start of the battle began.