As the people were being overwhelmed by a sense of despair, a voice that refused to give up rang out .
“It’s foolish if you just sit there and accept death! If we’re going to lose anyway, then you should at least try and fight our way out!”
It was Claire-sama .
While everybody else was still kneeling, she was the only one who was still standing proudly as she shouted .
Yep, this is it .
This is Claire-sama .
“Even you, Rei . What’s with that hopeless look on your face? What happened to your usual insolent attitude!”
Claire-sama smacked me strongly across my back .
It hurt .
That’s right―― this was considered a reward in our industry .
“I’m sorry, Claire-sama . I’m fine now . ”
“Glad to hear it . ”
Claire-sama had a satisfied smile on her face .
She was always there to lift my spirits whenever I was feeling disheartened .
“Huh, I have to commend your courage . ”
Even Plato on the side of the demon queen didn’t hold back his admiration .
That’s how formidable the demon queen was .
“Thanks, Claire . I’ll fight to the end as well . ”
“Onee-sama!”
“I have to do my best too, huh . ”
“Yuu-sama, I’ll fight with you . ”
Manaria-sama, Yuu-sama, and Misha joined in .
All of them acted as the escorts alongside the main group, but once they seemed to realize something was happening, they came running to the vanguard .
“You all came . Fine, first of all, I’ll–”
“Plato . ”
“Huh?”
It was none other than the demon queen who interrupted Plato’s words as he tried to take initiative .
“You don’t need to meddle . Let me do it . ”
“No, but, Demon Queen . What about Claire François?”
“I’ll need your help eventually . However, until they give up, let me take care of it . ”
Saying that, the demon queen slowly walked towards us .
“Now, come at me if you want . ”
The demon queen beckoned us a voice that sounded strangely human no matter how inhuman it was .
“Every, let’s go! As long as we can bring down the demon queen, we will bring the war between humanity and demons to the end!”
“I’ll support you with all my strength, Claire-sama! Don’t hold back!”
“I won’t give in either . ”
“Misha, we’re going!”
“Yes!”
The curtain rose on the battle against despair .
“Onee-sama, Yuu-sama, I leave the vanguard to you!”
“Okay!”
“Count on me . ”
Manaria-sama and Yuu-sama took positions in the vanguard, Claire-sama was in the center, and Misha and I were in the rearguard .
At Claire-sama’s orders, Manaria-sama and Yuu-sama closed the gap with the demon queen .
Yuu-sama’s technique called Ice Princess looked terrific, but Manaria-sama surpassed even it .
“First, how about this?”
Manaria-sama generated a coldly shining ice sword and slashed at the demon queen .
However, the demon queen didn’t even flinch .
“!?”
Manaria-sama’s ice sword shattered before it could touch the demon queen’s body .
The magical barrier surrounding her was like a thick wall that blocked the attack .
“I’ll use those, okay?”
As Yuu-sama said that, the shards of Manaria-sama’s shattered ice sword poured on the demon queen as if they had a will of their own .
“It’s not over yet . ”
While the demon queen was left vulnerable by the rain of ice shards, Manaria-sama cast another spell .
Earthen fangs that looked like the jaws of a dragon snapped at the demon queen .
“… I didn’t think it would be easy, but…”
“It’s disheartening when we go that far without any results, isn’t it?”
The demon queen didn’t even do anything to stop the attacks .
She just stood there, looking at us .
“Misha, how is it going?”
“No luck . My sound magic doesn’t seem to be working either . ”
I’d thought Misha’s special wind magic could perhaps get through the barrier, but it didn’t work as expected .
“Onee-sama, Yuu-sama, please step aside!”
At the sound of Claire-sama’s voice, they instantly reacted and cleared the way .
“Shine!”
She must’ve judged that flame arrows or spears would be ineffective against the demon queen .
Claire-sama started off with her trump card, Magical Ray .
Four dazzling beams of light assaulted the demon queen .
“Take this too!”
Together with Claire-sama, I also used my spell with the highest firepower – Absolute Zero .
The magic power of my Absolute Zero, that can instantly freeze and crush the target, rushed towards the demon queen .
However– .
“…”
The demon queen was alive and well .
In fact .
“Kh… There’s no scratch on her…”
Even with our strongest attacks, we couldn’t make the demon queen flinch .
The demon queen was just calmly looking at us .
“… Are you… satisfied?”
That voice that sounded both like an infant and like an old man again .
In a tone that sounded more like she was pitying than mocking us, the demon queen asked us if we were already surrendering .
“Not yet! … Onee-sama, can you do something about that barrier with Spell Breaker?”
Claire-sama firmly replied and then secretly asked Manaria-sama a question .
“It’s impossible . I’ve been trying to analyze it since a while ago, but I can’t figure out the structure of the magic . I’ve never seen such a complex structure before . ”
Manaria-sama’s forte, Spell Breaker and Dominator, were immensely powerful, but the activation conditions were difficult .
Once they were activated, they had deadly power, but to do that she had to completely analyze her opponent’s magic .
“Rei, let’s try the chorus . That’s all that we have left . ”
“I understand . ”
I agreed with Claire-sama’s suggestion .
I approached Claire-sama in the center position and tried taking her hand .
“! Rei!”
“!?”
At Claire-sama’s warning, I immediately twisted my body .
Sharp pain ran through my right upper arm .
“Ouch…!”
“Rei!”
I stopped Claire-sama as she tried to come closer with my hand and looked at the demon queen .
Before I knew it, she’d been pointing a finger at me .
I couldn’t perceive, but she’d probably attacked me .
… But why?
Until then, she’d shown no signs of moving .
“Even if you are the demon queen, you are afraid of our chorus?”
“…”
The demon queen didn’t answer .
Instead, she increased fingers pointing at me to all five .
“! Pitfall!”
I hastily sank the ground under my feet and squatted down .
A moment later, a line of darkness passed where my body had been .
“What’s the matter, Demon Queen . Aren’t you being extremely hostile against me?”
The demon queen remained silent .
However, was it just my imagination that I sensed vague irritation from her .
“Rei, don’t say anything that could provoke her!”
“It’s okay, Claire-sama . Please watch from over there . ”
Nothing was okay, but I put on a brave front .
“If you want to fight me, that’s just perfect . Let’s both go all out!”
Before I even finished saying that, I activated Judecca .
I froze the entire space around the demon queen to block her movements .
“Earth Pike!”
Serial Magic Cocytus .
Although it couldn’t match Absolute Zero in terms of concentrated firepower, it was superior when it came to the area of effect and difficulty to avoid .
And the result was– .
“Rei!”
I heard Claire-sama’s scream .
I thought her voice was strangely close to me, and the next moment my body was strongly pushed away .
I watched what was happening in slow motion .
I saw Claire-sama pushing me away, and dozens of dark flashes about to shoot through her body .
“Claire-sama!!”
I reached out my hand .
But, I couldn’t reach her .
Was it hopeless?
Would I lose Claire-sama this time?
The moment I thought that .
“… Uplift . ”
At the same time as that spell was swiftly chanted, Claire-sama’s body was pushed high up .
The dark flashes that impacted too late shattered the earth .
In a fluster I caught Claire-sama after she’d lost her footing and fallen .
“Are you okay, Claire-sama!?”
“Yes, although it was a close call . More importantly, that magic―― . ”
Indeed .
The magic used now to create the footing and push Claire-sama up was very familiar to me .
It was nothing else but the magic I often used for emergency evasion .
As I mentioned before, I added my own spin to this magic .
And the Uplift the demon queen used matched that spin to the tee .
“ . . I see… So that’s how it is…”
When I lowered her, Claire-sama directed a sharp gaze at the demon queen, pointed at her, and said .
“I’ve always wondered why the Three Great Archdukes are aiming at me . That’s because you can’t kill me, right, Demon Queen?”
The demon queen didn’t answer Claire-sama’s question .
However, that silence was all the answer we needed .
“I don’t know the reason why you’ve called yourself the demon queen . I don’t want to know either . But, at least answer this . Why are you trying to destroy humanity?”
The demon queen remained silent .
Witnessing that, Claire-sama said impatiently .
“I’m asking a question! Answer me, Rei Taylor!!”
Having been called by that name, the demon queen showed a sign of being shaken for the first time .
The demon queen slowly took her veil off .
What appeared was a familiar face that looked both joyous and sorrowful – it was my, Rei Taylor’s, face .