Chapter 111

Hifumi stabbed the katana expressionlessly into the female demon, who received the “pebble” thrown by Hifumi and on top of it suffered the yell of Bennia, and killed her with that.

The katana’s point, which pierced into her heart as if being drawn in, hasn’t lost its radiance though it has blood trickling down once it’s pulled out.

“Well then.” (Hifumi)

Throwing away the paper he used to wipe the blade, Hifumi looked at the remaining female demons without paying attention to the flickering in his eyes.

“How about you guys?” (Hifumi)

“H-How, you say…”

One of them unintentionally opened her mouth.

Hifumi directed his sight at that woman.

“Hii…”

“That one died because she was hostile towards me. That one and that one as well.” (Hifumi)

The ones Hifumi pointed at were the woman, who was stabbed to death just a moment ago, the fallen Beleth and Bennia, who showed a cruelly two-folded posture, those three.

“So, what will you do?” (Hifumi)

“I surrender!”

“M-Me too!”

One after the other the female demons raise their hands.

There were some among them who held weapons as well, but freeing both their hands by throwing those away in a panic, they appealed that they have no hostile feelings.

“Y-You guys are really just talk, so…” (Vepar)

“Demons are st.u.r.dy after all.” (Hifumi)

Hifumi praised Vepar, who finally managed to raise her body, and nodded his head.

Hifumi tried to head over to Vepar’s location, but suddenly he stopped and surveyed the other demons.

“Is there anyone who can heal wounds with magic amongst you?” (Hifumi)

Silently two of them raise their hands.

“Well, then it’s fine for you to heal Vepar. It will let you earn some points.” (Hifumi)

The two, who don’t understand the meaning of what they were told, look at each other.

“This Vepar will be the next demon king. It’s your chance to get promoted right away.” (Hifumi)

The one who reacted to that is Vepar but Hifumi pretended to notice that.

“What are you saying all of a sudden…” (Vepar)

“It’s just what it means.” (Hifumi)

Sheathing the katana into its scabbard, Hifumi turns around while adjusting its position.

“That’s because the king here wishes to fight with me it seems. There has to be an heir if the king dies, right?” (Hifumi)

“Do you think that you will be able to kill the king? If you won by some odd chance, it would be only natural for you to become the new king.” (Vepar)

“Well, that’s no good.” (Hifumi)

“It’s the same reason why the current king, Agathion, is no good either”, Hifumi states.

“It’s no more than my intuition, but that king is strong. He is smart as well. It mustn’t be allowed for someone who sticks out like that to obtain the world. Even if it happens through fighting, it will basically become peaceful once that’s finished. Falling into stagnation, the people will live their lives without any desperation. The reason to strive hard for the sake of survival will vanish.” (Hifumi)

Hifumi hits the pommel with a *pon*

“It’s best if the world’s powers are competing with each other as much as possible. And, while living in a range where they are able to get in contact with each other, they will fight with each other by literally risking their lives. They should ponder how to outwit their enemies in all kinds of situations.” (Hifumi)

“But, why me?” (Vepar)

While receiving healing from the two responsible for it, Vepar glared at Hifumi.

“That’s easy. If it’s you, you won’t abandon or run away from the demon race. I don’t approve of the demons dispersing. For the sake of being able to fight to the bitter end, the demons will have to frantically use their heads to achieve peace and stability.” (Hifumi)

“You are just the right person for that”, Hifumi laughed.

“… I knew that you were an exciting man, but it’s far more than I imagined.” (Vepar)

“I will consider those words as praise.” (Hifumi)

“Just in case, let me ask, where are you going” (Vepar)

Vepar, who recovered to a degree that she could finally stand up, called out to Hifumi who set out.

“Of course, to the place of the fellow who is aiming for my life. … Ah, true, that’s right, it would be best if I brought him a present.” (Hifumi)

Once he smoothly draws out his katana, the demons start to take some distance nervously.

“Don’t be so scared.” (Hifumi)

Floating a wry smile, he cuts off Beleth’s head with a *thump*.

Everyone saw Hifumi, who grabbed its short hair and left while leaving the word “Well then” behind, silently off.

“Umm… You will become the king, Captain?”

“You are able to say that without shame though you tried to kill me just moments ago, eh?” (Vepar)

“T-That was due reluctantly following orders!”

Hearing the words of the little girl who cast healing magic on her, Vepar sighed.

“Well, it’s fine. I won’t be able to be happy-go-lucky anymore now that it has come to this.” (Vepar)

Wiping off the dust sticking to her clothes, Vepar fixed her appearance.

Although her skirt was torn at the time she was sent flying, she doesn’t mind that.

“Though, it’s annoying that the story is advancing at an unknown place. You guys, do as you like. Hide yourselves somewhere if you are afraid. Follow me if you care about the fate of the demon race.” (Vepar)

Half the demons at that place followed Vepar who began to walk to chase after Hifumi.

Hifumi’s pace became gradually faster and at the time the castle came into view he began to run.

“H-Human!?”

“Stop, stop!”

The two guards in front of the gate stood in the way of Hifumi who came running from the dark city which waits for daybreak.

Notwithstanding, Hifumi, who raised his speed to another level instead of easing up on it, yelled,

“I will kill you if you stand in my way! I won’t if you let me through!” (Hifumi)

Unintentionally, due to that voice, one of them jumped to the side.

The guard, who looked in the direction of his colleague while regretting having jumped aside, was able to closely watch the shocking scene of Hifumi’s sword attack, which was released by drawing the katana from his waist and attacking in the same stroke, cutting his colleague and the large, wooden front gate altogether.

The soldier, who was cut in two without time to raise a scream, tumbles onto the castle’s ground together with the door.

“Well, let’s go on an eager rampage, shall we?” (Hifumi)

While looking at his katana, he mumbles as if addressing it.

As one could expect, groups of demon soldiers gathered due to the castle’s gate making a loud sound where one wouldn’t object to call it a thunderous roar.

As each of them were grasping their weapons or preparing to release their spells, carelessness wasn’t present.

A chill travelled down Hifumi’s spine with a *shudder*

“Oh, how scary!” (Hifumi)

Contrary to his words, his expression is full of smiles.

What started the battle was someone releasing their magic.

The fireball, which has the size of around an armful, pa.s.sed the side of Hifumi who evaded by simply taking one step. But he hasn’t the leeway to watch its destination.

With very practised moves several soldiers came charging with their weapons held in front while combining it with magic.

“Not bad, but!” (Hifumi)

The spearhead, which suddenly approached him, was sent flying by Hifumi cutting the spearhead including the forearm of his opponent with one swing by his katana.

What remained was the sword.

Without hitting Hifumi at all, it finishes with them simply missing each other.

“Gyaaa!”

“Uwaa…”

Finishing off the demon, who lost his arms, by piercing his throat, he turns over the katans with his wrist and slays two soldiers, who stroke and missed, in succession.

Furthermore he runs towards the group which shoots spells at him after surrounding him.

“This!”

“Vanish!”

The entire body of Hifumi, who is pressured by a gust of pellets, is. .h.i.t.

While repelling only those pellets which would hit fatal spots with his katana, the demons, who panicked due to Hifumi still approaching, created a huge fireball reaching around 1 m in diameter by releasing their spells simultaneously.

“Fuu~!” (Hifumi)

While exhaling, Hifumi swung the katana he held overhead downwards.

The lump of fire, which was cleanly cut in two, wraps just the katana in heat and vanishes like mist.

“I got fairly used to its anti-magic property as well, I guess.” (Hifumi)

Even while suffering small wounds all over his body due to the pellets, Hifumi isn’t out of breath.

“Are you still able to do anything, I wonder? The woman in the grey mantle had an interesting skill.” (Hifumi)

Bennia’s yell was a kind of magic manipulating sound, but Hifumi treated it as a gag.

However, his evaluation of her for scheming to compensate for its powerlessness is fairly high.

“Please show me a lot more. I will will be able to grow with that.” (Hifumi)

Hifumi, who set up his katana as if aiming at their eyes, licked the blood streaming down his cheeks with his tongue.

The number of demons gathered in front of the castle’s gate is above 30.

3 people have already been turned into corpses. It still doesn’t change their advantage in numbers, but Hifumi is overwhelmingly above them in spirit.

Fluently moving as if performing a dance without showing any fatigue, the swaying and fluttering hakama seems to be inviting the demons.

A person close-by closes in upon Hifumi while holding their weapon. As he stabs the blade into their belly, he breaks the back of their hand with the pommel and smashes their head before the dropped weapon can hit the ground.

The female demon, whose wind blades were scattered one after the other by the katana, is unable to do anything but getting frightened of Hifumi, who approached in front of her eyes. Her thin neck was severed without any resistance.

A man, who tries to throw his sword and thrust his knee at Hifumi, is pierced in the heart while dumbfoundedly watching his own knee bending in the other direction.

A demon, who tried to combine their magic with his colleague once again, suddenly discovers his colleague collapsed facing up while shedding blood from both their eyes. Having both his eyes pierced by the katana in the same way due to being petrified in surprise, his skull was crushed.

The wild party of blood continues further on.

The garden in front of the gate, which is generally open during daytime and used as place of relaxation for the common people, has ivies surrounding the boorish stone wall. Various flowers bloom there depending on the season. A pure white flower, which is releasing a faintly sweet scent during the current period, is blooming, but its scent was drowned out by the stench of blood as if being choked.

Hifumi, who plentifully inhaled the scent of that flower, slowly breathed out through his mouth.

“Well, isn’t there still more than half of you remaining? That’s nice. I will be able to enjoy myself even more.” (Hifumi)

Wiping off the blood with a paper, Hifumi returned the katana into its scabbard and became unarmed.

Once he relaxed his joints with a creaking sound by entwining the fingers of both hands, he caught the spear of an enemy who saw this as a chance and pulled it towards himself.

The male demon, who had his body dragged along, tries to stop it by bracing his legs, but the force of the spear, which was thrust out by putting his body’s weight into it, isn’t stopped easily as that was guided by Hifumi as well.

At the time he finally came to a halt, he was kicked by Hifumi’s toes in the nether region. Falling to his knees while bubbles foamed at his mouth, his skull, which was at a handy height, is crushed by Hifumi’s elbow.

Hifumi, who broke the head of the man, who collapsed while spouting a nosebleed, by stepping onto him, began to dash once again just like that.

“That’s it. That man’s strength is considerable, but that sword is a miracle.” (Agathion)

Agathion, who looked down at the spectacle from a window of the castle, muttered while watching Hifumi’s state.

Phegor stands at his side.

“That is amazing. It broke the fireball’s magic into pieces.” (Agathion)

Phegor nodded with a serious expression at Agathion, who turned around while raising a laughter as if he was enjoying an exhibition.

“I dare say that he surpa.s.sed the forest of the elves due to the power of that weapon. We should also pay attention to his physical abilities, but even if he invades into the castle in worst case, we will be able to kill him easily if we use the strength of the king, I guess?” (Phegor)

“Phegor.” (Agathion)

Phegor is seized by Agathion’s sharp look.

“I’m not very fond of gambling. I dislike words such as “probably” can win.” (Agathion)

“Excuse my rudeness.” (Phegor)

“Although I feel like it’s a bit wasteful, let’s use the hall’s device?” (Agathion)

Agathion muttered after worrying over it for a while.

“Please wait. No matter how powerful he might be, there’s still an overwhelming number of soldiers left. Even if he trespa.s.ses into the castle, I will be there as well. Even if you don’t move yourself…” (Phegor)

“That’s pointless, Phegor. You don’t even believe yourself that the soldiers will be able to manage somehow, do you?” (Agathion)

“Try looking”, Agathon urged him on to observe the situation in front of the gate with his gaze.

Having already decreased the number of demons to a degree of it being close to an annihilation, the number of people, who have fallen, is twice that of those who are still standing.

“Yes, my liege! That guy is interesting. He is killing my soldiers while unarmed. If he wasn’t a human, his war potential would be high.” (Phegor)

Agathion, who laughed while clapping his hands, suddenly stood up.

“Phegor, I don’t permit for you to fight him by yourself. Just as I told you moments ago, I leave the hall’s device to you. I have to prepare myself to welcome him.” (Agathion)

“… At your will.” (Phegor)

Agathion leaves the room, where you can see the main gate which turned into a battlefield, without even making any footsteps. Two maids followed him.

Seeing him off, Phegor dropped his look onto the battlefield once again.

“Hifumi, huh? For the sake of the demon’s prospering… for the sake of the king’s dearest wish, I will have you become a stepping stone.” (Phegor)

Spitting out words he didn’t intend for anyone to hear, Phegor quietly left the room in order to to operate the device as wished by the king.