With itâs deep crimson hair fluttering, it gently descended in front of the Holy Knights.
Spreading itâs bat-like wings wide, it was something that could truly be called the embodiment of evil.
ăItâs a pleasure to meet you all. Now, let us begin the test without delay.
Whether or not you are worthy to be my opponentsâŚă
The Holy Knights, after witnessing its appearance, immediately scattered and took up a defensive stance.
They donât have the leisure to erect a barrier. They need to make a split-second decision.
Their cautiousness was due to the arrival of the Arch Demon. Unfortunately there are no other teams that had the capability to erect a barrier.
However, this situation could be considered fortunate if you look at it from a different point of view.
The opponent that came before them was only one in number. And in this squad was Arnaud Baurman, the strongest Holy Knight that leads an undefeated party.
Arnaud sprouts a fearless smile and encourages his companionsâŚ
ăDonât be afraid! There enemy is only one. Even though itâs an Arch Demon, itâs not a threat to us!ă
True.
They already have battle experience against Arch Demons from the past.
When fighting the heretics, there were some who could summon Arch Demons using the High Demon Summoning. Until now they had never lost once against these people.
For Arnaud, he was confident he could come out victorious, even in a one on one battle.
ăEveryone, spread out! Two sub leaders shall support me; the other members will set up a simple Holy Barrier. Begin!!ă
The Holy Knights reacted immediately to Arnaudâs instructions.
They were the movements of well-trained first class warriors. Having lived through scenes of carnage many times, they were confident in their abilities as the fort that fights to protect the human race.
Without hesitation they dispersed. They moved into a pentagram formation and erected a Holy Barrier that confined the commander and the two sub leaders with their opponent, the red haired demon, inside the barrier.
But eerie as this was, during that time there was no movement from the demon.
Sprouting an evil smile, the demon looked on happily at the Holy Knightsâ movement.
ăOi, Whatâs wrong? Youâre not going to interrupt us?ă
Arnaud asked, trying to provoke it.
ăWhy would I do such a thing? You are all working hard. I will not interrupt you.ă
A response that was clearly underestimating them.
Arnaud stood with composure facing his opponent, but inside he was truly boiling with anger.
As an expert-class knight, heâs trained himself to have control over his emotions in these situations, as not to lose his sight in anger. But the opponentâs response was humiliating.
How can an Arch Demon be so impudent! Arnaud thought this, and being extremely thorough, he made sure to keep it as just a thought.
There was no doubt that this was a threat to his troops.
He was trained as a Holy Knight, so he had a clear grasp of itâs true strength.
In their present condition, five people would be enough to take down an Arch Demon. Provided that the opponent was a common Arch Demon.
Arnaud calmly observed the demon in front of him to measure his opponent.
The opponent in front of him now was not just a common Arch Demon.
With an air of composure, it stood there elegantly. The cloth it wore was elaborate, as if it signified it was not just a lowly demon.
The purpose of these clothes were to show that itâs level was high.
Where itâs concerned, the possibility that this demon has been ânamedâ is very likely.
A named demon in itself is a big threat. And yet, his opponent was a high ranking named demon.
He could not be careless.
Even if heâs angry at the opponent before him, he canât afford to lose his composure and cloud his own judgment.
Arnaud unsheathed his sword.
ăOh? Are your preparations finished?ă
ăYes, sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we begin? But before that thereâs something I want to ask you⌠your name.ă
To the demonâs question, Arnaud answered.
And he took that opportunity to ask the Demon his name.
Although he might not get an answer, if he does, he could know whether the opponent was ânamedâ or not.
The opposing demon,
ăOh! How rude of me. My name is Diablo.
Even though this name was granted to me by the His Highness [1] Rimuru, I forgot to introduce myselfâŚ..
Iâm still so inexperienced.ă
Happily, it introduced itself.
Arnaud felt a cold sweat drip down his back.
Dangerous. His instinctive alarm rang at itâs maximum.
Introducing itself without any hesitation. It means that the opponent was an existence that was already gifted with a name.
If the master dies, itâs âNamedâ status will disappear as well. Also, if it introduced itself with itâs real name, then that name can be used to manipulate it. Therefore, not introducing oneself was common sense among demon-kin.
So it was named by the Demon Lord Rimuru. It seems that the demon was telling the truth.
Was it even feasible for a Demon Lord to grant a name to the likes of an Arch Demon? But right now it was useless to harbour such doubt.
Even so,
Arnaud prided himself as the one called the Strongest Holy Knight.
He was the right hand man of Hinata, the Leader of the Holy Knights. And he had confidence in his place as No. 2.
Supported by such confidence, Arnaud smiles fearlessly.
ă My name is Arnaud Baurman, the strongest Holy Knight.
Engrave it into your soul, the name of the person whoâs going to destroy you. Enjoy your trip to hell!ă
At the same time he declared that, he performed a Spiritual Power Release and activated his Spirit Armament.
Instantly, five colors of light dazzlingly glistened and wrapped around Arnaudâs body. He was a Holy Knight who possessed the five attributes of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space.
For a normal person, possessing two attributes was rare, but he was loved by five.
His title as the Strongest Holy Knight wasnât just for show.
During this time, the other Holy Knights also performed a Spiritual Power Release. Each were clad in armour of their own attributes.
In the middle of the shining multicolored lights was a shining pentagram.
A simple-type Holy Field was cast.
It wasnât full powered due to the short amount of time to perform the ceremony⌠but with five Holy Knights, it was effective enough.
Inside the barrier, besides the two skilled Holy Knights, was the strongest one, Arnaud.
Against an Arch Demon, there shouldnât be anything to fear.
Fortunately, Arnaud held in his hand a new type of armament, the Demon Slayer: a supreme sword made by the Seven Celestial Sages solely to fight against demons.
Against the flesh, the sword was endowed with the ability to tear apart the magic power in the monsterâs magic power configuration, so that it canât reconfigure again.
In other words, it can suck out the opponentâs magic power.
This weapon was developed with the purpose to inflict damage against âDragon Typesâ.
It was the only sword that had been developed to have the same power as Hinataâs sword. The decision to equip Arnaud with it was correct.
With this sword, any type of demon would surely be destroyed.
At that time, Arnaud had absolute confidence in his weapon, butâŚ
ăWell then, let us begin the test.ă
The demon casually said so.
And the meaning of those words were quickly understood.
Etc. The members stumble where they stand while unanimously shouting.
As Holy Knights, these members should have been accustomed with this kind of thing.
Just what happened?
Arnad couldnât understand. This- this overwhelming fear wasâŚ
The coercion released by the demon before him.
It simply unleashed its suppressed Demonic Aura. Thatâs all.
ăOh my? Only three people were able to pass the test?
Well, I offer you my praises. To be able to endure myăDemon Lordâs HakiăâŚ
I will shall permit you to be my personal opponents!ă
The Demon excitedly declared.
The Pentagram Barrier disappeared in an instant. The other Holy Knights, whose minds had snapped, didnât have enough energy left to maintain the Holy Field.
Arnaud was sweating bullets. Trying to wipe it off, he couldnât even keep up. He was desperately trying to comprehend the current situation.
Unbelievable. He didnât want to accept it.
The demon before him, just now⌠what did it say? Certainly it had saidăDemon Lordâs HakiăâŚ
Heâd never heard of such an ability. With itâs aura release alone, it reduced the Holy Knights to this powerless state. Even for a Demon Lord, that shouldnât be possible.
No. It might be possible for one legendary class of Demon LordâŚ
He didnât previously think it was possible for a ânamedâ to be of that class.
ăYouâŚâŚ, The heckâŚ.. are you?ă
Trying to squeeze out the words, Arnaud asked in a hoarse voice.
Mustering all his willpower, he kept his fear from showing.
Calmly he drove away his negative thoughts. Somehow, he succeeded in maintaining his composure.
With Arnaud like thatâŚ
ăKufufufufufu, I am Diablo. The faithful servant of Rimuru-sama.
If I perform brilliantly this time, the one getting the seat of first rank will be me.ă
Such an answer came.
In addition, making him dumbfounded.
ăWhile Iâm at it, allow me give the answer to your next question.
I am not an Arch demon like you had previously said.
But a Demon Duke. Even though the difference is slight, please donât make that mistake again.ă
It added that in, more words of despairâŚ
ăItâs over, everything is overâŚ..ă
The female aid Sofia bent down, and began to weep like a child.
Her mind has also snapped.
Demon Duke⌠that was the legendary existence.
It was ranked higher than a self-proclaimed Demon Lord.
Their previous appearances in this world were not documented, so it couldnât be confirmed. But this legendary demon now certainly exists.
Just like a Common Spirit canât be compared to a Great Spirit Class. And a Great Spirit Class canât win a fight against a King Spirit Class, even if several of them banded together.
ăOh? What are you doing? You have passed my test but you donât seem happy in the slightest!ă
The demon called out to the female adjutant whose mind had snapped. This situation never crossed Arnaudâs mind.
While shedding tears she tried to run away, desperately.
To the demon who had called out to her, she was unwilling to make eye contact and shook her head in denial.
As a Holy Knight, she was a brave and dependable adjutant that survived situations of great peril before. But for the first time, she was showing signs of fear.
She had great knowledge in Demonology, as a countermeasure against the heretics. Because Itâs best to know your enemy. Not only that, but she also studied Summoned Demons and Demon Summoning.
Because of that, she was very familiar with Demonology.
The fact that this woman was frightened stiff was proof enough that the existance before them was in fact, a Demon Duke.
Therefore, measures must be taken against that.
ăCan you still fight, Bacchus?ă
He asked his other adjutant.
His reliable partner and trusted right-hand man.
Bacchus nodded with a pale face. To overcome this crisis with just them two they must make a breakthrough.
After linking with Hinata, this demon would meet itâs end.
Arnaud gathered up the resolve and concentrated on stirring up his willpower.
ăOi! Do you have to torment my adjutant and subordinates? Leave them alone!
Your opponent is me!ă
Arnaud shouted and conducted his attack with all of his might.
From Arnaudâs left palm, a mass of light was discharged.
That was the Holy Cannon.
Among the magic types that Holy Knights are fluent in, wasăDivine Magică. It was a simple type of magic and the effects depend on the ability of the user.
The attack has holy attributes and was able to inflict damage to any type of monster.
However.
The demon caught the ball of light and crushed it in its palm like it was nothing.
ăKufufufufufu. This is quite painful. My palm has gotten burnt. Then, next is that personâs turn?ă
The demon said in a calm manner, like nothing happened.
However, Arnaudâs true aim wasnât to damage it with the Holy Cannon.
While the opponent was taking the attack from the Holy Cannon, Bacchus took a roundabout path to get at it from behind and struck it in the back with his Great Axe.
The Great Axe was called a Demon Killer, a magic weapon used to cut down Devils.
Even a Demon Duke couldnât avoid taking damage from that attack.
Moreover, the attack didnât stop there.
At the same time Arnaud fired the Holy Cannon, he also prepared his own Demon Slayer.
ăSpirit Beheadingăwas an ultimate technique using the basic technique of ăFighting Sprită. By cladding the weapon in Fighting Spirit it can cut down anything.
Fighting Spirit and Magical power can be applied on various techniques, butâŚ
Arnaud was the strongest Holy Knight. He clad his sword in his Fighting Spirit, and it glistened in fives colors.
So, converting his five attributes of Spirit Power into Fighting Spirit, he fused them together and with it, clad his sword.
The Genius Arnaud.
It was because of this special technique that Arnaud was called the Strongest Holy Knight.
ăShut up, monster! Eat this and die! Ether Break (Kanji: Five Colors Spirit Virtuous Sword)!!ă
A flash from Arnaudâs sword runs along the ground in a line.
By using the Earth Spiritâs ăWeight Manipulationă, the user can decide on the swords desirable impact.
At a speed that transcended the speed of sound, the swordâs edge reached Diablo.
The strike was clad in Holy Attributes, an absolute killing power against monsters, along with the attribute to crush evil.
A deadly sword that should cut down an Arch Demon with a single strike.
It was impossible for even a Demon Duke to be uninjured.
Not to mention he dealt the blow at the same moment it was being attacked from behind. A perfect surprise attack.
Arnaud had no doubt it was the opponentâs certain death.
However, at the very moment Bacchusâ Great Axe would clash with Diabloâs head, Diablo lightly tapped his toe to the ground.
With just that, the ground was upheaved and Bacchus, who was approaching from behind, was blown away into the air.
Even so, Arnaudâs sword, exceeding the speed of sound with itâs imagined trajectory would still cut the nape of Diabloâs neck. It couldnât be stopped.
He can do it! Arnaud was convinced of the victory he played out in his mind and put all of his strength into his hand that was grasping the sword.
At the same time, he lightens the weight of the sword and then reverses it, driving it towards his target with double the power.
Grasping the sword, he doubled its weight by several times by abrupting the generation inertia from gravityâs force.
This techniqueâs trait also doubled the swordâs momentum just before it collided with the enemy.
For someone seeing this technique for the first time, it was impossible to evade it. Arnaud had certain belief in his victory. You could say it was a matter of fact.
But, unfortunately⌠from the very beginning Diablo had no intention of evading it.
Arnaudâs sword cut through the barrier Diablo had erected, and cut Diabloâs body.
He felt the resistance. ButâŚ
Arnaud immediately ran to Bacchusâ side.
He confirmed Bacchusâ condition. It turned out that Bacchus was alright and was able to stand.
Feeling relief, he switched his focus back to Diablo.
ăKufufufufufu. I see. What a wonderful technique.
Especially the sudden acceleration the moment it makes impact. Even I had difficulty seeing it.
And above all else⌠that attack that incorporates various attributes. Few would be able to withstand that attack.
Splendid, truly splendid!ă
He began praising Arnaudâs sword art.
But Arnaud doesnât feel the least bit happy hearing it.
Obviously. Because clearly the demon wasnât suffering any damage after taking his sword strike.
ăOiâŚâŚâŚ You didnât suffer any damage at all?ă
Though he didnât want to ask, the words unconsciously slipped from his mouth.
ăOh? Does it seem that way to you? That is just an overestimation.
I planned to offset only the Holy attributes with my magic barrier, but unfortunately I felt your strike.
It seems my magic power had been deprived, just a little though.
Thanks to⌠your sword; It seems to posses the ability to steal the opponentâs magic power.
I overlooked it. But even so, it is also wonderful!ă
What it was not enough?
Itâs like it didnât receive any damage at all from the technique.
This wasnât a joke. That ultimate move definitely hit it.
An attack that possess various attributes and can easily pierce through several layers of defense barriers.
And despite thatâŚ
That attack was supposed to be the decisive blow. Arnaudâs chance of victory was nonexistent.
And acting as the final blow to Arnaud were these merciless words from the demon:
ăThatâs right. With this level of damage, I need to receive about 4.000 hits before I will be annihilated.
But⌠a point of advice, I can recover about 40% of that damage in 1 hour.
How is that? There is still some hope for you.
Now then, shall we resume again?ă
So it said, while spreading its hands.
Next to him, Bacchus gave up with a sigh.
ăHey, Arnaud, Itâs impossible. We canât hold out like this.
Though this might be better than doing nothing at allâŚ
Iâll buy you some time, so please call Captain Hinata.
Thatâs a Captainâs class with inhumane power, itâs not an opponent we can fight.ă
He whispers to Arnaud.
ăNo, I will buy you time. YouâŚ..ă
ăYou Fool. Your feet are quicker than mine!
Above all, thereâs hope if you and Captain are together.
It is no good if itâs me!ă
Bacchus shouted and pushed Arnaud away.
Arnaud, hearing those words, bit his lip and started to run.
But, the reality was cruel.
ăKufufufufufu. Oh my! Where do you think you going?
My mission is to hold you all off here. I will not allow any of you to get past me.ă
Forced to stay? For a moment he didnât understand what it meant by that, but there in front of Arnaud, his companions who were previously on the ground, were now blocking his way.
ăYou guys, step aside!ă
Arnaud shouted, but the demon pointed him to the harsh reality before him.
ăOh my! Your companions still seem intent to play.
I only asked them if they would be so grateful to betray their ally?ă
So it said. Arnaud looked at his companions properly.
They each wore a blank expression, as if they were in some sort of trance.
ăSo- Sofia! Stop it! Come to your senses!ă
Arnaud turned to face Bacchus who was vomiting blood while shouting to the other adjutant Sofia, who was sobbing in front of him.
She had the same trance-like look on her face as the others, standing across from Bacchus who was holding out his sword.
ăYou bastard..! What have you done to my companions!!ă
Arnaud glares at Diablo and shouts.
The demon replies with a sneer.
ăKufufufufufu. What are you implyingâŚ..
Nevertheless, I only tempted them.
Because they feared me, they seem to have accepted it easily.ăTemptationă, that is.ă
Arnaud suddenly realized.
There was a characteristic of monsters that were Demon-kin called the Temptation skill.
To mesmerize the target. An ability that can manipulate someoneâs mind as it likes. But, heâd never heard of a Demon that had the ability to mesmerize a Holy Knight.
To save someone under this mesmerization you either have to defeat the demon who is manipulating them⌠or kill the person.
To sum it up, the only thing that can be done now is to evade his companions attacks and defeat Diablo. If not, the only option left was to kill his comrades.
He canât go easy on the Holy Knights. Even subconscious, these guys were pragmatic. Someone who is mesmerized moves their body subconsciously.
This was too much⌠their awareness was cursed through temptation.
This opponent was⌠This Demon was⌠clearly a Disaster Class. A threat that stood on equal grounds with a Demon Lord.
Bacchus who was holding off Sofia, was strangled from behind by two Holy Knights.
And just like that he lost consciousness. He had remained fainted, but now that meant Arnaud remained alone.
To get through this situation alone⌠was not an impossible feat.
FurthermoreâŚ
The red haired Demonâs gold oblong pupil glistened a bewitching hint of red as he held up Sofia with one hand.
Suddenly, Sofiaâs beautiful blonde hair turned a deep crimson red, as if it were soaked in blood.
She showed an ecstatic look on her face.
Her hair turned back into blonde.
He looked at her suspiciously. Sofia lost consciousness and fainted.
No way! His worry suddenly turned frantic.
ăKufufufufu. whoops, that was dangerous. I unintentionally turned her into a Fallen.
If I do such things, thereâs no way Rimuru-sama will give me the seat of first rank.ă
Leaving Arnaud with these uncertain words, Diablo turns his head in his direction.
What heâd just seen was the demon making the Holy Knight Sofia into its companion.
He didnât want to imagine what would have happened if it succeeded. The demon was for some reason concerned about his actions and stopped halfway through. Thus, Sofia was saved.