Chapter 51: The Battle of the Skyscrapers [Later]

But Lenidus was well prepared.

The iron magic sword was blocked by a wall of black light. The wall was extremely hard and reminded me of the shield magic sword.

“Kill him! Kill this man!”

Lenidus called out, summoning the Demon cult.

The Demon cult quickly swarmed in behind Ren and tried to ferociously attack him.

“Retreat!”

They are all small fries with no eyes.

Turning around, Ren swung his iron magic sword, easily cutting off the swords and staffs of his enemies. They were blasted by the recoil of the sword pressure and their entire body was bounced off taking away their consciousness.

He went for Lenidus again. This time, however, Ren’s body was blown away by something. The black wind that Lenidus released sent him several meters away.

“……Why is there such a hard swordsman!”

In front of Lenidus who was surprised, Ren remained calm.

(Did he just use black magic right now?)

The underlying reason is not the power of the Demon King, but only the fact that it is an attribute in opposition to holy magic.

It can be used to influence a person’s mind, making them go crazy, or to weaken an opponent with magic power.

It also has the aptitude to attack. The black power can undermine the body, and even release flames that scorch the skin.

The Demon cultists, who hadn’t been deprived of consciousness, were slowly retreating together with Lenidus, protecting him.

While approaching them.

(Don’t be in such a hurry.)

Ren turned his attention to the Flame King’s gauntlet that covered his left hand.

The Flame King’s gauntlet was hot. It was so hot that it almost burned him.

Ren had summoned the Flame Magic Sword at the same time as the Iron Magic Sword, and the Flame Magic Sword was in his left hand. Is that why? He felt like he was being strongly urged to wield it quickly.

“L-Lenidus-sama! He’s not an opponent to be messed with!”

The Demon cult were afraid of Ren.

But Lenidus was different. He had fallen into a true fanatic, surprised by Ren’s strength, but not at all ready to give up.

He had a strong will to accomplish his goal, even if it meant losing his life here.

“I will fight for the great demon king. Do you all have that will?”

The answer was “yes”.

The followers are also fanatics, regardless of their fear of Ren.

They’re not afraid to demonstrate a part of the power of the Demon King that resides in the Mark of the Demon King, without regard for their own lives.

They were afraid only of the possibility that they might not be able to do what they needed to do.

“—- to the great King of the Demon Continent!”

“To the one and only king who rules over all demons!”

The demon cult put their hands on the engravings.

The engravings were on their shoulders, on their faces, on the backs of their hands and on the chests of some of them. The bodies of the Demon cult shook with a thud.

But that was as far as it went.

Facing them was the hero, the Red Dragon Slayer. There’s no greater folly than to forget that in this situation, and the hero also has no intention of letting the Demon cult have their way.

Before the Demon cult could do anything more, Ren threw his iron magic sword at the barrier created by Lenidus as soon as he ordered his men to do so.

There was no way to prevent the throwing of the iron magic sword, which had wounded even Asval.

The jet-black barrier was easily broken and the sword pierced through Lenidus’s right shoulder.

“Kohau!!!!!!!”

The sword was so big that it shook his huge frame.

And he fell to his knees.

The Demon cult, who were about to risk their lives to invoke the proof of the Demon king, were blinded for a moment.

That one moment changed their fate.

They turned around and looked at Lenidus, but didn’t see the iron magic sword that should have been thrown.

Instead, their entire bodies were abruptly tied up. As soon as ivy imbued with magic appeared from the ground everywhere, they were bound up to their necks as well.

“Gu, oh …….”

“Nature magic …..”

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The Demon cult were restrained and completely deprived of consciousness.

As Radius had said, most of the work was done by Ren alone. The core of this operation, the capture of the Demon cult alive, was accomplished here.

“Kukkukkukku…….”

Lenidus laughed.

He had an eerie vulgar smile on his face.

“Hah! you’ve made a mistake! It seems you were the ones who underestimated me!”

He desperately grabbed the staff he had let go of in the previous throw, and struck the ground with the stone pike. A complex magic circle appeared at his feet. It quickly spread throughout the garden.

“—- Holy Crest Technique?”

Radius said.

“I used to be in the service of Elfen! If it’s this level of Holy Crest Technique, it’s only natural that I can use it!”

Ren thought back for a moment.

(The Holy Crest technique is the power of priests who serve the Lord God. —-)

It is a power exercised with the magical power of priests through the medium of special staffs and swords originally created by the Holy Land. It’s the incarnation of the holy power by the weapons refined in holy water produced in the Silver Sacred Palace, the great temple in the center of the holy land.

Its strength is similar to that of holy magic, and it is mighty.

The synergistic effect of the priest’s own magic power and the weapon prepared for him makes the strength of the priest’s power vary widely.

In any case, Ren readjusted the swords in his hands.

His face showed no surprise at all; on the contrary, he was delighted.

“I’m glad. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

Ren said in a calm voice.

I knew there was something hidden in the garden. I’ve been hoping they’d use it at the last minute rather than leave it behind.

“Kuku, kuku……! You sound as if you’re challenging me!”

The rain began to fall.

It was soaking Ren’s hair, but he didn’t take his eyes off Lenidus.

“The mighty Holy Crest technique sometimes lays down a magic circle. It’s troublesome to remove it. It takes several people with specialized skills and several days to do so.”

“—-So what?”

The magic circle glows.

Radius and the others still believed in Ren.

“Then just trigger it. Everything you left behind, once activated, will be erased from this garden. Not just to capture you. We can only call this operation a success if we can eliminate everything that is disturbing at the same time.”

“Stupid! You don’t know the power of the Holy Crest technique!”

“I do. I know it just as well as you do, if not better.”

Dazzling flashes of light came from all over the magic circle.

The foot of everyone including Ren, except Lenidus, became heavy. The light enveloped everyone, not leaving them out.

“—- Radius, do you trust me?”

Suddenly, Ren turned around, bathed in rain.

Seeing him, Radius grinned.

“Yeah, do whatever you like —-, but the next time you have a concern like the one you mentioned earlier, you tell me first. It’s slightly disturbing.”

“Ah …… sorry. I’ll do that next time.”

Ren smiled freshly which was appropriate for his age and nodded.

The magic sword of the Great Tree in his right hand disappeared mixed with the light of the magic circle. Ren instead re-holstered the flame magic sword in his right hand and held it in the opposite hand.

(—- show me)

I don’t care how much I say it, I would never gamble in the presence of Radius.

I acted because I had a solid confidence.

The crimson jewelry adorning the Flame King’s gauntlet glowed dully, signaling the scorching heat of the fire, as if to say, “Burn it all up”.

Weak Ashton, Ren knows better than anyone the fire of the dragon who called him so.

“Burn in the light of the foolish god!”

Surely its power would have made its immeasurable strength known.

But only if he could have used it.

“Although it must be a long-cherished wish of the Leomerians.”

Lenidus struck the ground again with the stone pike.

From the center of the magic circle that spread around his feet, a glow was about to arise from the holy crest technique.

Burn it down with holy power. He realized that he couldn’t win by just fighting normally, so he unleashed an attack with the intention of dying as well.

But it wasn’t going to come true.

“Hey —- Lenidus.”

Only Ren’s movements seemed to be that of a frame-by-frame feed.

Lenidus, Radius, and the knights of the Lion’s Holy Sanctuary all looked terribly slow in all of Ren’s movements as he held the flaming magic sword in the opposite hand.

For a brief moment, just after Lenidus had poked the magic circle with his staff’s stone pike, the flaming magic sword held in the opposite hand seemed to slow down.

The flaming sword, held in the opposite hand, struck the magic circle that had spread out at Ren’s feet.

It was such a golden flame that the light of the holy crest technique felt like a shadow.

The flames spread from Ren’s feet along the magic circle. The golden flame that scorched the magic circle enveloped the area.

It didn’t burn up any living creature, only the magic circle.

The golden flames that ran through the magic circle looked like the figures of dragons crawling back and forth. The golden flames danced in waves in the places where they passed by. —-

At some point, all of the magic circle was burned up.

From the garden, where the glow of the holy crest technique was originally supposed to pierce the heavens, golden flames soared high into the sky.

For a brief moment, the rain stopped, but only in the surrounding area. It was only for a moment that it became terribly hot and humid because of the evaporation, and then the rain returned, this time with a strong wind caused by the departure of the golden flame.

Ren, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, thrust his flaming magic sword into the ground.

“I told you.”

He was just about to say the words beyond that which he had just uttered.

“I’ve been waiting for that.”

Ren, who had completely dealt with the situation, spoke again.

Lenidus, who had expended too much magic and was also bleeding heavily, was sitting flat on the ground.

Ren parted his hair, and his eyes, which were lined with his well-groomed face, were filled with a sense of supremacy. Ren’s eyes were so penetrating that Lenidus’s vision was becoming blurry.

“This….”

“Tell me. How does it feel to use the power associated with the detestable chief god?”

Just before he let go of his consciousness, Lenidus looks at Ren in disgust and spoke.

The voice was hoarse and feeble.

“—- Hihi. May that power face despair of the power of the Demon King.”

Lenidus suddenly collapsed. The Demon cult, whom Ren had completely deprived of consciousness, weren’t dead and remained in a coma.

The operation was now complete.

All the ideals that Radius and Ulysses had preached had been accomplished almost entirely by Ren alone.

Turning to the astonished Radius and the others, Ren said.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.”

Ren said with a relieved look on his face.

“…… What a man you are, my friend.”

“But, Your Highness, you are a man of your word, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am! Ah, what the hell! I’m already eager to train! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited by such a display of power!”

Hearing everyone’s voices, Ren exhaled that it was finally over.

(Even so)

Where was the Sword King?

She didn’t lend her strength until the end, but he wondered where she’d been watching from.

Yes, it wasn’t long before Ren started thinking about it.

“—————–“

It was from far up in the sky.

The roaring of a monster echoed throughout the area, exposing their massive physiques from behind the rain clouds.

Four pairs of wings, eight in all, were flapping. It was a hideous creature covered in mossy ochre scales, its body resembling that of a jellyfish with countless tentacles growing out of its body, and its many eyes were all over its body.

Its mouth was lined with ferocious fangs similar to those of earthworms.

The body is so large that it could eat the Grand Clock Tower as it is.

(—- the Tyrant of the Unholy Sky Aiuro!)

I remember it.

It was a monster that appeared at the end of Legend of the Seven Heroes II. It was a monster of the Demon Continent, used by the cult leader mentioned by Lenidus, and was ranked B.

The strongest monster Ren had fought in the past, except from Asval, was probably the Maneater, which Jerrukku had risked his life to summon. Even that was at best a top C rank, and not in the same league as the Unholy Sky Tyrant that appeared in the sky.

“Kuh…”

It’s hard to fight with monsters in the sky.

Ren secretly thought that unexpected presence had appeared. Perhaps the real ultimate weapon for Lenidus was that monster.

He had probably thought that there was a defensive force at work around the imperial capital, so he had it kept at bay in the sky.

It was thought that it had shown itself under some kind of instruction by opening the Holy Crest Technique.

But

“Ren! It can’t break through the barrier!”

“Huh? You said earlier that such a thing doesn’t exist in the Grand Clock Tower.”

“I’ll tell you more about that later! In any case, monsters can’t overcome the defenses!”

As if to prove Radius’ words, the Unholy Sky Tyrant didn’t approach from more than a certain distance.

Far above the top floor of the Grand Clock Tower, it waved it’s tentacles at an invisible wall.

(If so, —-)

Even with all defenses in place, he couldn’t let this go on.

Ren thought he had to fight somehow, and was about to consult Radius about the means to do so, when he suddenly opened his eyes.

A torrent of power, which he couldn’t ignore, was directed at him. But he also noticed that it was immediately directed at the sky.

The Unholy Sky Tyrant waving its tentacles in the sky.

—- It cracked.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

It was a lamentation that echoed through the sky.

It was as if the jet-black celestial sphere itself had cracked, revealing to Ren a mysterious spatial distortion.

The sound stopped, the rain stopped.

It was as if the center of the world had become that distortion, as if everything was being sucked into it.

The monster that should have existed in the center of the world was cut in half and scorched to death by the white light.

“I asked His Majesty if I could get help from her, for that reason.”

A dry smile is the only thing that comes out now.

Is this what happens when you see it with your own eyes and not through an industrial product called an LCD monitor? I don’t understand how such power can exist.

There were many things to think about.

But there was one thing that I felt more strongly than anything else.

“That is…..”

Is that the power of the world’s strongest sword user?

Or is that the power of one of only five people in the world, the strongest that exist in any school?

Five people for the most powerful? Ren has never questioned it. Because, when it comes to the Sword King, he’s not in that dimension. For Ren, all of them must be the strongest

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Many famous swordsmen have developed their own unique fighting techniques.

The technique that just killed the Unholy Sky Tyrant was the most destructive and decisive of them all. It was a special technique that didn’t destroy the defensive power that Radius said he would explain later about, but only defeated the evil monster.

The name of this technique was “Re-Verna”.

In the ancient language of her birthplace, the Sky Continent, it means “the wrath of the heavens.”

It’s a symbol of her absolute power, which was never shown even in the legend of the Seven Heroes.

This is a corner of the Hanging Garden, one of Elendil’s huge buildings.

The level where ordinary citizens couldn’t set foot was slightly higher than the Grand Clock Tower. There was an airstrip where the magic ship for the exclusive use of the royal family could dock. There she was.

She was alone, basking in the night breeze that had already stopped raining.

“—- Ashton really existed.”

She had a fine voice like a rolled bell.

Her silver hair was smoother than silk and shone beautifully against the dark blue cloth and gold threads of her vestments. Mysteriously beautiful, she murmured and looked up at the sky.

On the cobblestone pavement next to her was a white and silver sword, almost as long as she was tall. It was a sword so famous that even the great Verlich was said to be unable to make a better sword than this.

She covered the sword with the cloth of her magic tool and used it as a scabbard, and walked away with it in her hand.

Fifth in the order of sword kings, the White Dragon Princess Lutreche.

Even the emperor doesn’t know what she was thinking when she decided to help him.

But even she doesn’t want to talk about it.

Everything was for her to know.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The place is the garden on the rooftop of the Grand Clock Tower.

It was a few minutes later when they returned to the garden on the rooftop of the Grand Clock Tower.

Not only Ren, but everyone was stunned by the strength of the Sword King, but soon came to their senses when they remembered the purpose of this mission.

Now Ren was looking around as he set about the task of carrying the captives away.

(Nothing seems to be there anymore.)

The knights were also walking around the area.

The last work was being done carefully, using the magic tools used for such investigations.

Still, it was outrageous to say that the Sword King was anything but amazing.

Ren was confident that he could recall that scene over and over again. He had once talked with Lessard about the idea of becoming the Sword King, but he had never thought of it.

(…… What a presumptuous thing for me to say.)

She was one of the strongest people in the world, so her strength was natural.

Needless to say, it was a sight that was more than enough to make him change his mind.

Truly, a lot had happened this evening.

Radius called out to Ren as he exhaled.

“Ren, I’ve told the knights not to tell anyone about your powers.”

“Thanks. But are you sure?”

“Because you seem to want to keep it under wraps. However, the more you fight, the more your power will be exposed. Eventually, you won’t be able to hide it…”

“I know. I don’t think I can keep it a secret till I die“

At first, he is wary of revealing this special power.

Even now, he hasn’t told Radius of his true intentions, but Radius is concerned about him.

Next, he even showed his kindness by refusing to ask any further questions, saying, “Someday, you will tell me”.

“…… and what have you been dawdling about earlier?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. You were thinking about something.”

“I was thinking about the Sword King, for that matter. If she shows me her strength like that, I’ll feel that I’m not strong enough.”

“…………”

“Umm…Why are you so quiet?”

Radius shrugged.

He, too, looked very tired on his face.

“I was thinking, for me, even you are a strong man whom I can’t even begin to comprehend. I wonder what you were talking about.”

“I’m glad to hear you say so.”

But there are many things that Ren also understood because he became stronger.

The most remarkable thing was probably that he was able to immediately understand the difference in strength between him and his opponents. Therefore, he felt that the Sword King showed him the difference not only in power, but also as a living creature, but he wanted to reach at least the feet of the Sword King someday.

“Now.”

Radius beckoned to Ren. The destination was in front of the thing that controls the apparatus of the Grand Clock Tower at the far end of the garden.

On the way there, Radius ordered the knights to stay away.

When they reached the back, they stood to hide the object beyond.

“I have to talk to you, Ren.”

“I assume you are referring to the story about the Grand Clock Tower not having any protective power.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m glad you’re so quick to guess.”

“But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have protection, does it? It seemed to show its power earlier when that monster appeared in the sky.”

Radius nodded.

He reached for the device that governed the grand clock tower. There was a jet-black stone box with intricate patterns engraved on it. When Radius touched it, those patterns glowed. The top and bottom of the box lifted from the inside, revealing a small table inside.

The table was small enough for two people to eat at, and had a metal pedestal in the center.

“This is the control unit of the Grand Clock Tower created by Mirim Altia.”

“—- Huh? There seems to be no magic stone.”

Perhaps the magic stone is placed on this pedestal.

Ren understood this immediately, as there were intricate patterns engraved inside this as well as towards the pedestal.

However, Radius said in a simple voice.

“Of course not. Because the power that was in this grand clock tower no longer exists here.”

“……was it broken over time or something?”

“Kuku, kuku…… Ren, please, don’t say ridiculous things with a serious face.”

“I was being serious…..”

“If that’s the case, I’m sorry. There’s too much of a gap between your appearance and the previous one, so I can’t help it either.”

As he says this, Radius releases his hand from the box in front of him and puts it back.

“It was more than fifty years ago. We, the royal family and the Altia family, have been working together on the matter, and the power that was in this grand clock tower has been moved and is being managed elsewhere.”

“Does that mean there was no point in attacking this place?”

“That would be the case. However, the demon cult couldn’t investigate this matter either.”

It would be difficult as expected with the cooperation of huge powers.

Radius and Ren turned their backs to the device in front of them and headed for the long staircase to leave the garden.

The return trip was downhill, so it would be a little easier. Especially so since they don’t have to hurry.

In addition, Radius had already used the power of analysis on Lenidus.

“…… Come to think of it, there’s no way Leomel would have maintained the facilities the way it used to be…”

“Hm, I think you know why.”

“That’s right. Even though it’s old, if it’s a defense device that stops once when you replace the magic stone, you should think about improving it. I was thinking that it took a long time to prepare.”

Radius couldn’t say anything because of confidentiality, but his smile seemed to be nodding to Ren.

Standing in front of a long staircase leading down and down, Ren started walking first.

He was ready to shield Radius if the need arose, but his weary legs gave way and he stumbled down the stairs.

But Ren could quickly regain his footing.

He was supposed to, but Ren’s arm was grabbed from behind for support.

“Don’t drag me down, okay?”

Radius was holding his arm behind his back and propping him up.

Having said that to Radius, who laughed happily, Ren made an embarrassed face.

“I could have handled it myself. Well, thank you.”

“I was only joking as well. There is no way I could say something like that to you who has done so much work.”

They did so, and both of them relaxed their exhausted expressions.

But they are not only tired. Both Ren and Radius had a sense of accomplishment that overpowered their fatigue.

Perhaps that is why. Standing in the plaza at the end of the long flight of stairs, they laughed at the cheers of the knights.

They raised one hand in the air and clasped each other’s hands with a “Pang!” and exchanged a hand with each other.

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