Chapter 43 - The Immortal Athanasia (3)
SCREECH!
A throng of people moved towards Barungenia.
Among them were those wearing Kratia Empire uniforms and mere village residents.
SHRIEEEK!
Of course, not a single one among them was unscathed.
Their bodies already missing parts to the point of death, they were merely low-grade creatures unnaturally resurrected.
As puppets, they had no freedom to truly die.
And the one who had snatched that freedom was none other than the Immortal Athanasia.
Golche muttered, watching her, leading her private army from afar.
"This has become truly difficult."
Earlier, he had witnessed Beatrice clashing with Athanasia.
Beatrice immediately took on her dragon form and unleashed all sorts of flame attacks on Athanasia, but Athanasia regenerated on the spot, even when her body melted away.
True to her moniker, she possessed an undying body.
She continuously unleashed the 'Wave of Death' that she had used to half-destroy the villagers.
Beatrice, who was in the air, took the full force of those waves and fell to the ground.
"Is this what an ancient god is like?"
Each time she walked towards Beatrice, the waves were unleashed repeatedly.
Beatrice couldn't find a way to counter the waves and eventually retreated.
That was all Golche had witnessed.
He looked around.
Grrrlk.Grk.
The remaining goblins stared blankly at him, standing bewildered.
Golche let out a hollow laugh.
'Even if I send these out, it'll just be a dog's death.'
Goblins could only be used as bait scouts or as obstacles in a human wave attack.
'Improvements will be needed.'
He wasn't sure if there would be resources to invest in goblins, but even if they were lower-tier, their utility might increase significantly if their bodies were modified.
At least they might be changed to not feel so helpless.
In any case, there was nothing they could do here now.
'I also want to work in a proper laboratory, you know.'
Golche could only hope that the new Demon King, who had promised a well-funded new home, wouldn't be defeated by that monster.
♧
"It's a legion that defied death."
"They are a formidable opponent for us."
"Even flying into the air, we cannot escape the Wave of Death."
Seeing Athanasia's approaching legion, the gargoyles, including Goel, uttered voices filled with unease.
'Truly insane.'
From atop the castle's spire, Rin Ciart let out a sigh.
'Isn't that 'Wave of Death' or whatever too strong?'
The wave that Athanasia continuously generated was inflicting physical shock capable of causing death in living creatures.
'If only we had undead at least...'
Undead was a term encompassing all demon race soldiers who had either become monsters by refusing death or whose bodies had been reanimated without souls by external forces.
In cases where they became undead by their own will, they often accepted various experimental powers to defy death, enduring only minimal penalties.
Because of this, their appearances were mostly no different from corpses, but among them, truly powerful individuals sometimes emerged.
Death Knights, like the Black Knight, or capable mages like Goldrich, were examples.
However, their fates were unclear after the war before the Demon King's death.
Even if they were somewhere, their power could not be borrowed now.
CRASH!
Close at hand.
Now, Athanasia's wave was close enough for Rin to feel it even from the spire.
WHOOSH.
The Eyes of Barungenia on the spires turned.
To the Eyes, Athanasia was an intruder.
As the wave flew again, the Eyes condensed magi as if to counter it, then spread it widely.
This was to block the wave and transmit power to the demons.
SWOOOOOSH!
The intangible wave and the black magi collided directly, emitting a terrifyingly intense impact sound.
"Ack!"
From the recoil, Rin covered her ears with her hands and slumped to the ground.
CLICK!
At the same time, she snapped her fingers, and a barrier appeared.
A barrier surrounding her.
"Gasp!"
Only then did she regain her senses, stand up again, and look outside.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King...!"
Clay was already approaching Athanasia.
♧
Athanasia thought.
'The Demon King.'
A new divine being born from the demon race.
An apocalyptic entity, born as a god whose purpose was destruction and slaughter, imbued with the demon race's inherent belligerence.
'I don't really get it?'
But the man Athanasia faced, the Demon King of Barungenia, exuded a subtle aura that made it hard to believe he was born solely for calamity.
"You're the Demon King?"
So she asked him, the one with black hair and red eyes.
"Yes."
The man replied in a low voice.
A voice devoid of any violence.
"You're a bit different from what I expected."
Athanasia murmured.
He looked at her without a word.
"Well, it probably doesn't matter much."
She decided not to care about the strangeness she felt from him.
"Anyway, I have a lot to do. So I hope you don't remain as an obstacle to me."
"Do you mean for me to die?"
"Simply put, yes."
Athanasia lifted her small foot.
"So, I'm sorry to say this right after introducing myself, but please disappear."
CRASH!
As she stomped her foot down, a powerful wave erupted.
Screeeech!
A-Avoid it!
My skin is melting...!
The gargoyles in the air recoiled in surprise.
In the meantime, the Eyes of Barungenia once again shot out spheres of magi, neutralizing the wave.
Athanasia smiled at the sight.
"You have a special castle."
"You are also special."
Athanasia's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the Demon King's words.
"What?"
"Aren't you a god worshipped by people? A god of a different kind from the Demon King."
"You're the Demon King, so why do you speak as if you're talking about someone else?"
"Because I wasn't the Demon King from the beginning."
The Demon King said, as if letting out a thought, and then questioned her.
"Athanasia, what do you want?"
"What I want?"
Athanasia let out a laugh.
"Why? Do you think you can negotiate with me too?"
She instantly stared at him with chilling eyes.
"Both this one and that one, they blaspheme under the guise of negotiation. Did Elhaim's scripture depict me as a mere pebble?"
"Don't misunderstand."
The Demon King looked at her with dry eyes.
"You are not someone I will negotiate with."
"What?"
"You are someone I will dominate."
He stretched out his right hand to the side.
"Shiltnaro."
Then, a girl rushed over.
As soon as he grabbed the girl's hand, he immediately spun his body.
"!"
In his hand, it was no longer the girl's hand but a sword.
A weapon emanating immense magi.
Aether Gladio.
Letters were etched onto the demonic sword, and simultaneously, a slash flew along the trajectory the sword had drawn.
A startled Athanasia immediately stomped the ground with her foot.
CRACK!
Thanks to the wave, the trajectory was slightly skewed, and the slash grazed past her.
SWISH!
Her soldiers, hit by the off-target slash, were completely obliterated this time, tumbling across the ground.
SQUIRM, SQUIRM.
Athanasia frowned, seeing them writhing, trying to move with only portions of their bodies remaining.
"...You."
Athanasia looked back at the Demon King, a twisted smile on her contorted face.
"You're rude, aren't you?"
In that case,
"I won't bother to mourn them either."
Athanasia extended her index finger.
"Go."
At her command, her entire legion charged towards Barungenia.
♧
Grk..., KA-ACK!UGH!
The lower-tier demons, overwhelmed by the undying legion, screamed their death throes and fell.
The mid-tier demons wielded their weapons, but it wasn't much help.
Because they didn't die, that's why.
"Damn it!"
The demons who could speak shouted, seized by even greater terror.
"They crawl up even with just a hand left!"
"Burn them! Burn them all!"
Chaos engulfed Barungenia.
The Eyes on the spires tried to help the demons, but even that was difficult.
BOOM! WHOOSH!
The Eyes were using all their remaining energy just to block the waves that Athanasia was emitting.
"Clay!"
Beatrice, not yet fully recovered from her injuries, soared into the air with only her wings.
"I'll help!"
She created pillars of fire and swept through the undying legion.
BOOM!
However, that too was soon blown away by the wave, and—
"Gah?!"
She herself, unable to withstand the shock, slammed into Barungenia's outer wall.
"You don't care?"
Athanasia spoke to Demon King Clay.
"It seems your subordinate was just blown away."
"..."
Clay moved.
He stepped forward and swung his sword once more.
A slash flew towards her again.
Athanasia, who dodged it in the same manner this time, took deliberate steps.
"You're truly blasphemous."
Anger filled her face.
"I won't play with you."
Athanasia advanced, as if seriously intending to end the battle immediately.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
The number of waves she emitted increased, their range widened, and their power rose sharply.
As a result, the demons who were fiercely fighting the undying legion under the Eyes' protection stumbled and fell, or were simply torn apart.
"Th-This can't be...!"
Those fighting near Clay, seeing that sight, were consumed by fear.
"W-We can't win."
"This is impossible...!"
"She's stronger than the Hero!"
The surroundings were filled with the screams of those who had lost faith in the Demon King.
Clay lowered his gaze and looked at Shiltnaro.
"Shiltnaro."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty, the Demon King."
"I intend to fight here for as long as possible."
"As long as possible, you say."
"However, that action will have no bearing on deciding the outcome against Athanasia."
"What?"
Shiltnaro sounded confused, as if she didn't understand.
"Are we not going to win?"
"Nonsense."
Clay was impassive.
"It's just that the method needed to win is not this battle."
"Then..."
"Opportunities like this are rare."
Clay uttered words Shiltnaro had not expected at all.
"I intend to test your power and mine here."
"What? A test?"
"I intend to confirm how well I can wield my power and you."
Even though he had become the Demon King, he would need even greater power in the future.
To do so, he also needed to know how lacking he currently was.
"I will push myself until I'm a rag. Is that alright with you?"
Shiltnaro could not answer immediately.
Because she didn't perfectly understand what he desired.
Because she didn't know how he intended to achieve victory, apart from testing their power.
"Yes."
However, Shiltnaro found herself answering inadvertently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Demon King."
She had never met a being so filled with conviction.
That pushed her forward.
Into a new realm called faith.
"I'll do my best."
The answer was given.
Clay gripped Shiltnaro tightly.
"Then engrave it."
At his words, letters were again etched onto Shiltnaro's blade.
"Our trajectory forward."