7DP 181
１81． 7th Demon King's Child
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
――The hero’s arm was pulverized, along with the shield.
The shield, imbued with layers upon layers of prayers, was completely useless.
「Gu――!!」
The hero clenched his teeth, groaning in pain. The demon prince, whose spear thrusted forward, wore a cold yet pitying expression.
To get angry and shout “How dare you mock me!” he had to summon every bit of his willpower.
Even to Barbara, who couldn’t sense magical power at all, could see the abnormality of this demon prince.
The pressure he exudes, the sheer weight of his presence, was anything but normal.
A fear— One that everyone was surely feeling equally.
However.
Nevertheless.
There was no one here who’d tuck their tail and run!!
「【O Great Mother Holy Tree — Grant us your strength!】」
From behind, the resounding voice of the sage Luroi echoes loudly.
「【By the mercy of the earth, wounds, be healed!】」
The ground emitted a gentle phosphorescent glow, and the bleeding of the hero who had lost his arm came to a halt.
No— More than that, a new arm is growing back!
「――Ooooooooo!!!」
The hero gripped the holy sword with both hands once more and immediately charged at the demon prince. Barbara followed suit, thrusting her rapier. The Fist Saint and the other heroes joined the attack as well.
「Hou, not bad, Sage.」
The demon prince, while deflecting Barbara’s rapier with his spear and disrupting the Fist Saint with deployed hex, spoke with what sounded like admiration. Though the heroes’ slashes were all blocked by defensive ward, that was no reason to let up on the attack——!
「――――♪」
From behind, the sage’s humming resonates. A rousing, heroic melody that stirs the heart, carried on a wave of magical power――
「【Mitologia Replica, Heroica Ultio(Myth Reenactment, Vengeance of the Heroic)】」
With Luroi’s chant, light ignites upon everyone’s swords and claws.
The greatsword still clutched in Hessel’s lifeless hands also began to shine with a brilliant light.
―― That light was the will of their fallen comrade.
A mythical light that grants the power to strike down their mortal enemy.
Determination surged within Barbara and the others.
（We――）
They fixed their gaze on the demon prince before them, eyes locked in a fierce glare.
（―― Won't be defeated!!）
Raising their radiant weapons high, they launched an even fiercer assault on the demon prince—!
「【In The Name of The Demon Prince Jilbagias】」
THUD!
A dreadful wave of magical power burst forth from the demon prince.
「【―― Taboo to Cooperation】」
And materialized.
「――！？」
Barbara was confused. A sensation like her body stiffening overcame her. It wasn’t just her, everyone’s movements suddenly became awkward, and the coordinated attack they had intended to deliver together fell into disarray, producing a jarring discord.
They couldn’t gauge each other’s distance. The comrades who had once communicated flawlessly in perfect sync now felt like complete strangers, utterly unfamiliar and out of rhythm――
（This is the coordination-disrupting curse Palm warned us about!）
Barbara had finally understood. It wasn’t until she experienced it herself that she truly felt how troublesome it was. What an insidious hexing it was――
「HEYAAAA!」
Then, slipping into a brief opening, the Demon Prince’s spear buzzed. A strike aimed to behead his opponent, the hero instinctively tried to block it with his shield, but recalling the power the Demon Prince had shown earlier, he instead chose to block it with the holy sword――
KABOOM! A thunderous crash like a cannonball slamming into a castle wall followed a moment later.
The holy sword was knocked from the hero’s hands, and the spearhead pierced straight through his torso.
The hero collapsed while spraying his blood and entrails―― Killed instantly.
「YOU BASTA――AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!」
The weapons of the remaining members, including Barbara, shone even brighter. The more sacrifices they suffered, the stronger the power of 【Heroica Ultio】 became, even so――
「―― EVERYONE, FIGHT ON YOUR OWN!」
The sage shouted.
「【MAY WE PROTECTED FROM EVIL CURSE!】」
And then, the hexing was dispelled by a pure, holy magic. However, Jilbagias immediately unleashed a sinister magical power, and the hexing was overwritten anew.
Nevertheless, everyone had already understand the meaning of 『Fight on your own』 said by the sage a moment ago.
「HAAAA!」
Barbara pushed all the thoughts of her fallen comrades aside and focused solely on delivering a crushing blow to the Demon Prince before her.
"We have more freedom in moving individually like this!" It seemed everyone had begun launching their own attacks toward the Demon Prince as they pleased. Limbs occasionally bumped into each other, but no one cared. As if to give him no chance to breathe, they relentlessly piled on one attack after another.
「WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!」
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. The Sword Saint unleashed their deadly techniques one after another, without holding back.
Barbara’s rapier gleamed brilliantly. She felt the blade pierced the defensive ward that had previously felt like a wall of solid steel.
The sage’s magic was taking effect. On top of that, the hero’s holy sword and the Fist Saint’s strikes joined in, steadily grinding away at the layers of defensive ward.
There was a big difference between Barbara and the others with the run of the mill soldiers.
It wasn’t just their coordination—— Each of them possessed overwhelming individual strength as well!
「Man, they sure don’t hold back――」
Gritting his teeth, yet still smiling at the same time, the Demon Prince looked past Barbara and the others, toward what lay behind them.
At the end of his line of sight was―― The sage.
『So he really is the cornerstone of this team.』
As if to say just that.
BAM! Jilbagias’s presence swelled up again. In a sudden reversal, he surged forward, unleashing an overwhelming wave of magical power. Though his frame was as small as a human boy’s, his charge carried the force of a massive beast.
「IN YOUR DREAM!」
Sensing that Jilbagias was targeting the sage, the Fist Saint moved to block his path however...
「【―― Taboo to Hand to Hand Combat!】」
An extremely powerful hexing, focused solely on the Fist Saint, surged forward and blew away the sage’s protective blessing like dust before raging storm.
「Gu――!」
「【O Wind, Become The Power of Purification!】」
The sage dispelled the hexing without a moment of delay, but even that brief moment of vulnerability was fatal in this a battle between experts.
「Woosh!」
In a single breath, Jilbagias thrust his spear forward. The tip rushing straight for the throat. But just in time, the Fist Saint broke free from his paralysis and twisted his body with fluid and graceful movement, dodging by a hair’s breadth. Beneath his golden fur, muscles like forged steel bulged with tension.
「――GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」
As if to return the favor, he stepped forward with such force that the stone pavement cracked beneath him, and delivered a punch packed with explosive power.
With a sound like a massive crystal shattering, Jilbagias’s defensive ward was destroyed.
And still, the fist did not stop gleaming, radiant claws aimed to tear into Jilbagias' neck――
「!!」
Jilbagias instinctively raised his spear to block with the spear's shaft, but the attack brutally shattered the shaft.
Having disarmed Jilbagias—This is the end!— Was what the Fist Saint thought as he drove in for the finishing blow with a second strike, However...
「――？！」
… He saw something he could hardly believe.
The demon prince grabbed the broken spear’s blade, what was once its tip, with ease.
His sword drew a graceful, almost mesmerising trail, as effortlessly slid the edge toward his opponent’s neck――
（What―― A splendid swordcra――）
As that final thought got interrupted, the Fist Saint’s head was severed.
As if to say Now that the nuisance is gone, the demon prince’s crimson eyes shifted sharply, locking onto Sage Luroi.
However,
Seeing the Fist Saint’s head, now flew in the air――
Seeing the dull holy sword, now dripping with blood of the Fist Saint――
Barbara's line of sight dyed red.
「YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!」
She stepped forward with a furious expression, brandishing her rapier that cast even more brilliant radiance.
「HOW DARE YOU TO USE THAT SWOOOOOOOOOOO――RD!!」
――She felt a strong sensation, as if something had firmly pushed her forward from behind.
The air exploded along with a loud crackling sound.
With a thunderous roar, a god-speed thrust, trailing a tail of steam, came hurtling toward Jilbagias.
The radiant rapier pierced straight through the defensive ward, which instantly redeployed by Jilbagias without incantation.
And pierced its target.
PIERCE THROUGH――――！！
「DIEEEE!」
The defenseless neck of the Demon Prince, the most vulnerable spot of all.
Was stabbed by the rapier.
The sharp blade slid into his blue skin— Silent and precise.
A fatal strike— This is the end—!!
But with a resounding clang, the thrust was halted right then and there.
Rather, the one who stopped was Barbara. The reason being Jilbagias had driven the broken shaft of his spear into her with his left hand. The armour on her chest just barely caught the butt end of his spear shaft, but the sheer force of the blow was enough to leave a dent on the plating and forced the air from her lungs. Then, like a ball, she was sent flying, crashing hard into the wall.
Even so, vivid blue blood spurted from Jilbagias’s neck where the rapier had been withdrawn. This is the chance to kill him!. The shieldless hero let out a fierce roar and charged in for the coup de grace—
Until black, murky magical power of darkness formed around Jilbagias.
He easily caught the hero, and in an instant, the protective blessing warding off evil was utterly consumed.
「【Transpose】」
With a wet, splurting sound, blood gushed from the hero’s neck.
「――！？」
Clutching the gaping wound that suddenly opened in his neck, the hero faltered, his charge losing its momentum――
The dull holy sword, now gripped in the Demon Prince’s hand— Let out a low, menacing hum.
「Ga―― KAH――」
――Barbara, who got blasted away and got knocked on the wall, unable to stand, could do nothing but to watch such event unfold before her very eyes.
The rapier, gripped so tightly that blood began to seep from her hand, shone ever brighter with the power of 【Heroica Ultio】――
（That kind of ability... Is foul play!!）
Part 4
Barbara screaming inside as she saw that the wound in Jilbagias's neck had already been healed so easily.
She'd heard the stories, about magic that forces one's own wounds onto their enemy. That’s why he had to be killed instantly!
However,
Doing that is insanely difficult! He isn’t weak enough to just drop dead that easily either. But if we land a half-hearted blow, he’ll just throw it right back at us!
（They're died because of me!）
Looking at the hero’s lifeless body, Barbara was overwhelmed by guilt and a crushing sense of despair. How were they supposed to fight a monster like that...?
And then, her eyes met with that monster.
His gleaming red eyes narrowed sharply— Taking a step forward, preparing to deliver the finishing blow to the paralysed Barbara――
Swoosh.
With a sharp whoosh, an arrow came flying through the air. Even Barbara could sense that there was something 『different』 about that arrow, it was brimming with an incredible amount of magical power.
「!!」
The arrow struck directly, causing cracks to form in the defensive ward of the Demon Prince. When Jilbagias turned in surprise, he saw a radiant tree sprouting at the Sage Luroi’s feet, arching back and transforming into a living bow.
Another magic arrow was loosed. Jilbagias couldn’t afford to take a direct hit, so he swept it aside with his spear. Luroi fired one arrow after another, but sweat was now pouring down from his forehead, and he could no longer hide the strain on his face—
Jilbagias shifted his target to Luroi and broke into a run once more.
「OVER MY DEAD BODY!」
The last remaining hero stood in the Demon Prince’s way, holy attribute surging around him. At the same time, Palm the forest elf fired her arrows from the flank, desperately trying to divert Jilbagias’s attention, even if only for a moment.
The remaining forces consisted of them, a handful of seasoned priests from the Holy Religion, and—
「BARBARA-SAN!」
Taking advantage of the moment when Jilbagias’s attention got distracted, the priestess Charlotte rushed over. She dextrously removed Barbara's warped breastplate and began healing the wound on her chest with a healing miracle――
「「【Arishida Endron(Chain of Restraint)!】」」
The Demon Prince continued to tear through the priests’ chains of light as if they were nothing more than flimsy paper.
「DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!」
The hero moved to intercept. Armed priests trained for close combat joined the fray, striking with swords lit ablaze with holy attribute, but the question remained: how many seconds could they last?
I have to get in there quickly.
Damn it, Char’s healing miracle feels so painfully slow…!
「―― Listen to me, Barbara-san.」
At that moment, as healing light flowed from Charlotte's hands, she spoke in a quiet voice to Barbara.
「This is just a gamble.」
Eyes burning with vengeance, she stared at Barbara.
「Give me a hand... I’ve got a way to take down that Demon Prince.」