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Chapter 313 part 1

The explosion, blast, and shaking reminiscent of a major earthquake caused by the collision of Merle’s gigantic magic and the secret techniques of both Zandarza and Trawl continued for a long time, and not only the front lines of the Demon King’s army and the Arkrest Kingdom Army were affected. , it was even able to reach the Romal Imperial Army fighting in the west.

The impact was so great that the battle between the true and faux Dragonkin that was taking place in the sky, and the Dramina and elite demons prioritized taking action to avoid the blast by taking higher altitudes or keeping their distance.

Fortunately, the Arkrest Kingdom Army, equipped with fort-like golems and barrier golems provided by the Bernese Army, managed to quickly erect wide-area defensive barriers, preventing casualties.

Despite the minimal impact on the surrounding area, the battlefield involving the three key figures had transformed. The large hole in the ground that Merle had opened was gone, now replaced by an even larger and deeper hole created by the aftermath of their clash.

The large hole was so deep that it seemed to swallow the sunlight, appearing cruel and desolate, as if one could hear the earth’s groans of pain and resentment from its depths.

Zandarza, who had fallen to one corner of the pit, sat on a conveniently sized rock. Smirking, he called out to Trawl, who lay sprawled on the ground. Trawl, miraculously unharmed thanks to his secret technique 『Black Eater』 that rendered anything it touched powerless, was still intact.

「Hey, troll. Are you still alive?」

Zandarza’s callous inquiry was met with Trawl sitting up and shaking his head in a gesture in a helpless manner. It was like he was protesting against the Demon King, fate, or something, saying, 「Why are you letting me fight this thing?’」

「That level of attack won’t kill me. The young and weak ones these days wouldn’t have survived.」

「Hahan, most of your generation would have died too. We demons aren’t much different. That young lady is not like those humans in the Dark Wilderness.」

「They are too different. If there was one like her in every country, humans would seem more like the descendants of gods of war and strife than us.」

「You dare say that to me, a descendant of the God of War? There are at most three or four such monsters among all humans. Don’t worry so much.」

「…Isn’t that too much? One person is already enough, isn’t it?」

「Kakkakakaka, the more the merrier! I bet His Majesty is itching to join the front line by now.」

「If you and I were doing something so flashy, your forefinger would probably move, but it’s not like we’re being shown an illusion, is it?」

With that said, Trawl pointed upwards. There, Merle was found with his left side and head blown off by Zandarza’s secret technique that had penetrated Distor and his own defense barrier. Seeing such a cruel appearance, the two Demon Six Generals did not let their guard down in the slightest.

Trawl wouldn’t have commented if it were just Merle’s corpse, but Merle’s body was still floating in the air, presumably dead. Furthermore, white light particles gathered around the missing parts, quickly reforming an unscathed Merle and Distorl.

Not only that, but as soon as particles of white light gathered around the missing part, it took on an outline faster than the blink of an eye, and Merle’s unblemished body and Distor were rebuilt.

「Ah, so it’s a simultaneous use of time-reversal restoration limited to his own body and equipment, combined with limited causal manipulation to act as if the damage never happened?」

As Trawl speculated about Merle’s revival, Zandarza added while stroking his chin with his lower right arm.

「Also, don’t combine the four things: ultra-high-speed regeneration on a simple cell-by-cell basis, and reconstruction by extracting the information of the body from the soul.」

「So, the way to deal with it is to nullify time interference and causality manipulation, and to deliver a single or continuous attack with such high power that cell regeneration cannot keep up, and at the same time, it is necessary to inflict damage on the soul itself. If there.
What a hassle. After you acquire the immortality that makes Hydra and us trolls look cute, all you have to do is scrape their souls or burn their wounds.」

「That’s true, but did you do it because you could, or was there someone you had to go to that length to fight against? Oh, and I set it up a little while I was regenerating, but that staff and armor have the ability to fight automatically even when you’re unconscious. Don’t incorporate the formula. Thanks to you, this is what it is.」

Zandarza showed Trawl the left side of his body in a playful, light tone. While Trawl was sprawled out, what kind of battle did he engage in with Merle, who had no head or left side of his body? Zandarza’s left head disappeared, and his three left arms also disappeared. It disappears from his base, leaving behind his lower arm.

Of course, Zandarza hadn’t spared Merle either. Before Trawl could get up, Merle’s lower left side had also been blown away by Zandarza.

Trawl groaned briefly at the sight of Zandarza, a demon of near-equal prowess to Yaheim.

「Heal quickly. There’s a curse interfering with regeneration, but you won’t be defeated by that, right?」

「Well, we both still have plenty of energy left. Kakkakakkaka!」

「If you think that the level of attack and defense is so high that you’ll hate it, then you might even be able to break through to the point of immortality.」

While Zandarza was laughing out loud and Trawl was grumbling, Zandarza’s wound made a watery sound and a new head and arms grew, returning to a state of full health.

Of course, it consumed magical power and physical strength, but an elevated spirit produces more magical power, so there was almost no consumption. Unfortunately for Trawl, the same was true for Merle.

「It’s good that they are full of energy, but it’s indeed the younger ones who have more room to grow. Zandarza, you, being a high-ranking demon, probably understand the subtleties of the soul better. That young lady is trying to evolve her soul in the midst of our encounters. It’s like she’s searching for the knack to crack an egg’s shell. If she breaks through that shell, it will be troublesome. We might have to confront her with a mindset ready for a mutual takedown.」

「Evolution through struggle, huh? Typical of the human race. Despite being branded as failures, they were born through the involvement of many gods, more so than any other species. As a species, they possess far more potential compared to others. They are a species to which the concept of ‘anything is possible’ applies strongly. If we talk about the evolution of the soul, it usually involves the elevation of spiritual level, the increase in both quantity and quality of magical power, and the expansion of perceptual realms. If it’s that young lady, she might use it to elevate her magic quality by one or two levels.」

「More and more reasons to finish this quickly. I didn’t expect to face such a formidable enemy from the start. Seems like there are still many unknown foes in this continent. Looks like a peaceful retirement is far off.」

「Complaining will only dampen your spirits. Stay positive, move forward.」

「Can we go? You idiot」 Trawl retorted, spilling another complaint, yet his fighting spirit had not waned. As proof, he begins to bulge and bulge his body under his robe.

In the body of the plump old troll, changes occur – the position of bones and organs, composition of muscles, blood flow rate, and magically effective patterns are automatically drawn on the skin.

　Optimization of the body through self-suggestion is something that only a select few of the trolls who wield primitive magic are able to do – impromptu evolution. In the face of Merle, a formidable enemy who is too strong to be called a human, Trawl’s body begins to evolve into a fighting form, befitting his sense of danger and vigilance.

「Let’s see, I might as well bring out something special I’ve been saving for His Majesty, or rather, Yaheim’s brat. Indeed, the world is fascinating! Full of delight, pain, and eccentricity!」

Zandarza, too, spreads his six arms and grips five weapons summoned from the void in all but his right middle arm, which holds Nyoikumi. Each weapon is either a godly weapon allowed to be taken by ancestors from Sagravarth, the God of War, or extremely powerful magical weapons made by descendants with great effort. Each one is a divine or magical weapon capable of influencing the fate of the continent if mastered properly. And Merle is the enemy who necessitates their use.

Merle, whose body had completely regenerated, looked at the two formidable enemies below her that were emitting even more intense pressure, and smiled like an innocent girl who knew that spring had come. It was the most exhilarating and radiant feeling she had ever had in her life.

Around Merle, fifty-two colorful magic circles appear in the air, emitting intense light. They serve as the barrels and turrets for the barrage magic Merle instantly created.

「Hehe, I bring death in the forest before me, wreckage of all things behind me, no life in my gaze, no soul within my reach, let all beings, great and small, vanish into dust, Brass, Shaula, Apripoos!」

The fifty-two magic circles begin to rotate with a tremendous noise, at their center, Merle’s magical power, the atmospheric magic, and the magic from another world fuse together. A bombardment of light, as if to burn the world, is unleashed towards Trawl and Zandarza.

Fifty-two magic circles began to rotate all at once, making a tremendous sound, and in the center, Merle’s magical power, the magical power in the atmosphere, and the three types of magical power that were absorbed by connecting with the other world fused, and the world A bombardment of light that burns away was fired at Trawl and Zandarza.

It is an applied version of artillery magic that suppresses the power of 「Brass Apripos」, which Dran once evaluated as being able to shoot all the way to the other side of the planet with a combination of hands, to about 40%, and instead allows for multiple shells to be fired at once. Even though it’s only 40% of its power, it’s originally powerful enough to penetrate stars.

Fifty-two shots were fired at once, making Merle question his sanity, as if he was trying to destroy this planet.

*

The Demon King’s Army and Arkrest Kingdom Army, which began their battle before noon, ended up dividing their forces to the left and right due to the intense battle between Merle, Zandarza, and Trawl at the center.

The longer the Arc Witches’ battle continued, the more stray bullets flew into the surrounding area, and large explosions and rumblings occurred that shook the battlefield itself. As both armies try to move away from the battle point of each other’s super strength, the left-wing becomes even more aggressive. They had no choice but to extend their front lines further to the left and the right-wing even further to the right.

Depending on how you look at it, the move may seem comical, but from the perspective of the soldiers participating in the battle, it seemed unlikely that even a single piece of body would be left behind, as they would die as collateral damage to the bizarre battle, and they would feel extremely sorry for it. It was natural.

This sentiment was shared not only by the soldiers on the front lines but also by their field commanders and those higher up in the command structure. Dying in battle against the enemy was one thing, but being killed as collateral damage in a friendly fight was another.

Consequently, the battle lines, stretched far to the left and right, now faced a situation where the fighting between Merle and others had become so fierce that it was no longer feasible to engage the enemy.

Many soldiers at the front lines, busy with shooting, stabbing, swinging swords, casting spells, and aiming cannons, were more concerned about the central situation, where the earth-shattering impacts and roars kept occurring than about the enemy soldiers in front of them. As both armies’ soldiers shared this state, the offensive movements on both sides significantly reduced, creating a stalemate with a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Now, let’s focus on two individuals in a corner of the Arkrest Kingdom army, watching a battle that reminds one of the end of the world. These two were among the troops dispatched by the Apienia family, one of the most martial noble families in the Arkrest Kingdom.

One was Vassar, a beautiful woman of a young age with long hair the color reminiscent of the bottom of the deep sea, a cloth full of magical materials all over her body, a wide-brimmed three-cornered hat, and a broom in her hand – Nelnesia’s biological mother and nicknamed the Fortress Dropper.

The other was a heavily armed knight whose entire body was completely covered in armor, and in his hand held an extremely rugged double-edged sword that exceeded his own height – Nelnesia’s biological father and the great warrior Ruozen, who was also known as the 100-man Slayer.