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Chapter 301 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (23) / Beloved Son of Man

301 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (23) / Beloved Son of Man

『If there’s anything you want to ask me, go ahead, ask away.』

— Dark, I want to win.

『Hmm? I already know that.』

I keep throwing words at Dark’s confused face.

— I’m serious.

『…』

I confirmed this with Alba.

It’s okay if we don’t get along well. It’s okay if we had a conflict in the past. We can still place trust in one another and fight together.

He and I didn’t get along at all back when we were on the same party, and he still doesn’t like me.

Even so, the time we spent together as companions will not disappear, and we even managed to fight together in this All-Heaven Festival Contest. He even came here to help me.

You don’t have to be good friends.

As long as we share a purpose, we can make a good team.

『…I agree.』

I’ll most likely never be able to forgive you for what you put those villagers through.

You lured them, who had nothing to do with us, into the dungeon and made those left behind uneasy.

『Are you still angry about me putting those children and your allies to sleep?』

But that’s not the reason why I can’t accept you in my heart.

Are you taking this seriously?

『…』

— Having fun is fine. If you can take away your boredom by looking at my life, that’s fine too. You can stick around, sit back and watch all you want.

But if you want to call yourself my partner, we gotta share the same goal.

『The same…』

— I want to win.

— I don’t care if my opponent is a close friend, a respected Hero, or the world’s strongest teacher.

I want to win, Dark.

If you can’t share that feeling, I will never be able to accept you

『So… What you want to ask me is to share that feeling with you?』

Actually, I never wanted to have to ask anything myself.

If Dark herself has such feelings, she should change her behavior at her own better judgment.

A whimsical Spirit, a Spirit that caused so much trouble to those villagers in the Original Dungeon, calls me “partner”.

I didn’t want to validate her true feelings by calling her that myself as well.

That’s why, until now, I’ve intentionally kept my distance from Dark.

I don’t know if Spirits can have a change of heart, but…

If the one beside you isn’t as serious as you are yourself, then you can’t really call them your “partner”.

『I see… I seeee… Th-then…』

At that moment…

My whole body is filled with tremendous Magical Energy.

『Can I be your partner now?』

There is a reason why Spirits only ever form contracts with “Heroes”.

And that’s because ordinary life forms cannot withstand the Spirits’ blessings.

What’s more, Spirits shouldn’t be helping a Demon King.

In the first place, the Spirits began lending their power to humans when they realized that humans could not deal with the invading demons on their own.

The Spirits continue to be involved in the human world through the bonds they made during that time.

Was that, just like Dark said earlier, because they were lonely?

『I’ve taken a page from your Master’s Secret Art. It wouldn’t be strange for a body that can accept a Demon King’s horns to be also able to accept a Spirit’s blessing. However… it still took about a year for your horn to settle down, right? I did this in an instant, so your body will crumble away in no time. But that’s fine, right?』

My body is already collapsing rapidly after Master’s Secret Art was dispelled.

I don’t really have to worry about the disadvantages of receiving a Spirit’s blessing.

— Is this okay? I’m fighting the strongest Demon King after all.

『Huh? Do you want me to say it? Aww, partner, you’re so mean to meee…』

While saying that, Dark continued.

『Spirits pretend to be just bystanders while interfering in their Contractor’s life. You already know, right? If you want to see it, just watch. But I’m nervous… I want my idol to win… Seriously.』

Her black chick appearance changed into that of a little girl.

『That’s why the Spirits who found their Contractors don’t get along well with each other. Even though our cherished idols are different from one another, they’re all competitors in the same industry.』

Her face is obscured by something like a veil.

『It doesn’t matter who the enemy is. If you ask me to give it my all, I will. We have a saying in this world… That’s right. “When it’s time to back your idol, you back ’em up good!”』

Dark’s tone of voice has changed slightly.

She floated above my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

『When the time comes for you to bring out an even greater power, call out my name with all your heart. When a cute son of man does that to us Spirits, it really gets us going.』

Perhaps, this way of speaking may be Dark’s original tone.

And then she gave me her real name.

While further condensing and purifying the Magical Energy that circulates throughout my body covered with the “Perfect Horn Armor”, I say to her in my heart…

— Lend me your power… partner.

『–』

— I will prove with the outcome of this battle that your choice was not a mistake.

『…Hehe… Eh, no – oops, partner! … Show me the greatest and most interesting battle.』

「”Storm Hero”」

As I say that, I spout Magical Energy from my wings as if they were jet propulsors.

The very next moment, the scenery changes, and I find myself in front of the “Water Hero” Wraith.

I grab him by the scruff of his neck and keep flying.

「Hey…」

I’m sorry, Wraith, but I don’t have time to explain.

Besides, you’ll understand in a moment.

Fenix is up next.

Apparently Aerial got it right this time as well. I appear in front of my childhood friend..

「Come.」

「Yeah.」

Fenix follows me without hesitation.

And just in time.

Our Demon King and Paimon are blocking Master’s sides.

We’ll appear right in front of Master.

「Strike now.」

With just those words, everyone understood what I was trying to do.

「Using Heroes like that feels kinda rough…!」

Wraith’s “Grief’s Hail” covers Master from his feet to his waist, but this time, the ice is thicker than before.

「– “Grief’s Ice Prison”」

Did you just increase the output of your Esoteric Spirit Art even further beyond like Fenix did earlier?

「– “Flames of the Gods”」

As for Fenix, that’s good enough. Even if he’s not fully unleashing his Spirit Art, our enemy is right in front of you. What’s more, he seems to be getting even more firepower than before.

「It’s useless.」

「You think so?」

While responding to Master’s words, I place my hand on Fenix’s Holy Sword.

It’s like the two of us are holding it together..

『Gyaa!! What are you doing?! Stop that!!』

A high-pitched voice suddenly echoes in my mind.

『Ahahaha, you don’t have to be so standoffish, do you?』

It’s responding to Dark’s remark… So this means this is the Fire Spirit’s voice.

『You idiot! That’s ridiculous! What the hell is that human thinking–』

『You know, your partner isn’t thinking of anything else but victory right now. But if you don’t care about your beloved chick losing, why don’t you go ahead and tell him to let go of his hand?』

『~~~~! O-okay, j-just this once!』

Dark moves her blessing from my Holy Fist to Fenix’s Holy Sword in an instant.

The blade, which now has the blessing of two Spirits, won’t be broken even after coming in contact with Master.

Spirits coexisting in the same object at the same time is something that would never have happened under normal circumstances.

And that’s not all…

My sword wand, which has been transformed into a Holy Sword, can now receive the power of Esoteric Spirit Arts.

The proof of that is that Fenix’s new Holy Sword doesn’t burn itself away when he uses his “Flames of the Gods.”

Therefore, right now, this Holy Sword has become the only weapon in this world that can contain two different kinds of Esoteric Spirit Arts.

「– Saraquel.」

I call her real name.

By signing the contract, I realized what kind of spirit Saraquel was.

Well, in fact, I actually didn’t. It turns out that I don’t really know what kind of Spirit she is.

She is a mysterious Spirit.

She’s someone who fully understands the things that humans still don’t quite understand.

『I do not grant Esoteric Spirit Arts. There’s no need for such a thing…』

Black magic is the degraded form of Black Sorcery.

So what exactly is Black Sorcery?

There is a hint for that question’s answer.

Magic is the degraded form of Spirit Arts.

It emerged as a way for humans, who couldn’t harness the power of the Spirits completely, to have something they could use by suppressing the effectiveness of existing Spirit Arts.

So is Black Sorcery the same?

What if the extraordinary power that some Demon Kings have attained has also been degraded to the point where even ordinary people can use it?

In other words, Black Sorcery itself is as powerful as the Spirit Arts.

Even without a Spirit’s blessing, if you can handle using Black Sorcery… Wouldn’t you be able to find your way to the Esoteric Spirit Arts of Black Sorcery?

『I can only lend you my Magical Energy. — Isn’t that enough for you, partner?』

「– “Footsteps of the Demon God”」

A black shadow of demise clings to the white flame of destruction.

A god of the demon world who makes people think of death with just the sound of his footsteps.

This abyss bearing that name is the culminating point of all Black Sorcery.

The “denial of life” — that is, the compulsion of death.

「Tch… do it!」

「I’m going to open this stupid geezer’s eyes!」

The two Demon Kings shout.

Our attack can neither be avoided nor blocked.

Master’s Horn Armor burns, crumbles down, and even his flesh was torn apart where our sword hit.

For the first time since this battle began, magic particles that reproduced bleeding flowed out from the strongest Demon King.

「– my enemies.」

Still, it wasn’t enough to kill him.

「I recognize you all as my enemies.」

He is also someone who can use Black Sorcery.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be strange for him to find his way to the Esoteric Spirit Arts of Black Sorcery.

I can almost hear the footsteps of the Demon God coming from Master’s side as well.