The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

A blade of wind aimed at the neck.

I blocked it by cutting off my right arm and stared at Nero Agens, the demon who had released the blade.

He is not so surprised that I blocked his attack, and he sheds his sword and returns it to its scabbard.

"......"

"......"

We are in the middle of a battlefield, but a strange silence prevails.

Nero looks at me as if he is observing me, and I prepare myself for whatever attack Nero may launch.

Nero is a monster, equal in strength to Rhodes.

I can safely assume that I am cut off if I attack from my side.

What is your name?

"?　My name is Usato. ......

There is no point in hiding my name here, so I will tell you my name honestly.

Nero finally opens his mouth to me.

"I am the Commander of the First Legion of the Demon King's Army. Nero Agens. I am the one who is related to your master.

"!!!?"

First Legionnaire ......!

I had no idea that the last legionnaire not yet identified was Nero himself.

...... No, I can understand that he is that good just by being relative to him.

"We look alike."

I tilt my head to Nero, who looks at me and mutters something like that.

What?　The face, as usual?

Do you think that's going to upset me?

"The way you look at me, your spirit, the way you stand, everything about you is the same as Rose. But I can't say it's the same."

"......What are you trying to say?"

"......"

Nero does not answer.

What is it?　Do strong people not try to communicate properly?

Rose is in a physical language.

"Why did you come in front of me?　Don't you see the difference between our abilities?

"...... I understand that, of course. If you and I fight, I will be killed for sure.

"Then why?"

......The reason I came out in front of him, where I would have been helpless, is simple.

You're going to have to stop here.

"...... is that because you heard about my history with Rose?"

"No, sir. No. That history has already ended. At least, not for the Commander.

Nero frowned slightly at my words.

I am sure that the battle with Rose is not over for him.

"The only reason I'm standing here is to keep you from going any further.

My magic sword.

I don't mean to be a critic of Nero's fighting style. If anything, he is more effective in battle.

And ...... he is a natural enemy for us healing wizards as well.

"With you, the number of injured people who cannot be healed by healing magic will continue to increase. People we could help will die. That's why I'm going to nail you right here."

"......"

If I can't win, I'll do my best to defend myself and hinder your move. ......!　No one can match me in stubbornness, quickness, resignation, and bad luck. ......!

Nero's eyes once shut as he dares me to go too far backwards.

The next time he opens his eyes, they are filled with a fighting spirit.

"Originally, I came to this battlefield to fight against Rose. I was thinking of dropping the human stronghold while I was at it. ......"

Nero drew his sword.

The red blade is exposed, and slowly the tip of the sword points toward me.

"I'd like to see a little more of your power.

Nero, who is gradually becoming windswept, naturally assumes a stance.

The thought of taking down the base just for the sake of it is terrifying, but I guess the man in front of me could do it.

Just as I'm thinking this, I see a red blade in front of me..,

"I'm going to die!"

"Hmm, I'll have to avoid it."

Quickly, he turns his head back and avoids the slash just in time.　

I fell backward with the momentum of the deflection, but as I got back up, the blade of the wind was closing in on me.

Nero was quietly surprised when I repelled the blade of wind with my basket hand, which had been shot precisely at my neck, shoulder joint, and heart.

"You're good. How about this?"

I created a whirlwind with my palm and released it to the ground.

The whirlwind splits and comes toward me from another direction.

It's like controlling a magic bullet!

I touch the wind to counteract it with my left fist, and my fist gets a razor cut on it.

"Ouch ......!"

I cancel the whirlwind with my healing burst palm and drown out the rest with my right baskets - but the whirlwind that I thought I had canceled regenerates and comes at me again.

"As long as the wielder's magic power lasts, it will continue to attack ......!"

I try to escape from the whirlwind and keep my distance from Nero, moving with my healing acceleration fist.

"Your reaction speed is quite fast. Your movements are not comparable to those of humans."

However, when a strong wind blew from Nero's direction, he approached me so fast that it could be mistaken for instantaneous movement, and swung his red magic sword at my head.

With a chill running down my spine, I put my left hand on my right arm and catch him squarely in the head.

"Oh, that was close ......!"

A powerful wind blows from the sword and Nero's own body, and the resulting wind becomes a blade that slices through my body.

Just being close to him is like being in the middle of a storm. ......!　

Nero pulls back his sword and continues to swing it at me.

I will not be cut down so easily!

Ignoring the pain as his whole body is sliced open, he swings his baskets as hard as he can, repelling the swords that come at him in rapid succession.

Remember what Mr. Hyde taught you!

You have to look not only at the sword, but also at your surroundings and your opponent's whole body!

He catches a sword swinging down from the upper level with his left basket hand, and the barrage of blows ends, but a blade is pressed into his hand instead.

"That cuirass is no ordinary cuirass, is it?

"Yeah, the only thing this guy has going for him is that he'll never break. ......!"

"...... Correction. You're not like Rose. You're something else.

Thank you!

He pushes the sword back with all his might and slams his healing fast-striking fist into Nero's torso, specializing in fast initial blows.

"Hey!"

The fist certainly caught Nero, but just as it was about to touch his body, a gust of wind blew around him and blew my body away with great force.

"What?

My body bounced back from the attack without question...?

"Oh, shit!　I'm an idiot!"

If Amira's master was Nero, who wore fire magic as armor, then why can't he do it too?

Nero, who has wind magic, always wears wind armor.

So to speak, Nero is always in super-armor in terms of defense.

His attacks cannot be blocked by ordinary fists, and the wind armor assists Nero's attacks and moves.

......Hasn't Rose been too much of a threat to bring this kind of opponent to a draw?

"Be on your guard!"

"Yes!"

I force myself to convince my confused head and try to stand up as I recoil from rolling on the ground, but Nero swings his sword sideways and hits me directly in the torso in a follow-up blow.

I hear the sound of the resistance spell Nair cast on me shattering from my body.

"Gosh, ......!"

"M......?"

The slash is blocked, but only the impact passes through, and I'm blown further away and roll on the ground.

If it weren't for Nair's magic, he would have died. .......

Nero tilted his head as he looked at me and his sword with a whirlwind around him as I stood up, clutching my chest in shock.

"I must say,...... you are an even more wondrous healer than Rose. I thought for sure I had sliced through the torso, but the blade didn't go through. ....... Is that your constitution?"

"G,u ......"

I knew I couldn't win at all, but I didn't think I could even slow them down. ......!

And they are not serious at all against me. Just like when I fought with Rose, I feel like I'm being treated lightly.

...... but I gotta get up.

"Still standing up?"

"Just because I can't win is no reason for me to go down ......!"

"......, I see."

There is no magic that Nair can withstand.

The next attack on my flesh and blood will render me incapable of combat.

I kept my mind strong and was about to step toward Nero when a white shadow approached him from my right side and struck him down.

Nero's eyes widened as he was forced to retreat, even though he was clad in wind armor.

Seeing her, I sit down in relief.

You look like you've been hit pretty hard.

"Yes. ...... would have been cut in half a little later. Sir."

I'm glad you made it in time. .......

Rose laughed funny at my words.

"That's a shame. Maybe a little pain would have helped your recklessness."

"Impossible. It's in my nature.

He grabs Rose's proffered hand and stands up.

A little later, Nair comes flying toward me.

"Usato!　You're alive!　You didn't lose your arm or anything, did you?

I'm alive. I'm alive. Thanks for bringing the Commander back.

Nair flies around me to make sure I'm okay.

It must have been hard to find the Commander, who was moving faster than I was.......

I talk to the Commander, brushing off the dust.

"......I'm sorry, I'm not worthy."

"No, you're not wrong. I'm surprised you've lasted this long. ...... Leave it to me to deal with this guy."

Rose then turned her attention to Nero.

Nero, facing her, shows a spirit that he did not show when he was fighting me.

"Rose......!"

"It's been a long time. Nero Agence. You've been picking on my pretty little subordinate for quite some time now."

"I'm not the kind of person who can get away with just saying 'cute', am I?　I am an inhuman thing with healing magic, just like you."

"Ha-ha-ha, no doubt."

Why should I be recognized as a monster by my master's sworn enemy, and why should he agree with me?

From my point of view, you are more like monsters.

As you wish, I'll be your partner from now on. I'm going to punch you in your ugly face one more time!

"I'll have to do that. ......"

Nero smiled at Rose's words and created a small whirlwind in his palm.

As Nero poured his magic into the tornado, the whirlwind pulled in the wind around it, but its size remained the same - it seemed as if it was building up power.

Is this some kind of systemic reinforcement?　It seems to be pouring in more extraordinary magical power than anything I know of.

"I will not let you interfere with my battle."

"...... I see, the tornado is you after all. ...... Hey, Usato!

What?

Rose turns around and looks at me with serious eyes.

You know what you have to do!

"...... Yes!"

Then, yes!

As she replied, Nero slammed the whirlwind he had been creating in his palm into the ground.

"--system reinforcement."

The whirlwind that hit me seemed to expand to engulf Nero himself and Rose, and then it grew to a gigantic size and blew me away, as if it were bouncing off me nearby.

No, not just me. It bounced everything within its range outward, regardless of allies or enemy soldiers of the demon tribe.

I landed on the ground, looked up, and what jumped into my vision was... a huge tornado.

"!!!"

A man-made tornado.

It was unmistakably created by the reinforcement of the system, and the magic power was swirling around it as if it was circulating.

I let out a gasp of disbelief at the sight.

"It's like Mr. Karon's magic scale has gone out of control. ......"

It's just like a monster.

The whirlwind created by the Nero Agence grew so large that it transformed into a tornado high enough to reach the heavens.

Unlike ordinary tornadoes, however, the whirlwind he created remained stationary and only continued to pull in the wind around it.

It seemed as if Nero's strong will to "not let anyone interfere with the battle that is about to take place inside the tornado" was contained in the magic.

"So this is what Amaco saw in his premonition: ......"

Amako's premonition of the battle with the Demon Lord's army before the battle.

When I first heard it, I did not know what kind of situation it foretold, but now I understand that what she saw was a prediction of the battle between Rose and Nero.

We can no longer know what is happening inside the tornado.

"...... I have to do what I have to do."

Rose was going to face Nero, and I was the only one in white who could move.

If that is the case, I have to act on her behalf as the deputy leader.

There are people around who have been blown down by the wind, so I must help them first and then complete my mission.

"Neah, let's go help them. ......"

"...... should you get some rest?"

"I'd like to, but I can't say so. ......

Just then, out of the corner of your eye, you see a black shadow approaching you.

It looks like a black beast running on four legs.

For a moment, I thought it was a new kind of monster, but it's not.

"d*mn, your timing is so bad. ......"

"Hey, hey, Usato, ...... is that ......?"

Sharp fangs peeking out from a mask reminiscent of a bird's beak, a black band wrapping around its body like a weave.

When the creature came close enough for us to see its entire body, it shouted in a somewhat exultant tone.

"Oh, you're alive and well!　Usato!"

"Koga......!"

The enemy he most dreaded to meet.

Korga Dingal, commander of the 2nd Legion of the Demon Lord Army.

The powerful enemy I fought in Hinomoto, the land of the beastmen, has donned a deformed robe and attacked me.