Water Magician

A few hours before Ryo and his group came to the surface.

A fierce battle unfolded in front of the 『Autonomous Region』.

After housing the twelve people from Viscount Westwood’s residence, the Autonomous Region barred their door.

After that, time passed without any problems for a while.

Of course, the monsters tried to cling to the walls and gates but the danger was contained with their arrows shot through the windows on the second and third floors.

It wasn’t until midnight that the change occurred.

The movement of the monsters, which used to be just charging head-on, changed.

They rushed in as a group and withdrew at the right time.

It was as if a commander had appeared.

“Baba-sama, this is …”

“Umu. Somehow, it seems that a troublesome guy who can command these guys has come. Is it the mastermind … or a monster that can make all of them obey with power …”

Baba-sama answered Sera’s question with a frown.

It would have been better if it was the mastermind.

The Autonomous Region would not be able to hold up against a monster that can force this horde to obey through strength.

“Leaving that aside … the fact that the counterattack has not started from anywhere even after such a long time means that the Knights and other forces in the Royal Capital no longer have the strength to do so …”

“Are we the last two …”

Two knights, Zack Cooler and Scotty Cobook, who had sought shelter there, answered Baba’s monologue.

Although the question was not directed to them.

“Surviving is a precious thing too.”

Baba-sama said with a slight smile.

At that time, a sudden roar struck the area.

“What was that!?”

Zack screamed involuntarily and soon realized what it was.

His eyes were nailed to the place where the gate was. It was the sound of the gate getting blown away.

No one could move at that unexpected sight.

Except for one person.

“All members, prepare for close-quarters battle!”

Only one person, Sera, raised her voice and pulled everyone’s consciousness back, drew her sword, and stood in the place where the gate was.

Even though they were delayed for a moment, those who were released from their stunned state by Sera hurriedly headed to the place where the gate was with their swords and spears.

Those who were shooting arrows at the gates and walls from the windows on the second and third floors continued to shoot at a faster speed than before.

Since the gate was destroyed in some way, even children could understand that an attack would follow.

Sure enough, it was a fierce close-quarters battle after that.

Although Sera was a given, Zack and Scotty fought well as active Knights of the Kingdom.

Even though they couldn’t compete with them with a bow, they were far more proficient in swords than ordinary Elves.

Centered on these three swordsmen, those around them used spears to prevent the monsters from entering and archers shoot arrows from the second and third floors.

That formation or fighting arrangement was established before they knew it.

But after enduring for a while … they finally reached their first hurdle.

“Baba-sama, the arrows are exhausted!”

The archer on the second floor shouted at Baba-sama in the courtyard.

“Gah, at this timing! I knew it was going to happen … It’s shameful for Elves to run out of arrows. If we survive, I’ll store ten times, no, 100 times as many arrows as before! You hear me! I instruct you to do so.”

Baba-sama ordered Carson, the Chief of the Autonomous Region, who was beside her.

The arrows running out were a bad sign.

It was a given but … in this defensive battle, the Elves’ archery skills were undoubtedly one of the best in the Kingdom.

Still, the arrows were exhausted simply because there were too many enemies.

The voice screaming that the arrows were exhausted was also heard by Sera’s ears.

(From now on, we will have to defeat the monsters using magic … Magical power is finite. Even more finite than arrows. With so many enemies, the magical power consumption will greatly exceed the recovery speed. This will be tough.)

Sera was anxious but thought calmly.

Do not say that thought out loud, even if it were to be a monologue.

That was absolutely not what the commander should do.

Sera knew that.

If the commander says ‘We lost’, the battle would be lost; and if they say ‘It’s a failure’, they would definitely fail.

The commander’s words have a strong positive or negative effect.

That’s why!

That’s why Sera shouted powerfully, even if she didn’t believe it.

“Just a little more! Persevere until dawn. Then reinforcements will come!”

Where would the reinforcements come from?

What kinds of reinforcements were left?

…… Of course, there were no reinforcements. Sera was well aware.

But what should be said then was not the truth.

What she should say were words that empowered everyone.

It didn’t matter if it was true or not.

And it was a fact that some people managed to persevere with Sera’s words.

Even if they were only delaying an eventual collapse, it was much better than dying now!

They appeared after they repelled several wave attacks.

The monsters split to the left and right and they appeared proudly in the middle.

Three beings.

Above all, the presence of the being in the middle was overwhelming.

“Devils …?”

A mutter leaked from Baba-sama’s mouth, who was on the front line to repel the wave attacks.

Sera who was next to her heard her clearly.

“So that is a Devil …”

Sera, who had lived for 200 years, had never met a Devil.

Beings who resent god and angels.

Devils can evolve and eventually a Demon Lord will be born.

However, Baba-sama, who stared at the three beings for a while, trembled for a moment as if she had been struck by lightning, and muttered again.

“No … that is … no way …”

Baba-sama’s words stopped there.

“In any case, we have no choice but to defeat them. I will go.”

Sera said.

However, there was a person who pulled her arm with all her might. Baba-sama.

“Sera, no, do not. That’s no good. Not even you can win.”

“Baba-sama?”

“That … the being in the middle isn’t just a Devil. It’s an Arch Devil.”

“Arch Devil?”

The word was something Sera had never heard of.

Roxley, who was right next to them, heard them and also tilted his head questioningly.

“Devils evolve to become Demon Princes, and one of them becomes the Demon Lord. However, there is another 『Evolutionary path』. To advance into the Arch Devil there.”

“That sounds strong. Stronger than the Demon Lord?”

“The Demon Lord is beyond normal measures. However, Arch Devils are incomparably stronger than the Demon Princes who can be said to be the children of the Demon Lord. Moreover, the one in front of us is a Swordsman …”

“They are holding a sword …”

The Arch Devil in the middle had a sheathed sword.

It was 2 meters tall and looked like a human being. Of course, its presence was overwhelmingly different.

“If it’s a Magician, the Elves have a record of defeating one before … but there were still hundreds of casualties.”

“Then I have no choice but to become the Elf who defeated the first Swordsman.”

Sera tried hard to say in a bright tone.

“Sera …”

“It’s okay, Baba-sama. Anyway, there’s no way we can survive except to fight and win. And I’ve become a little stronger lately.”

Then Sera drank water from her water bottle and walked to the gate.

Outside the gate, the monsters retreated a little, forming a circle with a radius of about 50 meters.

“Hmm, they wish to have single combat. I can’t hope for anything better.”

Sera muttered and went out of the gate.

And she raised her voice.

“Arch Devil, I will be your opponent!”

Upon hearing that, the Arch Devil seemed to laugh a little.

(Well then … my magical power is empty. How far can I go now that I can’t use 『Wind Equip』?)

In the fierce defensive battle until now, Sera, who was always at the front line, had squeezed her physical strength, magical power, and mental power to the limit.

But she still had to fight.

No one else seemed capable of competing with the Arch Devil.

The Arch Devil stepped forward and pulled its sword out of the scabbard.

The Devils beside it received the scabbard and retreated behind him.

Thus, the final phase of the Autonomous Region defense war was about to begin.

The first to move was the Arch Devil.

Normally, the battle would start with the sound of Sera wrapping wind around her, but due to the remaining amount of magical power, that was not possible.

Instead, the super-fast dive of the Arch Devil started the clash.

Deflecting the downward swing, dodging the horizontal slash, and deflecting the thrust.

Even if she defended properly, her sword would be safe but she would hurt her wrist or her sword would be blown away.

Just by the exchange of a sword.

Sera understood that. She was made to understand.

Divert and counterattack, dodge and counterattack, deflect and counterattack.

It was a thorough display of counter-attacks.

The Arch Devil may have understood it too and did not step in deeper.

Then, it flew far backward and took distance.

The Arch Devil held the sword with both hands.

Was it a two-handed sword style?

But it was strange.

It was a thin sword that was a little curved. Which was also strange.

But the strangest thing was how it held the sword.

Left hand near the hilt of the sword and right hand just below the sword guard. Both fists were separated and not stuck together.

Normally, whether near the hilt or the sword guard, both fists would be close together.

That’s why it was strange.

But …

“I recognize that grip. That is Ryo’s grip.”

Yes, it was the grip for a Japanese sword or a bamboo sword.

After clashing dozens and hundreds of times … she was familiar with Ryo’s sword.

“But it’s completely different from Ryo’s way of walking and body movements. I guess it’s a wide world out there. There are various sword styles.”

Sera was honestly impressed.

And a little happy.

Words probably won’t get through to the being in front of her.

But that being had definitely spent time and effort training the sword.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to wield the sword so brilliantly.

Such a being came from somewhere she didn’t know, wielding sword skills she didn’t know, and was standing in front of her.

She was genuinely happy to be able to fight such a being.

She may be some kind of a battle junkie …

Their sword clash lasted for over an hour.

Meanwhile, the attack on the Autonomous Region had stopped.

For the monsters, their boss was in single combat.

It would be impossible to ignore the fight and attack.

In other words, Sera kept the Autonomous Region unharmed for more than an hour by fighting alone.

But …

Sera’s physical strength was about to run out.

There were countless cuts throughout her body.

It was the same for the Arch Devil.

The power of both was equal.

Sera and Arch Devil kept a distance and took a breather.

Nobody knew who would win or lose.

But there were moments when everyone watching could understand.

That was, the next blow would be the one that would settle the match.

Of course, the two participants in the sword clash understood that the most.

The Arch Devil repositioned its sword.

Sera held her sword against her shoulder.

And the two stood still.

The conclusion would be in an instant.

That’s why they had to grasp that instant …

And something caused the balance to collapse.

The trigger came from far away.

They heard the sound of a heavy object falling from a relatively high place.

That was the time when the two started to move.

The Arch Devil stepped in at super-speed and at the same time swung down the sword that it raised.

No one present was able to see it. Its charge was that swift.

However, Sera was not in the vicinity of that swing.

But that was within the Arch Devil’s expectations and its sword that was swung down was forcibly twisted around just before it touched the ground.

Continuing to the left and using its entire body to mow sideways.

But … Sera was not there either.

Astonished, the Arch Devil was decapitated with its still shocked expression.

Then, the magic stone in its heart was also pierced.

In a fleeting 『Wind Equip』, Sera rotated 270 degrees around the Arch Devil, moved to the right side of the Arch Devil, and continued to slide into its blind spot.

Her speed ​was ​beyond the Arch Devil’s imagination.

Her victory was the result of spending more than an hour recovering all her magical power and fighting without casting 『Wind Equip』 even once.

The moment she pierced the magic stone of the Arch Devil, Sera’s magical power was completely exhausted.

She fell to one knee and fought to maintain consciousness.

She only defeated the Arch Devil.

There was no way to tell how the other Devils and monsters would act.

It was not over yet.

While she was desperately trying to stand up, she noticed approaching sounds.

The sound of heavy objects falling from high places.

The sound that triggered the final clash with the Arch Devil.

It was approaching them, repeating over and over again.

From the end of the road to the right …

As expected, the monsters, including the two remaining Devils, also noticed the sound.

And they looked in the direction in which the sound was approaching.

The sky of the Royal Capital, where dawn was approaching, was slowly getting brighter.

Heavy objects fell from the dawn sky …

“What’s that …”

Baba-sama muttered.

“Ice … boards?”

Sera heard Zack’s bewildered comment.

(Ice … ah … is he here?)

A board of ice fell from the sky, crushing the monsters on the road.

A Magician in a robe could be seen running on top of the fallen boards.