An Unexpected Helper

Near the Royal Capital.

Under the dark red cloudy sky, the giant little girl Rāna, twenty meters long, and Skels, the Great Demon King, were exchanging blows.

After they struck each other, the Great Demon King moved a short distance away and grinned.

“You are quite tenacious. I shall praise you.”

“Kyuiii!”

Rāna clenched her fists and glared at the Great Demon King.

However, the Great Demon King still had plenty of composure, while Rāna was breathing roughly with her shoulders and entire body.

The situation had clearly tilted in the Great Demon King’s favor.

Rubel, looking down from the sky, muttered with a wrinkle between her brows. “Hang in there, Rāna.”

Also, the knights and adventurers who were watching the fierce battle from atop the Royal Capital’s outer wall cheered her on.

“Don’t lose, Sacred White Dragon-sama!”

“Do your best!”

“…Actually, what are we being shown?”

“Don’t come back to your senses!”

“Long live the giant little girl!”

Perhaps receiving those voices, Rāna took a deep breath and stepped toward the Great Demon King.

Then Alec’s voice rang out from overhead.

“Rāna! Pull this door from the outside!”

“Kyai!?”

Rāna opened her eyes wide and looked up.

About a hundred meters overhead, a large double door was floating. The door was made of white stone and had intricate decorations as if vines were entwining around it.

At that instant, the earth shook with a rumble.

“To look away in the middle of battle—after all, you are only a brat!”

The Great Demon King charged at Rāna.

Rāna came to her senses and looked at the Great Demon King, but he was already right in front of her.

The Great Demon King launched his fastest body blow.

Rāna bent her young giant body into a V shape and flew backward—and then smoke puffed up.

The Great Demon King’s fist cut through empty air.

“What!?”

Rāna returned to her original fifteen-year-old girl form, grew wings from her back, and flew into the sky.

The rainbow-colored light released from her wings became bands that drew lines through the sky.

She grabbed the handle of the door that had appeared about a hundred meters overhead with both hands and pulled while releasing light from her wings.

“Nnnnngh~ nnnnnn~!”

Rāna shut her eyes tightly and pulled desperately, but the door did not budge.

The Great Demon King, who was watching that, snorted and pointed his right hand toward the sky.

“This is the end—Ruin Nightmare.”

A sinister black sphere was fired toward Rāna, who was clinging to the door.

Rubel, who was in the sky, tried to fire a fireball, but immediately stopped and shouted.

“No, it’ll be absorbed! —Rāna, release Holy Wave! Put up a barrier!”

Rāna looked downward. She was shocked when she saw the black sphere flying toward her.

She immediately tried to release Holy Wave, but it was too late.

The black sphere exploded as if wrapping around her slender body.

“Kyaaaauuu!”

Rāna screamed and arched her slender body backward. But she did not let go of the door handle.

While barely able to breathe, she tried to pull the door again.

Alec called out from beyond the door.

“Are you all right, Rāna!?”

“I’m okaaay, leave it to me!”

Rāna answered with a brave voice and a smile.

Beyond the door, Alec ground his teeth and pushed the door while groaning even harder.

At that time, the knights and adventurers who had been watching the battle from atop the Royal Capital’s outer wall fell into confusion because the giant little girl had suddenly vanished.

“She disappeared!”

“What on earth happened!?”

“It’s over!”

—Then.

A blazing red flame smoothly crossed the sky under the dark red clouds.

Rubel had moved into the line of fire between Rāna and the Great Demon King.

Rubel compressed her flames until even her outline shone.

However, the Great Demon King, who had been looking up at Rāna, snorted.

“Do you intend to die? Someone like you is easier to tear apart than paper.”

“I wonder about that? —Try it and see.”

“Hmph, to bluff even at this stage—die.”

The Great Demon King gathered black light in his outstretched hand.

At that instant, a huge bluish-white cross pierced the Great Demon King.

“—Judgment Day!”

It was Liricia.

While flying through the sky with her white wings spread, she had struck the Great Demon King with sacred magic.

The people of the Royal Capital raised voices of joy.

“An angel! An angel has appeared!” “Now the world will be saved!” “Look, it’s working!”

The Great Demon King shouted while writhing. His aura of darkness half-collapsed. The darkness gathered in his hand also vanished.

“Gaaaaah! —You were buying time!”

“What of it? We will all combine our strength to support Rāna!”

“We will not let Rāna-chan suffer any more pain!”

Liricia, her brows raised in a determined expression, floated beside Rubel, who wore a fearless smile.

The Great Demon King looked up at the two and snorted.

“I wonder how long you can endure. Hundredfold—Dark Mega Flare.”

Black compressed spheres floated around the Great Demon King one after another, over a hundred of them.

Inside the black spheres, black flames blazed.

Liricia and Rubel held their breath.

“What an incredible number—Angelic Circle!”

“Damn it! —Flame Fortress!”

Shields of light deployed in front of the two, and a blazing wall rose further before them.

However, when the Great Demon King swung his arm, countless black spheres flew.

One or two were deflected by the shields and wall, but after receiving more than ten black spheres, both the shields and wall collapsed.

The black spheres attacked Liricia and Rubel like a machine gun.

They struck their bodies and caused numerous black explosions.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Guaaaaa!”

Liricia and Rubel fell to the ground, battered and torn.

Alec, who had been pushing the door from the inside, was shocked by Liricia’s scream.

“Liricia! Are you all right, Liricia!?”

However, Liricia, who had crashed down, lay on the ground without moving.

Cries of despair rose from the Royal Capital.

“The angel!”

“The Guildmaster was defeated too!”

“It’s over… We’re all going to die…”

The Great Demon King reached his hand toward the sky with a composed smile.

While gathering black light in his palm, he aimed at Rāna.

“Disappear—Abyss Pulsar.”

Black light was fired from his palm like a laser.

However, just before it hit Rāna, a brazen voice rang out.

“Too naive—Dark Fortress.”

Black walls appeared around Rāna, and the black light fired by the Great Demon King vanished as if absorbed.

The people in the Royal Capital raised voices of surprise.

“W-who is that!?”

“Look, in the sky!”

“Is he an ally…?”

“He looks awfully flashy, though.”

The Great Demon King glared irritably at the owner of the voice.

In the air, a tanned man with jagged teeth, wearing an aloha shirt, was floating arrogantly with his chest thrust out.

“Who are you…?”

“Let us say this is our first meeting! I am the Demon King! The man who will rule all of this world! Fuhahahaha!”

“A mere Demon King acting so grand.”

“Oh? Are you not a Demon King as well?”

Skels, the Great Demon King, spoke with a mocking smile.

“Hmph. I am Skels, the Great Demon King. The one who destroys all worlds.”

At the Great Demon King’s words, the Demon King laughed while holding his stomach.

“Fuhahahaha! This is what they call betraying oneself with one’s own words! You cannot destroy this world!”

“What did you say?”

“If one is to destroy the world, being a Demon King is enough! The moment you call yourself a Great Demon King, it only proves your delusions of grandeur have gone too far! Fuhahahaha!”

“Spout nonsense—Ruin Nightmare.”

“—Ruin Nightmare.”

Boom!

A black great explosion erupted between the Demon King and the Great Demon King.

Before the smoke had cleared, the two shouted at the same time.

“—Dark Mega Flare.”

“—Dark Mega Flare.”

Once again, a black great explosion erupted between the two.

The knights and adventurers in the Royal Capital opened their eyes wide in shock.

“He blocked it!”

“He canceled it out with the same attack…?”

“Who on earth is that flashy man!?”

The Demon King arched his chest and laughed loudly.

“Fuhahahaha! I can see through every move you have! —What is wrong, blockhead? Though my victory has already been decided, you may at least entertain me a little.”

“Silence! You incompetent fool who cannot even conquer the world! Die—Glacies Blizzard.”

“What!? You can even use freezing magic!?”

A violent blizzard blew so fiercely that the entire scenery turned white.

Moreover, it contained countless small blades of ice instead of snow. It cut apart everything and turned it into minced flesh.

The Demon King tried to retreat for the moment, but when he glanced at Rubel and Liricia lying on the ground, he clicked his tongue and thrust both hands out to the left and right.

“Do not think a blizzard of this degree can defeat me! —Plasma Detonation!”

The strongest lightning-flame spell exploded with the Demon King at the center. Red flames clad in lightning swelled like the sun.

It canceled out and blew away the blizzard released by the Great Demon King.

—However.

When the magic vanished and the smoke also cleared, the Great Demon King was not on the ground.

“Hm? Where is he?”

“Here.”

The Great Demon King attacked from above the Demon King’s head. The Demon King gasped and braced himself, but it was already too late.

The large fist unleashed from the giant body became a merciless blow that knocked the Demon King down.

“Guhah!”

Crash, boom!

The punched Demon King was slammed into the ground and created a huge crater together with a violent cloud of dust.

The Demon King immediately tried to get up, but the Great Demon King extended his leg like a flying kick and landed on top of the Demon King.

From the impact of the giant body, the Demon King spat dark red blood from his mouth and writhed in agony.

The Great Demon King sneered while trampling the Demon King.

“Even if you falsely claim the title of Demon King, this is all you amount to. Perish together with the world—yes, only creatures without wills can create a peaceful world.”

While enduring pain so intense that his body felt as if it would be torn apart from being stepped on, the Demon King spat blood and smiled fearlessly.

“Guh… Have you not forgotten something, Skels?”

“What would that be?”

“…It is my victory.”

Clunk!

A somewhat dull loud sound was heard from the sky.

The heavy door opened with a creaking groan.

Everyone looked up at the distant sky.

The knights and adventurers atop the Royal Capital’s outer wall strained their eyes.

“Huh?”

“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere…”

“N-no way!”

Standing inside the wide-open door was Alec.

With a gallant face that could be called that of a young man in his early twenties, he looked down with anger dwelling in his black eyes.

Then Alec raised his sword with both hands and flew down at comet-like speed toward the Great Demon King standing on the ground.

—While making the Ruin Greed Demon Sword gripped in both hands shine violently.