Teleportation

In Rebec's palace, Yuria tilted her head and looked at me.

"Master?"

"Akito's town, you said."

"Yeah."

"Got it. Leave it to me. Tell Meya to keep firing—doesn’t matter if it’s working, just keep going."

"What about you, Master?"

"I’m going to Akito’s town. With Risha."

"Calling Risha over."

"Tell her I’ll wait at Akito’s town."

"...Got it."

Yuria nodded and left the room.

Akito’s town—some kind of lucky break, I guess.

Something like certainty had settled in me.

After everything that’s happened since I arrived in this world, I felt it—this nagging sense of certainty.

What we built at DORECA is the highest caste in this world.

For example, this absolute barrier attached to the palace.

No matter how hard it’s attacked from outside, it will never break.

Same result if I did it—slamming twelve Eternal Slaves into the blade, pouring in a torrent of magic power, still didn’t budge a hair.

The same holds true for the barrier of the Demon God’s Holy Night.

The barrier blocks intrusions, even deflects the main cannon of the battleship Risha.

But it shouldn’t stop DORECA movement.

…Shouldn’t, anyway. Might be a good thing. I’ve already got near-absolute certainty on that.

Heading toward the magical door installed inside the palace.

Walked through without hesitation, stepped into the magical door.

No resistance at all—just a flash of light before my eyes, and the transfer was complete.

The wooden house in Akito’s town—the one assigned to me.

Still, DORECA is above the Demon God’s power.

Even a simple movement like this—shows it’s higher than the Demon God’s might.

"Master."

Risha’s voice came from behind.

"Arrived."

"Yes."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, Yuria explained it to me."

"Then you understand. This time, it’s just the two of us."

"Yes!"

Only me and Risha managed to breach through the magical gate. And right now, there’s no time to build a new one—moreover, there’s no way to bring any other slaves here.

Just Risha and me.

"I’m counting on you."

"Yes!"

—Magic power charged: 50,000.

Risha nodded firmly.

For a split second, she smiled. Then her expression hardened.

"Master, look outside the window."

"Hmm?"

I looked where Risha pointed.

Outside the window, the world had turned strange.

As if the whole town were submerged in colored water—sickly, toxic hues swirled through the air.

"So that’s how it is. The Saint’s power’s taken over the city. Not just a barrier. No… maybe this *is* the barrier itself."

"Ah—I see—Master?"

"What is it?"

“Screams… and the sound of fighting…”

“Mmm.”

Listening closely. There’s no doubt—battle sounds are coming from somewhere.

The town inside the barrier. The fighting echoing from within.

“They might be attacking the townspeople!”

“Honestly, that’s the only explanation. Let’s go, Risha.”

“Yes!”

Drawing the True Eternal Slave. Touching the gem, drawing Risha into the blade.

The red gem flares, transforming into a blade of flame.

Still holding the sword, she throws the door wide and leaps out.

“Mmm.”

The air, a sickly color, clings to her skin. It feels like moving through water—slightly easier, but still heavy.

(Are you alright, Master?)

“Nothing to worry about.”

A bit sluggish, but not enough to matter.

Still, she pressed on.

The town was shattered in places, flames rising from rooftops.

Monsters were there too.

She cut through Eluka’s group all at once, burned them to ash.

Reaching the source of the sound.

A few townspeople, under attack by the hulking giant Throie.

(Master! It’s Madway!)

Risha shouts. Madway’s trapped in Throie’s grip.

“Ooooh!”

Swinging her sword, she cleaved the giant in two from behind.

The giant crashed down with a thunderous groan.

But she’d already severed his arm, freeing Madway.

“Madway! Are you alright?!”

“Akito…-san…”

“Here—drink this. Emergency tonic.”

She poured the ready-made tonic into Madway’s mouth.

(Master!)

“Akito-san!”

Two voices, in unison. A thick wind rushed from behind.

Gak!—

She turned, blocked it with Risha.

“Akitooo!”

“Shin’ya!”

It was Shin’ya who attacked.

Whether the demon god’s power had been further channeled or drawn out, her form had grown even more grotesque than before.

“How’d you even get in, Akito?!”

“No obligation to explain!”

The shockwave from colliding with Seiya nearly sent townsfolk flying. I shoved Seiya back hard, putting distance between us.

Then we clashed again.

“You’re weak, Akito! You’ve gotten weaker!”

(……)

Risha’s sorrow flooded through me.

She’d taken it as fact—herself alone meant weakness.

“You’re enough, just like this!”

“Don’t underestimate me!”

“It’s just the truth.”

To prove I wasn’t lacking, to comfort Risha, I fought Seiya with everything I had.

Truthfully, I believed it was enough.

Yes, compared to when I’d taken on multiple slaves, my power and versatility had dropped—but against Seiya, this was more than enough.

Slowly, I began to gain the upper hand.

Could’ve taken him down in just a few minutes like this.

“Seiya! You think you’re done now? Just like that?!”

Shin’ya screamed, leaping back from the clash.

“…So what?”

“Complacency is what kills you!”

Shin’ya raised her hand.

In an instant, something wrapped around me.

Thickened, darker—like the sickly aura covering the whole town, now shaped into a half-circle dome.

(That’s…?)

“Barrier!?”

“Exactly! Yes!”

She slammed the True Eternal Slave into the barrier.

A dull thud—her attack bounced back.

“Useless! Useless! Useless! That’s the same barrier covering this entire town. It won’t vanish unless the one inside it is gone!”

“…So that’s what it is.”

“And now, this is what I can do from here!”

Shin’ya raised her hand again.

From the edge of the barrier, a sickly-colored beam shot out—like poison given form.

Swing the sword and push it away.

“Nice dodge… but how about this?!”

She swings her hand again—arrows fly, stronger than before.

Too many to deflect. I barely keep them at bay.

Risha sees it.

“Can’t even block them all, huh? Time to pay the harvest tax, Akihito.”

(Your master!)

“Hmph.”

Pouring five million units of magic power into a single, full-force strike against the barrier.

A dull thud. The barrier doesn’t even twitch.

“Kukuku… kuhahaha!”

Shin’ya laughs wildly.

“Come on, Akihito! Try harder! Try harder, Akihito!”

She stops attacking. Screams. Then laughs.

“And now… despair!”

……

I bring Risha back.

Pull her from the sword. Back into human form—slave form.

“Your master?!”

“Give up already?!”

……

Silent. I pull out the DORECA.

I draw the sigil and smile at Risha.

“Risha.”

“Y-yes!”

“Give me a strand of your hair.”

“W-well, yes!”

Risha nods eagerly, pulls out a single lock of her beautiful hair, and hands it to me.

I pull out one of my own hairs.

“Useless! Useless! Useless! No matter what you do, it’s useless, Akitoooooo!”

Ignoring Shinyo, I toss each hair into its respective sigil.

The sigils shift—split into two magical doors.

Side by side. Less than a meter apart.

“Let’s go.”

“—Yes!”

Maybe because I’m calm, Risha calms too. She nods firmly.

Then we step into the sigil together.

A flash of light. My vision clears.

We’re back where we started.

Precisely—entered through the left magical door, exited through the right.

Instant teleportation less than a meter away.

Then.

“W-w-what?! The barrier’s gone?! What did you do, Akito?! Aaaahh—!”

“Let’s go, Risha.”

“Yes!”

Without answering, she sheathed Risha back into her sword.

The barrier vanished because we briefly disappeared from that space via teleportation—

No need to explain that success to Shinyo.

No need to explain it to Shinyo, who was already losing her mind.