Defense specialization and the Demon King.
Black surged like a geyser across the land, splitting into violet masses, and from within, the Demon King emerged.
"……!?"
At that moment, all present sensed the anomaly unfolding in this battle.
The one emerging was the Demon King.
Clad in armor forged from the same darkness as the soldiers outside, wielding a massive weapon, its face formed of flickering black flames, a crimson gleam within—neither male nor female, a towering humanoid monster.
That was how it should be.
Yet the one who awakened and now stood before Maple and the others was a woman: translucent white skin, a deep crimson dress, long white hair flowing past her height, red eyes as vivid as the dress, gazing at them.
She does not appear to be skilled in battle. Yet the pressure she radiates already warns those who have defeated the Demon King once before.
That she is a more dangerous life form.
"...Indeed. The journey of the Maple Tree has always been marked by upheaval and the unexpected. I had nearly forgotten."
"Is that so. It seems it will not end simply after all."
Pain and Mii tighten their grip on their weapons.
The patterns of the Demon King’s actions, confirmed through countless challenges, appear to be more numerous than ever before—some still unverified.
Yet in every trial—of the Gathering Holy Sword, of the Flame Emperor’s Realm, of thunder storm, of rapid fire—the Demon King’s appearance remains unchanged.
An unmistakable anomaly. As the carefully constructed plan crumbles with a sound, all still look ahead toward victory.
"We’ll win no matter who we face!"
"Haha, we’re on the same wavelength. Exactly. Otherwise, what would be the point of being summoned here?"
"Everyone... let’s win! Please, let’s do our best!"
Maple, our supreme commander, rallies them all. The Demon King has shifted from known to unknown. First, observe its movements.
"Warriors of man... quite a formidable lot. This beginning of my dominion shall suit them well. Consider it an honor. I shall accept you as my first offering."
The voice echoes as it lands upon the ground. A quiet resonance in the air, the tone itself carries absolute ease and confidence—whether by the Demon King’s power or not.
Immediately after, the Demon King extends a slender arm forward. A crimson magic circle unfolds. Crimson light spreads outward in ripples.
"Athas [Awakening]! [Charge]! [Rock Defense]! Everyone prepare! I’ll check it!"
Drag reacts instantly. The Demon King’s attack patterns vary, but the first move is always the same—canceling the effect.
Yet the Demon King has already deviated from the pattern.
Following the established procedure from countless battles with the Gathering Holy Sword, they first buffed Athas, the high-durability unit, then sent it forward to probe the enemy’s technique—minimizing risk while testing the effect.
The ripple strikes Athas first. Half her HP vanishes. The [Rock Defense] buff dissipates. Drag frowns, confirms the sudden accumulation of debuffs, and shouts.
"Damn it—hit! We’re done!"
««««[Massive Magical Barrier]!»»»»
Drag recovers Earth through [Rest], and Kanade, Frederica, Mizari, and Hinata deploy a colossal barrier, shielding all from the ripples.
Six advance—Frederica, Mizari, Lily, Kanade, and the others—having deflected the Demon King’s opening assault, receiving buffs from Frederica, Mizari, and Lily, and launching toward the Demon King.
Sally, Kasumi, Pain, Dread, Shin, Velvet. The six who wield greatest strength in close combat cannot falter behind.
«[Flame Bullet]!»
Sally leads with a magical feint, but it is blocked by a barrier formed at the Demon King’s outstretched hand.
«Again… something I don’t know…!»
A defensive mechanism not mentioned in Sally’s received information. Recognizing anew that the being before her was both Demon King and not Demon King, she saw, behind him, countless red sigils bloom in the air.
Red projectiles are unleashed. The leading one, aimed at Sally, misses its mark.
"Still, nothing more than this!"
Sally evades even the barrage from behind Maple, her movements precise. Attacks with room to dodge hold no meaning.
Yet the projectiles do not simply vanish upon impact with the ground. They burst apart with a splatter, spreading like blood. From the marks left behind, monstrous shapes emerge one after another, the enemy force spreading outward.
Each one is the size of Yui or Mai. Yet every bullet fired is like an egg of these aberrations. Dodging or blocking does no good. They stick fast to the impact site. From there, a head forms—featureless, flat—split open by a wide mouth. Limbs, thin and long, extend from it. Aberrations emerge in this manner.
“[Thunder God's Return] [Rain of Lightning] [Field of Falling Lightning] [Eye of the Storm]!”
“[Crack Sword]!”
Unfazed, Velvet unleashes a destructive thunderstorm, as if from a storm cloud itself.
It burns through the aberrations one after one, delivering sure damage.
“Leave these to me!”
“Melee versus many—that’s our specialty!”
“Appreciated!”
Among those who leap forward, Velvet and Shin excel in sustained area attacks.
Monsters that endure violent thunder and flying blades, yet fall not immediately.
Though Sally understands they are no mere common enemy, she focuses on her role—overcoming one opponent at a time—as the Demon King draws near.
“Cut him down swiftly.”
“……!”
The Demon King manifests two long swords in response to her approach.
Vivid red, as if blood had congealed.
The fake illusions of the Unique Series, which would unsettle a player, have no effect on this non-player Demon King.
“[Dragonflame Lance]!”
Holding twin lances of flame, she prepares to match the enemy’s reach, then launches a direct challenge—facing him with skill alone.
The Demon King swings two swords as if dancing. Sally meets the assault, thrusting her lance forward.
“H—heavy…!”
An impact too great for her slender arms. A sensation of being blown backward entirely by the Demon King’s inhuman strength. Sally yields without resistance, leaping back to create distance.
She stabilizes midair, then smashes the incoming red projectiles down with magic before landing on the ground.
“Dread, cover me!”
“Ah…!”
An opponent too fast to track. The realization deepens with each exchange—Pain and Dread alternate their assaults, aware now more than ever that this foe is unlike any they have defeated before.
“Shadow! [Awakening] [Swarm of Shadows]!”
Dread commands Shadow, summoning a horde of wolves formed from shadow, then releases them all at once.
The wolves, pierced one after another by red projectiles and vanishing mid-leap, still charged the demon king with sufficient numbers remaining.
Yet the demon king gathered the sword in his hand into a single blade before him, then spun it in a horizontal arc.
A thick, vivid crimson effect lingered along the sword’s path. A moment later, the entire swarm exploded violently within it.
“—All openings exposed!”
Dread’s grand technique, seized in that instant—Kasumi and Pain close the distance without hesitation.
“[First Strike: Mirage]!”
“[Judgment Holy Sword]!”
At the peak of Dread’s grand technique, the two encircle the demon king, driving down a heavy blow. The red barrier, deployed for defense, splits open. For the first time since combat began, the sword strikes the demon king’s body.
“……!”
A full-force strike, clean and true. The attack, amplified by ample buffs and doubled in power, lands. Yet the demon king’s health barely shifts—so little it seems the blow never struck at all.
High defense. High total HP. Each movement reveals the enemy’s unnatural presence before the mind can process it.
A slight reduction in HP. Or the passage of time. Or the number of subordinates defeated.
An unknown force reacts—red light flares from the demon king.
……! Shadow Realm!
Dread’s instinct. The scent of danger moves the body before reason can form.
As the Shadow Realm pulls the party members into concealment within the shadows, a crimson explosion erupts around the demon king.
A swirling red haze—like thick blood smoke—blocks the view to the demon king. Dread retreats to the rear, emerges onto the ground, and exhales sharply upon confirming all are alive.
"Dread, as expected. We’re alive."
"That would break bones… Pressing hard won’t work."
The strategy of crushing under relentless assault does not apply to the Demon King.
"Then we’ll block it. The Maple Tree holds something even the Gathering Holy Sword lacks."
Sally says this, pointing at Maple.
"Indeed. Something neither the Gathering Holy Sword nor our Flame Empire possesses."
"Exactly! Then… we’ll win after seeing every one of the Demon King’s attacks!"
"This is where it begins… hah, the Demon King seems furious."
Lily focuses ahead.
The smoke from the crimson explosion settles. In its place, crimson liquid spreads across the ground where the blast struck.
As if guarding the Demon King, or advancing toward them, grotesque figures emerge one after another, each grasping a weapon.
The pressure radiating from them defied comparison to the projectiles that had emerged earlier. Some were as large as Maple’s [Ruthless] form, each wielding a different weapon.
“Did you truly believe the Demon King would face us alone? Without a single subordinate? Heroes, your recklessness is astounding.”
The voice spoke again, echoing strangely. The sword clasped in hand split once more into two. Orders issued, the aberrations advanced toward Maple and her companions.
“Not idle... waiting... [All Traps Activated].”
[Area Expansion] [Blessed Sanctuary] [Fountain of Healing]!
As Markus activated the traps, the main encampment formed instantly by [Night Castle], and numerous defensive pillars rose around them.
Mizari placed her skill across the entire [Night Castle] domain, establishing damage reduction and healing effects directly upon the ground itself.
A fortress of solid defense, lacking mobility in its rear guard. A vital stronghold for facing the Demon King head-on.
"Frontline units are needed. We must push forward as far as we can... Maple! Defense is in your hands!"
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
They were no easy target to wipe out with area attacks. Each summoned monster was of boss rank. The rear guard could not be sent straight into their path.
"Support is mine. I'll handle the rear—don't worry about it!"
"Right. Let's raise the barricades further!"
"If worst comes to worst, Lilie has her [Formation Change]. We must hold this stronghold."
The remaining figures—Isu, Kanade, Frederica, Mizari, Marks, and Wilbert—leapt from the fortress.
Each formed a small unit and moved to confront the monsters.
Without doing something about this, they cannot reach the final demon guarded by two aberrations wielding large shields.
As the clash with the aberrations begins, slightly behind, Maple looks at Hinata beside her.
"Maple-san, then... we go!"
"Right! Do your best! I’ll do mine too!"
[Gravity Control][Gravity Reinforcement]!
A strategy neither Maple nor Hinata would normally employ.
One prepared in advance, capable of activation regardless of the enemy’s movements.
Before the situation spirals beyond control, Maple and her allies launch their assault on the surging enemy forces.