HUM!!
An evil, icy aura poured out like a tide.
A dark light beam tore through the cave ceiling, shooting into the sky. The terrifying energy caused the entire underground space to tremble violently. Countless rocks and sand fell one after another.
Chase's expanded magic barrier protected the panicked villagers.
When the surrounding commotion gradually stabilized, the old chief and others looked up. A dark-skinned, pointed-mouthed, monkey-cheeked goblin stood on the ruins of the collapsed altar. Its scarlet eyes looked down on them from above.
Wait... dark-skinned goblin?
This little thing, about the size of Plue, was the terrifying Demon King of legend that could bring disaster to the world?!
After a brief daze, Lucy snapped out of it. She looked at the monster that had emerged from the magic egg with a strange expression.
"It... looks so weak! Because its awakening was forcibly interrupted, did it have a difficult birth?!"
Having quickly hidden behind Chase, she jumped out, eager to fight. She had the illusion that she could take it on.
When it came to bullying the weak, the guild newbie really didn't hold back.
"You're the one who brought disaster to our village! Prepare to die!"
"Lucy-sama, please step aside. Let us villagers handle this ourselves!"
"Damn monster, turn our families back!"
"I never want to see Éclair cry again. So, damn Demon King, DIE!!"
Led by the old chief, the villagers were even more excited than Lucy.
Just moments ago, they had been trembling in fear. Now, they were brave, grabbing whatever weapons they could and charging at the dark-skinned goblin.
The hunched-backed old chief, full of righteous anger, waved his broom and led the charge, ready to fight to the death.
"Everyone, don't be impulsive! No matter what, it's still a dem—"
Lucy was about to remind them not to be fooled by its appearance, when she suddenly gasped, "The Demon King ran away?!"
Seeing the crowd charging at him, the goblin's arrogant and contemptuous expression instantly collapsed. It was scared and fled in panic.
Completely spineless, it scrambled over the fallen rubble, running all the way. In the blink of an eye, it had left the underground space and disappeared over the edge of the collapsed entrance above.
Seeing this chance for revenge, the villagers, blinded by passion, didn't hesitate. Shouting, they chased after it.
Soon, only Chase, Lucy, Dark Magician Girl, and Éclair and Momo, who had found the Phoenix Stone in the rubble, remained.
When they emerged from underground and reached the village's outskirts, they saw a furious aura suddenly explode ahead.
Amidst the billowing black mist, a dozen meters tall humanoid monster slowly appeared.
The humanoid monster had fangs, curved demon horns, and three pairs of blood-red, flickering eyes.
Its dark purple, strong muscles bulged like small hills, full of intimidating terrifying power.
Just by standing there, it gave off an overwhelming sense of oppression far surpassing the forest's monster overlords!
The situation reversed. The villagers, who had just been seeking revenge, slammed on their brakes. Their eyes wide, they froze in place.
At the front of the crowd, the old chief stared blankly at the Demon King's true form. He turned to the guard beside him and, word by word, requested, "Bereste, prom... promise me you won't run first."
"Don't... don't worry, Chief. I won't abandon you." Bereste answered, his gaze also fixed on the Demon King.
Time seemed to stand still.
The panic and fear on everyone's faces were clearly visible.
The next second —
"RUN!!!"
"Lucy-sama, save us!!!"
Whether the delicate elderly and children or the strong young men, everyone turned and ran in perfect union, without a moment's hesitation.
The village's unity was on full display.
"Hey, your ugly faces! Who was telling me to get out of the way just now?!"
Lucy was blinded by their behavior. Even though they were the clients, she couldn't help but turned on her spit-flying mode.
SWOOSH~
A cold wind interrupted her. In the span of a few words, she found herself pushed to the front of the group by the returning villagers, facing the approaching Demon King!
Thanks to Chase's earlier foreshadowing, the old chief and others assumed Lucy was the strongest among them.
But in reality —
"Chase! Save me!!"
Realizing what had happened, Lucy made a meme, just like the villagers. Crying out, she turned and ran, quickly hiding behind Chase.
"Lucy, your face is pretty ugly too~" Dark Magician Girl teased with a smile.
"An opponent of this level is indeed beyond the scope of training."
Chase stepped forward, no longer pushing Lucy to fight.
The aura emanating from the Demon King was quite thick. A preliminary estimate put it above the demon Deliora, who had been frozen by Ur.
And this was its incomplete state, having hatched early. It was hard to imagine how powerful it had been at its peak!
After all, it was a being that could contend with the Phoenix, a monster capable of destroying countries.
Chase sighed softly. He felt both relieved and regretful.
Relieved it wasn't so troublesome to deal with in its incomplete state. Regretful he wouldn't see it at its strongest.
Either way, the job had to be done. He couldn't let such a monster run wild.
BOOM!
Dark gold magic power bursts, kicking up a wild wind that constantly tugged at Chase's cloak, contending with the Demon King's black mist.
Standing in the midst of the golden light, Chase raised his right arm. A monster card flipped between his fingers.
From the vertical magic circle, a swordsman holding a dragon-tooth greatsword leaped out, kicking up a gust of wind.
"Hmph! Finally, my time to shine?!" The Dragon Destruction Swordsman struck a cool pose on the card.
Then, within two seconds, his true nature surfaced. Two heart-shaped eyes popped out from under his steel helmet. "Ooooh! Miss Lucy, that robe look is super great~!!"
Lucy: "..."
This was the third time today. First Loki, then Taurus, and now this guy.
Even Chase, his deck master, couldn't bear to look.
He had chosen the Dragon Destruction Swordsman because he hadn't had a real fight since being obtained. He didn't know his exact combat ability or style.
And this guy's first concern was Lucy, not the giant monster before him.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just take care of the big guy." Lucy sighed helplessly, pointing at the Demon King.
Seeing the pervy swordsman's resemblance to Taurus, she momentarily forgot he was Chase's summon.
"Roger that. Leave it to me!" The Dragon Destruction Swordsman confidently patted his chest.
His daily work involved beheading giant dragons. He wasn't intimidated by the Demon King's massive form.
Chase wanted to ask, "Why don't you two just get together already?" as he watched the Dragon Destruction Swordsman charge at the Demon King, sword in hand, full of energy.
ROAR!!
Sensing the danger from the Dragon Destruction Swordsman, the Demon King spread its arms and roared. The ear-splitting sound carried a terrifying aura.
An energy storm rushed toward him. Expressionless, the charging Dragon Destruction Swordsman slightly lowered his body and reversed his grip on his dragon-tooth greatsword.
"Dragon Destruction Type One — Steel Wind!"
Swinging his greatsword through the air, a tearing hurricane erupted, sending village houses flying. It forcibly broke through the Demon King's energy storm, pushing its huge body back step by step, leaving two deep furrows in the ground.
"The powerful sword wind can effectively limit a dragon's flight and block its movement ability. Though you're not a dragon, next comes the hunt!"
Continuing his charge, the Dragon Destruction Swordsman talked like a chatterbox, introducing his moves.
However, it had survived for centuries. Before he could launch his next attack, the Demon King broke free from the wind's suppression. Raising its thick leg, it stomped down hard to steady itself. Then, clenching its hill-like fist, it smashed down from above at the approaching swordsman.
BOOM!!!
The devastating blow landed heavily, shattering the ground. The impact sent tremors even to where Chase stood, making the watching villagers stumble.
Good thing the villagers had chased the Demon King outside the village. If that punch had landed in the center, the entire village would probably be rubble.
So they actually had contributed something?
"Just a casual punch has this kind of power..."
Lucy looked blankly at the huge dust cloud ahead, worried. "The Dragon Destruction Swordsman... will he be okay?"
"Don't worry. He's a 7-star monster with considerable attack and defense. Losing that easily would be beneath him." Chase smiled.
Just as he finished, a sudden gust of wind blew away the dust.
The Dragon Destruction Swordsman, unharmed, leaped out. He then ran up the Demon King's descending arm, his dragon-tooth greatsword constantly swinging, sending out sharp blade lights.
The scene was a bit like Lucy in Star Dress slashing the one-eyed giant. But the final result was vastly different.
Each time the blade light flashed, black blood sprayed out.
Everywhere the Dragon Destruction Swordsman passed, he left twisted, horrific wounds on the Demon King's arm.
But the Demon King wasn't a simple one-eyed giant. Its three pairs of scarlet eyes shifted, quickly tracking the swordsman's path. It raised its other demon hand and swatted down like swatting a mosquito.
The giant palm's shadow rushed down. While surprised this monster could also predict movements, the Dragon Destruction Swordsman swung his sword to the side, using the resulting reaction force to backflip, easily avoiding the attack.
"Though not a dragon, it's a bit thicker-skinned than I thought..."
Back on the ground, having distanced himself from the Demon King, the Dragon Destruction Swordsman looked regretful. He flicked his sword, shaking off the black blood.
In his original plan, after this series of probing attacks, he would have at least taken off one of the Demon King's arms.
The Demon King looked at its mangled arm, seeming to understand his mocking tone. It roared at the sky, becoming furious.
ROAR!!
The smelly breath spurted from its wide-open mouth.
Deep within, pitch-black light crazily accumulated and compressed, eventually forming a pitch-black ball of light filled with furious energy.
"Oh? You can do a breath attack too?"
The Dragon Destruction Swordsman's eyes sharpened. A cruel smile appeared on his lips. "Well then, I'll treat you like a true dragon!"
With that, he held his sword vertically before him, hands free, freeing the power limit he could draw from Chase.
ROAR!!
The massive Demon King slightly lowered its head and forcefully sprayed its fully-charged attack.
The wind tore. The devastating pitch-black beam split the void. In the blink of an eye, it reached the Dragon Destruction Swordsman!
"Dragon Destruction Type Two —"
The Dragon Destruction Swordsman stood still. His pupils reflected the pitch-black beam.
Only when it was about to hit did he step aside, swinging his greatsword behind him. "Breath Cutter!"
A crescent-shaped, holy blade light exploded. The moment they met, the pitch-black beam was split in two, diverted into two streams to the left and right.
BOOM!!
Two huge explosions sounded simultaneously from the southeast and southwest corners of the village. Raging flames mercilessly devoured everything around, making the villagers protected by Chase's barrier tremble with fear.
Facing forest monsters was already a challenge for them. They couldn't imagine the horror if that attack had landed directly on the village!
Éclair clenched her fists, filled with unease.
In her fear, someone gently held her hand.
"Don't be afraid, Éclair. Chase is super strong!" Lucy gave her a reassuring smile.
That much, she was certain of. So even seeing the Demon King's power, she wasn't afraid.
Éclair smiled back. Slightly reluctantly.
She trusted Lucy, so she trusted Chase. But her mind was on another problem.
The Phoenix Stone she had to protect contained a monster on the same level, or even stronger.
Even if the Demon King crisis was resolved, could she, being so dangerous, continue living in the village?
Did the world even have a place for her?
"HYAAAH!"
The rough shout interrupted the girl's mournful thoughts.
On the battlefield ahead, the Dragon Destruction Swordsman, dragon-tooth greatsword in hand, walked forward against the divided pitch-black beam, his speed increasing.
With a final roar, the beam was completely forced back, annihilated into scattered energy fragments!
The remaining blade light struck the Demon King's face, sending black blood flying and making it howl in pain.
The Dragon Destruction Swordsman gave it no chance to breathe. Reversing his grip, he turned into a blur, dashing forward.
SHWOOP!
A sharp blade light flashed. The Dragon Destruction Swordsman, now behind the Demon King, slowly sheathed his sword.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!
After a brief delay, the surface of the Demon King's massive body lit up with dense slash lines.
Contrary to expectations, there was no dramatic spraying of black blood. The displaced flesh rapidly petrified, falling to the ground with a crash under gravity's pull, kicking up rolling black mist.
"Victory?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Lucy, whenever you say that—"
Dark Magician Girl noticed something was off. She teased, "It usually means things are far from over~"
"Huh?!" Lucy looked blank.
"Look carefully."
Chase pointed at the vague figure deep within the black mist. "That's probably the Demon King's final form."
***
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