Looking at the steel monster towering like a mountain, its body wrapped in cables and red light, the Crimson Demon Clan villagers, who had stayed calm until now and had even been discussing aesthetics, finally put down the sweet potatoes in their hands.
"Hmph. It may have grown bigger, but before the Crimson Demon Clan, it is still nothing more than scrap metal that takes slightly longer to burn!" The man wearing a monocle, who claimed to be the village's second-greatest genius, elegantly adjusted his frame and waved his staff. "Behold! The extreme cold that freezes the soul. Cursed Ice Crystal!"
Right after that, several aunties in silk sleeping robes struck cool poses as well, chanting spells that would have made ordinary Adventurers wet themselves in terror.
"O crimson lotus of destruction, heed my command! Inferno!"
In an instant, high-level magic of every color rained down on Sylvia's massive steel shell like free fireworks.
Kōichi and Kazuma Satou instinctively crouched on the ground and covered their heads, bracing for the shockwave of an explosion powerful enough to blow the mountaintop away.
But the expected roar never came.
The instant those powerful spells touched the faint red ripples around Sylvia's body, they sank away like stones tossed into the sea. They were broken down, absorbed, and finally turned into faint sparks that scattered along the heat sinks on Sylvia's back.
"Huh?" The Crimson Demon Clan man who had been so confident a moment ago froze. He frantically waved his staff, only to discover that the magical power in the air was being drained wildly by that monster. "My magic… my magic is gone?! Th-this makes no sense! I am a member of the Crimson Demon Clan!"
"Hahahaha! Useless! It's all useless!"
Sylvia let out a deafening laugh. The enormous microwave-like core in her chest was giving off a high-frequency hum.
"This is the Magic Killer! It was created as the natural enemy meant to end you magic users! All of your magic is my fuel now!"
Sylvia suddenly opened her huge metallic mouth. Deep in her throat, a terrifying orange-red light flickered.
"As thanks for that little fireworks show, please accept my… burning kiss!"
BOOM—!!
A massive torrent of flame, as if it could burn through space itself, blasted from Sylvia's mouth and instantly swallowed half the village.
The Crimson Demon Clan homes, which had been carefully built and plastered with all sorts of chuunibyou slogans, were devoured by the flames like they were made of paper.
"Waaah! My house! My cloak wasn't even dry yet!" The uncle who had been calm just moments ago clutched his head and started running around in panic.
"Help! Put out the fire! Somebody cast water magic… Wait, no, I can't gather any magic at all!"
Kōichi watched the once-exotic village instantly turn into a sea of flames. Even the lovely fence around Yunyun's house was reduced to ashes in the fire, leaving him completely numb.
"Kazuma… I think the biggest mistake we made earlier was not welding that door shut."
Kōichi wiped the soot from his face and watched Sylvia take heavy steps forward, crushing one building after another into rubble.
"Great. Crimson Demon Village is about to become Braised Crimson Village."
"Is this really the time for sarcastic remarks?!"
Kazuma Satou grabbed Kōichi by the collar and shook him wildly, pointing at the enormous steel Sylvia heading toward them.
"She's coming! The look in her eyes says she's going to swallow us alive! Kōichi! Think of something!"
Aqua knelt on the ground, sobbing as she used Sacred Create Water to try to put out the flames on herself.
"Waaah! My sparkling wine is still in Yunyun's house! That was my precious ration I saved up with so much effort! Sylvia, you pervert! I'll curse you! I'll curse all your core parts to rust!"
Just as Sylvia's huge steel foot was about to crush the fountain in the square, a dozen figures in red cloaks suddenly appeared in perfect unison on the surrounding rooftops.
Some had one hand on their hips. Others covered half their faces with one hand. Against the blazing flames, they looked especially heroic.
"Hmph. This farce ends here. To dare set fire to the territory of the Crimson Demon Clan… I assume you are prepared to be banished into the Void Abyss."
A man with an exaggerated handlebar mustache made a low declaration.
"Indeed! I am the Crimson Demon Clan's number one tailor, the one who commands scissors and destiny. Pupucchin!"
The woman beside him also struck an extremely twisted pose.
Kōichi looked at these villagers, who still insisted on introducing themselves at a time like this, and the corner of his eye twitched.
"Hey, Kazuma… don't you feel like even though reinforcements are here, the feeling that we're doomed has gotten even stronger?"
"Yeah, I get it. These guys' coolness is completely inversely proportional to how reliable they are."
Kazuma Satou dug his fingers into the stone tiles beneath him as he retorted.
Sylvia snorted coldly.
"You Crimson Demon Clan fools again, all talk and no substance! Come, offer all your magic to me!"
"Witness it! The Crimson Demon Clan's ultimate technique. Lightning Strike!"
The villagers shouted in unison, and countless violent bolts of lightning instantly converged, their sheer force seeming ready to tear the night sky apart.
However, the moment the lightning touched Sylvia's body, it was like plugging a fast charger into a dead phone.
"Wh-what?!" The mustached man, who had been full of presence a moment ago, stared at his completely drained staff as cold sweat instantly soaked through his cloak. "My magic… it really got sucked dry? There isn't even enough left to light a cigarette?"
The villagers, who had looked so imposing just moments ago, exchanged glances. The air filled with an atmosphere called awkwardness.
Just as Sylvia was about to swing her enormous steel fist down, the mustached man suddenly flung his cloak aside and regained his haughty, arrogant expression.
"Hmph… I must admit, you scrap heap do have some ability. In that case, we shall spare you for today! Remember, this is absolutely not a retreat. It is a strategic dimensional transfer carried out to protect our noble pride!"
"Exactly! Since you crave our magic so badly, then go waste away in emptiness by yourself! See you, perverted monster!"
Under the dumbfounded gazes of Kōichi, Kazuma, Aqua, and Sylvia herself, the dozen or so Crimson Demon Clan villagers activated teleportation magic in perfect unison.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white light passed, and the rooftops were instantly empty. Only a few fire-scorched roof tiles remained, rattling messily in the wind.
Sylvia froze in midair, as if her system had crashed.
She slowly turned her head toward Kōichi and the others, who were still standing there, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Hey… did they run away? They actually just ran away like that?! Aren't these people always bragging that they're the strongest race of magic users in the world?! What was that 'we'll spare you' line supposed to be?!"
Kōichi covered his face in pain. As a comrade of these people, his shame had already surpassed his fear of death.
"I'm sorry, Sylvia. I didn't think they could be this embarrassing either…"
Kōichi said weakly.
"This is the Crimson Demon Clan? This is the race I've always regarded as my sworn enemy?!"
Sylvia even felt a little wronged. In that moment, her revenge plan seemed utterly ridiculous.
"I went out of my way to transform myself into this hideous form just to deal with them, and they just teleported away?! What is this feeling, like I threw a punch and hit cotton?!"