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“Does just one Hero make the situation this favorable?”

Celcius shook his head in disbelief at Lucius’s power as he cleaved the Serpent in half with one swift motion.

“…I really can’t understand it.”

In a place devoid of others, Celcius watched the battlefield with hair flowing like waves of blue, appearing as a woman with her hair tied to the side.

“It’s the sword that pierced your heart. It’s the sword that completely shattered the future you desired. And yet, you still have something you want to achieve even using that sword?”

Celcius could not comprehend the existence known as Bel Phegor.

Even 500 years ago, it was the same, and now, after 500 years, meeting in a new form, it was no different.

“…Is it because she’s in a woman’s body?”

Though he didn’t know the details, he had heard that most ‘spirit’ races are heavily influenced by the physical body they possess.

The Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor, too, is fundamentally a spirit.

There are countless ways to refer to her—Possessed Spirit, Poltergeist, Banshee, Lich, and so on—but Bel Phegor essentially possesses a being and controls that body.

It’s often said that a healthy body harbors a healthy mind.

If interpreted slightly differently, it suggests that the state of the body impacts the state of the mind as well.

Whether it was intentional to be possessed in a woman’s body or for some other reason, one thing was clear that Celcius could certainly say.

“If you’ve decided to live as a woman this time…? No, if you’ve made up your mind to live as a woman from now on?”

For a possessing spirit, gender isn’t a particularly significant issue.

For the Demon Race, who can choose their gender, deciding one’s sexual identity is entirely up to the individual.

But still, is it normal for someone who has lived as a male in the Demon World for 500 years to suddenly be a woman as soon as they arrive in the Intermediate Realm?

And to resemble the woman who bore a child 500 years ago?

“…….”

Though her hair and eye color have changed, that’s solely for the sake of this battle.

Once the need is gone, she can revert back to her original colors—red.

“Bel…what on earth are you?”

Celcius doesn’t know Bel Phegor’s heart.

She is merely a nature spirit that has gained willpower, and no matter how much she wants to understand beings with reason and desires, it remained an elusive understanding.

“Still.”

One thing is certain.

“I will always be on your side, my Bel.”

Celcius stretched out a hand towards the woman with violet hair dashing across the battlefield and transformed his body.

“If you’ve decided to live your life as a woman, I will become a man and support you.”

Swoosh.

Celcius returned to his previous form.

Even Bel Phegor was startled; he looked similar to how Bel Phegor appeared in the Intermediate Realm.

From head to toe, his appearance was nearly identical to the Bel Phegor he had seen before, with less than 1% variance.

Even—

“…Huh.”

Celcius momentarily lowered his trousers.

Lowering the belt that was hoisted around his waist to rest on his hips wasn’t particularly stylish, but there were some pressing issues that couldn’t just be brushed aside.

“I wonder if one gets reprimanded for being caught up in their own stuff.”

Celcius placed a hand down for a moment, then composed himself with a calm smile.

“…I will never lose to a Hero wielding the Holy Wind Sword.”

Celcius extended his hand to the side.

A stream of water flowed from his hand, swiftly forming a sharp spear, and he dashed outside.

“This isn’t about helping the Hero. This is a strike meant to assist my Bel.”

Celcius drew back the spear and hurled it fiercely toward the battlefield.

“Three Piercing Fangs.”

Swoosh—!!

“Trident!”

A blizzard erupted.

*

“Whoa.”

Celcius stepped forward.

In an instant, the spear he threw carved through the sea waters, sending chills down his spine.

‘Is that the essence of the underwater city?’

Why does the technique name sound like that?

The thought made me unconsciously rein in the reins.

“Lucius. You are….”

“…….”

It’s all over.

Lucius gazed at Celcius, trembling with the Holy Sword.

“You’re not thinking that the name of that technique is cool, are you?”

“N-No, I’m not.”

“Ah, but you are.”

I shook myself back to reality and pulled on the reins once more.

The Sea Dragon began to swim in the direction I commanded.

…Even if the name of the technique was a bit off, it was clear that thanks to Celcius’s support fire, our room for maneuvering had greatly increased.

“I need to focus on developing techniques rather than teaching exercise and magic.”

“Uh, that is….”

“The name of the technique is important. Especially when wielding swords like the Holy Wind Sword or Ascalon. Just having a name for the technique allows people to unconsciously release mana.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Wise Punch!”

I thrust my fist forward.

“When it comes to ‘punch’ as a technique, how you thrust your fist is the same, whether it’s straight or swung. It’s all about the fist thrusting.”

“Are you saying that formalizing techniques by naming them makes them easier to subconsciously employ?”

“I can’t explain in detail during battle, but that’s the gist of it!”

Swoosh.

Attracted by the Wise Punch, the tentacles of a colossal octopus that resembled a Kraken swept toward us.

“I’ve taught you a few techniques, but in this situation, it’s a bit tricky?!”

“At the moment, yes.”

“Then I need to create the conditions. It is the Witch and Sage’s duty to create the stage where the Hero can unleash their full power, isn’t it?”

I patted the Sea Dragon’s back, halting its movements.

Then, I stood up in the saddle atop the Sea Dragon.

“Lucius. Hold on to my legs. I don’t want to be thrown into the ocean for no reason.”

“I understand.”

Lucius wrapped one hand around my legs.

With one hand gripping the Holy Sword, he couldn’t use both arms, but with one hand, he could grip firmly enough to embrace both my legs with one arm.

“Excuse me.”

“?!!”

I perched on Lucius’s shoulder.

While a man sitting there would have been immensely uncomfortable, it was probably not a significant issue since I was in a woman’s body.

‘There’s battle gear too.’

Leaning on Lucius’s shoulder made my posture a bit more stable.

I extended my hand forward and drew out mana.

“Locate.”

Now isn’t the time to seek out grand technique names.

What matters is the location of the Leviathan hiding somewhere.

‘Where are you?’

I spread out a wave of mana centered on me and Lucius.

The mana, bursting out like an ultrasonic wave, shook the entire battlefield in an instant, capturing the attention of all the sea waters towards me.

‘Delicious.’

While I don’t know about the Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor, a being with a soul far older than hundreds of years should have way more mana than this.

If it’s not the Demon King’s Army, no, even if it is, there are plenty that would rush to me disregarding the commands of the Leviathan.

And truly.

Kiiiaaaaah!!

Creatures closing in on us, jaws wide open, began to swarm from all directions.

“Lucius. Deploy the barrier.”

“Yes. Oh, wind!”

Lucius raised the Holy Sword high.

The hand holding my legs reached up, tightly gripping my thighs, allowing me to avoid embarrassing myself by toppling off the Sea Dragon.

‘Good instincts.’

He seemed to intuitively understand that if he spread the barrier using the Holy Sword to push back the sea waters, he would keep me from being thrown off.

I leaned against Lucius, entered his barrier, and scanned the surroundings.

Boom—!!

I was taken aback by the firepower comparable to the spear Celcius just launched.

The barrier created by Lucius’s blade wind immediately tore through the enemies baring their teeth towards us, and a powerful blizzard erupted around us.

The strong blade wind was so fierce that the enemies couldn’t approach us recklessly, as though they’d realized their appetizing mana scent was actually a trap to ensnare them.

Or perhaps….

“!!”

Found you.

The mana signal sent to the Leviathan’s Demon King’s Army pricked my senses.

At the end of the command cycle relayed like a spider’s web, there was….

“Lucius! Charge towards that Kraken!!”

I pointed at the largest creature on the battlefield, the Kraken.

“Lead the barrier and charge! Quickly!”

“Understood. Let’s go!”

Heehee—!!

The Sea Dragon swam forward as if there was no difference from the ocean, even in a vacuum state.

Probably realizing it was instinctively moving because of the Holy Sword’s influence, I prepared a spell while sitting on Lucius’s shoulder.

“Once the barrier hits the Kraken, throw me immediately! Got it?!”

“Master?!”

“It’s fine! Do you trust me?!”

“…Yes!”

Lucius bowed his body towards the front.

He hadn’t done it earlier, but now he thrust the Holy Sword into the reins I laid and pulled, adjusting our direction.

Boom—!!

As soon as the barrier made contact with the Kraken, the sound of shredding flesh echoed.

I tapped Lucius’s hand gripping my thigh, and Lucius instantly let go.

“I’ll handle the inside of the Demon King! You deal with the Demon King from the outside!”

“Yes?!”

“Details later! It’s a creature that needs to be attacked from both inside and out!!”

I thrust my mana, concentrated in my right hand, forward towards the barrier.

Wise Punch, Extreme.

Boom—!!!

I saw a massive chamber inside the Kraken.

I stepped forward to throw my body into the barrier.

“You fight that thing outside! I trust you!”

“…Yes!”

“Ah, before I go!”

I reached out to Lucius, grabbing hold of his head.

‘Oh, wind.’

“Master?!”

Lucius yelped in shock, and I pulled several strands of his hair toward my face.

“The Talisman of Victory.”

“……If that’s the case, I can use something else.”

“There’s no time. Prepare something next time.”

I tossed myself into the interior behind Lucius.

Instantly, Lucius was swept away with the barrier and the Sea Dragon, flying far into the ocean, and I found myself laughing at the vast space within what couldn’t be imagined as the inside of a Kraken.

“How absurd. Using a stuffed Kraken as a mobile fortress.”

“Who’d say that?”

The woman with blue hair, strikingly similar to Celcius, looked even more dangerous than she did.

“Hey, can I eat you after I catch you?”

“Hmm….”

The Leviathan summoned me here, and I responded to her call.

“I have many questions, but I can ask them after I catch you; it won’t be too late.”

Before we fully unleashed our power to fight, I had to say this.

“The red-finned shark can talk, huh?”

 

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