Chapter 118
“The Rebel of the Black Sky”
Decisive Battle at the Demon King’s Castle (Part ②)
The sky above the Demon King’s Castle split apart.
As if someone had torn a sheet of black cloth with their bare hands.
Wrinkles ran across a single point in the heavens, and from there a dark red rift spread outward.
The Grand Throne Hall of the Demon King—its ceiling was impossibly high, directly connected to the laws of the sky itself.
In other words, it was a structure that could become a focal point for spatial transfer.
And now, there were those who had descended by forcibly shattering that very principle.
The rebels.
Not mere foot soldiers, but executive-class members capable of wielding forbidden spells—along with their elite subordinates.
With a roar that tore through the air, a man clad in a crimson mantle stepped forward at the vanguard.
“So we were lucky enough to gain entry to this castle.
…To think the Demon King, his daughter, and her teacher would all be gathered here.”
“You’re the ones nicely gathered together.
Saves us the trouble,” Kai replied casually.
Kai smoothly raised his Rite Hand.
At the fingertips of his left hand—the palm of the 《Fist of Law》—a faintly glowing magic formula shimmered into view.
That hand was no longer just a prosthetic.
A fist launched while drawing spell formations—
In other words, a condensed mass of law itself.
“But, you see…”
Kai narrowed his eyes.
Behind him, Lilisia and Rutia each began to raise their own powers.
And then—
The sky split open once more.
◆◇◆
From the opposite direction.
To the right of the Demon King’s throne, between the towering pillars, a streak of silvery-white light surged forward.
“—T-Transfer!?”
Before Lilisia could even turn around, silhouettes burst forth from the light one after another.
“Passage—open!”
“Yesssss!!”
“Brother! This air is unmistakably the Demon Realm!”
“Sure is, little brother!”
“Shadows, deploying.”
“Where’s Professor Kai—there! Professor, we’ve got your back!”
—The Cross Group.
Eighteen demon-born members of the escort unit.
All of them had been transferred here via the Demon King’s spatial magic.
And with Gorm joining them, nineteen in total.
Gorm took position behind Lilisia.
Shield raised, his steel-like gaze fixed forward.
“The presence of enemies… so it was here after all.
The weight of this castle has changed.
—These ones are the cause.”
Zeil emerged from the shadows and knelt beside the Demon King.
“It has been some time, Your Majesty.
We are the shadows of Lady Lilisia, and students of the academy.
…May we have permission to eliminate the enemy?”
The Demon King nodded.
“Very well.
If my daughter’s teacher commands them, I shall not interfere.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kai said, stepping forward naturally.
“Cross Group, from here on it’s live combat.
—Demon Realm defense battle, begin!!”
◆◇◆
The rebel spellcasters hesitated.
More enemies than expected.
A more complex composition than expected.
And worse still—the demonkin, who were supposed to be allies, were moving under the orders of a human teacher.
“What the hell are these guys…!?
Demonkin showing this level of loyalty to a human—”
“It ain’t loyalty,” Gorm said calmly.
“We’re just following law.
Can’t say I understand your kind of law, though.”
The next instant, battle erupted.
◆◇◆
Zeil and Kasa worked in tandem to blind the enemy vanguard.
Then the twin brothers, Kill and Karl, crossed blades and charged.
“Brother!”
“Little brother!”
“Yeah!”
Meryl dashed forward, spilling tea as she ran, poison smoke and sleep vials in hand.
“Let’s start with some confusion—try this itchy powder!”
Lilisia layered three concentric rings of wind to support them, constructing a defensive perimeter.
“I’ll hold them here…
Wind, become a circle of protection!”
Meanwhile, Kai fixed his gaze on a single man at the front line.
A clear heavy-hitter—overflowing with magical power.
A rebel Spell-Transcription User.
“That’s it…
You’re the core.”
The Rite Hand moved.
—Glowing with light, the fingers launched from the wrist.
“Rocket—PUNCH!!”
Rocket Punch activated.
For some reason, Kai wore an extremely satisfied expression.
Seeing this, Rutia and Lilisia exchanged troubled glances.
The spell formation was already deployed on the palm.
As it flew, the formula traced mathematical trajectories through the air, unfolding above the target.
“Deployment formula—activate!”
《Rite Formula: Plane Detonation》
Upon impact, the formula formed a “plane,” forcibly reversing the target’s magical flow.
The spell-transcription user froze.
“W-What…?
My spell is… flowing backward—”
The next moment, it was the man’s own magic formula that detonated.
The explosion tore a hole straight through the rebel formation.
Lilisia and Rutia muttered at the same time, stunned.
“…Amazing.”
“…But honestly, dear husband, that was a bit much.”
“Hey, don’t say it like that.”
◆◇◆
The Demon King watched silently.
His daughter.
Those who sought to protect her.
And at their center, an outsider wielding law itself.
As that man tore straight through the rebels lurking in the darkness—
“…So that is the law of humans.”
A faint smile crossed his lips.
The battle had only just begun.
