When Alios's shout erupted, the surroundings fell silent. Red, who had been threatening, and the citizens threatened by her. Even I, the very person Alios called precious, shut my mouth.
A moment later.
"Were you raised on romance novels?" Red replied, sounding dumbfounded.
“You're the heir to a Duchy and the Hero! Are you really going to ignore all those responsibilities for one man?"
“I'm telling you I will."
“You've completely lost it since I last saw you!"
Even as Red shouted, Alios moved as if to prove she was serious. She took a charging thrust stance towards Red, a distinct aura rippling around her sword. It looked like she intended to stab her to death, regardless of the hostage.
“Hey, Alios!"
She can't be serious, right? I watched, thinking 'no way'.
“Damn it!"
Before Alios could move, Red hastily dropped the hostage. If the opponent doesn't care about the hostage, the hostage is just baggage. Discarding the encumbrance, she shot up into the sky.
Alios chased after Red, who leaped onto the rooftops. The two engaged in fierce combat, leaping between buildings.
When Alios charged at her, swinging her aura-clad sword, Red blocked with her arm. Normally, blocking an aura with an arm is impossible, but Red's arm had strangely transformed. Her arm was covered in thick scales, so the aura cut the scales instead of her flesh. Having defended the attack, Red transformed her other arm as well. She extended blade-like claws and swung. Alios quickly ducked to avoid it.
Even though only one side possessed the deadly weapon of aura, the fight was evenly matched.
Is that perhaps Red's demonic ability? In the original work, the lore stated that each demon had unique abilities. It seems transforming her body to fight is Red's specific power.
"L-Lord Ceres!"
While I observed the battle, soldiers approached me in confusion.
“What should we do? Shouldn't we help Lady Alios...?"
“It's impossible.” I stated flatly. "How can we intervene when they're fighting while leaping between buildings? Even I, who am much stronger than a normal human, can't. Sniping them with the soldiers' bows is also difficult."
“Soldiers, please focus on evacuating the people instead."
With the sudden appearance of the demon, chaos erupted. People fleeing hastily, others still unable to grasp the situation and staring blankly at the fight, etc. While directing the soldiers to evacuate them.
“Huhu, fleeing like a pack of rats!”
Red laughed ominously upon spotting the evacuating people.
“Did you think I'd let you go?"
Something erupted from Red's body. Descending to the ground, they looked like large, winged threadworms! Dozens of these grotesque things swarmed the people trying to escape. I was startled, thinking they were all dead, but the truly surprising thing happened next.
Those whose bodies the worms had burrowed into suddenly looked towards me and charged like madmen.
“Ceres!"
Alios, who had been ignoring it as it wasn't an attack directed at her, was horrified when this unexpected situation unfolded.
“Haha, I know your weakness is that guy!" Red laughed triumphantly; the worms seemed to be a type of parasite capable of controlling others. They even amplified physical abilities.
The soldiers tried to protect me from the controlled individuals but were helplessly pushed back. Seeing this, Alios tried to help me, which exposed an opening that Red aimed for. Amidst the commotion, I talkly approached the controlled individuals.
The moment one tried to grab me, I caught their outstretched arm. Using the momentum of their lunge against them, I threw them over my shoulder.
"Huh?" came from Red.
"Uh." from Alios.
I heard Red and Alios make bewildered sounds. Ignoring them, I took my next action. I tripped another one, blocking the path. As the dozens coming from the front hesitated, I slipped into their blind spot. Before the enemies could regroup, I attacked from the side, primarily using low kicks to trip and subdue them.
And just in case, I infused divine power into those I subdued; they struggled for a moment, then became quiet. They had only lost consciousness, were alive and unharmed. Did the worms perhaps dissolve in the divine power?
Anyway, as I resolved the crisis, an astonished voice came from Red.
“Wasn't that guy sick? The sickly beauty!"
I'm cured! And stronger. If I hadn't gained superhuman physical abilities, no amount of skill could have overcome dozens of enhanced individuals.
“Sorry, but targeting me probably isn't a good idea."
"How dare this cripple... You should have just stayed a cripple and gotten caught, why are you acting up!"
What did she say? Flabbergasted, I retorted.
“Hey, extra!"
“ ・ ・ ・Did you just call me an extra?"
Yeah, someone like you wasn't even named in the original work. No battles shown, just mentioned as 'that demon'. If that's not an extra, what is?
"You arrogant brat! Don't get too cocky just because Alios is keeping you alive.”
"And you? Don't act up when you're only alive thanks to me."
"What?"
“You might not know it, but you're alive right now because of me.”
It wasn't intentional, but that's how it turned out. But Red, unaware of the backstory, just looked bewildered.
“What are you talking about?"
"Just know that what he said is true," Alios interjected, backing me up.
“Aargh!"
While Red was distracted by me, Alios landed a critical blow. Red, slashed deeply from chest to side, ground her teeth.
“You brats, so you planned to confuse me with nonsense!"
That wasn't really the plan, but given the situation, it seems she completely misunderstood.
"Uwaaaah!"
Thinking she'd been tricked into taking a hit, Red lost it and transformed into a horrific shape. One arm turned into a giant, multi-tailed whip, and the other became a massive head. Unable to move nimbly in that state, the creature descended to the ground. She opened the mouth of the arm that had become like an eyeless serpent and aimed it at me.
"Damn!" Alios flinched and stepped in front of me.
“Be careful! That's the attack that injured my subordinates back then."
The attack that would have wounded her arm like in the original if it hit?
"It looks like she's charging it longer than last time to fire."
Alios broke into a cold sweat watching Red stalling instead of attacking immediately. I wondered if we couldn't just dodge while she was stalling, but...
“If you dodge, those guys you subdued will get hit." With Red saying that, it was hard to flee. She swung her whip-arm around, preventing anyone from getting close or interfering.
“Ceres, let's just dodge."
“Wait." I stopped Alios, who was about to grab just me and run, regardless of the others.
A good idea just occurred to me. Perhaps because she's a demon, that creature seems vulnerable to divine power. She couldn't withstand my divine power and revealed herself, and the worms she created couldn't endure it either. Come to think of it, wasn't there a scene in the original work where the original Ceres drove away a demon with divine power? If so, maybe I can use divine power offensively, at least against this particular creature.
"Ceres, what's that stance?"
“Kamehame—...”
“Huh?”
“No, Divine God Buster!"
I started shouting a technique name people here wouldn't know, then thought better of it and changed it. As I shouted the cool-sounding name I'd just made up, divine power erupted from both my hands like pillars. It swept over Red, who was just about to spew flames from the serpent head's mouth.
“Guaaargh!"
The technique she was casting vanished, and she screamed as her whole body seemed to melt.
Struck by the divine power I emitted, Red was in a terrible state, looking like she had suffered full-body burns.
“I-I won't let you get away with this!" Her words were strong, but her actions were the opposite. She sprouted wings from her back, rose into the air, and tried to flee.
“The moment my wounds heal, I'll be back! Especially you, Ceres Whiperion! I won't just kill you; I'll thoroughly violate you, then devour your entire body!"
“Good grief! The extra keeps barking nonsense?"
“You bastard, I really won't let this go~!" Red fled, spitting furious lines.
And then,
"Th-the demon is gone!"
“The Hero Alios and Saint Ceres have defeated the demon!"
Cheers erupted.
“Amazing!"
“Not only can he cure diseases, but he even defeated a demon!"
Technically, she came because of us, but people focused on the fact that a demon was defeated. Even as I resumed healing, this was all anyone talked about.
"I was so surprised when the hostage was taken earlier, but you had a plan all along, Lady Alios."
“Who knew the demon would release the hostage when she said she didn't care if they died?"
“It was all a bluff to trick the demon!"
They conveniently misinterpreted what could have become a huge diplomatic incident.
News quickly reached the Queen of Arsen as well.
“To think a demon appeared... Then the plague must have been spread by that creature.”
“I don't think so..." I muttered.
“It's terrifying just imagining what might have happened if you two hadn't been here.”
“Technically, it's our fault...." I muttered again.
“The valiant Hero and the beautiful Saint joining forces to defeat a demon... It's like a scene from a legend! I shall immediately hold a grand party in your honor!"
Even when I tried to correct the misunderstanding, the Queen of Arsen was too excited to listen.
“Ceres, everyone is praising you."
I looked wryly at Alios, who was smiling alone as if it had nothing to do with her.
This is the last registered chapter.
Today's Popular Works
is a TS Story
Turned Dark.
NPC in a Failed Game... Salnok
Only I Can't Use Magic... Pado Baram
Magic Love Love... Dooyoo Highball
Hard Mode Ex... S Iverat Con
Greatest in History... Park Yeonjin
Big Shots in the Game... Panso ga Joa