10-47. Mithril Plate (5)
Satou's here. I think surprise should only be allowed if it's a good thing. Nowadays, with all my power, I want to be spared from incidents.
◇
There is only one room in Area 66 of the upper layer.
It's a huge opens space where the summoning circle for the floormaster is located. It's spacious enough for me to dismantle five whales here, the ceiling is also high, reaching 100 meters.
Since the room is wide, you can see that it's flat but there are a lot of 2-3 meters big rocks scattered around besides on the center, so there's no problem with covers. I don't expect them to be able to become walls against the floormaster's attacks though.
"What should we do? Should I be the one who summons the floormaster?"
"It's alright! I'll do it!"
I suggested so since it was the most dangerous position, but Arisa whose eyes were glittering declined.
"I've confirmed with Seoru-san yesterday, it always can't move for 10 seconds after the summoning."
"I see, still, don't be careless and do it after you set up defense magic okay?"
"Un, I know. Sheesh, you're really a worrywart."
I warn Arisa while filling her portion of magic power that has been used to open the Gate.
Everyone takes up their battle position, keeping a bit of distance away from the vacated center lot. The floormaster's magic will be different depending on its type, so Mia's also positioned herself in the location where Nana and Lulu can protect her.
"Everyone! You've taken your position right! I'll begin!"
I transmit Arisa's voice with wind magic to everyone.
It's hard for voices to echo here since this room is too wide.
Arisa put the Magic Core that will become the trigger on the earthenware pot with strange designs located on the altar. According to the AR, it's a Holy Grail.
"I am the one who challenges the impossible! As someone with predestined length of life, I become the one who go against the god, the devil, and the law of the world! I erect this proof here and now in order to seek competition against the floor master! Carrying the three proofs, I will reach thou place soon! I am a challenger! O trial, appear here now!"
Responding to Arisa's chuunibyou-like summoning passage, red light is emitted from the summoning circle. When Arisa has finished chanting, light so intense it's hard to open your eyes run on top of the summoning circle.
And then, that guy appears as if welling up from the summoning circle.
◇
"Ah, excuse me. I've taken advantage of your summoning circle. The floor master should come soon, don't mind me and go challenge it."
An around 180-centimeter-tall gentleman has appeared on the summoning circle. He's wearing nicely tailored white three-piece suit and a white coat, holding a one meter tough stick on his hands which have matching white gloves on. With a silk hat on his armpit, he speaks to Arisa in friendly manner.
Arisa who's beside me grips my arm while trembling.
"Fumu, can you see it? I won't seal your mouth. The only ones I want to overthrow are the gods and their fanatics. Sorry, but I'm not fond of utterly obliterating gods' puppets for my self-satisfaction, so don't even think about challenging me okay?"
The dog-head demon lord with violet fur tells so as if he's pitying her.
Strangely enough, my Crisis Perception isn't reacting. He's probably serious about not wanting to interfere.
According to AR indicators, his skills are unknown unfortunately, but his level is the record high. Yet it's still not even half of my level, however, this guy's kind of class has attacks that can break through my defense magic, so everyone could be hurt if I don't interact with him carefully.
"De, demon lord."
With one hand, I support Arisa who's lost her balance from the shock. Right at that time my finger seemed to have caught on her veil, rolling it open a little, exposing her violet hair.
"Hou, no wonder you can see."
The demon lord who was going to leave saw Arisa's hair and turned back.
"O seed girl who has fragments hidden within you, I'll give you an advice."
--So Arisa really has god's fragments after all.
"Eventually you will arrive at the truth. However, do not ever despair. Whether you're reduced to a demon lord who lost your emotion and be defeated by the hero, or a demon lord with reason like me who chooses to fight against the world, it is decided by the strength of your heart. Although, it also depends on your choice whether you become a demon lord or avert your eyes from the truth and live on as a human."
Fumu, he's rational despite being a demon lord, or rather, he's saying some meddlesome advice. I didn't want Arisa to hear about this if possible.
I gave a signal with my hands toward Nana and the others behind.
"Be careful of the hero. That guy is the hound of Parion. Kukkukku, hound huh, a dog-head like me saying that is like a gag."
Receiving the signal, Nana and Lulu deploy overlapping physical and magic defense.
The content is "A powerful enemy has appeared, put importance on your life."
I speak to him in order to confirm several things.
"Can I ask you something?"
"I won't lend my ear to a baggage carrier manservant. If you want to talk with me, raise your level to this girl's."
The dog-head demon lord turns his view toward me for the first time. Come to think of it, the Exchange column should have my level at 34.
The demon lord who saw me looked puzzled, but then pondered as if he had noticed something. He puts his finger on his forehead, and then looks up to the sky with a 45-degree slant like a narcissist.
"Impersonating a human in a place like this, aren't you too whimsical?"
He spits out such words as if he's tired.
Don't tell me he saw through my level 310? Even so, saying me impersonating a human is cruel.
"Be moderate with your play. I have the important work of burning down the temples around the world from now on."
The temples--
The corpse of Sera from the time with the wild boar king is reflected on my mind like a flashback.
And then I saw the happy figures of the temple priests starting from the head miko.
--Burning them down?!
My body acts as soon as I heard those words.
I push Arisa to Nana behind with Flash Drive, and then using Flash Drive again, I get close to the demon lord and thrust a holy sword toward his throat. The sword stops after the tip's pierced through for a bit a thin plate that's appeared before his eyes.
I'm quick tempered if I do say so myself. I might have been influenced by the labyrinth city a little.
I saw the illusion of the demon lord killing Sera and the head miko after hearing the remark earlier. Those girls should not have any way to escape that fate if they're up against this guy.
"--you're something absurd like always. To pierce through the Absolute Physical Defense (Anti-Physical) that completely nulls physical attack like this."
"Sorry but I cannot approve your remark earlier."
Good grief, even though I thought that he was a demon lord that could coexist with us. I let my guard down since he ends his words normally.
Or rather, please stop speaking like you're my acquaintance. I don't have any dog-head demon lord acquaintance.
"Do you want to avoid the temples getting burned down?"
"That's right."
I'm thinking of ways to defeat the demon lord--no good, it's too cramped here, everyone will get rolled up. If I use magic with all my might, everyone won't get out unscathed with their current level and equipments.
"Let's go out for a bit."
I caught his coat, and teleported to a desert to the west of the labyrinth city.
Save for a rainy day. I'm glad that I've prepared a teleport point for experimenting with Lulu's smoothbore gun on the desert beforehand.
◇
I thought that the demon lord would resist the teleportation, but he surprisingly followed along obediently.
"Do you have any intention to retract your statement earlier?"
"None. That might as well be the meaning of my existence. I became a demon lord for the sake of destroying the wooden dolls of the gods' temples after all."
I tried to change his mind, but it was no use huh.
I slashed at him since I was heated just now, but if possible I'd have liked us to meet a common ground to talk.
However, judging from the demon's lord tone and behavior, it looks to be impossible.
"Fumu, I wonder how many times have I been killed by you with this? However, I'll bite back once in a while. Even I have pride as the Demon Lord Origin who had burned down temples around the world 20.000 years ago."
Has it already been decided that he'll lost from the beginning?
Apart from that, another important point is, "many times he has been killed." He probably will be revived in times even if I kill him. Sometimes ago, someone said to me that gods and demi-gods will be revived on their own even if they died. This guy must be in the domain of demi-god, no doubt about it. Thanks to that, he can fight without hesitation.
Nevertheless, the demon lord has been around since that long time ago even though the history of hero is only for 1300 years huh. I don't know how he knows that 20.000 years have passed, but that's trivial.
If I can't avoid fighting, I will fight with all my power.
If he's in the same class as the Golden Wild Boar King I've fought before, this shouldn't be too hard of a fight.
Without leisurely waiting for the signal to start, I take the preemptive attack with [Laser] magic.
I didn't use [Condense] magic to stack it this time. It wouldn't be a surprise attack if I used superfluous magic.
The bullseye magic that once roasted the Great Monstrous Fish (Tovukezeera) warped its trajectory like avoiding the demon lord's body and drilled through the desert, creating many hollowed lines.
Why did it miss?
"Have you forgotten? Before my unique skill 『Probability Fluctuation (Trickster)]』, magic and weapons of exact shooting type won't pass through."
This damn cheater. I understand Arisa's feeling a little. It should be called Cheat Skill instead of Unique Skill.
However, his misunderstanding seems to be still continuing on, he reveals his own unique skill which honestly helps.
It's quite an unfair skill, but it doesn't seem to be related to whether it's against a direct attack or an area attack. I was surprised that the laser trajectory was veered off, but I wonder if swinging the laser would work.
"Well then, allow me to fight you."
He picks his furs around his ears, and then scatters it by blowing it.
"--O my followers."
Those furs become violet-colored dogs which swoop down together.
Are you Sun Wu-Kong!
The indicator shows that the dogs running in the sky are level 50 Ghost Hounds. It seems they can use [Disintegrate] breath.
Since they have some troublesome-looking attack, I burn them all at once with [Fire Storm] magic before the dogs can spread out. Unlike [Furnace Flame (Forge)], this magic has extensive area of effect, so it's easy.
"You have crazy power like always. It doesn't look like the low ranked fire magic [Fire Circle] at all. You are worth fighting indeed."
No, no, Flame Storm is of intermediate rank!
--Hmm?
I noticed a slightly unpleasant thing while I was retorting the demon lord in my mind.
Is there someone who can make lower ranked fire magic to have the same power as my Fire Storm? If an existence like that exist, it's probably something akin to the Demon God.
While feeling tired, I change my objective from [Exterminating the Demon Lord] to [Gathering Information]. For the sake of everyone's safety and the sightseeing life from now on, I have to gather information from this guy.
Gathering information from someone I can't go easy on is like playing some impossibly hard game, but someone like this guy will probably chatter on his own.