Chapter 13 - Demon Beast

-Narrator-

Four of the Royal Captains from Zephyrine Kingdom lead the Army back to the Royal Palace. Behind them were the Captains of the Mercenary Corporation that lead their own forces and secured King Tyreon from the rear guard.

Together, they marched to the Gates and prepared to subdue the evil General and his minions.

[Everyone, we're almost there. Prepare yourselves!] (Eliot)

[OOOHHHH!] (Royal Knights)

They entered the Capital City.

And in order to keep the citizens in check, the Captains announced the sudden Hero Ceremony that the King decided to hold in Ilram Town, without the details about the coup d'etat.

In addition, the King himself publicly told everyone that his sudden journey to Ilram to hold this ceremony was nothing but a whim.

The citizens already found it strange when General Lawrence sent a large amount of fighting force out of nowhere, without explanation.

They need to make excuses to prevent city-wide panic or the public order may collapse unnecessarily.

...

Earlier that day, the Sir Hans explained the whole plan to Sir Wesley and Sir Iscaro.

[Oh... I see. Not only the casualties were kept at minimum, we even got defeated in a flash and got one of the traitors, Sir Nostro, killed. That Ace William's party really is something...] (Wesley)

[Yeah. If it's them, I have a feeling that they can do it.] (Hans)

[I beg to differ...] (Iscaro)

The silent Captain, Sir Iscaro, opened his mouth with slight wavering.

[W-What do you mean, Sir Iscaro?] (Hans)

[Ehhh... For Sir Iscaro to actually speak this intently...] (Eliot)

[Before heading to this battle, I noticed some unfamiliar marks engraved behind the general's neck... If my hunch is right, then those Heroes...] (Iscaro)

Thinking deeply with while pinching his chin; Sir Iscaro's expression had a bit of worry...

The massive Royal Army finally reach the perimeters of the Royal Palace.

A lot of them, along with some Captains from the Mercenary Corporation were, sent around the area to secure every possible escape route.

[We're here! We will now open the gates! Everyone, we've successfully stopped the coup d'etat! We shall taste complete victory once we regain control of the Royal Palace and assure General Lawrence, Captain Bernard, Captain Dred, Captain Nostro and every treacherous Royal Knights' defeat altogether. All Hail King Tyreon!] (Wesley)

[All Hail King Tyreon!!!] (Royal Knights)

There was no one watching over the gates, so two Royal Knights went inside the secret passage to open the gates from the inside.

Somehow, it felt strange for someone as cautious and cunning like General Lawrence to not have at least a couple of Knights guard the Gate.

A powerful Illusion Magic was cast around the Royal Palace which prevents ordinary citizens to perceive or hear anything inside.

Apart from the Royal Court Mage, who was away, Sir Eliot and Sir Iscaro can both activate and deactivate this Spell on the King's command.

[Cancel-] (Eliot)

The barrier suddenly became visible as it quickly dispersed downwards.

[ROOOOOAAAAARRR!!!] (???)

*C-CREEEEEK*

The barricade and drawbridge slowly lowered for them to enter...

But, when the Iron Gate opened...

...

[[Wha-!]] (Hans and Eliot)

...

An unsightly and dreadful reality was slowly revealed.

Their faces suddenly became cramped, conquered with concern... and fear.

[Ace-dono! Zero-dono! Iris-dono!!!] (Hans)

...

The three newly announced heroes that were sent to eliminate the evil General Lawrence were witnessed lying on the ground full of wounds and injuries.

In front of them was a rampaging demonic beast which was seemed to lose control of itself.

It continuously slaughtered every being it could see...

Although the Royal Palace was undermanned due to the sudden pseudo-war, there were still a mountain of corpses lying on the front yard, visible even from outside the Royal Palace.

They were the corpses of Royal Knights.

One of them belonging to that of Sir Dred.

Just some meters across the massive lump of lifeless flesh and blood-dyed metal armor were the three Orichalcum-Ranked Heroes sent to eliminate the general.

[*Coughs Blood* Y-You're Majesty... Welcome back... A-As you can see... i-it seems like... we lost...] (Ace)

...

2 HOURS EARLIER

ZERO'S POV

Phew. It's really convenient that clothes are affected by Healing if they are infused with Magic.

As long as they're not in pieces, that is.

Anyway, we need to help Ace.

I initially planned to be the one to assassinate Lawrence, but I'm not confident enough to actually pull it off.

Thankfully, Ace agreed.

I was really shaken when I killed that bastard Bernard so I might hesitate and fuck up the killing blow if I do the assassination.

Well, there's that, but it's mostly because I'm lacking in lethality despite being an Assassin.

I haven't practiced my Legendary Skill, Crimson Edge, although it might have the strength to kill a healthy Adamantium-Ranked person in one shot.

Ace, on the other hand had overwhelming strength.

But the downside of him doing it is the low chance of actually finishing him off on the first strike as well, because he lack the element of surprise.

It was a risky dilemma.

And now, we can hear them battling on the front yard.

[Iris, let's hurry! As far as I know, Ace can't beat the general the way he is now... As the Kingdom's general, he should be at least as strong as an Adamantium Ranked Hero... Ace won't last long before he gets killed by him...] (Zero)

[Heh?! We can't let that happen!] (Iris)

We ran through the hallways as fast we could so we can help Ace.

To put it down simply, the Main Characters which were played by Iris and Ace have the same amount of power and strength as they had in the original series.

So, the problem relies on the enemies themselves.

This world is almost identical to it, except, the enemies were somewhat... "Enhanced".

Also, unlike in the original series, those Lizardmen were removed of their sentience and became "Depraved".

That's basically the main reason why my body didn't react unpleasantly when I killed them besides the fact that they're not humans.

They also gained the status of "Demonic" as stated in our Guild Card.

And that weird 'Miasma' as well...

Urgh! I can't perceive the truths about these events for now... but someday, I'll surely know.

We reached the end of the hallway, passed through the main staircase.

We exited the building and arrived at the front yard.

[What power...] (Iris)

Everything was in pieces.

The fountain, plants, statues.

Even the walls were cracked...

[Ace!] (Zero)

[Ace! Are you alright?!] (Iris)

[Hmm, so you weren't alone, after all.] (Lawrence)

The general was wounded. His uniform was shredded by Ace's power... but...

[Ace! I'll heal you now, okay? Keep it together!] (Iris)

We arrived and Ace was severely injured.

Alone, he was no match for him...

This is really alarming...

If what I'm thinking is really true, then the abilities of what we could judge as good characters are the same while the abilities of the bad ones are stronger...

If that would be the case, then subduing the Demon Lord will be a lot tougher...

[Hoho...? You've got a pretty young lady over there.] (Lawrence)

[Tch. Another bastard.] (Iris)

[What beauty! Hey, young lady, would like to be one of my women? We'll have lots of fun... Ehehe~...] (Lawrence)

[In your dreams, you creep...!] (Ace)

Sigh... I guess those kinds of perverted remarks are a staple in worlds like these...

My faith in humanity is, which was already rock-bottom, suddenly went down even more.

How ironic since I am a servant of a goddess.

Ace was slowly recovering form Iris' healing.

This bastard Lawrence...

In the Anime, he asked the same thing to both Iris and Melany.

These guys need to keep their libido in check.

[Ace, let's teach him a nice lesson, shall we?] (Zero)

[Yeah. We'll pound his ass to the ground. Iris, can you cover us?] (Ace)

[You can count on me...] (Iris)

[Alright! Let's do this!] (Ace/Zero)

The three of us went to our positions.

I can clearly sense that his strength surpasses that of a normal Adamantium-Ranked Hero.

We have to be extra careful.

Even with Iris' Healing Magic, it would be no good if we get injured one after another since the healing takes a considerable amount of time, even with Iris' Instant Invocation.

We should also utilize her offensive Magic to its fullest.

[General!] (???)

Shit!

He's here...

Damn, this will make the fight exceedingly harder.

It's Sir Dred.

He's in the same league as Bernard who's comparable to us; Orichalcum-Ranked Heroes.

[Oh, Dred. You're finally here. I suppose you're done having fun at the prison?]

[Well, I happen to fight some of Calypso's forces down there, but I managed to defeat most of them. They ran away with their tails between their legs.] (Dred)

[Calypso, eh? Well, anyway, where's Bernard?] (Lawrence)

[T-That... Actually, I have seen his corpse by the hallway on the second floor. He was stabbed in the heart.] (Dred)

[Oh... So he's hit the bucket, then. Very well done, new Heroes. Sir Dred, don't bother with this fight. This is mine. Just sit there and enjoy the spectacle.] (Lawrence)

[It's on!] (Ace)

He won't fight? No, I can't let my guard down.

Lawrence brandished his long sword, getting ready to fight us at the same time.

The three of us took one deep breath...

*Fwooosh*

Ace and I and charged forward at maximum speed.

He slashed in front while I arrived at the back.

Ace's slash got parried.

I tried to slash his nape but he dodged it by ducking.

I noticed something...

[Is that...? -GAH-!] (Zero)

I got hit by his elbow.

Shit. I was distracted for a split second.

[Zero!] (Ace)

Ace called out to me out of worry and tried to slash again.

But he was kicked in the gut and flew away.

[Javelin of Light and Darkness!] (Iris)

Out of nowhere, Iris hurled hundreds of Magic Spears made from both Light and Dark Magic at the same time.

[Oh? What a capable young lady, I like it.] (Lawrence)

Lawrence, then, blocked the spears with his sword.

As expected, it's a Magic Sword.

[Heh. Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not interested in old men who's the same age as my dad! Blinding Ray!] (Iris)

[Gah! What?! My eyes!] (Lawrence)

[Ace, Zero, now!] (Iris)

[Ethereal Slash!] (Ace)

[Kaaah-!] (Lawrence)

The General got his chest slashed by Ace's attack.

[You bastards!] (Lawrence)

He swung his sword blindly.

Ace crouched while I jumped on top of it.

Alright, time to test something out.

[Mid-air Slice and Dice!] (Zero)

[Aaah!] (Lawrence)

Five subsequent slashed cut his flesh from different sides, but none of them were deep enough to be called fatal.

Damn, this guy's tough.

His Regeneration and Resistances must be ridiculously strong.

[Graah! Calamitous!] (Lawrence)

A second Legendary Skill?!

I knew Lawrence had one, but not that!

He slashed his sword on the ground and the whole place trembled.

I managed to get away, but Ace, being in front of him, got hit by the tremendous shockwave.

Adding oil to the fire, his vision came back.

He looked at Ace who was attempting to get up and suddenly dashed at him with great speed.

[Gust!] (Iris)

[Ugh-!] (Lawrence)

The powerful Wind Magic blew off Lawrence's momentum, but he charged again.

I can see the strange mark on his neck glowing black...

I see.

This is bad. Really bad.

[Quicksand!] (Iris)

Lawrence's balance was put off.

[Stone Grip!] (Iris)

Then, his legs were restrained.

[Water Jet, Fireball!] (Iris)

Firing those two spells in succession, Lawrence had no choice but to block it with his Magic Sword.

But, that's what Iris wanted.

Calculating the speed, the two spells came in contact with each other upon reaching Lawrence, exploding and turning into steam in the process.

Deprived of his vision once again, Lawrence was in a slight panic.

[Oraaa!] (Ace)

Ace swung his sword sideways but Lawrence blocked it with his bracer.

Relying on his instinct, he grabbed in Ace's neck with his left hand.

I can see what's happening even with the smoke for some reason.

It's like my eyes are enhanced.

Light Magic?

I wonder if my Servant Status under Lichtia-sama is the reason.

Seeing Ace in danger, I used Furtive Dash to close in and slice Lawrence's hamstring.

I knew he could sense me so hitting somewhere higher like his nape or head would be dodged by ducking.

I made him kneel due to my strike so he stabbed his sword on the ground to support himself.

Ace, instead of trying to let himself go from Lawrence's grasp, coiled his body around his left arm.

Noticing that, I strike his right wrist to make him let go of his sword.

Then, I locked his right arm behind him.

I ducked knowing what's about to happen next.

The smoke was suddenly blown off with Iris' Breeze Blow then an Aqua Cutter came flying after it.

*Puchii*

Lawrence's neck got hit and blood sprayed everywhere, but he tilted his neck in time to avoid total decapitation.

He should be way past his limits now. He's about to use his other Legendary Skill.

[*Pant* *Pant* J-J... Jor... Jormungand!!!] (Lawrence)

Jormungand is a steroid-type Legendary Skill, and a very strong one at that.

He's basically a war machine in the next few minutes, which is very bad for us...

And now, there it is.

Both Ace and I are trying our best to endure the guy's increasing strength.

One more decisive strike, Iris...

Eh...?

Fuck...

I look at Iris... and just as the two of us are running out of energy, she ran out of Mana.

She needs to rest... But...

[Graaahhh!!!] (Lawrence)

Shit!

Lawrence threw the two of us with immense force.

We landed on our backs near Iris.

[*Cough* Iris! Are you alright?! You hit your limit, rest for a while!] (Zero)

[Ow, ow. Iris, create a protective dome like last time. Since Sir Dred might attack you! We'll handle it from here!] (Ace)

[O-Okay...] (Iris)

I should've noticed it.

That was why Iris was refraining from using any Legendary Skills herself.

Every Elemental Legendary Skill requires a ridiculous amount of Mana, even for a Mage with high capacity.

Also, her Ignition Blast, Tidal Wave, Fissure, Cyclone and Disintegration Beam will inevitably cause some unwanted collateral damage since those are city-wide offensive Spells, which Iris knew.

After hurling her Spells for cover, along with healing us earlier, there's no way she won't be exhausted even with how strong her Mana Regeneration is.

Dred is currently sitting on a balcony, watching the entire fight.

Although he is injured, probably because of his fight with the guys of Calypso, he still poses a significant amount of threat.

[Ahhhh!!!] (Zero/Ace)

Our fight continued.

Lawrence became faster and stronger to the extreme.

Upon each blow, each exchange Ace and I would be put at a disadvantage.

But our coordination is unrivaled.

After some time, with the help of our Adrenaline Rush Skill, we got used to our movements and his movements, respectively.

Ace and I also noticed something; although is strikes are getting stronger each time, they're also getting wilder and sluggish, which makes them easier to evade.

Well, I have realized it already.

That mark of his, that's what's causing this abnormal development.

Slowly but surely, he'll be the same as those Lizardmen.

I didn't see any marks from them, but one logical explanation is the mark disappearing once the 'transformation' is complete.

[Somehow or someway, he's getting more and more like those Lizardmen.] (Ace)

He's realizing it as well.

His perception is really amazing in the battlefield!

Nothing less from Ace.

[Yeah. Let's chip away at him while recovering our Mana. You know what to do once we have enough, right?] (Zero)

[Hell yeah, I do!] (Ace)

The two of us charged at the General who was breathing really heavily.

His skin was starting to change in color.

His teeth started to change in shape and his muscle started to change in size.

There's no doubt, he's beginning to transform into a Demon Beast...

One that even I'm not sure if we could defeat...