Multi-hued to start with

"You plan on throwing the match…or not? Fine, this is a battle where you are putting your everything on the line, so I won't say anything." (Purple)

The Purple Demon Lord picks up the piece that has been set to fight. They all looked like the same devil piece, but now that I look closely, there's a black spot at a part of the piece.

The devil piece that she picked up has the horn of a different color.

And then, she threw the piece towards the plaza.

A single shadow showed up in the plaza where the pawn was thrown into.

And then, a single Great Devil dressed sharply took shape and grabbed the thrown piece.

"Horn of Burning, Fafilmuzekusho, is here."

What stood out within that human appearance were the two giant goat-like horns growing out from his head.

They are the size of an arm, and are black and sinister.

"I will tell you this as a criteria for when you withdraw. I have undone all the restrictions from everyone's Pawn Mask, okay? I have gone a step beyond for Dyuvuleori. I have also tinkered a few of them a tiny bit too, got it?" (Purple)

"I see, thanks for that."

Basically, there's the possibility the Great Devils that will be fighting from here on have even higher specs than the ones until now.

Judging from what she said, a number of them are further above. They are most likely below Lord Ragudo, but that also means that they will have a hard time unless they are Lord Ragudo.

Mix is already winding her arms and seems to be completely ready.

"Mix, you have heard about him, right?"

"Of course. I heard about him from Ekdo-dono-desu zo!" (Mix)

"There's no need to get a perfect victory in this battle. The opponent has 8 pieces in total. If we get rid of 5 of them, the Purple Demon Lord will be coming out to the front. If we get there, we have a chance of winning without fighting."

"Right. And so, what do you plan on making me do, Mister Friend?" (Mix)

"I won't tell you that you must definitely win. I would like you to act in a way so that, even if you lose, we can make use of it in future rounds."

The preliminary condition for victory is to win five rounds. That's the bare minimum condition.

In other words, it is not like we won't be able to avoid Dyuvuleori who is on the same level as Lord Ragudo and the other Great Devils she tinkered with.

If it is within the strengthening sphere of the Pawn Mask, there's still a chance for victory.

"Mumuh, I get it, but those are not words you should be saying to someone heading off for battle." (Mix)

"If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to face Marito. Also, I would be hurt by that."

"I am happy to hear that, but…I was expecting something more, you know…" (Mix)

I smack both shoulders of Mix with energy and tell her…

"Please win for my sake! Go get 'em!"

"Y-Yes sir!" (Mix)

Mix headed to the center of the plaza.

I moved away from the table and headed to the side of Ekdoik.

"If I remember correctly, that Great Devil can shoot high speed lightning magic through his horns, right?"

"Yeah, a user of a wide array of lightning spells that can turn the surroundings into scorched earth in an instant. But what were you trying to pull off with the positioning of your pieces just now?" (Ekdoik)

"Just watch and you will understand."

"I see." (Ekdoik)

The fact that he just accepts it with this makes him a lot easier to handle than Ilias which is relaxing.

Just when I was thinking this, Ilias looked at me with quite the stink eye. I feel like she would bite me if I were to get close to her.

"Right, I will give you this." (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik said and gave me glasses… Glasses?

"What's this?"

"It is what you pushed onto me the other time in the magic research lab, right? I finished the last adjustments." (Ekdoik)

"Aah, that, huh."

It is an artifact-like thing that was developed as part of the magic research.

If I had to give it a name, it would be: the Superhuman Glasses. It is just as the name states, glasses with mana imbued in them that will drastically increase your dynamic vision.

The people in Taizu have high dynamic vision because of their all-encompassing mana strengthening, but I have been doing trial and error in order to replicate that somehow.

The theory in itself had no issues, but the minute adjustments were apparently difficult to pull off for Nora and Ruko who don't have battle experience, so I threw the job to Ekdoik who excels in the control of mana.

"Can I test it out?"

"Go ahead." (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik swings around chains of decent length as if he were drawing circles.

I confirmed that I couldn't follow the chains with my eyes, closed them, put the glasses on while they were still closed, and opened them.

When I did, I could clearly follow the movements of the chains with my eyes. The more I concentrated, the slower the chains felt like they moved, and when I concentrated strongly, I could even see clearly the shape of the chains.

With this, I might even be able to grab it—ah, no good. Only the feel of my eyesight has been accelerated, so my body is barely moving here.

I can't move my mouth properly either. When I close my eyes, the sensation of my body returns to normal, so I take off the glasses just like that.

"You could say this is impressive, but it can't be used in actual combat."

"Figures." (Ekdoik)

"But even an ordinary person could watch your battles well with this."

When it gets to this level, I can't tell what's happening at all. I would most likely be too late in my order to withdraw.

—I don't want something to happen that would make me grateful about having made it in time though.

"Now then, both sides, take your stances."

The one that will be giving the signal to start between the two who are standing 10 meters apart from each other is Dyuvuleori.

Mix has knives equipped in both hands. As for Fafilmuzekusho, he had both hands in his pockets.

That's a pretty impudent stance, but if he is shooting out lightning from the horns of his head, he doesn't need his hands, huh.

I also equip my Superhuman Glasses again, drop my concentration as much as possible before the battle begins, and once I see a movement, let's concentrate.

"…Begin!!" (Dyuvuleori)

The moment the go was given, Mix threw one of the knives. She then moved a hand to her back as she did and got a new knife.

The thrown dagger flew straight at Fafilmuzekusho, but the moment the black horns shone dazzlingly, the knife was repelled and dropped in the surroundings.

I was watching with a good deal of concentration, but I could barely see the lightning. Of course I wouldn't be able to see the speed of light even if I were to enhance my dynamic vision, huh.

"That attack was so low I almost yawned." (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Fumu, then how about this?!" (Mix)

This time she threw two knives. There's a slight delay in between.

Fafilmuzekusho didn't change his expression one bit as he repelled both of the knives.

But the moment I recognized this, I saw a third knife approaching Fafilmuzekusho.

She must have thrown that one after the first knife was shot down.

Everyone missed that one because of the light of the lightning. It was quite the deft technique.

"Such pointless tricke—-hm?!" (Fafilmuzekusho)

The horns shone for an instant, but Fafilmuzekusho suddenly raised his arm and took the knife with his arm.

The knife stabbed onto his arm and there was faint blood flowing out from there.

I could see the angered face of Fafilmuzekusho when he lowered the arm he used to defend.

Why did he not use lightning magic just now?

"Oh, it seems like you have learned manners and used your hands." (Mix)

"…A magic seal stone, huh." (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Correct." (Mix)

Fafilmuzekusho glared at the knife lodged on his arm, took it out while scattering blood, and threw it away.

The blade of the knife has a hook, so it seems like the meat was shaved away slightly when he took it out.

When I followed that knife with my eyes, there was certainly a magic seal stone embedded in it instead of gems for decoration.

If it is one of that size, it should be able to erase the magic of things around 2 meters of it.

There's blood trickling down his arm.

"Looks painful." (Mix)

"Mere child's play." (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Then, let's increase the numbers!" (Mix)

Mix grabbed 3 knives on each hand for a total of 6, and threw them.

Just how many does she have?

Fafilmuzekusho tried to use the lightning again, but he soon switched to evasion. She must have set a magic seal stone on the first knife.

He managed to completely evade the knives with precision with the strengthening of the Pawn Mask.

The moment all the 6 were avoided, a knife going at slightly fast speed flew his way.

It is going to be hard to avoid in a stance where he has just evaded -that's the kind of attack it is.

"Boring." (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho couldn't evade it, so he instead grabbed the flying knife with a hand.

"No, no, that was filled to the brim, you know? —With a whole ton of mana." (Mix)

And then, the knife he was grabbing exploded.

Ah, that's what the Mejis anbus did too.

He could have repelled it with the lightning he specializes with, but with the impression of the magic seal stone knives remaining, the choice of repelling with lightning has been taken away.

As a result, he ended up having no choice but to receive the knives.

"I said it is mere child's play. Do you think you can drop me with magic of this level?" (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho showed up unharmed inside the smoke. No, the clothes on his upper body have been blown away because of the explosion.

But that recovers really quickly.

The Pawn Mask enhances various parameters. It should be safe to assume that also entails resilience.

"But the knife did pierce you. A thrown knife should be easily repelled if it is the original appearance of a Great Devil, right?" (Mix)

"I hate that appearance that doesn't have any differences from a normal devil, so I am maintaining an appearance that I like since the opportunity has been given." (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Well, well, I also like that appearance of yours better." (Mix)

"Also, I am sending most of the power I was given to here, you see." (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho jumped even further back. The black horns began to shine dazzlingly.

I can tell that a massive amount of electricity was filling up the surroundings.

If something like that were to be shot…is what I thought and looked at Mix, but she seemed to be calm, not finding this to be much of an issue.

"Now, burn." (Fafilmuzekusho)

He shoots lightning from both horns that can fill up the vision completely.

But it disperses before it reaches Mix.

"Impossible!" (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Sorry, but there's already magic seal stones scattered at a fixed distance around me, so large scale magic that can cover the whole vision and doesn't leave any place for escape won't be reaching me." (Mix)

Now that she mentions it, there's small magic seal stones scattered about.

Did she take advantage of the explosion of before to scatter them around?

The moment I thought this, a single knife pierced the shoulder of Fafilmuzekusho.

It seems like she threw a knife high up in the air matching the lightning.

She made it so he would get conscious of the knives flying straight forward, so his caution towards the knives coming from above had lowered.

The weak point of the Great Devils is their lowered sense of danger because of the massive strength they have obtained.

Their pride of them having become an overwhelming power has created arrogance and has taken away their concentration on the enemy's attacks.

On top of that, his physical capabilities are fatally low. There's no way a being who thought of himself as an absolute power would learn cheap tricks.

"You bastard…" (Fafilmuzekusho)

"Can you not get that angry? Having countermeasures for magic as an adventurer is a matter of fact-desu zo?" (Mix)

The worth of magic is high for the adventurers, so there's a lot of them who learn it.

But there's practically no adventurer who specializes in magic. That's because magic seal stones exist.

With them having to fight monsters who use magic without care, people of their same trade, and bandits, they can't get too complacent.

And at the same time, this also means the adventurers are acquainted in the ways to deal against enemies who use magic.

"Do you think you can deal with me with just this?!" (Fafilmuzekusho)

"I don't want Mister Friend to misunderstand here, so I will be adding this comment. When I said I liked your appearance, I was referring to the fact that your body can get pierced by knives-desu zo." (Mix)

Mix moves back several steps as she throws a single knife up.

"What are you sayi—" (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho vomits blood.

There were several knives stabbed on the whole body of Fafilmuzekusho at some point in time.

Mix catches the thrown knife as if nothing happened.

"You really helped me out by moving away. Thanks to that, I could use this knife after all. This thing has a spell imbued in it that creates mana with special properties which draws specific metals. The tip of my knives are mostly made of that metal." (Mix)

Fafilmuzekusho is being stabbed with the knives lying around.

And then, the knife that was stabbed at the end on his shoulder created a powerful pull and he was once again stabbed by the knives around.

It is close to a magnet, but the pulling force is strong and its range is pretty restricted.

Moreover, because it is mana with the special magnetic trait, even knives with magic seal stones embedded are part of the equation.

The moment he is stabbed by them, the magic is undone and the mana with the special trait is gone, but the momentum created from the magnetic pull doesn't disappear.

The result was that all the knives stabbed the enemy.

He might have been able to avoid them if he had high physical proficiency, but his gaze must have ended up following the knife she threw in the air because of the knife she threw before that stabbed him from overhead.

In other words, the distance between Mix and that guy is within sniping range. Meaning that she even took advantage of the distance he took in order to unleash his lightning magic.

Maybe even him moving back and making him shoot his lightning magic was part of her plan.

The level of her mind games against an enemy is outstandingly high. So this is the ingenuity of Mix who is said to have competed for the throne almost to the end with the Wise King Marito.

"Don't…make me say it over and over! You think this much is enough to—gughaaaagaaaaaa?!" (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho suddenly began screaming and writhing.

He is convulsing. This is not damage stemming from the knives.

"All the knives have their own special property-desu zo. Even the knives that have magic seal stones embedded in them have their own varying poisons after all. It seems like the first poison didn't work, but it looks like a number of them did." (Mix)

She grabbed a knife as she said this, used magic, and the tip of the blade began to shine white.

There's no devil who wouldn't know that trait. It is the purification magic light that the clerics of Mejis prefer to utilize when dealing against devils.

"As you can tell, this is one that has purification magic imbued in it. If this were to pierce you, it would deal a great deal of damage to you, won't it?" (Mix)

"Guuh…ugh…" (Fafilmuzekusho)

Fafilmuzekusho grinded his teeth as he faced Mix. He must have noticed the threat the purification magic knife posed.

Mix entered a wide throwing motion. Fafilmuzekusho showed the highest level of caution.

He can't use the lightning magic he specializes in because of the magic seal stone knives stabbed on him.

Avoiding with everything he has—no, his movements are sealed by the poison, so he can't do any big actions.

But it should be possible to protect himself with his arms at worst.

Then, Mix threw the knife and, at the same time as she did, Fafilmuzekusho's head was blown off to the back.

"—?"

Fafilmuzekusho collapsed on the ground without understanding what happened.

And then, he died just like that.

The knife that she most likely threw was lodged deep inside his head.

"Lastly, the knives I throw are seriously so fast you won't even have the time to yawn." (Mix)

If I were to compare it to baseball, the throws until now would be slowballs and curveballs, and then she threw the strongest fastball she had.

I couldn't see it at all despite concentrating, yup.