Chapter 409: "Fortress"

The five Count-level, High-ranking Demons known as the War King's Five Generals, just like the War King Megiddo, have their own aesthetics for battle... they have things they're obsessed upon.

For example, Bacchus, one of the War King's Five Generals, prides himself on coming forward before a battle and not turning his back on his opponent, no matter how strong the opponent was.

Agni, the Head of the War King's Five Generals placed a high value on proper decorum in battle. Even though many of the War King's subordinates were considered to be lawless, she had placed strict rules upon herself.

In a fight, she would allow her opponent to make the first move if she fights someone weaker, and if she's the weaker one, she will make the first move herself. In her own words, "The challenger should get the first move".

And for this battle, facing Iris, Agni kicked the ground as the battle began.

This was evidence that Agni was aware that Iris is superior to her, and that she was aware that she was the weaker one here...

Agni's fighting style was very simple. She used her extremely strengthened body in a physical battle.

Closing the distance between them in an instant, Agni swung her fist, clad in burning flames, at Iris.

As Iris took a large leap to the side, Agni's fist cut through the air, hitting the ground and creating a huge crater in the ground.

(...She's fast. But….. why? Why did she evade that greatly just to dodge my strike? What's the point of doing that?)

She had expected Iris to evade her punch, but noticing how different the way she evaded from what she expected, Agni thought for a moment. Whether Iris was aiming for something... However, Iris didn't seem to be trying to do anything, and she looked rather surprised instead.

After a moment of thought, Agni approached again and swung her fist, to which Iris greatly evaded.

After several rounds of exchanges, Agni felt something was amiss.

(Her physical abilities don't match up with her movements? With her speed, it wouldn't have been surprising if she had counterattacked several times already but... What in the world is this?)

Up to this point, Iris had completely surpassed Agni in terms of speed... But all she did was evade and didn't fight back at all.

With a dubious look on her face, Agni stopped in her tracks and looked at Iris as she was being swung around by her own body.

(Almost as if she doesn't know what her own body is capable of... How is that possible for someone of her caliber? No, that isn't likely at all... Then, is that strange movement a condition for activating some kind of special magic?)

Thinking that Iris' overly exaggerated evasion has some kind of reason behind it, Agni became more cautious but... her prediction that she dismissed as impossible was actually the right answer.

Yes, Iris was currently being swung around by her own body. That's because...

(What the heck is this idiotic physical ability!? That big idiot, what kind of nonsensical specs did she put on my vessel!?)

Alice had prepared a clone that was almost as powerful as her real body... And thus, her vessel's physical abilities were too great for Iris to control.

Even if the body she controlled had the specs of one of the world's strongest beings, it had been tens of thousands of years since Iris, the one piloting this body, last fought. In a sense, it was inevitable that her movements would be awkward.

[...In the first place, I'm not very good at melee combat.]

[Mnhh?]

[I guess I really shouldn't fight in ways I'm ill-suited for... Well, I'm worried about if I'm able to properly hold back with this body, but let's just return back to fighting in the way I'm used to.]

[!?]

After moving a large distance from Agni, Iris quietly announced... before a vast number of magic circles appeared in the sky.

[Heed my royal decree. My army, my swordsmen, gather, line up, and destroy the fools who stand before me! Calamity Doombringer!]

[Tsk!?]

With her chant, the magic circle emitted a strong light, and from it, swords formed with jet-black magic power were released all at once towards Agni.

The swords, each one formed with an enormous amount of magic power, rained down on the area like a carpet bomb, and an explosion that filled one's vision enveloped the surroundings.

However, Agni was a strong woman who has fought in countless battles. When a sword was released from the magic circle, she immediately started running and avoided the attacks that were pouring down on her.

She immediately saw that the magic had the property of tracking the target to some extent, so she ran around the arena while avoiding the rain of swords.

Not only that, she also tried to approach Iris to attack her through the rain of swords, but Iris didn't move from her spot, only turning her palm in Agni's direction.

[Hill of fools, jet-black earth, blades lurking in the shadows, seeking flesh and blood...]

[Like I will let you!]

Trying to stop her from chanting again, Agni powerfully kicked the ground and headed for Iris... but...

[Wh... at...]

As she charged towards Iris, Agni's fist was blocked by a solid wall more than a big step away from Iris.

(A spherical barrier made with magic power!? What the heck is this idiotic strength!?)

Iris Illuminus….. Her specialty in combat can be said to be very simple, just like Agni. She uses a large amount of magic power to create a magic barrier that blocks the opponent's attacks, and then crushes them with wide-range magic possessing high firepower.

In the past, when she was a human, Iris' best friend described her with one word... "Fortress".

[...Before my finger stands the Sacrifice. Devour, Gluttony Shadow Edge!]

[Guuhhhh!?]

With the completion of her chant, thousands and thousands of jet-black blades shot out from the ground and filled the arena, piercing Agni's magical barrier and covering her body in wounds, causing her to fall on one knee.

A spherical omnidirectional barrier that blocked even the fists of Agni, the Head of the Five Generals. Firepower so explosive that there was no place to escape and so powerful that it could crush Agni's defences.

It's simple... but this simplicity made it difficult for someone weaker than her to defeat her.

[...I'm getting slightly accustomed to my body. I'm going to increase the firepower even more now... I think you should tread with caution!]

[...Kuhhh...]

The figure of Iris, who was gently floating up with her magic barrier deployed, as she kneaded her magic power in her hands... It was truly like a moving fortress.