"No...!"

I could see the faces of the people on the other side in vivid detail. However...

STEP!

As long as I have a single foothold, well. There's no reason to fall.

THUD!

I stepped on the collapsing bridge and leaped. Perhaps because the distance wasn't that far, a single jump was enough to reach the parapet.

The people who had been crying out to me in their own ways froze with their mouths agape. I wondered if they were that displeased by my safe return.

"The Mermen are coming up!"

"Focus. This is a battlefield."

On a separate note, the fight wasn't over yet.

I looked at the castle walls, which were safer than the turret but even more fiercely contested, and turned my gaze downward.

From across the sea, a massive, unidentified entity was approaching in real time, and the attacks of the Mermen were growing fiercer by the minute.

"Damn it!"

The more Mermen the soldiers killed, the worse it got. The corpses of the dead Mermen were impaled on the spikes or filled the gaps, paving the way for the Mermen that followed.

Needless to say, those 'Mermen that followed' were stronger elites than the ones that had attacked at the beginning.

Using the meat footholds along with the rising waves, the Mermen continued to cling to the castle walls.

If the Mages hadn't spewed out their magic whenever things looked dangerous, if I hadn't been racking up thirty kills every ten seconds with magic spears up front, and furthermore, if the Inquisitor hadn't protected the castle walls with divine grace, it would have been breached long ago.

Ah, I'm also including how the Inquisitor occasionally pushed everything away with a golden barrier, like wiping a glass window. That knockback skill, while it doesn't reduce enemy numbers, is surprisingly reliable in how it creates plenty of distance.

"A breach is opening!"

But wait. Whether he was trying to save strength for that massive entity, as soon as the Inquisitor withdrew his protection in consultation with the Lord, a hole was breached in the castle wall.

It was an accident ultimately caused by the gurgling, spewing acidic liquid.

"Knight! Knight!!"

However, that was happening in a different sector, not mine. The sector I was in was actually quite peaceful because I had killed so many Mermen.

Because of that, I glanced around to see if it was okay for me to go provide support or not.

"Go over there! I'll cover the fact that you left your assigned post with my own authority!"

At that moment, the soldier who had reverted from formal speech to casual speech due to the earlier incident shouted. It was merely a single sentence, but it was the best assist.

DASH!

I jumped all the way to the breached area in a single bound.

"Raise your spears!"

"It's a warrior chief...! Maintain formation!"

SCREECH!

But the guy who came in through the hole particularly caught my eye. A Legged-type Merman is generally more muscular than a Legless-type Merman, but this one was exceptionally large and even had a different color.

"Move."

"Wait, if you interfere—!"

I guessed it was some kind of elite mob.

I drew my sword while looking at the creature, which couldn't move easily due to the spears pressuring it from all sides. SCREECH! The Merman bared its teeth at me for suddenly cutting in.

SLASH!

But what were you going to do by baring your teeth? You weren't a dog or a cat, nor even a pet turtle or a pet snake, so why would I show mercy to a harmful demon that even destroyed the ecosystem?

Ignoring the rolling head, I aimed my sword at the additional ones that came in. A magic spear formed from the smoothly moving tip of my sword and flew forward.

SCREECH!

'Nice, a piercing hit! That adds two kills to my count.'

"Fucking reliable..."

"More are coming!"

"Prepare to block the hole!"

I continuously kicked and slashed the bastards crawling in through the hole.

Then, the soldiers urgently brought something, scattered it near the hole, and hammered in a few iron grates. It wasn't perfect, but it seemed quite effective as a temporary patch.

Well, if it really came down to it, we could just abandon this outer wall and flee to the inner wall.

"Demon Knight, do you need help?!"

Just then, the Inquisitor, who was running this way, yelled out.

"Piss off."

"Yes! I will go help elsewhere!"

At my curt reply, the king of positivity hurriedly left to support another area.

FWOOSH! BANG!

At that moment, a signal flare shot up from the city I had my back to. Everyone, except for those who couldn't hear the sound because they were too focused on the situation right in front of them, instinctively turned their heads.

"A demon appeared...?!"

The Lord, who was personally stabbing Mermen with a spear and encouraging the soldiers, let out a breath like a scream. "That unknown entity is enough of a variable, but now this is a disaster!" His face pretended to be hearty as he said that. Inside, he was probably a wreck.

"The demonic energy..."

The Inquisitor also reacted immediately. Judging by how terrifying his face became, the guy that appeared in the city must be no ordinary demon either.

"I must go support them at once. With that level, it's on par with a Great Demon...!"

"What, fuck? How did they do the inspections?!"

For the first time in a while, Deathbringer said exactly what I wanted to say on my behalf. Seriously. How did they do the inspections?

It would be funny in its own way to think that a Great Demon couldn't enter because it got caught at a checkpoint, though.

"Since the thing approaching from the sea isn't a demon for now, I should be the one to go over there...!"

CRASH!

"Requesting support!"

"Damn it!"

Meanwhile, this side wasn't in a situation where someone could carelessly leave their post either—even though we just learned that the approaching entity wasn't a demon. The Inquisitor, who had been trying to present his opinion to the Lord, had no choice but to blast divine power toward the area requesting support.

I, too, found it awkward to move because of the enemies swarming toward the second breached area.

"My Lord, what should we do!"

"Damn it! Dietrich! Max! Franz! Answer the support request...!"

But... even still, pulling three knights from here? Wouldn't that be a bad move?

If that was the case, it would be better for the three knights to stay and for me to go alone. It seemed far more likely that multiple holes would open in the castle wall from now on rather than none.

After all, they could kill elite Mermen too. They were just slower at dealing with them than I was, meaning they could each cover one hole per person. Since there were three of them, taking one each meant they could block three holes simultaneously.

So in times like this, it might actually be better for me to go. No matter how strong I was, I didn't have the ability to block three holes at once.

"Send me."

"You..."

Therefore, after killing another orange Merman, I stared at the Lord. At my sudden intervention, the Lord gave me a look that seemed to say, 'What is this?'

I felt a bit weird saying this, but he must not have seen me fighting. If he knew my kill count, he wouldn't be reacting like that.

"I know you are confident in your skills, but anyway..."

"No, my Lord. That adventurer will be more than enough on his own!"

Dietrich, who was next to us, helped me out. It was a stroke of luck.

"I am confident that sending him alone will be better than sending three knights. Please trust my judgment!"

"... Dietrich?"

She kicked the head of an approaching Merman, brought her sword down on its crown, and looked resolutely at the Lord.

"My Lord, in my... judgment, it is the same. I cannot be certain of the identity of the demon that appeared in the city, but... if it is the Demon Knight, he will surely bring about the best result. He is someone who practically hunted a Great Demon all by himself."

The Inquisitor also stepped up to vouch for me with a somewhat guilt-ridden face.

"Furthermore... I recommend... issuing an evacuation order just in case. The intensity of the demonic energy felt from behind us is far too strong."

"... Damn it. Is it really that bad?"

"It might even be a Great Demon. And if it is a Great Demon... no matter how strong the Demon Knight is, it will be impossible for him to cover all the collateral damage that could occur during the fight."

On top of that, an evacuation warning just in case. For me, who was trying to relocate the battlefield somehow considering that people might get caught up in it, this was the ultimate consideration.

The Lord wore a slightly conflicted expression, but upon hearing the screams echoing from multiple directions, he finally shouted.

"Can you do it? Even without our support?!"

There was only one thing I could say to that.

"Do not ask the obvious."

My persona never backed down against a demon.

"Good! Then I will evacuate the people through the west or south gates, so please keep the battlefield anchored as close to the north gate as possible! Just make sure not to stray too far from where the signal flare went up!"

With an expression that looked like he was about to cry and laugh at the same time, the Lord tossed something to me. It was a signal flare that shot upwards when you struck the bottom.

"This too—you know how to use it, right? Support will be dispatched from the Adventurer's Guild and the Magic Tower, but... just in case you feel you even need our support—"

I wondered why he was giving me this, but it turned out to be insurance for worst-case scenarios. He really was thorough, as expected of a Lord.

"I do not need support. The same goes for the Adventurer's Guild and the Magic Tower. They will only die dog's deaths if they come, so tell them to refrain from approaching and not to think about getting in my way."

Still, it wasn't exactly a necessary item. The Magic Tower side might at least be of some help, but the Adventurer's Guild was entirely made up of melee classes. And melee classes were pretty much meaningless unless they could draw out sword aura at my level.

Because if they came, they would either just become spectators or get caught up in it and die dog's deaths.

And actually, the Mages from the Magic Tower... their movements were so sluggish that it was a bit problematic. Indeed, it wasn't like I had an aggro-focusing skill, nor could I prevent aggro from bouncing to the Mages based on that. On top of that, if the demon unleashed even one AoE skill, it seemed like the Mages would be wiped out en masse.

Rather than fighting with such a nervous mind, I'd rather just fight alone.

"But..."

"Deliver my message. If they really want to help, tell them that evacuating is what will help me."

"... I will pass on your opinion for now. However, take the signal flare itself, don't let your pride get in the way. The lives of all the evacuating people are resting on you."

Well, taking a signal flare as insurance was fine. I was also feeling a bit anxious about a solo raid with no standby replacements anyway, so it was okay.

I packed the signal flare, which I likely wouldn't use, and left the castle wall.

"Demon Knight! Please be careful!"

"Boss, you have to be careful!"

The worried voices of the two echoed behind my back two or three times.

* * *

Surging Blue Coral wiped his cracked forehead with a calm face.

He was profusely smeared with blood, but he had no grand feelings about it. His thoughts were only at the level of, 'I should go find a priest later.'

"Are you alive?"

"... I'm still alive."

Talk about bad luck.

They say a Demon Contractor's strength varies wildly depending on the demon they contracted with, or the amount of sacrifices they offered... but to end up facing off against someone on the stronger end of the spectrum of all things.

"It's a good thing I wrote my will in advance."

"Please don't speak like someone who's set their dying day. Doesn't it make it sound like I'm going to die too?"

Surging Blue Coral summed up his regret over it in a single sentence. His guard immediately retorted.

"Let's look at this realistically, at how much of a chance we have to live."

"You are the Great Sage in name and reality, would you really lose this vainly?"

"It might be unfortunate news for you, but out of all the existing Great Sages, I am the one most lacking in the field of combat."

So it wouldn't be strange if he just died weakly, Surging Blue Coral cracked a joke that didn't feel like a joke.

SMASH!

The secretary's massive hand lunged at them.

"Please dodge!"

"If I could dodge that, I would have become a swordsman, not a Mage."

"Then at least shut your mouth! It's pissing me off!"

"Your tone when speaking to your employer isn't very good. I'm docking your pay when we get back."

"I'd gladly take a pay cut, so please just let us make it back."

By a hair's breadth, the guard snatched him and retreated.

BANG!

Surging Blue Coral violently threw an explosive substance at the secretary to aid their retreat.

They talked like that, but their teamwork was good.

"It's certainly proving worth the money poured into it. Don't you think so, Great Sage?"

Even if the opponent was one of Surging Blue Coral's main clients and had thus procured incredibly durable clothes from him... to the point that none of their attacks were working.

"Stating the obvious. Who do you think made it?"

"Is this really the time to be feeling pride...?"

"You have to acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment."

The elegant ruffled shirt and the long skirt tailored to fit the leg line were among his masterpieces. Even though it was currently in the hands of an enemy, Surging Blue Coral never doubted the perfection of that piece of work.

Even though it was making him suffer right now because it was made far too well.

"Unless it gets bombarded by large-scale magic, that won't tear."

"... Please, couldn't you look at who you're selling such items to before you sell them?"

"Then our Magic Tower would go bankrupt. You wouldn't even earn your salary."

"Hah. I guess it can't be helped."

While their banter to laugh off the bleak situation lasted for a brief moment, the secretary smashed through a building and rushed at them.

There were no civilian homes around here, and the people who were around for their own business had already evacuated upon hearing the commotion, so there were no civilian casualties.

CRASH!

Of course, there would be if they died.

"...!"

The item Surging Blue Coral used tied up the opponent's feet, and the magic deployed in his hands just unfolded.

A frost storm battered the street.

"You should have used that sooner!"

"Blegh."

"Aaaagh!"

Having skipped a few steps in the magic activation process, mana violently shook his internal organs.

Wasn't skipping these parts only supposed to reduce the power without causing problems for the caster? Surging Blue Coral wiped the blood flowing down the corner of his mouth.

"I don't know if this will be enough to stop the ritual."

It was almost complete... The moment Surging Blue Coral was about to say that, the ice from the frost storm shattered spectacularly.

Like a beast that had been hiding in the bushes and sprang out the moment its prey approached, the enemy came at them.

"Great Sage!"

'I won't be able to dodge this.'

Surging Blue Coral's cold mind made the judgment. It seemed his life was going to end here. He had no particular lingering attachments.

"Starting with your blood, I will ruin this city...!"

No, did he have a little lingering attachment for his research and his grandson?

"I did want to see that child complete the research..."

Even before he was struck by the massive hand, his consciousness cut out. It was the recoil from the frost storm.

CRASH!

However, at the very edge of his fading vision, a pair of pitch-black leather pants intervened.