While rushing to the Magic Tower, Surging Blue Coral's guard saw a white signal flare rising into the sky.

It was an evacuation order issued to the entire city in the event of an emergency.

And the searchlights turned toward the sky from the western and southern city gates meant...

"Looks like the report about the demon actually went through..."

The searchlights were a signal to evacuate in their direction, so the fact that only the western and southern ones were lit up meant not to use the northern city gate.

And the person he had been fighting until just a moment ago was in the warehouse district near the northern city gate. Ultimately, those searchlights were a consideration from the higher-ups not to get caught up in the fight while evacuating north.

The fact that there was an unusually high number of searchlights turned on in the south meant that evacuating south was safer.

"... Just how much of a crisis is this?"

However... right. The guard actually became more anxious the more detailed the instructions were. The fact that the higher-ups had already obtained information about that demon was one thing, and the evacuation order itself was another.

In the history of Bemurhen, an evacuation order had only been issued twice during the city's early formation, making this the first time since then. It meant this was the first time since that wall was built.

"Get up immediately!"

"Get up! Get up!"

"We have to evacuate!"

"Pack your bags! Just the bare minimum!"

Perhaps it was because they had organized a civil defense force to guide the people while the military fought. It was at least fortunate that the people were following instructions well instead of falling into confusion...

"Just what in the world is happening?"

"An evacuation order has been issued! Evacuate to the south or west!"

"What about the north?"

"You must not go north! I repeat! Not the north!!"

Watching the people begin to evacuate one by one, the guard adjusted his hold on Surging Blue Coral, whom he was carrying.

He knew it was a dangerous enough situation for an evacuation order to be issued, but he hoped no major problems would occur before everyone could evacuate.

It was an incredibly desperate and meager wish.

* * *

["I am Pandemonium, the Seat of Greed or Avarice. And you boldly declare that you'll stall for time against me. How amusing. Give it a try."]

At Pandemonium's words, she raised an eyebrow. Then, she kicked off the stone floor to dodge the rushing red water.

It surged in like a wave and swept over the spot where she had been. It was so fast that she would have been caught up in it if she had been even a little late.

It seemed like it would spread over 10 meters if given even a single second.

But did that swiftness fluster her? It did not.

She had seen something similar beyond the mountain pass, in the land of ice where not even warriors went. Although that one had been incredibly slow and hadn't really looked like it was flowing.

If the people of her hometown had seen Pandemonium's red water, they would never have called it 'flowing fire'.

"Are there two types...?"

Anyway, Pandemonium was using two types: one that was heavy and flowed slowly, and another that was light, sloshing, and flowing fast like water.

Also, the former could take on a specific shape and attack her, while the latter could not take shape but surged forward at a fast speed.

She thought the latter was the one she had to be wary of and swung her wooden stick.

A gust of wind pressure strong enough to barely keep the stick from breaking arose and pushed the magma away. The fast one had looked quite light, so she tried it just in case, and it actually worked.

Based on the fact she had just discovered, she also tried striking the red water away.

SWOOSH!

The stick, advancing while scraping the floor, pushed the flowing fire and sent it flying toward Pandemonium.

She had done it wondering if he would take damage from his own power, but unfortunately, the red water naturally seeped into Pandemonium's clothes. It didn't seem effective.

FWOOSH!

In addition, the wooden stick caught fire. It hadn't been able to melt stone, yet it burned wood.

This was similar to what she had seen in her hometown. The flowing fire there also couldn't melt rocks but burned wood.

The weapons she had dipped in as a test had been the same. Those made of iron had merely been heated, while those made of wood had been turned to ash.

"Should I have brought a weapon?"

If so, that probably couldn't melt iron either. Leaving the red water rushing at her once again, she recalled her black halberd broken from the fight with the Demon Knight and felt a slight sense of regret.

"It doesn't matter, though."

She only felt regret. She didn't dwell on it.

The halberd, which had belonged to her master, had been her partner for over twenty years since she had killed her master... but that was exactly all it was.

Whenever she recalled the blood that stained it that day, it was something that had to be broken eventually.

Her foot kicked away a stone, and she climbed onto a building, grabbing a wooden pillar that formed the roof's frame.

As her bulging muscles stood out even more from exerting force, the massive pillar was ripped right out.

WHOOSH.

It was even thrown directly, accurately aiming for the demon. At the rushing wooden pillar, the faceless demon loosely perked up his ears. As if giving a slight smirk.

["To think that just flitting about is all you can do, humans."]

Pandemonium brought out dark red water to catch the wooden pillar. Even if its movements were slow, the viscous liquid easily stopped the wood.

WHOOSH!

But did she have any reason to stop at just one? Absolutely not.

She ripped out wooden pillars and pulled out stones, throwing them wildly.

If she approached, she would get burned by that hot liquid, so there was nothing she could do. She had to figure out her opponent like this at least until some weakness was revealed.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

Many of the things she threw were blocked by the dark red water, and the thin liquid tried to fill the alley. If it hadn't been for the waterway, it probably would have.

Seeing the liquid summoned by the demon pooling in the waterway, she looked again at the demon who still hadn't moved a single step.

Was that leisure, or did he have a reason he shouldn't move?

The way he was dealing with her now was also like that. If he summoned a mighty giant like last time, even if he couldn't kill her for sure, he would be able to put far more pressure on her than now.

And yet, the guy still didn't seem to have any intention of using his power. The reason?

"You have no intention of fighting me properly."

["It's not like you're the Vessel of Wrath, so there's no way you're worth going all out for."]

The patience of the strong is proof of something. Either of their goodness...

["Why don't you just go back while I'm giving you the chance? I kind of like you. It's been a while since I've seen such a pure and vivid desire."]

...or of their ulterior motives.

Standing on the roof, her golden eyes swept the ground like a hawk searching for prey. She didn't believe Pandemonium's words in the slightest.

She would rather believe the Demon Knight's foul personality was an act than trust the mercy a demon talked about.

"Ah. I see."

Just look at the reality.

"The ritual was still in progress, wasn't it?"

Weren't traps exuding their presence in full force beneath his talk of giving a chance?

["Well, who knows."]

All the red water that had attacked her so far had seeped out of Pandemonium. The same went for what scattered around.

So she had wondered if she was already too late to stop the ritual... but she wasn't. The ritual was still being held in the building the demon had come out of.

The fact that the red water she thought was flowing from Pandemonium was actually mixed with what was flowing from the building proved it.

["Even if you know, can you stop it?"]

The ritual is taking place over there.

"I could give it a try."

She looked at the burning building, which seemed to be covered in red water.

It was certainly difficult for her to face, as she was neither a Mage nor capable of cutting a wide area at once like the Demon Knight.

Furthermore, her opponent was someone stronger than her, so under normal circumstances, it was true that there would be no way.

However...

"Are you still hesitating?"

[...]

"I'm ready."

Under the condition that the opponent had no intention of facing her seriously, the complete 'her' might have a way. Knowing that, she urged.

"... Right."

There was no answer in return. A stubbornness that had lasted for decades was so solid that it was not easily shaken.

"Then it can't be helped."

Even so, she couldn't give up the fight. She ripped out pillars once more and threw them with a fierce momentum.

Because she wasn't aiming for the demon's main body, the red water didn't step in to block them.

[...]

A few pillars lodged vertically among the flowing stones and began to burn. Pandemonium hadn't noticed the intention behind this yet, standing still and showing no reaction.

Strong as he was, presumed to be a Great Demon, it meant he wasn't used to this kind of fight.

But the more oblivious he was, the better it was for her.

Her feet leaped down toward the stakes planted in the ground. The stakes, already crumbling from the intense heat, served as her foothold for just a moment.

["You!"]

Still, seeing how he immediately grasped her intention, he wasn't a completely stupid demon.

She kicked off the stake and stepped on the crumbled wall of the building. The inside was filled with burning boxes, but there was no reason she couldn't step on them.

Her body entered the building. The acrid air pierced her nose.

"...!"

In addition, as she stepped on the pile of boxes stacked beyond the wall, the thick cloth wrapped around her body shrank from the sweltering heat and clung to her skin. Since the piles of boxes were currently burning, it was only natural.

However, she couldn't bring herself to care about that. It was because the scene ahead was quite different from what she had expected.

"This is..."

The hundreds of boxes stacked inside the building were burning in real time, pouring out molten iron. And that molten iron endlessly gathered toward Pandemonium.

In the spots left behind after the boxes burned, something else was carved in as if painted over.

Inner walls built with black stone, a burgundy carpet laid on the floor, golden candelabras sparsely decorating the walls, and elegant statues and paintings placed here and there.

A scene reminiscent of an antique and old mansion had newly surfaced.

However, that antique nature corrupted the impression it gave into one of gloom and wickedness due to the intense demonic energy radiating from within.

It was to the point that even the ignorant her realized it was a 'world that shouldn't exist.'

["Did you think I'd let you ruin it?"]

Had she been a little flustered by the unimaginable sight? She erased her bewilderment with a single blink of her eyes and took action.

Someone swayed by emotions had no right to be a warrior, so it was only natural.

However, seeing that the ritual altar was in a world with a different landscape, she leaped up onto the beam.

As if the inside really was the weakness, Pandemonium also began to move directly, following her.

CRASH!

It was still holding up for now, but the crossbeam being gnawed at by the fire let out a precarious sound.

Even so, she dashed across the crossbeam. The demon followed closely behind her. No, he was a little faster.

The thing that lunged ahead of her, leaving soot marks, spread its three pairs of hands.

SWOOSH! The red water that had been on the floor surged up and blocked her vision. It was an attitude stating he would never let her cross the boundary.

["Playtime is over."]

Didn't he know that only made her want to cross it more? She smiled cheerfully, trying to maintain her composure.

SWOOOSH!

But the attack of the demon, who had finished looking down on her, seemed quite fierce.

She quickly performed evasive maneuvers while looking at several surging tentacles—made by drawing out the red water long.

However, Pandemonium's attack didn't end there. The tentacles aimed for her while simultaneously cutting the crossbeam, and a few tentacles aimed for the pillars from the start.

["Die."]

Even Pandemonium himself stepped into the battle. His sharp claws tore her shoulder and chest, and pierced her side.

Thanks to her judgment to twist her body and counterattack Pandemonium even at that moment, her bones weren't broken and her heart wasn't crushed, but her muscles were cooked and her skin was left in tatters.

Now, she wouldn't be able to use this arm.

SSSSSS.

The attacking hand was in a similar situation.

It was good that she had pushed Pandemonium away by striking his belly, but in exchange, a burn was seared into her palm.

CRASH.

Even at this moment, the beam was collapsing and tilting as the pillars were cut away.

She once again realized the gap between her and the opponent, and decided to give up the secondary objective of stopping the ritual.

Now that the opponent had stopped letting his guard down, aiming for that objective was arrogance.

SLASH! As one tentacle grazed her retreating leg, her clothes and skin burned away from just that single hit.

THWACK, SMASH!

Pandemonium's main body was like that too. The fact that the opponent's outer shell was made of yellow molten iron was truly a shitty thing.

Whether she attacked or defended, she was the only one taking damage one-sidedly. She kicked a pillar falling above her, sending it flying at Pandemonium, and then jumped to the next beam.

RUMBLE!

In this situation, a red giant began to rise from the floor of the building.

The giant of dense fire and rock lifted the beam and pressed its head against the roof of the building. Even the uppermost beam she had just landed on was being burned away by the giant, its center turning to ash and collapsing.

THUD!

So she smashed through the ceiling and escaped outside. CRACKLE, CRACKLE. The burning ceiling tormented her. Pandemonium's last attack piercing one of her calves was a bonus.

If only she had a weapon! A lament slipped out without her realizing.

NEIGH!

At that moment, a horse's cry was heard from afar, and someone's presence approached. Immense mana and controlled breathing. It was someone she knew.

"Demon Knight!"

She severely contorted her face. It was because it was humiliating to have only taken a beating as soon as the opponent revealed his true intentions, but she still thought it was fortunate that she succeeded in her goal.

But she was still furious. Taking a beating this powerlessly was just too infuriating.

So... please, I want to stop being stubborn. Don't you?

"There's a ritual altar inside! It looks like they're summoning something, so you have to stop it!"

Even as she ground down her anger in helplessness, she leaped down from the roof to do the best she could.

Pandemonium seemed to have no intention of attacking anymore, as there was no further interference coming in.

Her body, floating in the air, reached out a hand toward the approaching presence.

"Confirmed."

The firmly grasped hands exerted force, pulling the opponent and pushing each other. Their positions swapped.

"Go to the castle wall with the horse."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of help."

Her body was thrown toward the ground where there was no magma yet, while the Demon Knight's body was thrown inside the building. Pitch-black mana began to rage like a storm.

SLASH!

A black sword strike cleaved through the massive giant.

CRASH!

A technique that swirls while releasing black mana in a spiral. I thought it would be useless when I developed it, but it's unexpectedly quite useful.

I made that assessment after carving out a place to stand by grinding the magma and deflecting it in all directions.

["You've finally arrived."]

But what was the point of making a place to stand? I couldn't properly cut what I wanted to cut.

I instinctively realized that the magma giant had blocked all my sword strikes.

It absolutely wasn't that it had been cut but immediately restored itself using its liquid characteristic. I simply couldn't cut it. That was all.

My right arm, which had been maddeningly itchy for a while, was now even throbbing. The air, thick with ash, pierced my lungs.

["Wrath."]

CRASH!

Immediately after, the giant's hand smashed the spot where I had been.

I hurriedly pulled my body back. The magma filling the surroundings was a bit troublesome, but the fact that the building was collapsing was actually a boon.

I stepped on the piling debris and retreated. The fragments leaking flames were quite hot, but it didn't feel like my feet were burning.

Berserker... no, Weapon Master? Seeing her for the first time in a long while, her presence only grew more distant, as if she had taken Fredrick and evacuated.

I was worried she might try to fight alongside me, but she must know it would be difficult in her condition. Good.

["This is a stage prepared for you, do you like it?"]

Then there's only one thing left to figure out.

How could I smash the ritual altar that's supposedly beyond there? Should I put in more mana and cut it? But there's no way that faceless bastard would stay still. The giant seems a bit slow, so wouldn't it be better to go around and cut it? Should I just force my way through with a mana spiral?

["Hah, I suppose so. You aren't the real Wrath anyway, so it doesn't matter."]

I turned my gaze away from the magma giant and observed the magma-veiled demon. The triangular ears I thought were horns spread out like wings.

["Look forward to it! I've made a jewel that can taxidermy your soul!"]

Simultaneously with the magma giant's movement, a meteor shower began to fly in from the empty air.

Of course, meteor shower was the first thing that came to mind, but if we're being precise, it seems closer to volcanic bombs. Since they fly in holding magma inside, for starters.

'This bastard who can't do anything without money...'

I tried cutting two of them once, and after confirming that even the leftover chunks smashed into the ground threateningly, I completely solidified my method into evasion.

The magma giant moving was also a problem.

Perhaps to maintain its form, the guy composed of highly viscous magma was definitely slow... but you're gone in one hit if you get struck by something like that.

It's even more vicious in that you can't even step on it since its outer surface is magma.

CRASH, BOOM, CRASH!!

Eventually, I jumped back to dodge the meteors, stepped aside to dodge the magma giant's fist, and then backpedaled yet again from the rushing magma.

If I backed up too much, it would be hard to close the distance, so I tried to go around by stepping on the buildings, but whenever I did, volcanic bombs smashed into where I was going.

It would be one thing if only the volcanic bombs struck, but they exploded a second later and even spewed out magma.

Spamming AoE fields that didn't disappear, it was truly a demon-like viciousness.

SLASH!

["I'm sorry, but your attacks are too easy to read."]

Meanwhile, the slashes I threw out once or twice didn't even work. Standing among the magma, I calmed my boiling insides as I looked at the demon who was hard to even attack.

My mana was even harder to control today of all days, which made me twice as tense.

["If I knew it'd be like this, maybe I should've prepared a bit less?"]

Ah, please. Give me at least a foothold at this point. Even that damn Moby-ship gave random footholds! The Inquisitor made footholds for me during aerial combat too!

But what is this! Are you skipping footholds just because there's a building?! When the giant is destroying all the buildings and letting the magma swallow them up!

I gritted my teeth as I inhaled the sweltering air. If it was going to be like this, I should have received support from the Magic Tower. Seriously, my life is so fuck... fucking pissing me off.

["What's wrong?"]

Thinking my cursing had increased lately, I censored myself and exhaled heavily.

["You act exactly as if you don't even have the confidence to touch me."]

I'm craving a fucking cigarette!

'... Kill that motherfucking bastard!'

Mana began to undulate on the surface of my body.