Chapter 12: Event Boss: Demon Count Βαράνο

Demons; classic creatures in fantasy literature and the main antagonists of this entire world of sorcery and swordsmanship.

They were different from the 'Demon' in Nasuland, as that was what the Britannians called the evil and cruel beings that inhabit another realm of existence.

They were seen as the eternal servants of the Demon Emperor Satan and the 8 Kings of Deadly Sin, with Satan being the progenitor of all those spawns of evil along with Lilith, the First Woman created by Emmanuel who betrayed her goddess and was banished to the arid lands of hell.

As you can see, the origin of demons is inspired by the Bible, and the demons in this world are just as evil as they are portrayed in the classic stories.

The only difference was that here they were not only real, but had a chance of appearing under certain conditions in the mortal world through portals between dimensions or even by possessing humans in search of valuable souls and the like, making them one of the greatest threats to humanity along with monstrous beasts.

In fact, some would argue that they are even more menacing than the hordes of magical and monstrous beasts that once plagued many parts of Britannia. 

After all, the demons of this world used a very strange form of magical energy that can corrupt almost anything it touches, living or dead, and is very destructive.

The only way to defend against that was to use Od, spiritual energy or divine power against the energy that invades your body when you fight Demons….but once your energy reserves are depleted, it's basically the end for you.

That power was known by the Clergy as Infernal Energy; a heretical force that almost all humans in this world detested, as it not only contaminated the soil and life, but demons with a certain level can also use it to build an 'Infernal Dome' under their control where human spells and Traits are difficult to use due to it becoming a chaotic space very difficult to manipulate, no matter what kind of domain you are in.

They also make it impossible to absorb mana from the atmosphere, which consequently affected the generation of Maryoku.

Not even Luminia, a powerful «Torriu»-ranked Aspirant, could face off against the most powerful Demons without being weakened by an Infernal Dome and becoming severely injured or even corrupted by the infernal energy in battle... and that's despite her [Rule of Time] Trait making her very difficult for anyone to kill.

Not only the Church, but even Kingdoms and Empires take demonic invasions very seriously and are ruthless with those who not only worship demons, but also summon them. After all, leaving them alone has already destroyed powerful human nations.

That's how terrifying these evil creatures were.

And on this day….a Count Class Demon descended from hell into the capital of one of the strongest Empires in this world, shocking the entire continent.

Even the Gods paid attention to this incident….

♦♦♦

Capital City Loveria, Pendragon Manor

Hearing that terrifying, demonic roar that could shake the entire earth, Sora's eyes narrowed and he turned his eyes towards the window, faintly observing the figure of a huge horned humanoid creature outside, which seemed to be stirring, looking around with arrogance and evil eyes.

His identity was clear, there was no doubt about it.

—Arthur-sama! That's it…!

—A Demon is attacking the mansion?! No... A Demon Count?!

Both Franx and Sora couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

—D-Demon!? —Laura also couldn't help but be surprised when she heard the identity of the entity.

Suddenly, the armored Demon seemed to crouch sharply, and soon after, cracks spread across the walls of the Guest Hall, frightening Laura and causing her to hug Arthur closer for safety.

Both Sora and Franx were solemn at the sudden situation, when suddenly the young Archduke felt a powerful maryoku fluctuation that began to cover the entire Pendragon Mansion and beyond like a barrier.

That's it... High-ranking sorcery!

That's what he immediately thought thanks to his knowledge acquired with the help of the System; which meant the demon wasn't alone. It was very likely that some Caster had summoned it to the mansion grounds somehow.

...What's with this sudden event!? A demonic attack on Pendragon's mansion, the scene of the final boss, never happened in the game!

Who was the idiot who decided to make us the center of what should have been a canonical event!?

Sora was completely and utterly stupefied at this turn of events.

Huehuehuehuehue.......

A strange and chilling laugh was heard coming from the demonic creature's mouth in the distance, gleefully mocking the humans who screamed in fear and surprise at its unholy presence.

Why is this pathetic Event Boss suddenly invading my damn mansion? Shouldn't you be attacking Bomenslik as a mere distraction?

Sora wondered through gritted teeth, roughly recognizing the demonic figure outside as he held a shocked and uneasy Laura in his arms, feeling incredulous at the suddenness of the situation and... oddly, furious and insulted by her presence rather than scared, even knowing what enemy they were currently facing.

…Or rather, enemies.

The large wave of maryoku surrounding the entire mansion was probably some kind of preparation to build a large sealing field that would trap them all along with the Demon temporarily.

Perhaps enemies have infiltrated the mansion with a goal in mind while the demon wreaks havoc, confident that the Imperial Knights Order or the Church would not be able to easily enter.

And ultimately... they were after Laura; someone a Demonic Cult with influence in the "Holy Kingdom" had decided would be an ideal sacrifice for their Demon Lord because of her divine lineage.

That meant that Sora and Pendragon were not only facing a dangerous demonic entity of high infernal hierarchy, but they would also have to deal with possible kidnappers or assassins invading their mansion with unknown but surely fatal intentions.

That is an event that never happened in the game, and Sora remembered well that any initial demon-related event within the game <Britannia: Lost Order> should be happening within Bomenslik at this point in time before Fujimaru Ritsuka's appearance after Mash in Britannia...

Which means Sora was the one who did something that caused this to happen in the first place!

What was it? Did you even have time to think about it?

The thing to keep in mind is that Sora could be in tremendous danger at this point, so he's facing something much bigger than the idiotic fights with common martial artists and cheap espers he experienced on the streets of Neo Tokyo as Shigaraki Sora.

It was something completely different. In fact, it was the kind of crazy battle you'd see in a fantasy game like the one this world is based on.

But still, even understanding that... There wasn't a drop of fear on his face, only irritation.

A stupid Demon who only served as a pathetic initial event boss dares to interrupt your quiet moment with my beloved fiancée?

Some unknown bastards dare to cause trouble, delaying the future fun I would have with Nava and my sexy Half-Elf Maiden?

All those idiots dare to damage my mansion, the precious mansion of the Pendragon family?

They would all pay with their lives for their senseless crimes, their blatant heresy!

As incredible as it seemed, there was no doubt in his heart about what he should do.

♦♦♦♦

In the Infernal Hierarchy known in Britannia, the Infernal Nobles was the name given to every Demon who bears a title of Aristocracy in Hell, that is, those called: "Kings, Archdemons, Lord(s), Archdukes, Lord/Lady, Duke(s), Earl(s), Marquis, etc."

Since it is considered blasphemy to call oneself "God" or "Emperor," those who possess these titles are called by other demons as Lord or Lady, such is the case of the Fallen Deities from Heaven or the Monarch members of Hell.

Noble Demons wield immense power even among those considered Lesser Demons, as they were stronger than mere Demonic Beasts and had the right to conquer or declare some territories of Hell as their property.

The demon that appeared in the Pendragon Mansion, as mentioned, was a Demon Count.

They were beings that stood above Lesser Demons, almost comparable in power to Demigods who were naturally as strong as a Torrius Rank human when they grew up.

Considered threats capable of bringing calamity to underdeveloped kingdoms even with just their infernal magical energy flowing into the environment, these monsters were something that even the Knight Orders of the Three Imperial Houses had to take seriously.

…That was especially because high-ranking Demons could devour the souls of those they killed, as long as they were very weak, which would mean that even civilians would suffer spiritual death (True Death) if they got in the way of these beings.

Therefore, when the formation of a Hell Dome was detected above the Pendragon Manor beneath the mysterious barrier that suddenly enveloped the mansion, the Diocese of Loveritia was thrown into turmoil and quickly dispatched its available Templars to the location on the orders of the Divine Spirits.

Of course, Shigaraki Sora was well aware of the Hell Hierarchy in Britannia, as one of his former Guildmates had a Demon NPC in his employ, who gave them a wealth of knowledge about Hell's hierarchy very early on in the game; enough to recognize that this Demon Count, despite being only a shift boss, was far above the lowly Demon Barons.

The Demon Barons in [Chronicles of Saint Grail] were true event bosses that usually hovered around level 34 or 47 on average, so anything stronger than that was a real problem for any novice player; especially since their physical stats and magical capabilities surpassed that of humans by at least 50%, allowing them to fight higher-level humans quite comfortably and giving a real headache to players with relatively decent skills.

You should not underestimate a Demon Count.

....But that was in the VRMMORPG this world was based on.

Here, in this world and in this specific era, the rules of power were somewhat different than in the past. That's because the concepts of "Classes," "Supreme," and "Traits" didn't exist during the VR game he knew.

While Classes were a classic system in other games and so-called Traits were not uncommon in some RPGs, "Aspirants" were a term exclusive to Britannia, but one that completely changed the rules of this world due to their unique nature similar to those of the Servants of the Nasuverse.

Only while one was the physical manifestation of historical figures, the other was a mortal becoming the embodiment of a concept from human history itself through a Grand ritual created by the gods. The Awakened, on the other hand, referred to the awakening of a character's bloodline and racial atavism, and already existed in VRMMORPGs before fan games made by Xianpai became popular.

However, humans who become Aspirants are naturally stronger than humans who do not, as their "Mysticism Degree" grows to match inhuman beings as a result.

Naturally, one shouldn't try to guess an Aspirant's strength compared to the average mortal using their level instead of rank; as it is entirely possible to encounter an Episcapi or even a normal Level 100 Human...however infinitely small the chance of that may be.

Levels in general, at least during the current Era, served more as requirements to allow a mortal to ascend to a higher Rank and develop their Class, as well as to obtain more Traits and skills. Especially considering that the leveling system worked very differently from other games on the national and international market.

That's because, whether in the old COB or the Britannia Saga, players didn't gain levels by defeating monsters and completing quests, but rather by continually improving the parameters and level of the skills learned or acquired by their characters.

According to the backstory Sora remembered, it was because the Level represented the "Soul Strength" of humans and other beings, meaning that improving one's abilities and physique made the human soul stronger; allowing them to perform feats impossible for ordinary humans with much weaker souls.

And in fact, having a high level was essential not only for learning better skills, but also for learning better spells and achieving a high rank in specific skills; this created a beneficial cycle in which the player trained their skills and sorcery to level up and acquire more skills and spells that helped them grow in their soul strength.

The best places to level up in each of those games would be infamously dangerous zones, which have a high mana density and many high-ranking monsters, as the ambient magical energy affects the rate of stat growth and skill enhancement; and life-or-death battles accelerated player development compared to mere safe training.

Naturally, having good magical equipment was also essential to challenging higher-level beings as this could enhance one's combat power, making wealthy players like Shiragaki Sora himself have a great time compared to others....

Anyway, Sora didn't remember exactly what abilities each rank of power attainable in this world granted, other than a terrifying boost in strength similar to that of an immortal cultivation world and the aforementioned benefits.

I only knew that ranks were related to chess and that Torrius, the rank Arthur was actually at, in particular was a pretty decent Power Rank based on that.

After all, "Torrius," or Rook, was third only to "King" and "Queen." Oh, wait, in this world "Lorius" replaces "Queen," he remembered.

Anyway, considering all these facts, Sora gained more confidence in his upcoming battle against the invader of his lands. As a level 72 "Torrius," he shouldn't lose to a mere Prologue Boss, right?

…That's what he expected, at least. Naturally, Sora didn't take into account that Arthur Pendragon possessed literal dragon blood and, as such, was stronger than a Summoner of the same rank…

But I can't leave Laura alone with Franx after what happened… Frowning slightly at his maid, causing her to cringe in embarrassment, Sora surprised himself when she automatically said a name in an authoritative tone to nothing.

-Jonathan, come here with Ikaros

With those words and the feeling of the Aura within his Aureal Core flowing on its own, the space near Arthur's surroundings distorted, and the mansion's head butler appeared with Ikaros by his side shortly after.

The Angeloid looked at her Master with an anxious expression, not understanding the situation or the cause of the sense of danger her master vaguely felt, but remembering her order to receive a certain level of education from the steward. Ikaros said nothing in the end; although shamefully, she couldn't contain the voice in her heart: Master...

Stay calm, Sora said almost instinctively through their connection, noticing her red eyes that indicated she was ready to enter combat at any moment.

Elder Jonathan, on the other hand, bowed respectfully to his lord after removing his hand from Ikaros's shoulder, regarding him with serious eyes. "What orders do you have for me, Arthur-sama?"

Sora was surprised that she had suddenly used "Aureal Call" on Jonathan, but he didn't give it any more thought. He already had an idea why whatever was left of the original Arthur wanted them here.

Indeed….

-You and Ikaros, stay here and protect Laura.

-I understand, Arthur-sama.

Jonathan's eyes flickered for less than a second before he complied with Arthur's command. He seemed to understand what Arthur was planning to do based on the anger he could faintly sense from his agitated aura, but he had no plans to stop him.

Anyway, our young lord isn't weak enough for that lesser demon to be much of a threat to him. He's just a simple Demon Count. That was what the butler thought with an inward snort.

The older man showed no reaction to the sight of the naked, semen-covered princess in her lord's arms as they lay on the guest room sofa; demonstrating the professionalism of an elite servant who neither interferes nor pries into his master's private affairs.

In fact, he didn't even turn around to look at the princess in such an unseemly state, as he remained respectfully with his eyes closed, much to Arthur's satisfaction.

As expected from the guy who was all calm next to a woman dressed as scandalously as Ikaros.

—As for you, Franx, go and take care of anyone who dares to infiltrate my Mansion…of course, we will discuss your punishment for your previous actions later.

—…Si, Arthur-sama

With a sense of reluctance and discouragement in her gaze, the Chimera nodded sadly as she turned to leave as quickly as she could…After all, there was a limit to how much her abilities would allow her to control her instincts.

—Oh, and Ikaros…

"Yes, Master?" Ikaros, who was being stared at by Laura because of the clothes she was wearing, immediately perked up at her call, causing the princess to narrow her eyes at her fiancé.

Ignoring as much as possible the pressure he felt from both her gaze and her aura, Sora ordered seriously without delay, "Hide your wings, they are quite conspicuous."

—Oh….

Unaware that her clothes themselves were even more striking, Ikaros just nodded obediently at her words, and the small angel wings on her back faded into spiritual particles.

Laura, who had been watching the situation with a ridiculous expression, opened her beautiful amethyst eyes in disbelief. Her face literally screamed, "What was that?!"

Sora knew he would have a lot of things to explain later, not only to Laura, but to everyone in Pendragon…but it wasn't the time.

With a bit of his Aura, he quickly cleaned himself up, properly placed his luxurious black robe and then turned his face to look at Laura, who opened her mouth and closed her mouth at the image of a woman making the wings on her back vanish into nothingness.

Although this was a world of sorcery, humans with magical powers, and demons... It was probably because he didn't detect any magical energy with that process, though.

—Laura, stay here, I'll be right back.

"A-Arthur? What are you going to do?" Finally reacting appropriately to the situation, Laura asked anxiously.

Arthur smiled reassuringly at her and stroked her silver hair gently as he said, "Don't worry, I'm just getting rid of a pest. Jonathan will protect you from any threats while I'm gone. Wait here for me, I'll be right back."

-B-but...

The silver-haired girl curled up on the couch, slightly frightened, her eyes trembling as she hesitated to ask him to stay by her side. She was scared and didn't want him to leave.

Well, even with the butler with a strong aura and what seemed like a prostitute with powers she didn't understand, Laura felt calmer with Arthur by her side, especially since she honestly didn't know what the old man and the Angeloid were capable of.

Especially the latter. Would anyone trust their safety to what looked like a blasphemous harlot masquerading as some kind of angel? Laura Lunen Ivrin Lainervorial certainly wouldn't.

…Sora had no idea that his fiancée considered Ikaros a blasphemous prostitute.

He calmly, while Ikaros looked at him with a strange expression, took Laura's head in his hands, making her look at him with her beautiful, tearful eyes, and placed a tender kiss on her forehead; causing her to blush as she immediately felt happier at his affectionate gesture, which had been unthinkable just a few hours ago.

Ikaros just looked at that scene with confusion on her face, seeing the faintly happy expression of the girl next to her Master, and wondered if that was as good as having sex with him while imagining him doing the same to her...and for some reason she blushed at the image, not understanding why.

Completely unaware of this as he focused all his attention on his fiancée, Sora opened his mouth as he looked into her eyes: “Laura, what am I?”

-You're... A high-ranking Awakened with the Dragon Knight Extra Class, right?

…She was actually about to answer 'The love of my life and the father of my future children' without thinking, but she stopped.

While they were having this conversation, the demon could be heard roaring happily and the guards fighting the creature, with the mansion shaking from time to time due to the demon's savagery or something else.

The screams of terrified servants and the cries of wounded or even dying guards and Imperial Knights could be heard outside, like music worthy of Hell itself, ringing in their ears.

Yet it was as if the three of them in the guest room were far removed from such matters, with Arthur and Laura gazing into each other's eyes in their own world while the butler waited silently.

-Yes~, and what are we, the cavalry, good at?

-....Cavalry is the strongest class group in combat with melee weapons that exists and.... It is also the archenemy of demons along with priests and paladins....because the Aura makes them more resistant to the infernal power of demons and in turn, the aura can invade their bodies and block the flow of internal energy...

"Exactly!" Sora nodded with a weak smile and this time kissed Laura on the lips as if rewarding her. "And I'm not afraid to say that as an Aura genius and a possessor of the Dragon Knight Class rat, there's no way that Demon poses a threat to me. So, just wait here until I'm done with this. Like I said...I'll be back."

Arthur's golden eyes were bitterly cold as he said that, causing Laura to shudder at the sight.

However... it wasn't because he scared her, but because her childhood crush's murderous attitude seemed infinitely awesome. Laura couldn't help but stare at him in ecstasy.

He whispered to her, "I'll clean you up before I go..."

“Body Cleansing”

With her brief incantation, the maryoku quickly flowed from her magic circuits, and a soft light surrounded Laura's body, causing the bodily fluids covering her to completely disappear. Although the scent of semen and blood was still very present in the air as evidence of what had happened...

Sora then turned away from her and looked at Jonathan and Ikaros, speaking in a flat tone to the old man, -Protect her with your life... Do not leave alive anyone who dares to consider touching even a single strand of her hair... understood?

"Yes, Arthur-sama." The butler nodded with a serious and calm expression, a fighting spirit burning in his hazel eyes.

As long as he was here, no one would touch the princess. He guaranteed that he would not only be his lord's butler, but also the one with the legendary [Heavenly Guardian] trait.

The Pendragon then looked at his Servant and spoke mentally. The same goes for you, Ikaros. I don't want to reveal your power publicly, so I wish for you to stay here to protect Laura alongside Jonathan. I myself will take care of the enemy out there.

But, Master….

Sora immediately cut off any objections. It's an Order like yours, Master, Ikaros. Stay here and take care of Laura until the end of the battle.

Fully aware that Ikaros prioritizes her safety above all else, he had no choice but to use one of the Holy Orders to ensure her total obedience. Although the Master System never told him how to use it, Sora had an idea, and sure enough, just thinking it allowed him to use its power over Ikaros.

The Angeloid froze for a few seconds before the power of the Holy Order that immediately began to act on her entire existence, and with quite pronounced reluctance in her expression, she nodded weakly.

Jonathan looked at them with weak curiosity, and Laura was clearly puzzled by what seemed to be a silent conversation between the two, hesitant to ask what they were doing…or who Ikaros was in the first place; though it wasn't the time.

However, Sora took a deep breath as he looked at his Servant with a calm expression, and then looked out the window.

After taking a few calm steps while looking at the demon, the man suddenly began to run and jumped out of the living room window to the outside, to the total surprise of Laura and Ikaros, who immediately headed to the window.

Of course, the recent and intense coital activity did not allow the princess to move as freely as she wanted, and the poor princess almost fell to the ground like a newborn deer; it was Ikaros who reached the window.

If Jonathan hadn't used his purple aura to prevent it, he might have been injured.

"Oh, thank you!" Thanking him perfunctorily and without looking at him, her gaze briefly frowning on Ikaros, Laura tried to walk again with some effort to the window, still half-naked, and when she succeeded, she looked at Ikaros again, who was paying no attention to her, and finally outside.

——There stood Arthur, standing in front of the terrible demon that had caused serious damage to the garden and walls of the Pendragon Mansion.

Both were surrounded by the corpses of servants, guards, knights, and horses; whose bodies were being corrupted by the power of hell and reanimated as zombies.

The sky above them was twisted by the Hell Dome, glowing red, and the plants were also corrupted and mutated by the hellish energy, moving eerily close, making the scene even more chilling.

Laura couldn't help but stare in awe at the enormous beast that from another plane towered over all mortals with its enormous height against the disturbing blood-red sky in the background, along with the small figure of her fiancé standing bravely against it without hesitation.

He was like the hero of a fairy tale... fighting the evil demon lord for the sake of his loved ones.

My hero... Laura thought dreamily.

For her part, Ikaros only showed an expression of pure concern. Naturally, since her mind wasn't tainted by fairy tales and romance, and she could only see the danger her only Master was about to face.

Master…. Feeling the power of the Holy Order binding her like invisible chains and preventing her from acting outside of the order given by Sora, Ikaros felt anxious and more than anything…. extremely frustrated.

His eyes glowed an electronic red as he glared menacingly at the Demon Count at the thought of him harming his Master.

If it weren't for a certain barrier inside, the Demon would definitely have felt the killing intent emanating from those unnatural eyes of the Angeloid….

Or perhaps his Pseudo-Divinity.

-Arthur-that's it!

-Arthur-sama!

The guest room door was suddenly pushed open by two anxious and worried women, who froze at the sight of the princess's immodest state and the Angeloid's attire; both of them completely focused on the figure of their brave fiancé and master.

-B-but... what?

Seeing the princess he hated almost completely naked, what he assumed was a beautiful pink-haired prostitute, as well as the lingering smell of semen in the room…Nava's eyes couldn't help but tremble in disgust as he quickly understood what happened here.

Arthur-niisama! What is this!?

She exclaimed indignantly in her head as she stomped her feet. Of course, whatever she imagined probably wasn't entirely accurate…

♦♦♦♦

The air outside was filled with the smell of fresh blood, which came from the corpses.

As soon as he landed, Sora took a breath and his nose immediately became irritated, making him grimace in disgust, not realizing how disconcerting it must be for him to be in a place full of corpses as someone who had never witnessed death...

...Or was it because in his fights many criminals looked like corpses themselves and he became familiar with the image?

....Considering the rivers of blood in the dry grass and the mangled humans, the idea itself was absurd.

Regardless, the young man immediately noticed that far behind the demon was what looked like a rather crude and completely smashed green metal capsule inside a deep crater in the ground. 

It was obviously the cause of the tremor that shook the entire mansion.

It's also possible the demon came from there... No, it definitely came from that thing. It was pretty clear to anyone who saw it.

In front of the mansion, a little further up from the entrance, Sora could also see a luxurious white and red carriage with the symbol of the Imperial House of Lunen - The Divine Silver Moon - completely destroyed, while a part of it remained lodged on top of the mansion with some corpses of beautiful horses and knights at its side, staining the walls with blood and guts.

So that's why the room had cracks, huh? Considering that sovereign noble houses are usually built to withstand Aspirants of the highest rank, it's truly monstrous...

While he was thinking with a solemn face in the face of the obvious strength of the opponent, exclamations could be heard from the people who responded rather late to his sudden presence.

-Is that the Archduke!?

-Your Highness suddenly left the safety of the mansion!?

"What are you doing here and why did you jump out of a window?" a guard stupidly asked his companion in a tone of astonishment.

"You think I know that, idiot?!" She scolded him while butchering a zombie dog that came out of who knows where. "Just kill these corpses and mind your own business!"

-Aren't you going to face that thing without weapons?! That's crazy!

-Anyway, that nobleman is much stronger than you and me!

"..." That's true....

-A-arthur-sama, please get away from there! Don't endanger that sexy body of yours!

"Kana-chan, stop your nonsense and let's go!"

-Ah...Shia-chan, wait...!

Sora stared at the demon in front of him with a blank stare, ignoring the screams and cries of some imperial guards and knights fighting against the living corpses and the demi-human maiden being dragged away for shouting something outrageous in the middle of the mess.

Didn't he have Armas? The Pendragon snorted, amused.

Leaving these guys aside, anyone who had played the game would know that the Final Boss of the first game, Arthur Pendragon, even if he didn't look like it, actually always carried a very powerful and mysterious sword inside his soul.

One that was forged by the hand of the legendary father of his other lover, a dwarven princess belonging to a Fallen Kingdom centuries ago...

A sword that, with a smile from that princess, was confidently called the "sword of assured victory."

"In short, it was a sword that was based on a certain weapon from a completely different game that Xianpai just gave a different design and origin story to, right?" He recalled Yüna spouting such rhetoric, and Sora just nodded silently with serious eyes.

Although, it's a shame she won't answer me... but there's no other choice; the enemy won't wait for you, Est-chan....

While Sora would have loved to be able to use the power of the adorable Teminus Est instead, it was still hiding somewhere inside him or something, so all that was left was to use that weapon.

Fortunately, that sword was not inspired by Arthurian myths for nothing; it was a true sacred sword.

-Hmm... Look, lowly commoners, I swear with my heart that I can kill this stupid demon in my hands in 15 minutes... or I'll be bald for a week!

Although he only gave that boastful oath in a whisper, the Aureal Core within his body immediately began to react to his will as he felt the control over his Aura grow noticeably stronger.

At the same time, Sora felt a mysterious sensation spreading throughout his body that he somehow knew would force him to keep his word if he failed with his own power as collateral.

The young Archduke of Draco Silva narrowed his eyes at that, and as he raised his arms as if to shrug mockingly, he quickly condensed his Aura throughout his body with the full intention of fulfilling that 'oath', his golden irises glowing slightly as his body lit up with a dark and strange light; manifesting a black armor that covered his entire body that left only his mouth exposed, its cover covered by slits.

He clenched his outstretched hands tightly as he felt the armor upon him, its weight seemingly nonexistent.

As expected of the armor forged by that busty Loli of mine, he thought, it's really cool that it feels like it's a part of me.

On the outside he seemed cold and indifferent, but the truth is that he was somewhat excited to use this appearance that he witnessed several times when Arthur Pendragon revealed his true power when he decided to fight seriously as the Final Boss.

Especially since it actually looked a bit like the Transcendent-level armor he'd once worn in COF...

His black knight appearance, coupled with his height of 194 cm, was intimidating and cold, causing a gasp of surprise from those who looked at him.

This was especially true among the maidens being protected by the spirits, who went from rather inopportunely appreciating his muscular build and his cool, cool demeanor to instead seeing him transformed into a knight in shining obsidian armor.

Naturally, it wasn't just them who were delighted; Laura, Nava, Luminia... and even, surprisingly, Ikaros, silently watched her change with shining eyes from the window, filled with admiration for her cold and gallant appearance.

It was simply breathtaking.... you could even tell they were excited....

Using Aura to store items like this armor inside your soul... is really an interesting and useful power that really seems to make [Inventory] and [Equipment] completely useless,

Will they even help? They should, right? Or can the system just cry at seeing my Aura disable two of its basic functions just like that?

He smiled at that thought and felt happy to have the most versatile supernatural force in this world at his disposal.

While Aura wasn't necessarily the most powerful source of supernatural power in the world, it did grant a lot of freedom over what could be used to fight.

In short, it was very similar to the Nen Energy from the old anime called Hunter x Hunter, which allowed you to create any Nen ability, only more limited...but no less cool. Sora's smile deepened for a few moments at idle thoughts like that, before turning completely expressionless the next second.

He had fully prepared himself mentally for the impending battle, just as he had for his fights with criminals or during his martial arts training; though he was currently wearing knight armor instead of a dogi, he thought with some amusement.

An intense and terrifying supernatural presence began to emanate from the armored youth that enveloped the area as he made full use of [Dragon Monarch Domain], eventually drawing the demon's attention in his direction as Arthur walked towards him with calm but heavy steps.

The screaming people, and even the corpses resurrected by the demonic energy, quickly felt that terrifying presence of his that completely intimidated them, causing even the zombies to ignore him as if they were afraid that the golden-eyed boy would erase their filthy existences with just a wave of his hand.

They didn't know it, but that was the result of the intimidation of a True Dragon emanating from a mortal; something unheard of even for any other Demi-dragon that could have existed in the world.

A quality only possible because one of his most powerful traits as a final boss was enhanced thanks to the gifts of the Master System!

Arthur only had eyes for the daring creature that brazenly treated his atrium as a playground for killing and maiming when it stopped several feet away from him.

The cold, golden light in his eyes that could be seen through the slit was completely chilling, as if they were those of a killing machine analyzing its next target to eliminate it, without any mercy in its programming.

Grrr....

His behavior caused the Demon Count to narrow his eyes as he growled, hot air escaping from his nostrils with each breath.

The demon in question was a massive monster that resembled something between a bull and a human. Its body resembled that of a gigantic humanoid, but it had a head like that of a ferocious, angry bull.

It also had strange scales on its skin where there was no hair, and a tail like a dragon's or something similar, with sharp, uneven teeth visible every time it opened its mouth.

It stood approximately 10 meters tall, had glowing red eyes, and two three-toed feet that bore vicious blood-colored claws. Its horns, fur, scales, and tail dyed its body an ash gray.

His black armor gave his body the appearance of a fearsome warrior of evil, and he held by the handle a gigantic axe with a black handle and a double blood-red blade, with golden runes that pulsed light in an eerie and disturbing manner on its surface.

From his presence, one could feel a chilling force that suffocated mortals with fear, and his enormous physique released an enveloping oppression that immediately made you feel inferior to his existence.

It looks like one of the legendary minotaurs of ancient Greece, but its teeth, scales, and tail suggest it's not exactly the same.

Furthermore, Minotaurs were already Demons in Britannia, and they obviously didn't look like that. It was an appearance that Sora, who had played a bit of Britannia: Lost Order, recognized as a Demon with its mutated spiritual essence; something extremely rare even among high-ranking Demons.

And very dangerous too...even so, Sora walked forward and in response, the mutant Minotaur raised his guard with a snort....

Was Sora lucky or unlucky that his [Divine Sense] won't work on beings of demonic nature?

--Well, if Sora could at least read the expressions of the bulls and cows, then he would have noticed the wariness in the giant creature's eyes at his tiny existence.

♦♦♦♦

From the moment it was summoned to this plane according to its demon lord's plans, the Mutant Minotaur that appeared at the Pendragon residence from the meteorite immediately launched its Hell Dome upon the Pendragon Mansion and began to gleefully rampage through the surroundings, reveling in the fear and despair of the humans before it as it fulfilled its intended purpose on this unpleasant plane of existence.

With her actions, she hoped that all these insects whose Souls she was devouring like snacks would be distracted from her true goal while those male servants within the mansion - who were carrying the Summoning Crystals within them unknowingly - would die at any moment to make way for her subordinate demons so that she could kidnap her target and bring her to her Demon Lord quickly.

It was fortunate that they were already planning to attack several key noble houses of the empire in the future to cause chaos and destabilize it, which allowed him to act without worries in this operation and, for the moment, things did not seem to be going too far from expectations... However, the sudden appearance of a boy in armor immediately made him very serious.

...no, nervous would be the correct word.

Unlike the human, who apparently had no weapons of any kind as he stared coldly through the slits of his elegant helmet, the Mutant Minotaur was not only armored almost from head to toe, but also possessed two lethal weapons: his axe and his tail.

The difference between the two was visually obvious, even if you ignored the size, and some would have no doubt as to who would be the winner between them.

For the Mutant Minotaur who descended to this world with the help of foolish sorcerers who sold their souls for power, he had not encountered any creature that could threaten him until now, and all the humans who were present before him had trouble dealing with even simple reanimated corpses, possessed and empowered with residual demonic energy emanating from him.

It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if the new human on the scene wasn't a threat to this Demon Count at all, becoming a new source of amusement for him while his subordinates carried out the rest of the mission.

Still, he didn't take it lightly; he was fully aware of the fact that there were dangerous humans in this world who seemed weak, but were incredibly strong due in part to the grace of the gods.

Besides....

W-what is this...? This human has such a strange and powerful presence that he shouldn't be part of your species at all... No, he doesn't feel human despite having the form of one! What exactly is this guy...!?

The Demon Count, Μαχούν Lindasña Βαράνo, thought to himself, with great suspicion as he looked at Arthur with his demonic red eyes fully alert.

Through his well-trained spiritual senses, he could sense that there was something absolutely strange about the "human" in front of him that made him feel deeply wary. 

More specifically, his presence was particularly familiar yet indescribable, as if he had encountered something of a similar nature to the armored youth in the past.

Something extremely powerful and dangerous, ancient even... that was far from being truly human, but seemed to exist inside what looked like a human body somehow.

His aura was also imbued with the light of a strong Positive Karma...which was extremely repugnant; almost as if he were standing before an angel of justice seeking to subject him to divine judgment.

The soft light surrounding him, very different from what humans understood as Aura, was a clear indication of the powerful positive karmic force that had been infused into the being of the "Human".

Someone like that couldn't actually be a human, since reaching this level of power without sacrificing innocents along the way was, in some ways, pure foolishness for naturally weak humans.

Only saints blessed by the Divinity of the gods could achieve this without being contaminated by the Negative Karmic Force... but the despicable aroma of pure divinity did not emanate from him at all.

So the other party simply couldn't be a human; that's the conclusion he came to.

Could this being actually be one of those rare guardian beasts? Perhaps one that only took this form to defend this mansion from the noble mortals while concealing its existence from others with this appearance...

That would be very troublesome for Betano, because not to mention a Guardian Beast, even other species tended to have better natural combat abilities than humans of the same rank, and this one felt as strong as himself.

Being attacked by a being of such high Karma as the lesser Angels would not bring you any good, as it could cause you great pain, directly attacking your essence.

And if he made a mistake in a battle with one, he wouldn't even be able to be reborn in Hell for a long time, as he was temporarily summoned to this world with his real body. No...when killed by beings of high Karma, Demons of his level would be lucky to rebuild after a millennium.

For someone who enjoyed leading thousands of demons and possessing a certain amount of power in Hell, the idea of ​​going through that was terrifying. Who knows how much influence and power he would lose in demon society? When would he ever get it all back?

...There was no chance!

At this event, Betano suddenly felt as if icebergs from the Judeca were pressing on his back, a sensation that made him begin to feel something similar to nausea.

He, an esteemed Hell General who has led several demonic armies to the battlefield with cunning and brought nothing but absolute glory to his powerful Demon Lord, had never experienced anything like this before.

However, that was definitely because even if he died in Hell, he could return in a few hours; taking millennia for the same thing...

I...think I should run away...right?

The Demon Count thought, feeling intimidated, nervous, and restless... among other similar feelings as he saw the quiet creature in the form of a small, insignificant human staring at him with its terrifying eyes that seemed to shine like gleaming gold in the gloom.

With the sudden feeling that there was no way to win this battle, any fight against this mysterious being was clearly extremely stupid and would bring him many losses, and the funny size difference between them, far from being an advantage, only made this even more dangerous and terrifying for him since his lady was also small but very powerful....

Suddenly, bad memories came to mind as he thought about it... and the temptation to use all his power to open a door to hell and escape grew.

However, Betano pushed away those useless thoughts and tried to ignore his intuition. Since he had finally managed to catch his prey in this unique opportunity, how could he simply let it escape when he was already expecting to face a powerful opponent?

...The most important thing is that the consequences of failure would be too severe for him in hell if he ran away like a useless coward.

So, ignoring the instinctive warnings he felt in his hellish bowels, Betano decided to fight the 'Guardian Beast' of this mansion without retreating, hoping to distract the enemy while the Cultists do their intended work to begin the simple summoning ritual that would kill the unsuspecting vessels of the crystals within the Mansion, bringing his minions to this plane to complete his goals.

In any case, your goal should only be to defend the mansion... I must be careful with this strange being and not fail my Lady's mission. Regardless of what happens to me... I will make sure we can obtain the soul of the one who carries the awakened bloodline of the Blood Ancestors!

Βαράνο snorted again to himself as he mentally prepared himself for a tough battle.

He felt that the 'Guardian Beast' pretending to be a young human before him was filled with murderous intent against his existence by invading the territory he protected and that he might die if he was careless, so he had to make sure to go with everything he had.

He hadn't lived through centuries of countless wars between different demon territories and even hells in vain... that was at least what the Demon Count thought, not knowing who he was really facing, it was the young Archduke of Draco Silva, not an ancient guardian beast in service to a powerful human clan.

Well, it couldn't be helped; Arthur had a very strong aura, Betano didn't understand human language at all and it wasn't like Arthur was completely human either... so his feelings were actually understandable.

Furthermore, as someone who had done many deeds that were beneficial to the innocent in both his past life as Shigaraki Sora and with Arthur Pendragon, he now had a high Positive Karma that very few humans in this world would have, adding to the confusion...

Well, that's how it is, anyway.

Getting as far away from the two as possible, the wounded guards and knights who managed to kill the demonic zombies and decided to retreat to heal their wounds looked at this scene with disbelief and fear.

From his point of view, standing in front of this demonic monstrosity was just the pure representation of recklessness.

Save for his beautiful female fans who cheered him on with heartfelt eyes and whose mysterious guardians gave them confidence to look even from a distance, it was impossible for the men on the scene to imagine anything other than this young Archduke who was overconfident in the power he had gained as a Challenger being reduced to pieces of meat with a single blow from the Demon's Cursed Axe, proving that he was being too arrogant for his own good.

All they could think was that he would die; none of them wanted to join in the madness, even if they weren't hurt. The only thing that kept them from fleeing into the Mansion itself was the internal security system that automatically sealed the entrance.

...Of course, the future defeat of Arthur imagined by pessimists and cowards was a remote possibility.

After all, neither they nor the maidens understood the true power of one of the toughest final bosses in the Britannia game series.

I was on a different level than them, who were extras in comparison...

♦♦♦♦

As for Sora - who had no idea that Betano was a little afraid of him for various reasons - he couldn't help but remember a bit of the game's plot, where he made an appearance to make the heroes show off thanks to his power.

If it weren't for the timely intervention of Mash and his Lord Chaldeas, those demonic bastards would have succeeded.

He remembered what had happened and frowned.

Actually planned by Germinalia, the true final boss of the JRPG [Britannia Lost Order], it was an unpleasant event because both spies of the corrupt nobles of the Holy Unified Kingdom of Arcaden and some innocent individuals were unknowingly implanted with altered Soul Orbs to allow the summoning of demons with their bodies.

That led to the event, known as [Demon Invasion at the Academy], which became known among [Britannia: Lost Order] players as the [Innocent Terrorist] incident orchestrated by the demonic followers that plagued that small Kingdom and were manipulated by the princess of the same for their plans.

At that point, there were quite a few players who didn't want to bring down that stupid religious nation and sell Germinalia to a brothel...or worse.

At least according to what Yüna told him, Sora had to congratulate himself for remembering something he cared so little about. Or was it because of his now superior brain?

Either way...I doubt Germinalia was planning to attack Pendragon Mansion so suddenly, so it must be an action resulting from the cult members themselves...what beautiful out-of-control pawns that woman has!

Luckily, there's Jonathan and Ikaros. Who needs a sexy Demi-Servant with a big shield when you have an all-powerful, loyal butler and an obedient Angeloid with the power of a God of Destruction at your service?

Thinking of that butler with high loyalty ratings and a power level even higher than his own, alongside the Lorius Ikaros, Arthur felt relieved. Laura would be safe with him by her side. There was no reason to think weak demons could do anything to her there.

Sure of this, he took a step, breaking the tension marked by the silence between them.

...It's better to attack first than to be attacked!

Once he saw Arthur take a step forward, Betano responded by swinging his axe up and down with surprising speed that caused devastating gusts of air to shake the surroundings, frightening onlookers in the distance.

At the same time, the Demon Count injected his infernal energy into him and activated his hidden power, [Flamne Avaridiaus].

The flames of the Hell of Avarice itself, ruled by the Demon King Mammon 'The Insatiable Devourer of Forbidden Knowledge', were capable of 'devouring' energy from almost anything spiritual and to some extent, material, in order to maintain their potency.

Even such a powerful and noble guardian beast should be severely wounded in its soul by something like that, right?!

That was at least his vague hope.

With a speed inconceivable for its size, the axe attack advanced like a comet while releasing powerful shockwaves, approaching the 'guardian beast' quickly with overwhelming power and almost engulfing it in green demonic flames.

-¡Arthur!

-Maestro!

-Arthur-that's it!

Laura and Nava couldn't help but cry out in concern from the guest room upon seeing this terrifying scene. Their eyes filled with anxiety at the outcome of the demon's attack; Ikaros, in particular, was struggling against the "chains of the holy order" to try to go and kill this demonic threat, feeling helpless and powerless.

--The axe then split the enchanted marble floor of the atrium with ease, as if the floor were not reinforced by powerful sorcery that money could afford.

Where the axe struck, the floor cracked, and not only did the marble tiles fly off, but the floor beneath them was also torn open.

And as it spread for several meters, the powerful demonic flames dissolved the tiles in an instant, seeming to be more acidic than burning flames; capable of devouring even that blessed with high-order sorcery.

Where are you...?!

However, the 'guardian beast', his target, was no longer there... At some point, the human-shaped creature arrived right behind Bαράνο, attacking his tail with eyes that glowed with a cold light.

¿¡Uh!?

He exclaimed loudly with surprise in his eyes which was evident by how wide they were.

Moments before the attack, Sora used his powerful perception and concentration to observe the axe's movement in slow motion, and quickly repositioned himself with the bodily reinforcement provided by the combination of maryoku and his body's Aura away from the axe's attack zone and its demonic flames.

At the same time, he used his will to quickly summon a stored sword from his inner world.

It featured a rather elegant-looking obsidian blade, engraved with beautiful dwarven rune inscriptions on the surface; its handle appeared to be made of strangely shiny gold, like steel.

A mystical Aura emanated faintly from it, reinforced by Arthur/Sora's positive karmic force, causing it to glow faintly.

As soon as this beautiful and sacred sword appeared in his hand, Arthur quickly chanted a small incantation without a second's hesitation to unleash its power according to his body's impulses.

"Come, Caliburn, give me your strength, for I have defeated a great gold before me!"

With the power of those determined and firm words, the sword, called Caliburn, released a holy, silver light that would vaguely remind one of the moonlight in the night skies of Britannia, and Arthur used it to strike as he swung towards his enemy with fierce eyes.

Th-that's... A Mythical Armament blessed with spiritual essence of the moon!? Why would I have something like that!?

Betano could not help but be surprised and opened his evil and hellish eyes wide in disbelief.

The spiritual essence of the moon was one of the most troublesome forms of Reiryoku for a demon to deal with, and having to fight someone who used the power of the moon itself would definitely be very painful; especially with the power of good karma behind it.

Bavapo couldn't help but wonder for a moment why something like this existed here, as Mythical Armaments capable of using the power of celestial bodies were very rare... and their domain should block out the outside world, making them normally useless.

However, I had neither the time nor the opportunity to think deeply about this mystery.

As Arthur, aiming for Betancourt's right leg and having moved out of his sight, appeared before him, deciding to use the Reiryoku flowing from the sword that ran non-stop from its core to carry out a powerful attack.

"Giving the gods majesty, Caliburn!"

In response to those words in the ancient and dark language of the druid clans, the blade of Arthur's obsidian sword began to release spiritual energy in the form of silver flames as it vibrated forcefully, causing it to make a sound like a chainsaw or something similar as it burned with its holy-looking flame.

Then and only at that very moment, the sword's cutting power doubled and Arthur attacked the Demon with all his might with a power that was capable of purging all evil.

That?!

By the time the demon was fully able to react, it was too late to respond to his offensive as he could only exclaim confusedly again in the infernal language.