Gelmud was practically frothing at the mouth as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"You idiot! What the hell are you doing?!"
"If you'd just eaten these losers earlier and evolved into a Demon Lord, I wouldn't have to clean up your mess!"
"Trash, trash, trash!"
He kicked the Orc Lord hard in the leg.
"Hey, what do you mean by 'evolve into a Demon Lord'?"
A voice rang out from behind.
Gelmud turned around.
At some point, Benimaru, Shion, and the others had appeared behind him.
Benimaru's hand rested on his sword, his eyes cold.
He recognized this demon.
This guy had once come to their village offering to give them names.
But everyone had rejected him. He reeked of suspicion.
"Tsk… what a hassle."
"Well, now that I've been found out, no point hiding it anymore."
Gelmud's eyes were bloodshot.
"Why do you think I go around handing out names?"
"Of course it's to make you fight each other, so the strongest one left can be my ultimate chess piece!"
"Just for that?" Benimaru's voice grew even colder.
Shion gritted her teeth. "So that's why you destroyed our village?"
Hakurou spoke up, "Young Master, it seems we've found the one responsible."
Gelmud turned away.
"Hey, Orc Lord! No—Geld! Kill them!"
"Devour them and you'll evolve into a Demon King!"
"…Geld…" A glint of recognition flickered in the Orc Lord's dull eyes.
"…Geld…" He muttered it again, but didn't move.
He stood there, lost in thought, repeating that name.
"Tch…"
"There's no time left. I know I shouldn't interfere directly, but…"
"Looks like I'll have to do it myself!"
Gelmud's eyes were now fully bloodshot.
"Let me show you the power of a high-ranking demon!"
He raised his hand and began gathering magic above his head.
"Go to hell!"
Death-March Dance—!
Several magic bullets shot toward Benimaru and the others.
Each one radiated deadly magical energy.
"Freeze."
A sudden voice echoed behind the group.
Then—
An ice wall materialized in mid-air, crashing into place and blocking the attack with a resounding bang.
It was Chishiya's voice.
"Is this your full strength?"
"How do you expect to kill anyone with this kind of party trick?"
"Chishiya-sama!"
Benimaru and the others turned around in unison.
Chishiya waved a hand.
"Benimaru, don't waste your magic on garbage like this."
"Go handle your real business."
He turned his gaze toward the Orc Lord.
"Whether he's been forced into this or is just weak-willed, one thing's clear—"
"There needs to be an ending between you two."
"As for him…"
Chishiya pointed directly at Gelmud.
"I'll deal with him. He won't bother you again."
Benimaru gave a small bow.
He understood what Chishiya meant.
This was their grudge. Their village, their people.
Whether they chose revenge, justice, or forgiveness—it was their choice.
"Thank you, Chishiya-sama."
———————
Gelmud's eyelid twitched violently.
"Hey, hey! Don't look down on me, you bastard!"
He activated his magical perception.
"Eh? Wait… wait a sec…"
In his vision, the magical flow around Chishiya was so faint it was practically nonexistent.
"His magic level is that low?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"You've been acting all smug, but you're weak as hell!"
Megumin gritted her teeth.
"Ugh, Sensei, this guy's seriously annoying."
"Can I hit him?"
Chishiya looked back at her. "Can you stand on your own?"
Megumin nodded and slid off his back.
"Sensei, please beat the crap out of him."
Gelmud burst into laughter.
"That tiny magic flow?!"
"I'm a high-level demon, you know?!"
He shouted like it meant something.
Chishiya glanced at him. "That's more than enough for you."
"And besides…"
"You're not even worth me using my real skills."
"…What did you say?!"
Gelmud's eyes blazed.
"You arrogant piece of—"
"I'll blast you to pieces!"
He raised his staff.
A huge, unstable magic bullet began forming above his head.
Chishiya calmly muttered, "You're too slow."
"With a cast speed like that, even my grandma could outpace you."
"WHAT?!"
Chishiya lifted a hand. A blue magic circle flared to life in an instant.
It was Wiz's signature ice magic.
The magic of the Lich King.
"Wha—?!"
An icy chill hit Gelmud like a tidal wave.
He panicked, trying to defend.
Too late.
In a blink, half his body was frozen solid.
"HOW?!"
"This is… This is high-level magic!"
"How can someone like you cast something this powerful?!"
Before he could react further.
A figure shot in front of him.
Chishiya grabbed his face with one hand and slammed him into the ground.
BOOM—!
A crater formed on impact.
A sharp pain tore through Gelmud's head. Blood dripped down his mask and pooled on the ground.
"AAAHHHHHH—!"
He screamed, flailing wildly.
"You bastard! How dare you make me fe—"
BAM!
Before he could finish, another punch landed.
Then another.
And another.
Chishiya's fists rained down like a hailstorm.
After recruiting Darkness and gaining the skill [Knight's Body], his strength and defense had skyrocketed.
To the point where.
He could give someone a firsthand understanding of what it meant to have their skull smashed like a watermelon.
"Wait…"
Gelmud's mask cracked. Blood ran down his chin.
"I-I was wrong…"
"Let me join your team…"
His voice was weak and hoarse.
"…I'll leave quietly…"
Chishiya didn't respond.
He grabbed Gelmud by the head and lifted him up.
"You should've died a long time ago, you leech."
As he spoke, frost radiated from Chishiya's fingers.
A layer of ice spread across Gelmud's skull.
Gelmud clawed at Chishiya's arms, trying to break free.
"Let go of me! If you kill me, that person won't—"
"Aaaaagh!!"
Pain shot through his skull as Chishiya squeezed.
"It hurts! Stop! STOP—!"
His legs kicked and thrashed wildly…
But gradually, they stopped moving.
Crack…
A crisp sound echoed.
Gelmud's mind froze completely.
Then, with a final burst of magical force.
His head exploded into glittering ice shards.
Thud…
His body dropped lifelessly to the ground.
[Notice:]
[Gelmud has lost all vital characteristics.]
Rimuru witnessed the scene from above.
He gulped audibly.
Yeah. Not someone I ever want to fight.
After the war, definitely opening diplomatic relations...
———————
Chishiya crouched beside the corpse and rummaged through Gelmud's belongings.
From inside his robe, he pulled out a crystal ball.
"Found it."
He looked around.
He'd wanted one of these ever since watching anime.
It provided a bird's-eye view of any target.
Unfortunately, there was no sound.
Usually only top-ranking figures owned this kind of magic tool.
Good stuff. Chishiya tucked it away.
"With the right marketing, I bet tons of perverts will pay good money for this."
"Let's bring it back and have Vanir study it."
"This thing's got major product potential."
(To be continued.)
***
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