Even so, the border of this material world had been shut down a long time ago. Theodore might succeed in calling out a demon, but its power wouldn't even be 1% of the main body.
However, that was enough, Theodore was sure of this.
Gods and demons, the transcendents of the Age of Mythology, were armed with a power which wasn't present in this age. They were of a spirituality that was several times higher than the present humanity.
It was possible to win even if it was 5%. This was the result of the summoning magic he envisioned.
–Do you want me to tell you before you eat that book?
It had been a while back. After Theodore entered the Zero Library with Paragranum, she had smiled unpleasantly at him, who had chosen 'Hell Fire,' and told him who the creator was.
–The magician who created Hell Fire was the demon king of fire, Fulito, who sent an avatar down to the material world. Hell Fire is a form of summoning that calls Fulito.
From then on, after discovering that Hell Fire was a variation of summoning magic, Theodore had studied the magic formula with summoning in mind. The role of the 'gate' was to invoke a summons through Hell Fire.
If so, Theodore's remaining role was to provide the causality and magic power which allowed it to operate in the material world. Just like Fafnir had been given 'Charlotte's Necklace', this demon summoning ceremony wasn't much different.
"「Offering.」"
The magic circle which was flowing red suddenly turned black. Like Hell Fire, it was a dark color that swallowed the light, shaking the boundaries of the material world and the ground at the feet of the two masters.
This was 'dimensional vibration,' a phenomenon equivalent to a higher level concept of 'space' which Orta and Zest could handle.
The confused Zest shouted, "What are you trying to call?"
Instead of answering, Theodore continued chanting the spell, "「 Monarch of the distant land, lord of fire, I will give an offering to your fire here, so please listen to my minor request. 」"
Then something emerged from the inventory into his left hand. It was a large and dull piece of skin. However, why was there a haze in the air, like heat rising from the surface of the skin and distorting the surrounding air?
The skin was the catalyst of a red dragon that was thousands of years old, and it required 11,000 points to take it from the Library. It wasn't something which should be used as a consumable, but this wasn't a situation in which Theodore could afford to save it.
Then at that moment…
【It has been accepted.】
An irresistible fear captivated the souls of the two masters.
'J-Just hearing this voice…!?'
The face of the demon king, Fulito, came from a distant dimension and overpowered the peak of humanity.
7th Circle magician? A swordsman that could cut through space?
Both of them wasn’t at the level of a god and were nothing but worthless trash in front of a demon king. They stiffened as soon as they heard the voice, and their souls would've perished if they hadn’t already transcended mortality.
Shortly after Theodore and Zest became frozen like stones, black flames appeared in the magic circle and the door opened.
Huuuuuuong!
Subsequently, an evil demon walked out from the gate. It had a body which exceeded 5 meters in height, a pair of wings like a bat, two flaming horns that protruded from its temples, and a burning red gaze. The demon gave off a scorching heat. The power of a demon, which had been absent for thousands of years, had now arrived in the material world.
【 According to the king's orders, this Magnus will annihilate. 】
Magnus, a senior demon with bat wings and the head of a lion, swallowed the fire dragon's catalyst before looking at Theodore, his summoner.
It seemed that he enjoyed the taste of the catalyst as he closed his eyes and laughed. 【 This is truly a delicacy that I haven't tasted in a long time. I am the avatar of Fulito, king of fire. Summoner, let this Magnus destroy your enemy. 】
Perhaps it was because Fulito's intimidation had disappeared with Magnus' summoning, but Theodore opened his mouth and said, "I want the death of the enemy, Zest Speitem who is before me."
Then Magnus' burning eyeballs glared at Zest' existence. 【 Hoh, a moderately strong person in this declining age… 】
Magnus determined Zest's strength and told Theodore, 【 Summoner, I can't be sure that I can completely annihilate this human with the magic power and offering that you gave. Is that still okay? 】
"It doesn't matter. Just do your best."
【 Okay. I will show my sincerity for the delicacy you gave me, 】 Magnus replied in a gentlemanly manner, unlike his vile appearance. An ogre would look cute standing next to the black leather and flames. There was also a sword and whip in each of Magnus' hands.
The two weapons increased in length and weight to match the demon's physiques. Then Magnus took on an intimidating fighting posture. This caused Zest to gulp unconsciously. "… A demon in this day and age, you were hiding something absurd."
Theodore laughed despite being drained by Magnus' summoning. "I said you would regret it."
"I never thought you would be such a scary guy. This is definitely my mistake."
As expected from Andras' 2nd Sword, Zest didn't stop his talking despite the presence of a senior demon. However, unlike his usual self, his grip on the sword was stiff. Was it because he sensed he couldn't go against this opponent?
Magnus held the greatsword in his right hand and whip in his left hand as he spoke, 【 Let's try it once, Human. 】
"I am desperate to get the unique title of Demon Slayer!"
Zest sword was covered in blue, while Magnus' hands were surrounded by fire. A senior demon and a sword master… This was the beginning of the second stage of the match.
* * *
Obviously, it was Zest who ended up worse off. He was overwhelmed by the lich-like state of Magnus' limbs, and he couldn't compete with Magnus using his ability to cut 'space.' Due to the absolute speed of his initial movement, Zest's attack filled with killing intent was completed.
Zest's Style Space Cut: Decapitation.
This was a technique he had never used against Theodore. The sword technique which Zest had trained all of his life crossed 10 meters toward Magnus' neck. Zest's terrifying speed was beyond a realm that Theodore's eyes could follow.
'Kill!' Zest was delighted the moment his blade touched Magnus' neck. It didn't stop at fabric, cutting through muscle and bone. Even a demon would die from this. However, Zest's expectations were soon betrayed.
Paaaang! A shockwave burst from the whip that moved through the air. Zest desperately tried to avoid it, but blood burst from his body as he was hit. Magnus didn't stop moving the whip, despite half of his cervical bone being cut.
Zest wasn't a magician, so he didn't know it well. However, senior demons had evolved into a completely different form of life from the material world.
The concept of a vital point didn't exist, and even death was a temporary monster.
Magnus had appeared in this material world and imitated the appearance of a living creature, but it was only a shell. His brains and heart didn't function. A demon was close to being invincible after being summoned, so they were always subjects of reverence.
However, Zest didn't know this, and even if he did, he had no intention of trying to understand.
"Why isn't your head cut off?! You damn lion head!"
Zest had trained with the aim to cut everything. He had cut rocks, steel, water, and wind countless times, so he could even cut space. He couldn't accept it just because his opponent was a demon.
Zest's Style Space Cut: Heart Cut.
Zest's sword moved again, but Theodore was unable to see the power of the empire's 2nd Sword.
Puhwaak!
The sword was covered in a blue-green light, and it suddenly popped out from Magnus' chest. This would be a mortal wound for any human. However, Magnus just laughed casually. 【 Kuahahaha! What a fun ability, Human! It is a sword that can't be avoided or blocked! This is great! 】
"I ripped out your lungs, so how are you laughing?"
【 I didn't have such a thing from the beginning! 】
While Zest was fuming, Magnus stuck his sword into the ground and a wave of heat spread.
Kwakwakwakwa!
The ground shattered, and the soil which melted from the heat boiled up like lava. This was Magnus, the subordinate of the fire demon king, Fulito. So, naturally, this massive body contained the power to control fire.
Every time Magnus waved his greatsword, heat raged, and every time he swung his whip, a storm occurred.
【 Now, it is still too early to breathe! 】
It wasn't a sophisticated style of swordsmanship. The whip swept simply through the ground and air.
Zest was forced to step back.
With fast and strong motions, the end of the whip constantly disappeared from view. Meanwhile, the greatsword cut through the air from a distance, causing the blood in Zest's body to boil like it was heated up. The outcome had completely tilted to one side.
Magnus was completely intact after several rounds of battle, so the fight between the two sides naturally became one-sided. However, Theodore calmly saw through the battlefield.
'The balance hasn't tilted yet. Zest's sword might not seem to have any effect, but the ability to cut 'space' is cutting at the knots of my summoning magic.'
Zest didn't stop even when he was hurt by the heat or shockwaves. Even though it seemed meaningless, he continued attacking the demon.
He attacked Magnus' neck, heart, lungs, stomach, collarbone, and so on. A human would've died one hundred times over. However, Zest continued consuming his aura to attack, despite Magnus' sneer.
Thus, this fight eventually turned into a battle of attrition.
"Ugh!"
The limits would've been reached sooner if this wasn't an extra large magic circle. Theodore maintained the magic circle which had hundreds of disconnected strands with his own ability. He groaned as he used his magic power desperately, hoping that Zest wouldn't notice.
Theodore had to endure it until Magnus killed Zest, or until Zest gave up on Theodore and withdrew.
Now, Theodore had around 5 minutes left? Or was it 10 minutes? He calculated his limits and stared at the ground, only focused on maintaining the summoning magic. The occasional debris which blew over was blocked by Magnus' shield, so his concentration wasn't disrupted by outside interference.
"Damn, I can't endure this!" Zest's patience broke first.
His vast amount of aura was running out, and a discord between his limbs started to grow. He had to deal the decisive blow today. Zest made his decision and took three steps away, pulling up the rest of his aura. "I will use my final strike, Lion Head! Receive it if you are confident!"
Magnus was excited for the first time in a long while, so he responded to the provocation, 【 Try it, Human! I will crush it! 】
"It is coming!" Zest smiled with satisfaction and grasped the sword tightly with both hands. His specialty to cut space normally involved the use of one hand, but two hands were necessary for this move.
First, he had to gather all his aura onto the blade. 50 centimeters… 1 meter… 2 meters… The blue-green aura rose incessantly from the end of the blade. Once it reached 10 meters in length, Zest realized that he reached his limit.
'This is the last one.'
If Magnus didn't lose to this skill, Zest would die.
"One Hit Kill! Either you will fall or I will! I will decide my fate with this sword!"
Zest pointed his sword upwards. Was he going to swing it downwards, or did he have other intentions? It happened before Theodore could guess Zest's intent.
Kiiiiing!
Zest's aura manifested itself, and the 10-meter-long aura blade stretched out, cutting the entire space dozens of times. The disadvantage of this move was the long preparation time, but it was a deadly blow that had never once failed when he completed it.
Zest's Style Space Cut: Ten Thousand Killing Swords.
A momentary burst of blue and green light covered the area.
Current schedule: 6 chapters a week to match the author's release rate.