ICHIBAN USHIRO NO DAIMAOU - Volume 4, 4 — Akuto’s Great Imperial Capital War

Volume 4, Chapter 4: Akuto’s Great Imperial Capital War

 

After escaping the school building late at night, Teruya Eiko turned back toward it. Her spine trembled at the transformation taking place.

“I can’t take part in a battle between monsters,” she complained to herself. “Even so, the guys I take an interest in are all completely insane. But that will end here. Only the winner will be able to stay with me.”

Eiko pulled out a telepathic communicator and called the Teruya family. It was late at night, but a servant answered right away.

{Lady Eiko, what is it?}

“Father was killed.”

{Understood. Can you confirm this?}

The servant remained calm. This was not because he knew Eiko had been the one to kill him. Not panicking over a death was simply the Teruya family way.

“You can confirm the official mission. It’s top secret, but I will send you the encrypted code.”

Eiko pulled out the symbol of Suhara’s high priest and checked the code written on the back. Only the high priest could see the characters.

{An assassination mission. To kill this girl?}

“She is a girl in the magic academy that the demon king cares for. Father was killed by the demon king. I’m at the academy as well. I’ll show you what things look like here.”

Eiko used the video transmission function of her telepathic communicator to show the academy behind her. This elicited a surprised voice from the servant.

{Now this is a surprise. We need to do something about this, don’t we?}

“I have taken over the position of Suhara’s high priest. This is a special treatment allowed only for Suhara. This qualifies as a time of war and my father left me the right to take emergency command. And so I will command this war. Contact all related organizations. You can let the press in too. To officially keep the high priest within the Teruya family, I will attack the academy and resolve this situation.”

The servant must have grasped the situation from that explanation because he promised to call her back and then ended the telepathic connection.

The servant had of course consented to Eiko’s plan. The high priest was elected by the priests. Eiko would never be chosen during a normal vote, but that could change if she showed off what she could do here.

“ ‘Whatever happens, you just have to win.’ This family does have some excellent precepts. That is overflowing with dreams and possibilities.”

Eiko laughed quietly and began pondering how to arrange the troops on the academy grounds.

Junko had cried for a very long time. When she saw her red eyes in the mirror she gave a miserable smile and muttered, “I am such an idiot.” It was only when a knock came on the sliding door to the bathroom that she realized something was wrong. This was no normal knocking, so Junko’s voice sounded strained as she responded.

“What is it?”

“An emergency gathering has been called,” replied a ninja.

“For the entire Hattori family?”

“Yes.”

Emergency gatherings were only called at times of war. That meant a war was starting. Junko’s thoughts immediately turned to Akuto.

“I will be there right away.”

Junko roughly washed her face and dried it with a towel. She was embarrassed that her eyes were still red, but there was nothing she could do. As she walked down the hallway, residents of the house were frantically moving about. It was 3 AM yet the house felt like the student dorm in the morning.

“Where is my father?” she asked a nearby person.

The man must have been in a hurry because he spoke quickly.

“He fought that heretic and managed to drive him away, but seems to regret not finishing him off. He headed for the storehouse to see if he could draw the family’s treasured sword to finish this once and for all.”

“What?”

Junko was shocked. She had only known that some kind of commotion had begun over her, but it seemed to have developed into something else.

“Do not worry. Even if it costs us our lives, we of the Iga ninja forces will make a bloodbath out of that heretic who deceived you! Just watch!”

The ninja’s eyes were glowing brightly. It was not that he was in a hurry. His loyalty to Junko and her family was burning within him. Junko could not help but be confused when she realized this.

—How could this happen? What did he do?

Junko walked to the storehouse. Whenever a ninja saw her, he would raise his battle spear or sword and shout “For Lady Junko!”, “Defeat the heretic demon king!”, or “The time has come to show the power of the Iga ninja forces!”

—They are completely fired up. Is this all because I was such an idiot?

“Father!”

She cut across the yard and arrived at the storehouse. The door was open, so she called inside.

“Junko,” replied Youzou.

He did not tell her to stay out, so she stepped inside. No one would interrupt them there, so it was the perfect place to talk.

“Father, what happened?” she asked.

Youzou held a single sword horizontally in both hands.

“It seems there was a misunderstanding. I am not completely blameless, but it seems he never intended to join the Hattori family.”

“That is because I did not tell him. The blame lies with me,” said Junko, but Youzou’s response was not at all what she had been expecting.

“That does not matter. He has made a terrible decision. He has defied the Gods. We can now fight him without worry.”

“What are you talking about?”

Youzou explained what happened in the forest to a surprised Junko. This was the first Junko had heard of the Teruya family’s assassinations.

“Father!”

“I understand what you wish to say, but that is how society works. It may only be at school, but you have taken on the role of class representative. That should help you somewhat understand. Also, if you wish to change things for the better, you need power. And power rarely looks completely clean.”

“…Understood.”

Junko understood it in theory. She had no choice but to agree.

Youzou then showed Junko video footage from a telepathic communicator.

“He has holed up in the academy. This is what has become of your school.”

Junko was utterly shocked at the demonic castle that had once been her school.

“Then this battle will be…”

“It will be a fight to defeat him. Teruya Eiko has taken command.”

“I thought the head of the family took command?”

“Sai Akuto killed Keizou.”

“…That cannot be!”

Junko immediately denied the idea because she knew Akuto’s personality, but Youzou shook his head.

“He was powerful. I do not know the details, but I do not doubt he could have killed Keizou.”

“That is not what I meant. He…”

“Personal feelings are not needed here. There are parts of this I do not like either, but as Suhara followers, we must do this. No matter how much we dislike the Teruya family and no matter how interesting a person Akuto-kun is, we must remember one thing and one thing only: this is a fight to protect our family.”

Junko could not say anything in response.

“And if we are to fight, we must rejoice at the strength of our opponent. Akuto-kun was powerful. I doubt I can truly oppose him as I am now. That is why I will draw this.”

As Youzou spoke, he indicated the sword he held in his hands.

“That is our family’s treasured sword, the Sword of Sohaya,” muttered Junko.

The strongly curved long sword was contained within a plain scabbard.

“It is said the Hattori family was given it when we converted to the Suhara faith. But…”

Junko knew what followed the word “but”. No one had ever been able to draw it from its scabbard.

“So you will draw it, father?”

“If I do not, I cannot fight him. This long sword amplifies the mana in one’s body. It increases the abilities of its user several-fold.”

The Sword of Sohaya had been made at the same time as the God. It was rumored to be a tool that tested the limits of what could be done with mana. The religion of each God was said to have a similar magic tool, but most were either hidden or unusable like this long sword.

Youzou tightly gripped the sword. He was trying to remove it from the scabbard. However, it would not budge. It was as if the sword had fused with the scabbard.

“Why is it that you cannot draw it?” asked a sudden voice from the storehouse’s entrance.

Youzou and Junko turned toward the voice.

“Mother.”

“Grandmother.”

Standing in the entrance was an old woman who was Youzou’s mother and Junko’s grandmother. She was short and had a gentle look on her face, but she had managed to approach the two of them without making a single noise. She was no normal person.

“I cannot draw it either because I am inexperienced or am not qualified.”

“Ho ho ho,” laughed the grandmother quietly at Youzou’s answer. “There was a time in the past when you could have drawn it. You are a good person, but you are interested only in raising yourself higher. That has narrowed your vision so you cannot see the simple truth.”

Despite the biting words, Youzou did not raise his head.

“The…truth.”

“Yes. Mana reflects your mental state and the Gods are constantly watching our actions, but there are things that cannot be seen simply by looking inside yourself. You cannot draw the blade because you are not using it for the reason it was created. There is no deep meaning to it.” The grandmother snatched the Sword of Sohaya from Youzou. “For one thing, you always want to fight any powerful person you come across and just kill them and kill them and kill them. That really is a bad habit. Are you perhaps mistakenly thinking fighting is your job? Someone like that cannot hold the greatest of all killing knives. I will be giving this to Junko.”

She handed the Sword of Sohaya to Junko. Surprised, Junko tried to return it, but her grandmother only said “take it” before continuing to lecture Youzou.

“Another thing, Youzou-san. You let the Teruya girl take command of this battle. You growing stronger here would be nothing more than adorning the Teruya family’s generations-long rule with flowers. I understand that we must follow them for our family’s sake and for our God’s sake, but you are only doing this because you will be able to fight someone so powerful you could die. And even as an adult, you do not realize it.”

“I have preparations to take care of,” said Youzou before escaping from the lecture that was showing no sign of ending.

The grandmother silently watched him leave, but she turned a charming smile toward Junko once Youzou had left.

“This is the boy I met at the station when you left your luggage behind, right? It seems a lot has happened, but handle this however you like. Youzou will take responsibility.”

“But grandmother…”

“Do not worry about it. I believe your original impression of him was accurate.”

Junko did not know how to respond to that, but she felt her face reddening.

“Right.”

Junko nodded and stared at the family’s treasured Sword of Sohaya. However, she had no idea how to use it.

“I cannot draw this, can I?’

“No. You can trust God or not, but God does not actually understand human emotions. The same goes for the sword. Facing it so seriously will get you nowhere. You will likely only be able to draw it when doing something Suhara wishes for you to do.”

“I-is it really that simple?”

“It is. And once you draw it, you can do whatever you want. Instead of introspection or faith, you must believe in those living people who care about you.”

“Grandmother…”

“So whatever you choose, I will not mind.”

Junko’s grandmother smiled.

“Understood.”

Junko nodded and placed the Sword of Sohaya at her waist.

The first to arrive at Constant Magic Academy were the Kouka ninja forces commanded by the Teruya family. While they were ninja, those that were not special forces were nothing more than normal soldiers. They were primarily armed with bayonet equipped rifles and long swords. Five hundred of those were gathered.

In battles using magic, firearms held little meaning, so the more powerful soldiers tended not to carry guns. The normal soldiers only carried rifles because they had poor magic skills, but the attack troops such as the armored warriors were armed with their own favorite weapons such as long spears, long swords, and battleaxes. One hundred of those more powerful troops were gathered.

This was almost the entirety of the Kouka ninja forces and it was on the scale of a battalion. Teruya Eiko commanded all of them and she was currently giving formation instructions to the company commanders she had gathered.

As she did so, cameras were trained on her. The media had arrived before the knights or the troops from the Hattori family and other groups. She had given them permission to broadcast what was happening. It was late at night, but a special report being broadcast across the imperial capital showed the demon king’s castle that had once been a school building.

Naturally, the demon king was being reported as being the common enemy of all mankind. The expectation was that the battle would mostly involve fights against demonic beasts. Unlike with human opponents, they could be broadcast without censorship no matter what happened. The entire empire would certainly be watching on as a form of entertainment.

Eiko’s objective of obtaining popularity was going as well as it possibly could. To those who did not know her, she appeared to be a dignified and beautiful girl who was afraid of nothing. And it appeared coincidence was on her side as well. The three members of the Hattori family arrived where the cameras could see them.

When Youzou, Junko, and Yuuko arrived at Eiko’s tent, they were the perfect targets for the cameras. Youzou looked quite heroic and both his daughters were beautiful. As a plus, one of those daughters was a famous idol.

Youzou had not expected the cameras. This meant he was aiding Eiko in her attempt at popularity. Even so, he had no choice but to reluctantly obey Eiko here.

Junko and Yuuko did not like it either, but they could not allow themselves to show it on their faces. Junko focused on preserving her perfectly diligent expression, but Yuuko turned pleasantly toward the camera because she was used to this.

Yuuko’s condition had recovered from before, but the effects of the demonic beasts had not actually disappeared. Her battle outfit was hiding it, but the black blood vessels sticking out on her neck were only increasing. Even so, she had regained her energy when she heard they would be fighting the demon king. In fact, she was even more energetic than before.

Youzou gave Eiko a formal greeting.

“The Iga forces led by the Hattori family have arrived.”

Eiko nodded calmly at Youzou’s greeting.

“I wish to use the Hattori family to its fullest now that it is under my command.”

Eiko’s gaze stopped on Junko’s sword. That sword was the sacred treasure of Suhara and the Teruya family had long loathed the fact that they did not possess it. Eiko laughed inwardly. The chance to acquire it may have arrived.

“I will have Junko and Yuuko’s company take the lead.”

The Hattori family had brought a battalion of 600 troops with them. However, most of them were specialized in ninja work, so they were not suited to a battle on an open battlefield. Taking the lead would be very dangerous. And they could not refuse while the television cameras were watching. Eiko was planning to use this opportunity to wipe out the Hattori family. That was the type of person she was.

Youzou and Junko both realized what Eiko was thinking. Youzou opened his mouth to provide some sort of resistance. He simply needed some reason he could give here. However, he was cut off by a shout from Yuuko.

“Okay! I’ll defeat all the demonic beasts on the vanguard! I won’t leave any for anyone else!”

No matter how wild Yuuko could be, she had not been the type to say something like that. Youzou and Junko both looked over in surprise. However, they were unable to stop her. When it came to comfort in front of the television cameras, no one could outdo Yuuko. She promised the viewers she would take the vanguard and, with fake tears in her eyes, she announced her determination to hunt down the demonic beasts.

Without being given a chance to back down, the Hattori family was forced to take part in the strategy meeting.

At around that time, a report arrived that the imperial army’s flying aircraft carrier had arrived. It was a mobile fortress that held an entire brigade of 2500 people. It possessed an engine that created energy on its own that allowed it to disseminate mana. Its ability to create an environment in which mana could be used made it the perfect for magic battles.

At that moment, dawn broke. As the light of dawn caused Genkaku to glitter, it held an inexpressible majesty. It was just as large as Constant Magic Academy’s school building which had transformed into the demon king’s castle. It came to a stop one kilometer away from the school building.

With that, Eiko had 3700 troops under her command. And the knights would be meeting up with her later. The people casually watching the battle on television would never have guessed what an extraordinary event was about to occur.

As he watched the transition from the sky, Hiroshi could not help but be surprised by the arrival of Genkaku and the involvement of Yuuko and the others from the Hattori family. He did not know what Akuto was thinking, but since he knew what had led to all this, he could only laugh at how out of control the situation had grown.

—What am I supposed to do?

He was at a loss, but one thing stood out to him. His suit’s visor could receive all sorts of information. He was of course receiving the television footage being broadcast. The difference in how Yuuko was acting bothered him. He knew both how she acted on television and how she truly acted, so he could sense something ominous about her behavior.

—Is there anything I can do for her? Can I fight that many demonic beasts? Can I fight that gigantic aircraft carrier? No…

But as he thought about how large the situation had grown, he felt an emotion similar to anger directed toward Akuto who had invited it all in.

—I wanted to be as strong as him, but this is wrong. Is he abandoning something for his own selfish desires?

Hiroshi thought.

—Come to think of it, this suit was made for anti-magic combat.

He instructed the suit to display its abilities on the visor and it did so. He carefully read the portion concerning the mana canceller. Its abilities were surprising. It could negate any mana within a few hundred meters of the suit.

—If I use this…I might be able to defeat either one?

Hiroshi glanced over first at the castle filled with demonic beasts and then the aircraft carrier.

—In that case, there is only one thing that I can do and that I must do.

With his mind made up, Hiroshi began his descent. Junko and Yuuko’s company had finished taking its position. He landed in the center of that company’s formation.

The fully armed ninja initially grew tense at his approach, but they all knew Brave had protected Yuuko. He was also commonly known as Demonic Beast Killer Brave. When they saw who he was, the tension transformed into cheers.

The news crew had also spotted Brave. Hiroshi checked the footage on his visor. Seeing it made him feel a bit awkward.

But it was not the ninja or the news who gave him the greatest welcome; it was Yuuko. She ran right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You came! That’s right! Let’s go kill these abominable demonic beasts together!” said Yuuko with a look of joy.

Hiroshi could feel painfully well how oddly she was acting.

“Whether I kill the demonic beasts or not, I will protect you,” he said quietly.

The cameras were filming this meeting between the idol Hoshino Yuri and Demonic Beast Killer Brave, but it would not have picked up his voice.

Yuuko replied in an equally quiet voice.

“You have to kill them. We have to kill lots and lots of them. I hate demonic beasts.”

Yuuko gave a carefree smile. This was the perfect expression of an idol, but it gave Hiroshi a dreadful feeling for some reason.

He was using the mana canceller to prevent mana from being used around them, so no one could be listening in on their conversation. Even so, he was still bothered by Junko and the others watching on. Junko was giving them a suspicious look, but Hiroshi could not determine if she had noticed how oddly Yuuko was acting.

Hiroshi was unable to give a response to Yuuko’s request to “kill lots and lots of them”. Luckily, the cameraman approached and he had an excuse to fly up into the air. He waved and told her he would be back once the battle began.

—Once the battle begins? What am I supposed to do then?

Amused by his own words, he laughed at himself. He still could not decide what he should do and yet he had decided to protect Yuuko.

Hiroshi finally realized that his actions affected those around him when he had even a little bit of power. He began to wonder if he was now standing in the same position as Akuto, but quickly shook his head. Akuto was intending to sacrifice everything else for Keena’s sake. And as proof of that…

—It may have been indirect, but he did this to Yuuko-chan. And yet he ran away, leaving her like this.

With the troops in place, Eiko only needed to give the instructions for the operation. But before she could, someone suddenly called out to her from behind.

“What is this? I don’t see how you hope to win with this troop deployment. Oh, are you trying to completely annihilate them? Your troops are not up to that.”

Eiko was shocked that someone would say that to her, the commander. With the cameras on her, she could not allow it.

“We are up against unfeeling demonic beasts. Annihilation is the only option. And this operation was put together with the troops’ consent…”

Eiko turned around as she spoke, but she stopped in surprise when she saw a man in ordinary clothes instead of a military outfit. Also, everyone related to the media was gone.

“Who are you?”

“I am from the Cabinet Intelligence and Magic Office. I asked to have the cameras leave temporarily. That way we can discuss some more dangerous topics. If you know what I mean.”

The man smiled as he spoke in a lighthearted tone.

Eiko let down her guard when she heard where he worked.

“Did you bring the knights with you?”

The Cabinet Intelligence and Magic Office was the Cabinet Office’s intelligence agency. It usually had eight members registered, so it was commonly known as CIMO 8. However, the details of the organization were not well known. Eiko only knew that they were Bouichirou’s subordinates. They had almost no influence over the military, but they did hold influence over the knights.

“They were standing guard to keep any normal people out. Plus, that is not our job. We came alone.”

“Then what? Don’t tell me you want to take command.”

“No, no. You need not be so cautious. We simply want the right to act as we please here.”

“Because your leader is inside that castle?”

“Exactly. Oh, and if the military accidentally stabs us in the back, we will not complain. We simply want the right to act as we please here.”

Eiko hesitated to grant him that right, but this operation simply required that the demonic beasts be hunted down. It would not matter if they acted on their own.

“Fine then. If that is what you…”

Eiko trailed off because the man disappeared before she finished speaking.

She had been unsure of her decisions not long before, but with the operation’s beginning approaching, she switched over her thought process. Once she saw the media return, she announced the operation name proposed earlier.

“Today at 0700 hours, Operation Battering Ram begins.”

“Kill the Gods?”

Bouichirou looked surprised at Akuto’s decision. He was unable to laugh it off. After all, Akuto’s power increased the instant he spoke those words.

“If you do that, it is all over. You will not escape unscathed either. For one thing, humanity is completely reliant on the Gods. A portion of our brain has already become a mana controller.”

“There are ways of resolving that. This is better than allowing someone to decide on their own what path humanity will take,” declared Akuto without a hint of doubt in his eyes.

“In that case, there is no room for negotiation,” said Bouichirou.

He tried to contact Eiko, but there must have been mana interference because he could not get through.

“Have you shielded the entire school building?”

“You can’t transfer items or yourself using mana either,” replied Akuto.

It was currently two in the morning. Dawn was still a long way off.

“I assume this is meant to prevent me from taking her from the school building, but have you realized that it cuts off your own escape as well?”

“That can’t be helped. And I’m here to defeat you, so it’s no problem.”

“How far does your confidence go? You may have gotten a bit stronger, but I doubt that strength has gone far enough that I cannot handle you with a proper weapon. Mana is really nothing more than tiny machines. Their energy is supplied by the power plants that pump energy directly into the earth. You could call that the system of our world.”

“Why do I need to listen to your lecture?”

“Why would someone who uses the power given by the nation and the Gods attempt to destroy those Gods? That is what I am asking. And no matter how powerful you might become, there is a limit to your power as long as you use that system.”

Bouichirou put away his sword and raised his hand into the air. Something like a transfer magic circle appeared there. A transfer using mana should have been shielded by the demonic beasts, so this transfer must not have been magical. In other words, it did not come from a mana-using civilization.

Bouichirou pulled a sword from that circle. This sword was as tall as he was. The grip was almost completely hidden behind the giant blade and it had weights and support boosters attached to maintain its balance.

“It isn’t signed, but I do not make a habit of growing attached to weapons.”

Bouichirou lightly swung the sword to test its movement.

The air around it exploded. Despite the size of the sword, he could swing the sword at supersonic speeds.

Even Akuto would be easily dealt with if he was struck by that.

“Now then.”

Bouichirou held the sword out horizontally.

He approached.

Tension ran through Akuto’s expression.

With no mercy or hesitation, Bouichirou attacked with the large sword.

“A-chan!”

“Akuto-sama!”

Keena and Fujiko both cried out.

But their cries were drowned out by the sonic boom and the clashing of metal against metal.

Akuto was slammed against the wall. The demonic beasts making up the wall cushioned the impact, but smoke rose from the burnt flesh of a wound cutting horizontally across his gut and the arms he had crossed in front of himself. Anyone could see how dreadful that attack had been.

“A-chan!”

Keena tried to run over, but Fujiko grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“You mustn’t.”

“But…!”

Keena resisted with tears in her eyes, but Fujiko only shook her head.

“If you go, Akuto-sama will stay here and resist. If he cannot stand up to this opponent, the best strategy is to give in and run away. We need to take him with us and flee.”

As Fujiko spoke, she took action. She controlled the demonic beasts creating the walls to carry Akuto with their arms that seemed to grow from the walls. Once he had been placed on the Cerberus’s back along with Keena, she had the Cerberus run for the staircase leading from the lounge.

“But what will running do? A-chan is…” began Keena.

Fujiko grimaced in annoyance and replied, “Honestly. Both you and Akuto-sama need to be more cunning. If we run away, Akuto-sama will have time to recover. And did you forget that he has a weapon?”

“A weapon?”

“Peterhausen. He is waiting for Akuto-sama underground.”

As she spoke, Fujiko looked over her shoulder. And then her face stiffened. The Cerberus was running quite quickly, but Bouichirou was rushing toward them at an even faster speed. He was using his large sword to fly. He seemed to glide through the air as he approached.

“He is going to catch up!” shouted Fujiko in horror.

But just as he was about to reach the Cerberus’s tail, another figure appeared before him.

“Uuh!”

Bouichirou’s advance was stopped. This figure had walked out from a side passage. It was as if an old man had carelessly walked out into traffic.

And the person who had walked out really was an old man.

However, something in his step made it clear he had intentionally cut off Bouichirou.

“This has become quite serious,” said the headmaster.

He had long white hair and a long white beard. He was so old that his appearance was not all that different from an ancient tree. And he spoke in a casual tone of voice as he looked toward Bouichirou.

“Old man… Are you trying to get in my way?”

Bouichirou stepped directly in front of the headmaster.

“That is precisely what I am trying to do. I just happened to be reminded of what happened 100 years ago,” said the headmaster as if simply chatting. But then he turned toward Fujiko and the others. “Go on. I will handle things here.”

“But!”

Fujiko was confused. The headmaster was as old as he looked. She doubted he could do anything against Bouichirou. And the headmaster seemed to grasp her doubts from her expression.

“No, no. There is no need to worry. I will handle this somehow or other.” He waved his hand to tell Fujiko to go. “I intend to live for a few more centuries, so I am always storing up energy for that purpose.”

With that announcement, a change came over the headmaster’s body.

It was almost a complete transformation. It began with his arms. The muscles swelled up in an instant and they grew five times as thick. This massive swelling then moved to his shoulders, chest, and the rest of his muscles.

“Headmaster…”

Fujiko was speechless.

Standing before her was a large man with an impressive physique who had the face of an old man.

“The trick to a long life is to always conserve energy,” said the headmaster as he gathered a bit of strength in his body.

The pressure of his muscles caused his already stretched clothes to burst apart on his upper body.

“Now. Does this remind you of 100 years ago? Although who is an enemy and who is an ally has changed somewhat since then.”

The headmaster turned back toward Bouichirou.

Bouichirou’s expression was twisted in displeasure.

“Are you saying you have switched sides from 100 years ago?”

“Precisely. Flexibly switching sides based on the current age is another trick to long life.”

“In that case, I will not hold back.”

Bouichirou lifted up his large sword.

“You never change. And that is why you do not seem to be able to age,” said the headmaster with loud laughter.

Fujiko headed underground.

“I think we can safely leave that to the headmaster.”

“I wonder if he ate a lot of rice.”

Fujiko and Keena were surprised by the headmaster’s transformation, but he certainly seemed reliable. They used the time he had bought for them to head underground.

But when they reached the entrance to the underground palace, they did not find Peterhausen waiting for them. It was Lily Shiraishi, the student council president. Her stylish hat was pushed deeply over her eyes as she crossed her arms and looked up at the Cerberus.

“What do you think you’re doing to our school?”

Lily’s voice was brutal yet somehow amused.

That voice awoke Akuto.

“I didn’t want to cause any problems for the school. I plan to leave right away.”

“Leave?”

Lily pulled up a mana screen and placed it in front of Akuto’s eyes. It displayed the broadcast from outside. An army was deployed and the aircraft carrier Genkaku was floating nearby.

“This is the situation outside. I’d say there are about four thousand troops,” explained Lily.

Akuto frowned slightly.

“This is bad. There will probably be injuries on the other side. With only a thousand, I could have kept them unharmed.”

“You know…” Lily was shocked. She kept her arms crossed as Akuto climbed down from the Cerberus. “I have been monitoring things ever since Teruya Keizou caused that commotion, so I know the situation. The headmaster has also explained the situation to me. I have been waiting to see what you would do.”

Hearing that, Akuto nodded and calmly replied.

“What will you be doing, president? I do not want to cause any problems for you.”

“I can decide what to do on my own. And I know exactly what that is. I will bring formal charges against Teruya Eiko. After that, I do not know. Then again, doing that will require fighting in a war against four thousand soldiers. Ha ha ha ha.”

Lily laughed happily.

“What military force do you have?” asked Fujiko.

Lily nodded and answered, “The student council. The three officers will be coming, so that’s three people.”

“That is all?”

“You should be surprised that I need that many,” said Lily in annoyance. She then motioned for Akuto to enter the palace. “That dragon is waiting. But let me tell you one thing: the two of us do not see eye to eye on this. If you plan to destroy the entire current system, I will stop you.”

“Understood.”

Akuto walked by Lily and entered the palace.

“A-chan!” shouted Keena worriedly.

Akuto looked over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Wait here where it’s safe. I will be back before long,” he said before continuing on.

The black dragon was lying down in the depths of the underground palace. When he saw Akuto, he let out a great voice filled with 100 years’ worth of emotions.

“I have been waiting! I have been waiting for this moment, master!”

“I wasn’t trying to keep you waiting.”

“Yet I was waiting! Now, master, it is time to regain your true power! Let us soar into the sky together and exterminate our enemies!”

“Understood. I have made up my mind now. And that determination has drawn out my power.”

Akuto circled around to Peterhausen’s side. The dragon had a saddle on his back. As Akuto tapped on that saddle, he made an announcement.

“Let me announce it once more: I will kill the Gods.”

And in that instant, Akuto became the demon king.

Peterhausen’s cry of joy echoed sonorously through the underground area. The vibration caused the entire school building to shake.

“Let us go, master! When we fight together, no one can stop us!”

Peterhausen looked up to the ceiling and opened his jaws. A steel stake created within his body was fired from his mouth. That stake rotated at high speed and was carved into a spiral. It broke through the thick bedrock of the ceiling and caused a tremendous noise as it created a straight path to the surface.

The soldiers waiting on the surface exchanged glances as they wondered what was causing the roar coming from underground. But in the next instant, a giant stake appeared from below and shot earth and sand into the air. They cried out in surprise.

Even after breaking through the bedrock, the rotating stake kept its momentum and flew high into the sky. It then began to fall toward the ranks of troops.

“Get out of its way!” shouted someone.

The soldiers at the point it was falling at scattered in every direction. With a great roar, the stake crashed into the ground. A cloud of dust rose up and robbed the surrounding soldiers of their sight.

Every company commander was forced to raise their voice to prevent confusion.

“Return to your positions! Do not falter! Our enemies are nothing more than demonic beasts!”

But the shouts of the company commanders suddenly lost all momentum when those commanders themselves were left speechless.

Something with giant black wings flew up from the hole the stake had shot from.

Its shadow covered the soldiers and began freezing their hearts.

A legendary dragon had appeared before their eyes.

To them, this was the same as fear itself taking physical form.

A dark man riding a black dragon. Everyone who saw it began trembling and muttered the following words.

“It’s the demon king… The demon king is here…”