The Heavenly Demon Is Just Stuck In My Head

Chapter 338 : Homework Inspection

Rumble-

I looked at the sky that was gradually darkening.

The blackness resembled the night sky, but it felt somehow alien.

The way it spread, as if devouring the blue sky, was ominous and unpleasant.

It felt as if a plague was slowly spreading.

I lowered my gaze and looked at its center.

I focused my internal energy into my eyes.

Far away.

The Dark Heaven Society bastards had crawled out and were lined up in a black mass.

Among them were magical beasts that let out ferocious roars as if to threaten, ugly bastards that I would be afraid to see in my dreams, and several who were emitting an unusual aura.

Also, bastards in black armor stood in an orderly fashion.

They looked like knights, but they were so tall that they seemed to be two or three times the size of an ordinary person.

Their energy was disciplined, and the way they had perfectly stored their aura suggested they were no ordinary foes.

Between the magical beasts and the black knights, I could also see black mages muttering ominous spells.

They still wore their robes pulled over their heads, as if they were afraid of the light.

At the very center, there was something connected to the blackened sky by a very thin thread.

Yuri was probably there.

"...It's utterly unpleasant."

I turned my head at the voice coming from my side.

I was currently standing a little ahead of where the troops were encamped, and next to me stood the Guardian of the Wall, Duke Elsbears, with a blank expression.

This man, who was like a plaster statue, had suddenly appeared, sauntering over when the sky began to turn black.

I had expected him to send a few of the excellent knights from the north, but he came in person.

I had never imagined that the Guardian of the Wall would leave Tundra, so when he arrived, everyone just stared at him with dumbfounded faces.

When he arrived here on horseback without a single attendant, everyone was unable to hide their surprise.

—My goodness, what about the wall? Why have you come alone?

—It's summer, so it's fine.

Since Tundra had suffered immense damage from the worst monster wave, I asked again with a worried voice.

—You probably haven't recovered from the damage yet. Is it okay for you to leave your post like this?

—I came because the damage was great.

—?

—Every single knight is a precious resource. I cannot lose any more.

So, he was saying that if he sent the knights, he would likely lose precious human resources.

In that case, he would rather come himself.

'Hmm.'

It was a rational thought in many ways.

Since Duke Elsbears himself, one of the Eight Sword Masters, had come, it was more than enough military support than sending a few hundred knights, and if he returned alive and well after the war, Tundra would suffer no loss.

In other words, it was an expression of confidence that he would never die, no matter who the opponent was.

The way he thought of it as a matter of course seemed truly amazing.

—And, I did not come alone.

Following that, the sound of the ground rumbling with thumping footsteps was heard, along with a familiar laugh.

—Hahahahahaha! It's been a long time, Sir Ashuban! The sky turning black makes it a great day for a fight to the death! We're not late, are we?

It was the mad black mage, Adrian, who had brought a large number of his handmade monsters.

He looked even more gruesome than before, as if he had gathered plenty of materials from the magical beasts that had been pounding on the wall at that time.

And those monsters were now proudly occupying a part of the battlefield.

—Hahahahaha!

His laughter could be heard even from a distance.

"..."

The Duke, feeling my gaze, looked back at me.

"What is it?"

"...I feel reassured."

With Duke Elsbears joining, there were now six of the Eight Sword Masters.

Six of the Eight Sword Masters gathered in one place.

Looking at them again, they were a splendid group.

The Gray Lion, Duke Elsbears.

The Demon King, Aktir Bisanbark.

The Demon Prince, Bjoern Bisanbark.

The Knight of Frost, Serkov Wintermire.

The Hero of Light, Lasol Grace.

And, Guston of the Greatsword.

I poked the side of Guston, who was yawning next to me.

"Captain."

"What. What is it."

Guston answered in an indifferent tone.

"How much of the greatsword's power have you learned to handle?"

"Well... to some extent?"

The Knight of Frost, standing next to him, gave a cold assessment.

"It's still at a pathetic level."

Guston protested in an aggrieved voice.

"No, still, this much isn't bad."

"Let's just say that."

"..."

The Demon King Aktir, who had approached from behind, laughed heartily and patted Guston's shoulder.

"Wow... this looks like it'll be fun to smash, doesn't it? Don't you think so, Guston?"

"Don't talk to me. I'm already annoyed because of that guy."

"Hahaha! You haven't changed a bit from the old days."

Guston glanced over his shoulder and looked at Bjoern standing behind him.

"Why are you here again?"

Bjoern answered bravely.

"I came to repay the grace I received from Brother Ashuban!"

Guston frowned.

"Grace? What kind of grace."

"He pulled me out of the dark pit when I was devoured by the abyss! He is the savior of my life!"

Guston glared at me.

"A punk like you?"

"You talk a lot for someone who got his ass kicked."

Guston smirked.

"That's true."

Then he said to Bjoern.

"It seems you've grown up a bit. But don't overdo it."

"Yes, sir! I will do my best not to fall behind the others!"

I hit the shoulder of Guston, who was giving out advice like he was all that.

"You just worry about yourself."

"I'm always good."

"Yeah, you're so great."

I spotted Lasol praying with her hands clasped a little distance away and walked over to her.

The hero was muttering a prayer.

When I got closer to listen...

"Ragnarok. The final war. It has finally come. My light will part their darkness. Father, are you watching? Grant me the courage and strength to pave the way for the God-Slayer to the fallen divinity. That role is mine. With the blood of the fallen, I will weave the red carpet for him to walk on. I have prepared for a long time and have been waiting for this moment. Opening the path for the judge to advance is mine and mine alone...!"

"..."

I gave up on trying to talk to her and looked at the enemy lines instead.

Among the swarming magical beasts, there were some that stood out.

They were the Eight Sword Masters of the magical beast world, the S-rank magical beasts.

Shushuruta had said she had detected five.

Now that I looked, there were a whopping eight of them.

Each one possessed an unfathomably powerful mana.

It was an incomparably vicious aura.

Some of them looked familiar.

I saw monstrosities that were passed down in legends like fairy tales, and there was also the sphinx I had met in front of Ophosis's legacy in the past.

It seemed he didn't expect to see me here either, as he showed a slight sign of surprise.

It seemed they had gathered the S-rank magical beasts, who had been living quietly scattered across the continent, in one place.

They probably used the power of the Evil God.

In the first place, they were fragments born from the power of the Evil God.

It wasn't strange.

I watched them and said to the Eight Sword Masters.

"Each of you will have to take on one."

At my words, those who had stopped talking followed my gaze to look at the enemies and nodded in unison.

"Understood."

"It's not difficult."

"I'll take the giant furry one over there. It looks like it'll be satisfying to beat."

"I will handle the octopus monster."

"I'll take the one with wings."

Guston asked.

"If I kill mine first, can I go help the others?"

"Do whatever you want with that. Just take care of one each, somehow."

At my words, Guston looked at Bjoern.

"Just hold on for a bit. I'll be there to help you soon."

"Yes! I will do my best!"

"Captain, you just worry about yourself."

The Eight Sword Masters would do well on their own without needing to be told more, so this was enough.

I moved to the rear where the troops were encamped.

Numerous soldiers and knights were spread out wide, forming a siege around the Dark Heaven Society bastards.

"Princess."

I found Princess Lilia loitering in front of the soldiers.

"Hero!"

I picked a fight with Sir Monde, who was standing next to her.

"What is the princess doing here? It's dangerous."

"She insisted on just talking for a moment. We were about to move to the rear anyway."

Princess Lilia held my hands tightly.

Just like that time when I was leaving the wall in Tundra.

"I came to cheer you on."

Princess Lilia smiled brightly.

"Hero. Please take care of yourself. Ketel is watching over you, so I don't need to worry, right?"

It was the same cheer as back then.

Therefore, I also grinned and gave her the same answer as back then.

"Of course."

"Do your best! Although I can't fight with you, I'll be cheering for you!"

With those words, Princess Lilia was lifted up by Sir Monde and moved to the rear of the army.

Finally, I approached the Sherwood bastards who were leisurely making bets on one side about who would kill more.

"Your captain speaks, so listen!"

I shouted.

The guys looked at me like I was a madman.

"As you all know, I am a terribly greedy person."

Hartz nodded his head.

"I know that well."

"What do you know. Shut up."

"..."

"I hate losing what's mine to death. So, if you dare lose an arm, I'll blow off the other one too. Got it?"

The guys chuckled.

"I'm not kidding. If you get hurt, fall back. Don't overdo it. Understand?"

The guys laughed and answered in their own voices.

"Of course."

"Got it, you devil!"

"Hehe, he said 'mine'..."

"That's a touching word of encouragement."

"What's with all the bossing around? I'll do it my way."

"That's our captain."

"He's all grown up... he's suddenly all grown up..."

"I'll heal you all! Just come back alive!"

I looked at the reinforcements from the east and added.

"The same goes for you guys. Don't come here to help just to get hurt and go back."

At my words, Ashley answered with a serious expression, and Rutie said, "Oh my~ are you worried about me?" with a smiling eye, only to receive sharp glares from Siri and Viola.

I called Scarlet and Miho aside and said.

"Big Sis, and Miho."

"Speak."

"Haaam... I'm listening."

"You'll each have to take on an S-rank. There are more of them than I thought."

Scarlet said with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, you just do what you have to do."

I nodded my head.

"Yes."

The goal of the current war is not to attack them.

It is to stop them.

That's why we've set up a siege surrounding them.

It's to act as a breakwater, blocking the flood of magical beasts until I break through them and plunge my sword into the Evil God's heart.

The soldiers will become a sturdy wall to trap the magical beasts.

And the strong ones, who can go against the tide, will become spears to pierce them.

It is the role of the strong, including myself and the Eight Sword Masters, to charge forward, smashing the waves head-on.

I fiddled with the hilt of the Ash Bud Sword and looked at the black thread connected to the sky.

'Yuri.'

***

The Dark Heaven Lord let his long black hair hang down and looked up at the sky.

A thin black thread connected him to the blackened sky.

And in the middle of it, a hazy mist was gathering.

This was a black magic that used the last breath the Evil God had spat out into this world as a medium.

The Evil God's last breath, spread across the Misty Cliff, was connecting the two dimensions.

When the gradually growing power surpassed the critical point, it would tear through space and the Evil God from another dimension would cross over.

Until then, they had to hold on.

The Dark Heaven Lord went up to the temporarily made platform and looked around.

Behind him was a dizzying cliff.

In front of him were enemies who had formed a siege, surrounding them so tightly that not even an ant could get out.

The Dark Heaven Lord smiled and said.

"Welcome, you blasphemers."

A knight in blackish armor knelt before him.

"Your orders."

It was a ghastly voice.

It was not the voice of a living person.

"Let them know the secret that the gods have hidden."

The Dark Heaven Lord commanded him.

"That the gods do not love us."

The black knight rose.

"I accept your command."

The black knight pushed through the army and went forward.

At his waist, a vivid yellow sword that looked as if it had been forged from lightning was swaying.

The Dark Heaven Lord watched his back and muttered in a low voice.

"Ah, it has finally come."

He took something out from his bosom and looked at it.

It was a faded, old hairpin.

"...Tina, I'll be there to see you soon."

***

As I was watching quietly, a black knight pushed through the army and came forward.

As soon as I saw him, my eyes flashed.

Because the sword he wore at his waist was a vivid yellow.

"That one's mine."

After calling dibs so the others wouldn't covet it.

Sreung—

I drew the Ash Bud Sword.

[My disciple.]

"Yes, Master."

The enemies began to run towards us.

[It's time for a homework inspection.]

I went out to meet them, holding the Ash Bud Sword.

(End of Chapter)