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TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here! 

Just wanted to say the light mode has currently been changed temporarily to a semi-dark mode. The dark mode is currently not working properly, so I had to do a sloppy raw fix until support fixes it. 

Sorry for anyone affected. Also, the website has been acting wonky. If you have any issues, please do leave a comment with the details. 

Anyways, enjoy! 

——

I jumped towards the side of Zahava faster than I could confirm the safety of Girista. 

But Zahava moved the two spider legs stabbed into Girista, and was about to tear apart her body. It would be difficult to deal damage to her body and obstruct her movements without a sword. 

“Ilias, duck!” 

I reacted to the voice of Arcreal that rang behind me and lowered my upper body. 

Arcreal used my body as a footstool to jump and rushed at Zahava. 

It seems like Zahava was expecting us to rush in, she readied spider legs to retaliate, but Arcreal changed the trajectory right after, and did a defensive sweep instead of retaliating while clicking his tongue. 

The open spider legs were used to get Arcreal away, and I was in a completely free state. 

Zahava probably thinks of my barehanded attacks as insignificant. It is true that I can’t expect much damage from my fists even if I were to punch Zahava when it doesn’t even have purification magic imbued. 

“It is going to hurt a bit!” (Ilias)

“!” 

I jump onto the shoulder of Zahava, and kick Girista who was stabbed by the spider legs. 

The stabbed spider legs came out, and Girista flew far back. Haakudoku was there with his devil arm spread out widely. 

“Alright! As expected of Sis! I knew you would be doing this!” (Haaku)

Haakudoku reacted to the impact of the catch, and Girista vomited blood. 

I could tell that she was still alive because she didn’t let go of her sword even in that situation, but there’s the need to hurry and stop her bleeding. 

“Haakudoku, stop the bleeding of Girista! I…” (Ilias)

I look around. 

Several knights were killed by Zahava before I arrived. I have to pick up a weapon just like Arcreal or this won’t even be a fight. 

But the shockwaves of our battle against Zahava were destroying the surrounding terrain. It will be pretty hard to search for a weapon. 

If need be, I will have to grab the demonic sword of Girista…

“Sis, please use this!” (Haaku)

I don’t know when Haakudoku was holding this, but he threw a single sword towards me. 

My mind stopped for a moment when I saw that sword flying at me while spinning. 

Once I caught that sword and unsheathed it, I learned about the reason why.

“This sword is…” (Ilias)

“The sword that the old man Leano was trying to give to you, Sis! He said that you would be able to tell immediately what sword that is if I gave it to you!” (Haaku)

I hold that sword and feel its weight. I send mana through it and feel it as a part of my body. 

Even though this is the first time today I hold this sword, it feels more familiar than any sword I have been using until now. 

Of course that would be the case. The sword I used was an adjusted one that my father originally used. This sword is the symbol of my aim to become a knight. A sword that existed for the sake of my father. 

Magic tools are not weapons that you seek sturdiness from because of how complicated their construction is. If a knight of Taizu with outstanding physical strength were to swing one, they would not be able to swing at their full strength. 

But there was someone who tried to make a magic tool in my vicinity when I was young. 

It was my mother who was a cleric. 

The strong swords of Taizu and the magic technique of Mejis. I remember how my mother said that it would be possible to create a magic tool that doesn’t break if used at full power if they were to utilize both. 

“Hoh, that’s a good sword.” (Arcreal)

“Obviously. This is the peak that I was aiming for after all.” (Ilias)

The sword was hammered by the master blacksmith of Taizu, Troid, and was sent to the teacher of my mother, Maya. 

But my father died before it was completed, and the existence of it in itself ended up hazy… 

To think I would meet it in a place like this. 

“To think you would get a new weapon when I went out of my way to take away your weapon. Fine, I will break them as many times as it takes!” (Zahava)

Zahava charged this way with me as her target. 

The blade shines white when I send more mana into the sword. This is the light of purification magic. This sword can be clad with the power to crush evil in its blade by simply sending mana to it without the need to weave the spell. 

It also changes the output depending on how much mana is imbued. What’s needed in order to use this is instantaneous power from your mana. 

This sword can only be used perfectly by knights of Taizu exactly because they excel in mana strengthening. 

“I won’t let you break…the feelings imbued in this sword!” (Ilias)

I slide my sword on the inner side of the thrusted spider legs. 

I was surprised by how little resistance there was when I sliced them, but I managed to recognize that this was the power of this sword by looking back. 

This sword not only can freely use purification magic, it is granting sharpness to the edge.

The bodies of the demons are originally a mass of mana, but this is still abnormal degrees of sharpness.

“! That’s nice sharpness. Even if so—?!” (Zahava)

Zahava tried to follow up her attack, but noticed something and took distance. 

She is glaring at me with hateful eyes, but…this is…

“The speed of your regeneration is slow. The purification magic is not only affecting the sliced part, but also burning deep inside.” (Ilias)

“I see. That’s an unexpected extra.” (Arcreal)

Normal purification magic affects the touched spot. It throws the flow of mana into disarray, seals the regeneration of the monsters and devils whose bodies are made out of mana, and can deal heavy damage. 

But this sword doesn’t only have purification magic. It continues spewing purification magic even after slicing. It seems like it can make the purification magic reach even deeper inside the wound. 

But it is not like this can seal the regeneration of demons completely. 

Zahava cut off the meat where the purification magic had corroded, and succeeded in escaping from the effect by creating new meat. 

But that can’t be done instantly. It takes a bit of time. 

The reason why Zahava took distance was because she wanted to do a follow up attack, but couldn’t regenerate her spider legs as she wanted. 

“What an eyesore of a sword… But I am not so easy as to let a single sword overturn everything!” (Zahava)

Zahava finished regenerating and attacked without reservations. Her intensity was the same as before, but it feels awfully lukewarm. 

The sturdiness of the sword that I could feel from my hands was giving me peace of mind and granting freedom to my movements. 

The worry of my sword breaking dimmed, and gave me the confidence to instead think about how to counterattack. 

“We are not that optimistic either. But…the path to your neck has certainly shortened.” (Arcreal)

“You—?!” (Zahava)

Zahava readied several spider legs to receive Arcreal who rushed in from behind me…but those legs had many injuries because of my sword, and they haven’t regenerated properly. 

Just the fact that I can continue taking on her attacks without needing to put attention in the continuous application of purification magic is already giving me the surplus to deal damage to her. 

Arcreal swung his sword towards the neck of Zahava with timing that can’t be avoided. 

But the body of Zahava changed into earth, and it simply sliced off the neck of an earth doll.

“The demonic tool, huh… That’s troublesome.” (Arcreal)

I can now deal with how high Zahava’s physical capabilities are thanks to the sword, but as long as she has the mobility of that demonic tool, it will be difficult to take her head with our swords. 

She teleported without shedding her skin. That’s why I managed to tell immediately that Zahava had teleported. 

Molari told me that teleporting underground with the normal teleport would be suicidal.

If you teleport in a location where there’s already matter present, you would end up being pierced by that matter. 

If you teleport inside earth, it would be the same as regenerating every part of your body with earth. Your whole body would burst in an instant. 

Zahava can control gravity magic, but it doesn’t feel like she has outstanding technical skill. 

If she is simply using the power that her demonic tool is granting her, she shouldn’t be able to do the minute adjustments that are involved with the weaving of it.

In that case, I will take her technical skill to be the same as I have seen. I should take it as not teleport, but an ability that lets her switch places. 

“Don’t think too deeply about it, Ilias. That’s not what we can do, right?” (Arcreal)

“…True.” (Ilias)

I was nudged by Arcreal from behind and shook my head to switch back. 

There’s no need to use the surplus I got from this sword into my thoughts needlessly. I just have to fulfill my duty just as we have discussed beforehand. 

Girista won’t be able to move anymore, but it is not like we have lost our chance for victory. 

The path to victory that Girista walked on…we will slice open the rest! 

“I don’t like how things are going on like this. I still haven’t killed them all. I haven’t achieved what I needed to do for the sake of the Demon Lord-sama. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.” (Zahava)

Zahava attacks. 

Our swords would shave away at her spider legs with just brute strength barrages. She must have learned this, she was switching up the trajectory of her spider legs one after the other. 

But the attacks were hard to catch up exactly because they were straight. 

Even if she were to rely on technique, she would just be stepping into our territory…into the territory of humans. 

Zahava’s attacks have almost no pointless movements. 

She may be switching things up here, but they are simply attacks aimed at landing for sure. 

She may be able to use shedding and teleport to catch us off-guard, but the technique in the normal attacks themselves has no skill. 

She most likely only continued increasing her own power, and hasn’t tried to compete in technique with an opponent that is equal or above her. 

In that case, we should hang on.

Even if she is a monster that has gone to inhuman boundaries, we can face her with the peak of the accumulated techniques of humans. 

“There!” (Ilias)

I completely read the trajectory of the spider legs approaching at the same time, and sweep them away with my sword. 

The spider legs lost momentum in order to change trajectories actively, sacrificing instantaneous power. 

Zahava is pushed back by the spider legs being repelled. Arcreal jumps in as if he was waiting for that moment. 

But she would run away again at this rate. 

However, Arcreal is jumping in while fully aware of this. Normally, I would target her neck as soon as I repelled those spider legs. 

I am purposely putting that for later in order to let Zahava think about whether she should counterattack or use the power of her ring. 

“Those eyes that are nailed on me… They are good eyes.” (Arcreal)

“?!” 

The swing this time around was for attacking. I increase the amount of mana being sent to an explosive degree to extend its blade. 

I use the momentum from sweeping my sword to do a spin with my body and increase the spin with my legs. 

I land a second slash on the spider legs that are supporting the body of Zahava. 

All of the legs that were on the ground were severed. 

Her posture crumbled, and the shadow of Arcreal covered the falling Zahava from above. 

“You…! Just learn that this is pointless!” (Zahava)

Zahava’s body changed into earth. She must have teleported underground again. 

I gave her time for her to get flustered, but it really is going to be hard for me and Arcreal to finish this up.

“—It is not pointless.” 

When I look back, Haakudoku, who had moved behind us, did a powerful stab on the ground with the greatsword of Girista. 

Haakudoku increased the mass of the devil in his right arm, turning it into an even stronger right arm. It wrapped around the whole body of Haakudoku in order to supplement strength as armor. 

He apparently can’t move freely like that, but he said that he can match the knights of Taizu when it comes to physical power alone. 

The sword of Girista is extremely heavy. It is hard to even carry for a normal person. 

But with the power of the devil in the right arm of Haakudoku, it should be easy to at least stab it down onto the ground.

“Gih?!” 

“Ooh, right on the mark!” (Haaku)

Zahava had teleported right in the spot where the greatsword was stabbed at. 

It was stabbed deeply into her chest. 

The greatsword unleashed its power, pulsing violently, and gulping the mana of its prey. 

“Looks like it went well. I was wondering what you were trying to do when you gave the weird order to create a situation where she can teleport and give her some time for it.” (Arcreal)

“Yeah, it was perfect, Arcreal. You did a nice job too, Sis!” (Haaku)

“Guh! You…why…?!” (Zahava)

“Woah there, I won’t let you teleport either. You set seeds at 2, 4, and 9 o’clock, right? I have already crushed them.” (Haaku)

Haakudoku stabbed the demonic sword even deeper in. 

The demonic sword was unleashing its power to devour mana as if being delighted by a tantalizing meal. 

“Aaaah…!” 

“About the power to teleport from the ring, I was wondering why you were going out of your way to move underground the whole time. It would be one thing if it is to do a surprise attack with your shedding, but you went and did that again and again. You should be able to teleport even if it is not underground, right? But the trick would be discovered easily if you were to do that.” (Haaku)

I looked in the direction Haakudoku pointed out and there were detached parts of the devil’s body stabbed onto the ground. 

The mana of the devil must be overflowing from the stabbed spots, I could see mana leaking out to the surface. 

There’s a different mana mixed in that… It is most likely from Zahava. 

“The logic is simple. You deploy the mana through that demonic tool to create a space enveloped in mana. You can then activate that ability to switch places with the matter that’s in that space. The two experts over there would notice if there’s mana in your shape all around the air. That’s why you sent your own mana underground to prepare the locations you would teleport to.” (Haaku)

The mana Zahava has been leaking out as if trying to intimidate us after she transformed was also in order to prepare the locations for her to teleport to, huh. 

It is true that it isn’t easy to observe in detail the mana that is buried deep into the ground while in battle. 

But even if she can teleport into the spaces where she set her mana in, how did Haakudoku manage to read the next place she would teleport to?

“It is easy to predict the next location you would teleport to. This was a tip from the old man Leano: when you are conscious of a location, you would move your gaze to its sides slightly to confirm it. I could tell clearly that you were looking around this place when Arcreal jumped in. There was your mana buried there, so it was easy to stab the sword there!” (Haaku)

There were times when Zahava would look elsewhere, but that was a habit for when she was aiming for a location consciously, huh. 

Haakudoku understood the trick to the teleport, and gave orders to Arcreal to take advantage of that habit. 

The roles of this raid team were set to begin with. 

I would take on the attacks head on, Arcreal would adapt his fighting style depending on the situation, Girista would set up things and be on the rear, and then there’s Haakudoku who would observe from the  back and find the weak point of the enemy. 

The ear of Arcreal has a part of the devil that was cut off from the right arm of Haakudoku. 

It is so Haakudoku would be able to send a thought transmission to put things into action after observing from the back and thinking up a plan.

I wanted one as well, but Arcreal told me: ‘She is an enemy that you would normally die against if you have idle thoughts. Leave it to me as someone who can deal with it using my power as an Illegitimate’.

I can now say with confidence that this decision wasn’t wrong.

“Aah, you…! Don’t go…babbling on!” (Zahava)

“It is not like I am talking because I want to. It is just a little trick to have your attention be drawn to me as much as possible. A trick.” (Haaku)

“?!” 

I obviously won’t be letting this opening escape.

Arcreal and I have already closed the distance. 

Arcreal sliced off the spider legs that were targeting Haakudoku, and I am concentrating mana into my sword.

“It must hurt to have a sword stabbed into your stomach the whole time, right? You may be a demon, but I don’t have the hobby of inflicting pain to girls. And so, Sis, shorten it for me!” (Haaku)

“Yeah. It is not to shorten it, but I will be going at full power!” (Ilias)

Zahava unleashes her spider legs towards me with her remaining spider legs, but this attack done in desperation was easily sliced off by Arcreal. 

I poured all the mana I had to slash the head of Zahava with that white blade. 

——

Author: The mom of Ilias, Filia-san, was a cleric that hunted devils, but she apparently muttered to her husband ‘the weapons of Taizu are way too boorish’.

Ilias’s dad then answered with ‘I don’t know about you saying that when you punch devils to death with your bare hands’ and she responded with a silent smile. 

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