"Ahhhh!"
"H-Help!"
As the people below shrieked with fear, I quickly murmured an activation spell.
"Siege Barrier."
Swoosh.
A ray of silver light spread out behind me, forming what looked like a sparkling citadel carved out of crystal to protect the city and the citizens by blocking the endless balls of fire and rendering them helpless.
"W-We're saved!"
"Y-Your Eminence!"
â¬Â«System» You have converted an atheist into a follower.â
â¬Â«System» You have converted an atheist into a follower.â
Although my peripheral view was cluttered with system alerts about my successful evangelism, I focused on bridging the gap between Nazril and me. Serpens drew a smooth curve through the air and made a satisfying slash, but it only nicked the end of Nazril's cigar because he'd taken a step back at the last minute.
My attack wasn't over yet. I swiftly stretched Serpens out again and slammed it into Nazril.
Clank!
The sound of clashing metal echoed back to me, for Nazril had cleverly blocked the attack with his cane. He spat the half-severed cigar out of his mouth. It was as if this movement was a direct command to Serpens, as it instantly returned to the shape of a sword and slashed across Nazril's view. He twisted his body into a strange angle to dodge the move and swung his cane, which I deflected smoothly before returning another attack.
An exchange of rapid fire sparring that could barely be perceived by the human eye continued for a long time as my sword met with the demon's cane, filling the sky with bursts of light and dark energy. The sounds of ringing metal filled the air as we fought.
"Not bad," he remarked arrogantly amidst the violent exchange of attacks. "You've impressed me."
In lieu of responding, I parried the next swipe of his cane.
"Why won't you reply? Are you too busy with the battle to speakâ"
Slash!
The corner of Nazril's mouth was suddenly drawn out into his cheek, a shallow wound extending his grin into a gruesome gash. The demon's eye twitched slightly from the sting.
"I don't think a reply is all that necessary," I remarked with a smile.
"How impertinent..." he muttered. My taunting words had added a new layer of rage to his eyes.
«There's nothing you can do even if you're mad, buddy,» said Agnes, and I completely agreed.
I had a deep desire to take Nazril down a peg, so I decided it was time to show him the true gap in our power. I closed my eyes for a second, then snapped them open again as I thought, I summon you.
My aura blades responded instantaneously, surrounding Nazril from all sides before proceeding to draw uncountable rays of light as they attacked.
"Argh!"
Nazril had no choice but to focus entirely on defending himself as he was attacked from multiple angles by different swords. The way he was slowly being pushed toward the edge of the roof without being able to turn in another direction demonstrated very clearly for everyone watching who was on the losing side.
"This isn't working..."
That was when Nazril took his hat off and shouted, "Come, my pretty birds!"
What was once a fedora turned into a magician's hat, and from within it black birds burst out in a rush of dark energy. The civilians watching shrieked as the birds took to the sky.
"I-It's the shadow raptors!"
The demonic birds dove in front of Nazril, taking blows from the aura blades that were meant for their master, evening the scales in what had seconds prior been a very imbalanced fight. Nazril was beaming, large enough to reveal his fangs as the raptors continued to defend him. Watching how joyously he clung to life, barely able to fight back with his own strength and still finding it in him to celebrate, was a rather pathetic sight to behold.
That was when my necklace vibrated.
«His fangs are really long. Is he a vampire?» Agnes asked in an attempt to discover a weakness we could target.
I denied her assumption and concentrated my divine power. It was time to hit him with some firepower and hurry this monotonous battle to its end.
"Divine Retribution!"
Buzz!
The explosive energy of divine light and electricity seeped into all seven of my aura blades at once. The raptors screamed, startled by the change. The flying swords made up of lightning, starlight, and aura instantly tore the shadow raptors apart, then headed straight for Nazril in all directions.
"Oh, no!"
He was so busy fighting off the sudden barrage of aura blades that he foolishly forgot to protect his flank. Not willing to miss my chance, my whip sword twisted around the demon, targeting his back. The sensation of something being cut into had just reached my fingertips when an unexpected noise caught my attention.
"Mmmm!"
A moan that was very out of place during a fight to the death filled my unwilling ears. Indeed, a truly strange sound had just escaped Nazril's mouth the moment he was struck.
«What was that?»
Even Agnes was questioning her hearing when Nazril hopped quite a distance away and explained, "Oh. It'd be great if you can avoid my back. It's rather sensitive."
«What the hell is that pervert saying?»
While Agnes handled the trash talk, I offered a more neutral response.
"I know."
"You know?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes," I replied with a casual nod, and he gave me a look of confusion. With as pleasant an expression as I could muster, I explained, "That's why I'm going to scratch it for you."
The battle that had momentarily paused resumed in an instant. I spread my aura blades out wide once more and focused on targeting Nazril's back.
He took his hat off again and shouted, "Come, my birds!"
"You know that's not going to work again," I snapped back, then extended my sensory limit to utilize the aura blades better.
Devour them. Serpens lunged out like a hungry snake and thrashed violently, which reduced the shadow raptors to feather and bone as they fell to their deaths. Having no intention to stop yet, I sent one of my aura blades toward Nazril's head before he could process the loss of his pets. My blade violently slashed through his hat that also doubled as a nest for birds.
"How dare youâ Argh!"
He was grinding his teeth when he suddenly collapsed to the ground, for the remaining aura blades had proceeded to smash into his back. His weakness was the only place I targeted from that point onward, slashing, stabbing, and whacking at his back and his back only.
«Seriously, what the hell is he?»
"Wait, Agnes. I'll show you."
I knew my chance had come when I noticed how sluggish Nazril's movements were as streams of blood oozed steadily from his wounds. Without wasting a second, two of my aura blades wedged themselves into each of his shoulders.
"Ahhh!"
Instead of shattering the demon's flesh and bones, the force of the attack dragged Nazril's body through the air and smashed him into the clock tower.
"Ugh!"
The blue blood he vomited splashed down from the fourth floor, but it wasn't over yet. I sent the remaining five aura blades his way as well, and one by one they pierced his body all over, infusing his demonic form with divine power.
"Argh! Executioner of Evil!"
Instead of answering him, I flicked my finger. That tiny movement triggered all of the aura blades to explode, causing electricity to consume the entire area, swallowing the clock tower and Nazril whole. Sparks flew in all directions as the destructive force of the attack made the clock tower collapse into piles of debris, leaving nothing behind except a puff of black smoke.
The battlefield was eerily quiet after the collapse. Those who were watching the battle between Nazril and me waited nervously for the dust to settle. Quite some time had passed, when a deep voice broke the silence.
"So... is he dead?"
"Father!"
"Argh, Your Grace!"
«Ugh, you tactless old man!»
Several exasperated exclamations and scornful glares were tossed at my grandfather, who had uttered the one question that should not be asked in battle.
Summoning the aura blades to hover behind me, I responded, "He's ranked 175th in the Demon Realm. That attack wasn't enough to kill him."
A disturbance erupted on cue as soon as I spokeâShadow Raptors tore through the smoke and flew into the air, their sinister shrieks filling the darkness of the night sky.
"No way."
The raptors screamed again.
"T-There are so many!"
People turned pale as they witnessed the incredible number of monsters that crowded the sky like a flock of crows. However, the raptors didn't move to attack the city and the citizens right away. Instead, they split into two groups and formed a distinct shape.
«Wings?»
A set of gigantic wings spread wide across the night sky.
"I told you my back was sensitive."
Flap!
A single swoosh of the massive wings dispersed the dust cloud instantly, revealing Nazril in his full glory. The robe that had somehow stuck with him throughout the violent battle had finally disappearedâin fact, his shirt was gone altogether to reveal the twitching of his hard muscles while the towering set of wings were directly attached to his back. With this, Nazril's identity was made clear.
«Ailette, is he...»
I was happy to finish her sentence. "That's right. He's a fallen angel who committed a great sin."
That was when Nazril stepped in to kindly explain exactly what kind of crime he committed. "Let me introduce myself again. I am Nazril. I used to be a divine being known as Nazriel, but I was banished to hell for showing 108 humans the meaning of hedonism. It's truly a depressing story," remarked Nazril as he covered his head and wore an expression of anguished self-pity. His intention was obviously to draw some sympathy from the audience, but it looked like nothing more than the crappy acting of a performer in a c-grade movie to me.
"Really?" I asked incredulously. "You expect us to feel bad for an angel who got innocent people addicted to drugs and gambling? You even preyed on their family members and forced them to provide financial guarantee."
â¬The Executive of Creative Economy shudders at the phrase "financial guarantee."â
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World shouts that Voiceism doesn't accept outside guarantors.â
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls nods and remarks that even a drama queen like themselves wouldn't mess with that.â
«What a piece of crap! Let's destroy this guy, Ailette!»