Horrible ringing.

　Even with the protection from Teolita’s Sacred Seal, it’s still painful. 

　It was probably this that made that guy into a powerful Demon King with the ability to influence minds. 

　Feels like there’s screaming into the back of my head. 

　Groaning –- or crying. Something like loneliness is piercing the centre of my brain — no.

　That’s not right.

(Don’t think about it.)

　I purposely shut that voice out from my consciousness. 

　It had to be done. I’ve encountered Demon King Phenomena that use such attacks before. A Demon King that ‘pollutes’ the mind.

　The foreman had said. 

　The story about one of the fifty miners disappearing. He had heard a voice in the middle of the night calling for him. 

　This voice is likely what made humans do such things. 

“Don’t move!”

　I yelled at my surroundings.

　The miners are either thrashing about in place, or trying to endure the pain and get back on their feet. 

　I catch one of them.

“Don’t move. Lie down.”

“W, wait…”

　The guy raised his hand like he was trying to tell me something important. 

“–Can’t you hear a voice coming from over there!? What is it saying!?”

　Staring into the depths of darkness, he scratched his head anxiously. I grabbed him by the head and press him down.

“Just your imagination. Don’t listen.”

“I can hear it, but I can’t understand. W, what is it trying to say…!”

“If you head over there, you’ll die. You know that.”

　Tentacles stretch out from the darkness.

　It looks like ivy, or rather, that’s exactly what it is. Was it a demonified plant? Although, it’s as thick as a log. 

　Receiving a direct hit from something like that would probably be horrible for a human body.

　Tatsuya is alone, bouncing around with inhuman physical abilities, swinging and amshing the tentacles. 

“But, w, what?”

　The shaken miners don’t seem to be able to see it.

“What are you saying! But, that, what, ah, ahh, ahhh–“

　He violently scratched at his ears. Strong enough to bleed — and then tries to push me away. Can’t be helped. 

　I punch the guy and throw him to the ground.

(A defensive battle is impossible.)

　There was no other conclusion than this.

　Everyone’s collapsed and covered their eyes. The guys who can move are staggering as they try to approach the Demon King. I need to catch them and knock them out. 

　Those who are mentally strong enough to bear the ringing will end up hearing voices. 

　The call of that Demon King Phenomenon. 

　This is probably the main attack. Either way, it can put its opponents out of commission. The guys that get close to it — does it plan to just kill and eat them?

　The reason why this kind of attack isn’t working that well on me right now is because I have Teolita. 

　There is a kind of connection with the [Goddess] you are contracting.

　The power guarding the [Goddess]’s mind keeps me on the brink of madness — the rest is thanks to the sword fence. Norgayu’s Sacred Seal of Protection is working. 

　It’s another reason entirely why Tatsuya can move without any problems. 

　At this rate, everyone will die.

“Change of plans. Attack! Oi, Your Majesty!”

　I pulled out a single sword from the ground. And in the meantime, kicked Norgayu away.

　The whites of this guy’s eyes were showing, and he was moaning. 

“Get up, work!”

　Norgayu pressed his head against the dropped lantern. That guy should have engraved a somewhat powerful Sacred Seal of Protection on it. 

　However, it wasn’t very effective.

　Norugayu let out a faint groan and clutched his lantern, but he didn’t seem able to move.

“Our, our throne… the throne…”

　Nonsense leaked out.

“Do you plan to usurp… you rebels! Execute them all! Usurpers!”

　No good. 

　His usual delusions are getting worse. Doesn’t look like he’ll be useful.

(Pierce the eardrum?)

　If by doing that you can’t hear the sound and get rid of the influence, it’s worth a try. 

　However, this sound isn’t something you hear only with the ears, and the opponent is a Demon King Phenomenon. Who knows what kind of unfair ability it might possess. 

　In any case, there’s no time to test such things. 

“Shit! Teolita!”

“Indeed.”

　Teolita grabbed my arm. Sparks were already scattering at her fingertips.

“State your wish, my Knight. As a [Goddess], I will grant it.”

“Shoot from here, support Tatsuya.”

　Leaving this fence protected by the Sacred Seal will probably make the ringing worse. Is there a chance I might become immobile? That’s why it’s too late to try. 

“Tatsuya can do it. Requesting for sword supplies.”

“This is how it should be, my Knight. Rely on this me.”

　Teolita creates more swords. A sharp shining blade. A thin sword suitable for throwing.

(It’s been a long time since I’ve had a shootout)

　For the past me, I could’ve used more powerful Sacred Seals. The one with a large maximum range and destructive power, “Kalzissa”. Or the one that could even breach castle walls, “Yark Reid”.

　Right now, it’s nothing more than asking for the impossible — I put strength into my right hand and raise a sword.

　I see Tatsuya leap into deep darkness. As I’d thought, the ringing doesn’t look like it works on him. A weapon in the shape of a human that has the sole objective of capturing and attacking Demon Lord Phenomena. 

　After all, this Hero might exist only to oppose Demon Kings. 

“Tatsuya!”

　Throwing out a sword, I yelled.

“Keep moving forward! Kill the Demon King!”

　The sword I threw, as I’d thought, was able to cut through the wriggling tentacles, stabbing into the wall. 

　Intense flash and explosion sounds.

　Blows away the nearby tentacles and scatters blood-like sap.

　The screaming ringing in my ears grew stronger, enough to make me unconsciously stagger, but Teolita held me up at the critical moment. 

‘Indeed, it is surely a blessing to have me present.’

　I feel like that’s what those sparkling eyes are trying to say. I can’t afford to complain now. Following that, I shoot another sword to support Tatsuya’s advance. 

(In the end it’s no good after all, it’s better not to leave the fence.)

　I can only cover ―― though if it’s Tatsuya.

　I throw the next sword. The next, and the next. Swords that Teolita calls from the void too, they are roughly aimed, but the enemy is numerous. In an instant, several tentacles of torn off. 

　We are literally cutting open a path for Tatsuya’s attack. 

(Not bad.)

　Perfect supplies. Good steel, sharp blades, a firing position.

　Nothing bad enough to irritate me. 

　It reminds me of when I was once a Holy Knight. At that time, I never would’ve thought I’d end up doing something so crazy in such a crazy place――

“Guh.”

　Just when I was about to be dragged into the past for a moment, Tatsuya finally arrived.

　From a half-open mouth, something like a groan leaked out.

“Ah.”

　Tatsuya’s battle axe swirls like a flag and hecticly slashes tentacles.

　And then, following to the roots — a lump like a bulb.

　But it was wrong.

(Are you serious, damn it.)

　I realised my mistake.

　Tatsuya swung and slammed his battle axe into it, but it only split apart and exploded. The tentacles don’t stop. There was also nothing that looked like the main body. 

　Was that some kind of decoy as bait?

　If so,

“Bu, gu.”

　A voice mumbled from the back.

　The foreman — he slams his head into a mud wall and screams. 

　From the ground, tentacles and lumps were peering out. Bigger lumps that what Tatsuya had just destroyed. 

　Within the mass, a staring eye peeked out.

(That’s the eyeball)

　Or maybe the heart — it extended tentacles, grabbed another one of the mines and swung him around. 

　I could tell that after being slammed into the ground, his neck had broke. 

　Damn it.

　I try to aim at the main body, but there are too many tentacles squirming around. As expected, it’d properly solidified its defence. 

　Probably only Tatsuya can get past this.

“Zyro! Here too.”

　Teolita shouted and clung to my arm.

　The tentacles were wriggling, obviously aiming at us. I swing my sword. They are torn apart along with an explosion. 

(This is bad.)

　The inside of the space protected by the Sacred Seal is already being overrun.

　It’s getting close to the worst case scenario. We don’t have enough hands. Tatsuya is wrestling with tentacles of the other side of the passageway, and here are miners that can’t move, a [Goddess], me, and His Majesty Norgayu.

“Aaaaauuuuuuuuuu!”

　And Norgayu is slamming his head against the ground while screaming. 

“It’s all ours! This nation is all ours! We won’t hand it over, usurpers!”

　It’s impossible to make the current Norgayu do anything.

　The effects on his mind are sending him astray. He’s not in a state to listen to others. 

　And things are about to take a turn for the worse.

“–There they are!”

　Sharp voice. lots of footsteps.

　Kivia — and the Holy Knights. Coming from the passageway we came from. 

“It’s the [Goddess] Teolita. Pursue this later — support Zyro now!”

“Stop, you idiot, don’t come!”

　I yelled. Rather, I want to rant at how righteous Kivia is. 

　We can’t let them come within range of this Demon King’s ‘voice’. But can they be stopped?

(Will we be annihilated?)

　The chances of that happening were increasing rapidly.

　Teolita grabs my arm.

“Zyro.”

　She wanted to do something. Sparks were flying.

“Request me. This is surely the debut of the [Goddess].”

　Summoning swords — and in large numbers? Cut down all these tentacles and pierce the main body’s eyeball — or rather, the heart. Can she do it?

　Or is there another way?

　Sparks won’t stop, and her limit should be near. Can Teolita do it?

　I hesitated for a moment.

　And at that moment, something horrible happened.

“–Usurpers!”

　It was here that His Majesty Norgayu’s mind reached its limit.

　Holding the lantern shining from the Sacred Seal to his chest, he did something that could only be thought of as suicide. 

“Perish! We will kill you, you fools!”

　While wailing, he threw himself into the main body of the Demon King Phenomenon. 

　He twisted the lantern engraved with a Sacred Seal. The tentacles, obviously grabbed Norgayu and tried to knock him down. Tentacles wrapped around his neck. 

　That was the worst move for the Demon King. 

(Are you sane, this guy?)

　I suddenly thought, but that was a question from a idiot. 

　There was only one answer.

　His Majesty King Norgayu is insane.

“We–“

　The lantern Norgayu was holding released a far too strong light. 

“–are the K, K, King!”

　An eruption.

　Norgayu’s entire body turned into hot pieces of meat and scattered away.

　From the earth that fell from the ceiling, many Holy Knights and miners were also seriously injured — fortunately there were no deaths.

　As for what happened after that, there was nothing particularly special to mention. 

　Collecting the pieces of HIs Majesty’s remains was disgusting, but it was pretty funny. 

　――Although to be honest, I feel heavy when I think about the future.

　Without any excuses, Teolita and us had violated a number of regulations.

–

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