Chapter 598 – Demon Pursuit

A black miasma blade extended from Valros’s right hand as he fixed his gaze on me.

While other demons create miasma blades by solidifying them into physical forms, Valros’s blade gushes out like a giant gas burner.

He stands casually, yet there are no openings. Natural Stance. A posture that can respond to attacks from any angle. Meanwhile, I—circulate and elevate my magical power. Ouroboros—growls low in warning.

“Valros! After taking so many lives in Halvaronis and Nahalbia, do you still crave more bloodshed!?”

Forset hurled his emotions at Valros.

When Valros left Halvaronis. And when he headed toward the royal castle of Nahalbia that managed the barrier. Both times resulted in numerous casualties.

Trampling over his former comrades, Valros still pressed forward.

Valros glanced coldly at Forset and said, “If the lives lost were to be in vain, it would be when I stop. If you wish to stop me, don’t use words—try to stop this heart along with me by force.”

“Wh—”

Harsh words. The definitive severance underlying them. Without looking back at the speechless Forset, Valros turned back toward me.

In that instant, he charged straight at me. There are no openings. If there are none, then I’ll create them in the midst of our clash.

As I delivered a downward strike, Valros met it with his miasma blade.

The moment Valros blocked Ouroboros’s strike, his body flowed. A technique from the same school as the martial arts Forset uses. His aim is likely to deflect my attack, disrupt my posture, and then strike.

A blade aiming to bisect my torso from behind.

I kicked off my Shield to cartwheel and evade, then launched a counterattack against his counter. A miasma blade swept fiercely just beneath my body. The strike I delivered with my Dragon Staff was also blocked by his wing.

I fired a Lightning Strike at Valros while flying to disengage. Even that lightning strike was intercepted by his black wings. As I shifted my posture, he charged straight at me. High Stance. Wrapped in black electricity, his incoming slash—I didn’t take it head-on but instead used Ouroboros to deflect it diagonally.

Whoosh.

A strike that didn’t seem to use much force effortlessly sliced through Beriondora’s outer wall behind me.

An abnormally high killing power compared to other demons. Is it physical strength or part of his ability? Either way, it’s probably unwise to try blocking it directly with a Magic Shield. He doesn’t stop. I meet the rapid-fire, certainly lethal slash attacks by channeling magical power into Ouroboros.

A fluid Consecutive Attack using his miasma blade and black wings. I parry. I deflect. I strike and get deflected, and when he strikes, I deflect.

“Grace!”

“Yes!”

“The enemy is only one, but it’s as planned! I’ll handle the rear guard! I’m entrusting the Sirius to you!”

“Understood!”

A dizzying exchange of attacks. A black Flash. The trajectory of Ouroboros emitting a pale blue light. Amidst it all, I shout toward Grace.

In the spinning world, I felt my eyes met Grace and the others on the deck for just a moment.

—As planned. It’s one of the scenarios we anticipated. The Sirius will retreat. I’ll handle the rear guard.

Valros said he didn’t need backup. But if I were to gain the upper hand in a prolonged battle with Valros, that demon Zaradi would surely deploy reinforcements. Because of his high loyalty to Valros.

Regardless of whether we can counter that, considering Valros’s ability to obliterate Nahalbia’s royal castle, it’s undesirable to fight near the Sirius. I don’t want to test the limits of the Sirius’s defense power with this man.

The Sirius will retrieve personnel. Once all members are aboard, it’s poised to escape at high speed. That’s why I asked Grace—to transform the ship’s exterior into propulsion.

The escape direction is north. A plan to prevent the enemy from predicting our escape route and to make prolonged pursuit impossible due to the extreme cold.

As the Sirius shows signs of surfacing to escape, Valros reaches out while still clashing with me. But—I won’t allow that. The space in front of him erupts.

Resonance Mine. Valros leaped back, so it didn’t hit him, but that’s enough. If he steps forward, it hits; if he retreats, it doesn’t. I timed it that way.

Unfazed by being blocked, his expression unchanged, he flew toward the Sirius.

Combining Wind Magic with Nemea and Capella’s strength, I chase after him and engage. I block his incoming slash with Ouroboros. A heavy, piercing impact. I compensate for my lack of strength by supporting Ouroboros with my Shield.

Twice, three times. We exchange slashes and strikes, and I deploy a Magic Circle at the tip of my Dragon Staff.

“Solid Hammer!”

I slam a large boulder to block Valros’s path. A trajectory that pulls him back toward me. That boulder, whose power should be doubled by relative velocity, was bisected by a black Flash.

Wrapping himself in his black miasma wings, he plunges into the split boulder, then spreads his wings to blow the shattered rocks away. It doesn’t even slow him down. Without stopping for even a moment, Valros breaks through.

By then, the Grind Dust I control was closing in from behind Valros. A vortex of hard sand. A magic that cannot be defended against with a sword, shield, or even martial arts.

Valros, who turned around to face it—blocked it with a sphere of darkness created in his palm. As Valros closed his hand as if to crush it, the expanded dark sphere contracted.

The sand particles of Grind Dust were swallowed and crushed along with the sphere’s contraction, and the technique itself vanished.

Not stopping it, nor dispersing it. This is it. The technique that gouged out Nahalbia’s royal castle—!

Valros, still facing me, spread his four wings and flew toward the Sirius. Chasing after him using Nemea and Capella’s strength, we clash in the rapidly flowing scenery. Several sparks flash as miasma and magical power interfere in the silver-white world.

Instead of deflecting, Valros blocks my strike head-on with his miasma blade. He then sweeps with his miasma blade as if to knock me back, and as the distance opened—.

“Scatter.”

As if to mow me down. Swinging his free left arm, he scatters numerous small dark spheres in my path.

A shudder crawls up my spine. Trusting my instincts, I fly in a zigzag pattern.

The black spheres simultaneously swell and explode, then contract and vanish again in sync with Valros’s hand movements. If caught, I’d be gouged out.

I draw a large arc to disengage while accelerating. Tracing a sharp-angled trajectory, I close in on Valros. Valros blocks Ouroboros’s momentum-filled strike with his miasma blade.

I push in. Pressing in as if to slam him down with my body, into the range of my sword.

Immediately, fists and kicks clash. I shouldn’t touch those shrouded in miasma, no matter what. Though the miasma properties differ from Zevion’s and Gardinis’s, it’s likely dangerous even with a Blessing.

At the moment of impact, I cover the area with my Shield, defending against the miasma while exchanging strikes.

The Shield scatters sparks as it cancels out the miasma, then both expended forces vanish.

I deflect a hand chop aimed at my neck with a Shield deployed on my arm. A flowing body. My flank—is open.

I thrust a Palm Strike toward it. But it’s a feint. Miasma coils around his flank area as he tries to strike. Defense for offense.

I know. I create a Shield at my palm’s tip and slam a Magical Shockwave into it.

I felt the impact of the shockwave passing through.

We’re knocked back as if repelled, sliding across the snowfield, finally coming to a stop.

Still… I get the impression he hasn’t shown his full depth. More like a warm-up.

As if signaling that Valros’s pursuit has been halted, the Sirius’s thrusters ignite. Accelerating while vanishing from sight and sound.

But Valros was no longer tracking the Sirius. He quietly gazes at me.

“That was Gardinis’s—. I see. It’s you, isn’t it?”

I don’t answer. Instead, I raise Ouroboros. But Valros looks at me, furrows his brow, and says, “You—won’t you join us?”

“…What?”

Valros and I glare at each other for a brief moment.

“Do you think demons… can coexist with humans?”

“Unnecessary humans are everywhere. We just need to make sinners our food. And I have a duty to act without falsehood in my words.”

Saying that—Valros dismisses his miasma blade and extends his hand toward me.

“Come with us. With that power, even our brethren would acknowledge you. And doing so should reduce the sacrifices made for what we aim to achieve.”

I take a deep breath. Knowing I’m a Demon Slayer. After nearly killing each other… And now he invites me? Truly, a man who doesn’t care about means for his goals.

Ah. Or is it because the Ring prevents my feelings toward demons from being conveyed?

Out of the question. Even if I set aside my personal feelings toward demons. And even if there’s no falsehood in what he says.

Realizing the world he envisions would require much bloodshed.

Even with minimal sacrifices… the current system would surely be destroyed. King Melvin, Father… and the people I know would be included.

So. What I’ve fought for, and why I’m here. If I mistake that, I’m worse than an animal.

I’m not saying coexistence with demons is impossible. But—.

My thoughts are interrupted. A miasma bullet pierces the spot where I was just standing. I cartwheel and glance at the sky a short distance away.

“…I believe I said I don’t need assistance?”

Valros looks over his shoulder and glares at the demon who rushed over.

“What are you saying? You are our leader, are you not? If this is a trap, it’s careless. Leave this to us.”

The one who arrived—was a demon whose arms had transformed into bird-like wings. Not just one. Two, three. All demons with forms specialized for flight.

Not many, but they’ve even brought the flying monster units from the black castle. Is Beriondora not unified? Or did the notice not reach in time? Or perhaps they’re fanatics who idolize Valros and have gone on a rampage.

“Go!”

“Shyaaah!”

Screaming a strange cry, one of the monsters brandishes its claws and charges at me.

Slow. I entangle it in Ouroboros’s spinning motion and slam it headfirst into the ground. Simultaneously, I kick it away with a Magical Shockwave, and it scrapes across the snowfield’s surface as it slides away.

And I myself leap into the air using the recoil from the kick.

Though I can’t locate the Sirius’s position due to concealment magic, Caduceus should detect my location.

The other demons are enraged, but Valros, the key one, doesn’t move.

After casting a bored glance at the monster sliding across the snow, he fixes his red eyes on me.

“My interest has waned, Demon Slayer. We’ll likely meet again. I’ll hear your answer then. As proof that my earlier words aren’t false, I won’t pursue you here.”

Ah, is that so. But my answer is decided. If you claim there’s no falsehood, then I need to answer here and now.

“—You and I are incompatible.”

I hurl my denial. Yet he still doesn’t move.

Keeping Valros’s movements in my peripheral vision, I combine Nemea and Capella’s strength and fly north at full speed.