The teleportation destination was an iron door directly ahead. And on all four sides, the outside was visible, with the stronghold far below in the sky… As a result,

“—Whoaaaa! It’s high! This is bad! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!”

…Well, thank you for reacting exactly as I expected, Alto.

Thinking such thoughts inwardly, I looked at my companions who had arrived via teleportation. They clearly had no experience with such an extraordinarily high place, and all of them were extremely cautious, their steps careful.

“If we fall, we’ll surely die, won’t we?”

“Eina! If that happens, can’t you do something about it!?”

“If I use Wind Magic… Sofia, are you alright?”

“Yes, somehow.”

Sofia was trying not to look down. The Barx Kingdom Castle was quite high, so I thought she would be the most used to heights, but it seems even this level is too much for her. Well, the bottom is completely visible, after all.

“Alright then, let’s move forward.”

“Hey Ruon! Are you okay!?”

“I yelled and screamed plenty when I teleported.”

Saying something vague, I opened the door. From there, the upper half of the wall was still transparent, but the lower half and the floor were made of the same material as the stronghold floor. Since the bottom wasn’t visible, it was somewhat better.

I wonder if there’s a reason why the hallway isn’t made of the same material. Is it simply a lack of material, or is there some other reason?

“……Hey, I just imagined something unpleasant.”

Kyarun suddenly stated. Even after entering the hallway, his steps were still a bit heavy.

“If we defeat the Demon Race, this building…”

“Whoaaaaa! That’s bad! We’ll all die!”

“Calm down…”

I tell Alto, who keeps overreacting. In the game, after defeating Gudis, the magic breaks, and the castle in the air begins to collapse, but we escape using transfer magic before that happens—that’s how it goes.

Well, even if that weren’t the case, we could probably manage with the highest demon law.

As Alto continues to wail, we move forward—and suddenly, a magic circle appears on the floor in our direction. The moment magic power was released, demons appeared.

I see, instead of placing sentries, they implant magic circles in the floor to summon them. That’s probably why the passageway isn’t made of transparent material.

We start fighting, but my companions—especially Alto—are moving slowly. If this castle was created with the intention of unconsciously instilling fear of heights and immobilizing adventurers who invade here, then it’s quite impressive.

However, by actively moving, I somehow manage to avert disaster… but then Kyarun speaks up again.

Hey, what if there’s a sudden pitfall?

Stop it with that kind of talk!

Alto shouts. For now, I decide to offer some reassurance.

I can perceive traps and such, so I’ll tell you if anything comes up.

Really!? Is it really true!?

His insistence was terrifying… When I nodded, Alto said, “Please,” and resumed moving.

In the game, there weren’t any traps, and we could reach Gudis directly… Well, it’s better to proceed with caution.

…However, a question remains.

At this point, Ignos suddenly spoke up.

Teleportation devices… perhaps exclusive to the Demon Lord’s Castle, but such magic hasn’t been created even with human and spirit technology. Are the demon race that technologically advanced?

No, I don’t think so.

I answer. Then everyone’s gaze gathers on me. Hmm, I guess I should explain it again.

Teleportation devices are technology held by angels who once lived on this continent. I think the demon race here probably imitated that technology. It’s probably difficult to create it from scratch with demonic power, but they can reproduce it with their inherent magic power, right?

—In the past, angels existed on this continent. The remnants of them are proven by the angel ruins that exist in various parts of the continent… If I remember correctly, according to a document I read somewhere, there was also technology to travel to other continents using teleportation devices.

I guess the demon race in this stronghold has other jobs besides creating monsters.

Kyarun commented. I nodded, saying, “Indeed,”

However, it’s probably impossible to apply angel’s power to combat, for example. Demonic power and angel characteristics are probably polar opposites.

I see… Hey Ruon. Do you know why angels disappeared from this continent?

It’s more like they moved than disappeared. There are no angels on our continent, but there are places where you can encounter such beings.

However, there are probably various reasons why the angels aren’t participating in this war.

In any case, waiting for help from such beings is nonsense, and we have no choice but to deal with it in our own way.

While we were doing that, we discovered another transfer magic circle. Listening to Alto lament, “Give me a break,” I went in first to check.

It was even higher up. The ground was terribly far away, but it wasn’t outer space yet… It was close to the stratosphere, with clouds below.

Wow, seriously…

Alto muttered, because the teleportation destination was again completely visible except for the door.

Come on, Alto. Let’s move forward.

Ruon, why are you so calm…

It’s just that it doesn’t show on my face.

While exchanging such words, we moved to the next floor. There are branches, but it’s not as complex as a maze, and exploration itself is easy. The strength of the enemies doesn’t change even if we go up, so at this rate, we might be able to fight the Five Great Demons Gudees while conserving our stamina and magic power.

So, I thought about it on the way. We’re currently fighting the third and fourth of the Five Great Demons simultaneously, but the strength of the monsters is almost the same as the third. This is probably the same for Sylvie and the others.

In that case, this battle might be easier than expected… After thinking that, I warned myself internally not to let my guard down.

While we were doing that, we found another teleportation device. I’m pretty sure this was the last teleportation in the game.

Give me a break.

We teleported, dragging Alto, who was muttering something like that. What we saw there was—

This is…

Eina was the first to speak.

The ground was terribly far away, and the sky was quite dark. It was so high up that it felt like we had entered outer space. I remember complaining while playing a game that this kind of scene was typical of a final dungeon.

“…It’s beautiful.”

Then Sofia murmured her impression. I had never looked down on the world like this before, so I was as moved as she was.

Just like in my previous life, it was clear that this world was a sphere. I could clearly see areas beyond the continent where we live, but what caught my eye the most was the blue of the ocean. Combined with the white of the clouds, it created a fantastical sight.

“Hey, let’s go already.”

Alto said. For him, looking down on the world must have been nothing but fear.

At this point, I had a thought. I hadn’t paid much attention to it when I was playing the game, but Gudis’s existence is peculiar compared to the other Five Great Demons. His original purpose should be to pour magical power into the earth, but instead, he has established a stronghold in the sky. Has he already accomplished his goal, or is he prioritizing the research of Angel technology?

“Lord Ruon.”

Sofia called out to me. I stopped my thoughts and decided to move forward.

From there, we defeated several monsters and… reached an imposing door. Beyond that familiar door, Gudis was undoubtedly waiting.

“Beyond this–“

“There’s no doubt.”

I responded to Alto’s words and checked my companions’ expressions. There was no doubt they still had energy left. Thinking this, I put my hand on the door and opened it.