The moment Sofia began preparing the Spirit World, I moved. As a greeting, I unleashed the Holy Lance—if he had a counter-strategy against me, it wouldn’t be strange if something changed—

“It’s useless.”

The Demon King spoke, but didn’t move as he received the spear. Particles of light scattered, and a shockwave rippled through the surroundings. It was powerful enough to easily crush any monster outside the castle, but… there was no damage at all, as expected.

Nevertheless, I didn’t miss one thing. The moment he was attacked, the Demon King flinched slightly. He could nullify the attack, but he couldn’t completely suppress the impact of receiving the magic… If he had a counter-strategy for that, I would have had to change my attack method, but it seemed fine.

“You understand that your attacks are ineffective, don’t you?”

The Demon King spoke, yet he showed a stance ready to meet an attack. The greatsword in his right hand was firmly gripped, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

The Demon King could also use wide-area magic, but he wasn’t moving—or rather, he probably thought that if he made a useless attack, I would defend, and Sofia and the others would counter-attack. Whatever his strategy, the Demon King was definitely passive. Now, how should I move?

“Garuku, can you predict what strategy the Demon King will use?”

“Not possible at this point.”

Garuku responded immediately to the question.

“However, the Demon King in front of us hasn’t changed its appearance from before… including the Magic Power sleeping in its body.”

“So… for example, if we unleash a slash, the attack won’t bounce back? It’s not structured like that?”

“Probably not.”

Hmm… As I was thinking, a comrade suddenly stepped forward from behind.

“Let’s see if our attacks work on the Demon King.”

It was Radi. He raised his Magic Power, showing he was ready to attack at any moment.

“Approaching is too dangerous. So, gathering information from a distance is the best first step, right?”

“Is that Magic-user your first opponent?”

The Demon King’s question. At the same time, Orudia came from behind.

“I’ll help too.”

…If I recall correctly, Orudia has a Long-range Attack with his Dual Wielding Sword Technique. Seeing Radi move, is he planning to join in?

“Understood. I’ll stop the Demon King’s movement. Hit it with an attack in that opening.”

“Got it.”

“Very well.”

As Radi and Orudia responded one after another, I raised my Magic Power and cast Magic. It was the Light-attribute Advanced Magic, ‘Gungnir’—but the Demon King readied its sword.

“A magnificent power. But it won’t work on me.”

With a dismissive voice, it swung its Greatsword. The divine spear and the Greatsword clashed—creating a torrent of light.

From the Demon King’s perspective, it might have intended to push it back, but the light was absorbed into the Demon King. But of course, my Magic wasn’t actually effective.

However, since it couldn’t negate the impact, it couldn’t escape the explosive torrent of Magic Power, and it should at least stop its movement somewhat… I cast the Magic with that thought, and indeed, the Demon King stopped moving within the light.

—However, a slight doubt also arose. The Demon King must have guessed that we have a Trump Card, and I understand it’s being cautious. But even taking that into account, isn’t it too passive?

Still, we can’t stop attacking.

“Now!”

I shouted. At the same time, Orudia moved first. Crossing his two swords, he swept the ground, unleashing a Shockwave—a dual-sword technique called ‘Exorcism Twin Stream Slash,’ which ran along the ground and was absorbed into the light of ‘Gungnir.’

Immediately after, a roar echoed throughout the hall as if Orudia’s Shockwave had exploded. Then, Radi’s Magic activated.

“Take this, Demon King—!”

The spell he unleashed with his voice was ‘Tyrfing,’ a Light-attribute Advanced Magic, just like ‘Gungnir.’ It’s a Magic where Light Swords converge to surround the target. It’s the type that rapidly depletes HP with a series of attacks, and its overall power can sometimes exceed ‘Gungnir’ against opponents with low Magic defense.

His Magic began to converge on the spot where the Demon King was presumed to be standing. The Magic ultimately surrounded the target like a sphere, bringing about an explosion of light—but in an instant, following Orudia’s attack, a deafening roar echoed throughout the entire hall.

Tremendous Magic Power… however, no one expected this to be the end.

“If that settled it, it would be too anticlimactic.”

Radi muttered. I remained vigilant for the Demon King’s counterattack… but eventually, the light disappeared, revealing the Demon King’s form.

Its appearance hadn’t changed… but perhaps because it took a direct hit from the light, its Magic Power was slightly fluctuating.

“That’s quite some Magic.”

Apparently, it had a slight effect.

“But it’s not enough to destroy me.”

“I know. But this attack proved that my Magic can also work.”

As Radi spoke, Sofia’s Magic Power filled the room. She was ready.

“Is it complete?”

The Demon King spoke. Its gaze was undoubtedly directed at Sofia.

“From the moment you stepped into this Castle, I understood the power of that sword. And with that, I became absolutely certain. The Princess is the Trump Card.”

“…You’re not going to stop her.”

I spoke. The Demon King remained silent.

“If you understood that much, then there should have been a way to interfere with Sofia’s Magic Convergence.”

“You would just get in the way of that, wouldn’t you?”

The Demon King seemed to imply, “Don’t ask the obvious.”

And he still didn’t move… or rather, it was as if he was explicitly silent, waiting for us to attack.

In other words, I can deduce that the Demon King’s strategy won’t take effect unless we attack—or approach him. The reason he isn’t launching magic attacks is likely because he anticipates I’ll defend, and at the same time, he’s maintaining his hidden strategy… that is, the magic he’s prepared to outwit us.

Naturally, as long as the Demon King doesn’t move, we won’t know what his strategy is… there’s a risk, but we have no choice but to engage. With luck, we might be able to defeat him before his strategy activates.

Perhaps she understood my thoughts… Sofia also seemed to have judged that despite the risks, we should attack, and she stepped forward.

“Lord Ruon.”

A call. I nodded in response.

“Yes… I’ll provide full support.”

As I spoke, Sofia ran. Eina followed suit. Sylvie, perhaps because attacks wouldn’t work on her, moved to guard the rear, where Radi and the others were.

Furthermore, Orudia and Phili also charged—those imbued with the Sage’s Power moved at once. But the Demon King did not move. He was waiting.

What was he planning…? As I pondered, Orudia overtook Sofia. Was she intending to lead the charge?

“Foolish.”

With that voice, the Demon King swung his Greatsword. Orudia, in response… managed to receive the attack and deflect it.

“Oh?”

The Demon King, perhaps surprised, let out a sound—meanwhile, Eina stepped in. Further back, Radi launched a “Holy Lance.”

A slight opening had been created by his sword attack on Orudia. If he moved to avoid the attacks from the other two, Sofia would have an opening to land a blow—or so I thought, but the Demon King deliberately took the slash and the Spears of Light.

He must have judged that he had to deal with Sofia’s attack, even if it meant taking some damage.

But Radi’s magic had a trick. The next moment, a blue light burst, and the Demon King’s movements slowed slightly.

A clear opening emerged. Into it, Sofia and I surged forward.

A concentrated strike, combining our strength with the spirits. This was undoubtedly a decisive blow against the Demon King—and in that instant, the Demon King’s presence changed.