Part 1

The former Australia – Northern Territory.

It was a wasteland of red clay color that was once called Uluru Kata Tjuta national park.

There existed a rocky mountain standing calmly even now in that place where its vegetation had been burned to nothing by Typhon’s flame.

Ayers Rock.

The second largest slab of rock on the surface of earth.

Three days after the negotiation with the fairy. Receiving the sunlight of the sun that was setting down beyond the horizon, two shadows were stretching down on top of that rocky mountain which was shining like a ruby.

Those shadows were the Kamishiro Homura, and his grimoire that was also his weapon, the avatar of .

“Uu―. Even so it’s really cold here…”

While sitting cross-legged on top of the rocky mountain, Homura’s body trembled from the blowing wind of the wasteland.

Looking at him like that, the avatar of , a girl that Homura called as Vel, gave him a candid advice.

“The southern hemisphere is right now in winter, it’s only natural to get that cold being on top of a rocky mountain in the middle of a wasteland where there is nothing like this. Master should be wearing thick clothes before coming here.”

“That’s okay. I’m gonna exercise anyway after this.”

“Will it even become an exercise?”

“…More or less. After all those three named cotton or Evang○ion or something has far more powerful magic power compared to Typhon or Jambure just from seeing the image that Elfiena brought.”

“I think they are called

“That’s it, yeah. That’s what I’m saying.”

The reason these two were here was only one.

It was in order to meet the ―the troops of the demon world that consisted of a million soldiers and three demon kings that Elfiena said would appear here.

While Homura imagined the sight of a demon army that was going to completely blanket this wasteland before long, he recalled the way to kill the three demon kings who led this that he heard from Elfiena after that negotiation.

{The three demon kings that are commanding the ,

By using [combination], the three demon kings can change into an even more gigantic form, into a giant called with size that pierced the sky.

It can be said that this form is exactly their true form.

It is said that their strength jumps up by dozens of times compared to before they combined.

But, what is even more troublesome than their strength is their immortality where they can immediately regenerate from no matter what kind of attack. Those three demon kings when they are taking the form of will possess three hearts inside that giant body, but if even one of those three hearts still remained, they can recover their body to the original condition just in an instant. Of course, that recovery also includes the other damaged hearts.

In other words the way to defeat is to destroy the three hearts at the same time.

And then the essential location of the hearts, ’s heart is in the right chest. It seems that ’s heart is in the left shoulder. But… even I don’t know about the position of the last heart of from the demon world and discovered this information when he cornered , but before he could see through the last heart’s location managed to escape. …Forgive me for being unable to be of any use.}

―The point was he needed to search for the location of the last heart by himself.

It was extremely troublesome.

“Master has figured out the location?”

“There is no way I know already. After all in the first place I never even seen what kind of guy this is. But well, we know the location of two hearts already, so it’ll work out somehow. There ain’t any life sphere in Australia, there is also no other magicians around so we can just move around anywhere.”

Just with that Homura’s freedom of battle had greatly changed.

It was a fact that was really a great help for Homura. Most of all,

“The compensation for that is Sumika and the others are now in a place where my eyes cannot reach, but… I’ve left the preparation for the worst case to Shiori, and that girl Sumika is also an S-rank magician anyway. Surely she will be fine even if a came out. Rather, she even said things like [surpa.s.sing me in one year], so she at least should be able to handle this much right.”

While making a mean smile, Homura turned to the direction of j.a.pan and murmured.

But toward that murmur,

“Don’t expect anything from that woman.”

Suddenly, Vel who was at his side cut in with a piercing sharp tone.

“What d’you mean by that?”

Homura’s expression was a little surprised from Vel’s th.o.r.n.y words and asked back the concrete meaning of what she said.

On the other hand Vel answered with still the same tone that made him feel hostility towards Sumika from it.

“That woman was saying things like standing side by side with master, but there is no way she can do that. Sooner or later those girls will be left behind unable to follow. Because, there is no way a human exists that can accompany Master’s battle. That’s already something completely decided already when you held me in your hands after all. That’s why don’t believe those kind of words. It’s just nonsense of riffraff that can do nothing except being protected by master. Something like [comrade] will only hurt Master deeply again, they are nothing more than a nightmare.”

And then Vel brought her body near to Homura and affectionately kissed his cheek.

“The only one that can follow Master is only me. It’s fine to not expect anything from humans.”

“Vel…”

So was it jealousy towards Sumika and the others?

Did she speak ill of Sumika’s determination due to that?

―That was not it.

Homura was not that foolish to make such a misunderstanding after looking at the sincere eyes of Vel right now.

The girl was worrying about him from the bottom of her heart. About Homura putting hope in Sumika.

The that once existed.

It was because she was the closest one who witnessed the sadness of Homura when he lost his comrades there.

Yes. Homura’s strength was abnormal, heretically so.

It was not in a domain where one could catch up just by thinking of wanting to catch up.

That was why, from the beginning it was an impossible talk. Something like obtaining an equal [comrade].

Someday everyone would be gone.

Unable to follow the level of battle of the world Homura lived in, they would die leaving Homura alone.

Because that bestowed strength to Homura knew that better than anyone, she felt apprehension for Homura holding expectations from Sumika’s words. She didn’t want him lamenting an unfulfilled dream for the second time.

―Homura guessed that feeling of Vel and stroked her head through the girl’s hat to relieve her.

“I told you don’t worry. I’m not expecting anything.”

“Really?”

“How no one can come close to me, the one who understands that the best is me after all.”

That was why there was no way he was holding expectations. He didn’t even think of wanting to hope. It was just―

“But, there is also something to be happy for. That feeling of Sumika who sympathizes with me. A human that seriously said they are going to try to reach me, until now there wasn’t even a single one like that. That’s why I’ll at least cheer her on. Even if she gonna give up someday, let her test herself until she can understand that result. ―For the time being, we are gonna crush those guys making a pa.s.s at this world.”

That was the minimal grat.i.tude of Homura towards Sumika who said to him she was going to be his equal. Toward those words,

“…If it’s like that, then that’s good.”

Vel closed her eyes in relief and she leaned on Homura’s body.

She was letting Homura know that she was right beside him with her warmth snuggling up to him.

And then, feeling the deep affection of his partner like that for a while―

Suddenly, the sun sunk into the horizon and the sky darkened.

The burning red of twilight vanished away and the wasteland was enveloped in dim darkness.

The change visited exactly at that boundary of afternoon and night.

“――They came.”

A p.r.o.nounced shadow spread on the wasteland before their eyes.

It blotted. It stained. Until beyond the horizon.

That shadow which was even blacker than the darkness of night was in a vague shape like a heat haze in the beginning, but in the blink of an eye its contour was becoming definite.

What materialized, was an army of demons armed in steel.

Goblin, orc, baphomet, dullahan, minotaurs―

From until , various races were mixing in, they lined up from one end of the wasteland spreading in front of the eye until the other end, a large army of a million.

And then in the middle of the dusk, that army appearing before Homura’s eyes, without a single exception among them, all of them directed red eyes glaring with hostility towards Homura.

“…This is incredible huh. For this many to come, ain’t this a superb view even for h.e.l.l.”

But, even receiving gazes filled with hostility from all one million demons, there was not even a speck of nervousness in Homura’s voice.

He talked like admiring the sight of a great view and then he averted his gaze from the army as if losing interest.

The destination of his gaze were the three conspicuously gigantic humanoids that stood in the center of the army.

Correct. Just against at best, for Homura it was no problem for him even if there were several millions of them.

They were nothing more than garbage mob.

The one who could possibly become his enemy were only three demons even among this large army―

The giant with a thin body of height that was conspicuous even among the three, that might reach a kilometer, .

The giant with a symmetrical body as if the statue of David was enlarged as it was, .

And then the giant whose stature was the shortest among the three yet possessing presence from its fatness that was like a barrel,

Each of them was dressed like a gladiator of old, the three .

Presences that distorted their surrounding scenery, and magic powers that even Homura who was originally completely insensitive to it could clearly feel, made Homura’s expression tensed.

―Strong.

It was also to a phenomenal degree.

If compared to these three, even demon kings like Typhon and Jambure wouldn’t have a big difference with the riffraff crawling like worms under their feet.

“Certainly, this looks like it’ll be a good exercise.”

“Right?”

And then, it was not only Homura who recognized the threat of the enemy before the eyes.

The three demon kings were also sensing a definite threat from the human that was like a grain of rice sitting on top of the rocky mountain.

Therefore―

The three demon kings yelled something simultaneously.

With voices that couldn’t be heard as anything but rumbles that a human like Homura couldn’t discern.

That voice, which might even reach the stars in the sky, moved the large army that was like a black carpet staining the earth.

That sight was even like a tsunami surging forward.

{Kill! Kill the human magician!}

{Idiot guy! Loitering alone like that, just die!}

{This world is ours from now on! Stand our glag on that mountain!}

Among the roars of several dozens of tens of thousands feet kicking the ground and several dozens of tens of thousands wings flapping, hoa.r.s.e voices saying such things could be heard even in Homura’s ears.

“I see. Because there are various races of demon so they use [Concept Translation] to communicate intention. Thanks to that now I understand reaa―lly well just how much they’re spouting bulls.h.i.t as they please.”

But on the other side the three Demon Kings didn’t move.

They were merely looking down fixedly on Homura in observation.

Were they just inciting the small fries in order to measure his strength?

Or else because they were thinking that they could crush him to death using the superiority in number?

No matter which one it was―

“They’re really looking down on me.”

It was stupid to take on all this riffraff one by one.

That was why Homura closed his eyes and chanted that spell.

It was the words exchanged towards the that lurked at the abyss of the heart of all living beings―

Listen to my voice     o the mockingly laughing person at the depth of all consciousness

The seething stars shine brilliantly in blasphemy     informing thy the time of destiny

The teaching father of the other side of the wall      o the person that tempt towards degeneration

Whisper      to demon      kidnap     to immorality

Thy doctrine     dig up and expose the truth of this world that is colored by this deceit

Inside the condensed instant, the ritual prayer was gently etched like singing praise.

The world distorted as if hailing that prayer.

The s.p.a.ce behind Homura whirled like a vortex twisting and squashing flexibly.

And then from inside the vortex of colors that were mixing sloppily, a certain color was oozing out.

Muddy white.

It was a polluting white that painted out the curving scenery.

Before long the whirling s.p.a.ce began to rotate in the reverse direction as if rewinding back.

And then the vortex whirled in reverse and when the scenery returned to usual,

―At Homura’s back, a humanoid that was not there before was standing.

It was a headless body of the stature around 5 meters, bloating softly and flabbily white completely like a drowned body.

That hard to describe shape that would make one hesitate to look straight at it was exactly―

“Invite from the back. ― Y’golonac.”

It was the figure of malice and hatred that lived in the hearts of all creation.