After blocking the centrifugal force of the halberd’s arc, Buser jumped back.
“Sandstorm!”
The sand spurting from his sword spread into a wall and attacked the King of Darkness. The king must not have been able to see a thing.
She had her doubts whether he had eyeballs but regardless, having his vision obstructed was an overwhelming disadvantage.
“Kind Affection, Bundled Seal! Sturdy Arm, Strong Blow!”
Using a martial art Neia didn’t know, plus a high-level one for increasing the damage of a mighty blow, Buser came charging at double the speed he displayed before.
His horn caps started to glow in a strange way; they looked almost like shooting stars.
“Khaaaaa!”
“Hnf!”
The King of Darkness received the blow that came down with his halberd and—
“Ha-ha!”
—Buser’s jeering laugh echoed out.
Then came the sound of breaking steel.
Neia’s eyes grew large.
“No way! Weapon breaking?!”
Weapon breaking caused damage directly to weapons, but its effects varied considerably depending on the material the target was made with and how much damage it could withstand. Buser must have used the earlier martial arts to fortify the attack.
Neia was anxious to help, but when she saw notice Buser’s eyes go large in the next moment, she froze.
“It’s not even chipped!” Buser shrieked in shock. “What is that thing?!”
Buser retreated in a reversal of his previous confidence, rather than attack again, while the King of Darkness brandished his halberd, tracing beautiful arcs through the air.
“…I created this with my magic. You really think it would break so easily?”
“Weapons made with magic should be fragile!”
“Oh? You seem to have some experience, but stereotyping is dangerous. Sometimes you’ll fight people whose magic weapons you can’t break.”
The king let go of the halberd, and it vanished. It must have been the same move he had used earlier with the sword.
Then after he made grasping motions in the air, he was suddenly holding a black longsword in each hand.
“…Okay, what are you going to do next? That couldn’t have been your fail-safe plan, right?” The King of Darkness took a step forward. “…If you have something up your sleeve, now’s the time for it. I’m not a nice enough guy to let useless enemies live.”
“Hoh-hoh-hoh! What are you talking about, undead? Bravo for blocking all my attacks, yes. You were truly magnificent. But weren’t you only able to do that because you were focused on defense…? I know you never get tired. So you think that if you just keep fighting, you’ll eventually win.”
He saw through the king’s plan!
Neia was worried. Even she had realized. There was no way Buser, a superior warrior, wouldn’t notice.
“Ah, I see. That’s one idea. A good one actually. But unfortunately, mine is different.” The King of Darkness spread his arms and approached unguarded. The swords in his hands disappeared like smoke.
“Watch ou—!”
But faster than Neia could shout, Buser brought his sword down.
And then…
“What?!”
Buser frantically swung his sword again and again.
“What the—?! What?! What’s going on?!”
He screamed with each blow—because the king, despite taking each and every hit, was perfectly fine.
“In that case—!” Buser held up his shield and used a martial art. The king took the full brunt of his shield charge but didn’t stagger backward a single step.
On the contrary, Buser ended up retreating slightly.
“Wh…why…?”
It was hard for humans to understand subhuman facial expressions. But this one was clear.
It was fear and despair.
“…Martial arts are foreign to me. I don’t know if skills became arts or if arts are warriors’ magic spells, but it made me think that if I encountered someone at my level, the experience and knowledge of martial arts could be what decides the fight, you know? That’s why I took your attacks head-on, but…it seems like you’ve already shown me everything you’ve got.”
The king gave a jocular shrug and then took off one of his nine rings.
He didn’t do anything else. The only action was removing the ring. Nevertheless, an extraordinarily terrible, cold atmosphere enveloped them.
Neia gasped and looked up. She thought the sun might have frozen and shattered, but it was in its proper place, shining as always.
Then were this chill and this dark presence being emitted by the king? Could this atmosphere even be created by a single being?
S-so this is the King of Darkness…the caster who killed an army of over ten thousand…
“Then I don’t need to fight you anymore.”
He took a step toward Buser.
Meanwhile Buser, trembling, took a step back—as if pushed back by the invisible pressure the king exerted.
Buser must have been sensing the abnormal presence more strongly than Neia. It seemed to have hit him that he couldn’t hope to challenge the King of Darkness. The way all his hairs stood on end was proof of that.
“W-wait. Please wait. Just wait a minute.” Buser raised his right hand and dropped the sword he had been holding. “I—I surrender.”
“Hmm.”
“I have information about Jaldabaoth’s army. See? I’m extremely useful. I’ll definitely be a boon to you.”
“I see.”
“…A-and besides that, you’re planning on fighting Jaldabaoth, right? I’m way more powerful than humans. If you allow me to command my tribe, I vow to be your vanguard in the fight against Jaldabaoth—that piece of shit, Jaldabaoth.”
“Oh?”
“……P-please wait. That’s not all! If you want, I’ll give—er, present you with all the treasure I’ve collected. It should be enough to pay for my life.”
“Is that it? Are you done with the sales pitch?”
“I—I, uh…” Buser looked around restlessly and then turned back to the King of Darkness. “O-oh, yeah. I mean no. Th-there’s still a whole lot more. If there’s anything you want, I could go get it for you—no, I will! I’m sure I will! Really. Trust me!”
“Hmph. What I really want isn’t something you’ll be able to go fetch for me.”
Neia sensed irritation in the King of Darkness’s voice. And Buser, confronting him, must have felt it more strongly.
“W-wait—wait. Honestly, just wait. Please? Heh-heh-heh-heh.”
It was a servile laugh. The attitude he’d had when they challenged him and he’d called himself a king was nowhere to be found anymore.
“I’m sorry for misspeaking. No,
