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Whoo—whoo!
A gale howled across the sky as the divine bird Caladrius soared high above. She tilted her head, gazing down at the charging Demon King's army, her wings already beginning to stir.
"O army of the Demon King that dares invade the Holy Domain," her low voice rolled like thunder, "by my lord's will, I pass judgment upon you."
Vast magic surged, whipping the air into a raging storm.
The next instant—
Countless feathers rained down like a meteor shower, each one packed with terrifying magic and lethal poison, plunging straight toward the Demon King's forces.
For a heartbeat, the vanguard froze, terror flooding their faces.
"What… what is that?"
"She… she's the divine bird Caladrius!"
"The divine bird has appeared? That's impossible!"
The Demon King's commander recognized her immediately. But the army was already in full charge. Even if he gave the order to evade, it was far too late.
All they could do was watch as the feathers fell.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening explosions overlapped, shockwaves slamming outward like solid walls of air. The ground split open, blackened and cracked, as if all life had been wiped away.
Thousands of soldiers in the vanguard were annihilated in an instant.
Worse still, poison spread through the ranks behind them. One demon after another collapsed, convulsing as they fell.
In moments, the once-mighty Demon King's army was in total chaos, panic ripping through their formation.
Watching calmly, Edgar raised a hand and said, "I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yes, Master."
The Star Spirit and the others nodded, moving at once.
"Hahaha! Damn Demon King's army, I'll show you what I can do!"
Shakugan no Shana was practically vibrating with excitement. She shot forward like a shooting star, light flashing around her hands as they transformed into icy claws.
In the next second, she plunged straight into the crowd.
Slash. Slash. Slash.
Blood sprayed like blossoming crimson flowers.
Before dozens of demons could even react, their pupils shrank violently. Confusion flickered in their eyes as they felt their bodies falling.
In a daze, they glimpsed their own headless corpses and the fleeting figure of the ice-wolf girl streaking past.
Thud, thud, thud—then crack, crack!
The sound of heads hitting the ground was quickly drowned out by the tearing of bone and flesh. Wherever Shana passed, her ice claws carved through bodies, limbs flying as fountains of blood erupted thick and thin.
"Seriously, Shana, don't rush in so fast…"
Hovering in midair with her demonic wings spread, Mine muttered as she took aim.
...
The next moment—
Her romantic cannon roared to life. A devastating shockwave tore forward, punching through thousands of meters in an instant.
Boom!
Hundreds of elite demons who had been about to surround Shana were blown apart on the spot.
"What kind of monsters are we fighting?"
"They're not from the Black Wing clan. Where did these powerhouses come from?"
The surrounding elite troops stared in horror, their faces drained of color.
On another battlefield—
Clang!
Murasame collided with a demonic weapon, sparks flying.
"You've got the strongest presence in the entire army," Akame said coolly, staring at the armored demon before her. "You must be the commander."
"So what if I am?"
"Good. You're my target."
She vanished in a flash, reappearing behind him before calmly heading back toward the main battlefield.
"Y-you're running away?"
The commander clutched his wound, trying to speak, but darkness crept into his vision. His thoughts blurred.
"Why… how is this possible?"
The question never found an answer. He collapsed with a heavy thud, life leaving him completely.
At the same time—
Eva descended into the ranks of the Demon King's army.
"Dark Shadow Blade."
She stepped forward, her shadow stretching and sharpening into blades. Like a violent storm, they swept across dozens of meters in an instant.
"Aaaargh—!"
Screams echoed endlessly as countless elite demons fell into pools of blood.
"Monsters… they're all monsters! Run!"
At last, the Demon King's army broke. The rearmost troops turned and fled in utter panic.
"Now, now. Our master didn't say you could leave."
The Star Spirit dropped from the sky, blocking their path. She raised both hands as immense magic gathered.
"Seventh-tier magic: Death Thorns."
Buzz—
A magic circle flared to life. The ground split open as dark crimson vines and thorns surged out like venomous serpents, sealing off every escape route.
At the same time, they spread forward, devouring lives one after another.
[Experience +108][Experience +113][Experience +152]
"Not bad," Edgar murmured, standing perfectly still as he watched. "Even without me lifting a finger, this few people are enough to wipe out an entire army."
His expression remained utterly calm.
This was the world of the strong.
Once your power reached a certain level, numbers meant nothing. No matter how many gathered, they were still just ants.
At least, that was true for the Demon King's army.
Time passed.
No one knew how long it had been.
The air grew thick with the stench of blood.
Aside from Edgar and his retainers, the fearsome Demon King's army that had charged in with such momentum now lay completely still, sprawled across the ground.
"Master, Shana's magic is almost gone."
As soon as the fighting ended, Shana trotted over, her ice-blue eyes shining strangely. Her tail wagged nonstop, like a puppy begging for treats.
Seeing her like that, Edgar felt a stir of temptation.
But when he glanced at the surrounding sea of corpses, he gave up the idea.
The atmosphere was a bit too heavy for that kind of taste.
He gave Shana a gentle pat on the head and smiled. "Hold on a little longer. I'll replenish your magic tonight."
"Mm! Shana can wait!"
She nodded eagerly, tail wagging even faster.
Hearing their exchange, Akame and the others felt something twitch. Almost unconsciously, they squeezed their thighs together.
Come to think of it…
They'd burned through a lot of magic too.
"Th-that's great. You're all safe."
At that moment, Mir arrived with the warriors of the Black Wing clan.
But when they saw the battlefield, they froze in shock.
"The… the Demon King's army… wiped out?"
They stared at each other, seeing the same disbelief and confusion reflected in every face.
When they had come here, they were fully prepared to die.
But this…
Wasn't this a bit too much?
Because the Demon King's army had been defeated, the Black Wing clan held a grand celebration.
And on the other side, Edgar and his retainers naturally celebrated as well.
Late into the night—
The building where Edgar and the others were staying was still brightly lit.
Shana was replenishing her magic in her own special way, greedily taking in every drop of the recovery potion.
"Shana, you're mostly recovered now. Isn't it our turn?"
"That's right. We all used up a ton of magic in that fight."
"Yeah, we need to recover as soon as possible."
Mine and the others cooperated for a while, but eventually they refused to wait any longer. The hollow, empty feeling from depleted magic was just too uncomfortable.
In no time, the situation turned chaotic.
Watching this unfold, Edgar felt a headache coming on.
"All of you, seriously, calm down. Behave yourselves and wait."
A few quick smacks later, the room finally went quiet.
"..."
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