"Kuhaha! No way… You cut my magic…? Impossible! This is magic that has reached the critical point of sorcery! To cut through that—such a thing…"
A completely shaken voice leaked from Oswell.
Thanks to that, no new catastrophes were born, and a momentary silence descended.
"What are you so surprised about? You were the one who showed me the model of the critical point of sorcery, weren't you?"
I threw words at the shaken Oswell to provoke him further.
Originally, this guy had no real combat ability.
But creating catastrophes made Oswell a threat in himself.
To keep the initiative in this fight, I needed him to lose even more composure.
"A model…? No way, you…! A mere clown getting carried away…!"
It seemed my current words had struck a critical point for Oswell—he became far more enraged than I had anticipated.
"If it pisses you off that much, try shutting me up with force!"
I further grated on Oswell's nerves while activating [Magic Sword Union, Alteration] once more, transforming Schwarzhauser back into its usual magic sword form.
Carrying the long sword-type magic sword, I used my enhanced physical abilities and [Gravity Manipulation] to close the distance in an instant.
The magic dragons growing from Oswell's shoulders attacked to keep me away, but I cut them down with the magic sword.
A normal sword probably could not even touch these clumps of magical power, but this was also a sword of magical power.
A magic sword could catch magic dragons.
Entering sword range, I swept the magic sword.
Oswell's existence itself was a threat, but his lack of combat experience was clear from his stance and movements.
In terms of combat exchanges and feints, I held the advantage.
The magic sword tore across Oswell's chest.
"Guh! Damn you!"
Oswell—disliking my further approach—unleashed a roundhouse kick.
"…A gap-filled attack like that could never reach me!"
I evaded the kick, switched the magic sword from long sword to dual short swords, and slashed even more.
"Insect! Get away from me!"
As Oswell shouted, I sensed magical power gathering around him and immediately retreated.
Right after, a massive explosion occurred where he stood.
When the smoke cleared, Oswell stood there unscathed, radiating fury.
"Clown! Do not get in my way!"
"…Heh, your mouth has gotten quite foul. Is the mask starting to peel off?"
"Shut up! Beria's plan can go to hell now! Right here, I will smash you to pieces!"
The last traces of intellect and composure had vanished from Oswell. His words and actions now seemed driven purely by instinct, like a beast.
"…That's my line, you piece of trash. All the pain and terror you inflicted on Carol—I will carve every bit of it into your body and soul. —Do not think you will die easily?"
"Gyaahahahaha! Carve it into my body!? I have [Self-Healing]! No matter what wounds you give me, they will heal immedia—"
Oswell—who believed he could not die—let out vulgar laughter while explaining why he would not die, but he suddenly fell silent.
Then Oswell looked down at his left arm.
—The wound where the magic sword had severed it.
"…Why? Why isn't my left arm healing…!?"
The countless cuts from the normal magic sword had already closed.
Yet the left arm—severed some time ago—showed no sign of regenerating. The wound had not even begun to close, and blood still poured out in large quantities.
"Bleeding to death is too boring a way for you to go. —Ice Demon Blade, Hyōma no Tachi."
While Oswell was fixated on his unhealing left arm, I switched—thanks to Luna's cooperation—to a magic sword infused with ice spirits.
Then, with [Instantaneous Ability Super Boost, Impact] layered on, I slashed—severing him from the shoulder joint onward.
I froze the wound instantly with the ice, eliminating any risk of death by blood loss.
"Guaaaaaah!?"
Until now he had ignored the pain—believing it would heal—but realizing it would not, he could no longer endure.
Oswell screamed.
"A grown adult shouldn't make such pathetic noises."
"St-Stop—"
Oswell tried to call for me to stop as he realized another attack was coming, but I had no reason or obligation to stop.
I decapitated Oswell once more. —With a spare sword.
Then I blasted his body with [Super Explosion], sending his charred remains crashing to the ground.
'Luna, next I need fire spirits.'
Thanks to Luna responding to my request, magical power around me grew dense once more.
Converging those spirits, a pitch-black flame of converged magical power blazed in my left palm.
"Do not fuck with me, clown!"
While that happened, Oswell—who had revived with [Self-Healing]—shouted with rage and frustration.
His neck had reconnected and the burns had vanished, but his left arm remained severed from the shoulder.
Observing Oswell's state, a super-massive tornado formed again and bore down on me.
"…Then the next experiment… —[Sixth Form, Mont Sechs]."
I transformed Schwarzhauser into a magic bow and nocked an arrow of fire spirit-converged magical power.
"Be crushed, Orun Dura!!"
"—Flame Demon Arrow, Enma no Ya."
The pitch-black arrow fired from the magic bow tore through the tornado and pierced Oswell's abdomen.
"…Ah… gah…"
"…Too cornered to even dodge? That's too quick. At this rate, you will not even taste a fraction of Carol's suffering."
I landed near Oswell and spoke to carve even more terror into him.
Checking his abdomen, the wound from the fire spirit arrow had closed.
…This confirmed the reason Oswell's wounds were not healing.
"What the hell… What the hell is this! You are supposed to be destroyed…! That was decided! So why do I have to suffer like this! This is bullshit!"
Like a child throwing a tantrum, Oswell spewed complaints and dissatisfaction.
His behavior only fueled my anger further.
"Do not whine over something like this. Carol and everyone else you toyed with suffered far more pain—and for far longer! The moment it comes back on you, you start complaining? How convenient!"
"Shut up! Everything I did was necessary for humanity's evolution! If I die, the loss to the world would be immeasurable!? Even so, you would kill me!?"
"—Yes. I will kill you."
Suddenly, a soft male voice came from a place where no one had been.
Standing there was a man with long golden hair tied at the shoulders—the same man who had turned the former hero Gary into a demon.
Immediately after, countless thin lines of light ran across Oswell's body, and blood sprayed from his entire form.
"Gahaa! Stieg, why are you… here!?"
"Fufu. For someone with the grandiose title of 'Doctor,' that is quite a foolish question, is it not?"
While Oswell and Stieg spoke, I circled behind Stieg and swung the magic sword at his back.
But—as before—he vanished soundlessly and without preparatory movement. My sword cut only air.
"Rather abrupt. But a good decision. Though futile, of course."
Stieg—now beside Oswell—spoke to me while casually swinging his hand.
That casual hand chop bisected Oswell's body vertically.
And without [Self-Healing] activating, Oswell never woke again.
"..."
The incomprehensible presence emanating from Stieg caused cold sweat to pour endlessly.
When we met before, his presence had been so faint that even when in my field of vision, he had seemed to slip away.
Yet now he looked like nothing but a monster wearing human skin.
"It has been a while, Dragon Slayer-dono. Ah, come to think of it, I never introduced myself properly. I am Stieg Strem, Eighth Seat of the Cyclamen Cult, known as Rakshasa. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
With those words, Stieg gave an exaggerated, theatrical yet somehow aristocratic bow.
Eighth Seat. Even excluding him and Oswell, there were at least six more cult executives.
"After Gary, now Oswell too…! What the hell do you want!?"
I understood the Cyclamen Cult was a gathering of scum.
I knew our values could never align.
Even so, I could not help but speak.
Because to me, my comrades are more precious than anything.
"Even when asked 'what do I want,' I merely disposed of unnecessary garbage. Why must I face such anger simply for disposing of something unnecessary?"
Stieg answered my question nonchalantly.
"I see. I understand perfectly. You and I can never coexist!"
Having lost the information I had hoped to extract from Oswell, I closed the distance in an instant to get it from Stieg instead and swung the magic sword.
But—as before—he vanished instantly from in front of me, and my sword struck nothing.
"Excellent swordsmanship."
Stieg reappeared at a distance and spoke with admiration.
I immediately fired Ten Flash toward where Stieg stood.
"Actually, I was watching your battle with Doctor from afar."
The voice that should have come from far away now came from directly behind me.
"—!?"
I turned and swung the magic sword, but once again I caught nothing.
"Your magic back then was little more than child's play, but now you handle it properly—I am impressed. Your growth rate truly is astonishing."
Stieg reappeared at a safe distance and spoke mockingly.
"But let us stop fighting here. I have plans ahead, and a suitable stage for battling you will be prepared soon. When that time comes, I will play with you… properly. Look forward to that day. Today's me came only to dispose of Doctor."
He spoke in the tone of an adult soothing a child.
It grated on me. But I understood the current me could not reach him yet… Though it felt like he was letting me go, pressing further here would be unwise.
Damn it—was my strength still not enough even now!?
"I am glad my feelings got through. Then, until we meet again."
With those final words, Stieg's figure vanished, and even his presence disappeared completely.
It left a sense of unfinished business, but Daluane had been protected from the magic beast swarm, and Oswell had been eliminated.
While the "process" left much to be desired, in terms of "result," the objective had been achieved.
I had said those words to my disciples.
I could not afford to wallow here.
The situation had resolved with everyone safe.
For now, I would take comfort in that result.
"…By the way, where did Fuuka and the black dragon go?"
Since the fight with Oswell began, Fuuka had completely slipped my mind.
Looking around, neither Fuuka nor the black dragon was anywhere to be seen.
The black dragon was enormous.
For it to be gone meant it had likely already been defeated.
'Hart-san, do you know where Fuuka is right now?'
I asked Hart-san via telepathy about Fuuka.
'Orun, huh. Fuuka is inside the labyrinth.'
'…Inside the labyrinth? Why?'
'No idea. I do not know the reason. If you are curious, why not go after her?'
'Got it. I will do that.'
After learning Fuuka's location from Hart-san, I headed toward the labyrinth entrance.
'Ah, also—I watched your fight. Some weird intruder showed up at the end, but do not worry about it. You protected Daluane. That fact does not change. Everyone saw you cut through that disaster, so the whole town is in an uproar right now. When you get back, expect a hero's welcome—so brace yourself?'
While heading to the labyrinth, Hart-san gave me words of encouragement about the outcome.
He also told me about the town's reaction and showed concern for me.
That consideration made me happy.
'Haha! Understood. I will brace myself.'