Grimoire x Reverse ~Reincarnated Demon Romance Tale~ Vol 3 Chapter 23

{General POV}

The demon had disappeared .

They did not know how much magic power Veloche vie Atmosphere actually used, but she still pulled down the gate in the end with one casting . Although they were filled with despair about the enormous army cresting the hill, they still had the will to live .

For now, there is no choice but to fight .

It may have been close to a miracle that the main portion of the wall remained, which kept the main portion of the city safe . Thinking of their families, and feeling like they were facing death, the warriors looked forward .

The walls were broken .

That fact does not change .

It was true that they could not help but feel discouraged looking at the disastrous ruins, and were filled with a murky feeling . But still .

For loved ones they must keep safe . In order to save their home . The only way left to protect the city is to fight .

“All troops, charge … !!”

Looking over the vast plains from the ruined walls . Scattered around the area were craters, spattered with blood and pieces of meat that showed the amount of violence that occurred .

But the Demon King’s Army did not seem to care about that .  

The human infantry held their formation as the demon soldiers rushed at them in a charge . Wrapped in heavy armor, they grasped their weapons as they confronted the Demon King’s Army .

The crash of forces happened quickly .

“Uoooooooooohh!!” 

“Aahhhhhh!!”

Raising their voices in a roar to crush their fear, the soldiers thrust their spears towards the demons . However, demonic soldiers are not easy to kill . Although it may be largely made up of minor demons, they are still soldiers of the Demon King’s Army . The strength of their force was unusual . A number of human soldiers were easily flipped and broken by bare hands, magic, and elemental breath . They can not afford to lose, but even so, they were faced by reality .

Within the battle, there were also many demons who approached the castle gate .

Their elite cavalry rode forward, while the law magicians desperately cast their magic from the top of the walls at the charging demons . However, even if their determination is renewed and they are filled with vengeance, while biting their lips they entrust their lives –

To that final bastion, the Child of the G.o.d of Light .

“Crane!!”

“We’ll focus on support! Justa, please!!” (Haruna)

“Got it… . !” (Justa)

“[Explosive Rod – True]…!!” (Crane)

The number of demons flooding the gate continued to increase . Minotaur, Gova[1], Ignis Elemental, Lamia . Some enemies were familiar, while for others it was the first they had appeared here . However, they can not allow any of these demons to take even one step past them, or the war would bring its destruction to their city .  [2]

A crowd of demons appeared! ▼

“They’re still coming………?!”

“The battle is not over, keep going . Push forward and endure!” (Crane)

“Haruna is still fine!” Haruna responded to Crane’s encouragement .

Although Justa could no longer hide her fatigue, she still clasped her dagger and danced wildly without running away . Her throwing knives pierced the demons, giving Crane an opportunity .

“Thank you, Justa!” (Crane)

“Again…!” (Justa)

Was she still thinking about something, or did she still not trust the three adventurers? In any case, Crane was grateful that she was fighting with them .

Rudius, who was fighting close by, also opened his mouth after seeing the opportunity . “I, we should still be able to endure . Let’s go for it . ”

“Ah, understood!” (Crane)

“…I’ll lend you a hand!” (Justa)

“Justchan is so cute!” (Haruna)

As she took out another hidden blade, Justa’s face turned red and Haruna laughed heartily .  

There were not many knives left . She had stocked a considerable amount, but it was still not enough . It was true that there are many demons reaching here, but more than that, the endurance of each demon can not be compared to human beings . Even though one of them had been stabbed by ten knives, its movements did not become more sluggish even though a normal biped should be staggering .

“Ah…I’m almost out of mana . ” (Haruna)

“Haruna’s at her limit?” (Crane)

“I’ll keep going as long as I can! But…” (Haruna)

Haruna’s magic began to run out as well .

Crane, who could not ignore the facts, suddenly noticed and looked around .

A great number of human casualties were cruelly scattered around . The same applied to the demons killed by Crane, but the number of armed soldiers killed by the demons is also unusual .

It’s been a while since the start of the war . The sun had already sunk, and some areas have dimmed .

The increase in attacking demons is not only because of reinforcements coming from the sea, but also because of the lack of mana from the Law Magicians on the wall . The amount of magic they had used in the battle and the mana it consumed was enormous . But even though they are mentally fatigued, they were still forced to fight .

It wasn’t something Crane could help with .

It is possible that mana potions are being replenished on the wall . But even Haruna, who had plenty of potions on hand, had to speak out .

So long as Crane is fighting on the field, then the demons have to be more cautious, but he doesn’t know how long it will last .

If at least the walls were a little more functional, it would have been possible to carry the battle over to the next day . Now that the number of armed soldiers has been reduced, it would generally be best to fall back for today .

But in this situation there is not enough magic to even do that .

With the demons appearing one after the other, the humans do not have enough cards in their hands to play that would resolve their current situation .  

With the current state of their forces, Crane bit his lip in pain . But he cannot do anything for those places beyond his reach . What Crane can do now is to at least not let the demons reach the walls .

From the top of the wall, powerful Law Magic was still being thrown out occasionally . That is probably due to the hand of Schult, who is one of the four Cardinals . Because he is still struggling, everyone else must do their best to hold on . With even the elderly as old as his grandfather enduring in the fight, Crane couldn’t afford to rest .

“Guh…already, my throwing knives…! I’m sorry, I can only fight with my daggers…!” (Justa)

“I understand!”

He wanted to curse the moon rising over the war . Instead Crane turned forward .

Many demons are steadily falling, while the number of human soldiers was decreasing rapidly . If it stays this way, the humans will all die first .

If they don’t hold this place, demons will invade their hometown .

And then .

“Hmm?”

“Oh?”

Orcs, Ogres, Goblins, Gova . The movement of the demons charging forward suddenly stopped . What happened? Just as the thought reached their minds, a demonic flame engulfed the battlefield around them .

“Eh?” A voice leaked from Haruna’s mouth .  

The movement of Rudius stops . Justa suddenly went on high alert . But Crane widened his eyes . Because the figure of an unexpected person was standing there .

“I can’t understand that guy at all . He better not die from just that…to think I would feel that way about such an annoying person . ” (Hiragi)

“Miss Hiragi?” (Haruna)

“Hey~ Haruna . Do you need any help?” (Hiragi)

“Oh, yeah! Thank you!!” (Haruna)

While floating in the sky, and complaining about her kin as usual . A lovely girl appeared, surrounded by nine fluffy and brilliant fox tails .  

“…And so, the demons are stopped . ” (Rudius)

“Ah, is that so? You swordsman there, did I interrupt something?” (Hiragi)

Although it was something Rudius had muttered, Hiragi seems to have heard him or guessed something, and he scratched his head awkwardly . At the same time, the wind carried the fire further and burned more demons to death .

Unlike Crane, who could not hide his shock at how easily the situation had been settled, Rudius turned towards his companion after contemplating something .

“No… . I will join the front line . ” (Rudius)

“Oh, Rudi!?”

While he said that, he immediately left and rushed towards the demons . Crane could only remain stunned at his speed . Turning towards Crane, Hiragi straightforwardly explained things to him .

“Why aren’t you… . maybe it’s just a characteristic of the Kamiko of Light . To not be affected by by my Charming curse . As a man, your friend…”

“Eh?”

She was slightly apologetic, Hiragi said .

A Charming curse . He was surprised to hear such a thing existed, but he appreciated Hiragi coming here . If he thought about the matter as the value of ability, then it may hurt Rudius, but he would realize that as a single swordsman, he couldn’t compare to Hiragi who had saved them . So being affected by her, he had left to a.s.sist elsewhere .

“I’m working on going up some levels…but it’s just that I regaining what was stolen . ” Hiragi whispered as she spread her foxfire .

“Oh, so Hiragi has been getting stronger!” Haruna laughed joyfully and clapped her hands at Hiragi’s words .

Just when did they get along so well? Crane wondered . No, he knew they had a little conversation in the inn at Merrick .

However, even though she is a demon, she was willing to lend a hand to them .

In the end, was Hiragi similar to Shuten?

With such thoughts, Crane’s confusion increased as he tried to come to an answer . It was a question that everyone else was thinking as well .  

“Why would a demon lend us a hand…?” (Justa)

“…What do you think?” (Hiragi)

Justa glared at Hiragi . Crane knew that for her,  demons could only be seen as an enemy . Because he knew that, he could understand Justa’s wariness .  

However, Hiragi made an expression as if she was puzzled on finding the right words . Then after meeting Haruna’s gaze, she nodded and said one sentence .

“My feelings have changed, maybe . ” (Hiragi)

With the wave of her right arm and an incantation, a large flame appeared and turned into a dragon of fire . Looking into the distance, watching the terrifying fire dragon defeat demons one after another, Hiragi muttered to herself .

“Lending a hand to humans…I have also changed . ”

“Aaaaaaahh!!

A powerful attack came from above, the downward swing breaking through the wind .

The kinetic energy was so violent that it was as if it had fallen from the sky, and several demons who were standing there were cut and crushed by the a.s.sault .

A red-haired swordsman stood up from his crouching position where he had landed . The demons in the surroundings stand up to the human who appeared suddenly . However, every time they jumped to add an attack, they were cut off by the sword and knocked away with destructive power .

At his feet were many armored corpses . The battle zone of the demons and human soldiers surrounded him in front and in back, making it seem like the fierce battlefield would soon move past the castle gate .

Rudius Fossalena Grand Galea, the Prince of the Kingdom, was the one who had appeared . At the moment, even without knowing of his place of origin, he gave off a n.o.ble but ferocious aura, a threat truly worthy of one who would become king one day . It was to the extent that the demons, who were not inferior in force, felt pressured .

In the end he is only one person . However, he is a swordsman who specializes in one-on-one . It was inevitable that fatigue would cause the fall of any human if left too long, but it almost seemed as if three people were the exception . It was similar to the demons with an immense stamina .  

Even as a youth, he was terrifying . The demons that attacked Rudius felt this way, and one after the other were defeated by his swordsmans.h.i.+p .

And after burying dozens of demons, Rudius sensed something and turned around, resheathing the sword on his back .

Although the demons did not understand why he responded this way, they soon realized as another person arrived in the area . Rather, at the moment they detected that strong demon, they cleared out the area around Rudius .  

The one who appeared in front of him was a tall man dressed in a tailcoat . He wore a mask with a torn grin and a top hat .

One of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords, Braument of “Reason . ”

“Don’t come alone to such a place . Unless you are thinking you want to be killed . ” (Braument)

“If I take your head, then the threat will disappear . ” (Rudius)

“If you can’t even reach me, such ambition is ridiculous . It seems you’ve forgotten how you were beaten down only a short while ago . ” (Braument)

“…I’m a bit different from that time, though?” (Rudius)

“… . ?”

“Crane was saying, he didn’t know his role in the party . I, on the other hand, thought he was exceptionally strong alone . But when I was alone, I did not know what I could do by myself . ” (Rudius)

He wore no sword band on his waist . But he is a swordsman . Without a sword, he cannot fight . In other words, he is only left with the enormous sword on his back that surely must be lighter than it looks or else it could not be used well .

“Now there is no recovery role, no support, no friends by my side . There are only the allies a distance away on this field . ” (Rudius)

He gripped the handle behind his right shoulder . Then the huge sword that he slipped out of its sheath was one that was as long as Rudius . The blade is wide enough that it could even be used as cover if it was to be stuck in the ground, and the blade is gleaming silver .

Its name is Buster Blade[3] .

“…I’ll smash you from the front, Heavenly Demon Lord . ” (Rudius

“…This garbage worm can certainly try . ” (Braument)

These words they spoke were the sign of the start of the battle . With a smirk, Rudius gripped his Buster Blade and attacked .

[Ancient Spell – Endless Steel Thread]

“Haa…!!” (Rudius)

Steel threads that strike from all directions, freely in all directions . Rudius jumped in, and attacked the ground with his blade .

“Gu . . !” (Braument)

“Too late!” (Rudius)

Dust clouds blocked the view . Having detected that Rudius had escaped to the air where the steel threads he controlled had not yet reached, Braument flung the steel thread toward the sky without hesitation . However .

‘How can this huge sword–”

“!!”

Cras.h.i.+ng into a large number of steel threads, the momentum of the falling Buster blade did not stop . On the contrary, the steel thread that should have pierced the body of Rudius was intercepted by the big sword, and rebounded into the dirt .

“–lose to such fragile thread!!” (Rudius)

“Gah!?!” (Braument)

Just before falling, Braument jumped back . However, a small portion of the ground had been cracked and crushed by the blow from the Buster blade .

“Ah!”

“I will take my revenge, silk hat demon!” (Rudius)

He had the feeling that some of the steel threads had been cut off or lost their movement from the shock just now . Astoundingly, their opponent used one of his hands to focus on Rudius with his Buster sword, while the other went to the side . Rotating a number of steel threads in a circle, he released them like a tornado .

“Don’t look away, Demon Lord!” (Rudius)

“Geh… . aaahhh!!”

A metallic sound rang out as sword and steel thread clashed . Braument stood at a distance, but Rudius steadily fought his way closer from the front . Rudius did not stop, and swung with enough force to blow away the tornado of steel into a different direction .

But that moment was enough for Braument . He switched to a technique that is more unyielding than the first one .

[Ancient Spell – Dragon Piercer]

At that time, the technique put pressure on Rudius’ blade . Several intertwined steel threads flew towards the Buster blade .

“It’s over!” (Braument)

“Tch……!!”

A sword can easily break . Once a hole is drilled near the center of the blade, a crack will run through the entire thing . This spell is nothing but an attack meant to destroy weapons and armor with terrifying accuracy . So for a swordsman it is deadly, and as he had fought Braument before Rudius knew of how terrible it was . The last time he could only rage because of this Dragon Piercer . For Rudius, he worried the same as before would happen to his Buster blade .  

A steel thread was about to make contact with the Buster blade .

That was the moment .

“[Explosive Rod – True]!!”

Somebody slammed into the steel thread that was approaching Rudius, stopping the attack before it hit him . Naturally, the steel thread lost its momentum, and a short time later, the destruction of the Buster blade failed .

Braument hates intruders on his one-on-one battles . As for Rudius, a complicated expression floated on his face at being interrupted .

“Please don’t fight alone . It’s dumb to try and face everything by yourself . ”

“Crane” (Rudius)

The intruder stood up from his position where he has swung down his staff, and rotated it lightly at a high speed . The steel threads of the battle had been scattered, and Ludius watched his companion as he gripped the Buster blade .

Crane Fafnir is the Child of the G.o.d of Light .

He had lived as a farmer’s son in a southern rural area of the country . A couple of years ago he had suddenly inherited the blessing of the G.o.d of Light, and was raised as a trump card for the Professor Country .

As well as researching how to become stronger during the middle of the adventure, the bond with his rival had increased enough that they could be called close friends .

That was why Rudius would not admit to his rival that he was weaker . But when they fought, they would fight together .

“I also want to finish my debt with you . ” With a warlike smile, Crane glared at Braument .  

Rudius turned in the same direction .

“Then…Let’s go,Crane . ” (Rudius)

“Of course”(Crane)

It was the same setup as last time .

However, the main characters have matured . How can they win? They had planned and gained experience, upgraded their weapons and skills, and this time they would face forward in order to succeed . All of this effort made so they will never lose .

That’s what a hero is .

“Let’s go–”

“–Braument of reason!”

Rudius and Crane attacked .

From within the depression in the ground, Braument greeted them with a large amount of steel thread .

Rudius who jumped out in front of Crane blocked the steel thread with his Buster blade and parried it .

“Tch!! Human beings are vermin! Unpleasant! Offensive!” (Braument)

“Crane!!” (Rudius)

“I know! [Explosive Rod – True]!!” (Crane)

Crane jumped off the Buster Blade like a stepping stool . He held his spinning staff firmly towards Braument .

Instantly, the [Explosive Rod] detonated .

“Aaaaahhhhh!!” (Braument)

The blast hit Braument, and something fell from him .

But there is no time to look at such things .

Braument re-orientated himself in the air, then skidded with his right foot to slow down and once more manipulate the steel thread .

“[Ancient Spell – Dragon Piercer]!!”

Several steel threads twisted and formed a sharp blade to attack Crane .

“Dieeeeeeee!!” (Braument)

“Aaahh!!”

Rudius crouched low and swung at the steel thread approaching Crane from below .  

The steel thread distorted, breaking out of its formation, and scattered .  

“Your weak point is the fragility of your weapon…and if we stay calm, you aren’t a big deal even as one of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords…” (Rudius)

“It is unpleasant to be seen through! How unpleasant! Die you rotten swordsman!” (Braument)

Double from the previous time, a large amount of steel thread flew out in an endless wave . Facing the attack, Rudius readied his Buster blade in one hand .

“[Ancient Spell – Endless Steel Thread]!!”

“Tch!!!!”

The steel threads spun and flew over and over again while trying to approach Rudius . However, even in a situation surrounded by the steel thread, Rudius fought thread and was able wind it around his blade .

“No…!!” (Braument)

“If the threads are stopped, you become a fragile enemy, Braument!!”

In this situation where his thread has been sealed, both of his hands can not move .

“Aaaaahhh!!” (Crane)

What appeared from behind Rudius is Crane who raised his staff in a charge . If it is swung down, a tremendous amount of damage would hit Braument’s head from above .

“Desp…ic . . ableeee!” (Braument)

“Huh!?” (Crane)

“Crane!!” (Rudius)

Braument kicked upward, without moving his hands . Crane noticed the sparkling silver wire too late . He was using steel threads from his feet!

“Aaaahhh!!”

His arms and legs were shredded, and in pain Crane fell to the ground .  

[Ancient Spell – Dragon Piercer]

“Again…!”

At that moment, Rudius, who held the Buster blade wound up in steel thread, prepared to strike against the thread formation . Even though if he received the Dragon Piercer head on, he worried his blade would break again .

“Aaaaaaaaaaa!!” (Crane)

However .

Crane stood up with a cry . He was scared . But Crane stood up .  I can still fight .  In spite of the fact that the damage of one strike is definitely of the strength of one of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords, or perhaps even more power than that . He was still bleeding . The rubble beneath him had been dyed red, but he still clasped his staff and rose to his feet .  

“No…!!”

“Aaaaahhhh!!”

Rudius turned his sword and blocked his head from the Dragon Piercer that was heading for his Buster blade . A dull ache coursed through his body at the attack . However, Braument realized to his dismay that Rudius’ Buster Blade had entangled and twisted the steel threads .

“Huh . . !?” (Braument)

That is, to protect his new sword from the Dragon Piercer, he had swung it down against the steel thread again and again .

Dust flew, and most of the steel thread was now struck to the ground .

At that moment, there was a small opening .

“Do it!! Craaaanne!!” (Rudius)

A bloodied Crane raised his enchanted staff as he took advantage of this opportunity, which Rudius had created earlier . Then, with the steel thread stopped, his staff struck Braument’s brain .

“[Explosive Rod – True]!!!!!!!!!” (Crane)

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!” (Braument)

There was a tremendous explosion .

Certainly, the critical impact on Braument’s head had occurred .

Crane fell down on the spot and the silhouette of Braument stood motionless as black smoke rose up from his head . When the dust cleared, Rudius held his chest and fell to his knees . Leaning on his Buster blade he began to pant heavily .

“…We did it, Crane…” (Rudius)

“Somehow……” (Crane)

“Recovery medicine is no longer…”

“I know……”

“We didn’t die…”

“Somehow……”

Some distance away from Braument, Crane and Rudius began to catch their breath . The demons who saw Braument be defeated fled quickly .

“The castle gate…?”

“Hiragi is there…”

“I wonder if it is fine with that person…”

“The guidance of the G.o.ddess Kurunea…”

“I don’t remember praying to the G.o.d of Light…”

“… in the end… there is no choice but to pray…”

“Really……”

Wounds covered their bodies . They felt relieved, like they succeeded, and were filled with that refres.h.i.+ng feeling . For awhile they stayed like that .

And then .

“Uu…”

There was a murmur .

The moment they understood where it came from, they flipped around immediately .

Towards Braument of Reason .

At the verge of death, Braument squeezed out energy from out of nowhere and stood up .

“… still … still … …with this piece… even I……” (Braument)

“What is that…?”

A brightly colored stone had fallen to the ground .

Braurement raised a shaking hand to his b.l.o.o.d.y face and opened his mouth .

“…with this, even…”

In the end Braument swallowed the stone .

Then .

“Ahg…gh…gh…… . ” (Braument)

“What’s going on…?”

“No…I don’t know…”

A very poisonous miasma appeared and coiled around . Like black smoke, it seemed to originate from Braument’s core . This miasma enveloped his surroundings like thick fog, quivering and writhing, and Braument was held up like a ghost .

The Intimidation aura spewing out of him was incomparable to before .

“Aaaaaaaahhh!!”

It was like a roar .

And, Braument spasmed in a terrifying and unpleasant way .

“Gyagahagaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” (Braument)

He leapt forward with tremendous force without regard for his legs that might be broken from the unnatural energy, and ignoring his bloodied head . No one knew where he was heading towards .

Translator Notes