Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter's Hero Dream - Chapter 257

Chapter 257 Demon King
Part 1
　At that moment, the fire Magi, Rosemary Pyropos1, 《Abyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)》 sensed the earth grieving.

　Dealing with invisible power is the foundation of a Magi. Maybe, even if you weren’t as skilled as Rosemary, if you had even the slightest aptitude for Magic, you must have felt the manifestation of that power.

　That power. That power was that huge.
　It was a power that could never be handled by human hands. The magnitude of that power was beyond Magic, it was already to the scale of a natural disaster, and even 《Abyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)》 a Level 8 which specializes in offensive power, was no match for it.

“Tsk…… You really did something so troublesome.” (Rosemary)

　Rosemary, who had been crossing her leg while in the audience watching how the battle was progressing, stood up with her staff.

　I heard that the “Fox (Kitsune)” was up to something. I even instructed him to give me a signal. But, as expected, I did not expect this turn of events.

　The words the fox mask man said were no joke. That Relic was――An extremely powerful instrument capable of destroying the world. And just like Rosemary, those in the audience who are skilled enough also realize that what he says was true.

　An invisible force pierced the earth and the ground shook. Buildings shook violently, and ordinary people, unaware of what was happening, screamed.

　This was not an earthquake. This was just a harbinger of destruction.

　We couldn’t see inside due to the cloud of dust. However, the Relic has been activated.

　That 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 kid…… He messed up.
　Is this how a strategist gets swallowed by his own strategy? It seems that even the Divine Strategist, who is said to always have everything in the palm of his hands, was also a son of men.

　Having seen many different kinds of magic over the years, Rosemary knew that the force of destruction swelling in the arena was an extremely pure, transparent, and colorless energy.

　It is also the same line of technique that this fox mask man used to one-sidedly beat the “Emperor of Lightning (Raitei)”, Kryhi Andrichhi. And it is probably not a coincidence that this fox mask man uses that Relic.

　Just like Kryhi who used his Staff Relic to boost his power, that Relic is probably highly compatible with him.

　We received information that they were going to use weapons, but the scale was much larger than expected.

“It doesn’t look like the barrier will hold. It is completely above its limits.” (Rosemary)

　The barrier used in Cleat’s Supreme Martial Arts Festival mitigates all kinds of attacks. However, as expected, it is meaningless in front of a destructive power of this scale.
　Rosemary could clearly see the enormous energy spreading like cracks under the ground.

“Tsk…… What do we do?” (Gark)

　Gark, who, like Rosemary, is likely to have an extremely accurate grasp of the situation, stares intently into the arena.

　At that moment, the impact that was released again blew the dust away.

　The visibility clears up. What appeared there were――Two shadows grasping a single sword stuck in the ground.

　Needless to say, one of them is the well-known 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》. The other was――The fox mask man.

　A wave of destruction shakes the place. Cracks run through the pillars and the floor.

　――However, the energy was greatly reduced compared to what Rosemary felt at first.

　That fact can only mean――One thing.

　That’s the signal. Rosemary stood up and scolded the audience, who were about to be swallowed by the confusion.

“Calm down! 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 is suppressing it, it is still not too late!” (Rosemary)

　The destructive energy emitted from that Relic is certainly large. If it were to be properly unleashed, it would destroy not only Cleat but also the far-off Zebrudia. It is a far cry from the damage caused by criminal organizations, this will truly doom everything.

　However, it is still not too late. The power of that Relic is enormous, it is at a scale where even Rosemary could not stop it.

　However, what is taking place right now is the Supreme Martial Arts Festival――There are over hundreds of talented Magi here.

　Even if destruction cannot be completely prevented, it can be mitigated. No――In fact, 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 is doing exactly that.

　Hunters who raid Treasure Shrines have all excellent situational judgment. Those who have sensed the intent behind Rosemary’s words immediately put their hands on the ground and hit the destructive force with their power. With an output like this one, the effect of the Relic probably won’t last long.

“I will evacuate the people out of here.” (Gark)

“Yeah, from now on this is Magi’s job. Seriously, to abuse an old woman――That damn kid.” (Rosemary)

　Gark started to run in order to lead the evacuation.

　Defending is not her main duty, but she cannot say so right now. 《Abyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)》 sighed heavily, and for the first time in a long time, used all of her Magic power.

§　§　§

“Follow after 《Abyssal Fire of Destruction (Shin En Kametsu)》 !! You have to suppress the destruction at all costs! I don’t need bodyguards! Go!” (Radrick)

　I was naive. Radrick Atrum Zebrudia gritted his teeth at the unexpected turn of events.

“Your Majesty, at the very least evacuate――” (Franz)

“It is unnecessary! I have an obligation to see this through!” (Radrick)

　Below me, a large crowd of spectators was running for cover. I could clearly see that some were running away as if they were running for their life, others were evacuating, and Magi were kneeling on the ground, trying to suppress the Relic’s power.

　According to the literature, the power of the Key of the Earth is massive destruction created by interfering with the Earth.
　Its destructive power is further increased by absorbing and spreading through the energy of the Earth’s veins centered on the point of activation. The tremors currently shaking the arena are but a sliver of its original destructive power.

　I got up, grabbed the fence, and stared at the place in front of me.

　The Key of the Earth that 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 and the fox mask man were grabbing, was shining brightly.

　As the Emperor of a great nation, I am expected to remain calm at all times.
　Until now, Radrick has always tried to behave as an Emperor without being overwhelmed by his emotions.

　However, now, for the first time in his life, Radrick felt something boiling hot rising in his head.

“Grr………… Damn, you…… “Fox (Kitsune)”. To think, you would go that far――Grr” (Radrick)

　His last bit of reason whispered to him. This is――Wrath.

　The many dark deeds that had taken place within the Zebrudia Empire and the assassination attempts on him. The emotions that he had managed to suppress even when a duplicate of his own daughter was made, were now completely beyond his limit.

　Up until now, the reason why Zebrudia has not crushed their organization no matter what is because the “Fox (Kitsune)” have been too silent when they move.
　In order to move a large force, there must be a good reason behind it. Zebrudia is an absolute monarchy, but even so, there will always be those who will oppose the use of power to crush an opponent who has not caused significant visible damage. Sometimes it is necessary to weigh the risks and rewards and choose a wait-and-see approach.