Chapter 17 Demiurge's plot

Once Harry was sure there was no one in the vicinity, he brought Solution to the Great Forest of Tob in side-long apparition, where the slime regained her usual appearance. Getting rid of the armor that protected him, the wear was replaced with his magic caster clothes, elder wand in hand as he quickly placed anti-information charms on them both before apparating close to Nazarik's entrance.

He orders Solution to go inside, passing a hand through his already misbehaved hair as he tried to deduce what was going on. Demiurge was ordered to attack the criminal organization, rob them blind since having more resources was always welcome, and that was it. It was supposed to be a small cleansing of the weaker parts of the criminal organization while the leaders' lives where momentarily spared in hopes of getting information. Neuronist had certainly been excited at the thought of new guests.

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't pinpoint a reason for Demiurge to use such a spell. He recalled the way the crimson fire spat tongues of flame towards the sky, as though it aimed to burn down the heavens, and the wall of flame swayed like a veil encircling the city. Why would the demon use [Flames of Gehenna]? Pondering this, he was preparing to leave Nazarik's grounds again when the soft sound of buzzing reached his ears.

Glancing up, his attention was immediately taken by the sight of Entoma, as the maid flew towards the graveyard-like entrance that led to the first floor of Nazarik. A massive insect had adhered to her back, acting as her wings since she seemed too weak to do anything other than lying limp, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Her human disguise had been broken, so her insectoid form was revealed for everyone to see as she descended, slowly coming closer to the ground.

"Entoma?! What happened?" his words are laced with worry as he quickly moved, raising his arms to catch her before lowering her slowly onto the grass. He stayed knelt at her side, waiting for her answer, but she seemed unable to use her voice, the sound 'giii giii' was the only thing that could be heard from her.

What could have happened that left her in such a poor state? Using healing magic on her, he monitored her status until her Health-bar was filled again, before helping her stand up. The insect maid looked everywhere but him, before she used her insectoid legs to manually craft the humanoid appearance he was used to seeing. It was a curious sight, since the humanoid skin was of a material similar to the shell of an egg; it was like seeing a puzzle being slowly completed.

Now that he remembered, Entoma didn't like to show her true form to others, nor did she like her true voice. Figuring the lack of answer was because of that, he impatiently summoned the creature [I wish for a Lip Bug] just as she gave the final touches to her human disguise. The small creature fitted in his palm, tilting the anthems at the air as it awaited orders. This kind of insect eats the victim's vocal cords and steals the voice, giving the ability to use the stolen voice to its current wearer, so Entoma took it gratefully when he offered it.

"MY dEEpEst GrATtituDE" was the rough, distorted answer before she placed it on her throat, the only part of her that was still insect-like before it was covered by fake human skin.

"Please don't worry about it" he said curtly before frowning slightly once more, growing serious "Entoma, report in detail what has happened in the last hours. Don't omit anything"

"I would not dare, Hadrian-sama" Entoma answers as she kneels in front of him. The new voice is a little too sweet, like a mermaid's symphony, but at this point he was glad it was a female's voice at least. With his luck, he wouldn't have been surprised to hear a grave, masculine voice come from the petite maid in front of him.

Nodding at her, Entoma began recounting the events that had come to pass. Starting from the moment she had been summoned by Demiurge, she related what the Guardian had planned to do, her role in the demon's plan and the encounter with the other adamantite team of the Kingdom 'Blue Rose', when she had been about to leave the residence of one of the leaders in Eight Fingers. Her voice gets an odd mix of shame and rage as she describes the last event, and how she had found herself at disadvantage when one of the members had used the insecticide spell against her.

"Who used it against you?" his question is laced with slight anger, since Entoma had not been the one to initiate the confrontation; the adamantite team was guilty in his eyes for the whole affair. To think he almost lost one of the Pleiades this night…

"The others called that brat 'Evileye'; she was the strongest among them"

"I see" he saved that tidbit of information among the rest, before asking her to continue. The tale reaches its end with Demiurge's appearance, saving Entoma and allowing her to retreat while he stayed behind to play with the Blue Rose team. His rightful anger is calmed down with that last phrase, actually replaced by pity. He sincerely hoped they had met their end without much suffering, since there was absolutely no doubt the demon had killed them all.

Asking her to raise, he pats her head a couple of times before insisting on her rest, since the night had been quite eventful for the level 51 pleiade, and she would still be involved in the last part of Demiurge's scheme. He stayed under the night sky until her petite form disappeared in the entrance to the first floor, before sighing with utter relief, glad he hadn't lost one of his dear servants.

Could NPCs be revived in this world? Logically, the wand of resurrection should work on them as well, but this world was anything but logical. If he couldn't use a sword without equipping his armor, then there was no way to tell what was possible and what wasn't using only logic.

He hoped an experiment regarding NPCs resurrection would not be necessary for a long time.

There was no use in delving on that now however. He needed to go and stop that foolish demon from destroying the whole city. With this last thought, his wear was replaced by his usual armor, before turning on his heel to apparate away.

He had come to the Royal Capital a couple of times before, but was still grateful for Shizu's presence to guide him. The Guildmaster had contacted her to request their presence in the reunion that was about to begin, so Shizu had waited for him in the main entrance before leading him into a corner of the Royal Capital that was lit up by torches, as though it were broad daylight.

Entering a cramped room packed of all adventurers within the Royal Capital, he took a quick glance around, identifying more than a few familiar faces; the thief, Brain and Climb being only some of them. Climb stood at attention in the corner, as if guarding the great doors that led deeper into the Royal Palace, while Brain stood in a more relaxed pose at his side, arms crossed over his chest as he laid his weight on the cold, stone wall.

They seemed to have been waiting for his arrival, since the moment he entered into the room Climb knocked twice at the wood doors, which prompted them to open. That being the case, he only could nod in acknowledgment at some people before focusing on the new arrivals.

Stepping from the great doors was a small group of people, at their head was the leader of the adamantite party 'Blue Rose', Lakyus. He recognized her by the description he had heard about her in his missions, mainly due to the famous Demonic Sword Kilineyram that was tied on her back, its surface was like a stretch of night sky, speckled with sparkling stars. He had heard plenty about it from Peter's silver group, since it was one of the four Swords of Darkness used by the Dark Knight of the Thirteen Heroes.

Close behind her was the Golden Princess Renner, along with the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild. Then there was another member of Blue Rose he didn't recognize, a petite woman that had a slender body figure and dressed herself in light clothes and armor. He supposed she was one of the infamous assassin twins. At the end of the group was the strongest warrior of the Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff.

"Ladies and gentlemen, to begin with, I'd like to thank you for being able to be present for this emergency meeting." The room quietened down when the Guildmaster began to speak, addressing the adventurers with a serious expression on his face.

"Normally, the Adventurer's Guild would never interfere in national affairs. However, this is an exceptional case. The Adventurer's Guild has decided to cooperate fully with the Kingdom, in order to quickly resolve the problems facing us. The princess will relate the details to us, so I pray you will be quiet and listen."

The Princess slowly advanced, flanked by the members of Blue Rose and Gazef Stronoff.

"I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, and I am deeply grateful that everyone here was able to respond to the extraordinary summons issued tonight." Harry heard a few dreamy sighs come from the adventurers behind him, probably captivated by her beauty. Her appearance made him think briefly of Fleur, with long golden hair and blue, innocent eyes, but other than wondering if veela-like creatures existed in this world, he thought nothing of her.

"Normally, I would render duly deserved praise upon all of you, but as time is of essence, let us get straight to the point. Tonight, a portion of the capital has been surrounded by a wall of fire. The flames are more than thirty meters in height, but it ought to be an illusion of some sort, because touching it does not cause harm. According to those who have contacted it, the fire does not have heat, or impede movement. Moving past the firewall should not pose a problem either."

At this, the lower-ranked adventurers breathed sighs of relief. Considering Entoma's report, Demiurge had used it not only to drag attention towards him, but also as a perimeter of sorts so the lesser, summoned demons knew they could not leave that area. Harry was internally grateful the guardian had opted to use illusions instead of the real thing; at least the damage done was not so critical this way.

"The mastermind behind this incident is known as Jaldabaoth, an extremely powerful and vicious demon. Blue Rose has already confirmed that there are low-ranking demons on the other side of the firewall. They seem to be acting entirely on orders from their superiors." Lakyus nodded to Renner as she said that, confirming the veracity of her words.

"Does that mean all we have to do is defeat Jaldabaoth?" Renner turned to acknowledge the speaker, an adventurer with a mithril plate upon his neck.

"That might be an oversimplification, but fundamentally, that is true. However, what I wish to ask of all of you is to defeat this devil's plot. We have information that suggests that he is here to seize a certain magic item which is on its way to the capital."

The news sparked a disturbance among the adventurers, realizing that the region encircled by the firewall included the warehouses and shophouses that made up the capital's economic heart. Harry was curious of which item Demiurge would use to justify his attack, before dismissing the thought. That was the least of his concerns; he needed to have a serious talk with the guardian soon, before this mess escalated even more.

"...How did you come by this information?"

"It was stated by Jaldabaoth himself." the mithril adventurer seemed to want to ask another question, probably wondering on the veracity of the demon's words, but was interrupted by another, silver-plate adventurer

"How strong is that Jaldabaoth you mentioned? I don't remember hearing or reading about him. It would help us if you could tell us his difficulty level."

Adventurers rated the strength of the monsters which they encountered by their difficulty ranking. The higher the number, the stronger the opponent. However, it was an unspoken rule that one should not rely too heavily on difficulty rankings, since the strength of monsters varied even within their own species. Thus, it was not a value that was frequently used, but it was a simple way to explain things to a group like this.

"...200." answered the captain of the Blue Rose party.

"Aye?" Everyone who heard Lakyus' voice had the same reaction.

"Jaldabaoth's difficulty ranking is estimated at 200 or more."

"Hah?!"

Everyone aside from Lakyus was speechless. That much was expected. Even the highest-ranking orichalcum adventurers would only rate around 80 on the difficulty rankings. Although one could still triumph over a foe ranked roughly 15 points over oneself, trying to do the same with an enemy ranked almost twice as high as oneself was nothing short of laughable.

As if the difficulty level of the demon was not shocking enough, Lakyus stepped forward with a stern expression on her face, continuing her answer with a heavy voice "I shall speak of what I know as my group's representative. My comrades and I encountered this demon, Jaldabaoth… they were killed by him—"

The death of adamantite adventurers brought a new kind of shock to the whole room, stupefied silence reined for a short moment before she ended her statement with a few words.

"—With a single blow."

Chaos broke out from her statement. The pinnacle of humanity, the Adamantite-ranked adventurers, killed by a single blow? The murmurs of the whole room only rose in level with their unaltered panic. Harry let out a relieved sigh however; somewhat glad Demiurge hadn't tortured them to death. Sure he was mad at them for harming Entoma so severely, but in the end they were but simple humans, so it was to be expected that they would prejudge her and deem her an enemy. He made a mental note to order that all future assignments for outside missions were to be given in pairs, so this event would not be repeated either by himself or any of the Floor guardians.

"Do not be afraid!" Lakyus voice resounded clearly through the mayhem, silencing the room instantly "Certainly, Jaldabaoth is powerful. I can vouch for this, having faced him with nothing to show for it but defeat" at this Lakyus bent down her head slightly, before straightening with newfound determination. So Demiurge had spared the leader of the adamantite team? How odd, the demon was anything but forgiving, let alone merciful. He wondered what would be the motive behind such action when the light-green eyes of Lakyus focused on him.

"But there is no need to worry. There is a man who can do battle evenly with Jaldabaoth! The demon himself has shown fear at his mere name. From the third adamantite-ranked adventuring team that was recently founded in E-Rantel of the Kingdom—" the adventurers behind him were stepping back, isolating him and Shizu as the leader of Blue Rose turned a raised arm towards them, as if presenting them "The leader of The Marauders, the Hero James-san!"

Good heavens Demiurge, what exactly did you tell them? The demon's acting must have been quite impacting, because he could actually sense the hope Lakyus was placing on him with nothing but her gaze alone. Exclamations of awe and wonder filled the room as the other adventurers focused their attention on him and Shizu.

Nodding at the whole room in greeting, he turned his gaze to meet that of Lakyus' silently asking her to continue with the briefing. Nodding at him in understanding, she clapped once to refocus the attention on her once more, before continuing to speak.

"We have a warrior who can stand against Jaldabaoth. Everyone, rest assured that we are not picking a fight we cannot win. Please turn your attention towards Princess Renner; she shall explain the details of the operation."

Renner started to explain their devised plan then, how the guards and adventurers would make a bow-shaped formation, serving to make the demons spread out, thinning out their defenses so the main combatant, Harry, could break through them to reach Demiurge… or rather, "Jaldabaoth"

"But isn't that too much for only two adamantite adventurers? What about Blue Rose? Will they be going in with James-san?"One of the adventurers interrupted Renner, looking expectantly at Lakyus.

"...Our battle strength has been greatly depleted with the loss of three of our members. While they have been resurrected, their recovery is too slow for them to be of help in this combat. Tina and I will join the battle line and fight, but James-san and Shizu-san will have to clear the path to the center themselves, with a few magic casters as backup" she looked at him when she stated this, so he nodded in understanding, hiding his surprise regarding the resurrection.

Did she have the item to resurrect? Or did she use a spell for it? What were the limitations? The academical part of him that always sounded remarkably like Hermione ran a thousand of hypotheses, but he squashed it in order to focus on the situation at hand.

"Wait a minute! Are you saying James-san is going to fight that difficulty 200 monster by himself?"

"Exactly. That's why I said we'd just be getting in the way."

"But that's not the same... you said 200? Are you kidding me? Are all adamantite-ranked adventurers that strong?"

"If only. Even we're ranked around 100 at best."

"Then... then how the hell are we even supposed to win?!"

The adventurers looked around, holding their breath. The room fell into a depressive mood, everyone's morale had plummeted, and there were murmurs about abandoning the whole thing and fleeing the capital.

In that moment the Guildmaster was the one to step up, stating that Harry's adamantite team had actually completed another mission with a difficulty level of 160 and had come out unscathed. Huh, he wasn't aware the evil sealed tree had had such reputation, it was no wonder he had been promoted to adamantite after its defeat.

That brought a wave of cheers from the adventurers, seemingly restoring some of their fighting spirit. A few of them turned towards Gazef then, asking for his assistance in the oncoming battle, but the Captain-Warrior simply stated that he was in charge of defending the royal family, and thus, could not leave the Royal Palace.

There was a discussion after that, hostility against the nobles and particularly the royals filling the air, but Renner calmed them down with only a few words. She seemed to be a very capable leader, he admitted mentally, as the plan was wrapped up and the briefing finally ended.

…And Harry's hell on earth began.

During a mission like this where parties had to work with each other, it was only sensible to make introductions, in order to secure assistance and support for each other. One would certainly prefer to aid someone they knew rather than a stranger. With this in mind, each and every adventurer in the room had come to introduce themselves to him and do small chat about their adventures and so on. The higher-ranks took most of his time, while the lower-ranks only looked admiringly at him and waited with hitched breath for their turn to shake hands. All in all, it was a terrible déjà vu of the first years after Voldemort's defeat, but he endured through it the best he could, hoping to gain some connections from this whole mess.

His torture was thankfully interrupted by Climb, who came towards him to request a word. Apologizing to the adventurers with a slight bow, he left Shizu with them so she could represent his adamantite-team, and followed the white-armored knight into another room.

"I firmly believe Sebas-sama could help us in this formation, since he is a man with overwhelming fighting power. Would it be all right to ask for his aid? If you two were to work together and helped each other, I am sure you would be able to defeat any demon that showed itself, no matter how powerful it was!" Ah, that was right, this young man had met Sebas before.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any means to contact them. Lady Solution was about to return to her natal country, so I'd imagine they are on their way back right now. Even if we manage to contact them, I doubt the butler would lend us aid since he has to protect his Lady." his answer seems to deflate Climb's hopes, but he was sure the young man would not insist on the matter. It was a situation he was familiar with after all, since he was the bodyguard of the Princess Renner, his priority would always be her safety, over everything else.

Going back to the main room, he didn't have to suffer for long before said Princess came back, stating the words that would mark the beginning of the adventurer's mission.

"Then, everyone, I beseech all the gods to allow everyone here to come back alive and victorious... our hopes rest on all of you, or rather, on James-san. May fortune favor you."

He was briefly introduced to the magic casters that would be aiding him from afar, before he and Shizu were sent towards the wall of fire.

Crossing through said wall, a silent world spread ahead of them. The streets were the same as those of any other in the capital, if you overlooked the fact that there was no presence of human life and many of the residences had been destroyed. Judging by the lack of blood and corpses, he supposed the habitants had been taken somewhere. He hoped to arrive on time before many citizens were lost as causalities on Demiurge's scheme, since the alternative would be more difficult to forgive.

Harry advanced almost on automatic as his swords floated in front of him, killing the hellhounds and other low-demons so fast it was almost imperceptible for the only witnesses of his battle, the magic casters that were supposed to be aiding him. Truth be told, after seeing the fighting style of that woman, 'Bloody Scimitar' Edstrem, he had wondered if his swords could follow the command "Fight", feeling mildly surprised when they could.

It seemed to be limited to mimic the owner's original abilities however, so it was quite lacking since fighting in close rank was not his specialty. He considered gifting them to one of the floor guardians; maybe on Cocytus' hands the twin swords would be more efficient.

Thinking about this, he was unaware of the incredulous gazes of those staring at his 'fight' thinking he had decided to use his final, strongest move. The floating swords were like having at his side another adamantite-adventurer, and he wasn't even a magic caster. Surely he couldn't get more powerful than that.

Moving around unarmed was not a wise move however, fake fight or not, so he had taken out his secondary weapon: An emerald spear named "Atomizer", with runes inscribed all over the handle and blade. It had a pair of razorblades at the sides, so it could be used as an Axe if needed, and the rear end was wrapped with a short chain. Emitting bolts of electrical energy, the Atomizer was a weapon capable of manipulating the constituent molecules of any object or living creature, so the effect was similar to being able to completely disintegrate the target.

According to Cocytus' tests, it only worked with creatures that had a level lower than 50, or objects with a certain quantity of data in them, but he could affirm with absolute certainty that any nation in this world would consider it a national treasure. He had taken it in hopes of bluffing his way out of situations where it was hard to believe his party of two members had made the job by themselves, so he could lower any suspicion on his person by blaming the results on his weapon.

"It's not like I was strong enough to kill a Dragon, it was thanks to my faithful weapon I was able to win in such a manner" was the hypothetical scenario he had imagined when he had chosen this weapon for his adventurer persona.

Not like he was planning on using the strongest ability of his spear either way. For this battle, he was only going to use its electrical properties, working like an overpowered [Dragon Lightning] so it was equivalent to a 6th tier spell. In that regard, the spear was capable of emitting electricity that could 'jump' to any nearby enemy, creating a sparking circuit of instant death. It was more than enough to kill the winged demons above him, while Shizu's arrows and the useless magic casters killed the ones that were too far away from his raised spear.

After a short while, only the arrows persisted, the low-ranked spells that had been illuminating the sky were nowhere to be seen. How odd, had they decided to lend help to another group? Or had they been ambushed by the demons? He couldn't lose time aiding them, so he hoped it was the former and continued to advance towards the heart of the surrounded region.

Just as he decided on that a new demon descended from the sky. It was roughly three meters tall, and its muscular body was covered in reptilian scales. The creature had a long tail that resembled a snake; bat-like wings on its back and a head like a goat's skull, the eyes were beacons of bluish-white fire in empty black sockets that focused on him as it raised its gigantic maul with a war-cry.

Was Demiurge trying to put on a show? For whom exactly, if there were only himself and Shizu in the nearest area? Not dwelling much on the reasons behind this small battle, he rotated his spear a couple of times in front of him before lowering the tip to the ground. Instantly, the runes called down an orbital strike, a beam of concentrated energy that fell from the sky with a detonating thunderous sound. If he had to qualify it, he would rank it among a 7th or 8th tier lightning spell.

The huge creature perished in an instant, so Harry continued his stride almost uninterruptedly. A shout of pure joy rang out from somewhere behind him however, so he halted to look briefly at the source. The figure flying towards him was that of a petite female. She stopped just at his side, panting softly even when she had not made any physically taxing exercise. She was covered with a blood red robe and had an uncanny mask which hid her face.

"James-san, no… James-sama! Please permit me to lend you aid!" that was a fan-girl's voice, there was no mistaking it. Even when it was slightly distorted, he would recognize that special high-pitch anywhere. Hiding a shudder at the unpleasant memories, he decided to continue walking at the same time he talked with her.

"And you are…?"

"Ah, please forgive my poor manners! I'm known as Evileye, part of the Blue Rose adamantite team" he felt a pang of left-over anger at the name, but let it go almost immediately since she had already paid for it with her life.

"Is it really alright for you to be here? Lakyus did mention that someone recently resurrected would need to get complete bed rest, and even then they would still feel drained" that would explain her light panting, if she was forcing herself onto the battlefield.

"I am Evileye, a woman of legend. No matter how powerful my enemy is or the unfavorable circumstances— I must fight! Since you've cleared this path so well I was able to save more mana, so I'm sure I'll be able to assist, James-sama!" the voice sounded determined enough, so he nodded at her from under his helmet before focusing in the surroundings once more.

Oddly enough, the low-ranked demons had stopped their advance; he hadn't encountered a single one after the giant's defeat. Sharpening his senses, he ordered the floating swords to "Fly above me" as he tightened his grip on the spear's handle. Since the hoard of enemies had stopped, they should now be close enough to… finally!

"I see him."

Looking ahead, one could see the masked demon standing in the center of the plaza, making no attempt to hide himself. Upon noticing their approach, Demiurge bowed elegantly, tail moving slightly from side to side before curling at his ankles.

"A trap..." was Evileye's soft whisper as she clenched her fists, shivering slightly at the sight of the Floor Guardian. He wondered curiously in which manner Demiurge had killed her in their last confrontation, but decided to leave it for another date. Taking pity on her, he moved slightly to hide her behind him, before taking a defensive position.

"You must be the one they call Jaldabaoth" to his surprise, Demiurge didn't show any hostility towards him, and instead bowed his head and placed a hand over his heart.

"My, my, such an honor you pay us this night. Might I inquire as to your noble name? This one, as you have accurately addressed, is known as Jaldabaoth." that was the demon's style all right. For a moment, he worried the guardian was being a little too friendly with him, since they were 'enemies', but then supposed he had acted this way with the Blue Rose's members as well; if only more mockingly.

"How formal. My name is James, I am the adventurer that shall defeat you." without breaking eye contact with Demiurge's form, he directed his unoccupied hand towards the swords floating above him, and pointed at them with his index finger before lowering it towards Evileye's form, muttering "Protect". The swords descended to take a defensive pose in front of the petite female, as if held by an invisible warrior.

Lowering his voice, he spoke to both female companions "I'll leave any other enemies for you two, Shizu and Evileye… please work together so we all may return triumphantly. Neither of you is allowed to perish in this fight" the last phrase was directed to the presences hiding in the nearby buildings, knowing they could hear his words perfectly.

"Understood, James-san" the neutral voice of Shizu was the last thing he heard before he kicked the ground, immediately parrying and countering Demiurge's extended claws. The guardian had used [Aspect of the Devil: Razor Sharp Claw] so the devil's claws had become elongated, stretching beyond eighty centimeters.

"Four of them?!" he heard the far-away panicked cry of Evileye as the Pleiades finally came out to confront them. Narberal, Lupusregina, Entoma and Yuri, all four maids were still wearing their usual uniforms, and had only placed masks to hide their faces from the enemy. He felt like chuckling at the frightened exclamation, but didn't risk stepping out of his hero role.

The spear let out a discharge of energy every time it collided with the devil's claws, but Harry knew such low-level magic didn't harm the Guardian in the slightest. The demon was acting as if it did however, flinching away from the spear as he jumped back to put some distance between them.

"Truly spectacular. Crossing blows with a genius warrior like yourself might have been a mistake on my part. In that case… [Aspect of the Devil: Tentacle Wings]"

Wings sprouted from his back, but the feathers covering them were abnormally long, evoking the appearance of tentacles. With a smooth movement, he casted forth a hail of feathers towards him. Every feather had tips razor-sharp that were capable of slicing cleanly through muscle and bone. It was only for show however, since something on this level wasn't even a treat to him, so he simply pointed the spear forwards as he used an electrical chain to completely neutralize all targets at once.

"Was that all? Then here I come, demon!" closing the distance in a blink, Demiurge was blown a good distance away, with a sound that did not seem like it could have come from a body of flesh and blood. The demon crashed into a house, with him following close behind him as he raised his spear threateningly.

Once inside the house however, both of them halted. Ignoring the scattered splinters, he straightened his posture and walked off towards another room, with Demiurge following calmly behind him. The small living room they arrived at had a small table, two chairs, and Mare.

He refused Mare's offer of taking a sit, which prompted the young elf to raise and stand at Demiurge's side. Gesturing for Demiurge to remove his mask, he did the same with the helmet, placing it in the table along with the spear.

"Am I right to assume this room is secure?" he asked, knowing eyes already analyzing the anti-information magic he had sensed around the property.

"The words spoken here are for our ears alone." the demon affirmed, so he nodded in satisfaction before focusing completely on the Floor Guardian.

"Well, then. Entoma has already given a summary of your plan, but I would like to hear the details from you."

"Very well" Demiurge said calmly, bowing his head as he started his report "This operation has three main objectives. To begin with, the objective of attacking the warehouse district was to secure the wealth and goods within and transport them to Nazarick. To facilitate this, I had Shalltear open [Gate] in front of the warehouses, and let Pandora's Actor handle the matter of transportation."

Taking so much in a single attack was going to cause an economical mayhem, but he admitted it was a very profitable objective. Depending solely on his adventurer's profit had been complicated, so he didn't hesitate to praise the demon's good thinking. The impact this would have on the Royal Capital wasn't nearly as important as Nazarik's benefits after all. After hearing the usual speech that he was only fulfilling his duty, he simply nodded with a knowing smile and asked him to proceed with his report. He always ignored the NPCs when they assured him no thanks were needed, simply because he knew how happy it made them to hear it.

"The second is to cover up our involvement in our attacks on the hideouts of the Eight Fingers in the area. As you have no doubt surmised, a direct attack on the Eight Fingers' hideout would arouse suspicion. If we are unlucky, it might even lead to the exposure of Sebas and his contacts. As such, we expanded the area of operations in order to make others think our true aims lay elsewhere."

He had suspected as much, so he simply nodded and asked curiously which object was "Jaldabaoth" trying to obtain.

"Please take a look at this, my Lord."

Demiurge gestured, and Mare brought in a bag, which he opened. Inside was a statue of a demon with six arms, and in each claw was grasped a different kind of jewel. A strange, pulsing light radiated from within.

He remembered this item. Ulbert had created it in an attempt to imitate a World item, each of those jewels were imbued with the spell [Armageddon - Evil], a 10th tier spell that summoned a demon army. Although it could summon a massive amount of troops, each individual demon was not very powerful, and they were hard to control, since they had a tendency to go berserk at the worst possible moments. The normal usage capitalized on the fact that the summoned demons were not allies by default, so they could serve as live sacrifices for certain rituals and skills.

"Though this item was created by Ulbert-sama, I feel it would be best used here." No, not really, that was a bit too much for a world like this, were a 7th tier spell was considered a legend. Six jewels with 10th tier spells were going to drive them mad with fear. Besides, it was plain to see that Demiurge was reluctant to give up a possession like this, since it was a relic of his creator.

"No, there's no need to use that. If I recall correctly, Momonga saved it…" reaching his hand into his inventory, he accioned a certain item. The object he withdrew looked similar to the demon statue Demiurge had prepared, but its hands only held three gems, and it looked cruder in general. The spell contained was different as well, since Ulbert's idea had been different at the beginning, so he hoped it would not scare them too badly.

"You may take this as a substitute. Ulbert made it as a prototype and he wanted to dispose of it, but Momonga choose to keep it instead."

"How- how could I expend your treasures for my own schemes, Hadrian-sama?"

"Hm? On the contrary, I'm sure Ulbert would be happy this failed experiment was put to good use. You're free to take it, Demiurge, this is yours. Use it as you see fit."

"This is... how can I express my gratitude to you for gifting me with such a wondrous magic item?"The question seemed directed to himself, since he chose to kneel on the floor, placing a hand over his heart as he proclaimed undying loyalty once more. Mare, seeing him, frantically knelt down beside him.

"We Guardians were created by the Supreme Beings. As such, until the very moment of our extinction, we shall be utterly loyal to them. Even so, you have not only bestowed your mercy and care upon us in abundance, but you have even given into my keeping such a valuable treasure... although, I, Demiurge, have already sworn his complete and undying loyalty to you, permit me to once more offer my faithful service unto you." As expected, the demon's speech radiated respect and loyalty, he almost felt bad for the slight reprimand he was going to make.

"I'm happy to hear that, I shall look forward to your loyal service. Now, please stand up. There's still more to your report, isn't it?"

"Ah, indeed! My sincerest apologies!" Demiurge raised again, and Mare returned to his standby position.

"Then, as I said earlier, Jaldabaoth targeted the hideouts of the Eight Fingers, and then proceeded to take control of the Kingdom's warehouse district. Seizing the resources of the warehouses was also an aim. Naturally, this device created by Ulbert-sama will be found in one of the hideouts' coffers."

"Most certainly. And what about the last objective?"

"Yes. I have already transported roughly half the humans within this firewall into Nazarick. There are many uses they can be put to, and the blame for this will fall squarely on the demon Jaldabaoth."

That was, precisely, what he was afraid he would hear. Taking the area surrounded by the firewall into consideration, there should be more than 10,000 people here. Sighing tiredly, he ignored the demon's expectant gaze and asked about something he didn't really want to know.

"An estimate of the quantity of deaths since the beginning of this operation?"

"…Around 2,000 counting civilians and adventurers" Ignoring the confused look the demon was sending him, he nodded with a serious expression and continued to ask.

"Any survivors that have not been transported to Nazarik?"

"Yes, one warehouse was used to keep a few civilians, randomly chosen to survive this ordeal. They are around 500"

"Everyone else was sent to Nazarick, regardless of whether they were male, female, young or old, correct?"

Feeling vaguely upset at the way Demiurge could so easily and casually answer affirmatively; he took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. It wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be, but he still needed to clarify his point.

"Demiurge" the grave voice he used had the Guardian tensing up; even Mare that had not been addressed and was just standing at his side trembled slightly. "I admit, this is something I should have explained sooner, but please pay close attention. The meaningless death of innocent people is not something I find pleasing." he was unaware of the way his magic was flaring up, so he only raised his hand to ask for silence when they made an attempt to speak. He was not finished yet.

"While I have no issues if said people have done something to go against myself or the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the slaughter of those that can be considered "pure" are to be avoided in the future. And if they are absolutely necessary, then they shall be slain swiftly and without suffering. Everything has limits, after all." he said coldly. He was tempted to snap at him by saying My patience, for example but chose not to say it out loud, trying to keep his temper in check. The demon seemed to have sensed his bad mood however, since he bowed deeply, apologizing profusely for his lack of forethought in said matter.

Only then did he notice the slight tremor on the objects around him, and called back his magic with a thought. How careless of him, but at least it could be explained by the "fight" he was having with the demon, if anyone had happened to sense it.

"The civilians in Nazarik are in the prison?" seeing the hesitant nod of the demon, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Very well, there's something I can do to change their situation then. Mare, rely my orders, the people imprisoned are not to be hurt, keep them sedated if possible"

"Y-yes, Hadrian-sama!"

"Also… if I recall correctly, Shalltear is around in the rooftops, right?" seeing the demon nod, he proceeded to vanish his armor, using Djinn magic to make an illusion of the white-armored knight he would need in his plan.

"Contact Shalltear, tell her to knock out this person and bring it to Nazarik. He is to be placed with the others and not to be harmed in any way"

"Understood, Hadrian-sama" the demon said with a low bow, still with tense shoulders. Trying to dispel some of the anxious atmosphere, he asked about something he already knew.

"On another matter, were these demons summoned from Nazarick?"

"How could I? No, my lord. Those were merely the summons of my Evil Lords. After a day has passed, they can be called forth again. The net loss to Nazarick is zero."

"Is that so? Well thought." nodding approvingly, he deemed they had made enough time here. "Then, let us put an end to this battle. Before I drive you off, could you damage my armor? It will be more convincing if I bear the signs of a hard fight."

Demiurge nodded, and proceeded to attack the conjured armor, being careful not to beat it out of shape so he could re-equip it again without issues. Nodding satisfied at the new appearance of his equipment, he wore it again before taking the items he had left over the table.

"Then, shall we begin? Demiurge, I'll leave the battle damage to you."

"Assuredly. Mare, send the signal. It will be an earthquake, like the last time."

Evileye

Suddenly, a person was blown through the air as a building collapsed. He bounced several times on the floor, tumbling head over heels before grinding to a halt. She didn't need to breathe, being a vampire, but still held her breath as she saw Jaldabaoth's figure unsteady on his feet.

She knew the adamantite adventurer James was on another level completely, considering the ease in which he had killed that huge devil with a single spell from his spear. Seeing Jaldabaoth, the terrible demon that had killed her, wounded so badly however, made her think the man was less of a human and more like a Godkin.

She shivered at the memory, how Jaldabaoth had played around with her until her mana depleted completely, before wounding her lethally with a short, sadistic laugh. If not for Lakyus' arrival, she was sure she would have been tortured to death, but as it was, she had simply died due to blood loss.

Coming back to the present, the evil maids she and Shizu had been fighting against had halted as well, seemingly as focused on the others' battle as she was. Looking around, she finally spotted the warrior standing where the body had come flying from.

The grey, usually shining armor was heavily damaged, making it clear just how intense their duel had been. Even so, the man standing there did not waver in the slightest, showing the adamantite's clear superiority in comparison to Jaldabaoth, who was getting to his feet.

"Well, that was fun. It's been so long since the last time I could have a serious battle… in the past, I used to overpower all my opponents in melee combat, so I didn't feel anything, but now I feel like a battle maniac. Would you mind showing me your full strength now?"

Telling one's opponent to use their full strength was a grave insult, but seeing just how strong the adventurer truly was, it made sense for him to be overjoyed with the chance to face an opponent that required his full strength.

"Then, please allow me to do so." Jaldabaoth had probably understood it as an insult, and so he repaid it with exaggerated, sarcastic politeness.

"I shall come at you seriously as well, Jaldabaoth."

With those words as the signal, the two of them clashed in the middle of the plaza. Their exchange was like nothing else she had ever experienced in his 200 years of life. His high-speed, consecutive attacks were deflected by extended claws, even if the electrical property of the weapon seemed to affect the demon slightly.

James leapt back in a grand, soaring arc, jumping so high she thought for a moment he might have been using the [Fly] spell. In the moment where he was at the highest point, he hurled his emerald spear at Jaldabaoth, the weapon flying so fast that all she saw was its green trail seared into her vision as it headed for Jaldabaoth.

"—[Aspect of the Demon: Hellfire Mantle]."

As the spear struck, a roaring flame blazed up from the ground, and a massive shockwave erupted from Jaldabaoth.

"Kuh!"

In order not to be blown away by the titanic displacement of air, Evileye crouched down and tried to weather the storm. Fortunately, because she wore her mask, she was able to keep her eyes open during the tempest.

Looking ahead, she saw as the spear disappeared from the demon's feet, appearing in James' hands as he charged Jaldabaoth again, but the demon was ready to receive the attack. His body was wreathed in flames, and as James swung down on him, Jaldabaoth caught the spear with both hands. While the weapon didn't seem affected by the fire, the armor James wore started to melt.

"Hmm, so you're able to melt a metal like this… the ability has gotten stronger."

Since it was an armor favored by an adventurer of the highest caliber, it must have been made of an amazing material indeed, but Jaldabaoth could still summon fire that could melt said steel. In spite of that however, James could still talk casually to him, seemingly unaffected by the deadly flames.

"―These two are incredible."

Evileye was terrified. She already knew how strong the two of them were, but her body was still trembling uncontrollably.

"It is as you have surmised. The fire-type damage was strengthened by a special ability." On closer observation, the flames wreathing Jaldabaoth had a blackish tinge to them.

"Hellfire, is it?"

"Just so. Even a being protected with fire immunity will not escape unscathed, don't you think?"

For the first time in their battle, James tried to take a step back in retreat, but Jaldabaoth would not permit it. Pulling on the trapped spear, the demon closed the gap, launching a flurry of blows at the adamantite adventurer. That attack could have slain a human being in an instant, but James expertly evaded them all, letting go of his spear as he jumped back to put some distance between them.

The trapped weapon disappeared from the demon's claws; landing on the adventurer's awaiting hands as he drew a circle with the tip of the spear.

"Electricity may not be the best choice in this battle. That being the case [Icy Burst]!" A portion of the runes that adorned the weapon had been glowing a bright yellow during the battle, but those were turned off as another part of the handle lighted up with a blueish radiance.

A wave of frigid air rushed forth from the spear, dropping the surrounding temperature instantly. Although it seemed as though the cold could even freeze fire, Jaldabaoth's hellfire burned hotter than normal flames. Still, for a moment, the heat was suppressed.

"What was that? You are able to use different elements with a single weapon?" Jaldabaoth's surprised exclamation reached Evileye's ears.

"Since I can't use magic, I made up for it with my faithful weapon. Granted, it's a tool that lets me use a high-level spell three times a day, but without skills to power it up, it should be nothing to you."

The dialogue between the two of them beggared belief. It made her recall something Gagaran, a member of the Blue Rose, had said once. When warriors put their lives on the line, sometimes they would be able to fully grasp the thoughts of their opponent, and it would create a feeling as though they were close friends who had known each other for a long time. At that time, she had wondered what she was talking about, but now…

"Maybe she had a point after all."

She felt slight jealously at the closeness between them. The man in the gray armor, which had lost its shine due to its melted surface, and the demon whose tuxedo had been shredded by countless sharp blows. The two of them, who had dueled each other in a domain beyond the grasp of humanity, seemed like old friends to Evileye.

"Your power is unparalleled."

"Indeed, so is yours, Jaldabaoth."

"In that case, might I make a proposition?" Tilting slightly the head, his low hum seemed to be enough confirmation for Jaldabaoth to carry on.

"If I concede this battle and the victory to yourself, perhaps we can both take a step back from the edge? Or rather, to be more precise, I will withdraw myself from this incident, and I hope you will cease your pursuit of myself."

"Are you kidding me!" She was taken out of her thoughts by the demon's proclamation. For someone who had filled the capital with this much chaos and death, a plea for mercy and forgiveness was nothing short of shameless. However, a calm voice accepted Jaldabaoth's proposal.

"Very well"

Under her mask, Evileye stared with wide eyes at James. She could not understand why the adventurer, who was in such a superior position, was accepting Jaldabaoth's terms. Sensing Evileye's confusion, Jaldabaoth shrugged his shoulders. Much as she hated to admit it, he looked quite stylish while he did it.

"It baffles me why James-sa…n would bring an air-headed woman like yourself along. A moment's consideration should reveal why he accepted my proposition. In order to bring James-san here, and to keep others from interfering with our battle, you committed a lot of your friends and allies to the fight, did you not? Did you really think they would be enough to keep the demons from intruding into this conflict?"

Evileye felt as though she had been impaled through the spine with an icicle.

"The demon army is always waiting for a chance to assault the capital."

It was the worst-case scenario. Although Marquis Raeven was patrolling inside the capital with his troops, she honestly could not believe he could deal with all the demons Jaldabaoth had in store. A similar conclusion awaited if the demons started taking hostages from throughout the city. But if they defeated Jaldabaoth here—

"Even if you kill me, do you think they will vanish? I have but to give a single mental command and my infernal hordes will immediately begin rampaging through the city. Granted, their numbers might be somewhat diminished... but how many casualties do you think they will cause in the time it takes to kill them?"

So they either let him escape, withdrawing all his troops, or he died while taking everyone else down with him. With the capital's population as hostages, their circumstances were not even. It was truly a manipulative and cunning offer.

That being the case, she could see why James had grudgingly accepted Jaldabaoth's proposal. Indeed, he had no other choice.

"Then, since this outsider has accepted it as well, I will begin my withdrawal, though it is a shame I could not recover the item. I pray we will never meet again."

"The sentiment is mutual, Jaldabaoth." The demon laughed under his mask, gathering the maids around him before they vanished using a high-tiered teleportation spell.

"They're gone..."

Evileye floated in the sky, her eyes looking to where the wall of fire had been. Nothing was left; only a slightly livelier patch of the night skyline. Filling with an overwhelming sentiment of excitement, she quickly returned to the ground, breaking into a run with a joyous cry towards James. He turned towards her with tense shoulders, probably due to the recently ended battle, but she ignored it and leapt through the air towards him.

And he sidestepped.

…Eh? She had meant to hug him, but in the end nothing but air greeted her. Instead of falling face-first into the ground however, she used her vampire reflexes to turn around, arms going around his midsection due to her size. Well, it wasn't the tackle-hug she had intended, but she still got to hug him in the end. He had probably sidestepped as a mere reflex after all.

"You did it! You won! You won! As expected of James-sama!"

"I...thank you, but could you please? I may not act like it, but I have sustained injuries" the soft voice was calm from under his helmet, but that explained why he had flinched at the hug. How embarrassing! It had been her mistake.

Stepping out of his personal space, she bowed to apologize for her thoughtless action, even if she couldn't help but feel satisfied. I win as long as I hug him she thought smugly, admiration quickly turning into a crush. She would love to get to know him once things were calmer.

Suddenly remembering the weapons she was carrying on her back, she took the handles before turning towards James once more.

"I'm very grateful you have lent me your swords, without them I'd not have survived"she said as she gave him both blades, remembering how many times they had interceded in the fight against the demon's maids. He nodded, stating he was glad they had been of use, before taking them. Swords back on their sheaths, he tapped the rear of the emerald spear against the ground a couple of times, the weapon shrinking until only a small chain remained, which he tied on his right wrist.

Since the main combatant had put away his weapons, the battle for the capital had officially ended. From behind her, the sound of ringing steel could be heard, so she turned around to the source of the sound.

Before her was a group of people. They were adventurers and soldiers and—

"Is that the Warrior Captain? With everyone else?"

Beside Gazef Stronoff were Lakyus and Tina. Gagaran and Tia were there too. Everyone was covered in grime, a testament to the vicious battles they had fought to get here. They looked around at the aftermath of the intense battle that had taken place here, and then, with an intake of breath, they all looked at James.

Sensing the meaning of that gesture, Evileye whispered to him.

"James-sama, lead us in a cry of victory."

The adventurer hummed, taking out one of his swords as he whispered "Seriously? Ah, how nostalgic…" before thrusting it toward the sky.

"UOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

In the next moment, everyone in the plaza raised their fists to the sky, shouting in celebration of their victory. In everyone's mouths was the name of James, the hero who had saved the nation.

In that cheerful moment, only Brain and the Thief had noticed Climb's disappearance.

AUTHOR NOTE:

Well, I had been waiting for an opportunity to use the favorite phrase of the light novels: "people falling like puppets whose strings had been cut". I'm happy it finally fitted somewhere hahaha

RIP to all the summoned creatures Cocytus used for his tests with the spear. I imagine the warrior asking for creatures from varying levels until he found one that didn't die immediately. Poor creatures indeed.

Also, before you comment on it, remember that while the Djinn magic is blocked, Harry can still perform some of his original magic so long it doesn't require the use of the elder wand. So losing control of it due to his temper is still possible.

In the end I didn't need the world-domination plot as I thought I would, so I've edited the chapters concerning it. Sorry, sorry~ I don't think there's any need to re-read them tho, the changes made were minimal.

Oh well, this is the longest chapter with 9.5K words, so I hope you liked it. Happy new year everyone! Hope your 2018 is filled with new experiences and fandoms. The second season of Overlord gets aired this January! Aren't you excited? I can't wait!

Thanks for reading, and also, a million of thanks for those that leave me reviews, I love to read them. Some made me correct/realize mistakes, some made me laugh, some inspired me with new ideas, and some simply stated their opinion, either positive or negative. Thank you!

See ya' around and welcome to 2018!