Asoko Side

Zylos is not only too sturdy for weapons and any attacks I can create with my body, but also immune to fire magic, since it just fizzles out the moment it touches his skin. Maybe his power is more akin to heat absorption, and he'll shoot it all out as an energy blast again - like a certain Fourth Wave. But even if he doesn't, I don't think there's anything I can do against him here.

Ninlil looks like she's calmed down again and is cradling her head while the pale man and woman in white talk to her. The adventurer party is looking on in awe as Zylos takes the magic I throw at him without even flinching. I'm reluctant to use spirit spears inside the castle, as it's too destructive, and magic in general is very telegraphed, but I think it may be the only way to take him down, as physical attacks are out of the question.

"Let's change locations." I try to lure him to some more wide-open space, like the top of the battlements or even outside the castle. With more room I can more comfortably keep my distance from his freezing touch, although I doubt it's the only thing he can do.

"Very well, if you believe that you have a better chance there." His unchanging sullen expression is ticking me off, but he's agreeing to it, so I won't complain. I actually can't believe that it worked, I thought that was just something that's possible in fiction. "Lead the way." He gestures towards me.

I pass by the maids, who make a corridor for me and Zylos to walk through. They look like they want to come with me, especially Xaggavea, but I'd rather not have them in harm's way. Though I can't find the right words to hold Kamii back, who walks alongside me as if it's only natural. She still doesn't know that I'm not her Onee-sama, but I don't have the time to explain things to her now. If things go badly, I'll take her inside my body, and if I should be completely destroyed, I doubt she'll be safe either way...

"Keep an eye on the humans, but don't fight them." I order the maids, knowing that it's asking much considering what they just witnessed happen in the city below. They swallow their anger and nod in affirmation. I don't know how strong the adventurer party is, but I'm especially wary of that woman in white; I think she's quite powerful, considering she wields light magic of a magnitude above even what my other half can use. Maybe I can replicate it with the incantation she used earlier, "Ohnd Spyd" was it?

"Kamii, wait!" The big bald man with the shield calls out after the little dark elf, but she doesn't turn around. She wanted to stop me from killing the adventurers earlier, so I have to assume that she's convinced they didn't participate in the massacre. But she's also aware of the fact that we're enemies now, and she has chosen the person she believes to be her Onee-sama over those humans. Now that I'm not going to kill them straight away, there's no reason for her to speak to them. I think if it's true that they didn't kill any demons, I can just let them go after all this is over, with a warning to never come back again.

"Onee-sama, I can fight." Kamii mutters beside me and I turn to look at her. She's actually staring straight forward, her expression one of determination. I don't know how strong she is, but from my other half I kinda got the impression that she was weak enough for her to be worried about her safety all the time. Maybe she just never saw her true potential in a battle or something. Regardless, I can't let her come to harm, or my other half will be very angry with me.

"Thank you, but I'd rather you stay safe." I respond and pet her hair. She lowers her gaze and her face reveals that she doesn't like that answer at all. Well, if I'm in the middle of battle, I doubt I'd be able to also hold her back from participating. So if she joins the fray out of her own accord and shows that she's capable of standing her ground, I won't keep her from doing so.

I just hope I'm not making a mistake in letting her join us.

Lenoly Side

A maid wielding a staff with a large blue crystal on top casts a water spell at the woman of fire, but it evaporates even before it touches her skin. The heat she radiates is so intense that nothing can come close to her. Another maid uses earth magic to launch a massive brick from the castle's wall at her, but it only causes her to stop in her tracks for a moment to let it melt as it comes in contact with her.

I don't think anything physical could ever hurt this living force of nature, but Rewera doesn't look concerned. Her expression inspires confidence in me, that she can bring this monster down somehow, although I have no idea how.

Master Thorvadis and the even older man beside him are being held in check by the other two maids, who are using spells with short incantations to keep him occupied. Even though they may be low in power, they can still hurt a human's body when they hit, so the principal has to use similarly weak magic to shield himself from them. The old man he called Lord Creator isn't doing anything, but he doesn't look very concerned with the situation. He must be considerably powerful, too.

"Go help them, I shall handle her." Rewera orders the two maids beside her to join the others to fight the two old men. They don't question her decision to take on this burning woman on her own and immediately turn away.

"You'll handle me? Aren't you underestimating me?" Her fiery and ashen voice grates in my ears and a shiver runs down my spine. The spell keeping me locked down has already worn off, and I'm doing my best to not just run away from her overwhelming pressure with my tail between my legs. That much pride I still have, even under these circumstances. The heat is still bearable at this distance, but I feel like I would burst out in flames that I can't withstand if I get too close to her.

"No, you are underestimating me." With this, she sprints forward and goes for a right hook directly at the woman's stomach. Seeing no reason to dodge, the latter stands still, intending to take it and melt off Rewera's hand in the process.

However, she is instead sent flying into the wall once again, leaving behind a molten imprint of her back on impact. Dropping to the ground and looking at where she was punched, the woman's eyes show surprise. A brighter spot the shape of a balled up fist shows that it was enough to scratch the surface of her magma body and reveal the hotter inside. And Rewera's hand looks completely fine, although her glove has been burned off.

"Who are you?" The woman of fire asks with intensely glowing eyes.

"I believe before asking someone else their name, it is custom to give your own." Righting herself, the giant maid states while looking down on her opponent with cold eyes. She removes the remains of her glove and takes off her other, putting them into the pocket in her apron. "Unless, of course, you are of low birth. Then you are excused."

"Grrr... I am Kanundra, Bearer of the Flame!" The fire on her head flares up in anger at the thinly veiled insult and she responds with a mighty roar. "Name yourself, lowly creature!"

"I am just the head maid of the castle." Rewera simply says with a neutral expression, unfazed by the display of fiery power. Then, after a short pause, she closes her eyes for a moment, before opening them to show off their intense crimson glow, filled with seething rage and hatred. "But a servant such as I do feel audacious enough at this moment to give my name... I am Rewera Rangatira."

"Rangatira?" Surprise washes over Kanundra's face once more at the mention of this name. Then realization creeps onto her features and a hint of alarm enters her countenance. "You can't be..."

"I am the sister of former demon lord Aldeath Rangatira." Speaking firmly, the head maid states with a hint of fatalism in her voice, as if suggesting that after hearing this, the only end this confrontation can take is Kanundra's death.

Rewera was the former demon king's sister all along?!

??? Side

"You will find that death will seem like salvation, after you learn what I really am." Pelomyx hisses sweetly, before descending the steps from the lone throne, several spots on her body glowing in the dark as she leaves the light cone.

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"Death comes for everything equally, but Death itself is eternal." Holding out his hand, the massive skeleton grabs at the darkness surrounding him. It gathers around his grasp and forms a gigantic black scythe that seems like it was made to cut down scores of people, rather than tufts of wheat.

"You are not Death, Liberator of the Dead, Serent. You are just a being that has become delusional from the powers you obtained." Growing in size, the demon queen extends her arm and from her own biological matter grows a weapon to mirror the skeleton man's. Then her form changes and she takes on the shape of her opposite, the empty grin of the skull directed at him in mockery. "But I am eternal."

"You live, so you can die." Swinging his scythe, Serent initiates the attack. His motion appears slow due to his massive size, but the force within it cannot be denied. However, when it makes contact with the demon queen's body, she loses her form and seems to dissipate like black smoke, before only darkness remains where she stood a moment ago.

Then, from within that darkness, Shelnir steps forth, a sinister grin on her lips as she leans on her sickle moon staff. Upon seeing this, Serent is taken aback, and he turns around to look behind him, only to find that the real Shelnir is still behind him, busy suppressing her nausea from witnessing Pelomyx's real appearance. He quickly spins around and readies his scythe in a defensive pose, just to find that the demon queen has changed into her usual demon form without taking the opportunity to strike him.

"What is the matter, Serent?" A sneer on her face, she looks up at the giant skeleton without a hint of tension in her demeanor. "Were you not going to bring me death?"

"You are getting ahead of yourself." Serent raises his free hand and dark purple energy gathers around it. "Have you forgotten where we are?" In the next moment, the darkness in the hall begins to shift and move, taking on the shapes of demons of all kinds of appearances. They are the previous demon lords, given form by the Liberator of the Dead's unique magic.

"A shame that you did not bring back Aldeath." Pelomyx does not seem alarmed at all and looks around to try and spot her late husband, but there is not a single shadowy demon that fits his appearance. "I would have loved to meet him again..." A hint of longing appears on her face for just a moment, before it loses its features and changes back into her true appearance. Her limbs wriggle and extend in all directions. "And you, have you forgotten what I am?"

In the next moment, her body expands explosively, enveloping the entire room with her mass. Pelomyx consciously avoids Serent and Shelnir, but swallows the living darkness within the room in one go. When she pulls herself together into a humanoid form, the room is cleared of any wafting shadows and has returned to normal absence of light once again.

"Your tricks are meaningless before real power, Liberator of the Dead." Her voice is devoid of mockery, only coldly stating the facts; she is done playing around. "Let us put an end to this."

"I agree." A new voice speaks and all eyes are directed towards it. Just below the sky window a man dressed in a white leather coat is floating, the light falling onto his silver hair looking like a halo from below. A flash of lightning behind him, and a split second later a sonic boom, and the ceiling crumbles away all around the newcomer. The heavy thunderclouds above block out the sun, but it is still brighter than the prevailing darkness that ruled the halls before.

Surrounded by crackling electric sparks, Zenlith looks down on the demon queen, his glowing violet eyes hiding a murderous intensity.

Asoko Side

The sound of thunder rolls through the hallways and I look out the window to see that a storm has formed above the city. It seems that the weather knows what's about to go down and is playing along to set the mood. If it rains, it'll at least begin to put out the flames eating away at the civilian houses, so it's one less thing to worry about. But I don't feel like fighting out in the rain, since it gives me the feeling that something irreversible is about to happen.

Then an idea hits me. What if I used water against Zylos? If his body is really so cold, won't any water coming into contact with him freeze solid on the spot? That would mean that a large amount of it, enough to encase him, could just turn into an ice prison. Of course, spirit spears will be my go-to method of trying to kill him, since it was the only thing he actively dodged, but this way, I might be able to immobilize him for long enough to actually hit him. It's certainly worth a try.

We soon climb the stairs to the battlements on top of the castle, not a hint of rain in the air. In fact, the air feels really dry and Zylos doesn't steam as much as he did inside the castle. In other words, it's just a lightning storm that won't turn into a downpour. Regardless, I have magic to alleviate the lack of water, albeit no exceptionally strong spells like my other half doubtlessly has at her disposal.

When we reach the top, I spot a gigantic hole in the roof of one of the castle's large halls. If my sense of direction isn't too far off, that should be the place I walked past several times, with a double-winged metal door featuring a large ruby let into its center. Why did the roof cave in there? I can't imagine it being caused by the lightning strike earlier, although it's possible that it was blown up from the inside, either by maou-mama or Rewera fighting their respective opponents.

I turn to my own, who looks at me with his usual sullen expression. I'll wipe that look off your face and make you cry!

"Is this the place?" He states and looks around without turning his head. Apparently he isn't impressed by my choice, but I picked this place for a reason: I'm standing on a wider stretch of the castle wall, while he's on a narrow part. I'll be able to fire spirit spears at him and he won't have much space to dodge, while I have a lot more room to avoid whatever he can throw at me.

Of course, I'll have to make sure Kamii doesn't get hit by stray shots from either side. She stands beside me and looks ready to attack, lifting her crab arm and clacking the claw as if to perform a warm up. I don't know what she wants to achieve with that, but if she's going to grab him, it'll freeze right off.

"Don't let him touch you." I say to her without averting my eyes from Zylos. "He'll freeze your limbs off almost instantly."

"Almost instantly... I see." With this, she rushes forward.

Whaaat?!

Zylos doesn't even lift an eyebrow at the attacking dark elf and doesn't attempt to dodge the crab arm swung at his shoulder. It makes contact with him but seems to be repelled by its hardness. Yet, this doesn't discourage her, as she spins around on the spot and lowers herself in the same motion, bashing the claw against his knee. Once again, it shows no effect and she is repelled. I see the futility in her attacks, but apparently she doesn't. Four, five and then six hits connect. Then the unexpected happens: Zylos avoids the seventh attack.

Huh?

Kamii immediately takes her distance again and looks at her crab claw. Since she only made contact with him very briefly, there aren't any frozen spots. However, from the shiver in her arm, I can tell that she was chilled to her bones by his body nonetheless.

"That power..." Zylos looks at the little dark elf with a glint in his eyes that I haven't seen before. Then he moves forward with the clear intention of attacking for the first time. Not good.

"Ohnd Spyd!" I shout and a spirit spear appears above me. Wait, it's the same size as any of my spirit spears! Don't tell me it's the same spell, just with a different incantation? Whatever, I don't have the time to care about this right now, I need to keep this guy away from Kamii.

Launching it at the center of his body, I aim to cover the biggest area possible so that it'll be hard for him to dodge. He sees the projectile coming at him and immediately steps sideways, almost falling off the battlements in the process. But it's enough for the spear to miss him completely. Without stopping, he continues onward, while Kamii backs away from him. This won't even slow him down, so I'll have to activate my plan.

"Inebriat!" I focus on the space right above where he will pass through in a moment, summoning a large ball of water. My other half could create one large enough to fill a school swimming pool, but apparently I'm not that strong with magic, since mine is only a bathtub's worth of water.

It seems that Zylos is having tunnel vision on Kamii right now, because he completely misses my chanting and subsequently steps right under the spell's area of effect; I figuratively drop the bucket on him. He notices in the last moment, but is unable to avoid it. Splashing onto him, the water almost instantly turns to ice and encases him completely. The little dark elf jumps back just in time to not get caught up in it and have her feet frozen onto the spot.

This worked better than I thought it would!

Then the ice cracks open and I immediately take everything back. Damn, it's not enough to stop him completely! Alright, then I'll go with my initial plan and pierce him with spirit spears. Speaking the incantation to summon a whole array of them, I send them at Zylos, who won't be able to move out of the way.

In the last moment, the ice prison shatters completely and the frigid boy ducks away just enough to dodge the majority of spirit spears. One grazes his temple, another pierces his shoulder and one more gouges out a piece of his left arm. No blood flows from the wounds, courtesy of his frozen body, but that's undeniably damage, even if his face doesn't show it. Stop it with that expressionless sullenness!

"Impressive strategy." He states, although it doesn't sound like praise at all. But it's clear that this method won't work again. And the fact that he doesn't seem to be in pain means that he's still very much capable of fighting.

Without warning, he swings his good arm around as if he's throwing a slap in my face, but he's too far away for it to connect. However, I feel prickling all over my skin as a frigid wind sweeps across me. Before I realize it, I've been pierced by countless small ice crystals, including on my face and especially eyeballs. Argh, my eyes?!

Luckily, I have this convenient body, and it seems that he doesn't really know its capabilities. Pushing the ice out of me, they drop to the ground, shatter and melt away. But in that time, Zylos has already charged forward at Kamii and closed the distance, enough for him to grab her with his freezing touch.

Oh no!