Chapter 93

Having instantly killed the eightieth floor boss, we continued onto the ninetieth floor in a good mood .

The ninetieth floor boss had a magic nullification ability as well, and it was a somewhat enormous golem, so Yatonokami’s blades were not able to cut into it . Regardless, I had killed it with magic power this time as well .

In the midst of the battle, I got distracted and look a direct hit from the golem . Thankfully, Ria had immediately set up a barrier which kept me from being injured .

I was truly grateful to her, for If the attack had hit me head on, my poor defenses would’ve done nothing to protect me from the force of the impact and I would’ve had my bones broken .

「…three more floors . 」

Yoru sped up even more, and right now, we were on the ninety-eighth floor .

Yoru was at his limit as well .

「Master-dono…most likely, even if I came with you, I wouldn’t be able to participate in the battle . I’ll leave Miss Amelia to you . 」

In response, I patted Yoru on the neck .

「Ria, just to be safe, if you see Amelia, put a barrier around her, as well as Yoru and I . don’t forget to do the same for yourself too . 」

During the battle with the demon, I don’t know how much damage we’d do to the surroundings .

It might be useful as a form of insurance .

「I understand!」

The presence of the demon steadily became stronger .

I had no doubt that we were close .

The highly concentrated magic power in the area was making me nauseous, but Ria set up a barrier which alleviated the feeling .

『…! I see him!!!!』

At last, Yoru caught up with the demon–Aulum Trace .

He was a youth with emerald hair and eyes, with a child-like smile floating on his face .

Even through the barrier, I understood .

His magic power was off the charts .

I fully agreed with Yoru’s description of Aulum Trace’s characteristics .

Next to Aulum, Amelia was lying down feebly on the ground .

「Ooh–! I didn’t think that you would’ve caught up– . You, weren’t you unconscious for about three days because of magic exhaustion?」

The moment he saw us, he started talking, chatting about things that we didn’t even ask about .

It seems that his mental age corresponded to his appearance .

「As expected of the demon king’s right-hand man, Black Cat-sama . I didn’t think that you would transform into a cheetah– . You are completely exhausted and won’t be able to fight anymore, right? It can’t be that you’re going to say something like, you’ll be my opponent just like the human and beastman, right?」

There were many things that I wanted to say, but first, I wanted to retort .

Demon king, are you bad at naming your subordinates!

Certainly, Yoru looks very much like a cheetah right now, and he was even fast on his feet, but still, he wasn’t a cheetah .

So far, the only decent one was Poseidon .

That in itself was extremely strange .

「You’re quite the chatterbox . It’s as you’ve guessed, a human and beastman will be your opponent . Are you dissatisfied about something?」

The corner of my lips quirked up in provocation, and things got interesting .

「Ha—? Even if humans and beastmen cooperated, they are, after all, inferior species . Haven’t you learned from history that it’s impossible for them to win against demons? If you were the hero, there might be some hope, but you, from your appearance, you’re an assassin, right? And the beastman behind you, I heard she was the Hand of Protection, which is far from being a rear guard . 」

Aulum held his stomach, bowled over in laughter .

I readied “Yatonokami” in my hands .

「Fufufuu! When I heard about you, I thought that I would just kill you, but as I thought, I won’t . 」

The smile on his face suddenly vanished without a trace .

The surroundings were flooded with strong killing intent .

Ria was trembling as she was hiding within Yoru’s shadow .

「I’ll torture you right in front of your beloved princess . I can kill you, and it will be torture for the princess, two birds with one stone . 」

「If you can, then try it . This is the first time I’ve met a demon . Do your best to entertain me . 」

Behind Aulum was the staircase leading to the ninety-ninth floor .

I can’t let him escape .

I telepathically instructed Yoru to block the exit while taking advantage of the chaos, and gripped “Yatonokami” again .

My palms were sweaty .

I could say whatever I wanted to, but right now, this was the first time since I’ve come to this world that I was scared for my life .

I was not trembling in fear, but one definitely needed to be prepared for death .

「That cheeky mouth, I’ll make sure that it will never open again . 」

「That disgusting look on your face, I’ll make it so that it stays that way . 」

For a moment, the two people did not move and then broke into a run at the same time .

Giiiinn .

The sound of metal colliding reverberated .

The wind was blowing violently as the opposing forces clashed in the middle .

Before I knew it, Aulum was gripping a long and narrow spear in his hand .

Aulum widened his eyes in surprise and then laughed joyfully .

「I see, I understand why you would brag even with a demon as your opponent . You are the first human to have properly stopped my attack . I might be able to enjoy this a little!」

I was pushed back by his brute strength, and was blown away .

However, I spun once and then landed on the ground, unharmed .

Even so, his arms are thinner than those of that girl over there, but even if he didn’t put in the strength, he may still be stronger than Commander Saran .

That is to say, he was the strongest person I knew .

「There’s no time for you to think! Hey, hey, let’s keep going!!」

He was screaming crazily in that child-like high-pitched voice .

Aulum’s pupils were dilated, the fire in his eyes betraying his excitement .

This guy, he looked like a child, but he was a battle maniac, huh .

「Guu!!」

I had blocked the downward thrust of his spear by holding “Yatonokami” in a defensive cross position, but the ground cracked from the force of the impact, and my feet sunk into the ground .

「Ahaa! Keeping up with me like this, there are only a handful of people who can do so, even among the demons!」

「Well–…thank youu!!」

I used all the strength in my body to thrust the spear upwards .

Now then, I’ve been on the defensive the entire time and couldn’t get a counterattack, but enough of that, it’s my turn now .