Chapter 227

True Form

“Get up! It’s not over yet!”

As the people were being overwhelmed by a sense of despair, a voice that refused to give up rang out .

“It’s foolish if you just sit there and accept death! If we’re going to lose anyway, then you should at least try and fight our way out!”

It was Claire-sama .

While everybody else was still kneeling, she was the only one who was still standing proudly as she shouted .

Yep, this is it .

This is Claire-sama .

“Even you, Rei . What’s with that hopeless look on your face? What happened to your usual insolent attitude!”

Claire-sama smacked me strongly across my back .

It hurt .

That’s right―― this was considered a reward in our industry .

“I’m sorry, Claire-sama . I’m fine now . ”

“Glad to hear it . ”

Claire-sama had a satisfied smile on her face .

She was always there to lift my spirits whenever I was feeling disheartened .

“Huh, I have to commend your courage . ”

Even Plato on the side of the demon queen didn’t hold back his admiration .

That’s how formidable the demon queen was .

“Thanks, Claire . I’ll fight to the end as well . ”

“Onee-sama!”

“I have to do my best too, huh . ”

“Yuu-sama, I’ll fight with you . ”

Manaria-sama, Yuu-sama, and Misha joined in .

All of them acted as the escorts alongside the main group, but once they seemed to realize something was happening, they came running to the vanguard .

“You all came . Fine, first of all, I’ll–”

“Plato . ”

“Huh?”

It was none other than the demon queen who interrupted Plato’s words as he tried to take initiative .

“You don’t need to meddle . Let me do it . ”

“No, but, Demon Queen . What about Claire François?”

“I’ll need your help eventually . However, until they give up, let me take care of it . ”

Saying that, the demon queen slowly walked towards us .

“Now, come at me if you want . ”

The demon queen beckoned us a voice that sounded strangely human no matter how inhuman it was .

“Every, let’s go! As long as we can bring down the demon queen, we will bring the war between humanity and demons to the end!”

“I’ll support you with all my strength, Claire-sama! Don’t hold back!”

“I won’t give in either . ”

“Misha, we’re going!”

“Yes!”

The curtain rose on the battle against despair .

“Onee-sama, Yuu-sama, I leave the vanguard to you!”

“Okay!”

“Count on me . ”

Manaria-sama and Yuu-sama took positions in the vanguard, Claire-sama was in the center, and Misha and I were in the rearguard .

At Claire-sama’s orders, Manaria-sama and Yuu-sama closed the gap with the demon queen .

Yuu-sama’s technique called Ice Princess looked terrific, but Manaria-sama surpassed even it .

“First, how about this?”

Manaria-sama generated a coldly shining ice sword and slashed at the demon queen .

However, the demon queen didn’t even flinch .

“!?”

Manaria-sama’s ice sword shattered before it could touch the demon queen’s body .

The magical barrier surrounding her was like a thick wall that blocked the attack .

“I’ll use those, okay?”

As Yuu-sama said that, the shards of Manaria-sama’s shattered ice sword poured on the demon queen as if they had a will of their own .

“It’s not over yet . ”

While the demon queen was left vulnerable by the rain of ice shards, Manaria-sama cast another spell .

Earthen fangs that looked like the jaws of a dragon snapped at the demon queen .

“… I didn’t think it would be easy, but…”

“It’s disheartening when we go that far without any results, isn’t it?”

The demon queen didn’t even do anything to stop the attacks .

She just stood there, looking at us .

“Misha, how is it going?”

“No luck . My sound magic doesn’t seem to be working either . ”

I’d thought Misha’s special wind magic could perhaps get through the barrier, but it didn’t work as expected .

“Onee-sama, Yuu-sama, please step aside!”

At the sound of Claire-sama’s voice, they instantly reacted and cleared the way .

“Shine!”

She must’ve judged that flame arrows or spears would be ineffective against the demon queen .

Claire-sama started off with her trump card, Magical Ray .

Four dazzling beams of light assaulted the demon queen .

“Take this too!”

Together with Claire-sama, I also used my spell with the highest firepower – Absolute Zero .

The magic power of my Absolute Zero, that can instantly freeze and crush the target, rushed towards the demon queen .

However– .

“…”

The demon queen was alive and well .

In fact .

“Kh… There’s no scratch on her…”

Even with our strongest attacks, we couldn’t make the demon queen flinch .

The demon queen was just calmly looking at us .

“… Are you… satisfied?”

That voice that sounded both like an infant and like an old man again .

In a tone that sounded more like she was pitying than mocking us, the demon queen asked us if we were already surrendering .

“Not yet! … Onee-sama, can you do something about that barrier with Spell Breaker?”

Claire-sama firmly replied and then secretly asked Manaria-sama a question .

“It’s impossible . I’ve been trying to analyze it since a while ago, but I can’t figure out the structure of the magic . I’ve never seen such a complex structure before . ”

Manaria-sama’s forte, Spell Breaker and Dominator, were immensely powerful, but the activation conditions were difficult .

Once they were activated, they had deadly power, but to do that she had to completely analyze her opponent’s magic .

“Rei, let’s try the chorus . That’s all that we have left . ”

“I understand . ”

I agreed with Claire-sama’s suggestion .

I approached Claire-sama in the center position and tried taking her hand .

“! Rei!”

“!?”

At Claire-sama’s warning, I immediately twisted my body .

Sharp pain ran through my right upper arm .

“Ouch…!”

“Rei!”

I stopped Claire-sama as she tried to come closer with my hand and looked at the demon queen .

Before I knew it, she’d been pointing a finger at me .

I couldn’t perceive, but she’d probably attacked me .

… But why?

Until then, she’d shown no signs of moving .

“Even if you are the demon queen, you are afraid of our chorus?”

“…”

The demon queen didn’t answer .

Instead, she increased fingers pointing at me to all five .

“! Pitfall!”

I hastily sank the ground under my feet and squatted down .

A moment later, a line of darkness passed where my body had been .

“What’s the matter, Demon Queen . Aren’t you being extremely hostile against me?”

The demon queen remained silent .

However, was it just my imagination that I sensed vague irritation from her .

“Rei, don’t say anything that could provoke her!”

“It’s okay, Claire-sama . Please watch from over there . ”

Nothing was okay, but I put on a brave front .

“If you want to fight me, that’s just perfect . Let’s both go all out!”

Before I even finished saying that, I activated Judecca .

I froze the entire space around the demon queen to block her movements .

“Earth Pike!”

Serial Magic Cocytus .

Although it couldn’t match Absolute Zero in terms of concentrated firepower, it was superior when it came to the area of effect and difficulty to avoid .

And the result was– .

“Rei!”

I heard Claire-sama’s scream .

I thought her voice was strangely close to me, and the next moment my body was strongly pushed away .

I watched what was happening in slow motion .

I saw Claire-sama pushing me away, and dozens of dark flashes about to shoot through her body .

“Claire-sama!!”

I reached out my hand .

But, I couldn’t reach her .

Was it hopeless?

Would I lose Claire-sama this time?

The moment I thought that .

“… Uplift . ”

At the same time as that spell was swiftly chanted, Claire-sama’s body was pushed high up .

The dark flashes that impacted too late shattered the earth .

In a fluster I caught Claire-sama after she’d lost her footing and fallen .

“Are you okay, Claire-sama!?”

“Yes, although it was a close call . More importantly, that magic―― . ”

Indeed .

The magic used now to create the footing and push Claire-sama up was very familiar to me .

It was nothing else but the magic I often used for emergency evasion .

As I mentioned before, I added my own spin to this magic .

And the Uplift the demon queen used matched that spin to the tee .

“ . . I see… So that’s how it is…”

When I lowered her, Claire-sama directed a sharp gaze at the demon queen, pointed at her, and said .

“I’ve always wondered why the Three Great Archdukes are aiming at me . That’s because you can’t kill me, right, Demon Queen?”

The demon queen didn’t answer Claire-sama’s question .

However, that silence was all the answer we needed .

“I don’t know the reason why you’ve called yourself the demon queen . I don’t want to know either . But, at least answer this . Why are you trying to destroy humanity?”

The demon queen remained silent .

Witnessing that, Claire-sama said impatiently .

“I’m asking a question! Answer me, Rei Taylor!!”

Having been called by that name, the demon queen showed a sign of being shaken for the first time .

The demon queen slowly took her veil off .

What appeared was a familiar face that looked both joyous and sorrowful – it was my, Rei Taylor’s, face .