"...a Demon Lord approaches".

Kotori muttered that, as his consciousness slipped in and out of lucidity just now. He was having more visions. He saw it before him, a great enemy. One that he had to fight, that others could not. They were needed elsewhere. A sword which held a power, or perhaps its wielder. A dragon that comes to save them. And a mage, one who had a great destiny.

And he would witness this conflict, against someone who served a Demon Lord.

At least...that was what I could understand. It was so weird though, I wish my visions had less imagery and more specific details....I might even be wrong about some of that context, but...

He saw Rayheart and Yulari facing off against some rather powerful demons. These were not the mob like ones that they had fought so far, but they were tougher, stronger. Although Yulari and Rayheart were both strong in their own right, these opponents were capable of matching them.

"Time Lag!"

He used his time magic to help slow down the enemy movements though, while using an acceleration spell to help boost the speeds of Yulari and Rayheart.

"Holy Light!"

And then, he cast a magic that resulted in their weakening. Between all the magic, Rayheart and Yulari were able to break through the stalemate and finish them off.

"Thanks, Kotori...Kotori?"

Rayheart noticed it instantly, the look in Kotori's eyes.

I see...it seems like this situation is bothersome for him. He tends to overthink things.

"Little brother" she said, flicking his forehead. "You say I dont think enough, but you overthink things. If there is something you have to do, go do it. We will just keep doing what we have to do. But, you cant die okay? I will purposefully do stupid things if you die".

Hearing those words, Kotori went wide eyed for a moment. Even though his older sister was indeed an idiot, she had moments like these where it seemed she had the wisdom of the world. She could make someone feel certain and motivate them.

In her first life, those qualities is why she became so popular and a class president. She couldn't fix every issue, but she could really lend a helping hand and make people feel better and more confident.

"Alright. Fine, it should be fine. My visions tend to be cryptic and fluid, but I am pretty sure I have a good chance of living for at least three years. But, you cant die either okay? Yulari, make sure she doesn't die".

"Got it, Mr. Future Sage" she told him. Nodding to each other one last time, the group seperated, with Kotori using time magic to accelerate himself and find the people he would later fight alongside with.

"Are you sure it was okay to leave her in that position? She wasn't dead yet. Also, how are you not suffering from blood loss right now?"

Ruuruu asked that as the Third Princess was carrying Rikuo, who after drinking some blood had moved up and started draining it from her neck.

"The Royal Family is known for their great vitality, and we also inherit powerful Life Attribute magic, often developing our own unique types. For example, the second princess is known for manifesting it to provide an incredibly strengthening effect to herself and those near her. The third can utilize music and song to provide wide area benefits as well. For me, I can rapidly restore blood and heal wounds, as well as give myself incredible strength and speed. Well, the Life Attribute is all about bolstering and strengthening life after all".

That sort of explanation happened as the trio moved their way towards the inner sanctum.

"You know, I can run myself" Rikuo noted, having restored his strength for awhile now. However, the moment he finished talking he continued drinking.

"Just get all the mana you can possibly store in your small body, and then use it for the Hero Summoning. I will have several blood potions, health potions, and mana potions ready for you the moment you are done so you can rejoin the battle".

"Alright...but what about Teleka?"

"That spell is going to kill her, just slowly and painfully...I wont use it normally, but its a spell that makes her the subject of torment by the victims she has killed. Given her personality, and the amount of victims I know of from a few years...and her total lifespan so far, it should be more then enough. And I dont want her to die quickly".

"You can be quite mean spirited".

"I only gave her the hell she herself made..."

[The Skill "Death Magic" has leveled up!]

Why the hell did it level up now, this was the first time I used it....wait, dont tell me its counting as experience for ias long as the rspell ighs act nowive, is it?

Though, that should mean his use of Lightning Aspect was the same.

Well, Lightning Aspect is the combination of multiple skills and sort of breaks the system, so I think there might be some issues about that though...

"Oh, plus, she just teleports away when you deal her a lethal blow".

"...wait, seriously? Those are usually rare, I hear only Demon Lords and their elites have them. Well, if they are here with a Demon Lord's forces, then I suppose they would have some".

While having such a conversation, they finally made it to the main hall. There were two doors in the back, one of which led to the summoning room, and the other appeared heavily warded for some reason, even though it was only a storage room.

"Why is the storage room actively warded?"

"Its possible some people ran in there for safety, and warded it to keep themselves safe during the fighting. They are likely non-combatants".

"Ah, I see. Makes sense".

Rikuo nodded, accepting the explanation. That said, no one else was here right now.

"Where did Sora and Arila go?"

"Sora said he smelled a strong, dangerous enemy, so he and Arila went to intercept it and keep it away from you while you are doing the summoning ritual. We have not seen Herra since, but my father sent some royal guards to assist her. It seems like a few people infiltrated in advance and are helping the Demons".

As they made it halfway across the hall, the door behind them was smashed open, with a large beast stomping in. It was smelly, ugly, and it looked a bit like a stony ape like creature that was ugly as hell, with extra large teeth and a dumb looking face.

"They brought a troll...of course they brought a troll".

"I will fight them off".

Ruuruu flew into action, attempting to fight off the troll on his own. Right as he reached him though, the troll fell to the ground on its own, with a rather nice looking sword stuck in its back. Raevin then climbed up its back, and retrieved the sword.

"I figured you might try to rush the summoning ceremony, so I came here to support".

"Ha! Great timing, Raevin!"

Rikuo said that as the princess finally put him down.

"So you plan to do it?"

"Yeah. That said, I will need a good twenty to thirty minutes at least".

Hearing that, Raevin raised his hand and paused the conversation for a moment.

"Hold on, doesn't it normally take an hour or two?"

"Its because multiple people have to tak e the time to sync their thoughts and perform multiple calculations simultainously when it comes to timespace spells of this magnitude, especially for Hero Summoning. However, my Unique Skill, Multi-Parallel Thought Processing, lets me do it alone. Furthermore, I am using multiple Divine Shards to augment it...but, if you have any more".

"Here!" Iosi said, running over and taking out a crystal orb, a necklace, and a shield. "Some demons were trying to steal this stuff. I think they are all Divine Shard relics. We reclaimed them".

"Well done. This should provide more then enough focusing power for the spell".

"Well then, I will get started. I might be able to cut it down a bit, but the Demons might try to interfere magically. You guys need to keep them away from me. Is there anything else?"

The princess then thought of something. She went to a chest by the throne, and took out what appeared to be a boys white tunic. She then tossed it to Ruuruu, who was in spear form but caught it well.

"Erm, what is this?"

"A tunic your size. You cant carry things around transformed normally, but that one is enchanted to tie around something while touching it when commanded. It registers the first one to give it the command, so only they can use it. I thought maybe, if its a one piece tunic, you might be able to transform while inside it, and wear it when you entered human form. After all, its quite embarassing for a warrior to be caught unprepared right? Oh, the tunic also has a bunch of defensive enchantments in it as well".

Hearing such a thing, Ruuruu decided to test it out. He threw it up in the air, and had the spearhead fly through the bottom end and then exit the top. Afterwards, he used his transformation skill to transform into his human form, with his arms coming out through the sides. The bottom was low enough to go past his waist, though it appeared like he was wearing a skirt.

"You came up with this?"

"Rikuo asked for it for you, as part of my apology for the other day".

"Master...you're so amazing" Ruu said, truly happy as his face gleamed with a blissful smile.

Incidentally, while this world was far more free and accepting of the human body and nudity, it was naturally considered embarassing for a warrior to be caught naked during battle, since it was either a sign of weakness, or that he was not prepared as a warrior. There were some exceptions though.

That said, the castle suddenly shook. Raevin nearly fell over, and Rikuo used wind magic to keep his balance. He didn't want to be carried again.

"What was that?"

"It came from a floor or two below...tsk, if its an enemy with large scale damage spells, they might try to break through our defensive line here, but we cant leave this place undefended".

"I will go" Iosi declared. "I will investigate and deal with it with whatever allied forces are present".

"Alright. Stay safe, Iosi".

"You too".

"Man, there were a lot more guards then expected" Fang mentioned, as he was stretching a bit.

"To think he was not only a Wolfkin but a Werewolf...that was some crazy strength and power".

Certainly, Fang had without a doubt dispatched many guards in front of them. That said, he was not strong enough to fight everyone, certainly not solo. Everyone else chased behind him, and together they pushed to this point.

Gerald then came up, and nodded at Fang.

"Mind knocking for us?"

"My pleasure".

And so, Fang "knocked" on the door....which meant, he kicked it full force and the door went flying, smashing one enemy into the wall all together. .

The others were already prepared though, and launched countless magical attacks. But Gerald went in first, along with a few guardsmen. Using their shields, they protected against the magic, forming a defensive wall. Lutessa and two guards used archery to shoot down the others, while the twins formed a protective shield using Holy Magic.

A Demon Swordsman came close, but Fang rushed into him. He summoned those ominous black flames, but the werewolf boy ducked and punched him in the gut, breaking a few ribbs and sending him flying.

And then, he saw it. In the center of the room, a large, tall black spire, shooting energy up into the air and through solid matter. Without a doubt, it was the portal device, and it was releasing demons into the city.

And yet in his way, was something that gave him chills. A much stronger, much more powerful demon. It held a large greatsword, and felt as if its mere pressence overwhelmed him.

Compared to the demons and Demonized Soldiers they fought, this guy was way more dangerous. Several times more dangerous.

"Your soul smells strange...like Harzens...I should crush you".

It talked in such a simple matter, but Fang's instincts told him he was not strong enough yet to fight such a monster.

"I guess this is the time the hero appears, huh?"

A childish voice drifted through the air.

"Activate Skill: Godspeed".

A step was heard, and then nothing. At least, to others it seemed like nothing. To Fang, who had enhanced senses, he saw it before him. A boy suddenly came in, and cut through the massive bull head like demon with countless attacks. However... The Demon still stood, wounded across its large muscular demonic body but still alive. However...

"Did you think that was enough to beat me?!"

The boy now stood in front of Fang, holding a spear.

"Sorry it took me so long. My name is Ciel. You, that elf girl, and the twins are all reincarnators right? I met some of your friends earlier".

Saying that, Fang was shocked he knew. Rassle also knew, but he was the oldest Demon Lord so they brushed it off. But this kid...who was here, and how did he move so fast?

"As curious as you are, could you help me beat this Demon? Unfortunately, my Godspeed skill is a bit limited in its use. But with this much damage, if we work together we can beat it quickly enough".

"Alright...you seem to be way older then you appear, so I will follow your experience".

"Hou...well, we can talk about that later....Activate Skill: Extreme Speed!"

"Werewolf Strength, Werewolf Speed, engage!"

The two charged forward, but then Ciel suddenly jumped up high and spun his spear around, the handle extending a bit as it cut into the large Demon's arm. And yet, the demon just grabbed the spear suddenly, which left Ciel a bit shocked as he got sent flying. But Fang was already in position, and slices through his legs, causing great pain and forcing him to fall back to the ground.

Ciel meanwhile managed to land on the wall with his feet, and pushed off, making the blade of his spear extent and then swinging it down upon the head. The demon tried to dodge, but Fang moved around the side and kicked him back into the way, and watched as his head got cut off.

"Alright, there we go. Thanks for the help, now we should probably destroy that thing" Ciel mentioned. "My main benefit is speed, I have some strength too but..."

"I am strong, but I dont think I can break whatever that is".

The spire looked quite sturdy, it seemed like it would not break easily.

"Never fear!"

"We brought a magic tool!"

Suddenly, the twins came running around and towards the spear.

"Wait, its not going to take too long is it?" Fang asked.

The twins shook their heads though, as they brought out explosives and a bomb with magic crystals in it.

"....oh..."

And then, the twins hit the button. They tossed the bomb with the explsoives, and several barriers appeared around them.

"Its set!"

"Time to go!"

"Yeah, I will fucking say so! Everyone, they just set a bomb, evacuate!"

"Wait what?!"

"Ardet! Arlit! Explosives are dangerous!"

"Run now!"

"Scold later!"

Such a panic ensued, as they all started to flee. The demons at first tried to break such a barrier, so they were left behind.

"Hey, what happens if they break the barrier and deactivate the bomb?"

"Thats impossible".

"The bomb detonates the moment the barrier breaks".

"EVERYONE RUN FASTER!"

No one questioned the voice, and just ran even faster.

With this though, once the bomb went off, nothing would stop them from heading to the castle to help the others. So they did have that going for them.

"Flame Slash!"

Aer fought against the enemy, using his magic and sword skills. Heywood and his Dragon both appear to have been demonized, and honestly he didn't really trust

The Dragon Knights would wield their swords and their magic, and clash against each other in combat. With few exceptions, most Dragon Knights rode smaller medium-small dragons, not large ones that one often would picture. Saphri for example can fit through most doorways and into most rooms if she keeps her wings packed up. As such, it was possible to slash at things in the air if one got close enough.

Not to mention, there were other things a Dragon Knight could do.

"Transform, Bow Mode!"

In an instant, the sword he held in his hand magically began to transform into an equally lovely bow. Although he had no arrow, he pulled it back, and an arrow of magic was created. He launched the fire arrows at Heywood, who proceeded to dodge them, although it was a bit sloppy.

As expected, Demonization for those who are halfhearted and do it through quick means causes one to gain power, but their skill doesn't increase at all.

Incidentally, there was another Demonization process, but it was definently not what was used on Heywood, his Dragon, nor Jezre for that matter.

"Multi-Flare Shot!"

As he fired, one arrow became many arrows and rained down upon Heywood. Heywood is superior in speed and power though, so he easily dodged all the shots headed at him.

"Ahg?!"

Yes, the shots that had been headed at him.

But a few of them had gone far off the original trajectory, and two of them hit him just fine.

Ahhh....that was actually disapointing, I was trying to hit him with at least seven in that technique, but I am not as good with archery. To think that only two would hit from my trickshot...well, its better then nothing.

"Flames, errupt from where you have marked, and engulf your target in flames to send him on his way. Funeral Pyre!"

In that instant, the flames that hit him began to spread across his body. In moments, they would engulf him completely and turn him to ash.

"Aqua Healing".

At least, that was the plan, but then he took out some water and manipulated it with magic, putting out the fire and healing himself.

It seemed he had come quite prepared, as the duel in the sky continued.