Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume16 Chapter7

==Chapter 7 - The Resurrected Demon King==

===Part 1===

In the end, after listening to Restia, Kamito still knew little about the Demon King&mdash;

Anyway, costumed as the Demon King, Kamito made his way to the conference room of the moored Revenant in order to practice before the real event.

Probably because girls took longer to dress up, none of the others were at the conference room yet.

(...Can't be helped. I guess I'll practice on my own until everyone gathers here.)

Kamito took out a scrunched up script.

"I am the Demon King, I am the Demon King... I am the Demon King who rules the world..."

While pacing about the room, he began muttering quietly to himself.

"Whether wealth, women or spirits, everything in this world belongs to me. K-Kuhahahaha...!"

Monotonous reading of the script and dry laughter sounded hollowly.

(...Did Demon King Solomon really say these things?)

While perspiration broke out on his forehead, Kamito cocked his head. Sigh, indeed, the image of the Demon King circulating in folklore was pretty much in this style&mdash;

"All who oppose me shall die, gahahahahaha... Ha... Hey, what the hell...?"

Exasperated, Kamito was just about to throw away Rubia's script when...

"Kamito, have you memorized the lines?"

Suddenly, someone spoke to him.

He suddenly looked at where the voice was coming from.

"...Cl... aire!?"

Under the skull mask, Kamito's eyes widened until they were round.

Claire's appearance was akin to being half naked.

She was dressed in a sheer garment offering a translucent view of her skin with a jeweled dress that was almost underwear. The exquisitely embroidered sarong featured an audacious slit, exposing her healthy thigh. The exotic and sexy attire was very much like the illustrations of the Demon King's concubines they had seen in Rubia's study.

Confronted with Claire's shocking appearance, dressed in a manner she would never normally accept&mdash;

"Y-Your outfit..."

Kamito could not help but feel his heart pounding.

"...~I-I know, q-quit staring!"

Blushing to her ears, Claire covered up her small bosom with her arms and glared at Kamito unhappily.

...Dressed in a skimpy outfit, awkwardly rubbing her knees together, she looked amazingly cute.

Kamito hastily shook his head.

"...No, uh, although I'm very surprised, it seems very, pretty..."

He offered his honest opinion.

"...Huaah, sh-sheesh, what are you talking about..."

Claire got more and more embarrassed, her entire face turning bright red. Then...

"Y-You, on the other hand, look terrible in that Demon King outfit..."

As though trying to hide her embarrassment, Claire raised her head and commented with a glance.

"I don't think anyone'd look good in this outfit."

"...Fair enough."

Claire shrugged. Still covering her chest with her arms, she entered the room.

...Wearing such an outfit, even walking felt very disgraceful.

"...S-So, are you okay with the lines?"

"Well, it isn't a lot, so I should be fine&mdash;"

Compared to memorizing the Instructional School's passwords, it was much easier.

That being said, because there were many lines that Kamito would never speak normally, practicing until he could speak them naturally would take quite a bit of time&mdash;

"Are you okay on your end?"

"Who do you take me for? I am number one in the year, you know?"

"...I guess you're right. Th-Then, wanna try practicing together?"

"S-Sure, no problem..."

Claire nodded, held her script and stood face to face with Kamito.

"Th-This makes me feel a bit nervous..."

"Me too..."

Claire coughed lightly and directed her gaze to the script.

Then&mdash;

"I-I am the Demon King's loyal servant. This body and this mind, everything is yours."

...Totally monotone. Even as an honors student, it looked like she needed to work on her acting skills quite a bit.

"O-Okay, your turn&mdash;"

"Y-Yeah..."

Kamito hastily flipped open his script.

"Yes, you are mine. Offer your heart and your body, everything to me&mdash;"

"U-Uh... O-Okay!"

When he read out the line, Claire nodded obediently.

"...? Wait, you messed up there, didn't you? That part should be answered with 'my power as a princess maiden shall surely aid in your ambitions, O great Demon King'&mdash;Right?"

"...Oh, y-you, y-you're right!"

Claire went bright red in the face, speaking in a fluster.

...Was she nervous? She seemed to be in poor form.

At that moment&mdash;

"Oh my, so you two have started practicing already&mdash;"

Ellis, Fianna and Rinslet entered the room.

"...!?"

Kamito felt his heart rate rise again.

Changed into the highly revealing outfits of the Demon King's concubines, each and every one of them looked very pretty, giving off an allure completely different from usual.

On further thought, the  girls of Team Scarlet were striking beauties who stood out from among the students of Areishia Spirit Academy, a gathering of beautiful girls to begin with.

Adding the fact that they were dressed in such racy costumes, an accelerating heart rate was unavoidable.

"Kamito-kun, h-how are our clothes?"

"K-Kamito, uh, quit staring..."

"Yes, it f-feels very embarrassing to be ogled like this..."

Looking at each other in embarrassment, they awkwardly rubbed their exposed legs together.

"S-Sorry..."

Kamito frantically shifted his gaze away.

"Uh, girls, are you okay with the lines?"

"Of course."

"Hmm, I have memorized everything."

"Fufu, a perfect actress such as I have no need for a script. I will have you know that I once played the main role for a drama performance dedicated as an offering to spirits."

Saying that, Rinslet tossed her hair.

"Rinslet, it'd be pointless if you ended up stealing the Demon King's show."

"I-I know that."

Rinslet pouted.

"Okay, let's start rehearsing&mdash;"

"Yes."

Kamito and the girls gathered in the center of the room and started practicing. However, drawn to their attractive appearances, Kamito could not focus his concentration at all&mdash;

===Part 2===

&mdash;Night fell upon the Demon's Fist.

At a subterranean drill ground, the size of the crowd gathered had surpassed thousands of people.

Everyone was here to catch a glimpse of the Demon King who was predicted to resurrect here tonight.

For them, the Demon King's resurrection would be hope beyond dispute.

At the center of this fervor&mdash;

Dressed in ritual attire, Rubia Elstein was giving a speech.

"&mdash;Tonight, Demon King Solomon shall awaken from his thousand-year-long slumber, to resurrect right beside you believers of the legitimate Demon King&mdash;"

Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King!

The crowd, occupying the whole drill ground, cheered loudly, shaking the entire Demon's Fist.

"Kamito, time for you to make an entrance&mdash;"

"Y-Yeah..."

Hearing Claire's quiet reminder, Kamito nodded a little nervously under his Demon King costume.

They were currently in an underground passage beneath the drill ground. Vast passages had been built during the Ranbal War era, extending like a spider's web inside the Demon's Fist. The passages connected various parts of the Demon's Fist and were used to transport supplies and soldiers. The plan was for Kamito and the girls to appear at the drill ground where the crowd was once Rubia's speech ended.

"I can't help feeling nervous..."

Kamito muttered under his mask.

"Kamito-kun, just act your normal self and you will be fine."

"What normal self..."

"Q-Quiet, the speech is over&mdash;"

Just as Claire gave a reminder...

"&mdash;Now then, let the Demon King Resurrection Ritual begin!"

Rubia's voice was heard. She began chanting an incantation to revive the Demon King.

With this as the signal, the elevator carrying Kamito and company began to rise slowly.

The incantation was the same as what she had chanted to resurrect Nepenthes Lore previously, but since no one present was capable of understanding the High Ancient mastered by Queens, this was probably not a problem.

The gigantic magic circle drawn on the ground began to glow ominously. The flames of a bonfire surged dramatically.

Then amid the crimson blaze, the Demon King clad in a blood-red cloak made his appearance.

Crimson eyes glowed with radiant light under the skull mask.

In his hand was a staff in the form of intertwined snakes, a terrifying demon bird perched on his shoulder.

Waiting on him by his feet were four beautiful princesses with cold gazes.

The crowd, thousands strong, instantly clamored.

"Are you the ones who roused me from my thousand-year-long slumber&mdash;"

Landing on the ground, Kamito looked down at the crowd prostrated at his feet and spoke.

Through the effects of wind magic, his voice sounded especially loud and clear.

"We have waited long for you, O Demon King&mdash;"

Kneeling in front of Kamito like the others, Rubia reverently lowered her head.

"Princess maiden, why disturb my sleep?"

"I implore you to destroy the Theocracy's usurper&mdash;"

Still maintaining her kneeling posture, Rubia answered.

"Hmph, usurper huh? So pests have risen up in my absence."

Kamito growled and the skull mask discharged black smoke.

"Naturally, this is my country. I shall not allow anyone to do with it as they please&mdash;"

At Kamito's declaration&mdash;

Massive cheering erupted at the drill ground again.

"I shall grant ye victory&mdash;"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Coordinating with the timing of Kamito brandishing his staff, Claire and the girls stood up.

"My crimson flames shall sweep across the world to bring forth its demise!"

"My fierce wind shall blow away Zohar's army&mdash;"

"My dark knight shall make blood sacrifices out of the enemy!"

"Darkness shall flood the entire world, ohohoho!"

Although Claire and Ellis recited their lines monotonously, Rinslet seemed to have flipped some kind of weird switch inside her&mdash;Sigh, at least it was a passing performance.

Glaring at the crowd, Kamito shouted:

"I shall crush all enemies and take back the capital!"

Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King!

The crowd's excitement reached a climax, but at that very moment...

A massive explosion erupted at the drill ground.

===Part 3===

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, accompanied by a flash of light, an explosion was heard, almost rupturing their eardrums.

(...W-What's going on!?)

Amid the rising dust cloud, Kamito instantly reacted and checked out his surroundings.

Kamito had a pretty good idea what the flash of light prior to the explosion in the crowd was about.

(The light of releasing a spirit&mdash;)

As expected, ahead of him, a xenomorphic shadow appeared in the dust cloud. Once the dust settled, a giant monster with a lion's body, an extra goat's head and a snake for a tail could be seen there.

"...That's the Chimera-type militarized spirit!?"

Claire cried out in shock.

The magic beast spirit, the Chimera, was an obsolete tactical-class militarized spirit deployed on the front lines during the Ranbal War. Even though it was two generations older than the current Glasya-Labolas giant spirit deployed in the official ranks of various nations' military forces, in terms of combat ability, it was Glasya-Labalas' equal.

"...W-Why is a militarized spirit&mdash;"

"Who knows..."

Kamito readied the Demon Slayer and the Vorpal Sword in both hands and faced off against the magic beast.

Gathered on the plaza, the crowd still had yet to grasp the situation.

Confronted with the suddenly appeared militarized spirit, they simply froze on the spot.

"Claire, direct the people to evacuate&mdash;"

&mdash;Just as Kamito shouted...

Guoooooooooooooooooo!

The magic beast roared and swung its huge limbs.

"...!?"

Kamito and Claire instantly jumped to the left and the right respectively, dodging the attack.

With a thunderous crash, stone tiles were dig up, a large amount of debris flew into the air.

(...What astounding destructive power!?)

Rolling on the ground, Kamito cursed in his thoughts. A mere human body would be shredded by a direct hit from that.

The countless shards of broken tiles were about to rain down on the crowd&mdash;

(...Tsk, damn it!)

Kamito could not help but click his tongue. At that moment...

"&mdash;Freezing fangs of ice, go forth and pierce&mdash;Freezing Arrow!"

Rinslet fired arrows that pierced the giant debris with pinpoint accuracy&mdash;

"O wind, sweep away—Wind Bombs!"

The small fragments were swept away by Ellis' wind magic.

"We will take care of this, hurry and head to somewhere safe!"

Ellis shouted loudly at the crowd.

"Over here, hurry. Into the barrier!"

The crowd swarmed into the defensive barrier set up by Fianna.

Wearing a fluttering bright red cloak, Kamito landed on the ground and started to search for a presence mixed in the crowd.

(The elementalist who released the militarized spirit should be nearby&mdash;)

Suddenly, in the chaotic plaza, Kamito noticed a sharp aura of murderous intent.

It was almost instinct.

Faced with the knife flying the darkness, Kamito deflected it using his Demon Slayer&mdash;

Then using the Vorpal Sword, he chopped down the other knife flying from a different direction.

(...The first knife was a diversion huh? And the blades are painted black too.)

The work of trained professional assassins, undoubtedly.

(Probably assassins from the Theocracy&mdash;)

Despite the Night Vision effect, the Demon King's mask was still quite detrimental to his field of view. Kamito groaned.

This was an assassination targeting Rubia, probably. He never expected a militarized spirit would be sent&mdash;

(...Oh right, what about Rubia!?)

Kamito realized in sudden alarm and turned his gaze around him

Soon, he found her.

She had collapsed under the rubble.

Perhaps blown away by the earlier impact. She also seemed to be bleeding from the forehead.

Although she had been able to fight Kamito equally during the Blade Dance&mdash;

That was purely because she had summoned the Sacred Maiden's power into her physical body and also formed a contract with the ultimate flame spirit Laevateinn. No matter how high her abilities as a princess maiden, her physical stats should be similar to Fianna's.

"Rubia&mdash;"

Kamito frantically tried to hurry over. At that instant...

Two figures dressed in gray hoods rushed over from the scattering crowd.

(...!)

Kamito released divine power and kicked the ground hard.

This was an application of the Absolute Blade Art of divine speed, Purple Lightning. Kamito's figure instantly vanished.

A flash of the sword sliced through the air. Within an instant, Kamito had cut down the two assassins.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes&mdash;"

With one knee against the ground, Rubia stood up.

She glanced at the exposed faces of the assassinations. They seemed to be young girls roughly the same age as Kamito.

"...Combatants from the Instructional School!?"

Kamito could not help but exclaim.

"They used to be part of my private army. Sjora Kahn must be the one who sent these assassins."

Rubia spoke with pain in her voice.

Rubia had adopted the orphans after the Instructional School's demise, raising them as her private army. However, during the Blade Dance, Sjora Kahn had stolen them away.

Sjora had sent these girls as assassins.

"Kamito, it's coming&mdash;"

Holding a flaming whip, Claire called out.

The Chimera swung its thick tail, sweeping across the ground.

Kamito picked up Rubia in his arms and jumped into the air.

After landing, he gently put down Rubia.

"Defeat that militarized spirit, Ren Ashbell."

"Yeah, I don't need you to tell me&mdash;"

He was about to take off his cloak when...

"Do it as you are."

"Huh?"

Hearing that, Kamito asked in response.

"Show these people your power as the Demon King."

"Are you kidding me...?"

...This Demon King's armor, only focused on looks, was far worse in mobility than the Academy's uniform, specially designed for the Blade Dance. Furthermore, the skull mask was heavy and blocked more than half of his vision. However&mdash;

If he were to remove this Demon King's mask now, he would definitely expose himself in front of the crowd.

"A merely militarized spirit of a bygone era is no match for you now, right?"

"Easy for you to say&mdash;"

Kamito groaned and looked up at the magic beast spirit that was glaring all around it.

He ought to aim for the head to destroy the spirit, but the goat head and the snake tail were quite troublesome.

"Claire, immobilize it! Rinslet, cover me! Ellis, protect everyone!"

"Got it!" "Understood!" "Yes, leave it to me!"

Kamito poured divine power into his two swords.

"Est, Restia&mdash;Let's go for a big one!"

(Yes, Kamito&mdash;)

(Understood.)

Responding to his call, the silver-white sacred sword glowed with blinding brilliance whereas the jet-black demon sword erupted with lightning.

The Chimera's roar shook the air. Kicking with its hind legs, it leaped.

In that instant, the divine power Kamito had concentrated in his feet exploded all at once.

"Absolute Blade Arts, Seventh Form&mdash;Biting Dragon!"

This was an anti-air Absolute Blade Art making use of Purple Lightning. The light of divine power exploded. Within an eye's blink, two figures crossed each other. The magic beast spirit's thick legs were severed as a result.

Guoooooooooooooooo!

Losing balance in the air, the magic beast spirit crashed heavily against the wall of the drill ground.

Landing on the ground, kamito instantly rushed at the Chimera whose movements had stopped&mdash;

However, the goat head on its back turned around and roared.

Several blazing fireballs immediately appeared out of thin air, crashing down at Kamito.

&mdash;It was Fireball spirit magic.

(...Independent control systems!?)

Kamito widened his eyes but&mdash;

"Incinerate it, scorching conflagration—Fireball!"

At the same time, Claire released fireballs to collide with them violently.

The flames exploded in the air above, lighting up the dark night sky.

Crushing the wall with its jaws, the lion stood up on one leg and roared in anger. The snake for a tail struggled violently in pain. The goat head on the back began to chant spirit magic again.

But in that instant...

"&mdash;Vicious wind, rampage!"

"&mdash;Freezing fangs of ice, go forth and pierce, Freezing Arrow!"

Ellis' wind blades amputated the tail&mdash;

Rinslet's arrow pierced the goat's head.

"Do it now, Kamito!"

"Yeah&mdash;"

Holding the sacred sword and the demon sword, both infused with divine power, Kamito sprinted.

"Absolute Blade Arts, Destructive Form—Bursting Blossom Spiral Blade Dance - Twelve Consecutive Strikes!"

He unleashed countless slashes upon the magic beast spirit&mdash;

The tactical-class militarized spirit turned into particles of light and vanished.

Lowering his two swords, Kamito turned around to look at the crowd.

They looked like they were still in disarray.

Sounds of prayers and crying could be heard everywhere.

Although wind from the blast and flying stone fragments had been blocked by Fianna's barrier, some people had been injured from the explosion when the militarized spirit first appeared.

(...So, what should I do?)

Kamito looked at Rubia for directions.

Rubia shook her head slightly... ''Do as you please'', apparently.

(...I have to improvise huh?)

Kamito groaned under the skull mask and shook his head.

(No helping it...)

Stabbing both swords into the ground, Kamito extended his arms lightly towards the crowd.

"&mdash;Silence, my people."

His solemn voice instantly made the crowd quiet.

"&mdash;You witnessed my power, right? Vanquishing me is impossible. What happened a thousand years ago will not repeat again. The fools of Zohar who dare oppose me shall be punished!"

At the Demon King's powerful declaration&mdash;

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Massive cheering, enough to shake the ground, erupted.

"Wow, it's true, he is the true Demon King!" "S-Such a terrifying spirit and yet he destroyed it so easily!" "The Demon King will make the Theocracy's witch learn her lesson!"

Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King! Demon King!

Once again, fear and terror, as well as fervor, took hold of this space&mdash;

The cheering went on nonstop.
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