Kuro no Maou

What shot out from the shining purple eyes was not a mere flash, but a ray of light.

The light of crystallization closed in on me like a spotlight looking to illuminate actors on a stage.

「UOOOOOH!」

I dodged it by a hair – no, it grazed me?!

After avoiding Saeed’s gaze and sidestepping the attack, my body hit the ground with a crash, blowing crystal dust everywhere.

「It just grazed me, so I seem to be fine....」

It seemed like I managed to avoid major injury I didn’t feel anything wrong with my body or my magical energy.

As well as avoiding direct bodily harm, my 『Diablo’s Embrace』wasn’t crystallized, but a thin layer of amethyst had formed, covering the surface.

TLN: Previously translated as『Diabolos Embrace』

It was brittle enough to break on the impact of my landing, but if I had stood in that ray of light for too long, like taking an ice magic attack, my whole body would have been covered in amethyst and I would have been completely crystallized all the way to the marrow in my bones.

「How dare you, HOW DARE YOU!」

I can’t relax after dodging just once.

Saeed curses while chasing me, the source of his hatred.

I say 「chasing」, but by merely shifting his line of sight he can perform a fatal attack that is far faster than swinging a sword.

He closes in on me, intending to mow me down with his ray of crystallization.

Continuing to avoid these attacks is probably impossible – that being the case, it’s probably best to directly block his vision.

「Black smoke!」.

With a swing of my arm, a pitch-black smoke of black magic particles enshrouds the area and begins to darken the arena.

His gaze is already definitely pointed in my direction, but it looks like I’ve achieved what I was aiming to do.

Until it can cut through this black smokescreen, that ray of light won’t get to me.

In the same way that I blocked the light magic of the priest I fought in Irz village, it seems that the light of crystallization is diffused by the black smoke.

「WHEEEEERE AAAAAARE YOOOOOUUUUU?」

The enraged shouts of Saeed, having lost sight of his enemy, echo from the other side of the smokescreen.

Well, I can’t see him either, but he is wielding cursed weapons that are giving off an unbelievable presence of hatred, bloodthirst and magical energy; I can guess his rough location.

「Bullet Arts: Gatling Burst!」

Gripping the hatchet in my right hand, in my left hand I call forth the still-unnamed Simon-specialty prototype rifle from the shadows.

Just before the power-boosted bullets shoot black fire from the twin barrels –

「UOOOOOOH - GYOOOOOOOOO!」

A woman’s cry overlaps with Saeed’s screaming again.

In an instant, a gust of wind blows through, completely scattering the smokescreen that was concealing our figures.

Still swinging his naginata, Saeed pierces me with his gaze again from his two shining eyes.

TLN: Saeed’s weapon was previously translated to be a halberd; a naginata is a Japanese polearm similar to a halberd but the author distinguishes halberds from naginatas elsewhere so I have translated naginata accordingly.

「Fu, gufu, gugegee – wake up.」

In the break between his attacks, I immediately dodge – or try to, but my legs won’t move; they’re heavy.

「Wha-?!」

「Ooo... Aaaah...」

「Uu... Gururu...」

Two pairs of arms were wrapped around my legs.

Those arms belong to the Nameless weapon-users I’d just defeated earlier.

The Orc I had pierced right in the middle of his face, and the handsome Elf I defeated first.

Why, they should be dead, why can they move?

「KYOOOOOU!」

Before I can answer that question, a third corpse - the female human whose torso I’d cut in half - clings to my waist, taking no notice of the fact that her intestines are spilling out.

The Orc, the Elf and half of the woman – With this many enemies on me, even I can’t move to escape.

It would be easy to cut my way out of the situation with the hatchet in my right hand; however, I don’t have the time to do that.

Because Saeed is already directing his gaze at me.

「Damn it!」

「HOW DARE YOU KILL HERRRRR! DIIIIIEEEE!」

And his Demon Eyes shine –

「The『Amethyst Gaze』 is moving well; it’s been a while since I last played with my Demon Eyes so I’m relieved.」

Seeing the gallant figure of Saeed, who had just demolished Kurono’s Bullet Arts with one glare, Regin showed a carefree look on his face.

「Hahaha, I see he hasn’t become rusty yet. Isn’t that power beyond that of the original Demon Eye Awakener?」

As Mordred was saying that, five blackened swords lost control and slammed into the earth, shattering into pieces.

『Amethyst Gaze』, that is the name of the Demon Eyes that are the pride of Saeed – no, the pride of the Hydra House, one of the Four Great Noble Houses of Spada.

Its effect is simple; it turns any object into amethyst.

As a Demon Eye ability that takes effect just with sight, you could say it is popular.

It is about as strong as the third eye of the Cockatrice, the Petrifying Demon Eye.

While simple and tremendously powerful, it is also extraordinarily easy to use.

Just by directing your line of sight, it turns your opponent into a motionless crystal statue.

As far as countermeasures go, the two methods are avoiding the line of sight using a shield, defensive magic or terrain, or avoiding a direct hit from the ray of light that causes the effect.

「To use smoke, his black magic is quite versatile, no?」

Therefore, Kurono’s choice to block the gaze of the Demon Eyes was very effective.

However, that would only be the case if 『Amethyst Gaze』 was his opponent’s only method of attacking.

Saeed is equipped with one more powerful cursed weapon.

「Oh, I can hear it, the shout of grief that awakens the dead. 」

GYOAAAAAAAH!

The human woman’s scream of agony in her death throes would be unpleasant enough to cause any normal human being to cover their ears. However, to Mordred, no, to the Undead family, that sound was a soothing lullaby.

「He used the 『Haunted Grave』’s 『Dead Revival』, good, good!」

TLN: The ability is literally called “Dead Alive” in Katakana, but this doesn’t make a lot of sense in English – the Kanji reads “Dead Revival” so I used that

Regin, announcing this with a smile, fixes his sight on the jet-black naginata in Saeed’s right hand.

Its inscription is 『Haunted Grave』.

It was once the weapon of the Gravekeeper, whose role was to put the dead to eternal slumber. It has such a history, but now it has become a deeply cursed weapon that bestows false life upon the dead and imposes on them even more burdens from this world.

Each time it is swung, the hatred hidden within the blade releases a growl, spinning a cursed song that prevents the dead from resting.

And then, there is the darkness magic that moves the corpses according to your will, 『Dead Revival』.

The melody spun by the 『Haunted Grave』 becomes the chant to cast 『Dead Revival』, resurrecting suitable corpses to become Undead.

Suitable corpses, in other words, the corpses of those who had a strong will to live on in this world.

To be more specific, corpses that harbour a lot of black magic and darkness magic, which become the source of the energy that grants them their false life.

That is why the corpses of the Nameless, who have been taken hold of by a curse, are perfect materials to resurrect as Undead.

Well, they are already zombies with no way to return to normal the moment they are cursed anyway.

「Oh! They’ve already started moving! One, two – three! Hmm, it would indeed be difficult to revive those whose heads were cut off!」

The vibrations of the melody of 『Dead Revival』are amplified to the point they become shockwaves, and Kurono’s smokescreen is blown and scattered away by one swing of the weapon.

And Mordred, watching from above, quietly exhaled. The sight of his hated enemy being attacked by the three corpses was indeed a good sight.

「Damn it!」

The voice communication system utilising servants with both strong wind magic and good ears meant that even Kurono’s desperate murmurs were relayed to the VIP room.

「Now, what will you do? Don’t disappoint me, Nightmare Berserker! 」

Even Kurono, with his superhuman physical strength, could not escape from the 『Amethyst Gaze』 this time.

If he takes the gaze directly from the front, even the coat made from the leather of a high-class demon would not be able to withstand the crystallization.

Is this really the end, or does he have something up his sleeve? At that moment Mordred, looking on half with expectation, and half with resignation, heard Kurono’s voice full of confidence.

「Take this! 」