• 290: Ocean Demon

Wings that were transparent like the fins of a fish and were shining a rainbow brilliance.

With such wings on its body, its whole body shines in a verdant color.

A rough female body. <Wait, he was a she?!>

That is the Water Demon Lord, Gabriel.

From the unique looking Demon Lords, this Gabriel is one notch up —the lone woman in the four Demon Lords.

In the first place, I have never heard of monsters having genders. In that sense, this Gabriel’s existence is out of norms, and because of this, it is eerie.

“…Culture is truly interesting.” (Gabriel)

Gabriel suddenly said towards us who were shuddering at the pressure she let out.

…A sound reverberated.

From the hand of Gabriel, there was some sort of gold necklace wrapped around it and rings with gems embedded to it, and there were also several other accessories wrapped around.

“You…that’s…!” (Celestis)

The one that immediately reacted after seeing that was Celestis-chan.

“They are things I found in the city. What a strange custom humans have. Decorating their bodies with small things like this. What is there to be proud about this? Strength? Wealth? Or maybe beauty?” (Gabriel)

“You…!” (Celestis)

The words of Gabriel raised the vigor of Celestis-chan.

Normally, she should be crumbling under the pressure of the Demon Lord, but the current Celestis-chan was unconsciously pushing it back with adrenaline.

“It was you, right?! The one who made the people of Hydra Ville disappear! Answer! Where are the people?! Papa…no, where are the Founder and the Water Church members, the residents of Hydra Ville, the many tourists in it!!” (Celestis)

I want to think they are all okay.

I don’t want to think about any other possibility.

Gabriel was facing the desperate Celestis-chan but she simply showed elegance..

“Ara ara, if you want to question people, how about introducing yourself first? Isn’t that one of the cultures you people have build up?” (Gabriel)

“Tch…” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan clicks her tongue bluntly.

“Don’t know of me? As expected of a monster that reeks of the sticks. If you don’t know, I will tell you. I am the water hero Celestis that protects this Water capital!!” (Celestis)

“Is that so…” (Gabriel)

“To attack this Water capital while I was absent. For someone acting all high and mighty, what you do is quite petty, Demon Lord-sama. Did you arrange it beforehand with Michael who attacked Muspelheim?!” (Celestis)

Being told this, Gabriel finally showed fluctuation in her emotions.

“Ara ara, that Michael, so he moved as well huh. Even though he was the one that was the most reserved. I wonder what wind blew this change. Ah, if we talk about wind, it would be Raphael, right?” (Gabriel)

I was expecting this, but it seems like Michael’s attack to Muspelheim and Gabriel appearing in Hydra Ville were a coincidence.

At a glance, it looks as if Michael had served as a distraction and Gabriel had used that opening. Then that means several solo actions made a coincidental teamwork play?

“By the way, hey hey, that just now falls into the ‘joke’ culture of yours, right? I tried using that phrase ‘the wind blew this change’ and the Wind Demon Lord Raphael. How was it?” (Gabriel)

“That’s an inside joke and it is hard for the public to understand! 10 points!” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan gave her grading while in desperation.

“Ah geez! Answer me already!! Where are the people of Hydra Ville?! If you say something like ‘I killed them all’, I won’t leave it at boiled fish or fry fish, I will beat you into a pulp!!” (Celestis)

“I wouldn’t do something so barbaric. This Water Demon Lord Gabriel is aiming to be a cultured Demon Lord.” (Gabriel)

“C-Cultured?” (Celestis)

Cultured?

“In order for us monsters to control the surface world and become the rulers of all things, just destroying the humans is not enough. Monsters have to surpass humans in all aspects or monsters won’t truly become the rulers of the surface world.” (Gabriel)

The Demon Lord Gabriel continues.

“In power, we Demon Lords already win against the humans  -to an overwhelming extent. Then, what should we surpass them in next? Intelligence. Humans have their own individual thoughts, accumulate them, and called it culture. I want that. Because if monsters obtain culture, they will surpass humans completely. That is my objective as a Demon Lord.” (Gabriel)

“Well there, what a commendable thing!” (Celestis)

No matter what time it is, Celestis-chan doesn’t forget to be sarcastic.

“Michael, Raphael, and Uriel will in time agree to my thoughts as well. That’s why I don’t want to do anything that is uncultured; in other words, barbaric things. Mass murder and destruction is the very definition of barbaric, right?” (Gabriel)

“…Those were claims I can mostly agree with, but I am already fed up with your monologue! Answer already! Where are the people of Hydra Ville?! What happened to Papa and the others?!” (Celestis)

“Right….. You can see one over there, you know?” (Gabriel)

“Eh?” (Celestis)

At the place where Gabriel pointed at, Celestis-chan and I, as well as Doraha-san and Mirack-chan, who were at the back, moved our gazes there.

When we did that, there was certainly something there where Gabriel pointed out.

That woman was someone we knew. A person we have met before.

That person is…

“Sarasa-san?!” (Karen)

• 291: Flower falls

Previous water hero, Sarasa-san. Just like Kyouka-san and Yoneko-san; she is a hero that came before us.

In reality, they should have finished their job as heroes and retired. But because of the unforeseen appearance of Demon Lords, they have returned to duty as a special case. They are facing this battle with us current heroes.

Celestis-chan being able to leave her base and heading to the help of another Church was because Sarasa-san was defending the fort.

And yet, that Sarasa-san was currently collapsed without showing signs of moving.

“Sarasa!” (Celestis)

“Sarasa-san?!” (Karen)

Celestis-chan and I hurriedly run to Sarasa-san.

We were under the pressure of Gabriel, but to think that we wouldn’t notice a person collapsed so close to us!

“Sarasa! Sarasa! Come to your senses! What happened?!” (Celestis)

Sarasa-san was not conscious, and after shaking her body, she finally opened her eyes slightly.

“……….Ah, Celestis-san. You finally came huh. You were so late, I was tired of waiting.” (Sarasa)

“What about you! You always talk big about being a past hero, so defeat a Demon Lord while I am away at least! I didn’t ask you to save me food!” (Celestis)

Sarasa-san was relieved at the arrival of Celestis-chan.

Celestis-chan was truly worried about her senior that fought to the point of collapsing.

But even with that, the two were spitting out complains to each other. Is that a shared trait of water heroes?

“Now that we are here, you are not needed! We will crush that Demon Lord ourselves, so the injured should rest!” (Celestis)

Saying this, Celestis-chan tried to carry Sarasa-san up, but Sarasa-san herself slapped it away.

“Wa?!” (Celestis)

“Celestis-san, you already understand, right? You are actually intelligent despite your looks after all!” (Sarasa)

“W-What are you saying?!” (Celestis)

“An unprecedented crisis is currently attacking the whole Hydra Ville! This is not the time to be worrying about me alone. It is mortifying, but with my strength, I can’t stand a chance at all!” (Sarasa)

While they were doing that exchange, Gabriel was simply overlooking it with leisure all over. She wasn’t showing a single sign of planning to attack.

She was completely underestimating us.

“That woman was thoroughly boring. She is supposed to be the strongest in this city, so I wanted to take my time to taste it, and I even placed a rule that I wouldn’t attack at all, and yet, she couldn’t injure me at all.” (Gabriel)

Gabriel lets out a sigh as if she were truly disappointed.

“Not only that, she continued attacking until she exhausted herself and lost consciousness. Geez, it was a waste of time.” (Gabriel)

“It is fine with that. Thanks to the bought time, Celestis-san managed to come back in time after all!” (Sarasa)

Hearing those words, Celestis-chan and I were stunned.

“Sarasa…could it be that you…” (Celestis)

“Understanding that you wouldn’t be able to defeat the Demon Lord, you decided on buying time?” (Karen)

While repeating attacks that don’t work on the Demon Lord, she waited for the return of Celestis-chan?

Attacks with your full power won’t have any effect; for a combatant, this is more exhausting mentally than physically, and yet, she repeated that process.

“The one there is the light hero-san…and the fire hero-san, right…?!” (Sarasa)

Sarasa-san whips her exhausted body up and then looks at Mirack-chan and I.

“You people truly get along well. It would have been great if Kyouka-san, Yoneko-san, and Juo-san, and I fixed our relationship sooner. They are such good people after all…!” (Sarasa)

Sarasa-san shows a weak smile and then says resolutely.

“Heroes of the other churches, please help out my junior. Please save our Hydra Ville. I will cut open the way for that path!” (Sarasa)

She spreads her folding fan.

That is the divine tool of Sarasa-san, Dahyu. The water blade that cuts everything.

“Listen well, Celestis-san. The people of Hydra Ville can still be saved…! By extracting that wicked divine power that Demon Lord poured and making a turnaround in the situation, things should return to how they were. But for that sake, we have the defeat the source!! That Demon Lord!!” (Sarasa)

“Eh? Wa?! Explain properly!” (Celestis)

But Sarasa-san didn’t provide any extra explanation and challenged the Demon Lord valiantly.

“Ara ara, still plan on fighting? Repeating pointless things; there’s nothing to learn of culture from an uncouth human though.” (Gabriel)

“In that case, I will show you my true power just as you wish!! Now that Celestis-san has arrived, I can throw my everything!!” (Sarasa)

The water folding fan of Sarasa-san was gushing with an amount of water divine power that we have never seen before.

“Look properly, Celestis-san! Even if it is against a rather annoying person like you, there are techniques you don’t use in human matches!!” (Sarasa)

Sarasa-san rotated her body with folding fan in hand, on top of that, the ultrathin water blades that surge from her water folding fan stretch in accord to the direction of the rotation.

It was as if a water tornado was surrounding Sarasa-san’s body.

“[Water Beheading Blade – Dragon Dance]!” (Sarasa)

Rotating at super fast speed, the water blades accumulate on her body.

This could already be called the ultimate violence in water divine power. Everything that touches that water tornado would be minced in an instant and be left with nothing.

“She had such a trump card hidden?!” (Karen)

As expected of a past hero that has more experience than us.

“If she had used that in the heroes match, I would have lost!” (Celestis)

Not only lost, she would have died. That’s why Sarasa-san literally sealed that technique in the heroes match.

Celestis-chan’s knees tremble at the all-out of her senior.

“If I can manage even a small wound…! This will bring a bigger advantage to Celestis-san and the others who will be fighting next…!!” (Sarasa)

A water tornado that minces everything it touches; or putting it in other words, a water shredder.

Sarasa-san tried to crash this onto the Demon Lord with her whole body, but…!!

“Ara, splendid. You prepared such a surprise.” (Gabriel)

Gabriel leisurely extends her hand, and once that hand touches the roaring water blades of Sarasa-san, they warp in several directions as if they had clashed against a wall harder than steel, unable to get through that one hand of hers.

The roars of the water blades began to sound like cries now. They run wildly at random directions and disperse into droplets.

“Wa?!”

“And I see, a trump card is something that has to be hidden until it shows the best effect. Planning and strategizing is also culture.” (Gabriel)

She is not hurt at all?!

The ultimate attack of Sarasa-san…not even a scratch!

“Gaaaaah!!” (Sarasa)

And then, the arm of the Demon Lord that broke through the water folding fan, continued with its momentum and pierced the chest of Sarasa-san.

• 292: Hell Soup

No way!!

The thin arm of Gabriel pierced Sarasa-san?!

Right at the middle of the chest of Sarasa-san!!

“Nooooo!!” (Celestis)

Seeing this, Celestis-chan reacts heavily.

She practically was about to run reflexively to her, but Mirack-chan and I hurriedly stop her.

“Celestis-chan!! Don’t!!” (Karen)

“If you rush without thinking, you will simply become a second victim!!” (Mirack)

Celestis-chan is normally the most composed within our hero group, and yet, she lost herself this much…

“Don’t make a ruckus…!!”

The struggling of Celestis-chan stopped at that strict voice.

It was no one else but Sarasa-san who had the arm pierced from front and coming out from her back.

“Sarasa…you…!!” (Celestis)

“You can’t trouble your friends…! It is fine. Just do as you always have -calm and composed- and properly watch what’s about to happen. Watch what kind of calamity this Demon Lord brought to this Water capital…!” (Sarasa)

Sarasa-san swung her water folding fan even when her chest was pierced, and tried to take revenge on Gabriel at close range, but even that showed no effect on the worst of opponents.

The Water Beheading Blade, just by touching the skin of Gabriel, dispersed into droplets.

“Increase the power by concentrating… So divine power has that way of use huh. Is this the culture called military arts? Playing together with you people really overflows with freshness.” (Gabriel)

“Guuu….Aaaah!!” (Sarasa)

“That attack just now was also good. Most enemies would have been cut by that, but…too bad. The difference in our divine power is way too big. No matter how much you concentrate on one point, you won’t even be a match to me in my normal state.” (Gabriel)

“Looks like that’s the case….. I thought I could cut at least one layer of skin though. Seems this is as far as I can do! But…” (Sarasa)

Sarasa-san looks back towards us.

“The actual current heroes are here already. Defeating you people is the duty of those girls. Your fate has already been decided. Prepare yourself…!” (Sarasa)

“Is that so. Oh well, I have already had enough fun with you, so I will have you retire.” (Gabriel)

And then, something dreadful occured.

Sarasa-san’s body is melting!

“Eh? Wa? No way!!” (Karen)

“What is going on?!” (Celestis)

She was melting, turned into water……and disappeared?!

Sarasa-san?!

The puddle that is spread at the feet of Gabriel…it was once Sarasa-san…

“You! You…!!” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan was grinding her teeth, and even we could hear it from where we were.

“How dare you kill Sarasa! I will be your opponent next! I will avenge Sarasa!!” (Celestis)

“Ara ara, quite the impatient child. Are you going to avenge someone that’s not even dead?” (Gabriel)

“Eh?” (Celestis)

Those words made Celestis-chan, who was about to jump at her, stop.

“I told you already, didn’t I? I completely repudiate barbaric acts that stray the most of culture. Killing is a barbaric action. That’s why, even if I will eradicate humans, I don’t kill humans.” (Gabriel)

“You are going to eradicate humans without killing them? What’s with that weird riddle?! Can you do something like that?!” (Celestis)

“The answer lies at the goal.” (Gabriel)

What Gabriel pointed at was Sarasa-san who had melted into liquid.

That puddle was moving on its own.

“““?!!”””

Not only Celestis-chan; Mirack-chan and I were also shocked.

The puddle slid through the ground as if it were pulled by something…advanced, advanced, advanced…and *sploosh* fell into the water -to a bigger puddle of water.

No…rather than calling it a puddle…!

“That’s…a reserve pond?” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan, who lives in this city, was the first one to notice.

“I was so concentrated on Gabriel that I didn’t notice, but…isn’t this the reserve pond that’s at the end of Hydra Ville?!” (Celestis)

Reserve pond?

If I remember correctly, it is a facility that receives the increased water of the rivers when it rains.

“To prepare in case of a large scale flood, a big ditch to let water accumulate is made, but…this is strange. It is exactly because it was made for that objective that it normally shouldn’t have water in it, and yet…!” (Celestis)

But the reserve pond that’s in front of us is filled with water; moreover, it is not simple water.

It is slightly red…or purple? At any rate, it is a color of water that’s impossible naturally, and it is currently filling up that reserve pond.

At an impossible to be place, there’s impossible to exist red water.

“Wait a moment!! Could this possibly be…!” (Celestis)

What happened a few moments ago resurfaced in our minds.

Sarasa-san melted into liquid had fallen into this reserve pond on its own; the Hydra Ville that has no people in it… Doesn’t that mean…!

“It is about time to answer your first question.” (Gabriel)

The first question of Celestis-chan: ‘What did you do to the people of Hydra Ville?’.

“They are right here, you know? All the people that moved about in this city are all here. They have all been changed into this ‘undiluted lifeforce’. This undiluted lifeforce that’s accumulated in this pond are the very humans you are searching for.” (Gabriel)

Eradicating humans without killing them; is this what she meant?!

“How is it? Isn’t it splendid? Fufufufu…” (Gabriel)